JP2019109936A - Recording device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

To accurately record an event occurring outside a vehicle, such as a side face collision accident and illegal invasion, without ruining appearance of a vehicle body by using an existing accessory of the vehicle body.SOLUTION: A camera 3 for imaging a sight of sides of a vehicle is built in a door knob 7 of a side door 6, and an image captured by the camera 3 is wirelessly transmitted to a drive recorder and stored in a memory. An opening portion 9 for introducing the sight outside the vehicle to the camera 3 is formed in a housing 8 of the door knob 7. A movable wiper 13 for keeping a light path of the camera 3 clean is provided inside of the housing 8 so as to be in contact with a camera lens 12. A photovoltaic power generation panel or a wind turbine is provided on the door knob 7 and electric power obtained by power generation thereof is provided to the camera 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for a vehicle which records an image outside a vehicle taken by a camera.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique is known in which a scene outside a vehicle is photographed by a camera and an image photographed by the camera is left in a recording device. For example, according to Patent Document 1, a wide-angle camera is attached to a rearview mirror, a scene in front of a vehicle is photographed by a wide-angle camera, an image photographed by the wide-angle camera is recorded on an endless recorder, and recorded information is used for elucidating the cause of a collision accident. "Vehicle-mounted recording apparatus" is described.

  In Patent Document 2, there is a "driving information recording system" in which a camera for photographing the front of the vehicle, a camera for photographing the rear of the vehicle, a camera for photographing the driver, and a sensor for specifying the driver are provided. Have been described. In Patent Document 3, in addition to the front and rear of the vehicle body, cameras are projected backward on both left and right sides of the vehicle body, and among the images captured by a plurality of cameras, the image in which the human body appears is prioritized on the monitor in the vehicle. "Display system for vehicles" which displays regularly is described.

Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 9-142339 JP, 2009-169486, A JP, 2004-282465, A

  However, according to the conventional apparatus, since the camera mainly shoots the front or the rear of the vehicle, it is not possible to accurately record an event on the side of the vehicle, such as a side collision or an unauthorized entry into a cabin. In particular, the camera of Patent Document 3 is provided on the side surface of the vehicle body, but since it protrudes from the vehicle body to capture the rear of the vehicle, there is a problem that the appearance of the side surface of the vehicle body is deteriorated.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus for a vehicle that can accurately record an external event such as a side collision or an unauthorized intrusion without deteriorating the appearance of the vehicle body by using existing equipment for the vehicle body. It is in.

  In order to solve the above problems, the recording apparatus for a vehicle according to the present invention includes a camera for photographing a scene outside the vehicle and storage means for recording an image photographed by the camera, and the camera is provided in a doorknob of the vehicle. It features. As the doorknob, a doorknob for opening and closing the left and right side doors, a doorknob for opening and closing the rear door, and the like can be exemplified.

  The camera can be attached to the outside of the doorknob, but is preferably installed inside the doorknob from the viewpoint of eliminating the projection. Specifically, the camera can be installed inside the housing of the doorknob, and the housing can be provided with a translucent portion that guides the outside scene of the vehicle to the camera. As a light transmission part, the opening part opened in the housing of the site | part corresponding to a camera, the transparent cover which covers an opening part, etc. can be illustrated.

  It is desirable to provide a cleaning means inside the housing to keep the light path of the camera clean so that the images taken by the camera can be recorded more clearly. Examples of the cleaning means include a wiper for wiping dirt and water droplets attached to the camera lens, a heater or a fan for removing moisture in the housing, and an antifogging film for preventing fogging of the transparent cover. As a heater, a warm air heater for blowing warm air can be used, and a heat ray heater may be embedded in a transparent cover.

  In addition, the doorknob can be provided with a power generation means for generating operating power of the camera. This eliminates the need for a power supply harness from the in-vehicle battery to the camera, so that the camera can be easily retrofitted to the existing vehicle. As a power generation means, a generator utilizing natural energy such as a solar panel or a windmill can be preferably used.

  Furthermore, by providing the door knob with the transmission means for wirelessly transmitting the video data of the camera, the communication cable need not be routed.

  According to the recording apparatus for a vehicle of the present invention, since the camera is provided on the existing doorknob in the vehicle body, an effect that the external event such as a side collision or unauthorized intrusion can be accurately recorded without deteriorating the appearance of the vehicle body is there.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle showing an embodiment of the present invention. It is the elements on larger scale of the side door which shows the door knob of the motor vehicle of FIG. It is the III-III sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the electronic control system of the recording device for vehicles. It is a flow chart which shows control for monitoring an unauthorized entry into a vehicle interior. It is a flow chart which shows control for monitoring a collision accident at an intersection. It is a perspective view showing the appearance of the camera provided with a photovoltaic panel. FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of a doorknob showing a camera with a turbine and a wind turbine. It is a front view of an instrument panel provided with a monitor. It is sectional drawing of a transparent cover, a heater, and a housing which shows a fog prevention film. It is a front view of the transparent cover which shows a hot wire heater.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. A recording apparatus 1 for a vehicle shown in FIG. 1 includes a front camera 2 that captures a scene in front of the vehicle, a side camera 3 that captures a scene on the side of the vehicle, and a drive recorder that records images captured by the cameras 2 and 3 It is equipped with four. The front camera 2 is attached to the rearview mirror 5, the side cameras 3 are built in the doorknobs 7 of the left and right side doors 6, and the drive recorder 4 is installed at an appropriate position in the vehicle.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the side camera 3 is installed inside the housing 8 of the doorknob 7, and an opening 9 is formed in a portion corresponding to the side camera 3. The opening 9 is formed to have a size corresponding to the horizontal viewing angle α2 (see FIG. 6) of the side camera 3 and functions as a light transmitting unit that guides the outside scene to the camera 3. The camera 3 is held on a substrate 11 together with an electronic control unit (ECU) 10, and a camera lens 12 is mounted on the surface opposite to the substrate 11.

  A wiper 13 as a cleaning means for keeping the optical path of the camera 3 clean is disposed between the side camera 3 and the opening 9 so as to be in contact with the camera lens 12. The wiper 13 is slidably supported by the upper and lower rails 14 in the horizontal direction with respect to the camera lens 12. The wiper 13 is reciprocally driven by the motor 15 via the pinion 16 and the rack 17 so that dirt and water droplets attached to the camera lens 12 can be wiped away.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the camera ECU 10 is connected to a generator 19 that generates operation power of the side camera 3 and the motor 15 and a human sensor 20 that detects the approach of a person to the doorknob 7. Further, the camera ECU 10 includes a wireless communication unit 21, wirelessly transmits the video data of the side camera 3 to the drive recorder 4, and communicates a control signal with the vehicle ECU 22. Connected to the vehicle ECU 22 are a monitor 23 for displaying an image captured by the cameras 2 and 3, an impact sensor 24 for detecting an impact of the vehicle body, and a door lock 25 for locking the side door 6.

  Next, the operation of the vehicle recording apparatus 1 will be described. During parking of the vehicle, as shown in FIG. 5, control is performed to monitor unauthorized entry into the passenger compartment. First, when the human sensor 21 senses the approach of a person to the doorknob 7 (S31), the camera ECU 10 issues a photographing command to the side camera 3, and the side camera 3 photographs the face of the approaching person (S32). Subsequently, the image data of the approaching individual is transmitted from the wireless communication unit 21 to the vehicle ECU 22 via the drive recorder 4, and the ECU 22 collates the received data with the registered data to determine the legitimacy of the approaching individual (S33).

  Then, when the vehicle ECU 22 determines that the approaching person is a valid vehicle owner or a driving permitter, the door ECU 25 immediately unlocks the door lock 25 (S34) and determines that the approaching person is an unauthorized intruder. , And outputs a recording command to the drive recorder 4. Thus, the drive recorder 4 starts recording (S35), and records the behavior of the unauthorized intruder as moving image data in an internal memory or a removable memory (not shown). At this time, since the side camera 3 is built in the doorknob 7, the behavior of an unauthorized intruder immediately before the doorknob 7 can be accurately recorded.

  On the other hand, while the vehicle is traveling, control for monitoring a collision accident is performed as shown in FIG. FIG. 6A shows that the other vehicle V2 is approaching from the side to the host vehicle V1 traveling at the intersection. As shown in FIG. 6 (b), the traveling vehicle V1 constantly captures a scene outside the vehicle with the front and side cameras 2 and 3 and continuously records a moving image on the drive recorder 4 (S41). The vehicle ECU 22 compares the output (impact value) of the impact sensor 24 with the reference value (S42), determines a collision when the impact value exceeds the reference value, and stores the image data of a predetermined time before and after the collision in the memory The drive recorder 4 is controlled to be on (S43).

  According to the recording apparatus 1 for a vehicle of this embodiment, since the front camera 2 and the left and right side cameras 3 capture a scene outside the vehicle at a wide angle (α1 + α2 + α2), only a frontal collision between the own vehicle V1 and the other vehicle V2 It is possible to record the image of a side collision and record the causes of the accident from multiple angles. In particular, since the side camera 3 is built in the doorknob 7 which is an existing accessory in the vehicle body, events such as a side collision and unauthorized intrusion are accurately recorded without deteriorating the appearance of the vehicle body. it can. In addition, since the housing 8 of the doorknob 7 is equipped with the wiper 13, there is also an advantage that the optical path of the side camera 3 can be kept clean at all times, and clearer images can be recorded.

  Next, the specific configuration of the generator 19 will be described according to FIGS. 7 and 8. The side camera 3 shown in FIG. 7 includes a photovoltaic panel 28 on the upper surface of the camera casing 27 and transmits a storage battery 29 storing electric power generated by the photovoltaic panel 28 inside the camera casing 27 and video data. A wireless communication unit 30 is provided. In the housing 8 of the doorknob 7, a window 31 for exposing the photovoltaic power generation panel 28 to sunlight is formed, and power generated by using sunlight energy is transmitted to the side camera 3, the wireless transmission unit 30, and the wiper drive motor 15 (See FIG. 3).

  In the side camera 3 shown in FIG. 8, a turbine 33 for power generation is provided on one side surface (surface facing the front of the vehicle) of a camera casing 27, and a wind turbine 35 is attached to a turbine shaft 34. Then, while the vehicle is traveling, the wind turbine 35 rotates the turbine 33 with the wind power from the front of the vehicle, and the turbine 33 generates the operation power of the side camera 3 and the like. Therefore, according to the recording apparatus for vehicles shown to FIG. 7, FIG. 8, electric power can be provided to the camera 3 using natural energy, and the harness for electric power feeding from the vehicle-mounted battery to the camera 3 can be omitted. Further, by wirelessly transmitting the video data, it is possible to omit the communication cable, so that the camera-equipped door knob 7 can be easily retrofitted to the existing side door.

  FIG. 9A shows a scene photographed by the side camera 3 while traveling, and FIG. 9B shows a display example of an image photographed by the side camera 3. In this shooting scene, the left side camera 3 shoots the pedestrian P on the sidewalk, and the right side camera 3 shoots the following parallel running vehicle V3. The monitor 23 is provided on the instrument panel 37 immediately before the driving vehicle, and displays an image including relative positions of the host vehicle V1, the pedestrian P, and the parallel running vehicle V3 on the screen.

  When the relative position changes to a dangerous relationship, such as when the pedestrian P or the parallel running vehicle V3 enters the blind spot of the host vehicle V1, the monitor 23 blinks the host vehicle V1, the pedestrian P, and the parallel running vehicle V3 on the screen at the same time. , Generates a warning sound. Therefore, when there is a possibility that the pedestrian P may be caught when turning left or a collision with the parallel running vehicle V3 may occur when the lane is changed, the driver sees the monitor display in the instrument panel 37 and recognizes the danger early. It can be avoided in advance.

  10 and 11 show another embodiment of the cleaning means for keeping the light path of the camera 3 clean. In the doorknob 7 shown in FIG. 10, a transparent cover 41 is provided at the opening 9 of the housing 8 and functions as a light transmitting portion that guides a scene outside the vehicle to the camera 3. On the inner surface of the transparent cover 41, an antifogging film 42 for preventing the cover 41 from fogging is applied. Inside the housing 8, a warm air heater 43 for blowing warm air to the transparent cover 41 and the camera lens 12 is installed. In the transparent cover 41 shown in FIG. 11, the heating wire heater 44 is embedded in a meandering manner. The wiper 13 (see FIG. 3), the antifogging film 42, the warm air heater 43, and the heat ray heater 44 as the cleaning means may be used alone or in combination of plural ones.

  In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, a rear camera that incorporates a rear camera for photographing the rear of a vehicle is incorporated in a doorknob of a rear door, or the front camera 2 for photographing a front of a vehicle body is omitted. The shape and configuration of each part can be appropriately changed and implemented without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Reference Signs List 1 vehicle recording apparatus 2 front camera 3 side camera 4 drive recorder 6 side door 7 door knob 8 housing 9 opening 13 wiper 19 generator 21 wireless communication unit 23 monitor 28 solar power generation panel 33 turbine 35 windmill 37 instrument panel 41 Transparent cover 42 Anti-fog coating 43 Hot-air heater 44 Hot-wire heater

Claims (8)

A camera for shooting a scene outside the vehicle, a recording means for recording an image taken by the camera, and a vehicle control means for determining an event on the side of the vehicle;
Providing the camera on the doorknob of the vehicle;
The vehicle recording apparatus, wherein the vehicle control means records an image of a predetermined time before and after the event on the recording means.   The camera according to claim 1, further comprising: a human sensor detecting an approach of a person to the doorknob, and a camera control unit outputting a command for photographing the approaching individual to the camera based on a detection signal of the human sensor. Vehicle recording device. The camera control means includes means for transmitting an image of the approaching individual to the vehicle control means;
The vehicle recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vehicle control means collates the image of the approaching individual with the information registered in the storage means, and determines the legitimacy of the approaching individual. A drive recorder for continuously recording an image captured by the camera, and an impact sensor for detecting an impact of a vehicle body,
The vehicle recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle control unit determines a collision based on an output of the impact sensor, and records an image of a predetermined time before and after the collision on the recording unit.   The vehicle recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the camera is installed inside a housing of a doorknob, and the housing is provided with a translucent portion for guiding a scene outside the vehicle to the camera.   6. A recording apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein a cleaning means for keeping a light path of a camera clean is provided inside said housing.   The recording apparatus for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the doorknob includes power generation means for generating operation power of the camera.   The recording apparatus for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the door knob comprises transmission means for wirelessly transmitting video data of a camera.

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