KR100719216B1 - Automatic recording device and method for car accident - Google Patents

Abstract

Vehicle accident recording apparatus according to the present invention, the camera unit for taking an image in real time; A road information storage unit in which information on the dangerous area is set; A GPS unit for detecting entry into and exit from the danger zone set in the road information storage unit; A control unit which starts recording when entering the dangerous area and outputs a control signal for stopping recording when leaving the dangerous area; And an image recording unit for recording the image photographed by the camera unit according to the control signal.

According to the vehicle accident automatic recording apparatus of the present invention, since the front of the vehicle is recorded only in a traffic accident danger area, it is possible to identify the responsibility of the traffic accident even with a small amount of image storage space. According to the present invention, since the recording is performed from the time of approaching the danger zone to the time of departure from the danger zone, accurate accountability of the traffic accident is possible.

Description

Automatic recording device and method for car accident}

1 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of a vehicle accident auto recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a vehicle accident auto recording method according to an embodiment of the present invention performed in the apparatus of FIG. 1.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an exemplary digital camera as an example of a digital vehicle accident recording apparatus which may be incorporated with an automatic vehicle accident recording function of the present invention.

The present invention relates to a vehicle accident automatic recording device.

There are many difficulties in objectively judging errors between drivers in the event of a contact accident with another vehicle while driving.

In particular, when an accident occurs at an intersection with traffic lights, it is very difficult to find responsibility if the driver of the vehicle does not recognize the fault at the time. To solve this problem, several methods have been proposed.

Korean Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 1998-38715 "Automatic Traffic Accident Recording System" connects a video camera to a VSI system installed in a vehicle to automatically record and record the moment of accident and the scene when a traffic accident occurs. It is about the system. According to the present invention, a speed sensor for detecting a driving speed of a vehicle, a distance sensor for detecting a distance between a vehicle, an input by the speed sensor and a distance sensor are received and compared to a reference value, and a camera and VSI are detected if a traffic accident is possible. It is a traffic accident automatic detection and automatic recording recording system including a microcomputer to drive the video signal photographed by the camera recorded on the video tape and output the alarm signal to the alarm device. Since the present invention predicts a traffic accident in advance and automatically records the accident site from the moment of the accident, the effect of identifying the traffic accident and actively dealing with unnecessary disputes between the parties is shown. However, this technology requires a speed sensor and a distance sensor in addition to the video recording device, which complicates the system configuration.

Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-68682 "Vehicle Accident Recorder and Method" aims to record information on the surrounding situation of a vehicle for analyzing the cause of a vehicle and a damaged vehicle in a vehicle accident. To this end, the present invention includes a camera for receiving image information around the vehicle; A microphone for receiving voice information around the vehicle; A GPS receiver for calculating position information of the vehicle; A speed sensor measuring a speed of the vehicle; A gyro sensor for measuring bearing information and acceleration information of the vehicle; A pressure sensor for measuring whether an impact is applied to the vehicle; And a central processing unit that periodically stores the vehicle information received from each sensor alternately in a memory divided into two spaces. Therefore, the present invention records the scene of the vehicle accident so that it can be used for accurate situation analysis, and when the vehicle accident occurs, it is possible to reduce the traffic congestion that has occurred conventionally. However, this technique of recording after detecting shock has a disadvantage in that it is less accurate in determining the cause of the accident since it records the situation after the accident has already occurred.

Korean Utility Model Publication No. 341106, "Personal Handheld Terminal with Digital Video Camera that Automatically Records Functions When Navigator is Operating," has a built-in road traffic information guidance system called a navigator. By attaching a video camera / personal portable terminal to the vehicle's interior, the road traffic information required for driving is used, and the front of the vehicle in operation can be continuously recorded as image data through the camera built into the terminal. It is designed to record data such as changes in road conditions, operating dates, and operating hours, including various accident moments. However, a large amount of storage space is needed to continuously record video.

Korean Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-58643 "Portable Video Recording and Storage Device with Multiple Multiplexing Functions" is to have a multiplexing function that combines GPS, GPS, radio, MP3, digital video camera and hands-free functions of a car. It is a digital video camera type portable video record storage output device that combines the above functions together. When used in the vehicle, the vehicle records its pre-accident record by the signal of the shock sensor of the vehicle itself, such as the airbag of the vehicle body, and the signal of the own shock sensor of the device. It is also possible to use the navigation system for hand-held trips such as bicycles and motorcycles, and to take pictures of cameras, as well as tuners, so that you can watch TV, radio, and MP3. It is possible to record driving situation when driving a vehicle, and can also be used in a rental car that is not equipped with a vehicle navigation system when traveling, thereby increasing the utility and efficiency of the device. However, this technology, which sets the video recording mode while the car is driving, continuously records in unnecessary sections, such as sections where there is no risk of traffic accidents, and thus requires a large amount of storage space.

An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle accident auto recording apparatus and method for recording a situation in front of a vehicle only in a region where the risk of a traffic accident is high.

Vehicle accident recording apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above technical problem, the camera unit for taking an image in real time; A road information storage unit in which information on the dangerous area is set; A Global Positioning System (GPS) unit generating current position information of the vehicle using GPS information received from a satellite received through a GPS antenna; Control unit for comparing the current location information of the vehicle and the dangerous zone information set in the road information storage unit and outputs a control signal that starts recording when the vehicle enters the dangerous zone and stops recording when the vehicle leaves the dangerous zone. ; And an image recording unit for recording an image photographed by the camera unit according to the control signal.

The vehicle accident auto recording method according to the present invention for achieving the above technical problem is characterized in that the traffic accident recording only when entering a predetermined danger zone in the vehicle accident recording device.

The vehicle accident automatic recording method may include: (a) determining whether an automatic recording mode has been entered; (b) operating the GPS when entering the automatic recording mode; (c) determining whether the current location of the vehicle has entered the danger zone; (d) initiating recording when it is determined that the current vehicle position has entered the danger zone; (e) determining whether the current vehicle location has left the danger zone; And (f) stopping the recording when it is determined that the current vehicle position has left the danger zone.

The automatic accident recording method may further include the step of proceeding to step (c) if the speed of the vehicle is smaller than the set reference speed when it is determined that the current position of the vehicle has entered the danger zone.

The auto accident recording method may store the recorded record for a predetermined period.

The auto accident recording method may store the recorded record during the next recording of a predetermined number of times.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals shown in each drawing refer to components that perform the same function.

1 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of a vehicle accident automatic recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the GPS unit 100, the operation unit 102, the control unit 104, the road information storage unit 106 And a camera unit 108 and an image recording unit 110.

The camera unit 108 captures an image in real time.

The road information storage unit 106 has information about a dangerous area. In the present invention, the dangerous area may be, for example, an intersection, an area where traffic accidents are frequent, and an area within a predetermined distance from the point. The danger zone is not a fixed concept, but a concept that can be updated according to user needs.

The GPS unit 100 generates current location information of the vehicle using GPS information received from a satellite received through a GPS antenna.

The controller 104 compares the current location information of the vehicle input from the GPS unit 100 with the dangerous zone information set in the road information storage unit 106 to determine whether the vehicle has entered the dangerous zone. The control signal is generated to start recording when the vehicle enters the danger zone and to stop recording when the vehicle leaves the danger zone.

The image recording unit 110 records an image input in real time from the camera unit 108 according to the control signal.

When the present invention is provided as a complex image processing apparatus instead of dedicated vehicle accident recording apparatus, it may further include an operation unit 102 for setting the vehicle accident recording mode.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for describing a vehicle accident auto recording method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, which is performed under the control of a controller in the apparatus of FIG. 1, and illustrates a traffic situation in front of a vehicle only when entering a predetermined danger area. It is characterized by recording.

First, it is determined whether the automatic recording mode has been entered (S100). The user may operate the operation unit 102 of FIG. 1 to set the auto recording mode.

When entering the automatic recording mode to operate the GPS (S102). GPS position information can be obtained by the GPS.

Then, it is determined whether the current vehicle position acquired by the GPS enters the dangerous area (S104). The determination of whether the vehicle enters the dangerous area may determine that the vehicle has entered the dangerous area if the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from the set dangerous point such as an intersection and is approaching the dangerous point. The information on the dangerous area may be stored in a storage space inside the recording apparatus, such as the road information storage unit 106 of FIG. 1, or may be stored in a storage space inside the recording apparatus by information received through a wireless communication network from a mobile communication service provider providing a navigation service. Can also be obtained.

If it is determined that the current position of the vehicle has entered the danger zone, recording starts (S106).

Then, it is determined whether the current vehicle position has left the dangerous area (S108). If it is determined that the current vehicle has left the dangerous area, the recording is stopped (S110).

At this time, it is desirable to keep the recorded record for a predetermined period. If a car accident occurs, the recorded record can be played back to identify the accident situation. If the accident does not occur, the recorded record may be deleted.

As a method of storing the recorded record for a predetermined period of time, the recorded record can be stored during the next recording of the predetermined number of times. For example, when an intersection is registered as a dangerous area, after recording at the next intersection or the next intersection, the previously recorded image may be deleted by a first-in first-out method.

The vehicle accident auto recording apparatus of the present invention described above may be provided in a variety of portable vehicle accident auto recording apparatuses such as a mobile phone and a digital camera having a GPS function. When the vehicle accident automatic recording method of the present invention is applied to a portable multimedia mobile communication device such as a mobile phone or a personal digital assistant (PDA) having a built-in GPS and a camera function and providing a predetermined storage space, information about a dangerous area is transmitted to a wireless communication network. There is a convenience that can be provided through. Therefore, the vehicle accident auto recording method of the present invention can be used without additional hardware.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an exemplary digital camera as an example of a digital vehicle accident recording apparatus which may be incorporated with an automatic vehicle accident recording function of the present invention.

The optical system OPS including the lens unit and the filter unit optically processes light from a subject. The lens unit in the optical system OPS includes a zoom lens, a focus lens, and a compensation lens.

A photoelectric conversion unit (OEC) of a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) converts light from an optical system (OPS) into an electrical analog signal. Here, the DSP 7 controls the timing circuit 2 to control the operations of the photoelectric converter OEC and the analog-digital converter 1. The CDS-ADC (Correlation Double Sampler and Analog-to-Digital Converter) element 1 as an analog-to-digital converter processes the analog signal from the photoelectric converter (OEC), removes the high frequency noise, and adjusts the amplitude. (auto gain control, AGC) and then convert to a digital signal. The DSP 7 processes the digital signal from the CDS-ADC element 1 to generate a digital image signal classified into luminance and chroma signals.

The DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) 4 temporarily stores digital image signals and other temporary processing data from the DSP 7.

The EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) 5 stores algorithms and setting data necessary for the operation of the DSP 7. The memory card of the user is attached to and detached from the memory card interface 6.

The digital image signal from the DSP (Digital Signal Processor) 7 is converted into the display signal of the LCD panel by the LCD driver 14 so that the image is displayed on the color LCD panel 17.

On the other hand, the digital image signal from the DSP 7 can be transmitted by serial communication via the USB (Universal Serial Bus) connection 18 or the RS232C interface 8 and its connection 19, and the video filter 9 And a video signal through the video output unit 20.

The audio processor 13 outputs the audio signal from the microphone MIC to the DSP 7 or the speaker SP, and outputs the audio signal from the DSP 7 to the speaker SP.

The user input unit INP may include a shutter button, a mode selection button, a function selection button, a zoom button, a direction movement button, and the like. The user input unit INP is operated by the user to generate a command for performing each function according to the user's instruction.

The microcontroller 12 controls the lens driver 10, whereby the zoom motor M _Z , the focus motor M _F , and the aperture motor M _A are zoom lenses in the optical system OPS, The focus lens and the aperture are driven respectively. The light emitting unit LAMP driven by the microcontroller 12 may include a self-timer lamp, an auto-focus lamp, a flash standby lamp, and the like. On the other hand, the microcontroller 12 drives the flash 15 by controlling the operation of the flash controller 11 in accordance with the signal from the flash-light amount sensor 16.

The function of the microcontroller 12 may be implemented in one chip with the DSP 7.

A digital camera capable of embedding a vehicle accident auto recording function of the present invention does not have to include all of the components of FIG. 3, and those skilled in the art may delete some of the components or add another component according to a specification. It will be appreciated that some of the components may be modified, some components may be modified, or the functions of various components may be integrated.

The vehicle accident auto recording apparatus of FIG. 1 may additionally configure the GPS unit 100 in the configuration of the digital camera of FIG. 3, and implement the camera unit 108 in the same configuration as the digital camera of FIG. 3. Here, the control unit 104, the operation unit 102, the image recording unit 110, and the road information storage unit 106 of FIG. 1 may be embodied as the microcontroller 12, the user input unit INP, and the MCI 6 of FIG. 3, respectively. Can be.

And if the present invention is embedded in the multimedia device capable of playing the recorded record as shown in Figure 3 it is possible to immediately reproduce the recorded situation to determine the accident situation.

The best embodiments have been disclosed in the drawings and specification above. Although specific terms have been used herein, they are used only for the purpose of describing the present invention and are not used to limit the scope of the present invention as defined in the meaning or claims. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible from this. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention will be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the recording is performed from the time of approaching the dangerous area to the point of departure from the dangerous area, it is possible to accurately determine the responsibility of the traffic accident when the traffic accident occurs in the dangerous area. In addition, since the front of the vehicle is recorded only in the traffic accident risk area, the traffic accident can be efficiently recorded even with a small amount of video storage space.

The vehicle accident automatic recording device of the present invention is mounted on a cradle of a vehicle interior to automatically determine a vehicle accident situation by using a GPS function to automatically enter a predetermined accident danger zone such as an intersection or a frequent location of a traffic accident. Record and stop recording when the vehicle leaves this hazardous area.

The vehicle accident auto recording apparatus of the present invention may be provided embedded in various portable vehicle accident auto recording apparatuses such as a mobile phone and a digital camera having a GPS function.

The invention is not limited to the examples described above and represented in the drawings. Those skilled in the art taught by the above-described embodiments, many modifications to the above-described embodiments are possible by substitution, erasure, merging, etc. within the scope and object of the present invention described in the following claims.

Claims (5)

Camera unit for taking an image in real time; A road information storage unit in which information on the dangerous area is set; A Global Positioning System (GPS) unit generating current position information of the vehicle using GPS information received from a satellite received through a GPS antenna; Control unit for comparing the current location information of the vehicle and the dangerous zone information set in the road information storage unit and outputs a control signal for starting recording when the vehicle enters the dangerous zone and stopping recording when the vehicle leaves the dangerous zone. ; And And an image recording unit for recording an image photographed by the camera unit according to the control signal. delete A vehicle accident auto recording method executed by a control unit of the vehicle accident auto recording apparatus according to claim 1, (a) determining whether the automatic recording mode has been entered; (b) operating the GPS unit when entering the automatic recording mode; (c) determining whether a location of a current vehicle obtained from the GPS unit has entered a dangerous area; (d) starting to record an image input to the camera unit when it is determined that the current vehicle position has entered a dangerous area; (e) determining whether the current vehicle location has left the danger zone; And and (f) stopping the recording when it is determined that the current vehicle position has left the dangerous area. The method of claim 3, And recording (recording) the recorded record in the video recording unit for a predetermined period after the step (f). The method of claim 3, And recording (recording) the recorded record after the step (f) during the next recording of the predetermined number of times.

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