JP6035541B2 - Camera unit - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera unit for a drive recorder used in a drive recorder or the like that detects acceleration generated suddenly in a vehicle by an acceleration sensor and records captured images before and after the detected time.

  A drive recorder that stores vehicle status information before and after an automobile accident (forward image, vehicle speed, sudden acceleration / deceleration, etc.) provides useful information for verification in the event of an automobile collision. In particular, it is widely used in transportation vehicles such as trucks and business vehicles such as taxis and buses, and is also being installed in general vehicles.

  This drive recorder is capable of storing a front video and a driving data indicating a driver's driving operation (brake operation, turn signal operation, driving route, etc.) for a certain period before and after the occurrence of an accident or sudden braking. It has a configuration. Briefly explaining the configuration for storing video data, the CCD camera always images the vehicle and surroundings from the viewpoint (view) of the driver, and the captured video is stored in a temporary storage memory such as a ring buffer. Remember. The video stored in the temporary storage memory is sequentially updated to the latest one, and the past video data is held for the set time. On the other hand, the drive recorder is equipped with a sensor that detects an impact such as an acceleration sensor or an impact that occurs during sudden braking or sudden steering. If the output value of the sensor exceeds the threshold, the threshold is exceeded (impact detection). The previous video for a certain period is read from the temporary storage memory and stored in a non-volatile memory (such as an SD memory card). After the threshold value is exceeded, the captured image of the CCD camera is directly or temporarily stored in the non-volatile memory. By storing via a storage memory, it has a function to save images and running data for a predetermined time before and after the impact in a nonvolatile memory (SD card).

  When an accident occurs, it is possible to clearly prove the validity of the driver based on the vehicle status information (video etc.) of the own vehicle stored in the nonvolatile memory. In addition, when the drive recorder detects a rough and dangerous driving operation such as a sudden handle or a sudden brake, it may give a certain tension to the driver by alerting the driver with a warning sound or the like. it can.

  Since this drive recorder captures and stores a front image of the vehicle, it is usually attached to the windshield of the vehicle. Specifically, as shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2, an attachment member having an attachment surface inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the main body is provided on the upper surface of a flat rectangular main body in which a CCD camera, an acceleration sensor, and the like are incorporated. Adhesive tape, double-sided adhesive tape, suction cups, etc. provided on the mounting surface are used to adhere and fix to a predetermined position on the windshield.

JP 2006-193057 A JP 2006-321423 A

  Since the drive recorders described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have a built-in CCD camera and an acceleration sensor, the direction of the photographing lens of the CCD camera is set as a reference by placing it in a state in which it is directed horizontally in the front of the vehicle. It is said. The built-in acceleration sensor is arranged as an initial setting when the photographing lens is in a state of facing the front horizontal direction of the vehicle, and corresponds to the inclination angle of the windshield as the body mounting surface. Only fine adjustment in the vertical direction was possible.

  However, recently, for transportation vehicles such as trucks and business vehicles such as taxis and buses, there is an increasing demand for recording images not only in front of the vehicle but also in the vehicle for operation management. There is a need for a drive recorder camera unit in which the direction of the photographing lens can be adjusted in the vertical and horizontal directions.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems and can be used not only when a camera body incorporating an electronic camera records an image in front of the vehicle but also when an image inside the vehicle is recorded. Another object of the present invention is to provide a camera unit for a drive recorder that can reduce camera shake due to vehicle vibration without increasing costs.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, a camera unit for a drive recorder according to the present invention is (1) a camera unit constituting a drive recorder, and the camera unit includes a camera body incorporating an electronic camera, a camera A holder, and the camera body is held by the camera holder so as to be pivotable in the vertical and horizontal directions. Therefore, it is possible to perform photographing in the vehicle front direction as usual by rotating in the vertical direction. Further, since the inside of the vehicle can be photographed by turning in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, it is possible to photograph and record a person or an object in the passenger seat.

  Here, the vertical direction means a direction perpendicular to the ground contact surface of the vehicle. Moreover, the left-right direction means a direction parallel to the ground contact surface of the vehicle.

  (2) The drive recorder is attached to the inside of the vehicle via a fixing means so as to photograph the front of the windshield through a light incident part provided in the camera body, and is obtained by image data acquired through the light incident part. The drive recorder is characterized in that it stores image data in time zones before and after that including at least a time zone in which the acceleration sensor detects a predetermined acceleration. Therefore, it is possible to reproduce the front image of the vehicle for a certain period before and after the occurrence of an accident and sudden braking, thereby leading to the elucidation of the cause of the accident and easy verification of the driver's legitimacy. It becomes. The light incident part means, for example, a photographing lens or a light incident hole in a pinhole camera. The reflected light of the object is taken into an imaging device such as a CCD or CMOS or an imaging device such as an imaging tube through the light incident portion, and the light is converted into an electrical signal to be image data.

  (3) The drive recorder is attached to the interior of the vehicle via a fixing means so as to photograph the interior of the vehicle behind the windshield through a light incident portion provided in the camera body, and an image acquired through the light incident portion. It is a drive recorder that saves image data in the time zones before and after the data including at least the time zone when the acceleration sensor detects the predetermined acceleration. Therefore, it is possible to reproduce the in-vehicle video for a certain period before and after the occurrence of an accident and sudden braking, which leads to the elucidation of the cause of the accident and easy verification of the driver's legitimacy. Become.

  (4) The camera main body forms a contact surface with the camera holder as a convex curved surface, and the camera holder corresponds to the convex curved surface of the camera main body with the contact surface with the camera main body. It is characterized by a concave curved surface. Accordingly, since the concave curved surface of the camera holder comes into contact with the convex curved surface of the camera body, the contact area is wide, so that the camera body can be stably held. Further, since the frictional resistance can be reduced, it is possible to smoothly rotate in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

  (5) The camera body includes an operation unit, and the operation unit is installed on a driver side of the vehicle. Therefore, when the driver wants to photograph the situation inside the vehicle, the camera body can be easily operated.

  (6) The camera holder includes an adjustment unit that adjusts a contact position and a contact pressure with the contact surface of the camera body. Therefore, by weakening the contact pressure by the adjusting unit, the camera body can be easily rotated in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. Further, by increasing the contact pressure by the adjustment unit, the camera body can be stably and reliably held in the camera holder.

  (7) The camera holder attaches and detaches the camera body so that the camera body can be changed between a state in which the front of the windshield is photographed through the light incident part and a state in which the interior of the vehicle behind the windshield is photographed. It has the said adjustment part hold | maintained possible, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. Therefore, after weakening the contact pressure of the adjusting unit, the camera body is removed from the camera holder, and the state is changed to a state in which the front of the windshield is photographed through the light incident part or a state in which the interior of the vehicle behind the windshield is photographed. Can do.

  (8) The adjustment unit is outside the camera holder, and a lower end portion thereof is positioned above the lower end portion of the camera holder with respect to a ground contact surface of the vehicle. If an adjustment unit is provided inside the camera holder, the camera body is held in the camera holder so that it can be rotated in the left-right direction, making it easier to enter the shooting range of the camera body. If this is forcibly avoided, the degree of freedom in design will be limited. In addition, even when the adjustment unit is positioned below the lower end of the camera holder, the camera body is held by the camera holder so that it can be rotated in the vertical direction. Easy to enter. Therefore, with the above configuration, the adjustment unit can be prevented from entering the imaging range of the camera body. In addition, it is possible to avoid as much as possible from obstructing the field of view in the vehicle front direction.

  (9) The camera holder includes a fixing portion that is fixed to a windshield of a vehicle. Therefore, the camera holder can be fixed to the windshield by the fixing portion, and an image in the vehicle front direction can be taken through the windshield. Further, since the windshield is usually located at the foremost part in the vehicle, the entire interior of the vehicle can be photographed by providing a fixing portion that is fixed to the windshield.

  (10) The fixing portion is formed by an inclined surface corresponding to the inclined surface of the windshield of the vehicle. Therefore, the camera unit for the drive recorder can be easily fixed to the inclined surface of the windshield of the vehicle by attaching a double-sided tape or the like to the inclined surface of the fixing portion.

  (11) The camera holder includes the fixing portion and a ring-shaped camera body holding portion having a part of a concave spherical surface having the concave curved surface, and the inclined surface of the fixing portion is a front surface of a vehicle. When the light incident portion of the camera body is fixed to the inclined surface of the glass and is aligned with the horizontal direction, the ring-shaped camera body holding portion is positioned below the fixed portion, and the ring-shaped camera body It is characterized in that the diameter direction of the holding portion coincides with the direction perpendicular to the ground contact surface of the vehicle. Therefore, when photographing inside the vehicle, the ring-shaped camera body holding portion of the camera holder does not protrude rearward of the vehicle, so that it can be prevented from entering the photographing range of the camera body. Further, at the time of shooting in front of the vehicle, the ring-shaped camera body holding portion of the camera holder does not protrude toward the windshield in front of the vehicle, so that it can be prevented from entering the shooting range of the camera body.

  (12) The camera body has a predetermined angle in each of the left direction, the right direction, the upward direction, and the downward direction with reference to a state in which the direction of the axis passing through the lens geometric center of the photographing lens coincides with the horizontal direction. It is characterized in that it is installed in the camera holder in a state where it can be rotated. Therefore, when the camera body is fixed, the photographing range that cannot be covered by the photographing lens can be set within the range that can be photographed by rotating the camera body by a predetermined angle.

  (13) The present invention is characterized in that photographing can be performed in a range of about 180 degrees by combining the angle of view of the photographing lens and the predetermined rotatable angle. In general, since the photographing range by the photographing lens is about 120 degrees, it is possible to shoot in the range of about 180 degrees by widening the photographing range by 30 degrees vertically and horizontally. By installing so as to photograph the interior of the vehicle behind the windshield through the light incident part, it is possible to photograph the entire interior of the vehicle.

  (14) The contact area between the convex curved surface of the camera main body and the concave curved surface of the camera holder is kept constant within a range of a predetermined angle at which the camera main body can be rotated. It is characterized by. For example, when rotating the camera body within a range of a predetermined angle, if the convex curved surface formed on the camera body is always in contact with the entire concave curved surface formed on the camera holder, Since the contact area with the camera holder does not change even when the camera body is rotated by a predetermined angle, the camera body can be held stably and reliably.

  (15) The camera holder includes a ring-shaped camera body holding portion having a predetermined width, and the predetermined width is determined by a maximum angle of a predetermined angle that allows the camera body to rotate. It is said. For example, assuming that a part of the convex curved surface of the camera body is in contact with the entire concave curved surface of the ring-shaped camera body holding portion, the camera body holding portion can be held by the camera body holding portion. It is determined by the width of the concave curved surface. Therefore, when it is desired to increase a predetermined angle at which the camera body can be rotated, the width of the ring-shaped camera body holding part may be increased to increase the contact area between the camera body holding part and the camera body. In addition, if the predetermined angle at which the camera body can be rotated is reduced, the camera body can be held even if the contact area between the camera body holding part and the camera body is small, so the width of the ring-shaped camera body holding part Can be reduced.

  Since the camera unit for a drive recorder according to the present invention can take an image of the interior of the vehicle by rotating in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, it can take a picture of a person or an object in the passenger seat and record it. However, by stably and reliably holding the camera body, camera shake due to vehicle vibration can be reduced. Moreover, the camera unit for a drive recorder according to the present invention can photograph the entire interior of the vehicle, and the driver can easily operate the camera body.

The perspective view which looked at the camera unit which concerns on this invention from the left direction The perspective view which looked at the camera unit concerning the present invention from the right direction Front view of a camera unit according to the present invention The right view of the camera unit which concerns on this invention Left side view of a camera unit according to the present invention The top view of the camera unit concerning the present invention Bottom view of camera unit according to the present invention Rear view of the camera unit according to the present invention The right view of the camera unit which concerns on this invention Left side view of a camera unit according to the present invention AA schematic sectional view of the camera unit shown in FIG. BB schematic sectional view of the camera unit shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a camera unit 1 constituting a drive recorder according to the present invention as viewed from the left, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view as viewed from the right. 3 is a front view of the camera unit 1 constituting the drive recorder according to the present invention, FIG. 4 is a right side view, FIG. 5 is a left side view, FIG. 6 is a plan view, and FIG. 8 and 8 are rear views. 9 is a right side view when the orientation of the camera body 2 is changed from FIG. 4, and FIG. 10 is a left side view when the orientation of the camera body 2 is changed. Moreover, FIG. 11 is an AA schematic sectional view of the camera unit 1 shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 12 is a BB schematic sectional view.

  First, the basic configuration of the camera unit 1 will be described. The camera unit 1 includes a camera main body 2 with a built-in electronic camera 10 and a camera holder 3. The camera body 2 is held by a ring-shaped camera body holding portion of the camera holder 3 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

  Further, the camera holder 3 includes a fixing portion that is fixed to the windshield 11 of the vehicle, and this fixing portion is constituted by a fixing member 4 having an inclined surface. Moreover, the adjustment part which adjusts a contact position and contact pressure with the contact surface of the camera main body 2 of the camera holder 3 is provided, This adjustment part penetrates this division piece 5a, 5b and this division piece 5a, 5b. An adjustment screw 6 and a nut 7 screwed onto the adjustment screw 6 are used.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the camera unit 1 is fixed to the windshield 11 of the vehicle by the fixing member 4 constituting the fixing portion of the camera holder 3. As a fixing means, an adhesive tape or a double-sided adhesive tape is used.

  The cable 17 extending from the camera body 2 is connected to a drive recorder body (not shown) installed at a predetermined location of the vehicle. The drive recorder main body incorporates an acceleration sensor, storage means, communication means, and the like. When the camera body 2 is installed so as to photograph the front of the windshield 11 through the light incident portion provided in the camera body 2, it is image data acquired through the light incident portion, and at least acceleration. The image data of the time zone before and after that including the time zone in which the sensor has detected the predetermined acceleration is stored in the storage means built in the drive recorder main body.

  On the other hand, when the camera body 2 is installed so as to photograph the entire interior of the vehicle, the same configuration as that when the camera body 2 is installed so as to photograph the front of the windshield 11 through the light incident portion described above. However, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which image data photographed at any time is stored in storage means built in the drive recorder main body and transmitted to a monitoring place or the like by communication means.

  Next, a specific configuration of the camera unit 1 constituting the drive recorder according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The camera body 2 has upper, lower, right and left contact surfaces with the camera holder 3 formed by convex curved surfaces 2a. The convex curved surface 2a is formed as a spherical surface having a constant curvature radius.

  In the camera holder 3, the contact surface with the camera body 2 on the inner peripheral surface of the ring-shaped camera body holding portion is formed by a concave curved surface 3 a corresponding to the convex curved surface 2 a of the camera body 2. . Although the curvature radius of the concave curved surface 3a of the camera boulder 3 and the curvature radius of the convex curved surface 2a of the camera body 2 are formed so as to be substantially the same curvature radius, the camera body 2 of the camera body 2 has a manufacturing error. The curvature radius of the concave curved surface 3a of the camera boulder 3 is slightly increased so that the curvature radius of the convex curved surface 2a does not become larger than the curvature radius of the concave curved surface 3a of the camera boulder 3. .

  With the above configuration, a part of the range of the convex curved surface 2 a of the camera body 2 comes into contact with the entire range of the concave curved surface 3 a of the camera holder 3, so that the contact area can be widened. Therefore, the camera holder 3 can hold the camera body 2 stably. Further, since the contact surfaces are formed by the curved surfaces 2a and 3a, the frictional resistance can be reduced, and the camera body 2 can be smoothly rotated in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

  Further, with the above configuration, the camera body 2 itself can be operated as an operation unit, and the outer surface thereof can be operated and rotated with a finger. 4 and 5, when the fixing member 4 is fixed to the windshield 11 so that the photographing lens 9 of the camera body 2 faces the inside of the vehicle, the camera unit 1 is attached to the driver of the vehicle. It is installed on the side windshield 11 so that the driver can photograph the situation inside the vehicle and easily operate the camera body 2. As shown in FIG. 8, a finger insertion groove 8 is provided on the back surface of the camera body 2. By inserting the driver's finger into the finger insertion groove 8, the camera body can be surely grasped, so that the operation of the camera body 2 is further facilitated.

  Here, the vertical and horizontal rotation ranges of the camera body 2 are respectively in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction with reference to a state in which the direction of the axis passing through the lens geometric center of the photographing lens 9 coincides with the horizontal direction. In addition, the range of 30 degrees can be rotated. That is, in the camera holder 3, the substantially entire inner surface of the ring-shaped holding member 12 constituting the ring-shaped camera body holding portion is formed by a concave curved surface 3a, and the entire concave curved surface 3a is formed by the camera body. 2 is in contact with the convex curved surface 2a. On the other hand, the camera body 2 has a front surface having a lens opening 14 and an outer peripheral surface other than the rear surface from which the cable 17 protrudes, as a convex curved surface 2a, and a part of the convex curved surface 2a is a ring. The concave holding curved surface 3 a of the shape holding member 12 is brought into contact with the whole. The range in which this state is maintained is defined as the range in which the camera body 2 can be rotated.

  Further, the ring-shaped holding member 12 constituting the ring-shaped camera body holding portion has the inclined surface of the fixing member 4 constituting the fixing portion fixed to the inclined surface of the windshield 11 of the vehicle, and the light incidence of the camera main body 2. In a state in which the portion is aligned with the horizontal direction, the ring-shaped holding member 12 is positioned below the fixing member 4, and the diameter direction of the ring-shaped holding member 12 matches the direction perpendicular to the ground contact surface of the vehicle It is said. Therefore, the ring-shaped holding member 12 of the camera holder 3 does not protrude rearward during the photographing inside the vehicle, so that it can be prevented from entering the photographing range of the camera body 2. Further, at the time of shooting in front of the vehicle, the ring-shaped holding member 12 of the camera holder 3 does not protrude toward the windshield 11 in front of the vehicle, so that it can be prevented from entering the shooting range of the camera body 2.

  Since the shooting range by the shooting lens 9 (the angle of view of the shooting lens) is about 120 degrees, it is possible to shoot in a range of about 180 degrees by widening the shooting range 30 degrees vertically and horizontally. So you can take a picture of the whole car.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the adjustment portion of the camera holder 3 is located outside the camera holder 3. When the camera unit 1 is installed in the vehicle and the camera body 2 is fixed to the camera holder 3, the lower end of the adjustment screw 6 is more than the lower end of the camera holder 3 with respect to the ground contact surface of the vehicle. Is also designed to be positioned above. (See arrow T in FIG. 3). Thereby, it can prevent that an adjustment part enters in the imaging | photography range of the camera main body 2. FIG. In addition, it is possible to avoid as much as possible from obstructing the field of view in the vehicle front direction.

  Then, by loosening the adjusting screw 6 constituting the adjusting portion of the camera holder 3, the vertical gap between the divided piece 5a and the divided piece 5b is widened, and the inner diameter of the ring-shaped holding member 12 of the camera holder 3 is increased. Expands. Then, in the state where the inner diameter of the ring-shaped holding member 12 is larger than the outer diameter of the camera main body 2, the camera main body 2 is taken out from the front opening 18a or the rear opening 18b of the ring-shaped holding member 12, The camera body 2 is configured to be separable from the camera holder 3.

  Then, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the taken-out camera body 2 is inserted from the front opening 18 a or the rear opening 18 b of the ring-shaped holding member 12 in a direction for photographing the outside of the vehicle. Further, by tightening the adjusting screw 6 constituting the adjusting portion of the camera holder 3, the vertical gap between the divided piece 5a and the divided piece 5b is narrowed, and the inner diameter of the ring-shaped holding member 12 of the camera holder 3 is reduced. to shrink. Then, the fixing of the camera body 2 to the camera holder 3 is completed in a state where the outer diameter of the camera body 2 and the inner diameter of the ring-shaped holding member 12 are substantially equal.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the camera body 2 is set to the direction in which the interior of the vehicle is photographed. However, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the front side of the windshield 11 is photographed in the reverse direction. The operation of changing the orientation of the camera body 2 can be easily performed by loosening the adjustment screw 6.

  11 is a schematic AA cross-sectional view of the camera unit 1 shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 12 is a B-B schematic cross-sectional view. The internal structure of the camera body 2 will be described with reference to these drawings. Inside the camera body 2, an electronic camera 10 such as a CCD camera is fixed by a fixing member 13. Here, the photographing lens 9 of the electronic camera is disposed so as to be exposed from the lens opening 14 constituting the light incident portion. A circuit board 15 is fixed inside the camera body by a fixing member 16 behind the electronic camera 10. A cable 17 is connected to the circuit board 15.

  The cable 17 supplies electricity to the electronic camera 10 via the circuit board 15 and is connected to a drive recorder main body (not shown) installed at a predetermined location of the vehicle. Is transmitted to storage means built in the drive recorder main body (note that the cable 17 is omitted in the middle of the drawing). When a USB cable is applied to the cable 17 and a USB terminal is provided on the camera body 2, the camera body 2 and the cable 17 can be easily attached and detached. When the cable 17 is removed from the camera body 2 in advance when it is removed from the camera holder 3, the changing operation is facilitated.

  In the present embodiment, the light incident part is constituted by the lens opening 14 and the photographing lens 9, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in a configuration that does not include the photographing lens 9 such as a pinhole camera, the light incident portion can be configured by only the light incident hole provided in the camera body 2, which is also included in the present invention. It is.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the camera unit 1 according to the present invention has a convexity of the camera body 2 within a range of a predetermined angle (30 degrees in the case of the present embodiment) where the camera body 2 can be rotated. The contact area between the curved surface 2a and the concave curved surface 3a of the camera holder 3 is kept constant. That is, the entire concave curved surface 3 a of the camera holder 3 is always kept in contact with a part of the convex curved surface 2 a of the camera body 2. Therefore, even when the camera body 2 is rotated within a predetermined angle range, the contact area with the camera holder 3 does not change, so that the camera holder 3 can hold the camera body 2 stably and reliably.

  Further, the camera holder 3 has a camera body holding portion composed of a ring-shaped holding member 12 having a predetermined width, and the predetermined width of the ring-shaped holding member 12 allows the camera body 2 to be rotated. It is determined by the maximum angle (30 degrees in this embodiment) of the predetermined angle. That is, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the ring-shaped holding member 12 has an almost entire inner surface formed by a concave curved surface 3 a, and the entire concave curved surface 3 a is a convex shape of the camera body 2. In contact with the curved surface 2a. On the other hand, the camera body 2 has a front surface having a lens aperture 14 and an outer surface other than the rear surface from which the cable 17 protrudes as a convex curved surface 2a, and a part of the convex curved surface 2a is a ring shape. The holding member 12 is configured to be in contact with the entire concave curved surface 3a.

  Here, the camera body 2 is rotated in the vertical direction and the left-right direction, and a part of the concave curved surface 3a of the ring-shaped holding member 12 that is not in contact with the convex curved surface 2a of the camera body 2 is generated. In this case, since the contact area is reduced, the contact pressure of the camera holder 3 to the camera body 2 varies, and the holding of the camera body 2 becomes unstable. Therefore, the camera body 2 is rotated in the vertical direction and the left-right direction, and the maximum angle of the state in which the entire concave curved surface 3 a is in contact with a part of the convex curved surface 2 a of the camera main body 2 is determined. It is set as the maximum angle of the predetermined angle which can be rotated.

  Since the camera unit 1 according to the present invention has the above-described configuration, in order to increase the predetermined angle at which the camera body 2 can be rotated, the width of the ring-shaped holding member 12 may be increased. In order to reduce the predetermined angle at which the main body 2 can be rotated, the width of the ring-shaped holding member 12 may be reduced.

  Next, the operation of the drive recorder using the camera unit 1 according to the present invention will be described. A cable 17 extending from the camera body 2 is connected to a drive recorder body (not shown) installed at a predetermined location of the vehicle. The drive recorder main body incorporates an acceleration sensor, storage means, communication means, and the like. When the camera body 2 is installed so as to photograph the front of the windshield 11 through the light incident portion provided in the camera body 2, it is image data acquired through the light incident portion, and at least acceleration. The image data of the time zone before and after that including the time zone in which the sensor has detected the predetermined acceleration is stored in the storage means built in the drive recorder main body. Therefore, in the event of an accident and sudden braking, a forward image of a certain period before and after the occurrence can be reproduced, which leads to the elucidation of the cause of the accident and facilitates the proof of the driver. .

  On the other hand, when the camera body 2 is installed so as to photograph the entire interior of the vehicle, the image data photographed at any time is stored in the storage means built in the drive recorder body, and the taxi company headquarters by the communication means It is also configured to be transmitted to the trucking company headquarters. Therefore, it is possible to notify the taxi company headquarters of the nuisance of passengers in the taxi, and the image data stored in the storage means can be used as evidence when claiming damages at a later date. In addition, the trucking company headquarters can monitor whether the truck driver is falling asleep at any time, and can also monitor whether there is a beer can or liquor bottle in the passenger seat.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Camera unit 2 Camera body 2a Convex curved surface 3 Camera holder 3a Concave curved surface 4 Fixing member 5a, 5b Split piece 6 Adjustment screw 7 Nut 8 Finger insertion groove 9 Shooting lens 10 Electronic camera 11 Windshield 12 Ring-shaped holding Member 13 Fixing member 14 Lens opening 15 Circuit board 16 Fixing member 17 Cable 18a, 18b Opening

Claims (3)

It is a camera unit that can be attached to a vehicle in a state of photographing inside the vehicle
The camera unit includes a camera body incorporating an electronic camera and a camera holder, and the camera body is held by the camera holder in a state of being rotatable in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction,
A camera unit comprising a groove into which a finger can be inserted on the back surface of the camera body when the photographing direction in the vehicle is adjusted by the rotation . The camera holder includes an adjustment unit that adjusts a contact position and a contact pressure with the contact surface of the camera body,
The camera holder detachably holds the camera body so that the adjustment unit can be changed between a state in which the camera body shoots in front of the windshield and a state in which the interior of the vehicle behind the windshield is photographed. The camera unit according to claim 1, wherein: The camera holder includes a fixing portion for fixing to a windshield of a vehicle, and a ring-shaped camera body holding portion,
The substantially entire inner surface of the ring-shaped holding member constituting the ring-shaped camera body holding portion is formed as a concave curved surface, and the entire concave curved surface is in contact with the convex curved surface of the camera body. The camera unit according to claim 1, wherein the camera unit is fixed.

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