JP2013114335A - Drive recorder system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drive recorder system which can be relatively easily mounted on a vehicle and can more reliably ensure simultaneity between an image of a rear field of view and an operating state of a brake.SOLUTION: A drive recorder system 1 includes: light guiding means 3 which is fitted to a hole 12a provided in a panel 12 to guide light from a brake lamp 11; and an imaging apparatus which images a rear field of view of a vehicle 10 and the light guided by the light guiding means 3, within the angle of view.

Description

  The present invention relates to a drive recorder system capable of recording a rear view during traveling of a vehicle.

  In general, drive recorders are often configured to image the front of the vehicle, but in the case of a rear-end collision with a subsequent vehicle, the drive recorder images the rear view of the vehicle as well as the front of the vehicle. (Patent Document 1). In recent years, imaging data (video, operation time of a braking device, etc.) imaged by such a drive recorder is regarded as important as legal evidence in a rear collision accident. For this reason, the demand of the drive recorder which can image the back view of a vehicle is increasing.

JP-A-9-320,000

  In a normal drive recorder, the operation state of the braking device can be recorded simultaneously with the video of the rear view of the vehicle by connecting to the signal line indicating the operation state of the braking device among the signal lines of the vehicle electronic control device etc. Can do. However, since it is necessary to connect with the signal line, in order to attach the drive recorder to the vehicle, specialized knowledge about the wiring of the vehicle is required.

  In addition, when the operating state of the braking device is acquired from a signal line such as an electronic control device of the vehicle, information indicating the operating state of the braking device by image processing (character information or Graphic information, etc.) will be synthesized. For this reason, it is suspicious whether it shows the operating state of the braking device at the same time as the image of the rear view of the vehicle. Therefore, a drive recorder that can reliably guarantee that the image of the rear view of the vehicle and the operating state of the braking device are at the same time is desired.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a drive recorder system that can be attached to a vehicle relatively easily and that can more reliably guarantee that the image of the rear view and the operating state of the braking device are at the same time. Objective.

  The present invention is a drive recorder system mounted on a vehicle including a brake light, wherein the light guide means guides the light of the brake light, the rear field of view of the vehicle, and the light guided to the light guide means. And an imaging device that captures an image within an angle of view.

  According to the present invention, light is emitted from the light guide means when the brake light is turned on, and no light is emitted from the light guide means when the brake light is turned off. In other words, the vehicle is braked by the braking device when light is emitted from the light guide means, and the vehicle is not braked by the braking device when light is not emitted from the light guide means.

  Therefore, it is possible to detect whether the braking device is operating based on whether light is emitted from the light guide means. In other words, since the operating state of the braking device can be known only by imaging the light guided from the light guide means, it is more specialized in vehicle wiring than in the case of obtaining from the signal line of the vehicle electronic control device or the like. Even if there is no knowledge, the operation state of the braking device can be easily imaged, and the signal line information is converted into character information and graphic information indicating the operation state of the braking device, and image processing is performed. The number of man-hours for developing control software to be incorporated into the imaging data can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Further, the imaging device captures the rear view of the vehicle and the operating state of the braking device at the same time by keeping the light guided to the rear view of the vehicle and the light guide means within the angle of view. That is, since the light indicating the operating state of the braking device is imaged together with the rear view of the vehicle, it can be more reliably ensured that the image of the rear view and the operating state of the braking device are the same point.

  In addition, in the case where no light guiding means is provided, depending on the surrounding environment and the structure of the vehicle to which the drive recorder system is attached, the incident light may be light from other light emitters, It is not certain whether the light comes from the brake lights. However, when the light guided by the light guide means is imaged by the imaging device, it can be reliably ensured that the light is light from the brake lamp.

  Furthermore, by determining the location where the imaging device is to be arranged by providing the light guide means, the location is affected by the relative positional relationship with the brake light and the relationship between the object disposed between the imaging device and the brake light. Limits can be reduced. In particular, an effect that the restriction can be further reduced can be obtained when using a fiber optic cable that can be deformed flexibly.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that a light shielding unit provided with the light guiding unit is provided between the brake lamp and the imaging device.

  For example, in order to prevent the braking light from entering the driver's field of view and hindering driving, a light shielding means is provided between the braking light and the vehicle interior so that the light from the brake light does not enter the vehicle interior. It is common to arrange. Even when the image pickup apparatus is disposed in the vehicle interior in order to easily attach the drive recorder system of the present invention to the vehicle, the light guide means is provided in such a light shielding means, so The imaging device can image the operating state of the braking device without making a large amount of light incident. Further, in this case, the light from the brake light is incident on the passenger compartment to the extent that the driver's driving is not hindered, and the driving safety of the vehicle can be ensured.

  It is preferable that the light shielding means is composed of a sealing member disposed between a rear window of the vehicle and the brake light.

  For example, when the sealing member is not provided, the light from the brake lamp is reflected on the rear window to generate a large halation in the rear window, which hinders driving. Further, in such a case, when the rear view of the vehicle is picked up by the image pickup device, the halation appears in the image pickup data picking up the rear view of the vehicle, and the situation behind the halation cannot be picked up. There is a risk that the information of the rear view will be reduced.

  The above-described sealing member can prevent halation from occurring (or reduce the amount of halation to a very small amount), thereby preventing information on the vehicle's rear field of view from being reduced. Even when the vehicle is disposed in the vehicle compartment, it is possible to image the operating state of the braking device.

  In this invention, it is preferable that the said light guide means is shape | molded by transparent resin. Thereby, the freedom degree of shaping | molding of a light guide means becomes high, and it can improve manufacturing cost. In this case, the durability of the light guide means can be improved by plating the transparent resin.

  In the present invention, the light guide means may be a hole provided in the light shielding means. Depending on the arrangement relationship between the brake light and the image pickup device, the rear view of the vehicle and the light of the brake light are captured within the angle of view within the angle of view of the image pickup device simply by providing a hole in the light shielding means or the sealing member. be able to. In such a case, since it is not necessary to form the light guide means with a transparent resin, an increase in the number of parts can be suppressed, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Alternatively, it is preferable that the light guide means is formed of a transparent resin that absorbs light having the same wavelength as the brake light, and is used as a sealing member disposed between the rear window of the vehicle and the brake light. In addition, the light of the same wavelength refers to the light including the light within the range of the wavelength of light used as a brake lamp, or in a range slightly wider than the range in consideration of errors during manufacturing.

  Thereby, the light guide means can attenuate and disperse light having the same wavelength as the brake lamp (red light). By providing such a light guide as a sealing member, the amount of light of the brake lamp that is directly irradiated onto the rear window is reduced, and the possibility that halation occurs in the rear window can be significantly reduced.

  Further, when light is emitted from the brake lamp, the light is attenuated and emitted by the sealing member functioning as the light guide means. For this reason, it is possible to detect whether or not the braking device is operating based on whether or not light is emitted from the sealing member.

  Further, since it is possible to detect whether or not the braking device is operating without providing a hole in the sealing member, it is not necessary to perform drilling processing, and the manufacturing man-hour can be reduced, and in addition to the sealing member, a separate light guiding means is provided. The number of parts can be reduced as compared with the case of providing.

1 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a vehicle including a drive recorder system according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A) is a partial sectional view showing a configuration of a vehicle including a drive recorder system of another form, and (b) shows a configuration of a vehicle including a drive recorder system in which light guiding means is arranged at a position different from (a). FIG. (A) is a figure which shows the structure of a sealing member and a light guide means, (b) is a figure which shows the sealing member and light guide means of a structure different from (a), (c) is a light guide means with a sealing member. The figure which shows the case where it comprises as. The fragmentary sectional view which shows the structure of the vehicle for simplifying attachment of a drive recorder system.

  A drive recorder system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows the rear side of a vehicle 10 on which the drive recorder system 1 of the present embodiment is mounted.

  The drive recorder system 1 includes an imaging device 2 that captures a moving image and records the captured image data, a control device 2a that controls the imaging device 2, and a light guide unit 3 that guides light. The control device 2a executes various arithmetic processes based on various tables stored in a storage device (memory) composed of ROM and RAM, calculation results, output signals from various sensors input from the input / output interface, and the like. The central processing unit is configured to output the arithmetic processing result to the outside as a signal. The control device 2a is disposed in the vicinity of the driver's seat in front of the vehicle 10, is connected to the imaging device 2 so as to be able to transmit a control signal, and controls the operation of the imaging device 2. As the light guide means 3, for example, a prism using methacrylic resin or a polycarbonate resin formed into a rod shape and plated on its side surface is used.

  Further, the vehicle 10 includes a brake lamp 11 in which the light source is a light emitting diode 11a and the light emitting diode 11a is covered with a translucent cover 11b. The brake light 11 is turned on when a braking device (not shown) is braking the vehicle 10, and is turned off when the vehicle 10 is not being braked. In addition, the brake lamp 11 is configured to emit red light toward the rear of the vehicle 10 (right direction in FIG. 1) when it is turned on. As a result, the subsequent vehicle is notified that the braking device of the vehicle 10 is operating and decelerating. Note that the brake light 11 may be a high-mount stop lamp disposed at the upper rear portion of the vehicle. In the present embodiment, the brake lamp 11 includes a high mount stop lamp.

  The vehicle 10 includes a decorative cover 12 as a light shielding unit formed of a member that shields light. The decorative cover 12 is formed so as to cover the side opposite to the irradiation direction of the brake lamp 11 (the rear side of the vehicle 10) (left direction in FIG. 1) and the upper part of the brake lamp 11 (upward direction in FIG. 1). The light from the brake lamp 11 is prevented from entering the vehicle interior. This prevents light from the brake light 11 from entering the driver's field of view and hindering driving.

  The decorative cover 12 is provided with a hole 12 a in the upper surface of the brake lamp 11. The light guide means 3 is fitted in the hole 12a. At this time, the light guide means 3 is arranged with a portion (hereinafter referred to as “incident opening”) 3 a where light is incident facing the brake lamp 11. For this reason, the light guide means 3 can guide and emit the light of the brake lamp 11 that has entered from the incident port 3a to a portion (hereinafter referred to as “emission port”) 3b that emits the light.

  In other words, when light is emitted from the exit port 3b of the light guide means 3, it indicates when the brake lamp 11 is lit, and thus indicates when the vehicle 10 is being braked by the braking device. When light is not emitted from the exit 3b of the light means 3, the brake light 11 is turned off, and the vehicle 10 is not braked by the braking device.

  Here, “the decorative cover 12 in which the light guide means 3 is fitted in the hole 12a as described above” corresponds to “the light shielding means provided with the light guide means” in the present invention.

  The imaging device 2 is fixed to a stay 13 fixed on the decorative cover 12 on the front side (left direction in FIG. 1) from the position where the brake lamp 11 is arranged in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1). It is installed. At this time, the imaging device 2 is installed at a position and an angle such that the rear view of the vehicle 10 and the exit port 3b of the light guide means 3 are within the angle of view θ. The range of the rear view of the vehicle 10 to be imaged only needs to be such that the situation behind the vehicle 10 at that time can be grasped when the following vehicle collides with the vehicle 10.

  By imaging the exit port 3b of the light guide unit 3 by the imaging device 2, when the captured image is viewed later, light is emitted from the exit port 3b of the light guide unit 3 captured in the image. Whether or not the braking device is operating can be detected according to whether or not the light is emitted. At this time, the imaging device 2 also stores the rear view of the vehicle 10 within the same angle of view θ. Thereby, it can be ensured more reliably that the rear view of the vehicle 10 and the operating state of the braking device are at the same time.

  Further, the drive recorder system 1 can know the operating state of the braking device without being connected to a signal line of an electronic control device or the like of the vehicle 10. For this reason, since it is possible to easily obtain the operating state of the braking device without having specialized knowledge regarding the wiring of the vehicle, the drive recorder system 1 can be easily attached to the vehicle 10.

  As described above, the drive recorder system 1 of the present embodiment can be attached to the vehicle relatively easily, and more reliably guarantees that the rear view image and the operating state of the braking device are at the same time. it can.

  Further, by using a transparent resin such as methacrylic resin as the light guide means 3 as in the present embodiment, the imaging device 2 can image the light of the brake light 11 that is efficiently transmitted, and the light guide means. The degree of freedom in forming 3 is improved. Thereby, it can respond flexibly to the structure of the vehicle in which the drive recorder system 1 is arranged.

  In the drive recorder system 1 of the present embodiment, the exit 3b of the light guide 3 is captured within the angle of view θ of the imaging device 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the light emitted from the light exit 3b of the light guide means 3 (that is, the light from the brake lamp 11) can be sufficiently recognized (it can be recognized that the light is not from another light emitter), the light can be guided. Light exiting from the light guiding means 3 (for example, light whose brightness changes clearly by being emitted) without the exit 3b of the light means 3 being within the angle of view θ of the imaging device 2 You may image with the imaging device 2. FIG. Even in such a case, since the light of the brake lamp 11 indicating the operating state of the braking device is imaged together with the rear view of the vehicle 10, the rear view image and the operating state of the braking device are at the same time. There is an effect that it can be ensured more reliably.

  Further, when the light guide means uses a polycarbonate resin formed into a rod shape and plated on its side surface (in other words, the light incident port of the light guide means 3 formed of a transparent resin). In addition, in the case of plating on a surface other than the light exit port, the durability of the light guide means can be improved, and light incident from the light entrance port at both ends of the rod is before reaching the exit port. Even if it is incident on the inside of the side surface, it is reflected by the metal thin film of plating and reaches the exit port. Thereby, it can suppress that the quantity of the light which injected into the light guide means is scattered, and can increase the quantity of the light radiate | emitted from the said light guide means compared with the case where it does not plate.

  In this embodiment, a prism using a transparent resin is used as the light guide means 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any optical fiber can be used as long as it can guide the light from the brake lamp 11 to the imaging device 2. A cable may be used, or the light of the brake lamp 11 may be reflected toward the imaging device 2 by a mirror.

  Moreover, although the drive recorder system 1 of this embodiment provided the hole 12a in the decorative cover 12 of the vehicle 10, and fitted the light guide means 3, it is not restricted to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, in the vehicle 20, a space is provided between the decorative cover 22 and the rear window 24, and a sealing member 25 as a light shielding unit for shielding light in the space is provided. It is also conceivable to be configured to be bonded with a double-sided tape or the like so as to fill the space. At this time, for example, ethylene / propylene rubber or the like is used for the sealing member 25.

  In the vehicle 20 having such a configuration, when the sealing member 25 is not disposed, particularly when traveling at night, the light of the brake lamp 11 is reflected by the rear window 24 and most of the surface of the rear window 24 is reflected. It spreads over and can cause halation-like phenomena that can hinder driving. By providing the sealing member 25, the occurrence of such halation is prevented.

  Then, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 3A, the sealing member 25 is provided with a hole 25a in a part of the portion in contact with the rear window 24, and the light guide means 3 is fitted into the hole 25a. May be combined. Thereby, the imaging device 2 can image light from the brake lamp 11 emitted from the emission port 3 b of the light guide means 3 by the light guide means 3 provided on the sealing member 25. For this reason, even in the drive recorder system 1 having such a configuration, since the light indicating the operating state of the braking device is imaged together with the rear view of the vehicle, the image of the rear view and the operating state of the braking device are simultaneous. The effect that it can guarantee more reliably that it is a thing is acquired.

  Further, the position of the light guide means 3 provided on the sealing member 25 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 2A, and as shown in FIG. 2B, a hole 25b is provided between the sealing member 25 and the decorative cover 22. And the light guide means 3 may be fitted into the hole 25b.

  Even if the light guide means 3 is not formed of a transparent resin, depending on the relative positional relationship between the imaging device 2 and the brake light 11, the rear view of the vehicle 20 can be obtained only by providing a hole in the sealing member 25. And the light of the brake lamp 11 emitted from the hole may fall within the angle of view θ of the imaging device 2. In such a case, it is not necessary to form the light guide means 3 with a transparent resin, and a hole provided in the sealing member 25 may be used as the light guide means. In such a case, there is no need to provide the light guiding means as a separate member, so that the effect of the present invention can be more reliably assured that the image in the rear view and the operating state of the braking device are at the same point. Can be obtained, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced by suppressing an increase in the number of parts.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 3B, the sealing member 35 may be provided with no holes, and the light guide means 3 may be sandwiched between the sealing member 35 and the rear window 24. At this time, the space between the sealing member 35 and the rear window 24 in which the light guide means 3 is not disposed is formed to a size that does not cause halation in the rear window 24 due to the light of the brake lamp 11. That's fine.

  The sealing member 45 is not made of ethylene / propylene rubber, but is formed of a transparent resin that absorbs light having the same wavelength as that of the brake lamp 11, that is, red, and is disposed between the rear window 24 and the brake lamp 11. May be. In such a case, the sealing member 45 is formed by dispersing a light absorbing material (pigment or dye) in a transparent resin. Thereby, the light of the brake lamp 11 is dispersed by the sealing member 45, and the light of the brake lamp that is directly irradiated to the rear window 24 is reduced, and a part of the dispersed light is incident on the vehicle interior. In this case, when the brake light 11 is turned on, the sealing member 45 appears to emit light from the whole as shown in FIG.

  By configuring the sealing member 45 in this way, the occurrence of halation in the rear window 24 can be remarkably reduced, and the sealing member 45 emits light to detect that the brake lamp 11 is lit. be able to. That is, the sealing member 45 configured in this way corresponds to the light guide means in the present invention.

  Further, since the light entering the vehicle interior via the sealing member 45 is attenuated, the light intensity does not hinder driving and safety can be ensured. Furthermore, since the sealing member 45 is formed of a transparent resin that absorbs light having the same wavelength as that of the brake lamp 11, it is possible to detect whether or not the braking device is operating without providing a hole in the sealing member 45. There is no need to perform an opening process, the number of manufacturing steps can be reduced, and the number of parts can be reduced as compared with the case where a separate light guide is provided in addition to the sealing member 45.

  Further, when the light guide means 3 is fitted to the decorative cover 22, that is, when the light guide means 3 is not adhered by a double-sided tape or the like but is locked by the frictional force of each other, the rear window 24 is contacted. In order to prevent the light guide means 3 from being detached from the decorative cover 22 due to vibration transmitted during traveling, the vibration can be absorbed not only by the sealing member but also by the light guide means 3. It is good to.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 2A, FIG. 3A, or FIG. 3C, when the light guide means 3 is provided so as to contact the rear window 24, the light guide means 3 It is preferable to set the hardness so as not to damage or damage the window 24 and a rear defogger (electric heating wire, not shown) provided in the rear window 24.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the light guide means 3 such as a prism using a transparent resin is provided in the vehicle interior of the vehicle 50 when manufacturing the vehicle 50 so that the drive recorder system can be installed more easily. It is good to fit in the hole 52a provided in the decorative cover 52 beforehand. At this time, a blindfold cap 53 is attached to the emission port 3b of the light guide means 3 so as to cover the emission port 3b.

  In addition, the decorative cover 52 is provided with a horizontal plane portion as an installation space 52b for installing the imaging device 2. Thereby, the imaging device 2 can be easily installed on the decorative cover 52.

  By configuring the vehicle 50 in this way, the imaging device 2 can be configured to display the rear view of the vehicle 50 and light guiding means only by a simple operation of arranging the imaging device 2 in the installation space 52b and removing the blindfold cap 53. The operation state of the braking device obtained from the light emitted from 3 can be imaged at the same time, and it is possible to more reliably guarantee that the rear view image and the operation state of the braking device are the same point. .

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Drive recorder system, 2 ... Imaging device, 3 ... Light guide means, 10 ... Vehicle, 11 ... Brake light, 12 ... Makeup cover (light shielding means), 20 ... Vehicle, 22 ... Makeup cover (light shielding means), 24 ... Rear window, 25 ... sealing member, 35 ... sealing member, 45 ... sealing member, 50 ... vehicle, 52 ... decorative cover (light shielding means).

Claims (7)

A drive recorder system mounted on a vehicle equipped with a brake light,
A light guide means for guiding the light of the brake light;
A drive recorder system comprising: an imaging device that captures and captures a rear view of the vehicle and light guided to the light guide unit within an angle of view.   2. The drive recorder system according to claim 1, further comprising a light shielding unit provided with the light guiding unit between the brake light and the imaging device.   3. The drive recorder system according to claim 2, wherein the light shielding unit is configured by a sealing member disposed between a rear window of the vehicle and the brake light. 4.   The drive recorder system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the light guiding means is formed of a transparent resin.   5. The drive recorder system according to claim 4, wherein the transparent resin is plated.   4. The drive recorder system according to claim 2, wherein the light guide means is a hole provided in the light shielding means.   2. The drive recorder system according to claim 1, wherein the light guide means is formed of a transparent resin that absorbs light having the same wavelength as the brake light, and is disposed between the rear window of the vehicle and the brake light. A drive recorder system characterized by being used as a member.