JP2022191814A - recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a recording device capable of suppressing recording capacity of picked-up image data of an on-vehicle camera from increasing and efficiently recording data.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to a recording device that records picked-up images of an on-vehicle camera imaging a scene outside a vehicle, and comprises: a radio communication signal detection which detects a short-range radio communication signal from a portable information terminal outside the vehicle capable of short-range radio communication; and a recording part which records picked-up images of the on-vehicle camera when the radio communication signal detection part detects the short-range radio communication signal and does not record the picked-up images of the on-vehicle camera when the radio communication signal detection part does not detect the short-range radio communication signal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a recording device for an in-vehicle camera.

Conventionally, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-083815 is known as a technical document related to recording apparatuses. This publication discloses a drive recorder device for recording the positions and movements of pedestrians and other vehicles around the vehicle before and after the occurrence of a traffic accident caused by the vehicle.

JP 2009-083815 A

However, there is a limit to the capacity that can record image data such as an image in front of the vehicle. There is a problem that the recording capacity of the image data becomes too large if the image data is constantly recorded as in the conventional drive recorder device described above.

One aspect of the present invention is a recording device that records an image captured by an in-vehicle camera that captures an image of the outside of a vehicle, and is wireless communication that detects a short-range wireless communication signal from a portable information terminal outside the vehicle capable of short-range wireless communication. When the signal detection unit and the wireless communication signal detection unit are detecting a short-range wireless communication signal, the image captured by the in-vehicle camera is recorded, and the wireless communication signal detection unit does not detect the short-range wireless communication signal. includes a recording unit that does not record the captured image of the vehicle-mounted camera.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress an increase in the recording capacity of captured image data of an in-vehicle camera and efficiently perform data recording.

1 is a block diagram showing a recording device for an in-vehicle camera according to one embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an example of a situation in which a short-range wireless communication signal outside the vehicle is detected; (a) is a timing chart showing an example of whether or not a short-range wireless communication signal is detected. (b) is a timing chart showing an example of ON/OFF of recording of a captured image. 7 is a flow chart showing an example of processing for starting recording of a captured image; 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing for ending recording of a captured image;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a recording device 1 for an in-vehicle camera according to one embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the recording device 1 is mounted on a vehicle M. As shown in FIG. The vehicle M may be a passenger car or a freight car. The vehicle type of the vehicle M is not particularly limited. A pedestrian P shown in FIG. 1 is a pedestrian walking in front of a vehicle M while holding a mobile information terminal T. FIG.

[Configuration of recording device]
The recording device 1 includes, for example, an in-vehicle camera 2, a near field communication detection device 3, a GNSS [Global Navigation Satellite System] device 4, a display device 5, a vehicle speed sensor 6, a gyro sensor 7, a map database 8, and a data recording unit 9. , and a multimedia processing device 10 .

The in-vehicle camera 2 is imaging equipment that images the external situation of the vehicle M. As shown in FIG. The in-vehicle camera 2 is provided on the back side of the windshield of the vehicle M, for example, and images the front of the vehicle M. As shown in FIG. The vehicle-mounted camera 2 may be composed of a plurality of cameras. A plurality of cameras may be provided so as to image the front, rear, left and right of the vehicle M. The vehicle-mounted camera 2 transmits captured images regarding the external conditions of the vehicle M to the multimedia processing device 10 . The vehicle-mounted camera 2 may be a monocular camera or a stereo camera.

The short-range wireless communication detection device 3 detects short-range wireless communication from the portable information terminal T. FIG. The mobile information terminal T is, for example, a smart phone. The portable information terminal T may be outside the vehicle and need not be carried by the pedestrian P. The mobile information terminal T may be, for example, a mobile information terminal owned by a driver of another vehicle. The portable information terminal T is not particularly limited as long as it is a portable information terminal that transmits short-range wireless communication.

Short-range wireless communication is, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark). Near field communication is not limited to Bluetooth. The short-range wireless communication may be, for example, wireless communication with a communication range of 50 m or less, wireless communication with a communication range of 30 m or less, or wireless communication with a communication range of 20 m or less.

The GNSS device 4 measures the position (for example, latitude and longitude) of the vehicle M by receiving signals from a plurality of positioning satellites. The GNSS device 4 is, for example, a GPS [Global Positioning System] device. The GNSS device 4 transmits the measured position information of the vehicle M to the multimedia processing device 10 .

The display device 5 is, for example, a display device. The display device 5 is provided on a dashboard or the like of the vehicle M, and displays navigation information and the like. The display device 5 displays various information according to control signals from the multimedia processing device 10 .

The vehicle speed sensor 6 is a detector that detects the vehicle speed of the vehicle M. As shown in FIG. The vehicle speed sensor 6 is provided for, for example, a wheel of the vehicle M or a drive shaft that rotates integrally with the wheel, and a wheel speed sensor that detects the rotation speed of the wheel is used. The vehicle speed sensor transmits detected vehicle speed information (wheel speed information) to the multimedia processing device 10 .

The gyro sensor 7 is a detector that detects the yaw rate around the vertical axis of the center of gravity of the vehicle M. The gyro sensor 7 transmits the detected yaw rate of the vehicle M to the multimedia processing device 10 .

The map database 8 is a database that stores map information. The map database 8 is formed in an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) mounted on the vehicle M, for example. The map information includes road position information, road shape information (for example, curves, types of straight sections, curvature of curves, etc.), position information of intersections and branch points, position information of structures, and the like. Note that the map database 8 may be formed in a server that can communicate with the vehicle M. FIG.

The data recording unit 9 is a database that records images captured by the vehicle-mounted camera 2 . The data recording unit 9 is formed in an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) mounted on the vehicle M, for example. The data recording unit 9 records the captured image of the vehicle-mounted camera 2 and the positional information of the vehicle M in association with each other. Note that the data recording unit 9 may be formed in a server that can communicate with the vehicle M.

The multimedia processing device 10 is, for example, a car navigation system or an audio device. The multimedia processing device 10 is an electronic control unit having a memory such as a CPU [Central Processing Unit] and ROM [Read Only Memory] or RAM [Random Access Memory].

Next, a functional configuration of the multimedia processing device 10 will be described. The multimedia processing device 10 has a vehicle position information acquisition section 11 , a radio communication signal detection section 12 and a recording section 13 .

The vehicle position information acquisition unit 11 acquires position information of the vehicle M from the measurement results of the GNSS device 4 . The vehicle position information acquisition unit 11 may acquire the position information of the vehicle M by odometry using the detection results of the vehicle speed sensor 6 and the gyro sensor 7 and the map information of the map database 8 . The vehicle position information acquisition unit 11 uses the position information of fixed obstacles such as utility poles included in the map information of the map database 8 and the image of the object included in the captured image of the vehicle-mounted camera 2 to perform SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping] technology may be used to acquire the location information of the vehicle M. In addition, the vehicle position information acquisition unit 11 may acquire the position information of the vehicle M by a well-known method.

The wireless communication signal detection unit 12 detects a short-range wireless communication signal from a portable information terminal T outside the vehicle capable of short-range wireless communication via the short-range wireless communication detection device 3 . FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a situation in which a short-range wireless communication signal outside the vehicle is detected. FIG. 2 shows a short-range wireless communication signal transmission range Dp of the mobile information terminal T possessed by the pedestrian P and a short-range wireless communication signal reception range Dc of the vehicle M. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the wireless communication signal detection unit 12 detects that the short-range wireless communication signal transmission range Dp of the mobile information terminal T possessed by the pedestrian P overlaps with the short-range wireless communication signal reception range Dc of the vehicle M. At this timing, a short-range wireless communication signal from the portable information terminal T outside the vehicle is detected.

The wireless communication signal detection unit 12 recognizes and registers (pairing, etc.) a mobile information terminal capable of short-range wireless communication in the vehicle held by the driver or passenger, so that the mobile information terminal in the vehicle can be detected. can be excluded from If the mobile information terminal inside the vehicle and the mobile information terminal outside the vehicle can be distinguished by another method, the wireless communication signal detection unit 12 excludes the mobile information terminal inside the vehicle from the detection targets, thereby detecting only the mobile information terminal outside the vehicle. may be detected.

The recording unit 13 causes the data recording unit 9 to record the captured image of the vehicle-mounted camera 2 . When recording an image captured by the in-vehicle camera 2, the recording unit 13 causes the captured image and the position information of the vehicle M to be recorded in association with each other. The recording unit 13 turns ON the recording of the image captured by the vehicle-mounted camera 2 when the wireless communication signal detection unit 12 detects the short-range wireless communication signal. The recording unit 13 turns off the recording of the image captured by the vehicle-mounted camera 2 when the wireless communication signal detection unit 12 does not detect the short-range wireless communication signal.

When the wireless communication signal detection unit 12 detects a short-range wireless communication signal, the recording unit 13 detects the short-range wireless communication signal, and the recording unit 13 detects the short-range wireless communication signal. Recording of the captured image of the camera 2 may be turned off.

Specifically, FIG. 3A is a timing chart showing an example of presence/absence of detection of a short-range wireless communication signal. The horizontal axis is time, and the vertical axis is presence/absence of short-range wireless communication signal detection. In FIG. 3A, the short-range wireless communication signal is detected three times. Detection timings of short-range wireless communication signals are indicated as p1, p2, and p3, respectively. The short-range wireless communication signal is detected at the detection timing p1 for 1 second, and at the detection timings p2 and p3 for 2 seconds. Taking the start time of the detection timing p1 as a reference, the detection time of the detection timing p1 is from the 0th second to the 1st second, the detection time of the detection timing p2 is from the 4th second to the 6th second, and the detection time of the detection timing p3 is 10 seconds. 12 seconds from the eye.

FIG. 3B is a timing chart showing an example of ON/OFF of recording of a captured image. The horizontal axis is time, and the vertical axis is recording ON/OFF. As shown in FIG. 3(b), the recording unit 13 turns off the recording of the image captured by the vehicle-mounted camera 2 when, for example, a certain period of time (5 seconds in this case) has elapsed since the short-range wireless communication signal was no longer detected. to Here, the recording unit 13 turns recording ON at the 0th second and turns recording OFF at the 17th second.

[Processing of recording device]
Next, processing of the recording apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing for starting recording of a captured image. The captured image recording start process is executed while the vehicle M is running, for example.

As shown in FIG. 4, in S10, the recording apparatus 1 determines whether or not the wireless communication signal detection unit 12 has detected a short-range wireless communication signal from the portable information terminal. The wireless communication signal detection unit 12 detects a short-range wireless communication signal from the portable information terminal T outside the vehicle via the short-range wireless communication detection device 3 . If the recording apparatus 1 determines that a short-range wireless communication signal has been detected (S10: YES), the process proceeds to S11. If the recording apparatus 1 does not determine that the short-range wireless communication signal has been detected (S10: NO), it ends this process.

In S<b>11 , the recording device 1 causes the recording unit 13 to turn on the recording of the captured image of the vehicle-mounted camera 2 . The recording unit 13 associates the captured image of the vehicle-mounted camera 2 with the position information of the vehicle M, and starts recording in the data recording unit 9 . After that, the recording apparatus 1 ends the current processing.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of processing for ending recording of a captured image. The captured image recording end process is executed when the captured image recording is ON.

As shown in FIG. 5, in S20, the recording apparatus 1 determines whether or not the wireless communication signal detection unit 12 detects a short-range wireless communication signal from the portable information terminal. When the recording apparatus 1 determines that the short-range wireless communication signal is not detected (S20: YES), the process proceeds to S21. If the recording apparatus 1 does not determine that the short-range wireless communication signal is not detected (S20: NO), it ends this process.

In S<b>21 , the recording device 1 determines whether or not a certain period of time has passed after the near field communication signal was no longer detected by the recording unit 13 . If the recording apparatus 1 determines that a certain period of time has passed since the near field communication signal was no longer detected (S21: YES), the process proceeds to S22. If the recording apparatus 1 determines that a certain period of time has passed since the near field communication signal was no longer detected (S21: YES), the process proceeds to S22. If the recording apparatus 1 does not determine that a certain period of time has passed since the short-range wireless communication signal was no longer detected (S21: NO), it ends this process.

In S<b>22 , the recording device 1 causes the recording unit 13 to turn off the recording of the captured image of the vehicle-mounted camera 2 . The recording unit 13 stops recording the captured image of the vehicle-mounted camera 2 in the data recording unit 9 .

According to the recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment described above, when a short-range wireless communication signal from a portable information terminal T such as a pedestrian P outside the vehicle is detected, the captured image of the vehicle-mounted camera 2 is recorded, and the short-range When no wireless communication signal is detected, an image picked up by the vehicle-mounted camera 2 is not recorded. Therefore, an increase in the recording capacity of the image data picked up by the vehicle-mounted camera 2 can be suppressed, and data can be efficiently recorded. As a result, the recording apparatus 1 does not endlessly record the information of the driving scene in which nothing is shown in the surroundings, and can effectively record the information of the pedestrian.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The present invention can be embodied in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the embodiment described above.

For example, the vehicle position information acquisition unit 11, the wireless communication signal detection unit 12, and the recording unit 13 need not be included in the multimedia processing device 10. FIG. One or more of the vehicle position information acquisition unit 11, the wireless communication signal detection unit 12, and the recording unit 13 may be included in an in-vehicle ECU [Electronic Control Unit], and the ECU has all the functions. may Alternatively, the GNSS device 4 may have the function of the vehicle position information acquisition unit 11, the short-range wireless communication detection device 3 may have the function of the wireless communication signal detection unit 12, and the data recording unit 9 may have the function of the recording unit 13 .

The recording device 1 is not limited to direct communication between devices (so-called peer-to-peer communication). The recording device 1 can also be implemented via a server. For example, by using a narrow cell such as a picocell or femtocell in a mobile communication network, implementation via a server can be considered.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Recording device, 2... Vehicle-mounted camera, 3... Near-field wireless communication detection apparatus, 4... GNSS device, 5... Display device, 6... Vehicle speed sensor, 7... Gyro sensor, 8... Map database, 9... Data recording part, 10...Multimedia processing device, 11...Vehicle position information acquisition unit, 12...Wireless communication signal detection unit, 13...Recording unit.

Claims (1)

A recording device for recording an image captured by an in-vehicle camera that captures an image of the exterior of a vehicle,
a wireless communication signal detection unit that detects a short-range wireless communication signal from a portable information terminal outside the vehicle capable of short-range wireless communication;
When the wireless communication signal detection unit detects the short-range wireless communication signal, recording the captured image of the vehicle-mounted camera, and when the wireless communication signal detection unit does not detect the short-range wireless communication signal includes a recording unit that does not record the captured image of the vehicle-mounted camera;
A recording device.

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