JP2022057145A - Power supply device, image recorder, and program and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a convenient power supply device, image recorder, and program etc.SOLUTION: A power supply unit 16 which can be charged from an accessory power supply 110 of a vehicle 100 and can supply power to a drive recorder 1 having an image recording function is connected with the drive recorder 1 via a first cable 50 and a second cable 52 and has a function of transmitting an OFF state of the accessory power supply 110 of the vehicle 100 via the first cable 50 and the second cable 52.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to, for example, a power supply device, a recorder, a program, and the like.

For example, an in-vehicle recording device that is mounted on a vehicle, captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle, and records peripheral images and vehicle speed when an impact is applied to the vehicle due to an event (event) such as sudden braking, sudden steering, or collision. Drive recorders are widely used (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

The drive recorder (vehicle recording device) described in Patent Document 1 constantly records an image and detects an event while the vehicle is operating instead of being parked. In addition, the drive recorder constantly records images and detects events when the vehicle is parked and power is supplied from the vehicle battery, and when operating with a battery dedicated to the drive recorder, the event is recorded. In addition to performing detection, when an event is detected, an image is taken (see paragraph 0043 of Patent Document 1). In the drive recorder, it means that the vehicle is parked, that the shift position is "parked", that the side brake is operated, for example, that the speed is zero for a time of 5 seconds or more, and that the engine It is judged by the fact that a state such as a stop is detected and that an arbitrary trigger such as a user operation has occurred.

Patent No. 6696558

In recent years, more convenient drive recorders and other systems have been desired. For example, in a system such as Patent Document 1 in which shooting can be continued while the vehicle is parked, there is also a drive recorder that cannot directly acquire information on the state of the shift position, side brake, vehicle speed, engine, and the like. Even for a drive recorder that cannot directly acquire such information on the vehicle side, a system that can determine the state of the vehicle is desired.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a highly convenient power supply device, recorder, program and the like.

The object of the present invention is not limited to this, and the intention is to acquire the right of the configuration for the purpose of obtaining the effect of the configuration disclosed in the present specification, drawings, etc. by divisional application, amendment, or the like. For example, the present specification discloses a problem in which a part described as "-can" or "-is possible" in the present specification is replaced with "-is a problem". The issues are described as independent, and we intend to independently acquire the rights to the structure for solving each issue by divisional application, amendment, etc. Even if the subject matter is implicitly grasped from the description in the specification, the applicant intends to make a part of the structure described in the specification amended or to make the claims in the divisional application. It also discloses a structure that solves the problems by combining these independent problems, and has the intention to acquire the rights.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the power supply device according to the present invention is (1) a power supply device that can be charged from an accessory power supply of a vehicle and can supply electric power to a recorder having a recording function, and communicates with the recorder. It is connected via a line and has a function of transmitting the OFF state of the accessory power supply of the vehicle via the communication line.

By using the communication line that enables information transmission between the recorder and the power supply device connected to the accessory power supply in this way, it is possible to transmit the OFF state of the accessory power supply, so that the accessory power supply can be transmitted. Even a recorder that cannot directly detect the signal indicating the OFF state of the accessory can detect the OFF state of the accessory power supply. For example, even when the parking recording start condition is the OFF state of the accessory power supply, it becomes possible to easily cope with it. By doing so, convenience can be enhanced.

Further, in the present invention, (2) a function of transmitting the OFF state of the accessory power supply by the state of the communication line when the signal relating to the recorder is not transmitted from the recorder to the power supply device via the communication line. You may have. In this way, it identifies itself from the communication status with the recorder that the recorder is a model that cannot transmit and receive signals related to the recorder (for example, the recording function), and transmits a signal indicating the OFF state of the accessory power supply. can do.

Further, in the present invention, (3) when a predetermined communication signal is transmitted from the recorder to the power supply device via the communication line, it is preferable to send a signal indicating the OFF state of the accessory power supply. In this way, it is possible to identify itself that the drive recorder is a communication model from the communication state with the drive recorder, and transmit a signal indicating the OFF state of the accessory power supply by using the original communication function.

Further, in the present invention, (4) the communication line may be a communication line capable of UART communication. In this way, the existing cable can be used without the need to add a new communication line. The communication line capable of UART communication is provided, for example, in a cable having a 10-pin miniUSB terminal.

Further, in the present invention, (5) the communication line is a first signal line used for transmitting a signal from the recorder to the power supply device, and a first signal line used for transmitting a signal from the power supply device to the recorder. When the first signal line has two signal lines and the level of the first signal line is in the first state, a signal indicating the OFF state of the accessory power supply is sent to the second signal line, and the first signal is sent. When the line level is in the second state, it has a function of switching the level of the second signal line according to the turning off of the accessory power supply. By doing so, the power supply device can have the same effect as (1) above, and the recorder can receive and recognize the signal indicating the OFF state of the accessory power supply. Can recognize the status of the accessory power supply.

(6) When the level of the first signal line is in the first state, a signal indicating predetermined communication information different from the signal indicating the state of the accessory power supply is input to the second signal line. It is good to have a function to flow. In this way, the signal line for causing the recorder to recognize the state of the accessory power supply and the signal line for transmitting a signal indicating predetermined communication information can be shared. If a communication line that transmits signals related to the recording function (for example, signals such as setting information of the recording function) is used instead of a dedicated communication line for transmitting a signal indicating the status of the accessory power supply, the complexity of the wiring structure is suppressed. In addition, it is easy to transmit the OFF state of the accessory power supply by using an existing standard cable or the like.

(7) The recorder according to the present invention is a recorder that has a recording function and operates by receiving power supply from any of the above power supply devices, and is a communication line for connecting to the power supply device. The connection terminal is provided with a connection terminal to which the communication line having a first signal line for transmitting a signal to the power supply device and a second signal line for transmitting a signal from the power supply device is connected. Has a first terminal electrically connected to the first signal line and a second terminal electrically connected to the second signal line, and the communication line is the connection. In the state of being connected to the terminal, the level of the first terminal is in the second state, and the vehicle is switched between the second state and the first state of the level of the second terminal. It has a function to recognize the OFF state of the accessory power supply.

In this way, a signal indicating the OFF state of the accessory power supply of the vehicle can be received via the communication line, and the OFF state of the accessory power supply of the vehicle can be recognized without recognizing this signal.

Further, in the present invention, (8) the function of outputting the signal related to the setting of the recording function via the first terminal may not be provided.

By doing so, even a recorder having no communication function for outputting a signal related to the setting of the recording function to the power supply device can recognize the OFF state of the accessory power supply of the vehicle.

Further, in the present invention, (9) the connection terminal may be a terminal used for UART communication.

By doing so, it is possible to use the existing standard terminal without making the connection terminal a special standard terminal. The terminal used for UART communication is, for example, a 10-pin miniUSB terminal.

Further, in the present invention, (10) the recording function uses the electric power supplied from the power supply device in response to the recognition of the OFF state of the accessory power supply of the vehicle in response to the switching of the level of the second terminal. Then start recording.

In this way, a signal indicating the OFF state of the accessory power of the vehicle is received via the communication line, and even if this signal is not recognized, recording by the recording function is performed according to the OFF state of the accessory power of the vehicle. Can be started.

(11) It may be a program for realizing the function of any one of the above (1) to (6) on the computer. By doing so, the computer can execute the functions (1) to (6) above.

(12) It may be a program for realizing the function of any one of the above (7) to (11) on the computer. By doing so, the computer can execute the functions (7) to (11) above.

The inventions shown in (1) to (12) above can be arbitrarily combined. For example, the configuration may be such that at least a part of the configuration of at least one invention after (2) is added to all or part of the configuration of the invention shown in (1). In particular, the invention shown in (1) may be an invention in which at least a part of at least one of the inventions after (2) is added. Further, an arbitrary configuration may be extracted from the inventions shown in (1) to (12), and the extracted configurations may be combined. The applicant of the present application intends to acquire rights to the invention including these configurations. Further, even if there is a description of "when" or "when", it is not described as a configuration limited to that case or at that time. These show examples of better configurations and are willing to acquire rights in these cases and in occasional configurations. In addition, the places where the description is accompanied by an order are not limited to this order. It also discloses a configuration in which some parts have been deleted or the order has been changed, and has the intention of acquiring rights.

According to the present invention, convenience can be enhanced.

The effect of the invention of the present application is not limited to this, and the effect produced from the part of the configuration disclosed in the present specification, drawings, etc. is also disclosed, and the configuration exhibiting the effect is also disclosed by divisional application, amendment, etc. Have the intention to acquire the right. For example, in this specification, the parts such as "-can" and "-possible" clearly indicate the effect to be played, and even if there is no description such as "-can" and "-possible", the effect can be obtained. There is a part to show. Moreover, even if there is no such description, there is an effect that can be grasped by the configuration.

(A) A perspective view of the front camera of the drive recorder according to the embodiment of the present invention, (b) a view showing the front of the vehicle in which the front camera is installed, and (c) a view showing the rear of the vehicle in which the rear camera is installed. .. It is a block diagram which shows the schematic system configuration of one Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the wiring structure of a power supply unit. It is a schematic diagram which shows each line of a power supply unit. It is a timing chart which shows the communication process with a drive recorder executed by a communication control unit. It is a flowchart which shows the communication process with a drive recorder executed by a communication control unit.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the embodiment shown below is one embodiment that provides the present invention, and the content of the present invention is not limitedly interpreted based on the following description.

[System configuration]
An example of a system configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The "system" may be a part or all of the system attached to a moving body. Further, when a part of the "system" is attached to a moving body, it is particularly preferable that an image pickup unit such as a camera can be attached to the moving body, and the control unit is separated from the moving body to which the image pickup unit is attached. You may be prepared for the place. Further, the "system" may have a function of a drive recorder or other image pickup apparatus.

Further, the moving body to which a part or all of the system is attached may be a system mounted not only on a vehicle such as an automobile or an electric mobile vehicle but also on an object other than the vehicle. An example of an object other than a vehicle may be a system mounted on a moving body (for example, a vehicle) other than a vehicle such as a vehicle in transportation such as a train, a linear motor car, or a monorail, a ship, or an airplane. In particular, it is preferable to use a system mounted on a vehicle. The vehicle is not limited to a four-wheeled vehicle, but may be, for example, a two-wheeled vehicle such as a motorcycle or a large transport vehicle having four or more wheels, and in particular, a four-wheeled vehicle that can observe the outside of the vehicle interior from the inside of the vehicle. Vehicles include, for example, transportation vehicles (for example, trucks, forklifts, etc.), commercial vehicles (for example, taxis, buses, etc.), general vehicles, and other vehicles in general, as well as more versatile vehicles. May be good. In this embodiment, a drive recorder, which is an example of a recorder that can be mounted on a vehicle, will be described.

Further, when the "imaging unit" is a camera, the cameras may be provided at a plurality of locations in the vehicle. For example, a camera different from the camera for the front of the vehicle is provided for the rear of the vehicle, and the camera for the front of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "front camera") and the camera for the rear of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "rear camera") are provided. It is preferable to take an image of another moving object or the like with two cameras. Further, the front camera or the rear camera may be used as a camera capable of taking an image at a viewing angle of 360 degrees, so that the inside of the vehicle can also be imaged.

The system according to the present embodiment has a drive recorder 1 (an example of a recorder) having a recording function for recording an image captured by a vehicle 100.

The drive recorder 1 has two image pickup units, a front camera 10 provided in front of the vehicle and a rear camera 20 provided in the rear of the vehicle. The front camera 10 and the rear camera 20 capture images of multicolored color components of, for example, red (R), green (G), and blue (B), but the types and numbers of color components can be varied in various ways. be.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing the front camera 10 of the drive recorder 1. As shown in FIG. 1A, a memory card insertion slot 11 is provided on one side surface of the housing of the front camera 10. A display 12 and an operation unit 13 (a plurality of operation buttons 13a to 13d in the example shown in FIG. 1A) are provided on the back surface of the housing. For example, in the present embodiment, the operation button 13a is a display button for switching images, the operation button 13b is a mode button for displaying a playback mode, the operation button 13c is a REC / STOP button for starting / stopping recording, and the operation button 13d is a setting. The menu button for displaying the menu and the operation button 13e are recording buttons for manually starting the event recording described later.

Further, a joint rail 14 is provided on the upper surface of the housing. Although not shown in FIG. 1A, a lens of the front camera 10 which is an example of the image pickup unit is provided on the front surface of the housing. A connection terminal 15 is provided on the side surface opposite to the side surface of the memory card insertion slot 11, and a speaker and an HD output terminal are provided on the bottom surface although not shown in FIG. 1 (a).

The front camera 10 having a lens captures, for example, an image in front of the vehicle. The memory card insertion slot 11 is an insertion slot for inserting a memory card. The speaker outputs sound such as voice. The HD output terminal is a terminal for connecting to another information device via a cable. The joint rail 14 is for attaching a joint member for mounting the front camera 10 on the vehicle. The display 12 displays various images. The operation unit 13 is for inputting various commands to the drive recorder 1 by being operated by the user.

In the present embodiment, the user may be, for example, a driver of a vehicle or the like on which the drive recorder 1 is mounted, or a person different from the driver, for example, a passenger.

FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the front of the vehicle in which the front camera 10 of the present embodiment is installed. In the example shown in FIG. 1B, the front camera 10 of the drive recorder 1 is arranged at a position on the passenger side above the windshield 101 of the vehicle 100 and adjacent to the rearview mirror 102 near the center in the left-right direction. ing. The front camera 10 is attached and fixed to the windshield 101 by a mounting member such as double-sided tape. The connection terminal 15 of the front camera 10 is connected to the accessory power supply 110 via the power supply unit 16. The connection terminal 15 and the power supply unit 16 will be described later.

FIG. 1 (c) is a diagram showing the rear of the vehicle in which the rear camera 20 is installed. In the example shown in FIG. 1 (c), the rear camera 20 is attached to and fixed to the rear glass 104 by a mounting member at the upper part of the rear glass 104 of the vehicle near the center in the left-right direction. The rear camera 20 shown in FIG. 1 (c) also has a display function, but this is not essential, and the image captured by the rear camera 20 can be viewed in front of the image captured by the rear camera 20. It is advisable to provide a display for displaying the above on the dashboard 105.

The drive recorder 1 may be configured to take images with two cameras separately provided with the front camera 10 and the rear camera 20, provide various functions only on the side of the front camera 10, and connect the rear camera 20 to the front camera 10. Further, the drive recorder 1 has a function of making various settings on the front camera 10 side, and the front camera 10 and the rear camera 20 may operate according to the settings made on the front camera 10 side. However, this is not essential, and a system capable of performing various functions and various settings may be mounted on the front and rear of the vehicle, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 1A, a part of the member of the drive recorder 1 may be provided at a position different from that of the windshield 101 depending on the use of this member. For example, the operation button 13f, which is one of the operation units 13, may be provided on the dashboard 105 as shown in FIG. 1 (b). For example, the controller 30 may transmit the video data captured by the camera to the outside and record the video data externally.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic system configuration of the drive recorder of the present embodiment. The drive recorder 1 includes the above-mentioned front camera 10 (an example of an imaging unit), a rear camera 20 (an example of an imaging unit), a display 12, an operation unit 13 including operation buttons 13a to 13f, a connection terminal 15, and a power supply unit 16. A controller 30 (an example of a control unit), a speaker 40, a GPS receiver 41, an acceleration sensor 42, a wireless communication circuit 43, and a memory card reader 44 are provided. The memory card reader 44 has a read / write function and should be referred to as a "memory card reader / writer" in a strict sense, but is simply referred to as a "memory card reader" in the present specification.

The display 12 and the speaker 40 function as a notification unit for notifying the user of various information. The display 12 outputs various information as an image display based on the control of the controller 30. The speaker 40 outputs alarms and various information by sound based on the control of the controller 30. The operation unit 13 functions as an input means for the user to give various commands to the drive recorder 1 (more specifically, the controller 30).

In the present embodiment, the front camera 10 functions as an imaging unit in which the lens points to the front of the vehicle 100 and images in the angle of view (in the field of view) in front of the vehicle are captured. The image captured by the front camera 10 is taken into the controller 30 as image data. The front camera 10 can capture at least the front of the vehicle. For example, the front camera 10 may be provided with a camera for photographing the front and a camera for photographing the inside of the own vehicle separately to take an image. It is even better to be able to capture both the inside of the vehicle and the inside of the vehicle.

In the present embodiment, the rear camera 20 functions as an image pickup unit in which the lens points to the rear of the vehicle 100 and images in the angle of view (in the field of view) behind the vehicle are captured. The image captured by the rear camera 20 is taken into the controller 30 as image data. Although the rear camera 20 can capture at least the rear of the vehicle, it is more preferable that the rear camera 20 can capture images on the sides in addition to the rear. Further, although there are two image pickup units of the present embodiment, the front camera 10 and the rear camera 20, the number of image pickup units may be one or two or more.

The GPS receiver 41 detects the position information of the own vehicle at the current time based on the instruction of the controller 30. The position information detects the time obtained based on the signal from the GPS satellite, the speed, longitude, latitude, altitude, etc. of the own vehicle. The controller 30 performs a process of recording the history of these position information.

As the acceleration sensor 42, a 3-axis type sensor that detects acceleration and inclination in each of the 3-axis (x-axis, y-axis, z-axis) directions is used. The measured value by the acceleration sensor 42 is always taken into the controller 30. The controller 30 acquires acceleration information of three axes every 10 ms, for example.

The wireless communication circuit 43 communicates wirelessly with an external device such as a server (for example, a server of a public institution such as a police force, a server of a site operating company on the Internet that anyone can view), a personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like. Functions as a communication unit for doing. The controller 30 has a function of transmitting video data to an external device via the wireless communication circuit 43 by executing a wireless communication processing program. As the wireless communication circuit 43, for example, a communication circuit compliant with a WiFi standard, a short-range wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), a mobile communication system standard such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G, 5G, etc. is used. good. Standards for mobile communication systems can be applied, for example, to communication between vehicles moving within a wider area and external devices.

The memory card reader 44 functions as a medium accommodating unit for holding the memory card 45. Specifically, the memory card 45 is an SD card, a miniSD card, a microSD card, or the like, and functions as a detachable recording medium. The user can attach the memory card to the memory card reader 44 through the memory card insertion slot 11. The memory card reader 44 reads the data of the memory card 45 held in the memory card reader 44 or causes the memory card 45 to record the data based on the control from the controller 30. The memory card reader 44 may separate the area for recording the data captured by the front camera 10 and the area for recording the data captured by the rear camera 20 on the other. You may have two or more memory cards, but the data captured by the front camera 10 is recorded on the first memory card, and the data captured by the rear camera 20 is recorded on the second memory card. You should try to do it.

The controller 30 has a well-known arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU 31, a memory such as a ROM 32 and a RAM 33, a timer 34, and other peripheral circuits. Various programs are recorded in the ROM 32 of the controller 30. The controller 30 realizes various functions by executing these programs. Various programs include an operating system (OS), a GPS information processing program, a wireless communication processing program, a recording processing program, and the like. The GPS information processing program, the wireless communication processing program, and the recording processing program do not have to be independent programs, and a program in which a plurality of these functions are combined may be used.

By executing the GPS information processing program, the controller 30 can record the GPS information received by the GPS receiver 41 on the memory card 45 held in the memory card reader 44.

By executing the recording processing program, the controller 30 can record the images captured by the front camera 10 and the rear camera 20 in the recording area of the memory card 45 in association with the time. The controller 30 has a function of accessing the memory card 45 held in the memory card reader 44, and records images captured by the front camera 10 and the rear camera 20 on the memory card held in the memory card reader 44. It functions as a control unit with a function. Specifically, the recording function of the controller 30 temporarily writes the video data captured by the front camera 10 and the rear camera 20 to the RAM 33, and writes the video data from the RAM 33 to the memory card 45 via the memory card reader 44. Record.

Various settings can be made in the recording function of the controller 30, and the setting of the recording function will be described in detail below.

The controller 30 of the present embodiment has an event recording mode, a constant recording mode, and a parking recording mode as recording modes. The parking recording mode is a mode associated with a parking recording function for recording while the vehicle 100 is parked. The parking recording function is a function related to recording while the vehicle 100 is parked. The parking recording function is sometimes called a parking monitoring function in the sense that it monitors the inside or the vicinity of the parked vehicle 100. Specifically, the parking recording function is executed by selecting at least one of the time-lapse mode and the motion detection mode. The event recording mode can be executed as multitasking processing in parallel even when the continuous recording mode or the parking recording mode is selected.

The event recording mode is a recording mode for recording video data captured by the front camera 10 and the rear camera 20 in response to the occurrence of a specific event (for example, an event). The specific event is, for example, an event such as when the user operates a sudden steering wheel, sudden braking, or the like while the vehicle is running, or when the vehicle collides with another object. The controller 30 determines such a specific event from, for example, the measured value by the acceleration sensor 42. Specifically, the controller 30 determines that a specific event has occurred when the value measured by the acceleration sensor 42 exceeds a predetermined threshold value or shows a predetermined temporal change. The determination condition of a specific event is not limited to this, and the vehicle condition such as the vehicle speed and the steering condition may be included in the condition. Further, the controller 30 also determines that a specific event has occurred even when a specific operation button (for example, the operation button 13e in FIG. 1A) of the operation unit 13 is pressed. The imaging and recording in the event recording mode by pressing the operation button 13e is also referred to as one-touch recording. The operation that triggers the start of recording does not necessarily have to be one-touch, and may be a predetermined operation. The recording in this case is a recording called manual recording or manual recording, and can be replaced with one-touch recording.

As the event recording mode, the controller 30 records the video data captured at a certain time before and after the event occurrence when the above-mentioned specific event occurs. For example, the controller 30 records video data for a total of 40 seconds, 20 seconds before the event occurrence and 20 seconds after the event occurrence, on the memory card 45 as one recording file.

The continuous recording mode is a recording mode in which video data is continuously captured and recorded by the front camera 10 and the rear camera 20. Specifically, the controller 30 records video data captured at least from the start to the stop of the engine of the vehicle 100 in the continuous recording mode. Starting the engine corresponds to, for example, turning on the accessory power supply of the vehicle 100, and stopping the engine corresponds to turning off the accessory power supply. The determination of ON / OFF of this accessory power supply will be described later.

The time-lapse mode, which is one of the parking recording modes, is a recording mode in which the front camera 10 and the rear camera 20 perform intermittent imaging and record. In the present embodiment, the intermittent imaging is to image at a frame rate thinned out from the reference frame rate. In the present embodiment, when the time-lapse mode is selected, the controller 30 sets the frame rate of the image taken by the front camera 10 and the rear camera 20 to a frame rate lower than the reference frame rate, and performs image taking and recording. I do. The reference frame rate may be, for example, a frame rate adopted in at least one of a continuous recording mode, an event recording mode, a one-touch recording mode, and a motion detection mode. For example, the frame rate of another recording mode is, for example, 20 to 30 frames / sec (hereinafter, may be paraphrased as "frame / sec"), whereas the frame rate of the time-lapse mode is, for example, 1 frame / sec. Let it be seconds.

The controller 30 of the present embodiment records the video captured in the time-lapse mode as a time-compressed moving image. For example, the video data captured at 1 frame / sec is recorded as video data compressed to 30 frames / sec, which is equivalent to the frame rate of other recording modes. The video data captured in the time-lapse mode may be recorded as a moving image of one frame per second.

Further, the motion detection mode, which is one of the parking recording modes, is a recording mode in which an image is taken and recorded according to the detection of a moving object. Specifically, when the motion detection mode is selected, the controller 30 detects the motion from the changes in the images captured by the front camera 10 and the rear camera 20, and when there is a motion (that is, the motion is detected). If), record the video data. The frame rate in the motion detection mode is higher than the frame rate in the time-lapse mode, for example, 20 to 30 frames / sec. The controller 30 detects a moving object based on the video data temporarily written in the RAM 33, and when the moving object is detected, records by writing the video data to the memory card 45 based on the video data on the RAM 33.

The recording function of the controller 30 creates a new file and records each time a moving image is recorded for a predetermined time. For example, it is 1 minute in the continuous recording mode, 30 minutes in the time-lapse mode, and 40 seconds or 30 seconds in the event recording mode and the one-touch recording.

The controller 30 automatically records (imaging and recording) for parking in the parking recording mode (specifically, time-lapse mode or motion detection mode) in response to detecting the OFF state of the accessory power supply of the vehicle 100, for example. To start. In the present embodiment, the OFF state of the accessory power supply is detected by using the communication line between the drive recorder 1 and the power supply unit 16, which will be described later. In addition to detecting the OFF state of the accessory power supply, the controller 30 satisfies the parking recording start condition such as the engine OFF state or the operation of switching to the parking recording mode by the user in the operation unit 13. Occasionally the parking recording mode may be started.

The memory card 45, which is the recording destination of the video data in the drive recorder 1, has at least two recording areas, a first recording area and a second recording area. The recording function realized by the recording processing program executed by the controller 30 is that the event recording mode, that is, the video data captured in response to the occurrence of a specific event is stored in the first recording area (event recording folder in this embodiment). Record. Further, in the second recording area (normal recording folder in this embodiment), video data captured in the continuous recording mode, the time-lapse mode, and the motion detection mode is recorded.

The controller 30 has a reproduction function of reproducing the video data recorded by the recording function. The reproduction function has a function of selectively reproducing the image data captured by the front camera 10 and the image data captured by the rear camera 20. Which video is to be reproduced can be switched, for example, by the user operating a predetermined operation button in the operation unit 13.

The display 12 also functions as a notification unit that informs the user of the role played by the memory card 45 accessed by the controller 30.

Further, a viewer program having a function of simultaneously reproducing the video data captured by the front camera 10 and the video data captured by the rear camera 20 may be provided.

Further, the display 12 may be provided on the dashboard 105 of the vehicle 100 as described above, or the image captured by the front camera 10 and the image captured by the rear camera 20 may be captured by the rear camera 20. The dashboard 105 may be provided with only a display capable of reproducing only the video. Further, the reproduction function may be performed not only on the display 12 of the drive recorder 1 but also on the display of other information terminals such as a PC, a smartphone, a mobile phone, and a tablet terminal. For example, by installing a viewer program having the reproduction function on another information terminal, the reproduction function can be realized for the display of the information terminal. The viewer program may be provided from the drive recorder 1 to the information terminal via the wireless communication circuit 43, may be recorded on the memory card 45 and provided, or may be provided via a communication network such as the Internet.

The drive recorder 1 configured as described above is connected to the accessory power supply 110 of the vehicle 100 from the connection terminal 15 via the power supply unit 16.

The connection terminal 15 of the drive recorder 1 is, for example, a 10-pin miniUSB terminal (female terminal), and has a wiring structure including at least a power supply line, a ground (GND) line, and a UART communication line. The UART communication line is a communication line that performs asynchronous serial communication using two signal lines, UART_TX for data transmission and UART_RX for data reception. The drive recorder 1 is connected to the accessory power supply 110 of the vehicle 100 from the connection terminal 15 via the power supply unit 16.

Here, FIG. 3 shows an explanatory diagram showing the connection configuration of the power supply unit, and FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram showing each line of the power supply unit 16. Hereinafter, the drive recorder 1 and the vehicle are shown based on these diagrams. The connection relationship with the accessory power supply 110 of 100 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the power supply unit 16 includes a first cable 50 (an example of a communication line), a converter 51, a second cable 52 (an example of a communication line), and a battery unit 53 (an example of a power supply device). It has a third cable 54.

The first cable 50 is a cable that connects the connection terminal 15 and the converter 51, and a 10-pin miniUSB terminal (male terminal) that can be inserted into the connection terminal 15 is provided at the tip of the connection terminal 15 side.

The first cable 50 and the second cable 52 are connected to the converter 51 so as to be integrated with each other. This is a DC / DC converter that converts DC (direct current) 12V power input from the second cable 52 into DC 5V and outputs it to the first cable 50.

The second cable 52 is a cable that connects the converter 51 and the battery unit 53, and is provided with a 10-pin connector (male terminal) at the tip on the battery unit 53 side.

The battery unit 53 includes an output terminal 53a connected to the second cable 52, a communication control unit 53c to control communication between the connection terminal 53b connected to the third cable 54, and the drive recorder 1, and an off-timer setting. It has a unit 53d, and a battery pack for storing electricity is mounted inside.

The third cable 54 is a cable that connects the battery unit 53 and the accessory power supply 110, and a connector 54a that can be inserted into the battery unit 53 is provided at the tip of the battery unit 53 side. In the third cable 54, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, the GND cord 54b connected to the metal portion of the vehicle 100 from the connector 54a and the power cord 54c connected to the accessory power supply 110 extend as separate wiring. ing. The power cord 54c is provided with a fuse holder 54d having a fuse inside in the middle.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the power supply unit 16 configured as described above, the first cable 50 and the second cable 52 have power supply lines (examples of feeder lines) 50a, 52a, GND lines 50b, 52b, and first UART line. It has 50c, 52c (an example of a first signal line) and a second UART line 50d, 52d (an example of a second signal line). On the other hand, the connection terminal 15 does not have a terminal that receives only a signal indicating an on / off state of the accessory power supply. The first cable 50 connected to the connection terminal 15, and the second cable 52 and the third cable 54 also do not have a signal line dedicated to transmitting a signal indicating an on / off state of the accessory power supply.

The first UART lines 50c and 52c connect the UART_TX of the connection terminal 15 of the drive recorder 1 and the UART_RX of the output terminal 53a of the battery unit 53. The second UART lines 50d and 52d connect the UART_TX of the output terminal 53a of the battery unit 53 and the UART_RX of the connection terminal 15 of the drive recorder 1. The connection terminal 15 is electrically connected to a power supply terminal which is a terminal electrically connected to the power supply line 50a, a GND terminal which is a terminal electrically connected to the GND line 50b, and a first UART line 50c. It has a first terminal and a second terminal that is electrically connected to the second ground line 50d. The connection terminal 15 is a terminal used for UART communication.

The power supply unit 16 configured in this way can charge the battery unit 53 when the accessory power supply 110 is ON (started state), and converts the power of the accessory power supply 110 into a voltage via the converter 51. Can be supplied to the drive recorder 1. When the accessory power supply 110 is turned off (non-started) due to the engine stop of the vehicle 100 or the like, the battery unit 53 can supply electric power to the drive recorder 1 for a predetermined timer time set by the off timer setting unit 53d. Is. The off-timer setting unit 53d is composed of, for example, a DIP switch, and is not used (0 hours), 0.5 hours, 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours, 5 hours, 6 hours, and 12 hours. The off-timer time can be set.

Further, in the communication control unit 53c of the battery unit 53, the drive recorder 1 connected by the communication processing program using the signal lines of the first UART lines 50c and 52c and the second UART lines 50d and 52d is a model with communication. It is possible to determine whether the model has no communication. The drive recorder of the model with communication is a drive recorder having a function of communicating (that is, transmitting and receiving signals) with the battery unit 53, for example, setting information of the drive recorder and ON state and OFF state of the accessory power supply. It is a model that can directly exchange the indicated signals. The drive recorder of the non-communication model is a model that does not have a function of performing such communication, for example, and cannot directly exchange various signals.

Specifically, FIG. 5 shows a timing chart showing a communication process with the drive recorder 1 executed by the communication control unit 53c. The communication control unit 53c of the battery unit 53 determines whether the model has communication or no communication based on whether or not a signal is transmitted from the drive recorder 1.

More specifically, the communication control unit 53c utilizes the fact that it has a high impedance connection with the drive recorder 1. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the communication control unit 53c is in the state (more specifically, the level) of the first UART lines 50d and 52d from the cold start (at the time of t1) of the accessory power supply 110, that is, the battery unit 53. When the state of UART_RX of the output terminal 53a (UART_TX of the connection terminal 15 of the drive recorder 1) is the Hi side (high level, an example of the first state), a signal from the drive recorder 1 to the drive recorder 1 (for example, for example). Since it is in a state where it can transmit (communicate) a signal indicating information about the drive recorder 1, it is determined to be a communication model (upper part of FIG. 5).

On the other hand, if the signals of the first UART lines 50d and 52d are on the Lo side (low level, an example of the second state) despite the high impedance connection from the cold start of the accessory power supply 110 (at the time of t1), the drive recorder. Since 1 is in a state where a signal (for example, a signal indicating information about the drive recorder 1) cannot be transmitted, it is determined that the model has no communication (lower part of FIG. 5).

Alternatively, the drive recorder 1 of the communication model starts communication with the battery unit 53 within a predetermined time (for example, about 10 seconds) from the cold start with a signal related to the setting of the drive recorder 1 (in other words, a signal such as setting information). It is set. The communication control unit 53c detects switching between the Hi state and the Lo state on the first UART lines 50c and 52c within this predetermined time, or the signal from the drive recorder 1 (communication information which is information related to communication). When it is detected that the signal indicating that the signal has been received, it may be determined that the model has communication.

When the communication control unit 53c determines that the model has communication, it is referred to as a signal corresponding to ON / OFF of the accessory power supply 110 via the second UART lines 50d and 52d (hereinafter, referred to as "ON signal" and "OFF signal", respectively. By transmitting (see FIG. 5), information regarding ON / OFF of the accessory power supply (that is, ON / OFF state) is transmitted to the drive recorder 1. The ON signal and OFF signal related to ON / OFF of the accessory power supply are transmitted when the accessory power supply 110 is switched to ON or OFF. When the ON signal or the OFF signal is transmitted, the second UART lines 50d and 52d return to the original state (Hi state).

On the other hand, when the communication control unit 53c determines that the model has no communication, the communication control unit 53c switches the state (level) of the second UART lines 50d and 52d between the ON state and the OFF state of the accessory power supply. The drive recorder 1 recognizes the ON / OFF state of the accessory power supply according to this switching. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the communication control unit 53c sets the second UART lines 50d and 52d in the Hi state when the accessory power supply 110 is in the ON state, and sets the second UART lines 50d and 52d in the Hi state when the accessory power supply is in the OFF state. To the Lo state. The drive recorder 1 can determine the ON / OFF state of the accessory power supply from the states of the second UART lines 50d and 52d. The communication control unit 53c fixes the second UART lines 50d and 52d to the Lo state while the accessory power supply 110 is in the OFF state. In this way, the communication control unit 53c transmits the state of the accessory power supply 110 to the drive recorder 1 of the communication model by communication from the UART_TX of the output terminal 53a to the model without communication. On the other hand, it is transmitted by changing the level of UART_TX of the output terminal 53a. When the drive recorder 1 is a drive recorder which is a non-communication model, the controller 30 recognizes the OFF state of the accessory power supply of the vehicle by switching the level input to the second terminal of the connection terminal 15. , It is preferable to start the recording in the parking recording mode by using the electric power supplied from the battery unit 53. As described above, the function of the drive recorder 1 which is a non-communication model to start recording in the parking recording mode in response to recognizing the OFF state of the accessory power supply of the vehicle is a function realized by the recording processing program.

It should be noted that the switching of the ON signal and the OFF signal according to the ON / OFF of the accessory power supply 110 and the switching transmission of the state of the UART_TX of the output terminal 53a are performed after the accessory power supply 110 is switched ON / OFF in order to prevent chattering. (For example, at the time of t2 in FIG. 5) A predetermined determination period may be provided.

[Action]
Next, an example of the operation of the switching process to the parking recording mode executed by the controller 30 of the drive recorder 1 and the communication process with the drive recorder 1 executed by the communication control unit 53c of the battery unit 53 will be described.

Next, FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a communication process with the drive recorder 1 executed by the communication control unit 53c of the battery unit 53, and hereinafter, according to the same flowchart, the drive recorder 1 executed by the communication control unit 53c of the battery unit 53. The communication process with is described. The first start of the flowchart in the figure is the cold start of the accessory power supply 110, and at least the second UART lines 50d and 52d start from the Hi state (first state).

First, in step S20, in the communication control unit 53c, the signals of the first UART lines 50c and 52c, that is, the signal to the UART_RX of the output terminal 53a of the battery unit 53 (the signal from the UART_TX of the connection terminal 15 of the drive recorder 1) are Hi. It is determined whether or not it is on the side (first state). If the determination result is true (Yes), that is, if the first UART lines 50c and 52c are on the Hi side from the cold start, the process proceeds to step S21.

In step S21, the communication control unit 53c determines that the drive recorder connected to the battery unit 53 is a communication model capable of directly exchanging information indicating the drive recorder setting information and the ON / OFF state of the accessory power supply. The process proceeds to the next step S22.

In step S22, the communication control unit 53c determines whether or not the accessory power supply 110 is in the OFF state. This is determined by, for example, whether or not the power supply from the accessory power supply 110 to the battery unit 53 is stopped. If the determination result is false (No), the process of step S22 is repeated until the accessory power supply 110 is turned off. Then, when the determination result is true (Yes), the process proceeds to the next step S23.

In step S23, the communication control unit 53c transmits an OFF signal of the accessory power supply 110 from the UART_TX to the drive recorder 1 via the second UART lines 50d and 52d, and ends the routine. By doing so, the drive recorder, which is a model with communication, can recognize that the accessory power supply has been turned off.

On the other hand, if the determination result in step S20 is false (No), that is, if the signals of the first UART lines 50c and 52c from the cold start are on the Lo side, the process proceeds to step S24.

In step S24, the communication control unit 53c determines that the drive recorder connected to the battery unit 53 cannot directly exchange signals indicating the drive recorder setting information and the ON / OFF state of the accessory power supply, and determines that the model has no communication. The process proceeds to step S25 of.

In step S25, the communication control unit 53c determines whether or not the accessory power supply 110 has been turned off, as in step S22. If the determination result is false (No), the process of the step S25 is repeated until the accessory power supply 110 is turned off, and if the determination result is true (Yes), the next step S26 Proceed to the process.

In step S26, the communication control unit 53c switches the output terminal 53a from the Hi state to the Lo state and ends the routine. In this way, the drive recorder, which is a non-communication model, can recognize that the accessory power supply is in the OFF state while the second UART lines 50d and 52d are in the Lo state. When the drive recorder 1 is a drive recorder with no communication, the controller 30 of the drive recorder 1 recognizes the OFF state of the accessory power supply of the vehicle by switching the level input to the second terminal of the connection terminal 15. Accordingly, the power supplied from the battery unit 53 may be used to start recording in the parking recording mode.

[effect]
When the power supply from the accessory power supply 110 of the vehicle is cut off, the battery unit 53 switches the power supply source to the internal battery pack and supplies power to the drive recorder 1. Since power is continuously supplied to the drive recorder 1 before and after the switching, the drive recorder 1 cannot determine whether the power supply source is the accessory power supply 110 of the vehicle or the battery pack. Further, even if the drive recorder 1 receives a signal from the battery unit 53 indicating that the accessory power supply 110 has been turned off and does not have a function of recognizing this, the drive recorder 1 recognizes that the accessory power supply 110 has been turned off and parks. The inventor thought that the convenience of the user would be improved if it was determined that the recording start condition was satisfied and the recording in the parking recording mode could be started automatically.

Therefore, in the system of the present embodiment, the drive recorder 1 includes a first cable and a first cable including a battery unit 53 and signal lines (specifically, UART communication lines) of the first UART lines 50c and 52c and the second UART lines 50d and 52d. It is connected by two cables. Then, when the accessory power supply 110 of the vehicle 100 is turned off, the communication control unit 53c of the battery unit 53 sends a signal indicating the OFF state of the accessory power supply 110 via the second UART lines 50d and 52d. By using the battery unit 53 connected to the drive recorder 1 and the accessory power supply 110 in this way, a signal indicating the OFF state of the accessory power supply 110 can be sent to the drive recorder 1 to turn off the accessory power supply 110. Even if the drive recorder 1 cannot directly detect the state, it is necessary to detect the OFF state of the accessory power supply 110, for example, when the parking recording start condition described above is the OFF state of the accessory power supply 110. Will be able to be easily dealt with.

In particular, when the signal related to the drive recorder 1 (signal indicating setting information or the like) is not transmitted to the battery unit 53 via the UART communication line (specifically, the first UART lines 50c and 52c), the drive recorder 1 is a model without communication. The signal indicating the OFF state of the accessory power supply 110 is transmitted to the UART communication line (specifically, the second UART lines 50d and 52d). In this way, it is possible to identify itself from the communication state with the drive recorder 1 that the drive recorder 1 is a non-communication model, and transmit a signal indicating the OFF state of the accessory power supply. For example, it is possible to suppress sending an unnecessary signal to the drive recorder 1 of a communicable model.

Further, when a signal indicating predetermined communication information such as information (setting information, etc.) regarding the drive recorder 1 is transmitted to the battery unit 53 via the UART communication line (specifically, the first UART lines 50c and 52c), the signal is transmitted. The drive recorder 1 determines that the model has communication, and includes information indicating the OFF state of the accessory power supply 110 in the signal indicating predetermined communication information. In this way, it is possible to identify itself that the drive recorder 1 is a communication model from the communication state with the drive recorder 1 and transmit a signal indicating the OFF state of the accessory power supply by using the original communication function. .. For example, it is possible to suppress sending an unnecessary signal to the drive recorder 1 of a communicable model.

In particular, by using the first cable and the second cable capable of UART communication, the existing cable can be used without the need to newly add a special communication line.

Further, the communication processing program of the battery unit 53 of the present embodiment is a program for realizing the above-mentioned communication function and the like on a computer, and can exert the above-mentioned effects.

Further, when the drive recorder 1 of the present embodiment is a non-communication model, it receives a level indicating the OFF state of the accessory power supply of the vehicle via the first and second cables 50 and 52, and directly recognizes the signal related to the accessory power supply. Even if it is not, it is possible to recognize the OFF state of the accessory power supply of the vehicle. Then, the drive recorder 1 may start recording in the parking recording mode by using the electric power supplied from the battery unit 53 in response to recognizing the OFF state of the accessory power supply of the vehicle.

Further, if the connection terminal 15 of the drive recorder 1 is a terminal used for UART communication such as a 10-pin miniUSB terminal, the connection terminal 15 is not made a special standard terminal, but an existing standard terminal is used. Can be used. That is, the hardware change of the drive recorder 1 can be realized only by connecting the UART_RX line (second terminal) of the connection terminal 15 to the detection of the accessory power supply and the UART_TX line (first terminal) to the GND. To change the software of the drive recorder 1, the part that was switched to the parking recording mode on the touch panel or the like is changed to the normal mode by recognizing the OFF state of the accessory power supply and starting the parking recording mode by recognizing the ON state of the accessory power supply. It can be realized only by changing.

Although the description of the embodiment of the present invention is completed above, the configurations of the above-described embodiment may be combined as appropriate. Moreover, the aspect of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

In the above-described embodiment, the parking recording mode has two recording modes for parking, a time-lapse mode and a motion detection mode, but either one may be used, and another recording mode for parking may be used. May be added.

In the above embodiment, the vehicle 100 is provided with two image pickup units, a front camera 10 and a rear camera 20, but the number and installation locations of the image pickup units are not limited to this. For example, an image pickup unit that points to the side of the vehicle or an image pickup unit that captures an image of the inside of the vehicle may be installed.

Further, in the above embodiment, the memory card 45 has been described by taking a recording medium such as an SD card, a miniSD card, or a microSD card as an example, but may be another recording medium such as a USB memory, SSD, or a small hard disk. .. Further, the memory card reader 44 can also be changed to a writing / reading device according to the recording medium.

Further, the connection terminal 15 of the drive recorder 1 of the above embodiment is a 10-pin miniUSB, and a new component can be obtained by simply changing the connection terminal with the power supply unit in the drive recorder to a standard terminal such as a 10-pin miniUSB. Although there is an advantage that the above embodiment can be realized without the need for the above, the connection terminal of the drive recorder is not limited to the 10-pin miniUSB.

It should be noted that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the configuration explicitly described in the specification, but also includes a combination of various aspects of the present invention disclosed in the present specification. Of the present invention, the configuration for which a patent is sought is specified in the appended claims, but even if the configuration is not currently specified in the claims, it is disclosed in the present specification. We intend to make such a configuration the scope of claims in the future.

The invention of the present application is not limited to the configuration described in the above-described embodiment. The components of each of the above-described embodiments and modifications may be arbitrarily selected and combined. Further, any component of each embodiment or modification, and any component described in the means for solving the invention or any component described in the means for solving the invention are embodied. It may be configured in any combination with. We also intend to acquire the rights to these in the amendment or divisional application of the present application. Even if there is a description of "when" and "when", it is not described as a configuration limited to that case or at that time. It also discloses these cases and untimely configurations, and intends to acquire the rights. In addition, the places where the description is accompanied by an order are not limited to this order. It also discloses a configuration in which some parts have been deleted or the order has been changed, and has the intention of acquiring rights.

In addition, by changing to a design registration application, we have the intention to acquire the right to the whole design or the partial design. Although the entire drawing of the device is drawn with solid lines, it is a drawing including not only the whole design but also the partial design requested for a part of the device. For example, it is a drawing which includes a part of the device as a partial design regardless of the member as well as a part of the member of the device as a partial design. As a part of the device, it may be a part of the device or a part of the member. Not only the whole design, but also the partial design in which any part of the solid line part of the drawing is a broken line part is intended to be granted the right. Also, regarding the modules, members, parts, etc. inside the housing of the device, those displayed in the drawings are independently subject to transactions, and similarly, the application for design registration is filed. They are willing to make changes and acquire rights.

1 drive recorder (system)
10 Front camera 13 Operation unit 13a to 13f Operation button 15 Connection terminal 16 Power supply unit 50 First cable (communication line)
50c, 52c 1st UART line (signal line)
50d, 52d 2nd UART line (signal line)
51 Converter 52 2nd cable (communication line)
53 Battery unit 53a Output terminal 53c Communication control unit 54 Third cable 100 Vehicle 110 Accessory power supply 110

Claims (12)

It is a power supply device that can be charged from the accessory power supply of the vehicle and can supply power to the recorder having a recording function.
A power supply device that is connected to the recorder via a communication line and has a function of transmitting the OFF state of the accessory power supply of the vehicle via the communication line. The power supply device according to claim 1, which has a function of transmitting the OFF state of the accessory power supply according to the level of the communication line when the signal related to the recorder is not transmitted from the recorder to the power supply device via the communication line. .. The power supply device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when a signal indicating predetermined communication information is transmitted from the recorder to the power supply device via the communication line, a signal indicating an OFF state of the accessory power supply is transmitted. The power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the communication line is a communication line capable of UART communication. The communication line is
A first signal line used for transmitting a signal from the recorder to the power supply device,
A second signal line used for transmitting a signal from the power supply device to the recorder,
Have,
When the level of the first signal line is in the first state, a signal indicating the OFF state of the accessory power supply is sent to the second signal line, and the level of the first signal line is in the second state. The power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a function of switching the level of the second signal line according to the state in which the accessory power supply is turned off. When the level of the first signal line is in the first state, the claim having a function of passing a signal indicating predetermined communication information different from the signal indicating the state of the accessory power supply to the second signal line. Item 5. The power supply device according to item 5. A recorder that has a recording function and operates by receiving power supply from the power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
The communication line for connecting to the power supply device, the communication having a first signal line for transmitting a signal to the power supply device and a second signal line for transmitting a signal from the power supply device. Equipped with a connection terminal to which the wire is connected,
The connection terminal is
A first terminal electrically connected to the first signal line,
A second terminal electrically connected to the second signal line,
Have,
When the communication line is connected to the connection terminal, the level of the first terminal is in the second state.
A recorder having a function of recognizing the OFF state of the accessory power supply of the vehicle according to the switching between the second state and the first state of the level of the second terminal. The recorder according to claim 7, which does not have a function of outputting a signal related to the setting of the recording function via the first terminal. The recorder according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the connection terminal is a terminal used for UART communication. The recording function starts recording by using the electric power supplied from the power supply device in response to the recognition of the OFF state of the accessory power supply of the vehicle in response to the switching of the level of the second terminal. The recorder according to any one of 9 to 9. A program for realizing the function of the power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 in a computer. A program for realizing the function of the recorder according to any one of claims 7 to 10 on a computer.

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