Vehicle periphery monitoring device

Abstract

Provided is a device capable of suppressing recording of a home where recording is not needed, in a case where it is determined that a vehicle is parked at a user's home by reception of a radio wave. A vehicle surrounding monitoring device records a surrounding environment of a vehicle parked using a vehicle-mounted camera, wherein: a determination section determines whether the vehicle is parked at a user's home by reception of a radio wave; and a recording control section does not record the surrounding environment of the vehicle in a case where it is determined by the determination section that the vehicle is parked at the user's home.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a vehicle perimeter monitoring device. Background Technology

[0002] Previously, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-200612 disclosed technology related to monitoring functions while the vehicle is parked, as a technical document concerning vehicle perimeter monitoring devices. Specifically, it showed a technology that cancels automatic recording by a dashcam based on the vehicle's location information and pre-registered information about locations where recording is not required.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-200612 Summary of the Invention

[0006] However, GNSS-based location determination suffers from insufficient accuracy. Therefore, sometimes it's impossible to cancel dashcam recording within a reasonable range. Consequently, recording may sometimes be canceled even in locations where it should be recorded.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle perimeter monitoring device. This device uses an in-vehicle camera to record the surrounding environment of a parked vehicle. The device includes a determination unit and a recording control unit. The determination unit determines whether the vehicle is parked at the user's property by receiving radio waves. If the determination unit determines that the vehicle is parked at the user's property, the recording control unit does not record the vehicle's surrounding environment.

[0008] According to various embodiments of the present invention, when it is determined by receiving radio waves that the vehicle is parked at the user's own home, no video recording of the vehicle's surrounding environment is performed, thereby suppressing unnecessary video recording at the user's home. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating the vehicle perimeter monitoring device according to the first embodiment.

[0010] Figure 2 (a) is a diagram illustrating an example of a misjudgment when determining a vehicle's home parking status using location information obtained via GNSS. (b) is a diagram illustrating an example of determining a vehicle's home parking status using the radio waves of its own Wi-Fi.

[0011] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of vehicle perimeter monitoring processing.

[0012] Figure 4This is a block diagram illustrating the vehicle perimeter monitoring device according to the second embodiment.

[0013] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of vehicle perimeter monitoring processing according to the second embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0015] [First Implementation Method]

[0016] Figure 1 The vehicle perimeter monitoring device 100 shown is a device mounted on a vehicle. This device monitors the surrounding environment of a parked vehicle. The vehicle perimeter monitoring device 100 has the function of capturing images and recording video of the surrounding environment when the vehicle is parked. The vehicle perimeter monitoring device 100 can also be configured as a dashcam.

[0017] The vehicle perimeter monitoring device 100 includes a front camera 1, a rear camera 2, a left-side camera 3, a right-side camera 4, a radio wave receiver 5, and an ECU 10 (Electronic Control Unit) that controls them. The ECU 10 has a decision unit 11 and a recording control unit 12.

[0018] The front camera 1 is an in-vehicle camera installed to photograph the front of the vehicle. The front camera 1 serves to monitor obstacles and conditions in the vehicle's direction of travel. The front camera 1 is typically installed inside the front grille or windshield of the vehicle.

[0019] Rear camera 2 is a vehicle-mounted camera installed to photograph the area behind the vehicle. It serves to monitor obstacles and conditions behind the vehicle when parking or reversing. Rear camera 2 is typically installed above the rear bumper or rear window of the vehicle.

[0020] The left-side camera 3 and the right-side camera 4 are vehicle-mounted cameras installed to photograph the left and right sides of the vehicle, respectively. They monitor approaching objects and situations from the sides. The left-side camera 3 and the right-side camera 4 are typically installed on the vehicle's side mirrors or door panels.

[0021] Radio wave receiver 5 is a device that receives radio waves from Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc. Radio wave receiver 5 is capable of distinguishing the received radio waves. Radio wave receiver 5 detects the reception of pre-registered radio waves. These radio waves may be, for example, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth waves from the user's own home. When radio wave receiver 5 detects the reception of such a radio wave, it sends the detection result to ECU 10. Based on this information, ECU 10 can determine whether the vehicle is parked at the user's home.

[0022] ECU10 is an electronic control unit that includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage unit. The storage unit may consist of, for example, ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), or EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). In ECU10, various functions are implemented, for example, by the CPU executing programs stored in the storage unit. ECU10 may also be composed of multiple electronic units.

[0023] Next, the functional structure of ECU10 will be explained. ECU10 has a determination unit 11 and a recording control unit 12.

[0024] The determination unit 11 makes a determination related to the video recording of the vehicle's surrounding monitoring device 100 when the vehicle is parked. The determination unit 11 detects whether the vehicle's ignition switch is turned on or off and determines that the vehicle is parked.

[0025] Additionally, the determination unit 11 determines whether the vehicle is parked at the user's own home. See below for reference. Figure 2 (a) and Figure 2 (b) provides a detailed explanation of the function of the determination unit 11.

[0026] Figure 2(a) shows an example of a conventional device determining a vehicle's home parking location based on location information obtained using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). GPS (Global Positioning System) is an example of GNSS. In GNSS, the location determination range is widened to absorb positioning errors or to handle locations where precise positioning is not possible, such as company parking lots. Thus, the location determination range in GNSS is set relatively wide. This is to absorb positioning errors. Furthermore, it is also to handle locations where precise positioning is not possible, such as company parking lots. Because the home determination range G is wide using GNSS, parking lots near one's own store are sometimes mistakenly identified as being near one's own property. For example, consider a situation where vehicle D is parked in the parking lot of convenience store C, which is near one's own home M. Even in this case, vehicle D is included within the home determination range G. Therefore, sometimes it is mistakenly determined that the vehicle is parked at one's own home, and the recording is canceled.

[0027] In contrast, Figure 2 (b) shows an example of a vehicle's home parking determination based on its own Wi-Fi signals. In this case, the home signal reception range W is narrow, so false alarms are reduced. The home signal reception range W is the range that the home Wi-Fi or Bluetooth signals can reach.

[0028] Specifically, the determination unit 11 analyzes the Wi-Fi or Bluetooth radio waves received by the radio wave receiving unit 5. Furthermore, if it receives Wi-Fi or Bluetooth radio waves from its own premises, it determines that the vehicle is parked at its premises. According to this method, even if the vehicle D is parked in the parking lot of a convenience store C near the premises M, a false determination will not occur. This is because that location is outside the premises' radio wave reception range W. Thus, the determination unit 11 correctly determines whether the vehicle is parked at its premises.

[0029] The video recording control unit 12 controls the recording of the vehicle's surrounding environment. The video recording control unit 12 starts and stops recording according to instructions from the determination unit 11. Specifically, when the vehicle is parked, the video recording control unit 12 receives a determination result from the determination unit 11. If the determination unit 11 determines that the vehicle is parked at the user's home, the video recording control unit 12 controls the recording without recording the vehicle's surrounding environment.

[0030] On the other hand, when the determination unit 11 determines that the vehicle is parked in a location other than its own, the video recording control unit 12 begins recording the vehicle's surrounding environment. This allows the recording of the vehicle's surroundings while it is parked, improving vehicle security. For example, it can record illegal activities such as pranks or thefts in the parking lot, which can be confirmed later.

[0031] The video recording control unit 12 integrates image data from the front camera 1, the rear camera 2, the left-side camera 3, and the right-side camera 4, and records video as needed. This allows for comprehensive video recording covering the entire area around the vehicle, achieving complete surveillance.

[0032] Furthermore, the video recording control unit 12 also saves and manages the video recording data. The video recording data is generally set to be saved for a certain period, after which it is automatically overwritten. This allows for efficient management of necessary data and optimizes the capacity of the storage device.

[0033] Next, the vehicle perimeter monitoring process of the vehicle perimeter monitoring device 100 according to the first embodiment will be described. Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of vehicle perimeter monitoring processing.

[0034] like Figure 3 As shown, first, ECU10 determines whether the vehicle's ignition switch is off (step S10). If the vehicle's ignition switch is off (step S10: "Yes"), ECU10 proceeds to step S11. If the ignition switch is not off (step S10: "No"), ECU10 does not begin vehicle perimeter monitoring processing.

[0035] Next, the ECU10 uses the determination unit 11 to determine whether it has received its own Wi-Fi or Bluetooth radio waves (step S11). The determination unit 11 determines whether it has received its own Wi-Fi or Bluetooth radio waves via the radio wave receiving unit 5.

[0036] If ECU10 determines that it has received Wi-Fi or Bluetooth signals from its own premises (step S11: "Yes"), it considers the vehicle to be parked at its premises and proceeds to step S12. If ECU10 does not determine that it has received Wi-Fi or Bluetooth signals from its own premises (step S11: "No"), it considers the vehicle to be not parked at its premises and proceeds to step S13.

[0037] In step S12, ECU 10 cancels the recording of the vehicle's surrounding environment using the recording control unit 12. This prevents unnecessary recording from occurring around the user's home. Afterwards, ECU 10 ends the current vehicle surrounding monitoring process.

[0038] In step S13, ECU 10 instructs video recording control unit 12 to begin recording the vehicle's surrounding environment. Video recording control unit 12 records images captured by the front camera 1, rear camera 2, left-side camera 3, and right-side camera 4. This recording continues, for example, until a predetermined time has elapsed or the vehicle's ignition switch is turned on. Afterward, ECU 10 terminates the current vehicle surrounding monitoring process.

[0039] The vehicle perimeter monitoring device 100 according to the first embodiment has the following advantages. First, when it is determined by receiving radio waves that the vehicle is parked at the user's home, video recording of the vehicle's surrounding environment is not performed. This suppresses unnecessary video recording at the user's home. Furthermore, the device determines whether the vehicle is parked at the user's home by receiving radio waves from the user's Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Therefore, accurate determination is possible without the need for an additional location information acquisition unit. This also contributes to system simplification and cost reduction.

[0040] Furthermore, Bluetooth utilizes a smaller transmitter compared to Wi-Fi, making it easy to add segments that can be canceled by setting it up in multiple locations. Besides your own home, it's also easy to install in places like parking lots at work.

[0041] [Second Implementation]

[0042] Next, the vehicle perimeter monitoring device 200 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The vehicle perimeter monitoring device 200 differs from the vehicle perimeter monitoring device 100 of the first embodiment in that it uses vehicle location information obtained via GNSS (GPS) to make its own determination. Imagine a situation where the vehicle perimeter monitoring device 200 does not receive its own radio waves such as Wi-Fi. In this situation, if it determines that the vehicle is parked in its own area based on the vehicle location information obtained via GNSS, the device asks the user whether they wish to record video.

[0043] Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating the vehicle perimeter monitoring device 200 according to the second embodiment. Figure 4 The vehicle perimeter monitoring device 200 shown includes a GNSS receiver 6 and an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 7. The GNSS receiver 6 determines the vehicle's position (e.g., latitude and longitude) by receiving signals from positioning satellites. The GNSS receiver 6 then sends the determined vehicle position information to the ECU 20.

[0044] The HMI7 is an interface for inputting and outputting information between the ECU20 and the user. The HMI7 may include displays and speakers located within the vehicle interior. Based on control signals from the ECU20, the HMI7 outputs images to the displays and sound from the speakers. The displays can be either MID (Multi-Information Display) or HUD (Head-Up Display). The HMI7 may also include various indicators.

[0045] Under specific conditions, the determination unit 21 of ECU20 queries the user via HMI7 whether recording is required. These conditions refer to situations where the vehicle is parked and cannot receive its own Wi-Fi or Bluetooth signals, and the vehicle's location information measured by the GNSS receiver 6 is within a pre-set determination range G.

[0046] The self-defined range G is the range set up to determine whether a vehicle is parked within the user's property based on GNSS location information (see reference). Figure 2 (a)). As an example, the self-determination range G is a segment within a certain radius centered on the user's own location. The user's question about whether recording is required can be displayed as text on the HMI7's display, or via voice, or via both image and voice. The user's selection can be made through button operation, touch panel operation, or voice recognition.

[0047] When the user selects to record via HMI7, the video recording control unit 22 begins recording the vehicle's surrounding environment. When the user selects not to record via HMI7, the video recording control unit 22 cancels the recording of the vehicle's surrounding environment.

[0048] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of vehicle perimeter monitoring processing of the vehicle perimeter monitoring device 200 according to the second embodiment. For example... Figure 5 As shown, first, ECU20 determines whether the vehicle's ignition switch is off (step S20). If the vehicle's ignition switch is off (step S20: "Yes"), ECU20 proceeds to step S21. If the ignition switch is not off (step S20: "No"), ECU20 does not begin vehicle perimeter monitoring processing.

[0049] Next, the ECU20 uses the determination unit 21 to determine whether it has received its own Wi-Fi or Bluetooth radio waves (step S21). The determination unit 21 determines whether it has received its own Wi-Fi or Bluetooth radio waves via the radio wave receiving unit 5.

[0050] If ECU20 determines that it has received Wi-Fi or Bluetooth signals from its own premises (step S21: "Yes"), it considers the vehicle to be parked at its premises and proceeds to step S25. If ECU20 does not determine that it has received Wi-Fi or Bluetooth signals from its own premises (step S21: "No"), it considers the vehicle to be not parked at its premises and proceeds to step S22.

[0051] In step S22, the ECU 20 uses the determination unit 21 to determine whether the vehicle's location information measured by the GNSS receiver 6 is within its own determination range G. If the ECU 20 determines that the vehicle's location information is within its own determination range G (step S22: "Yes"), it proceeds to step S23. If the ECU 20 does not determine that the vehicle's location information is within its own determination range G (step S22: "No"), it proceeds to step S26.

[0052] In step S23, ECU20 asks the user if they need recording. ECU20 asks the user if they need recording by displaying images (including text) on the HMI7's display and outputting sound through the speaker. Then, ECU20 proceeds to step S24.

[0053] In step S24, ECU20 determines whether the user has selected not to record. If the user has selected not to record (step S24: "Yes"), ECU20 proceeds to step S25. If the user has not selected not to record (step S24: "No"), ECU20 proceeds to step S26. The case where the user has not selected not to record may also include the case where the user has not performed any operation for a certain period of time.

[0054] In step S25, ECU 20 cancels the recording of the vehicle's surrounding environment using the recording control unit 22. This prevents unnecessary recording from occurring around the user's home. Afterwards, ECU 20 ends the current vehicle surrounding monitoring process.

[0055] In step S26, the ECU 20 begins recording the vehicle's surrounding environment using the recording control unit 22. The recording control unit 22 records images from the front camera 1, rear camera 2, left-side camera 3, and right-side camera 4, for example, until a predetermined time has elapsed or the vehicle's ignition switch is turned on. Afterward, the ECU 20 terminates the current vehicle surrounding monitoring process.

[0056] The vehicle perimeter monitoring device 200 according to the second embodiment has the following advantages. When the device receives Wi-Fi or Bluetooth signals from the user's own location while the vehicle is parked, it determines that the vehicle is parked at the user's home and does not record video. This prevents the cancellation of recording due to insufficient GNSS positioning accuracy (i.e., cancellation of recording in locations where recording should occur). Furthermore, there are cases where the user's own Wi-Fi signals are not received, but the vehicle's location information is within a pre-set home location detection range. In this case, the device asks the user whether recording is required. This function improves the accuracy of location determination, enabling both the suppression of unnecessary recording and the assurance of necessary recording.

[0057] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The present invention can be implemented in various ways with modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, with the above embodiments as the primary embodiment.

[0058] The vehicle-mounted cameras used in the vehicle perimeter monitoring devices 100 and 200 do not necessarily need to be configured to record the entire area around the vehicle. The vehicle-mounted camera can be either just the front camera 1, or just the front camera 1 and the rear camera 2. It is not necessary to ask the user whether they want recording.

[0059] (Symbol Explanation)

[0060] 1: Front camera; 2: Rear camera; 3: Left-side camera; 4: Right-side camera; 5: Radio wave receiver; 6: GNSS receiver; 10, 20: ECU; 11, 21: Judgment unit; 12, 22: Video recording control unit; 100, 200: Vehicle perimeter monitoring device.

Claims

1. A vehicle perimeter monitoring device, which uses an in-vehicle camera to record video of the surrounding environment of a parked vehicle, wherein, The vehicle perimeter monitoring device includes: The determination unit determines whether the vehicle is parked at the user's home by receiving radio waves; and The video recording control unit does not record the surrounding environment of the vehicle if the determination unit determines that the vehicle is parked at the user's home.

2. The vehicle perimeter monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein, The radio waves are those of the company's own Wi-Fi. If the determination unit receives the Wi-Fi signal of its own home while the vehicle is parked, it determines that the vehicle is parked at its own home.

3. The vehicle perimeter monitoring device according to claim 2, wherein, It also features a GNSS receiver, which uses radio waves from positioning satellites to obtain the vehicle's location information. If the determination unit does not receive Wi-Fi signals when the vehicle is parked, and the vehicle's location information is within a pre-set determination range, it will ask the user whether they need to record video.

4. The vehicle perimeter monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein, The radio waves are the radio waves of the company's own Bluetooth. If the determination unit receives Bluetooth signals from its own device when the vehicle is parked, it determines that the vehicle is parked at its own device.

5. The vehicle perimeter monitoring device according to claim 4, wherein, It also features a GNSS receiver, which uses radio waves from positioning satellites to obtain the vehicle's location information. If the determination unit does not receive its own Bluetooth signal when the vehicle is parked, and the vehicle's location information is within its pre-set determination range, it will ask the user whether they need to record video.

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