JP5386415B2 - Vehicle accident reporting device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle accident notification device that is mounted on a vehicle and reports an accident that has occurred in the mounted vehicle to an external device via a communication line.

  In recent years, video recording type event recorders (drive recorders) that have come to be installed in automobiles include accident detection sensors such as acceleration sensors and in-vehicle cameras, and take and record images outside the vehicle with the cameras, for example, Used to determine how the car behaved before and after the collision.

  A system for combining an in-vehicle device having a camera such as a drive recorder with mobile communication such as a mobile phone and reporting an accident occurring in the vehicle to the emergency response organization using the in-vehicle device is also considered. In this system, when an in-vehicle device detects an accident such as a collision, it automatically reports to the monitoring center via a communication line, and the monitoring center that receives the notification looks at the image taken by the camera of the in-vehicle device. And take appropriate action.

  In this system, while the in-vehicle device automatically detects and reports accidents, a switch such as a cancel button is provided, and if the accident is erroneously detected, or if the degree of injury due to the accident is small and emergency treatment is not required, the passenger A configuration has also been proposed in which an emergency response organization is notified that an accident notification by automatic detection is canceled by operating the switch (Patent Document 1).

JP 2007-112435 A

  In-vehicle devices equipped with a switch such as a cancel button, when a major accident that the vehicle overturns or deforms occurs, the cancel button etc. malfunctions due to the impact of the accident, or when the passenger escapes There has been a problem that the cancel button may be operated and a situation may occur in which a notification is not made despite a major accident that should be reported to an external device such as an emergency response organization.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle accident notification device with improved certainty of notification processing to an external device when a major accident occurs.

  A vehicle accident notification device according to the present invention is a device that is mounted on a vehicle and reports an accident that has occurred in the mounted vehicle to an external device via a communication line, and detects an accident occurrence in the mounted vehicle. A cancel operation unit used for a cancel operation for canceling the detection of the occurrence of the accident, and a notification for notifying the external apparatus when a predetermined cancel time has elapsed without the cancel operation when the occurrence of the accident is detected. And the notification control unit invalidates the cancel operation when the detected accident is a predetermined major accident.

  Another vehicle accident notification device according to the present invention is a device that is mounted on a vehicle and that reports an accident that has occurred in the mounted vehicle to an external device via a communication line, and detects an accident occurrence in the mounted vehicle. A detection unit, a cancel operation unit used for a cancel operation for canceling the detection of the occurrence of the accident, and when the occurrence of the accident is detected, the external device is notified of the accident. A notification control unit that issues a cancellation notification to cancel, and the notification control unit invalidates the cancellation operation when the detected accident is a predetermined major accident.

  For example, the notification control unit can perform the notification process for distinguishing between the detection of the major accident and the detection of the accident that is not.

  In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the accident detection unit includes a collision detection unit that detects a collision of the mounted vehicle, and a damage detection unit that detects damage of the mounted vehicle, and the notification control unit includes: When the collision is detected and the damage is detected, the major accident is determined. The notification control unit may invalidate the cancel operation for a certain time after detecting the occurrence of the accident. Further, for example, the damage detection unit may detect the damage based on the interruption of power supply from a vehicle battery of the mounted vehicle.

  According to the vehicle accident notification device according to the present invention, the reliability of notification processing to an external device is improved when a major accident occurs.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic block configuration diagram of a monitoring device in a monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the monitoring apparatus at the time of accident detection. It is a schematic flowchart which shows operation | movement of the monitoring apparatus at the time of an incoming call. It is a schematic flowchart which shows the other example of operation | movement of the monitoring apparatus at the time of accident detection.

  Hereinafter, a monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as an embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a monitoring system 2 according to the embodiment. The monitoring system 2 includes a monitoring device 4, a center device 6, and a user terminal (user terminal) 8. The monitoring device 4 is a vehicle accident notification device that is mounted on a vehicle 10 such as an automobile, reports the accident that has occurred in the vehicle 10 to an external device via a communication line, with the surroundings and the interior of the vehicle 10 as a monitoring target region. . The center device 6 is installed, for example, in a facility of a business that provides a monitoring service. The user terminal 8 is a communication device such as a mobile phone or a fixed phone that is operated by the owner of the vehicle 10 on which the monitoring device 4 is mounted or the person who receives the monitoring service.

  The monitoring device 4, the center device 6, and the user terminal 8 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via a network 12 such as a public line network. A mobile communication base station 14 is also connected to the network 12. The monitoring device 4 mounted on the vehicle 10 has a mobile communication function, and the monitoring device 4 can communicate with the center device 6 and the user terminal 8 via the network 12 and mobile communication. FIG. 1 shows a case where the user terminal 8 is a mobile communication device.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the monitoring device 4. The monitoring device 4 has an accident detection function such as a collision accident of the vehicle 10 and a communication function with an external device, and includes an imaging unit 20, a sensor 22, an operation unit 24, a communication unit 26, a storage unit 28, a microphone 30, and a speaker. 32, a power supply switching unit 34, a spare battery 36, and a control unit 38.

  The imaging unit 20 includes an outside camera 40 and an inside camera 42. The in-vehicle camera 40 and the in-vehicle camera 42 include, for example, a CCD image sensor or a CMOS image sensor as an imaging element, and converts an image formed on the imaging surface via an optical system such as a lens into an electrical signal and outputs it. The vehicle outside camera 40 is a camera for photographing outside the vehicle. Although the camera for photographing the front area of the vehicle 10 is basically provided as the vehicle exterior camera 40, a camera for photographing the rear area of the vehicle 10 or a camera for photographing the side area may be additionally provided. The camera 40 outside the vehicle may be attached to the outer surface of the vehicle body, or may be taken inside the vehicle via an attachment window. The in-vehicle camera 42 is a camera that takes an image of the inside of the vehicle and is attached to the inside of the vehicle. For example, the in-vehicle camera 42 is attached in front of the driver's seat, and images a range including the passengers in the driver's seat. The outside camera 40 and the inside camera 42 operate by receiving power supply and control from the control unit 38, and image signals output from them are input to the control unit 38.

  The sensor 22 is provided as accident detection means for detecting the occurrence of a vehicle accident. For example, an acceleration sensor is used as the sensor 22 to detect a collision accident or the like. The sensor 22 operates by receiving power supply from the control unit 38, and an output signal thereof is input to the control unit 38.

  The operation unit 24 includes an emergency button 44 and a cancel button 46, and each is basically operated by a passenger. The emergency button 44 is operated when notifying the center device 6 of the occurrence of an emergency. As an emergency, for example, there is a situation where the passenger feels dangerous when he / she is attacked by a robber. The cancel button 46 is used for a cancel operation for canceling a report to the center device 6 due to the erroneous detection and erroneous operation when an accident is detected by the sensor 22 or when the emergency button 44 is erroneously operated. The output signals of the emergency button 44 and the cancel button 46 are input to the control unit 38, respectively.

  The communication unit 26 is a means for performing mobile communication, and is connected to the base station 14 via a wireless line, transmits a signal input from the control unit 38, and receives a signal received from the base station 14. To enable communication between the monitoring device 4 and the external device via the network 12. For example, the communication unit 26 transmits images and sounds, and enables voice calls or videophone calls with the center device 6 and the user terminal 8.

  The storage unit 28 is configured using a semiconductor memory or a hard disk, and stores various programs and data necessary for the operation of the monitoring device 4. For example, the storage unit 28 stores in advance registration information of a partner who can access the monitoring device 4. The registration information includes the telephone number of the center device 6 and the telephone number of the user terminal 8. In addition, the storage unit 28 can record an image taken by the imaging unit 20. Storage of data in the storage unit 28 and reading of data from the storage unit 28 are performed by the control unit 38. For example, the image stored in the storage unit 28 is updated by the control unit 38 in a FIFO manner, and the control unit 38 stops the update process after a certain time when an abnormality is detected by the sensor 22 or the emergency button 44.

  The microphone 30 and the speaker 32 are used for a call with the other party in the telephone function. The speaker 32 is also used to notify a message from the monitoring device 4. For example, when the controller 38 detects an accident or an emergency by a signal from the sensor 22 or the emergency button 44, the control unit 38 performs a notification process to the inside of the vehicle to notify the detection of the accident or the emergency, The voice signal of the message prompting the cancel operation is read from the storage unit 28 and output to the speaker 32.

  The power supply switching unit 34 switches whether to receive power supplied from the in-vehicle battery or from the spare battery 36 for use in the operation of the monitoring device 4. The power supply switching unit 34 supplies the power to the control unit 38 in a normal state where power is supplied from the vehicle-mounted battery. On the other hand, when the in-vehicle battery is damaged or the power supply line is disconnected due to a major accident or the like, and the power supply from the in-vehicle battery is interrupted, power is supplied from the spare battery 36 to the control unit 38. The spare battery 36 is a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery.

  The control part 38 is comprised using a microprocessor (MPU) etc., and controls operation | movement of each part of the monitoring apparatus 4 according to the program performed. Specifically, the control unit 38 is connected to the imaging unit 20, the sensor 22, the operation unit 24, the communication unit 26, the storage unit 28, the microphone 30, the speaker 32, and the power supply switching unit 34, and receives a signal input from each unit. Process and control the operation of each part.

  With the above-described configuration, the imaging unit 20 and the microphone 30 acquire situation information indicating the situation from the monitoring target area. Specifically, the outside camera 40 and the inside camera 42 acquire images outside and inside the vehicle as the situation information, respectively, and the microphone 30 acquires the inside voice as the situation information. The sensor 22 has a function as a collision detection unit that detects a collision of the vehicle 10. The power supply switching unit 34 has a function as a damage detection unit that detects damage to the vehicle 10 and detects the damage based on the interruption of power supply from the in-vehicle battery. Specifically, the power supply switching unit 34 outputs a status signal indicating that the power source is switched from the in-vehicle battery to the spare battery 36 to the control unit 38, and the signal is used by the control unit 38 as a damage detection signal. . The cancel button 46 has a function as a cancel operation unit used for a cancel operation for canceling detection of occurrence of an accident. The control unit 38 is a notification control unit that performs notification processing to the center device 6 when the occurrence of an accident is detected and performs processing for invalidating the notification processing when a cancel operation is performed.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the monitoring device 4 when an accident is detected will be described. When the occurrence of an accident is detected, the control unit 38 reports the accident to the center device 6 in principle. However, as an exception, the control unit 38 basically does not report the accident when there is a cancel operation for canceling the detection of the occurrence of the accident. . However, when the accident that has occurred is determined to be a predetermined major accident, the accident notification to the center device 6 is made in principle, regardless of whether or not a cancel operation is performed.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart showing the operation of the monitoring device 4 at the time of detecting the accident. The control unit 38 detects the occurrence of an accident based on the output signal of the sensor 22. For example, the control unit 38 monitors the output signal of the sensor 22 that is an acceleration sensor, and determines that an accident such as a collision has occurred when a large acceleration greater than a predetermined value occurs or when a sudden acceleration change occurs. .

  When the occurrence of an accident is detected (S60), the control unit 38 further determines whether or not the accident is a major accident. A major accident is determined based on, for example, the fact that the vehicle 10 has been damaged to the extent expected in a major accident in addition to the detection of a collision. Is detected based on the interruption of the power supply from the in-vehicle battery. When the control unit 38 detects that the power supply from the in-vehicle battery is interrupted (“Yes” in S62), the control unit 38 notifies the center device 6 that a major accident has occurred (S64).

  When a collision accident occurs, the impact is first detected by the acceleration sensor, and the vehicle body is subsequently destroyed or deformed by the impact force. In this destruction / deformation stage, the in-vehicle battery may be damaged or the wiring may be disconnected. In other words, there is a time difference between the time when the accident is detected and the destruction / deformation stops, but there is a time difference. In the case of a major accident even after the accident is detected, the power supply from the vehicle battery may be interrupted Is expensive. Therefore, the control unit 38 monitors whether the power supply from the in-vehicle battery is interrupted without accepting the cancel operation from the accident detection until the elapse of the time T1 corresponding to the time difference (S66) (S62). . Thus, when a major accident that causes damage to the vehicle 10 occurs, for example, even if a cancel operation is accidentally performed by hitting the cancel button 46 due to the impact of the accident, the major accident is not reported. Can be avoided.

  Specifically, when the power supply from the in-vehicle battery is interrupted, the power switching unit 34 switches the power to the spare battery 36 and outputs a status signal indicating the switching to the control unit 38. The control unit 38 uses the signal as a damage detection signal and ignores the cancel operation performed by the cancel button 46 when it is determined that damage has occurred. That is, in this case, even if a cancel operation is performed, the operation does not have any effect on the processing routine when an accident is detected. The time T1 can be set to about 3 to 5 seconds, for example.

  If no damage is detected in the monitoring of the occurrence of damage to the vehicle 10 immediately after the accident is detected (“Yes” in S66), the control unit 38 executes an accident occurrence notification process in the vehicle, and the above-described speaker 32 outputs A message having the above contents is output (S68), and a cancellation operation by the passenger or the like when the accident detection is due to erroneous detection is used.

  The control unit 38 performs a delay process for accepting the cancel operation (S72) from the passenger or the like (S74), and then notifies the center device 6 of the occurrence of the accident (S76). Even in the delay period for accepting the cancel operation, when the control unit 38 detects the interruption of the power supply from the in-vehicle battery (“Yes” in S70), the controller 38 monitors the presence / absence of the cancel operation (S72, S74). Stop and report the occurrence of a major accident to the center device 6 (S64). As a result, the cancel button 46 due to an impact malfunctions, or the cancel button 46 is erroneously operated when the passenger escapes, so that a major accident that should be reported to the center device 6 is not reported. be able to.

  Specifically, the control unit 38 monitors the interruption of the power supply from the in-vehicle battery (S70) and the presence / absence of the operation of the cancel button 46 (S72), and detects the interruption of the power supply from the in-vehicle battery. (“Yes” in S70), a process for reporting the occurrence of a major accident from the communication unit 26 to the center device 6 is performed (S64), and the process is terminated (S78). That is, in this case, the subsequent cancel operation is invalid in the processing routine at the time of detecting an accident.

  Further, the control unit 38 detects that the cancel button 46 has been operated (“Yes” in S72), and that the cancel button 46 is not operated has no cancel operation (“No” in S72). to decide. If the interruption of the power supply from the in-vehicle battery is not detected (“No” in S70), and there is no cancel operation (“No” in S72), the time T2 set as the delay time has elapsed. (“Yes” in S74), a process of reporting the occurrence of an accident from the communication unit 26 to the center device 6 is performed (S76).

  On the other hand, if the interruption of the power supply from the in-vehicle battery is not detected before the delay time T2 elapses ("No" in S70) and there is a cancel operation ("Yes" in S72), the control is performed. The unit 38 does not execute the notification process S76 (S78). That is, in this case, the accident detection is canceled, and the notification process S76 to the center device 6 is invalidated in the processing routine at the time of the accident detection. The time T2 can be set to about 10 to 20 seconds, for example.

  In addition, the abnormality report to the center apparatus 6 can be performed by packet communication. There can be a large number of monitoring devices 4 that receive the monitoring service for one center device 6 that provides the monitoring service. If the notification of the occurrence of abnormality from the large number of monitoring devices 4 is performed by packet communication, it is possible to reduce traffic on the center device 6 side.

  Here, the center device 6 generally has a plurality of lines (telephone numbers) in order to provide a monitoring service to a large number of monitoring devices 4. If the monitoring device 4 is configured to make a connection request from the monitoring device 4 to the center device 6 when an abnormality is detected, the monitoring device 4 does not know which of the plurality of telephone numbers of the center device 6 is available before calling. The calling phone number is in use and may need to be called again to another phone number. For this reason, it takes time to connect the line between the monitoring device 4 and the center device 6, and delays occur in the acquisition of status information and response to abnormal events in the center device 6, and the spare battery 36 is wasted. There is a case. From this point of view, in the present embodiment, the monitoring apparatus 4 once sends only an abnormality report with a small communication load to the center apparatus 6 by packet communication or the like, and the center apparatus 6 receives the request to connect to the monitoring apparatus 4. It is set as the structure which performs.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart showing the operation of the monitoring device 4 at the time of an incoming call.

  When the control unit 38 receives a connection request from the external device (S90), the control unit 38 determines whether the telephone number of the request source (sender) is an accessible partner number (registration request source) number registered in the storage unit 28. (S92). If the caller ID is not registered (“No” in S92), the incoming call is rejected (S94). For example, the incoming call rejection S94 is performed when the communication unit 26 performs an on-hook operation after an off-hook operation, thereby reducing the time during which the line is busy rather than simply waiting for the connection requester to give up the call. The connection request from the center device 6 can be received promptly.

  If the caller is the registration request source (“Yes” in S92), the control unit 38 permits the incoming call (S96), starts a call, and transmits and receives audio (S98). In addition, an image obtained from the imaging unit 20 is transmitted (S100). The image transmission is basically performed periodically at regular time intervals while the telephone conversation between the monitoring device 4 and the center device 6 or the user terminal 8, that is, while the line connection is maintained ("No" in S102). S100, S102). For example, the control unit 38 transmits the image of the in-vehicle camera 42 as a default in the image transmission process S100, and the image of the in-vehicle camera 40 and the in-vehicle camera 42 are controlled according to the image switching control signal from the center device 6 or the user terminal 8. Switch between images and send.

  For example, a DTMF (Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency) signal is used as a control signal from the center device 6 or the user terminal 8 to the monitoring device 4. On the monitoring device 4 side, the control unit 38 interprets the DTMF signal in a predetermined sequence, and, for example, within the permitted range set in advance for the request source, for example, camera switching or the image stored in the storage unit 28 Perform operations such as playback and deletion.

  In the embodiment described above, the accident notification to the center device 6 in an accident other than a major accident is performed after waiting for no cancel operation until the elapse of the predetermined time T2, as described with reference to FIG. However, the present invention is not limited to this aspect. FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart showing another configuration example of the operation of the monitoring device 4 when an accident is detected. The control unit 38 monitors whether the power supply from the in-vehicle battery is interrupted without accepting the cancel operation until the elapse of time T1 (S126) as in the operation of FIG. 3 from the accident detection (S120). (S122) If a disruption occurs, a notification of the occurrence of a major accident is made (S124).

  When damage is not detected in the monitoring of the occurrence of damage to the vehicle 10 immediately after the accident is detected (“Yes” in S126), the control unit 38 executes in-vehicle notification processing (S128). The operation shown in FIG. 5 is different from the operation shown in FIG. 3. At this time, the control unit 38 notifies the center device 6 of an accident (S 130), and thereafter a period for receiving a cancel operation (S 134) from the passenger or the like. Provide. Specifically, the control unit 38 monitors the interruption of power supply from the in-vehicle battery (S132) and the presence / absence of a cancel operation by the cancel button 46 (S134). If there is a cancel operation (“Yes” in S134), the accident detection is canceled, and the control unit 38 notifies the center apparatus 6 of cancellation to cancel the already-reported accident report (S130) (S138). . When the center device 6 receives this cancel notification, the center device 6 invalidates the already received notification of the occurrence of an accident (S130).

  On the other hand, if the cancel operation is not performed within time T2 (“Yes” in S136), the cancel notification (S138) is not performed, so that the center apparatus 6 is already receiving the notification of the occurrence of the accident (S130). And respond in the event of an accident.

  If the interruption of the power supply from the in-vehicle battery is detected within the acceptance period T2 of this cancel operation (“Yes” in S132), the notification process of the occurrence of a major accident is performed as in the operation shown in FIG. Perform (S124), and the process ends (S140). That is, in this case, the subsequent cancel operation is invalid in the processing routine at the time of detecting an accident.

  2 monitoring system, 4 monitoring device, 6 center device, 8 user terminal, 10 vehicle, 12 network, 14 base station, 20 imaging unit, 22 sensor, 24 operation unit, 26 communication unit, 28 storage unit, 30 microphone, 32 speaker , 34 Power switching unit, 36 Spare battery, 38 Control unit, 40 Outside camera, 42 Inside camera, 44 Emergency button, 46 Cancel button.

Claims (5)

A vehicle accident reporting device that is mounted on a vehicle and reports an accident that has occurred in the mounted vehicle to an external device via a communication line,
An accident detection unit for detecting an accident occurrence in the mounted vehicle;
A cancel operation unit used for a cancel operation for canceling the detection of the occurrence of the accident;
When the occurrence of the accident is detected, a notification control unit that performs an accident notification to the external device when a predetermined cancellation time has elapsed without the cancel operation;
Have
The notification control unit invalidates the cancel operation when the detected accident is a predetermined major accident;
Vehicle accident reporting device characterized by A vehicle accident reporting device that is mounted on a vehicle and reports an accident that has occurred in the mounted vehicle to an external device via a communication line,
An accident detection unit for detecting an accident occurrence in the mounted vehicle;
A cancel operation unit used for a cancel operation for canceling the detection of the occurrence of the accident;
When the occurrence of the accident is detected, an accident notification is made to the external device, and when there is a cancel operation, a notification control unit that performs a cancellation notification to cancel the accident notification,
Have
The notification control unit invalidates the cancel operation when the detected accident is a predetermined major accident;
Vehicle accident reporting device characterized by In the vehicle accident notification device according to claim 1 or 2,
The accident detection unit
A collision detector for detecting a collision of the mounted vehicle;
A damage detection unit for detecting damage of the mounted vehicle;
Have
The notification control unit determines the major accident when the collision is detected and the damage is detected;
Vehicle accident reporting device characterized by In the vehicle accident reporting device according to claim 3,
The notification control unit invalidates the cancel operation for a predetermined time after detecting the occurrence of the accident. In the vehicle accident notification device according to claim 3 or claim 4,
The vehicle damage notification device, wherein the damage detection unit detects the damage based on the interruption of power supply from a vehicle battery of the mounted vehicle.

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