Sensors and electronic equipment

Abstract

To provide a sensor that detects the movement of an object in a plane of 360 degrees around the sensor with a compact configuration.SOLUTION: A sensor module 50 that outputs a radio wave in a specific direction and detects the movement of the object based on the reflected wave of the output radio wave, and an antenna 51 that radiates the output radio wave in the direction of 360 degrees of the plane centered on the sensor. The antenna includes a conical reflector 68 for distributing radio waves in two directions, a slit 69 for transmitting radio waves traveling in a specific direction, an opening 70 for radiating radio waves split in two directions, a first fin 71 and a second fin 72 for adjusting the angle of a radio wave radiated from the opening. The vertical direction is squashed by the blocking plate 66 provided above and below, and the gain of radio waves radiated in the horizontal direction increases.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to, for example, a sensor, an electronic device, and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a drive recorder that operates even when the vehicle is parked. For example, in paragraph

[0039] , this drive recorder states that "... the camera is usually placed to capture the view in front of the vehicle, but when this function is used, the camera is placed facing the inside of the vehicle so that it can capture the interior of the vehicle. In addition, by providing a power supply means such as a battery externally and supplying the power required to operate the drive recorder from this power supply means to the drive recorder, the drive recorder can be operated continuously and the state inside the vehicle can be recorded even when the power of the vehicle is turned off, such as when the vehicle is parked. This makes it possible to monitor the interior of the vehicle, for example, even if a suspicious person enters the vehicle while the vehicle is parked." For example, in paragraph

[0069] , for the function that operates when the vehicle is parked, "for example, a motion sensor for detecting a moving object may be provided in addition to an acceleration sensor, and an impact sensor for detecting an impact on the vehicle or the drive recorder may be detected to record video and audio, and a person or the like moving inside the vehicle may be detected to record video and audio." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication 2014-102800 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The detection range of a conventional sensor for detecting a moving object is a relatively narrow range facing a specific direction, such as inside a vehicle cabin. Therefore, it is not possible to meet the demand for detecting the movement of an object within a detection range of the entire periphery of a plane based on the sensor. In addition, object detection in such an entire periphery detection range requires arranging multiple sensors with detection ranges facing a specific direction, and the multiple sensors detect different directions, so it is not possible to detect the entire periphery with a single sensor.

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is not limited to this, and the applicant intends to obtain rights for configurations that aim to obtain effects from parts of the configurations disclosed in this specification and drawings, etc., by filing a divisional application, amendment, etc. For example, this specification discloses a problem in which the part described as "can be" in this specification is read as "the problem is to be." The problems are described as being independent, and the applicant intends to obtain rights for the configurations for solving these problems alone by filing a divisional application, amendment, etc. Even if the problem is implicitly understood from the description in the specification, the applicant intends to include part of the configurations described in this specification in the scope of the patent claim by amendment or divisional application. Problems that combine these independent problems are also disclosed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) A sensor that detects an object based on emitted radio waves, characterized in that it has an output means that outputs radio waves in a specific direction, and an antenna that radiates the output radio waves in 360-degree directions on a plane centered on the sensor.

[0007] The output means only needs to output radio waves in one specific direction, and the antenna can appropriately change the direction of the radio waves to radiate them in 360-degree directions, making the device small and compact. The sensor corresponds to the area sensor 48 in the embodiment. The radio waves are quasi-millimeter waves in the embodiment, but may be microwaves other than millimeter waves and quasi-millimeter waves. The object corresponds to a person or a vehicle in the embodiment. The output means corresponds to the sensor module 50 in the embodiment. The 360-degree direction may be continuously radiated over the entire circumference of 360 degrees, or may be radiated intermittently without being radiated partially. Continuous radiation is preferable because the detection area is continuous. The gain and reach of the radio waves radiated in the 360-degree direction may be uniform or different over the entire circumference, and the shape of the antenna may be set so that the radiation pattern matches the part of the area to be detected. The route is changed by the antenna, and there is no mechanism for swinging the radio waves in a specific direction like a lidar, making the configuration simple.

[0008] (2) The radiation in the 360-degree direction can be achieved by using the properties of reflected and deflected radio waves to weaken the radio waves traveling in the specific direction and to strengthen the radio waves traveling in directions other than the specific direction. By using the properties of radio waves, the path of the radio waves can be appropriately changed to radiate the radio waves in the desired direction, and the configuration is simple.

[0009] (3) The antenna may radiate radiation so as to form a detection area that has a spread in the direction of the plane and a smaller spread in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the plane than in the direction of the plane. By reducing the spread in the direction perpendicular to the plane, the spread in the direction of the plane can be relatively widened, which is advantageous because it can be projected farther. By narrowing the spread in the perpendicular direction, the movement of an object in the perpendicular direction can be detected with pinpoint accuracy.

[0010] (4) The antenna is provided with a reflector disposed at a position blocking the output radio wave, which reflects a part of the radio wave output from the output means and distributes the direction of travel of the part in two directions perpendicular to the specific direction and opposite to the specific direction, and a radiation means for radiating the radio wave reflected and distributed by the reflector in the opposite direction to the specific direction and in the two directions, and the reflector has a slit for passing a part of the radio wave output from the output means, and radiates the radio wave in the same direction as the specific direction based on the radio wave that has passed through the slit. The radio wave output from the output means is radiated in the same direction as the specific direction by passing through the slit, and is radiated in two directions perpendicular to the specific direction and in the opposite direction by the reflector and the radiation means, so that it can be radiated toward the periphery of a plane. A detection area that spreads in the plane direction can be formed around the sensor by using an antenna with a simple structure. In the embodiment, the two directions are the directions of the H plane of the radio wave output from the sensor module.

[0011] (5) The radiation means preferably includes an opening provided at the end of the two directions, a first metallic fin extending from the periphery of the opening in a direction parallel to the specific direction, and a second metallic fin extending from the periphery of the opening in the opposite direction, and the lengths of the first fin and the second fin are set so that the wide-angle range of the radio waves radiated in two directions perpendicular to the specific direction is equal to or greater than a reference angle, and the radio waves are guided by the second fin to radiate in the opposite direction.

[0012] With a simple configuration of providing a first fin and a second fin on both sides of the opening, radio waves can be emitted in the surroundings other than a specific direction. By providing an opening, the electric field direction can be changed to a direction perpendicular to the input electric field direction, and two main lobes can be emitted from the two openings. By providing a first fin and a second fin, a radiation area of ​​45 degrees or more can be secured on both the left and right sides of the main lobe with a certain gain, although not as much as the main lobe. Therefore, high gain can be secured in two directions perpendicular to the input, and a certain range of gain can be secured over a wide angle. By providing a second fin, radio waves with the desired gain can be emitted in a specific direction and the opposite direction.

[0013] In the embodiment, the metal is formed by depositing a metal film on the surface of the main body, but the entire body may be formed from metal. Forming the metal film as in the embodiment is preferable because it is simpler and has more stable quality.

[0014] (6) The reflector may be conical, with the side surface inclined in multiple steps. By forming the reflector into a stepped conical shape, the radio waves emitted from the opening can be spread over a wide range. By appropriately setting the inclination shape, the radiation angle of the radio waves traveling in two directions can be controlled, and the high gain direction of the main lobe radiation from the two directions can be set to a desired state.

[0015] (7) It is preferable to provide a blocking plate that blocks radio waves output from the output means that travel in the specific direction and in a direction perpendicular to each of the two directions. This makes it possible to suppress radio waves that spread in the perpendicular direction and to increase the amount of radio waves that travel in two directions. The radio wave radiation area can be compressed from both perpendicular directions to spread the radio waves that travel in two directions. These two directions can also be planar directions. In this embodiment, the perpendicular direction corresponds to the up-down direction.

[0016] (8) The antenna may have a rectangular frame, the output means may be attached to the frame, and the output means may be connected without screws, and the antenna may be electromagnetically grounded to the ground of the output means when connected. This simplifies the assembly of the antenna and the output means, and facilitates the assembly of the sensor.

[0017] (9) It is preferable to form a metal film on the surface of the antenna. By forming the metal film, a metallic antenna is formed, and the material of the main body on which the metal film is formed is not limited to metal, so that it is possible to select a material that is easy to mold even in a complex shape, and is lightweight and inexpensive, such as plastic. By adjusting the film thickness, it is easy to make the reflector, first fin, second fin, and blocking plate have the desired functions. The film can be formed by, for example, plating or vapor deposition.

[0018] (10) It is preferable to provide an adjustment means for adjusting the direction of the plane. By adjusting the direction of the plane with the adjustment means, detection can be performed within the adjusted plane. The plane can be moved to the direction in which detection is desired. For example, if the plane is made horizontal, it is suitable for, for example, approach monitoring within the plane. For example, if the plane is made vertical, it is suitable for, for example, gate passage detection.

[0019] (11) It is preferable that the sensor is installed indoors to detect objects outside. In this way, it is possible to detect the movement of objects outside the room even when the sensor is installed indoors. Since the detection area is 360 degrees around the sensor, both the indoors and outdoors are monitored areas. Also, it is preferable that the sensor can detect the outdoor detection area and the indoor detection area even if they are on opposite sides of the sensor. In this embodiment, the indoors corresponds to the inside of a vehicle, and the outdoors corresponds to a vehicle. For example, in the case of a vehicle, if the sensor is installed so that the planar direction is horizontal to the ground, the detection area of ​​the sensor will be the outside periphery of the vehicle. People and other objects that are present or moving around the vehicle can be detected, and approach can be performed. At the boundary between the indoors and outdoors, glass or other materials that transmit radio waves are preferable.

[0020] (12) It is preferable to provide an imaging means installed in the room for imaging a range including the inside of the room and the outside of the room on the opposite side of the room, a sensor described in any one of (1) to (11) for detecting the movement of an object within the imaging range, and a control means for controlling the operation of the imaging means based on the detection output of the sensor.

[0021] Since the detection area of ​​the sensor spreads in a planar direction, even if the shooting range faces different directions, such as the indoor and outdoor sides of the room, the movement of an object in the shooting range can be detected by setting the direction of the planar direction so that the detection area includes the indoor and outdoor sides. By controlling the operation of the shooting means based on the movement of the object, the moving object can be appropriately shot. In the embodiment, the indoor corresponds to the interior of the vehicle, and the outdoor corresponds to the front of the vehicle. In combination with a sensor having an adjustment means (10), for example, by adjusting the orientation of the planar direction to be horizontal with the ground, one sensor can detect the movement of an object over a wide range in the shooting range in 180-degree opposite directions, such as the indoor, for example, the interior of the vehicle, and the outdoor, for example, the front of the vehicle. In addition, in the case of a vehicle, if the detection area of ​​the sensor is adjusted to be horizontal, it can detect other than the front of the vehicle, so that it is possible to shoot when entering the interior of the vehicle or when hitting the vehicle under the control of the control means.

[0022] In the embodiment, the imaging means is integrated with the sensor, but may be configured separately. The control includes, for example, starting and stopping imaging, and starting recording of the image captured by the imaging means. The electronic device includes in-vehicle devices such as a drive recorder and a security device, and communication devices. The communication device may be, for example, a communication robot or an Amazon Echo that communicates with a machine using only a microphone and a speaker, and may be one that issues a notification or a response upon detection by a sensor. The notification or response may be a voice or a display, and may particularly be one that generates a dialogue voice. When communicating, the presence or absence of the person to communicate with may be determined based on the detection output of the sensor.

[0023] (13) It is preferable to provide a fixing means for fixing the camera to a predetermined position in the vehicle interior, and the image capturing means and the sensor are installed in the predetermined position in the vehicle interior by the same fixing means. This is advantageous because it can be mounted compactly. In this embodiment, the fixing means corresponds to a mounting plate and double-sided tape.

[0024] (14) The predetermined position in the vehicle cabin is the windshield of the vehicle, and the flat surface is preferably installed so that the flat surface is a horizontal plane. In order to monitor and photograph the surroundings, it is desirable to place the sensor in the center of the vehicle cabin, but if it is installed on the ceiling or near the room lamp, for example, it must be hung slightly lower because radio waves emitted horizontally will not go outside. For example, the top of the windshield is lower than the ceiling inside the vehicle cabin. By installing the sensor on the windshield, it is possible to firmly fix the sensor and maintain the position of the electronic device without the need for hanging, and by installing the sensor on the glass surface, which is a radio wave transparent material, the radio waves emitted from the sensor can be output outside the vehicle.

[0025] (15) It is preferable to provide an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the orientation of the sensor and the imaging means by rotating them independently. In this way, the sensor and the imaging means can be set to a desired orientation, so that the relationship between the detection area of ​​the sensor and the imaging range of the imaging means can be set to an appropriate state. For example, it is preferable that the main body case in which the sensor is mounted is arranged so as to be rotatable within a predetermined angle range relative to the fixing means, and the camera case in which the imaging means is mounted is attached so as to be rotatable within a predetermined angle range relative to the main body case. In particular, it is preferable that the rotation center of the main body case and the rotation center of the camera case are arranged coaxially or parallel to each other.

[0026] In this way, when the main body case is rotated to adjust the orientation of the sensor, even if the camera case rotates integrally with the main body case around the rotation center of the main body case, the plane of rotation at that time is equal to the plane of rotation of the camera case relative to the main body case. Therefore, even if the camera case rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the main body case, displacing the shooting direction of the shooting means, the camera case can then be rotated independently by a predetermined angle to set the shooting direction of the shooting means to the desired position.

[0027] In the embodiment, the main body case is disposed relative to the fixing means so that it can be freely attached and detached to the ring portion that is integral with the fixing means, but it may be configured so that it is allowed to rotate but cannot be detached. Being detachable is preferable because it is more versatile. The detachable method allows, for example, a method of fixing with a nut member as in the embodiment, which is good because it can be firmly fixed, and is good because it can be adapted to a configuration that allows attachment from two different directions.

[0028] If the shooting direction is only forward, there is no need to adjust the camera direction severely; it is enough to set the sensor detection range and camera direction to face forward. On the other hand, for sensors that detect within a plane that includes opposite directions such as forward and backward, the sensor angle becomes important. If it is not aligned with the horizontal plane, there is a high risk that one area in particular will not be detected.

[0029] (16) The means for rotating the sensor may be configured to be fixed more firmly than the means for rotating the imaging means. In this way, the orientation of the sensor can be fixed firmly and a desired orientation, for example, horizontal, can be maintained, and the orientation of the imaging means is fixed more loosely than the sensor, and it is easy to adjust the imaging range by rotating it even when it is installed in the vehicle interior via the fixing means. For example, fixing the sides together allows for a firm fixation, while fixing the peripheries together allows for a loose fixation that is easy to rotate.

[0030] (17) The camera case mounting the photographing means is rotatably attached via a connecting mechanism in a state where it protrudes into the main body case mounting the sensor when installed inside the vehicle cabin, and the connecting mechanism allows rotation in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle when installed and maintains the position of the camera case at a predetermined angle.

[0031] By rotating in the forward and backward directions, for example, when the camera case is rotated backward from a first position (first attitude) in which an area including the front of the vehicle is photographed to a second position, the upper end position becomes lower than the photographed area photographed in the first position, but accordingly, the rear area that could not be photographed in the first position can also be photographed. Since the camera case is permitted to rotate in the forward and backward directions and the attitude of the camera case is held at a predetermined angle, for example, the camera case can be directed to a position suitable for each driving / parking situation and that attitude can be held, so that an image suitable for the situation can be photographed.

[0032] In the embodiment, the rotation in the fore-and-aft direction corresponds to rotation in a range from diagonally forward, downward, to diagonally backward, but is not limited to this. For example, from a position in which an area including the front of the vehicle is photographed, the bottom end of the camera case may move toward the rear so that the upper end position of the photographing area is lowered, but the bottom end may not move until it faces backward.

[0033] (18) The photographing means may include a single camera that photographs an area larger than a hemisphere, and the position and orientation of the camera on the camera case and its relationship to the main body case may be set so that the camera case and the main body case are unlikely to appear within the image photographed by the camera.

[0034] The main body case and the camera case are less likely to be reflected in the image captured by the camera, so the scenery outside the vehicle and the state inside the vehicle can be easily seen. The relationship in which they are less likely to be reflected can be set, for example, so that the main body case, etc. is not reflected in the camera's shooting range when the camera case rotates, or is reflected in a range where the influence is minimal. It is good to make the shape so that the part existing in the camera's shooting range is as small as possible, for example, by making the dimensions and shape of the main body case and camera case as small as possible, or by making the camera case a shape close to the cone shape or an inscribed rectangle since the blind spot of the camera is cone-shaped.

[0035] (19) The part fixed to the vehicle and the part having the imaging means are preferably detachable, and the part having the imaging means can be attached from opposite directions to the part fixed to the vehicle. In this way, the position of the camera can be displaced while the position of the part fixed to the vehicle is fixed, and the imaging range of the camera can be adjusted. The opposite directions can be the left and right directions of the vehicle while the electronic device is fixed to the vehicle. In this way, the main body case can be placed in a position that is easy for the driver to operate depending on, for example, the steering wheel on the right or the left hand. This is advantageous because the main body case can be placed in an appropriate position depending on the usage situation, and the number of mounting variations increases.

[0036] (20) It is preferable that the vehicle be configured to include a main body portion having the photographing means and a fixing member for fixing the main body portion to a predetermined position on the vehicle, and that when the fixing member is fixed to the vehicle, the main body portion can assume a first position in which the main body portion is above the fixing member and a second position in which the main body portion is below the fixing member.

[0037] In this way, for example, the photographing means can be positioned as high as possible so that it can photograph the front. For example, there are vehicles in which the upper area of ​​the windshield is masked, and in such cases, the fixing member is attached to the masked area in the second position, and the main body is positioned in a lowered position so that it can photograph the front. In vehicles without such a mask, the fixing member is attached in the first position, and the main body is positioned as high as possible so that it can photograph the front as high as possible, and other mounting modes can be adopted according to the situation.

[0038] A structure capable of taking the first and second postures may, for example, be configured such that when the main body portion is rotatably supported (which may be detachable as in the embodiment, or non-detachable), it is in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the support portion or is connected via a connecting member so that one of the postures protrudes more at the contacting portion.

[0039] In particular, when combined with (16), when the mounting plate is glued and fixed to the windshield, there are two patterns: a first position in which the ring is positioned above the mounting plate, and a second position in which the ring is positioned below the mounting plate. In addition, there are two patterns in which the drive recorder body can be attached from either the left or right side of the mounting part, resulting in a total of four patterns (2 x 2), which is interesting because of the wide variety of variations.

[0040] (21) It is preferable to provide a function as a drive recorder in which the image capturing means captures images while driving, and a function of controlling the operation of the image capturing means to capture images based on the detection output of the sensor while parking. In this way, it functions as a drive recorder while driving, and as a security function while parking. Since the operation of the image capturing means is controlled based on the detection output of the sensor, image capturing can be performed efficiently. For example, by starting image capturing when it detects the approach of a person or object (vehicle, door, etc.), it is possible to capture images before a person enters the vehicle, and before a vehicle, door, etc. hits the vehicle. In addition, if the camera is constantly activated or recorded while parked, it consumes a lot of power, the vehicle battery will run out, and the external power supply will last longer, but it is preferable to operate it when necessary, such as when an object approaches, to extend the battery life. Image capturing while driving is not limited to the entire period while driving, and it is sufficient to capture images during an appropriate period while driving. The parking sensor may operate continuously for the entire period of parking, but it does not have to operate continuously in the case of parking. It may operate intermittently to improve battery life, or may stop after a certain period of operation. The operation control may be, for example, activating the image capture means, recording the captured image in the recording means, etc.

[0041] (22) The photographing means may include a single camera that photographs a range wider than the lower hemisphere when attached to the vehicle. One camera can photograph the interior, the surroundings of the vehicle, and the upper front. This allows, for example, photographing the diagonally upward area in addition to the horizontal and downward areas that the hemisphere can cover, so that objects above traffic lights, etc., can be photographed while driving. In addition, the hemisphere can photograph the interior of the vehicle and the surroundings of the vehicle, so that it can be used for security monitoring while the vehicle is parked.

[0042] (23) The photographing means may be provided with a camera that photographs an area of ​​at least a lower hemisphere when attached to the vehicle, and the diameter of the circular area in which light passing through the lens of the camera is focused is equal to or less than the length of the long side of the rectangular photographing area of ​​the image sensor, and shorter than the length of the short side, so that an image photographed in the forward and backward directions of the vehicle is focused in a direction along the long side of the image sensor. In this way, the wasted area outside the circular area in the photographing area of ​​the image sensor can be reduced, and the subject can be photographed in a large size, which is advantageous. Since all of the images in the forward and backward directions are included in the photographing area of ​​the image sensor, the scenery in front of the vehicle and the state of the interior of the vehicle can be photographed. The part of the image circle that is outside the photographing area of ​​the image sensor is in the left and right directions of the vehicle, so there is no significant problem. That is, for example, it is possible to capture a range equal to or larger than that of a conventional drive recorder that captures the scenery ahead and the rear and inside of the vehicle using two cameras, and when capturing an area wider than a hemisphere, for example, there is no problem even if the area outside the capture area of ​​the image sensor that cannot receive light is not recorded because the ceiling of the vehicle is captured and the outside scenery is not captured. The advantage of being able to effectively use the image sensor and capture a large image is greater than the disadvantage of not being able to capture part of the left and right directions. The lower hemisphere or more may be a hemisphere or a range wider than a hemisphere as in the embodiment.

[0043] The inventions (1) to (23) above can be combined in any way. For example, the invention shown in (1) may be combined with at least a portion of the configuration of at least one of the inventions (2) and after. In particular, the invention shown in (1) may be combined with at least a portion of the configuration of at least one of the inventions (2) and after. The invention shown in (12) may be combined with at least a portion of the configuration of at least one other invention. The applicant intends to obtain patent rights, design rights, etc. for those including these configurations by filing amendments, divisional applications, or conversion applications to design registration applications. Effect of the Invention

[0044] According to the present invention, it is possible to detect the movement of an object in a 360-degree plane around the sensor with a compact configuration. In addition, it is possible to provide, for example, an item that exhibits the effects described as "can be achieved" in this specification, or an item described in this specification.

[0045] The effects of the invention of this application are not limited to this, and effects obtained from the configuration disclosed in the specification and drawings, etc. are also disclosed, and the intention is to obtain rights to the configuration that achieves the effects by divisional applications, amendments, etc. For example, in this specification, the phrase "can" is a description that clearly indicates the effect that is 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. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0046] [Figure 1] 1 is an external view showing a preferred embodiment of a drive recorder according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating how the drive recorder is attached to the windshield. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a diagram in which the bracket and the nut member are omitted. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5]FIG. 4 is an exploded view showing a state in which the nut member is removed. [Figure 6] 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating variations in the mounting of the main body to the bracket. [Figure 7] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating variations in fixing the bracket to the windshield. [Figure 8] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating angle adjustment of the camera unit. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram in which some components of the drive recorder are not shown. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram in which some components of the drive recorder are not shown. [Figure 11] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a linkage structure between the camera unit and the inner case. [Figure 12] FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing circuits, components, etc. mounted in the housing of the main body. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing circuits, components, etc. mounted in the housing of the main body. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an area sensor. [Figure 16] FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the propagation of radio waves radiated from an antenna. [Figure 20] FIG. 1 is a six-view diagram showing an example of a drive recorder. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another dry recorder. [Figure 22] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between an image circle and an image sensor. [Figure 23] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example of a smartphone. [Figure 24] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example of a smartphone. [Diagram 25] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example of a smartphone. [Figure 26] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example of a PC viewer. [Figure 27] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example of a PC viewer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0047] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. These drawings are used to explain technical features that the present invention can employ. 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 can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 6, the drive recorder 10 of this embodiment includes a main body 11 that executes various processes, a camera unit 12 attached to the main body 11, and a bracket 13 for attaching the main body 11 to a predetermined position of the vehicle 1. The predetermined position of the vehicle 1 is preferably, for example, the upper side of the vehicle interior side of the windshield 2 of the vehicle and near the center. The drive recorder 10 of this embodiment includes a drive recorder function for photographing and recording a predetermined area such as the front of the vehicle 1 or the interior of the vehicle while driving, and a security function for photographing and recording a predetermined area such as the front of the vehicle 1 or the interior of the vehicle while parking, for example. The main body 11 includes various sensors, and has an event recording mode that controls the photographing and recording operation based on the detection output of the sensor during the operation of both the drive recorder function and the security function, and a continuous recording mode that records continuously.

[0049] To realize this security function, it is preferable that the drive recorder 10 operates by receiving power from a power supply device prepared separately from the vehicle even when the vehicle is in a power-off state, such as when the ignition switch is off and the vehicle cannot receive power from the vehicle battery while the vehicle is parked. Also, by preparing a separate power supply device in this way, the drive recorder can receive power from the power supply device even when the vehicle can receive power from the vehicle battery while parked, which is advantageous because it prevents the vehicle battery from running out.

[0050] The drive recorder 10 includes a camera as a photographing means, and the photographing range of the camera is set to a wide range including the front of the vehicle and the inside of the vehicle cabin, including the opposite directions such as the front side and rear side of the vehicle based on the drive recorder 10. Furthermore, in this embodiment, one camera is provided that photographs a range wider than a hemisphere. When the main body 11 is fixed to a predetermined position on the vehicle 1 via the bracket 13, the camera unit 12 is positioned below the main body 11 in the installed state on the vehicle 1, and the attitudes of the main body 11 and the camera unit 12 are properly adjusted, the camera unit 12 photographs a range wider than the hemisphere including the hemisphere below the drive recorder 10. This camera is mounted on the camera unit 12.

[0051] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an area sensor is provided that detects the movement of people and other objects within a predetermined detection area. This area sensor is mounted on the main body 11. For example, when the vehicle is in event recording mode while parked, the area sensor is operated, and when it detects the intrusion of an object such as a person into the detection area or movement within the detection area, the camera is started and begins to capture images, and when a predetermined event condition is satisfied, the captured images are recorded. In this way, the battery consumption is reduced compared to the parking recording mode in which images are captured and recorded continuously, and long-term monitoring while the vehicle is parked is possible.

[0052] The functions of the drive recorder while driving include, for example, a continuous recording mode in which the camera constantly records the image within the shooting range and records it in the recording means, and an event recording mode in which, when a predetermined event condition occurs, a recording file is created for a predetermined time before and after the occurrence and recorded in the recording means. The predetermined event condition is when an impact of a certain magnitude or more is detected, or when the record button is pressed. In addition, when a predetermined event condition occurs during recording in the continuous recording mode, an event recording based on the event is also performed. The recording area based on the continuous recording mode and the recording area based on the event recording are separated. For example, when overwriting recording, the recording area of ​​the same mode is overwritten. These functions are the same as those of a general drive recorder, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0053] The drive recorder 10 of this embodiment has a security function of photographing and recording while parked. The function includes a continuous recording mode and an event-only recording mode. The continuous recording mode is a mode in which, while performing parking recording by constantly photographing and recording, when a predetermined event condition occurs while parking, a recording file is created for a predetermined time before and after the occurrence, and the event is recorded in a recording means. The predetermined event condition is, for example, "impact", "tilt", "door open", etc. "Impact" is a case where a vehicle has an impact of a certain amount or more, and is detected by, for example, an acceleration sensor. "Tilt" is a case where a vehicle tilt of a certain amount or more, or a jack-up is detected, and is detected by, for example, an inclination sensor. This inclination sensor is an acceleration sensor, but is a different sensor from the acceleration sensor for impact detection. "Door open" is a detection of the opening of a vehicle door, and for example, a change in sound pressure in the vehicle cabin is detected by a microphone or the like. The microphone for door open detection that detects this sound pressure is different from the microphone for recording, and these two microphones are mounted in one housing.

[0054] In the event-only recording mode, parking recording is not performed at all times, but the area sensor performs approach monitoring as described above. When an approach is detected, the camera is started and recording is started. When a predetermined event condition occurs, a recording file is created for a predetermined time before and after the occurrence, and the file is recorded in the recording means. Examples of the predetermined event conditions include "approaching", "impact", "tilt", and "door open". "Approaching" is when a person or vehicle is detected to be approaching during the approach monitoring mode using the area sensor, and is detected by the area sensor. "Impact" is when an impact of a certain level or more is applied to the vehicle during the approach monitoring mode using the area sensor, and is detected by an acceleration sensor, for example. "Tilt" is when a tilt or jack-up of the vehicle is detected during the approach monitoring mode using the area sensor, and is detected by an inclination sensor or acceleration sensor, for example. "Door open" is when the door of the vehicle is opened during the approach monitoring mode using the area sensor, and is detected by a microphone, for example, by a change in sound pressure inside the vehicle.

[0055] The area sensor of this embodiment is a sensor that emits radio waves such as microwaves and millimeter waves, and detects the movement of an object based on the reflected waves of the radio waves. The microwaves may be, for example, quasi-millimeter waves of 20 to 30 GHz, and in this embodiment, they are 24 GHz. The range that the emitted radio waves reach is the detection area. The detection area of ​​the area sensor may be the same as or wider than the shooting range in a horizontal plane, and in this embodiment, the detection area has an extension in the plane direction and is smaller in the direction perpendicular to the plane direction than the extension in the plane direction.

[0056] If the plane is set to be within a horizontal plane, a specified range around the entire outside of vehicle 1 becomes the detection area of ​​the area sensor, and, for example, if there is no person or the like approaching vehicle 1, battery power consumption can be reduced as much as possible. On the other hand, if movement of a person or the like is detected, the camera can take a picture, and video footage within the range including the moment when contact or intrusion into vehicle 1 actually occurs can be recorded.

[0057] In the main body 11, various electronic components, circuits, etc. are mounted inside a cylindrical housing 20. The housing 20 is formed by butting together a first case 21 and a second case 22, which are divided into two parts, upper and lower, when the housing 20 is attached to the vehicle 1. The housing 20 has an overall cylindrical outer shape, and the first case 21 and the second case 22 constituting the housing 20 are divided into two parts, upper and lower, when the cylinder is laid flat, so that the cross section is semicircular. The first case 21 and the second case 22 are connected with each other with the lower end surface of the peripheral surface 21f of the first case 21 and the upper end surface of the peripheral surface 22j of the second case 22 butted against each other to form the housing 20.

[0058] The upper end surface of the second case 22 forms a wall portion 22k that protrudes upward in its outer half region. A concavely cut-out portion is formed around the entire inner circumference of this wall portion 22k. On the other hand, although not shown, the lower end surface of the first case 21 forms a wall portion that protrudes downward in its inner region, and a concavely cut-out portion is formed around the entire outer circumference of this wall portion. When joining the first case 21 and the second case 22, the walls of the first case 21 and the second case 22 are fitted into the concavely cut-out portions of the other case, so that they are firmly connected while movement in the horizontal direction is also suppressed. Furthermore, the claw piece 22e formed to stand upward near the axial center of the upper end surface of the peripheral surface 22j of the second case 22 is fitted into a recess (not shown) formed on the inner peripheral surface near the lower end surface of the first case 21, thereby suppressing separation in the vertical direction.

[0059] In this state in which the first case 21 and the second case 22 are butted together, the first case 21 and the second case 22 are firmly fixed together by using a set screw 88. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 9(a), etc., a cylindrical portion 21e with a bottom protruding inward is provided near the four corners of the peripheral surface 21f of the first case 21. The upper end of the cylindrical portion 21e opens to the peripheral surface 21f of the first case 21, and although not shown, the bottom surface of the cylindrical portion 21e is disposed at a position one step above the lower end surface of the peripheral surface 21f of the first case 21, and a through hole is formed in the center of the bottom surface. When the set screw 88 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 21e from the outside of the first case 21 during assembly, the threaded portion of the set screw 88 protrudes downward from the through hole provided in the bottom surface, and the head of the set screw 88 comes into contact with and stays at the bottom of the cylindrical portion 21e.

[0060] Meanwhile, cylindrical portions 22i are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the second case 22 opposing cylindrical portions 21e provided on the first case 21. The upper end positions of the cylindrical portions 22i are positioned at positions protruding upward from the upper end surface of the peripheral surface 22j of the first case 21. A female thread is formed at the upper end portion of the cylindrical portion 22i, and the set screw 88 is fastened to the female thread, thereby reliably fixing the first case 21 and the second case 22 together.

[0061] [Mounting variations for bracket 13 and main body 11] As shown in Fig. 3 etc., one end portion 21a, 22a of the first case 21 and the second case 22 is formed to have an outer dimension that is slightly smaller, and a step is formed between the one end portion 21a, 22a and the axial center portion of the main body portion 11. A sawtooth portion 23 is formed on the wall surface where this step is formed. In this embodiment, the tooth portion 23 is formed only on the second case 22 side. Furthermore, a male thread 24 is formed on the outer peripheral surface on the tip side of the one end portion 21a, 22a of the first case 21 and the second case 22.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 4 and other figures, the bracket 13 includes a ring portion 16 that holds the main body portion 11, and a fixing plate portion 17 that is disposed on the outer peripheral surface 16a side of the ring portion 16 and is attached and fixed to the windshield 2. One adhesive surface of a double-sided adhesive tape is attached to the mounting surface 17a of the fixing plate portion 17, and the other adhesive surface of the double-sided adhesive tape is attached to a predetermined position on the windshield 2, thereby adhesively fixing the bracket 13 to the windshield 2. The mounting surface 17a of the fixing plate portion 17 is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the tangent direction of the outer peripheral surface 16a of the ring portion 16. A connecting portion 18 is provided between the ring portion 16 and the fixing plate portion 17 so as to achieve such an inclined arrangement. The ring portion 16 is formed of an endless annular shape, and its diameter is approximately equal to or slightly larger than the outer diameter of one end portion 21a, 22a of the first case 21 and the second case 22.

[0063] Furthermore, the positional relationship between the ring portion 16 and the fixing plate portion 17 is structured so that, when fixing the fixing plate portion 17 to the vehicle 1, the ring portion 16 can take a first position (see FIG. 7(b)) where the ring portion 16 is above the fixing plate portion 17, and a second position (see FIG. 7(a)) where the ring portion 16 is below the fixing plate portion 17. The structure capable of taking the first and second positions may be such that the ring portion 16 is connected to a position eccentric from the center of the fixing plate portion 17 along the circumferential direction of the ring portion 16. Also, for example, it may be such that one of the opposing sides of the fixing plate portion 17 along the circumferential direction of the ring portion 16 protrudes more in the tangential direction.

[0064] In this way, for example, the camera unit 12 can be positioned as high as possible so that it can capture the view ahead. For example, there are vehicles in which the upper area of ​​the windshield 2 is masked, and in such cases, the fixing plate unit 17 is attached to the masked area in the second position, and the main body unit 11 is positioned in a lowered position so that it can capture the view ahead. In vehicles without such a mask, the fixing plate unit 17 can be attached in the first position, and the main body unit 11 can be positioned as high as possible so that it can capture the view ahead as high as possible, and other attachment modes can be selected according to the situation.

[0065] Teeth 25 are formed around the entire circumference on both axial faces of the ring portion 16. These teeth 25 are set to the same dimensions, shape and pitch as the teeth 23 formed on the second case 22 so as to match with each other. Both axial ends of the ring portion 16 are open, and the main body portion 11 can be attached from both openings.

[0066] As a result, when the ring portion 16 is attached to one end 21a, 22a of the first case 21 and the second case 22, the ring portion 16 can rotate forward and backward relative to one end 21a, 22a of the first case 21 and the second case 22 around its central axis. The rotation is prevented by meshing the teeth 23 provided on the second case 22 side with the teeth 25 provided on the ring portion 16 that faces the teeth 23. In this embodiment, the teeth 25 of the same shape are provided on both sides of the ring portion 16, so that the teeth 25 mesh with the teeth 23 provided on the second case 22 regardless of which opening side of the ring portion 16 the main body portion 11 is attached to, and the relative angular position of the ring portion 16 and the main body portion 11 can be controlled.

[0067] When one end 21a, 22a of the first case 21 and the second case 22 are inserted from one opening of the ring portion 16, the tip of one end 21a, 22a and the male thread 24 provided thereon protrude out from the other opening of the ring portion 16 (see FIG. 5, etc.). A nut member 26 is attached to the protruding male thread 24. The nut member 26 is in the form of a flat disk-shaped cap, and a female thread 27 that matches the male thread 24 is formed on its inner circumferential surface. Then, when the female thread 27 of the nut member 26 and the male thread 24 of one end 21a, 22a of the first case 21 and the second case 22 of the main body portion 11 are firmly fastened, the ring portion 16 is clamped with a predetermined force between the housing 20 of the main body portion 11 and the nut member 26, and in this state, the teeth 23, 25 mesh with each other to prevent the ring portion 16 and the bracket 13 from rotating. On the other hand, when the nut member 26 is loosened, the rotation is permitted. Therefore, the relative angular positional relationship between the main body 11 and the bracket 13 can be adjusted to any position and fixed at that position.

[0068] As described above, the ring portion 16 is designed to allow the main body 11 to be inserted from either the left or right side, and the teeth 25 are provided at both openings of the ring portion 16, so that the relative angular positional relationship between the ring portion 16 and the main body 11 can be adjusted to any position and fixed at that position regardless of the direction from which it is inserted (see FIG. 6, etc.). Whether it is attached from the left or right side is registered by the mode setting. The control unit of the drive recorder controls the operation according to the left or right mode setting. For example, according to the left or right mode setting, it recognizes which side of the main body / camera unit faces the front / interior of the vehicle, and performs control based on that. Such control, for example, determines the front / rear direction of the image captured by the camera unit, and controls whether or not the LED emits light, for example, so that the front side of the vehicle does not emit light, as described later.

[0069] In this way, the main body 11 is attached from both openings of the ring 16, making it reversible. For example, if the mounting position of the drive recorder 10 cannot be secured at the center of the windshield 2, the mounting direction of the main body 11 to the bracket 13 can be changed to position the camera 12 as close to the center as possible. The camera 12 of this embodiment has a wide shooting range from the camera 12 centered on the camera 12 to a diagonally upward direction including a downward hemisphere. Therefore, by arranging the camera 12 near the center of the windshield 2 and the vehicle 1, an even range of the outside of the vehicle 1 can be shot without being biased to the left or right. For example, when the bracket 13 is attached to the driver's seat, the main body 11 is attached from the passenger seat side to position the camera 12 as close to the center as possible.

[0070] The structure that allows mounting to bracket 13 from both the left and right sides can meet not only the demand for positioning camera unit 12 as close to the center as possible, as described above, but also other needs, such as improving operability of button operation and memory card insertion / removal for drivers with either right-hand drive or left-hand drive, and improving forward visibility by preventing most parts of drive recorder 10 from being hidden by the rearview mirror.

[0071] Furthermore, as a usage mode of the structure that allows mounting from both the left and right sides to the bracket 13, as opposed to placing the camera unit 12 in the center as described above, it is possible to position the camera unit 12 at the left or right end and respond to requests to focus on one side. Focusing on one side means, for example, when the parking lot has a wall on one side, mounting on the side that is not the wall so that the outside that is not the wall can be widely photographed. It is also possible to respond to applications where one side is focused on shooting inside the car.

[0072] As described above, by appropriately combining the two mounting directions of the main body 11 to the bracket 13 and the two fixing positions of the bracket 13 to the windshield 2, a total of four mounting positions can be adopted.

[0073] [Function to adjust the plane of the area sensor detection area] As described above, the detection area of ​​the area sensor spreads in a planar direction, for example like a disk, and the plane is adjusted and set within a horizontal plane parallel to the ground when using the drive recorder 10. This adjustment is performed, for example, by rotating the main body 11 with the nut member 26 loosened, and then tightening and fixing the nut member 26 with the detection area of ​​the area sensor horizontal.

[0074] In this embodiment, a horizontal line 30 is provided on the tip surface side of one end portion 21a, 22a of first case 21 and second case 22 of main body 11. This horizontal line 30 is located within the plane of the detection area of ​​the area sensor, and the area sensor is mounted on main body 11 so that when the angle of horizontal line 30 is adjusted so that it is horizontal, the detection area of ​​the area sensor is also within the horizontal plane.

[0075] In this embodiment, the horizontal line 30 utilizes the joint surface formed when the first case 21 and the second case 22 are butted together. As shown in Fig. 5 etc., a circular through hole 28 is formed in the center of the nut member 26. Small semicircular protrusions 21b, 22b formed on the tips of the first case 21 and the second case 22 of the main body 11 are exposed to the outside from this through hole 28. A horizontal line 30 is formed at the butt joint portion of the protrusion 21b of the first case 21 and the protrusion 22b of the second case 22.

[0076] The user adjusts the rotation angle of the main body 11 while watching the angle of the horizontal line 30, and when the horizontal line 30 is horizontal, tightens and fixes the nut member 26 (see FIG. 8(a) etc.), thereby setting the main body 11 to the correct angle position so that the detection area of ​​the area sensor is within a horizontal plane. By adjusting the planar direction of the detection area of ​​the area sensor so that it is horizontal to the ground in this way, one area sensor can detect the movement of objects in the shooting range in 180-degree opposite directions, that is, in front of the vehicle and inside the vehicle cabin, and can also detect the approach of objects or movement such as loitering from any direction around the entire perimeter of the outside of the vehicle 1. Then, by controlling the operation of the camera based on the movement of the object, the moving object can be appropriately photographed.

[0077] [Camera rotation mechanism] As shown in FIG. 8(a) and the like, the drive recorder 10 of this embodiment is configured such that the camera unit 12 is rotatably linked to the main body unit 11. The shooting range of the camera unit 12 of this embodiment includes the lower hemisphere when the viewing direction of the camera unit 12 is directed downward, and is a range wider than the hemisphere, and can shoot diagonally upward. Therefore, even when the viewing direction of the camera unit 12 is directly downward, for example, the area diagonally above the vehicle can be shot. On the other hand, in a camera that shoots a shooting range of more than a hemisphere, the resolution is the best in the center of the circular image obtained by shooting and the lowest in the peripheral part. Therefore, the resolution of the view in front of the vehicle, especially the view diagonally upward, is poor because it is located in the peripheral part of the circular image obtained by shooting.

[0078] Therefore, while driving, for example, the field of view of the camera unit 12 is directed diagonally forward, expanding the shooting area diagonally upward in front, enabling the scenery ahead to be captured with high resolution and clarity, and while parking, the field of view of the camera unit 12 is directed straight down, enabling shooting within an angle range of 360 degrees in the horizontal plane and 180 degrees or more in the vertical plane centered on the drive recorder, making it possible to capture situations such as vandalism against the vehicle 1, collision accidents, and theft.

[0079] In this embodiment, an area sensor that detects a horizontal range of 360 degrees is provided inside the main body 11, and the detection area of ​​the area sensor is adjusted and installed so that it is within a horizontal plane, and the main body 11 must be maintained in this installed state, and after installation, the main body 11 cannot be rotated to change the viewing direction of the camera. Therefore, in this embodiment, as described above, the camera unit 12 is made rotatable relative to the main body 11, and the camera unit 12 is connected so as to be rotatable so as to swing back and forth while maintaining a state in which the horizontal line 30 is positioned horizontally as shown in Fig. 8(a), and the shooting range of the camera can be changed while the detection area of ​​the area sensor is maintained within a horizontal plane.

[0080] 8(a), when the drive recorder 10 is attached to the vehicle 1, the camera unit 12 can be swiveled back and forth between a position facing the front side of the vehicle and a position facing the rear side, for example, with the camera unit 12 facing straight down as a reference. Because of this structure that allows for swiveling back and forth, for example, even if the main body unit 11 is attached from either the left or right side of the ring unit 16 and the side of the main body unit 11 facing the front side of the vehicle 1 is reversed, the camera unit 12 can be directed to face the front of the vehicle in the installed state.

[0081] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the direction of the detection area of ​​the area sensor is adjusted by rotating the main body 11 and the ring part 16, and the adjustment of the camera direction is adjusted by changing the rotation angle of the camera part 12 relative to the main body 11. In this way, the detection area of ​​the area sensor and the viewing direction of the camera part are independently rotated and adjusted by the adjustment mechanism. As a result, the area sensor and the camera part 12 can be set to the desired direction, so that the relationship between the detection area of ​​the area sensor and the shooting range of the camera part 12 can be set to an appropriate state. In this embodiment, the rotation center of the main body 11 and the rotation center of the camera part 12 are arranged coaxially. As a result, when the main body 11 is rotated to adjust the direction of the area sensor, even if the camera part 12 rotates and moves integrally with the main body 11 around the rotation center of the main body, the rotation plane at that time is equal to the rotation plane of the camera case relative to the main body case. Therefore, even if the camera case rotates with the rotation of the main body case and the shooting direction of the shooting means is displaced, the camera case can be rotated independently by a predetermined angle thereafter to set the shooting direction of the shooting means to a desired position.

[0082] The orientation of the camera unit 12 may be adjusted by, for example, a user visually checking the orientation of the camera unit 12 so that it faces the desired direction, or, for example, when facing forward, it may be moved to the maximum angle of the rotatable angle range. In this manner, visual adjustment is preferable because it can be easily performed. As will be described later, in this embodiment, the drive recorder 10 has a function of communicating with a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, and has a function of transmitting, for example, an image captured by the camera unit 12 in real time. The mobile terminal such as a smartphone displays the received image on the display unit 91 (see FIG. 8(b) and the like). The user may adjust the orientation of the camera unit 12 while viewing the displayed image, and may confirm the orientation of the camera unit 12 when the desired shooting range is reached. In this manner, the desired area can be set as the shooting range with greater accuracy, which is even more preferable.

[0083] The adjustable angle range of the camera unit 12 is, for example, based on a posture facing straight down, and is set to a range of 30 degrees on one side and 60 degrees in the front-rear direction. Details will be described later, but the angle of view of the camera mounted on the camera unit 12 is, for example, 220 degrees in the vertical plane when the drive recorder 10 is properly attached to the vehicle 1. Then, when the angle is set to 0 degrees directly below, the forward shooting range is 110 degrees. If the forward range is within the range of 110 degrees, for example, when the vehicle stops temporarily just before the stop line at an intersection, the traffic light in the direction of travel cannot be sufficiently photographed. Therefore, for example, if the vehicle starts after the traffic light in the direction of travel turns green and is rear-ended, there is a risk that the vehicle will not be able to prove its own legitimacy of starting on the green light. In this embodiment, therefore, the direction of the camera is made changeable, and when tilted by 30 degrees, for example, it becomes 110+30=140 degrees, and the color of the traffic light can be photographed and recorded. For example, if the range is set to 40 degrees on one side, the shooting range will be wider upward, and the traffic light will be more reliably positioned within the shooting range, and the image will be captured closer to the center of the lens, resulting in a clearer image. However, this is not preferable because it will increase the range of the interior of the vehicle that is not captured, and since the image can be captured at 30 degrees, there is little need to increase the range beyond 30 degrees. Therefore, in this embodiment, the range is set to 30 degrees. The angle in question may be set such that the relationship between the camera angle of view and the rotation angle is such that, for example, an object to be photographed, such as a traffic light, is outside the shooting range of the camera in the first position, and is within the shooting range when the camera is rotated and the orientation of the camera unit is displaced to the second position.

[0084] When the drive recorder is attached to the windshield and the camera unit is rotated in a vertical plane and facing diagonally forward, the shooting area diagonally upward in front is expanded, and the drive recorder is prioritized in this position, which allows the camera to shoot traffic lights as well. In this case, the shooting area inside the vehicle is narrowed. On the other hand, when the camera is facing downward, the camera can shoot 360 degrees around the vehicle horizontally at an angle of 180 degrees or more in a vertical plane, which allows the camera to prioritize shooting the situation inside the vehicle and security monitoring inside and outside the vehicle.

[0085] [Specific structure for rotating the camera unit 12] As described above, in this embodiment, the camera unit 12 is rotatably attached to the main body unit 11, and the specific structure is as follows. First, the first case 21 and the second case 22 constituting the housing 20 of the main body unit 11 are formed by dividing a cylinder into upper and lower halves as described above, and the portion other than the one end 21a, 22a has a semicircular arc-shaped circumferential surface of the same diameter over the entire length. The circumferential surface of the one end 21a of the first case 21 has two recessed portions 21c. A technical standard conformity certification label 31 is affixed to one of the two recessed portions 21c, and a serial number sticker is affixed to the other. The ring portion 16 of the bracket 13 is attached to the one end 21a. In this embodiment, the recessed portion 21c is provided and is one step lower than the circumferential surface of the one end 21a, so that, for example, even if the ring portion 16 is rotated, the label sticker will not come off, and since the label sticker is covered by the ring portion 16 in the use state, it will not deteriorate with time or come off accidentally.

[0086] The side surface of the housing 20 opposite to the side where the ring portion 16 and the nut member 26 are attached is a flat surface. In this embodiment, the other end surface of the second case 22 is a disk-shaped side surface 22d extending in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and the edge 21d of the first case 21 is in contact with the periphery of the side surface 22d. Thus, in this embodiment, the side surface on the opposite side of the housing 20 is characterized in that the side surface 22d of the second case 22 is formed of a single piece and is not divided like the one end portion.

[0087] A rectangular opening 22g is provided on the side of the side 22d at a position slightly above the center, and a power connector 34 is arranged on the back side of the opening 22g. Two openings 22h are provided below the opening 22g so as to be aligned vertically, and a video record button 33 and a record button 32 are arranged so as to protrude outward from the back side of the side 22d through the openings 22h. As shown in FIG. 9(c), the video record button 33 has a leaf spring 33a formed integrally with each of the left and right side surfaces, and the tip of the leaf spring 33a is fixed to the back side of the side 22d. The record button 32 has a leaf spring 32a formed integrally with each of the left and right side surfaces, and the tip of the leaf spring 33a is fixed to the back side of the side 22d. As a result, when each button is pressed, it is pressed inward into the housing 20, but when the pressing force is released, each button is pushed back by the elastic restoring force of the leaf springs 33a and 32a and protrudes outward from the side 22d. Further, a vertically long card insertion slot 35 extending in the vertical direction is provided on the upper side of the side surface 22d, and a memory card 36 is inserted and removed through the card insertion slot 35.

[0088] When the record button 33 is pressed alone, the control unit repeatedly stops and restarts recording. When the record button 32 is pressed during continuous recording, the control unit executes one-touch recording. Furthermore, when the record button 33 and the record button 32 are pressed simultaneously while recording is stopped, the control unit transitions to the setting mode.

[0089] A large opening 22c is provided in the axial center of the circumferential surface of the lower second case 22. The opening 22c is shaped like a band that opens along the circumferential direction, and opens 30 degrees in each direction in the front-rear direction from the lowest end when the drive recorder 10 is attached, for a total of 60 degrees. The camera unit 12 is rotatably mounted in this opening 22c.

[0090] As shown in Figs. 11 and 12, the camera section 12 includes a camera case 40 and a camera unit 87 mounted in the camera case 40. The camera case 40 is made up of a first lens holder 41 and a second lens holder 42, which are divided vertically and vertically, and are joined together by butting their upper and lower edges. The first lens holder 41 is a substantially rectangular box with an open upper end, and has recessed notches 41a at the center of each of the four sides of the rectangle at the upper edge, and has screw holes 41b at the four corners of the rectangle. The upper end portions of the screw holes 41b protrude slightly upward from the upper edge of the first lens holder 41.

[0091] The second lens holder 42 includes a rectangular frame 42a having the same dimensions and shape as the outer dimensions of the upper edge of the first lens holder 41, and a curved portion 42b formed continuously with the upper end of the frame 42a. The width of the curved portion 42b is wider than the width of the frame 42a, and both side edges along the axial direction of the curved portion 42b protrude outward from the side surface of the frame 42a. When the end faces of the frame 42a and the first lens holder 41 are joined together, the upper open side of the concave cutout portion 41a formed in the first lens holder 41 is closed by the lower end of the frame 42a, forming a thin opening extending in the horizontal direction. Through holes 42c are formed in the four corners of the inner fixed surface of the frame 42a. When the end faces of frame body 42a and first lens holder 41 are joined together, through hole 42c faces screw hole 41b formed in first lens holder 41, and set screw 85 is inserted into through hole 42c from the frame body 42a side and screwed in place to integrate first lens holder 41 and second lens holder 42 to form camera case 40.

[0092] The camera case 40 having such a structure is inserted so that the first lens holder 41 protrudes outward from the inside of the opening 22c of the second case 22. Then, the first lens holder 41 and the frame body 42a protrude outward from the opening 22c, but because the width of the curved portion 42b is set to be wider than the width of the opening 22c in the axial direction, the curved portion 42b comes into contact with the peripheral surface where the second case 22 is not present, and does not come outward any further.

[0093] 10 and other figures, inner case 38 is disposed inside second case 22, and curved portion 42b of camera case 40 of camera unit 12 is sandwiched between second case 22 and inner case 38, preventing camera unit 12 from falling out and entering main body unit 11. The radii of curvature of the outer peripheral surface and inner peripheral surface of curved portion 42b are made substantially equal to the opposing inner peripheral surface of second case 22 and outer peripheral surface of inner case 38, allowing rotation along the curved surfaces.

[0094] The contact surface between the curved portion 42b and the inner case 38 is provided with triangular wave-shaped uneven teeth so as to allow rotation while stopping the rotation at a desired angle and maintaining the position. The teeth on the contact surface are engaged with each other to position the rotation direction, and when a biasing force of a certain level or more is applied in the rotation direction even when the teeth are engaged, the teeth are triangular wave-shaped so that the engagement is released and the rotation occurs. In this embodiment, the teeth are provided at two locations, on both sides in the axial direction and at the center.

[0095] That is, as shown in Figures 11 and 12, camera side first teeth 86a are provided in the center of both axial sides of the inner surface of curved portion 42b. Furthermore, camera side second teeth 86b are provided in the center of the inner surface of curved portion 42b in the axial direction up to both ends in the circumferential direction. These camera side first teeth 86a have large crests, and the arrangement pitch of the crests is, for example, 5 degrees. Furthermore, at both circumferential ends of curved portion 42b, locking protrusions 86c are provided at the tips of the camera side second teeth 86b. The locking protrusions 86c are larger protrusions than the camera side second teeth 86b.

[0096] On the other hand, the inner case 38 is semi-cylindrical with an open top, and its axial length is longer than the width and axial length of the curved portion 42b. The axial center portion of the inner case 38 is a thin portion 38a with the surface side scraped off. The axial length of the thin portion 38a is approximately equal to or slightly longer than the width of the curved portion 42b. Furthermore, the surface of the thin portion 38a is set at a position that is lower than the surfaces of both axial ends of the inner case 38 by the thickness of the curved portion 42b. As a result, when the curved portion 42b is mounted inside the thin portion 38a of the inner case 38, it can rotate in the circumferential direction along the curved surface.

[0097] Furthermore, a wide opening 38e is formed in the center of the thin portion 38a. A narrow region is formed between both axial edges of the opening 38e and both axial edges of the thin portion 38a, and the body side first teeth 38c that match the camera side first teeth 86a are provided in that region. The camera side first teeth 86a and the body side first teeth 38c both have shallow peaks, and the arrangement pitch of the peaks is half that of the camera side second teeth 86b, for example, 2.5 degrees. Because the peaks are shallow, they move in the rotational direction while rattling over each other.

[0098] In addition, two notches 38g are formed at a predetermined interval from both ends toward the circumferential inside at the axial center of the thin portion 38a. Similarly, two notches 38g are formed at a predetermined interval from the periphery of the opening 38e toward the circumferential tip side. The part sandwiched between the two notches 38g provided on the same side becomes a leaf spring, and the body side second teeth 38d are provided at the tip of the leaf spring. The body side second teeth 38d are a single protrusion extending in the axial direction at two locations, one at the upper end edge of the inner case 38 and one near the opening 38e, and the height of the protrusion is set to be equal to the camera side second teeth 86b. The peaks of the pair of protrusions are spaced apart by a predetermined distance. 11(b) and (c), when the camera unit 12 is rotated 30 degrees in the front-to-rear direction relative to the inner case 38, the locking protrusion 86c on the curved portion 42b is positioned between the camera side second teeth portion 86b on the inner case 38.

[0099] Bosses 38f extending upward are provided at predetermined positions on the four corners of the inner circumferential surface of the inner case 38. These predetermined positions are positions that face the cylindrical portion 22i of the second case 22 when the inner case 38 is mounted in the second case 22. The boss 38f has a through hole that opens at the top and bottom, and the inner diameter of the through hole near the top end is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 22i provided in the second case 22, and is gradually larger toward the bottom. As a result, when the inner case 38 is mounted in the second case 22, the cylindrical portion 22i fits into the through hole of the boss 38f, and the boss 38f is supported by the cylindrical portion 22i. Furthermore, since the upper end of the through hole of boss 38f is smaller than the outer diameter of cylindrical portion 21e, the upper end position of boss 38f is one step lower than the upper end position of cylindrical portion 22i of second case 22, and is slightly shifted downward, i.e., toward the outside of second case 22.

[0100] The central axis of the camera case 40, and therefore the curved portion 42b, and the inner case 38 are shifted. The curve of the curved portion 42b and the curve of the inner case 38 are changed to make the inner case 38 side smaller. This prevents the inner case 38 side from becoming larger than the design value due to manufacturing tolerances, for example, so that the curved portion 42b does not become larger than the curved portion 42b, and the curved portion 42b fits reliably into the thin portion 38a of the inner case 38. Since the inner case 38 side is set small, if the central axes are made to coincide as they are, rattling occurs, so the central axis is shifted so that the inner case 38 is positioned on the outside. This central axis is shifted by making the through hole of the boss 38f described above a tapered surface and positioning it slightly downward when mounted.

[0101] By doing this, the curved portion 42b of the camera case 40 is pressed against the inner case 38 by the second case 22, which firmly meshes the teeth with each other and also firmly fixes the case in place by the elastic restoring force of the leaf spring of the inner case 38 and the meshing of the large peaks at a wide pitch (for example, a 5 degree pitch).

[0102] As described above, the mechanism for adjusting the rotation angle between the main body 11, bracket 13, and ring 16 to adjust the orientation of the area sensor and for holding the angle after adjustment is made by loosening the nut member 26 to unlock the engagement of the teeth that contact the sides of the main body 11 and ring 16, and after adjustment, it can be firmly fixed by tightening the nut member 26. By firmly tightening the nut member, the rotation angle of the main body 11 and therefore the orientation of the area sensor will not change even if, for example, the main body 11 or the camera unit 12 is accidentally touched.

[0103] Meanwhile, the orientation of the camera unit 12 is maintained by the meshing of the uneven and toothed parts that contact each other's peripheral surfaces, but since it is necessary to be able to rotate while still in this meshed state, the uneven and toothed parts are made smaller and are fixed using elastic deformation force such as with a leaf spring, so the fixation is looser than the force that fixes the orientation of the area sensor.

[0104] In this way, the means for rotating the area sensor is configured to be fixed more firmly than the means for rotating the camera unit, so the orientation of the sensor can be fixed firmly and maintained in a desired orientation, for example, horizontal to the ground, which is good, and the orientation of the camera is fixed looser than that of the area sensor, so that it is easy to rotate and adjust the shooting range even when installed in the vehicle. In particular, when the camera is used as a drive recorder by facing forward while driving and as a security device by facing downward when parking to capture the entire surroundings of the vehicle, the area sensor can be left as it is once the orientation is set, but since the orientation of the camera is frequently changed, loose fixation is preferable. It is good to configure the camera so that it can be fixed more firmly with less frequent adjustment.

[0105] [The main body case, etc. are designed to be less visible] In this embodiment, the camera unit 87 to be mounted in the camera case 40 is mounted in the first lens holder 41. The upper circuit board 87a of the camera unit 87 has four corners cut out in a concave shape. When the camera unit 87 is mounted, the cut out parts are set in a state in which they are close to the outer circumferential surface of the screw hole 41b. The shooting lamp 44 and the recording lamp 45 are arranged on the underside of each side of the upper circuit board 47a. The recording lamp 45 is arranged at the center of each of the front and rear sides when the drive recorder 10 is installed in the vehicle, and the shooting lamp 44 is arranged at two on each side. These lamps are arranged at positions facing the opening formed by the concave cutout portion 41a, and are visible from the outside. In addition, a ring-shaped protrusion 41d is provided at the outer center of the bottom surface 41c of the first lens holder 41, and the lens 43 of the camera unit 87 is arranged to protrude from the lower end of the protrusion 41d. In this embodiment, the camera's shooting range is a range of more than a hemisphere, and since lens 43 is positioned on the bottom side of camera case 40, it is more than 180 degrees in a vertical plane, and the shooting range also includes the upper side diagonally behind lens 43.

[0106] In this embodiment, the position and orientation of the lens 43 on the camera case 40 and the relationship with the main body 11 and the bracket 13 are set so that the camera case 40, the main body 11, and the bracket 13 are unlikely to be reflected within the range of the image captured by the camera unit 12. Since the main body 11 and the camera case 40 are unlikely to be reflected in the image captured by the camera, the scenery outside the vehicle and the state inside the vehicle can be easily seen. The relationship that makes it difficult to be reflected can be set, for example, so that the main body 11 and the like are not reflected or are reflected in a range where the influence is small within the shooting range of the camera due to the rotation of the camera case. It is preferable to make the shape so that the part existing in the shooting range of the camera is as small as possible, for example, the dimensions and shape of the main body case and the camera case are made as small as possible, and since the blind spot of the camera is conical, it is preferable to make the camera case a shape close to the cone or an inscribed rectangular shape. In this embodiment, since the main body 11 is a horizontally long cylindrical shape, for example, the side surfaces on both sides of the axial direction of the main body 11 are not reflected or are unlikely to be reflected. Camera case 40 has a ring-shaped protrusion 41d protruding from the underside of bottom surface 41c of first lens holder 41, and lens 43 protrudes and is exposed below protrusion 41d, so that the rectangular case portion of first lens holder 41 is not reflected within the shooting range diagonally behind lens 43.

[0107] As described above, camera unit 87 is mounted inside camera case 40. The components of camera unit 87 to be mounted are determined by determining the amount of parts that can be mounted within a space set in such a relationship that camera case 40 is not captured within the camera's shooting range or is captured within a range where the influence is minimal, as described above, and mounting the camera unit.

[0108] [lamp] As described above, the camera unit 12 has the shooting lamps 44 arranged on the four faces of the rectangular case part of the camera case 40, and has the recording lamps 45 on the front and rear faces when the camera unit 12 is attached to the vehicle. The shooting lamps 44 are white LEDs. For example, when shooting while parked, if the surroundings are dark, the control unit of the drive recorder turns on all four shooting lamps 44. This makes it possible to reliably shoot and record objects such as approaching people even in a situation where there is not enough light for shooting, such as at night. The brightness of the surroundings is determined based on the output of an illuminance sensor mounted on the main body unit 11, for example.

[0109] Instead of lighting up all of the four photographing lamps 44, it is also possible to light up some of the lamps and photograph only those parts. For example, it is preferable that the photographing lamps 44 not be lit up when the vehicle is moving, at least those that emit light toward the outside of the vehicle, such as the front. Also, it is preferable that the lamps on the rear side in the direction of travel, for example, be lit up even when the vehicle is moving, so that the situation inside the vehicle can be photographed clearly.

[0110] Also, for example, if a wall or the like is close to one side of a parked vehicle, such as the passenger side, and there is a risk of intrusion or collision from that side, the settings can be changed to only light up the other direction, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0111] Furthermore, it may be possible to emit light at appropriate times other than when taking pictures in response to the detection of surrounding objects, etc. In this way, it is possible to warn the surroundings of approaching threats and to appeal that surveillance is in progress, and it is effective in deterring pranks, etc.

[0112] The recording lamp 45 acts as an indicator, and in this embodiment, an LED that emits two colors, red and green, is used. For example, the control unit controls the lamp so that the red lamp is on during normal continuous recording while driving, the green lamp is on when recording is stopped, and the red lamp flashes when various events are being recorded. It is also preferable to turn off the recording lamp 45 on the front of the vehicle while driving.

[0113] [Configuration for mounting the main body 11 inside the housing 20] As shown in FIG. 9(b), FIG. 13, FIG. 14, etc., various processing circuits and power circuits for realizing the above-mentioned drive recorder function and security function are mounted in the housing 20. As shown in FIG. 9(b), etc., the first circuit board 46 and the second circuit board 47 are mounted in the housing 20 in an upright state. The first circuit board 46 and the second circuit board 47 are connected to each other by connectors provided on the opposing surfaces thereof to transmit and receive power and signals. The GPS / WiFi board 53 is disposed horizontally above the first circuit board 46. These boards are supported by a printed circuit board holder 57 and mounted in the housing 20. The first circuit board 46 is mounted with a power connector 34, and the terminal pin 34a of the power connector 34 is bent into an L-shape, and its tip is directly connected to the printed wiring formed on the first circuit board 46. Two switch elements 60 are attached to the first circuit board 46. The switch elements 60 are operated by the record button 32 and the video record button 33. A CPU, a card slot for inserting memory card 36, other parts and sensors are mounted on second circuit board 47, and its front side is covered by a shield case 58. A GPS antenna 54, a WiFi antenna 56, a battery 55, etc. are mounted on the upper surface of GPS / WiFi board 53. A GPS module, a WiFi module, etc. are mounted on the lower surface side of GPS / WiFi board 53, and transmit and receive data to and from the CPU mounted on second circuit board 47. In addition, a microphone 61, a speaker 62, an acceleration sensor and various other sensors are mounted inside housing 20.

[0114] [Area sensor] The area sensor 48 is disposed on one end 21a, 22a side of the first case 21 and the second case 22. The area sensor 48 includes a sensor module 50 that outputs radio waves in a specific direction and detects the movement of the object based on the reflected waves of the output radio waves, and an antenna 51 that radiates the radio waves output from the sensor module 50 toward the surroundings in a predetermined planar direction. In this embodiment, microwaves including quasi-millimeter waves are used as the radio waves, but frequency bands such as millimeter waves may also be used. Although the dimensions of the antenna change depending on the wavelength, the outer dimensions of the main body 11 of the drive recorder 10 in which the area sensor 48 is mounted are about 88 mm in length in the axial direction and about 50 mm in diameter, so that microwaves are preferably used. The microwaves used are, for example, 24 GHz.

[0115] The sensor module 50 is formed by sandwiching a circuit board 50c between a first module case 50a and a second module case 50b of a predetermined shape that are vertically arranged, and by screwing the first module case 50a and the second module case 50b together to form an integrated unit. The first module case 50a and the second module case 50b are both housings made of metal. Although not shown in the drawings, the first module case 50a and the second module case 50b come into contact with the ground wiring pattern of the circuit board 50c when integrated. As a result, the surfaces of the first module case 50a and the second module case 50b are also grounded.

[0116] A terminal pin 50d is formed to stand up from a portion exposed to the outside of the circuit board 50c. The sensor module 50 is attached to the first circuit board 46, and the terminal pin 50d is connected to the circuit pattern of the first circuit board 46 for electrical continuity. The sensor module 50 receives power from the first circuit board 46 via the terminal pin 50d, outputs radio waves, and transmits a detection output based on the reflected wave to the first circuit board 46. The sensor module 50 forms a waveguide, has a vertically long exit 50e on the output side of the radio waves, and outputs radio waves from the power supply point of the exit 50e toward a specific direction, the power supply direction, as indicated by the arrow in the figure. The longitudinal direction of the exit 50e is parallel to the circuit board 50c. A plane parallel to the longitudinal direction parallel to the circuit board 50c is a magnetic field plane (E-plane), and a lateral direction is an electric field plane (H-plane). The sensor module 50 further includes a flange portion 50f on the output side that extends in a direction perpendicular to the specific direction. The flange portion 50f has a standardized shape and dimensions, has a rectangular outer shape overall, and is provided with recessed cutout portions 50g near the center of each side.

[0117] An antenna 51 is attached in front of the output direction of radio waves from this emission port 50e. The antenna 51 is a reflector antenna that utilizes reflection and polarization conversion, and is set to radiate radio waves toward the surroundings while making the output direction of radio waves from the sensor module 50 one specific direction by using the properties of radio waves such as reflection and wraparound. The surroundings have a spreading area in a planar direction around the area sensor 48, and a small spreading radiation area in a direction perpendicular to the planar direction. Since the output direction from the sensor module is limited to one specific direction, the area sensor 48 is small and compact.

[0118] The sensor module 50 has a function of detecting an object by utilizing the Doppler effect of the fluctuation of the reflected wave against the direct wave of the emitted radio wave, and a function of detecting a moving object by utilizing the fluctuation of the voltage standing wave ratio based on the composite wave formed by the direct wave of the emitted electric field and the reflected wave against it. The sensor module 50 detects objects by combining these functions.

[0119] Conventionally, microwave Doppler sensors have been widely used for object detection in this type of security surveillance. If a receiving circuit uses Doppler for detection, for example, in the case of a large vehicle, the reflected wave becomes too small and there is a risk that it cannot be detected, but by using the standing wave ratio, it is possible to detect the vehicle regardless of its size.

[0120] [antenna] The antenna 51 is connected to the GND (metallic housing or circuit board GND) of the sensor module 50 so as to be shorted (grounded) at high frequency. The antenna 51 is formed by metal plating or metal deposition on a metal die-cast or dielectric of a predetermined shape, as described below. A structure in which a metal film is formed on the surface of a dielectric is preferable because it can be formed simply, accurately and inexpensively even in complex shapes.

[0121] The antenna 51 includes a rectangular frame 65 that is generally rectangular and has openings at the front and rear. The dimensions and shape of the inner peripheral surface of the frame 65 are approximately equal to those of the outer peripheral surface of the flange portion 50f. In addition, protrusions 73 are integrally formed on one opening side of the frame 65, protruding inward from the center of each side. One set of the protrusions 73 arranged in the vertical direction is wide, and the remaining set is narrow. The dimensions and shape of each protrusion 73 are equal to those of the concave cutouts 50g provided in the center of each side of the flange portion 50f of the sensor module 50.

[0122] Then, the flange portion 50f is inserted into the frame body 65 from the opening side where the protrusion 73 is not formed, and is positioned to the deepest part of the frame body 65. Then, the protrusion 73 and the concave cutout portion 50g fit together, and the antenna 51 and the sensor module 50 are fixed in a predetermined positional relationship. In particular, since the antenna 51 is small and lightweight, it does not shift in position even without screws due to the fixing by such fitting. Since the structure does not require screws, the number of steps for mounting and removing the antenna 51 can be reduced. In addition, the antenna 51 is preferably made of metal die-cast or has a metal film formed on the entire surface thereof, and the inner peripheral surface of the frame body 65 comes into contact with the flange portion 50f, so that the antenna 51 is fixed and electromagnetically connected to the metal housing.

[0123] A blocking plate 66 is disposed on the side of the frame body 65 where the protruding pieces 73 are provided on the top and bottom surfaces so as to protrude forward. The blocking plate 66 suppresses electromagnetic wave radiation in a direction perpendicular to the electric field at the power supply point P, and the suppressed radio waves are concentrated forward. By disposing this blocking plate 66, the radio wave radiation area is compressed from above and below and spreads horizontally. If the width t3 of the blocking plate 66, i.e., the length in the direction perpendicular to the output direction of the radio waves, is short, the gain of the radiated radio waves decreases, so an appropriate length is set. In this embodiment, the length of the width t3 is set to about 15.5 mm, which is about 4 / 5λ.

[0124] A shielding plate 67 is disposed so as to straddle a pair of shielding plates 66 disposed above and below, and this shielding plate 67 is disposed at a position to block radio waves output from the sensor module 50, blocks radio waves proceeding in the output direction, and reflects them in an appropriate direction. The tip of the shielding plate 66 protrudes forward beyond the shielding plate 67, and the length t2 of the tip portion is set to about 2 mm (see FIG. 17(a) etc.).

[0125] A reflector 68 is provided on the rear surface of the shielding plate 67, i.e., the surface facing the emission port 55e, to reflect a part of the radio waves output from the sensor module 50 and distribute the traveling direction of the radio waves into two directions of the electric field plane that are perpendicular to the specific direction and opposed to each other. The reflector 68 is sandwiched between the upper and lower shielding plates 67. The reflector 68 is cone-shaped and is disposed so that the apex of the cone is located at a predetermined distance t1 from the power supply point P. The predetermined distance t1 may be in the range of 1 / 16λ to 1 / 8λ, for example, and is set to 1.15 mm in this embodiment (see FIG. 17(a) and the like).

[0126] Openings 70 are provided at the two ends of the electric field plane. The distance from the apex of the reflector 68 to each opening 70 is about 3 / 4λ, or 10.4 mm. The openings 70 face the front and rear of the vehicle 1 when the drive recorder 10 is attached to the vehicle 1 so that the horizontal line 30, which is the correct posture, is horizontal. The radio waves reflected by the reflector 68 and traveling in two directions of the electric field plane are radiated as main lobes from the openings 70 toward the outside of the antenna 51. Then, as described above, the electric field components of the radio waves that are blocked and suppressed from traveling in the upward and downward directions by the blocking plate 66 are distributed in two directions by the reflector 68 and added to the radio waves radiated as main lobes from the pair of openings 70, so that the radio waves can reach farther. The reflection loss (VSWR: Voltage Standing Wave Ratio) is adjusted by the distance between the reflector 68 and the openings 70.

[0127] The cone-shaped reflector 68 has a side that changes its inclination in multiple stages. In this embodiment, it is divided into two stages: a steep angle near the apex and a gentle angle at the base. By making it two stages in this way, the radio waves emitted from one of the openings 70 can be spread over a wide range of nearly 180 degrees, taking into account the cooperation of the first fin 71 and the second fin 72. As a result of simulation, in the case of a simple cone shape with one inclination, it was not possible to radiate over a wide range of nearly 180 degrees even if the angle and the length of the fin were adjusted. It is thought that by making it two stages, the reflection angle differs and it is reflected over a wide range. By changing the inclination shape of the side of the cone with two stages in this way, the radiation angle of the radio waves traveling in two directions on the electric field surface can be controlled, and the high gain direction of the main lobe radiation from the two directions can be set to a desired state.

[0128] The reflector 68 is provided with slits 69 in a predetermined section on a vertical line including the apex of the cone. The slits 69 are not provided at the apex of the reflector 68, but are arranged so as to extend vertically from positions that are a predetermined distance away from the apex in the vertical direction. The direction of the slits 69 coincides with the magnetic field surface, and a part of the radio waves output from the sensor module 50, mainly the magnetic field, passes through the slits 69. In this embodiment, the reflector 68 is made conical, so that the magnetic field falls forward in the traveling direction, which is favorable because it is easier to resonate at the slits 69 and to be released forward.

[0129] As the magnetic field advances after passing through the slit 69, an electric field is also generated, and when it reaches a far field a certain distance away, radio waves are emitted in the same direction as the specific direction as normal electromagnetic waves. The radio waves traveling in the same direction as the specific direction are emitted outward from the end faces of the one ends 21a, 22a of the dashcam 10 on which the horizontal line 30 is provided. If the waves hit an object within the detection area, the reflected waves return.

[0130] Furthermore, the wider the slit 69, the more electric field components pass through it, and accordingly the electric field components distributed by the reflector 68 are relatively reduced. The radio waves radiated in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and the radio waves radiated toward the opposite side where the area sensor 48 is not provided are based on the electric field components distributed by the reflector 68. Therefore, the slit width is set in balance with the reach of the radio waves radiated based on the distributed electric field components.

[0131] Furthermore, this embodiment is characterized in that there is no slit 69 at the apex of the reflector 68, but a slit 69 is provided halfway up and down. If a slit were provided up to the apex, the electric field reflected by the slit at the apex of the cone and distributed in two directions would not be uniform, and the balance of the radio waves emitted from both openings 70 would be poor. In contrast, the apex of the cone in this embodiment is advantageous because the electric field that hits it is reflected and distributed in a balanced manner to both sides. Furthermore, while providing a slit up to the apex would make manufacturing difficult, providing a apex is also advantageous in that it makes manufacturing easier.

[0132] Furthermore, since there is no slit at the apex of the cone, but there is a slit 69 at the middle of the side of the cone, the magnetic field component easily moves forward, and radio waves can be transmitted farther, which is preferable. As a result of simulation, it was confirmed that the phase of the magnetic field component moving at the upper slit 69 and the lower slit 69 is opposite, and it was confirmed that the phase does not become opposite if slits are provided at all the top and bottom including the apex. The same phenomenon occurs when the electric field components distributed in two directions become opposite phase (the directions of both electric fields are the black arrow directions in Figure 18), and it is presumed that this opposite phase affects the transmission distance of the radio waves to be extended. Also, the dimension of the part where the slit 69 is not provided near the apex is, for example, as shown in Figure 17 (e), the distance t6 along the side of the cone from one end of the apex side of one slit 69 through the apex to one end of the apex side of the other slit 69 is, for example, about 1 / 2λ. The distance from the apex to one end of each slit 69 is about 1 / 4λ.

[0133] Furthermore, a first fin 71 made of metal extends in a direction parallel to the specific direction from the periphery of an opening 70 provided at the two ends of the electric field plane, and a second fin 72 made of metal extends in the opposite direction from the periphery of the opening 70. In this embodiment, the second fin 72 also serves as the frame 65. The second fin 72 also serves as a wall surface connected to the opening 70 of the frame 65.

[0134] The first fin 71 and the second fin 72 have the function of redirecting the electric field radiated from the opening 70 in a 45-degree direction. Without such fins, the spread of the electric field is small, and radio waves cannot be radiated from the opening 70 over a wide range, and directivity is achieved by simply radiating and spreading from the opening 70. In contrast, when the first fin 71 and the second fin 72 are provided, radio waves can be radiated over a wide range because they wrap around to the tip of each fin and start radiating from there. The lengths of the first fin 71 and the second fin 72 are set so that the wide-angle range of radio waves radiated in two directions perpendicular to a specific direction is equal to or greater than a reference angle. If the length of the fins is increased, the wide-angle range is expanded and radiation is performed from the opening 70 over a wide range, but if the fins are expanded too much, the reach of the main lobe radiation is shortened, making it difficult to detect the area in an appropriate range. In addition, if the length is not appropriate, the gain is also reduced. For example, the length may be 1 / 2λ to 1 / 4λ. Furthermore, the length of the second fin 72 is set so that the signal propagates therethrough and radiates backward. The length is set so that the signal resonates at the second fin 72 and propagates backward. The length is set appropriately based on the above range and also considering the resonance. In this embodiment, the length t5 of the first fin 71 is set to about 5 mm, which is about 3 / 8 λ, and the length t4 of the second fin 72 is set to about 9 mm, which is about 3 / 4 λ. In this embodiment, the area sensor 48 is offset toward one end of the main body 11, so that the radiation angle on the second fin 72 side is increased by shortening the length of the first fin 71 and lengthening the length of the second fin 72, thereby enabling radiation to be performed over a wide range forward and backward with respect to the drive recorder 10.

[0135] Also, in contrast to the magnetic field after passing through slit 69, the radio waves emitted from opening 70 have an electric field dominant in the near field, but after traveling a certain distance into the far field, the electric and magnetic fields become uniform, and when the wave hits an object within the detection area, it is reflected back.

[0136] By doing so, it is possible to secure a certain gain, though not as much as the main lobe, in each radiation area of ​​45 degrees or more, and it is possible to secure high gain in two directions perpendicular to the input, and to secure a certain range of gain over a wide angle. Furthermore, by appropriately setting the inclination angle of the two-stage cone-shaped reflector 68, it is possible to obtain a high gain direction for the radio waves radiated from the opening 70 in two directions.

[0137] As described above, the radio waves output from the sensor module 50 are radiated through the slits 69 in the same direction as the specific direction, and are radiated by the reflector and the first fin 71 and second fin 72 in two directions perpendicular to the specific direction and in the opposite direction, so that they can be radiated toward the surroundings of a plane (see the outlined arrows in FIG. 18). By using an antenna with a simple structure, the radio waves radiated from the antenna 51 are radiated toward the surroundings of 360 degrees in the horizontal direction, and a detection area that spreads in the planar direction can be formed around the area sensor 48.

[0138] The antenna 51 of this embodiment is formed by injection molding plastic, which is an example of a dielectric material, forming a body of the above-mentioned predetermined shape, and plating the surface of the body to form a predetermined metal film. In particular, the antenna of this embodiment has a small shape of several centimeters square and a complex shape, so it cannot be manufactured by sheet metal or the like. It can be easily manufactured by injection molding plastic. Moreover, it is good because it is possible to produce a product with the same performance as a metal die-cast product, which is light and relatively inexpensive, by simply plating the surface with metal. Moreover, it is good because the performance is less likely to vary. In particular, resin such as plastic has a higher elasticity than a metal die-cast product, and as described above, it can be fixed in close contact by simply fitting the flange portion 50f of the sensor module 50 without screwing. And, coupled with its light weight, it is good because the antenna 51 will not come off the sensor module 50 even without screwing.

[0139] The metal film may be formed by, for example, nickel plating or nickel chrome plating. The thickness of the metal film may be thicker than the design value obtained by normal calculation. For example, the normal thickness is 3 to 4 μm, but the thickness may be about 1.5 times, for example, about 5 to 6 μm. The thickness of the plastic is about 1 mm. The plating process is performed by roughening the surface of the plastic and forming a metal film. If the film thickness is thin, it is considered that the rough and uneven state of the plastic surface is affected. Therefore, it is considered that the radiation current flowing on the surface is not stable and also flows inside the film. In contrast, in this embodiment, the film thickness is thickened, so that the roughness of the plastic surface is filled, the surface of the metal film becomes uniform, and the radiation current flows almost near the surface, so that the desired characteristics can be exhibited. The film thickness is about 1.5 times, but for example, it is preferable to form a film of the desired thickness from the roughness of the surface that is filled. Although deposition may be performed instead of plating, plating is preferable because it is easy to manufacture.

[0140] [Area sensor drive control] As described above, the area sensor 48 is activated during operation in the event-only recording mode while the vehicle is parked to monitor approaching objects, etc. At this time, the area sensor 48 may be operated continuously to perform constant monitoring, but is operated intermittently due to battery capacity.

[0141] In this embodiment, for example, the sensor is operated intermittently at a cycle of 1 second, and 500 ms operation and 500 ms stop are repeated. Conventional sensors and the like are switched at shorter cycles when operated intermittently, but the area sensor 48 is unstable for a certain period after activation, and has a section in which it cannot be used for object detection. Therefore, if the sensor is switched at a short cycle, the actual operating time during operation that can actually be detected is shortened, and appropriate approach detection cannot be performed. Therefore, the sensor is operated intermittently periodically with an operating period at least as long as the unstable period. The area sensor 48 is disturbed for 250 ms from startup, so it is given the same actual operating period of 250 ms, and in total, it is operated for 500 ms and stopped for 500 m as described above.

[0142] For example, if the target of approach monitoring is a person, the high frequency range is cut off so as not to pick up anything other than human movement. The cutoff frequency is several tens of Hz. For example, the movement of a person peering in is a low frequency of about 5 kHz, and even if a person runs up, the movement is within several tens of kHz. Therefore, by making the high frequency range as described above a dead band, the battery consumption caused by the camera starting to capture images due to false detection of something other than a person is suppressed. For example, if the door of a vehicle parked next to you opens and you collide with it, the movement associated with the opening of the door can be detected if it is several tens of Hz or less.

[0143] [Radiation characteristic pattern of a drive recorder] As described above, the area sensor 48 radiates radio waves in the direction of a predetermined plane and electric field surface with the area sensor 48 as a reference, all around. The radio waves radiated in this way all around pass through the housing 20 and are radiated outside the drive recorder 10. A part of the radio waves radiated from the area sensor 48 passes through the housing 20 as they are and radiates to the outside. For example, the radio waves based on the magnetic field components that pass through the slits 69 of the antenna 51 are radiated as they are from the protrusions 21b, 22b, which are the side surfaces at one end of the housing 20, toward the outside in the axial direction. Most of the radio waves radiated in a wide range from the pair of openings 70 of the antenna 51 pass through the housing 20 and proceed in the direction of radiation.

[0144] As shown in FIG. 13(b) and other figures, the shield case 58 attached to the second circuit board 47 is located close to one side of the second fin 72 of the antenna 51 at a predetermined distance. The electric current of the radio waves radiated from the second fin 72 in the direction opposite to the specific direction is maximized by resonance, so that the radio waves can easily propagate even if there is metal around. That is, if there is a gap, the electric current is maximized, so that the electromagnetic waves cannot be transmitted due to reflection between the metal and the electromagnetic waves. However, the electric current is maximized, so that the shield case 58 also constitutes a transmission path for the electromagnetic waves, and the electromagnetic waves can propagate, and reach the other side surface 22d of the housing 20. The electromagnetic waves are then radiated from the end surface of the shield case 58 toward the side surface 22d, and the radiated radio waves are transmitted through the side surface 22d and radiated to the outside.

[0145] The shield case 58 is placed on only one side, and there is no metal plate equivalent to the shield case on the other side of the second fin 72, as shown in FIG. 13(a) etc. Therefore, radio waves travel backward efficiently only on that one side. Even if only one side is propagated or radiated, the desired level can be obtained and the radio waves can reach the desired area. And it is good to place metal plates equivalent to shielding plates on both sides because this will expand the detection area. The expansion is about 1.8 times, for example.

[0146] In this embodiment, due to the influence of the shield case 58 arranged on only one side, the peak in the direction perpendicular to the side surface 22d is shifted and does not come directly to the side. Also, when using the device, a power cable is connected to the power connector 34, but the radio waves radiated to the outside from the side surface 22d may be attracted to the power cable and affect the radiation pattern. In this case, it is preferable to arrange the power cable closer to the center than the metal plate / shield case 58, since a force acts in the direction returning the radio wave radiation direction to the center. In this embodiment, the power connector 34 is arranged near the center of the side surface 22d, so the power cable connected to it is also preferably routed near the center.

[0147] Furthermore, the camera section 12 and camera unit 87 are located below the main body section 11, and the radiation pattern from the area sensor 48 is within a horizontal plane. As the camera section 12 and camera unit 87 are separated from each other, they do not affect the radiation pattern.

[0148] The first case 21 and the second case 22 are located near the opening 70 of the antenna 51 so as to face the opening 70, and a part of the radio wave is radiated to the case in a state where the case is perpendicular to the radiation surface or curved. Then, when a high-frequency current propagating as a surface wave on the case surface flows through the metal element 75 provided on the side surface 22d as shown by the arrow in FIG. 18, it becomes possible to radiate the electromagnetic wave with a delay with respect to the electromagnetic wave directly radiated from the area sensor 48.

[0149] In this way, it is possible to delay the electromagnetic waves emitted from the housing 20 and the electromagnetic waves emitted from the metal element 75, and it is preferable to arrange it so that it does not affect the radiation characteristics of the mounted antenna. In this way, when the radiation pattern is disturbed due to the complex shape of the housing 20, the shield case 58, etc., it is possible to apply correction at the case without significantly changing the antenna shape. In other words, without affecting the characteristics of the mounted antenna, when the level of the electromagnetic waves emitted directly from the antenna 51 is extremely low or zero, and when a detection area that cannot be reached by direct radiation that radiates the electromagnetic waves with a delay from the metal element 75 is met, the radio waves from the metal element 75 are aligned with the detection area. Therefore, correction can be made on the time axis.

[0150] In addition, the radiation characteristics have some drops in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle due to the electric field, and in the left-to-right direction due to the magnetic field, but since the pillars are in the direction of the drops, there is no practical effect. Furthermore, the radiation characteristic pattern is designed to match the planar shape of the vehicle.

[0151] Second embodiment Ordinary dash cams capture spot images of the front, rear, sides, etc. Recently, some dash cams use hemispherical lenses to capture a hemispherical area of ​​180 degrees vertically and 360 degrees horizontally with a single camera. This type of dash cam that captures a hemispherical area is attached to the ceiling and captures the lower hemispherical area based on the mounting surface. 180 degrees is from ceiling to ceiling, and does not capture anything above (see the range indicated by 180 degrees in Figure 20). As a result, as is clear from Figure 20(a), traffic lights 80 and other objects located above the ceiling are outside the capture range.

[0152] On the other hand, in the case of a drive recorder that is currently in widespread use and shoots a specific direction in a spot manner, the vertical angle of view is about 70 to 90 degrees when viewed from the front. Then, since the angle is about 40 degrees in the upper half, it is sufficient to shoot the range from the ceiling to about 40 degrees above. In addition, when a traffic light 80 is taken as the object to be photographed, it is effective for proving one's own legitimacy, such as driving on a green light, when a collision accident occurs while stopping at an intersection or passing through an intersection. In order to prove that one entered the intersection on a green light, for example, it is necessary to photograph the traffic light 80 in the traveling direction together with the color of the light from a position such as a stop line in front of the intersection. Then, in order to photograph the traffic light 80 under conditions such as the height of the traffic light 80, the width of the road 81 in front of the stop line, and the mounting height of the drive recorder, it is sufficient to photograph the range diagonally upward from 30 degrees to 40 degrees as shown in FIG. 20. Therefore, in this embodiment, the viewing angle of the lens is set to 360 degrees horizontally and 240 degrees vertically. Assuming a vertical angle of 240 degrees, when the drive recorder 10 is mounted on a vehicle and the lens is facing straight down, it can capture a range of 120 degrees in front, which is within the lower limit of 30 degrees from the ceiling mentioned above.

[0153] The resolution of the circular image obtained by shooting is the best in the center and the lowest in the periphery. Therefore, even if a 240-degree lens is used, the periphery becomes small and is not well reflected, and the range that can be recognized as an image is 220 degrees. Since the camera of this embodiment adopts equidistant projection, the area of ​​220 to 240 is optically stretched even if it is included in the effective pixels, and it is difficult for a person to recognize it when looking at it. In addition, since the shooting range is wider than 180 degrees, it is difficult to receive light from the back side of the lens, and even in consideration of this point, it is difficult to see the contents even when looking at the image shot at about 10 degrees and about 20 degrees on both sides. Therefore, if a 220-degree lens is used, the range that can actually be effectively shot is 200 degrees, which is almost a hemisphere. In this embodiment, by using a 240-degree lens, it is possible to shoot without any problems up to a range of 220 degrees.

[0154] If the range is 220 degrees, the range diagonally upward in front is 30 degrees, and the traffic light 80 can be photographed. Therefore, as in the above embodiment, a mechanism for changing the direction of the camera is not necessarily provided, but it is better to provide a mechanism for changing the direction. By changing the direction of the camera, the shooting position on the lens of the traffic light 80 can be positioned toward the center, where the resolution is higher, and a clearer image can be taken.

[0155] [Setting the relationship between the circular area where light passing through the camera lens forms an image (hereafter referred to as the "image circle") and the shooting area of ​​the image sensor] As shown in FIG. 21, an image captured by a lens is a circular image circle. The C-MOS image sensor, which is the imaging element equipped in the camera unit 87, has a rectangular imaging area. Normally, a 180-degree camera captures an image with the diameter of the image circle shown in FIG. 21(a) being equal to the length of the short side of the C-MOS sensor. This allows the entire 180-degree circumference to be captured, but the area outside the image circle is not used for imaging and is wasted. The area not actually used for imaging varies depending on the aspect ratio, but about half of it is wasted. There is a challenge to expand the effective area actually captured by the sensor.

[0156] Therefore, in this embodiment, the diameter of the image circle is set to be equal to or less than the length of the long side of the rectangular shooting area of ​​the C-MOS imaging element, and shorter than the length of the short side. Furthermore, the image captured in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1 is formed in a direction along the long side of the imaging element. Specifically, in this embodiment, the short side direction is set to 180 degrees, the same as in the conventional existing hemispherical camera, and the long side direction is set to 240 degrees, which is the diameter of the image circle. Furthermore, it is preferable to use an imaging element with an aspect ratio of 3:2 for the image sensor.

[0157] If the image circle captured by the lens is larger than the image sensor's shooting area, the image within the overlapping range is actually captured by the C-MOS image sensor. A portion of the image circle is cut out. This reduces the area of ​​the C-MOS image sensor that is not used for shooting, making effective use of the sensor. This also reduces the wasted area outside the image circle, which is good because it allows the subject to be captured in a larger size.

[0158] Furthermore, since the image captured in the forward and backward directions of the vehicle is formed in the direction along the long side of the C-MOS image sensor, all images in the forward and backward directions of the vehicle are included in the image sensor's shooting area, and the scenery in front of the vehicle and the state of the vehicle interior can be captured. Also, the part of the image circle that is outside the shooting area of ​​the image sensor is the area diagonally upward in the left and right directions of the vehicle, so there is no problem. In other words, it is possible to capture a range that is the same as or greater than that of a conventional drive recorder that captures the forward scenery and the rear interior of the vehicle using two cameras, and when capturing an area wider than a hemisphere, for example, the part that is outside the shooting area of ​​the image sensor and cannot receive light is an area where the ceiling of the vehicle is captured and the outside scenery is not captured, so there is no problem even if it cannot be recorded. The advantage of being able to effectively use the image sensor and capture a large image is greater than the disadvantage of not being able to capture part of the left and right directions, so this is good. Furthermore, if the longitudinal direction is 240 degrees, the entire view from the front to the interior of the vehicle is captured, which is good.

[0159] There are various aspect ratios of C-MOS sensors, such as 16:9, 4:3, and 3:2, but in this embodiment, a 3:2 sensor is used. When using a sensor with this 3:2 size, if the short side of the C-MOS sensor is assigned to 180 degrees, the long side can accommodate up to 270 degrees. Since a 240-degree lens is used, if the entire length of the long side of the C-MOS sensor is assigned to 240 degrees, the short side will be about 160 degrees, and in reality, about 140 degrees can be captured. At about 140 degrees, it is difficult to capture the outside of the vehicle, but the inside of the vehicle can be captured, so there is an advantage that a single camera can capture the same or larger range as a drive recorder that uses two cameras to capture the front view and the rear interior of the vehicle, and the capturing area of ​​the C-MOS sensor can be effectively used. In this way, the short side may be less than 180 degrees, and in the above case, the utilization rate is close to 100%.

[0160] However, in the case of 140 degrees, if the drive recorder is installed close to the driver's seat or passenger seat, it becomes difficult to see the other side, so in order to avoid this, it is better to install it near the center. For example, if it is installed on the passenger seat side, only the driver's seat surface will be captured, and at least the driver's face will not be captured. If it is installed on the driver's seat side, the opposite is true. Therefore, this drive recorder is actually convenient for requests to record only one side. Requests to record only one side include, for example, "general users do not want to be recorded, but want to record the situation inside the vehicle other than the one they are in," "passengers want to be recorded from the perspective of crime prevention in taxis, etc.," and "drivers want to be recorded for operational management purposes."

[0161] Also, for tall sedans, the whole vehicle will be easier to see even if you shift the mounting position to the driver's seat or passenger seat side, but for low-riding sports cars, the image will be less visible. For buses, 140 degrees is no problem.

[0162] Also, if you assign a 170-degree horizontal range to the C-MOS sensor's shooting area in the short direction, it will be good because it can capture the interior of the car no matter where it is installed. Furthermore, as mentioned above, if it is 180 degrees, it will capture the entire interior because it will capture the area up to the ceiling, but it is unclear whether it is necessary to go that far. Therefore, it is better to lower the shooting range in the left and right directions of the vehicle to about 170 degrees and widen the angle in the front and rear directions of the vehicle.

[0163] The number of pixels of the image sensor is 0.3M pixels for VGA at the smallest C-MOS, 8M pixels for 4K TV, and 16M pixels for 16K. Compared to a conventional drive recorder that uses an optical lens to shoot only the front spot, an image captured in the same size imaging area of ​​the C-MOS will have a wider range of real space in the image captured with a hemispherical lens or even a lens that captures a wide range of 240 degrees. Therefore, unless a high-resolution C-MOS sensor is used, it will not be possible to view the image at the same resolution as before when it is played back and displayed. If the same C-MOS is used, for example, something that was visible in a conventional drive recorder may become a dot and become unrecognizable in the drive recorder of this embodiment. Therefore, it is recommended to use a high-resolution sensor such as 4K or even 8K.

[0164] As an example, in a pattern that includes the entire image circle shown in Fig. 21(a), the image circle when VGA is used is 2M and 1080, whereas the image circle when 4K is used is 1920 pixels, resulting in an area ratio of approximately 1.7 times. Also, when 8K is used, the image circle is 12M and 2976 pixels, resulting in an area ratio of approximately 2.7 times. In this embodiment, the image is compressed to a resolution of 4M with a 6.8M sensor and recorded.

[0165] [Smartphone integration: Settings] The drive recorder 10 has a short-distance wireless communication function using Bluetooth (registered trademark), and pairs with a smartphone using the communication function. An app compatible with the drive recorder is downloaded to the smartphone in advance, and the app is started to display a setting screen on the display unit of the smartphone. The user operates the setting screen to set the detection sensitivity (10 levels) of the area sensor 48, the impact sensitivity setting, the ON / OFF of the tilt sensor, the ON / OFF of the door opening, etc. Since turning on the drive recorder for setting consumes power, the drive recorder 10 side is made to be able to perform security operations without operating. For this reason, the tilt sensor (G sensor) provided separately for security monitoring such as a microphone sensor and a tilt sensor is turned on when the engine is turned off, and the G sensor of the drive recorder is turned on when the engine is turned on.

[0166] Specific processing and functions for linking with the smartphone are as follows. For example, an application corresponding to the drive recorder is downloaded to the smartphone in advance. When pairing is performed, Bluetooth (registered trademark) of the smartphone is turned on and the application is started. With this start, the application displays an operation button for connection for pairing on the display unit. When it detects that the operation button is touched, the application transmits a signal for pairing and receives a corresponding signal from the drive recorder 10 to establish pairing. When pairing is successful, the application notifies the user of a predetermined result message (for example, "Pairing was successful") by voice and displays, for example, an operation screen shown in FIG. 23(a) on the display unit 91. When pairing is not established after a certain period of time has passed, the application notifies the user of a predetermined result message (for example, "Pairing failed") by voice. In response to this, the user touches the operation button for connection again to establish pairing.

[0167] 23(a), the setting screen includes a setting content display section 92a, a recording mode setting button 92b, a stop button 92c, an area sensitivity setting button 92d, and a version information confirmation button 92e. In addition, a recorder connection button and a smartphone video button are provided at the bottom of the setting screen.

[0168] The setting content display section 92a displays four display items: "operation status", "vehicle battery voltage", "area sensitivity level", and "event recording history number". The "operation status" column shows the current video recording status. In the figure, "area AUT" indicating the type of operation trigger being set and "waiting for monitoring" indicating the transition to approach monitoring mode are displayed. "Vehicle battery voltage" is an area that displays the current vehicle battery voltage ("12.7V" in the example shown in the figure). This battery voltage is displayed based on, for example, information sent from the drive recorder 10. "Area sensitivity level" is an area that displays the currently set area sensitivity. In the figure, 7 / 10 is displayed, indicating that it is level 7 out of 10. "Event recording history number" is an area that displays the number of event records in the approach monitoring mode.

[0169] The recording mode setting button 92b has a "constant recording button" and an "event recording button" on the left and right. These buttons are used when temporarily changing the recording mode during parking recording. For example, when changing the recording mode from "event recording" to "constant recording" during parking recording, the "constant recording button" is touched. The application that detects this touch displays a "recording mode switching confirmation screen" (not shown) and switches to constant recording on the condition that the confirmation button is touched. Also, when recording parking with "event recording" while parking, the "event recording button" is touched. The application that detects this touch displays a "recording mode switching confirmation screen" (not shown) and starts parking recording with event recording on the condition that the confirmation button is touched. The change is reflected only this time, and the mode registered in the mode setting is executed the next time parking recording is performed.

[0170] When the stop button 92c is touched, the app detects it and stops parking recording. When either the "continuous recording button" or the "event recording button" is touched while parking recording is stopped, the corresponding parking recording starts.

[0171] The user operates the setting screen to set the detection sensitivity (10 levels) of the area sensor 48, the impact sensitivity, ON / OFF of the tilt sensor, ON / OFF of door opening, etc. The sensitivity is set as follows. When the area sensitivity setting button 92d is touched, the application that detects it displays a sensitivity setting screen including a sensitivity level display section 93, a sensitivity level adjustment section 94, and a decision button 95, as shown in FIG. 23(b). The sensitivity level display section 93 displays a circular area that shows a schematic representation of the monitoring area around the vehicle, and displays the current sensitivity level in text above. The sensitivity level adjustment section 94 adjusts the level by touching a circular operation button / slider with a finger and sliding it left and right. In this embodiment, the level is adjusted within a range of 1 (near) to 10 (far). When the slider is at the left end, the level is 1, and when the slider is at the right end, the level is 10. As the slider is moved left and right, the application changes the corresponding sensitivity level value. It is also advisable to change the diameter of the circular area surrounding the vehicle according to the change in the sensitivity level. In this way, the smaller the level, the smaller the diameter is displayed, which is good because it allows the sensitivity to be intuitively understood. When the decision button 95 is touched, the sensitivity level set by the sensitivity level adjustment unit 94 at that time is decided, and thereafter, area sensing is performed at the decided sensitivity.

[0172] The video files captured by the drive recorder 10 and stored on the memory card can be handled, for example, by a personal computer. For example, when the memory card is set in a reader / writer connected to the personal computer, the memory card can be accessed from the personal computer, and desired video files can be imported into the personal computer or the imported video files can be transferred to a smartphone.

[0173] The app has a function of playing back the recorded files transferred to the smartphone and stored in the smartphone. For example, when it detects that the "Video in Smartphone Button" located at the bottom of the setting screen shown in FIG. 23(a) etc. is touched, the app searches for the recorded files stored in the smartphone and displays a list (see FIG. 23(c)). The user touches the recorded file he or she wants to play from this list. The app that detects the touch reads out the corresponding recorded file and plays and displays it on the display unit 91 (see FIG. 23(d)). When playing back the recorded file stored in the smartphone, the same processing can be performed as for the video of the recorded file stored in the drive recorder described later.

[0174] The app downloaded to the smartphone has a function of playing back images captured by the drive recorder 10 and stored recording files by connecting to the drive recorder 10 via wireless LAN. Press the record button 33 to stop recording on the drive recorder 10. With recording stopped, the smartphone uses a WiFi connection function to connect to the drive recorder 10 via wireless LAN.

[0175] When the app is started, if the smartphone and the drive recorder 10 are connected via Bluetooth, the setting screen shown in FIG. 23(a) is displayed, and if they are not connected via Bluetooth, a screen prompting connection is displayed. Both screens have a recorder connection button and a smartphone video button below the display unit 91. Then, the user touches the recorder connection button. The app, which detects the touch, displays a list of recorder connection targets shown in FIG. 24(a).

[0176] The user touches the drive recorder 10 to be connected from the list. The app that detects the touch displays a confirmation message as shown in FIG. 24(b) on top of the screen, and when "OK" or "Don't show next time" is touched, the app receives the live video currently being captured by the camera unit 12 and displays it on the display unit 91 of the smartphone (see FIG. 24(c) and the like). Using this live video display function, the angle of the camera unit 12 can be adjusted, for example, as described with reference to FIG. 8.

[0177] Also, as shown in FIG. 24(d), a "main unit recording button" is placed on the lower left side of the area displaying the live video, and a "smartphone recording button" is placed on the right side. When the main unit recording button is pressed, the app sends a recording instruction to the drive recorder 10, and the control unit of the drive recorder 10 receives the instruction and saves the recorded file on the memory card. When the smartphone recording button is pressed, the app saves the captured video directly in the storage memory of the smartphone. At this time, the video is not saved in the drive recorder 10. In this way, the smartphone can be operated to instruct recording of the captured video. This operation is advantageous because it is performed at the user's fingertips and is processed on a screen that is larger than the buttons on the drive recorder 10, improving operability.

[0178] Furthermore, when the smartphone is turned sideways, the app switches to full-screen display of the captured video, as shown in Figure 24(e). The app hides the information display such as the recording time after a few seconds and displays only the video. If the screen is touched while displaying only the video in full-screen display, the app redisplays the information such as the recording time.

[0179] FIG. 25 shows an example of a setting change screen of the drive recorder 10. FIG. 25(a) shows a setting screen of the recording conditions. The figure shows the initial values, the number of recording frames is 15 frames / second, various operation settings are ON, and the G-sensor sensitivity is set to operate at 1.00G or more for each axis. ON / OFF switching is alternately switched between ON and OFF each time the corresponding item is touched. The number of recording frames is determined by the number of selectable frames, for example, "30 frames / second, 15 frames / second, 10 frames / second, 5 frames / second", and is switched each time it is touched. In addition, a pull-down menu list showing the number of selectable frames may be displayed by long pressing, and the selection may be made by touching it. The G-sensor sensitivity is set in 0.1 steps for each axis by moving the "○" slider left and right.

[0180] FIG. 25(b) is a setting screen for the approach monitoring mode using the area sensor 48. The figure shows the initial values, and each item can be changed by touching it. The number of recording frames sets the number of recording frames in the approach monitoring mode, and can be selected from 30 frames / second, 15 frames / second, 10 frames / second, 5 frames / second, and 1 frame / second. The approach monitoring mode transition time sets the time from when the vehicle engine is turned off (ACC OFF) to when parking recording begins, and can be selected from 3 minutes or 5 minutes. The camera standby time sets the time from when the camera is started to when it is stopped, and can be selected from 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, and 4 minutes. The recording time (when the multi-battery is not connected) sets the parking recording time when an external battery / external power supply device is not connected, and can be selected from 30 minutes or 1 hour. Recording time (when multiple batteries are connected) sets the parking recording time when an external battery or external power supply is connected, and can be selected from not used, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours, and 12 hours. Detection voltage setting sets the voltage for the function that turns off the power when the vehicle battery voltage falls below the setting, and can be selected from 12.6V, 12.3V, 12.2V, and 11.9V. The tilt sensor and door open sensor select whether or not to perform detection by each sensor. Impact sensitivity sets the impact sensitivity at the start of event recording, and can be set to OFF or 1 to 10. Microwave sensor area detection sensitivity sets the area detection sensitivity for detecting the intrusion of people, etc. into the detection area detected by the area sensor, and can be set to OFF or 1 to 10. Microwave sensor proximity sensitivity sets the sensitivity for detecting proximity at the start of event recording, and can be set to OFF or 1 to 10.

[0181] The video recorded by the drive recorder 10 can be displayed in conjunction with a map such as Google Maps by using a dedicated viewer software installed in a personal computer. By starting an application program (called a "PC viewer" in this embodiment) installed in the storage unit of the personal computer, the personal computer operates as a display device for the drive recorder. The drive recorder 10 records various information related to the recorded video, such as video and audio captured while driving or parking, as well as date and time information and speed information, in a memory card 36. When a user wants to play back the video recorded in the memory card 36, the user removes the memory card 36 from the memory card slot and sets it in the reader / writer of the personal computer. The started PC viewer is executed, and the video recorded while driving is displayed on the display unit. The specific functions of the PC viewer are as follows.

[0182] 26 shows an example of a display layout displayed on the display unit of a personal computer after the PC viewer is started, a recorded video is selected, and playback is started. On the left side of the display screen 100, from the top, there are a menu bar, a calendar display unit, a playlist display unit 102, a map display unit 103, etc., and in the large area to the right of them, there is arranged a video display area 101 for displaying the video of the selected data. Below the video display area 101, there are an information display unit 105, an acceleration sensor graph / acceleration plot diagram display unit 104, etc.

[0183] Based on the vehicle position information of the loaded image, a map of the surrounding area, for example, Google Maps, is acquired and displayed on the map display unit 103, and the vehicle position icon is moved in conjunction with the map. If the vehicle is not connected to the Internet, the map of the surrounding area is not displayed.

[0184] The acceleration sensor graph / acceleration plot display section 104 is an area that displays data related to recorded acceleration, and is an area that displays the acceleration sensor graph shown in FIG. 26(b) or the acceleration plot shown in FIG. 26(c). The acceleration sensor graph displays the recorded data in a graph of acceleration (vertical axis) and time (horizontal axis). Clicking the + button enlarges the acceleration sensor scale, and clicking the - button reduces the acceleration sensor scale. The zoom buttons at the top zoom in and out on time, and the zoom buttons on the sides zoom in and out on acceleration. The acceleration plot displays the recorded data as a plot of the X and Y axes. Clicking the + button enlarges the acceleration plot, and clicking the - button reduces the acceleration plot.

[0185] A playback screen tool is displayed on the right side of the video display area 101. The PC viewer has a function of changing the display mode by clicking each icon of this playback screen tool. For example, the "fisheye display" shown in FIG. 27(a) is a display mode in which the recorded image is displayed as it is (fisheye state). The "enlarged flat display" shown in FIG. 27(b) is a display mode in which a part is enlarged and displayed on a flat surface. The "panorama display" shown in FIG. 27(c) is a display mode in which the horizontal 360-degree direction is displayed in a single image long in the horizontal direction. The "ring-shaped display" shown in FIG. 27(d) is a display mode in which a panoramic image is displayed in a ring-shaped image. The "dome-shaped display" shown in FIG. 27(e) is a display mode in which a dome-shaped image is displayed. The "180° VR panorama display" shown in FIG. 27(f) is a display mode in which a panoramic image is displayed in VR.

[0186] [Variations] In the above-described embodiment, the area sensor uses a radio wave sensor using microwaves such as quasi-millimeter waves, but the radio waves used may be microwaves, millimeter waves, or other waves other than quasi-millimeter waves. A radio wave motion sensor or quasi-millimeter wave motion sensor that detects the movement of an object may also be used.

[0187] In the embodiment, the ring portion 16 is a continuous ring, but it may be a ring with a portion cut out, such as a C-ring. However, a continuous ring is preferable because it can firmly hold the main body portion 11. Also, the main body portion 11 is detachable from the ring portion 16, but it may be connected to the ring portion 16 in a non-detachable manner.

[0188] In the above-described embodiment, the camera unit 87 is mounted in the camera case 40, and the memory card slot, main CPU, power supply circuit, etc. are mounted in the housing 20 of the main body, but some of these may be provided on the camera case 40 side.

[0189] In the above embodiment, a photography lamp 44 is provided, and the photography lamp is controlled by turning it on and off, and the brightness and luminance of the lamp are fixed, but it is better to change the brightness of the light emitted in response to the surrounding brightness. If it is changed, it is better to change it dynamically. Since the LED will be reflected if it is blinking or PWM controlled, it is better to control it by changing the current value.

[0190] In the above embodiment, the reflector 68 changes in two stages, but it may have three or more stages or a trumpet-shaped curved surface, which is preferable because it is possible to adjust the radiation pattern by widening the radiation range while strengthening the radiation level in a specific direction. Also, if it is not necessary to radiate over a wide range of nearly 180 degrees, it may be a simple cone shape with a single inclination angle on the side. However, in order to perform approach monitoring that detects uniformly in the horizontal plane and detects approaching objects from any direction, it is better to have two stages as in the embodiment.

[0191] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the variation in the mounting direction of the main body 11 on the bracket 13 is aimed at positioning the camera in the center, and another aim is to position it in a place where it is easy to operate. In addition to this, it may be applied to the case where a sensor with a direction is mounted, such as an infrared sensor. In addition, when the detection area is provided in the axial direction of the drive recorder 10, it is good to have a structure where it can be attached from either the left or right side of the bracket, since the mounting mode can be taken according to the situation. In addition, it is good to apply not only to sensors but also to antennas and other things that have asymmetry. For example, in the case of an antenna that transmits Wi-Fi, if there is an antenna with strong directivity on one side based on the location of the parking lot at home and the location of the home, it is installed so that the home is on the side with the strong directivity. In addition, it is good to adjust the mounting method when the amount of light emitted or the type of installation is asymmetric, for example, by providing a light emitting unit, and not limited to sensing or transmission. For example, it is possible to increase the amount of light on the driver's seat side and decrease the amount of light on the passenger seat side, or vice versa, or to emit light toward the side that is easily visible when security is intimidated when parking.

[0192] In the above embodiment, the radiation pattern is such that radio waves are radiated from the antenna 51 and the area sensor 48 to the entire periphery within a plane, but the present invention is not limited to this, and there may be a portion of the periphery where radiation is weak or not radiated. In that case, when the sensor is mounted on a vehicle, it is preferable to make it so that an obstacle such as a pillar is present in the direction of the portion when the outside of the vehicle is viewed from inside the vehicle. In this way, since the outside of the vehicle cannot be photographed in that direction due to the pillar or the like, there is little impact even if radio waves are not radiated, and it is also preferable that radio waves can be transmitted farther in other directions by not radiating radio waves in that direction.

[0193] In the above-described embodiment, the shape of the antenna 51 is set as desired, and the radio waves output from the sensor module 50 are reflected by each portion of the antenna 51 to radiate the radio waves in a desired direction. The present invention is not limited to this, and it is preferable to arrange a reflecting element or the like at an appropriate position separate from the antenna 51 to adjust the radiation pattern.

[0194] For example, a reflecting element is placed at a position a predetermined distance outward from the blocking plates 66 placed above and below. In this way, radiation from the blocking plates 66 can be returned by the reflecting element, and radiation gain in directions other than the up and down direction can be improved. The predetermined distance may be, for example, 1 / 2λ or 1 / 4λ.

[0195] It is preferable to add a reflecting element to one of the openings 70 at a position a predetermined distance outward from the opening 70. In this way, radio waves emitted from the opening on the side where the reflecting element is added are returned by the reflecting element and travel toward the opening 70 on the opposite side. Then, the electromagnetic waves that are split by the reflector 68 and travel toward the opening 70 on the opposite side are combined in phase, which is advantageous because it is possible to improve the gain of the radio waves emitted from the opening 70 on the opposite side.

[0196] Such a reflecting element can be realized, for example, by attaching a metal tape to a predetermined position of the ring portion 16. In particular, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the ring portion 16 is disposed outside the opening 70 of the antenna 51, so that by attaching the metal tape to a predetermined position of the ring portion 16, a configuration can be obtained in which the reflecting element is disposed at a position a predetermined distance away from the opening 70. It is preferable to attach the metal tape to the inner peripheral surface of the ring portion 16.

[0197] Also, by changing the position where the metal tape is attached on the ring portion 16, it is possible to increase the gain of radiation toward the front of the vehicle or toward the interior of the vehicle. Also, the reflecting element to be placed on the outside of the blocking plate 66 described above can be realized by attaching metal tape to a predetermined position on the ring portion 16. Then, multiple types of brackets with metal tape attached to desired positions on the ring portion 16 are prepared. For example, a "bracket for shooting the front and rear," a "bracket for shooting the front center," and a "bracket for shooting the rear center" are prepared, and the user can install the drive recorder 10 using a bracket that suits his or her preference.

[0198] In the above embodiment, the radio wave emission port 50e of the sensor module 50 is a vertically long rectangle, but it may be a circle, and the polarization may be either linear or circular. However, if it is rectangular as in the embodiment, it is preferable because it is easier to match it with the slit 69.

[0199] Although the function of outputting radio waves from the sensor module 50 is configured using a waveguide, the present invention is not limited to this, and power may be supplied using, for example, a microstrip patch structure or a slot structure. In this case, the magnetic field direction should be the vertical direction connecting a pair of upper and lower blocking plates. The patch shape may be rectangular or any other shape. However, if the waveguide type is used as in the embodiment, the relative positional relationship between the antenna 51 and the sensor module 50 / power supply point can be set, fixed, and grounded by, for example, setting the flange portion 50f in the frame body 65.

[0200] In the above-described embodiment, the photographing means is a hemispherical camera or a camera capable of photographing a range wider than a hemispherical camera, such as a single camera mounted on camera unit 12 and capable of photographing a hemisphere or a range wider than a hemisphere. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be an omnidirectional camera capable of photographing the entire sphere of 360 degrees horizontally and 360 degrees vertically, an omnidirectional camera with a detection and photographing range of 360 degrees around, or two cameras arranged in opposite viewing directions to photograph the front and rear. In particular, it is preferable to use a hemispherical camera (including a camera that can photograph a range wider than a hemisphere) or an omnidirectional camera used in the embodiment.

[0201] An omnidirectional camera has a 360° shooting range by, for example, reflecting the surrounding scenery on an omnidirectional mirror attached to the top and capturing the image with a camera attached facing upward. The omnidirectional mirror can have various shapes, such as a cone, a hemisphere, or a parabolic surface. The area near the lower apex of the mirror is captured by the camera facing upward, so the vertical range is about 10 to 15° above and about 55° below the horizontal plane, and the scenery directly below cannot be captured. Therefore, it is not suitable for capturing images of the inside of a vehicle, for example.

[0202] In contrast, a hemispherical camera such as a single camera that captures a hemisphere or a range wider than the hemisphere shown in the embodiment, a camera that can capture a range wider than the hemispherical camera, or a full-sphere camera is configured with a lens having an angle of view of, for example, 360 degrees horizontally and 180 degrees vertically or more, and an image sensor that captures light collected by the lens.The capture range is the 360-degree surroundings and a continuous space of 180 degrees or more in a direction perpendicular to the surrounding direction, so it is preferable that a continuous space can be captured in the front-rear direction, including the inside of a vehicle, for example.

[0203] In the above-mentioned embodiment, an example in which the area sensor is mounted on a drive recorder has been described, but this area sensor may be mounted on various devices and systems other than a drive recorder. For example, the area sensor may be applied to a communication device.

[0204] For example, in the case of a communication robot, which is an example of a device for communication, the area sensor 48 is attached to a predetermined position on the robot body so that the plane is a horizontal plane. The predetermined position may be, for example, a predetermined position on the bottom or the head. In particular, placing it on the bottom is good because it can be mounted without being conspicuous. It can detect the entire horizontal periphery from the robot center, and can detect, for example, when a person enters a room or leaves a room. It can be applied to both self-propelled and fixed robots. Normally, automatic transport robots can only see in one dimension in the direction of movement using a lidar, but this is good because it can see the entire periphery. Since it is an antenna, all you need to do is change the system and detection algorithm to be attached, change it to object detection so that the distance to the object can be known, and it can be used for detection to avoid hitting obstacles.

[0205] Also, for example, in the case of a fixed robot, instead of front and rear like a dashcam, It is advisable to install the antenna 51 so that a pair of openings 70 face the left and right sides of the robot, radiate the main lobe in the left and right directions, and widen the detection range.

[0206] It is also a good idea to implement sensors in communication devices other than robots so that they respond based on the detection output of human movement, approach, departure, etc.

[0207] Also, for example, by setting the detection range of the sensor appropriately, it is possible to detect the movements of a bedridden elderly person and report when they stop moving, when they fall out of bed, or when they wander out of the room and leave the detection range. Since the monitoring area is wide, it is convenient because it can be monitored with one sensor.

[0208] In addition, the direction of the plane of the sensor's detection area is a vertical plane, and the monitoring area is within that vertical plane. Since the radiation pattern is flattened like a kagami mochi (rice cake), there is little horizontal spread. Therefore, if the sensor is placed at a gate, it will not detect the object until it is just before passing through the gate, but it will detect it when it is about to pass through the gate.

[0209] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the basic principle is to radiate radio waves in the entire surrounding area, or the radiation direction is narrowed down to, for example, two directions, and multiple antennas are arranged in a daisy chain to cover the entire area. Adjacent pairs of antennas have different frequencies for transmitting and receiving, and the difference in frequency is detected and converted into opposing detectors. In this case, the shift should be 1 MHz or more. When an object passes between the antennas, it can be detected, and the point from which the object entered or left the area can be detected.

[0210] Various aspects of the present invention have been described above using embodiments and modified examples, but it should be noted that these embodiments and explanations are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but are provided to aid in understanding the present invention.

[0211] The scope of the present invention is not limited to the configurations expressly described in the specification, but also includes combinations of various aspects of the present invention disclosed in this specification. The configurations of the present invention for which a patent is sought are specified in the attached claims, but the applicant intends to include configurations disclosed in this specification in the claims in the future, even if the configurations are not currently specified in the claims. The applicant intends to obtain rights to such portions and combinations by filing amendments, divisional applications, applications for conversion to design registration applications, etc.

[0212] The present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above-mentioned embodiments. The components of each of the above-mentioned embodiments and variations may be arbitrarily selected and combined. Any component of each of the embodiments and variations may be arbitrarily combined with any component described in the means for solving the invention or any component that embodies any component described in the means for solving the invention. We intend to obtain rights to these as well through amendments to this application or divisional applications, etc.

[0213] In addition, we intend to obtain rights to the overall design or partial design by filing a conversion application to a design application. The drawings depict the entire device in solid lines, but they include not only the overall design but also partial designs claimed for some parts of the device. For example, it is a drawing that includes some parts of the device as partial designs, regardless of the parts, as well as a drawing that includes some parts of the device as partial designs. A part of the device may be a part of the device, or it may be 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 parts of the drawings is drawn as a dashed line part. [Explanation of symbols]

[0214] 1: Vehicle 2: Windshield 10:Dashcam 11: Main body 12: Camera section 13: Bracket 16: Ring section 17: Fixed plate part 20: Housing 21: First case 22: Second case 23: Teeth 25: Teeth 26: Nut material 30:Horizontal line 38: Inner case 38c: First tooth on main body side 38d: Second tooth on main body side 40: Camera case 41: First lens holder 42: Second lens holder 42b: Curved section 43: Lens 48: Area sensor 50: Sensor module 50e: Exit port 50f: Flange part 51: Antenna 58: Shield case 65: Frame 66: Shut-off plate 67: Shielding plate 68:Reflector 69: Slit 70: Opening 71: First Fin 72: Second Fin 73: Projection piece 75: Metal elements 86a: First tooth part on the camera side 86b: Second tooth part on the camera side 86c: Locking convex part 87: Camera unit P: Power supply point

Claims

1. A photographing means is provided for photographing an area of ​​at least a hemisphere when the photographing means is attached to a vehicle, The photographing means photographs the front and rear directions of the vehicle in a direction along a long side of an image pickup element having a rectangular photographing area, An electronic device in which an image circle formed by light passing through a lens of the photographing means is such that a peripheral portion of the image circle in a short side direction of the image sensor is positioned outside a pair of long sides of the image sensor.

2. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the image capturing means is configured so that the entire image circle is included in the capturing area of ​​the image sensor in the long side direction of the image sensor.

3. 3 . The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the image of the vehicle in the forward and backward directions is entirely within a capture area of ​​the image sensor, and a part of the image of the vehicle in the left and right directions is outside the capture area of ​​the image sensor.

4. The photographing means is configured to include an obliquely upward direction in a photographing range when attached to the vehicle, 4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the area diagonally upward in the left-right direction of the vehicle is positioned outside a pair of long sides of the imaging element and is outside the imaging area of ​​the imaging element.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the image sensor has an aspect ratio of 3:

2.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the lens is capable of capturing an image of 240 degrees or 220 degrees in the vertical direction.

7. The photographing means is When the camera is installed in the front of the vehicle cabin and in the center of the vehicle in the left-right direction, the faces of the people sitting in the driver's seat and the passenger seat are included in the shooting area. When installed on the passenger side, the face of the person sitting in the passenger seat will be in the shooting area, and the face of the person sitting in the driver's seat will be outside the shooting area. When installed on the driver's side, the face of the person sitting in the driver's seat is included in the shooting area, and the face of the person sitting in the passenger seat is excluded from the shooting area. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

8. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the imaging element is a high-resolution sensor of 4K or 8K.

Images