JPH10147213A - Vehicle monitoring device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically set/reset a monitor mode by detecting usual actions when a regular person gets in/out of a vehicle. SOLUTION: The output of a vibration sensor 7 is given to a condition judgement part 8 to judge whether an invader exists or not in a cabin in accordance with the output of the sensor. If the invader exists, an output part 3 including an alarm lamp and a speaker is operated to output a proper alarm. In addition to the vibration sensor, a magnetic field sensor 10 is provided, so that the outputs of both sensors can be sent to a get-in/out detection part 11 to detect that a regular person gets in/out of a vehicle. If the person is detected to get in, a monitor mode resetting (releasing) order is sent to the condition judgement part. If the person is detected to get out, a monitor mode operating (resetting) order is sent to the condition judgement part.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle monitoring device, and more particularly, to a device for detecting that a person other than a regular person has entered a vehicle cabin. The present invention relates to a post-installation type monitoring device in which a mode is set and a monitoring mode is automatically released when a regular person gets on the vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional vehicle monitoring device for preventing theft or the like, the vehicle monitoring device is placed at a predetermined position in a vehicle compartment, and when the vehicle is parked, the owner (driver) of the vehicle is required. Get off with the switch turned on by manual operation. Then, a monitoring system (mode) is activated to monitor the state of the vehicle interior with various sensors, detect when a person has entered, and output a predetermined alarm. On the other hand, when a legitimate person enters the passenger compartment, the monitoring device is turned off in advance by remote control operation from outside the vehicle to release the monitoring mode for the state of the passenger compartment, and then the user gets on the vehicle.

[0003]

However, in the above-described conventional vehicle monitoring device, a regular person such as a driver must execute (set) / release (release) the monitoring mode by manual operation. The work becomes complicated.

In addition, if the driver forgets to set the monitor when getting off the vehicle, the monitoring mode does not operate, and it is impossible to detect the intrusion of another person into the vehicle compartment and output an alarm even though the vehicle monitoring device is installed. On the other hand, if the driver forgets to cancel the monitoring mode and gets into the vehicle interior, an alarm will be issued. In that case, the warning can usually be stopped by the forced release input, but it is not very pleasant that the alarm sounds. There is a demand that a warning be output when a passenger gets on a vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and has as its object to solve the above-described problems and to reduce the number of regular passengers when getting on or off. The monitoring mode can be detected and the monitoring mode can be automatically released (released) or set without performing any special action, minimizing forgetting to set and / or release as much as possible, and normal monitoring processing To provide a vehicle monitoring device capable of performing the following.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle monitoring device according to the present invention comprises a detecting means for detecting a state of a vehicle interior, and the presence or absence of an intruder based on a detection signal from the detecting means. It is assumed that the vehicle monitoring apparatus includes a state determination unit that determines the state of the vehicle and an output unit that outputs a predetermined warning when the determination result of the state determination unit indicates that there is an intruder.

Then, a vibration sensor and a magnetic field sensor are provided,
The warning is not output when a legitimate ride is detected based on the outputs of both sensors. Here, the detection means, the vibration sensor, and the magnetic field sensor
Some or all of them may be common, or they may be separately provided. In the embodiment, the detecting means corresponds to the vibration sensor 7 and a part thereof is common. Further, as described above, the detecting means uses the vibration sensor in the embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to this, and detects heat generated from an intruder by a pyroelectric sensor or an infrared sensor. Various things can be used. However, it is preferable to use a vibration sensor as in the embodiment, since the parts can be shared.

[0008] Further, not outputting an alarm means that the output means is not operated, the detection signal of the intruder is not output regardless of the judgment result by the state judgment means, and the state judgment means itself is not operated. The present invention can be implemented by various methods, and the present invention does not matter at which stage the signal (operation) is stopped unless an alarm is output as a result.

With this configuration, the entry into the vehicle (ride) can be detected by the vibration sensor. That is, when entering the room, a relatively large vibration (strong vibration) is generated to open and close the door, so that the vibration can be detected by the vibration sensor. Also, when a normal person gets on the vehicle, the ignition switch is
A current flows with N and a magnetic field is generated. It can be detected by a magnetic field sensor. That is, by monitoring the output of the magnetic field sensor, it can be determined whether or not the engine has been turned on. In other words, if the engine is not started after the door is opened and closed, it can be said that there is a high risk of an intruder (not a legitimate person). By utilizing this fact, the boarding of a legitimate person is detected.

An example of a specific detection algorithm in this case is, for example, when a predetermined magnetic force is detected by a magnetic field sensor within a predetermined time after opening / closing of a door is detected based on the output of the vibration sensor. It can be determined that an authorized person is riding (claim 2). Of course, the boarding of a legitimate person may be detected by other algorithms.

[0011] Claims 1 and 2 are for detecting a regular person getting on and automatically stopping the monitoring (stopping the alarm output). Thus, the actual monitoring process is automatically executed thereafter.

That is, the prerequisite device is the same as that described above, in which a vibration sensor is provided, and the output of the alarm is permitted when a legitimate person getting off is detected based on the output of the vibration sensor. (Claim 3) Alternatively, a vibration sensor and a magnetic field sensor are provided, and the output of the alarm can be permitted when a normal person gets off the vehicle based on the outputs of both sensors (claim 3). Item 4).

That is, when the vehicle gets off the vehicle, a relatively large vibration is generated because the door is opened and closed. After that, nobody remains in the vehicle interior and the engine is turned off, so there is no slight vibration caused by idling or the like. Therefore, it is possible to judge the getting off from the state of the change of the vibration (presence or the like). Claim 3 utilizes this fact. When the engine is turned off, naturally, no current flows in the electrical components, and no magnetic field is generated. Therefore, if there is no vibration after the strong vibration, it can be determined that the vehicle gets off. Claim 4 utilizes this fact.

In the embodiment, to permit the output of the alarm means to execute (set) the monitoring mode.
Although the operation of the state determination means is started (before it has been stopped), the present invention is not limited to this. Previously, even though the determination itself was performed, no detection signal was output, or the operation of the output means was started (before, even if there was an intruder determination signal from the state determination means, the output means would not It does not work). In general, since the power consumption is high in the output means, it is preferable to simply stop the operation of only the output means.

The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Just by a regular person performing a normal boarding / alighting action,
This can be detected by the sensor and the monitoring device can be automatically activated to perform ON / OFF control of the alarm output (this eliminates the need to manually perform the switch ON / OFF processing conventionally performed). It is possible to reliably prevent a false alarm due to the inability to detect an intruder or forgetting to switch off.

[0016] Further, since the determination of whether or not a regular person is getting on or off is performed using a vibration sensor or a magnetic field sensor, it is independent of each device mounted on the vehicle, and may affect the vehicle side. Not only that, the device can be easily installed because it can be simply installed at a predetermined position on the vehicle.

On the other hand, as the driving power source for the vehicle monitoring device according to the first to fourth aspects, various types of batteries such as a storage battery (primary and secondary) and an automobile battery supplied through a socket for a cigarette lighter are used. However, at least a solar cell can be provided (claim 5). In this case, the circuit configuration is separated and independent from the vehicle, and the operation is not disabled due to the exhaustion of the battery capacity (the battery may be replaced, but the process is complicated), and the life of the device is extended.

[0018]

1 and 2 show an example of a preferred embodiment of a vehicle monitoring device according to the present invention. FIG.
In this example, as shown in FIG.
A solar panel 2 is installed on the top surface of the vehicle, and a warning lamp 3a and a speaker 3b are installed on the front surface. Further, a key insertion port 5a is provided on a side surface of the housing 1. Then, such a housing is used in a state of being installed on a dashboard of an automobile, for example.

Thus, during the daytime, the solar panel 2 operates using solar power generation. When an intruder comes into the vehicle cabin, the warning lamp 3a is turned on or the speaker 3b is turned on. To output a warning sound such as a buzzer. Further, by inserting a release key into the key insertion slot 5a, the above various alarms are not output.

An apparatus for performing the above processing is
It is mounted in the housing 1 and specifically incorporates a circuit as shown in FIG. That is, in this example, the output of the vibration sensor 7 is provided to the state determination unit 8, where a predetermined characteristic amount is extracted from the waveform signal output from the vibration sensor 7, and it is determined whether there is an intruder in the vehicle interior. It is supposed to do. Features to be extracted include the magnitude of the peak value, the vibration frequency, and the time exceeding the threshold.
There are times. When there is an intruder, the output unit 3 such as the warning lamp 3a or the speaker 3b is operated,
A predetermined alarm is output, and a threat to an intruder and a notification to regular and / or surrounding persons are made.

Further, the state determination unit 8 can acquire a forced release command given from the key input unit 5,
When such a forced release command is received, the state determination unit 8
The output of the determination result to the output unit 3 is stopped irrespective of the determination result. Further, instead of stopping the output in this manner, the determination itself in the state determination unit 8 may not be performed. The key input unit 5 is configured to issue a forced release command by inserting a predetermined release key into a key insertion port 5a provided on a side surface of the housing. Such a configuration is basically the same as that of the conventional device.

However, even if an intruder is detected by the state determination section 8, an alarm is not output immediately, but an alarm is output after a lapse of a predetermined time (with a time lag). In other words, the ride of a legitimate person that is a main part of the present invention,
For the intruder, the initial output of the vibration sensor is almost the same (strictly speaking, in the case of the intruder, the door is locked and there is a process to release it, so it does not match)
The warning output is stopped until it is determined that the ride is not for an authorized person. In this respect, it differs from the conventional one.

Here, in the present invention, a magnetic field sensor 10 is further provided in addition to the vibration sensor 7 used in the state determination, and the output of each sensor 7, 10 is sent to the boarding / alighting detection section 11, where a legitimate person is provided. It detects the getting on / off. When it is detected that a legitimate person has got on the vehicle, a monitoring mode release (release) command is sent to the state determination unit 8, and when it is detected that the vehicle gets off, the state determination unit 8 is monitored. A mode operation (set) command is sent.

The boarding / alighting detection unit 11 includes a door opening / closing detection unit 12 receiving an output of the vibration sensor 7, an engine ON detection unit 13 receiving an output of the magnetic field sensor 10, and outputs of the detection units 12 and 13. And a control unit 14 that determines whether or not there is a proper person getting on and off and outputs a predetermined command.

The door opening / closing detecting section 12 detects the opening / closing of the door, and outputs a detection signal when the door is opened / closed. That is, when the door is opened and closed, a large vibration is generated, especially when the door is closed, so that the peak of the output waveform of the vibration sensor 7 also increases. Therefore, threshold processing is performed,
When a relatively large vibration occurs, a detection signal is output.

The engine-on detecting section 13 detects that the engine has been started by turning on the ignition switch. Specifically, a current flows around the instrument panel when the engine is turned on. A change in the generated magnetic field is detected by a magnetic field sensor. That is, since the electrical components are OFF during parking, no current flows and there is almost no change in the magnetic field, so that there is no output from the magnetic field sensor 10. On the other hand, when the ignition switch is turned on, a large current flows following the ignition switch, so that the generated magnetic force also increases. Therefore, the magnetic field sensor 1
Since the output of 0 becomes large, the engine ON detection unit 13 performs threshold processing, determines that the engine is ON when the output of the magnetic field sensor 10 is a certain value or more, and outputs a detection signal.

The control section 14 determines the presence or absence of getting on / off according to the determination flow shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B based on the detection signals given from the sensors 7 and 10, and Sometimes, a set command signal or a release command signal in the monitoring mode is output.

That is, in general, when getting on a vehicle, the driver first opens the door, sits in the driver's seat, closes the door, and then
Turn on the ignition key and start the engine. On the other hand, in the case of a fraudulent intruder, the user opens the door and intrudes into the cabin to color the inside. At this time, the door is often left open, and even if the door is closed, the engine is not started. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the engine is turned on after the door is opened and closed, it is determined that a regular person has boarded, and a release command is output. In other words, even if the door is opened and closed, if the engine does not turn on thereafter, it is not determined that a legitimate person is riding, and the monitoring mode is not released.

On the other hand, when the driver gets off the vehicle after driving, the driver turns off the engine (OFF), opens and closes the door, and leaves the vehicle. That is, when the door is closed, the engine is already off. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the engine is turned off after the door is opened and closed, it is determined that the vehicle has got off, and after a lapse of a predetermined time (a delay timer (built-in the control unit 14) is activated), the set signal Is output.

Note that a predetermined output waveform is output from the vibration sensor 7 because the vehicle shakes while the vehicle is running. However, the vibration caused by the opening and closing of the door is greater than the magnitude of the vibration caused by the normal traveling.
By appropriately setting the threshold value in 2, the detection signal is not output during traveling, and the detection signal is output only when the door is opened and closed.
In addition, if the vehicle runs on a stepped portion or some noise or the like, the output of the vibration sensor 7 may increase and a detection signal may be output from the door opening / closing detection unit 12, but even in such a case, the engine is turned on. Therefore, since the magnetic field sensor 10 detects this, it is not erroneously determined that the vehicle gets off.

Further, in this embodiment, the determination of getting off is made based on the output signals of both the vibration sensor 7 and the magnetic field sensor 10, but it is also possible to make the determination based on only the vibration sensor 7. In other words, when the vehicle gets off, the engine is already off, so there is no slight vibration of the vehicle due to idling, and the vehicle is stopped after getting off with the door closed. Therefore, from the output waveform of the vibration sensor 7,
By making it possible to discriminate at least two types of large vibrations and small vibrations, if there is no vibration for a certain period of time after a large vibration (opening / closing of the door), it is determined that the vehicle is getting off and a set command is output. It can be configured as follows. Considering the time of boarding in such a case, since there is a large vibration (opening and closing of the door) and then a small vibration associated with movement in the passenger compartment such as sitting in a driver's seat, the above-described determination algorithm for getting off the vehicle Thus, the determination can be made with high accuracy. Note that the determination of the opening / closing of the door and the presence / absence of vibration of the vehicle based on other causes are not limited to the simple threshold control based on the magnitude of the vibration as described above. You can also judge. With this configuration, the determination can be performed with high accuracy.

As shown in FIG. 2, in this example, a secondary battery 16 such as a NiCd battery is provided, and the solar panel 2 is used at night or the like.
When power cannot be supplied from the secondary battery 16
Power is supplied to each unit. The power supply circuit 15 controls which power source supplies power. The power supply circuit 15 is configured to use a part of the power generated by the solar panel 2 to charge the secondary battery 16 when the daylight is large. If the function of extending the life of the battery by charging is not required, a primary battery may be used as an auxiliary power source for night use.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the operation and operation of the above-described device. As shown in the figure, the main switch 4 is turned on to operate the monitoring device (ST1). Then, first, whether there is a strong vibration, that is, the door open / close
It is determined whether there is a detection signal from (ST2). If there is a strong vibration, the process jumps to step 3, and if there is no vibration after a lapse of a predetermined time, it is determined that the vehicle gets off (ST3, ST4), and the control unit 14 outputs a set command signal. (ST5). Accordingly, the state determination unit 8
Enters the monitoring mode, acquires the output waveform from the vibration sensor 7, determines the presence or absence of an intruder, and outputs a predetermined alarm when an intruder comes. It should be noted that the processing in step 4 may be replaced with a branch determination processing of “Is there a detection signal from the engine ON detection unit 13?”. If not, the processing jumps to step 5; You may return.

After outputting the set command in this manner, the control unit 14 proceeds to a process of determining whether or not a regular person has boarded. In other words, it jumps to step 6 and strong vibration (door opening / closing)
It is determined whether or not the engine has been turned on by the magnetic field sensor during a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) via a timer (built-in the control unit 14). It monitors whether or not to detect (whether or not there is a detection output of the engine ON detection unit 13) (ST7 to ST9). If it is not detected after a certain period of time, it is determined that there is no boarding, and the process returns to step 6 to execute a process for determining whether or not there is strong vibration. Also, turn on the engine within a certain time
Is detected, the process jumps to step 10 in the branch judgment of step 8, outputs a release instruction to the state judgment unit 8, and releases the security (monitoring mode). afterwards,
Returning to step 2, the process proceeds to a process of determining whether or not a legitimate person has exited.

After the monitoring mode is executed in step 5, the control unit 14 repeats steps 6 to 9 until the mode is canceled in step 10, but in parallel with this. When the state determination unit 8 operates and detects an intrusion, a predetermined alarm output is performed.

[0036]

As described above, in the vehicle monitoring apparatus according to the present invention, when a regular person gets on or off the vehicle based on the output of the vibration sensor or the magnetic field sensor, the normal operation is performed. It can detect and automatically release (release) or set the monitoring mode without taking any special action. As a result, forgetting to set and / or cancel as much as possible can be suppressed as much as possible, and normal monitoring processing can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view showing an embodiment of a vehicle monitoring device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an internal structure thereof.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating functions of a control unit.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating functions of a control unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Solar panel (solar cell) 3 Output unit 7 Vibration sensor 8 State determination unit 10 Magnetic field sensor 11 Getting on / off detection unit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI G08B 15/00 G08B 15/00 19/00 19/00 21/00 21/00 U

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A detecting means for detecting a state in a passenger compartment of an automobile, a state determining means for determining the presence or absence of an intruder based on a detection signal from the detecting means, and the determination result of the state determining means is an intruder. A vehicle monitoring device provided with an output means for outputting a predetermined alarm at the time of a vehicle, wherein a vibration sensor and a magnetic field sensor are provided, and the alarm is not output when detection of a legitimate ride is detected based on the outputs of both sensors. A vehicle monitoring device characterized in that: 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein after detecting the opening and closing of the door based on the output of the vibration sensor, if a predetermined magnetic force is detected by a magnetic field sensor within a predetermined time, it is determined that the legitimate person is riding. The vehicle monitoring device according to claim 1. Detecting means for detecting the state of the interior of the vehicle; state determining means for determining the presence or absence of an intruder based on a detection signal from the detecting means; Output means for outputting a predetermined alarm at the time of a vehicle, a vibration sensor is provided, and when the exit of a legitimate person is detected based on the output of the vibration sensor, the output of the alarm is permitted. A vehicle monitoring device characterized in that: 4. A detecting means for detecting a state in a vehicle cabin of an automobile, a state determining means for determining the presence or absence of an intruder based on a detection signal from the detecting means, and the determination result of the state determining means is an intruder. In a vehicle monitoring device provided with an output means for outputting a predetermined alarm at the time of, a vibration sensor and a magnetic field sensor are provided, and when the exit of a legitimate person is detected based on the output of both sensors, the output of the alarm is output. A vehicle monitoring device characterized in that it is allowed. 5. A vehicle monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the driving power supply of the vehicle monitoring device according to claim 1 includes at least a solar cell.