JP7470969B2 - In-vehicle devices, etc. - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to, for example, in-vehicle equipment, etc.

A drive recorder, which is an example of an in-vehicle device, is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1. Paragraph [0035] of Patent Document 1 states, "As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the drive recorder 100 has a main body 101, a bracket 102, a camera 103, a display 104, buttons 105, lamps 106, an audio output port 107, a memory card storage section 108, and an audio input port 109." Paragraph [0036] states, "Main body 101 is a housing having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. Bracket 102 is a member for attaching main body 101 to the vehicle. Camera 103 is a device for capturing images of the outside of the vehicle. The lens of camera 103 is provided on the front side of main body 101. One end of bracket 102 is attached to the top of main body 101, and the other end is attached to a predetermined position inside the vehicle's windshield FG via double-sided tape or the like so that the lens of camera 103 faces the front of the vehicle (see FIG. 5)..." and paragraph [0037] states, "Display 104 is provided on the rear side of main body 101 and is a display device such as a liquid crystal display that displays various information..."

JP 2019-139333 A

For example, a forward driving direction drive recorder may be placed in an upper area of the windshield for legal reasons or to avoid interfering with the driver's field of vision while driving. In this case, it may be difficult for people inside the vehicle (e.g., the driver) to see the information displayed on the display unit. On the other hand, for example, the driver of the vehicle behind may be positioned almost directly opposite the display surface of the display unit. This can lead to problems such as the driver of the vehicle behind being able to see the information displayed on the display surface, or the driver of the vehicle behind being distracted and hindered from driving. Therefore, there is a demand for a balance between ease of viewing the display content for people inside the vehicle and difficulty of viewing the display content for people outside the vehicle.

The purpose of the invention of this application is not limited to this, and the applicant intends to obtain rights for configurations that aim to obtain effects from parts of the configuration disclosed in this specification and drawings, etc., through divisional applications, amendments, etc. For example, this specification discloses problems in which the phrase "can be" is read as "the problem is." Each problem is described as an independent one, and the applicant intends to obtain rights for the configuration for solving this problem alone through divisional applications, amendments, etc. Even if the problem is implicitly understood from the description in the specification, the applicant intends to include part of the configuration described in this specification in the scope of the patent claim through amendments or divisional applications. Problems that combine these independent problems are also disclosed.

(1) An in-vehicle device is provided that includes a camera and a display unit having a display surface, and when the camera is directed in a first direction in which it can capture an image of an area outside the vehicle, the display surface faces a second direction in which a specified riding area inside the vehicle is located.

In this way, when the camera is pointed in a first direction in which it can capture an image of an area outside the vehicle, the display surface will inevitably face a second direction in which a specific boarding area inside the vehicle is located, making it possible to make the display content on the display surface easier for people in that boarding area to see, while making the display content more difficult to see from outside the vehicle. This achieves both ease of viewing the display content for people inside the vehicle and difficulty in viewing the display content for people outside the vehicle.

(2) The first direction and the second direction may be non-parallel.

In this way, even if the direction in which the photographed area outside the vehicle is located as seen from the camera is not parallel to the direction in which a specific boarding area is located inside the vehicle as seen from the display surface, the contents displayed on the display surface can be easily viewed by people in that boarding area.

(3) If the photographing area is in the direction of travel of the vehicle, the second direction may be inclined at a predetermined angle relative to the direction opposite to the direction of travel of the vehicle.

In this way, when photographing an area in the direction of travel of the vehicle, even if there is no designated boarding area on the opposite side, the display content can be easily seen from that boarding area, and the display content can be made difficult to see from the opposite direction of travel of the vehicle, where there may be a vehicle behind.

(4) The second direction may be a direction rotated by the predetermined angle from the reverse direction to one side in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle.

In this way, the display surface faces a direction rotated a predetermined angle to one side in the vehicle width direction from the opposite direction of the vehicle's travel direction, making it easier to view the display content from the passenger area, and harder to view from the opposite direction of the vehicle's travel direction, where there may be a rear vehicle. For example, even if the in-vehicle device is placed near the center in the vehicle width direction on the windshield side of the vehicle, the display content on the display surface can be easily viewed by a person sitting in the driver's seat or passenger seat.

(5) The second direction may be a direction rotated downward from the reverse direction by the predetermined angle.

In this way, even if the eyes of a person in the passenger area are below the display surface, the displayed content can be seen, and the displayed content can be made difficult to see from the opposite direction of the vehicle's travel, where there may be a vehicle behind. For example, if the in-vehicle device is placed in the area on the windshield side of the vehicle, the displayed content on the display surface can be made easily visible to a person sitting in the driver's seat or passenger seat.

(6) The passenger area may be an area in which the driver's seat or passenger seat of the vehicle is located.

This makes it easier for the person in the driver's seat or passenger seat to see the contents displayed on the display screen without having to stand up or take a position that requires them to look at the display screen.

(7) The viewing angle of the display surface may be set so that the contents displayed on the display surface are visible from the boarding area, but are more difficult to see from the opposite direction of the vehicle's travel.

In this way, when the viewing angle of the display surface is limited, it is possible to make the displayed content less visible from the opposite direction of travel of the vehicle, where there may be a vehicle behind, while not impeding the visibility of the displayed content by people in a specified passenger area.

(8) When the display device is disposed on the vehicle's forward direction side of the rearview mirror, the second direction may be a direction in which the display surface does not face the rearview mirror.

In this way, when the in-vehicle device is placed behind the rearview mirror to make its presence less noticeable, the contents displayed on the display surface can be viewed without being impeded from a specified passenger area, and from the opposite direction of the vehicle's travel direction, where there may be a vehicle behind, the display surface is hidden by the rearview mirror, making it difficult to view the contents displayed on the display surface.

(9) The display surface may be a first display surface facing a second direction in which a first boarding area in the vehicle is located, and the display unit may further have a second display surface facing a third direction in which a second boarding area in the vehicle is located.

In this way, both the person in the first passenger area and the person in the second passenger area can see the display content on the display surface. For example, the display content can be easily seen by both the person in the driver's seat and the person in the passenger seat.

(10) It is preferable that the device has a case in which the camera and the display unit are provided, and that the camera lens and the display surface are fixedly provided to the case.

In this way, the relationship between the direction in which the camera lens faces and the direction in which the display screen faces is fixed, so by adjusting the direction in which the camera lens faces, the direction in which the display screen faces is set so that the displayed content is easily visible from a specified riding area, making it easy to adjust the position and attitude of the in-vehicle equipment.

(11) It is preferable to have an operating unit facing the second direction.

In this way, the operating unit faces the second direction, making it easier for people in the designated boarding area to see the content displayed on the display surface and to operate the operating unit.

(12) It is preferable to have a second camera capable of capturing images in the second direction.

In this way, the second camera can capture images in the second direction, making it easier to capture images of the person viewing the content displayed on the display screen or their surroundings from the front.

(13) The display unit may display disaster information related to the disaster.

This makes it easier for people in a designated passenger area to become aware of disaster-related information, which is one of the most important pieces of information that should be communicated to people inside the vehicle.

(14) It is preferable that the device is a drive recorder that records images captured by the camera.

This makes it possible to balance between making the display content easy to see for people inside the vehicle and difficult for people outside the vehicle to see.

(15) There is provided an imaging device that includes a camera and a display unit having a display surface, and when the lens of the camera is directed in a first direction, the display surface faces a second direction that has a component in the opposite direction to the first direction and is non-parallel to the first direction, and the angle between the first direction and the second direction is fixed.

In this way, when the camera lens is pointed in a first direction, it necessarily faces a second direction that has a component in the opposite direction to the first direction and is non-parallel to the first direction. This makes it possible to capture an image in the desired direction while making the display content on the display surface easier to see from the second direction and harder to see from the opposite side of the lens.

The inventions (1) to (15) above can be combined in any way. For example, at least a portion of the configuration of at least one of the inventions (2) and after may be added to all or a portion of the configuration of the invention shown in (1). In particular, it is preferable to add at least a portion of the configuration of at least one of the inventions (2) and after to the invention shown in (1). The applicant intends to obtain patent rights, design rights, etc. for those including these configurations by filing amendments, divisional applications, or applications for conversion to design registration applications, etc.

The present invention provides at least one of the following effects: It is possible to achieve a balance between ease of viewing of the display content for people inside the vehicle and difficulty of viewing the display content for people outside the vehicle. For example, it is possible to make the display content on the display unit easy for the driver to view, while making it difficult for the driver of a vehicle behind to view the display content.

The effects of the invention of this application are not limited to this, and effects achieved from the configuration parts disclosed in this specification and drawings, etc. are also disclosed, and it is our intention to obtain rights to the configuration that achieves said effects through divisional applications, amendments, etc. For example, in this specification, the phrase "can..." is a description that clearly indicates the effect achieved, and there are also parts that show the effect even without the phrase "can...". Also, there are effects that can be understood from the configuration even without such a description.

1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a drive recorder which is an example of an in-vehicle device according to the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a drive recorder with a cable attached thereto. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a drive recorder with a bracket removed. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the drive recorder attached to a vehicle. FIG. 2 is a front view showing an example of the drive recorder installed in a vehicle. 1A is a front view showing the drive recorder, and FIG. 1A is a rear view showing the drive recorder, and FIG. FIG. 2A is a plan view showing the drive recorder, and FIG. 10A is a front view showing a drive recorder according to a second embodiment, FIG. 10B is a right side view thereof, and FIG. 10C is a cross-sectional view taken along line cc in FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a bracket. FIG. This is a view from each direction. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is a six-view diagram showing the drive recorder according to the first embodiment. 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating an external configuration and an example of the layout of a drive recorder according to a conventional configuration.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. These drawings are used to explain the technical features that may be adopted by the present invention. The configurations and shapes of the devices described are merely illustrative examples, and the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited thereto. Various changes, modifications, and improvements may be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[Background to the idea]
20 is a diagram showing an external configuration of a drive recorder 90 and an example of its arrangement. The drive recorder 90 is a drive recorder according to a conventional configuration, and is arranged to capture the traveling direction of the vehicle. In the drive recorder 90, the camera lens and the display surface are back-to-back and face in opposite directions. In this example, the direction of the optical axis of the lens and the normal direction of the display surface are both horizontal or nearly horizontal.

The drive recorder 90 may be placed in the upper area of the windshield for legal reasons or to avoid interfering with the driver's field of vision while driving. In addition, one of the best positions for mounting the drive recorder is behind the rear-view mirror. In this way, the drive recorder 90 does not block the driver's field of vision in the direction of travel, and the drive recorder 90 is difficult to see from people inside the vehicle, which may be aesthetically desirable. For this reason, users of the drive recorder 90 have a positive motivation to place it behind the rear-view mirror. However, if it is placed in this way, as shown in Figures 20(a) to 20(c), the display unit provided on the drive recorder 90 is hidden behind the rear-view mirror. It becomes difficult for people inside the vehicle, such as the driver, to see the display content of the display unit. In addition, even if the drive recorder 90 is not placed behind the rear-view mirror, the drive recorder 90 is located relatively high up, so when the driver wants to see the display content, he or she needs to take a posture that puts a strain on the driver, such as looking up diagonally upward.

For example, some sports cars have windshields that are tilted at a steep angle. In this case, if the upper part of the windshield is located close to directly above the driver, the above problem becomes more pronounced.

On the other hand, for example, from the perspective of the driver of the vehicle behind, the display surface of the display unit of the drive recorder may be in a position almost directly facing the vehicle. For this reason, the driver of the vehicle behind may be able to see the information displayed on the display surface. In addition, the driver of the vehicle behind may be distracted by the contents of the display unit and may stare at it, or may find it dazzling. These may be distracting for the driver of the vehicle behind, interfering with their driving.

For the above reasons, the inventors of this application believe that there is a need for a drive recorder that makes the displayed content both easy to see for people inside the vehicle and difficult to see for people outside the vehicle.

[First embodiment of the drive recorder]
1 to 8 and 19 show a first embodiment of a drive recorder 10. The drive recorder 10 is an example of an in-vehicle device and an image capturing device. The drive recorder 10 of this embodiment has a flat, upright main body case 13, in which various circuit boards and devices are mounted. The main body case 13 is attached and fixed to, for example, a windshield 2 of a vehicle, which is an example of an attachment portion, via a bracket 18, which is an example of an attachment member. The vehicle may be, for example, a private car or a business car, and the vehicle type may be a passenger car, a bus, a truck, a special vehicle such as a forklift, etc.

The main case 13 is constructed by connecting a first case 14 and a second case 15, which are divided into two parts, front and rear. The first case 14 and the second case 15 are box-shaped with their opposing faces open, and are connected by a specified connecting means with their tip faces butted together. The connecting means may, for example, consist of a protrusion on one of the first case 14 and the second case 15, and a recess on the other that links with the protrusion, and the protrusion and recess may be fitted together, and it is particularly preferable to fix them using fastening means such as bolts, nuts, and screws.

The first case 14 and the second case 15 are both long horizontally, and when the drive recorder 10 is installed in the vehicle, the first case 14 is located in the direction of travel of the vehicle and faces the windshield 2. When the drive recorder 10 is installed in the vehicle, the second case 15 is located at the rear of the vehicle and faces the inside of the vehicle.

In this embodiment, for example, the up-down direction of the vehicle is the vertical direction, and the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction is the horizontal direction. Therefore, any direction within 360 degrees within a horizontal plane perpendicular to the vertical direction is also the horizontal direction.

The surface 14a of the first case 14 is a flat surface, and the camera 17 is placed near the center of the longitudinal direction of the left and right sides (for example, the vehicle width direction when placed on the vehicle) and slightly above the vertical direction. The camera 17 has an imaging element (for example, a CMOS or CCD) and a lens 17a (not shown). The camera 17 is mounted in the main body case 13 so that the optical axis of the lens 17a, which is the orientation of the camera 17, is parallel to the normal direction of the surface 14a. When the surface 14a of the first case 14 is oriented horizontally in the traveling direction of the vehicle, for example, the lens 17a of the camera 17 faces the traveling direction (forward) of the vehicle. The camera 17 captures an area that exists in the traveling direction of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the "photographing area"). The photographing area is an area outside the vehicle. The direction in which the camera 17 (lens 17a) faces is an example of the first direction.

The first case 14 is a box-shaped case that is deeper than the second case 15, and has a top surface 14b that has a predetermined length in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle. The top surface 14b is provided with an insertion port 28 for a pin jack to which the plug of the power cable 27 is attached, and an insertion port 30 for a female connector to which the min USB connector terminal of the communication cable 29 is attached.

The top surface 14b is provided with joint rails 16. The joint rails 16 extend in the front-to-rear direction, with two on the left and right at a specified distance. A bracket 18 is detachably attached between the two joint rails 16.

The bracket 18 has a flat mounting portion 22 with an attachment surface to be attached to the windshield 2, a pair of ball studs 23 formed to stand up from the mounting portion 22, a socket portion 24 to which the ball portion at the tip of the ball stud 23 is attached, a nut 26 that is detachably attached around the socket portion 24, and a base member 25 that is paired with the socket portion 24.

The socket portion 24 has notches 24a that extend from the tip side toward the base member 25 side at a specified angular interval in the circumferential direction, and the small pieces between adjacent notches 24a are flexible. In addition, a male thread is provided on the outer periphery of the socket portion 24, and a nut 26 that fits into the male thread is attached to the outer periphery of the socket portion 24. As a result, before the nut 26 is tightened with the ball portion of the ball stud 23 attached inside the socket portion 24, the socket portion 24 rotates in the desired direction along the circumferential surface of the ball portion, allowing the posture and position of the mounting portion 22 to be changed, and when the nut 26 is tightened, the angular position is fixed.

The bracket 18 is detachably attached by sliding the base member 25 between the pair of joint rails 16. An adhesive member 21 such as double-sided adhesive tape is then attached to the mounting portion 22, and the bracket 18 is then attached and fixed to the windshield 2 of the vehicle via the adhesive member 21.

In this embodiment, the bracket 18 is fixed by attaching the mounting portion 22 to the vicinity of the center of the width direction on the upper side of the windshield via the adhesive member 21. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, the drive recorder 10 to which the bracket 18 is attached is located on the side of the rear-view mirror 31 in the direction of travel of the vehicle (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the rear side of the rear-view mirror 31), and when a person in the vehicle faces the rear-view mirror 31, almost the entire inside of the main body case 13 of the drive recorder 10 is hidden by the rear-view mirror 31. In this way, the drive recorder 10 does not block the driver's view in the direction of travel and is difficult for people inside the vehicle to see the drive recorder 10, which may be aesthetically desirable.

The second case 15 is a shallow box-shaped body that is shallower than the first case 14. The surface 15a opposite the opening of the second case 15 is divided into two parts, left and right, in the longitudinal direction. When looking at the surface 15a from inside the vehicle, the first region R1 on the left side is a flat surface that is parallel to the surface 14a of the first case 14, and the second region R2 on the right side is an inclined surface that approaches the surface 14a of the first case 14 as it approaches the edge. Since the first region R1 is parallel to the surface 14a of the first case 14, for example, the orientation of the camera 17 (lens 17a) can be aligned based on the first region R1. Since the lens 17a is exposed to the outside of the first case 14, a person can adjust the position and attitude of the drive recorder 10 while looking at the lens 17a so that the desired shooting area can be shot.

This alignment can be achieved, for example, by attaching the bracket 18 to the windshield and loosening the nut 26 while the bracket 18 is attached to the main body case 13. The orientation of the first region R1, and therefore the orientation of the lens 17a of the camera 17, is then adjusted to a desired orientation, for example, toward the direction in which the vehicle is traveling, and the nut 26 is then tightened in this state to fix the lens 17a of the camera 17 in place.

In this embodiment, the first region R1 and the second region R2 on the surface 15a of the second case 15 face in different directions. That is, since the first region R1 is a plane parallel to the surface 14a of the first case 14, it faces in the opposite direction on the same line as the direction of the camera 17. Therefore, for example, when the drive recorder 10 is attached to a vehicle, if the optical axis of the camera 17 is arranged to face the traveling direction of the vehicle, the surface 15a of the first region R1 faces in the opposite direction to the traveling direction of the vehicle. If the traveling direction of the vehicle is the horizontal direction, the opposite direction to the traveling direction of the vehicle is also the horizontal direction. In this case, the opposite direction to the traveling direction of the vehicle can be said to be directly behind the vehicle. Therefore, for example, if the first region R1 is used as a reference plane and the first region R1 is arranged to face the traveling direction of the vehicle, the lens 17a of the camera 17 can be directed to the traveling direction of the vehicle.

The opening of the second case 15 has its long side formed parallel to the first region R1 and the second region R2 of the surface 15a, and the side of the long side facing the first region R1 in the longitudinal direction forms a straight side 15d parallel to the surface 14a of the first case 14, and the side facing the second region R2 forms an inclined side 15e.

The opening surface of the first case 14 is aligned with the opening surface of the second case 15. The first case 14 has a uniform depth from one side in the longitudinal direction of the first region R1 to a predetermined position beyond the center, and gradually becomes shallower on the other side. Accordingly, the opening surface of the first case 14 has a straight side 14d parallel to the surface 14a on one side in the longitudinal direction of the long side, and an inclined side 14e on the other side. The inclination angle of the inclined side 14e is equal to that of the inclined side 15e of the second case 15.

In this embodiment, the first region R1 side of the second region R2 of the surface 15a of the second case 15 is shaped to protrude outward from the first region R1. The display unit 19 (display surface 19a) is provided in the second region R2. The display content of the display surface 19a includes display elements exemplified by characters, images (for example, stored by the function of the drive recorder), and icons. The display surface 19a is a rectangular display area, but may be an area of other shape. The display surface 19a faces in the second diagonal horizontal direction. In this embodiment, the display surface 19a faces in the same horizontal direction as the first region R1, which is the same as the orientation of the second region R2. In this embodiment, the direction in which the display surface 19a faces is the normal direction of the display surface 19a. The direction in which the display surface 19a faces is non-parallel to the direction in which the camera 17 (lens 17a) faces. The direction in which the display unit 19 (display surface 19a) faces is an example of the second direction. In this embodiment, the display surface 19a faces a direction rotated a predetermined angle from the opposite direction of the vehicle's travel direction to one side in the vehicle width direction. Here, the one side in the vehicle width direction is the side where the driver's seat is located. The predetermined angle is, for example, 45 degrees, but is not limited to this. The driver's seat is a seat provided in the passenger area of the vehicle. The passenger area is an area in the vehicle where a person is or may be present. When the vehicle is traveling, the driver sits in the driver's seat.

The display unit 19 is, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD). The display surface 19a of the display unit 19 has a predetermined viewing angle. Therefore, when the display surface 19a is viewed obliquely outside the viewing angle, the displayed contents are not visible or are barely visible. In this embodiment, the second region R2 is located on the right side when looking at the surface 15a from inside the vehicle, so that in a right-hand drive vehicle, it is located on the driver's seat side, and the display surface 19a is arranged to face the driver's seat at an angle to the right with respect to the rear side of the vehicle. Therefore, the driver sitting in the driver's seat will be, for example, almost directly facing the display surface 19a. The display surface 19a may be provided with, for example, a viewing angle limiting sheet as a viewing angle limiting member that limits the viewing angle.

As described above, the lens 17a of the camera 17 and the display surface 19a of the display unit 19 are fixed to the case of the drive recorder 10. In this way, by adjusting the direction in which the lens 17a of the camera 17 faces, the direction in which the display surface 19a faces is set to a direction in which the displayed content is easily visible from the driver's seat, making it easy to adjust the position and attitude of the drive recorder 10.

The driver's seat is located slightly offset in the vehicle width direction from the opposite direction of the vehicle's travel direction of the drive recorder 10. Even in this case, the driver can view the display surface 19a within a range of a front or nearly frontal viewing angle, and can easily view the display contents of the display surface 19a without, for example, standing up or taking a posture that requires peering at the display surface. In particular, when the drive recorder 10 is located behind the rearview mirror 31, in other words, on the windshield side of the vehicle and near the center in the vehicle width direction, the display contents of the display surface can be easily viewed by the person sitting in the driver's seat. On the other hand, from the opposite direction of the travel direction of the vehicle, where there may be a rear vehicle, the display contents are viewed from a direction outside the viewing angle, making it difficult to view the display contents.

When the drive recorder 10 is placed behind the rear-view mirror 31 (in the direction of travel of the vehicle), the display surface 19a is configured to face in a direction that does not face the rear-view mirror 31. In this way, the drive recorder 10 is placed behind the rear-view mirror 31, making its presence less noticeable, and does not prevent the display contents of the display surface 19a from being viewed from the driver's seat. Furthermore, the display surface 19a is hidden by the rear-view mirror 31 from the opposite direction of travel of the vehicle, where there may be a vehicle behind, making it difficult to view the display contents of the display surface 19a.

Even if the main body case 13 of the drive recorder 10 is shifted, for example, forward/backward or left/right, rather than being positioned so as to be hidden behind the rearview mirror 31, the display surface 19a faces the driver's seat at an angle to the right and does not face directly behind the vehicle, making it difficult to see the displayed contents from outside the vehicle. In particular, from the opposite direction of the vehicle's travel direction, where there may be a rear vehicle, the display is not only outside the viewing angle but also far away, so the driver of the rear vehicle will not be staring at it, it is not dazzling, it is not distracting, and it is less likely to interfere with driving.

The installation of the drive recorder 10 can also be described as follows. If the display surface 19a is oriented in a direction that is easy to see from the driver's seat, the camera 17 will naturally be oriented in an appropriate direction, such as the direction of travel of the vehicle. For example, even if the case of the drive recorder 10 is located behind the rear-view mirror 31 and is hidden by the rear-view mirror 31, making it difficult to adjust the orientation of the camera 17, the orientation of the camera 17 can be adjusted based on the orientation of the display surface 19a.

[Second embodiment of the drive recorder]
This form of drive recorder is based on the knowledge that the mounting location is in the upper area of the windshield, the lens is in the direction of vehicle travel, and the positional relationship is roughly fixed, with the lens being located diagonally below the driver's seat when viewed from the position of the drive recorder.

Figures 9 to 13 show a second embodiment of the drive recorder 40. In this embodiment, the main body case 43 in which the camera 41, display unit 42, etc. are mounted is cylindrical. A bracket 45, which is an example of an attachment member, is attached to one end of the cylindrical main body case 43 in the axial direction. The bracket 45 has, for example, a ring-shaped portion 45a that faces the outer circumferential surface of the main body case 43 and has a rotatable arc surface on its inner circumferential surface, a connecting portion 45b formed integrally with the outer circumferential surface of the ring-shaped portion 45a, and a plate-shaped attachment portion 45c formed integrally with the tip of the connecting portion 45b.

In this embodiment, the outer diameter of one end of the main body case 43 is reduced, and the ring-shaped portion 45a is attached to the reduced portion. As a result, a wall 43d is formed on the axially inner side of the portion of the one end of the main body case 43 with the reduced outer diameter, and one axial surface of the ring-shaped portion 45a attached to that portion abuts against the wall 43d. Then, with the bracket 45 attached to the one end of the main body case 43 in this manner, the fixing member 46 is attached to one end of the main body case 43, and both axial side surfaces of the bracket 45 are sandwiched and fixed between the fixing member 46 and the wall 43d of the main body case 43. The main body case 43 and the ring-shaped portion 45a are configured to be relatively rotatable, and are configured to be fixed at an appropriate angular position. Fixing at such a predetermined angle position can be achieved by, for example, providing a female thread on the inner circumferential surface of the fixing member 46, forming a male thread on the outer circumferential surface of one end of the main body case 43, engaging the female thread with the male thread, and tightening the screw to narrow the distance between the tip of the fixing member 46 and the wall 43d of the main body case 43, thereby sandwiching and fixing the ring-shaped portion 45a, or by providing a recess that can be fitted into the inner circumferential surface of the ring-shaped portion 45a and the outer circumferential surface of the part on the one end of the main body case 43, so that the angle is fixed at the position where the recess is fitted, and when force is applied in the rotational direction, the recess is released to allow rotation. Various configurations can be used.

Then, an adhesive member 47 such as double-sided tape is affixed to the surface of the mounting portion 45c on the side not connected to the connecting portion 45b, and the bracket 45 is attached to a predetermined position on the windshield 2 using the adhesive member 47. As a result, the main body case 43 supported by the bracket 45 is suspended and fixed to a predetermined position on the windshield 2.

Inside the cylindrical main body case 43, for example, the first circuit board 51 and the second circuit board 52 connected by the connector 53 are arranged in a front-to-back stacked posture. The first circuit board 51 includes, for example, a CPU, a memory, an image pickup element of the camera 41, a control unit of the display unit 42, etc., and is arranged so that the lens 41a of the camera 41 is exposed on the outer surface of the main body case 43. The first circuit board 51 is connected to the display unit 42 via the connection unit 48. The connection unit 48 is a wiring unit composed of, for example, a flexible printed circuit board (FPC), and supplies various signals (for example, scanning line driving signals and data line driving signals) for driving the display unit 42 and signals (video signals) that define the display contents. In this embodiment, the lens 41a is directed in the traveling direction of the vehicle, so that the camera 41 captures an imaging area that exists in the traveling direction of the vehicle (an example of the first direction). The imaging area is an area outside the vehicle. In this way, the direction in which the camera 41 (lens 41a) faces is an example of the first direction. Because the lens 41a is exposed to the outside of the main body case 43, a person can adjust the position and attitude of the drive recorder 40 while looking at the lens 41a so that the desired shooting area can be captured.

The second circuit board 52 has, for example, a power supply control circuit and is equipped with, for example, an electric double layer capacitor 54, an SD card connector 55, an operation switch 56, etc. The operation switch 56 and the SD card connector 55 are preferably arranged so as to be exposed on the side surface 43a, etc. of the main body case 43, and can be operated from the side surface 43a. In this embodiment, the operation switch 56, etc. is provided on the side surface 43a on the right side as seen by the driver, etc., who is a person inside the vehicle, in this example, the side surface 43a on the side where the bracket 45 is attached. This positions the operation switch 56, etc. on the driver's side, improving operability for the driver.

A flat surface 43b is provided at a predetermined position on the periphery of the main body case 43. One end of the flat surface 43b in the longitudinal direction reaches a side surface 43c on the non-attached side of the bracket 45 of the main body case 43. The display surface 42a of the display unit 42 is arranged on the flat surface 43b. The display surface 42a is a rectangular display area that is long in the axial direction of the main body case 43, but may be an area of other shape. The direction in which the display surface 42a of the display unit 42 faces is non-parallel to the direction in which the camera 41 (lens 41a) faces. The display unit 42 is composed of, for example, an LCD. The camera 41 and the display unit 42 are fixedly provided on the main body case 43 so that the direction of the display surface 42a of the display unit 42, i.e., the normal direction L1 of the display surface 42a, and the optical axis L2 of the lens 41a of the camera 41 intersect at a predetermined angle. Therefore, for example, when the main body case 43 is rotated around an axis while attached to the bracket 45, the orientation of the camera 41 swings up and down, and rotates while maintaining the angle between the display surface 42a of the display unit 42 and the camera 41 (lens 41a).

In this embodiment, the display surface 42a is rotated downward by a predetermined angle from the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the vehicle. When the lens 41a is directed toward the traveling direction of the vehicle, the display surface 42a faces diagonally downward (an example of the second direction) (see FIG. 9, etc.). In this embodiment, the direction in which the display surface 42a faces is the normal direction of the display surface 42a. The predetermined angle is, for example, 45 degrees, but is not limited to this.

When the drive recorder 40 is viewed from the directions (A), (B), (C), and (D) in Fig. 11, it appears as shown in Fig. 12 (a), (b), (c), and (d), respectively. As shown in Fig. 12 (d), when the camera 41 is, for example, horizontally facing the direction in which the vehicle is traveling, as is clear from Fig. 13, when the driver sitting in the driver's seat looks diagonally upwards (see Fig. 12 (B)), he or she faces the display surface 42a directly and can view the screen at a shallow angle, making the displayed content easier to see.

As described above, the problems with the conventional configuration can be solved simply by rotating the display surface 42a downward by a predetermined angle relative to the direction of the optical axis of the lens 41a of the camera 41. Furthermore, the cylindrical main body case 43 is suitable for a structure that angles the display unit 42 (e.g., a liquid crystal display), and the connection part 48 that connects the display unit 42 and the first circuit board 51 is formed flexibly, so no unreasonable structure is required. Furthermore, if the display unit 42 is a relatively inexpensive liquid crystal display, the viewing angle of such a liquid crystal display is relatively narrow, so the apparent image quality can be expected to be improved.

The lens 41a of the camera 41 and the display surface 42a of the display unit 42 are fixed to the main body case 43 of the drive recorder 40. In this way, by adjusting the direction in which the lens 41a of the camera 41 faces, the direction in which the display surface 42a faces is set to a direction in which the display content can be easily viewed from below, making it easy to adjust the position and posture of the drive recorder 40. Since the driver is sitting in the driver's seat, the driver (the driver's eyes) are located below the drive recorder 40. Therefore, the driver can view the display surface 42a within a range of viewing angles such as from the front, making it easier to view the display content of the display surface 42a. (See viewpoint (B) in FIG. 13). For example, a viewing angle control sheet may be provided on the display surface 42a as a viewing angle control member that controls the viewing angle to narrow it.

On the other hand, for people in the opposite direction of the traveling direction of the vehicle where there may be a rear vehicle, for example, people riding in the rear vehicle, the display surface 42a will be viewed from directly behind, and will be viewed from a direction outside the viewing angle of the display surface 42a (see (A) in FIG. 11). This makes it difficult to see the display content from outside the vehicle. In particular, from the opposite direction of the traveling direction of the vehicle where there may be a rear vehicle, the display surface 42a is not only outside the viewing angle, but also far away, so the driver of the rear vehicle will not stare at the display surface 42a, it will not be dazzling, it will not be a distraction, and it is possible to prevent it from interfering with driving.

Furthermore, when the drive recorder 40 having such a configuration is arranged on the rear side of the rearview mirror 31 (the side in the direction of travel of the vehicle) as in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, for example, the display surface 42a faces downward in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of the vehicle. In this way, the drive recorder 40 is arranged behind the rearview mirror 31 and its presence is not noticeable. Furthermore, as shown in viewpoint (A) in FIG. 12, the display surface 42a is hidden by the rearview mirror 31 from the opposite direction of travel of the vehicle, where there may be a rear vehicle, so the display content of the display surface 42a can be made difficult to see.

Furthermore, the display surface 42a faces in a direction rotated downwards by a specified angle from the opposite direction of the vehicle's travel direction. If the angle is set to 45 degrees, for example, assuming that a tall person's line of sight is horizontal to the drive recorder 40, and that the windshield 2 is tilted so that the drive recorder 40 is located near overhead, then even if the viewing angle of the display surface 42a is 60 degrees up and down, there will be a margin of 15 degrees. This is good because it allows the driver to see the drive recorder 40 even when the windshield 2 is tilted and the drive recorder 40 is located near overhead, for example.

The installation of the drive recorder 40 can also be described as follows. If the display surface 42a is oriented in a direction that is easy to see from the driver's seat, the camera 41 will naturally be oriented in an appropriate direction, such as the direction of travel of the vehicle. For example, even if the case of the drive recorder 40 is located behind the rearview mirror 31 and is hidden by the rearview mirror 31, making it difficult to adjust the orientation of the camera 41, the orientation of the camera 17 can be adjusted based on the orientation of the display surface 42a.

[Various modified examples of the drive recorder]
The direction in which the display surface of the display unit faces may be rotated by a predetermined angle in one direction of the vehicle width direction and downward by a predetermined angle with respect to the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the vehicle. For example, in the drive recorder 40 having the cylindrical main body case 43 as in the second embodiment, the display surface 42a of the display unit 42 may be inclined so as to face diagonally, for example, diagonally rightward, with respect to the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the vehicle so as to face the driver's seat side. For example, in FIG. 14, the flat surface portion 43b provided on the main body case 43 may be inclined so that the area on the driver's seat side protrudes in the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the vehicle and the area on the passenger seat side recedes. In this way, it is expected that the display contents of the display surface will be more easily visible to the driver, and the display contents of the display surface will be less easily visible from the rear vehicle, etc.

Also, as shown in FIG. 15, for example, the display unit 42 may have two display surfaces 42a, 42b (examples of the first display surface and the second display surface) arranged on the left and right, with one of the two display surfaces 42a facing diagonally (an example of the second direction) toward the driver's seat of a right-hand drive vehicle (an example of the first boarding area), and the other display surface 42b facing diagonally (an example of the third direction) toward the passenger seat of a right-hand drive vehicle (an example of the second boarding area). In the figure, for example, the portion between the two display surfaces 42a, 42b may be a flat surface portion 43b that protrudes most toward the front and slopes downward toward the left and right sides. The area where the passenger seat is located is an example of a boarding area, which is an area where a person in the vehicle is or may be present.

In this way, the display contents can be seen by both the driver's seat and the passenger seat, and can also be applied directly to left-hand drive vehicles. The contents displayed on the two display surfaces 42a, 42b may be the same or different. Using different contents allows appropriate information to be provided to each person.

In this case, the two display surfaces 42a, 42b may each be configured with separate liquid crystal displays, or may be configured from a single member using a curved or bendable liquid crystal display or the like. As a display unit other than a liquid crystal display, for example, an organic EL display or electronic paper may be used.

Also, as shown in FIG. 16, it is preferable to provide an operation unit 57 around the display unit 42 (display surface 42a). The operation unit 57 faces the same direction as the display surface 42a. The operation unit 57 is provided on the same surface of the main body case 43 as the surface on which the display surface 42a is provided. The operation unit 57 is, for example, a push-type physical button, but may be a slide-type or other type physical button. The number of operation units 57 is three in the example of FIG. 16, but is not limited to this. In this way, in addition to making the display content easier to see, the operation unit is also easier to operate. Since the operation unit 57 faces the direction of the driver sitting in the driver's seat, for example, like the display surface 42a, the driver can easily confirm the position of the operation unit 57, and even if multiple operation units 57 are arranged, it is easy to confirm the position of each operation unit 57 while sitting, and to operate the desired operation unit 57 from that position. For example, the driver may be able to operate the desired operation unit 57 while sitting in the driver's seat. In the illustrated example, the operation unit 57 is disposed separately outside the display surface 42a of the display unit 42, but for example, a touch sensor or a proximity sensor may be used as the operation unit and the operation unit may be disposed on top of the display surface 42a. Also, instead of an input means, it is advisable to dispose an output means for outputting information from an LED or other light-emitting unit. Since the flat surface portion 43b on which the display surface 42a of the display unit 42 is provided faces the driver, the light-emitting state of the light-emitting unit is also easily visible.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 17, for example, it is preferable to arrange the second camera 58 around the display surface 42a. The second camera 58 is arranged so that it can capture the direction in which the display surface 42a faces. The second camera 58 is arranged in a position where the display surface 42a and the lens of the second camera 58 can be simultaneously viewed, such as the same surface of the main body case 43 on which the display surface 42a is provided. In this way, the second camera 58 can easily capture the person or surroundings sitting in the driver's seat and/or the passenger seat in the vehicle from the front side. Therefore, for example, by capturing the posture of the driver, it is suitable for incorporating DMS (driver monitoring system) functions such as driver drowsiness detection and driver distraction detection into the drive recorder. In addition, it is preferable that the second camera 58 is a thermograph and measures and records the body temperature of the user such as the driver, so that the health condition can be managed.

In the above-described embodiment and modified examples, the shape of the main body case 43 is based on a cylindrical shape, but the shape is arbitrary, and various shapes such as a sphere, hemisphere, or rectangular parallelepiped may be used.

[Disaster warning function]
The drive recorder in the above-mentioned embodiment and modified examples may have a disaster warning function. For example, the control unit of the drive recorder may have a means for acquiring disaster information, and may control the display unit to display a warning based on the acquired disaster information on the display surface 19a or 42a. The disaster information is information related to a disaster. The disaster information may include information related to either or both of a disaster that has already occurred (e.g., earthquake, landslide, etc.) or a disaster that is expected to occur (e.g., weather-related disasters such as tornadoes and typhoons).

The means for acquiring disaster information may, for example, have a function for receiving disaster and crisis information (an example of disaster information) from Michibiki. This is advantageous because it allows the GPS unit to be used for acquiring location information.

The control unit may then be configured not to issue a disaster information warning if the location of the acquired disaster or crisis information is far from the current location, but to issue a warning about disaster information, etc., if the location is within a set distance, for example.

A disaster information warning may be displayed on display surface 19a or 42a. For example, if the drive recorder is positioned so that its display surface faces directly behind the vehicle, and is particularly hidden behind the rear-view mirror, the driver will not be able to see a specified report screen displayed on the display surface to report a disaster. In contrast, in this embodiment, display surface 19a or 42a faces the driver, etc., and the driver, etc. can easily see the displayed content even if the drive recorder 40 is positioned behind the rear-view mirror 31. Therefore, when a report screen is displayed on display surface 19a or 42a to issue a warning based on disaster information, the driver, etc. can be appropriately informed of the warning. Furthermore, the driver can see and understand the displayed content, and therefore take appropriate action in response to the warning.

Furthermore, the warning may be, for example, displayed on display surface 19a or 42a as an icon 60 (in the illustrated example, an icon representing a tsunami) according to the nature of the disaster or crisis (see FIG. 18, etc.). In this way, even if display surface 19a or 42a is small, for example, the driver or the like can be appropriately notified of the occurrence of the disaster or crisis and its nature.

Furthermore, the warning may be given by voice in addition to the display surface 19a or 42a. The warning may be changed according to the driving location, speed, and other conditions. For example, if an earthquake warning is issued while driving on an urban road at a certain speed or less, an icon corresponding to the earthquake is displayed on the display surface 19a or 42a and a voice message such as "Please park the car on the left side of a place considered safe" is output from the speaker. Furthermore, the content of the warning may be changed by user settings.

The control unit may also have a function to provide information on emergency evacuation sites in the event of a disaster. In the case of a tsunami, rather than providing information on emergency evacuation sites, it may have a function to provide information on nearby safe locations above sea level. In addition to reporting the location, the information may also have a function to provide route navigation.

Furthermore, when disaster information is received, the control unit may display a "Confirm" button or the like on display surface 19a or 42a, and after a user touch operation, forcibly switch the screen on display surface 19a or 42a to earthquake disaster support mode and notify the user of the necessary information. In addition, the earthquake disaster support mode may be set to return to the normal screen upon a specified user operation.

According to this embodiment, it is possible to make it easier for the driver and other people in the vehicle to recognize information related to an occurring disaster, which is one type of information of high importance that should be notified to people in the vehicle. Of course, information other than disaster information may also be displayed on the display surface.

In the above embodiment, the visibility of the display surface 19a, 42a from the driver's seat side (driver), which is an example of the riding area, has been described, but the present invention can also be applied to the visibility of the display surface 19a, 42a from the passenger seat side (person sitting in the passenger seat). In this case, the display surface 19a, 42a only needs to face the passenger seat side. The same applies when applied to a left-hand drive vehicle. The vehicle may be various types of vehicles such as public transportation vehicles such as trains, monorails, and linear motor cars. This is because, if the vehicle is one in which people ride, there is a riding area, which is an area where the driver, who is a person inside the vehicle, is present or may be present. The riding area may or may not have a seat. The present invention may also be applied to a drive recorder in which the mounting location of the drive recorder is not limited to the windshield, but is a location such as the ceiling, sun visor, or dashboard of the vehicle.

The in-vehicle device of the present invention may be any device other than a drive recorder as long as it has a camera and a display unit.

In light of the above-described embodiment and modified examples, the present invention can be understood as follows. The imaging device includes a camera and a display unit having a display surface, and when the camera is directed in a first direction, the display surface faces a second direction that has a component in the opposite direction to the first direction and is non-parallel to the first direction, and the angle between the first direction and the second direction is fixed. Such an imaging device may be an in-vehicle device, a surveillance camera, or another imaging device. In this way, when the camera lens is directed in the first direction, it necessarily faces the second direction that has a component in the opposite direction to the first direction and is non-parallel to the first direction, so that while imaging in the desired direction, the display content on the display surface can be easily viewed from the second direction, and the display content can be difficult to view from the opposite side of the lens.

The scope of the present invention is not limited to the configurations explicitly described in the specification, but includes combinations of various aspects of the present invention disclosed herein. The configurations of the present invention that are sought to be patented are specified in the attached claims, but it is our intention to include configurations disclosed in this specification in the claims in the future, even if they are not currently specified in the claims.

The present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the above-mentioned embodiment. The components of each of the above-mentioned embodiments and variations may be arbitrarily selected and combined. Any components of each of the embodiments and variations may be arbitrarily combined with any components described in the means for solving the invention or any components that embody any components described in the means for solving the invention. We intend to acquire rights to these as well through amendments to this application or divisional applications, etc. Even if there is a description such as "in the case of" or "when", this is not intended to describe a configuration that is limited to that case or time. We also disclose configurations that are not in these cases or times, and we intend to acquire rights to them. Furthermore, the parts that are described in order are not limited to this order. We also disclose configurations in which some parts are deleted or the order is changed, and we intend to acquire rights to them.

In addition, by converting to a design registration application, we intend to obtain rights to the overall design or partial design. The drawings show the entire device in solid lines, but they include not only the overall design but also partial designs claimed for a portion of the device. For example, some components of the device can be included as partial designs, and the drawings include some parts of the device as partial designs regardless of the components. A portion of the device can be a part of the device, or a part of that part. We intend to obtain rights to not only the overall design, but also partial designs in which any part of the solid line part of the drawing is shown as a broken line part. In addition, all of the modules, components, parts, etc. inside the device's casing shown in the drawings are subject to trade independently, and we intend to obtain rights to them by converting to a design registration application in the same way.

2: Windshield 10: Drive recorder 13: Main body case 17: Camera 17a: Lens 18: Bracket 19: Display unit 19a: Display surface 21: Adhesive member 31: Rear-view mirror 40: Drive recorder 41: Camera 41a: Lens 42: Display unit 42a: Display surface 42b: Display surface 43: Main body case 45: Bracket 47: Adhesive member 48: Connection unit 57: Operation unit 58: Second camera 60: Icon

Claims (8)

A camera and
A display unit having a display surface;
Equipped with
When the camera is directed in a first direction capable of photographing an area in a traveling direction of the vehicle, the display surface faces a second direction in which a predetermined boarding area in the vehicle is present;
When the display surface is disposed on the vehicle so as to be located on the side of a rear-view mirror of the vehicle in a traveling direction of the vehicle, the second direction is set so that the rear-view mirror does not obstruct viewing of the display content on the display surface from the riding area.
In-vehicle equipment. A camera and
A display unit having a display surface;
a bracket for mounting on a vehicle glass;
Equipped with
When the camera is directed in a first direction capable of photographing an area in a traveling direction of the vehicle, the display surface faces a second direction in which a predetermined boarding area in the vehicle is present;
When the bracket is used to place the glass at a position on the vehicle's traveling direction side of a rearview mirror of the vehicle, the second direction is set so that the rearview mirror does not obstruct viewing of the display content on the display surface from the riding area.
In-vehicle equipment. When viewed from the opposite side of the first direction, the display surface is entirely hidden by the rearview mirror, while the display content of the display surface is visible from the riding area.
3. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1. a case in which the camera and the display unit are provided;
Equipped with
The bracket is provided on a top surface side of the case,
The case and the display surface are
When the case is attached to the glass of the vehicle at a position on the vehicle's traveling direction side of the rearview mirror of the vehicle, the entire display surface is hidden by the rearview mirror when viewed from the opposite side of the first direction, while the display content of the display surface is visible from the passenger area.
The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 2. The case is
A first surface facing the first direction;
a second surface adjacent to the first surface and facing the second direction;
a third surface adjacent to the second surface and facing in a direction opposite to the first direction;
having
an angle between the first direction, the second direction, and the opposite direction is fixed;
the camera is provided on the first surface side and the display surface is provided on the second surface side,
The third surface side is not provided with a display surface for displaying an image.
The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 4. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1 , wherein the second direction is a direction rotated by a predetermined angle in one direction in a vehicle width direction of the vehicle from a direction opposite to the first direction. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1 , wherein the passenger area is an area in which a driver's seat of the vehicle is located or an area in which a passenger seat is located. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1 , which is a drive recorder that records images captured by the camera.

Images