System and program and the like

Abstract

To provide a system and a program and the like capable of reducing a load of verifying an abnormal condition.SOLUTION: A system is provided with control means having a function of recording an image at a lower frequency than when a predetermined or higher acceleration occurs, by satisfying the other conditions in addition to the occurrence of a predetermined or higher acceleration, by satisfying a plurality of conditions other than the occurrence of the predetermined or higher acceleration, and by satisfying a single condition different from the occurrence of the predetermined or higher acceleration. The recorded image is transmitted to the outside and helps to verify abnormal situations such as accidents.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system, a program, and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, a system such as a drive recorder that can be mounted on a vehicle or the like is capable of providing information (e.g., video) that is useful for verifying abnormal situations such as accidents, and one example of such a drive recorder is disclosed in Patent Document 1. Such a system is expected to be used not only in general vehicles such as transportation vehicles (e.g., trucks and forklifts), commercial vehicles (e.g., taxis and buses), and general vehicles, but also in a wide range of applications.

[0003] For example, the drive recorder described in Patent Document 1 includes an imaging unit, a storage unit, and an acceleration sensor. When the vehicle suddenly brakes or a collision occurs, causing an acceleration of a predetermined value or more, the drive recorder uses the occurrence of the acceleration as a trigger to store images captured for a predetermined time before and after the occurrence of the acceleration in the storage unit. The captured images are used by insurance companies, etc., to understand the situation of the accident. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-3408 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when images are stored in response to the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value, as in the drive recorder described in Patent Document 1, there are many cases in which images are stored even when no abnormality such as an accident has actually occurred, which is one of the factors that increase the burden of verifying abnormalities (e.g., the burden of verification by insurance companies). In other words, for example, large accelerations can occur due to sudden braking, sudden acceleration, sudden steering, bumps in the road, etc., and it is necessary to find useful images from a large number of images that are unrelated to abnormalities.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a system, a program, etc. that can reduce the burden of verifying abnormal situations, for example.

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is not limited to this, and the applicant intends to obtain rights for configurations that aim to obtain effects from parts of the configurations disclosed in this specification and drawings, etc., by filing a divisional application, amendment, etc. For example, this specification discloses problems in which the phrases "can" and "is possible" are read as "is the problem." The problems are described as being independent, and the applicant intends to obtain rights for the configurations for solving these problems alone by filing a divisional application, amendment, etc. Even if the problem is implicitly understood from the description in the specification, the applicant intends to include part of the configurations described in this specification in the scope of the patent claim by amendment or divisional application. Problems that combine these independent problems are also disclosed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] (1) It is preferable that the system be capable of being mounted on a vehicle, and characterized by including a control means having a function of recording a captured image in a predetermined recording area upon the satisfaction of a specific condition, which may be satisfied less frequently than when a predetermined acceleration or greater occurs.

[0009] According to this, fewer images are recorded compared to when an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs, making it possible to reduce the burden of verifying abnormal situations, for example.

[0010] Note that "when acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined level occurs" may be, for example, when the acceleration exceeds the range of acceleration that occurs when the vehicle or the like is traveling normally. For example, when the vehicle or the like is traveling normally, the acceleration often fluctuates within a normal range. However, for example, when the vehicle or the like runs over a bump or during sudden braking, the acceleration may increase temporarily (for example, for an instant). In such a case, it may be determined that acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined level has occurred.

[0011] In particular, it is preferable to have a function of recording an image captured when an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs (herein referred to as an acceleration event recording function), and the "function of recording an image captured in a predetermined recording area when a specific condition that can be met less frequently than when an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs" is particularly preferable to be a function of recording an image captured in a predetermined recording area when a specific condition that can be met less frequently than the recording condition "acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value" is met. In addition, the recording condition of the acceleration event recording function, "acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value", may be configured to be set based on an instruction from a user, etc., and in this case, it is particularly preferable to be a function of recording an image captured in a predetermined recording area when a specific condition that can be met less frequently than the acceleration set as a default setting among the settings is met. More preferably, it is preferable to be a function of recording an image captured in a predetermined recording area when a specific condition that can be met less frequently than the largest acceleration that can be set is met.

[0012] The "system" may be a system mounted on an object other than a vehicle. An example of an object other than a vehicle may be a system mounted on a ship or an airplane, but the system may be a system mounted on a vehicle. The "system" may be a so-called drive recorder that records an image of the moment of a traffic accident, etc.

[0013] The "image" may be a still image, but may be a moving image. A moving image may be, for example, a moving image obtained by displaying a series of images taken at regular time intervals in succession at short intervals, or may be a completely continuous image.

[0014] The "acceleration" may be detected, for example, by an acceleration sensor. The "occurrence of acceleration" may be, in particular, when the acceleration exceeds a predetermined value. This predetermined value may be settable, and may be a positive or negative value. However, it is preferable that the value be set to the acceleration that occurs when an object such as a vehicle receives an external impact, and in particular, the level of acceleration that may occur when an accident occurs, particularly when the vehicle collides with another object.

[0015] The "predetermined recording area" may be, for example, a memory element such as a RAM, or a storage medium such as a memory card, but when a high recording speed is required, a memory element such as a RAM is preferable. Moreover, these storage areas may be provided in the system, or may be provided outside the system.

[0016] The recording in the predetermined recording area may be, for example, a continuous recording in which images are continuously recorded, or an event recording in which images are recorded at a predetermined time before or after a specific condition is satisfied. It is preferable to have a function for performing both the continuous recording and the event recording, and for example, the continuous recording and the event recording may be recorded in different recording areas.

[0017] Images recorded in the specified recording area may include, for example, images that may depict abnormal situations such as traffic accidents, such as collisions between objects such as vehicles, collisions between objects such as vehicles and people or animals, and collisions between objects such as vehicles and structures, as well as accidents resulting from natural disasters such as meteorite falls, floods, and earthquakes.

[0018] Examples of "specific conditions" include a condition indicating that there is a high possibility that an abnormality has occurred in an object, such as a vehicle, in which the system is installed, and a condition indicating that there is a high possibility that an abnormality has occurred in an object other than the object, such as a vehicle, in which the system is installed.

[0019] Examples of "abnormal situations" include traffic accidents involving objects such as vehicles, accidents caused by natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, and meteorites, etc. Traffic accidents in "abnormal situations" may be collisions between objects such as vehicles, self-inflicted accidents such as when an object such as a vehicle crashes into a structure, and accidents resulting in injury or death when an object such as a vehicle collides with a person, etc.

[0020] (2) In the system of (1) above, the control means may be capable of recording images less frequently than when images are recorded when a plurality of conditions are satisfied as the specific condition, resulting in the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than the predetermined value.

[0021] In this way, for example, images can be recorded less frequently than when an image is recorded when an acceleration of a predetermined value or more occurs due to the satisfaction of multiple conditions, so that it is possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying an abnormal situation. Specifically, for example, it is possible to reduce the burden of verifying whether an image is an image of an abnormal situation such as an accident at an insurance company or the like that receives an image from the system. Also, even if a condition does not necessarily reduce the burden of verifying an abnormal situation by itself, when multiple such conditions are satisfied, it may be possible to reduce the burden of verifying an abnormal situation compared to when an image is recorded when an acceleration occurs. Note that it is preferable that the timing at which each of the multiple conditions is satisfied is relatively close to each other (within a predetermined time).

[0022] Examples of "multiple conditions being met" include, for example, the occurrence of an acceleration greater than or equal to a predetermined level and the occurrence of other conditions, and the occurrence of multiple other conditions different from when an acceleration greater than or equal to a predetermined level occurs.

[0023] The individual conditions constituting the multiple conditions include, for example, the occurrence of a specific acceleration (e.g., the occurrence of acceleration that occurs when an impact of a specific magnitude is received), the approach of a heavy object that may cause an accident to an object such as a vehicle equipped with the system, the occurrence of an abnormal sound (a loud collision sound, a person's scream, etc.), the occurrence of a specific acceleration and then the stopping of an object such as a vehicle for a specific period of time or more, the occurrence of a specific acceleration and then the deceleration of an object such as a vehicle (e.g., deceleration to a very slow speed) within a specific period of time after the occurrence of the specific acceleration, the user's physical condition becoming different from that during normal driving (the user's heart rate becoming a predetermined value or higher, the user's The detection criteria may be, for example, the user's breathing rate reaching or exceeding a predetermined value, the position of the user's head deviating from a predetermined area, etc., a predetermined percentage or more of the field of view of the system's camera being covered by some object while the system is in operation, contact being made to an accident support center that provides services to support responding to accidents, a specific vehicle or other object (e.g., an emergency vehicle such as an ambulance or police car) being parked around the vehicle, a vehicle or other object equipped with the system passing through a location where there is a high possibility of an accident occurring, or a vehicle or other object equipped with the system being driven during a time period when there is a high possibility of an accident occurring.

[0024] The user may be, for example, the driver of the vehicle, or may be someone other than the driver, for example, a passenger.

[0025] Here, the above-mentioned "approach of a heavy object that may cause an accident to an object such as a vehicle" may be detected, for example, by image processing of an image captured by an imaging device of the system. It may also be detected by various sensors such as a microwave sensor. In particular, it may be detected that the distance between the vehicle position and the surrounding heavy object has become a predetermined distance by using an image of the vehicle viewed from above, such as an around-view image generated based on images from multiple cameras, etc. The "approach" of the above-mentioned "approach of a heavy object that may cause an accident to an object such as a vehicle" may be particularly defined as the distance between the vehicle and the heavy object becoming zero. Whether or not the object is a "heavy object that may cause an accident to an object such as a vehicle" may be determined, in particular, by whether the height of the object around the vehicle is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. Whether or not the height of the object around the vehicle is greater than or equal to a predetermined value may be detected based on images from at least one of a microwave sensor or a camera. In addition, the "predetermined" height of the object around the vehicle may be particularly defined as being greater than the vehicle height. This is because an object lower than the vehicle height can pass under the vehicle.

[0026] It is particularly preferable for "the occurrence of an abnormal sound" to be, for example, the occurrence of a short, loud voice.

[0027] The occurrence of a short, loud voice can be detected, for example, by analyzing sounds collected by a microphone mounted on an object such as a vehicle. The short, loud voice may be, for example, a sound of surprise or a scream, such as "Wah," "Ah," or "Ahhh."

[0028] In addition, it is effective to reduce the burden of verifying abnormal situations by setting the above-mentioned "the vehicle stops within a specific time after a specific acceleration is detected" or "the vehicle decelerates within a specific time after a specific acceleration is detected" as one of the conditions. This is based on the fact that immediately after an accident occurs, a vehicle often decelerates and stops in order to check the vehicle or negotiate with the other party involved in the accident, and it is good to detect this.

[0029] "The vehicle stops for a specific period of time or more within a specific period of time" may mean, for example, stopping within 3 to 5 minutes from a state of traveling at or above a specific average speed, and continuing the stopped state for 5 minutes or more.

[0030] "The vehicle decelerating within a specific period of time" may mean, for example, the vehicle decelerating to a very slow speed (for example, 8 km / h or less) within 3 to 5 minutes. The vehicle speed may be calculated by acquiring a vehicle speed pulse, for example, but it is preferable to acquire the vehicle speed from a GPS.

[0031] In addition, using the above "user's heart rate above a specified value" and "user's respiratory rate above a specified value" as one of the conditions is effective in reducing the burden of verifying abnormal situations. This is based on the fact that if an accident occurs, the user will become upset and their heart rate and respiratory rate will often increase, and it is good to detect this.

[0032] In addition, the above-mentioned "user's head position deviates from a specified area" being one of the conditions is effective in reducing the burden of verifying abnormal situations. This focuses on the fact that in a serious accident, the impact of the accident causes the whole body to shake significantly or the user to lose consciousness, causing the head position to deviate significantly from that during normal driving or making it difficult to recognize the head position, and it is good to detect this.

[0033] (3) In the system of (1) or (2) above, the control means may be configured to record images less frequently than when an image is recorded when an acceleration equal to or greater than the predetermined value occurs, when another condition is satisfied as the specific condition in addition to the occurrence of the acceleration equal to or greater than the predetermined value.

[0034] In this way, for example, it is possible to reduce the burden of verifying abnormal situations while still utilizing a conventional sensor (acceleration sensor).

[0035] Examples of "other conditions" include the approach of a heavy object that may cause an accident to a vehicle equipped with the system, the occurrence of an abnormal sound (a loud collision sound, a person's scream, etc.), the vehicle stopping within a specific time after a specific acceleration occurs, the vehicle decelerating (e.g., decelerating to a very slow speed) within a specific time after a specific acceleration occurs, the user's physical condition becoming different from that during normal driving (the user's heart rate reaching a specified value or higher, the user's head position deviating from a specified area, etc.), a specified percentage or more of the field of view of the camera of the system being covered by some object while the system is in operation (e.g., a deployed airbag, an object inside the vehicle that has moved from its position before the accident due to the impact of the accident, etc.), contacting an accident support center that provides services to support response to accidents, a specific vehicle (e.g., an emergency vehicle such as an ambulance or a police car) parked around the vehicle, an object such as a vehicle equipped with the system passing through a place where an accident is likely to occur, an object such as a vehicle equipped with the system being driven during a time period when an accident is likely to occur, etc.

[0036] (4) In any one of the systems (1) to (3) above, the control means may be capable of recording images less frequently than when an image is recorded when an acceleration equal to or greater than the predetermined value occurs, by obtaining specific information from a user as the specific condition, and by satisfying another condition other than obtaining specific information from a user.

[0037] In this way, for example, it is possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying abnormal situations by using information obtained from the user.

[0038] The "specific information" may be, for example, a specific action of the user, a specific change in the user's body, and so on.

[0039] (5) In any one of the systems (1) to (4) above, the control means may have a function of prompting a user to perform a specific action, and the control means may have a function of recording an image in the specified recording area when the specific action is performed and when another condition different from the performance of the specific action is satisfied as the specific condition.

[0040] According to this, for example, the user is prompted to perform a specific action, and when the user performs the specific action, an image is recorded. Therefore, unnecessary recording of images is further suppressed, and the burden of verifying an abnormality can be more reliably reduced.

[0041] An example of a "specific action" is operating an operating member that accepts operations by a user.

[0042] An example of the "function of prompting a specific action" is, for example, a function of prompting a user to operate an operating member, for example, visually or audibly, when one of a plurality of conditions is satisfied in any one of the above systems (2) to (4). An example of the function of prompting visually is, for example, making the operating member light up (for example, making it light up in a blinking manner), or displaying a message prompting the user to operate the operating member (for example, a message such as "Please press the operating button", "Are you going to press the operating button?", etc.) on a display device provided in the vehicle. An example of the function of prompting audibly is, for example, prompting the user to operate the operating member by voice (for example, a voice such as "Please press the operating button", "Are you going to press the operating button?", etc.) via a speaker provided in the vehicle. In this case, it is more preferable to prompt the user to operate the operating member by voice such as "Please press the operating button of a certain color (for example, red, yellow, etc.)" or "Please press the button surrounded by a circle of a certain color (for example, red, yellow, etc.)".

[0043] (6) In any one of the systems (1) to (5) above, the control means may have a function of detecting a specific change in the user's body, and the control means may have a function of recording an image in the specified recording area when the specific condition is met, that is, when a specific change in the user's body is detected and when another condition different from the detection of the specific change in the user's body is met.

[0044] In this way, for example, unnecessary recording of images can be further suppressed, and the burden of verifying abnormal situations can be more reliably reduced, etc. This is based on the fact that when an abnormal situation such as an accident occurs, there is a high possibility that a specific change will occur in the user's body, and it is desirable to detect this.

[0045] (7) In any one of the systems (1) to (6) above, the control means may have a communication function capable of communicating with a user's property owned by a user, and the control means may have a function of recording an image in the specified recording area when the specific condition is met, that is, when the user's property communicates with a specific device, and when another condition different from the user's property communicating with the specific device is met.

[0046] In this way, for example, when a user calls a specific device (for example, a telephone of an insurance company) from a user's possession such as a mobile terminal (for example, a smartphone), an image (for example, an image of an abnormal situation) can be automatically recorded. In addition, the recording of unnecessary images can be further suppressed, and the burden of verifying the abnormal situation can be more reliably reduced.

[0047] Examples of "user's belongings" include a smartphone, mobile phone, tablet terminal, and the like owned by the user. The system and the user's belongings can be made capable of communicating with each other by pairing them in advance, for example, via Bluetooth (registered trademark). For example, contact telephone numbers of insurance companies, police stations, and the like (telephone numbers to contact in the event of an abnormal situation such as an accident) may be registered in advance in the user's belongings. The system may record the call history of the user's belongings at any time.

[0048] (8) In any one of the systems (1) to (7) above, the control means may be capable of recording images less frequently than when an image is recorded when an acceleration equal to or greater than the predetermined level occurs, when a condition other than the occurrence of the acceleration equal to or greater than the predetermined level is satisfied as the specific condition.

[0049] According to this, by recording an image when a single condition is satisfied, it is possible to reduce the number of system parts and the burden of verifying abnormal situations, for example.

[0050] Examples of the "single condition" include the operation of a safety device (e.g., airbag, antilock brake system, seat belt pretensioner, etc.) installed in the vehicle, the operation of a device for protecting the body installed in the vehicle (e.g., airbag, seat belt pretensioner, etc.), a change in the vehicle at the time of a vehicle collision (e.g., a change in the electric potential of the vehicle, deformation of the vehicle, etc.), a specific change in the user's body (e.g., an abnormality in the user's body, a specific change in the user's posture), a specific sensor attached to the steering wheel coming off the steering wheel, etc. An abnormality in the user's body may be, for example, cessation of heartbeat.

[0051] The state of the airbag can be detected, for example, by monitoring the communication contents of a CAN (Controller Area Network) mounted on the vehicle. For example, airbag deployment, rear collision, airbag system abnormality, safing, front collision, side collision, etc. can be detected based on the communication contents of the CAN. The state of the airbag may also be detected by accessing the airbag ECU. The state of the airbag may be detected by monitoring the operation sound of the airbag (for example, monitoring a loud explosion sound of 150db to 170db in 100ms or less), monitoring the change in air pressure accompanying the operation of the airbag, or by an OBD (fault diagnosis device) mounted on the vehicle, etc.

[0052] The above-mentioned "change in vehicle potential" focuses on the fact that, for example, a metal vehicle body is always charged because it is placed on insulator tires, and the potential of the vehicle body changes when it comes into contact with an obstacle, and it is desirable to detect this change.

[0053] The above-mentioned "user's heart rate becoming unmeasurable" focuses on the fact that if an accident occurs, it may become impossible to measure the heart rate (in the case of death, etc.), and it is desirable to detect this.

[0054] (9) In the system of any one of (1) to (8) above, the control means may have a function of recording an image in the predetermined recording area when a safety means is activated.

[0055] In this way, for example, unnecessary recording of images can be further suppressed, and the burden of verifying abnormal situations can be further reduced.

[0056] The "safety means" may be, for example, safety devices such as airbags, ABS (antilock braking system), and seatbelt pretensioners, or software that functionally ensures the safety of the vehicle or the body. In particular, the safety means may be activated without any means for detecting the activation (such as the above-mentioned airbag) on ​​the safety means itself. For example, the safety means may be activated by connecting the safety means to a signal line that outputs a signal indicating the activation of the safety means, or by recognizing an image captured by an image capturing means and detecting the operation of the safety means.

[0057] (10) In any one of the systems (1) to (9) above, the control means may have a function of recording an image in the predetermined recording area when a means for protecting the body of the user is activated.

[0058] In this way, for example, unnecessary recording of images can be further suppressed, and the burden of verifying an abnormality can be further reduced. This is based on the fact that when an abnormality occurs, there is a high possibility that a means for protecting the body provided on an object such as a vehicle will be activated, and it is desirable to detect this.

[0059] The "means for protecting the body" may be, for example, an airbag, a seat belt pretensioner device, or software that functionally ensures the safety of the vehicle and the body.

[0060] (11) In any one of the systems (1) to (10) above, the control means may have a function of recording an image in the predetermined recording area in response to a change in the electric potential of a vehicle in which the system is mounted.

[0061] In this way, for example, unnecessary recording of images can be further suppressed, and the burden of verifying an abnormality can be further reduced, because when an abnormality occurs, there is a high possibility that a change in the potential of the vehicle (for example, a metal part of the vehicle body) will occur.

[0062] (12) In the system of any one of (1) to (11) above, the control means may have a function of recording an image in the predetermined recording area when a specific sound is generated.

[0063] In this way, for example, unnecessary recording of images can be further suppressed, and the burden of verifying an abnormality can be further reduced, because there is a high possibility that a specific sound will be generated when an abnormality occurs.

[0064] Examples of "specific sounds" include the sound of a vehicle crash, a person's scream, the siren of an emergency vehicle, the sound of sudden braking, and the like.

[0065] (13) In any one of the systems (1) to (12) above, an operating member that accepts operation by a user is provided, and the control means has a function of recording an image in the specified recording area in response to the user's operation of the operating member as the specific condition.

[0066] In this way, for example, the burden of verifying an abnormality can be further reduced with a relatively simple configuration, because the user's intention is reflected by recording an image when the user operates an operating member.

[0067] Examples of "operating members" include push buttons, switches, operating levers, etc.

[0068] (14) In any one of the systems (1) to (13) above, an operating member having a specific size may be provided as an operating member capable of accepting operation by a user, and the control means may have a function of recording an image in the specified recording area in response to operation of the operating member.

[0069] This makes it easier to operate the operating member, and allows the operating member to be easily operated even when the user is in a panic after an abnormality occurs, for example.

[0070] The specific size of the "operation member" may be, for example, a size that allows accurate operation when the hand is quickly extended.

[0071] (15) In any one of the systems (1) to (14) above, an operating member provided at a specific position as an operating member capable of accepting operation by a user may be provided, and the control means may have a function of recording an image in the specified recording area in response to operation of the operating member.

[0072] This makes it easier to operate the operating member, and allows the operating member to be easily operated even when the user is in a hurry after an abnormality occurs, for example.

[0073] The specific position of the "operation member" can be, for example, a position where an appropriate operation can be performed when the hand is quickly extended.

[0074] (16) In any one of the systems (1) to (15) above, a single operating member may be provided as an operating member capable of accepting operation by a user, and the control means may have a function of recording an image in the specified recording area in response to operation of the single operating member.

[0075] In this way, the operation of the operation member becomes easy. For example, it becomes possible to easily operate the operation member even when the user is in a hurry when an abnormality occurs. If a plurality of operable members are provided, the user may be confused as to which operation member to operate in an emergency. However, by providing the operation member as a single operation member that the user can operate, the operation member can be operated without hesitation.

[0076] (17) In the system of any one of (1) to (16) above, it is preferable to include an operation member capable of receiving an operation by a user, the operation member being capable of being detected as an erroneous operation by the control means.

[0077] In this way, when an erroneous operation of an operating member is performed, for example, it becomes possible to cancel the operation. In this case, for example, when an erroneous operation is determined, the control means may automatically cancel the operation, or the control means may confirm with the user whether or not it was an erroneous operation.

[0078] Examples of "misoperation" include incorrect operation and mischievous operation.

[0079] (18) In any one of the systems (1) to (17) above, the control means may have a function of recording an image in the specified recording area when specific information is received from the outside as the specific condition.

[0080] This can further reduce the burden of verifying whether an image recorded in response to specific information received from the outside is an image of an abnormal situation such as an accident. Also, accidents of other vehicles can be recorded and used to verify the accidents of the other vehicles.

[0081] Examples of "specific information" include information on an abnormal state (e.g., an accident) of an object such as another vehicle, and information that an emergency vehicle such as a police car or an ambulance has stopped nearby. Information on an abnormal state of an object such as another vehicle can include information on the location and time of an accident of an object such as another vehicle. Information on an accident of an object such as another vehicle is transmitted, for example, from a server external to the object such as a vehicle (for example, a server of an insurance company or a police station). In addition, the fact that an emergency vehicle such as a police car or an ambulance has stopped nearby can be recognized, for example, by collecting the sound of a siren of a police car or the like with a microphone installed in the object such as a vehicle equipped with this system and analyzing the sound.

[0082] Furthermore, the "specific information" may be, for example, inquiry information from an external device (e.g., a server) regarding a vehicle other than the vehicle in which the present system is installed. The "inquiry information" may be, for example, information regarding an accident regarding the other vehicle from an insurance company or a police station (e.g., location information, time information, etc.). In this case, for example, the control means may search for an accident video corresponding to the inquired accident information from among images that have already been continuously recorded in a specified recording area, and record the video of the accident found by the search (event recording). The recorded information may also be transmitted to the external device.

[0083] (19) In the system of any one of (1) to (18) above, it is preferable to further include a transmitting means for transmitting the image recorded in the predetermined recording area to an outside source.

[0084] In this way, by transmitting images to an external device, the trouble of carrying a memory card, for example, can be reduced.

[0085] (20) In any one of the systems (1) to (19) above, the control means may have a function of ranking the images recorded in the predetermined recording area according to the possibility that the images show an abnormal situation.

[0086] In this way, by ranking the images according to the likelihood that they depict an abnormal situation, the recording of unnecessary images is further suppressed, and the burden of verifying the abnormal situation can be further reduced.

[0087] For example, if an image has a rank higher than a predetermined rank with respect to the possibility that it shows an abnormal situation, the image may be transmitted to an insurance company's server, etc. It is preferable to record such a rank, which can further reduce the burden of verifying an abnormal situation, together with the corresponding image or by embedding it in the corresponding image.

[0088] (21) In any one of the systems (1) to (20) above, the control means may have a function of recording, on an image, information about a vehicle in which an abnormality may possibly be occurring.

[0089] In this way, the image of the abnormal situation can be easily confirmed, and the vehicle in which the abnormal situation has occurred can be easily identified.

[0090] Examples of a "vehicle in which an abnormality may be occurring" include a vehicle in which the present system is installed, and a vehicle other than the vehicle in which the present system is installed.

[0091] Examples of "information about a vehicle in which an abnormality may be occurring" include the vehicle license plate number, the vehicle inspection certificate number, and the name of the vehicle owner.

[0092] "Information about vehicles that may be experiencing an abnormality" may be displayed on the image, for example as a caption.

[0093] (22) In any one of the systems (1) to (21) above, the control means may have a function of writing probability information, which indicates a probability that the image shows an abnormal situation, onto the image.

[0094] In this way, it is possible to easily determine whether or not an image is an abnormal situation by referring to probability information indicating the probability that an abnormal situation is captured in the image, thereby further reducing the burden of verifying abnormal situations.

[0095] The "probability information indicating the probability that an abnormal situation is captured on screen" may be written on the image, for example, as a caption.

[0096] (23) In any one of the systems (1) to (22) above, the control means may have a function of recording the image in a still image state.

[0097] In this way, the burden of verifying an abnormality can be further reduced. For example, if it is a moving image, even if it is fast-forwarded, it may take a relatively long time to verify the image, but if it is a still image, multiple still images can be verified at the same time, so the verification work can be performed efficiently.

[0098] (24) In any one of the systems (1) to (23) above, the control means may have a function of switching the performance of the system between a plurality of levels.

[0099] In this way, the system performance can be switched between, for example, a personal mode that allows performance settings for personal use and a business mode that allows performance settings for business use. Therefore, the system performance can be set arbitrarily depending on who the user of the system is. For example, the performance for personal use may be set to average (medium) performance. Also, the performance for corporate use may be set to high image quality, or image transmission to the outside may be performed using LTE (Long Term Evolution) (registered trademark).

[0100] (25) In any one of the systems (1) to (24) above, the control means may have a function of setting levels by type of business.

[0101] In this way, for example, if the user is a security company, the image quality of the video can be set to the highest quality (highest setting) and images can be transmitted to the outside using LTE (Long Term Evolution) (registered trademark).

[0102] (26) It is preferable that the program is characterized by causing a computer to realize the functions of any one of the systems (1) to (25).

[0103] In this way, the above system can be realized by installing a computer storing the program in the system.

[0104] The inventions shown in (1) to (26) above can be arbitrarily combined. For example, at least a part of the configuration of at least one of the inventions after (2) may be added to all or a part of the configuration of the invention shown in (1). In particular, at least a part of the configuration of at least one of the inventions after (2) may be added to the invention shown in (1). In addition, any configuration may be extracted from the inventions shown in (1) to (26) and the extracted configurations may be combined. The applicant of this application intends to obtain rights to the inventions including these configurations. In addition, even if there is a description such as "in the case of" or "when", this is not intended to describe the configuration as being limited to that case or time. Configurations other than these cases or times are also disclosed, and the applicant intends to obtain rights. In addition, the parts described in order are not limited to this order. Configurations in which some parts are deleted or the order is changed are also disclosed, and the applicant intends to obtain rights. Effect of the Invention

[0105] According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to provide a system or the like that makes it possible to reduce the burden of verifying an abnormal situation.

[0106] The effects of the invention of the present application are not limited to this, and effects obtained from the configuration disclosed in the present specification and drawings, etc. are also disclosed, and the applicant intends to obtain rights to the configuration that achieves the effects by divisional applications, amendments, etc. For example, in this specification, statements such as "can" and "is possible" are statements that clearly indicate the effects that are achieved, and there are also parts that show the effects even without statements such as "can" and "is possible." Furthermore, there are effects that can be understood from the configuration even without such statements. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0107] [Figure 1] 1A is an example of a perspective view of the system seen diagonally from the rear, and FIG. 1B is an example of a view of the system, windshield, dashboard, etc. installed in a vehicle. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is an example of a block diagram of a system. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart for explaining a first embodiment of a control process executed by a controller. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a first modified example of a control process executed by a controller according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a second modified example of the first embodiment of the control process executed by the controller. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a third modified example of the control process executed by the controller according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 11 is a flowchart illustrating a fourth modified example of the first embodiment of the control process executed by the controller. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart illustrating a fifth modified example of the control process executed by the controller according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 5 is a flowchart for explaining a second embodiment of a control process executed by a controller. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart for explaining a first modified example of the second embodiment of the control process executed by the controller. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart for explaining a second modified example of the second embodiment of the control process executed by the controller. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart for explaining a third modified example of the second embodiment of the control process executed by the controller. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart illustrating a third embodiment of a control process executed by a controller. [Figure 14] 13 is a flowchart for explaining a modified example of the third embodiment of the control process executed by the controller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0108] [System configuration] An example of the system configuration will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The "system" may be a system mounted on an object other than a vehicle. An example of an object other than a vehicle may be a system mounted on a ship or an airplane, but it is preferable to use a system mounted on a vehicle. The "system" may be a so-called drive recorder that records an image of the moment of a traffic accident. The vehicle may be, for example, not only a transportation vehicle (e.g., a truck or a forklift), a commercial vehicle (e.g., a taxi or a bus), or a general vehicle, but may also be used for more versatile purposes. In this embodiment, a drive recorder that can be mounted on a vehicle will be described.

[0109] FIG. 1A is an example of a perspective view of a system (drive recorder) seen obliquely from the rear. As shown in FIG. 1A, an SD card insertion slot 114 is provided on one side of the housing of the system 100. A display 113 and a plurality of operation members (a plurality of operation buttons 112, 115 in the example shown in FIG. 1A) are provided on the rear of the housing. A joint rail 111 is provided on the top surface of the housing. Although not shown in FIG. 1A, a camera lens, which is an imaging means, is provided on the front surface of the housing. A DC jack is provided on the side not shown in FIG. 1A, and a speaker and an HD output terminal are provided on the bottom surface.

[0110] The camera (imaging means) including a lens captures, for example, an image in front of the vehicle. The DC jack is a jack for connecting to a DC power source via a power cable. The SD card insertion slot 114 is an insertion slot for inserting an SD card. The speaker outputs sound such as voice. The HD output terminal is a terminal for connecting to another information device via a cable. The joint rail 111 is for attaching a joint member for mounting the system 100 on a vehicle. The display 113 displays various images. The operation buttons 112, 115 are operated by the user to input various commands to the system 100.

[0111] In this specification, the user may be, for example, a driver of a vehicle in which the system is installed, or may be a person other than the driver, for example, a passenger.

[0112] FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of the system 100, the windshield 122, the dashboard 126, and the like mounted on a vehicle. In the example shown in FIG. 1A, the system 100 is disposed on the passenger side adjacent to the rearview mirror 121 at the upper part of the windshield 122 of the vehicle and near the center in the left-right direction. The system 100 is attached and fixed to the windshield 122 by a mounting member such as double-sided tape. A DC jack of the system 100 is connected to a cigarette lighter socket 123 via a power cable 120. When an accessory power source of a vehicle or the like is turned on, power is supplied to the system 100 from the cigarette lighter socket 123, for example. Therefore, when the engine of the vehicle or the like is turned off, power is not supplied to the system 100 from the cigarette lighter socket 123.

[0113] 1A, some members of the system 100 may be provided at a position other than the windshield 122 depending on the purpose of the member. In the example shown in FIG. 1A, for example, an operation button 124, which is one of the operation members, is provided on the dashboard 126.

[0114] 2 is an example of a block diagram of system 100. System 100 includes controller 130 (an example of a control means), camera 141 (an example of an imaging device), database 145, GPS receiver 140, SD card reader 142 (an example of a recording means), acceleration sensor 144, various sensors 150 different from acceleration sensor 144, speaker 146, display 113, operation buttons 112, 115, 124 (see FIG. 1B), and communication circuit 149. SD card reader 142 has a read / write function, and strictly speaking should be called an "SD card reader / writer", but in this specification it is simply called an "SD card reader".

[0115] The speaker 146 and the display 113 function as notification means for notifying the user of various information. The speaker 146 outputs alarms and various information as sounds based on the control of the controller 130. The display 113 outputs various information as image displays based on the control of the controller 130. The operation buttons 112, 115, and 124 function as input means for the user to give various commands to the system 100 (more specifically, the controller 130).

[0116] The camera 141 functions as an imaging device that captures video within an angle of view (within a visual field). The video captured by the camera 141 is imported as image data into the controller 130. The camera 141 can capture at least an image of the area in front of the vehicle. The camera 141 may be a 360° camera that can capture 360° in all directions, and may be either a spherical camera or a hemispherical camera. A 360° camera can capture images in all directions around the vehicle and can also capture the interior of the vehicle. The number of cameras 141 may be one or two or more. The camera 141 may be capable of capturing images of the user (driver, passenger) inside the vehicle in addition to the situation around the vehicle.

[0117] The database 145 is stored, for example, in a non-volatile memory (for example, an EEPROM) externally attached to the controller 130. The database 145 includes, for example, map data.

[0118] The GPS receiver 140 detects the position information of the vehicle at the current time based on an instruction from the controller 130. The position information includes the time, the speed, longitude, latitude, altitude, etc. of the vehicle, which are obtained based on signals from GPS satellites. The controller 130 performs a process of recording the history of this position information.

[0119] The SD card reader 142 functions as a medium housing unit that holds the SD card 143. The SD card 143 functions as a removable storage medium. A user can insert the SD card 143 into the SD card reader 142 through the SD card insertion slot 114 (see FIG. 1A). The SD card reader 142 reads data from the SD card 143 held in the SD card reader 142 or stores data in the SD card 143 based on the control of the controller 130.

[0120] A three-axis type sensor that detects acceleration and tilt in each of three axes (x-axis, y-axis, z-axis) is used as the acceleration sensor 144. Measurement values ​​by the acceleration sensor 144 are constantly input to the controller 130. The controller 130 acquires three-axis acceleration information, for example, every 10 ms.

[0121] The controller 130 includes a known CPU 131, memories such as a ROM 132 and a RAM 133, a timer 134, and other peripheral circuits. Various programs are stored in the ROM 132 of the controller 130. The controller 130 executes these programs to realize various functions. The various programs include an operating system (OS), a GPS information processing program, a video processing program (e.g., the flowcharts shown in Figs. 3 to 14), a communication processing program, and the like.

[0122] By executing the GPS information processing program, the controller 130 can store the GPS information received by the GPS receiver 140 in the SD card 143 held in the SD card reader 142. By executing the image processing program, the controller 130 can record the image captured by the camera 141 in a predetermined recording area of ​​the SD card 143 in association with the time. The controller 130 functions as a control means having a function of accessing the SD card 143 held in the SD card reader 142 and having a function of recording the image captured by the camera 141 in the SD card 143 held in the SD card reader 142.

[0123] The display 113 functions as a notification means for informing the user of the role played by the SD card 143 accessed by the controller 130.

[0124] The communication circuit 149 functions as a communication means for wirelessly communicating with an external device, for example, a server (for example, a server of an insurance company, etc.), a personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, etc. The controller 130 has a function of transmitting image data such as video to an external device via the communication circuit 149 by executing a communication processing program. As the communication circuit 149, a communication circuit conforming to, for example, a short-range wireless communication standard such as the WiFi standard, Bluetooth, or a mobile communication system standard such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) (both of which are registered trademarks) or 4G may be used. The short-range wireless communication standard can be applied, for example, to communication between a work vehicle (forklift, etc.) operating within a premises and an external device. The mobile communication system standard can be applied, for example, to communication between a vehicle moving within a wider area and an external device.

[0125] The controller 130 executes the above-mentioned video processing program by recording an image in the SD card 143 held in the SD card reader 142 based on the image data input from the camera 141. More specifically, the SD card 143 is divided into at least two recording areas (a first recording area and a second recording area), and the first recording area stores compressed image data (hereinafter referred to as "constantly recorded image data") that is recorded continuously as long as the vehicle is receiving power. The second recording area stores image data (hereinafter referred to as "event recorded image data") that is recorded when a specific condition is met while the vehicle is receiving power. The details will be described later, but the controller 130 executes a process of recording the constantly recorded image data (a constantly recorded process described later) and a process of recording the event recorded image data (an event recorded process described later) as a multitask process.

[0126] As described above, when the accessory power source (hereinafter referred to as "external power source") of the vehicle or the like is turned on, the system 100 is not supplied with power from, for example, the cigarette lighter socket 123. Therefore, the system 100 may be an anti-theft system having a built-in battery that is charged when the external power source is on and supplies power only to the controller 130 and the acceleration sensor 144 when the external power source is off. In this case, when the acceleration sensor 144 detects a strong impact in the theft recording mode, the controller 130 supplies power from the built-in battery to other members (for example, the camera 141, the SD card reader 142, the display 113, etc.) other than the controller 130 and the acceleration sensor 144, and performs a process of capturing an image of a fraudulent act such as theft for a time, such as about one minute, and recording the captured image data. Then, when the external power source is turned on, the anti-theft mode is ended and the process shown in Figs. 3 to 14 described later is performed.

[0127] For example, the images of the continuous recording image data or the event recording image data may be a series of still images or may be a moving image. In the case of still images, since it is possible to check a plurality of still images at the same time, it is possible to efficiently check the images. Furthermore, the moving image may be, for example, a moving image obtained by continuously displaying a series of images taken at a fixed time interval at short intervals, or may be a completely continuous image.

[0128] Furthermore, it is preferable to add vehicle data (for example, vehicle registration number, chassis number, owner's name, etc.) to the still images and moving images. It is also preferable that the operation button 124 is a single button, and that no buttons other than the operation button 124 are provided. By providing the single operation button 124 as an operation button that can be operated by the user, the operation button 124 can be operated without hesitation in an emergency such as a traffic accident.

[0129] Next, the control process of the controller 130 provided in the system will be described. The control process executed by the controller 130 will be described separately for a first embodiment, a second embodiment, and a third embodiment. Note that the configuration of the system shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 is common to the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the third embodiment, so only the control process executed by the controller 130 will be described below.

[0130] The first embodiment is an example of a case where an event recording process for recording event record image data is performed when multiple conditions are met, for example, when there is a possibility that an abnormal situation such as an accident has occurred in the vehicle (a vehicle equipped with the system), and this is an example in which the frequency of performing the event recording process may be lower than when the event recording process is performed when a single condition is met, such as the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0131] In this specification (including not only the first embodiment but also the second and third embodiments described below), "occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value" corresponds to, for example, a case where the range of acceleration occurring when a vehicle or the like is traveling normally is exceeded. For example, when a vehicle or the like is traveling normally, the acceleration often fluctuates within a normal range, although there is some margin of error. However, for example, when a vehicle or the like runs over a bump or applies the brakes suddenly, the acceleration may rise temporarily (for example, for an instant). In such a case, it may be determined that acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value has occurred.

[0132] The second embodiment is an example of a case where an event recording process for recording event record image data when there is a possibility that an abnormal situation such as an accident has occurred in the vehicle (a vehicle equipped with the system) is performed when a single condition other than the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value is satisfied, and this is an example in which the frequency of performing the event recording process may be lower than when the event recording process is performed when a single condition such as the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value is satisfied.

[0133] The third embodiment is an example of a case where an event recording process is performed to record event record image data when there is a possibility that an abnormal situation such as an accident has occurred in another vehicle (a vehicle other than the vehicle in which the system is installed).

[0134] [First Example] First, a first embodiment of the control process executed by the controller 130 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the first embodiment of the control process executed by the controller 130 of the system 100.

[0135] The controller 130 determines whether the external power supply is ON (step S101), and if the external power supply is ON (YES in step S101), performs the processes of steps S103 to S109. Although not shown in FIG. 3, when power is supplied to the system 100 and the external power supply is turned ON, the controller 130 performs a continuous recording process of constantly recording image data input from the camera 141 (continuously recorded image data) in a first recording area of ​​the SD card 143. This continuous recording process is a process that continues recording as long as power is supplied to the system 100, and is performed in parallel with the processes of steps S103 to S109, for example.

[0136] In step S101, when the supply of power to the system 100 starts and the external power source is turned ON (if YES), the controller 130 determines whether or not the vehicle has experienced acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value based on the detection value of the acceleration sensor 144 (step S103).

[0137] Specifically, after an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs (YES in step S103), the controller 130 monitors whether or not the user has performed a specific action (step S107) until a predetermined time has elapsed (step S105). The monitoring of whether or not the user has performed a specific action may be, for example, monitoring whether or not the user has operated the operation button 124. If the user is informed that the system will record image data when the operation button 124 is operated, the reliability of the occurrence of an event when the user operates the operation button 124 is increased.

[0138] When the controller 130 determines that the user has operated, for example, the operation button 124 as a specific action within a predetermined time after the occurrence of an acceleration of a predetermined value or more (YES in step S105), the controller 130 performs an event recording process (step S109). This event recording process is, for example, a process of reading out the continuously recorded image data recorded in the first recording area of ​​the SD card 143, cutting out image data for a predetermined time (for example, 20 seconds before and after) before and after the time when it is determined that the acceleration of a predetermined value or more has occurred, and recording the image data as event recording image data in the second recording area of ​​the SD card 143. In this case, the predetermined time determined in step S105 (a monitoring time for whether or not the user has operated the operation button 124) may be set to a certain amount of time, for example, within 20 minutes after the occurrence of the acceleration of a predetermined value or more is detected, until the user operates the operation button 124. This is because it is considered that when an abnormal state such as an accident occurs, the user will be upset, and if he or she is not mentally calm, there is a possibility that he or she will not notice that the operation button 124 is being operated.

[0139] Moreover, when an acceleration equal to or greater than the predetermined value has not occurred (NO in step S103), the controller 130 returns to step S101. Even if an acceleration equal to or greater than the predetermined value has occurred, the controller 130 returns to step S101 when a predetermined time has elapsed since the occurrence of the acceleration equal to or greater than the predetermined value without detecting that the user has performed a specific action (NO in step S105).

[0140] In this way, by satisfying a plurality of conditions, such as detection of the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value and detection of the user performing a specific action, images can be recorded less frequently than when an image is recorded when an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs, and it is possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying an abnormal situation. Specifically, for example, it is possible to reduce the burden of verifying whether an image is an image of an abnormal situation such as an accident at an insurance company or the like that receives an image from the system. In addition, since the timing at which each of the plurality of conditions is satisfied is relatively close (within the predetermined time described in step S105 above), the high relevance of the plurality of conditions is ensured. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying an abnormal situation.

[0141] In addition, when the process of step S107 is, for example, a process of detecting that the user has operated the operation button 124, it is preferable that the system is provided with a function for prompting the user to operate the operation button 124. For example, when the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value is detected, a voice announcement such as "In case of emergency, press the operation button" may be output from a speaker, a display to that effect may be displayed on a display device, the operation button 24 may be lit or flashed, or a combination of these may be performed. In addition, it is preferable that the operation button 24 is provided in a conspicuous manner in the system. For example, the operation button 24 may be arranged on the dashboard, or the operation button 24 may be arranged in a position that is easily visible from the person sitting in the driver's seat or the passenger seat. In addition, it is preferable that the operation button 24 is an operation button of a conspicuous color (for example, red, yellow, blue, etc.). In addition, it is preferable that the operation button 24 is a large size (for example, the size of the back of the hand, like an emergency button) so as to be conspicuous. Furthermore, if there are a large number of operation buttons, the user may be confused as to which operation button to operate when operating the device, so it is preferable that only one operation button 24 is provided.

[0142] In addition, when the operation button 24 is operated when an abnormality such as an accident occurs in the vehicle or another vehicle, or when a physical malfunction occurs to the driver or passenger, or when an abnormality such as a fire, flooding, or a meteorite falls, the system will communicate with a specific external organization (e.g., a police station, fire department, Japan Automobile Federation, insurance company, accident support center, etc.) or a specific external vehicle (e.g., an ambulance, patrol car, etc.), and this communication will have the function of notifying the other party of the occurrence of the abnormality.

[0143] The process of step S107 is not limited to the process of detecting that the user has operated the operation button 124, but may be the process of detecting that a specific device owned by the user (e.g., a smartphone or tablet) has communicated with an external specific organization (e.g., a police station, a fire department, the Japan Automobile Federation, an insurance company, an accident support center, etc.). In this case, the predetermined time determined in step S105 (a monitoring time for determining whether or not communication has been made from a specific device owned by the user to an external specific organization) may be set to a length of time that allows a certain amount of time to be secured until the user operates the operation button 124, such as within 60 minutes after detecting the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value. This is because, in consideration of the fact that the user may negotiate with the other party in the accident when an abnormal state such as an accident occurs, it is considered that there is a possibility that communication with an external specific organization will occur after the negotiation with the other party has settled down.

[0144] The system may also prompt the user to communicate with the specific organization, or may confirm with the user whether or not to communicate with the specific organization. For example, the system may confirm with the user, via an interactive UI (user interface), whether or not to communicate with (contact) an accident support center that provides services to support responses to accidents.

[0145] Specifically, for example, after an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs (YES in step S103), the system may ask the user a voice prompt such as "Do you want to notify the accident support center?" until a predetermined time has elapsed (step S105). In this case, the system may recognize the user's response such as "yes / no" by voice, and if the user responds "yes," the system may contact the accident support center. When making this contact, the system may record the voice conversation with the user just to be sure, and while making the above contact, send the recorded content to the accident support center as a voice message.

[0146] Also, for example, after an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs (YES in step S103), until a predetermined time has elapsed (step S105), the system may ask the user to confirm with a voice such as, "Do you want to notify the accident support center? If you want to notify, press the notification button on the main unit." In this case, the system may be configured to contact the accident support center when the user operates the notification button.

[0147] It is advisable to provide a function for adjusting the voice volume of the interactive UI system and a function for turning the voice on and off. By providing these functions, it is possible to suppress the sound from being played each time an acceleration of a predetermined value or more occurs (YES in step S103), and to suppress the voice volume.

[0148] When the process of step S107 is a process of detecting communication from a specific device (e.g., a smartphone or tablet) owned by the user to a specific external organization (e.g., a police station, a fire department, the Japan Automobile Federation, an insurance company, etc.), it is preferable to register the telephone number of the specific organization in the system. In addition, it is preferable to make the system and the specific device owned by the user communicable with each other by pairing in advance, for example, by Bluetooth (registered trademark). It is even more preferable to record a history (e.g., date and time and contents of the conversation when communicating) when the specific device owned by the user communicates with a specific external organization. It is also preferable to read the call history of the specific device owned by the user at any time, and perform an event recording process (step S109) for the most recent acceleration occurrence event (YES in step S103) relative to the time of contacting the specific organization (insurance company, etc.).

[0149] [Effects of the first embodiment] According to the first embodiment, by satisfying a plurality of conditions (detection of occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value and detection of a specific user action), images can be recorded less frequently than when images are recorded when acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs. Therefore, by providing the image data recorded on the SD card 143 in the event recording process (step S109) to a specific external organization (for example, a police station, a fire department, the Japan Automobile Federation, an insurance company, etc.), it becomes possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying an abnormal situation.

[0150] [Modifications 1 to 5 of the First Embodiment] Next, modified examples 1 to 5 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4 to Fig. 8. Modified examples 1 to 5 of the first embodiment differ from the first embodiment in some of the processes executed by controller 130 of system 100 shown in Fig. 3.

[0151] [Modification 1 of the first embodiment] First, a first modified example of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a first modified example of the control process executed by the controller 130 of the system 100 according to the first modified example of the first embodiment.

[0152] In the first modified example of the first embodiment, instead of or in addition to the judgment of S107 in the first embodiment (judgment of whether the user has performed a specific action), it is judged whether specific information has been detected from the user within a predetermined time (YES in step S115) after the occurrence of acceleration of a predetermined value or more (step S117). That is, when a plurality of conditions are satisfied, such as the occurrence of acceleration of a predetermined value or more (YES in step S113) and the detection of specific information from the user within a predetermined time (YES in step S115) after the occurrence of acceleration of a predetermined value or more (YES in step S117), an event recording process is performed (step S119). Note that the other processes of steps S111, S113, and S119 are similar to the processes of steps S101, S103, and S109 in the first embodiment, respectively.

[0153] Specifically, after an acceleration of a predetermined value or more occurs (YES in step S113), the controller 130 monitors whether specific information is detected from the user (step S117) until a predetermined time has elapsed (step S115). The monitoring of whether specific information is detected from the user may be, for example, monitoring whether the user has uttered a loud voice (for example, a voice of a predetermined decibel value or more). This is based on the fact that the user is likely to utter a loud voice when an abnormal state such as an accident occurs, and it is determined that the user has uttered a loud voice when the decibel value range that is unlikely to be detected under normal circumstances is exceeded (for example, when a decibel value of at least twice the maximum decibel value that can be detected under normal circumstances is detected). In this case, the predetermined time determined in step S115 (the monitoring time for whether the user has uttered a loud voice) may be a relatively short time, for example, within 3 seconds after the occurrence of an acceleration of a predetermined value or more is detected. This is because it is considered that the user will utter a loud voice within a relatively short time when an abnormal state such as an accident occurs.

[0154] If the controller 130 determines that specific information from the user, for example, that the user has spoken loudly (YES in step S117), occurs within a predetermined time after an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value has occurred (YES in step S115), the controller 130 performs an event recording process (step S119).

[0155] Moreover, when an acceleration equal to or greater than the predetermined value has not occurred (NO in step S113), the controller 130 returns to step S111. Even if an acceleration equal to or greater than the predetermined value has occurred, if a predetermined time has elapsed since the occurrence of the acceleration equal to or greater than the predetermined value without detecting any specific information from the user (NO in step S115), the controller 130 returns to step S111.

[0156] In this way, by satisfying a plurality of conditions, such as detection of the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value and detection of specific information from the user, images can be recorded less frequently than when an image is recorded when an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs, and therefore, it is possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying an abnormal situation. Specifically, for example, it is possible to reduce the burden of verifying whether an image is an image of an abnormal situation such as an accident at an insurance company or the like that receives an image from the system. In addition, since the timing at which each of the plurality of conditions is satisfied is relatively close (within the predetermined time described in step S115 above), the high relevance of the plurality of conditions is ensured. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying an abnormal situation.

[0157] The process of step S117 is not limited to the process of monitoring whether the user has spoken loudly (for example, a voice of a predetermined decibel value or more), and may be, for example, a process of monitoring whether a change has occurred in the user's body. The monitoring of whether a change has occurred in the user's body may be a process of detecting the user's heart rate by providing a sensor capable of measuring the user's blood flow, for example, on the steering wheel of a vehicle in which the system is mounted, and determining that a change has occurred in the user's body when it is detected that the detected heart rate is outside a predetermined range (for example, a heart rate of 100 or more, or cannot be measured), for example, exceeding the range of the heart rate detected in normal times. In this case, it is preferable to detect the user's heart rate from normal times, and set, for example, the range of the heart rate detected in normal times based on the detection result. Also, the system may be equipped with a camera that captures images of, for example, the interior of the vehicle in which the system is mounted, and may detect that the user's body state captured by the camera has become different from that during normal driving (for example, the position of the user's head has deviated from a predetermined area for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 5 minutes or more, a period during which the user's head position is considered to return to the predetermined area if no abnormality has occurred)). In this case, the predetermined period of time determined in step S115 (the monitoring period for whether or not a change has occurred in the user's body) may be the period from when it is detected that an acceleration of a predetermined value or more has occurred until, for example, the power is turned off (until NO is determined in step S111). This is because even if there is no effect on the body immediately after the occurrence of an abnormality such as an accident, there are cases in which effects on the body appear after a certain amount of time has passed.

[0158] Furthermore, if controller 130 is configured to monitor whether any changes have occurred in the user's body from the time it detects that an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value has occurred until, for example, the power is turned off, it may be possible to automatically send any abnormality in the user's body to an external organization (such as an insurance company's server or a police station), which may be even better as it may be possible to prevent accidents from occurring.

[0159] [Effects of Modification 1 of the First Embodiment] According to the first modified example of the first embodiment, by satisfying a plurality of conditions (detection of occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value and detection of acquisition of specific information from a user), images can be recorded less frequently than when images are recorded when acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs. Therefore, by providing the image data recorded on the SD card 143 in the event recording process (step S119) to a specific external organization (for example, a police station, a fire department, the Japan Automobile Federation, an insurance company, etc.), it becomes possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying an abnormal situation.

[0160] [Modification 2 of the first embodiment] Next, a second modified example of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a second modified example of the control process executed by the controller 130 of the system 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0161] In the second modified example of the first embodiment, instead of or in addition to the judgment of S107 in the first embodiment (judgment of whether or not the user has performed a specific action), it is judged (step S127) whether or not specific information has been detected from outside the vehicle within a predetermined time after the occurrence of acceleration of a predetermined value or more (YES in step S125). That is, when a plurality of conditions are satisfied, such as the occurrence of acceleration of a predetermined value or more (YES in step S123) and the detection of specific information from outside the vehicle within a predetermined time after the occurrence of acceleration of a predetermined value or more, an event recording process is performed (step S129). Note that the other processes of steps S121, S123, and S129 are similar to the processes of steps S101, S103, and S109 in the first embodiment, respectively.

[0162] Specifically, after an acceleration of a predetermined value or more occurs (YES in step S123), the controller 130 monitors whether or not a specific sound (e.g., the sound of a siren of a specific vehicle (e.g., an emergency vehicle such as an ambulance or a police car), a loud voice of a passerby, the sound of a vehicle collision, etc.) has been detected as specific information from outside the vehicle until a predetermined time has elapsed (steps S125, S127). If it is determined that a specific sound has been detected within a predetermined time after an acceleration of a predetermined value or more occurs (YES in step S125) (YES in step S127), an event recording process is performed (step S129). In this case, if the specific sound is, for example, the sound of a siren of a specific vehicle, it is preferable to set the predetermined time (monitoring time for determining whether or not a specific sound has been detected) determined in step S125 to be within 40 minutes after the occurrence of an acceleration of a predetermined value or more, taking into consideration the time from the occurrence of an abnormal state such as an accident to the arrival of the specific vehicle. Also, if the specific sound is, for example, a loud voice of a passerby or the sound of a vehicle collision, it is advisable to set the time to a relatively short period of time, for example, within 3 seconds after detecting the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0163] Moreover, when an acceleration equal to or greater than the predetermined value has not occurred (NO in step S123), the controller 130 returns to step S121. Moreover, even if an acceleration equal to or greater than the predetermined value has occurred, when a specific sound is not detected within a predetermined time thereafter (NO in step S127), the controller 130 returns to step S121.

[0164] In this way, by satisfying a plurality of conditions, such as detection of the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value and detection of a specific sound, such as the siren sound of an emergency vehicle, images can be recorded less frequently than when an image is recorded when acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs, and this makes it possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying abnormal situations. Specifically, for example, it is possible to reduce the burden of verifying whether an image is an image of an abnormal situation, such as an accident, at an insurance company or the like that receives an image from the system. In addition, the timing at which each of the plurality of conditions is satisfied is relatively close (within the predetermined time described in step S125 above), so that the relevance of the plurality of conditions is ensured. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying abnormal situations.

[0165] The process of step S127 is not limited to monitoring whether a specific sound is detected as specific information from outside the vehicle, and may be, for example, monitoring whether an obstacle approaches the vehicle. The obstacle approaching the vehicle should not be, for example, a balloon, but should be, for example, a heavy object (person, vehicle, etc.) that may cause an abnormal situation such as an accident. The determination of whether the object is heavy or not may be performed by image processing an image captured by an imaging device (for example, camera 141, etc.) of system 100. In this case, the predetermined time determined in step S125 (the monitoring time for whether an obstacle approaches the vehicle or not) may be a relatively short time, for example, within 3 seconds after it is detected that an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs.

[0166] [Effects of Modification 2 of the First Embodiment] According to the second modification of the first embodiment, by satisfying a plurality of conditions (detection of occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value and detection of specific information from outside the vehicle), images can be recorded less frequently than when images are recorded when acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs. Therefore, by providing the image data recorded on the SD card 143 in the event recording process (step S129) to a specific external organization (for example, a police station, a fire department, the Japan Automobile Federation, an insurance company, etc.), it becomes possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying abnormal situations.

[0167] [Modification 3 of the first embodiment] Next, a third modified example of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a third modified example of the control process executed by the controller 130 of the system 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0168] In the third modified example of the first embodiment, instead of or in addition to the judgment of S107 in the first embodiment (judgment of whether the user has performed a specific action), it is judged (step S137) whether a change in the vehicle has been detected within a predetermined time (YES in step S135) after an acceleration of a predetermined value or more has occurred. That is, when a plurality of conditions are satisfied, such as the occurrence of an acceleration of a predetermined value or more (YES in step S133) and the occurrence of a change in the vehicle within a predetermined time (YES in step S135) after the occurrence of an acceleration of a predetermined value or more has occurred (YES in step S137), an event recording process is performed (step S139). Note that the other processes of steps S131, S133, and S139 are similar to the processes of steps S101, S103, and S109 in the first embodiment, respectively.

[0169] Specifically, after an acceleration of a predetermined value or more occurs (YES in step S133), the controller 130 monitors whether a change in the vehicle is detected (step S137) until a predetermined time has elapsed (step S135). The monitoring of whether a change in the vehicle is detected may be, for example, monitoring whether a change in the electric potential of the vehicle is detected. This is based on the fact that when an abnormality occurs, such as when a vehicle equipped with the system comes into contact with another object, the electric potential of the vehicle or the like is likely to have changed due to the contact with the other object. In this case, the predetermined time determined in step S135 (the monitoring time of whether a change in the vehicle is detected) may be a relatively short time, for example, within one second after the occurrence of the detection of the occurrence of an acceleration of a predetermined value or more. This is because it is considered that the electric potential of the vehicle or the like changes immediately when it comes into contact with another object.

[0170] If the controller 130 determines that a change in the vehicle, such as a change in the potential of the vehicle, has been detected (YES in step S137) within a predetermined time after the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value (YES in step S135), the controller 130 performs an event recording process (step S139).

[0171] Moreover, when acceleration equal to or greater than the predetermined value has not occurred (NO in step S133), the controller 130 returns to step S131. Even if acceleration equal to or greater than the predetermined value has occurred, if a predetermined time has elapsed since the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than the predetermined value without detecting a change in the vehicle (NO in step S135), the controller 130 returns to step S131.

[0172] In this way, by satisfying a plurality of conditions, such as detection of the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value and detection of a change in the vehicle, images can be recorded less frequently than when an image is recorded when acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs, and therefore, it is possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying abnormal situations. Specifically, for example, it is possible to reduce the burden of verifying whether an image is an image of an abnormal situation such as an accident at an insurance company or the like that receives an image from the system. In addition, since the timing at which each of the plurality of conditions is satisfied is relatively close (within the predetermined time period described in step S135 above), the high relevance of the plurality of conditions is ensured. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying abnormal situations.

[0173] The process of step S137 is not limited to monitoring whether a change in the vehicle has been detected, and may be, for example, monitoring whether a safety device of the vehicle has been activated. Examples of the safety device of the vehicle include an airbag device, an antilock brake system, and a seat belt pretensioner device. In this case, the predetermined time determined in step S135 (the monitoring time for whether a change in the vehicle has been detected) may be a relatively short time, for example, within 3 seconds after it is detected that an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value has occurred.

[0174] Furthermore, the process of step S137 may be configured to monitor, for example, whether the vehicle's traveling speed has become equal to or lower than a predetermined speed (for example, 8 km / h) from a predetermined average traveling speed (for example, 40 km / h or higher) (change in moving speed). Also, the process of step S137 may be configured to monitor, for example, whether the vehicle's traveling speed has transitioned from a state in which the vehicle's traveling speed is equal to or higher than a specific average speed to a stopped state and the stopped state has continued for a predetermined time or more (for example, 5 minutes or more). This is in consideration of the fact that the user is highly likely to stop the vehicle when an abnormal situation such as an accident occurs. In this case, the predetermined time determined in step S135 (the monitoring time for whether the vehicle's traveling speed has become equal to or lower than a predetermined speed or zero) may be, for example, within 10 minutes, more preferably within 3 to 5 minutes, after the occurrence of acceleration equal to or higher than a predetermined value is detected. The change in moving speed may be monitored based on, for example, information obtained from a GPS, information obtained from a vehicle speed sensor, detection results of braking, etc. In addition, in terms of monitoring whether the speed has fallen below the above-mentioned predetermined speed, it is preferable to monitor whether the traveling speed has fallen to zero, considering that there is a high possibility that the user will stop the vehicle when an abnormal situation such as an accident occurs. However, taking into account the error of the speed sensor, it is better to monitor whether the speed has fallen below a predetermined speed (e.g., 8 km / h).

[0175] Also, the process of step S137 may be configured to monitor whether the vehicle has transitioned from a state in which the vehicle's traveling speed is equal to or greater than a specific average speed to a stopped state and has remained stopped for a predetermined period of time or more (e.g., 3 to 5 minutes or more). If the period of time is 3 to 5 minutes or more, it is possible to eliminate the possibility of the vehicle being at a stoplight.

[0176] [Effects of Modification 3 of the First Embodiment] According to the third modification of the first embodiment, by satisfying a plurality of conditions (detection of occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value and detection of a change in the vehicle), images can be recorded less frequently than when images are recorded when acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs. Therefore, by providing the image data recorded on the SD card 143 in the event recording process (step S139) to a specific external organization (for example, a police station, a fire department, the Japan Automobile Federation, an insurance company, etc.), it becomes possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying an abnormal situation.

[0177] [Modification 4 of the first embodiment] Next, a fourth modified example of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a fourth modified example of the control process executed by the controller 130 of the system 100.

[0178] In the fourth modified example of the first embodiment, instead of or in addition to the judgment of S107 in the first embodiment (judgment of whether or not the user has performed a specific action), it is judged whether or not specific driving information has been detected from the vehicle within a predetermined time (YES in step S145) after the occurrence of acceleration of a predetermined value or more (step S147). That is, when a plurality of conditions are satisfied, such as the occurrence of acceleration of a predetermined value or more (YES in step S143) and the detection of specific driving information from the vehicle within a predetermined time (YES in step S145) after the occurrence of acceleration of a predetermined value or more (YES in step S147), an event recording process is performed (step S149). Note that the other processes of steps S141, S143, and S149 are similar to the processes of steps S101, S103, and S109 in the first embodiment, respectively.

[0179] Specifically, after an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs (YES in step S143), the controller 130 monitors whether or not specific driving information from the vehicle is detected (step S147) until a predetermined time has elapsed (step S145). The monitoring of whether or not specific driving information from the vehicle is detected may be, for example, monitoring of whether or not it is detected that the vehicle is driving in an accident-prone area. The controller 130 can detect whether or not the vehicle, etc. is driving in an accident-prone area from the driving area of ​​the vehicle, etc., which can be obtained by the GPS receiver 140, for example. Information on the accident-prone area may be, for example, stored in the system in advance, or may be obtained by the controller 130 from the outside (for example, a server of an external organization such as an insurance company or a police station).

[0180] In addition, the predetermined time determined in step S145 (e.g., the monitoring time for whether or not specific driving information from the vehicle has been detected) may be set to a time required to detect the driving area of ​​the vehicle, etc., which can be obtained by the GPS receiver 140, such as within 10 seconds after detecting the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0181] In the above, after an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs (YES in step S143), whether or not specific driving information from the vehicle has been detected is monitored (step S147) until a predetermined time has elapsed (step S145). Alternatively, however, it may be possible to constantly monitor whether or not an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value has occurred while the specific driving information from the vehicle is being detected.

[0182] When both conditions are met, that is, that acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value has occurred (YES in step S143) and that specific driving information has been detected from the vehicle (YES in step S147), the controller 130 performs an event recording process (step S149).

[0183] Moreover, when the acceleration of the predetermined value or more has not occurred (NO in step S143), the controller 130 returns to step S141. Moreover, when the controller 130 does not detect specific driving information from the vehicle even if the acceleration of the predetermined value or more has occurred, or when the controller 130 detects specific driving information from the vehicle but does not detect the occurrence of the acceleration of the predetermined value or more, the controller 130 returns to step S141.

[0184] In this way, by satisfying a plurality of conditions, such as detection of the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value and detection of the vehicle traveling in an accident-prone area, images can be recorded less frequently than when an image is recorded when acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs, and therefore it is possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying abnormal situations. Specifically, for example, it is possible to reduce the burden of verifying whether an image is an image of an abnormal situation such as an accident at an insurance company or the like that receives an image from the system. In addition, since the timing at which each of the plurality of conditions is satisfied is relatively close (within the predetermined time described in step S145 above), the high relevance of the plurality of conditions is ensured. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying abnormal situations.

[0185] The process of step S147 is not limited to monitoring whether the vehicle is traveling in an accident-prone area, but may be, for example, to monitor whether the vehicle is traveling during a time period when accidents are likely to occur (e.g., between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m.).

[0186] [Effects of Modification 4 of the First Embodiment] According to the fourth modification of the first embodiment, by satisfying a plurality of conditions (detection of occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value and detection of vehicle driving information), images can be recorded less frequently than when images are recorded when acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs. Therefore, by providing the image data recorded on the SD card 143 in the event recording process (step S149) to a specific external organization (for example, a police station, a fire department, the Japan Automobile Federation, an insurance company, etc.), it becomes possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying abnormal situations.

[0187] [Modification 5 of the First Example] Next, a fifth modified example of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a fifth modified example of the first embodiment of the control process executed by the controller 130 of the system 100.

[0188] In the fifth modified example of the first embodiment, the condition for performing the event recording process is the satisfaction of multiple conditions other than the condition of detecting the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value. That is, even if the frequency of performing the event recording process cannot be reduced compared to the conventional case in which the event recording process is performed when an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs when only one condition is satisfied, the frequency of performing the event recording process can be reduced compared to the conventional case by setting the satisfaction of multiple conditions as the condition for the event recording process. Note that the processes of steps S151 and S159 are the same as the processes of steps S101 and S109 in the first embodiment, respectively.

[0189] For example, after the power is turned on (YES in step S151), the controller 130 determines whether or not the user has performed a specific action as a first condition (step S153), and after determining that the user has performed a specific action (YES in step S153), monitors whether or not the second condition is met, that is, whether or not specific information has been detected from the user (step S157), until a predetermined time has elapsed (step S155). If both conditions, that is, the first condition that the user has performed a specific action and that is, the second condition that specific information has been detected from the user, are met within a predetermined time (YES in step S153, YES in step S155, and YES in step S157), an event recording process is performed (step S159).

[0190] The order of determining whether or not the user has performed a specific action (step S153) and determining whether or not specific information has been detected from the user (step S157) is not limited to the order described above. For example, after determining that specific information has been detected from the user, it may be possible to monitor whether or not specific information has been detected from the user until a predetermined time has elapsed (YES in step S155).

[0191] If both conditions that the user performed a specific action and that specific information was detected from the user are not met within a predetermined time (NO in step S153, NO in step S155), the controller 130 returns to step S151. If either one of the conditions that the user performed a specific action and that specific information was detected from the user is met and the predetermined time has not passed since this condition was met (NO in step S155), the controller 130 returns to step S153.

[0192] The predetermined time determined in step S155 (the monitoring time for whether the second condition is satisfied) differs depending on the second condition. For example, if the second condition is, for example, detection of the user operating the operation button 124, it is preferable to set the time within 20 minutes after the first condition is satisfied, so that a certain amount of time is ensured until the user operates the operation button 124. If the second condition is, for example, detection of the user's heart rate falling outside a predetermined range (for example, a heart rate of 100 or more, or measurement is impossible), it is preferable to set the time assuming that the user's body may be affected, such as the time from the first condition being satisfied until the external power supply is turned off. If the second condition is, for example, detection of a specific sound (for example, the sound of a siren of a specific vehicle (for example, an emergency vehicle such as an ambulance or police car), a loud voice of a passerby, a vehicle collision sound, etc.), it is preferable to set the time taking into consideration the time from the occurrence of an abnormal state such as an accident until the arrival of a specific vehicle, such as within 40 minutes after the first condition is satisfied. Furthermore, if the second condition is, for example, detection of a change in the electric potential of the vehicle, since it is considered that the electric potential of the vehicle etc. changes immediately when it comes into contact with another object, it is preferable to set the time to a relatively short time, for example, within one second, after the first condition is satisfied. If the second condition is, for example, detection of the vehicle traveling in an area where accidents frequently occur, it is preferable to set the time to a time required for detection of the traveling area of ​​the vehicle etc. that can be obtained by the GPS receiver 140, for example, within 10 seconds after the first condition is satisfied. In this way, the predetermined time determined in step S155 (the monitoring time for whether the second condition is satisfied or not) should be a time during which the second condition can be satisfied.

[0193] In this way, by satisfying a plurality of conditions, such as detection of a user performing a specific action and detection of acquisition of specific information from the user, images can be recorded less frequently than when an image is recorded when an acceleration of a predetermined value or more occurs, and it is possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying an abnormal situation. Specifically, for example, it is possible to reduce the burden of verifying whether an image is an image of an abnormal situation such as an accident at an insurance company or the like that receives an image from the system. In addition, since the timing at which each of the plurality of conditions is satisfied is relatively close (within a predetermined time that differs depending on the second condition), a high degree of relevance between the plurality of conditions is ensured. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying an abnormal situation.

[0194] In addition, the combination of the process performed in step S153 and the process performed in step S157 is not limited to the combination of the detection of the user's specific action and the detection of specific information from the user. For example, the above combinations may include variations such as detection of the user's specific action and detection of specific information from outside the vehicle, detection of the user's specific action and detection of a change in the vehicle, detection of the user's specific action and detection of specific information from outside the vehicle, detection of acquisition of specific information from the user and detection of specific information from outside the vehicle, detection of specific information from the user and detection of a change in the vehicle, detection of specific information from the user and detection of specific information from outside the vehicle, detection of specific information from the user and detection of specific information from outside the vehicle, detection of specific information from the vehicle and detection of a change in the vehicle, detection of specific information from the vehicle and detection of specific information from outside the vehicle, detection of a change in the vehicle and detection of specific information from outside the vehicle, and detection of a change in the vehicle and detection of specific information from outside the vehicle.

[0195] Furthermore, in the fifth modified example of the first embodiment, the condition for performing the event recording process is the establishment of a plurality of conditions other than the condition of detecting the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value, but the plurality of conditions is not limited to the establishment of two conditions. For example, even if three or more conditions, such as detecting that the user has performed a specific action, detecting specific information from the user, and detecting specific information from outside the vehicle, are established, images can be recorded less frequently than when an image is recorded when acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs, so that it is possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying an abnormal situation. The combination of the three or more conditions may be, for example, any combination of three or more conditions selected from the above-mentioned plurality of conditions, such as detecting that the user has performed a specific action, detecting specific information from the user, detecting specific information from outside the vehicle, detecting a change in the vehicle, and detecting specific information from outside the vehicle.

[0196] [Effects of Modification 5 of the First Embodiment] According to the fifth modified example of the first embodiment, by satisfying a plurality of conditions other than the condition of detecting the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value, images can be recorded less frequently than when an image is recorded when an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs. Therefore, by providing the image data recorded in the SD card 143 in the event recording process (step S159) to a specific external organization (for example, a police station, a fire department, the Japan Automobile Federation, an insurance company, etc.), it is possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying an abnormal situation. In particular, even if the frequency of the event recording process cannot be reduced compared to the conventional case in which the event recording process is performed when an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs when a single condition is satisfied, it is possible to reduce the frequency of the event recording process compared to the conventional case by setting the satisfaction of the plurality of conditions as the condition for the event recording process. However, it is not excluded to set a condition in which the frequency of the event recording process is reduced compared to the conventional case when a single condition is satisfied as one of the above-mentioned plurality of conditions.

[0197] [Effects of the First Example and Modifications 1 to 5 of the First Example] According to the first embodiment and the first to fifth modified examples of the first embodiment, it is possible to reduce the frequency of the event recording process compared to the conventional method of performing the event recording process when an acceleration of a predetermined value or more occurs. When the occurrence of an acceleration of a predetermined value or more is set as one of the conditions, it is possible to use an acceleration sensor that has been used conventionally, and it is possible to reduce the frequency of the event recording process for recording the event record image data at low cost.

[0198] Furthermore, the image data recorded on the SD card 143 in the event recording process (steps S109, S119, S129, S139, S149, and S159) of the first embodiment and modified examples 1 to 5 of the first embodiment may be sent by mail to an external specific organization (for example, a police station, a fire department, the Japan Automobile Federation, an insurance company, etc.) via the SD card 143. However, if the controller 130 performs the process of transmitting the image data recorded in the above event recording process to the external specific organization, it becomes possible to provide the image data in a timely manner without any trouble.

[0199] When the controller 130 is to transmit the image data recorded in the event recording process to a specific external organization, the system may confirm with the user whether or not it is OK to perform the transmission process. For example, the system may use an interactive UI to ask a voice such as "Do you want to transmit the recorded images?". The system may recognize the user's response of "yes / no" by voice, and if the user responds "yes," the system may transmit the images to an insurance company, police station, etc.

[0200] In addition, when the controller 130 performs a process of transmitting image data recorded in the event recording process to a specific external organization, it is preferable to prompt the user to perform a transmission operation. For example, the system may prompt the user to perform the transmission operation by a voice such as "If a drive recorder with a data transmission function is installed, please press the operation button to transmit the image" using a dialogue-type UI. When the user presses the transmission button, the system may transmit the image to an insurance company, a police station, or the like.

[0201] In addition, when the controller 130 performs a process of transmitting image data recorded in the event recording process to a specific external organization, it is preferable to set the sensitivity (predetermined value) of the acceleration sensor 144 applied when performing the event recording to a different value from the sensitivity (predetermined value) of the acceleration sensor 144 applied when transmitting the event-recorded image to a specific external organization. Specifically, for example, the sensitivity (predetermined value) applied when transmitting the image is set to a value higher than the sensitivity (predetermined value) of the acceleration sensor 144 applied when performing the event recording. Furthermore, it is preferable to set the sensitivity (predetermined value) applied when transmitting the image to, for example, about 1.5 G, more preferably, for example, 3.0 G or more (acceleration corresponding to the occurrence of an obvious accident), and the sensitivity (predetermined value) of the acceleration sensor 144 applied when performing the event recording to, for example, about 1 G. By setting in this way, it is possible to reduce the frequency with which images are transmitted lower than the frequency with which images are recorded as events, and more reliably reduce the burden of verifying abnormal situations on insurance companies, etc.

[0202] The event recording processes of the first embodiment and variants 1 to 5 of the first embodiment (steps S109, S119, S129, S139, S149, and S159) are, for example, processes of reading out constantly recorded image data recorded in a first recording area of ​​the SD card 143, extracting image data for a predetermined time (for example, 20 seconds before and after) before and after the time point when the first event occurs (steps S103, S113, S123, S133, S143, and S153), and recording the extracted image data in a second recording area of ​​the SD card 143 as event recording image data.

[0203] In the event recording process (steps S109, S119, S129, S139, S149, and S159) in the first embodiment and modified examples 1 to 5 of the first embodiment, the image data is recorded in the SD card 143, but this is not limiting and the image data may be recorded in the system RAM 133, or may be recorded in both the SD card 143 and the system RAM 133. Furthermore, the image data may be recorded in a recording area outside the system.

[0204] Furthermore, when recording image data in the event recording process (steps S109, S119, S129, S139, S149, and S159) of the first embodiment and variants 1 to 5 of the first embodiment, it is advisable to rank the possibility that the recorded data contains an abnormal event.

[0205] In the first embodiment and the first to fifth modified examples of the first embodiment, the system may have a function for switching the system performance between a personal mode that allows performance settings for individuals and a business mode that allows performance settings for business use. This allows the system performance to be set arbitrarily depending on the user of the system. For example, when the personal mode is set, the image quality of the video may be set to average (medium) image quality, and image transmission to the outside may be performed over a normal line, and when the business mode is set, the image quality of the video may be set to high image quality, and image transmission to the outside may be performed over a high-speed line such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) (registered trademark).

[0206] In the first embodiment and the first to fifth modified examples of the first embodiment, the system may have a function of writing probability information indicating the probability that an abnormal situation is captured on the image on the image. The "probability information indicating the probability that an abnormal situation is captured" may be written on the image, for example, like a caption. When the vehicle is stopped and the user does not move for a predetermined time or more after an acceleration of a predetermined value or more occurs, the system may perform an event recording and automatically transmit the recorded image to the outside. After the conditions for performing the event recording process are met, the system may transmit the continuously recorded image to the outside (for example, a server of a police station or an insurance company) as an image of the situation after the accident (the attitude of the user and the other party, the situation of the police, etc.).

[0207] [Second Example] Next, a second embodiment of the control process executed by the controller 130 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the second embodiment of the control process executed by the controller 130 of the system 100.

[0208] The controller 130 determines whether the external power supply is ON (step S201), and if the external power supply is ON (YES in step S201), performs the processes of steps S203 to S205. Although not shown in Fig. 9, when power is supplied to the system 100 and the external power supply is turned ON, the controller 130 performs a continuous recording process of constantly recording image data input from the camera 141 (continuously recorded image data) in a first recording area of ​​the SD card 143. This continuous recording process is a process that continues recording as long as power is supplied to the system 100, and therefore is performed in parallel with the processes of steps S203 to S205, which will be described later, for example.

[0209] In step S201, when the supply of power to the system 100 is started and the external power source is turned ON (if YES), the controller 130 determines whether or not the user has performed a specific action (step S203).

[0210] Specifically, as long as the power is ON, the controller 130 constantly monitors whether or not an operation of the operation button 24 (see FIG. 1) has been detected as a specific action by the user. When the controller 130 determines that the operation button 24 has been operated (YES in step S203), it performs an event recording process (step S205). This is in consideration of the fact that if the user recognizes that the operation button 24 should be operated when an abnormality such as an accident occurs, and the user operates the operation button 24 of their own volition, there is a high possibility that an abnormality has occurred.

[0211] In this way, when a highly reliable condition such as the detection of the operation of the operation button 24 is satisfied, images can be recorded less frequently than when an image is recorded when an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs, and this makes it possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying abnormal situations. Specifically, for example, it is possible to reduce the burden of verifying whether an image is an image of an abnormal situation such as an accident at an insurance company or the like that receives an image from the system. Also, by recording an image when a single condition is satisfied, it is possible to reduce the number of system parts and reduce the burden of verifying abnormal situations.

[0212] It is advisable to provide the system with a function that prompts the user to operate the operation button 24 when an abnormality such as an accident occurs.

[0213] In addition, in consideration of the possibility of erroneous operation of the operation button 24, it is preferable that the user be able to cancel the operation of the operation button 24. When the user cancels after operating the operation button 24, the event recording process may not be performed, or the recorded image data may be erased after the event recording process is performed.

[0214] In addition, the system may be provided with a function for determining whether the operation button 24 has been operated erroneously. For example, in consideration of the fact that the user is likely to repeatedly press the operation button 24 when an abnormality occurs, it may be possible to determine whether an operation has been erroneous based on whether the operation button 24 has been repeatedly pressed a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined time period (for example, three or more times within five seconds). In this case, for example, if the operation button 24 is repeatedly pressed a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined time period, the operation may be recognized as a correct operation, and if the operation button 24 is not repeatedly pressed a predetermined number of times or more within the predetermined time period, the operation may be recognized as an erroneous operation. In addition, when the operation button 24 is operated once, the system may play an announcement such as "If an abnormality such as an accident has occurred, please press the operation button again." In this case, if the user presses the operation button 24 again within a predetermined time period (for example, within ten seconds), the system may recognize the previous operation as a correct operation, and if the user does not press the operation button 24 within the predetermined time period, the system may recognize the previous operation as an erroneous operation.

[0215] Furthermore, the process of step S203 for determining whether a specific action has been performed by the user is not limited to a process for determining whether an operation of the operation button 24 (see FIG. 1) has been detected, and may be, for example, a process for detecting communication from a specific device (e.g., a smartphone or tablet) owned by the user to a specific external institution (e.g., a police station, a fire department, the Japan Automobile Federation, an insurance company, etc.). It is advisable to register the telephone number of the specific institution in the system. It is even more advisable to record the history (e.g., the date and time and the content of the conversation when communicating) when a specific device owned by the user communicates with a specific external institution.

[0216] [Effects of the second embodiment] According to the second embodiment, by recording an image when a single condition, such as a specific action by a user, is met, it is possible to reduce the burden of verifying abnormal situations while suppressing, for example, the number of system components.

[0217] [Modifications 1 to 3 of the second embodiment] Next, modified examples 1 to 3 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10 to Fig. 12. Modified examples 1 to 3 of the second embodiment differ from the second embodiment in some of the processes executed by the controller of the system shown in Fig. 9.

[0218] [Modification 1 of the second embodiment] First, a first modified example of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a first modified example of the control process executed by the controller 130 of the system 100 according to the second embodiment.

[0219] In the first modified example of the second embodiment, instead of the judgment in S203 in the second embodiment (judging whether the user has performed a specific action), it is judged whether specific information from the user has been detected (step S213). If the condition that specific information from the user has been detected is satisfied, an event recording process is performed (step S215). Note that the other processes, steps S211 and S215, are similar to the processes in steps S201 and S205 in the second embodiment, respectively.

[0220] Specifically, after the power is turned ON (YES in step S211), the controller 130 constantly monitors specific information from the user, for example, whether or not a change of a predetermined value or more has occurred in the user's body as long as the power is ON (step S213), and when it determines that a change of a predetermined value or more has occurred in the user's body (YES in step S213), it performs an event recording process (step S215).

[0221] The monitoring of whether or not a change of a predetermined value or more has occurred in the user's body may be performed by detecting the user's heart rate by providing a sensor capable of measuring the user's blood flow, for example, on the steering wheel of a vehicle in which the system is installed, and detecting that the detected heart rate is outside a predetermined range (for example, a heart rate of 100 or more, or is not measurable). Also, the monitoring may be performed by providing a camera that captures images of, for example, the interior of a vehicle in which the system is installed, and detecting that the state of the user's body captured by the camera has become different from that during normal driving (for example, the position of the user's head deviates from a predetermined area for a predetermined period of time or more).

[0222] [Effects of Modification 1 of the Second Embodiment] According to the first modified example of the second embodiment, by establishing a condition with high reliability alone, such as detection of specific information from the user, images can be recorded less frequently than when an acceleration of a predetermined value or more occurs, so that it is possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying an abnormal situation. Specifically, for example, it is possible to reduce the burden of verifying whether an image is an image of an abnormal situation such as an accident at an insurance company or the like that receives an image from the system. In addition, by recording an image when an independent condition is established, it is possible to reduce the burden of verifying an abnormal situation while suppressing the number of system parts. Furthermore, by setting detection of specific information from the user, such as the user's heart rate, as a condition for the event recording process, it is possible to reliably record an image even when the user is unconscious.

[0223] [Modification 2 of the second embodiment] Next, a second modified example of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a flowchart for explaining a second modified example of the control process executed by the controller 130 of the system 100 according to the second embodiment.

[0224] In the second modification of the second embodiment, instead of the judgment of S203 in the second embodiment (judging whether the user has performed a specific action), it is judged whether information from outside the vehicle has been detected (step S223). If the condition that information from outside the vehicle has been detected is satisfied, an event recording process is performed (step S225). Note that the other processes of steps S221 and S225 are similar to the processes of steps S201 and S205 in the second embodiment, respectively.

[0225] Specifically, after the power is turned ON (YES in step S221), the controller 130 constantly monitors information from outside the vehicle, for example, whether an obstacle has approached the vehicle, as long as the power is ON (step S223), and when it determines that the distance between the approaching obstacle and the vehicle has become zero (i.e., a collision has occurred) (YES in step S223), it performs an event recording process (step S225).

[0226] The monitoring of whether an obstacle approaches the vehicle may be performed, for example, by providing a distance measuring sensor in the vehicle and determining whether any object approaches using the distance measuring sensor. Alternatively, for example, a camera that captures the surroundings of the vehicle may be mounted on the vehicle and the captured image of the camera may be analyzed. However, it is more preferable to determine whether the obstacle approaching the vehicle is, for example, a heavy object, rather than a balloon or the like. The determination of whether the object is a heavy object may be performed by image processing an image captured by an image capturing device (for example, camera 141, etc.) of the system 100. Alternatively, a configuration may be used in which an image of the vehicle viewed from above, such as an around-view image generated based on images from multiple cameras, etc., is used to detect whether the distance between the vehicle position and the surrounding heavy object has reached a predetermined distance. The determination of whether the object is a "heavy object that may cause an accident to an object such as a vehicle" may be performed, in particular, using a condition of whether the height of the object around the vehicle is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. The determination of whether the height of the object around the vehicle is greater than or equal to a predetermined value may be performed based on images from at least one of a microwave sensor or a camera. Furthermore, the "predetermined" height of the object around the vehicle should preferably be higher than the vehicle height, because an object lower than the vehicle height can pass under the vehicle.

[0227] [Effects of Modification 2 of the Second Embodiment] According to the second modification of the second embodiment, when a highly reliable condition, such as the detection of information from outside the vehicle, is satisfied, images can be recorded less frequently than when an image is recorded when an acceleration of a predetermined value or more occurs, so that it is possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying an abnormality. Specifically, for example, it is possible to reduce the burden of verifying whether an image is an image of an abnormality such as an accident at an insurance company or the like that receives an image from the system. Also, by recording an image when a single condition is satisfied, it is possible to reduce the burden of verifying an abnormality while suppressing the number of system parts, for example.

[0228] [Modification 3 of the second embodiment] Next, a third modified example of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a flowchart for explaining a third modified example of the control process executed by the controller 130 of the system 100 according to the second embodiment.

[0229] In the third modified example of the second embodiment, instead of the judgment of S203 in the second embodiment (judging whether the user has performed a specific action), it is judged whether a change in the vehicle has been detected (step S233). If the condition that a change in the vehicle has been detected is satisfied, an event recording process is performed (step S235). Note that the other processes of steps S231 and S235 are similar to the processes of steps S201 and S205 in the second embodiment, respectively.

[0230] Specifically, after the power is turned ON (YES in step S231), the controller 130 constantly monitors changes in the vehicle, such as whether the electric potential of the vehicle (e.g., the vehicle body) has changed by a predetermined value or more as long as the power is ON (step S233), and when it determines that the electric potential of the vehicle has changed by a predetermined value or more (YES in step S233), it performs an event recording process (step S235).

[0231] To monitor whether the potential of the vehicle has changed, for example, a voltmeter may be connected to the vehicle body (for example, the bonnet or bumper of the vehicle) to measure the potential of the vehicle body (for example, the bonnet or bumper).

[0232] In this way, when a highly reliable condition such as a change in the vehicle potential is satisfied, images can be recorded less frequently than when an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs, and this makes it possible to more reliably reduce the burden of verifying abnormal situations. Specifically, for example, it is possible to reduce the burden of verifying whether an image is an image of an abnormal situation such as an accident at an insurance company or the like that receives an image from the system. Furthermore, by recording an image when a single condition is satisfied, it is possible to reduce the number of system parts and reduce the burden of verifying abnormal situations.

[0233] The process of step S233 is not limited to the process of detecting whether the electric potential of the vehicle has changed by a predetermined value or more, and may be, for example, a process of detecting deformation of the vehicle. Also, a predetermined sensor may be attached to the steering wheel, and the process may detect that the sensor has come off (fallen off) from the steering wheel. Furthermore, the process may be a process of detecting whether a safety device of the vehicle has been activated. Examples of the safety device of the vehicle include an airbag, an antilock brake system, and a seat belt pretensioner device. Also, the process may be a process of detecting that a predetermined percentage or more of the field of view of the camera of the system (a camera that captures the inside of the vehicle) of the system is covered by some object (for example, a deployed airbag, an object inside the vehicle that has moved from its position before the accident due to the impact of the accident, etc.) while the system is activated. If the field of view is suddenly covered by white in this process, it is highly likely that the field of view of the camera is covered by the deployed airbag, so it may be determined whether the field of view is suddenly covered by white.

[0234] The state of the airbag can be detected, for example, by monitoring the communication contents of a CAN mounted on the vehicle. For example, airbag deployment, rear collision, airbag system abnormality, safing, front collision, side collision, etc. can be detected based on the communication contents of the CAN (Controller Area Network). The state of the airbag may also be detected by accessing the airbag ECU. The state of the airbag may be detected by monitoring the sound of the airbag operation (for example, monitoring a loud explosion sound of 150db to 170db in 100ms or less), monitoring the change in air pressure accompanying the airbag operation, or by an OBD (fault diagnosis device) mounted on the vehicle, etc.

[0235] [Effects of Modification 3 of the Second Embodiment] According to the third variant of the second embodiment, by recording an image when a change in the vehicle is detected, it is possible to reduce the burden of verifying abnormal situations while suppressing the number of system parts, for example.

[0236] [Effects of the second embodiment and modifications 1 to 3 of the second embodiment] According to the second embodiment and modified examples 1 to 3 of the second embodiment, it is possible to reduce the frequency of the event recording process, compared to the conventional method in which the event recording process is performed when acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs.

[0237] Furthermore, the image data recorded on the SD card 143 in the event recording process (steps S205, S215, S225, and S235) of the second embodiment and modified examples 1 to 3 of the second embodiment may be sent by mail to an external specific organization (for example, a police station, a fire department, the Japan Automobile Federation, an insurance company, etc.) via the SD card 143. However, if the controller 130 performs the process of transmitting the image data recorded in the above event recording process to the external specific organization, it becomes possible to provide the image data in a timely manner without any trouble.

[0238] The event recording processes (steps S205, S215, S225, and S235) of the second embodiment and variants 1 to 3 of the second embodiment are, for example, processes of reading out the continuously recorded image data recorded in the first recording area of ​​the SD card 143, extracting image data for a predetermined time (for example, 20 seconds before and after) before and after the time the event occurs (steps S203, S213, S223, and S233), and recording the extracted image data in the second recording area of ​​the SD card 143 as event recording image data.

[0239] In the event recording process (steps S205, S215, S225, and S235) in the second embodiment and modified examples 1 to 3 of the second embodiment, the image data is recorded in the SD card 143, but this is not limiting and the image data may be recorded in the system RAM 133, or may be recorded in both the SD card 143 and the system RAM 133. Furthermore, the image data may be recorded in a recording area outside the system.

[0240] In addition, when recording image data in the event recording process (steps S205, S215, S225, and S235) of the second embodiment and variants 1 to 3 of the second embodiment, it is preferable to rank the possibility that the recorded data contains an abnormal event.

[0241] In the second embodiment and the first to third modified examples of the second embodiment, the system may have a function for switching the system performance between a personal mode that allows performance settings for individuals and a business mode that allows performance settings for business use. This allows the system performance to be set arbitrarily depending on the user of the system. For example, when the personal mode is set, the image quality of the video may be set to average (medium) image quality, and image transmission to the outside may be performed over a normal line, and when the business mode is set, the image quality of the video may be set to high image quality, and image transmission to the outside may be performed over a high-speed line such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) (registered trademark).

[0242] [Third Example] Next, a third embodiment of the control process executed by the controller 130 will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a flowchart for explaining a third embodiment of the control process executed by the controller 130 of the system 100. In the third embodiment, when a possibility of an accident involving another vehicle is detected, data is provided to an outside party (for example, a server of a specific institution such as an insurance company or a police station).

[0243] The controller 130 determines whether the external power supply is ON (step S301), and if the external power supply is ON (YES in step S301), performs the processes of steps S303 to S307. Although not shown in FIG. 14, when power is supplied to the system 100 and the external power supply is turned ON, the controller 130 performs a continuous recording process for constantly recording image data input from the camera 141 (continuously recorded image data) in a first recording area of ​​the SD card 143. This continuous recording process is a process that continues recording as long as power is supplied to the system 100, and therefore is performed in parallel with the processes of steps S303 to S307, which will be described later, for example.

[0244] In step S301, when the supply of power to the system 100 is started and the external power supply is turned ON (if YES), the controller 130 determines whether or not it has detected a possibility of an accident occurring involving another vehicle (step S303).

[0245] Specifically, after the power is turned ON (YES in step S301), the controller 130 always monitors whether the operation button 24 (see FIG. 1) has been operated, for example, as long as the power is ON, to determine whether the possibility of an accident involving another vehicle has been detected (step S303), and if it determines that the operation button 24 has been operated (YES in step S303), it performs an event recording process (step S305). This is in consideration of the fact that if the user recognizes that the operation button 24 should be operated when he or she sees that an abnormality such as an accident has occurred in another vehicle, and the operation button 24 is operated of the user's own will, there is a high possibility that an abnormality has occurred in the other vehicle.

[0246] After performing the event recording process (step S305), the controller 130 transmits the information (images, etc.) recorded in step S305 to an external predetermined server (step S307). Examples of the predetermined server include a server of an insurance company, a server of a police station, etc.

[0247] The process of step S303 is not limited to a process of detecting whether the operation button 24 has been operated, but may be, for example, a process of detecting communication from a specific device (such as a smartphone or tablet) owned by the user to a specific external organization (such as a police station, fire department, Japan Automobile Federation, insurance company, etc.). In this case, it is recommended that the telephone number of the specific organization be registered in the system. It is also preferable to record a history of communication from a specific device owned by the user to a specific external organization (such as the date and time and the content of the conversation during communication).

[0248] The process of step S303 may be a process of detecting whether or not a specific sound (for example, a loud sound equal to or greater than a predetermined value, a car crash sound, etc.) is detected. Furthermore, when the vehicle is traveling in an area where accidents frequently occur or during a time period when accidents frequently occur, the event may be recorded continuously.

[0249] In the event recording process performed in step S305, it is advisable to label the image with information about the date, time, and location of the image capture, which makes it easier to search for images.

[0250] [Effects of the third embodiment] According to the third embodiment, when it is detected that an abnormality such as an accident may have occurred in another vehicle, data is provided to an external party (for example, a server of a specific institution such as an insurance company or a police station), which can contribute to the verification of the accident (abnormality) of the other vehicle and can reduce the verification load of the abnormality. Also, if the number of vehicles equipped with the system according to the third embodiment increases, the amount of valid data that contributes to the verification of the accident of the other vehicle increases, and the accuracy of the verification of the accident of the other vehicle can be further improved.

[0251] In the event recording process (step S305) of the third embodiment, the image data is recorded in the SD card 143, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be recorded in the system RAM 133, or may be recorded in both the SD card 143 and the system RAM 133. Furthermore, the image data may be recorded in a recording area outside the system (for example, in a specific external organization).

[0252] The event recording process (step S305) in the third embodiment is, for example, a process of reading out the continuously recorded image data recorded in the first recording area of ​​the SD card 143, extracting image data for a predetermined time (for example, 20 seconds before and after) before and after the time the event occurs (step S303), and recording the extracted image data in the second recording area of ​​the SD card 143 as the event recording image data.

[0253] Furthermore, when recording image data in the event recording process (step S305) of the third embodiment, it is advisable to rank the possibility that the recorded data includes an abnormal situation.

[0254] [Modification of the third embodiment] Next, a modified example of the third embodiment of the control process executed by the controller 130 will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Fig. 14 is a flowchart for explaining a modified example of the third embodiment of the control process executed by the controller 130 of the system 100. In the modified example of the third embodiment, when a request for data specifying, for example, date and time and location is received from a server or the like of a specific external institution (for example, a police station, a fire station, an insurance company, etc.), the corresponding data is transmitted to the specific external institution.

[0255] Specifically, the controller 130 judges whether the external power supply is ON (step S311), and performs the processes of steps S313 to S317 when the external power supply is ON (YES in step S311). Although not shown in FIG. 14, when power is supplied to the system 100, the controller 130 performs a continuous recording process of constantly recording the image data input from the camera 141 (continuously recorded image data) in the first recording area of ​​the SD card 143. This continuous recording process is a process that continues recording as long as power is supplied to the system 100, and is therefore performed in parallel with the processes of steps S313 to S317, which will be described later. In the continuous recording process, the controller 130 may record information on the date, time and place of image capture by labeling the image. Such labeling makes it easier to search for images.

[0256] In step S311, when power supply to the system 100 starts and the external power source is turned ON (if YES), the controller 130 determines whether or not an inquiry has been received from, for example, a server of a specific external institution (e.g., a police station, a fire department, an insurance company, etc.) (step S313).

[0257] When the controller 130 judges that an inquiry has been received from a server or the like of a specific external institution (for example, a police station, a fire station, an insurance company, etc.) (YES in step S313), it judges whether or not the corresponding data is recorded in the first recording area of ​​the SD card 143 (step S315). For example, if the inquiry in step S313 is a request for data specifying, for example, a date and time and a location, the controller 130 searches whether or not labeled data corresponding to the specified date and time and location is recorded in the first recording area of ​​the SD card 143. "Corresponding to the specified date and time and location" may mean that the specified date and time and location match, or the time may differ by, for example, 4 to 5 minutes in terms of driving time, and the location may differ by, for example, 1 to 2 km. Then, if the data corresponding to the inquiry from the server or the like of a specific external institution (for example, a police station, a fire station, an insurance company, etc.) is recorded in the first recording area of ​​the SD card 143 (YES in step S315), the corresponding data is cut out and transmitted to the server or the like of the inquiry source (for example, a police station, a fire station, an insurance company, etc.). If the data corresponding to the inquiry is not recorded in the first recording area of ​​SD card 143, the inquiry may be ignored, or information indicating that the corresponding data is not recorded may be sent to the source of the inquiry.

[0258] In addition, in the continuous recording process, the controller 130 may record information such as characteristic shapes and colors of other vehicles by labeling the images instead of or in addition to the information on the date and time of image capture and location. Increasing the amount of information labeled on the images makes it easier to search for images. Information such as characteristic shapes and colors of other vehicles can be obtained by analyzing the images captured by the camera 141.

[0259] [Effects of the modified example of the third embodiment] According to a modified example of the third embodiment, an image showing a possibility that an abnormality such as an accident has occurred in another vehicle can be read out and transmitted to a specific external organization, which can be useful for verifying the accident of the other vehicle. By satisfying the requested condition of high reliability, images can be recorded less frequently than when images are recorded when an acceleration of a predetermined value or more occurs, which can more reliably reduce the burden of verifying the abnormality.

[0260] [Effects of the third embodiment and the modified example of the third embodiment] According to the third embodiment and the modified example of the third embodiment, when it is detected that an abnormality such as an accident may have occurred in another vehicle, data is provided or transmitted to an external party (for example, a server of a specific institution such as an insurance company or a police station), thereby contributing to the verification of the accident (abnormality) of the other vehicle externally and reducing the burden of verifying the abnormality. In particular, compared to the conventional method in which an event recording process is performed when an acceleration of a predetermined value or more occurs in a vehicle equipped with the system, and the abnormality is verified using images recorded by the event recording process without images being provided by other companies, the burden of verifying the abnormality can be reduced. Furthermore, if the number of vehicles equipped with the system according to the third embodiment or the modified example of the third embodiment increases, the amount of valid data contributing to the verification of the accident of the other vehicle increases, and the accuracy of the verification of the accident of the other vehicle can be further improved.

[0261] In the third embodiment and the modified example of the third embodiment, the system may have a function of switching the system performance between a personal mode that allows performance settings for individuals and a business mode that allows performance settings for business use. This allows the system performance to be set arbitrarily depending on the user of the system. For example, when the personal mode is set, the image quality of the video may be set to average (medium) image quality, and image transmission to the outside may be performed over a normal line, and when the business mode is set, the image quality of the video may be set to high image quality, and image transmission to the outside may be performed over a high-speed line such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) (registered trademark).

[0262] [Other Examples] In addition to the event recording described in at least one of the embodiments, it is preferable to have a function (herein referred to as an acceleration event recording function) of recording an image captured when an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs, as in the past. The "function of recording an image captured in a predetermined recording area when a specific condition that can be satisfied less frequently than when an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value occurs" is particularly preferable to be a function of recording an image captured in a predetermined recording area when a specific condition that can be satisfied less frequently than the "acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value" is satisfied, which is a recording condition in the acceleration event recording function. In addition, the "acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value" which is a recording condition in the acceleration event recording function is preferably configured to be set based on an instruction from a user, etc., and in this case, it is particularly preferable to be a function of recording an image captured in a predetermined recording area when a specific condition that can be satisfied less frequently than the acceleration set as a default setting is satisfied. More preferably, it is preferable to be a function of recording an image captured in a predetermined recording area when a specific condition that can be satisfied less frequently than the largest acceleration that can be set is satisfied.

[0263] Moreover, the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications are merely examples, and it goes without saying that partial replacement or combination of the configurations shown in each embodiment and each modification is possible, and each component described in each embodiment and each modification may be arbitrarily combined. For example, the controller 130 may execute in parallel (for example, by multitasking) any of the processes of the first embodiment and modifications 1 to 5 of the first embodiment and any of the processes of the second embodiment and modifications 1 to 3 of the second embodiment. For example, the controller 130 may execute in multitasking an event recording process (FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) when a plurality of conditions are met, and an event recording process (FIGS. 9, 10, 11, 12) when a single condition is met. In this case, in the event recording process when multiple conditions are met (steps S109, S119, S129, S139, S149, S159) or in the event recording process when a single condition is met (steps S205, S215, S225, S235), information such as the location and time of the accident may be labeled on the image data and recorded.

[0264] Also, the type of the event may be recorded in association with the image data. The type of the event may be information specifying the contents of the step of the condition for performing the step of the event recording process in each figure (step Sxx9 (xx is a numerical value described in each figure, the same applies below)). For example, the type of the event may be information specifying the conditions of step Sxx3 in each figure, and steps Sxx5 and Sxx7 in Figures 3 to 8 (for example, the name of the condition). For example, in the case of Figure 3, information specifying the conditions of steps S103, S105, and S107, which are the steps of the condition for performing step S109 of the event recording process, may be recorded, and for example, information such as the type being "acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value," "within a predetermined time," and "detection that the user has performed a specific action" may be recorded in association with the image data. The same may be applied to the flows of the other figures.

[0265] In addition, when a plurality of conditions are satisfied, for example, even if the satisfaction of a single condition does not allow the frequency of the event recording process to be lower than in the past when the event recording process is performed when acceleration of a predetermined value or more occurs, a condition that allows the frequency of the event recording process to be lower than in the past by setting the satisfaction of the plurality of conditions as the condition for the event recording process is satisfied. In addition, when the above-mentioned single condition is satisfied, for example, it is a single condition other than the occurrence of acceleration of a predetermined value or more, and it is a condition that allows the frequency of the event recording process to be lower than in the past when the event recording process is performed when acceleration of a predetermined value or more occurs. Similarly, the controller 130 may perform the process of any one of the first embodiment and the first to fifth modified examples of the first embodiment and the process of the third embodiment or the modified example of the third embodiment in a multitasking manner. More specifically, the controller 130 may perform, in a multitasking manner, an event recording process (steps S109, S119, S129, S139, S149, and S159) when a plurality of conditions are satisfied, and a process (steps S307 and S317) for transmitting information to an external server when there is a possibility that an abnormal situation such as an accident has occurred in another vehicle (a vehicle other than the vehicle in which the system is installed). In this case, in the event recording process (steps S109, S119, S129, S139, S149, and S159) when a plurality of conditions are satisfied, information such as the location and time of the accident may be labeled and recorded on image data, or in the process (steps S307 and S317) for transmitting information to an external server, information such as the location and time of the accident may be labeled and transmitted on image data.Similarly, the processing of the second embodiment and any one of the first to third variations of the second embodiment and the processing of the third embodiment or any one of the first to fifth variations of the first embodiment, the processing of the second embodiment and any one of the first to third variations of the second embodiment and the processing of the third embodiment or any one of the third embodiment and ...

[0266] In addition, the invention and each component described in the Summary of the Invention may be further applied to a combination of each component of each embodiment and each modification. Similar effects due to similar configurations of multiple embodiments and multiple modifications are not mentioned for each embodiment and modification. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications, improvements, combinations, etc. are possible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0267] 100 Drive Recorder 124 Operation Button 130 Controller 141 Camera 142 SD card reader 143 SD Card 144 Acceleration Sensor 149 Communication Circuits

Claims

1. A control means having a function of recording a captured image in a predetermined recording area when a specific condition is satisfied, The specific condition includes, in addition to the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the vehicle passing through a location where an accident is highly likely to occur. A drive recorder comprising:

2. A control means having a function of recording a captured image in a predetermined recording area when a specific condition is satisfied, The specific condition includes, in addition to the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the vehicle being driven during a time period when an accident is highly likely to occur. A drive recorder comprising:

3. A control means having a function of recording a captured image in a predetermined recording area when a specific condition is satisfied, The specific condition includes occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value and an emergency vehicle being stopped around the vehicle. A drive recorder comprising:

4. A control means having a function of recording a captured image in a predetermined recording area when a specific condition is satisfied, The specific condition includes the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and also the occurrence of contact with an accident support center that provides services to support responses to accidents. A drive recorder comprising:

5. A control means having a function of recording a captured image in a predetermined recording area when a specific condition is satisfied, The specific condition includes, in addition to the occurrence of a predetermined or greater acceleration, a predetermined percentage or more of the field of view of the camera being covered by an object. A drive recorder comprising:

6. A control means having a function of recording a captured image in a predetermined recording area when a specific condition is satisfied, The specific condition includes, in addition to the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the vehicle being stopped for a specific period of time or longer within a specific period of time after the occurrence of the specific acceleration. A drive recorder comprising:

7. A control means having a function of recording a captured image in a predetermined recording area when a specific condition is satisfied, The specific condition includes, in addition to the occurrence of acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the vehicle decelerating within a specific period of time after the occurrence of the specific acceleration. A drive recorder comprising:

8. A program for causing a computer to realize the functions of the drive recorder according to claim 1.

Images