JP2007030815A - Drive recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive drive recorder capable of omitting any sensor. <P>SOLUTION: The drive recorder has an image pickup means 25 for picking up an image of a front scene from a traveling self vehicle, and stores image pickup information picked up by the image pickup means 25 immediately before detecting occurrence of an impact caused by occurrence of an accident of the self vehicle. The drive recorder comprises a relative relationship information detection means 21a for detecting relative relationship information for indicating the relative relationship of a preceding vehicle or an obstacle on a road to the self vehicle based on a plurality of sets of image pickup information picked up by the image pickup means 25 within the predetermined time before and after the impact, an impact detection means 21b for detecting occurrence of the impact caused by the occurrence of the accident of the self vehicle by comparing relative relationship information detected by the relative relationship information detection means 21a with predetermined impact determination information, and an image pickup information storage means C for storing image pickup information picked up by the image pickup means 25 immediately before detecting occurrence of the impact by the impact detection means 21b. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a drive recorder, and more particularly to a drive recorder that stores imaging information captured before and after the occurrence of a dangerous state of the host vehicle.

  In recent years, a drive recorder that stores vehicle status information before and after an accident (forward image, vehicle speed, sudden acceleration / deceleration, etc.) can be an effective means to prevent an automobile accident. Introduction has begun. For example, a drive recorder mounted on a commercial vehicle such as a taxi or a bus is a traveling image showing a front image at the time of an accident or a sudden braking and a driving operation (brake operation, turn signal operation, travel route, etc.) status of the driver. The data can be stored. In addition to the functions described above, there is also known a high-function type drive recorder in which a video channel for storing the interior of a vehicle is added.

  The drive recorder described above incorporates a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera, an acceleration sensor, and a card-like storage medium (hereinafter also referred to as a card). In addition, it always stores video information such as a front image that captures the vehicle and surroundings from the driver's viewpoint (field of view), and receives impacts (0.4G or more) such as accidents, sudden braking, and sudden steering. Then, for example, the image and the running data for a predetermined time after the impact such as 12 seconds before the impact and 6 seconds after the impact for a total of 18 seconds are stored in the card.

  When an accident occurs, it is possible to clearly testify the driver's legitimacy based on the vehicle status information stored in the card. In addition, when the drive recorder detects a rough and dangerous driving operation such as a sudden handle or a sudden brake, it may give a certain tension to the driver by alerting the driver with a warning sound or the like. it can.

As such a drive recorder, there has been proposed a method in which imaging information and operation information of an imaging unit are stored in a storage unit at the same time, and the information is saved by an operation of a collision sensor caused by an accident. Then, by reproducing the stored imaging information, it has been possible to verify whether, for example, there was a side-by-side driving or a dozing driving (see Patent Document 1).
JP 2000-6854 A

  In the drive recorder described above, an acceleration sensor, a brake signal, or the like is used as a trigger when imaging an accident record or the like. Therefore, an imaging unit such as a camera or a video camera and an acceleration sensor are indispensable components. It was difficult to reduce the cost of the recorder. Furthermore, since it is necessary to use other sensors in order to detect the inter-vehicle distance from the host vehicle, ambient sounds, etc., it has been more difficult to reduce the cost of the drive recorder. However, it has been desired to provide an inexpensive drive recorder from the transportation industry that wants to prevent a car accident in advance and a driver that wants to use it for testimony of driving validity.

  Therefore, in view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive drive recorder that does not require a sensor.

  The drive recorder according to claim 1, which is made according to the present invention in order to solve the above-described problem, has an image pickup means 25 for picking up the foreground from the traveling vehicle as shown in the basic configuration diagram of FIG. 1, In a drive recorder that stores imaging information captured by the imaging unit 25 immediately before detecting the occurrence of an impact due to the occurrence of an accident in the host vehicle, based on a plurality of imaging information captured by the imaging unit 25 before and after a predetermined time phase. The relative relation information detecting means 21a for detecting the relative relation information indicating the relative relation of the preceding vehicle or the obstacle on the road with respect to the own vehicle, the relative relation information detected by the relative relation information detecting means 21a and a predetermined impact The impact detection means 21b that detects the occurrence of an impact due to the occurrence of an accident in the host vehicle by comparing with the determination information, and the impact detection means 21b The imaging unit 25 immediately prior to detection is characterized in that it has a, an imaging information storage means C for storing imaging information obtained by imaging the.

  According to the drive recorder 2 of the present invention described in claim 1 above, relative relationship information based on a plurality of pieces of imaging information captured by the imaging means 25 before and after a predetermined time during traveling of the host vehicle is detected as relative relationship information. Detected by means 21a. Then, for example, impact determination information for determining an impact from a sudden change in the foreground, a relative relationship to a preceding vehicle or an obstacle on the road is set, and the relative relationship information and the impact determination information are obtained by the impact output means 21b. When the comparison is made and the occurrence of an impact due to the occurrence of an accident in the host vehicle is detected based on the comparison result, the imaging information captured by the imaging unit 25 immediately before that is stored in the imaging information storage unit C.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, as shown in the basic configuration diagram of FIG. 1, in the drive recorder 2 according to the first aspect, the relative relationship information detecting means 21 a is an inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle. And detecting the occurrence of an impact due to the occurrence of an accident in the own vehicle based on the inter-vehicle distance detected by the relative relationship information detecting means 21a. It is characterized by.

  According to the drive recorder 2 of the present invention described in claim 2 above, when the relative relationship information indicating the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle is detected by the relative relationship information detecting means 21a, based on the inter-vehicle distance. The occurrence of an impact due to the occurrence of an accident in the host vehicle is detected by the impact detection means 21b.

  As described above, according to the drive recorder of the present invention described in claim 1, the relative of the preceding vehicle or the obstacle on the road with respect to the own vehicle based on the imaging information about the predetermined time phase indicating the foreground imaged from the own vehicle. Relative relationship information indicating the relationship is detected, the occurrence of an impact due to the occurrence of an accident in the host vehicle is detected based on the comparison result between the relative relationship information and the impact determination information, and the imaging information captured immediately before the detection is stored As a result, it is no longer necessary to incorporate various sensors such as an acceleration sensor and an acoustic sensor or to capture a brake signal from the outside of the device in order to detect an impact caused by an accident. Since it is not necessary to mount the recorder on the recorder, the configuration of the drive recorder can be simplified. Further, since it is not necessary to take various signals such as a brake signal and a speed signal into the drive recorder, the wiring and mounting work of the drive recorder can be facilitated, and the mounting location can be given flexibility. Therefore, since an inexpensive drive recorder that does not require a sensor can be provided, it can contribute to the widespread use of drive recorders.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, the relative relationship information indicating the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle is detected, and based on the inter-vehicle distance, Since the occurrence of an impact due to the occurrence of an accident is detected, there is no need to provide an inter-vehicle distance sensor, so the drive recorder can be easily mounted and maintained, and the mounting position can be given further freedom. .

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a drive recorder system using a drive recorder according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings of FIGS.

  2 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of the drive recorder system, FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of the drive recorder of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is executed by the CPU of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process outline | summary which concerns on this invention.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the drive recorder system 1 is provided in a drive recorder 2 mounted on a vehicle such as a freight truck, a taxi, or a passenger car, and a company, sales office, police station, etc. that owns the vehicle. The drive recorder 2 has a drive recorder analysis unit 5 that supports the analysis of the storage contents stored in the card-like storage medium (card) C by the drive recorder 2.

  The card C uses a memory card such as Compact Flash, for example. As is well known, the card C includes a memory that does not lose its stored contents even if it is not energized, and a controller circuit that handles external input / output. Yes. For the card C, various types of memory cards can be used depending on the system configuration.

  Next, the drive recorder analysis unit 5 described above includes a personal computer (PC) 50, an input device 51 such as a keyboard and a mouse, a display device 52, a reader / writer 53, a printer 54, and the like, as is well known. It is composed. Then, the personal computer 50 executes the application program for analyzing the drive recorder stored in the hard disk device, and thereby captures the imaging information from the card C inserted from the slot 53a of the reader / writer 53 via the reader / writer 53. The imaging information is displayed on the display device 52, or the imaging information is analyzed.

  Next, for example, the drive recorder 2 is attached to the inner surface of the windshield 3 of the vehicle at substantially the same position as the rearview mirror so as not to obstruct the driver's view. The drive recorder 2 includes a housing 20A formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape, and a holding member 20B that is fixed to the vehicle in a plurality of attachment states in which the housing 20A is held at a desired angle. is doing.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the drive recorder 2 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 21 that performs various processes and controls according to a predetermined program, and a ROM 22 that is a read-only memory that stores programs for the CPU 21. The RAM 23 is a readable / writable memory that stores various data and has an area necessary for the processing operation of the CPU 21.

  The CPU 21 is connected to an electrically erasable / rewritable read-only memory 24 that can retain stored contents even while the apparatus main body is in an off state. This memory 24 is an image captured by a camera 25 described later. And a temporary storage area for storing the imaging information such as in time series over a predetermined desired time range.

  The drive recorder 2 further includes a camera 25 and a card insertion unit 28. The camera 25 is connected to the CPU 21 via an interface circuit (I / F) 25i.

  The camera 25 corresponds to the imaging means in the claims, and various cameras such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera, a digital camera, a video camera, and an infrared camera can be used. The camera 25 continuously captures a front image (foreground) of the host vehicle, and the captured image signal is converted and compressed by the interface circuit 25i and input to the CPU 21 as imaging information. The imaging information is arbitrarily determined according to the configuration, specifications, etc. of the drive recorder 2 such as moving images and still images.

  In the best mode, the case where the camera 25 captures the foreground of the host vehicle will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various types such as capturing the periphery of the host vehicle using a plurality of cameras are also described. Different forms are possible.

  The card insertion unit 28 writes and reads various data designated by the CPU 21 with respect to the loaded card C. The card C is manually inserted into the insertion unit 28, and the card C is discharged. A discharging mechanism (not shown) in the card insertion section 28 is automatically performed in accordance with the key operation.

  In the best mode, the case where the card C inserted into the card insertion unit 28 is used as the imaging information storage means in the claims will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the imaging information storage means. The memory 24 can be used in various forms.

  Further, the ROM 22 described above stores various programs for causing the CPU 21 (computer) to function as the relative relationship information detecting means and the impact detecting means described in the claims.

  As the relative information detecting means, a well-known image processing technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-107096 is used. For example, the movement of the same point on the target object displayed in two frames that are temporally adjacent to each other during a series of images captured by the camera 25 is detected as an optical flow vector, and the relative identification is possible. Relationship information is generated.

  It should be noted that the optical flow required when the host vehicle is traveling is a radial direction from FOE (Focus of Expansion). The optical flow emitted from the preceding vehicle traveling in front of the own vehicle includes information including the position and relative speed of the preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle, and it is determined that the risk is higher as the optical flow is longer. can do. Therefore, in this best mode, a case will be described in which relative relationship information indicating the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle is detected based on the optical flow of the relative relationship information, but the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, it is possible to detect a vehicle foreground, a sudden change in the own lane, a change due to meandering, and the like based on the optical flow.

  The memory 24 stores impact determination information for detecting the occurrence of an impact due to the occurrence of an accident in the host vehicle from the imaging information. In this best mode, the impact determination information includes data indicating a predetermined determination threshold, a determination condition, and the like for each optical flow to be noted in the imaging information. For example, a threshold value is set for determining that the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle calculated based on the optical flow is zero or close to zero.

  The impact determination information has various forms such as, for example, a configuration in which the optical flow indicating the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle indicates a threshold set based on the characteristics until the inter-vehicle distance reaches zero. be able to.

  Next, an example of a processing outline according to the present invention executed by the CPU 21 of the drive recorder 2 will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG.

  When power is supplied via the power cable 20H and the CPU 21 is activated, in step S1, initial processing is executed, predetermined initial values are set in various areas of the RAM 23, and the camera 25 is activated. Then, foreground imaging of the host vehicle is started, and then, in step S2, imaging information is taken from the camera 25 and added and stored in the temporary storage area of the memory 24 in time series, and then the process proceeds to step S3.

  In step S3 (relative relationship information detecting means), the relative relationship of the preceding vehicle or the obstacle on the road with respect to the host vehicle is detected based on the imaging information captured by the camera 25, and the relative relationship information indicating the relative relationship is generated. The data is stored in the RAM 23, and then the process proceeds to step S4.

  Here, an example of detecting the relative relationship when focusing on the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle as the relative relationship will be described. First, the FOE is set, and a processing region indicating areas such as far and near the own lane in which the vehicle is traveling, and far and near the adjacent lane (see FIG. 7 of JP-A-6-107096). Set up. Then, if there is an area where the luminance difference exceeds a certain threshold in the imaging of the imaging information (time t + Δt) acquired this time and the imaging information (time t) acquired last time, the area is extracted. Then, an optical flow is obtained within the extracted region, and thereafter, the optical flow on the road is removed, and relative relationship information indicating the position and length of the remaining optical flow is generated. Moreover, since it is the distance advanced between the time intervals of two imaging information, you may make it obtain | require a vehicle speed from those imaging information, and make it include or relate to relative relationship information.

  In this best mode, the case where attention is paid to the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle as a relative relationship will be described, but if an impact due to the occurrence of an accident can be detected, the fluctuation in the left-right direction with respect to the traveling direction, Various forms such as detecting a relative relationship from an optical flow indicating an abrupt change, an acceleration change, or the like can be employed.

  In step S4 (impact detection means), the inter-vehicle distance in the relative relationship information in the RAM 23 is compared with the impact determination condition in the predetermined impact determination information, and it is determined whether or not the inter-vehicle distance satisfies the impact determination condition. . If it is determined that the impact determination condition is not satisfied (N in S4), it is considered that no impact has occurred, and the process proceeds to step S7. On the other hand, if it is determined that the impact determination condition is satisfied (Y in S4), it is considered that an impact has occurred and the process proceeds to step S5.

  In step S5, the imaging information stored in a range that is set in advance for a predetermined time from the imaging information captured this time is extracted from the memory 24. In step S6, the extracted imaging information is written to the card C. By requesting the insertion unit 28, the imaging information is written in the card C, and then the process proceeds to step S7.

  In the best mode, the writing of imaging information to the card C will be described in the case of storing imaging information captured immediately before the occurrence of an impact is detected, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is possible to adopt various forms such as storing imaging information captured before and after detection.

  In step S7, it is determined whether an end request has been received. If it is determined that an end request has not been received (N in S7), the process returns to step S2 and a series of processes is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that an end request has been received (Y in S7), the process ends.

  Next, an example of the operation (action) according to the present invention of the drive recorder 2 configured as described above will be described below.

  When the drive recorder 2 is activated in response to power supply, the camera 25 always captures images, and the imaging information is stored in the memory 24 in time series. Then, based on the imaging information, relative relation information indicating the inter-vehicle distance from the own vehicle to the preceding vehicle or road obstacle is detected, and an accident occurs based on a comparison result between the relative relation information and the impact determination information. Detects the presence or absence of impact caused by When an accident occurs, the inter-vehicle distance becomes zero. Therefore, when the occurrence of an impact is detected from the relative relationship, imaging information captured by the camera 25 is written to the card C at the time of detection and immediately before that. And stored in the card C as imaging information corresponding to the occurrence of the impact.

  When the card C in which the imaging information immediately before and after the impact is stored by the drive recorder 2 is removed from the drive recorder 2, the card C is brought to a company having a vehicle, a sales office, a police station or the like. Then, the drive recorder analysis unit 5 takes in the imaging information stored in the card C, reproduces the imaging information and displays it on the display device 52, or analyzes the impact generated on the vehicle based on the imaging information. And the result is displayed on the display device 52.

  According to the drive recorder 2 described above, the relative relationship information indicating the relative relationship of the preceding vehicle or the obstacle on the road with respect to the own vehicle is detected based on the imaging information indicating the foreground imaged from the own vehicle, and the relative relationship information and the impact are detected. In order to detect the impact due to the occurrence of an accident, the occurrence of an impact due to the occurrence of an accident in the own vehicle is detected based on the comparison result with the determination information, and the imaging information captured immediately before the detection is stored in the card C. In addition, it is not necessary to incorporate various sensors such as an acceleration sensor and an acoustic sensor or to acquire a brake signal from the outside of the apparatus, and it is not necessary to mount a sensor device other than the camera (imaging means) 25 in the drive recorder 2. The configuration of the drive recorder 2 can be simplified. Further, since it is not necessary to capture various signals such as a brake signal and a speed signal into the drive recorder 2, wiring and mounting work of the drive recorder 2 can be facilitated, and the mounting location can be given flexibility. Therefore, an inexpensive drive recorder 2 can be provided, which can contribute to the popularization of the drive recorder 2.

  In addition, it is necessary to provide an inter-vehicle distance sensor because the relative relationship information indicating the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle is detected, and the occurrence of an impact due to the occurrence of an accident of the own vehicle is detected based on the inter-vehicle distance. Therefore, the mounting operation and maintenance of the drive recorder 2 are facilitated, and the mounting position can be given further freedom.

It is a figure which shows the basic composition of the drive recorder which concerns on this invention. It is a system configuration figure showing an example of the composition of a drive recorder system. It is a block diagram which shows an example of schematic structure of the drive recorder of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process outline | summary which concerns on this invention which CPU of FIG. 3 performs.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Drive recorder system 2 Drive recorder 5 Drive recorder analysis unit 21a Relative relationship information detection means (CPU)
21b Impact detection means (CPU)
25 Imaging means (camera)

Claims (2)

In a drive recorder that has imaging means for imaging the foreground from the traveling own vehicle, and stores imaging information imaged by the imaging means immediately before detecting the occurrence of an impact due to an accident of the own vehicle,
Relative relation information detecting means for detecting relative relation information indicating a relative relation of a preceding vehicle or an obstacle on the road with respect to the own vehicle based on a plurality of pieces of imaging information taken by the imaging means before and after a predetermined time period;
An impact detection means for comparing the relative relationship information detected by the relative relationship information detection means with predetermined impact determination information to detect the occurrence of an impact due to the occurrence of an accident in the host vehicle;
Imaging information storage means for storing imaging information captured by the imaging means immediately before the impact detection means detects the occurrence of an impact;
The drive recorder characterized by having.   The relative relationship information detecting means detects the relative relationship information indicating a distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle, and the impact detecting means is based on the inter-vehicle distance detected by the relative relationship information detecting means. 2. The drive recorder according to claim 1, wherein the occurrence of an impact due to the occurrence of an accident in the host vehicle is detected.

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