JP7079988B2 - Drive recorders, display devices and programs for drive recorders - Google Patents

Description

Patent Law Article 30, Paragraph 2 Applicable Publication address https: // www. Yupiteru. co. jp / products / biz_dr / q-01 / (Posted on December 2, 2016) https: // www. Yupiteru. co. jp / products / drive_recorder / q-01 / (Posted on December 2, 2016) https: // my. Yupiteru. co. jp / upload / save_image / manual / pdf / Q-01. pdf (Posted on December 2, 2016) https: // my. Yupiteru. co. jp / upload / save_image / manual / pdf / Q-01_quickkgude. pdf (Posted on December 2, 2016)

The present invention relates to, for example, a drive recorder, a display device for a drive recorder, a program, and the like.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a drive recorder attached so as to be adjacent to a rear-view mirror fixed to an upper part of a windshield of a vehicle such as an automobile. In this drive recorder, an in-vehicle surveillance camera is provided in the third case body, and a front surveillance camera is provided in the first case body.

In Patent Document 1, as a description of the drive recorder, for example, in paragraph [0002], "the own vehicle and the surrounding situation are imaged from the driver's field of view, and the image data captured is stored in the temporary storage memory." For example, in paragraph [0006], "not only the predetermined time before and after the accident of the vehicle is recorded, but also, for example, the surrounding situation is constantly imaged and the captured image data is recorded. There is. "

JP 2013-225179

The drive recorder disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a relatively narrow angle of view, as shown in FIG. 8 of Patent Document 1 in which a vehicle in front is displayed as an example of an image taken by a front surveillance camera. , A certain area in front of the vehicle is photographed. In paragraph [0077] of Patent Document 1, it is shown that the in-vehicle surveillance camera is composed of a lens having a narrower angle of view than the front surveillance camera. As described above, the conventional drive recorder has a narrow shooting range, and the range of the recorded image is not sufficient.

Further, an object of the present invention is not limited to this, and an object of the present invention is to obtain an effect obtained from a part of the configuration disclosed in the present specification, drawings and the like. For example, a problem in which the part described as "can be" in the present specification is replaced with "is a problem" is disclosed in the present specification. It is also an object of the present invention to solve this problem. The applicant of the present application intends to make a part of the constitution described in the present specification amended or to make a claim in a divisional application.

(1) An imaging means for photographing a range wider than the area of the hemisphere and a mounting means for attaching to the vehicle so that a part of the range photographed by the photographing means is in the front range of the vehicle are provided. Since it is possible to shoot a wider range than the area of the hemisphere, it is good because the range that can be shot is wider than before. The mounting means has a function of mounting the drive recorder on the vehicle and fixing the shooting direction of the shooting means. Since a wider range than the area of the hemisphere including the front range of the vehicle is photographed, for example, the range to be photographed in the event of an accident becomes wider, and in addition to the collision on the front side of the vehicle, the collision in another direction can be photographed. , It is good because the blind spot is reduced. The area wider than the area of the hemisphere should be a continuous space. Since this drive recorder captures a wider range than the area of the hemisphere including the front range, for example, when the drive recorder is mounted at a predetermined position in the vehicle interior by the mounting means, the images of the outside and the inside of the vehicle are photographed from the inside of the vehicle. It becomes a device to output or record.

(2) The photographing means includes a plurality of cameras, one of the plurality of cameras is a camera that captures a hemisphere or a larger range, and the other camera is a camera that captures a narrower range than the hemisphere. Therefore, it is preferable that both shooting areas have different areas. The shooting areas may partially overlap, but by allowing different parts to be shot, it is possible to shoot a range that cannot be covered by the shooting range of the camera that shoots the hemisphere or more with another camera. If there are different regions, the imaging regions may include overlapping portions, or the imaging regions may not overlap, but it is more preferable to include the overlapping regions. A camera that shoots a hemisphere or a larger range has a lower resolution toward the periphery. For example, a camera that shoots a part of the peripheral shooting area where the resolution is lower and a range narrower than the hemisphere. By overlapping the shooting areas, it is good to shoot clearly based on the camera that shoots a range narrower than the hemisphere. In the embodiment, this drive recorder corresponds to a drive recorder including a third camera and a fourth camera. A camera that shoots a hemisphere or a larger range corresponds to the third camera, and a camera that shoots a range narrower than the hemisphere corresponds to a fourth camera.

Further, for example, one camera that captures a hemisphere or a range beyond that of the vehicle mounted at a predetermined position by the mounting means is configured to shoot the lower side, and another camera is configured to shoot the front of the vehicle. In this case, it is preferable to use one of the cameras to monitor the entire circumference of the horizontal plane of the vehicle at 360 degrees, and use another camera to function as a normal drive recorder. For example, if one of the cameras captures the range of the hemisphere with an angle of view of 180 degrees all around, the surroundings can be captured efficiently and neatly. If the temperature is 180 degrees or higher, useless scenery such as the ceiling of the vehicle is captured, and the captured image becomes smaller and the resolution is lowered. However, if the resolution is 180 degrees, the problem disappears. On the other hand, if it is set to 180 degrees, it is not possible to shoot an object diagonally above, such as a traffic light in front, but it is good because another camera that shoots in front can handle it.

(3) The photographing means may include one camera that photographs a wider range than the hemisphere including the lower hemisphere while being attached to the vehicle by the mounting means. By doing so, it is possible to photograph all directions of the front, rear, left and right of the vehicle, and it is preferable that an object approaching the vehicle can be photographed from each direction around the vehicle, for example. Since a wider range than the hemisphere is photographed, for example, the space of the photographing means diagonally above is also an imaging area. Therefore, for example, when photographing the front of a vehicle, it is preferable that the vehicle in front and the traffic light can be photographed firmly.

By using the function to shoot in all directions of front, back, left and right, for example, even if there is a collision of a vehicle from the lateral or rear direction while driving, there is a high possibility of shooting the situation, and the conventional drive There are fewer blind spots compared to recorders. Further, for example, when the vehicle is operated while parking, security monitoring can be effectively performed.

A range wider than the 180-degree hemisphere is preferably, for example, a range of 220 degrees to 260 degrees because the traffic light can be photographed and the color of the signal of the photographed signal can be confirmed. The range of 230 degrees to 240 degrees is more preferable because it is possible to shoot a traffic light so that the color of the signal can be confirmed more reliably, and it is possible to shoot without degrading the resolution of the vehicle in front such as the front of the vehicle or other scenery.

(4) The photographing means is provided with two cameras for photographing a hemisphere or a range beyond that, and the two cameras are arranged to photograph in opposite directions, respectively, and in a state of being mounted in the vehicle interior by the mounting means. The dashboard and pillars of the vehicle may be projected on the periphery of the images captured by the two cameras.

By doing so, it is possible to shoot a spherical image of 720 degrees (horizontal 360 degrees + vertical 360 degrees) with one drive recorder. With a conventional drive recorder, since it is possible to shoot only within a predetermined range in front of the vehicle, the side and rear may be blind spots, and the situation in the unlikely event may not be recorded in the image, but all directions of front, back, left, right, up and down It is good because the blind spot disappears by taking a picture. The two cameras correspond to the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 in the embodiment.

When the drive recorder is installed in the vehicle interior, one of the two cameras mainly captures the area on the front side of the drive recorder, and the other camera mainly captures the area on the rear side of the drive recorder. Since the dashboard and pillars are projected on the periphery of the images taken by the two cameras, the drive recorder is mounted in front of the driver by the mounting means. Since one camera shoots the front in the direction of travel and the other camera shoots the rear and the interior of the vehicle, the front view and the driver in the vehicle are shown in the center of the images taken by each camera. When the peripheral edges of each image taken by two cameras are connected so that the whole celestial sphere (image with 360 degrees of front, back, left, right, up and down continuous) can be captured, the connection / boundary between the front side and the rear side is connected by the driver. It can be positioned sideways, and there is no difficulty in seeing the joints in the scenery in front of the vehicle or in the center of the image showing the interior of the vehicle. The central area taken by each camera has a higher resolution than the peripheral area, and it is good because the high resolution area can capture the scenery of the vehicle in front and the central part in front, as well as the driver and passengers in the passenger compartment. .. The front view, which functions as the original drive recorder, can be captured with the image of only one camera.

Also, in the above example, the dashboard and pillars are reflected in the joint part, but for example, by fixing the joint part at a specific position, the part at that specific position is difficult to be reflected and the other parts are reflected. It should be easy.

Further, for example, a housing for mounting an imaging means and a main body case for mounting a processing circuit for executing various processes, various sensors, etc. are composed of different members, and both are connected by an angle adjusting mechanism. It should be configured so that it rotates around the horizontal axis and swings in the front-back direction, but does not rotate around the vertical axis and does not swing sideways.

(5) The photographing means includes two cameras for photographing a hemisphere or a range beyond that, so that the two cameras photograph in opposite directions, and the two cameras are photographed by each. It is for connecting the peripheral edges of the images to form one image, and it is preferable to provide a means for making the joint portion of the peripheral area taken by the two cameras inconspicuous.

When two images are joined together to create an image of one spherical image, a part of the whole image is cut out and displayed, and the cut out area is moved, the cut out area may include a connecting part. Since the joint part is inconspicuous and has a means, the joint part becomes inconspicuous, and the whole spherical image can be connected without any discomfort.

The means for making it inconspicuous is, for example, a brightness adjusting means at the time of shooting, and the brightness adjusting means may be such that, for example, two cameras shoot with the same brightness. For the same brightness, for example, the exposure conditions controlled by the exposure control function may be the same. Normally, when the exposure control function is implemented in each of the two cameras, the photometry is performed by each camera, and the image is taken under appropriate exposure conditions according to the photometric result. In this case, for example, if one camera mainly shoots the outside scenery of the vehicle, the subject is bright, and if the other camera mainly shoots the interior of the vehicle, the subject is dark, so it is optimal based on the respective photometric results. Under different exposure conditions, you will be shooting with different brightness. When shooting in this way, the difference in brightness at the joints is noticeable, causing a sense of discomfort. If the brightness adjusting means is used to control the two cameras to shoot at the same brightness, it is good because there is no discomfort at the joint portion.

When the edges of images shot with the same brightness by two cameras are connected to create and display one image, the connected part is not noticeable. When the brightness of the two cameras is adjusted separately, it is usually controlled so that, for example, a bright outside landscape and a relatively dark interior of the vehicle can be captured clearly.
For example, if the brightness is different in the part where the image of the camera that shoots the front is changed to the image of the camera that shoots the rear while turning the image, the joint part becomes conspicuous and makes a sense of discomfort. The inside of a car that is dark and difficult to see is good because you can reproduce the state as you see it by shooting while it is difficult to see.

When the overall brightness is the same, for example, it is preferable to perform it based on the photometric result of one camera that shoots the front because the front view can be clearly shot, but the photometric result of the other camera that shoots the rear is also taken into consideration. This is more preferable because it can prevent the interior of the vehicle from being completely dark and difficult to see. In addition, since the image you want to see is in the center of the image, it is better to perform metering with each camera based on the center-weighted metering, and the dashboard, floor, sheet, etc. are shot under the image. It is advisable to perform focused metering especially on the upper region of the central part. Furthermore, if split metering is performed on the entire two images including the joint, the entire image can be taken without being too dark or overexposure. Further, it is advisable to extract a moving part, perform spot metering on that part, and adjust the brightness based on the metering result. For example, pillars and dashboards are not moving, and outside scenery and people inside the car are moving. Therefore, it is good to measure the moving part so that you can easily see what you want to see.

Further, the brightness adjusting means may be the same as a whole, or the central portion may be individually adjusted and the brightness of the peripheral portion may be the same. In that case, the brightness adjusted individually in the central portion and the brightness in the peripheral portion may differ from each other. Therefore, it is advisable to correct the gradation or the like in the intermediate portion between the central portion and the peripheral portion. It is more preferable to shoot with the same brightness for the entire screen because it is easy to control the shooting means and the camera side, and it is also easy to perform a process of connecting the two shot images.

(6) The photographing means includes two cameras for photographing a hemisphere or a range beyond that, and the two cameras are arranged so that the areas to be photographed by the two cameras overlap at the peripheral portion, and the mounting thereof is performed. When attached to the vehicle by means, the overlapping area may be configured to photograph a predetermined position in the vehicle interior.

Objects that exist in overlapping areas are photographed by each of the two cameras. Then, when the images of the two cameras are connected, the same object may be divided into two and displayed at different positions, but if the overlapping area is near a predetermined position in the vehicle interior, the predetermined position in the vehicle interior is set. Even if it is hidden in a position and is not photographed in the first place, or if it is photographed and displayed in a different position, the predetermined position in the vehicle interior is conspicuous, and it becomes inconspicuous that it is displayed in two parts, and there is no sense of discomfort.

(7) The predetermined position may be at least one of the pillar and the dashboard of the vehicle. The pillar dashboard has a distance of about 1 to 3 m from the camera installed in the vehicle interior, which is relatively close to the object existing outside the vehicle, and there is little deviation when the images from the two cameras are connected, so it is assumed that there is a deviation. Even if it is, it is not noticeable. In addition, since the dashboard has the same color as a whole and is often a dark color as a whole, it is good that it is not noticeable even if it is misaligned in view of the above points. Also, the dashboard and pillars aren't something to pay attention to, so it doesn't matter if they are out of alignment. In addition, the pillar has a person or other object outside the vehicle located behind it, but part or all of it is hidden by the pillar, so the deviation is not noticeable.

(8) The two cameras capture a range of a hemisphere or more, the two cameras are mounted in one housing, and the outer shape of the housing is a sphere, and the two cameras are described. Each lens of the above may be arranged in an exposed state on the surface of the sphere on the opposite side in the radial direction.

Since the housing on which the camera is mounted is a sphere, it is easy to imagine that it is a camera that shoots spherical images. Since the lens is arranged so that it is exposed and protrudes on the surface of the sphere, it is good because the housing is less likely to be reflected in the camera even in a camera that shoots a range of a hemisphere or more. If you make it a sphere, it will look small and it will make you feel like a spherical drive recorder.

(9) A housing for mounting a main body case for mounting a control unit and mounting the two cameras is arranged under the main body case in a state of being mounted by the mounting means, and the main body case is attached to the camera. It is preferable to have a shape that makes it difficult to be reflected. Since the main body case is less likely to be reflected in the image taken by the camera, it is possible to easily see the scenery outside the car and the inside of the car. For the shape that is difficult to be reflected, it is better to make the part that exists in the shooting range of the camera as small as possible. Since the blind spot of is conical, it is advisable to make the main body case a shape close to the conical shape.

(10) A main body case for mounting a control unit and a recording means may be provided, and a housing for mounting the two cameras may be arranged separately from the main body case, and a switch may be provided in the housing. The recording means is, for example, to collect and record ambient sounds. For example, in the event of an accident, the sound of a collision, the sound of a brake operation, the sound of a driver or a passenger, etc. are collected and recorded. belongs to. This is useful, for example, for analyzing the accident after it has occurred. As the switch is operated, the operation sound echoes inside the housing, and if you record it as it is and play it back later, it may be jarring and you may find it troublesome to analyze accidents, but the recording means is a separate main unit from the housing. Since it is mounted on the case, even the echoed operation sound is not transmitted to the main body case, and the operation sound is not recorded. In the embodiment, the recording means corresponds to, for example, a microphone. The switch may be, for example, an instruction for recording information based on an image taken by a camera when the switch is operated.

(11) The housing for mounting the two cameras is located under the main body case and has the main body case for mounting the control unit and the recording means, and is mounted in the vehicle interior by the mounting means. It is advisable to provide a switch on the lower surface side of the housing. The housing is placed under the main body case, and the switch is placed on the lower surface side of the housing. The switch is near the driver and easy to press. Further, when the housing is made into a sphere as described in (8) above, the switch can be pressed while holding the sphere from above and below, which is easy to push and the force is not easily applied to the main body case side.

(12) The housing is rotatably attached to the lower surface side of the main body case in a state of being attached to the vehicle interior by the attachment means via a connecting mechanism, and the connecting mechanism is attached to the front and rear of the vehicle in the attached state. It is good to allow rotation in the direction and prevent swinging in the left-right direction.

(13) It is preferable to use a drive recorder display device having a function of displaying images taken by two cameras on one screen in a connected state. For example, by widening the angle of view and displaying in the opposite direction, the inside of the vehicle such as the driver and passengers is displayed in the center, and the left and right outside scenery is displayed on the periphery so that the left and right outside scenery flows, and the virtual outside of the vehicle. It has a viewpoint, and the display looks like a transparent vehicle, and it looks like a distant view. It is good because you can see a novel scenery that humans cannot see.

(14) It is preferable to use a drive recorder display device having a function of displaying images taken by two cameras in a connected state, changing the viewpoint, and displaying a reference screen by one-touch operation.

It is good because you can immediately return to the reference screen regardless of the orientation when you are looking at it from a different viewpoint. For example, if you cut out a part of the screen of the spherical image, move the cutting position, or change the size, you may not know which direction you are facing, but this is the situation. However, it is good because you can understand the situation by returning to the reference screen once. Also, even if the direction you are currently looking at is known, if you want to return to the original reference screen, you can return to it all at once, which is preferable. The reference screen may be, for example, a front or a driver (diagonally behind instead of directly behind), and in the embodiment, there may be a specific screen such as front, back, left or right, or a bookmark registered during playback.

(15) It is preferable to use a display device for a drive recorder having a mask function that makes it difficult to see a predetermined part of an image taken by two cameras compared to other normal display parts. By doing so, for example, by making it difficult to see at least the part where the driver's face is displayed, it is sufficient to meet the demand that the driver himself does not want to be photographed or is embarrassed. Making it difficult to see includes, for example, making it invisible, covering it with a mask member to make it completely invisible, performing mosaic processing, and displaying it faintly. The area to be masked can be specified automatically or manually. For automatic setting, for example, it is preferable to recognize a specific place such as a driver's seat, a registered person (self, family, etc.) and set a part including the face of that person.

(16) It is preferable to use a drive recorder display device having a main display unit and a sub display unit and having a function of displaying different images on each display unit. It is preferable because different images can be viewed at the same time. For example, it is preferable to display the front view on the main display section and the situation inside the vehicle interior on the sub display section so that the state when the view is seen can be understood in relation to each other. In addition, while the vehicle is parked or stopped, a circular or panoramic image of the 360-degree horizontal part is displayed on the main display unit, and when the approach of a person is detected, an enlarged image of the person is displayed on the main display unit. The whole is continuously displayed on the sub display. In the event of a collision, if the image in the direction of the impact is displayed on the main display and the outside scenery in a different direction or the situation of the driver / passenger in the passenger compartment is displayed on the sub-display, the analysis of the accident will be better. It is good because it can be done accurately. It is good to have a function to switch and display the main display according to the driving situation and circumstances. By doing so, for example, a necessary image can be reproduced according to a driving situation or the like.

(17) A drive recorder display device having a function of displaying a specific direction so as to face a predetermined position on the screen may be used. For example, since a specific direction is displayed so as to face a predetermined position on the screen, the user can recognize and understand the reproduced monkey image in relation to the direction when looking at the screen. For example, if the specific direction is "north" and the predetermined position is "above the screen", it is good because it can be intuitively understood by comparing with the map.

(18) A display device for a drive recorder equipped with an editing / playback function that automatically performs a process of skipping unnecessary images and automatically reproducing the images, instead of playing back the images taken by the two cameras as they are in chronological order. It is good to say. For example, a video that you are not interested in or do not want to see will not continue to be played, and the video that you are interested in will be played, so the user will be requested to see the shot video later. preferable.

The display device for each drive recorder described above includes, for example, a viewer mounted on a computer, a display device connected to or mounted on the drive recorder, and a display device of an in-vehicle device linked to the drive recorder. The in-vehicle device includes, for example, a car navigation device.

(19) The program may be characterized in that the computer realizes the function as the display device for a drive recorder according to any one of (13) to (18).

(20) In the drive recorder according to any one of (4) to (12), it is preferable to use a drive recorder having the function of the drive recorder display device according to any one of (13) to (17).

The inventions (1) to (12) and (20) described above can be arbitrarily combined. For example, it may not include all or part of (1) but may include at least one of the other configurations (2) to (12) and (20). However, in particular, it is preferable to include all or a part of the configuration of (1), and to include at least one configuration and combination of (2) to (12) and (20). Further, any component may be extracted from at least one of (1) to (12) and (20) and combined. Further, the inventions (13) to (18) can be arbitrarily combined. Further, any component may be extracted from at least one of (13) to (18) and combined. The applicant of the present application intends to acquire a patent right, a design right, etc. by means of an amendment, divisional application, change application to a design registration application, etc., even for such a configuration.

According to the present invention, it is good because the range that can be photographed is wider than before. Further, for example, it is possible to provide a product described in the present specification, such as a product having an effect described as "can be" in the present specification.

It is a perspective view which shows one preferable embodiment of the drive recorder which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the attachment procedure to the windshield of the drive recorder. (A) and (b) are perspective views showing a part of the main body case of the drive recorder, and (c) is a bottom view of the drive recorder. It is a perspective view which omitted a part of the main body case of the drive recorder of this embodiment. It is an exploded perspective view which shows the lens part. It is a figure which shows the state which attached the drive recorder to a vehicle. It is a perspective view which omitted a part of the main body case of a drive recorder, a housing, a circuit board, and the like. It is a figure explaining the field of view, the angle of view, etc. of a camera part. It is a figure explaining the blinking state of the lamp of a switch part. It is a figure explaining the image taken by the 1st camera and the 2nd camera. (A) is a diagram for explaining a display example of a captured image, and (b) is a diagram for explaining an exposure control function. It is a figure explaining the function of the PC viewer. It is a figure explaining the function of the PC viewer. It is a figure explaining the function of the PC viewer. It is a figure explaining the function of the PC viewer. It is a figure explaining the function of the PC viewer. It is a figure explaining the function of the PC viewer. It is a figure explaining the function of the PC viewer. It is a figure explaining the function of the PC viewer. It is a figure explaining the function of the PC viewer. It is a six-sided view which shows an example of a drive recorder. It is a perspective view which shows an example of a drive recorder.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. These drawings are used to illustrate the technical features that may be employed in the present invention. The configuration, shape, etc. of the apparatus described are merely explanatory examples, and the present invention is not construed as being limited thereto, and is based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art as long as it does not deviate from the scope of the present invention. , Various changes, corrections and improvements can be made.

1 to 8, FIG. 21, FIG. 22 and the like show external views and the like of a preferred embodiment of the drive recorder according to the present invention. The drive recorder 10 of the present embodiment has a function of recording and outputting an omnidirectional image obtained by photographing 360 degrees in a horizontal plane and 360 degrees in a vertical plane. The drive recorder 10 includes a main body 11 that executes various processes, and a camera unit 12 that is arranged below the main body 11 in a vehicle-mounted state.

The main body portion 11 has a flat rectangular main body case 13, and various circuit boards / devices are mounted in the main body case 13. The main body case 13 is configured by connecting the first case 14 and the second case 15. The first case 14 and the second case 15 are box-shaped with their facing surfaces open to each other, and are connected by connecting means in a state where their tip surfaces are in contact with each other. The connecting means may be, for example, composed of a protrusion provided on one of the first case 14 and the second case 15 and a recess linked to the protrusion provided on the other, and the protrusion and the recess may be fitted together.

The first case 14 has a shallow bottom, the peripheral edge of the opening surface is substantially rectangular, and the four corners are rounded, and the depth is almost uniform throughout. When the drive recorder 10 is installed in the vehicle, the first case 14 is located on the front side of the vehicle. Therefore, the surface of the first case 14 opposite to the opening surface is the front surface 13a of the main body case 13. A joint rail 16 is provided on the front surface 13a. Two joint rails 16 are provided vertically at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the first case 14. A bracket 17 is detachably attached between the two joint rails 16.

The second case 15 has a box shape deeper than that of the first case 14, and the peripheral edge of the opening surface is substantially rectangular and has a square shape with rounded corners, similar to the first case 14. When the drive recorder 10 is installed in the vehicle, the second case 15 is located on the rear side of the vehicle. Therefore, the surface of the second case 15 opposite to the opening surface is the rear surface 13b of the main body case 13. The portion of the rear surface 13b adjacent to one of the pair of long sides of the rectangle is a flat surface 13b', which is a plane parallel to the front surface 13a of the main body case 13, and the portion adjacent to the other of the pair of long sides is an inclined surface 13b. The inclined surface 13b ″ is formed so as to gradually approach the opening surface of the second case 15 from the middle side of the short side toward the outer long side. Therefore, the depth of the second case 15 is formed to be uniform in the first region including the flat surface 13b', and gradually becomes shallower toward the long side in the second region including the inclined surface 13b ". By providing the inclined surface 13b ″, the external shape of the main body case 13 becomes a shape as if one long side portion is chamfered based on a rectangular parallelepiped. One long side to be chamfered is the rear upper side with the drive recorder 10 installed in the vehicle. When the first case 14 and the second case 15 are connected, the front surface 13a on the first case 14 side and the flat surface 13b'on the second case 15 side are parallel to each other.

The bracket 17 has a flat plate 17a, and grooves 17b are formed along the longitudinal direction on a pair of side surfaces of the long sides thereof. The groove 17b is configured to match the joint rail 16. The user aligns the groove 17b with the joint rail 16 and slides the bracket 17 and the main body case 13 relative to each other so that the bracket 17 can be attached to or detached from the main body case 13 (see FIG. 2 and the like).

A protrusion 17c is provided on the surface of the plate 17a facing the main body case 13 when the bracket 17 is attached to the main body case 13 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B). When the bracket 17 is mounted between the joint rails 16, the protrusion 17c fits into the hole 14b provided in the leaf spring portion 14a of the first case 14 and prevents the bracket 17 from coming off. An adhesive member such as double-sided tape 19 is attached to the surface of the bracket 17 opposite to the surface facing the main body case 13. When the drive recorder 10 is attached to a vehicle, the bracket 17 is removed from the main body case 13, and the removed bracket 17 is attached and fixed to the windshield 2 of the automobile via the double-sided tape 19 (see FIG. 2B and the like). .. At this time, the bracket 17 is set to be horizontally long so that the pair of long sides are horizontal. By attaching the main body case 13 to the bracket 17 attached to the windshield 2 in such a state (see FIG. 2C and the like), the drive recorder 10 is attached and fixed at a predetermined position of the vehicle. In this mounted state, the front surface 13a and the flat surface 13b'of the main body case 13 are arranged parallel to the mounting surface of the front glass 2, the long side of the main body case 13 is located in the horizontal plane, and the short surface of the main body case 13 is used. The side surface is located in the vertical plane. Therefore, the main body case 13 is fixed in a horizontally long state attached to the windshield 2, and the camera unit 12 is arranged in a state of being suspended from the bottom surface side of the main body case 13.

As shown in FIGS. 1A, 3 and the like, a notched window portion 14c is formed on one short side side of the first case 14, and a cover member 20 for closing the notched window portion 14c is attached. .. The cover member 20 is fastened and fixed with screws 21 in a state where the notched window portion 14c is arranged so as to be closed. When the cover member 20 is removed, the memory card slot 22 mounted in the main body case 13 is exposed via the notched window portion 14c. The memory card 23 is detachably mounted in the memory card slot 22.

A window hole 13c that opens so as to straddle the second case 15 of the first case 14 is provided on the side surface opposite to the side on which the notched window portion 14c is provided, and a DC jack 24 is provided behind the window hole 13c. Deploy. A connector provided at one end of the power cable is attached to the DC jack 24 so as to receive power supply from the outside. Power is supplied from the outside, for example, from the battery of the vehicle. For example, the other end of the power cable attached to the DC jack 24 may be attached to the cigar socket of the vehicle or directly connected to the power line of the battery of the vehicle. Further, a power supply device different from the vehicle battery may be prepared, and the drive recorder may be supplied with electric power from the power supply device. This power supply device is a device that can supply power from the built-in battery even when the power is not supplied from the battery of the vehicle such as when the vehicle is parked. The built-in battery may be, for example, a rechargeable battery, and when this power supply device is installed in a vehicle, the power supply device is arranged between the vehicle battery and the drive recorder in the power supply line. When power can be supplied from the battery of the vehicle, such as when the vehicle is running, power is supplied from the battery of the vehicle to the drive recorder 10 via the power supply device. In this state, the built-in battery of the power supply device is charged by receiving power supply from the vehicle battery. When the power supply from the vehicle battery is OFF, the drive recorder 10 operates by receiving the power supply from the power supply device.

A hole 13d is provided at a predetermined position on the inclined surface 13b ″ of the first case 14. The microphone 18 is arranged in the main body case 13 near the hole 13d. The microphone 18 collects ambient sound. A plurality of holes 13e are provided at predetermined positions on the flat surface 13b'of the case 14. The speaker 29 is arranged in the main body case 13 near the holes 13e.

Various processing circuits, power supply circuits, and the like are mounted in the main body case 13. As shown in FIG. 4 and the like, the processing circuit, the power supply circuit, and the like are mounted on the main circuit board 40 and the sub circuit board 41. The main circuit board 40 and the sub circuit board 41 are mechanically integrated by connecting the connectors 42 attached to both boards to each other, and also connect the signal line and the power line formed on each circuit board. .. The main circuit board 40 and the sub circuit board 41 are connected in a parallel and stacked state, and mounted in the main body case 13 in that state. In the mounted state, the main circuit board 40 is located on the second case 15 side, and the sub circuit board 41 is located in the first case 14. A GPS antenna unit 43 and a battery 44 are provided on a surface of the sub circuit board 41 that does not face the main circuit board 40. The memory card slot 22 is mounted on the side of the sub circuit board 41 facing the main circuit board 40. The CPU that controls various controls, the DC jack 24 described above, the speaker 29, and the like are mounted on the main circuit board 40. Although not shown, an acceleration sensor is also built in the main body case 13.

As shown in FIG. 5 and the like, the camera unit 12 includes a housing 25, a first camera 26 and a second camera 27 mounted in the housing 25, and a switch unit 28. The housing 25 has a spherical shape as a whole, and is configured by connecting the hemispherical first camera case 30 and the second camera case 31, which are divided into two, in a state of being attached to each other. The fixing of the first camera case 30 and the second camera case 31 is the same as the fixing of the first case 14 and the second case 15 described above, on the one hand, for example, the protrusion 30a provided on the first camera case 30, and the other. For example, it is preferable to use the fitting of the recess 31a provided in the second camera case 31.

The first camera 26 and the second camera 27 are arranged back to back, and are fixed and connected so as to shoot in opposite directions to form a camera unit 35. The camera unit 35 erects a flat rectangular holder 36, fixes the first camera 26 on the front surface thereof, and fixes and integrates the second camera 27 on the rear surface thereof. The fixing is performed, for example, with screws.

The first camera 26 is configured by arranging the first lens portion 26b on the first circuit board 26a. An image sensor and a processing circuit for photographing are mounted on the first circuit board 26a. The second camera 27 is configured by arranging the second lens portion 27b on the second circuit board 27a. An image sensor and a processing circuit for photographing are mounted on the second circuit board 27a. The first camera 26 and the second camera 27 have the same specifications and performance. For the same state and performance, for example, the angle of view, the optical system from the tip lens to the image sensor, the sensor size of the image sensor, etc. are the same. When shooting in the same state, the shot images will be the same. In this embodiment, there is no physical aperture, and the brightness of shooting is adjusted by changing the shutter speed and the exposure time.

As shown in FIG. 5 and the like, when the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 are attached to the holder 36, the optical axes L of the first lens portion 26b and the second lens portion 27b are positioned on the same straight line. Set. As a result, the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 take pictures in opposite directions. A circular window hole 30b is provided in the center of the first camera case 30, and a circular window hole 31b is provided in the center of the second camera case 31. When the camera unit 35 is mounted in the housing 25, the tip of the first lens portion 26b of the first camera 26 and the tip of the second lens portion 27b of the second camera 27 are located in the window holes 30b and 31b, respectively. And it is exposed to the outside.

The housing 25 of the camera unit 12 is connected to the main body case 13 via the angle adjusting mechanism 50. The angle adjusting mechanism 50 allows the housing 25 to swing in the front-rear direction only around the rotation axis provided along the long side on the front side of the bottom surface of the main body case 13 (see FIG. 6). , It is intended not to shake sideways, for example, it is configured as follows. As shown in FIG. 5, the housing 25 side is provided with a first bearing piece 51 projecting upward from the first camera case 30 and a second bearing piece 52 projecting upward from the second camera case 31. The first bearing piece 51 includes a wall portion 51a extending upward and two first bearing portions 51b formed so as to project rearward on the rear surface of the wall portion 51a. The second bearing piece 52 includes a wall portion 52a facing the wall portion 51a of the first bearing piece 51, and a second bearing portion 52b arranged on both left and right sides of the wall portion 52a. The four bearing portions 51b and 52b have through holes having the same diameter, and when the first camera case 30 and the second camera case 31 are connected, the four through holes are arranged concentrically.

A recess 15d is provided at a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the second case 15 of the main body case 13. The recess 15d is formed in the central portion of the long side on the front side of the bottom surface of the second case 15, and has a through hole 15e on a pair of inner side surfaces orthogonal to the long side. The through holes 15e formed on the pair of inner side surfaces are formed coaxially, and the inner diameter thereof is larger than the shaft portion of the bolt 53 and smaller than the outer diameter of the nut 54 mounted on the thread portion of the bolt 53. A small chamber 55 for mounting the nut 54 is provided on the inner side of the second case 15 on the inner side surface provided with the through hole 15e smaller than the outer diameter of the nut 54, and the nut is set in the small chamber. The inner diameter of the other through hole 15e is made larger than the outer diameter of the head of the bolt 53. The other through hole 15e is connected to the opening 15g on the side surface 15f of the second case 15.

The bolt 53 is inserted from the opening 15g side with the first bearing piece 51 and the second bearing piece 52 inserted and arranged in the recess 15d, with the screw portion at the head, and the shaft portion of the bolt 53 is inserted. With the first bearing portion 51b and the second bearing portion 52b penetrating, the threaded portion of the bolt 53 is inserted into one of the through holes 15e and positioned in the small chamber. Turn the bolt 53 using a fastening tool such as a hexagon wrench to fasten the threaded portion and the nut. In this state, one side surface of the recess 15d is sandwiched between the nut and the second bearing portion 52b of one of the second bearing pieces 52, the detachment of the bolt 53 and the housing 25 is suppressed, and the bolt 53 is firmly tightened. , The head of the bolt 53 urges the other second bearing portion 52b to suppress rotation, and when the bolt 53 is loosened, the housing 25 rotates with the bolt 53 as the center of rotation within a predetermined angle range.

The bolt 53 is arranged parallel to the long side of the second case 15 and thus the main body case 13. Since the long side of the main body case 13 attached and fixed to the front glass 2 is located on a horizontal plane, the angle adjusting mechanism 50 composed of the bolt 53, the first bearing piece 51, the second bearing piece 52, etc. , Rotation around the horizontal axis is allowed, rotation around the vertical axis is not allowed, and the camera unit 12 is only allowed to swing in the front-back direction.

When using the drive recorder 10, in a state where it is attached and fixed to the windshield 2 as described above, the housing 25 and the camera unit 12 are swung back and forth and the nut is tightened in a desired posture, and the camera unit is used. The orientation of 12 is fixed. The desired posture is such that the first camera 26 faces forward and the second camera 27 faces backward, and the optical axes L of the first lens portion 26b and the second lens portion 27b are parallel to the traveling direction of the vehicle. It is a posture like that. In this posture, as shown in FIG. 6A and the like, the joint surface M of the first camera case 30 and the second camera case 31 is located in a vertical plane and in a plane orthogonal to the traveling direction of the vehicle. do.

As shown in FIG. 8 and the like, the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 are 360 degrees in a plane direction parallel to the lens, respectively, and the angle of view θ in the direction perpendicular to the plane is a predetermined angle larger than 180 degrees. It is a camera that can shoot the entire surrounding area as it is. The predetermined angle is the same angle between the first camera 26 and the second camera 27. Since the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 are arranged back to back in opposite directions, there is a predetermined gap between the tip of the first lens portion 26b and the tip of the second lens portion 27b. For example, when the angles of view of both cameras are set to 180 degrees, a band-shaped unphotographed region is generated over the entire circumference of the width of a predetermined interval between the two lens portions. By making the angle of view θ larger than 180 degrees, the area behind the plane perpendicular to the optical axis at the tip position of the lens portion also becomes the shooting range, and as shown in FIG. 8, for example, both cameras can shoot. An overlapping part is generated in the area (see the hatched part in FIG. 8), and the whole celestial sphere image of 720 degrees (horizontal 360 degrees + vertical 360 degrees) can be taken by one drive recorder 10 (FIG. 8 (d). ) Etc.).

The images taken by the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 are circular as shown in FIGS. 8 (b) and 8 (c), respectively, and are 360 degrees in the direction parallel to the lens with respect to the parallel direction. The first region R1 in which the hemispherical portion on the front side of the lens portion having an angle of view of 180 degrees or less in the orthogonal direction is photographed, and the rear side of the lens portion having an angle of view of 180 degrees or more in the orthogonal direction is photographed. There is a second region R2.

The area above a predetermined angle is an area that cannot be photographed by each camera and becomes a blind spot. Therefore, the region near the camera unit 12 from the position where the shooting regions of the two cameras shown by hatching in FIG. 8 overlap is a blind spot region R3 that cannot be shot by any of the cameras. The closer the predetermined angle is to 180 degrees, the farther the point where the photographing areas start to overlap is from the camera unit 12, and the larger the blind spot area R3 is. On the other hand, as the predetermined angle is increased, the blind spot region R3 becomes smaller, but the first region R1 in which the portion of the hemisphere in front of the lens portion is photographed becomes smaller, so that the image captured in the first region R1. It causes a problem that the resolution of the lens is lowered and it becomes difficult to see. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the predetermined angle is set to 210 degrees, and the front view of the vehicle and the resolution inside the vehicle taken in the first region R1 can be maintained high while the blind spot region R3 is appropriately reduced.

The switch portion 28 is attached below the camera unit 35 and integrated. Semicircular notches 30c and 31c are provided below the joint end edge of the first camera case 30 and the second camera case 31. The radii of the notches 30c and 31c are equal, and when the first camera case 30 and the second camera case 31 are joined, both the notches 30c and 31c are connected to form a circular hole. Then, the switch portion 28 is located in the circular hole portion, and the switch portion 28 is exposed to the outside.

The switch unit 28 is mounted in a housing 25 for the camera unit 12, and is housed in a housing separate from the main body unit 11 in which the speaker 29 is built. The switch unit 28 is a push button type, and when the switch unit 28 is pressed, an operation sound is produced. However, since the microphone 18 is built in the main body case 13 separate from the housing 25, the operation sound is tentatively produced. Even if it reverberates in the housing 25, the operation sound is not transmitted in the main body case 13, the sound is not collected by the microphone 18, and the sound is not recorded. On the other hand, if a switch unit is provided on the main body case 13 side, for example, the operation sound when the switch unit is pressed is collected and recorded by the microphone 18, which causes a problem that the operation sound becomes a large noise. However, in this embodiment, it is good because the problem does not occur. Also, if the microphone and the switch section are mounted on the same board, the board will vibrate when the switch section is operated, and the sound due to the vibration may be recorded as noise, but in this embodiment, the mounting board is also different. Therefore, it is good because such a situation does not occur.

This switch unit 28 is for pressing when recording an event. The drive recorder 10 of this embodiment has a continuous recording function for recording an image from engine start (ACC ON) to engine stop (ACC OFF) on a memory card, and when the event conditions are met, a certain period of time before and after the match. There is an event recording function to record. The event conditions include, for example, the case where the acceleration sensor detects an impact of a certain level or more, or the case where the switch unit 28 is pressed. The detection of impact above a certain level is used to record the video and audio before and after the accident, and the press of the switch unit 28 is used for one-touch recording to record the video and audio for a certain period of time passing through an arbitrary point. do. The control unit of the drive recorder records, for example, video and audio for a certain period of time before and after the event occurs as separate data when the event conditions are met while constantly recording. Both the constantly recorded data and the other data when the event occurs are recorded in the memory card 23. In addition, when continuous recording is not performed, the control unit of the drive recorder always temporarily records video and audio for a certain period of time in a buffer memory or the like, and when the event conditions are met, the temporarily recorded data, etc. Is used to record video and audio for a certain period of time before and after the event occurs on the memory card 23.

As described above, in this embodiment, the drive recorder 10 is prepared separately from the vehicle even when the power of the vehicle is turned off because the ignition switch is turned off and the power supply from the battery of the vehicle cannot be received, for example, when the vehicle is parked. It operates by receiving power from the power supply.
Therefore, a mode for recording parking is provided by using such a function. The parking recording mode is a mode in which power is supplied from the power supply device to the drive recorder 10 for a set time even after the power of the vehicle is turned off, such as when the vehicle is parked, and continuous recording or event recording is performed even during parking.

In this embodiment, the GPS antenna unit 43 is provided, and a function of acquiring position information, date / time information, and speed information is provided. Therefore, when making the above recording, it is advisable to record each of these information in association with each other.

In this embodiment, the switch portion 28 is provided in the center of the lower surface of the housing 25 made of a sphere. Therefore, the switch unit 28 is located closest to the driver and the passenger in the passenger seat, can be easily operated by reaching out, is easy to push, and is easy to see, so that the position of the switch unit can be easily confirmed. In this embodiment, the camera unit 12 is located on the lower side of the main body case 13, and the user may accidentally touch the lens when operating the switch. However, the switch unit 28 is arranged on the lower side as in the present embodiment. Therefore, the risk of touching the lens can be suppressed as much as possible.

Further, when the switch unit 28 is pushed upward, a load is applied to the angle adjusting mechanism 50 that rotates the camera unit 12, and the load is received there, so that the switch unit 28 may be pressed firmly. The bolt 53 and the nut 54 are firmly screwed and fixed so that the direction of the lens does not change when the lens is pressed.

Since the housing 25 is a sphere, it is easy to understand that the camera unit 12 captures spherical images in all directions around the housing 25. Since the housing 25 is made into a sphere, the housing 25 is located in the blind spot of the first lens portion 26b and the second lens portion 27b, and is not reflected in the image. Further, in order to prevent the main body case 13 from being reflected in the images taken by the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 as much as possible, for example, the main body case 13 and the housing 25 are arranged close to each other, and the upper part of the housing 25 and the main body case are arranged close to each other. Even if there is no gap on the bottom surface of the housing 13, a space can be secured between the housing 25 and the main body case 13 as it goes to the left and right sides of the housing 25, and the housing 25 can be easily pinched by fingers. Then, when pushing the switch section 28, the switch section can be pushed by touching the upper side of the housing with the index finger and the middle finger as if holding a ball, and holding the thumb while touching the switch section 28. If this pushing operation is performed, the load is not applied to the main body case 13 and the angle adjusting mechanism 50, or it is difficult to apply the load.

Further, in this embodiment, a lamp is mounted on the switch portion 28 so that the surface of the switch portion 28 emits light. Since the switch unit 28 emits light, its position is easy to understand even at night, which is good. By arranging the switch portion 28 on the lower side of the housing 25, the light is emitted downward. Therefore, since the driver looks up from below, it is easy to check the light emission, but it is good because the driver may look down from diagonally above from the outside of the vehicle and cannot see the light emission. The light emitting portion including the switch portion 28 should be positioned in the blind spot of the camera so that the light emitting state is not recorded and cannot be seen from the outside.

In addition, the lamp was capable of emitting different colors, such as red and blue. Light emission is realized by incorporating a light emitter that emits different colors, such as a three-color LED. By making it possible to emit different colors and appropriately changing the emission color and emission pattern, the operating state and the like are notified (see FIG. 9).

As described above, in the present embodiment, the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 shoot in opposite directions, the angles of view are both 210 degrees, and the peripheral regions of the shot images overlap. As will be described later, the images taken by the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 are combined to generate, record, and output an image of the whole celestial sphere. The boundary of the images to be joined when synthesizing the images of the two cameras is a vertical plane including the joint surface between the first camera case 30 and the second camera case 31, and the region having a predetermined width including the vertical plane overlaps. It becomes an area.

The bracket 17 is attached to a desired position on the windshield 2, the main body case 13 is attached to the bracket 17, and the camera unit 12 is located so that the joint surface M between the first camera case 30 and the second camera case 31 is located on a vertical surface. Tighten and fix the bolt 53 with the angle and orientation adjusted. In the normal installation / mounting state in which the bolt 53 is tightened and the camera unit 12 is adjusted to a desired direction, the first camera 26 is 360 degrees in the vertical direction and 210 degrees in the horizontal direction in front of the drive recorder 10 and has a total circumference of 210 degrees. The second camera 27 shoots in a range, and the second camera 27 shoots behind the drive recorder 10 in a range of 360 degrees in the vertical direction and 210 degrees in the horizontal direction, and a total circumference of 210 degrees. The peripheral areas of the images captured by the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 are designed to capture a predetermined position in the vehicle interior, which is a portion close to the camera. When the drive recorder 10 is fixed at a predetermined position in the vehicle interior, the portion where the images captured by the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 are to be connected is brought to the predetermined position in the vehicle interior close to the camera. A predetermined position in the vehicle interior is a position including, for example, a pillar 3, a dashboard 4, a ceiling, and the like.

In this embodiment, since the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 have an angle of view θ of 210 degrees all around, the same surrounding objects and the like are captured by both cameras in the peripheral region of the image captured by each camera. For example, as shown in FIG. 10B, it is assumed that an object exists at each position of P1, P2, and P3 in the peripheral region reflected in the camera in both directions. The positions of P1, P2, and P3 are close to the boundary K2 of the area to be photographed by the second camera 27, and the distances from the camera unit 12 are different. Even if the distances are different as described above, if they exist near the boundary K2, they exist at similar positions in the circular image taken by the second camera 27 as shown on the right side in FIG. 10 (c). On the other hand, since the positions of P1, P2, and P3 are different from the boundary K1 of the area to be photographed by the first camera 26, they are photographed by the first camera 26 as shown on the left side in FIG. 10 (c). The position within the circular area is different. Therefore, when synthesizing the boundary between two images in which the same object is reflected, the objects existing in each image may be displayed separately and cannot be recognized as the same object. In particular, the amount of deviation increases as the distance from the camera, that is, the vehicle, such as P2 and P3, increases. For example, if the object is a human being, it may feel as if two people exist instead of the same person.

In this embodiment, since the objects reflected in the boundary portion of the two cameras are fixed objects in the vehicle such as the pillar 3 and the dashboard 4, the outside scenery located behind the fixed object is not captured and the boundary portion is formed. There are few even if it is reflected in. Since the vehicle parts such as the pillar 3 and the dashboard 4 are located about 1 to 3 m from the camera, there is little deviation even if the vehicle portion is reflected in both of the boundary portions. On the other hand, outside the vehicle, the distance is often 10 m to 30 m or more, and the deviation of the position captured by each camera becomes large, so that it cannot be combined into one. On the other hand, in this embodiment, as described above, since the joint of the images of the two cameras comes to the object in the car at the same or close distance, it becomes difficult for a person or other object located on the rear side to be reflected. Furthermore, in this form, instead of simply hiding the rear side with a nearby pillar 3 etc., if there is something that does not move, the human cognitive behavior that there is no discomfort even if the person or object that exists after that is reflected is well done. I used it so that even if it was separated into two parts and displayed, it would not be noticeable and would not bother people when they saw it. Furthermore, since users tend to look only back and forth or sideways, the pillars located in the middle should not be noticed, and the attention to the scenery behind them is also low, so there is no sense of discomfort. good.

On the other hand, for example, from the above-mentioned normal posture, the housing 25 of the camera unit 12 is rotated 90 degrees in the horizontal plane, and the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 are placed in the left area respectively. When the area on the right side is taken, the joint part of the shooting area of both cameras is separated into two areas, for example, when the boundary / seam comes to the part extending in the vertical direction at the center part on the left and right of the windshield. It is not good because you can see what is reflected in the image and it makes the image look strange.

[The first camera 26 and the second camera 27 shoot with the same brightness]
In this embodiment, the exposure control functions of the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 are controlled so as to shoot under the same exposure conditions. Further, as described above, since the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 of the present embodiment both have a fixed aperture and the same value, the exposure condition for adjusting the brightness at the time of shooting is performed by adjusting the shutter speed. .. In this embodiment, the exposure control function is a function for adjusting the shutter speed. By making the shutter speeds of the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 the same, the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 shoot under the same exposure conditions and brightness. As described above, the present embodiment is characterized in that the two cameras are regarded as if they are one camera and are photographed with a common brightness.

By doing so, the brightness does not change suddenly at the joints of the images taken by the first camera 26 and the second camera 27, and the joints become inconspicuous, and the joints continue all around without any discomfort. It's good because it's a video. For example, in a car that is dark and difficult to see, it is good to take a picture in a state that is difficult to see so that the state as seen can be reproduced.

As described above, in the correct installation / mounting state, the first camera 26 shoots the front of the drive recorder 10 in a range of 360 degrees vertically and 210 degrees horizontally in a range of a hemisphere or more, and the second camera 27 is behind the drive recorder 10. Is photographed in a range of 360 degrees vertically and 210 degrees horizontally in a range of a hemisphere or more. As a result, by connecting the images taken by the first camera 26 and the second camera 27, the image of the drive recorder 10 taken in all directions of horizontal 360 degrees and vertical 360 degrees (see FIG. 8D, etc.) can be obtained. It is composed. When the video in the front direction is reproduced, it is displayed on the display screen so that all directions are captured, or a part of all directions is cut out and displayed on the display screen. As an aspect of cutting out a part of all directions, for example, as shown in FIG. 11A, the front of the vehicle on the front side of the drive recorder 10 taken by the first camera 26 is displayed, or the second camera 27 takes a picture. It is possible to display the vehicle interior on the rear side of the drive recorder 10 and to display images in any direction such as diagonally upward, diagonally downward, left side, and right side.

The image displayed on the display screen is based on the image taken by only one of the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 and the image taken by the two cameras, depending on the direction of the viewpoint. There is something. In addition, the omnidirectional spherical image obtained by connecting and synthesizing two images is a continuous image in any direction, and as will be described later, the viewpoint should be gradually changed. It is also possible to gradually move the area to be displayed by spanning, and in such a case, the state where only the image of one camera is displayed and the part where the images of the two cameras are connected are displayed during the movement. There is a state in which images from different cameras exist on the display screen and are displayed on the same display screen.

The first camera 26 and the second camera 27 have a photometric function and an exposure control function, respectively, and shoot a shooting range with the same exposure conditions and the same shutter speed in this embodiment according to the surrounding conditions and the like. At this time, when the peripheral edges of the images taken by the two cameras are connected to form one image, the connected portion does not stand out. On the other hand, for example, when the exposure control functions of the two cameras adjust the exposure conditions separately based on the brightness of the subject measured by the metering function provided by each, usually, for example, for a bright outside scenery. Shoot with the shutter speed shortened and the brightness suppressed, and control the shutter speed to be long and shoot in a bright state for relatively dark interiors, and different exposure conditions so that each image can be seen clearly. Take a picture with. When the two images taken in this way are combined, for example, the combined portion of the images of the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 exists on the display screen, and the images of different cameras are displayed on the same display screen. In this state, the brightness of the displayed image is different, the joint portion is conspicuous, and there is a problem that a sense of incongruity occurs. On the other hand, by shooting under the same exposure conditions and brightness as in this embodiment, the problem does not occur.

For example, when two images are connected to form an omnidirectional image and the omnidirectional image is viewed while rotating 360 degrees in the horizontal direction, the displayed content is from a state where the outside is bright and clean, to the inside of the room. It may be dark and difficult to see, but the joint between the images from the two cameras is not a concern. On the other hand, if you change the brightness so that you can see the interior well, you can see the outside scenery and the inside of the car brightly and clearly when you rotate 360 degrees as described above, but there is a sense of discomfort at the joints. It ends up. With a normal camera, each image is brightly and beautifully photographed and displayed. However, in this embodiment, since the concept is to photograph and display the whole celestial sphere, an image obtained by cutting out a part of the whole celestial sphere is arbitrary. When displaying while moving in the direction of, if the space cannot be displayed as if the spaces are connected when viewed in all directions of 720 degrees, a sense of incongruity occurs. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as one solution for preventing a feeling of strangeness at the joint portion, the exposure conditions of the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 are made equal, and the images are taken with the same brightness. For example, at night, you can take pictures outside, but inside the car while driving, the interior lights are turned off and it is difficult to see. By shooting in a dark state, the connection portion of the images shot by the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 can be connected without discomfort. If you can see the outside as the real world and you cannot see the inside or it is difficult to see, the feature is to shoot as it is.

As described above, the exposure control functions of the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 shoot at the same shutter speed, but the shutter speed is determined as follows. The brightness is determined with priority given to the image of the first camera 26 that captures the front. One of the functions of the drive recorder 10 is to photograph and record the situation outside the vehicle such as the front of the vehicle when an accident occurs. By determining the exposure conditions such as the shutter speed based on the image taken by the first camera 26 as in the present embodiment, it is possible to take a clear picture of the area including the front of the vehicle and to exhibit the above-mentioned functions of the drive recorder.

As shown in FIG. 11B, an area spot R10 is provided in the upper half of the circular image taken by the first camera 26 for the front, and the photometric function of the first camera 26 is within the area of the area spot R10. The brightness of the subject is measured, and the exposure control function shoots based on the exposure conditions determined based on the brightness of the subject, and in this embodiment, the shutter speed. Of the upper half, the peripheral region R11 was not used as the region for determining the exposure conditions. The front view seen through the windshield 2 is within the range of the area spot R10, and the lower half often has objects in the vehicle interior such as the dashboard 4. Further, since the peripheral region R11 contains the scenery behind the lens portion having an angle of view of 180 degrees or more in the vertical direction, for example, it does not affect the determination of the exposure condition. This is good because the scenery on the front side of the vehicle, such as a vehicle in front, can be photographed and recorded in a crack. For example, in the case of a normal camera, there is a camera that focuses on the central part of the image to be shot, such as center-weighted metering, but the upper half is the target of metering excluding the lower part instead of the central part. It is characterized by the fact that. Further, unlike the multi-pattern metering, the peripheral region R11 is excluded from the target of metering, instead of the entire screen.

In addition, the lower half and the peripheral area R11 are areas where unimportant parts such as the ceiling and dashboard inside the vehicle are photographed, so even if the photometry of that area is not reflected and cannot be seen, it will have little effect. It is good because there is no. Further, the main body case 13 of the drive recorder 10 may be reflected in the peripheral region R11, but since the main body case 13 is originally not desired to be photographed, there is no problem even if it cannot be seen. For this reason, it is better not to use the peripheral area R11 or the lower half area to determine the exposure conditions. For example, sports cameras and action cameras that shoot spherical images are used outdoors. So the surroundings are equally bright overall. Therefore, like the exposure control function of a normal camera, the front and rear cameras measure the light individually, and even if each sets the exposure conditions and brightness individually based on the metering result, the picture is taken beautifully in all directions. It can be done, and there is no discomfort at the joint. On the other hand, in the installation / operating environment of the drive recorder as in the present invention, the brightness of the front view on the front side and the brightness in the passenger compartment on the rear side are significantly different. Is the present embodiment.

[Transformation example of the same brightness]
In the above-described embodiment, the exposure conditions such as the shutter speed are determined only based on the photometric result of the photometric function of the first camera 26 on the front side, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example, the second. It is advisable to determine the exposure condition with some consideration of the photometric result of the photometric function of the camera 27. Considering a little, for example, the light measurement result of the first camera 26 on the front side is emphasized, and for example, weighting is performed. By evaluating the light measurement result of the second camera 27 in this way, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the image in the vehicle interior taken by the second camera 27 is pitch black and no one can be seen. As for the photometric function of the second camera 27, it is preferable to provide an area spot on the upper center in the same manner as the first camera 26, and to have a quick attack on the area of the area spot. Since this part is the area where the passenger is reflected, it is good that the passenger can take a beautiful picture by measuring the light on the area spot and determining the exposure condition based on the metering. In addition, since the dashboard, the floor in the vehicle interior, the seats, etc. are reflected in the lower area, the exposure condition is not affected in the determination of the area. For weighting, for example, the area spot on the 26th side of the first camera is +5, the area spot on the 27th side of the second camera is +2, and the brightness is determined.

Further, contrary to the above-mentioned modification, the exposure condition may be determined with an emphasis on the photometric result of the second camera 27. By doing so, the image inside the vehicle can be clearly captured and recorded. For example, when there is an application such as a taxi or a bus that clearly captures the face of a passenger, it is preferable to configure it as in this modification. However, if the photometric result of the second camera 27 is emphasized as in this modification, the shutter speed will be longer and the brightness of the front camera will be set based on that, so the scenery outside the front will fly white. Sometimes. Therefore, in view of the original function of the drive recorder 10, it is preferable to give priority to the first camera 26 side as in the above-described embodiment and modification.

Further, it is preferable to treat the photometric result of the first camera 26 and the photometric result of the second camera 27 evenly without weighting and determine the exposure condition. By doing so, the interior of the vehicle will not be too dark with the priority given to the first camera 26, and the scenery in front will not be overexposed with the priority given to the second camera 27, so that it is possible to shoot in all directions. However, in order to record the situation outside the vehicle, such as before and after the accident, which is the original function of the drive recorder 10, and also to record the inside of the vehicle, the light measurement result of the second camera 27 is given priority to the front of the first camera 26. A modified example in which a part is added is preferable.

Further, it is preferable to have a mode setting function for giving priority to the measurement result of the first camera 26 or the measurement result of the second camera 27. By doing so, it is possible to set the front view priority, the vehicle interior priority, and the like according to the usage situation of the user. For the mode setting function, for example, it is better to be able to use only one measurement result, to use both measurement results, but to select the one that sets the priority camera, and it is even better to be able to set the degree of weighting. ..

In the above-described embodiments and modifications, it is assumed that the images taken by one camera are taken with the same settings as a whole without image processing. Only the connecting part may have the same brightness. However, in such a case, it is necessary to set from which region the correction is started, and it is preferable that the entire image can be easily shot with the same brightness as in the above-described embodiment and modification. Further, the brightness may be adjusted when synthesizing with a PC viewer or the like described later so that the joint portion is not conspicuous.

[The main body case, etc. is difficult to see]
The position of the housing 25 to be attached to the main body case 13 was shifted from the center of the bottom surface in the front-rear direction to the rear surface 13b. The angle adjusting mechanism 50 is arranged along the rear surface 13b side of the bottom surface. For example, as shown in FIG. 6 and the like, the flat rectangular main body case 13 is attached and fixed to the windshield 2, so that the main body case 13 is arranged diagonally along the inclination of the windshield 2 in the attached state. The edge on the rear surface 13b side of the bottom surface is located at the lowest position. By attaching the housing 25 of the camera unit 12 via the angle adjusting mechanism 50 at a position below it, the area where the main body case 13 is reflected on the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 is reduced.

The main body case 13 is configured to be located near the lens main body. The blind spot region R3, which is not reflected in either the first camera 26 or the second camera 27, has a conical shape, and the tip is tapered and narrows as the distance from the camera unit 12 increases. Therefore, the farther the main body case 13 is from the lens portion, the wider the area in which the main body case 13 is reflected on the first camera 26 and the second camera 27, so it is preferable to bring them closer to each other.

The shape of the main body case 13 is provided with an inclined surface 13b "and the like so as to be in the blind spot of the camera as much as possible. It is also good to make the camera unit 12 a sphere because it does not reflect the camera. Since there is a rear-view mirror near the lens unit during shooting, it is advisable to prevent the rear-view mirror from entering the blind spot of the camera. There are no parts such as a GPS antenna unit in the camera unit 12.

[Display device: PC viewer]
One embodiment of the drive recorder display device according to the present invention comprises a personal computer. Although not shown, the hardware configuration of the drive recorder display device includes an arithmetic processing unit, a storage unit, an input unit, a display unit, a card reader, and the like. The storage unit is a non-volatile memory that stores an application program executed by the arithmetic processing unit, a work memory used by the arithmetic processing unit during arithmetic execution, and an internal storage unit that records video, sound, and other information recorded while driving. There is an external storage device (hard disk). The input unit is a pointing device such as a mouse or a keyboard. The card reader is a device that reads / writes data to / from the attached memory card 23.

By activating the application program (referred to as "PC viewer" in this embodiment) installed in the storage unit, the personal computer operates as a display device for a drive recorder. As described above, the drive recorder 10 records various information related to the video and audio taken while driving, parking, and the like, as well as the recorded video such as date and time information and speed information, on the memory card 23. When playing back the video or the like recorded on the memory card 23, the user takes out the memory card 23 from the memory card slot 22 and sets it in the card reader of the personal computer. The started PC viewer is executed, and the video or the like recorded while driving is displayed on the display unit. The specific functions of the PC viewer are as follows.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a display layout displayed on the display unit of a personal computer in a state where a PC viewer is started, a recorded video is selected, and playback is executed. A menu bar is provided in the vicinity of the upper side of the display screen 60, and a display area 62 for displaying an image of the selected data is arranged in a large area below the menu bar. Below the display area 62, a map display unit 63, a related information display unit 64, and a playlist list display unit 70 are provided in this order from the left.

The button group 61 of the menu bar includes a folder designation button 61a, a still image conversion button 61b, a print button 61c, a moving image conversion button 61d, a backup button 61e, a log data conversion button 61f, and a recording setting change button 61g in this order from the left. The folder designation button 61a is for designating data to be played back, and when the folder designation button 61a is clicked, the PC viewer displays a list of folders recorded on the memory card set in the personal computer. .. The user clicks and selects the folder in which the data to be played or the like is recorded from the displayed list of folders.

The PC viewer of this embodiment has a function of converting, for example, an image displayed in the display area 62 into a still image in a predetermined file format, for example, a JPEG format, and saving the image. When the still image conversion button 61b is clicked, the PC viewer converts the image of the screen displayed in the display area 62 into a still image and records it in a predetermined storage area of the personal computer. According to the setting, the PC viewer creates and records a still image obtained by dividing the time specified in the range from the displayed image or the video in the display area 62 by the number specified in the number of frames.

The PC viewer of this embodiment has, for example, a function of printing an image displayed in the display area 62. When the print button 61c is clicked, the PC viewer prints the image of the screen displayed in the display area 62 according to the set conditions. The set conditions are, for example, similar to the above-mentioned still image conversion, printing the displayed image as a still image, or dividing the time specified in the range from the image in the display area 62 by the specified number of frames. There are things like printing.

The PC viewer of this embodiment has a function of converting recorded data into a predetermined file format, for example, an AVI format moving image and saving the recorded data. When the video conversion button 61d is clicked while the recorded data to be converted to video is selected and loaded by user operation, the PC viewer displays the condition setting screen, and the contents set on the condition setting screen are displayed. Converts the read video data into video data in a predetermined format. The condition setting screen has an input area for specifying a file name, a save location, a range, subtitles, and a compression format item, and a [Start] button. The user sets the conditions using the input area and clicks the [Start] button. By converting to an AVI format video, the file converted and saved as a video can be viewed using various video playback software, or uploaded to a homepage or other site for publication.

When the backup button 61e is clicked, the PC viewer backs up the video recorded on the memory card 23 to the personal computer. Even if it is backed up, the video recorded on the memory card is not deleted. To delete it, execute a separate deletion process. When the log data conversion button 61f is clicked, the PC viewer converts the accumulated history data into a KML file and records it as log data. When the recording setting change button 61g is clicked, the PC viewer displays the recording setting screen (not shown). The user inputs various recording conditions and the like using the recording setting screen, and stores the recording conditions in the memory card by confirming the contents. When the memory card is set in the drive recorder 10, the stored recording condition is updated by the drive recorder 10 to the recording condition, and thereafter, the operation is performed according to the updated condition.

The map display unit 63 displays the map 63a of the predetermined area and the position of the own vehicle on the map 63a. The PC viewer acquires map data of the surroundings where the vehicle exists based on the position information of the vehicle associated with the read image, displays the map 63a of the set scale on the map display unit 63, and displays the map 63a. The own vehicle position icon 63b is drawn at the current position of the vehicle on the map 63a (see FIGS. 12 (a), 12 (c), etc.). The map data may be obtained from a server on which the map is recorded via the Internet, for example. When the map is acquired from the Internet, the map is not displayed on the map display unit 63 when the personal computer is not connected to the Internet. Further, by selecting "Do not display the map" in the setting, the operation mode in which the map is not displayed on the map display unit 63 is set.

Furthermore, when the current position is unknown due to GPS non-positioning, for example, it is preferable not to display the map as shown in FIG. 12B, but to display information that changes to the map. For example, when the GPS is not positioned, the map 63a is displayed but the vehicle position icon 63b is not displayed. However, if the vehicle position icon 63b is not displayed, the vehicle position icon on the map may be searched for or a malfunction may occur. However, if another image or the like is displayed without displaying the map 63a as in the present embodiment, it is good because it can be easily understood that the GPS is not positioned.

The related information display unit 64 has a timeline display unit 74 at the upper end, a volume switching button 66 at the upper left of the lower side thereof, a date / time information display unit 73 at the upper right, and a play button display unit below the volume switching button 66. 65 is arranged, the traveling speed display unit 67, the acceleration display unit 68, and the latitude / longitude display unit 69 are arranged in order from the top on the lower left of the play button display unit 65, and the acceleration sensor graph is displayed on the lower right of the play button display unit 65. A layout is adopted in which the unit 71 is arranged. The timeline display unit 74 indicates how much the playback position of the video displayed in the display area 62 is in one recorded data, and the entire timeline of the playback time of the recorded data is represented by a red bar. , The position of the knob 74a is controlled to move to the right as the reproduction progresses. If the position of the knob 74a is slid and moved, playback is performed from that position. During continuous recording, the location where the event was recorded is indicated by a yellow vertical line 74b (see FIG. 12 (c) and the like).

The volume switching button 66 is a button for performing mute and volume adjustment, and has a mute button 66a and a knob 66b (see FIG. 16C). When the mute button 66a is clicked, the PC viewer mute the sound to be played, and when the mute button 66a is clicked in the mute state, the mute is released. When the knob 66b is slid by operating the pointing, the PC viewer adjusts the volume according to the position of the knob 66b.

The date / time information display unit 73 is an area for displaying the date and time when the video being played back is recorded. The time includes a main body time recorded based on the internal clock of the drive recorder 10 and a GPS time acquired by GPS positioning. In this embodiment, the recording conditions of the video being played back are changed. When the recording condition of the video being played is based on continuous recording, the PC viewer displays the main body time on the date / time information display unit 73. When the recording condition of the video being played is based on the event recording, the PC viewer displays the GPS time in the case of GPS positioning when the event occurs, and the main unit time in the case of GPS non-positioning on the date / time information display unit 73. do. Further, when the recorded data is displayed in the main body time during playback (see FIG. 12 (b)), the display is updated to the GPS time at the timing of GPS positioning (see FIG. 12 (c)).

The play button display unit 65 is a group of buttons for performing operations such as play and fast forward. It is equipped with buttons for "fast rewind", "previous frame", "reverse playback", "stop", "play", "next frame", and "fast forward" in order from the left. When each button is clicked, the PC viewer executes the process corresponding to the button. When each button of "fast rewind", "reverse playback", "play", and "fast forward" is clicked multiple times, the PC viewer changes the playback speed. For example, if "playback" and "reverse play" are clicked once, the recycled paper is played at 1x normal speed, and if it is clicked twice, "playback" or "reverse play" is performed at a slow speed such as 0.5x speed. Also, "fast forward" and "fast forward" are clicked once to double speed, clicked twice to speed 4x, clicked 3 times to speed 8x, and clicked 4 times to speed 16x to "fast forward" or "fast reverse". "do. "Playback / Reverse playback" adjusts the direction in which the speed becomes slower, and "Fast forward / fast rewind" adjusts the direction in which the speed increases, so that high-speed playback is suddenly switched to slow playback, or vice versa. Switching can be done easily, and by combining the originally high-speed playback button such as "fast forward" with the adjustment function in the direction of increasing speed, the user can intuitively understand the assignment.

As shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. 16A, the traveling speed display unit 67 is an area for displaying the traveling speed recorded by GPS. The acceleration display unit 68 is an area for displaying the recorded impact / acceleration values in the front-back direction (X direction: for example, red), left-right (Y direction: for example, yellow-green), and up-down (Z direction: for example, blue). .. The latitude / longitude display unit 69 is an area for displaying the latitude (N) and the longitude (E) recorded by GPS. The traveling speed, acceleration, and longitude / latitude are all information at the current position of the image displayed in the display area 62. The acceleration sensor graph display unit 71 is an area for displaying the acceleration sensor graph in time series. The recorded data is displayed as a graph with acceleration on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis. In this embodiment, the X-axis acceleration graph 71a, the Y-axis acceleration graph 71b, and the Z-axis acceleration graph 71c are displayed, respectively, and the display color of the graph is similar to the display color in the acceleration display unit 68. This makes it easy to understand the correspondence between the two. When the area is clicked, the PC viewer moves the cursor 71d to the clicked position, and displays the traveling speed, acceleration, and latitude / longitude on each display unit with the position of the cursor 71d as the current position. When the play button is clicked, the PC viewer plays the video from the position of the cursor 71d. The PC viewer acquires various information stored in association with the video to be played back and displays it on the corresponding display unit.

A time display unit 71e is arranged below the graph. The time display unit 71e is, in order from the left, the recording disclosure time of the recorded data to be reproduced, the current time of the cursor position, and the recording end time. When there is an impact of acceleration exceeding the reference value, the time when the testimony was given is displayed as the event time 71f in the graph. On the right side of the graph, a + button 71g, a return button 71h, and a-button 71i are prepared. When the + button 71g is clicked, the PC viewer enlarges the accelerometer scale, and when the-button 71i is clicked, the PC viewer reduces the accelerometer scale. When the return button 71h is clicked, the PC viewer returns to the standard scale.

The playlist list display unit 70 displays the selected data name. In FIG. 12, the data name “2016/09/06 11:47:28 [48 minutes]” is displayed. The data name is a combination of the date and time when recording started and the recording time in the case of continuous recording. In the case of event recording, the data name is the event occurrence date and time and the event occurrence type. Types of event occurrence include "impact" based on an acceleration sensor, "sudden start / sudden stop", and "one touch" based on the operation of the switch unit 28.

The display area 62 is an area for displaying the recorded video. As described above, the drive recorder 10 of the present embodiment records an omnidirectional image of 360 degrees horizontally and 360 degrees vertically and 720 degrees. Therefore, the PC viewer has, for example, a function of displaying a part of the omnidirectional image in the display area 62 or displaying the omnidirectional image as one image. When displaying a part of the image, the image in a desired range in any direction of front-back, left-right, up-down is displayed in the display area 62 by changing the display range, orientation, and the like. Changes in the displayed range, etc. shall be configured as follows.

For example, as shown in FIG. 13A, in a state where a predetermined range in front is displayed, the user uses a pointing device such as a mouse to drag the left button at an arbitrary position in the display area 62. I do. When the PC viewer detects that the drag operation of the left button has been performed, the PC viewer moves the image to be displayed in the drag direction and displays it in the display area 62. For example, as shown by the middle arrow 75 in FIG. 13 (a), when the display area 62 is dragged to the right by a predetermined distance, the PC viewer moves the displayed image to the right by a predetermined distance, and FIG. 13 (a) shows. The image on the left outer side of the display area 62 is drawn in the display area 62, and the image displayed on the right side in the display area 62 in FIG. 13A is out of the display area and is not displayed (FIG. 13 (b)). As a result, the image displayed in the display area 62 changes so that the line of sight rotates to the left, and in the example of the figure, the scenery in front of the left is displayed. By lengthening the drag distance or repeatedly dragging in the same direction, the image to be displayed is displayed so that it rotates counterclockwise in the horizontal direction around the position of the camera unit 12 of the drive recorder 10. From the left side just beside it, it goes further to the rear side (inside the vehicle), or it returns to the original display direction shown in FIG. 13 (a) facing forward through the scenery on the right side. By moving the drag direction to the opposite left direction, the scenery and the like that can be seen while rotating clockwise are displayed in the display area 62. To move the image displayed in the right / left direction by shifting it in this way, for example, the display area 62 is moved left and right in a state where the 360-degree image in the horizontal direction is stretched horizontally like a panoramic photograph. , The image is such that the image in the display area 62 is displayed (see FIG. 20).

The drag direction is not limited to the horizontal direction as described above, and can be moved in any direction within the display area 62 such as up and down or diagonally, and the PC viewer displays the image along the moving direction. Change. The user can display and view the desired image by dragging the left mouse button and moving the pointer to the part to be displayed.

When the right mouse click is performed with the pointer placed in the display area 62, the PC viewer displays the image display area menu shown in FIG. 13 (b). This screen display area menu is drawn, for example, overlaid on the display area 62. In this image display area menu, an item of "image state" that displays the orientation of the current image is placed on the upper side, and under that, there are three operation items, "return to standard", "reverse", and "enlargement / reduction". Take a layout to arrange the items. In the figure, the “image state” indicates the “normal rotation” which is the state of FIG. 13 (a).

When "Restore to standard" is clicked and selected, the PC viewer returns the inverted, enlarged / reduced image to the initial display, and displays the restored image in the display area 62. "Flip" has three items of "left-right flip", "vertical flip", and "front-back flip" as a lower menu list. When "Flip horizontally" is clicked, the PC viewer flips the displayed image left and right (see FIG. 13 (d)). When "upside down" is clicked, the PC viewer flips the displayed image upside down (see FIG. 13 (e)). When "Flip back and forth" is clicked, the PC viewer flips the front and back from the displayed image and displays the image rotated 180 degrees. For example, when "Flip back and forth" is clicked while the image of the front is displayed as shown in FIG. 13 (a), the image of the interior of the vehicle behind the drive recorder is displayed as shown in FIG. 13 (f). Is displayed. "Enlargement / reduction" has two items, "enlargement" and "reduction", as a lower menu list. When "Enlarge" is clicked, the PC viewer enlarges the image by 200% with respect to the center of the displayed image (see FIG. 14A). When "Reduce" is clicked, the PC viewer reduces the image by 50% with respect to the center of the display screen and displays it (see FIG. 14A). By appropriately changing the viewing direction in this way, the situation during driving can be confirmed from all directions.

When playing back the recorded data, a desired moving image list is selected from the playlist list display unit 70 and executed. In this embodiment, event recording, constant recording, and history recording are grouped, and one of the grouped groups to be played back is selected. Therefore, the user clicks any one of the event recording tab 70a, the continuous recording tab 70b, and the history recording tab 70c. For example, FIG. 15 shows a state in which the event recording tab 70a is clicked.

When the event recording tab 70a is clicked, the PC viewer creates and displays a list of event recording data recorded in the memory card. The user clicks and selects the check box 70d related to the data name of the video to be viewed. When the check box 70d is clicked, the PC viewer displays a check mark "re" in the check box 70d. This selection may be made for a plurality of data at once. When the read button 70e is clicked, the PC viewer reads the selected recorded data, displays the data name in the playlist, and displays the video in the display area 62. When multiple data are selected, multiple data names are listed in the playlist and the top video is displayed.

The image to be displayed in the display area 62 together with the recording / playback is a predetermined main image. The main image is, for example, an image facing a desired direction such as the front of a vehicle, and is a standard size image set as an initial display (see FIG. 17A and the like). The standard size may be, for example, in the range of 120 degrees horizontally and 70 degrees vertically. Since the range corresponds to the range of the angle of view adopted as a normal drive recorder, the image is familiar to the user of the normal drive recorder, and the necessary information equivalent to that of the normal drive recorder is obtained. It is good because it can be done. This main image should show the entire windshield.

In the present embodiment, when the drive recorder 10 is attached to the vehicle, the first camera 26 faces forward in the normal installation state in which the camera unit 12 is adjusted to a desired direction. Therefore, the main image is, for example, Assuming that the center of the image taken by the first camera 26 is taken so as to face the front of the vehicle, a predetermined area is cut out in a standard size and displayed in the display area 62.

Further, it is preferable to have a function of calculating the front position when displayed by the PC viewer from the installation angle obtained when the installation angle is corrected by the acceleration sensor, and determining the standard position of the displayed image as the calculated front position. This assumes that the direction perpendicular to the accelerometer is parallel to the front of the camera. Then, from the angle between the gravity direction at the time of installation and the vertical direction of the acceleration sensor, find the angle so that the gravity direction is directly below, and with respect to the direction in which the gravity direction is directly below the vertical direction of the acceleration sensor and the front of the camera. Determines that the orthogonal direction is the center of the displayed image. As a result, for example, even when the user attaches the windshield to the side by mistake instead of the windshield, the front surface can be detected from the direction of gravity and displayed as a standard position.

Although a specific illustration is omitted, when the continuous recording tab 70b is clicked, the PC viewer creates and displays a list of continuous recording data recorded on the memory card. The PC viewer takes in the recorded data selected by the user, displays the data name in the playlist of the playlist list display unit 70, and displays the video in the display area 62. When the trigger list display button 70f is clicked, the PC viewer displays the event trigger list 70h in the playlist of the playlist list display unit 70 (see FIG. 16B). When the item in the trigger list 70h is clicked, the PC viewer jumps to the recorded event and plays the video. By doing so, it is possible to efficiently play back the video of the part where the event has occurred and check the contents.

Further, the process based on the play button display unit 65 and the process based on the volume switching button 66 described above execute the same process even based on the play button 72a of the menu bar. For example, as shown in FIG. 16D, when the play button 72a on the menu bar is clicked, the PC viewer displays the menu list 72b as shown in the pull-down list. When the desired item in the menu list 72b is clicked, the PC viewer executes the playback operation of the corresponding item. In addition, although a specific illustration is omitted, a pull-down menu of the item for executing each of the above-mentioned processes is displayed based on the click of the button of each item of "File", "View", and "Tool" on the menu bar. It has a function to execute the same processing.

[A function that displays the driver / passenger and the scenery outside the vehicle on a single screen so that the outside scenery flows]
As described above, at the start of playback, a predetermined reference image is displayed, and after that, the viewing direction is changed according to the user's operation, etc., or the angle of view is changed by enlarging / reducing to change the angle of view. You can see the image of. For example, the rearward image taken by the second camera 27 is displayed by reducing the image to widen the angle of view, flipping the image back and forth with respect to the reference image, and changing the viewing direction by 180 degrees horizontally. Then it is good. Such a display mode is as shown in FIG. 17B, for example, and an image in which the driver and the vehicle interior are displayed in the central portion 81 of the display area 62 and the scenery outside the vehicle is displayed in the peripheral portion 82 is reproduced. Will be done. When further reduced, for example, as shown in FIG. 18, the image of the whole celestial sphere is displayed as one screen. As is clear from a comparison between FIGS. 17B and 18B, the captured subjects are different, and it is a diagram for understanding the image of the display mode according to the difference in scale.

According to this display mode, the outside scenery is displayed so as to flow from the center to the left and right rear, and it is good because it is an interesting image that cannot be seen normally. Although it is the original function of the drive recorder just by looking at the front of the reference image, the scenery in front and the vehicle in front continue to be visible, making it difficult to be interested and uninteresting, but it cannot be seen normally with the above display mode. It's good because you can see the scenery. For example, recently, in a TV travel program, a camera placed on a dashboard or the like shows a video of the situation inside the vehicle such as a driver or a passenger, but the photographed and displayed image is outside the driver or passenger. The scenery is not captured, and even if it is captured, it can only be seen from the window behind the driver / passenger. According to this embodiment, the driver as well as the passengers in the passenger seat and the rear seat are displayed in the central portion 81, and the left and right outside scenery is reflected on the periphery, which is interesting. And it is good because the pictures of entertainers making noise in the car and the beautiful scenery outside can be provided at the same time during the living room.

Further, in this display mode, the image displayed on the peripheral portion 82 is not only the left and right scenery of the vehicle but also the scenery on both the left and right sides from the front of the vehicle taken by the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 in a wide range. Can be seen. In this way, it is characterized in that the front part and the rear part are displayed so as to appear on one screen. Immediately behind me, the image taken by the second camera 27 is reflected behind me, and the outside scenery taken by the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 slides sideways and flows around behind me. .. It can be said that this is, for example, a view as if there is a virtual camera outside the vehicle, a virtual viewpoint outside the vehicle, and it looks like the vehicle is transparent and looks like a distant view. .. In this way, you can see the scenery that you cannot normally see.

[Viewer composition function]
As described above, in the present embodiment, two images taken by the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 are connected to create an omnidirectional image. The angle of view of both cameras is 210 degrees horizontally when they are mounted and fixed in a normal position, and the peripheral area taken by each camera is an overlapping area where the same scenery or the like is taken. When superimposing these overlapping areas, they are combined with a gradation. That is, for example, as in the second region R2 shown in FIGS. 8 (b) and 8 (c), in the overlapping joint portion, the display is made thinner toward the peripheral edge. For example, assuming that the second region R2 is the region to be processed for the gradation, for example, the boundary portion with the first region R1 is 100% at 0% of the peripheral edge, and the density of the intermediate portion is gradually changed. Since the resolution becomes lower toward the periphery, it is difficult to see the image and the effect on the display is reduced. Also, as mentioned above, objects such as the same person may be displayed as separate objects in the images of each camera, but by applying gradation, even if they are displayed as separate objects, that is less noticeable. ..

[Mask function, etc.]
As shown in FIGS. 17 (b), 18 (a), 19 and the like, the drive recorder 10 that captures and records the whole celestial sphere of this embodiment also captures the appearance of a driver, a passenger, and the like. For example, it is good to shoot and record the scenery and the interior of the car, but there is a demand that I do not want to be photographed. The PC viewer of this embodiment has a mask function, and the masked mask area 62b has a function of outputting the masked area 62b in a display mode that is harder to see than the normal display area 62a. The setting of the mask area 62b that makes it difficult to see may be fixed, for example, or may be set based on a user specification. In the case of fixing, it is preferable to set the area in the image corresponding to the area where the approximate position in the vehicle interior is determined, such as the vicinity of the driver's seat or the passenger's seat, as the mask area 62b. Further, the function of setting an arbitrary mask area 62b based on the user designation is, for example, stationary with a person to be masked in the display area 62, and a position to specify the area is designated by a mouse or the like. When a predetermined mouse button is clicked, the PC viewer memorizes the position and sets the inside of the figure having the clicked position as the apex in the mask area 62b. When the PC viewer reproduces the image, the area corresponding to the above-mentioned memorized clicked position in the image taken by the second camera 27 is set as the mask area, and the corresponding area is reproduced and displayed in a masked state. .. It is preferable to have a function of setting the mask area 62b specified by the user because the mask processing can be performed on any area.

The display in the mask area 62b has various processes such as mosaic processing, lowering the resolution, and painting a predetermined color. When painting a color, it is better to adjust the transparency as appropriate so that it can be seen faintly rather than being completely filled with a solid color.

It is more preferable to have a function of automatically setting the mask area 62b. The automatic setting function is, for example, as follows. For example, for a person who wants to perform mask processing such as a user, a face image or the like is registered in advance, the registered person such as a user in the vehicle interior is recognized by image recognition or the like, and a predetermined range portion including the face of the person is recognized. It may be set in the mask area, but it is more preferable to set it based on the movement speed / displacement speed in the image, for example. For example, while the vehicle is moving, the relative movement speed of a person or an object outside the vehicle to the vehicle is high, whereas the movement speed of a person inside the vehicle is slow. In addition, seats and other installations in the passenger compartment do not move. From this difference in moving speed, it is advisable to set a mask area for those within a certain speed range. By doing this, pre-registration is not required, masking can be done with a simple process without image recognition, and even if an unregistered person is carried, masking can be performed for passengers, which is versatile. good.

[Specific image display function]
As described above, the PC viewer pauses the video being played at an arbitrary position according to the user's operation, makes it look in an arbitrary direction, flips it upside down, enlarges / reduces it, and makes it omnidirectional. Any direction of is displayed at a desired angle of view. If you change the display direction and angle of view while playing, you may be able to play interesting and interesting images, but you may not know where the currently displayed image is facing. Therefore, it is preferable to have a function to display a specific direction by one-touch operation. For example, when the "Restore to standard" item in the screen display area menu shown in FIG. 13B is clicked, the display of the display area 62 is returned to the initial display. Similarly, for example, the menu bar or By clicking a button / item provided in a specific place in any other place, for example, an item in a specific direction such as front / back / left / right can be displayed with one touch. With such a function, it is good that the desired direction can be displayed with one touch regardless of which direction the current display is facing. Further, as described above, the specific direction is not a direction such as front / rear / left / right centered on the drive recorder, but, for example, when displaying the rear side, it is preferable to make it diagonally behind instead of directly behind. It is better to face the driver's seat diagonally behind. By doing this, the situation inside the vehicle is captured mainly by the driver, which is good. Apart from the mask function described above, it is preferable for the user who wants to see himself because it is displayed in a self-centered manner.

Further, as described above, the function is not limited to the function of displaying a predetermined direction by one-touch operation, and in addition to the function or by changing to the function, the range viewed during playback is saved as a bookmark. It is good to have a function to display the image of the same direction and angle of view saved by one-touch operation or other simple operation during the subsequent playback.

[Function to display a specific direction, etc. so that it comes to a specific position]
One of the features of the drive recorder that captures the whole celestial sphere as in this embodiment is that it displays a sphere as shown in FIG. 18 by widening the angle of view. When the PC viewer displays the sphere in this way, if the center of the circle is the ground and the outer circumference of the circle is empty, for example, the geomagnetic sensor is stored in association with the usage position information, and the north is displayed during playback. It is good to display it so that it is on top.

In the above-described embodiment and the like, the standard display is such that the bone net of the vehicle comes to a specific position, and the scenery in front of the vehicle comes to the center. In addition to this display mode, it is preferable to have a function of displaying so that a specific direction (for example, north) comes to a specific position (for example, top) as described above. In this way, for example, when the north is displayed on the top, matching with the map is improved, which is preferable. For example, while displaying a map on the North Head, if you take a picture with a drive recorder at the corresponding position on the map but display the images side by side, if the image is also displayed with the north facing up, the upper part shown in the image is north. Therefore, it is sufficient that the building or the like shown in the image can be easily associated with the landmark such as the building on the map. In this way, it is convenient to see it together with the map, especially when the specific direction is "north". In addition, for example, when creating an accident report, it is good because a status report such as "collision with a vehicle traveling from the south direction" can be easily described. In addition, it is good because it is easy to take the correlation between the images taken by a plurality of drive recorders. Not limited to the circular display, it is preferable that the north side comes to a predetermined position even when the temperature is 360 degrees developed in a strip shape as in a panoramic photograph.

In addition, the direction is not limited to the direction, for example, the destination or a specific landmark may be used, but if the direction, especially "north", is set, matching with the map can be obtained. preferable.

Furthermore, when a specific direction such as "north" is set up, it is not limited to good matching with the map, and for example, the traveling direction angle of the own vehicle can be easily estimated from the flow of the image when playing a video. .. For example, when "north" is displayed on the top and all directions as shown in FIG. 18 are displayed on one screen, when traveling north, it is displayed in the peripheral area R11 on both sides of the circle. The outside scenery is played back in a flowing manner from top to bottom. On the other hand, when traveling to the south, it flows from the bottom to the top in the opposite direction to the above, and in the east-west direction, the upper and lower parts of the circle flow sideways. In this way, it is good because it is easy to understand in which direction the image is going from the flow. Further, the direction displayed above is not limited to "north", and by displaying another specific direction above, the traveling direction of the vehicle can be known from the flow of the image.

For example, sports cameras, action cameras, etc. that shoot spherical images should be displayed so that a subject such as a child is in the center, but in the case of a drive recorder, the first record is when an accident occurs. In the case of the purpose of, the subject is not unique because it is unpredictable where the danger is approaching, such as a rear-end collision with a vehicle in front or a rear-end collision with a vehicle from the side or the rear. Therefore, by paying attention to the direction and deciding a specific direction (for example, "north") as a specific position (for example, "above"), as described above, "the direction of what is reflected can be seen at a glance" and ". You can easily guess the driving direction of your vehicle from the flow of the image when playing the video. "" Matching when aligned with the map is improved. " It is good because it produces various effects such as "it becomes easier to take a correlation with."

[Transformation example of sphere display]
For example, when the spherical display is used as shown in FIG. 18 or the like, an area without an image is generated outside the display area 62a of the circle in which the image is displayed in the display area 62. Therefore, the PC viewer is provided with an additional information display unit 78 in an area where there is no such image, and the additional information display unit 78 is provided with information on the road such as the direction indicating the traveling direction of the vehicle, the name of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, pedestrian information, and the like. It is advisable to display various information of (see FIG. 18 (b)). In FIG. 18B, the additional information display unit 78 is provided at the lower left, but the arrangement position is arbitrary, and a plurality of additional information display units 78 may be provided. Placing more than one is good because more information can be displayed.

For the pedestrian information, for example, the PC viewer executes an image recognition process on the image to be displayed and extracts a person. When a person is extracted, the PC viewer displays the existence of the person such as "there was a person" as text information. In addition, it is preferable to draw a mark such as an arrow on the part of the person displayed in the display area 62a of the display area 62 so that the existence position can be easily understood. By doing so, for example, it is possible to easily confirm that a person is approaching or away from the vehicle. Also, for example, instead of displaying everything when a person is recognized, it is better to use image recognition or other personal authentication to display information that identifies the detected person, such as a name, when a specific person is detected. ..

In this case, it is advisable to display the person outside the vehicle and the person inside the vehicle separately. For example, if it is outside the vehicle, it will be displayed when it detects the presence of a person in order to judge whether there is a risk of contact, etc. good.

[Multiple screen display function]
In each of the above-described embodiments, the display area 62 displays one image based on one viewpoint, such as an image obtained by cutting out the whole or a part of the spherical image. Is not limited to this, and it is better to display multiple different images at the same time. By doing so, it is possible to see a plurality of images in different directions, eliminate blind spots, and see a quaint image.

For the images in a plurality of different directions, for example, as shown in FIG. 19, the landscape in front may be displayed on the first image display unit 76, and the image of the vehicle interior may be displayed on the second image display unit 77. By doing so, for example, the appearance of the driver and passengers when looking at the scenery in front can be linked and confirmed. For example, when you see a beautiful scenery, if there is a video that the driver or passenger is impressed or pleased with, you can see the correlation with the scenery, which is good for remembering the process of the drive trip. Further, the sizes of the first image display unit 76 and the second image display unit 77 may be the same as shown in the figure, but it is more preferable to make a difference in size so that the main image display unit and the sub image display unit are used. .. By changing the size like the main and sub, it is good because the image displayed on the main image display can be seen well. When the main image and the sub image are separated in this way, the main image should be a front image showing the front, and the sub image should be an image of the interior of the vehicle showing the driver or the like. This allocation is preferable for demonstrating the original function of the drive recorder. Further, the sub image may be, for example, the left side or the right side of the vehicle. By doing so, it is good to be able to confirm an accident such as a collision from the side.

[Automatic editing / playback function]
When the entire sky image is displayed, it becomes a circular image as shown in FIG. 18 and the like. The PC viewer has a function of enlarging a part of the image and projecting it on a flat surface for display. As described above, the PC viewer enlarges / reduces the all-sky image and moves the display range based on user operations such as dragging and button operations using the mouse while playing the image. There is a problem that this user operation is complicated and troublesome. Therefore, it is preferable to have a function that automatically cuts out and displays an appropriate part of the entire image without user operation. It is good to have a function to automatically change the angle and angle of view displayed on the screen in the all-sky video.

For example, it is preferable to have a function to automatically change the visible range (viewport) in the image in conjunction with the vehicle information. Changing the range includes, for example, zooming in, zooming out, panning, and so on.

For example, while driving, the part that hits the front may be enlarged and displayed, and if there is a viewpoint to be seen such as Mt. Fuji in the surroundings, the viewport may be automatically panned and played in the direction of that point. The function stores, for example, stores the position information of the viewpoint, obtains the direction of the viewpoint from the position information of the vehicle being reproduced, automatically moves the position to be cut out, and pans and reproduces in the direction.

Further, for example, while driving on a highway, the image taken by the first camera 26 continues to display the vehicle in front, and in particular, in a section or a tunnel where noise barriers or the like are installed on both sides of the highway. In such cases, the scenery does not change. Keeping watching such images in the same direction is boring and basically not what you want to see, and there is a problem that you do not feel like playing back even if you record all the time. Therefore, it is good to have a function to cut such useless parts, skip them, and reproduce the parts that may be interesting. For example, if the position taken from the map information is a highway, it is advisable to skip it and play back after getting off the interchange of the highway. In addition, it is not limited to the expressway, and it is advisable to skip the registered area such as around the house.

Also, if you pause while driving, the same video will continue to be shot when the video is stopped, so the video to be played may continue to display the same picture as a still image while the video is paused. There is, and it is not preferable. Therefore, it is possible to skip the display while the vehicle is temporarily stopped, as in the case of an expressway, and start playing from the time when the vehicle starts driving again. It is advisable to automatically rotate and display it by shaking your head from side to side. When pausing, the driver may want to check the surrounding situation, and it seems that the confirmation operation is reproduced, and it is also good to know that the driver has paused due to rotation.

By doing so, the scenery or the like of interest is automatically reproduced, which may be a motivation to reproduce the recorded video. In addition, it is preferable to have a function of recording the reproduced video. Further, it is preferable to have a function of recording the video reproduced from the viewport or the like as another video file. By doing so, the viewport information can be written to a separate file, uploaded to the Internet, etc., and made public.

In addition, for example, there are TV programs that are broadcast while switching between the scenery inside the train, a bird's-eye view taken from above the train using a drone, and the scenery outside the vehicle. As mentioned above, if you can automatically play back the scenery you are interested in from the video you ran, a video like the above TV program will be created and played, and you will want to see it after you go on a trip. It's good because it becomes.

Also, for example, in so-called sports cameras, action cameras, etc. that shoot spherical images, the photographer holds the camera in his hand and operates it, so one lens is aimed at what he wants to shoot. Therefore, even if you play back the shot and recorded video as it is, it is the video you want to see, and there is no problem even if the viewport is fixed and you do not edit it. On the other hand, since the drive recorder is attached to the vehicle and is constantly recorded, there is a high possibility that useless images that are not of interest or images that are not oriented in the desired direction will be reproduced, and the above-mentioned problems are likely to occur. Become. This form solves this problem.

[Drive recorder with display]
It is preferable that the drive recorder is provided with a display device having each function of the PC viewer described above. In the above-described embodiment, the drive recorder does not have a display unit, and the image taken by the camera is recorded on the memory card 23 and confirmed by the PC viewer of the personal computer. However, as in this embodiment, the drive is used. By equipping the recorder with a display device, it is good to see the image in real time. It would be nice to be able to perform operations such as moving or enlarging / reducing the area to be displayed by cutting out a part of the spherical image provided by the PC viewer.

For example, if the image of the side or the rear of the vehicle is displayed while the vehicle is running, the driver can see the situation around the vehicle by simply shifting his / her line of sight toward the display device while facing forward. Further, for example, when the image of the passenger compartment taken by the second camera 27 is displayed on the display device, the driver or the like can see, for example, the state of the baby or child in the back seat, the confirmation of the passenger, etc. It's good because you can do it without looking back. In particular, it is difficult for the driver in the driver's seat to directly visually check the rear side of the driver's seat. It is good because you can clearly take a picture of the seat and display it.

Further, in the case where the enlargement / reduction function such as the PC viewer is not provided, for example, if the image taken by either one or both of the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 is displayed in a circle, FIG. As shown in (b), it is preferable to provide an additional information display unit 78 in the outer region of the circle to display various information.

[Drive recorder with a function to notify the situation inside the vehicle]
It is preferable to have a function of determining the state of the passenger and the like from the image taken by the second camera 27 and notifying the passenger. For example, it is advisable to judge that an infant or child sleeping in the back seat is likely to wake up / sleep soundly, and notify if the baby or child is likely to wake up or feel sick. By doing so, it is not necessary to check the back seats on a regular basis, and it is good to be able to concentrate more on driving.

Further, it is preferable to have a function of extracting a person from the image taken by the second camera 27 by image recognition processing or the like, counting the number of passengers, and notifying the person. This is preferable because it is easy to see if everyone is listed. It's especially hard to see behind the driver's seat, but it's good because you can see it reliably and smoothly without overlooking it. In particular, in the case of a vehicle such as a bus with a large number of passengers, it is preferable that the number of passengers can be confirmed quickly.

In this way, it is preferable to have a function of paying attention to the person in the vehicle interior for counting, recognizing the state, and displaying the result or notifying the result by voice. Whether or not a person is inside the vehicle is determined by, for example, performing recognition processing of the person within the area corresponding to the inside of the vehicle, or the magnitude of movement (for example, when the vehicle is moving, the movement is small in the vehicle interior, etc.). ), It is good because you can easily distinguish people inside and outside the car.

[Drive recorder with a camera in which only one of the two cameras captures the area of the hemisphere]
In the above-described embodiment, the first camera 26 and the second camera 27 are both cameras that capture a range of a hemisphere or more, but the present invention is not limited to this, and one of the two cameras is a hemisphere. Alternatively, it is a third camera that shoots a range larger than that, and a fourth camera that shoots a range narrower than the other hemisphere, and it is preferable that both shooting areas have different areas. The third camera may be, for example, a hemispherical camera having an entire circumference of 180 degrees, and the fourth camera may be a wide-angle camera used in a conventional ordinary drive recorder, for example, a wide-angle camera having a horizontal angle of 120 degrees and a vertical angle of 70 degrees. good.

For example, when the drive recorder is mounted and fixed on the ceiling of the vehicle, the third camera points the lens downward so as to shoot an area of 360 degrees in the horizontal direction and 180 degrees in the vertical direction, and the fourth camera mounts the drive recorder. When attached to the vehicle, take a picture of the front of the vehicle.

Although specific illustration is omitted, the third camera and the fourth camera may be arranged in one housing. When arranging in one housing, for example, it is a housing having a hemispherical portion protruding from one surface of a rectangular parallelepiped box, and a third camera is mounted on the hemispherical portion to form a rectangular parallelepiped portion. The fourth camera is mounted on. The lens of the fourth camera is arranged at the apex of the hemispherical portion, and the lens of the third camera is arranged so as to be exposed on one side surface adjacent to the hemispherical portion. When the drive recorder is mounted on the ceiling of the vehicle via the mounting member, the hemispherical portion is located below, and the side surface provided with the lens of the fourth camera faces the front of the vehicle. ..

For example, the hemisphere camera constituting the third camera captures the area of the hemisphere in the lower half, but the image of a distant place around the outside of the vehicle is too small, so that the situation is difficult to understand, for example, when an accident occurs. In addition, since the traffic light is located diagonally above the vehicle, there is a problem that it often does not fall within the shooting range. Therefore, in the present embodiment, by providing a fourth camera constituting the front camera, it is possible to shoot in a range that is difficult or impossible to shoot with the third camera in front of the vehicle.

It is advisable to switch the operation of the two cameras depending on the circumstances. For example, while driving, the third camera and the fourth camera are operated to photograph the hemispheres in front of and below the vehicle, and the images taken by the two cameras are simultaneously recorded on the memory card. In this way, for example, in the event of an accident, if a collision occurs on the front side of the vehicle, a beautiful and clear image can be recorded based on the image taken by the fourth camera, similar to the conventional drive recorder. In the event of a collision beside or behind the vehicle, which is the blind spot of the fourth camera, a clear and clear image can be recorded based on the image taken by the third camera.

Further, for example, when parking, only the third camera is operated because of the security monitoring mode. In the spherical drive recorder, two cameras were operated even when parking, but in this mode, by operating only the third camera, power consumption can be suppressed and recording and security monitoring can be performed for a longer period of time. .. Judgment at the time of parking includes, for example, engine stop, no person in the driver's seat, side brake is applied, speed is 0 km, current position is home parking lot, and the like.

In addition, while driving, only the fourth camera may be operated, but it is preferable to use the third camera and the fourth camera together because it is possible to record a collision around the vehicle, especially from the side or the rear. .. To switch the operation of both cameras, for example, while moving to a highway or other destination, take a forward shot with the fourth camera as a countermeasure in the event of an accident, and the surrounding scenery is often beautiful near the destination. A third camera may also be operated to shoot and record the scenery.

Further, the third camera may be used for monitoring while parking, and only one of them may be operated, such as taking a picture in front of the fourth camera while driving. Such a usage pattern switches between an image specialized for the front and an image specialized for the periphery of the vehicle depending on the purpose.

If you send either one as real-time video to your smartphone or server, you can monitor it in real time. The image to be sent may be fixed to either one, but for example, the image from the fourth camera may be sent while driving, and the image from the third camera may be sent while parking.

Further, the idea of extending the operating time by using one camera for security monitoring while parking in this embodiment may be applied to, for example, a drive recorder for photographing the whole celestial sphere. In this case, for example, instead of the switch unit 28 of the drive recorder 10, a wide-angle camera may be mounted to form three cameras, and only the wide-angle camera may be operated while the vehicle is stopped.

[Drive recorder with one camera]
In each of the above-described embodiments, a plurality of cameras are combined to capture a wider range than the hemisphere region, but in the present embodiment, one camera captures a wider range than the hemisphere region. I made it. When a hemispherical camera with an entire circumference of 180 degrees is used and fixed to the ceiling to photograph the range of the lower hemisphere, the following problems occur.

The resolution is best in the central part and lowest in the peripheral part of the circular image obtained by shooting. Therefore, for example, in monitoring while parking, it is preferable that one camera can shoot 360 degrees in the horizontal direction, but the front view of a vehicle in front or the like is located at the peripheral portion of a circular image obtained by shooting, so that the resolution is high. There is the problem of getting worse. Furthermore, for example, if a camera is attached to the ceiling or the like, the vehicle in front and the driver can be photographed even at 180 degrees all around, but in addition to the above-mentioned low resolution, it is possible to photograph a traffic light located above the vehicle. Can not. In particular, in the event of an accident, it is essential to take a picture of the traffic light in order to identify the color of the traveling route and the surrounding traffic light, and there is a problem that the picture cannot be taken.

In this embodiment, for example, a camera having a full circumference of 240 degrees is used, and the one camera is installed downward to obtain a drive recorder for photographing the lower hemisphere and the diagonally upper region above it. As a result, in addition to the vehicle in front and the driver / passenger in the room, the traffic light can be photographed with one camera.

If it is set to 210 degrees, the lower limit is 220 degrees because there is a possibility that the traffic light cannot be photographed. On the other hand, when the angle is large, the traffic light can be reliably photographed, but as the angle is large, a large area is photographed in the same circle, so that the object to be photographed becomes small. Unless the traffic light is photographed with a certain size, the color of the signal cannot be discriminated and there is no point in recording it. Therefore, the upper limit is 260 degrees, which can secure an appropriate size for discrimination. A more preferable range is a range of 230 to 240 degrees, and in this embodiment, it is set to 240 degrees.

Further, this embodiment has a communication function of a microwave sensor and LTE. The main body is activated when the microwave sensor detects the approach to the vehicle. That is, in order to suppress the battery consumption of the vehicle, the CPU, the camera, and the LTE are put into a sleep state during standby. Then, when the microwave sensor responds, it wakes up from the sleep state. Since it takes 5 to 10 seconds to start up, when the acceleration sensor or door open sensor reacts after starting up with a microwave sensor, the user who carries a smartphone by transferring images using LTE etc. Notice.

Since the microwave sensor responds to all moving objects, in this embodiment, the notification is made based on the detection of the acceleration sensor or the door open sensor, and the frequent notification is suppressed. By setting the mode, it is good to have a function to send real-time video to the smartphone so that users at remote locations can check it on the smartphone.

[Other features]
It is preferable that the camera body and GPS are separate units, and that even if the camera is destroyed or stolen, it is equipped with a vehicle tracking function that can be tracked by GPS.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the drive recorder may be provided with a function of automatically uploading images taken around the mobile orbis to the server.

It is preferable to connect the drive recorder to an in-vehicle device such as a car navigation system and provide a function to display the image taken by the camera in the car navigation system.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the drive recorder provided with the two cameras mounts the two cameras in one housing, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the two cameras are not limited to these. It may be implemented in. In that case, it is preferable to mount it on the vehicle with one common mounting member. Further, two cameras provided in different housings may be attached to the vehicle separately by using mounting members, and the two cameras may be linked by wire or wireless communication swaying to a cable, but the orientation of the two cameras In order to obtain the desired positional relationship, it is better to mount the camera on the vehicle using one common mounting member, and further, as in the above-described embodiment, the desired positional relationship is obtained in advance in one housing. It is more preferable to implement it.

[Application to ADAS (advanced driver assistance system)]
When the image captured by the drive recorder 10 for photographing the spherical image or the image captured by the camera for photographing the spherical image is used in the ADAS processing, the following problems occur. For example, when it is used for a lane deviation warning, since there are two 360-degree images, it is necessary to specify which lane is the target lane to prevent deviation. In addition, since the all-sky camera includes not only the vehicles and traffic lights in front but also the vehicles and traffic lights in the side and rear in the skylight image, it is necessary to identify the target ADAS area, for example, the front signal. be.

Therefore, for example, the camera is fixed and the direction cannot be moved, as in the drive recorder 10, so that the position of the image is fixed. Then, when the camera is attached to the vehicle, the part to be used in ADAS is set to the part that does not correspond to the joint of the plurality of cameras.

As another configuration, the camera is not fixed and the direction can be adjusted. The area used in ADAS is cut out from the area of the windshield that estimates the area of the windshield and the passenger compartment from the moving part (the part with optical flow) and the non-moving part such as the pillar in the image. An area used for detecting a user's doze, inattentiveness, etc. may be cut out from the area of the vehicle interior.

Further, in the drive recorder, the part having the highest resolution (for example, the center) is directed to the front front, but it is preferable to face the direction of the white line, for example.

[Form to be installed outside the vehicle]
In the above-described embodiment, the camera is provided in the vehicle interior, but it is preferable to provide the following configuration in the vehicle interior or not in the vehicle interior. It is preferable to provide a hemispherical camera (preferably a camera capable of capturing an area exceeding 180 degrees all around, particularly a camera having an all circumference exceeding 210 degrees) that photographs the outside of the vehicle.

In particular, it may be installed from the side surface side of the vehicle to the outside, or from the side surface side of the vehicle to the bottom side. For example, it is advisable to install such a camera on the side mirror so as to shoot from the lower surface side to the lower side of the side mirror. In particular, it is advisable to provide such cameras on the left and right sides of the vehicle.

The installation position is not limited to this, for example, at least one of the positions (front right, front left, rear right, rear left) that hit the four corners when the vehicle is viewed from above (especially the front left is desirable). It is good to install various cameras (especially all four corners). In particular, it is advisable to install it so that the outside is photographed from the vehicle side in the portion (between) where the front surface and the side surface of the outside of the vehicle body are in contact with each other. At this time, it is preferable that the shooting direction of the center of the camera is directed to the laterally outward side with respect to the forward straight direction and exceeds 45 degrees. That is, it is preferable to install the image so that the area of the captured image is larger on the side than in the front.

According to the images from these cameras, it is easier than before to check whether the product does not run on a curb, fall into a gutter, fall into a valley, or hit a guardrail. In particular, it is effective when passing or stopping while avoiding oncoming vehicles on narrow roads such as mountain roads, or when you want to park from the left as much as possible.

Especially, it is recommended to install it so that the area around the tire is within the shooting range. It is advisable to include the range reflected from the driver's seat in the small mirror installed under the conventional left side mirror. Such a small mirror has a problem that it is small and difficult to see, especially at night, but such a problem can be solved.

In particular, if the camera is installed at the front tip or rear tip of the vehicle as in the four corners mentioned above, it will come from the left and right when going out to the roadway from a place where one side (or especially both sides) is surrounded by a wall or the like. You can easily check a wide range of situations such as bicycles and pedestrians with a small number of cameras.

In particular, it is preferable to have a function of changing the display range of the all-sky camera according to the user's instruction. In particular, it is preferable to have a function to enlarge the part where the touch is detected in the image of the all-sky camera displayed on the display screen. In particular, it is advisable to move the touched position to the center of the display part of the screen and draw.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the omnidirectional camera is in a fixed state, but for example, a mechanism for changing the shooting direction of the omnidirectional camera based on the user's operation may be provided. For example, it is preferable to attach an electric pan head or the like that can be remotely controlled to the vehicle, fix the camera to the pan head, and change the shooting direction of the pan head by remote control.

Although various aspects of the present invention have been described above with reference to embodiments, modifications, and the like, these embodiments and explanations have not been made for the purpose of limiting the scope of the present invention, and are understood by the present invention. It should be added that it was provided to contribute to. The scope of the invention is not limited to the configurations expressly described herein, but also includes combinations of various aspects of the invention disclosed herein. In the present invention, the configuration for which a patent is to be obtained is specified in the scope of claims attached to the application, but even if the configuration is not specified in the scope of claims at present, it is described in the present specification. It is stated just in case that the disclosed structure may be claimed in the future. The applicant of the present application intends to acquire the right to such a place / combination by an amendment, divisional application, change application to a design registration application, etc.

The invention of the present application is not limited to the configuration described in the above-described embodiment. The components of each of the above-described embodiments and modifications may be arbitrarily selected and combined. Further, any component of each embodiment or modification, and any component described in the means for solving the invention or any component described in the means for solving the invention are embodied. It may be configured in any combination with. We also intend to acquire the rights to the inventions having these configurations in the amendment or divisional application of the present application.

Further, although the entire drawing of the device is drawn with a solid line, it is a drawing including not only the whole design but also the partial design requested for a part of the device. For example, it is a drawing which includes a part of the device as a partial design regardless of the member as well as a part of the member of the device as a partial design. As a part of the device, it may be a part of the device or a part of the member.

2 Windshield 3 Pillar 4 Dashboard 10 Live recorder 11 Main body 12 Camera unit 13 Main body case 25 Housing 26 First camera 27 Second camera 28 Switch part 50 Angle adjustment mechanism 60 Display screen 62 Display area 62b Mask area

Claims (10)

It is a drive recorder that shoots a horizontal range of 360 degrees with two cameras.
Make sure that the two cameras shoot in opposite directions.
A drive recorder in which the pillars of the vehicle are projected on the periphery of the images taken by the two cameras when they are installed in the vehicle interior by the mounting means. The two cameras are for connecting the peripheral edges of the images taken by each to form one image.
The drive recorder according to claim 1, further comprising means for making the connecting portion of the peripheral area photographed by the two cameras inconspicuous. The drive recorder according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the two cameras are arranged so that the areas to be photographed by the two cameras overlap at the peripheral portion. The two cameras are mounted in one housing and
The outer shape of the housing is a sphere,
The drive recorder according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each lens of the two cameras is arranged in an exposed state on a surface opposite to the radial direction of the sphere. Equipped with a main body case that mounts a control unit and recording means
The housing on which the two cameras are mounted is arranged separately from the main body case.
The drive recorder according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a switch portion is provided in the housing. Equipped with a main body case that mounts a control unit and recording means
The housing for mounting the two cameras in the state of being mounted in the vehicle interior by the mounting means is located on the lower side of the main body case, and the switch portion is provided on the lower surface side of the housing for mounting the two cameras. The drive recorder according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the drive recorder is characterized in that. A light emitting unit is provided in the switch unit, and a light emitting unit is provided.
The drive recorder according to claim 6, wherein the light emitting portion of the light emitting unit is located in the blind spot of the two cameras. The housing on which the two cameras are mounted is rotatably mounted on the lower surface side of the main body case in a state of being mounted in the vehicle interior by the mounting means via a connecting mechanism.
The drive recorder according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the connecting mechanism allows the vehicle to rotate in the front-rear direction in the attached state and prevents the vehicle from swinging in the left-right direction. The drive recorder according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the two cameras shoot under the same exposure conditions. The two cameras have a photometric function, respectively.
The drive recorder according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the exposure conditions of the two cameras are determined by using the photometric results obtained by the photometric functions of the two cameras.

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