Vehicle recording control device and recording control method

Abstract

To provide a vehicle recording control device and recording control method capable of appropriately reproducing peripheral video information including a potential dangerous place while driving a vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle recording control device comprises: a dangerous place determination section 122 for determining a potential dangerous place while driving a vehicle based on at least one of behavior information of a driver and vehicle information; a recording control section 114 for preserving peripheral video information including the dangerous place when the dangerous place is determined; and a reproduction control section 115 for reproducing the preserved peripheral video information when the vehicle is stopped.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a recording control device for a vehicle and a recording control method. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, the physical and mental (mental) state of a vehicle driver contributes to driving safety, so a technology has been disclosed that judges the physical and mental state of the driver from in-vehicle images and supports the maintenance and management of the physical and mental state (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to this technology, the physical and mental state of the driver is judged from the vital signs, and when the physical and mental state is good, driving is permitted, thereby preventing the occurrence of accidents. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-67895 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, even when a person's physical and mental condition is good, potential dangers that could lead to accidents, such as a pedestrian or a vehicle suddenly jumping out, can occur (so-called near misses). In addition, some drivers have a habit of forgetting to stop, and some near misses depend on the driver. For this reason, in order to make the driver aware of potential dangerous spots, a function is desired that detects potential dangerous spots that could lead to accidents while driving a vehicle, stores surrounding video information including the dangerous spots, and appropriately plays back the surrounding video information.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a vehicle recording control device and a recording control method that can appropriately play back surrounding video information including potential dangerous areas while driving the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the vehicle recording control device of the present invention comprises an imaging information acquisition unit that acquires surrounding video information, which is video around the vehicle, and interior video information, which is video of the interior of the vehicle, as imaging information; a biometric information acquisition unit that acquires biometric information of the driver of the vehicle; a driver behavior information acquisition unit that acquires driver behavior information based on at least one of the biometric information and the interior video information; a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information that indicates the behavior of the vehicle, including at least one of driving operation information that indicates driving operations for the vehicle and status information that indicates the status of the vehicle; a danger spot determination unit that determines potential danger spots while driving the vehicle, based on at least one of the driver's behavior information and the vehicle information; a recording control unit that stores surrounding video information including the danger spot when a danger spot is determined; and a playback control unit that plays back the stored surrounding video information when the vehicle is stopped.

[0007] In addition, the recording control method of the present invention has a computer execute the following steps: acquiring surrounding video information, which is video around the vehicle, and interior video information, which is video inside the vehicle, as imaging information; acquiring biometric information of the driver of the vehicle; acquiring driver behavior information based on at least one of the biometric information and the interior video information; acquiring vehicle information indicating the behavior of the vehicle, including at least one of driving operation information indicating driving operations for the vehicle and status information indicating the status of the vehicle; determining potential danger points while driving the vehicle based on at least one of the driver's behavior information and the vehicle information; if a danger point is determined, saving surrounding video information including the danger point; and playing the saved surrounding video information when the vehicle is stopped. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately play back surrounding image information including potential dangerous spots while driving a vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle-mounted recording device having a vehicle-mounted recording control device according to this embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a table that scores potential dangers based on each item of vehicle information and driver behavior information. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a process for storing surrounding image information including potential dangerous places in the vehicle recording control device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for playing back the stored surrounding video information including the dangerous spot. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a vehicle record control device and a record control method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following preferred embodiments.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle recording device having a vehicle record control device according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a table in which potential dangers are scored based on each item of vehicle information and driver behavior information. The vehicle recording device 10 is a so-called drive recorder that records events that occur in a vehicle. The vehicle recording device 10 detects potential dangers (so-called near misses) that may lead to accidents while driving a vehicle, and records surrounding video information including these dangers. The vehicle recording device 10 may be a portable device that can be used in a vehicle, in addition to being installed in the vehicle. The vehicle recording device 10 may also be realized by including the functions or configurations of a device that is installed in advance in the vehicle, a navigation device, etc.

[0012] The vehicle recording device 10 has a first camera (peripheral shooting unit) 21, a second camera (interior shooting unit) 22, a recording unit 23, an operation unit 24, a biosensor 25, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiving unit 26, a CAN (Controller Area Network) interface unit (hereinafter referred to as the "CANIF unit") 27, a display unit 28, and a control unit (vehicle recording control device) 100.

[0013] The first camera 21 is a camera that captures the surroundings (for example, the front) of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the first camera 21 is described using a single camera facing one direction toward the front of the vehicle, but a group of multiple cameras may be used. The first camera 21 is disposed, for example, at a position in the front of the interior of the vehicle where it can capture the front of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the first camera 21 constantly captures video while the accessory power supply (ACC power supply) of the vehicle is on. The second camera 22, which will be described later, operates in the same manner. The first camera 21 outputs captured surrounding video information to the imaging information acquisition unit 111 of the control unit 100. The video data is, for example, a moving image composed of images of 30 frames per second.

[0014] The second camera 22 is disposed in the vehicle interior facing backward, and captures the interior of the vehicle, particularly the driver. The second camera 22 captures a wide-angle image, for example, a horizontal image range of about 180°. In this embodiment, the second camera 22 is described using a single camera facing one direction toward the rear of the vehicle, but may be a group of multiple cameras. The second camera 22 outputs captured in-vehicle image information to the image information acquisition unit 111 and the driver information acquisition unit 118 of the control unit 100. This in-vehicle image information may include driver information that can identify the driver, for example, by image recognition. In addition, the second camera 22 is preferably configured to include a microphone that captures audio information of the voice in the vehicle along with the image in the vehicle. This microphone may be provided in the vehicle separately from the second camera 22.

[0015] When there is no particular need to distinguish between surrounding image information and in-vehicle image information, they will be described as image information. In this embodiment, the surrounding image is acquired by the first camera 21, and the in-vehicle image is acquired by the second camera 22, but the surrounding image and the in-vehicle image may be acquired by one camera, for example, a camera that can capture the surroundings in all directions (360°).

[0016] The recording unit 23 is used for temporary storage of data in the vehicle recording device 10. The recording unit 23 is, for example, a recording unit such as a semiconductor memory element such as a random access memory (RAM) or a flash memory, or a memory card. The recording unit 23 may also be an external recording unit wirelessly connected via a communication device (not shown). The recording unit 23 includes a loop recording unit 23A and a danger spot recording unit 23B. The recording unit 23 records surrounding video information in the loop recording unit 23A or the danger spot recording unit 23B based on a control signal output from the recording control unit 114 of the control unit 100.

[0017] The loop recording unit 23A loop-records the surrounding video information. The loop recording unit 23A continues to record the surrounding video information, and when the capacity of the loop recording unit 23A becomes full, the oldest surrounding video information is overwritten with new surrounding video information. The danger spot recording unit 23B records the surrounding video information including danger spots determined to be potential dangers during vehicle driving among the surrounding video information. A potential danger refers to a danger that may lead to an accident even though no traffic accident has occurred (a so-called near miss), and a potential danger spot refers to a position (place, location) where a potential danger has been determined. Examples of dangers that may lead to this type of accident include a pedestrian or bicycle (vehicle) suddenly jumping out, a flying object from a vehicle ahead, aggressive cutting in, careless driving, or looking away from the road.

[0018] The operation unit 24 can accept various operations for the vehicular recording device 10. For example, the operation unit 24 can accept an operation to manually save the captured surrounding video information in the danger spot recording unit 23B. Also, for example, the operation unit 24 can accept an operation to play the surrounding video information recorded in the danger spot recording unit 23B. For example, the operation unit 24 can accept an operation to erase the surrounding video information recorded in the danger spot recording unit 23B. The operation unit 24 outputs the operation information to the operation control unit 116 of the control unit 100.

[0019] The biosensor 25 detects various bioinformation of the driver of the vehicle equipped with the vehicular recording device 10. The biosensor 25 may include various sensors such as a heart rate sensor, a pulse sensor, a blood pressure sensor, a body temperature sensor, a respiration sensor, and a sweat sensor. The biosensor 25 detects, as bioinformation, for example, the heart rate, pulse rate, blood pressure, body temperature, respiration rate, and sweat rate of the driver of the vehicle. The biosensor 25 may also include, as bioinformation (driver information), a fingerprint sensor provided on the steering wheel of the vehicle to detect fingerprint information for identifying the driver. The biosensor 25 outputs the detected bioinformation to the bioinformation acquisition unit 117 and the driver information acquisition unit 118.

[0020] The GPS receiver 26 receives radio waves from a GPS satellite (not shown) and outputs the received radio wave signal to the position information acquisition unit 119 of the control unit 100.

[0021] The CANIF unit 27 is an interface for acquiring various vehicle information via the CAN. The vehicle information includes at least one of driving operation information indicating the driving operation of the vehicle and status information indicating the status of the vehicle. The vehicle information (driving operation information) is information indicating the behavior of the vehicle caused by potential dangers such as sudden steering or sudden braking. In this embodiment, the force applied to the steering wheel and the force gripping the steering wheel are measurable, and the force pushing or gripping the steering wheel by the driver due to potential dangers is acquired as vehicle information (driving operation information). The driving operation information includes, for example, operation information such as steering operation, braking operation, and accelerator operation. The status information includes, for example, status information such as the vehicle speed and acceleration of the vehicle. The status information may further include information on the distance between the vehicle and another vehicle measured by a sensor (not shown).

[0022] The display unit 28 is, for example, a display device specific to the vehicle recording device 10, or a display device shared with other systems including a navigation system. The display unit 28 may be formed integrally with the first camera 21 or the second camera 22. The display unit 28 is, for example, a display including a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. In this embodiment, the display unit 28 is disposed in front of the driver of the vehicle on a dashboard, an instrument panel, a center console, or the like. The display unit 28 displays an image based on a video signal output from the display control unit 123 of the control unit 100. The display unit 28 displays an image captured by the first camera 21 or the second camera 22, or an image (surrounding image information) recorded in the danger spot recording unit 23B.

[0023] The control unit 100 is an arithmetic processing device (control device) configured with, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like. The control unit 100 loads a stored program into a memory and executes instructions included in the program. The control unit 100 includes an internal memory (not shown), which is used for temporary storage of data in the control unit 100, and the like. The control unit 100 includes an imaging information acquisition unit 111, a buffer memory 112, a video information processing unit 113, a recording control unit 114, a playback control unit 115, an operation control unit 116, a biometric information acquisition unit 117, a driver information acquisition unit 118, a position information acquisition unit 119, a vehicle information acquisition unit 120, a driver behavior information acquisition unit 121, a danger point determination unit 122, and a display control unit 123, which are connected to a bus BS.

[0024] The imaging information acquisition unit 111 acquires, as imaging information, surrounding image information from the first camera 21 that captures the surroundings of the vehicle, and interior image information from the second camera 22 that captures the interior of the vehicle. This imaging information includes at least interior image information as well as interior audio information. The imaging information acquisition unit 111 outputs the acquired imaging information to the buffer memory 112. The imaging information acquisition unit 111 also outputs the acquired interior image information to the driver behavior information acquisition unit 121.

[0025] The buffer memory 112 is an internal memory included in the control unit 100, and is a memory for temporarily recording video information (imaging information) for a certain period of time acquired by the imaging information acquisition unit 111 while updating it.

[0026] The video information processing unit 113 converts the video information temporarily stored in the buffer memory 112 into an arbitrary file format, such as MP4 format, encoded with an arbitrary codec, such as H.264 or MPEG-4 (Moving Picture Experts Group). The video information processing unit 113 generates video information as a file for a certain period of time from the video information temporarily stored in the buffer memory 112. As a specific example, the video information processing unit 113 generates 60 seconds of video information as a file in the order of recording from the video information temporarily stored in the buffer memory 112. The video information processing unit 113 outputs the generated video information to the recording control unit 114. The video information processing unit 113 also outputs the generated video information to the display control unit 123 after decoding the image through the playback control unit 115. The period of the video information generated as a file is set to 60 seconds as an example, but is not limited to this. The video information referred to here may be peripheral video information including audio in addition to the video captured by the second camera 22.

[0027] The recording control unit 114 controls the recording unit 23 to record the video information filed by the video information processing unit 113. During a period in which the loop recording process is being performed, such as when the vehicle accessory power supply is ON, the recording control unit 114 records the video information filed by the video information processing unit 113 in the loop recording unit 23A as overwritable video information. More specifically, during a period in which the loop recording process is being performed, the recording control unit 114 continues to record the peripheral video information generated by the video information processing unit 113 in the loop recording unit 23A, and when the capacity of the loop recording unit 23A becomes full, the recording control unit 114 overwrites the oldest peripheral video information with new peripheral video information and records it.

[0028] Furthermore, when the danger spot determination unit 122 determines a potential danger spot while driving the vehicle, the recording control unit 114 stores surrounding video information including the danger spot. The recording control unit 114 also stores the surrounding video information including the danger spot in the danger spot recording unit 23B as information that is prohibited from being overwritten.

[0029] The surrounding video information that the recording control unit 114 stores in the danger spot recording unit 23B is, for example, surrounding video information for a predetermined period of time, for example, about 30 seconds before and after the time when a potential danger spot is determined, copied from the buffer memory 112 and stored as surrounding video information including the danger spot.

[0030] The playback control unit 115 controls the playback of the surrounding video information recorded in the recording unit 23 based on a control signal of the playback operation output from the operation control unit 116. The playback control unit 115 includes a decoder (not shown) and plays various data by decoding the compressed data supplied. The playback control unit 115 plays the surrounding video information including the dangerous place stored in the dangerous place recording unit 23B. More specifically, the playback control unit 115 plays the surrounding video information including the dangerous place described above when the vehicle is stopped. Here, if the dangerous place is scored, the playback time may be set according to the score. Specifically, if the maximum time of the surrounding video information to be stored in the dangerous place recording unit 23B is 60 seconds, the surrounding video information is shortened and set according to the score. In addition, when the driver is identified, the playback control unit 115 plays the surrounding video information corresponding to the driver. In addition, when there are multiple dangerous places on the route to the specified destination, the playback control unit 115 plays the multiple surrounding video information including the dangerous places in order along this route. More specifically, a route to a specified destination is set by a navigation device (not shown), and if there are multiple dangerous spots along this route, multiple pieces of surrounding video information including the dangerous spots are played back in sequence along the route from the starting point (stop) to the destination, in order of proximity to the starting point.

[0031] The operation control unit 116 acquires operation information of an operation accepted by the operation unit 24. For example, the operation control unit 116 acquires save operation information indicating a manual save operation of the surrounding video information, play operation information indicating a play operation, or delete operation information indicating a delete operation of the surrounding video information, and outputs a control signal.

[0032] The biometric information acquiring unit 117 acquires biometric information of the driver detected by the biometric sensor 25. The biometric information is, for example, the heart rate, pulse rate, blood pressure, body temperature, respiratory rate, amount of sweat, and fingerprint information of the vehicle driver. The biometric information may be, for example, a combination of fingerprint information for identifying the driver and a heart rate for determining the psychological state of the driver (presence or absence of tension or excitement). The biometric information acquiring unit 117 outputs the acquired biometric information to the driver behavior information acquiring unit 121.

[0033] The driver information acquisition unit 118 acquires driver information detected by the biometric sensor 25. This driver information is biometric information for identifying the driver, and can be, for example, fingerprint information. The driver information acquisition unit 118 may also acquire in-vehicle video information captured by the second camera 22 as driver information to identify the driver.

[0034] The position information acquisition unit 119 acquires position information indicating the current position of the vehicle. The position information acquisition unit 119 calculates the position information of the current position of the vehicle by a known method based on the radio waves received by the GPS receiving unit 26. The position information acquisition unit 119 may calculate the position information of the current position of the vehicle by using other positioning systems including the quasi-zenith satellite.

[0035] The vehicle information acquisition unit 120 acquires the vehicle information acquired by the CANIF unit 27. More specifically, the vehicle information acquisition unit 120 acquires vehicle information that includes at least one of driving operation information indicating a driving operation for the vehicle and status information indicating a status of the vehicle and indicates the behavior of the vehicle.

[0036] The driver behavior information acquisition unit 121 acquires driver behavior information based on at least one of the acquired biometric information and the in-vehicle video information. Here, the driver behavior information is information indicating the behavior performed by the driver when the driver is excited or nervous. Specifically, when a potential danger occurs during driving of a vehicle, for example, due to a pedestrian or bicycle (vehicle) suddenly jumping out, a flying object from a vehicle ahead, or aggressive cutting in, the driver's psychological state changes from calm to excited or nervous. For this reason, the driver behavior information is information indicating the behavior performed unconsciously by the driver when encountering a potential danger, and is exemplified by, for example, information indicating the behavior in which the driver's heart rate value, pulse value, or sweat amount rises to a predetermined value or more as biometric information, or information indicating the driver's surprised or excited facial expression or scream (voice) extracted from the in-vehicle video information.

[0037] The danger spot determination unit 122 determines a potential danger spot during the driving of the vehicle based on at least one of the driver behavior information and the vehicle information. More specifically, when the driver behavior information includes, for example, the driver's heart rate value, pulse value, or sweat rate rising to a predetermined value or more, or the driver's surprised or excited facial expression, or a scream (voice), the danger spot determination unit 122 determines that the vehicle (driver) has encountered a potential danger at that location and determines that the location is a danger spot. In addition, when the danger spot determination unit 122 acquires, for example, information indicating the vehicle's behavior such as sudden steering or sudden braking as the vehicle information, or when the driver's pushing or gripping force of the steering wheel rises to a predetermined value or more, the danger spot determination unit 122 determines that the vehicle has encountered a potential danger at that location and determines that the location is a danger spot. When the danger spot determination unit 122 determines a danger spot, it outputs, for example, information regarding the time and position of the determination to the recording control unit 114.

[0038] Moreover, the dangerous spot determination unit 122 scores the driver behavior information and vehicle information acquired at the dangerous spot. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, when there is a behavior that satisfies the items corresponding to the pre-set driver behavior information (e.g., the driver's facial expression, the driver's voice) and the items corresponding to the vehicle information (e.g., abrupt steering, sudden braking, and force pushing the steering wheel), a score (e.g., 1 point) is added to the corresponding items to calculate a total score. In the example of FIG. 2, the score of dangerous spot 1 is 2 points because it corresponds to two items, abrupt steering and force pushing the steering wheel. Moreover, the score of dangerous spot 2 is 4 points because it corresponds to four items, sudden braking, force pushing the steering wheel, the driver's facial expression, and the driver's voice. In this way, the more the number of applicable items, the higher the potential danger level, so the danger level of the dangerous spot can be specified by scoring.

[0039] In addition, in the example of Fig. 2, the number of items corresponding to the driver behavior information and the vehicle information is five, but the number of items may be increased without being limited to five. In addition, in the example of Fig. 2, the scores of each item are uniform, but the scores of important items (e.g., sudden braking) may be weighted to be higher.

[0040] The display control unit 123 controls the display of video information on the display unit 28. The display control unit 123 outputs a video signal that causes the surrounding video information to be output to the display unit 28. More specifically, the display control unit 123 outputs a video signal that displays the video captured by the first camera 21 or the second camera 22, or the surrounding video information recorded in the danger spot recording unit 23B.

[0041] Next, the flow of processing in the control unit 100 will be described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for saving surrounding video information including dangerous places. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for playing the saved surrounding video information including dangerous places. In this embodiment, potential dangerous places that may lead to an accident while driving a vehicle are detected, and the surrounding video information including the dangerous places is saved and the surrounding video information is played back. While the vehicular recording device 10 is running, the surrounding video information including the potential dangerous places is saved by the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 3. Also, when the vehicular recording device 10 is running and the vehicle is stopped, the saved surrounding video information including the dangerous places is played back by the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 4.

[0042] First, the procedure of the process of saving the surrounding image information including the dangerous places will be described. As shown in Fig. 3, the control unit 100 acquires the surrounding image information and the in-vehicle image information (step S11). More specifically, the control unit 100 acquires the surrounding image information from the first camera 21 and the in-vehicle image information from the second camera 22 by the imaging information acquisition unit 111. Here, the in-vehicle image information preferably includes image information capturing the facial expression of the driver.

[0043] Next, the control unit 100 acquires the driver's biometric information (step S12). More specifically, the control unit 100 acquires the driver's biometric information detected by the biometric sensor 25 through the biometric information acquisition unit 117. This biometric information is preferably acquired by combining, for example, fingerprint information for identifying the vehicle driver with information such as a heart rate value, a pulse rate value, and an amount of sweating for determining the driver's psychological state. Also, the vehicle driver may be identified using in-vehicle video information acquired in step S11 instead of the fingerprint information, and combined with the biometric information.

[0044] Next, the control unit 100 acquires driver behavior information indicating the behavior of the driver based on the in-vehicle image information and the biometric information (step S13). More specifically, the control unit 100 acquires the driver behavior information based on at least one of the acquired biometric information and the in-vehicle image information by the driver behavior information acquisition unit 121. This driver behavior information is information indicating the behavior of the driver when the driver is excited or tense due to encountering a potential danger. The driver behavior information is, for example, information indicating the behavior of the driver in which the driver's heart rate value, pulse rate value, or amount of sweat (biometric information) rises above a predetermined value, or information indicating the driver's behavior such as a surprised or excited facial expression, or a scream (voice; in-vehicle image information).

[0045] Next, the control unit 100 acquires vehicle information (step S14). More specifically, the control unit 100 acquires, via the vehicle information acquisition unit 120, information indicating the behavior of the vehicle caused by a potential danger, such as the presence or absence of sudden steering or braking, or the force applied to push the steering wheel.

[0046] Next, the control unit 100 judges whether or not a potential danger spot has occurred during vehicle driving (step S15). More specifically, the control unit 100 judges a potential danger spot during vehicle driving by the danger spot judgment unit 122 based on at least one of the driver behavior information and the vehicle information. For example, when the driver's heart rate value, pulse value, or sweat rate rises above a predetermined value, or the driver's surprised or excited facial expression, or a scream (voice) is extracted as the driver behavior information, the danger spot judgment unit 122 judges that the vehicle (driver) has encountered a potential danger at that location and judges that location as a danger spot. In addition, when the danger spot judgment unit 122 acquires, as the vehicle information, information indicating the behavior of the vehicle, such as sudden steering or sudden braking, or when the force of the driver pushing the steering wheel rises above a predetermined value, the danger spot judgment unit 122 judges that the vehicle has encountered a potential danger at that location and judges that location as a danger spot.

[0047] When it is determined that no potential dangerous spot has occurred during vehicle driving (step S15; No), the control unit 100 stores (records) the surrounding video information in the loop recording unit 23A by the recording control unit 114 (step S16). Specifically, the recording control unit 114 continues to record the surrounding video information in the loop recording unit 23A as a loop recording process, and when the capacity of the loop recording unit 23A becomes full, it overwrites the oldest surrounding video information with new surrounding video information and records it. Then, the process proceeds to step S19.

[0048] When it is determined that a potential dangerous spot has occurred during vehicle driving (step S15; Yes), the control unit 100 causes the dangerous spot determination unit 122 to score the acquired driver behavior information and vehicle information (step S17). Specifically, when there is behavior that satisfies an item corresponding to the driver behavior information (e.g., the driver's facial expression, the driver's voice) and an item corresponding to the vehicle information (e.g., sudden steering, sudden braking, force pushing the steering wheel), the dangerous spot determination unit 122 adds a score (e.g., 1 point) to the corresponding item to calculate a total score.

[0049] Next, the control unit 100 stores (records) the surrounding video information including the determined dangerous place together with the score in the dangerous place recording unit 23B by the recording control unit 114 (step S18). Specifically, the recording control unit 114 also records the surrounding video information including the dangerous place together with the score in the dangerous place recording unit 23B as information that is prohibited from being overwritten. In addition, if the acquired biometric information or in-vehicle video information includes driver information that identifies the driver, the surrounding video information may be stored in association with the driver information.

[0050] Next, the control unit 100 determines whether the accessory (ACC) power supply of the vehicle has been turned off (step S19). Specifically, it determines whether the driving operation of the vehicle has been stopped. In this determination, if the accessory power supply of the vehicle has not been turned off (step S19; No), the control unit 100 returns the process to step S11 and repeats steps S11 to S19. On the other hand, if the accessory power supply of the vehicle has been turned off (step S19; Yes), the control unit 100 ends the process.

[0051] Next, a process procedure for reproducing the stored surrounding video information including the dangerous places will be described. As shown in Fig. 4, when the accessory power supply of the vehicle is turned on (step S21), the control unit 100 identifies the driver from the driver's biometric information or the in-vehicle video information (step S22). More specifically, the control unit 100 identifies the driver using biometric information (e.g., fingerprint information) capable of identifying the driver acquired by the driver information acquisition unit 118 or the in-vehicle video information.

[0052] Next, the control unit 100 determines whether or not surrounding video information including the danger spot is stored in the danger spot recording unit 23B (step S23). In this case, the control unit 100 may simply determine whether or not surrounding video information is stored in the danger spot recording unit 23B, but it is preferable to determine whether or not there is surrounding video information stored within a predetermined period (for example, within the last 30 days). In addition, the control unit 100 may determine whether or not surrounding video information associated with the identified driver is stored in the danger spot recording unit 23B.

[0053] In this determination, if the surrounding image information including the danger spot is not stored in the danger spot recording unit 23B (step S23; No), the control unit 100 shifts the process to step S28. Also, if the surrounding image information including the danger spot is stored in the danger spot recording unit 23B (step S23; Yes), the control unit 100 determines whether or not there is a danger spot on the route to the destination (step S24). More specifically, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the position information of the danger spot determined by the danger spot determination unit 122 is on the route to the set destination. For example, route information obtained from a navigation device (not shown) can be used as the route to the destination. In this determination, if there is no danger spot on the route to the destination (step S24; No), the control unit 100 shifts the process to step S28.

[0054] On the other hand, if there is a dangerous spot on the route to the destination (step S24; Yes), the control unit 100 reads out surrounding video information including all dangerous spots existing on the route from the dangerous spot recording unit 23B by the playback control unit 115 (step S25). Here, it is preferable that the playback control unit 115 reads out surrounding video information including all dangerous spots existing on the route from the dangerous spot recording unit 23B among the surrounding video information stored within a predetermined period (for example, within the last 30 days). Furthermore, if there is surrounding video information associated with the identified driver, the playback control unit 115 may read out surrounding video information including all dangerous spots existing on the route from the dangerous spot recording unit 23B among the surrounding video information associated with this driver.

[0055] Next, the control unit 100 sets the length of the playback time of the read surrounding video information according to the associated score by the playback control unit 115 (step S26). More specifically, assuming that the maximum playback time of the surrounding video information stored in the danger place recording unit 23B is 60 seconds, the playback control unit 115 shortens and sets the playback time of the surrounding video information according to the score. Specifically, the playback time of the surrounding video information with the highest score (e.g., 5 points) is set to 60 seconds, the playback time of the surrounding video information with the lowest score (e.g., 1 point) is set to 30 seconds, and the playback times of the surrounding video information with scores in between (2 points to 4 points) are shortened and set according to the scores, respectively. In addition, shortening and setting the playback time may mean, for example, shortening the playback time by fast-forwarding the surrounding video information, or shortening the playback time by cutting before and after the judgment time of the danger place as the center.

[0056] Next, the control unit 100 plays all the surrounding video information in order for the playback time set for each along the route to the destination (step S27). More specifically, the playback control unit 115 plays the surrounding video information of dangerous places on the route to the destination in order, starting from the one closest to the current location (starting point). This allows the driver to check potential dangerous places that may occur on the route beforehand based on the experience of other drivers when driving to the destination, and thus realizes safe driving. Furthermore, when the driver is identified, the playback control unit 115 may play the surrounding video information associated with the driver. In this configuration, the driver can review the potential dangerous places he or she has experienced in the past, so that the next time he or she drives through a dangerous place, the driver can drive with caution, thereby realizing safe driving.

[0057] When the playback of all the surrounding video information is completed, the control unit 100 permits the start of the engine (drive unit) of the vehicle, the vehicle departs (step S28), and ends the process. Note that the control unit 100 may determine whether the identified driver is permitted to drive the vehicle, and permit the ACC power to be turned on only if the driver is permitted.

[0058] As described above, the control unit 100 of the present embodiment includes an image information acquisition unit 111 that acquires surrounding image information, which is an image of the surroundings of the vehicle, and interior image information, which is an image of the interior of the vehicle, as image information, a biometric information acquisition unit 117 that acquires biometric information of the driver of the vehicle, a driver behavior information acquisition unit 121 that acquires behavior information of the driver based on at least one of the biometric information and the interior image information, a vehicle information acquisition unit 120 that acquires vehicle information that includes at least one of driving operation information that indicates a driving operation for the vehicle and status information that indicates the status of the vehicle and indicates the behavior of the vehicle, a danger point determination unit 122 that determines a potential danger point while the vehicle is being driven based on at least one of the driver behavior information and the vehicle information, a recording control unit 114 that stores surrounding image information including the danger point when it is determined to be a danger point, and a playback control unit 115 that plays the stored surrounding image information when the vehicle is stopped. With this configuration, surrounding image information including a potential danger (near-miss) point can be appropriately played back while the vehicle is being driven.

[0059] Furthermore, in the control unit 100 of this embodiment, if there are multiple dangerous spots on the route to the destination, the playback control unit 115 plays back surrounding video information including the dangerous spots in sequence along the route. Therefore, when driving to the destination, the driver can check in advance potential dangerous spots that may occur on the route based on the experience, including that of other drivers, thereby achieving safe driving.

[0060] In the control unit 100 of this embodiment, the danger spot determination unit 122 scores each item of the driver behavior information and the vehicle information, and the playback control unit 115 sets the playback time of the surrounding video information based on the size of the score. With this configuration, the playback time of the surrounding video information is set longer for a danger spot with more applicable items, i.e., a high potential danger level, so that it is possible to focus on checking danger spots with high danger levels and achieve safe driving.

[0061] Furthermore, the control unit 100 of this embodiment includes a driver information acquisition unit 118 that acquires driver information, and the playback control unit 115 plays surrounding video information associated with the driver. With this configuration, the driver can review potential dangerous spots that he or she has experienced in the past, so that the next time the driver passes through a dangerous spot, the driver can drive with caution and achieve safe driving.

[0062] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the embodiment is not limited to the contents of this embodiment. The above-mentioned components include those that a person skilled in the art can easily imagine, those that are substantially the same, and those that are within the so-called equivalent range. Furthermore, the above-mentioned components can be appropriately combined. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the components can be made without departing from the gist of the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0063] In this embodiment, a fingerprint sensor capable of identifying the driver is provided on the steering wheel of the vehicle as an example of the biosensor 25, but the fingerprint sensor may be provided in a place that the driver always touches, such as an engine start switch. Also, a fingerprint sensor may be provided on a steering wheel cover that is attached to the steering wheel.

[0064] In addition, in this embodiment, when the vehicle is stopped, the surrounding image information including the potential dangerous places is played back to be viewed by the driver, but in addition to this, a training image (manners) for driving on a road having the characteristics of the potential dangerous places (slope, intersection, etc.) may be played back. In this configuration, the dangerous places can be confirmed before departure, and the general manners for driving on a road having such characteristics of dangerous places can be learned.

[0065] Moreover, each component of the control unit (vehicle recording control device) 100 according to this embodiment is functionally conceptual, and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. That is, the specific form of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or part of each device may be functionally or physically distributed or integrated in any unit depending on the processing load and usage status of each device. The configuration of the control unit 100 is realized, for example, as software, by a program loaded into a memory. In the above embodiment, these functional blocks have been described as being realized by cooperation between these hardware and software. That is, these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by hardware only, software only, or a combination thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 10 Vehicle Recording Device 21 First Camera 22 Second Camera 23 Recording Department 23A Loop Recording Section 23B Dangerous Location Recording Section 100 Control unit (vehicle recording control device) 111 Imaging information acquisition unit 113 Video information processing section 114 Recording control section 115 Playback control section 117 Biometric information acquisition unit 118 Driver Information Acquisition Department 119 Location information acquisition unit 120 Vehicle Information Acquisition Unit 121 Driver behavior information acquisition unit 122 Danger Area Judgment Section 123 Display control section

Claims

1. an imaging information acquisition unit that acquires surrounding image information, which is an image of the surroundings of a vehicle, and interior image information, which is an image of the interior of the vehicle, as imaging information; A biometric information acquisition unit that acquires biometric information of a driver of the vehicle; a driver behavior information acquisition unit that acquires behavior information of the driver based on at least one of the biometric information and the in-vehicle image information; a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information indicating a behavior of the vehicle, the vehicle information including at least one of driving operation information indicating a driving operation for the vehicle and status information indicating a status of the vehicle; a danger spot determination unit that determines potential danger spots while the vehicle is being driven based on at least one of the driver's behavior information and the vehicle information; a recording control unit that stores the surrounding image information including the dangerous place when the dangerous place is determined; a playback control unit that plays back the stored surrounding image information while the vehicle is stopped.

2. When a plurality of dangerous locations exist on a route to a destination, The vehicle recording control device according to claim 1 , wherein the playback control unit plays back the surrounding video information including the dangerous places in sequence along the route.

3. the risk location determination unit converts the driver's behavior information and the vehicle information into scores, The recording control device for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the playback control unit sets a playback time of the surrounding video information based on the magnitude of the score.

4. A driver information acquisition unit for acquiring driver information, The vehicle recording control device according to claim 1 , wherein the playback control unit plays back the surrounding image information associated with a driver.

5. acquiring surrounding image information, which is an image of the surroundings of a vehicle, and interior image information, which is an image of the interior of the vehicle, as imaging information; acquiring biometric information of a driver of the vehicle; acquiring behavior information of the driver based on at least one of the biological information and the in-vehicle image information; acquiring vehicle information indicating a behavior of the vehicle, the vehicle information including at least one of driving operation information indicating a driving operation for the vehicle and status information indicating a status of the vehicle; determining potential dangerous points while the vehicle is being driven based on at least one of the driver's behavior information and the vehicle information; When the dangerous place is determined, storing the surrounding image information including the dangerous place; reproducing the stored surrounding image information while the vehicle is stopped; A recording control method for causing a computer to execute the above.

Images