JP6925055B2 - Vehicle video recording device, playback device, program - Google Patents

Description

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

A drive recorder that stores vehicle status information (front image, vehicle speed, sudden acceleration / deceleration, etc.) before and after a vehicle accident will provide useful information for verification in the event of a vehicle 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.

In the event of an accident or sudden braking, this drive recorder can store a forward image for a certain period before and after the occurrence and driving data showing the driver's driving operation (brake operation, blinker operation, driving route, etc.). It is composed. To briefly explain the configuration for storing video data, a CCD camera or the like constantly captures the image of the vehicle and its surroundings from the driver's viewpoint (field of view), and the captured video is stored in a temporary storage memory such as a ring buffer. Remember in. The video stored in the temporary storage memory is sequentially updated to the latest one, and the past video 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 generated at the time of sudden braking or sudden steering, and when the output value of the sensor exceeds the threshold value, from the time when the threshold value is exceeded (impact detection). The video of the previous fixed period is read from the temporary storage memory and stored in the non-volatile memory (SD memory card, etc.), and after the threshold is exceeded, the video of the CCD camera or the like captured thereafter can be directly stored in the non-volatile memory. By storing it via a temporary storage memory, it has a function of storing images for a predetermined time before and after the impact and the traveling data and the like in a non-volatile memory (SD card).

Then, when an accident occurs, it is possible to clearly prove the correctness 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 in, for example, Patent Document 1 and the like.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-321423

Some drive recorders of this type have a function of reproducing and displaying the recorded image of the surroundings of the vehicle on a display means such as a monitor. In addition, some have a function of acquiring a vehicle peripheral image and displaying the acquired image on a display means. It is necessary to instruct with a remote controller or a switch which of these images is to be displayed on the display device. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult for the driver to switch to a desired image during the driving operation.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention (1) acquires a vehicle state and a plurality of vehicle peripheral images, and obtains the acquired vehicle state and a plurality of vehicle peripheral images as reproducible data in time synchronization. In the vehicle image recording device for recording to the recording means, the image to be output preferentially to the display means is determined and output from the plurality of vehicle peripheral images based on the operation state of the vehicle by the driver. It is characterized by performing control.

According to such a configuration, since the image to be output preferentially to the display means is determined and output based on the operation state of the vehicle by the driver, the driver needs to switch the image with the remote controller or the switch together with the driving operation. There is no.

The vehicle peripheral image 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 intends to drive the vehicle. In this way, the image in the direction in which the driver is going to drive is output, and an appropriate image in line with the driver's intention is displayed at an appropriate timing. For example, the configuration shown in (8) and (9) described later may be used.

(3) A control for determining and outputting a video to be output preferentially to the display means, provided with a video generation means for generating a video to be output to the display means. An image showing a setting item related to, an image showing a vehicle state recorded in the recording means, an image of at least one of the acquired images of the surroundings of the vehicle, and an image of at least any one recorded in the recording means. The control of determining and outputting a video that includes at least one of the reproduced video and preferentially outputs the video to the display means is a control of switching to only the video, and superimposing a predetermined video on the video. It may be at least one of a control of switching to a combined image, a control of displaying the image as an image having a size larger than that of the other image, and a control of displaying the image in the center of the display means as compared with the other image.

(4) On the premise of the configuration of (3), the video generating means is configured to generate a video to be output to the display means by executing a program by the computer, and further by executing the program by the computer. Even if it is not possible to generate an image, if a signal of an image to be output with priority to the display means is detected, the hardware that controls the output of the image with priority over other images. It is good to have clothing.

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

(5) The control of determining and outputting the image to be output preferentially to the display means based on the operation state of the vehicle by the driver is the control when the image signal of the image to be output preferentially is input. The device outputs the video to the display means, and outputs the video signal of the video to be output with priority when the operating state of the vehicle by the driver is not a predetermined operating state. When the operating state of the vehicle by the driver becomes a predetermined operating state without supplying power, the power may be supplied to the device that outputs the video signal of the video to be output with priority.

According to such a configuration, when the operating state of the vehicle by the driver is not in the predetermined operating state, the video signal of the video to be output with priority is not output, and the video is not displayed on the display means. .. On the other hand, when the operating state of the vehicle by the driver becomes a predetermined operating state, the video signal of the video to be output with priority is output and the video is displayed on the display means.

(6) The video input terminal of the video provided with a plurality of video input terminals for inputting the plurality of vehicle peripheral images and preferentially output to the display means is different from the video input terminals of other videos. The shape is good. In this way, it is easy to know which video input terminal should be connected to the video imaging means (for example, a camera) to be output with priority.

(7) On the premise of the configuration of (6), the video input terminal of the video to be output preferentially to the display means and the video input terminal of the other video are arranged on the same surface of the housing. However, it is preferable to provide an insertion port for the recording medium constituting the recording means on the surface facing the surface on which the video input terminals are provided. In this way, the cables connected to the video input terminal do not get in the way when the recording medium is inserted into the insertion slot or taken out from the insertion slot. Further, when the recording medium is inserted into the insertion slot or taken out from the insertion slot, the problem of hooking and pulling out the cables connected to the video input terminal is less likely to occur.

(8) At least one of the plurality of vehicle peripheral images is a vehicle rear image, and when the shift position is backed as the operation state of the vehicle by the driver, the vehicle rear image is displayed from the other images. It is preferable to have a configuration in which the output is controlled with priority. In this way, the driver can check the situation behind the vehicle by looking at the display means simply by setting the shift position to the back.

(9) At least one of the plurality of vehicle peripheral images is a vehicle right side image, and at least one of the plurality of vehicle peripheral images is a vehicle left side image, which is predetermined as a vehicle operation state by the driver. When the right turn signal is output when the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the vehicle speed of When the left turn signal is output in this state, it is preferable to control the left side image of the vehicle to be output with priority over other images.

In this way, for example, when leaving the parking lot in either the left or right direction, or when trying to turn at an intersection with poor visibility, the area around the vehicle in the direction in which the blinker is turned out at a speed below a predetermined vehicle speed. The image will be displayed on the display means. Therefore, in such a situation requiring caution, the driver can easily check the image around the vehicle in that direction without performing any special operation for display. On the other hand, when the speed exceeds a predetermined vehicle speed, even if the blinker is turned on, the image around the vehicle in the direction in which the turn signal is put out is not displayed on the display means. Therefore, the driver does not feel annoyed by displaying the image around the vehicle on the display means while traveling at a predetermined vehicle speed or higher, and does not distract the driver from focusing on the driving operation.

(10) It is preferable to have a function of issuing an alarm when a person is shown in the image to be output preferentially to the display means. In this way, it is possible to easily and immediately take evasive action such as stopping the vehicle when an alarm is issued. In addition, the driver can easily confirm whether or not the object of the alarm is an object to be avoided by simply looking at the display means when an alarm is given, without performing any special operation. For example, if a person is shown in the side camera image in the direction in which the blinker is being turned on, an alarm will be notified, or if a person is shown in the back camera image when the back position is set, the alarm will be displayed. It is good to let them know.

(11) The collision detecting means for detecting a state corresponding to a vehicle collision is provided, and the acquired vehicle state and the plurality of vehicle peripheral images are described regardless of the image output to the display means. It is preferable that the recording to the recording means is performed when the collision is detected by the collision detecting means. In this way, it is possible to reliably record a plurality of vehicle peripheral images at the time of a collision.

(12) Regardless of the image output to the display means, it is preferable that the acquired vehicle state and the plurality of vehicle peripheral images are recorded to the recording means. In this way, it is possible to reliably record a plurality of vehicle peripheral images at the time of a collision.

(13) The recording means is provided with a collision detecting means for detecting a state corresponding to a collision of a vehicle, and when a collision is detected by the collision detecting means, priority is given to an image output to the display means. It may be recorded against. In this way, 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 premised on the configuration of (2), it is possible to record an image of the direction in which the driver intends to drive the vehicle, so that an excellent effect is exhibited.

(14) When a video to be output preferentially to the display means is determined based on the operation state of the vehicle by the driver from the plurality of vehicle peripheral images, the recording to the recording means is recorded as the reproducible data. It may be configured to be performed. For example, on the premise of the configuration of (9), when the speed of the car is slower than the predetermined value and the blinker is output, the image of the side camera is displayed on the indoor monitor, and the recording is output from the blinker. It may be done 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 left and right or up and down. In this way, even if the camera that captures the image around the vehicle is installed upside down, the image can be reproduced in the correct direction. Further, for example, an image taken by a rear view camera that outputs a video signal of a horizontally inverted image can be reproduced by being horizontally inverted.

(16) It is preferable that the operating state of the vehicle by the driver, the acquired vehicle state, and the plurality of vehicle peripheral images are time-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 brake is applied on the downhill, which is hit during the back, or the vehicle is stopped, neutral or parked. (ECO operation)
And so on.

(17) Information indicating an image preferentially output to the display means, a vehicle operation state by the driver, the acquired vehicle state, and a plurality of vehicle peripheral images, and data that can be reproduced in synchronization with time. It is preferable to have a configuration in which recording is performed for the recording means.

(18) A playback device that reproduces the data recorded in the recording means by the vehicle video recording device according to (1) to (17), and obtains the data of the vehicle peripheral image recorded in the recording means. When playing back, it is preferable to have a function of flipping the reproduced video left and right or upside down and playing it back. The playback device may be mainly installed outside the vehicle, such as a personal computer, or may be configured as a function of a navigation device or the like installed inside the vehicle.

(19) A playback device that reproduces data recorded in the recording means by the vehicle video recording device according to (17), based on information indicating a video that is preferentially output to the display means. It is preferable that the configuration is such that a predetermined display indicating the image output preferentially to the display means is performed from among the plurality of vehicle peripheral images being reproduced. In this way, it is possible to easily grasp which video is displayed on the display means when the video is played back on the playback device later.
(20) It can be configured as a program for realizing the function as the playback device according to (18) or (19) in the computer.

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

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the drive recorder which is a preferable embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the connection relationship between the main unit of a drive recorder and each part. It is a perspective view which shows the front surface and the back surface of the main unit of a drive recorder. It is a figure which shows the method of inserting a memory card into a main unit, and the example of mounting the main unit into a vehicle. It is a figure which shows the mounting state of the front view camera to a vehicle. It is a figure which shows the mounting example of an extension camera, and the configuration of a camera. It is a figure which shows the mounting state and the shooting range of a rear view camera in a vehicle. It is a figure which shows the power supply method to the rear view camera and the like. It is a figure which shows the example of the structure of a remote controller, and the mounting 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 device. It is a figure which shows the example of the display content which displays with respect to a display device at the time of reproduction. This is a display example of the playback screen.

1 to 9 are diagrams showing a configuration of a drive recorder as a vehicle video recording device 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 having a control unit 10 (hereinafter, also referred to as a main body) and a remote controller 11, a GPS unit 12, a rear view camera 13, and an extension connected to the control unit 10 of the main unit 1 are added. It includes a camera 14, 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, on the front surface of the main unit 1, 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 When the SD card 2 (see FIG. 4A) is inserted into 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 in FIG. 1), and the SD card slot 19b. Is provided with 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 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.

On the back surface (the surface facing the front surface) of the main unit 1, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), 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 And an additional camera connection terminal 14b and a front view camera connection terminal 15b, each of which is connected to the control unit 10. Further, an opening is provided on the upper surface of the main unit, and a built-in microphone 17 connected to the control unit 10 is provided in the opening.

As shown in FIG. 2, each corresponding connector is connected to each of these terminals, 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 has a vehicle brake lamp line 33, a vehicle left turn signal line 32, a vehicle right turn signal line 31, and a vehicle speed signal line via a vehicle signal connection connector 40a connected to the vehicle signal connection terminal 40b. 30. It is connected to the ground wire of the vehicle and the ACC power supply of the vehicle. Further, the control unit 10 is connected to the remote control 11 via the remote control connection connector 11a connected to the remote control connection terminal 11b, and is connected to the GPS unit 12 via the GPS unit connection connector 12a connected to the GPS unit connection terminal 12b. , It 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 the front view camera connection connector 15a connected to the view camera connection terminal 15b. The front view camera connection terminal 15b and the extension camera connection terminal 14b are mini pin jacks, and the rear view camera connection terminal 13b is an RCA terminal, both of which have different shapes.

The main unit 1 is installed in the vehicle. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, in a position near the driver's seat where the driver can easily remove the SD card 2 and 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 or the undercover of the instrument panel at the left front position of the driver's seat by using double-sided tape. At this time, the installation is performed with the front side of the main body facing to the right side of FIG. 4B and the back side of the main body facing to the left.

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 of the vehicle interior with double-sided tape so that the lens faces the traveling direction as the direction of photographing the front of the vehicle. The fixed position shall be a position within 20% of the entire windshield from the upper part of the windshield in the vehicle interior (range indicated by reference numeral d in the figure). The power supply for the front view camera 15 is supplied from the control unit 10.

The extension camera 14 is a camera that can be attached to an arbitrary position to capture an image of the surroundings of the vehicle, and outputs an NTSC signal as an image signal of the photographed image. For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the vehicle is fixed to the windshield in the vehicle interior with double-sided tape so that the vehicle interior direction (from the windshield to the rear of the vehicle) is directed as the shooting direction. The power supply for the extension camera 14 is supplied from the control unit 10.

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

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

The wiring of the power supply of the rear view camera 13 and the wiring of the video signal from the rear view camera 13 will be described with reference to FIG. The power supply for 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 connected to the negative terminal of the battery, and the other end of the back position switch 92. Are connected to the positive terminals of the battery respectively. One end of the ground wire 83 is connected to an existing unpainted screw of the vehicle, the other end is connected to the ground line of the rear view camera 13, and the unpainted screw of the vehicle is the negative terminal of the battery 91. It is connected to the. The vehicle back position switch 92 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, a current flows through the positive side wiring 93 of the reverse lamp of the vehicle, and the reverse lamp 94 lights up. At this time, power is supplied from the electro tap 83 to the rear view camera 13 via the power supply line 81 and the fuse 82. The rear view camera 13 outputs a video signal while the power is being 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 turned off, 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, the video signal from the rear view camera 13 is not output, and the video signal from the rear view camera 13 is not input to the control unit 10.

The GPS unit 12 is installed at a position in front of the dashboard, receives a GPS signal, obtains the current position from the received GPS signal, and obtains the position information (longitudinal, latitude) of the obtained current position as NMEA format data. To send 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 FIG. 9B, the back surface is attached and fixed using double-sided tape at a position such as the center console or the undercover of the instrument panel that is easy for the driver to operate.
The display device 16 is a liquid crystal monitor that inputs and displays NTSC signals such as a car navigation system and 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 simultaneously presses both the first button 11p and the second button 11q of the remote controller 11 for 2 seconds or longer. If detected, make initial settings. In this initial setting, the vehicle is moved straight back and forth, and the direction in which acceleration is generated when the vehicle is moved back and forth is detected by the acceleration sensor 20, and the three axes (x-axis, y-axis, z-axis) of the acceleration sensor 20 and the vehicle After detecting the correspondence with the front-rear direction of the vehicle, the acceleration sensor 20 outputs a value with the front-rear direction of the vehicle as the X-axis, the left-right direction of the vehicle as the Y-axis, and the vertical direction of the vehicle as the Z-axis. It is a setting process to be performed. The front 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, ROM, RAM, flash memory, various peripheral circuits, interfaces, etc., and is connected to each unit described with reference to FIG. 1 via an interface for inputting or outputting each signal. ing. When the ACC of the vehicle is turned on, the control unit 10 is supplied with power and starts operation. The control unit 10 expands the OS and application programs recorded in the flash memory on the RAM by the boot loader recorded in the ROM, and executes the OS and application programs on the RAM to perform various processes described below. Execute and realize various functions. The OS is a multitasking OS, and parallel processing is realized by switching and executing various application programs.

After the power is turned on, the control unit 10 acquires the signal states of the 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 as the vehicle state at any time after the power is turned on, and stores the memory. The memory card 2 mounted in the card slot 19 is subjected to data / signal state recording processing for recording these data and signal states in a file at predetermined time intervals (for example, 30 times per second).

Further, the control unit 10 acquires 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 them on the display device 10, and data / signal state recording processing. A video / audio recording process is performed in which the vehicle state recorded by the camera and the images around the vehicle are time-synchronized and recorded on the memory card 2 as reproducible data.

The control unit 10 includes, as peripheral circuits, a video capture circuit that captures NTSC signals from the front view camera 15, the rear view camera 13, and the extension camera 14 as video data on the RAM. Further, the control unit 10 is provided with a video memory (VRAM) or the like as a peripheral circuit, and outputs the drawing data drawn in the video memory as an NTSC signal to the display device 16 via an electronic switch described later. It has a generation circuit.

After the power is turned on, the control unit 10 transfers the captured video data to the video memory at any time and performs a camera image display process for displaying the captured video data on the display device 16. As a default process, the camera image display process performs a process of outputting the image of the front view camera 15 to the display device 16. Further, in the camera image display processing, when the pressing of the first button 11p of the remote control 11 is detected, the image transferred to the video memory and displayed on the display device 16 is displayed on the front view camera 15, the extension camera 14, and the rear view camera. The process of switching the images in the order of 13 is performed. For example, if the driver presses the first button 11p twice after starting the device and the shift position is back, the image was taken by the rear view camera 13 as shown in FIG. The image is displayed in the display area 16a of the display device 16. Further, in the camera image display processing, when the image signal is input to the image signal from 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 no longer input to the video signal from the rear view camera 13, the process of switching the video 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.

In this way, the driver can display the image captured by the rear view camera 13 in the display area 16a of the display device 16 as shown in FIG. 10 simply by setting the shift position to the back, and the rear of the vehicle. The situation can be confirmed by looking at the display device 16. In this way, the control unit 10 determines and outputs the image to be preferentially output 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 together with the driving operation. There is no need to output an image of the direction in which the vehicle will be driven, and an appropriate image in line 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 video data captured by the front view camera 15, the rear view camera 13, and the extension 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 extension 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 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 obtained from the real-time clock (clock) provided as the peripheral circuit of the microcomputer in each process. Record the file using the date and time when the recording started. 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 in which these files are reproduced while being synchronized in time. The recording of these files is terminated when the supply of the ACC power supply to the main body is cut off. The control unit 18 includes a backup power supply having a battery that operates the control unit 18 and each connected unit for the time required to end file recording (5 seconds) when the ACC power supply is cut off. , When the interruption of the ACC power supply is detected, the OS notifies the recording process, and the process of ending the recording 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 longer) is detected, the control unit 10 reproduces the video and audio of the front view camera 15 from the beginning of the MPEG file currently being recorded. Start the playback process (start the so-called chase playback that plays while recording). For a certain period of time (5 seconds) from the start of the playback process, as shown in FIG. 11, the operation help 82, the camera information 85 of the playback video, the playback status 84, and the playback video date / time 83 are displayed overlaid on the playback video 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 which button of the remote controller 11 is pressed. As shown in FIG. 11, the correspondence between the button position of the remote controller 11 in the state where the remote controller 11 of FIG. 9 is rotated 45 degrees clockwise and the processing content is shown, and when the button shown in black in the figure is pressed, it is shown. , Indicates that the processing described in characters on the right side is executed. For example, the button shown in black in the schematic diagram of the remote controller 11 on the left side of the portion drawn as "play / stop / slow" in FIG. 11 corresponds to the second button 11q, and only the second button 11q is pressed. Is detected, the screen display process (that is, the content of the reproduction process of the control unit 10) is switched in the order of play → stop → slow. The current screen display processing state is displayed in the playback state 84 as "playing", "stopping", and "slowing". In addition, information indicating which camera is the camera that recorded the currently reproduced image is displayed as camera information 85. The camera information 85 is "CAM1" while displaying the image of the file recorded by the front view camera 15, "CAM2" while displaying the image of the file recorded by the extension camera 14, and the file recorded by the rear view camera 13. "REAR" is displayed while the image of is being displayed. The playback video date / time 83 is an area for displaying the video date / time of the file being displayed, and the recording date / time at the beginning of the file acquired from the file name and the recording date / time of the currently displayed frame based on the frame information of the file. Is displayed.

If it is detected that only the first button 11p is pressed during the playback process, the file to be played back is switched, and the video is played back from the frame having the same date and time as the currently playing frame. By doing so, even if the file to be played is switched, the video will be displayed continuously in time. As a result, the reproduced video date and time 83 will continue to advance even if the file to be reproduced is switched.
If it is detected that only the third button 11r is pressed during the playback process, the playback process is terminated and the camera image display process is performed (playback end).

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

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

In this way, by operating the remote control 11, the images of the front view camera 15, the extension camera 14, and the rear view camera 13 can be switched to display the desired current image on the display device 16, or the front view camera 15, the extension camera 14 can be displayed. , The image taken by the rear view camera 13 and already recorded in the memory card 2 is reproduced, and the reproduced image of the front view camera 15, the extension camera 14, and the rear view camera 13 is switched by the operation of the remote control 11, and the desired past Can be displayed on the display device 16. The control unit 10 controls switching the video of at least one of the vehicle peripheral images acquired in this way or the video of at least any one recorded on the memory card 2 to only the reproduced video.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 10 controls the control of switching the acquired video of at least one of the vehicle surroundings and the video of at least one recorded on the memory card 2 to only the reproduced video. However, the control unit 10 further determines a video to be output preferentially to the display device 16 and shows a video showing a setting item related to control to be output, and a vehicle state recorded on the memory card 2. The image may be displayed. Further, the control for determining and outputting the image to be preferentially output to the display device 16 is a control for switching to the image only, and further, a control for switching to an image in which a predetermined image is superimposed on the image. It may be at least one of a control for displaying an image as an image having a size larger than that of the other image and a control for displaying the image in the center of the display device 16 as compared with the other image.

According to the processing of this 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 extension camera 14 Record for the memory card 2. In this way, it is possible to reliably record a plurality of vehicle peripheral images at the time of a collision.

In this embodiment, the image is constantly recorded from ACCON to ACCOFF, but the state corresponding to the collision of the vehicle is determined by the acceleration sensor 20 while not always recording or constantly recording. When detected, the memory card 2 is recorded with the vehicle state and the vehicle peripheral image acquired from the front view camera 15, the rear view camera 13, and the extension camera 14, regardless of the image output to the display device 16. It may be configured. In this way, it is possible to reliably record a plurality of vehicle peripheral 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 on the memory card 2. In this way, it is possible to reliably record an image in which the moment of collision is likely to be recorded.

In this embodiment, the image of the rear view camera 15 for photographing the rear of the vehicle is recorded, but the present invention is not limited to this, and an arbitrary image may be recorded. Further, as the operating state of the vehicle, an arbitrary state may be acquired and recorded. For example, side cameras for acquiring the vehicle right side image and the vehicle left side image are provided respectively, and the control unit 10 is connected to the in-vehicle LAN, and the driver operates the vehicle at a predetermined vehicle speed or less (for example, from a packet flowing through the in-vehicle LAN). When it is detected that the right turn signal is output in the state of 10 km / h or less, the control is performed to output the image on the right side of the vehicle with priority over other images, while the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined speed (for example, 10 km / h). When it is detected that the left turn signal is output in the state of / h or less), it is preferable to control the output of the left side image of the vehicle with priority over other images. In this way, for example, when exiting from the parking lot in either the left or right direction, or when trying to turn at an intersection with poor visibility, the area around the vehicle in the direction in which the blinker is turned out at a speed below a predetermined vehicle speed. The image will be displayed on the display device 16. Therefore, in such a situation requiring caution, the driver can easily confirm the vehicle peripheral image in that direction by looking at the display device 16 without performing any special operation for display. On the other hand, when the speed exceeds a predetermined vehicle speed, even if the blinker is turned on, the image around the vehicle in the direction in which the turn signal is put out is not displayed on the display device 16. Therefore, the driver does not feel annoyed or distracted by displaying the image around the vehicle while traveling at a predetermined vehicle speed or higher. Further, when the control unit 10 determines a video to be output preferentially to the display device 16 based on the operation state of the vehicle by the driver from among the plurality of vehicle peripheral images, the memory card is used as reproducible data. It may be configured to record with respect to 2. For example, when the speed of the car is slower than a predetermined value and the turn signal is turned on, the image of the side camera may be displayed on the indoor monitor, and the recording may be performed at the timing when the turn signal is turned on. ..

When reproducing the data of the vehicle peripheral image recorded on the memory card 2, it is preferable to have a function of reversing the reproduced image left and right or up and down. In this way, even if the camera that captures the image around the vehicle is installed upside down, the image can be reproduced in the correct direction. Further, for example, an image taken by a rear view camera that outputs a video signal of a horizontally inverted image can be reproduced by being horizontally inverted.

It is preferable that the memory card 2 is configured to record the operating state of the vehicle by the driver, the acquired vehicle state, and the plurality of vehicle peripheral images 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 brake is applied on the downhill, which is hit during the back, or the vehicle is stopped, neutral or parked. (ECO operation) etc. can be understood. Then, the information indicating the image preferentially output to the display device 16, the operation state of the vehicle by the driver, the acquired vehicle state, and the plurality of vehicle peripheral images are stored in memory as data that can be reproduced in synchronization with time. It is advisable to perform a process of recording on the card 2.

In this embodiment, the camera image display process is performed by executing the program by the computer to generate the output image. However, even if the image cannot be generated by executing the program by the computer, the display device 16 When a signal of an image to be output with priority is detected, it is preferable to provide hardware for controlling the output of the image with priority over other images. That is, the control unit 10 is hardware that further controls 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 extension camera 14 when the shift position is backed up. A certain electronic switch (video signal selector) is provided in the control unit 10. The video signal line from the rear view camera 13 and the output line from the video generation circuit of the control unit 10 are connected to this electronic switch, and the electronic switch inputs the video signal to the video signal from the rear view camera 13. If so, the video signal from the rear view camera 13 is output to the display device 16, and if no video signal is 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. Further, 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 paused. According to the configuration described with reference to 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. In this 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 setting the shift position to the back. In this way, the control unit 10 determines and outputs the image to be preferentially output 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 together with the driving operation. There is no need to output an image of the direction in which the vehicle will be driven, and an appropriate image in line 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, for example, the microcomputer is in the process of booting the OS or the processing load of the microcomputer is high, so that the camera image display processing is used. It may not be possible to generate an image. In such a state, it is difficult to immediately reflect the operation state of the vehicle by the driver by the camera image display processing and output the image of the rear view camera 13. 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, so that the driver operates the vehicle. Can be immediately reflected and the image from the rear view camera 13 can be displayed on the display device 16.

Further, pattern matching processing is performed on the video data acquired from the rear view camera 13 of the control unit 10 to determine whether or not a person is shown in the video that is preferentially output to the display device 16 like the video of the rear view camera 13. It is preferable to perform a process of emitting an alarm sound from the speaker 21 when the pattern matches a pattern corresponding to a person. In this way, avoidance actions can be easily and immediately taken, such as stopping the vehicle when the alarm sounds. In addition, the driver can easily confirm whether or not the object of the alarm is an object to be avoided by simply looking at the display device 16 when the alarm sounds, without performing any special operation. .. For example, if a person is shown in the side camera image in the direction in which the blinker is being turned on, an alarm will sound, or if a person is shown in the back camera image when the back position is set, an alarm will be displayed. It is good to let you know by sound.

In this embodiment, the rear view camera connection terminal 13b, which is an input terminal for the rear view image which is the image to be output preferentially to the display device 16, is an RCA terminal, while the front view camera which is an image input terminal for other images. The connection terminal 15b and the extension camera connection terminal 14b have different shapes as mini pin jacks. In this way, it is easy to know which video input terminal the camera (rear view camera 13) for the video to be output with priority should be connected. The rear view camera connection terminal 13b, the front view camera connection terminal 15b, and the extension camera connection terminal 14b are arranged in the back surface of the main unit 1, and are surfaces facing the surfaces provided with these video input terminals. A memory card slot 19 which is an insertion slot for the memory card 2 is provided in front of the first one. 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 the memory card 2 is inserted into the memory card slot 19 or taken out from the memory card slot 19, the problem of hooking and pulling out the cables connected to the video input terminal is less likely 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 into a personal computer, and using a program on the personal computer. For example, the viewer screen 100 as shown in FIG. 12 is displayed by processing by a program on a 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 a display operation button. It includes 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 image reproduction area 102a, an additional camera image reproduction area 102b, and a rear view camera image reproduction area 102c. When reproducing the data of the vehicle peripheral image of the front view camera, the extension camera, and the rear view camera recorded on the memory card 2, the reproduced image is provided with a function of flipping the reproduced image left and right or up and down. When the front view camera image reproduction area 102a, the additional camera image reproduction area 102b, and the rear view camera image reproduction area 102c are right-clicked, the reproduction image is switched in the order of left-right inversion, up-down inversion, left-right up-down inversion, and no inversion.

Further, based on the above-mentioned information indicating the image preferentially output to the display device 16, a predetermined image indicating the image preferentially output to the display device 16 from among the plurality of vehicle peripheral images being reproduced. It is preferable to have a configuration that displays. In this way, it is possible to easily grasp which image is displayed on the display device 16 when the image is later reproduced by a reproduction device such as a personal computer. For example, the start date and time and the end date and time when the video from the rear view camera is input are recorded, and the outer frame portion of the rear view camera video playback area 102c is highlighted while the video of that date and time is being played back. ..

Although the viewer screen 100 is a screen displayed on a personal computer, it may be configured to be output to a screen of a navigation device or the like installed in a vehicle or to a display device 16.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to examples, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above-described embodiment. The examples described in the above embodiments may be combined in any combination, and various changes or improvements may be made. In addition, the scope of claims, background technology, problems to be solved by the invention, and the description of the means for solving the problems are appropriately applied to each embodiment, and the common general technical knowledge of those skilled in the art is applied to form the embodiments. be able to.

2 Memory card 10 Control unit 11 Remote control 12 GPS unit 13 Rear view camera 14 Extension 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 status of the vehicle by the driver, it has a function to determine and output the image to be output preferentially to the display means from the images around the vehicle.
It has a function to switch the image to be output preferentially to the display means when a predetermined vehicle operation is detected.
Whether a person in the video to be output with priority are reflected to the front Symbol display means, the image to be preferentially outputted to the display means is switched in accordance with a predetermined vehicle operation of the driver A device for a vehicle, characterized in that the determination is made by processing the video data of. The vehicle device according to claim 1, further comprising a function of not performing the switching even if the predetermined vehicle operation is detected when the speed of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined speed. A program for realizing the function of the vehicle device according to claim 1 or 2 in a computer.

Images