JP5743580B2 - Drive recorder device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a drive recorder device that records a running state of a vehicle and an event identification method thereof.

  Conventionally, in a drive recorder, a trigger is set in order to record a near-miss case (a sudden or accidental event or mistake) or an accident record. Excess data (garbage data) is removed from the data recorded by the occurrence of this trigger using various methods, and near-miss and accidents are verified.

  In the case of eliminating this extra data, for example, by determining the threshold value in two steps, the data that is absolutely necessary and the data that can be deleted are distinguished. In addition, data due to the influence of road surface conditions was deleted from the amount of change in acceleration. Thus, only necessary data is left and the analysis is performed.

  As a related prior art, Patent Document 1 discloses that operation amounts of an accelerator, a brake, a handle, and the like are recorded as measurement data.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-151561 discloses that the shooting timings of a plurality of cameras are controlled based on vehicle surrounding information such as an intersection, vehicle sensor information such as vehicle speed and turn signal.

  Patent Document 3 discloses that when acceleration continues for a certain period of time, a case where an accident or near-miss appears is specified, and situation data is recorded for a certain period before and after that.

JP 2001-236537 A JP 2003-134427 A JP 2007-11909 A

  However, the conventional drive recorder apparatus has the following problems. That is, when analyzing data collected together with video recording with a drive recorder, it is difficult to grasp the driving operation by the driver (driver), and there is no choice but to infer from the collected data. Therefore, it is difficult to detect events such as accidents and near-miss events such as collisions and sudden braking on recorded images, and it is difficult to verify near-miss events and accidents.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a drive recorder apparatus that can detect an event such as an accident or a near miss with high accuracy and identify the cause of the occurrence of the event. It is in.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the drive recorder apparatus according to the present invention is characterized by the following (1) to ( 8 ).
(1) A drive recorder device for recording a running state of a vehicle,
Imaging means installed in the vehicle and capturing an image seen from the vehicle;
Traveling state detecting means for detecting the traveling state of the vehicle;
Operation detecting means for detecting the driving operation of the vehicle;
Threshold value determination means for determining whether or not the amount of change in the driving state detected by the driving state detection means exceeds a threshold value determined as the occurrence of an event;
When the threshold value is exceeded, a recording unit that records the video imaged by the imaging unit and the driving operation detected by the operation detection unit at the time of the imaging,
Event identifying means for identifying the event determined to have occurred based on at least one driving operation detected by the operation detecting means in addition to the running state of the vehicle;
Equipped with a,
The event identification means identifies the cause of the event that is determined to have occurred. On the other hand, if the cause of the event is not identified, the event identification means prompts confirmation of the event with the video imaged by the imaging means.
( 2 ) The drive recorder device having the configuration of (1) above,
The traveling state detecting means detects the acceleration of the vehicle as the traveling state of the vehicle, and the threshold determining means determines whether or not the acceleration of the vehicle exceeds the threshold.
( 3 ) A drive recorder device having the configuration of (1) above,
The recording unit records the event identified by the event identifying unit together with the driving operation detected by the operation detecting unit.
( 4 ) A drive recorder device having the configuration of (1) above,
The event identifying means identifies the event based on the driving operation recorded by the recording means.
( 5 ) A drive recorder device having the configuration of (1) above,
The operation detecting means includes an accelerator opening detecting means for detecting an accelerator opening,
The event identifying means identifies the event according to a change amount of the accelerator opening detected by the accelerator opening detecting means.
( 6 ) A drive recorder device having the configuration of ( 5 ) above,
The operation detection means includes a brake operation detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a brake operation,
The event identifying means identifies the event according to the amount of change in the accelerator opening detected by the accelerator opening detecting means and the presence or absence of a brake operation detected by the brake operation detecting means.
( 7 ) A drive recorder device having the configuration of ( 5 ) above,
The event identification means identifies a near-miss as a cause of the event when the change amount of the accelerator opening detected by the accelerator opening detection means exceeds a certain value determined to be caused by the driver.
( 8 ) A drive recorder device configured as described in ( 5 ) above,
The event identifying means identifies an accident as the cause of the event when the change amount of the accelerator opening detected by the accelerator opening detecting means does not exceed a certain value determined to be caused by the driver.

According to the drive recorder device having the above configuration (1), the event is identified based on at least one driving operation in addition to the vehicle running state when the amount of change in the running state of the vehicle exceeds the threshold value. It is possible to accurately detect events such as accidents and near-miss events, and to identify the cause of the occurrence of the event. This facilitates near-miss and accident verification. In addition, the collected data can be linked to detailed driving education. It is also possible to grasp the degree of negligence in accident verification. In addition, when it is difficult to identify the cause of an event, confirmation of the event by the captured video is prompted, so that the cause of an ambiguous event can be prevented from being identified.
According to the drive recorder device having the above configuration ( 2 ), it is easy to determine the occurrence of an event by detecting the acceleration.
According to the drive recorder device having the above configuration ( 3 ), since the identified event is recorded, the event can be easily verified.
According to the drive recorder device having the configuration ( 4 ), since at least one driving operation is recorded, it is possible to verify the event from various angles later.
According to the drive recorder device having the above configuration ( 5 ), the operation based on the judgment of the driver becomes clear.
According to the drive recorder device having the above configuration ( 6 ), the operation based on the judgment of the driver is further clarified. Therefore, the event can be detected with higher accuracy.
According to the drive recorder device having the configuration ( 7 ), it is possible to specify that the cause of the event was a near-miss.
According to the drive recorder apparatus having the above configuration ( 8 ), it is possible to specify that the cause of the event is an accident, for example, an accident.

  According to the present invention, an event is identified based on at least one driving operation in addition to the vehicle running state when the amount of change in the running state of the vehicle exceeds a threshold value. It is possible to detect the accuracy and identify the cause of the event. This facilitates near-miss and accident verification. In addition, the collected data can be linked to detailed driving education. It is also possible to grasp the degree of negligence in accident verification.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the drive recorder in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the data processor which analyzes and verifies the vehicle by which the recorder main body and various sensors of a drive recorder are mounted, and the collected data. It is a flowchart which shows the data recording operation | movement procedure of a drive recorder. It is a graph showing the signal of various sensors at the time of event occurrence, and the state of a switch. It is a flowchart which shows the verification procedure of the collected data in a data processor. It is a flowchart which shows the data recording operation | movement procedure of the drive recorder in 2nd Embodiment. 4 is a diagram illustrating data recorded in a recording unit 26. FIG. It is a figure which shows the scene assumed when the variation | change_quantity of acceleration exceeds a threshold value and a trigger generate | occur | produces.

  A drive recorder apparatus and an event identification method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the drive recorder in the first embodiment. The drive recorder 10 includes a recorder main body 11 and a sensor unit 12. The recorder main body 11 is provided with a control unit 21, a camera 22, an image processing unit 23, an image memory 24, an operation unit 25, a recording unit 26, an RTC 28, and a memory card interface (I / F) 27.

  The sensor unit 12 is provided with a GPS receiver 31, an acceleration sensor 32, a vehicle speed sensor 33, an accelerator opening sensor 34, a blinker switch 35, and a brake switch 36, which are connected to the control unit 21 in the recorder body 11. Is done.

  In the recorder main body 11, the control unit 11 controls the entire drive recorder, and has a known CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like.

  The camera 22 has an image sensor such as a CCD, and is installed in the vicinity of the upper part of the vehicle windshield (see FIG. 2) to capture an image in front of the vehicle. The image processing unit 23 performs image processing such as compression on the video captured by the camera 22. The image memory 24 includes a ring memory that accumulates a certain amount of image data, and stores video data that has been captured by the camera 22 and image-processed by the image processing unit 23. The image memory 24 stores the current position coordinates obtained by the GPS receiver 31 and the current time measured by the RTC 28 simultaneously with the video data.

  The operation unit 25 has various buttons necessary for operating the drive recorder 10. The recording unit 26 detects various sensors and driving operations for detecting the running state of the vehicle, in addition to video data captured by the camera 22 and stored in the image memory 24 as data collected in response to the occurrence of the trigger. Detection data obtained by various switches is recorded.

  The RTC (Real Time Clock) 27 measures the current time as described above. A memory card 15 is detachably connected to the memory card I / F 27.

  On the other hand, in the sensor unit 12, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver 31 is mounted inside the vehicle (see FIG. 2), receives radio waves from a plurality of GPS satellites, and coordinates of the current position of the vehicle (GPS coordinates). A signal representing is output.

  The acceleration sensor 32 detects acceleration in a triaxial direction including a traveling direction (X direction), a lateral direction (Y direction), and a gravity direction (Z direction) of the vehicle (an example of a traveling state detection unit).

  The vehicle speed sensor 33 is composed of a rotary encoder, and generates a pulse signal of the number corresponding to the transmission rotation speed of the rear wheels (drive wheels) as a pulse signal for travel distance calculation and outputs it as a speed pulse signal.

  The accelerator opening sensor 34 is provided on the accelerator pedal, and detects an operation amount (accelerator opening) of the accelerator pedal operated by the driver. The accelerator opening sensor 34 corresponds to an accelerator opening detecting means as an example of the operation detecting means.

  The turn signal switch 35 detects on / off of the left and right turn signals (direction indicators) and outputs them to the control unit 21. The brake switch 36 is provided on the brake pedal, and is turned on when the driver operates the brake pedal, and outputs the presence / absence of the brake operation to the control unit 21. The brake switch 36 corresponds to brake operation detection means as an example of operation detection means.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a vehicle equipped with a recorder main body and various sensors of a drive recorder, and a data processing device for analyzing and verifying collected data. FIG. 2A shows the arrangement of the recorder main body and various sensors and switches mounted on the vehicle. FIG. 2B shows the appearance of the data processing apparatus. The data processing device 50 includes a general-purpose computer system including a computer main body 51, a display 52, a keyboard 54, a mouse 55, and the like. A connection connector 57 to which the memory card 15 is connected is provided at the lower front of the computer main body 51. The data processing device 50 reads the data recorded on the memory card 15 and analyzes and verifies the data read by the analysis software installed in the computer main body 51.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a data recording operation procedure of the drive recorder. This operation program is stored in the ROM in the control unit 21 and is executed by the CPU in the control unit 21.

  When the drive recorder 10 is activated, the control unit 21 first captures an image in front of the vehicle with the camera 22 and starts capturing the image (step S1). Video captured by the camera 22 is subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 23 and sequentially recorded in the image memory 24. The image memory 24 is composed of a ring memory, and continuously captured images are overwritten sequentially when the capacity of the image memory 24 reaches a certain amount.

  The control unit 21 takes acceleration information from the acceleration sensor 32 (step S2). As described above, the acceleration information includes the acceleration in the three-axis direction including the traveling direction, the lateral direction, and the gravity direction of the vehicle.

  The control unit 21 determines from the acceleration information captured in step S2 whether or not a trigger has occurred when the amount of change in acceleration exceeds a threshold that is determined to be an event such as a collision or sudden braking (step S3). . The process in step S3 is an example of a threshold determination unit. When the acceleration change amount does not exceed the threshold value and the trigger is not generated, the control unit 21 returns to the process of step S1 and continues the photographing operation.

  On the other hand, when a trigger occurs when the amount of change in acceleration exceeds the threshold, the control unit 21 determines that an event such as a collision or sudden braking has occurred during shooting, and various sensors and switches (in this case, the vehicle speed sensor 33, the accelerator opening). Information on the degree of opening sensor 34, the blinker switch 35, and the brake switch 36) is taken in (step S4). Then, the control unit 21 records the information of various sensors and switches taken in step S4 and the video data stored in the image memory 24 in the recording unit 24 (step S5). In step S5, when the memory card 15 is inserted in the memory card I / F 27, data is recorded in both the recording unit 24 and the memory card 15.

  Thereafter, the control unit 21 determines whether or not an end instruction has been received from the driver via the operation unit 25 (step S6). If the end instruction has not been received, the control unit 21 returns to the process of step S1 and continues the photographing operation. On the other hand, when receiving an end instruction, the control unit 21 ends the present process.

  FIG. 4 is a graph showing the signals of various sensors and the state of switches when an event occurs. The horizontal axis represents time, the left vertical axis represents the degree of acceleration, and the right vertical axis represents the speed and the degree of accelerator opening. In the graph, symbol a represents the accelerator opening. The symbol b represents speed. Symbol c represents the acceleration in the vehicle traveling direction (X direction). The symbol d represents the acceleration in the lateral direction (Y direction). Reference symbol e indicates the state of the brake switch. The symbol f represents the state of the right turn signal switch. The symbol g represents the state of the left turn signal switch.

  In this graph, at time Ta, the accelerator opening is closed after being suddenly opened, the vehicle is stopped by decelerating to bounce, and an accident due to a collision is expected to occur.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure for verifying collected data in the data processing apparatus. This processing program is stored in a recording medium in the data processing device 50 and is executed by the CPU in the data processing device 50.

  First, the data processing device 50 takes in the collected data recorded in the memory card 15 connected to the connection connector 57 (step S11). The data processing device 50 analyzes the acquired collected data and determines whether or not there is an accelerator change amount when a trigger is generated due to the acceleration exceeding a threshold value (step S12). When there is no accelerator change amount, the data processing device 50 determines whether or not a brake operation has been performed (step S13). If there is no brake operation, the data processing device 50 determines that an accident has occurred as an event (event) due to external energy (external factor) (step S14). In step S13, the state of the turn signal switch 35 may be determined together. For example, when the right turn signal switch of the turn signal switch 35 is on, in step S14, it is determined that an accident has occurred and an attempt is made to turn right. it can. Thereafter, this process ends.

  On the other hand, if there is an accelerator change amount at the time of trigger occurrence in step S12, the data processing device 50 determines that it is due to a driver's operation (event), and the cause is a near accident or a rear-end collision accident to avoid danger. It is urged to confirm the event by video (step S15). In step S15, turning on / off of the blinker switch 35 may be added to the determination material. Thereafter, this process ends.

  According to the drive recorder device of the first embodiment, the operation information is acquired not only from the photographed video but also from the collected data such as the amount of change in the accelerator opening, the presence / absence of the brake operation, and the like. In addition, events such as accidents and near-miss events can be detected with high accuracy, and the cause of the event occurrence can be specified. This facilitates near-miss and accident verification. In addition, the collected data can be linked to detailed driving education. It is also possible to grasp the degree of negligence in accident verification.

  In addition, when it is difficult to identify the cause of the event occurrence, confirmation of the captured video is prompted, so that the cause of the ambiguous event can be prevented from being identified. Further, since the vehicle acceleration is detected as the vehicle running state and it is determined whether or not the vehicle acceleration exceeds the threshold value, it is easy to determine the occurrence of the event. Further, since at least one driving operation is recorded, it is possible to verify the event from various angles later. Further, since the event is identified according to the detected amount of change in the accelerator opening and the presence or absence of the detected brake operation, the operation based on the judgment of the driver becomes clear.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the drive recorder apparatus is mainly composed of the drive recorder and the data processing apparatus. The drive recorder records various driving operation information in addition to the video information, and the data processing apparatus The case where the collected data is analyzed and the event is verified is shown.

(Second Embodiment)
In the second embodiment, the drive recorder apparatus is mainly configured by a drive recorder, and shows a case in which an event is verified from driving operation information and the verified event information is recorded together with video information. Since the hardware configuration of the drive recorder of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a data recording operation procedure of the drive recorder in the second embodiment. This operation program is stored in the ROM in the control unit 21 and is executed by the CPU in the control unit 21.

  When the drive recorder 10 is activated, the control unit 21 first captures an image in front of the vehicle with the camera 22 and starts capturing the image (step S31). Images continuously captured by the camera 22 are subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 23 and sequentially recorded in the image memory 24.

  The control unit 21 takes in acceleration information at the time of shooting from the acceleration sensor 32 (step S32). As described above, the acceleration information includes the acceleration in the three-axis direction including the traveling direction, the lateral direction, and the gravity direction of the vehicle.

  The control unit 21 determines from the acceleration information captured in step S32 whether or not a trigger has occurred when the amount of change in acceleration exceeds a threshold that is determined to be an event such as a collision or sudden braking (step S33). . When the acceleration change amount does not exceed the threshold value and the trigger is not generated, the control unit 21 returns to the process of step S31 and continues the photographing operation.

  On the other hand, when the trigger is generated with the acceleration change amount exceeding the threshold, the control unit 21 determines whether the acceleration change amount is generated on the acceleration side or the deceleration side (step S34). When it occurs on the acceleration side, the control unit 21 determines whether or not the amount of change from the accelerator opening detected by the accelerator opening sensor 34 is equal to or less than a predetermined value determined by the driver's determination. (Step S35).

  When the amount of change in the accelerator opening is equal to or less than a certain value, the control unit 21 determines that the event is an external energy (external factor) event (for example, an accident) (step S36). And the control part 21 records the event information which is based on external energy (for example, accident) as the accident record, the data collected by various sensors, and the video information in the recording part 26 (step S37). At this time, when the memory card 15 is connected to the memory card I / F 27, these pieces of information are also recorded on the memory card 15. Thereafter, the control unit 21 ends this operation.

  On the other hand, when the amount of change in the accelerator opening exceeds a certain value in step S35, the control unit 21 determines that the event is due to the driver's determination (for example, near-miss, dangerous driving, dangerous driving avoidance) (step S38). . Then, the control unit 21 records event information determined by the driver's judgment, data collected by various sensors, and video information in the recording unit 26 as a near-miss example (step S39). At this time, when the memory card 15 is connected to the memory card I / F 27, these pieces of information are also recorded on the memory card 15. Thereafter, the control unit 21 ends this operation.

  On the other hand, when the amount of change in the acceleration occurs on the deceleration side in step S34, the control unit 21 determines whether or not the amount of change in the accelerator opening is equal to or less than a certain value that is determined to be operated by the driver's judgment. Is discriminated (step S40). When the change amount of the accelerator opening is equal to or less than a certain value, the control unit 21 determines that the event is caused by a brake operation or a collision (step S41). In the process of step S41, the presence / absence of a brake switch may be detected to confirm whether or not a brake operation is being performed.

  Thereafter, in step S37, the control unit 21 records, in the recording unit 26, event information, data collected by various sensors, and video information that are assumed to be caused by a brake operation or a collision.

  On the other hand, when the amount of change in the accelerator opening exceeds a certain value in step S40, the control unit 21 determines that the event is a collision (for example, looking aside or falling asleep) (step S42). In step S39, the control unit 21 records event information, data collected by various sensors, and video information, which are caused by a collision, in the recording unit 26 as a near-miss case.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing data recorded in the recording unit 26. In the recording unit 26, event information, its cause, collected data, and video data are recorded for each event. Specifically, if the event information is a near-miss event, it is recorded that it is due to the judgment of the driver (such as avoiding dangerous driving) or that is caused by a collision (aside look or doze), and the corresponding collected data and Video data is also recorded.

  In addition, in the case of accident records as event information, it is recorded that it is due to external energy (external factors), brake operation or collision, and the corresponding collected data and video data are also recorded. The Note that the above-described graph of FIG. 4 obtained from the collected data indicates that an event due to a collision occurred in step S42 at time Ta.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a scene that is assumed when a trigger occurs when the amount of change in acceleration exceeds a threshold value. In the case of constant speed running in FIG. 8A, when the acceleration amount that exceeds the threshold that is the upper limit of this range when the amount of change in the accelerator opening is small within the range of constant speed running, It is assumed that acceleration is generated at the time of traveling at a constant speed and the speed is increased, and data collection is performed assuming that the acceleration has increased due to external energy (external factor).

  At the start of FIG. 8 (B), when there is an abnormal increase in acceleration that exceeds the threshold that is the upper limit of this range when the amount of change in the accelerator opening is small within the range necessary for the start, It is assumed that the vehicle is accelerated by a rear-end collision at the time of departure, and data collection is performed assuming that acceleration has increased due to external energy (external factor).

  During deceleration in FIG. 8C, when the amount of change in the accelerator opening is small within the fluctuation range when the accelerator pedal is released, there is an increase in acceleration that exceeds the upper limit threshold of this range. In this case, it is assumed that acceleration has occurred during deceleration and the speed has increased, and data collection is performed assuming that the acceleration has increased due to external energy (external factor).

  As described above, according to the drive recorder device of the second embodiment, not only the captured image, but also the information of the driving operation is acquired from the collected data such as the change amount of the accelerator opening, the presence / absence of the brake operation, and the like. Based on this information, events such as accidents and near-miss events can be detected with high accuracy and the cause of the event can be identified. In addition, since event information is recorded in a recording unit that is a recording medium, the event can be verified only by the drive recorder. In addition, since the identified event is recorded together with the detected driving operation, the event can be easily verified.

  Further, when the detected change amount of the accelerator opening exceeds a certain value determined to be caused by the driver, it is possible to specify that the cause of the event is a near-miss. On the other hand, when the detected change amount of the accelerator opening does not exceed a certain value, it can be identified that the cause of the event is an accident, for example.

  The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and any configuration can be used as long as the functions shown in the claims or the functions of the configuration of the present embodiment can be achieved. Is also applicable.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the event is identified by taking the accelerator opening and the presence or absence of the brake operation as an example of the driving operation has been shown. However, as other driving operations, on / off of the left and right turn signal switches, etc. An event may be identified by detection.

  Moreover, although the case where the acceleration of the vehicle is detected as the traveling state of the vehicle has been described in the above embodiment, the speed (vehicle speed) or the like may be detected without being limited to the acceleration of the vehicle.

  In the above embodiment, the event is identified according to the presence or absence of the brake operation. However, the event may be identified by detecting the brake operation amount when the brake operation is performed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Drive recorder 11 Recorder main body 12 Sensor part 15 Memory card 21 Control part 22 Camera 23 Image processing part 24 Image memory 25 Operation part 26 Recording part 27 Memory card I / F
28 RTC
Reference Signs List 31 GPS receiver 32 acceleration sensor 33 vehicle speed sensor 34 accelerator opening sensor 35 turn signal switch 36 brake switch 40 vehicle 50 data processor 51 computer main body 52 display 54 keyboard 55 mouse 57 connector

Claims (2)

A drive recorder device for recording a running state of a vehicle,
Imaging means installed in the vehicle and capturing an image seen from the vehicle;
Traveling state detecting means for detecting the traveling state of the vehicle;
Operation detecting means for detecting the driving operation of the vehicle;
Threshold value determination means for determining whether or not the amount of change in the driving state detected by the driving state detection means exceeds a threshold value determined as the occurrence of an event;
When the threshold value is exceeded, a recording unit that records the video imaged by the imaging unit and the driving operation detected by the operation detection unit at the time of the imaging,
Event identifying means for identifying the event determined to have occurred based on at least one driving operation detected by the operation detecting means in addition to the running state of the vehicle;
Equipped with a,
The event identifying means identifies the cause of the event determined to have occurred, and when the cause of the event is not identified, the event identifying means prompts confirmation of the event with the video imaged by the imaging means. drive recorder device that.   The travel state detection means detects the acceleration of the vehicle as the travel state of the vehicle, and the threshold determination means determines whether or not the acceleration of the vehicle exceeds the threshold. The drive recorder apparatus according to 1.

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