JP2012252550A - In-vehicle image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an in-vehicle image recording device capable of easily imaging and recording an image when a passenger gets in and out of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A drive recorder 1 has an atmospheric pressure sensor 11. When atmospheric pressures measured at a predetermined interval show a change equal to or larger than a predetermined value after a vehicle stops, a CPU 8: generates a door open signal; reads image information, from an SDRAM 10, obtained after the door open signal is generated; and records the image information on a memory card 9. When the atmospheric pressures measured at the predetermined interval show the change equal to or larger than the predetermined value after the door open signal is generated, the CPU 8 also generates a door close signal and stops recording the image information on the memory card 9.

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle image recording apparatus that captures and records an image when getting on or off a vehicle.

  In recent years, a drive recorder as an in-vehicle image recording apparatus that records an image of the front of a vehicle or the interior of a vehicle is often installed in a vehicle as an effective means for analyzing a situation when an automobile accident occurs. The drive recorder starts up when the ignition is turned on, and always records when the vehicle is in operation. When the acceleration from the acceleration sensor exceeds a predetermined value, the acceleration is determined in advance. There is an event recording type of recording time before and after exceeding a predetermined value.

  Moreover, in the vehicle operation record evaluation apparatus described in Patent Document 1, not only acceleration but also an image taken by a camera is recorded when an abnormality in meandering operation, traveling speed, and an inter-vehicle distance is detected as an event. Has been proposed.

JP 2009-199328 A

  In buses and taxi vehicles, when the safety is confirmed by taking images when passengers get on and off the vehicle, the images may be recorded using the drive recorder described above. In this case, in the event recording type, since it is necessary to capture the opening / closing signal of the door of the vehicle into the drive recorder, there is a problem that the installation of the drive recorder becomes complicated and takes time.

  On the other hand, even in the case of the constant recording type, there is a problem that it takes a lot of time and effort to search for images when passengers get on and off from all recorded images.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle image recording apparatus that can easily capture and record an image when getting on or off a vehicle.

  The invention according to claim 1, which has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, is mounted on a vehicle and records an image captured by the imaging unit and an imaging unit that captures an image when getting on or off the vehicle. In a vehicle-mounted image recording apparatus provided with a recording means, a pressure measuring means for measuring a pressure inside the vehicle interior, and a signal indicating opening / closing of the door of the vehicle based on the pressure inside the vehicle interior measured by the pressure measuring means. An in-vehicle image recording apparatus comprising: a door opening / closing signal generating unit.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the recording unit records an image captured by the photographing unit based on a signal indicating the opening / closing of the door generated by the door opening / closing signal generating unit. A recording control means is provided.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, a signal indicating the opening / closing of the door generated by the door opening / closing signal generating unit is recorded in the recording unit in association with an image captured by the imaging unit. A recording control means is provided.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising vehicle stop detecting means for detecting stop of the vehicle, wherein the door opening / closing signal generating means is the vehicle. When the stop detection means detects the stop of the vehicle and the atmospheric pressure in the passenger compartment measured by the atmospheric pressure measurement means changes for a predetermined value or more, a signal indicating the opening of the vehicle door is generated. And generating a signal indicating the closing of the door of the vehicle when the air pressure in the passenger compartment changes by a predetermined value or more after generating the signal indicating the opening of the vehicle door. It is.

  As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the door opening / closing signal generating means indicates opening / closing of the vehicle door based on the atmospheric pressure measured by the atmospheric pressure measuring means for measuring the atmospheric pressure in the vehicle interior. Since the signal is generated, it is not necessary for the vehicle to capture a signal indicating opening / closing of the door, and the in-vehicle image recording apparatus can be easily installed.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the recording control means causes the recording means to record the image taken by the photographing means based on the signal indicating the opening / closing of the door generated by the door opening / closing signal generating means. Based on the change in the atmospheric pressure, it is possible to determine whether or not the vehicle door has been opened and closed, and to record an image when passengers get on and off using the vehicle door opening and closing as a trigger.

  According to the third aspect of the invention, the recording control means records the signal indicating the opening / closing of the door generated by the door opening / closing signal generation means in the recording means in association with the image taken by the imaging means. The location where the door is opened and closed can be easily searched.

  According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the door opening / closing signal generating means changes the atmospheric pressure in the vehicle compartment measured by the atmospheric pressure measuring means for the first time after the vehicle stop detecting means detects that the vehicle has stopped, by a predetermined value or more. In this case, a signal indicating the opening of the vehicle door is generated, and if the air pressure in the vehicle interior changes more than a predetermined value after generating the signal indicating the opening of the vehicle door, the closing of the vehicle door is performed. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether the door of the vehicle is opened or closed by detecting that the atmospheric pressure has changed by a predetermined value or more.

It is a principal part block diagram of the drive recorder concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed the operation | movement of the drive recorder shown by FIG. It is the graph which showed the example of pressure change in a vehicle interior. It is the top view which showed the example in the case of attaching a camera in the vehicle of a bus | bath.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a principal block diagram of a drive recorder 1 as an in-vehicle image recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the drive recorder 1 includes a camera 2, an interface (I / F) 3, a G sensor 4, an I / F 5, a speed sensor 6, a speed I / F 7, a CPU 8, and a memory. A card 9, an SDRAM 10, and an atmospheric pressure sensor 11 are provided.

  The camera 2 as a photographing means is installed on, for example, a ceiling in a passenger compartment, and can photograph an image (moving image) of an occupant getting on and off from a door. As the camera 2, various cameras such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera, a digital camera, a video camera, and an infrared camera can be used. The image signal captured by the camera 2 is converted and compressed by the I / F 3 and input to the CPU 8.

  The G sensor 4 is formed of a triaxial acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, inclination, impact, etc. in the triaxial (X, Y, Z) directions. The G sensor 4 inputs each acceleration signal in the triaxial direction indicating the detected acceleration to the CPU 8 via the I / F 5.

  The speed sensor 6 is, for example, an element that rotates with an axle or the like and outputs a vehicle speed pulse signal according to the rotation of the magnet, and can calculate the speed from the cycle of the vehicle speed pulse signal. The vehicle speed pulse signal output from the speed sensor 6 is input to the CPU 8 via the I / F 7.

  The CPU 8 serving as a door opening / closing signal generating unit, a recording control unit, and a vehicle stop detection unit is a central processing unit that performs various processes and controls in accordance with a predetermined program, and is a read-only storing program for the CPU 8 and the like. And a ROM that stores various data and has an area necessary for the processing operation of the CPU 8 and is a readable / writable memory.

  The CPU 8 generates a door opening signal and a door closing signal (door opening / closing signal) based on the atmospheric pressure measured by the atmospheric pressure sensor 11 by a program stored in the built-in ROM, and uses those signals as a trigger. The image information stored in the SDRAM 10 is recorded in the memory card 9.

  A memory card 9 as a recording means is configured such that a non-volatile semiconductor memory and a card-like recording medium having a circuit for controlling writing and reading of the semiconductor memory, and the recording medium are detachable. The image information read from the SDRAM 10 by the CPU 8 is written to the recording medium.

  The SDRAM 10 is a synchronous DRAM that is connected to the CPU 8 and serves as a temporary storage area in which image information captured by the camera 2 is stored in a time-series manner over a predetermined range.

  The atmospheric pressure sensor 11 as an atmospheric pressure measuring means is a sensor that measures the atmospheric pressure in the passenger compartment, is attached in the vicinity of the door of the vehicle, measures the atmospheric pressure at a predetermined interval (for example, 0.5 seconds), and outputs it to the CPU 8. . For example, the atmospheric pressure sensor 11 may be configured by a well-known capacitance type sensor that detects a change in the distance between the electrodes due to atmospheric pressure as a change in capacitance, in which a chamber made of silicon or the like forms a capacitor. .

  Next, the operation of the drive recorder 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart shown in FIG. 2 is executed by the CPU 8.

  First, in step S1, a speed signal stop determination is performed. If the speed signal is stopped, the process proceeds to step S2. The speed signal stop determination is to determine whether or not the vehicle is in a stopped state, and when it is determined from the vehicle speed pulse signal output from the speed sensor 6 that the vehicle is in a stopped state, the process is performed after step S2. move on.

  Next, in step S2, the atmospheric pressure data measured by the atmospheric pressure sensor 11 is acquired, and the process proceeds to step S3.

  Next, in step S3, when it is determined that the vehicle door is open and it is determined that the vehicle door is open, the process proceeds to step S4, and when it is determined that the vehicle door is closed, the process returns to step S2.

  The opening determination of the vehicle door is performed based on the atmospheric pressure data acquired in step S2. When the applicant investigated the relationship between the opening / closing of the door in the passenger compartment and the change in the atmospheric pressure, the result shown in the graph of FIG. 3 was obtained. The graph of FIG. 3 shows time on the vertical axis and the atmospheric pressure value on the horizontal axis. As shown in the graph of FIG. 3, it became clear that the atmospheric pressure fluctuates greatly when the door is opened and closed. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether the door is opened by detecting a change in the atmospheric pressure measured at a predetermined interval that is greater than or equal to a predetermined value in the previous and subsequent measured values, and generate a door open signal.

  That is, in step S3, a door opening signal is generated when the air pressure in the passenger compartment measured by the air pressure sensor 11 for the first time after detecting the stop of the vehicle changes by a predetermined value or more.

  Next, in step S4, an image recording process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S5. In this step, image information captured by the camera 2 is read from the SDRAM 10 and recorded in the memory card 9 using the door opening signal generated in step S3 as a trigger.

  Next, in step S5, the atmospheric pressure data measured by the atmospheric pressure sensor 11 is acquired, and the process proceeds to step S6.

  Next, in step S6, when it is determined that the vehicle door is closed and the vehicle door is determined to be closed, the image recording process is terminated, and it is determined that the vehicle door is open (not yet closed after step S3). If yes, the process returns to step S5. The vehicle door closing determination is performed based on the atmospheric pressure data acquired in step S5 as in step S3.

  That is, in step S6, a door closing signal is generated when the air pressure in the passenger compartment changes by a predetermined value or more after the door opening signal is generated.

  Of course, the predetermined value that is the change amount of the atmospheric pressure for generating the door open signal in step S3 and the predetermined value that is the change amount of the atmospheric pressure for generating the door close signal in step S6 are different from each other. It may be a value.

  In the above-described flowchart, the image recording is started when the door is open, and the image recording is ended when the door is closed, but the predetermined period is automatically recorded after the door is opened. Alternatively, a predetermined period before the door is closed may be automatically recorded. That is, the image information may be recorded only with either the door open signal or the door close signal.

  In addition, the door opening / closing determination is performed by detecting a change in the atmospheric pressure value measured at a predetermined interval (for example, 0.5 seconds) from the atmospheric pressure sensor 11 by a measured value before and after the predetermined value. Alternatively, the opening / closing determination of the door may be performed by obtaining an average atmospheric pressure value by averaging a plurality of atmospheric pressure values and detecting a change between adjacent average atmospheric pressure values that is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. For example, the air pressure sensor 11 is measured at intervals of 0.1 seconds, and when the vehicle is stopped, an average air pressure value obtained by averaging it every 0.5 seconds (measured 5 times) is obtained, and the difference from the previous average air pressure value is When it changes more than a predetermined value, it is determined whether the door is open or closed. By doing in this way, the malfunction by sudden change of atmospheric pressure can be prevented, and the opening / closing determination of a door can be performed accurately.

  Further, the image information taken by the camera 2 may be directly recorded on the memory card 9 without reading the image information from the SDRAM 10 and recording it on the memory card 9.

  According to the above embodiment, when the drive recorder 1 includes the atmospheric pressure sensor 11 and the CPU 8 measures the change in atmospheric pressure before and after measurement at a predetermined interval after the vehicle stops, it is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. A door opening signal is generated, image information after the door opening signal is generated is read from the SDRAM 10 and recorded in the memory card 9, and a change in pressure before and after measurement at predetermined intervals after the door opening signal is generated is determined in advance. If it is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the door closing signal is generated and the recording of the image information to the memory card 9 is stopped. The image at the time of getting on and off of a passenger or the like can be recorded on the memory card 9. Further, the drive recorder 1 can be easily installed without the need for the vehicle to capture a signal indicating the opening / closing of the door.

  Further, since the atmospheric pressure sensor 11 is attached in the vicinity of the door of the vehicle, it is possible to detect the opening / closing of the door with high probability by reducing the influence of the opening of the window.

  Although the event recording type drive recorder has been described in the above-described embodiment, the door open signal and the door close signal are recorded as a flag or the like on a memory card or the like in which images are always recorded even in the case of the constant recording type. In addition, by associating the flag with the image when the flag is generated, it becomes easy to search for the image when the door is opened and closed.

  When installing on a bus, the camera 2 may be installed in the vicinity of the boarding / alighting door (front door or rear door) to photograph the boarding / alighting. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the bus showing the installation position of the camera 2. In this case, the atmospheric pressure sensor 11 may be provided in the camera 2 or in the vicinity of the camera 2.

1 Drive recorder (vehicle-mounted image recording device)
2 Camera (photographing means)
8 CPU (door open / close signal generation means, recording control means, vehicle stop detection means)
9 Memory card (recording means)
11 Barometric pressure sensor (barometric pressure measuring means)

Claims (4)

In an in-vehicle image recording apparatus provided with a photographing unit mounted on a vehicle and photographing an image when getting on or off the vehicle, and a recording unit for recording an image photographed by the photographing unit,
A pressure measuring means for measuring the pressure in the passenger compartment;
Door opening / closing signal generating means for generating a signal indicating opening / closing of the vehicle door based on the atmospheric pressure measured by the atmospheric pressure measuring means;
An in-vehicle image recording apparatus comprising:   The in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a recording control unit that causes the recording unit to record an image captured by the imaging unit based on a signal indicating the opening / closing of the door generated by the door opening / closing signal generation unit. Image recording device.   The vehicle-mounted vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising: a recording control unit that records a signal indicating opening / closing of the door generated by the door opening / closing signal generation unit in the recording unit in association with an image captured by the imaging unit. Image recording device. Vehicle stop detection means for detecting the stop of the vehicle,
When the door opening / closing signal generating means changes the air pressure in the vehicle cabin measured by the air pressure measuring means for the first time after the vehicle stop detecting means detects the stop of the vehicle, the vehicle opening and closing signal generating means changes more than a predetermined value. A signal indicating that the door of the vehicle is open, and if the air pressure in the vehicle interior changes more than a predetermined value after generating the signal indicating that the door of the vehicle is open, it indicates that the door of the vehicle is closed The in-vehicle image recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a signal is generated.

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