JP5467907B2 - In-vehicle image monitoring device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle image monitoring apparatus capable of confirming an image of a vehicle to be monitored from an external device via a communication line.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, so-called drive recorders, which are equipped with a camera that captures the surroundings or inside of a vehicle to be monitored, and a sensor that detects a vehicle accident, record images of the vehicle situation before and after the accident, have become popular. Yes. Further, an in-vehicle camera device has been proposed that has a mobile communication function such as a mobile phone and automatically reports a situation at the time of an accident to a designated emergency contact (Patent Document 1).
In this on-vehicle camera device, an image at the time of an accident is transmitted to an external emergency contact, and a videophone call is started in response to an incoming call from the external device. Therefore, it is possible to acquire an in-vehicle image from the outside or to make a call with a passenger to check the vehicle status.

  In addition, as a system that can check the video and audio inside the vehicle even when the user is away from the vehicle, an on-board monitoring system with a camera and an automatic incoming call function for mobile phones is also proposed (Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-112580 JP 2004-330965 A

  The above-described conventional in-vehicle camera device and monitoring system have a configuration in which an image taken inside the vehicle can be freely viewed from the outside, and the privacy of the subject is not considered. For example, when a camera that captures the outside of a vehicle is used to check an image around the vehicle at the time of the accident, public people within the camera's imaging range cannot recognize that the image is being captured. Therefore, if an image can be freely browsed from the outside without any limitation, there is a risk of damaging public privacy.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides an in-vehicle image monitoring apparatus capable of confirming the state of a vehicle from the outside while protecting the privacy of the public as a photographed person. For the purpose.

In order to achieve the above object, the in-vehicle image monitoring apparatus of the present invention is mounted on a vehicle, and is an in-vehicle image monitoring apparatus that allows an external device to acquire an image of the state of the mounted vehicle via a communication line, An image acquisition unit that acquires an in-vehicle image of the inside of the vehicle and an out-of-vehicle image of the outside of the vehicle, a state monitoring unit that monitors a use state of the vehicle, and the image in response to an acquisition request from the external device A control unit that transmits to the external device, and when the control unit receives an acquisition request from the external device, the control unit determines whether the in-vehicle image and the out-of-vehicle image can be transmitted according to the use state. It is characterized by that.
According to such a configuration, it is possible to check the image of the vehicle state from the outside when necessary while protecting the privacy of the photographed person appearing in the photographed image according to the use state of the vehicle.

In the above configuration, when the use state indicates that the vehicle is not in use, the control unit permits transmission of the in-vehicle image and disables transmission of the outside image.
According to such a configuration, when the vehicle is not in use, it is possible to confirm an image of the inside of the vehicle such as the presence or absence of forgotten items, and to appropriately protect the public privacy that is reflected in the outside image taken from the stopped vehicle. it can.

  Further, in the above configuration, the apparatus further includes an abnormality detection unit that detects an abnormal event that has occurred in the vehicle, and the control unit is in a normal state in which the abnormal event is not detected and the use state is not in use of the vehicle. , The transmission of the in-vehicle image is permitted and the transmission of the outside image is disabled.

In order to achieve the above object, the in-vehicle image monitoring apparatus of the present invention is an in-vehicle image monitoring apparatus that is mounted on a vehicle and that can acquire an image of the state of the mounted vehicle from an external device via a communication line. An image acquisition unit that acquires an outside image of the vehicle outside the vehicle, a state monitoring unit that monitors a use state of the vehicle, and the external image to the external device in response to an acquisition request from the external device. A control unit that transmits, and when the acquisition request is received from the external device, the control unit disables transmission of the outside image when the use state of the vehicle indicates non-use. It is characterized by that.
According to such a configuration, it is possible to check the image of the state of the vehicle from the outside when necessary, while protecting the privacy of the public in the captured image according to the use state of the vehicle.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the image of the condition of a vehicle can be confirmed from the exterior, protecting the privacy of the public reflected in the image outside a vehicle.

It is a schematic block diagram of the monitoring system of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the monitoring apparatus in the monitoring system of this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the monitoring apparatus at the time of abnormality detection. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the monitoring apparatus at the time of an incoming call.

  Referring to the drawings, a monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is capable of remotely confirming the state of a vehicle using an in-vehicle image monitoring device (hereinafter referred to as a monitoring device) mounted on a monitored vehicle. explain.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a monitoring system according to the present embodiment. The monitoring system 1 includes a monitoring device 2 and a user terminal 3. The monitoring device 2 is mounted on a vehicle 10 such as an automobile, and images the surroundings and the interior of the vehicle 10. The user terminal 3 is possessed by the owner of the vehicle 10 on which the monitoring device 2 is mounted or a person who receives a monitoring service, and is a communication device such as a mobile phone, a PDA, or a personal computer. The monitoring apparatus 2 and the user terminal 3 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via a public network 5 such as a mobile communication base station 4 or a mobile communication network.

  The monitoring device 2 has a function of photographing the periphery of the vehicle 10 and the inside of the vehicle, and a function of detecting an accident or emergency that has occurred in the vehicle 10, and is an emergency contact address registered in advance when an abnormality is detected. The user terminal 3 is notified that an abnormality has occurred. When the monitoring device 2 receives an acquisition request from the user terminal 3, the monitoring device 2 transmits a captured image to the user terminal 3. Furthermore, the monitoring device 2 has a function of monitoring the usage state of the vehicle 10, and in response to an acquisition request from the user terminal 3, after determining whether or not a captured image can be transmitted according to the usage state of the vehicle 10, the user terminal 3. Control communication with.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the monitoring device 2.
The monitoring device 2 includes an imaging unit 20, an accident sensor 22, an operation unit 24, a communication unit 26, a state sensor 28, a storage unit 30, a microphone 32, a speaker 34, a power supply switching unit 36, a spare battery 38, and a control unit 40. Consists of.

The imaging unit 20 includes an outside camera 42 and an inside camera 44. The in-vehicle camera 42 and the in-vehicle camera 44 include, for example, a CCD image sensor or a CMOS image sensor as an image pickup device, and converts an image obtained from a space to be imaged into an electrical signal and outputs it. An image captured by the imaging unit 20 is input to the control unit 40.
The vehicle outside camera 42 is a camera for photographing outside the vehicle. The outside camera 42 sets the shooting range in front of the vehicle so that the situation of the vehicle accident can be shot. In addition, a camera having a shooting range in the rear of the vehicle or a camera having a shooting range in the side of the vehicle may be provided as the outside camera 42. The vehicle outside camera 42 may be attached to the outer surface of the vehicle body, or may be attached inside the vehicle and photograph the outside of the vehicle through the window.
The in-vehicle camera 44 is a camera for photographing the inside of the vehicle. The in-vehicle camera 44 is attached to the upper front part of the driver's seat in the vehicle, and is installed so that at least a passenger sitting in the driver's seat is included in the imaging range.

  The accident sensor 22 is a sensor for detecting the occurrence of an accident in the mounted vehicle 10. For example, an acceleration sensor for detecting a collision accident or the like is used. The acceleration data detected by the accident sensor 22 is input to the control unit 40.

  The operation unit 24 includes an emergency button 46 and a cancel button 48 and is provided in the vehicle so that the passenger can operate it. The emergency button 46 is operated when reporting the occurrence of an emergency. An emergency situation is a situation in which a passenger feels dangerous, for example, when a robber is attacked. The cancel button 48 is used for a cancel operation for canceling a report due to erroneous detection / incorrect operation when an accident is detected by the accident sensor 22 or when the emergency button 46 is erroneously operated. Output signals generated by operating the emergency button 46 and the cancel button 48 are input to the control unit 40.

  The communication unit 26 is means for performing mobile communication, and enables communication connection with the user terminal 3 via the base station 4 and the public network 5. For example, the communication unit 26 uses a videophone module capable of transmitting images and sounds.

  The state sensor 28 functions as a state monitoring unit that monitors the usage state of the vehicle 10. For example, it is composed of a human body detection sensor that detects a person in the vehicle. A detection signal from the state sensor 28 is input to the control unit 40.

  The storage unit 30 includes a semiconductor memory and a hard disk, and stores various programs and data necessary for the operation of the monitoring device 2. The storage unit 30 also includes a communication address (telephone number) of the user terminal 3 that is an emergency contact address in the event of an accident or emergency, and a communication address (telephone of the user terminal 3 that is a request source that can access the monitoring device 2). Number) is stored in advance. Furthermore, the storage unit 30 has a certain data area for recording an image photographed by the imaging unit 20, and by the recording control of the control unit 40, images of the latest predetermined period are always accumulated in the FIFO method, and abnormal When it occurs, the update is stopped after a certain time, and images for a certain period before and after the abnormality are recorded.

The microphone 32 and the speaker 34 are mainly used for a call with the other party in the telephone function.
The microphone 32 is installed in the vehicle and collects sound in the vehicle when communicating with the user terminal 3. The collected voice data is input to the control unit 40.
The speaker 34 is installed in the vehicle, and outputs voice data received from the user terminal 3 during communication with the user terminal 3. It also functions as means for notifying the passenger in the vehicle of the occurrence of an abnormality when an accident is detected by the accident sensor 22 or when the emergency button 46 is operated. For example, the occurrence of an accident or an emergency situation is notified by a voice message.

  The power switching unit 36 is connected to a vehicle battery and a spare battery 38 that are always provided in the vehicle 10, and switches from which power source power supply used for the operation of the monitoring device 2 is performed. The power supply switching unit 36 converts this supply power into the drive voltage of the monitoring device 2 and supplies it to the control unit 40 in a normal state where power supply from the in-vehicle battery exists. On the other hand, when the power supply from the vehicle-mounted battery is interrupted due to a major accident or the like, power is supplied to the control unit 40 using the spare battery 38 as a power source. The spare battery 38 is a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery.

The control unit 40 is configured by a microphone 32 microprocessor (MPU) or the like, and controls the operation of each unit of the monitoring device 2 in accordance with a program stored in the storage unit 30. Specifically, the control unit 40 is connected to the imaging unit 20, the accident sensor 22, the operation unit 24, the communication unit 26, the state sensor 28, the storage unit 30, the microphone 32, the speaker 34, and the power supply switching unit 36. The input signal is processed and the operation of each part is controlled.
For example, the control unit 40 detects an abnormal event that has occurred in the vehicle 10 based on signals input from the accident sensor 22 and the operation unit 24, and controls the communication unit 26 to notify the user terminal 3 that is an emergency contact address of the abnormality. Do. In addition, the control unit 40 controls the microphone 32, the speaker 34, and the imaging unit 20, and controls audio data and image data communication with the user terminal 3 via the communication unit 26. Further, the control unit 40 imposes a predetermined restriction on the communication with the user terminal 3 based on the input signal from the state sensor 28 when communicating with the user terminal 3. Hereinafter, processing executed in the control unit 40 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

First, the operation of the monitoring device 2 when an accident or emergency occurs will be described.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the monitoring device 2 when an abnormality is detected. The control unit 40 detects the occurrence of an abnormality based on the output signals of the accident sensor 22 and the emergency button 46. The control unit 40 monitors the acceleration data input from the accident sensor 22, and determines that an accident such as a collision has occurred when the acceleration is greater than a predetermined value or when a sudden acceleration change occurs. The control unit 40 determines that an emergency has occurred when it receives an output signal indicating that the emergency button 46 has been operated.

  If the control unit 40 determines that an abnormality has occurred, the control unit 40 performs the following operation upon detection of the abnormality. First, the control unit 40 controls the speaker 34 to output a message indicating that an abnormality has been detected, and notifies the passenger in the vehicle of the occurrence of the abnormality (S102). And after performing the delay process for accepting cancellation operation from the passenger when the detected abnormality is due to erroneous detection by the accident sensor 22 or erroneous operation of the emergency button 46 (S104 and S106), the emergency contact information Abnormality notification that an accident or emergency has occurred is sent to the user terminal 3 (S108).

  Specifically, the delay process monitors whether or not the cancel button 48 is operated until a predetermined delay time elapses after the abnormality is detected. When the cancel operation by the cancel button 48 is detected within the delay time (Yes in S104), the abnormality detection is canceled without performing the abnormality report, and the process is terminated. On the other hand, when the delay time has passed without detecting the cancel operation (Yes in S106), an abnormality notification is made (S108), and an abnormality mode indicating an abnormality occurrence state is set in the storage unit 30 (S110). ). The abnormal mode is maintained until the user performs a long press operation on the cancel button 48 or a recovery operation such as power reset of the monitoring device 2. Or it is good also as cancelled | released by recovery operation by the user terminal 3 which accessed the monitoring apparatus 2. FIG. The abnormal mode is used for control at the time of an incoming call from the user terminal 3 to be described later.

  In addition, the abnormal communication to the emergency contact can use packet communication that can be realized by the mobile phone function, and can use e-mail, for example. In addition, a configuration capable of acquiring the current position information of the own apparatus using GPS or the like may be provided, and the current position information may be reported together when an abnormality is reported.

Next, the operation of the monitoring device 2 when receiving a connection request from the outside will be described.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the monitoring device 2 at the time of an incoming call. When receiving a connection request from an external device, the control unit 40 executes the following incoming call processing. First, the control unit 40 extracts the telephone number that is the communication address of the request source (caller) included in the incoming call data, and the accessible request source (registration request source) phone registered in advance in the storage unit 30. It is determined whether it is a number (S202). If the caller number is not the registration requesting telephone number, the incoming call is rejected and the process is terminated (S204). The incoming call rejection process is performed, for example, by the communication unit 26 performing on-hook following off-hook, thereby promptly interrupting communication.

  If the caller number is the registration requesting telephone number (Yes in S202), it is then determined whether or not the abnormal mode is set in the storage unit 30 (S206). If the abnormality mode is set to the abnormality occurrence state (Yes in S206), unrestricted incoming processing is executed (S208).

  As an unrestricted incoming call process, the control unit 40 starts a call with the user terminal 3 that is a connection request source, and transmits a captured image by the imaging unit 20 to the user terminal 3. When the configuration is such that only a single image can be transmitted, captured images (in-vehicle images) periodically acquired by the in-vehicle camera 44 are transmitted so as to prioritize the safety confirmation of the passenger. Further, when an image switching control signal is received from the user terminal 3 before the end-of-call instruction is received from the user terminal 3, processing corresponding to the control signal is executed. In the case of a control signal instructing switching of the transmission image, the image to be transmitted is switched to a photographed image (image outside the vehicle) by the camera 42 outside the vehicle or an accumulated image recorded in the storage unit 30 according to the contents of the instruction. As a control signal from the user terminal 3 to the monitoring device 2, for example, a DTMF (Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency) signal is used. The control unit 40 interprets the DTMF signal in a predetermined sequence, and executes operations such as camera switching and transmission / deletion of stored images within a predetermined permission range.

  On the other hand, if the abnormal mode is not set and the normal state where no abnormality has occurred (NO in S206), is the on-board vehicle 10 currently in use based on the input signal from the state sensor 28? It is determined whether or not (S210). When the state sensor 28 detects a person in the vehicle, the control unit 40 recognizes that the vehicle is in use, and executes in-vehicle limited incoming call processing (S212). If the state sensor 28 does not detect a person in the vehicle, it recognizes that the vehicle is not in use, and executes an outside vehicle restricted incoming call process (S214).

  As the in-car restricted incoming call process, the control unit 40 gives priority to protecting the privacy of the passenger using the vehicle 10 and rejects the in-car image acquisition request that allows the situation inside the car to be grasped. Also, no voice call is made. About the acquisition request of an image outside a vehicle, in order for the user terminal 3 to be able to grasp | ascertain the driving state of the vehicle 10, it accept | permits. Specifically, the control unit 40 does not transmit the voice data input from the microphone 32 during the in-vehicle limited incoming call process, and sequentially transmits the images outside the vehicle. And even if the control signal which instruct | indicates switching to an in-vehicle image is received before receiving an end-of-call instruction from the user terminal 3, transmission of an image outside a vehicle is continued without switching to an in-vehicle image. At this time, it may be returned to the user terminal 3 that the vehicle is in use and cannot be switched.

  In addition, as a vehicle outside restricted incoming call process, the control unit 40 gives priority to protecting the privacy of the public around the vehicle, and rejects a vehicle outside image acquisition request that can grasp the situation outside the vehicle. The in-vehicle image acquisition request is allowed in order to make it possible to confirm forgotten things in the vehicle from the user terminal 3. Specifically, the control unit 40 starts a voice call with the user terminal 3 and transmits sequentially obtained in-vehicle images during the outside limited incoming call process. And even if it receives the control signal which instruct | indicates the switch to an image outside a vehicle before receiving an end-of-call instruction from the user terminal 3, transmission of the image inside the vehicle is continued without switching to the image outside the vehicle. At this time, it may be returned to the user terminal 3 that the vehicle is not in use and cannot be switched.

  As described above, in the monitoring device 2 of the present embodiment, a restriction is imposed on a remote image browsing request by the user terminal 3 according to the presence / absence of an abnormal event occurring in the mounted vehicle 10 and the usage state of the vehicle 10. Then, transmission control of captured images inside and outside the vehicle and sound inside the vehicle is executed. In an abnormal state, the in-vehicle image and the in-vehicle image can be browsed without restriction, and the situation can be appropriately confirmed from the user terminal 3. On the other hand, in a normal state where no abnormality has occurred and another user is using the vehicle 10, the image inside the vehicle is protected while the in-vehicle image is not viewable and the privacy of the user (passenger) is protected. Makes it possible to check the driving situation from a remote location. In addition, when the vehicle 10 is not being used in a normal state, viewing of the in-vehicle image is made possible while disabling viewing of the image outside the vehicle and protecting the privacy of the public in the vicinity of the vehicle that is the shooting range of the outside camera 42. This makes it possible to check the interior of the vehicle remotely for confirmation of lost items. Thereby, while protecting the privacy of the person to be photographed by the outside camera 42 and the inside camera 44, it is possible to smoothly check the vehicle status from the remote location when necessary.

  In the above-described embodiment, the request for acquiring the in-vehicle image is rejected at all during normal use of the vehicle. However, the configuration may be permitted if permitted by the passenger. In this case, the passenger is notified that the connection request has been received, and if the passenger performs a permission operation at the operation unit within a certain period of time, an unrestricted incoming call process is executed, and the permission operation is performed. If not, the in-vehicle limited incoming call process is executed.

  In the above-described embodiment, a configuration in which a human body detection sensor that detects a person in the vehicle is used as the state sensor for monitoring the usage state of the vehicle. However, the state sensor is not limited to this, and can be replaced by various means capable of directly or indirectly detecting the use state of the vehicle. For example, an engine operation sensor that detects ON / OFF of the engine operation of the vehicle by a switch or vibration may be used to recognize that the vehicle is in use when the engine is operating. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which recognizes that the vehicle is in use, when the vehicle speed sensor which detects the moving speed of a vehicle is used and the moving speed has exceeded the noise level. Alternatively, a range switching sensor that detects that the shift lever of the vehicle is in the parking range may be used so that the vehicle is in use when it is not in the parking range.

  In addition, the state sensor used for the determination may be different between the determination of the vehicle use state performed to determine whether or not the in-vehicle restricted incoming call is appropriate and the vehicle use state determination performed to determine the appropriateness of the outside limited incoming call. . For example, in view of giving priority to protecting the privacy of passengers, in-vehicle images determine whether or not the vehicle is being used by a human body detection sensor, while outside images give priority to protecting the privacy of the public around the vehicle. In view of this, it is possible to determine whether or not the vehicle is in use by a sensor (such as the engine operation sensor, the vehicle speed sensor, or the range switching sensor described above) that can detect whether or not the vehicle is in a stopped state.

In the above embodiment, an acceleration sensor is used as a sensor for detecting an accident. However, another sensor that recognizes the occurrence of an accident by detecting a collision or deformation of the vehicle may be used instead.
Further, in the above embodiment, the configuration is such that an emergency event of a vehicle accident is detected by an abnormal event occurring in the vehicle, but a means for detecting the vehicle theft is separately provided, and the occurrence of the vehicle theft is similarly recognized as an abnormal event. You may comprise.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Monitoring system, 2 Monitoring apparatus, 3 User terminal, 4 Base station, 5 Public network, 10 Vehicle, 20 Imaging part, 22 Accident sensor, 24 Operation part, 26 Communication part, 28 State sensor, 30 Storage part, 32 Microphone, 34 Speaker, 36 Power switch, 38 Spare battery, 40 Controller, 42 Outside camera, 44 Inside camera, 46 Emergency button, 48 Cancel button

Claims (3)

An in-vehicle image monitoring device that is mounted on a vehicle and that allows an external device to acquire an image of the situation of the mounted vehicle via a communication line,
An image acquisition unit that acquires an in-vehicle image of the inside of the vehicle and an out-of-vehicle image of the outside of the vehicle;
A state monitoring unit for monitoring a use state of the vehicle;
A control unit that transmits the image to the external device in response to an acquisition request from the external device;
When the control unit receives an acquisition request from the external device and the use state indicates that the vehicle is not in use , the control unit permits transmission of the in-vehicle image and disables transmission of the outside image.
An in-vehicle image monitoring apparatus characterized by that. Furthermore, an abnormality detection unit for detecting an abnormal event occurring in the vehicle,
The control unit permits transmission of the in-vehicle image and disables transmission of the outside image when the abnormal state is not detected and the use state indicates that the vehicle is not in use. The in-vehicle image monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 . An in-vehicle image monitoring device that is mounted on a vehicle and that can acquire an image of the situation of the mounted vehicle from an external device via a communication line,
An image acquisition unit that acquires an image outside the vehicle that images the outside of the vehicle;
A state monitoring unit for monitoring a use state of the vehicle;
A controller that transmits the image outside the vehicle to the external device in response to an acquisition request from the external device;
When the control unit receives an acquisition request from the external device and the use state of the vehicle indicates non-use, the control unit disables transmission of the outside image.
An in-vehicle image monitoring apparatus characterized by that.

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