JP2006350583A - In-vehicle image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an in-vehicle image recording device for applying highly reliable information to not only the search of the factor of an automobile accident but also the specification of a criminal when any crime occurs in a taxi or the like, and for surely preventing the loss of precious data while suppressing the cost of a product unit. <P>SOLUTION: A front video is photographed by a CCD camera 5, and continuously recorded in a predetermined storage region of a memory card 2, and when a recording capacity of the storage region is exceeded, new information is successively rewritten on old information. When a signal is inputted from an acceleration sensor 20 or a door open switch 21, a controller 15 stops a recording operation when the recording capacity of the storage region becomes full, and stores the recording of the storage region so that its pre-and-post recording information can remain, and continuously records it in another storage region. Therefore, recording information before and after any accident or recording information to specify a passenger can be surely stored in an in-vehicle image recording device 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention captures a scene or person outside the car from inside the car and records it as image information. When an accident or crime occurs, the image information can be recorded to help investigate the cause of the accident or identify the criminal. It is related with the vehicle-mounted image recording device which can be performed.

  Conventionally, an image recording device such as a video camera has been installed in a car, and when it happens, the situation from the fixed time before the occurrence of the accident to the occurrence of the accident is recorded and used for analysis of the cause of the accident. Various proposals have been made (for example, refer to Patent Document 1, hereinafter referred to as the prior art).

  In such a conventional technology, in order to reduce the unit price of the product, it is not possible to store all the driving status data while driving a car, but to write new data while sequentially erasing old data while the device is operating (overwriting method) Is often adopted. And from the sensor that detects acceleration, impact, etc. loaded on the vehicle, the operation of the device is stopped only when it is determined that a load greater than the predetermined load is applied to the vehicle, that is, only when an automobile accident occurs, Since the device continues to operate even after an accident occurs, it is possible to prevent erasure of valuable operation status data leading to the occurrence of the accident.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-20592

  By the way, in recent years, violent crimes have occurred frequently, and in particular, there have been cases of impersonating taxi customers and stealing sales. ing. However, in the prior art, such a case is unexpected and the recorded image data is overwritten except when a car accident occurs as described above. Therefore, the culprit of such an incident is specified. In doing so, there is a risk that data that provides valuable evidence has also been lost. That is, in the prior art, there is no technical idea to save and use recorded image data except when a car accident occurs.

  Furthermore, in such a conventional technique, when an apparatus is activated after an accident occurs due to human error or malfunction of the apparatus, the data related to the valuable accident recorded at the corner is overwritten, that is, the cause of the accident. There is also a risk that data for investigating will be deleted.

  The present invention has been made to solve at least one of these problems, and its purpose is not only to investigate the cause of an automobile accident but also to identify a criminal when a crime occurs. It is an object of the present invention to provide an in-vehicle image recording apparatus that can provide highly reliable information and can reliably prevent the loss of valuable data while reducing the unit price of a product.

  In order to solve such a problem, an in-vehicle image recording apparatus according to the present invention includes, as described in claim 1, a photographing unit that is attached to a vehicle and photographs at least an image of a front car, a person, and the like, A recording medium in which a plurality of storage areas capable of recording information is formed and image information photographed by the photographing means is sequentially rewritten on the old information every time the recording capacity exceeds the recording capacity. An in-vehicle image recording apparatus comprising an update recording means for storing the information, and an automatic door opening device for automatically opening a predetermined door of the automobile, and an operating means operable by a driver for driving the automatic door opening device. And when the operation means is operated, the update recording means stops the update recording operation to the predetermined storage area and performs the update recording operation to a storage area different from the predetermined storage area. Open Characterized by comprising a control means for.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the in-vehicle image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising detection means for detecting an impact of the automobile, wherein the control means is executed even when the detection means detects the impact. It is characterized by being.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the in-vehicle image recording apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the control means waits for the recording capacity of the predetermined storage area to become full before the update recording. The update recording operation to the predetermined storage area by the means is stopped.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the in-vehicle image recording apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, when the update recording operation to the predetermined storage area by the update recording unit is stopped, When all the image information records are stored in another storage area, there is provided recording prohibiting means for prohibiting the start of the update recording operation to another storage area by the control means.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the in-vehicle image recording apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, when the update recording operation to the predetermined storage area by the update recording unit is stopped, When all the image information records are stored in another storage area, the control means is a recording continuation means for starting the update recording operation by the update recording means in the storage area where the oldest image information record is stored. It is provided with.
Further, in the sixth aspect of the present invention, in the in-vehicle image recording apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, when image information records are stored in all storage areas, this fact is externally indicated. An informing means for informing is provided.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the update recording means records an image obtained by photographing a car or a person ahead by the photographing means on the recording medium as image information. The recording medium is formed with a plurality of storage areas capable of recording image information, and the update recording means sequentially rewrites and stores new information over the old information every time the recording capacity exceeds the recording capacity. . That is, the update recording means continues to record while overwriting the image information in a predetermined storage area of the recording medium.

  And when the driver operates the operation means for driving the automatic door opening device, the predetermined door of the automobile is automatically opened, and the control means stops the update recording operation to the predetermined storage area by the update recording means, The update recording operation is started in a storage area different from the predetermined storage area recorded so far. As a result, an image of a predetermined time taken by the photographing means until the door is automatically opened is stored as image information in a predetermined storage area of the recording medium without being overwritten, and image information after the door is automatically opened Are recorded in different storage areas.

  For example, when the car is a taxi, a record of the situation until the driver automatically opens the left rear door is stored in a predetermined storage area, which makes it possible to identify the person who got on the taxi. Furthermore, the situation after the door is automatically opened continues to be recorded in a separate storage area. When the door is automatically opened after that, the situation record until the door is automatically opened is saved in a separate storage area as described above. Will be. That is, status records until the door is automatically opened are sequentially stored in each of the plurality of storage areas of the recording medium. In addition, the taxi is preliminarily equipped with a door automatic opening device and operating means for driving the door automatic opening device as standard.

  Here, a CCD camera is preferable as the photographing means, and a flash memory card configured with a detachable nonvolatile memory is preferable as the recording medium. The number of storage areas and the storage capacity may be set as appropriate.

  Therefore, according to the invention of claim 1, even if a crime such as a robbery incident occurs in a taxi, it is possible to reliably store and reproduce image information that is valuable evidence for identifying the criminal, and as a result This will greatly help to clarify the incident and lead to crime prevention. In addition, it is easy to use because it can automatically save multiple pieces of image information, and it is equipped with update recording means, so there is no need to increase the storage capacity of the recording medium. Can also be suppressed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a detecting means for detecting an impact of the automobile, for example, an acceleration sensor, and the control means is provided when the detecting means detects the impact, that is, when an automobile accident occurs. Similarly, the update recording operation to the predetermined storage area by the update recording means is stopped and the update recording operation is started to another storage area. Therefore, in the invention of claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, the situation record from the fixed time before the accident to the occurrence of the accident can be stored together and easily reproduced later. Accurately grasp the situation and cause at the time of occurrence.

  According to the invention of claim 3, when the operating means is operated, or when the detecting means detects an impact, the control means waits for the recording capacity of the predetermined storage area to become full before the update recording means. The update recording operation to the predetermined storage area by is stopped. In other words, in the present invention, the situation after the door is automatically opened or after the accident occurs is recorded and stored until the recording capacity of the predetermined storage area is full. Accident information records can also be stored, and as a result, more useful information can be provided by fully utilizing the recording capacity of the recording medium.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when the operation means is operated while the update recording means is performing update recording in the predetermined storage area, or when the detection means detects an impact, the control means is provided in the predetermined storage area. The update recording operation is stopped and the update recording operation to another storage area is started. When the update recording operation is stopped and the image information record is saved in the predetermined storage area, the update recording operation is started. When all the image information records are stored in the storage area, the recording prohibiting means prohibits the start of the update recording operation to another storage area by the control means.

  In other words, according to the present invention, when the update recording means stops the update recording operation to the predetermined storage area based on the operation of the operation means or the detection means, the image information record is already stored in all other storage areas. When this is done, the image information record stored in this separate storage area is protected from being overwritten and lost. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to reliably prevent the loss of valuable data.

  Further, according to the invention of claim 5, the control means is provided with a recording continuation means, and in the same manner as in the invention of claim 4, that is, the update recording operation is stopped and the image information record is stored in a predetermined storage area. If all the image information records are stored in another storage area at this time, the recording continuation means starts the update recording operation by the update recording means in the storage area where the oldest image information record is stored. .

  In other words, according to the present invention, when the update recording means stops the update recording operation to the predetermined storage area based on the operation of the operation means or the detection means, the image information record is already stored in all other storage areas. If it is, the update recording operation is started in the storage area in which the next oldest image information record is stored. Therefore, according to the present invention, the latest valuable data can be automatically recorded and stored at any time, which is convenient.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when image information records are stored in all the storage areas, the notification means notifies the outside to that effect. In particular, according to the invention of claim 4, when the recording prohibition means is executed, new image information cannot be recorded, so that the old image information recording that is no longer necessary can be deleted and recorded by this notification means. It is sufficient to secure a storage area in a proper state. Alternatively, according to the invention of claim 5, if the recording continuation means is executed, the oldest image information record is erased, so that the necessary data is stored in another recording medium by this notification means. You can do it.

  Here, the notification means may be notification by lighting or blinking of a light emitting diode (LED) or a lamp, or notification of character display or voice.

  Therefore, according to the invention of claim 6, it is possible to prevent the precious data from being recorded or erased. In the present invention, instead of the case where image information records are stored in all storage areas, a configuration in which the number of remaining storage areas that can be recorded and stored becomes a predetermined number (for example, one) is also adopted. can do.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an in-vehicle image recording apparatus main body 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 (A) shows the front surface and FIG. 1 (B) shows the back surface. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the in-vehicle image recording apparatus 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The in-vehicle image recording apparatus main body 1 is formed in a substantially elongated rectangular parallelepiped shape with a housing 4 and is detachably attached to the automobile dashboard or the inner surface of the windshield by appropriate means so as not to obstruct the driver's view.

  The in-vehicle image recording apparatus main body 1 is provided with a card slot 3 or the like for inserting a memory card 2 on the upper surface of a housing 4, and a CCD camera 5 and a microphone 6 or the like are provided on the front surface. An LCD (liquid crystal display) 7 as an image display device, a plurality of operation buttons 8, an LED (light emitting diode) 9 as a notification unit, a speaker 10, and the like are provided on the back surface of the housing 4. In addition, a control device 15, an acceleration sensor 20, a power supply switching circuit 22, an emergency power supply 23, and the like are provided inside the housing 4.

  With reference to FIG. 2, the in-vehicle image recording apparatus 11 includes an in-vehicle image recording apparatus main body 1, a door open switch 21, an external power source 24, and a key input 30. First, signals from the CCD camera 5, microphone 6, operation button 8, acceleration sensor 20, and power supply switching circuit 22 are input to the control device 15 via an input circuit (not shown). Further, a signal from a door open switch 21 described later is also input. The power supply switching circuit 22 receives signals from an emergency power supply 23 and an external power supply 24 and a key input 30 described later. On the other hand, the control device 15 outputs a predetermined signal to the memory card 2, the LCD 7, the LED 9, and the speaker 10 through an output circuit (not shown).

  The CCD camera 5 is a device that takes an image of the front of the automobile and outputs an image signal to the control device 15, and preferably has a wide viewing angle. The microphone 6 is a device that takes in surrounding sounds and outputs a sound signal to the control device 15.

  The control device 15 is mainly composed of a one-chip microcomputer or the like, and has an image signal processing unit and an audio signal processing unit (not shown), and the image signal processing unit converts the image signal output from the CCD camera 5 into a recordable signal. The audio signal output from the microphone 6 is converted into a recordable signal by the audio signal processing unit and recorded in the memory card 2. The memory card 2 is composed of, for example, a flash memory as a non-volatile memory, and is detachably attached to the card slot 3, that is, information recorded on the memory card 2 can be taken out to the outside.

  The operation of recording image and audio signals in the memory card 2 of the control device 15 is always performed continuously. In this case, information stored in a predetermined storage area of the memory card 2 is always stored. However, when the storage capacity of the predetermined storage area is exceeded, new information is sequentially rewritten on the old information. When a signal from the acceleration sensor 20 is received from the outside due to a strong impact due to an accident or the like, or a signal from the door open switch 21 is input by the driver's operation, the control device 15 is as follows. Image and audio signals are recorded on the memory card 2.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the memory card 2 is formed with storage areas from the first storage area to the tenth storage area. When the power is turned on, the control device 15 first stores the first storage area in the first storage area. Image and audio signals are recorded until the storage capacity of the first storage area is full. When the storage capacity of the first storage area becomes full, the control device 15 sequentially rewrites old information stored in the first storage area with new information, and repeats this operation at all times. When a signal from the acceleration sensor 20 or the door open switch 21 is input during this operation, the control device 15 records until the storage capacity of the first storage area becomes full, and then stores it in the second storage area. Then, the image and audio signal are stored in the second storage area. That is, when a signal from the acceleration sensor 20 or the door open switch 21 is input, the information recorded in the first storage area is saved, that is, a signal from the acceleration sensor 20 or the door open switch 21 is input. The image and audio information (hereinafter also referred to as accident crime information) for a certain period of time before and after are stored in the first storage area. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a storage area of the memory card 2.

  Then, after shifting to the second storage area, the control device 15 thereafter repeats the same operation as that recorded in the first storage area until information such as accident crimes is recorded and saved in the tenth storage area. continue. Accordingly, the memory card 2 can record and save information of up to 10 accident crimes. The acceleration sensor 20 is a sensor for outputting a predetermined signal to the control device 15 when receiving a strong impact due to an accident or the like, that is, when detecting an acceleration of a predetermined value or more. The door open switch 21 is provided in the vicinity of the driver's seat, and is a switch for opening the door on the left rear side of the vehicle by the driver's operation. When the door open switch 21 is operated, the control device 15 is operated. A predetermined signal is output. In the present embodiment, the automobile is assumed to be a taxi, and therefore the door open switch 21 is an existing device. When the door open switch 21 is operated, an automatic door opening device (not shown) is driven. The control device 15 also records time information in addition to image and audio information. Further, for example, a signal from a speedometer may also be input to the control device 15 to record the speed information of the automobile.

  Here, the in-vehicle image recording apparatus 11 of the present embodiment is normally operated by an external power source 24 such as a car battery, that is, when the car key is in the ACC or ON position (hereinafter, in operation). In other words, a signal from the key input 30 is input to the power supply switching circuit 22 and is automatically recorded by the power supply from the external power supply 24 without any operation. Further, the in-vehicle image recording apparatus 11 also includes a power storage type emergency power supply 23 and a power supply switching circuit 22. For some reason, when the power supply from the external power supply 24 is interrupted even though it is in operation, that is, key input. When the power supply from the external power supply 24 is interrupted despite the signal from the power supply switching circuit 22 being input, it is determined that there is an abnormality and the power supply switching circuit 22 is automatically activated, and the emergency power supply 23 Electric power is supplied. Accordingly, even in this case, the in-vehicle image recording device 11 is automatically recorded without any operation by the power supply from the emergency power source 23. On the other hand, if the power supply from the external power supply 24 is interrupted when the signal from the key input 30 is not input to the power supply switching circuit 22, it is determined as normal and the power supply switching circuit 22 switches to the emergency power supply 23. There is no. The emergency power source 23 may be a rechargeable battery, and is preferably automatically charged when connected to the external power source 24. Alternatively, only the battery may be taken out and charged.

  The LED 9 is for informing that the storage capacity of the memory card 2 is full. When information is recorded and saved in the tenth storage area of the memory card 2, the LED 9 is lit or blinks. Therefore, no information is recorded in the memory card 2 when the LED 9 is lit or blinking. The LCD 7 is for displaying image information stored in the memory card 2 and is constituted by a liquid crystal panel or the like. The LCD 7 reproduces an image according to the operation of the operation buttons 8. The speaker 10 reproduces the audio information stored in the memory card 2 according to the operation of the operation button 8. The operation button 8 is also provided with a button for erasing data stored in the memory card 2, and is operated when the LED 9 is lit or the like to delete all data or predetermined data stored in the memory card 2. . Further, the operation button 8 may be provided with a button for forcibly operating the in-vehicle image recording device 11 even when the operation button is not in operation. This is achieved by switching to the emergency power source 23 by the power source switching circuit 22 by this button operation and supplying power.

  Therefore, in the in-vehicle image recording apparatus 11 of the present embodiment, the CCD camera 5 automatically starts capturing images of a car, a person, etc. in front of the vehicle battery and the microphone 6 captures the surrounding sound. The image and audio information are continuously recorded in a predetermined storage area of the memory card 2, and new information is sequentially rewritten on the old information every time the recording capacity of the storage area is exceeded. When the vehicle encounters an accident or the like, the impact at that moment is detected by the acceleration sensor 20, and the control device 15 is when the recording capacity of the storage area becomes full so that the recorded information before and after the accident remains. Then, after the recording operation in the storage area is stopped and the recording in the storage area is saved, the image and audio information are continuously recorded in another storage area. Therefore, the in-vehicle image recording device 11 securely stores the recorded information before and after the accident, and therefore, when performing on-site verification after the accident, the situation before and after the accident can be reconfirmed from both the image and sound, It is possible to accurately grasp the situation and cause of the situation, provide powerful evidence, and perform fair distribution of negligence.

  Further, when a signal from the door open switch 21 is input, the control device 15 records the recorded information before and after the driver operates the door open switch 21 to open the door of the automobile, as in the case of an accident. Therefore, even if a violent incident that masquerades as a taxi customer and steals sales proceeds occurs, it will be valuable evidence for identifying the criminal. Data, that is, the data of the criminal's face taken when the criminal stops the taxi, the voice of the criminal in the car, etc. It also leads to deterrence. Furthermore, since the door open switch 21 and the door open device are existing equipment that is standard equipment in taxis, there is no need to newly provide them, and the cost is reduced.

  Various in-vehicle image recording apparatuses 11 according to the present embodiment can be considered in addition to the above-described configuration. For example, the number of storage areas of the memory card 2 and the time that can be recorded in one storage area may be set as appropriate. Further, when the storage capacity of the memory card 2 is full, new information may be continuously overwritten on the record stored in the oldest storage area. In this case, however, the LED 9 may be lit or blinked before the storage capacity of the memory card 2 becomes full, for example, when the number of remaining storage areas that can be recorded and saved becomes one. . Further, the same number of LEDs 9 as the storage area of the memory card 2 may be provided, and the LEDs 9 may be turned on every time information is recorded and stored in the storage area. In this way, the remaining storage capacity of the memory card 2 can be easily grasped. Alternatively, when the storage capacity of the memory card 2 becomes full, a predetermined character or the like may be displayed on the LCD 7 to notify that effect.

  When the signal from the acceleration sensor 20 is input to the control device 15, that is, when the probability that an accident has occurred is high, the emergency processing is set in advance regardless of the presence or absence of the signal from the key input 30 thereafter. The in-vehicle image recording apparatus 11 may be forced to continue to operate by supplying power from the external power supply 24 or the emergency power supply 23 only during the set time. This is because the signal from the key input 30 is not normally input to the control device 15 due to the impact of an accident or the signal output from the key input 30 is interrupted by the driver stopping the car engine by key operation after the accident. In this case, therefore, it is possible to reliably record a secondary accident, for example, an accident in which a subsequent vehicle or the like collides.

  Further, a plurality of CCD cameras 5 and microphones 6 may be provided at appropriate positions on the front, rear, left and right separately from the in-vehicle image recording apparatus main body 1, or may be provided outside the vehicle. When a plurality of CCD cameras 5 and microphones 6 are provided as described above, the in-vehicle image recording device 11 may be operated fully for 24 hours unconditionally. Alternatively, a sensor that can detect whether any door of the automobile is opened may be provided, and the in-vehicle image recording apparatus 11 may be operated by a signal from the sensor. In this case, an infrared CCD camera is preferably mounted so that photographing can be performed even in the dark. In this way, although it is necessary to increase the capacity of the emergency power source 23, it becomes possible to identify the culprit of car theft or vandalism as described above, leading to crime prevention and improving vehicle security. Also become.

  In addition, a large-capacity storage may be provided inside or outside the vehicle separately from the in-vehicle image recording apparatus main body 1, and the data recorded in the memory card 2 may be transmitted and stored in real time by wired or wireless communication. . Or similarly, it may be transmitted when the storage capacity of the memory card 2 is full. In this way, it is possible to prevent important data from being lost as much as possible.

  The acceleration sensor 20 may be attached near the center of gravity of the vehicle body separately from the in-vehicle image recording apparatus main body 1. This increases the detection accuracy of the acceleration sensor 20.

  Next, the main correspondence between the configuration of the claims and the embodiment of the present invention will be described. The photographing means is in the CCD camera 5, the recording medium is in the memory card 2, the plurality of storage areas are in the first to tenth storage areas, the in-vehicle image recording apparatus is in the in-vehicle image recording apparatus 11, and the operating means is in the door open switch 21. The detection means corresponds to the acceleration sensor 20, the update recording means, the control means, the recording prohibition means, the recording continuation means correspond to the control device 15, and the notification means corresponds to the LED 9.

It is an external appearance perspective view of the vehicle-mounted image recording apparatus main body 1 of a present Example. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of the vehicle-mounted image recording apparatus 11 of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the memory area of the memory card 2 of a present Example.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... In-vehicle image recording device body, 2 ... Memory card,
3 ... card slot, 4 ... housing, 5 ... CCD camera,
6 ... microphone, 7 ... LCD (liquid crystal display),
8 ... operation buttons, 9 ... LED (light emitting diode),
10 ... Speaker, 11 ... In-vehicle image recording device,
15 ... Control device, 20 ... Accelerometer,
21 ... Door open switch, 22 ... Power supply switching circuit,
23 ... Emergency power supply 24 ... External power supply
30 ... Key input.

Claims (6)

Image capturing means for capturing an image of at least a car or a person in front of the vehicle attached to the automobile, a recording medium on which a plurality of storage areas capable of recording image information are formed, and image information captured by the image capturing means, An in-vehicle image recording apparatus comprising update recording means for sequentially rewriting and storing new information on old information every time the recording capacity is exceeded in a predetermined storage area,
An automatic door opening device that automatically opens a predetermined door of the automobile, an operating means that can be operated by a driver that drives the automatic door opening device, and when the operating means is operated, the update recording means An on-vehicle image recording apparatus comprising: control means for stopping an update recording operation in the predetermined storage area and starting an update recording operation in a storage area different from the predetermined storage area.   The in-vehicle image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a detection unit that detects an impact of the automobile, wherein the control unit is also executed when the detection unit detects an impact.   2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit waits for the recording capacity of the predetermined storage area to become full and then stops the update recording operation to the predetermined storage area by the update recording unit. Item 3. The in-vehicle image recording apparatus according to Item 2.   When the update recording operation to the predetermined storage area by the update recording unit is stopped, if all the image information records are stored in another storage area, the control unit stores the update information in another storage area. The in-vehicle image recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising recording prohibiting means for prohibiting start of an update recording operation.   When all of the image information records are stored in another storage area when the update recording operation to the predetermined storage area by the update recording means is stopped, the control means records the oldest image information record. The in-vehicle image recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a recording continuation unit that starts an update recording operation by the update recording unit in a storage area in which is stored. The in-vehicle image recording according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising notification means for notifying the outside when image information recording is stored in all storage areas. apparatus.

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