Vehicle recording system

Abstract

To provide a vehicle recording system capable of recording approaching objects approaching a vehicle while reducing power consumption and reducing the number of components.SOLUTION: A vehicle recording system 1 includes: imaging units 6A to 6D that detect an approaching object 3 approaching a vehicle 2; recording units 7A to 7D that record images of the approaching object 3; a first control unit 11 that controls the imaging units 6A to 6D to capture images at a low fps when the distance to the approaching object 3 is equal to or greater than a threshold B, and controls the imaging units 6A to 6D to capture images at a normal fps when the distance is shorter than the threshold B; and a second control unit 12 that controls the recording units 7A to 7D to become a sleep mode when the distance to the approaching object 3 is equal to or greater than the threshold B, controls the recording units 7A to 7D to store the images of the approaching object 3 in the overwritable area when the distance is equal to or greater than a threshold A and shorter than the threshold B, and controls the recording units 7A to 7D to store the image of the approaching object 3 in the non-overwritable area when the distance is shorter than the threshold A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle recording system. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional vehicle recording system is known, for example, from the technology described in Patent Document 1. The vehicle recording system described in Patent Document 1 includes a CCD camera that captures images of the area in front of the vehicle, a memory card that records images captured by the CCD camera, a radio wave sensor that detects objects approaching the vehicle or moving around the vehicle, an anomaly detection sensor that detects anomalies such as the intrusion of a suspicious person into the vehicle, and a control unit. When the radio wave sensor detects an object approaching the vehicle or an object moving around the vehicle, the control unit turns on the CCD camera and starts the operation of the anomaly detection sensor. When the anomaly detection sensor detects an anomaly, the control unit starts the CCD camera to capture and record images. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-90645 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned conventional technology, the CCD camera is turned on based on the detection results of the radio wave sensor, which reduces power consumption. However, this inevitably increases the number of components because a radio wave sensor and an anomaly detection sensor are required in addition to the CCD camera and memory card.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle recording system capable of recording an object approaching the vehicle while suppressing power consumption and reducing the number of components. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A vehicle recording system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an imaging unit that captures images of the vehicle's surroundings to detect an approaching object approaching the vehicle, a recording unit that records the image of the approaching object captured by the imaging unit, a first control unit that controls the imaging unit, and a second control unit that controls the recording unit, wherein the first control unit controls the imaging unit to capture images of the vehicle's surroundings at a first shooting speed when the distance from the vehicle to the approaching object is equal to or greater than a first threshold, and controls the imaging unit to capture images of the vehicle's surroundings at a second shooting speed higher than the first shooting speed when the distance from the vehicle to the approaching object is shorter than the first threshold, and the second control unit controls the recording unit to enter a sleep state when the distance from the vehicle to the approaching object is equal to or greater than the first threshold, controls the recording unit to save the image of the approaching object in an overwritable area of ​​the recording unit when the distance from the vehicle to the approaching object is equal to or greater than a second threshold that is smaller than the first threshold and shorter than the first threshold, and controls the recording unit to save the image of the approaching object in a non-overwritable area of ​​the recording unit when the distance from the vehicle to the approaching object is shorter than the second threshold. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to record an object approaching a vehicle while suppressing power consumption and reducing the number of components. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle recording system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a control process executed by a control unit shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a relationship between a vehicle and threshold values ​​used in processing of a control unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle recording system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 1, a vehicle recording system 1 of this embodiment is mounted on a vehicle 2 such as an automobile equipped with a drive recorder.

[0011] The vehicular recording system 1 is a system that detects whether a person or the like approaches the vehicle 2 when the vehicle 2 is parked, and records the approaching object 3 (see FIG. 3 ) such as an approaching person when it is detected. The vehicular recording system 1 is equipped with cameras 4A-4D with a recording function, and a control unit 5.

[0012] The camera 4A is disposed at the front end of the vehicle 2. The camera 4A has an imaging unit 6A that captures an image of the front surroundings Sa of the vehicle 2 to obtain an image of the front surroundings Sa and detects an approaching object 3 approaching the vehicle 2 from in front of the vehicle 2, and a recording unit 7A that records the image of the front surroundings Sa obtained by the imaging unit 6A.

[0013] The camera 4B is disposed at the rear end of the vehicle 2. The camera 4B has an imaging unit 6B that captures an image of the rear surroundings Sb of the vehicle 2 to obtain an image of the rear surroundings Sb and detects an approaching object 3 approaching the vehicle 2 from behind the vehicle 2, and a recording unit 7B that records the image of the rear surroundings Sb obtained by the imaging unit 6B.

[0014] The camera 4C is disposed on the left side of the vehicle 2. The camera 4C has an imaging unit 6C that captures an image of the left surroundings Sc of the vehicle 2 to obtain an image of the left surroundings Sc and detects an approaching object 3 approaching the vehicle 2 from the left side of the vehicle 2, and a recording unit 7C that records the image of the left surroundings Sc obtained by the imaging unit 6C.

[0015] The camera 4D is disposed on the right side of the vehicle 2. The camera 4D has an imaging unit 6D that captures an image of the right surroundings Sd of the vehicle 2 to obtain an image of the right surroundings Sd and detects an approaching object 3 approaching the vehicle 2 from the right of the vehicle 2, and a recording unit 7D that records the image of the right surroundings Sd obtained by the imaging unit 6D.

[0016] The imaging units 6A to 6D capture images of the periphery of the vehicle 2 and detect an approaching object 3 approaching the vehicle 2. The recording units 7A to 7D record the images of the approaching object 3 captured by the imaging units 6A to 6D.

[0017] The control unit 5 is composed of a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an input / output interface, etc. The control unit 5 performs various control functions including the control functions for the cameras 4A to 4D by, for example, loading a program recorded in the ROM into the RAM and executing the program loaded into the RAM by the CPU.

[0018] The control unit 5 has a judgment / calculation section 10 , a first control section 11 , and a second control section 12 .

[0019] The judgment / calculation unit 10 judges whether or not there is an approaching object 3 approaching the vehicle 2 based on the image data from the imaging units 6A-6D of the cameras 4A-4D, and if there is an approaching object 3, calculates the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3.

[0020] The first control unit 11 controls the imaging units 6A to 6D of the cameras 4A to 4D in accordance with the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 obtained by the determination and calculation unit 10.

[0021] When the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 is equal to or greater than threshold B (first threshold), the first control unit 11 controls the imaging units 6A-6D to capture the surroundings of the vehicle 2 at low fps (first shooting speed). When the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 is shorter than threshold B, the first control unit 11 controls the imaging units 6A-6D to capture the surroundings of the vehicle at normal fps (second shooting speed) higher than the low fps. The fps will be described in detail later.

[0022] The second control unit 12 controls the recording units 7 A to 7 D of the cameras 4 A to 4 D according to the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 obtained by the determination and calculation unit 10 .

[0023] The second control unit 12 controls the recording units 7A to 7D to enter a sleep state when the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 is equal to or greater than threshold B. When the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 is equal to or greater than threshold A (second threshold) that is smaller than threshold B and shorter than threshold B, the second control unit 12 controls the recording units 7A to 7D to store the image of the approaching object 3 in an overwritable area of ​​the recording units 7A to 7D. When the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 is shorter than threshold A, the second control unit 12 controls the recording units 7A to 7D to store the image of the approaching object 3 in a non-overwritable area of ​​the recording units 7A to 7D.

[0024] 2 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the control process executed by the control unit 5. The normal recording mode is usually implemented as the recording mode of the cameras 4A to 4D. When the driver parks the vehicle 2, the detection recording mode is implemented as the recording mode of the cameras 4A to 4D. The detection recording mode is a recording mode for recording an approaching object 3 approaching the vehicle 2 when the vehicle 2 is parked. This process executes the detection recording mode.

[0025] 2, the control unit 5 first determines whether the vehicle 2 is in a parked state (step S101). The control unit 5 detects the operation state of a starter switch, such as an ignition switch, of the vehicle 2, and determines that the vehicle 2 is in a parked state when the operation signal of the starter switch switches from ON to OFF.

[0026] When the control unit 5 determines that the vehicle 2 is in a parked state, it determines whether or not there is an approaching object 3 approaching the vehicle 2 based on the image data of the imaging units 6A to 6D (step S102). When the control unit 5 determines that there is an approaching object 3 approaching the vehicle 2, it calculates the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 based on the image data of the imaging units 6A to 6D (step S103).

[0027] Next, the control unit 5 determines whether the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 is equal to or greater than the threshold value B (step S104). The threshold value B is a predetermined first threshold value, for example, several meters, as shown in FIG. 3(a).

[0028] When the control unit 5 determines that the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 is equal to or greater than the threshold B, it controls the imaging units 6A to 6D so that the imaging units 6A to 6D capture the surroundings of the vehicle 2 at a low fps (step S105). fps is an abbreviation of frames per second, and is also called a frame sheet (capturing speed). Specifically, fps is a unit indicating the number of still images in a video per second. The low fps is a predetermined first capturing speed, for example, several fps.

[0029] Next, the control unit 5 controls the recording units 7A to 7D so that the recording units 7A to 7D enter a sleep state (step S106). The sleep state is a state in which recording cannot be performed by the recording units 7A to 7D. If the recording units 7A to 7D enter the sleep state during recording, the recording stops.

[0030] When the control unit 5 determines in step S104 that the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 is not equal to or greater than the threshold value B, the control unit 5 determines whether or not the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 is equal to or greater than the threshold value A (step S107). The threshold value A is a predetermined second threshold value, as shown in FIG. 3(a), and is a value smaller than the threshold value B.

[0031] When the control unit 5 determines whether the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 is equal to or greater than the threshold A, it controls the imaging units 6A to 6D so that the imaging units 6A to 6D capture images of the surroundings of the vehicle 2 at normal fps (step S108). The normal fps is a second imaging speed determined in advance, and is a higher (faster) value than the low fps. The normal fps is, for example, several tens of fps.

[0032] Next, the control unit 5 controls the recording units 7A-7D to cancel the sleep state of the recording units 7A-7D (step S109). Then, the control unit 5 controls the recording units 7A-7D to store the video of the approaching object 3 captured by the imaging units 6A-6D in an overwritable area of ​​the recording units 7A-7D (step S110). The overwritable area is an area that can be recorded any number of times.

[0033] When the control unit 5 determines in step S107 that the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 is not equal to or greater than the threshold A, it controls the recording units 7A-7D to store the video of the approaching object 3 captured by the imaging units 6A-6D in the non-overwritable areas of the recording units 7A-7D (step S111). The non-overwritable areas are areas that can only be recorded once.

[0034] After executing any one of steps S106, S110, and S111, the control unit 5 determines whether the vehicle 2 is not parked (step S112). The method for determining whether the vehicle 2 is parked is the same as in step 101 above. When the control unit 5 determines that the vehicle 2 is still parked, it executes step S102 above again.

[0035] When the control unit 5 determines that the vehicle 2 is not parked, it ends this process. Then, the recording mode of the cameras 4A to 4D is switched from the detection recording mode to the normal recording mode. In the normal recording mode, the imaging units 6A to 6D capture the surroundings of the vehicle 2 at the normal fps, and the images captured by the imaging units 6A to 6D are stored in the overwritable area or the non-overwritable area of ​​the recording units 7A to 7D.

[0036] Here, the judgment / calculation unit 10 executes steps S101 to S103. The first control unit 11 executes steps S104, S105, S107, S108, and S112. The second control unit 12 executes steps S104, S106, S107, and S109 to S112.

[0037] In the above-described vehicle recording system 1, when an approaching object 3 such as a person approaches the vehicle 2 while the vehicle 2 is parked, if the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 is equal to or greater than threshold B, the imaging units 6A-6D of the cameras 4A-4D capture the surroundings of the vehicle 2 at a low fps, and the recording units 7A-7D of the cameras 4A-4D go into a sleep state, so that the image of the approaching object 3 captured by the imaging units 6A-6D is not saved in the recording units 7A-7D.

[0038] When the approaching object 3 approaches the vehicle 2 and the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 reaches threshold value A to threshold value B, the imaging units 6A to 6D of the cameras 4A to 4D capture images of the surroundings of the vehicle 2 at normal fps, and the sleep states of the recording units 7A to 7D of the cameras 4A to 4D are released, and the images of the approaching object 3 captured by the imaging units 6A to 6D are stored in the overwritable areas of the recording units 7A to 7D.

[0039] When the approaching object 3 approaches further toward the vehicle 2 and the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 becomes less than the threshold B, the imaging units 6A to 6D of the cameras 4A to 4D continue to capture images of the surroundings of the vehicle 2 at normal fps, and the images of the approaching object 3 captured by the imaging units 6A to 6D are stored in the non-overwritable areas of the recording units 7A to 7D.

[0040] 3(b), when there is only one threshold for the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3, the following process is performed. That is, when the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 is equal to or greater than the threshold A, the surroundings of the vehicle 2 are photographed by the imaging units 6A to 6D at normal fps, and the video of the approaching object 3 acquired by the imaging units 6A to 6D is stored in an overwritable area of ​​the recording units 7A to 7D. When the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 is less than the threshold A, the surroundings of the vehicle 2 are photographed by the imaging units 6A to 6D at normal fps, and the video of the approaching object 3 acquired by the imaging units 6A to 6D is stored in an unoverwritable area of ​​the recording units 7A to 7D.

[0041] In this case, since continuous recording is performed while the vehicle 2 is parked, it is possible to store in the recording units 7A-7D images of the approaching object 3 before it approached the vehicle 2. However, since the detection and recording of the approaching object 3 is performed for a long period of time, the power consumption of the cameras 4A-4D increases, and concerns arise regarding the continuous durability of the cameras 4A-4D.

[0042] In response to such a problem, in this embodiment, when an approaching object 3 approaches the vehicle 2, if the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 is equal to or greater than the threshold B, the imaging units 6A to 6D are controlled to capture the surroundings of the vehicle 2 at a low fps, and the recording units 7A to 7D are controlled to enter a sleep state. If the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 is equal to or greater than the threshold A and shorter than the threshold B, the imaging units 6A to 6D are controlled to capture the surroundings of the vehicle 2 at a normal fps higher than the low fps, and the recording units 7A to 7D are controlled to store the image of the approaching object 3 in an overwritable area of ​​the recording units 7A to 7D. If the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 is shorter than the threshold A, the imaging units 6A to 6D are controlled to capture the surroundings of the vehicle 2 at a normal fps, and the recording units are controlled to store the image of the approaching object 3 in an unoverwritable area of ​​the recording units 7A to 7D. In this way, by using the imaging units 6A to 6D to capture images of the periphery of the vehicle 2 and detect the approaching object 3, other sensors such as radio wave sensors and abnormality detection sensors for detecting the approaching object 3 are not required. In addition, the approaching object 3 is recorded at an early stage when the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 is at threshold B, which is greater than threshold A. As a result, the approaching object 3 approaching the vehicle 2 can be recorded while reducing the number of components. Furthermore, when the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 is equal to or greater than threshold B, the imaging units 6A to 6D capture images of the periphery of the vehicle 2 at a low fps lower than normal fps, and the recording units 7A to 7D enter a sleep state, so that power consumption can be reduced. As a result, the cameras 4A to 4D can be used efficiently.

[0043] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 is shorter than the threshold A, the image of the approaching object 3 is stored in the non-overwritable areas of the recording units 7A-7D, so that the image of the approaching object 3 recorded in the recording units 7A-7D is prevented from being erased by overwriting. Therefore, the image of the approaching object 3 recorded in the recording units 7A-7D can be protected.

[0044] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the cameras 4A to 4D have the imaging units 6A to 6D and the recording units 7A to 7D, but are not particularly limited to such a form. For example, the cameras 4A and 4B have the imaging units 6A and 6B and the recording units 7A and 7B, and the cameras 4C and 4D have the imaging units 6C and 6D, but may not have the recording units 7C and 7D. In other words, the cameras 4A and 4B have a recording function, but the cameras 4C and 4D may not have a recording function. In this case, the video captured by the imaging units 6C and 6D may be recorded in the recording units 7A and 7B.

[0045] In addition, in the above embodiment, the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 is calculated based on the video data of the approaching object 3 acquired by the imaging units 6A-6D of the cameras 4A, 4D, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, if a laser sensor such as LiDAR is mounted on the vehicle 2, the distance from the vehicle 2 to the approaching object 3 may be detected by the laser sensor.

[0046] In the above embodiment, the cameras 4A to 4D are disposed at the front end, rear end, left side, and right side of the vehicle 2, respectively, but the number of cameras is not particularly limited to this form. For example, it is sufficient to use at least one camera having an imaging unit and a recording unit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1...vehicle recording system, 2...vehicle, 3...approaching object, 6A-6D...imaging unit, 7A-7D...recording unit, 11...first control unit, 12...second control unit, A...threshold value (second threshold value), B...threshold value (first threshold value).

Claims

[Claim 1] an imaging unit that captures an image of the surroundings of the vehicle and detects an object approaching the vehicle; a recording unit that records an image of the approaching object acquired by the imaging unit; A first control unit that controls the imaging unit; a second control unit that controls the recording unit, the first control unit controls the imaging unit to capture an image of the surroundings of the vehicle at a first imaging speed when a distance from the vehicle to the approaching object is equal to or greater than a first threshold, and controls the imaging unit to capture an image of the surroundings of the vehicle at a second imaging speed higher than the first imaging speed when a distance from the vehicle to the approaching object is shorter than the first threshold; The second control unit controls the recording unit to go into a sleep state when the distance from the vehicle to the approaching object is equal to or greater than the first threshold, controls the recording unit to store an image of the approaching object in an overwritable area of ​​the recording unit when the distance from the vehicle to the approaching object is equal to or greater than a second threshold that is smaller than the first threshold and is shorter than the first threshold, and controls the recording unit to store an image of the approaching object in an overwritable area of ​​the recording unit when the distance from the vehicle to the approaching object is shorter than the second threshold.

Images