JP2011013742A - Image recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image recording apparatus for more simplifying setting concerning an object as the target of recording, in comparison with conventional image recording apparatuses.SOLUTION: A drive recording apparatus as an image recording apparatus loaded on a traveling object is provided with a GPS receiving section 8 for acquiring location information of the traveling object; a distance determining section 81 for determining whether a distance between the location of the traveling object and a preliminarily set location is equal to or less than a reference value, based on the location information acquired by the GPS reception section 8; and a control circuit 5. When it is determined that the distance turns out to be the reference value or less by the distance determining section 81, the control circuit 5 starts the recording of a video signal acquired from the camera 1 in a recoding media 21; and when it is determined that the distance turns out to be larger than the reference value by the distance determining section 81, the control circuit stops the recording of the video signal acquired from the camera 1 in the recording media 21. Here, the location information of the traveling object changes, according to the location of the traveling object.

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus capable of recording a video signal obtained from an imaging apparatus during movement on a recording medium, such as a drive recorder.

  This type of recording device is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile provided with an impact detection sensor, and a series of images obtained from the imaging device is temporarily recorded in a buffer while the vehicle is moving, so that an accident or sudden occurrence occurs. When an impact applied to the vehicle due to slow deceleration or the like is detected by the impact detection sensor, a series of images before and after detection can be read from the buffer and recorded in the nonvolatile memory.

  In recent years, it has been considered to use the recording device for recording a moving landscape. However, if the moving landscape is simply recorded using the recording device, a series of images acquired by the imaging device during the movement are all recorded in the non-volatile memory. It was necessary to prepare a non-volatile memory. In addition, it takes a lot of time and effort to edit the recorded image after shooting.

  In view of this, a recording apparatus has been proposed in which a video to be recorded is registered in advance, and an image including the video is extracted and recorded in a nonvolatile memory (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-207842 A

  However, in the recording apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, since it is necessary to register in advance the video to be recorded, the video of the subject to be recorded, for example, a video of a person, a landscape, a sign, etc. must be acquired in advance. Therefore, there is a problem that a subject that cannot be acquired as a video or that has not been acquired cannot be recorded even if it is characteristic.

  Further, in order to determine whether or not a pre-registered video is included in an image obtained from the imaging device, complicated video analysis is required. Furthermore, there is a problem that the imaging direction of the imaging device must always be changed so that an image including a pre-registered video is acquired by the imaging device.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus in which settings relating to a recording target are easier than in a conventional recording apparatus.

  A first recording apparatus according to the present invention is a recording apparatus mounted on a moving body, and includes position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of the moving body, and position information acquired by the position information acquisition means. Based on this, a distance determining means for determining whether or not the distance between the position of the moving body and a preset position is equal to or less than a reference value, and a recording control means are provided. The recording control means starts recording the video signal obtained from the imaging device on the recording medium when the distance determination means determines that the distance is equal to or less than the reference value, while the distance is greater than the reference value. When the distance determination unit determines, the recording of the video signal obtained from the imaging device to the recording medium is stopped. Here, the position information of the moving body changes according to the position of the moving body.

In the first recording apparatus, recording of a video signal to a recording medium is started when the distance from the moving body approaches a preset position while the moving body is moving and the distance from the moving body is equal to or less than a reference value. Will be. On the other hand, when the distance from the preset position is larger than the reference value while moving away from the preset position, the recording by the recording device is stopped. Therefore, only the image showing the preset position or the surrounding landscape is recorded by the recording device.
In this way, by recording only the video signal of the image in which the preset position or the surrounding scenery is recorded on the recording medium, the video signals of all the images (moving images) are recorded on the recording medium as in the past. In comparison, the capacity of the recording medium can be small.

In the specific configuration of the first recording apparatus, the recording apparatus further includes, in advance, a position change unit that controls the position of the imaging apparatus and a position of the moving body in advance based on position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit. Direction calculating means for calculating a direction toward the set position, and the recording control means controls the attitude changing means to start the recording on the recording medium, and the direction calculation means for determining the shooting direction of the imaging apparatus. Directed in the direction calculated by
According to the specific configuration, since the recording by the recording device is performed with the imaging direction of the imaging device directed toward the preset position, an image showing the preset position or its periphery is recorded. It will be.

  A second recording apparatus according to the present invention is a recording apparatus mounted on a moving body, and includes position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of the moving body, and position information acquired by the position information acquisition means. Based on this, a distance determining means for determining whether or not the distance between the position of the moving body and a preset position is equal to or less than a reference value, and a recording control means are provided. When the distance determining unit determines that the distance is equal to or less than a reference value, the recording control unit does not record the video signal obtained from the imaging device on the recording medium, and if the distance is greater than the reference value, the distance is determined. When the determination means determines, the video signal obtained from the imaging device is recorded on the recording medium.

In the second recording apparatus, even when the moving body is moving, if the distance from the preset position is equal to or less than the reference value, the video signal is not recorded on the recording medium. Recording of an image showing the scenery around the set position is excluded. For example, when the preset position is the home position, the recording of an image without a feature showing the scenery around the home is excluded.
In this manner, by eliminating the recording of the image in which the scenery around the preset position is captured, the video signal of all the images (moving images) is recorded on the recording medium as compared with the conventional case. The capacity is small.

  According to the recording apparatus of the present invention, since recording is performed based on the position information, settings relating to the recording target are easier than in the conventional recording apparatus.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the drive recorder which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the 1st video recording control procedure performed with the said drive recorder. It is the figure which showed the area | region where a video signal is analyzed in order to calculate a feature-value in this 1st video recording control procedure. It is the figure which showed the timing of judgment whether an image should be recorded about this 1st video recording control procedure. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the improvement form of this 1st video recording control procedure. It is the figure which showed the timing of judgment whether the image should be recorded regarding the recording control procedure which concerns on this improved form. It is a flowchart which shows the 2nd video recording control procedure performed with the said drive recorder. It is the figure which showed two area | regions where a video signal is analyzed in order to calculate a feature-value in this 2nd video recording control procedure. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the curve determination procedure performed in this 2nd video recording control procedure. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of this curve determination procedure. It is a flowchart which shows the 3rd video recording control procedure performed with the said drive recorder. It is the figure which showed two area | regions where a video signal is analyzed in order to calculate a feature-value in this 3rd video recording control procedure. It is a flowchart which shows the 4th video recording control procedure performed with the said drive recorder. It is the figure which showed the area | region where a video signal is analyzed in order to calculate a feature-value in this 4th video recording control procedure. It is a flowchart which shows the 5th video recording control procedure performed with the said drive recorder. It is a flowchart which shows the 6th video recording control procedure performed with the said drive recorder. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the improvement form of this 6th video recording control procedure. It is a flowchart which shows the 7th video recording control procedure performed with the said drive recorder. It is the figure which showed the relationship between the recording condition to select, and the setting value of a reference value about this 7th video recording control procedure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention applied to a drive recorder will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.
1. Configuration of Drive Recorder A drive recorder (2) according to an embodiment of the present invention is a recording device used by being mounted on an automobile, and is arranged with the shooting direction facing the front of the automobile as shown in FIG. A camera (1) is connected, and a video signal obtained from the camera (1) during movement can be recorded in a non-volatile memory such as a recording medium (21) or a memory card (22). The drive recorder (2) includes a camera (1), a pan head (3) for supporting the camera (1) and changing the posture of the camera (1), and an acceleration sensor for measuring the acceleration of the vehicle. (4) is connected.
The drive recorder (2) may have a configuration in which the camera (1) can be attached to or detached from the drive recorder (2), or the drive recorder (2) has a built-in camera (1). It may be a thing.

The drive recorder (2) is provided with a control circuit (5) for controlling the recording operation and the like of the drive recorder (2). The control circuit (5) includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (51) and RAM (Random Access Memory) (52) and ROM (Read Only Memory) (53). Here, the recording operation of the drive recorder (2) includes an operation of recording a video signal from the camera (1) in a nonvolatile memory.
The control circuit (5) is connected to a bus (201) disposed in the drive recorder (2), and a video input unit to which a video signal from the camera (1) is input is connected to the bus (201). (23), a video buffer (24) for temporarily recording the video signal input to the video input unit (23), and a video analysis unit for analyzing the video signal recorded in the video buffer (24) (6) is connected to an AV codec (25) that encodes a video signal to be recorded on a recording medium (21), a memory card (22), or the like.

The video analysis unit (6) includes a video processing unit (61) and a similarity determination unit (62). The video processing unit (61) acquires a plurality of images from a series of images composed of video signals recorded in the video buffer (24), and for each image, video of at least a part of the region is captured. The video signal is analyzed to calculate the feature amount of the video. The similarity determination unit (62) calculates the similarity between the two videos using the feature amounts calculated from the two videos by the video processing unit (61), and the calculated similarity is equal to or higher than a reference value. It is determined whether or not.
Here, the feature amount of the video includes various information related to the video such as color information, edge information, fractal dimension indicating the complexity of the image, spectrum information obtained by DFT (Discrete Fourier Transform), and the like. . The similarity calculation method will be described later.

  The control circuit (5) controls the start and / or stop of the recording operation of the drive recorder (2) based on the determination result of the similarity determination unit (62). That is, the control circuit (5) functions as a recording control means for controlling the start and / or stop of the recording operation of the drive recorder (2) based on the feature amount calculated by the video processing unit (61).

  The bus (201) further has a pan head control unit (31) for changing the shooting direction of the camera (1) by controlling the pan head (3) and changing the posture of the camera (1), and installed in the car. A vehicle I / F (interface) (41) to which various sensors such as an acceleration sensor (4) are connected is connected to a card I / F (221) to which a memory card (22) is connected. .

The drive recorder (2) of the present embodiment includes a speaker (71) that outputs sound, a microphone (72) that acquires sound from the outside, and a display device (73) that displays a setting screen, images, and the like. And an input device (74) for inputting operation signals. The bus (201) includes an audio I / F (75) to which a speaker (71) and a microphone (72) are connected, a video output unit (76) to which a display device (73) is connected, and an input device. User I / F (77) to which (74) is connected is connected.
Here, the audio signal obtained from the microphone (72) is temporarily recorded in the video buffer (24) together with the video signal synchronized with the audio signal, and the video signal is recorded in the recording medium (21), the memory card (22), etc. Is recorded together with the video signal, the audio signal is also encoded by the AV codec (25).

  Furthermore, the drive recorder (2) has a GPS (Global Positioning System) positioning function, and the longitude and latitude of the current position of the vehicle are measured based on the signal received by the GPS receiver (8). Position information that changes according to the measurement result is output from the GPS receiver (8).

Further, a distance determination unit (81) is connected to the bus (201) of the drive recorder (2), and the distance determination unit (81) includes position information acquired by the GPS reception unit (8). Based on the position information corresponding to the reference position, the distance between the position of the car and the reference position, that is, the distance between the position of the camera (1) and the reference position is calculated, and the calculated distance is equal to or greater than the reference value. Alternatively, it is determined whether or not the following is true.
Here, the reference position includes various positions such as the position of the subject to be imaged and the position of the home as the movement start point.

The control circuit (5) functions as a recording control means for controlling the start and / or stop of the recording operation of the drive recorder (2) based on the feature amount calculated by the video processing unit (61) as described above. It also functions as a recording control means for controlling the start and / or stop of the recording operation of the drive recorder (2) based on the determination result of the distance determination unit (81).
Further, the control circuit (5) calculates a direction for calculating a direction from the position of the camera (1) to the reference position based on the position information acquired by the GPS receiver (8) and the position information corresponding to the reference position. It also functions as a means.

Hereinafter, the recording control procedure of the drive recorder (2) will be described.
2. First Recording Control Procedure FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a first recording control procedure executed by the drive recorder (2). In the first recording control procedure, a variable t to which time is to be input is set, and when the video processing unit (61) of the video analysis unit (6) receives a processing operation start command from the control circuit (5). The image P (t) at the time input to the variable t is acquired from a series of images composed of the video signal recorded in the video buffer 24, and the image P (t) is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the video signal of the video shown in the area A is analyzed to calculate the feature value FA (t) of the video.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the region A is a region where a landscape expanding along the road is captured in the image P (t). Specifically, the region A is a region having a triangular shape from one side edge of the image P (t) toward the center.

  When the first recording control procedure is started, first, in step S11, the start time t0 of the recording control procedure is input to the variable t. Next, in step S12, the control circuit (5) transmits a processing operation start command to the video processing unit (61) of the video analysis unit (6), whereby the video processing unit (61) The image P (t0) at the start time t0 input to the variable t is acquired from the series of images composed of the video signals recorded in 24), and the image P (t0) is reflected in the area A. The video signal of the current video is analyzed to calculate the feature amount FA (t0) of the video. Subsequently, in step S13, the feature value FA (t0) calculated in step S12 is input to the reference feature value FAref set as a variable.

Next, in step S14, the control circuit (5) determines whether or not a predetermined time x has elapsed from the time input to the variable t. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the current time is equal to the time (t + x) obtained by adding the time input to the variable t and the predetermined time x.
If the current time is not equal to time (t + x) (less than time (t + x)) and it is determined NO in step S14, it is determined again in step S14 whether the current time is equal to time (t + x). Step S14 is repeatedly executed until it is determined and it is determined as YES in step S14.

  On the other hand, when the current time is equal to the time (t + x) and it is determined as YES in step S14, the process proceeds to step S15, and the variable t is rewritten by the time (t + x). Subsequently, in step S16, the control circuit (5) transmits a processing operation start command to the video processing unit (61) of the video analysis unit (6), whereby the video processing unit (61) The image P (t) at the time input to the variable t is acquired from the series of images composed of the video signals recorded in 24), and the image P (t) is shown in the area A The video signal feature amount FA (t) is calculated by analyzing the video signal.

Next, in step S17, the control circuit (5) transmits a determination operation start command to the similarity determination unit (62) of the video analysis unit (6), whereby the similarity determination unit (62) Using the feature amount FAref and the feature amount FA (t) calculated in step S16, the Euclidean distance is calculated as the similarity D (FA (t): FAref). Here, the degree of similarity D (FA (t): FAref) is an amount representing that two images to be compared are more similar as the value is smaller.
Thereafter, the reference feature amount FAref is rewritten by the feature amount FA (t) calculated in step S16 in step S18.

Subsequently, in step S19, the similarity determination unit (62) determines whether or not the calculated similarity D (FA (t): FAref) is greater than or equal to the reference value Dref (1).
Here, when the scenery on both sides of the road changes during the movement of the vehicle on which the drive recorder (2) is mounted, the image captured in the area A changes, so two images before and after the change (specifically, Is the image of time t and the image of time (t + x) are dissimilar. Accordingly, in step S19, the similarity determination unit (62) determines that the similarity D (FA (t): FAref) is equal to or greater than the reference value Dref (1).

  On the other hand, even if the vehicle on which the drive recorder (2) is mounted is moving, if there is no change in the scenery on both sides of the road, the same image remains in the area A, so the two images are Almost identical or similar. Accordingly, in step S19, the similarity determination unit (62) determines that the similarity D (FA (t): FAref) is not greater than or equal to the reference value Dref (1).

If the degree of similarity D (FA (t): FAref) is equal to or greater than the reference value Dref (1) and it is determined as YES in step S19, the process proceeds to step S20. In step S20, the control circuit (5) causes the drive recorder (2) to start the recording operation, or continues the recording operation if the recording operation has already been executed.
On the other hand, if the degree of similarity D (FA (t): FAref) is not equal to or greater than the reference value Dref (1) and it is determined NO in step S19, the process proceeds to step S21. In step S21, the control circuit (5) causes the drive recorder (2) to stop the recording operation, or continues the stopped state if the recording operation has already been stopped.

After execution of step S20 or step S21, in step S22, the control circuit (5) determines whether or not an imaging stop signal for stopping imaging is input from the input device (74).
If no shooting stop signal is input from the input device (74) and it is determined NO in step S22, the process returns to step S14, and the time (+) of the time input to the variable t and the predetermined time x is added ( It is determined whether or not the current time is equal to (t + x). If it is determined as YES in step S14, the control procedure from step S15 is executed again. Thereafter, the control procedure of steps S14 to S22 is repeatedly executed until it is determined as YES in step S22. Therefore, in the first recording control procedure, as indicated by the downward arrow in FIG. 4, every time a predetermined time x elapses from the start time t0 until a shooting stop signal is input from the input device (74). Whether or not an image should be recorded is determined.

  On the other hand, when a shooting stop signal is input from the input device (74) and it is determined as YES in step S22, the first recording control procedure is ended.

In the first recording control procedure, the video processing unit 61 calculates only one feature amount FA (t) from the video captured in the area A of one image. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the video processing unit (61) may calculate a plurality of feature amounts from video captured in the area A of the same image P (t).
For example, the video processing unit (61) can calculate a feature quantity FA1 (t) related to color information and a feature quantity FA2 (t) related to spectrum information from video captured in the region A of the same image P (t). I can do it. In this case, in step S12, the video processing unit (61) obtains the feature value FA1 (t0) related to color information and the feature value FA2 (t0) related to spectrum information from the video captured in the region A of the same image P (t0). calculate. In step 13, the feature value FA1 (t0) and the feature value FA2 (t0) are input to the reference feature value FA1ref and the reference feature value FA2ref set as variables, respectively. In step S16, the video processing unit (61) obtains a feature value FA1 (t) related to color information and a feature value FA2 (t) related to spectrum information from a video captured in the region A of the same image P (t). calculate.

  In step S17, the similarity determination unit (62) obtains the Euclidean distance U1 using the reference feature amount FA1ref and FA1 (t) calculated in step S16, and the reference feature amount FA2ref and step. These Euclidean distances U2 are calculated using FA2 (t) calculated in S16, and as shown in equation (1), the calculated Euclidean distances U1 and U2 are respectively weighted to calculate the similarity D. To do.

  D = W1 × U1 + W2 × U2 (W1 and W2 are weights) (1)

  In the above-described drive recorder (2), when the scenery on both sides of the road changes while the vehicle on which the drive recorder (2) is mounted changes, the image shown in the area A changes. These two images (specifically, the image at time t and the image at time (t + x)) are dissimilar. In this case, in the first recording control procedure described above, the similarity determination unit (62) determines that the similarity D (FA (t): FAref) of the two videos is equal to or greater than the reference value Dref (1). As a result, the recording operation by the drive recorder (2) is started, or when the recording operation has already been executed, the recording operation is continued.

  On the other hand, even if the car on which the drive recorder (2) is mounted is moving, if there is no change in the scenery on both sides of the road, the same image remains in the area A, so the two images are almost identical. Or it will be similar. In this case, in the first recording control procedure described above, the similarity determination unit (62) determines that the similarity D (FA (t): FAref) of the two videos is not equal to or greater than the reference value Dref (1). Thus, the recording operation by the drive recorder (2) is stopped, or when the recording operation has already been stopped, the stopped state is continued.

Therefore, according to the above-described first recording control procedure, as shown in FIG. 4, the video recording by the drive recorder (2) is performed only when the image captured in the area A is changed due to the change of the scenery on both sides of the road. Will be executed. Accordingly, an image including a characteristic video is extracted from an image (moving image) acquired by the camera (1) during movement, and the video signal of the extracted image is recorded on a recording medium (21), a memory card (22), etc. It will be recorded in a non-volatile memory.
By recording only the video signal of the image including the characteristic video in the nonvolatile memory as described above, the video signal of all the images (moving images) is recorded in the nonvolatile memory as in the conventional case. The capacity of the memory is small.

  Further, in the first recording control procedure described above, by setting the predetermined time x to a small value and setting the reference value Dref (1) to a small value, an automobile equipped with the drive recorder (2) can be obtained. It is possible to eliminate image recording when the vehicle is stopped or traveling at a low speed.

  Specifically, when the vehicle on which the drive recorder (2) is mounted is stopped or traveling at a low speed, the image hardly changes in a short time, so the video at time t and the video at time (t + x) Almost identical or similar. Accordingly, in step S19, it is determined that the similarity D (FA (t): FAref) is not equal to or higher than the reference value Dref (1), and the recording operation by the drive recorder (2) is stopped, or the recording operation is already stopped. In this case, the stopped state is continued.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of an improved form of the first recording control procedure. In the example of the improved form, when it is determined as YES in step S19, the process proceeds to step S24. In step S24, the control circuit (5) causes the drive recorder (2) to start the recording operation, or if the recording operation has already been executed, the recording operation is continued and the recording operation is executed for a predetermined time y. To do.

Next, in step S25, the control circuit (5) determines whether or not an imaging stop signal for stopping imaging is input from the input device (74).
When no photographing stop signal is input from the input device (74) and it is determined NO in step S25, the process proceeds to step S26, and a predetermined time y has elapsed from the time input in the variable t. The variable t is rewritten by time (t + y), and then the process returns to step S16 again. On the other hand, when a shooting stop signal is input from the input device (74) and it is determined as YES in step S25, the first recording control procedure according to the improved embodiment is completed.

  When it is determined NO in step S19, the process proceeds to step S27. In step S27, the control circuit (5) causes the drive recorder (2) to stop the recording operation or, if the recording operation has already been stopped, to continue the stopped state.

Next, in step S28, the control circuit (5) determines whether or not an imaging stop signal for stopping imaging is input from the input device (74).
When no photographing stop signal is input from the input device (74) and it is determined NO in step S28, the process returns to step S14, and the time obtained by adding the time input to the variable t and the predetermined time x is returned. It is determined whether or not the current time is equal to (t + x). If it is determined as YES in step S14, the control procedure from step S15 is executed again. Thereafter, the control procedure of steps S14 to S28 is repeatedly executed until it is determined as YES in step S25 or step S28.

According to the first recording control procedure according to the above-described improved embodiment, as shown by the downward arrow in FIG. 6, whether or not to record an image is determined by the previous determination. Or, if it is continued, it is executed when a predetermined time y has elapsed from the previous determination time point. On the other hand, if the image recording operation is stopped or stopped by the previous determination, It is executed when a predetermined time x has elapsed from the time of determination.
Therefore, the length of the predetermined time x and the predetermined time y can be adjusted according to the capacity of the nonvolatile memory to record the image.

3. Second Recording Control Procedure FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a second recording control procedure executed by the drive recorder (2). In the second recording control procedure, as in the first recording control procedure described above, the variable t to which time is to be input is set, and the video processing unit (61) of the video analysis unit (6) When a processing operation start command is received from (5), an image P (t) at the time input to the variable t is acquired from a series of images composed of video signals recorded in the video buffer (24). . Then, in the second recording control procedure, the video processing unit 61 analyzes the video signals of the two videos captured in the areas A and B as shown in FIG. The feature quantities FA (t) and FB (t) of one video are calculated.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 8, the area A is an area in which a landscape expanding along the road appears in the image P (t). On the other hand, the region B is a region where a portion (specifically, a side road) in the vicinity of the side edge of the road appears in the image P (t). Specifically, the region A is a region having a triangular shape from one side edge of the image P (t) toward the center, and the region B is a region arranged at a position below the region A.

  When the second recording control procedure is started, first, in step S51, the start time t0 of the recording control procedure is input to the variable t. Next, in step S52, the control circuit (5) transmits a processing operation start command to the video processing unit (61) of the video analysis unit (6), whereby the video processing unit (61) The image P (t0) at the start time t0 input to the variable t is acquired from a series of images composed of the video signals recorded in 24), and the area A and the area B for the image P (t0) are acquired. 2 are analyzed to calculate feature quantities FA (t0) and FB (t0) of the two videos. Subsequently, in step S53, the feature amounts FA (t0) and FB (t0) calculated in step S52 are input to the reference feature amounts FAref and FBref set as variables, respectively.

Next, in step S54, the control circuit (5) determines whether or not a predetermined time x has elapsed from the time input to the variable t. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the current time is equal to the time (t + x) obtained by adding the time input to the variable t and the predetermined time x.
If the current time is not equal to the time (t + x) (less than the time (t + x)) and it is determined NO in step S54, it is determined again in step S54 whether the current time is equal to the time (t + x). Step S54 is repeatedly executed until it is determined and it is determined as YES in step S54.

  On the other hand, when the current time is equal to the time (t + x) and it is determined as YES in step S54, the process proceeds to step S55, and the variable t is rewritten with the time (t + x). Subsequently, in step S56, the control circuit (5) transmits a processing operation start command to the video processing unit (61) of the video analysis unit (6), whereby the video processing unit (61) 24) obtains an image P (t) at the time inputted in the variable t from a series of images composed of the video signals recorded in 24), and the image P (t) is captured in the areas A and B. The video signals of the two videos are analyzed to calculate the feature quantities FA (t) and FB (t) of the two videos.

  Next, in step S57, a curve determination procedure for determining whether or not the road on which the vehicle on which the drive recorder (2) is mounted is curved is executed.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the curve determination procedure. When the curve determination procedure is started, first, in step S61, the control circuit (5) transmits a first determination operation start command to the similarity determination unit (62) of the video analysis unit (6). Thus, the similarity determination unit (62) uses the Euclidean distance as the similarity D (FA (t): FAref) using the reference feature amount FAref and the feature amount FA (t) calculated in step S56. calculate. Here, the degree of similarity D (FA (t): FAref) is an amount representing that two images to be compared are more similar as the value is smaller.
Thereafter, in step S62, the reference feature amount FAref is rewritten with the feature amount FA (t) calculated in step S56.

Subsequently, in step S63, the similarity determination means (62) determines whether or not the calculated similarity D (FA (t): FAref) is greater than or equal to the reference value Dref (1).
Here, when the road is curved and the driving direction of the car changes and the scenery on both sides of the road changes, or the scenery on both sides of the road changes even though the car is moving straight, it appears in the area A. Since the video changes, the two videos before and after the change (specifically, the video at time t and the video at time (t + x)) are dissimilar. Accordingly, in step S63, the similarity determination unit (62) determines that the similarity D (FA (t): FAref) is greater than or equal to the reference value Dref (1).

  On the other hand, when the car is traveling straight and there is no change in the scenery on both sides of the road, the same image remains in the area A, so the two images are almost identical or similar. Accordingly, in step S63, the similarity determination unit (62) determines that the similarity D (FA (t): FAref) is not equal to or greater than the reference value Dref (1).

When the degree of similarity D (FA (t): FAref) is equal to or greater than the reference value Dref (1) and it is determined as YES in step S63, the process proceeds to step S64. In step S64, the control circuit (5) transmits a second determination operation start command to the similarity determination unit (62) of the video analysis unit (6), whereby the similarity determination unit (62) Using the feature amount FBref and the feature amount FB (t) calculated in step S56, these Euclidean distances are calculated as a similarity D (FB (t): FBref). Here, the degree of similarity D (FB (t): FBref) is an amount representing that the two images to be compared are more similar as the value is smaller.
Thereafter, in step S65, the reference feature quantity FBref is rewritten with the feature quantity FB (t) calculated in step S56.

Subsequently, in step S66, the similarity determination means (62) determines whether or not the calculated similarity D (FB (t): FBref) is equal to or greater than the reference value Dref (2).
Here, when the change in the scenery on both sides of the road depends on the change in the direction of travel of the car (the road on which the vehicle is traveling is curved), the image of the road is deviated from the area B. Therefore, the two images before and after the change (specifically, the image at time t and the image at time (t + x)) are dissimilar. Accordingly, in step S66, the similarity determination unit (62) determines that the similarity D (FB (t): FBref) is equal to or greater than the reference value Dref (2).

  On the other hand, when the car continues straight ahead, the video of the road remains in the area B, so the two videos are almost identical or similar. Accordingly, in step S66, the similarity determination unit 62 determines that the similarity D (FB (t): FBref) is not equal to or higher than the reference value Dref (2).

When the similarity D (FB (t): FBref) is equal to or greater than the reference value Dref (2) and it is determined as YES in step S66, the process proceeds to step S67. In step S67, the control circuit (5) causes the drive recorder (2) to stop the recording operation, or if the recording operation is already stopped, the control circuit (5) continues the stopped state, thereby ending the curve determination procedure.
On the other hand, when the degree of similarity D (FB (t): FBref) is not equal to or greater than the reference value Dref (2) and it is determined NO in step S66, the process proceeds to step S68. In step S68, the control circuit (5) causes the drive recorder (2) to start the recording operation, or if the recording operation has already been executed, the recording operation is continued, thereby completing the curve determination procedure.

  If it is determined in step S63 that the similarity D (FA (t): FAref) is not equal to or greater than the reference value Dref (1), the process proceeds to step S69. In step S69, the control circuit (5) causes the drive recorder (2) to stop the recording operation, or if the recording operation is already stopped, the control circuit (5) continues the stopped state, thereby ending the curve determination procedure.

After execution of step S57, as shown in FIG. 7, in step S58, the control circuit (5) determines whether or not an imaging stop signal for stopping imaging is input from the input device (74).
If no photographing stop signal is input from the input device (74) and it is determined NO in step S57, the process returns to step S54, and the time (+) that is obtained by adding the time input to the variable t and the predetermined time x. It is determined whether or not the current time is equal to (t + x). If it is determined as YES in step S54, the control procedure from step S55 is executed again. Thereafter, the control procedure of steps S54 to S58 is repeatedly executed until it is determined as YES in step S58.

  On the other hand, when a shooting stop signal is input from the input device (74) and it is determined as YES in step S57, the second recording control procedure ends.

  In the second recording control procedure, the video processing unit 61 calculates only one feature amount FA (t) from the video captured in the area A of one image. The video processing unit (61) calculates a plurality of feature amounts from the video captured in the area A of the same image P (t) as described in the first recording control procedure. May be. The same applies to the video captured in the region B of the image P (t).

  In the above-described drive recorder (2), when the road is curved and the traveling direction of the car changes and the scenery on both sides of the road changes, the image of the road deviates from the region B and is reflected in the region B. The two images before and after the change (specifically, the image at time t and the image at time (t + x)) are dissimilar. In this case, in the second recording control procedure described above, the similarity determination unit (62) determines that the similarity D (FB (t): FBref) of the two videos is equal to or greater than the reference value Dref (2). Thereby, the recording operation by the drive recorder (2) is stopped, or when the recording operation is already stopped, the stopped state is continued.

  On the other hand, when the car continues straight ahead, the video of the road remains in the area B, so the two videos are almost identical or similar. In this case, in the above-described second recording control procedure, the similarity determination unit (62) determines that the similarity D (FB (t): FBref) of the two videos is not equal to or higher than the reference value Dref (2). Thus, the recording operation by the drive recorder (2) is started, or when the recording operation has already been executed, the recording operation is continued.

  Therefore, according to the above-described second recording control procedure, when the road is curved and the traveling direction of the car changes, the recording of the image at that time is excluded, and thus, while moving, An uncharacteristic image is excluded from the image (moving image) acquired by the camera (1). Therefore, the capacity of the non-volatile memory can be reduced compared to the case where the video signals of all images (moving images) are recorded in the non-volatile memory as in the prior art.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing another example of the curve determination procedure executed in step 57 described above. In the curve determination procedure according to another example, when it is determined YES in step S63, the process proceeds to step S70. In step S70, the control circuit (5) reads the acceleration data from the acceleration sensor (4) installed in the moving vehicle and analyzes the acceleration data to calculate the lateral acceleration F.

Subsequently, in step S71, the control circuit (5) determines whether or not the lateral acceleration F calculated in step S70 is greater than or equal to a reference value Fref.
Here, when the road is curved and the traveling direction of the car is changing, the lateral acceleration F is increased. Therefore, in step S71, the lateral acceleration F is greater than the reference value Fref by the control circuit (5). It will be determined that.

  On the other hand, when the automobile remains traveling straight, the lateral acceleration F is a value close to 0. Therefore, in step S71, the control circuit (5) determines that the lateral acceleration F is not greater than or equal to the reference value Fref. It will be.

When the lateral acceleration F is greater than or equal to the reference value Fref and it is determined as YES in step S71, the process proceeds to step S72. In step S72, the control circuit (5) causes the drive recorder (2) to stop the recording operation, or if the recording operation is already stopped, the control circuit (5) continues the stopped state, thereby ending the curve determination procedure.
On the other hand, if the lateral acceleration F is not equal to or greater than the reference value Fref and it is determined NO in step S71, the process proceeds to step S73. In step S73, the control circuit (5) causes the drive recorder (2) to start the recording operation, or if the recording operation has already been executed, the recording operation is continued, thereby completing the curve determination procedure.

  Even in the second recording control procedure that employs the curve determination procedure according to another example described above, when the road is curved and the traveling direction of the car changes, the recording of the image at that time is excluded. Thus, an image having no feature is excluded from an image (moving image) acquired by the camera (1) during movement. Therefore, the capacity of the non-volatile memory can be reduced compared to the case where the video signals of all images (moving images) are recorded in the non-volatile memory as in the prior art.

4). Third Recording Control Procedure FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a third recording control procedure executed by the drive recorder (2). In the third recording control procedure, as in the first recording control procedure described above, a variable t to which time is input is set, and the video processing unit (61) of the video analysis unit (6) When a processing operation start command is received from (5), an image P (t) at the time input to the variable t is acquired from a series of images composed of video signals recorded in the video buffer (24). . In the third recording control procedure, the video processing unit (61) analyzes the video signals of the two videos captured in the area B and the area C as shown in FIG. 12 (a) for the acquired image P (t). Thus, the feature amounts FB (t) and FC (t) of the two videos are calculated.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 12B, the region C is a region where another car traveling ahead in the image P (t) is shown. On the other hand, the region B is a region where a road is captured even when another vehicle is traveling ahead in the image P (t). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12A, a region C is a region where a portion near the center of the road is captured, and a region B is a portion near the side edge of the road (specifically, Is the area where the side roads will be reflected. That is, the two areas B and C are two different areas on the road that will be shown in the image P (t).

When the third recording control procedure is started, first, in step S31, the start time t0 of the recording control procedure is input to the variable t. Next, in step S32, the control circuit (5) determines whether or not a predetermined time x has elapsed from the time input to the variable t. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the current time is equal to the time (t + x) obtained by adding the time input to the variable t and the predetermined time x.
If the current time is not equal to time (t + x) (less than time (t + x)) and it is determined NO in step S32, it is determined again in step S32 whether the current time is equal to time (t + x). Step S32 is repeatedly executed until it is determined and it is determined as YES in step S32.

  On the other hand, when the current time is equal to the time (t + x) and it is determined as YES in step S32, the process proceeds to step S33, and the variable t is rewritten with the time (t + x). Subsequently, in step S34, the control circuit (5) transmits a processing operation start command to the video processing unit (61) of the video analysis unit (6), whereby the video processing unit (61) The image P (t) at the time input to the variable t is obtained from a series of images composed of the video signals recorded in 24), and the image P (t) is captured in the regions B and C. The video signals of the two videos are analyzed to calculate the feature quantities FB (t) and FC (t) of the two videos.

  Next, in step S35, the control circuit (5) transmits a determination operation start command to the similarity determination unit (62) of the video analysis unit (6), whereby the similarity determination unit (62) Using the feature amount FA (t) and feature amount FB (t) calculated in S34, these Euclidean distances are calculated as the similarity D (FB (t): FC (t)). Here, the degree of similarity D (FB (t): FC (t)) is an amount representing that two images to be compared are more similar as the value is smaller.

Subsequently, in step S36, the similarity determination unit (62) determines whether or not the calculated similarity D (FB (t): FC (t)) is greater than or equal to the reference value Dref (3).
Here, when the vehicle on which the drive recorder (2) is mounted is moving, when another vehicle is traveling ahead, the side road is still visible in the area B as shown in FIG. Although there is an automobile traveling ahead in the area C, the images shown in the two areas B and C are dissimilar. Therefore, in step S36, the similarity determination unit (62) determines that the similarity D (FB (t): FC (t)) is equal to or greater than the reference value Dref (3).

  On the other hand, when the vehicle on which the drive recorder (2) is mounted is moving, when no other vehicle is traveling ahead, roads are shown in the two areas B and C as shown in FIG. Therefore, the two images are almost the same or similar. Accordingly, in step S36, the similarity determination unit 62 determines that the similarity D (FB (t): FC (t)) is not equal to or higher than the reference value Dref (3).

When the similarity D (FB (t): FC (t)) is equal to or greater than the reference value Dref (3) and it is determined as YES in step S36, the process proceeds to step S37. In step S37, the control circuit (5) causes the drive recorder (2) to stop the recording operation, or continues the stopped state if the recording operation has already been stopped.
On the other hand, when the similarity D (FB (t): FC (t)) is not equal to or greater than the reference value Dref (3) and it is determined NO in step S36, the process proceeds to step S38. In step S38, the control circuit (5) causes the drive recorder (2) to start the recording operation, or continues the recording operation if the recording operation has already been executed.

After execution of step S37 or step S38, in step S39, the control circuit (5) determines whether or not an imaging stop signal for stopping imaging is input from the input device (74).
If no shooting stop signal is input from the input device (74) and it is determined NO in step S39, the process returns to step S32, and a time obtained by adding a predetermined time x to the time input to the variable t (t + x ) Is equal to the current time. If it is determined as YES in step S32, the control procedure from step S33 is executed again. Thereafter, the control procedure of steps S32 to S39 is repeatedly executed until it is determined as YES in step S39.

  On the other hand, when a shooting stop signal is input from the input device (74) and it is determined as YES in step S39, the third recording control procedure is ended.

  In the third recording control procedure, the video processing unit 61 calculates only one feature quantity FB (t) from the video captured in the area B of one image. The video processing unit (61) calculates a plurality of feature amounts from the video captured in the region B of the same image P (t), as described in the first recording control procedure. May be. The same applies to the video captured in the region C of the image P (t).

  In the drive recorder (2) described above, when another vehicle is traveling ahead while the vehicle in which the drive recorder (2) is mounted is moving, as shown in FIG. Although the side road is still visible in the area C, a car traveling ahead is captured in the area C, so the images captured in the two areas B and C are dissimilar. In this case, in the third recording control procedure described above, the similarity determination unit (62) determines that the similarity D (FB (t): FC (t)) is equal to or greater than the reference value Dref (3). Thus, the recording operation by the drive recorder (2) is stopped, or when the recording operation has already been stopped, the stopped state is continued.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle on which the drive recorder (2) is mounted is moving, when no other vehicle is traveling ahead, roads are shown in the two areas B and C as shown in FIG. Therefore, the two images are almost the same or similar. In this case, in the above-described third recording control procedure, the similarity determination unit (62) determines that the similarity D (FB (t): FC (t)) is not equal to or greater than the reference value Dref (3). The recording operation by the drive recorder (2) is started, or when the recording operation has already been executed, the recording operation is continued.

  Therefore, according to the above-described third recording control procedure, the recording of a monotonous image in which a car traveling in front is shown is excluded, and thus an image (1) acquired by the camera (1) during the movement ( An uncharacteristic image is excluded from the (movie). Therefore, the capacity of the non-volatile memory can be reduced compared to the case where the video signals of all images (moving images) are recorded in the non-volatile memory as in the prior art.

5. Fourth Recording Control Procedure FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a fourth recording control procedure executed by the drive recorder (2). In the fourth recording control procedure, as in the first recording control procedure described above, the variable t to which time is to be input is set, and the video processing unit (61) of the video analysis unit (6) When a processing operation start command is received from (5), an image P (t) at the time input to the variable t is acquired from a series of images composed of video signals recorded in the video buffer (24). . Then, in the fourth recording control procedure, the video processing unit 61 analyzes the video signal of the video captured in the region D as shown in FIG. 14 for the acquired image P (t), and the video feature FD ( t) is calculated.

  Here, the region D is a region in which a road sign appears in the image P (t) as shown in FIG. Specifically, the region D is a region near the upper end portion of the image P (t).

When the fourth recording control procedure is started, first, in step S41, the start time t0 of the recording control procedure is input to the variable t. Next, in step S42, the control circuit (5) determines whether or not a predetermined time x has elapsed from the time input to the variable t. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the current time is equal to the time (t + x) obtained by adding the time input to the variable t and the predetermined time x.
If the current time is not equal to time (t + x) (less than time (t + x)) and it is determined NO in step S42, it is determined again in step S42 whether the current time is equal to time (t + x). Step S42 is repeatedly executed until it is determined and it is determined YES in step S42.

  On the other hand, when the current time is equal to the time (t + x) and it is determined as YES in step S42, the process proceeds to step S43, and the variable t is rewritten with the time (t + x). Subsequently, in step S44, the control circuit (5) transmits a processing operation start command to the video processing unit (61) of the video analysis unit (6), whereby the video processing unit (61) The image P (t) at the time input to the variable t is acquired from a series of images composed of the video signals recorded in 24), and the image P (t) is shown in the region D The video feature amount FD (t) is calculated by analyzing the video signal.

Next, in step S45, the control circuit (5) transmits a determination operation start command to the similarity determination unit (62) of the video analysis unit (6), whereby the similarity determination unit (62) Using the feature amount FA (t) calculated in S44 and the reference feature amount FDref, these Euclidean distances are calculated as a similarity D (FD (t): FDref).
Here, the reference feature amount FDref is a feature amount calculated by analyzing a video signal of a reference image in which a road sign is reflected. In order to determine whether or not the road sign is shown in the region D of the image P (t), it is preferable to use color information as the feature amount.
The similarity D (FD (t): FDref) is an amount indicating that two images to be compared are more similar as the value is smaller.

Subsequently, in step S46, the similarity determination unit (62) determines whether or not the calculated similarity D (FD (t): FDref) is equal to or less than the reference value Dref (4).
Here, when a road sign appears in the region D and the road sign is the same as or similar to the road sign of the reference image, in step S46, the similarity determination unit (62) uses the similarity D (FD (t): FDref) is determined to be equal to or less than the reference value Dref (4).

  On the other hand, when the road sign is not shown in the area D, or when the road sign is shown in the area D but the road sign is dissimilar to the road sign of the reference image, the similarity determination unit (62 ), It is determined that the similarity D (FD (t): FDref) is not less than or equal to the reference value Dref (4).

When the degree of similarity D (FD (t): FDref) is equal to or less than the reference value Dref (4) and it is determined as YES in step S46, the process proceeds to step S47. In step S47, the control circuit (5) causes the drive recorder (2) to start the recording operation, or continues the recording operation if the recording operation has already been executed.
On the other hand, when the similarity D (FD (t): FDref) is not equal to or less than the reference value Dref (4) and it is determined NO in step S46, the process proceeds to step S48. In step S48, the control circuit (5) causes the drive recorder (2) to stop the recording operation, or continues the stopped state if the recording operation has already been stopped.

After execution of step S47 or step S48, in step S49, the control circuit (5) determines whether or not an imaging stop signal for stopping imaging is input from the input device (74).
If no photographing stop signal is input from the input device (74) and it is determined NO in step S49, the process returns to step S42, and a time obtained by adding a predetermined time x to the time input to the variable t (t + x ) Is equal to the current time. If it is determined as YES in step S42, the control procedure from step S43 is executed again. Thereafter, the control procedure of steps S42 to S49 is repeatedly executed until it is determined as YES in step S49.

  On the other hand, when a shooting stop signal is input from the input device (74) and it is determined as YES in step S49, the fourth recording control procedure ends.

  In the fourth recording control procedure, the video processing unit 61 calculates only one feature amount FD (t) from the video captured in the area D of one image. The video processing unit (61) calculates a plurality of feature amounts from the video captured in the region D of the same image P (t) as described in the first recording control procedure. May be.

  In the above-described fourth recording control procedure, when a road sign appears in the region D and the road sign is the same as or similar to the road sign of the reference image, the similarity determination unit (62) uses the similarity D (FD ( t): FDref) is determined to be equal to or less than the reference value Dref (4), and thereby the recording operation by the drive recorder (2) is started, or when the recording operation has already been executed, the recording operation is continued. Will be.

  On the other hand, when the road sign is not shown in the area D, or when the road sign is shown in the area D but the road sign is dissimilar to the road sign in the reference image, the similarity is determined by the similarity determination unit (62). It is determined that D (FD (t): FDref) is not equal to or less than the reference value Dref (4), and accordingly, the recording operation by the drive recorder (2) is stopped, or when the recording operation has already been stopped, the stopped state Will be continued.

Therefore, according to the above-described fourth recording control procedure, only an image showing a road sign that is the same as or similar to the road sign of the reference image is recorded by the drive main body (2). Accordingly, an image including a characteristic video is extracted from an image (moving image) acquired by the camera (1) during movement, and the video signal of the extracted image is recorded on a recording medium (21), a memory card (22), etc. It will be recorded in a non-volatile memory.
By recording only the video signal of the image including the characteristic video in the nonvolatile memory as described above, the video signal of all the images (moving images) is recorded in the nonvolatile memory as in the conventional case. The capacity of the memory is small.

  The fourth recording control procedure described above can be applied not only to recording an image with a road sign but also to recording an image with a predetermined subject such as a signal or a signboard.

6). Fifth Recording Control Procedure FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a fifth recording control procedure executed by the drive recorder (2). In the fifth recording control procedure, a setting signal for setting the position (reference position) R of one or more subjects to be photographed is input from the input device (74) before the start of the procedure. Not only the position R of the subject but also a setting signal for setting one or a plurality of positions on the map may be input from the input device (74).
When the setting signal is input from the input device (74) and the fifth recording control procedure is started, first, in step S81, the control circuit (5) is based on the setting signal input from the input device (74). Position information Gref corresponding to the position R of the subject to be imaged is acquired. Subsequently, in step S82, the control circuit (5) acquires position information G (t) related to the current position R (t) from the GPS receiver (8).

  Next, in step S83, the control circuit (5) transmits a determination operation start command to the distance determination unit (81), whereby the distance determination unit (81) acquires the position information Gref acquired in step S81. And the position information G (t) acquired in step S82, the distance between the current position R (t) of the automobile and the position (reference position) R of the subject, that is, the camera (1) and the subject. The distance L1 between is calculated.

Subsequently, in step S84, the distance determination unit (81) determines whether or not the calculated distance L1 is equal to or less than the reference value Lref (1).
Here, during the movement of the vehicle on which the drive recorder (2) is mounted, the vehicle approaches the subject, and the radius around the subject position (reference position) R is within the range of the reference value Lref (1). In step S84, the distance determination unit (81) determines that the distance L1 is equal to or less than the reference value Lref (1).

  On the other hand, during the movement of the vehicle on which the drive recorder (2) is mounted, the vehicle moves away from the subject, and the radius around the subject position (reference position) R is outside the range of the reference value Lref (1). When the vehicle is traveling, in step S84, the distance determination unit (81) determines that the distance L1 is not less than the reference value Lref (1).

  When the distance L1 is equal to or less than the reference value Lref (1) and it is determined as YES in step S84, the process proceeds to step S85. In step S85, the control circuit (5) determines the position of the subject (reference position) from the position of the camera (1) based on the position information Gref acquired in step S81 and the position information G (t) acquired in step S82. ) The direction D (t) toward R is calculated.

  Subsequently, in step S86, the control circuit (5) transmits a pan head control start command to the pan head control unit (31), whereby the pan head control unit (31) causes the pan head (3) to move. , The posture of the camera (1) is changed so that the shooting direction of the camera (1) is directed to the direction D (t) calculated in step S85. Thereafter, the control circuit (5) causes the drive recorder (2) to start the recording operation, or continues the recording operation if the recording operation has already been executed.

  If it is determined in step S84 that the distance L1 is not equal to or less than the reference value Lref (1) and the determination is no, the process proceeds to step S87. In step S87, the control circuit (5) causes the drive recorder (2) to stop the recording operation, or continues the stopped state if the recording operation has already been stopped.

After execution of step S86 or step S87, in step S88, the control circuit (5) determines whether or not an imaging stop signal for stopping imaging is input from the input device (74).
If the shooting stop signal is not input from the input device (74) and it is determined NO in step S88, the process returns to step S82, and the position information G (t) regarding the current position R (t) is again obtained from the GPS receiver ( 8) and the control procedure from step S83 is executed. Thereafter, the control procedure of steps S82 to S88 is repeatedly executed until it is determined as YES in step S88.

  On the other hand, when a photographing stop signal is input from the input device (74) and it is determined as YES in step S88, the fifth recording control procedure ends.

In the above-described fifth recording control procedure, the vehicle approaches the subject while the vehicle equipped with the drive recorder (2) is moving, and the radius centered on the position (reference position) R of the subject is the reference. When the vehicle is traveling within the range of the value Lref (1), the distance determination unit (81) determines that the distance L1 is equal to or less than the reference value Lref (1), and thereby the recording operation by the drive recorder (2). Is started, or when the recording operation has already been executed, the recording operation is continued.
When the recording operation by the drive recorder (2) is executed, the shooting direction of the camera (1) is directed toward the subject.

  On the other hand, during the movement of the vehicle on which the drive recorder (2) is mounted, the vehicle moves away from the subject, and the radius around the subject position (reference position) R is outside the range of the reference value Lref (1). When the vehicle is running, the distance determination unit (81) determines that the distance L1 is not less than or equal to the reference value Lref (1), thereby stopping the recording operation by the drive recorder (2) or already stopping the recording operation. If it is, the stop state will be continued.

Therefore, according to the fifth recording control procedure described above, only the image showing the subject or the scenery around the subject is recorded by the drive main body (2). Accordingly, only the video signal of the image including the characteristic video in which the subject or the scenery around the subject is recorded is recorded in the nonvolatile memory such as the recording medium (21) or the memory card (22).
By recording only the video signal of the image including the characteristic video in the nonvolatile memory as described above, the video signal of all the images (moving images) is recorded in the nonvolatile memory as in the conventional case. The capacity of the memory is small.

In the fifth recording control procedure described above, since the recording operation by the drive recorder (2) is executed with the shooting direction of the camera (1) directed toward the subject, an image showing the subject is easily recorded. .
When the subject is located behind the automobile, the interior of the automobile is photographed even if the photographing direction of the camera (1) is directed toward the subject. Therefore, when the shooting direction of the camera (1) is directed to a direction within a predetermined angle range including the traveling direction of the automobile, the recording operation by the drive recorder (2) is started, and the shooting direction of the camera (1) is started. Is directed in a direction outside the angular range (for example, the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the car), the recording operation by the drive recorder (2) is stopped, or the recording direction of the camera (1) is changed while the recording operation is continued. You may turn it forward.

  Further, in the fifth recording control procedure, the reference value Lref (1) may be changed. From the average speed of the vehicle and the reference value Lref (1), the time for the vehicle to pass through the range of the reference value Lref (1) with the radius centered on the reference position R, that is, the shooting time within the range The photographing time becomes shorter as the reference value Lref (1) is smaller. Therefore, by making the reference value Lref (1) changeable, the reference value Lref (1) is set according to the capacity of the non-volatile memory such as the recording medium (21) or the memory card (22). This makes it possible to change the set number of reference positions R.

7). Sixth Recording Control Procedure FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a sixth recording control procedure executed by the drive recorder (2). In the sixth recording control procedure, before the start of the procedure, a setting signal for setting the position (reference position) R0 of the garage of the vehicle that is the movement start point of the vehicle on which the drive recorder (2) is mounted. Is input from the input device (74).
When the setting signal is input from the input device (74) and the sixth recording control procedure is started, first, in step S101, the control circuit (5) is based on the setting signal input from the input device (74). The position information Gref0 corresponding to the garage position R0 is acquired. Subsequently, in step S102, the control circuit (5) acquires position information G (t) regarding the current position R (t) from the GPS receiver (8).

  Next, in step S103, the control circuit (5) transmits a determination operation start command to the distance determination unit (81), whereby the distance determination unit (81) acquires the position information Gref0 acquired in step S101. And the position information G (t) acquired in step S102, the distance between the current position R (t) of the automobile and the position (reference position) R0 of the garage, that is, the camera (1) and the garage The distance L2 between is calculated.

Subsequently, in step S104, the distance determination unit (81) determines whether or not the calculated distance L2 is equal to or less than the reference value Lref (2).
Here, even when the vehicle on which the drive recorder (2) is mounted is moving, the vehicle runs within the range of the reference value Lref (2) having a radius centered on the garage position (reference position) R0. In step S104, the distance determination unit (81) determines that the distance L2 is equal to or less than the reference value Lref (2).

  On the other hand, when the vehicle on which the drive recorder (2) is mounted moves away from the garage, and the vehicle is running outside the range of the reference value Lref (2) with a radius centered on the garage position (reference position) R0. In step S104, the distance determination unit (81) determines that the distance L2 is not less than or equal to the reference value Lref (2).

When the distance L2 is equal to or less than the reference value Lref (2) and it is determined as YES in step S104, the process proceeds to step S105. In step S105, the control circuit (5) disables the recording function of the drive recorder (2).
On the other hand, when the distance L2 is not less than the reference value Lref (2) and it is determined NO in step S104, the process proceeds to step S106. In step S106, the control circuit (5) enables the recording function of the drive recorder (2).

After execution of step S105 or step S106, in step S107, the control circuit (5) determines whether or not an imaging stop signal for stopping imaging is input from the input device (74).
If no photographing stop signal is input from the input device (74) and it is determined NO in step S107, the process returns to step S102, and the position information G (t) regarding the current position R (t) is again obtained from the GPS receiver ( 8) and the control procedure from step S103 is executed. Thereafter, the control procedure of steps S102 to S107 is repeatedly executed until it is determined as YES in step S107.

  On the other hand, when a shooting stop signal is input from the input device (74) and it is determined as YES in step S107, the sixth recording control procedure ends.

  In the above-described sixth recording control procedure, even when the vehicle on which the drive recorder (2) is mounted is moving, the radius centered on the garage position (reference position) R0 is the reference value Lref (2). When the vehicle is traveling within the range, the distance determination unit (81) determines that the distance L2 is equal to or less than the reference value Lref (2), and then the recording function of the drive recorder (2) is disabled.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle on which the drive recorder (2) is mounted moves away from the garage, and the vehicle is running outside the range of the reference value Lref (2) with a radius centered on the garage position (reference position) R0. The distance determination unit (81) determines that the distance L2 is not less than or equal to the reference value Lref (2), and then the recording function of the drive recorder (2) is enabled.

  Therefore, according to the above-described sixth recording control procedure, recording of an image having no feature in which the scenery around the garage position (reference position) R0 is captured is excluded. Therefore, the capacity of the non-volatile memory can be reduced compared to the case where the video signals of all images (moving images) are recorded in the non-volatile memory as in the prior art.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of an improved form of the sixth recording control procedure. The sixth recording control procedure according to the improved embodiment is started when the drive recorder (2) is started. First, in step S91, the control circuit (5) activates the recording function of the drive recorder (2). To disable. Next, in step S92, the control circuit (5) activates time measuring means (not shown) to measure the time ts from the time when the drive recorder is activated.

Subsequently, in step S93, the control circuit (5) determines whether or not the time ts measured in step S92 is equal to or longer than a preset set time z.
When the time ts is equal to or longer than the set time z and it is determined as YES in step S93, the process proceeds to step S94. In step S94, the control circuit (5) validates the recording function of the drive recorder (2), thereby ending the sixth control procedure according to the improved embodiment.

  On the other hand, if the time ts is not equal to or longer than the set time z and it is determined NO in step S93, the process returns to step S92 to measure the time ts from the time when the drive recorder is started, and the time ts is set again in step S93. It is determined whether or not it is time z or more. Then, the control procedures of steps S92 and S93 are repeatedly executed until it is determined as YES in step S93.

  Therefore, according to the sixth recording control procedure according to the above-described improved embodiment, after the car on which the drive recorder (2) is mounted departs from the garage, a landscape without features around the garage is captured. Recording of images for the time (set time z) is excluded. Therefore, the capacity of the non-volatile memory can be reduced compared to the case where the video signals of all images (moving images) are recorded in the non-volatile memory as in the prior art.

8). Seventh Recording Control Procedure FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a seventh recording control procedure executed by the drive recorder (2). Here, the seventh recording control procedure is a combination of the above-described first recording control procedure, fourth recording control procedure, and fifth recording control procedure. That is, the seventh recording control procedure includes a control procedure for starting recording by determining a change in the landscape (recording condition a) extending along the road from the image, and determining the presence of the road sign (recording condition b) from the image. Thus, the control procedure for starting the recording and the control procedure for starting the recording by determining from the position information that the subject is the subject to be photographed (recording condition c) are combined.

When the seventh recording control procedure is started, steps S11 to S18 of the first recording control procedure (see FIG. 2) are first executed, and then step S19 is executed.
If the similarity D (FA (t): FAref) is greater than or equal to the reference value Dref (1) in step S19 and the determination is yes, the process proceeds to step S111. In step S111, the control circuit (5) causes the drive recorder (2) to start the recording operation, or continues the recording operation if the recording operation has already been executed.

  On the other hand, when the similarity D (FA (t): FAref) is not equal to or higher than the reference value Dref (1) in step S19, it is determined NO, step S44 of the fourth recording control procedure (see FIG. 13). S45 is executed, and then step S46 is executed.

If it is determined in step S46 that the similarity D (FD (t): FDref) is equal to or less than the reference value Dref (4), the process proceeds to step S111.
On the other hand, when the similarity D (FD (t): FDref) is not equal to or less than the reference value Dref (4) in step S46, it is determined NO, steps S81 to S81 in the fifth recording control procedure (see FIG. 15). S83 is executed, and then step S84 is executed.

If it is determined in step S84 that the distance L1 is equal to or less than the reference value Lref (1) and the answer is yes, steps S85 and S86 of the fifth recording control procedure are executed, and then the process proceeds to step S111.
On the other hand, when it is determined in step S84 that the distance L1 is not equal to or less than the reference value Lref (1), the process proceeds to step S112. In step S112, the control circuit (5) causes the drive recorder (2) to stop the recording operation, or continues the stopped state if the recording operation has already been stopped.

After execution of step S111 or step S112, in step S113, the control circuit (5) determines whether or not an imaging stop signal for stopping imaging is input from the input device (74).
If no photographing stop signal is input from the input device (74) and it is determined NO in step S113, the process returns to step S14, and the control procedure from step S14 is executed again. Thereafter, the control procedure is repeatedly executed from step S14 until it is determined as YES in step S113.

  On the other hand, when a shooting stop signal is input from the input device (74) and it is determined as YES in step S113, the seventh recording control procedure ends.

  According to the seventh recording control procedure described above, at least one recording condition can be selected from the three recording conditions a to c, and an image is displayed when any of the selected recording conditions is satisfied. Will be recorded.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 19, when it is desired to execute recording only when the recording condition a is satisfied (setting No. 1), the reference value Dref (1) is used as the similarity determination unit (62). Is set to an appropriate value D1 within the range of similarity (FA (t): FAref) that can be calculated by the reference value Dref (4), and the similarity D (FD) that can be calculated by the similarity determination unit (62). (T): A value (= 0−ε) smaller than the minimum value of FDref) is set, and the reference value Lref (1) is smaller than the minimum value of the distance L1 that can be calculated by the distance determination unit (81) (= 0-ε). By setting the reference value Dref (4) to a value smaller than the minimum value, it is always determined NO in step S46. Further, by setting the reference value Lref (1) to a value smaller than the minimum value, it is always determined NO in step S84. Therefore, if it is determined NO in step S19, the process always proceeds to step S112 through step S46 and step S84, and the recording operation by the drive recorder (2) is stopped, or the recording operation is already stopped. In this case, the stopped state is continued.

  When it is desired to execute recording only when the recording condition b is satisfied (setting No. 2), the reference value Dref (1) can be calculated by the similarity determination unit (62) by using the similarity (FA (t): FAref) is set to a value (= Max + ε) larger than the maximum value, and the reference value Dref (4) is within the range of the similarity D (FD (t): FDref) that can be calculated by the similarity determination unit (62). An appropriate value D4 is set, and the reference value Lref (1) is set to a value smaller than the minimum value (= 0−ε). By setting the reference value Dref (1) to a value larger than the maximum value, it is always determined NO in step S19. Therefore, step S46 is necessarily executed. Further, by setting the reference value Lref (1) to a value smaller than the minimum value, it is always determined as no in step S84. Therefore, if it is determined as no in step S46, it is always determined after step 84 as a step. The process proceeds to S112, where the recording operation by the drive recorder (2) is stopped, or when the recording operation is already stopped, the stopped state is continued.

  When it is desired to execute recording only when the recording condition c is satisfied (setting No. 3), the reference value Dref (1) is set to a value (= Max + ε) larger than the maximum value, and the reference value Dref (4) is set. A value smaller than the minimum value (= 0−ε) is set, and the reference value Lref (1) is set to an appropriate value L1 within the range of the distance L1 that can be calculated by the distance determination unit (81). By setting the reference value Dref (1) to a value larger than the maximum value, it is always determined NO in step S19. Further, by setting the reference value Dref (4) to a value smaller than the minimum value, it is always determined as NO in step S46. Therefore, step S84 is necessarily executed.

In the same way, when it is desired to perform recording when one of the two recording conditions a and b is satisfied (setting No. 4), the reference value Dref (1) is set to an appropriate value D1. Then, the reference value Dref (4) is set to an appropriate value D4, and the reference value Lref (1) is set to a value smaller than the minimum value (= 0−ε).
When recording is to be executed when one of the two recording conditions b and c is satisfied (setting No. 5), the reference value Dref (1) is set to a value (= Max + ε) larger than the maximum value. Then, the reference value Dref (4) is set to an appropriate value D4, and the reference value Lref (1) is set to an appropriate value L1.
When recording is to be executed when one of the two recording conditions a and c is satisfied (setting No. 6), the reference value Dref (1) is set to an appropriate value D1, and the reference value is set. Dref (4) is set to a value smaller than the minimum value (= 0−ε), and the reference value Lref (1) is set to an appropriate value L1.

  When it is desired to perform recording when any one of the three recording conditions a to c is satisfied (setting No. 7), the reference value Dref (1) is set to an appropriate value D1, The reference value Dref (4) is set to an appropriate value D4, and the reference value Lref (1) is set to an appropriate value L1.

  In the seventh recording control procedure, the first recording control procedure, the fourth recording control procedure, and the fifth recording control procedure are combined, but the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, the first to sixth recording control procedures can be arbitrarily combined.

  In addition, each part structure of this invention is not restricted to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible within the technical scope as described in a claim. For example, the region in which the video signal is analyzed to calculate the feature amount is not limited to the regions A to D described above, and can be set at various positions based on the road according to the subject to be imaged. For example, the area where the video signal is analyzed in order to calculate the feature amount can be arranged at positions on both sides of the road. Of course, the region in which the video signal is analyzed to calculate the feature amount may not be set with reference to the road, and may be an arbitrary region in the image or the entire region of the image.

  In the recording control procedure of the drive recorder (2) described above, the feature amount calculation and similarity determination are executed by the video analysis unit (6), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the feature amount calculation and the similarity determination may be executed by the control circuit (5).

  Further, an impact detection sensor for detecting an impact applied to the automobile due to the occurrence of an accident or a sudden deceleration is provided in the automobile. In the drive recorder (2) described above, the camera (1) is being moved while the automobile is moving. A series of images obtained from is temporarily recorded in the video buffer (24), and when an impact is detected by the impact detection sensor, a series of images before and after detection is read from the video buffer (24) and recorded in a nonvolatile memory. A recording control procedure may be executed.

In the drive recorder (2) described above, sound is acquired by the microphone (72) arranged in the drive recorder (2), and the image recording operation by the drive recorder (2) is controlled based on the sound signal of the sound. May be.
In addition, a speed sensor is attached to the automobile, and a speed sensor is connected to the vehicle I / F (41) of the drive recorder (2) described above, and the speed of the automobile detected by the speed sensor is detected in the drive recorder (2). If it is possible to determine whether the vehicle is stopped or traveling at a low speed based on the speed of the vehicle and determine that the vehicle is stopped or traveling at a low speed, the drive recorder (2 ) May be stopped.

  In the drive recorder (2) described above, the start or stop of the recording operation by the drive recorder (2) is controlled based on the determination result of the similarity determination unit (62) or the distance determination unit (81). The image compression rate at the time of recording may be changed based on the determination result. Specifically, instead of stopping the recording operation in a state where the recording operation of the drive recorder (2) is continued, instead of recording the image with low image quality by increasing the image compression rate and starting the recording operation Record images with high image quality by reducing the image compression rate.

  Or you may change the attitude | position of a camera (1) by controlling a pan head (3) based on the determination result of a similarity determination part (62) or a distance determination part (81). Specifically, in the state where the recording operation of the drive recorder (2) is continued, instead of stopping the recording operation, the posture of the camera (1) facing forward is changed by changing the posture of the camera (1). Photographing is performed with the photographing direction obliquely forward or laterally, and instead of starting the recording operation, the photographing direction of the camera (1) is redirected toward the front of the automobile.

  Furthermore, the drive recorder (2) described above can be mounted not only on automobiles but also on various vehicles such as bicycles and motorcycles. Further, the various configurations employed in the drive recorder (2) described above can be employed not only in automobiles but also in various recording devices installed in bicycles, motorcycles, and the like. The various configurations employed in the drive recorder (2) described above can also be employed in portable recording devices such as video cameras.

(1) Camera (imaging device)
(2) Drive recorder (recording device)
(21) Recording media (recording media)
(3) Head (posture change means)
(4) Acceleration sensor
(5) Control circuit (recording control means, direction calculation means)
(6) Video analysis unit (detection means)
(61) Video processing unit (video processing means)
(62) Similarity determination unit (similarity determination means)
(8) GPS receiver (location information acquisition means)
(81) Distance determination unit (distance determination means)

Claims (3)

A recording device mounted on a moving body,
Position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of the moving body;
Distance determining means for determining whether the distance between the position of the moving body and a preset position is equal to or less than a reference value based on the position information acquired by the position information acquiring means;
When the distance determination unit determines that the distance is equal to or less than the reference value, recording of the video signal obtained from the imaging device to the recording medium is started, while the distance determination unit determines that the distance is greater than the reference value. And a recording control means for stopping recording of the video signal obtained from the imaging device on the recording medium. Attitude changing means for controlling the attitude of the imaging device;
Direction calculation means for calculating a direction from the position of the moving body to a preset position based on the position information acquired by the position information acquisition means,
The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording control unit controls the posture changing unit to direct the photographing direction of the imaging apparatus in a direction calculated by the direction calculating unit when recording on the recording medium is started. A recording device mounted on a moving body,
Position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of the moving body;
Distance determining means for determining whether the distance between the position of the moving body and a preset position is equal to or less than a reference value based on the position information acquired by the position information acquiring means;
When the distance determining means determines that the distance is less than or equal to a reference value, the distance determining means determines that the distance is greater than the reference value without recording the video signal obtained from the imaging device on the recording medium. And a recording control means for recording a video signal obtained from the imaging device on a recording medium.

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