JP2008225777A - Emergency notification system and camera device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an emergency notification system and a camera device, capable of distributing a video before and after accident occurrence to a management center. <P>SOLUTION: A video around a vehicle is always recorded by an on-vehicle camera, a trigger is started in time of the accident occurrence to store the video of a prescribed time before and after an accident. Notification of the accident occurrence and the video before and after the accident, and vehicle-related information are automatically transmitted to the management center 1. When the management center 1 receives the notification of the accident occurrence, the management center 1 deduces a contact point of a possessor, and performs automatic transmission to the possessor. When the management center 1 receives a reply from a transmission destination within a prescribed time after the transmission, the management center 1 automatically transmits the notification of the accident occurrence and the vehicle-related information to the police 3, a fire station 4, and an insurance company 5. When cannot receive the reply from the transmission destination within the prescribed time after the transmission, safety of a driver cannot be confirmed, and emergency dispatch request is automatically transmitted to the police 3 and the fire station 4 via a communication line because there are cases where it is an emergency situation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an emergency call system for photographing a traffic accident situation in real time by an in-vehicle camera and distributing it to a management center and making an emergency dispatch request to the police and the fire department as necessary.

Conventionally, a technology that is used for verification of accident situations by installing a device that records the driving state and running state of a vehicle and a device that captures and records the outside of the vehicle with a camera and analyzing the recorded data after a traffic accident occurs Has been developed. In addition, there is a technique for distributing the situation before and after the accident as an image to the police, the fire department, and a management center using an in-vehicle camera (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2006-236292 A

  Conventionally, there is no system that simply distributes an image of the situation at the time of the accident and confirms the safety of the driver after the accident and notifies the police, fire department, or insurance company.

  The purpose of the present invention is to distribute the video before and after the accident to the management center, so that the police and the fire department can be dispatched and rescued, the accident processing speeded up, the insurance related procedures at the insurance company, etc. It is to realize an emergency call system and a camera device that can be used.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention is an emergency call system in which a vehicle and a management center are communicably connected, and the vehicle has a photographing unit for photographing an image around the vehicle, Means for determining whether or not an accident has occurred in the vehicle; means for storing an image of a predetermined time before and after the occurrence of the accident when it is determined that the accident has occurred; Means for transmitting to the management center, the management center identifying a driver from the vehicle-specific information and transmitting to the communication terminal of the driver; and from the communication terminal of the driver Means for determining that an emergency has occurred in the driver when the reply is not received within a predetermined time after the transmission.

  In addition, the present invention is a camera device mounted on a vehicle, and includes a photographing unit that captures a video around the vehicle, and a video for a predetermined time before and after the occurrence of the accident when it is determined that an accident has occurred in the vehicle. And means for transmitting the stored images before and after the accident and information unique to the vehicle to a management center connected to the vehicle so as to be communicable.

  According to the present invention, by sending images before and after an accident to the management center, it is possible to efficiently perform dispatch requests to the police and fire departments, rescue activities, speed up of accident processing, insurance procedures at insurance companies, and the like. It is to realize an emergency call system and a camera device that can be used.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The embodiment described below is an example as means for realizing the present invention, and the present invention can be applied to a modified or modified embodiment described below without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[System configuration]
FIG. 1A is a conceptual diagram showing an emergency call system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, at least the computer system of the management center 1 and the vehicle 2, the police 3, the firefighting 4 and the insurance company 5 is connected to a general-purpose communication line such as the Internet, or a fixed phone or a mobile phone. Communication is established via a dedicated line.

  In the vehicle 2, one or a plurality of in-vehicle cameras continuously record video around the vehicle (moving images or still images), the trigger is activated when an accident occurs, and a predetermined time before and after the accident (for example, 12 seconds before the accident, After 6 seconds, a total of 18 seconds and a maximum of 30 seconds) is stored in a memory medium such as a hard disk (HDD) or DVD. In addition, the vehicle 2 automatically notifies the management center 1 via the communication line of an accident occurrence notification, images before and after the accident, and vehicle related information (number, vehicle type, owner name, location information, time information, etc.). Send.

  When the management center 1 receives a notification of the occurrence of an accident from the vehicle 2, the contact information of the owner (driver) (for example, the mobile phone number or the e-mail address of the PDA) is determined from the vehicle-related information, and the owner is immediately and automatically notified. send. When the management center 1 receives a reply from the callee within a predetermined time after the call, the driver can confirm the safety of the driver, so the notification of the occurrence of the accident and the vehicle-related information are automatically sent via the communication line to the police 3, Sent to fire department 4 and insurance company 5. On the other hand, if a reply cannot be received from the callee within a predetermined time after the call, the driver's safety cannot be confirmed and there may be an emergency situation, so an emergency dispatch request is automatically sent via the communication line. Sent to the police 3 and the fire department 4.

  Upon receiving an emergency dispatch request, the police 3 and the fire department 4 identify the vehicle position from the accident-related information, arrange an emergency vehicle, and immediately start the driver's rescue operation.

  The insurance company 5 uses the notification of the accident received from the management center 1, the video before and after the accident, and the vehicle-related information to perform support work other than the rescue activities performed by the police 3 and the fire fighting 4, and the accident processing related to insurance. . In some cases, the insurance company 5 may constitute a business unit that also serves as the management center 1. In this case, the insurance company 5 executes the emergency notification process described above as the management center 1.

  In addition to the traffic accidents described above, the vehicle 2 also sends a notification of the occurrence of an abnormality from the vehicle 2 to the management center 1 when an abnormality such as the window glass being broken due to vandalization is detected. An emergency dispatch request is transmitted from the center 1 to the police 3 and the fire department 4 (FIG. 1B). In addition, since the in-vehicle camera starts shooting after the engine is started, for example, if the in-vehicle camera of the stolen vehicle is remotely controlled from the management center 1 and escapes from the stolen vehicle, and the video around the vehicle is acquired, the stolen vehicle It is possible to easily identify the current position of

[Vehicle configuration]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram (a) showing the configuration of the vehicle of the present embodiment, an external view (b) of the instrument panel, and a connection form (c) between the camera device and the main controller.

  First, as shown in FIG. 2, a car navigation device 11 is mounted on the vehicle 2. The car navigation apparatus 11 includes a main controller 12 that controls the entire apparatus, a GPS receiver 13 that receives a GPS signal for specifying a vehicle position, a display 14 that displays a map image and a TV image, and a map database that stores map information. 15 and vehicle speed line 16 are provided.

  The main controller 12 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O, and the like. The main controller 12 includes an obstacle sensor 17 such as a millimeter wave radar or a laser radar that detects an obstacle existing in front of the vehicle, an audio device 18 such as a CD, DVD, or radio, and an ETC device 19 that communicates with an automatic toll collection system. The antitheft device 20 and the camera device 21 are connected.

  The main controller 12 issues an alarm when the distance between the vehicle and the front obstacle detected by the obstacle sensor 17 is less than a predetermined distance. In addition, the anti-theft device 20 detects an abnormality such as the window glass being broken due to vandalism on the vehicle and issues an alarm. The anti-theft device 20 detects an abnormality such as the window glass being broken due to vandalism on the vehicle and issues an alarm.

  The camera device 21 transmits an image to the in-vehicle camera 22 that captures images around the vehicle, a storage device 23 that includes a memory medium such as an HDD or a DVD that stores images captured by the in-vehicle camera 22, and the management center 1. A communication terminal 25 owned by the driver includes a communication device 24 connected via a communication cable 26, a connector 27, and the like. The communication device 24 may be provided on the car navigation device 11 side separately from the camera device 21.

  The camera device 21 and the main controller 11 are connected to be communicable by wire and / or wireless. The camera device 21 is configured integrally with the car navigation device 17 in appearance, and is activated when an accessory (ACC) switch is turned on by at least an ignition key.

  The vehicle-related information is acquired from registration data of the ETC device 19, and the position information is acquired from a GPS signal.

  The in-vehicle camera 22 is, for example, a CCD camera or an infrared camera that can capture a night image.

  FIG. 3 is a layout diagram of the camera device mounted on the vehicle of the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a layout diagram of the in-vehicle camera in the vehicle interior. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a connection form between the in-vehicle camera and the main controller.

  The vehicle-mounted camera 22 can use any type depending on the vehicle type. For example, in the case of a camera that can scan and capture a predetermined range, as shown in FIG. 3A, a camera 22A that captures at least the front of the vehicle is disposed on the front dash panel, and a camera 22B that captures the rear of the vehicle is provided. It may be arranged under the rear roof panel or on the package tray. In the case of a small camera with a narrow shooting angle of view, as shown in FIG. 3B, in addition to the cameras 22A and 22B on the front dash panel and the rear roof panel, the left and right sides of the front bumper, the rear bumper If the cameras 22C to 22F are arranged on the left and right sides of the vehicle, it is possible to image contact with a part that becomes a blind spot, and display images around the vehicle on the display 14 in cases other than when an accident occurs so that safety can be confirmed. Become.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4A, the camera 22A on the front dash panel is disposed on the back side (the vehicle body front side) of the display 14 so as not to block the driver's field of view. Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the camera 22B below the rear roof panel is arranged on the package tray when the package tray is behind the rear seat.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, if the on-vehicle camera 22 includes an impact detection sensor 29 that detects acceleration / deceleration and the like, the part that receives the impact at the time of the accident is specified, or the impact force received for each part is determined. It can also be calculated. When the in-vehicle camera 22 and the main controller 12 are connected wirelessly, as shown in FIG. 5A, wireless communication devices 31 and 32 are provided in the in-vehicle camera 22 and the main controller 11, respectively, and connected by wire. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5B, an image, an impact force, a control signal, and the like are transmitted via the communication cable 33.

[Emergency call processing]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing each emergency call process of the vehicle (a) and the management center (b) in the emergency call system of this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the system of the vehicle 2 is activated at least when the ACC switch is turned on (S1), and an image around the vehicle is taken by the in-vehicle camera 22 (S2). Then, when the accident occurs, the trigger is activated (S3), and images of a predetermined time before and after the accident are stored in the storage device 23. Here, whether or not an accident has occurred is determined by the impact force detected by the impact detection sensor 29 of the in-vehicle camera 22, the opening operation of the airbag, or the like.

  Next, vehicle-related information is acquired from the car navigation device 11 and the ETC device 19 (S4), and an accident occurrence notification, images before and after the accident, and vehicle-related information are automatically transmitted to the management center 1 via a communication line ( S6).

  As shown in FIG. 6B, when the management center 1 receives the notification of the occurrence of the accident from the vehicle 2 (S11), the management center 1 determines the contact information of the owner (driver) from the vehicle related information (S12) and immediately owns it. Automatic transmission to the communication terminal of the person (S13). If the management center 1 receives a reply from the callee within a predetermined time after the call (YES in S14), the management center 1 automatically sends a notification of the occurrence of the accident and vehicle-related information via the communication line to the police 3, firefighter 4 And it transmits to the insurance company 5 (S16). In addition, when a reply is not received from the callee within a predetermined time after the call or when the vehicle position information does not change (NO in S14), an accident notification, vehicle related information, and emergency dispatch request are automatically communicated. It transmits to the police 3 and the fire department 4 via a line (S15, S16).

  According to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to efficiently carry out relief activities at the time of an accident, speeding up of accident processing, procedures relating to insurance, and the like.

  In addition, as another usage form of the above system, for example, when the user goes out on a trip or the like, the management center 1 is contacted from the outside, so that information distribution and reservation of restaurants, leisure facilities, hotels, etc. in the area, railway, You can make reservations for plane tickets.

  In addition, when the patient's physical condition is deteriorated during driving, an emergency vehicle can be immediately arranged by sending an emergency notification and vehicle-related information to the management center 1. If a blood pressure measuring device is attached to the steering wheel and the measurement result is transmitted to the management center 1, an emergency is detected immediately when an abnormal pulse or heart rate is detected by an elderly person or when it does not respond to a transmission from the management center. Vehicles can be arranged.

  In addition, by installing a camera that monitors the interior of the vehicle, the image inside the vehicle is displayed on the monitor of the mobile phone when the child must remain in the vehicle, etc. Can arrange.

  In addition to the form in which the above-described system is realized by hardware such as a computer, the form in which the function is realized by software including program codes and modules is also included in the present invention. Further, the present invention includes a form in which a program for executing the processing in each of the above systems is recorded on a hard disk or a recording medium in a computer-readable form.

It is the conceptual diagram (a) which shows the emergency call system of embodiment which concerns on this invention, and the figure (b) of another form. It is a block diagram (a) which shows the structure of the vehicle of this embodiment, the external view (b) of an instrument panel, and the figure which shows the connection form (c) of a camera apparatus and a main controller. It is a layout view of a camera device mounted on the vehicle of the present embodiment. It is an arrangement plan of a vehicle-mounted camera in a vehicle interior. It is a figure which shows the connection form of a vehicle-mounted camera and a main controller. It is a flowchart which shows each emergency call process of the vehicle (a) and management center (b) in the emergency call system of this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Management center 2 Vehicle 3 Police 4 Fire department 5 Insurance company 11 Car navigation apparatus 12 Main controller 13 GPS receiver 14 Display 15 Map database 16 Vehicle speed sensor 17 Obstacle sensor 18 Audio equipment 19 ETC apparatus 20 Antitheft apparatus 21 Camera apparatus 22, 22A-22F Car-mounted camera 23 Storage device 24 Communication device 25 Portable communication device

Claims (5)

An emergency call system in which a vehicle and a management center are communicably connected,
The vehicle is
Photographing means for photographing images around the vehicle;
Means for determining whether an accident has occurred in the vehicle;
Means for storing a video of a predetermined time before and after the occurrence of the accident when it is determined that the accident has occurred;
Means for transmitting the stored images before and after the accident and vehicle-specific information to the management center,
The management center
Means for identifying the driver from the vehicle-specific information and transmitting to the communication terminal of the driver;
And a means for determining that an emergency has occurred in the driver when a reply from the communication terminal of the driver is not received within a predetermined time after transmission. The management center is communicably connected to police, fire fighting, and insurance company computer systems,
The system according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that an emergency has occurred in the driver, an emergency dispatch request is transmitted to the police and / or the fire department. A camera device mounted on a vehicle,
Photographing means for photographing images around the vehicle;
Means for storing images of a predetermined time before and after the occurrence of the accident when it is determined that an accident has occurred in the vehicle;
And a means for transmitting the stored images before and after the occurrence of the accident and vehicle-specific information to a management center communicably connected to the vehicle. The photographing means has a camera for photographing at least the front and rear of the vehicle,
The camera apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a sensor that detects an impact force applied to the vehicle when the accident occurs is mounted on the camera.   The camera apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the photographing unit further includes a camera that photographs the left and right side portions of the front portion of the vehicle and the left and right side portions of the rear portion of the vehicle.

Images