Image recording device for vehicle, reproducing apparatus, and program

Abstract

To display an image to meet driver's intention only by performing a driving operation by a driver.SOLUTION: Camera image displaying processing performs processing that an image to be displayed on a display device 16 is switched to an image from a rear view camera 13 if an image signal is inputted in an image signal from the rear view camera 13, and the image to be displayed on the display device 16 is switched to an image before switching to the image from the rear view camera 13 if the image signal is not inputted in the image signal from the rear view camera 13. Thereby, only by setting a shift position to a back position by a driver, the image photographed by the rear view camera 13 is displayed on the display device 16 and conditions in rear of a vehicle can be checked by watching the display device 16.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle image recording device and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Drive recorders, which store vehicle status information (forward video, vehicle speed, sudden acceleration / deceleration, etc.) before and after a car accident, provide useful information for investigating car collisions and other accidents, so they are becoming increasingly installed in transportation vehicles such as trucks, and commercial vehicles such as taxis and buses, and are also beginning to be installed in general vehicles.

[0003] This drive recorder is configured to store forward images for a certain period of time before and after an accident or sudden braking, as well as driving data showing the driver's driving operations (brake operation, turn signal operation, driving route, etc.). To briefly explain the configuration for storing video data, a CCD camera or the like constantly captures images of the vehicle and the surroundings from the driver's viewpoint (field of vision), and the captured images are stored in a temporary storage memory such as a ring buffer. The images stored in this temporary storage memory are updated to the latest ones one after another, and past video data is held for a set period of time. On the other hand, a drive recorder is equipped with a sensor such as an acceleration sensor that detects impacts that occur in accidents or during sudden braking or steering, and when the output value of the sensor exceeds a threshold value, it reads out from temporary storage memory video footage from a certain period before the threshold value was exceeded (impact detection) and stores it in non-volatile memory (such as an SD memory card), and after the threshold value is exceeded, it stores video footage taken with a CCD camera or the like directly or via the temporary storage memory in non-volatile memory, thereby providing the function of saving video footage for a certain period before and after the impact as well as the driving data, etc. in non-volatile memory (SD card).

[0004] When an accident occurs, it is possible to clearly prove the legitimacy of the driver based on the vehicle status information (video, etc.) of the vehicle stored in the non-volatile memory. This type of drive recorder is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-321423 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Some of these types of drive recorders have a function of playing back and displaying the recorded images of the surroundings of the vehicle on a display means such as a monitor. Others have a function of acquiring images of the surroundings of the vehicle and displaying the acquired images on the display means. It is necessary to use a remote control or a switch to specify which of these images should be displayed on the display device. This poses a problem in that it is difficult for the driver to switch to a desired image while driving. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is characterized in that (1) in a vehicle video recording device that acquires the vehicle state and multiple vehicle surrounding images, synchronizes the acquired vehicle state and multiple vehicle surrounding images in time, and records them in a recording means as playable data, the device performing control to determine and output a video to be preferentially output to a display means from among the multiple vehicle surrounding images based on the vehicle operation state by the driver.

[0008] According to such a configuration, the image to be preferentially output to the display means is determined and output based on the vehicle operation state by the driver, so the driver does not need to switch images using a remote control or switch while driving.

[0009] The vehicle surroundings image may be an image outside the vehicle, or an image inside the vehicle (for example, inside the passenger compartment).

[0010] (2) In particular, the vehicle operation state by the driver may be a driving state that indicates the direction in which the driver intends to drive the vehicle. In this way, an image of the direction in which the driver intends to drive the vehicle is output, and an appropriate image that matches the driver's intentions is displayed at an appropriate time. For example, the configurations shown in (8) and (9) below may be used.

[0011] (3) The vehicle includes an image generation means for generating an image to be output to the display means, and the image generated by the image generation means includes at least one of an image showing a setting item related to control for determining and outputting an image to be preferentially output to the display means, an image showing the vehicle state recorded in the recording means, at least one of the acquired images of the surroundings of the vehicle, and an image reproduced from at least one of the images recorded in the recording means, and the control for determining and outputting the image to be preferentially output to the display means may be at least one of a control for switching to only that image, a control for switching to an image in which a specified image is superimposed on that image, a control for displaying that image at a larger size than other images, and a control for displaying that image in a more central position on the display means than other images.

[0012] (4) Based on the configuration of (3), the image generation means is configured to generate an image to be output to the display means by executing a computer program, and further, even if generation of an image by execution of the computer program is not possible, when a signal of an image to be preferentially output to the display means is detected, it is preferable to include hardware that performs control to output the image in priority over other images.

[0013] When implementing a function of generating an image by executing a program by a computer, for example, the computer may be in a startup process or may be under a high processing load, making it impossible to generate an image by executing the program by the computer. In such a case, it is difficult to output an image that immediately reflects the vehicle operation state of the driver by executing the program by the computer. However, with this configuration, when a signal of an image to be preferentially output to the display means is detected by the hardware, the image is output in preference to other images, so that the image that is preferentially output to the display means can be displayed, immediately reflecting the vehicle operation state of the driver.

[0014] (5) The control for determining and outputting the image to be given priority to the display means based on the vehicle operation state of the driver may be configured to output the image to the display means when a video signal of the image to be given priority is input, and may be configured to not supply power to a device that outputs the video signal of the image to be given priority when the vehicle operation state of the driver is not in a predetermined operation state, and to supply power to the device that outputs the video signal of the image to be given priority when the vehicle operation state of the driver is in a predetermined operation state.

[0015] According to this configuration, when the vehicle operation state by the driver is not in a predetermined operation state, the video signal of the video to be preferentially output is not output and the video is not displayed on the display means. On the other hand, when the vehicle operation state by the driver is in a predetermined operation state, the video signal of the video to be preferentially output is output and the video is displayed on the display means.

[0016] (6) It is preferable to provide a plurality of video input terminals for inputting the plurality of vehicle surrounding images, and the video input terminal for the image to be preferentially output to the display means may be shaped differently from the video input terminals for the other images, so that it is easy to know which video input terminal the imaging means (e.g., a camera) for the image to be preferentially output should be connected to.

[0017] (7) Based on the configuration of (6), the video input terminal for the video to be preferentially output to the display means and the video input terminal for the other video may be disposed on the same surface of the housing, and an insertion port for the recording medium constituting the recording means may be disposed on the surface opposite to the surface on which these video input terminals are disposed. In this way, the cables connected to the video input terminal do not get in the way when inserting or removing the recording medium from the insertion port. In addition, problems such as catching and pulling out the cables connected to the video input terminal when inserting or removing the recording medium from the insertion port are less likely to occur.

[0018] (8) At least one of the multiple vehicle surrounding images may be a vehicle rear image, and when the driver's vehicle operation state is that the shift position is in reverse, the vehicle rear image may be output preferentially over other images. In this way, the driver can check the situation behind the vehicle by looking at the display means, simply by shifting the shift position in reverse.

[0019] (9) At least one of the multiple vehicle surrounding images is an image of the right side of the vehicle, and at least one of the multiple vehicle surrounding images is an image of the left side of the vehicle, and when the driver's operation state of the vehicle is such that the right turn signal is turned on when the vehicle is traveling at or below a predetermined vehicle speed, control is performed to output the image of the right side of the vehicle in priority over other images, and when the driver's operation state of the vehicle is such that the left turn signal is turned on when the vehicle is traveling at or below a predetermined vehicle speed, control is performed to output the image of the left side of the vehicle in priority over other images.

[0020] In this way, for example, when exiting a parking lot to the left or right, or when trying to turn at an intersection with poor visibility, the image of the surroundings of the vehicle in the direction in which the turn signal is turned on is displayed on the display means when the vehicle speed is below a predetermined speed. Therefore, the driver can easily check the image of the surroundings of the vehicle in that direction without performing any special operation for display in such a situation that requires caution. On the other hand, when the vehicle speed exceeds the predetermined speed, the image of the surroundings of the vehicle in the direction in which the turn signal is turned on is not displayed on the display means. Therefore, the driver does not feel annoyed by the image of the surroundings of the vehicle being displayed on the display means while driving at a speed above the predetermined speed, and does not lose focus on driving operations.

[0021] (10) It is preferable to provide a function of issuing an alarm when a person is captured in the image outputted preferentially to the display means. In this way, when an alarm is issued, avoidance action can be easily and immediately taken, such as stopping the vehicle. In addition, the driver can easily check whether the object of the alarm is an object to be avoided, without performing any special operation, by simply looking at the display means when an alarm is issued. For example, it is preferable to issue an alarm when a person is captured in the image captured by the side camera in the direction in which the turn signal is turned on, or to issue an alarm when a person is captured in the image captured by the backup camera when the vehicle is in reverse position.

[0022] (11) It is preferable to provide a collision detection means for detecting a state equivalent to a vehicle collision, and to record the acquired vehicle state and the multiple vehicle surrounding images in the recording means when a collision is detected by the collision detection means, regardless of the image being output to the display means. In this way, it is possible to reliably record the multiple vehicle surrounding images at the time of a collision.

[0023] (12) It is preferable that the acquired vehicle state and the plurality of vehicle surrounding images are recorded in the recording means regardless of the image being output to the display means. In this way, the plurality of vehicle surrounding images at the time of a collision can be reliably recorded.

[0024] (13) A collision detection means for detecting a state equivalent to a vehicle collision may be provided, and when a collision is detected by the collision detection means, the image output to the display means may be preferentially recorded in the recording means. In this way, an image that is likely to record the moment of the collision can be reliably recorded. In particular, the configuration based on the configuration of (2) is effective in that an image in the direction in which the driver intends to drive the vehicle can be recorded.

[0025] (14) When an image to be preferentially output to the display means is determined from among the multiple vehicle surrounding images based on the vehicle operation state by the driver, the image may be recorded in the recording means as the reproducible data. For example, based on the configuration of (9), when the vehicle speed is slower than a predetermined value and the turn signal is turned on, the image from the side camera may be displayed on the interior monitor, and recording may be performed at the timing when the turn signal is turned on.

[0026] (15) When reproducing the data of the image of the surroundings of the vehicle recorded in the recording means, it is preferable to provide a function of reproducing the image by inverting it horizontally or vertically. In this way, even if the camera that captures the image of the surroundings of the vehicle is installed upside down, the image can be reproduced in the correct orientation. In addition, for example, an image captured by a rearview camera that outputs a video signal of a horizontally inverted image can be reproduced by inverting it horizontally.

[0027] (16) The vehicle operation state by the driver, the acquired vehicle state, and a plurality of images of the vehicle surroundings may be synchronized in time and recorded in a recording means as reproducible data. For example, by recording the shift position as the vehicle operation state by the driver, it is possible to record whether the vehicle has been hit while backing up, whether the engine brake is applied on a downhill slope, whether the vehicle is stopped, or whether the vehicle is in neutral or park (ECO driving). You can find out things like:

[0028] (17) It is preferable that information indicating the image preferentially output to the display means, the vehicle operation state by the driver, the acquired vehicle state, and a plurality of vehicle surrounding images are synchronized in time and recorded in a recording means as reproducible data.

[0029] (18) A playback device for playing back data recorded in the recording means by the vehicle video recording device according to any one of (1) to (17), may have a function of playing back the video by inverting it horizontally or vertically when playing back the data of the vehicle surroundings video recorded in the recording means. The playback device may be, for example, a device that is mainly installed outside the vehicle, like a personal computer, or may be configured as a function of a navigation device or the like that is installed inside the vehicle.

[0030] (19) A playback device that plays back data recorded in the recording means by the vehicle video recording device described in (17) may be configured to perform a predetermined display showing the video that is preferentially output to the display means from among multiple vehicle surroundings videos being played back, based on information showing the video that is preferentially output to the display means. In this way, it is easy to know which video was displayed on the display means when playing back the video on the playback device later. (20) The present invention can be configured as a program for causing a computer to realize the functions of the playback device described in (18) or (19). Effect of the Invention

[0031] According to the present invention, the driver does not need to perform any special operations such as switching images using a remote control or switch while driving, but can have an image that matches the driver's intention displayed on the display means by simply performing driving operations. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0032] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a drive recorder according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a diagram showing the connection relationship between a main unit of the drive recorder and each part. FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a perspective view showing the front and rear of a main unit of the drive recorder. FIG. [Figure 4] 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating a method of inserting a memory card into a main unit and an example of mounting the main unit to a vehicle. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a front view camera is attached to a vehicle. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating an example of how an additional camera is installed and the configuration of the camera. [Figure 7] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a state in which a rear view camera is attached to a vehicle and a capturing range of the rear view camera. [Figure 8] 4A to 4C are diagrams illustrating a method of supplying power to a rearview camera. [Figure 9] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating an example of a configuration of a remote control and an example of a mounting position of the remote control in a vehicle. [Figure 10] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating an example of display content when an image from a camera is displayed on a display device. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of display content displayed on a display device during playback. [Figure 12] 13 is a display example of a playback screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0033] 1 to 9 are diagrams showing the configuration of a drive recorder as a vehicle video recording device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 1 being a functional block diagram, and Fig. 2 being a device configuration diagram.

[0034] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the device comprises a main unit 1 (hereinafter also referred to as the main body) equipped with a control unit 10, and a remote control 11, a GPS unit 12, a rear-view camera 13, an additional camera 14, a front-view camera 15, a display device 16, a built-in microphone 17, an external microphone 18, a memory card slot 19, an acceleration sensor 20, and a speaker 21, which are connected to the control unit 10 of the main unit 1.

[0035] 2, 3(a), etc., the front of the main unit 1 is provided with an AV output terminal 16b which is a terminal for outputting a video signal and an audio signal to the display device 16, a microphone terminal 18b which is a terminal for inputting an audio signal from an external microphone 18, an SD card slot 19b (corresponding to the memory card slot 19 in FIG. 1), and a slide lever 19c for locking and fixing the SD card when the SD card 2 (see FIG. 4(a)) is inserted into the SD card slot 19b. The slide lever 19c is for locking the SD card 2 when the SD card 2 is inserted, and is structured such that, as shown in FIG. 4(a), the slide lever 19c is moved to the left to insert the SD card 2 into the SD card slot 19b, and when the slide lever 19c is released, the slide lever 19c returns to its original position (FIG. 4(a)) to lock the SD card 2.

[0036] 3(b), the rear surface of the main unit 1 (the surface opposite to the front surface) is provided with a vehicle signal connection terminal 40b, a remote control connection terminal 11b, a GPS unit connection terminal 12b, a rearview camera connection terminal 13b, an additional camera connection terminal 14b, and a frontview camera connection terminal 15b, each of which is connected to the control unit 10. An opening is provided on the top surface of the main unit, and a built-in microphone 17 connected to the control unit 10 is provided inside the opening.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 2, each of these terminals is connected to a corresponding connector, and connected to a corresponding device (each part) via a cord (cable) connected to each connector. That is, the control unit 10 is connected to the display device 16 via the AV output connector 16a connected to the AV output terminal 16b, and to the external microphone 18 via the microphone connector 18a connected to the microphone terminal 18b. The control unit 10 is also connected to the vehicle brake lamp line 33, the vehicle left turn signal line 32, the vehicle right turn signal line 31, the vehicle speed signal line 30, the vehicle earth line, and the vehicle ACC system power supply via the vehicle signal connection connector 40a connected to the vehicle signal connection terminal 40b. Also, control unit 10 is connected to remote control 11 via remote control connection connector 11a connected to remote control connection terminal 11b, to GPS unit 12 via GPS unit connection connector 12a connected to GPS unit connection terminal 12b, to rearview camera 13 via rearview camera connection connector 13a connected to rearview camera connection terminal 13b, to additional camera 14 via additional camera connection connector 14a connected to additional camera connection terminal 14b, and to frontview camera 15 via frontview camera connection connector 15a connected to frontview camera connection terminal 15b. Frontview camera connection terminal 15b and additional camera connection terminal 14b are mini-pin jacks, and rearview camera connection terminal 13b is an RCA terminal, and the two terminals have different shapes.

[0038] The main unit 1 is installed inside the vehicle. For example, as shown in FIG. 4(b), it is installed in a position near the driver's seat where the driver can easily remove the SD card 2 and where the cables connected to the above-mentioned terminals do not interfere with driving operations. For example, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the bottom surface is attached and fixed to the center console located to the left front of the driver's seat or the under cover of the instrument panel using double-sided tape. At this time, the main unit is installed with the front side of the main unit facing to the right side of FIG. 4(b) and the back side of the main unit facing to the left side.

[0039] Front view camera 15 is a camera for capturing images in front of the vehicle, and outputs an NTSC signal as a video signal for the captured image. As shown in FIG. 5, front view camera 15 is fixed to the windshield inside the vehicle cabin with double-sided tape so that the lens faces in the direction of travel to capture images in front of the vehicle. The fixed position is within 20% of the entire windshield from the top of the windshield inside the vehicle cabin (the range indicated by symbol d in the figure). Power for front view camera 15 is supplied from control unit 10.

[0040] The additional camera 14 is a camera that can be attached at any position to capture images of the vehicle periphery, and outputs an NTSC signal as a video signal of the captured image. For example, as shown in Fig. 6(a), the additional camera 14 is fixed to the windshield inside the vehicle with double-sided tape, facing the interior direction (from the windshield to the rear of the vehicle) as the capture direction. The power of the additional camera 14 is supplied from the control unit 10.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 6(b), the additional camera 14 has a normal image mode in which the captured image is output as is, and a mirror image mode in which the captured image is output after being inverted left and right, and has a setting switch 14s for setting the mode. The additional camera 14 switches between the normal image mode and the mirror image mode according to the state of the setting switch 14s, and outputs a corresponding video signal. For example, it is recommended to set the normal image mode when capturing an image in the forward direction of the vehicle, and the mirror image mode when capturing an image in the interior direction or the rear direction of the vehicle.

[0042] The rear view camera 13 is a camera for photographing the rear of the vehicle, and outputs an NTSC signal as a video signal of the photographed image. The rear view camera 13 is installed near the license plate on the outside of the back door of the vehicle, as shown in Figs. 7(a) and (b), for example. The angle of view photographed by the rear view camera 13 is shown in Figs. 7(c) and (d). Fig. 7(c) is a diagram showing the state of the vehicle as seen from the top side of the vehicle, and shows the angle of view in the left-right direction when displayed on the display device 16, which is 60 degrees left and right with respect to the photographing direction (120 degrees overall). Fig. 7(d) is a diagram showing the state of the vehicle as seen from the side of the vehicle, and shows the angle of view in the up-down direction when displayed on the display device 16, which is 43 degrees left and right with respect to the photographing direction (86 degrees overall).

[0043] The wiring of the power supply for the rearview camera 13 and the wiring of the video signal from the rearview camera 13 will be described with reference to FIG. 8. The power supply for the rearview camera 13 is supplied from the positive wiring 93 of the reverse lamp of the vehicle. That is, the positive wiring 93 of the reverse lamp and the power line 81 are connected by an electrotap 80, and are connected to the power line of the rearview camera 13 via the power line 81 and a fuse 82. The positive wiring 93 of the reverse lamp of the vehicle is connected to one end of the reverse lamp and one end of a back position switch 92 of the shift lever, the other end of the reverse lamp 94 is connected to the negative terminal of the battery, and the other end of the back position switch 92 is connected to the positive terminal of the battery. One end of the ground line 83 is connected to an existing unpainted screw of the vehicle, and the other end is connected to the ground line of the rearview camera 13, and the unpainted screw of the vehicle is connected to the negative terminal of the battery 91. The back position switch 92 of the vehicle is configured to be turned on when the shift lever is in the back position and turned off when the shift lever is not in the back position. As a result, while the shift lever is in the reverse position, a current flows through the positive wiring 93 of the vehicle's reverse lamps, and the reverse lamps 94 are turned on. At this time, power is supplied to the rearview camera 13 from the electrotap 83 via the power line 81 and the fuse 82. The rearview camera 13 outputs a video signal while power is being supplied. This video signal is input to the control unit 10 via the rearview camera connection connector 13a connected to the rearview camera connection terminal 13b. On the other hand, while the shift lever is in a position other than the reverse position, no current flows through the positive wiring 93 of the vehicle's reverse lamps, the reverse lamps 94 are turned off, and power is not supplied to the rearview camera 13. As a result, while the shift lever is in a position other than the reverse position, the rearview camera 13 does not output a video signal, and the video signal from the rearview camera 13 is not input to the control unit 10 either.

[0044] The GPS unit 12 is installed in a front position on the dashboard and receives GPS signals, determines the current position from the received GPS signals, and sends position information (longitude, latitude, etc.) of the determined current position to the control unit 10 as NMEA format data.

[0045] As shown in Fig. 9(a), the remote control 11 includes a first button 11p, a second button 11q, a third button 11r, a first lamp 11x, and a second lamp 12y. As shown in Fig. 9(b) for three installation patterns, the remote control 11 is fixed by attaching the back side of the remote control 11 to a position that is easy for the driver to operate, such as a center console or an undercover of an instrument panel, using double-sided tape. The display device 16 is a liquid crystal monitor that receives and displays an NTSC signal, such as a car navigation system or a car television.

[0046] The acceleration sensor 20 is provided inside the main unit 1 and is connected to the control unit 10. After the main unit 1 is fixed to the vehicle (for example, after being fixed as shown in FIG. 4(b)), the control unit 10 performs an initial setting when it detects that both the first button 11p and the second button 11q of the remote control 11 are pressed simultaneously for 2 seconds or more. This initial setting is a setting process in which the vehicle is moved forward and backward in a straight line, the acceleration sensor 20 detects the direction of acceleration generated when the vehicle is moved forward and backward, and detects the correspondence between the three axes (x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis) of the acceleration sensor 20 and the forward and backward directions of the vehicle, and thereafter, the acceleration sensor 20 outputs values ​​in which the forward and backward directions of the vehicle are the X-axis, the left and right directions of the vehicle are the Y-axis, and the up and down directions of the vehicle are the Z-axis. The forward direction is the positive direction of the X-axis, the left direction is the positive direction of the Y-axis, and the upward direction is the positive direction of the Z-axis. A known method can be used for such an initial setting method. The speaker 21 is provided inside the main unit 1 and is connected to the control unit 10.

[0047] The control unit 10 includes a microcomputer having a CPU, ROM, RAM, flash memory, various peripheral circuits, interfaces, etc., and is connected to each unit described in FIG. 1 via an interface that inputs or outputs signals. When the vehicle's ACC is turned on, the control unit 10 is supplied with power and starts operating. The control unit 10 uses a boot loader recorded in the ROM to expand the OS and application programs recorded in the flash memory onto the RAM, and executes the OS and application programs on the RAM to perform various processes described below and realize various functions. The OS is a multitasking OS, and realizes parallel processing by switching and executing various application programs.

[0048] After power is turned on, the control unit 10 periodically acquires the NMEA data from the GPS unit 12 and the signal states of the acceleration sensor 20, brake lamp line 33, left turn signal line 32, and right turn signal line 31 as vehicle status information, and performs a data and signal status recording process in which this data and signal status is recorded in a file on the memory card 2 inserted in the memory card slot 19 at a predetermined time interval (e.g., 30 times per second).

[0049] In addition, the control unit 10 acquires images from the front view camera 15, the rear view camera 13, and the additional camera 14 as multiple vehicle surrounding images, performs a camera image display process to display them on the display device 10, and performs a video and audio recording process to record these vehicle surrounding images on the memory card 2 as playable data by temporally synchronizing the vehicle state recorded by the data and signal state recording process with the vehicle surrounding images.

[0050] The control unit 10 includes, as peripheral circuits, a video capture circuit that captures NTSC signals from the front view camera 15, the rear view camera 13, and the additional camera 14 into a RAM as video data. The control unit 10 also includes, as peripheral circuits, a video memory (VRAM) and the like, and an image generation circuit that outputs drawing data drawn in the video memory as an NTSC signal to the display device 16 via an electronic switch, which will be described later.

[0051] After the power is turned on, the control unit 10 transfers each captured image data to the video memory as needed and performs a camera image display process to display the data on the display device 16. The camera image display process performs a process of outputting the image of the front view camera 15 to the display device 16 as a default process. In addition, when the camera image display process detects that the first button 11p of the remote control 11 is pressed, the image to be transferred to the video memory and displayed on the display device 16 is switched in the order of the image of the front view camera 15, the additional camera 14, and the rear view camera 13. For example, if the driver presses the first button 11p twice after starting up the device and the shift position is in reverse, the image captured by the rear view camera 13 will be displayed in the display area 16a of the display device 16 as shown in FIG. 10. In addition, in the camera image display process, when a video signal is input to the video signal from rearview camera 13, the image to be transferred to the video memory and displayed on display device 16 is switched to the image from rearview camera 13, and when the video signal is no longer input to the video signal from rearview camera 13, the image to be transferred to the video memory and displayed on display device 16 is switched to the image before being switched to the image from rearview camera 13.

[0052] In this way, the driver only needs to shift the gear shift into reverse, and the image captured by the rearview camera 13 is displayed in the display area 16a of the display device 16, as shown in Fig. 10, allowing the driver to check the situation behind the vehicle by looking at the display device 16. In this way, the control unit 10 determines and outputs the image to be preferentially output to the display device 16 based on the vehicle operation state by the driver, so the driver does not need to switch images using the remote control 11 while operating the vehicle, and an image of the direction in which the vehicle will be driven is output, and an appropriate image that matches the driver's intentions is displayed at the appropriate time.

[0053] The video and audio recording process is a process in which, after the power is turned on, audio acquired from built-in microphone 17 and audio data acquired from external microphone 18 are recorded together with each of the video data captured by front view camera 15, rear view camera 13, and additional camera 14. For each of the video data from front view camera 15, rear view camera 13, and additional camera 14, the audio data acquired from built-in microphone 17 is set as the left channel, and the audio data acquired from external microphone 18 is set as the right channel, and the data is encoded in MPEG format and recorded into three files.

[0054] The file names of the signal state file recorded in the data / signal state recording process and the three MPEG files recorded in the video / audio recording process are recorded using the date and time when each file started to be recorded in each process from the real-time clock (clock) provided as a peripheral circuit of the microcomputer. Therefore, by reading out the date and time of this file name, it is possible to identify the position where the data of each file was recorded at the same date and time. Therefore, it is possible to perform a playback process that plays back these files while synchronizing them in time. The recording of these files is terminated when the supply of ACC power to the main body is cut off. The control unit 18 is equipped with a backup power supply having a battery that operates the control unit 18 and each connected unit for the time (5 seconds) required to end the recording of the file when the ACC power supply is cut off, and when the cutoff of the ACC power supply is detected, the OS notifies the recording process, and the end process of recording all files is executed. Therefore, each recording file is generated between the time when the power is turned on by the ACCON of the vehicle and the power is turned off by the ACCOFF.

[0055] When the control unit 10 detects a long press (continuous press for 2 seconds or more) of the second button 11q on the remote control 11, it starts a playback process for playing back the video and audio from the front view camera 15 from the beginning of the MPEG file currently being recorded (starts so-called catch-up playback, which plays back while recording). For a certain period of time (5 seconds) from the start of the playback process, as shown in Fig. 11, operation help 82, camera information 85 of the played video, playback status 84, and played video date and time 83 are displayed superimposed on the playback video 81. These displays are also displayed for a predetermined period of time (3 seconds) if pressing of any button on the remote control 11 is detected during the playback process.

[0056] The operation help 82 indicates what processing is performed when a button on the remote control 11 is pressed. As shown in FIG. 11, the correspondence between the button positions on the remote control 11 and the processing contents in a state where the remote control 11 in FIG. 9 is rotated 45 degrees clockwise is shown, and it indicates that when a button shown in black in the figure is pressed, the processing described in characters to the right of it is executed. For example, in FIG. 11, the button shown in black in the schematic diagram of the remote control 11 to the left of the part drawn as "play / stop / slow" corresponds to the second button 11q, and indicates that each time pressing only the second button 11q is detected, the screen display processing (i.e., the playback processing contents of the control unit 10) switches in the order of play → stop → slow. The current state of the screen display processing is displayed in the playback state 84 as "playing", "stopped", or "slow". In addition, information indicating which camera recorded the currently played video is displayed as camera information 85. Camera information 85 displays "CAM1" when video of a file recorded by front view camera 15 is displayed, "CAM2" when video of a file recorded by additional camera 14 is displayed, and "REAR" when video of a file recorded by rear view camera 13 is displayed. Playback video date and time 83 is an area that displays the date and time of the video of the currently displayed file, and displays the recording date and time of the beginning of the file obtained from the file name and the recording date and time of the currently displayed frame based on the frame information of the file.

[0057] During playback processing, if pressing only the first button 11p is detected, the file being played is switched, and video is played from the frame with the same date and time as the currently played frame. In this way, even if the file being played is switched, the video is displayed as continuous in time. As a result, the playback video date and time 83 also progresses continuously, even if the file being played is switched. If pressing of only the third button 11r is detected during the playback process, the playback process is ended and camera image display process is performed (end of playback).

[0058] If simultaneous pressing of the second button 11q and the third button 11r is detected during playback processing, the file being played is switched from the currently played file to the file one file older. That is, the file name is referenced, and the file recorded one file before the currently played file is identified from the date and time included in the file name, and the video is played from the beginning of that file. If there is no file older than the currently played file, the currently played file is played from the beginning.

[0059] If simultaneous pressing of the first button 11p and the second button 11q is detected during playback processing, the file being played is switched from the currently played file to the newer file. That is, the file name is referenced, and the file recorded one file after the currently played file is identified from the date and time included in the file name, and the video is played from the beginning of that file. If there is no file newer than the currently played file, the currently played file is played from the beginning.

[0060] In this way, by operating remote control 11, it is possible to switch between the images from front view camera 15, additional camera 14, and rear view camera 13 and display a desired current image on display device 16, or to play back images captured by front view camera 15, additional camera 14, and rear view camera 13 and already recorded on memory card 2, and to switch between the played back images from front view camera 15, additional camera 14, and rear view camera 13 and display a desired past image on display device 16. Control unit 10 performs control to switch between at least one image among the acquired images around the vehicle or at least one image recorded on memory card 2 to only the played back image.

[0061] In this embodiment, the control unit 10 performs control to switch at least one of the acquired vehicle surroundings images and at least one of the images recorded on the memory card 2 to only the reproduced image, but the control unit 10 may further display an image showing a setting item related to control to determine and output an image to be preferentially output to the display device 16, and an image showing the vehicle state recorded on the memory card 2. Furthermore, the control to determine and output an image to be preferentially output to the display device 16 is control to switch to only that image, but it may further be at least one of control to switch to an image in which a predetermined image is superimposed on that image, control to display that image in a size larger than other images, and control to display that image in the center of the display device 16 rather than other images.

[0062] According to the process of this embodiment, regardless of the image being output to display device 16, the acquired vehicle state and a plurality of images of the surroundings of the vehicle acquired from front view camera 15, rear view camera 13, and additional camera 14 are recorded in memory card 2. In this way, a plurality of images of the surroundings of the vehicle at the time of a collision can be reliably recorded.

[0063] In this embodiment, the video is recorded continuously from ACCON to ACCOFF. However, the video may be recorded on the memory card 2 without recording continuously, or when the acceleration sensor 20 detects a state corresponding to a vehicle collision, the vehicle state and the video around the vehicle acquired from the front view camera 15, the rear view camera 13, and the additional camera 14 may be recorded on the memory card 2 regardless of the video output to the display device 16. In this way, it is possible to reliably record a plurality of videos around the vehicle at the time of the collision. In addition, when a collision is detected, the video output to the display device 16 may be preferentially recorded on the memory card 2. In this way, it is possible to reliably record a video that is likely to record the moment of the collision.

[0064] In this embodiment, the image of the rear view camera 15 that captures the rear of the vehicle is recorded, but any image may be recorded. In addition, any state may be acquired and recorded as the operation state of the vehicle. For example, side cameras that acquire the image of the right side of the vehicle and the image of the left side of the vehicle are provided, and the control unit 10 is connected to an in-vehicle LAN. When the control unit 10 detects that the right turn signal is turned on at a vehicle speed below a predetermined vehicle speed (for example, below 10 km / h) from packets flowing through the in-vehicle LAN as the operation state of the vehicle by the driver, the control unit 10 controls the output of the image of the right side of the vehicle in preference to other images, while when the control unit 10 detects that the left turn signal is turned on at a vehicle speed below a predetermined vehicle speed (for example, below 10 km / h), the control unit 10 controls the output of the image of the left side of the vehicle in preference to other images. In this way, for example, when exiting a parking lot in either the left or right direction, or when trying to turn at an intersection with poor visibility, the image of the surroundings of the vehicle in the direction in which the turn signal is turned on at a vehicle speed below a predetermined vehicle speed is displayed on the display unit 16. Therefore, in such a situation requiring attention, the driver can easily check the vehicle surroundings image in that direction by looking at the display device 16 without performing any special operation for display. On the other hand, when the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined speed, even if the blinker is turned on, the vehicle surroundings image in the direction where the blinker is turned on is not displayed on the display device 16. Therefore, the driver does not feel annoyed or lose concentration when the vehicle surroundings image is displayed on the display device 16 while driving at a speed higher than the predetermined speed. In addition, the control unit 10 may be configured to record the image to be preferentially output to the display device 16 from among multiple vehicle surroundings images based on the vehicle operation state by the driver on the memory card 2 as reproducible data. For example, when the vehicle speed is slower than a predetermined value and the blinker is turned on, the image from the side camera may be displayed on the interior monitor, and recording may be performed at the timing when the blinker is turned on.

[0065] It is advisable to provide a function for playing back the image data of the vehicle surroundings recorded on the memory card 2 by inverting the image horizontally or vertically. In this way, even if the camera that captures the image of the vehicle surroundings is installed upside down, the image can be played back in the correct orientation. Also, for example, an image captured by a rear view camera that outputs a video signal of a horizontally inverted image can be played back by inverting the image horizontally.

[0066] It is preferable to configure the vehicle operation state by the driver, the acquired vehicle state, and multiple vehicle surroundings images to be recorded on the memory card 2 as reproducible data in a time-synchronized manner. For example, by recording the shift position as the vehicle operation state by the driver, it is possible to know whether the vehicle collided while backing up, whether the engine brake was applied on a downhill slope, whether the vehicle was stopped, whether the vehicle was in neutral or parking (ECO driving), etc. Then, it is preferable to perform a process of recording information indicating the image preferentially output to the display device 16, the vehicle operation state by the driver, the acquired vehicle state, and multiple vehicle surroundings images in a time-synchronized manner as reproducible data on the memory card 2.

[0067] In this embodiment, the camera image display process is performed by executing a program on a computer to generate an image to be output, but even if the image cannot be generated by executing a program on a computer, it is preferable to provide hardware that controls the output of the image in priority over other images when a signal of an image to be preferentially output to display device 16 is detected. That is, control unit 10 further includes an electronic switch (image signal selector) that controls the output of the image from rearview camera 13 in priority over the images from frontview camera 15 and additional camera 14 when the shift position is in reverse. A video signal line from rearview camera 13 and an output line from an image generation circuit of control unit 10 are connected to this electronic switch, and when a video signal is input to the video signal from rearview camera 13, the electronic switch outputs the video signal from rearview camera 13 to display device 16, and when a video signal is not input to the video signal from rearview camera 13, the electronic switch outputs the output from the image generation circuit to display device 16. Also, a signal indicating whether or not a video signal is being input from rearview camera 13 is output to a microcomputer provided in control unit 18, and if a signal indicating that a video signal is being input to the video signal from rearview camera 13 is detected during the above-mentioned playback process, the playback process is paused. With the configuration shown and described in Fig. 8, while the shift lever is in a position other than the reverse position, the video signal from rearview camera 13 is not input to the electronic switch of control unit 10, and while the shift lever is in the reverse position, the video signal from rearview camera 13 is input to the electronic switch of control unit 10.

[0068] In this way, the driver can immediately check the situation behind the vehicle by looking at the display device 16 simply by shifting the shift position to reverse. In this way, the control unit 10 determines and outputs the image to be preferentially output to the display device 16 based on the vehicle operation state by the driver, so the driver does not need to switch images with the remote control 11 while driving, and an image of the direction in which the vehicle will be driven is output, and an appropriate image according to the driver's intention is displayed at an appropriate timing. Since the camera image display process is realized by executing a program by the microcomputer, there are cases in which it is not possible to generate an image by the camera image display process, for example, when the microcomputer is in the process of starting up the OS or the processing load of the microcomputer is high. In such a state, it is difficult to immediately reflect the vehicle operation state by the driver and output the image of the rearview camera 13 by the camera image display process. However, when the electronic switch (hardware) detects the signal of the image from the rearview camera 13, the image from the rearview camera 13 is output with priority over other images, so that the image from the rearview camera 13 can be displayed on the display device 16 while immediately reflecting the vehicle operation state by the driver.

[0069] Furthermore, the control unit 10 may determine whether or not a person is captured in the image preferentially output to the display device 16, such as the image of the rearview camera 13, by performing a pattern matching process on the image data acquired from the rearview camera 13, and if the image matches a pattern corresponding to a person, may perform a process of emitting an alarm sound from the speaker 21. In this way, when the alarm sound is sounded, it is possible to easily and immediately take evasive action, such as stopping the vehicle. Furthermore, the driver can easily check whether the object of the alarm is an object to be avoided, without performing any special operation, by simply looking at the display device 16 when the alarm sound is sounded. For example, when a person is captured in the image of the side camera in the direction in which the turn signal is turned on, an alarm sound may be sounded, or when a person is captured in the image of the back camera when the vehicle is in reverse position, an alarm sound may be sounded.

[0070] In this embodiment, the rearview camera connection terminal 13b, which is an input terminal for a rearview image that is output preferentially to the display device 16, is an RCA terminal, while the frontview camera connection terminal 15b and the additional camera connection terminal 14b, which are video input terminals for other images, are mini-pin jacks with different shapes. In this way, it is easy to know which video input terminal the camera (rearview camera 13) for the video that is output preferentially should be connected to. The rearview camera connection terminal 13b, the frontview camera connection terminal 15b, and the additional camera connection terminal 14b are arranged inside the rear of the main unit 1, and a memory card slot 19, which is an insertion port for the memory card 2, is provided on the front of the main unit 1, which is the surface opposite to the surface on which these video input terminals are provided. In this way, the cables connected to the video input terminals do not get in the way when inserting the memory card 2 into the memory card slot 19 or removing it from the memory card slot 19. Furthermore, when inserting the memory card 2 into the memory card slot 19 or removing it from the memory card slot 19, problems such as catching and pulling out cables connected to the video input terminal are less likely to occur.

[0071] The data recorded on the memory card 2 can be played back by removing the memory card 2 from the memory card slot 19, inserting it into a personal computer, and using a program on the personal computer. Processing by the program on the personal computer causes a viewer screen 100, for example, as shown in Fig. 12 to be displayed. As shown in Fig. 12, the viewer screen 100 includes a menu bar 101, a display area 102, a display switching button 103, a volume knob 104, a speed display 105, a brake blinker display 106, an acceleration display 107, a latitude and longitude display 108, display operation buttons 109, an acceleration sensor graph 110, a date and time display 111, a map 112, and a playlist list 113.

[0072] The display area 102 includes a front view camera video playback area 102a, an additional camera video playback area 102b, and a rear view camera video playback area 102c. When playing back data of the vehicle surroundings video from the front view camera, additional camera, and rear view camera recorded on the memory card 2, the playback area has a function of flipping the video horizontally or vertically and playing it back. Right-clicking the front view camera video playback area 102a, the additional camera video playback area 102b, or the rear view camera video playback area 102c switches the playback video in the following order: horizontal flip, vertical flip, horizontal / vertical flip, or no flip.

[0073] Also, it is preferable to configure the display device 16 to display a predetermined image that is preferentially output to the display device 16 from among a plurality of vehicle surrounding images being played back, based on the information indicating the image that is preferentially output to the display device 16. In this way, it is easy to know which image was displayed on the display device 16 when the image is later played back on a playback device such as a personal computer. For example, the start date and end date and time when the image from the rearview camera was input are recorded, and the outer frame of the rearview camera image playback area 102c is highlighted while the image of that date and time is being played back.

[0074] Although the viewer screen 100 is a screen displayed on a personal computer, it may be configured to be output to the screen of a navigation device or the like installed in a vehicle, or to be output to the display device 16, for example.

[0075] Although the present invention has been described above using examples, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiment. The examples described in the above embodiment may be combined in any combination, and various changes or improvements may be added. In addition, the claims, background art, problems to be solved by the invention, and means for solving the problems may be appropriately applied to each embodiment, and the technical common sense of a person skilled in the art may be applied to make an embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 2. Memory card 10 Control section 11 Remote Control 12 GPS unit 13 Rear view camera 14 Additional Cameras 15 Front view camera 16 Display device 17 Built-in microphone 18 External Microphone 19 Memory card slot 20 Acceleration Sensor 21 Speaker

Claims

1. A device having a function for playing back images captured and recorded by a camera in a vehicle, Equipped with a function to pause playback when a video signal is input from a rear view camera during playback. An apparatus comprising:

2. A program for causing a computer to realize the functions of the device described in claim 1.

Images