JP2008242597A - Monitoring device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To mount a plurality of functions such as recording of a drive situation and recording of abnormality in parking including a theft-preventive countermeasure at a low cost while saving a space. <P>SOLUTION: A monitoring device for a vehicle comprises a photographing means (camera 20) mounted inside a cabin; a rotation drive means (drive motor 21) for enabling the photographing means (20) to photograph a view of outside of the cabin in travelling direction of a vehicle and photograph a view of inside the cabin; a storage means (memory unit 23) for storing photographed images; and a control means (microcomputer 33) for enabling the photographing means (20) to photograph the view of the inside of the cabin during parking of a vehicle 1 and photograph a view of the outside of the cabin during driving. The device includes a start intention detection means (start switch 8) for detecting start intention for an engine of a driver. When detecting the start intention, a control means (33) photographs a face image of the driver by the photographing means (20), and when authentication is made by checking the face image with the preregistered user's face images, the control means (33) allows the start of the engine. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle monitoring apparatus for recording a driving situation of a vehicle and a parking situation.

  In recent years, a vehicle is a system for avoiding danger by clarifying the cause of a vehicle (traffic) accident that occurs during driving, and for anti-theft measures that monitor abnormalities in parking due to human factors other than the user (Function) has been developed. The prior art document information related to these systems includes the following.

JP-A-5-294166 JP-A-6-211108 JP 2005-67353 A

  In Patent Document 1, when a vehicle accident occurs, in order to provide highly reliable information for investigating the cause and to provide objective information for avoiding danger such as a traffic accident, the accident situation is recorded. Safety devices are described. Further, Patent Document 2 describes an abnormality monitoring device for reliably and easily monitoring that a part of the vehicle touches another person to avoid damage to the vehicle and ensure safety. Further, Patent Document 3 describes an anti-theft device that determines whether or not to permit engine start by performing face authentication with user information registered in an image.

  However, in order to provide the vehicle with all the functions of these patent documents, it is necessary to mount a plurality of photographing means. As a result, since an installation space for mounting these photographing means is required, there is a problem that a passenger space is reduced. In addition, as a result of assembling a plurality of photographing means, the work man-hours increase and the number of parts also increases, resulting in an increase in cost.

  The present invention has been made in view of conventional problems, and provides a vehicle monitoring apparatus that can mount a plurality of functions in a space-saving manner at a low cost, such as a recording of a driving condition and a parking abnormality including an anti-theft measure. It is an object to do.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the vehicle monitoring apparatus of the present invention is capable of photographing the field of view of the vehicle traveling direction outside the passenger compartment by rotating the photographing unit provided in the vehicle interior and the photographing unit. In addition, a rotation driving unit that enables photographing of the interior of the vehicle, a storage unit that stores an image photographed by the photographing unit, and the photographing unit and the rotation driving unit are controlled. When the vehicle is parked, the photographing unit And a control means for photographing the interior of the vehicle and photographing the field of view in the vehicle traveling direction outside the passenger compartment by the photographing means during driving of the vehicle.

  According to this vehicle monitoring apparatus, since the field of view of the vehicle traveling direction outside the passenger compartment can be photographed by the photographing means by the rotation driving means and the vehicle interior can be photographed, the driving situation ( Accident cause) and parking status (theft status) can be recorded. Therefore, the installation space in the vehicle interior can be reduced, the number of work steps and the number of parts at the time of assembly can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced.

  In this vehicle monitoring apparatus, start intention detecting means for detecting an intention to start the engine is provided, and when the control means detects the intention to start the engine by the start intention detecting means when the engine is stopped, an occupant is taken by the photographing means. It is preferable to allow the engine to be started when the user's face image is photographed and verified against a user face image registered in advance. In this way, the photographing means can be further used as an authentication system that is one of the antitheft measures. In addition, the driver at the time of the accident can be easily specified by the authentication system and the driving situation recording system.

Further, it is preferable that the control means operates the rotation driving means so that the photographing means photographs the vehicle traveling direction outside the passenger compartment in conjunction with the start of the engine.
Alternatively, when the control means authenticates by comparing the occupant face image and the user face image, it is preferable to operate the rotation driving means so that the photographing means photographs the traveling direction of the vehicle outside the passenger compartment.
As described above, by automatically switching the photographing direction by the photographing means, it is possible to improve the convenience for the driver and to prevent the occurrence of recording omission.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the storage unit is provided with a partitioning state storage area for storing an image obtained by photographing the vehicle traveling direction outside the passenger compartment and a parking situation storage area for storing an image obtained by photographing the interior of the passenger compartment. In this way, it is possible to prevent inconvenience that different kinds of image data stored carelessly are overwritten. That is, the storage means has a limited capacity. Therefore, for example, when a parking abnormality such as a theft incident occurs and an image of the situation is stored in the storage means, the stored image of the driving situation is stored at the time of the parking abnormality by driving the vehicle. It is possible to prevent the image at the time of parking abnormality from being erased by overwriting the image.

  Furthermore, an operation abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in the driving state of the vehicle is further provided, an operation abnormality storage area is provided in the storage means, and the control means is based on detection by the operation abnormality detection means. When it is determined whether or not a driving abnormality has occurred and it is determined that a driving abnormality has occurred, it is preferable to store images before, during and after the occurrence together in the driving abnormality storage area. In this way, it is possible to reliably record the situation before and after the time when it is determined that an operation abnormality has occurred based on the detection by the operation abnormality detecting means, and it is possible to eliminate a useless storage area.

  And it is preferable to provide a plurality of the abnormal storage areas during operation in the storage means. In this way, even if a minor accident in which the vehicle can be driven in a short period of time is encountered multiple times, it is possible to prevent the previous driving abnormality data from being overwritten and deleted.

  In addition, a parking abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in the parking state of the vehicle is further provided, a parking abnormality storage area is provided in the storage means, and the control means performs parking based on detection by the parking abnormality detection means. When it is determined whether or not an abnormality has occurred and it is determined that a parking abnormality has occurred, it is preferable to store images before, during and after the occurrence together in the parking abnormality storage area. In this way, the situation before and after the time when it is determined that a parking abnormality has occurred based on the detection by the parking abnormality detecting means can be recorded reliably, and a useless storage area can be eliminated.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the control means causes the rotation driving means to rotate the shooting means within a preset shooting range when shooting the vehicle interior by the shooting means when the vehicle is parked. . In this way, it is possible to recognize from the outside that the inside of the vehicle is being monitored by the photographing means when the vehicle is stopped, so that the antitheft effect can be enhanced.

  In the vehicle monitoring apparatus according to the present invention, the driving situation and the parking situation can be recorded by one photographing means by the rotation driving means, so that the installation space in the vehicle compartment can be reduced. Further, the number of work steps and the number of parts at the time of assembly can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a vehicle monitoring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. This vehicle monitoring apparatus is configured by a single system that includes a function for recording the driving situation of the vehicle 1, a function for recording an abnormal situation that occurs during parking, and a function for authenticating a specific user. This vehicle monitoring apparatus generally detects a camera 20 that constitutes a photographing unit, a memory unit 23 that constitutes a storage unit, an engine start intention detection unit (start switch 8), and an abnormality during operation of the vehicle 1. A driving abnormality detection unit 29, a parking abnormality detection unit 31 that detects an abnormality when the vehicle 1 is parked, and a microcomputer 33 that is a control means are provided.

  First, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a vehicle 1 equipped with the vehicle monitoring device of the present invention is equipped with a battery 3 that can be stored by running inside a hood 2, and is mounted from this battery 3. Each device is powered to operate. Further, the door 4A to 4D of the vehicle 1 is provided with a door state detection unit 5 including a micro switch for detecting the open / close state, and a lock device (not shown) that automatically opens and closes the lock with authentication. It is installed. Further, an instrument panel 6 is disposed at the front of the vehicle interior, and a start switch 8 for starting and stopping the engine is disposed at a driver's seat where the handle 7 is disposed. In addition, the instrument panel 6 is provided with a meter (not shown) that intensively shows the traveling speed, the remaining amount of fuel, the open / closed state of the doors 4A to 4D, and the like, and controls each device of the vehicle 1. A main microcomputer 9 (ECU) is mounted.

  The camera 20 of the vehicle monitoring device of the present invention is arranged at the upper end on the driver's seat side so as to be located at the intersection of the extension line extending the central axis of the handle 7 in the windshield 10 of the vehicle 1. . The camera 20 is capable of capturing continuous moving images by capturing 15 images per second, and is mounted on the windshield 10 via a rotating device that is a rotation driving means. This rotating device includes a pedestal portion for mounting on the front panel, and a mounting portion that is rotatably arranged with respect to the pedestal portion and to which the camera 20 is fixed. And this mounting part is comprised by the drive motor 21 so that a rotation angle can be changed. The camera 20 and the drive motor 21 are driven by the control unit 22. The control unit 22 turns on and off the photographing by the camera 20 and changes the photographing direction by the camera 20 by operating the drive motor 21 based on a driving signal of the microcomputer 33 described later. In the present embodiment, when the vehicle 1 is driven, the vehicle 1 is rotated over a position where the field of view in the traveling direction outside the vehicle interior is imaged and a direction where the vehicle interior is imaged. Further, the vehicle interior is configured to be rotatable at an angle at which a range from the driver seat to the passenger seat can be photographed.

  The memory unit 23 stores data captured by the camera 20 and a user's face image registered in advance, and an EEPROM or flash memory which is a nonvolatile memory can be applied. In other words, the vehicle monitoring apparatus of the present embodiment is provided with a rewritable writing device and a memory element corresponding to the writing device. The memory unit 23 is roughly configured by a user information storage area 24, a driving situation storage area 25, a parking situation storage area 26, a plurality of driving abnormality storage areas 27A to 27C, and a plurality of parking abnormality storage areas 28A to 28A. 28C.

  The user information storage area 24 stores in advance a driver's face image that permits the driving of the vehicle 1, and the first storage unit 24a to the third storage unit 24c, the first to third storages. Each user data can be stored. This user data includes a method of registering in advance by connecting to an external device through an external connection terminal 36, which will be described later, and a method of registering later by photographing with the camera 20. However, it is preferable that the latter method allows registration with user authentication registered in advance. That is, it is preferable that the first user data can be registered only from an external device, and the second and third user data can be registered if the first user is authenticated and authenticated. This registration method can be changed as desired.

  The driving state storage area 25 stores an image obtained by capturing a field of view in the traveling direction when the vehicle 1 is driven. In order to store three pieces of information, the latest data, old data, and oldest data, 3 It is further divided into two storage units 25a to 25c. The storage method is such that the latest image to be captured is stored in the storage units 25a to 25c in which the oldest images are stored, and the labels in the storage units 25a to 25c are rewritten. For example, immediately after purchase, the information is first stored in the first storage unit 25a, and information indicating the latest data label is stored in the first storage unit 25a. Next, the latest data label information is stored in the second storage unit 25b, the latest data label information is stored in the second storage unit 25b, and the old data label information is stored in the first storage unit 25a. Next, the latest data label information is stored in the third storage unit 25c, the latest data label information is stored in the third storage unit 25c, the old data label information is stored in the second storage unit 25b, and the latest data label information is stored in the first storage unit 25a. Store old data label information. Thereafter, the oldest image is stored in the first storage unit 25a, the latest data label information is stored in the first storage unit 25a, while the old data label information is stored in the third storage unit 25c, The oldest data label information is stored in the second storage unit 25b. That is, instead of transferring the data stored in each of the storage units 25a to 25c, the storage order is the order of the first storage unit 25a → second storage unit 25b → third storage unit 25c → first storage unit 25a. By rewriting the label and rewriting the label, the latest and oldest data can be recognized.

  The parking status storage area 26 stores an image of the interior of the vehicle when the vehicle 1 is parked (engine stopped). Like the driving status storage area 25, the parking status storage area 26 stores the latest data, old data, and oldest data. In order to be able to store three pieces of information, the information is further divided into three storage units 26a to 26c. The storage method stores the latest image to be captured in the storage units 26a to 26c in which the oldest images are stored, and rewrites the labels in the storage units 26a to 26c. That is, instead of transferring the data stored in each of the storage units 26a to 26c, the storage order is the order of the first storage unit 26a → the second storage unit 26b → the third storage unit 26c → the first storage unit 26a. By rewriting the label and rewriting the label, the latest and oldest data can be recognized.

  The driving abnormality storage areas 27A to 27C store images taken when an abnormality occurs during driving such as a vehicle accident. In order to record the situation before and after the occurrence of the abnormality, It is further partitioned into storage units 27a-27c. And the memory | storage method is performed by transferring the image memorize | stored in each memory | storage part 25a-25c of the driving | running condition memory area 25 (transfer). That is, among the data stored in the storage units 25a to 25c of the driving state storage area 25, the oldest data is stored in the pre-occurrence storage unit 27a, the old data is stored in the on-occurrence storage unit 27b, and the latest data is generated. The configuration is stored in the rear storage unit 27c. The latest operation abnormality image to be stored is stored in the operation abnormality storage areas 27A to 27C in which the oldest operation abnormality image is stored, and the labels of the operation abnormality storage areas 27A to 27C are rewritten. That is, the storage order for the three operating abnormality storage areas 27A to 27C is as follows. First operation abnormality storage area 27A → second operation abnormality storage area 27B → third operation abnormality storage area 27C → first It is configured such that the oldest data from the latest can be recognized by storing the abnormal storage areas 27A during operation and rewriting the labels. Note that the number of operating abnormality storage areas is not limited to three, and may be increased or decreased according to the capacity of the memory unit 23.

  The parking abnormality storage areas 28A to 28C store images taken when an abnormality occurs during parking, such as so-called vandalization or theft of the vehicle 1 itself, and include situations before and after the occurrence of the abnormality. Are further divided into three storage units 28a to 28c. And the memory | storage method is performed by transferring the image memorize | stored in each memory | storage part 26a-26c of the parking condition memory area 26. FIG. That is, among the data stored in the storage units 26a to 26c of the parking status storage area 26, the oldest data is stored in the pre-occurrence storage unit 28a, the old data is stored in the on-occurrence storage unit 28b, and the latest data is generated. The configuration is stored in the rear storage unit 28c. The latest parking abnormality image to be stored is stored in the parking abnormality storage areas 28A to 28C in which the oldest parking abnormality image is stored, and the labels of the parking abnormality storage areas 28A to 28C are rewritten. That is, the storage order for each parking abnormality storage area 28A to 28C is as follows: first parking abnormality storage area 28A → second parking abnormality storage area 28B → third parking abnormality storage area 28C → first parking It is configured so that the oldest data can be recognized from the latest by storing in the order of the time abnormality storage area 28A, and rewriting the label. The number of parking abnormal storage areas is not limited to three, and may be increased or decreased according to the capacity of the memory unit 23.

  In this embodiment, the engine start intention detection unit is constituted by the start switch 8 existing in the vehicle 1. That is, the start intention of the occupant is detected by operating the start switch 8 while the engine of the vehicle 1 is stopped. Here, the occupant includes regular users registered in the memory unit 23, acquaintances not registered in the memory unit 23, and others who do not know at all. Moreover, it is set as the structure which detects whether the vehicle 1 is a driving | running | working state or a stop state with the vehicle speed sensor 11 of the vehicle 1 existing.

  The driving abnormality detection unit 29 is for detecting whether an abnormality such as a vehicle accident has occurred during driving. As the operation abnormality detection unit 29, an acceleration sensor that detects a change in speed per unit time and converts it into an electric quantity such as a corresponding voltage or current and outputs it, or an electric quantity such as a voltage or current according to the vibration quantity. A vibration sensor that converts and outputs the signal is applied, and is connected to a microcomputer 33 described later via the input unit 30. In other words, when driving, excessive acceleration exceeding the deceleration amount due to sudden braking, etc., or excessive vibration exceeding the vibration amount caused by road level differences is detected by the acceleration sensor or vibration sensor, causing abnormalities during driving (accidents). It is configured to detect that the occurrence has occurred.

  The parking abnormality detection unit 31 is for detecting whether an abnormality has occurred during parking. As the parking abnormality detection unit 31, the same vibration sensor as described above, the door state detection unit 5, and the lock device are applied and connected to a microcomputer 33 described later via the input unit 32. That is, the vibration sensor detects that the doors 4A to 4D have been unlocked in association with unauthorized unlocking without performing normal unlocking with mechanical structural keys or normal unlocking with authentication. Is detected or detected by the microcomputer 33 via the door state detection unit 5 to detect that an abnormality (theft) has occurred during parking.

  The microcomputer 33 is supplied with electric power from the battery 3 via the power supply unit 34 and operates with the electric power. The electric power of the power supply unit 34 is also supplied to each component such as the memory unit 23, the driving abnormality detection unit 29, and the parking abnormality detection unit 31. The main microcomputer 9 of the vehicle 1 and the communication unit 35 are connected so that signals can be transmitted and received. Further, an external connection terminal 36 for connecting to a known external device such as a personal computer is connected. Further, a reset unit 37 composed of a switch for resetting (erasing) information stored in the memory unit 23 is connected. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 38 denotes an oscillation unit that outputs a transmission signal that is a timing necessary for the operation of the microcomputer 33.

  And this microcomputer 33 controls each component according to the program memorize | stored in ROM which is a built-in memory | storage means, the driving | running state recording of the vehicle 1, the recording of the abnormal condition which occurred during parking, and a specific user Authentication.

  Specifically, when the vehicle 1 is in a parked state according to a signal from the main microcomputer 9, the shooting direction is changed by the drive motor 21 so that the camera 20 captures the interior of the vehicle. The vehicle interior shooting range is from the driver seat to the passenger seat, and the shooting direction (angle) is changed every predetermined time. Further, when the vehicle 1 is in operation, that is, when the vehicle 1 is running, or when the engine is in a driving state, the vehicle progressing outside the passenger compartment by the camera 20 is performed by the drive motor 21 based on a signal from the main microcomputer 9. The photographing direction is changed so as to photograph the field of view of the direction.

  When the engine start intention is detected by operating the start switch 8 via the main microcomputer 9 when the engine is stopped (parking), the camera 20 captures the face image of the occupant and the user face image registered in advance. Collate. When authentication (match) is made by this collation, a signal permitting engine start is output to the main microcomputer 9. Thereby, the main microcomputer 9 starts the engine. Further, the microcomputer 33 operates the drive motor 21 in conjunction with the start of the engine and rotates the camera 20 so as to capture the traveling direction.

  Further, when it is determined that a driving abnormality has occurred based on the detection of the driving abnormality detection unit 29 during driving, images before, during and after the occurrence are grouped together in one driving abnormality storage area 27A to 27C. Remember. Further, if it is determined that a parking abnormality has occurred based on the detection of the parking abnormality detection unit 31 during parking, the images before, during and after the occurrence are grouped together in one parking abnormality storage area 28A to 28C. Remember. Furthermore, at the time of parking, the drive motor 21 is operated every predetermined time to change the shooting direction of the vehicle interior by the camera 20 within a preset shooting range.

  Next, the control of the vehicle monitoring device by the microcomputer 33 will be specifically described.

  When the power supply unit 34 is connected to the battery 3 by the lead wire, the microcomputer 33 first determines whether or not the vehicle 1 is operating (engine driving or vehicle running) in step 1 as shown in FIG. To detect. When the vehicle is in operation, the engine drive control process in step S2 and the operation status storage process in step S3 are performed in parallel. On the other hand, when the vehicle 1 is not driving, the process proceeds to step S4.

  In step S4, the door state detector 5 detects whether the doors 4A to 4D have been opened or closed. When the doors 4A to 4D are opened / closed, the process proceeds to step S5, and when the doors 4A to 4D are not opened / closed, the process proceeds to step S8.

  In step S5, the door state detection unit 5 detects whether the doors 4A to 4D are open. If the doors 4A to 4D are in the open state, the process proceeds to step S6, the 5-minute timer is reset and started, and the process proceeds to step S8. If the doors 4A to 4D are closed, the process proceeds to step S7, the 1-minute timer is reset and started, and the process proceeds to step S8.

  In step S8, it is detected whether the 5-minute timer or the 1-minute timer has counted up. And when it has counted up, it progresses to step S9, performs a parking condition memory | storage process, and returns to step S1. That is, when the engine is stopped and the vehicle 1 is stopped (vehicle speed = 0 km), that is, when the doors 4A to 4D are opened for 5 minutes or more in the stopped state, or the doors 4A to 4D are When the closed state is 1 minute or longer, it is determined that the vehicle is in the parking state, and the parking state storage process is executed. If the count is not up, the process proceeds to step S10.

  In step S10, it is determined whether or not an intention to start the engine by the occupant has been detected by operating the start switch 8. When the operation of the start switch 8 is detected, the process proceeds to step S11, the authentication process is executed, and the process returns to step S1. That is, when the door 4A to 4D is operated to open and close, and the parking state storage process is stopped, if an occupant's intention to start the engine is detected, an authentication process is executed. If the operation of the start switch 8 is not detected, the process returns to step S4.

  Next, the engine drive control process of step S2 by the microcomputer 33 will be described.

  In this engine drive control process, as shown in FIG. 5, the microcomputer 33 detects whether or not the engine is being driven in step S2-1. If it is being driven, the process proceeds to step S2-2. If it is not being driven, the process proceeds to step S2-11.

  In step S2-2, the vehicle speed sensor 11 detects whether or not the vehicle 1 is stopped. If the vehicle 1 is stopped, the process proceeds to step S2-3. If the vehicle 1 is traveling, the process proceeds to step S2-6.

  In step S2-3, the start switch 8 detects the presence or absence of a stop operation. If a stop operation is detected, the process proceeds to step S2-4. If no stop operation is detected, the process returns.

  In step S2-4, the door state detection unit 5 detects whether or not the doors 4A to 4D are closed. If the doors 4A to 4D are in the closed state, the process proceeds to step S2-5 to stop the driving engine and return. When the doors 4A to 4D are in the open state, the process returns.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2-2 that the vehicle is traveling, whether or not an operation for forcibly stopping the engine during traveling is detected by the start switch 8 in step S2-6. If a forced stop operation is detected, the process proceeds to step S2-7. If a forced stop operation is not detected, the process returns.

  In step S2-7, the 3-second timer is reset and started, and in step S2-8, it is detected whether the 3-second timer has been counted up. If the count is up, the process proceeds to step S2-5 to stop the engine and return. If the count is not up, the process proceeds to step S2-9.

  In step S2-9, it is detected whether or not the operation of the start switch 8 has been stopped. If operation stop is detected, the process proceeds to step S2-10, where the 3-second timer is stopped and the process returns. If no operation stop is detected, the process returns to step S2-8.

  On the other hand, when the engine is not being driven at step S2-1 (when it is stopped), it is detected at step S2-11 whether or not the vehicle 1 is traveling by the vehicle speed sensor 11. If the vehicle is traveling, the process proceeds to step S2-12. If the vehicle is not traveling, the process returns.

  In step S2-12, it is detected whether or not the operation of the start switch 8 has been stopped. And if operation is detected, it will progress to step S2-13, will restart an engine urgently, and will return. If no operation is detected, the process returns as it is.

  Next, the operation status storage process of step S3 by the microcomputer 33 will be described.

  In this driving state storage process, the microcomputer 33 drives the camera 20 in step S3-1 as shown in FIG. Thereafter, in step S3-2, the memory unit 23 is read, and the storage area of the photographing data stored in the memory unit 23 is set in the oldest storage units 25a to 25c of the driving status storage area 25, and then in step S3. At -3, the shooting timer is reset and started. Here, the shooting timer of this embodiment is set to 20 seconds. This shooting time is set according to the relationship between the storage capacity of each of the storage units 25a to 25c of the memory unit 23 and the resolution of each image to be shot.

  Next, in step S3-4, it is detected whether or not the camera 20 is facing in the traveling direction (forward through the windshield 10). If the camera 20 is not facing the traveling direction, the process proceeds to step S3-5, where the drive motor 21 is operated to execute the rotational driving process of the camera 20, and the traveling direction is changed to be photographed, and step S3 is performed. Proceed to -6. If the camera 20 is facing the traveling direction, the process proceeds to step S3-6.

  In step S3-6, the operation abnormality detection unit 29 detects whether or not an accident has occurred. If the occurrence of an accident is detected, the process proceeds to step S3-7, 1 is input to the accident flag Fa, 1 is added to the accident counter Ca in step S3-8, and the process proceeds to step S3-9. . If the occurrence of an accident is not detected (Fa = 0), the process proceeds to step S3-9. The number (1-3) of the accident counter Ca corresponds to the operating abnormality storage areas 27A-27C to be stored.

  In step S3-9, it is detected whether or not the photographing timer has counted up. If the count is up, the process proceeds to step S3-10. If the count is not up, the process returns to step S3-6.

  In step S3-10, a data update process is executed and the process proceeds to step S3-11. Here, the data update process is to rewrite the labels of the storage units 26a to 26c stored in the operation status storage area 26 to labels indicating the latest data.

  In step S3-11, it is detected whether Fa is 1 (occurrence of an accident). If Fa is not 1 (no accident), the process proceeds to step S3-12 to stop shooting by the camera 20 and return. When returning to the main flow shown in FIG. 4 in this way, as long as the vehicle 1 is in operation, this driving state storage process is immediately re-executed. If Fa is 1, the process proceeds to step S3-13.

  In step S3-13, 1 is added to the status counter Cb. Note that the number (0 to 2) of the situation counters Cb corresponds to the storage units 27a to 27c in the operating abnormality storage areas 27A to 27C.

  When 1 is added to the counter Cb, it is detected whether or not the status counter Cb is 2 in step S3-14. If Cb is 2, the process proceeds to step S3-15. If Cb is not 2, the process returns to step S3-2.

  In step S3-15, an accident image storage process is executed, and the flow proceeds to step S3-16. Here, the accident image storage process is performed here. In this accident image storage process, after setting the running abnormality storage areas 27A to 27C to be stored according to the value of the accident counter Ca, the driving situation storage area 25 is set as described above. The latest data stored in the storage units 25a to 25c is stored in the data storage unit 27c after the occurrence of the accident, the old data is stored in the data storage unit 27b at the time of occurrence, and the oldest data is stored in the pre-occurrence data storage unit 27a. To remember.

  When the accident image storage process is completed, after the status counter Cb is reset (= 0) in step S3-16, it is detected in step S3-17 whether the accident counter Ca has become 3. If Ca is 3, the process proceeds to step S3-18, the accident counter Ca is reset (= 0), and the process proceeds to step S3-19. If Ca is not 3, the process proceeds to step S3-19.

  In step S3-19, 0 is input to the accident flag Fa, the process proceeds to step S3-12, the camera is stopped, and the process returns. In this state, when the engine drive state is maintained, as described above, when returning to the main flow shown in FIG. However, in this case, since 0 is input to Fa, it is only stored in the storage units 25a to 25c of the operating state storage area 25, and is not stored in the operating abnormality storage areas 27A to 27C. .

  Next, the parking status storage process of step S9 by the microcomputer 33 will be described.

  In this parking status storage process, the microcomputer 33 drives the camera 20 in step S9-1 as shown in FIG. Thereafter, in step S9-2, the memory unit 23 is read, and the storage area of the photographing data stored in the memory unit 23 is set in the oldest storage units 26a to 26c of the parking state storage area 26, and then in step S9. At -3, the shooting timer is reset and started. Here, the shooting timer of the present embodiment is set to 20 seconds as in the driving situation storage process.

  Next, in step S9-4, it is detected whether or not the camera 20 is facing in the vehicle interior direction. If the camera 20 is not facing the vehicle interior direction, the process proceeds to step S9-5, where the drive motor 21 is operated to execute the rotational drive processing of the camera 20, and the camera interior direction is changed to be photographed. Proceed to step S9-6. On the other hand, if the camera 20 is facing the vehicle interior, the process proceeds to step S9-6.

  In step S9-6, the parking abnormality detection unit 31 detects the presence or absence of an in-vehicle abnormality having a possibility of theft. If the occurrence of in-vehicle abnormality is detected, the process proceeds to step S9-7, 1 is input to the in-vehicle abnormality flag Fb, 1 is added to the abnormality counter Cc in step S9-8, and then in step S9-9. In order to take a picture of the face of the theft, the drive motor 21 is operated so that the shooting direction by the camera 20 is directed to the driver's seat and the process proceeds to step S9-10. If the occurrence of an accident is not detected (Fd = 0), the process proceeds to step S9-10. The number (1-3) of the abnormality counter Cc corresponds to the parking abnormality storage areas 28A-28C to be stored.

  In step S9-10, it is detected whether or not the shooting timer has counted up. If the count is up, the process proceeds to step S9-11, and if the count is not up, the process returns to step S9-6.

  In step S9-11, a data update process is executed and the process proceeds to step S9-12. Here, the data update process is to rewrite the labels of the storage units 26a to 26c stored in the parking situation storage area 26 to labels indicating the latest data, as in the driving situation storage process. .

  In step S9-12, it is detected whether Fb is 1 (in-vehicle abnormality has occurred). If Fb is not 1 (there is no abnormality in the vehicle), the process proceeds to step S9-13. After the photographing by the camera 20 is stopped, the drive motor 21 is operated in step S9-14, thereby causing the vehicle interior by the camera 20 to move. Change the shooting direction and return. Note that when returning to the main flow shown in FIG. 4 in this way, the operation state storage process is re-executed immediately after the doors 4A to 4D are not opened and closed. On the other hand, if Fb is 1 (in-vehicle abnormality has occurred), the process proceeds to step S9-15.

  In step S9-15, 1 is added to the status counter Cd. The number (0 to 2) of the situation counters Cd corresponds to the storage units 28a to 28c in the parking abnormality storage areas 28A to 28C.

  When 1 is added to the counter Cd, it is detected whether or not the status counter Cd is 2 in step S9-16. If Cd is 2, the process proceeds to step S9-17. If Cd is not 2, the process returns to step S9-2.

  In step S9-17, an abnormal image storage process is executed, and the flow proceeds to step S9-18. Here, in the abnormal image storage processing, after setting the parking abnormality storage areas 28A to 28C to be stored according to the value of the abnormality counter Cc, the latest information stored in the storage units 26a to 26c of the parking situation storage area 26 as described above. The data is stored in the data storage unit 28c after occurrence of an abnormality in the vehicle, the old data is stored in the data storage unit 28b at the time of occurrence, and the oldest data is stored in the storage unit 28a of the pre-occurrence data.

  When the abnormal image storage process is completed, the status counter Cd is reset (= 0) in step S9-18, and then it is detected in step S9-19 whether the accident counter Cc has become 3. If Cc is 3, the process proceeds to step S9-20, the abnormality counter Cc is reset (= 0), and the process proceeds to step S9-21. If Cc is not 3, the process proceeds to step S9-21.

  In step S9-21, 0 is input to the accident flag Fb and the process proceeds to step S9-13. After the camera is stopped, in step S9-14, the shooting direction in the vehicle interior by the camera 20 is changed and the process returns. In this state, returning to the main flow shown in FIG. 4, when the engine stop state is maintained and the doors 4 </ b> A to 4 </ b> D are not opened / closed, the parking state storage process is immediately re-executed. However, in this case, since 0 is input to Fb, it is only stored in the storage units 26a to 26c of the parking status storage area 26, and is not stored in the parking abnormality storage areas 28A to 28C. .

  Next, the authentication process of step S11 by the microcomputer 33 will be described.

  In this authentication process, as shown in FIG. 8, the microcomputer 33 detects whether or not the vehicle 1 is stopped by the vehicle speed sensor 11 in step S <b> 11-1. If the vehicle is stopped, the process proceeds to step S11-2. If the vehicle is not stopped, the process returns.

  In step S11-2, the door state detection unit 5 detects whether the doors 4A to 4D are closed. When the doors 4A to 4D are in the closed state, the process proceeds to step S11-3, and when the doors are in the open state, the process directly returns.

  In step S11-3, it is detected whether or not the start switch 8 has been operated. If the operation of the start switch 8 is detected, the process proceeds to step S11-4, and if the operation is not detected, the process directly returns.

  In step S11-4, after the camera 20 is activated, in step S11-5, the drive motor 21 is operated so that the photographing direction by the camera 20 is directed toward the driver's seat 11, and the process proceeds to step S11-6.

  In step S11-6, the camera 20 captures the face of the occupant sitting in the driver's seat, compares the occupant face image with the user face image registered in advance in the user information storage area 24, and registers the specified face. An image matching process is executed to determine whether or not to authenticate the user.

  Next, in step S11-7, if authentication is performed by image collation processing, the process proceeds to step S11-8, and a signal for permitting engine start is output to the main microcomputer 9 and the process returns. If authentication is not performed, the process directly returns.

  As described above, in the vehicle monitoring apparatus according to the present embodiment, the camera 20 can photograph the field of view of the vehicle traveling direction outside the passenger compartment and the interior of the vehicle can be photographed by the camera 20 by the drive motor 21 that constitutes the rotational driving means. . Therefore, a single camera 20 can record a driving situation (cause of an accident) and a parking situation (theft situation). Further, when an intention to start the engine by an occupant is detected by operating the start switch 8, it can be further used as an authentication system which is one of antitheft measures.

  Therefore, the installation space in the vehicle interior can be reduced, the number of work steps and the number of parts at the time of assembly can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced. Further, the driver at the time of the accident can be easily specified by the driver authentication system and the driving situation recording system. Furthermore, since the shooting direction by the camera 20 is automatically switched (rotated) so as to be directed from the passenger compartment to the exterior of the passenger compartment in conjunction with the start of the engine, it is possible to improve the convenience for the driver and to cause a recording failure. Can be prevented.

  In addition, since the driving status storage area 25 and the parking status storage area 26 are provided in the memory unit 23 in a partitioned manner, it is possible to prevent inconvenience that different types of image data stored inadvertently are overwritten. That is, the memory unit 23 has a limited storage capacity. Therefore, for example, when a parking abnormality such as a theft incident occurs and the image of the situation is stored in the memory unit 23, the stored image of the driving situation is displayed when the vehicle 1 is driven. It is possible to prevent the stored image from being erased by overwriting the stored image.

  Further, the memory unit 23 is provided with operation abnormality storage areas 27A to 27C, and when it is determined that an operation abnormality has occurred based on detection by the operation abnormality detection unit 29, images before, at and after the occurrence are displayed together. It memorize | stores in the abnormal storage area 27A-27C at the time of a driving | operation. Similarly, parking abnormality storage areas 28A to 28C are provided, and when it is determined that a parking abnormality has occurred based on detection by the parking abnormality detection unit 31, images before, during and after occurrence are stored together. Store in areas 28A-28C. Therefore, the situation before and after the time when it is determined that an abnormality has occurred can be recorded reliably, and a useless storage area can be eliminated. In addition, since operation abnormality data or parking abnormality data before, during and after the occurrence are stored in one storage area 27A to 27C, 28A to 28C, an external device is connected to the external connection terminal 36. Convenience when retrieving stored data can be improved.

  Moreover, since the driving abnormality storage areas 27A to 27C and the parking abnormality storage areas 28A to 28C are respectively provided in plurality, a minor accident in which the vehicle 1 can be driven in a short period of time is encountered multiple times, Even if a plurality of parking abnormalities such as vandalism occur, it is possible to prevent the previous abnormal data from being overwritten and deleted. Moreover, since it is set as the structure which changes the imaging | photography direction with the camera 20 for every predetermined time in the parking condition memory | storage process, it can be recognized from the exterior that the camera 20 is monitoring the inside of a vehicle. As a result, the antitheft effect can be enhanced.

  The vehicle monitoring device of the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the shooting direction by the camera 20 is rotated from the vehicle interior to the traveling direction outside the vehicle compartment in conjunction with the start of the engine, but the passenger face image and the user face image by the authentication system are collated. When the authentication is performed, a signal for permitting start of the engine may be output to the main microcomputer 9 and the shooting direction by the camera 20 may be changed.

  In the above embodiment, the stored information is retrieved by connecting to the external connection terminal 36. However, by configuring the memory element such as EEPROM or flash memory so as to be detachable from the exterior body. A configuration may be adopted in which only the memory element is removed and attached to an external device.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the parking state is defined as “the engine is stopped, is stopped, and a predetermined time has elapsed after the door opening / closing operation”, but is limited to this. For example, it may be simply “the engine is stopped and the vehicle is stopped”. Further, the power supply state by opening / closing an ignition power supply path for supplying power to the power supply system of the vehicle 1, that is, an audio provided in the vehicle 1, or an engine drive power supply path for maintaining the supply of power to the engine May be detected by a known power supply state means, and the case of “when the power is not supplied and being stopped” may be defined as parking. Furthermore, a known human body detection sensor for detecting whether or not a person is present in the passenger compartment may be provided, and “a state where no person is present in the vehicle” may be defined as parking. Furthermore, a switch for detecting the on / off state of the parking brake of the vehicle may be provided, and the parking brake may be defined as parking when the parking brake is on, and may be defined as driving when the parking brake is off. Furthermore, a steering lock device that locks and unlocks the steering shaft of the vehicle, a sensor that detects the unlocked state, etc. are provided, and the lock time is defined as parking and the unlock time is defined as driving. Good. Moreover, you may define the time of parking in detail combining the said each state. In short, a state in which the driver is not driving the vehicle 1 or a state in which there is no person in the vehicle is determined from the state of each device of the vehicle 1, and it is determined as “when parked” based on the determination result. Also good.

  And in the said embodiment, although the state at the time of driving | running is defined as "at the time of driving | running | working or an engine drive", it is not limited to this, Other than each "at the time of parking" defined above Each case may be defined as “during driving”.

It is a block diagram which shows the monitoring apparatus for vehicles which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the vehicle equipped with the monitoring apparatus for vehicles. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the memory area of the memory part which is a memory | storage means. It is a flowchart which shows the control by a microcomputer. 5 is a flowchart showing an engine drive control process of FIG. 4. It is a flowchart which shows the driving | running state memory | storage process of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the parking condition memory | storage process of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the authentication process of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle 2 ... Bonnet 3 ... Battery 4A-4D ... Door 5 ... Door state detection part 8 ... Start switch (starting intention detection means)
9 ... Main microcomputer 10 ... Front glass 20 ... Camera (photographing means)
21 ... Drive motor (rotation drive means)
23. Memory unit (storage means)
24 ... User information storage area 25 ... Driving situation storage area 26 ... Parking situation storage area 27A-27C ... Abnormal driving storage area 28A-28C ... Abnormal parking storage area 29 ... Abnormal driving detection section 31 ... Parking abnormality detection section 33 ... Microcomputer (control means)

Claims (9)

Photographing means provided in the passenger compartment;
Rotation driving means for rotating the photographing means, enabling the photographing means to photograph the field of view in the vehicle traveling direction outside the passenger compartment, and photographing the passenger compartment;
Storage means for storing an image photographed by the photographing means;
Control means for controlling the photographing means and the rotation driving means, photographing the vehicle interior by the photographing means when the vehicle is parked, and photographing the field of view in the vehicle traveling direction outside the passenger compartment by the photographing means when driving the vehicle;
A vehicle monitoring apparatus comprising: Providing a starting intention detecting means for detecting the starting intention of the engine;
When the control means detects the intention to start the engine by the start intention detection means when the engine is stopped, the photographing means captures the occupant's face image and compares it with a pre-registered user face image for authentication. The vehicle monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein start of the engine is permitted.   2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control means operates the rotation driving means so as to photograph the traveling direction of the vehicle outside the passenger compartment in conjunction with the start of the engine. 2. The vehicle monitoring device according to 2.   The control means operates the rotation driving means so as to photograph the traveling direction of the vehicle outside the passenger compartment when the control means authenticates by collating the passenger face image and the user face image. Item 3. The vehicle monitoring device according to Item 2.   The storage means includes a driving situation storage area for storing an image obtained by photographing the vehicle traveling direction outside the passenger compartment and a parking situation storage area for storing an image obtained by photographing the passenger compartment. The vehicle monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Further provided is a driving abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in the driving state of the vehicle, and provided a driving abnormality storage area in the storage means,
The control means determines whether or not an operation abnormality has occurred based on detection by the operation abnormality detection means, and determines that an operation abnormality has occurred. The vehicle monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle monitoring device is stored in an abnormal storage area.   The vehicle monitoring apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the storage unit includes a plurality of abnormal storage areas during operation. While further providing a parking abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in the parking state of the vehicle, a storage abnormality storage area is provided in the storage means,
The control means determines whether or not parking abnormality has occurred based on detection by the parking abnormality detection means, and determines that parking abnormality has occurred. The vehicle monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle monitoring device is stored in an abnormal storage area.   The control means is configured to drive the photographing means to rotate within a photographing range set in advance by the rotation driving means when photographing the vehicle interior by the photographing means when the vehicle is parked. The vehicle monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

Images