System, video recording system, and program

Abstract

To provide a system capable of readily taking in video data recorded by a drive recorder, and checking the video data.SOLUTION: Included is a feature that tentatively wirelessly transmits data, which is imaged and recorded by a drive recorder 2 that moves together with a vehicle 1, to an NAS 4, which is installed in a business office 5 at which the vehicle drops in, without directly transmitting the data to a server 3 accessible over an Internet 15. The NAS includes a feature that records the wirelessly transmitted data, and transmits the recorded data to a storage system over the Internet. An operation manager manipulates a personal computer 17 which the manager manages by himself / herself, accesses the server over the Internet, and thus checks the data imaged by the drive recorder 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to, for example, systems, video recording systems, programs, and the like.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses, in its paragraph

[0011] , "a drive recorder having an image data generation unit that generates image data and a recording unit that records the image data, and a data transmission system having a transmission / reception unit that wirelessly transmits the image data recorded in the recording unit from the drive recorder to a center terminal". Further, in paragraph

[0027] , while citing FIG. 4, it is disclosed that "a center terminal 400 on the base side that manages a vehicle dispatching system manages a plurality of vehicles simultaneously. Vehicle 1 is equipped with a drive recorder 2,... and the captured image data is temporarily recorded in a second RAM 15. Also, the drive recorder 2 is configured to be able to access a center terminal 400 connected to a wireless communication device 211 and a signal processing device 210 on the base side via a wireless communication device 201 connected to a signal processing device 200. Therefore, the signal processing device 200 and / or the drive recorder 2 of vehicle 1 and the signal processing device 210 and / or the center terminal 400 on the base side are configured to be able to transmit and receive information data including image data and pick-up / drop-off instructions, responses, acknowledgement signals, etc. used in the vehicle dispatching system to each other."

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the data transmission system disclosed in Patent Document 1, the drive recorder uploads directly to the center terminal on the base side. And in Patent Document 1, since wireless communication is performed between the drive recorder mounted on the vehicle traveling on the road and the center terminal on the base side, the distance between the two is often long, and the communication system to be used is limited to wireless communication such as LTE, etc., and the types of selection are few. Also, in such wireless communication as LTE, etc., a paid contract is required for each drive recorder. It is not possible to easily upload and check the video data recorded by the drive recorder.

[0005] The problems of the invention of the present application are not limited to this. Regarding the configuration aimed at obtaining the effects exerted by the parts of the configuration disclosed in this specification and the drawings, etc., there is also a will to acquire rights by divisional application, amendment, etc. For example, in this specification, the parts described as "cannot be ~" and "there is a problem of ~" clearly indicate the problems. Also, the problems obtained by reading the parts described as "can be ~" in this specification as "is a problem of ~" are disclosed in this specification. The problems are described as independent ones, and there is also a will to acquire rights by divisional application, amendment, etc. alone for the configuration for solving this problem. Even if the problems are implicitly grasped from the description of the specification, the applicant of the present application has the will to make part of the configuration described in this specification the scope of claims by amendment or divisional application. Also, the problems combining these independent problems are disclosed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] (1) In a video recording system that moves together with a moving body, the data photographed and recorded is not directly transmitted to a storage system accessible from the Internet, but once has a function of wirelessly transmitting to a storage device installed at a predetermined place where the moving body stops by. The storage device has a function of recording the wirelessly transmitted data and a function of transmitting the recorded data to the storage system via the Internet.

[0007] Normally, the data recorded in the video recording system is directly uploaded to the storage system. However, in the present invention, a storage device is interposed between the video recording system and the storage system. The data wirelessly transmitted from the video recording system is received, acquired, and recorded on the storage device side, and the data is transmitted from the storage device to the storage system via the Internet and stored in the storage system, where the data is aggregated. Since the data recorded in the video recording system is aggregated in the storage system, a person who wants to check the content of the data can view the recorded data by accessing the storage system via the Internet without going to the predetermined location where the storage device is installed.

[0008] Since the storage device is installed at a predetermined location where the moving body stops, for example, when the moving body stops at the predetermined location, the data recorded by the video recording system is transmitted, and the storage device temporarily records the transmitted data. If recording is performed when stopping, the video recording system and the moving body are in a state of being near the storage device, and the video recording system can transmit data. For example, when using wireless communication for transmission, a short communication distance can be utilized, the types of available communication systems increase, and the scope of selection expands, which is good. For example, it is advisable to select a wireless communication system such as a wireless LAN used in the embodiment.

[0009] The storage system may be, for example, a server, but it is advisable to use a cloud. The storage system may be composed of one device, but it is advisable to be composed of multiple devices. The storage system is connected to a number of storage devices and accumulates the data uploaded from each of them. The storage device is preferably provided with a function of storing data from a number of storage devices installed in different locations and a function of allowing information based on the stored data to be viewed from a storage device different from the storage device that received the data. The information based on the data may be, for example, the data itself, but it is advisable to be information for specifying the content of the data.

[0010] The memory device may be accessible from the Internet side, but it is preferably not accessible from the Internet. When configured to be inaccessible from the Internet, for example, it can be accessed from other computers installed at a predetermined location in an intranet or an in-house LAN, and the recorded data can be browsed. The memory device should be accessible from within the business premises. Although transmission via the Internet incurs a fee, it is preferable to use an intranet as it allows for free and high-speed viewing.

[0011] The short communication distance may be, for example, on the order of the area of the site of a stop. For example, if the mobile object is a vehicle and the stop is a parking lot, it may be the length of the range covering the parking lot. The distance to the base station, such as in the case of LTE (carrier), is not included and is short. It is preferable in terms of security if the communication distance is short and the communication range is limited.

[0012] The mobile object may be anything that moves. For example, it may be a person, but it is preferably an automobile or other vehicle.

[0013] The predetermined location where the mobile object stops may be, for example, a location on the mobile object's travel route where it is scheduled to stop. For example, it may be a location where the mobile object is placed or stored when it is not moving. When the mobile object is a vehicle, it may be the location where the vehicle is parked. The stop location may be a location where the mobile object stops during travel, but it is preferably a location where it stops at the end, such as in the evening. The location where it stops at the end is expected to have a longer duration of stay for the mobile object, enabling more reliable and relaxed wireless data transmission.

[0014] The specified location should, for example, have a certain area and may be, for example, the site area of a business office. Among the site area, it is preferable to install the storage device inside a building. The place where the moving object stops may be inside the building, but if the moving object is a vehicle, it is better to be outside the building, and especially when it is outside the building, it is good to be a parking lot. When the moving object is a person, the place where the person stops may be, for example, outside the building, but it is good to be inside the building.

[0015] The storage system may function as, for example, a server, but it is good to be a cloud computer. The storage system may be composed of a single computer, but it is good to be composed of multiple computers.

[0016] As a configuration that can be accessed from the Internet, for example, it is good to use a web browser or dedicated application software installed on a computer or the like, and configure it to be able to access the storage system via the Internet. For example, the computer may be a personal computer installed at the stopping place or a mobile terminal of an administrator or the like at the stopping place. Especially when there are multiple stopping places, it is good to be a personal computer installed at another stopping place or a mobile terminal of an administrator or the like at another stopping place. It is good to configure it so that the data once stored in the storage device installed at another stopping place and uploaded to the storage system can be viewed. It is good to be a system that can view the information transmitted from the storage device via the Internet via the Internet.

[0017] The video recording system should be equipped with a shooting function and a recording function and move together with the moving object. For example, if the moving object is a vehicle, the video recording system is preferably a drive recorder. The video recording system may be composed of a single device, but it is good to be composed of multiple devices. When composed of multiple devices, for example, it is good to be a configuration including a drive recorder main body and a power adapter. In the embodiment, a function of recording the data shot by the drive recorder main body and a communication function are implemented. However, for example, the part implementing the shooting function and the communication function and the recording device for recording the shot data may be configured separately, and the recording device may be, for example, a smartphone.

[0018] The data transmitted by the video recording system may be, for example, video data captured by the video recording system, or various event information detected and recorded during the movement of the moving body.

[0019] (2) The predetermined location may be a location where a plurality of the moving bodies stop by. For example, in a parking lot where a plurality of vehicles park, and each vehicle has a video recording system, and the storage device is configured in a many-to-one (video recording system to storage device) system configuration that acquires data from the video recording systems of those plurality of vehicles.

[0020] (3) The predetermined location is a location where the moving body stays for a predetermined time or more when it stops by, and the predetermined time may be the time required for the video recording system to transmit the data.

[0021] Since the moving body stays at the predetermined location for a predetermined time or more, the data recorded by the video recording system during that staying time can be transmitted. The time required to transmit the data may be, for example, the time required to transmit the data recorded since the previous transmission until the current transmission, or the time required to transmit the data recorded by the video recording system since the previous stop by until the current stop by. In particular, it is good to arrange the storage device at a location where the staying time is long and it is assumed that the moving body does not move during that long time.

[0022] (4) The storage device installed at the predetermined location where the moving body stops by may be provided with a function of transmitting a command regarding the power supply of the video recording system to the video recording system during communication.

[0023] The video recording system may be configured to perform processing related to power supply based on the received command by sending a command related to power supply from the storage device to the video recording system. The command related to power supply may include, for example, a command tower that controls the state of power supply on the video recording system side, such as a command to turn the power supply ON / OFF, a command to wait in power saving mode, a command to cancel power saving mode, and a command to wait in power saving mode and return after a certain period of time. If the storage device is configured to send a command related to power supply, appropriate power management according to, for example, the communication situation and communication environment can be performed from the storage device side. For example, when a mobile object stops at a specified location and stays there, the video recording system may perform processing to transmit data. Since the video recording system moves with the mobile object, it usually operates by receiving power supply from an internal power source or an external power source such as a battery of the mobile object, and both power sources have a finite capacity. In order to perform the processing, the video recording system may be provided with a function to keep the power ON while the mobile object is staying there. This is particularly useful for mobile bodies that are configured to generate power as they move, and that use the generated power to power the video recording system while moving, and that stop generating power when the mobile body stops at a location where the mobile body stops.

[0024] For example, if a video recording system cannot communicate data, and the power-on state of the video recording system continues, or the power-on state of the video recording system continues even after data has been once recorded in the storage device, it is not preferable because the capacity of the finite power supply will decrease uselessly. For example, after the storage device records the data sent from the video recording system, a power-off command may be sent to the video recording system, and the video recording system may turn off the power based on the command. Also, for example, when communication occurs simultaneously from a large number of video recording systems and it takes time for the data to be recorded in the storage device, the storage device may send a command to enter a power-saving state and wait, for example, to some of the video recording systems, and accordingly, the video recording system may enter the power-saving state for a certain period of time. Thereby, a decrease in the power supply capacity can be suppressed. Also, the video recording system may communicate with the storage device and transmit the recorded data, for example, by continuing the power-on state until a power-off command is received.

[0025] The power supply to a video recording system that performs wireless communication when the moving body stays at a predetermined location may be the same as, for example, the power supply to the video recording system during the running of the moving body, but it is better to make it different. If it is the same, for example, even if the moving body stops at a predetermined location, the power supply may be continued as it is, which is good because the power control becomes simple. When making it different, for example, the number of supply targets may be reduced compared to the power supply during running, and the power supply may be provided to a part of the video recording system. In the case of a part, the power supply may be provided at least to the reading unit of the recording medium that has recorded the data and to the communication unit that wirelessly transmits the data read by the reading unit.

[0026] The power-saving state when the moving body stays at a predetermined location only needs to be more power-saving than the power supply to the video recording system that performs wireless communication. The power may be turned off to cut off the whole, or the power supply may be provided to a part.

[0027] (5) When the communication state with the video recording system during communication exceeds a predetermined communicable condition, the memory device sends a standby command to the video recording system that does not perform data acquisition processing. The video recording system that receives the standby command may be provided with a function of putting the power supply into a power-saving state and executing processing for returning the power supply to the normal state after a set standby time has elapsed.

[0028] For a video recording system that cannot communicate data, once the power supply enters the power-saving state, power consumption associated with waiting for communication can be suppressed. When it resumes from standby, it returns to the original power supply state and can perform wireless communication, which is good. When the power supply to the video recording system is provided by a battery, battery consumption can be suppressed.

[0029] Examples of the power-saving state include those that reduce power consumption and those that turn off the power supply. Turning off the power supply results in a higher power-saving effect, which is good.

[0030] The set standby time may be, for example, based on an instruction from the memory device or set in the video recording system. In the case of an instruction from the memory device, it may be a fixed value, for example, but it is better to change the time according to the communication situation, etc.

[0031] The communicable condition may be, for example, the number of video recording systems that the memory device can simultaneously perform data acquisition processing on. By doing so, the determination process is simple, and the video recording device to be processed can be determined immediately and the data acquisition process can be shifted to, which is good.

[0032] (6) When the communication state with the video recording system during communication exceeds a predetermined communicable condition, the memory device gives priority to the video recording system with earlier completion of data communication for data acquisition processing and issues the standby command to the video recording system that is not the target.

[0033] By preferentially processing a video recording system with early completion of video data communication, the number of unprocessed and waiting video recording systems can be reduced, and subsequently, the occurrence of a situation where the communication state exceeds a predetermined communicable condition can be reduced. When the communicable condition is, for example, the number of video recording systems, the occurrence of a situation exceeding the acquirable number can be reduced.

[0034] For the video data communication to be completed quickly, for example, it is advisable that the response time from the video recording system to the response from the storage device is short. Such a video recording system is assumed, for example, when the video recording system is close by or the communication environment is good. Also, it is preferable that the priority information sent from the video recording system is high. The priority information includes, for example, the received electric field strength on the video recording system side and the number of files to be transmitted. For example, in the case of the received electric field strength, it is better to set a higher priority for a stronger electric field strength, and for the number of files to be transmitted, it is better to set a higher priority for a smaller number. For example, a video recording system during video data transmission can be expected to complete communication earlier if it continues transmission as it is, so it is advisable to set a higher priority.

[0035] (7) When the communication state with the video recording system in a wirelessly communicable state of the storage device exceeds a predetermined communicable condition, it is advisable to prioritize the video recording system of the mobile body, which is assumed to have a residence time close to the predetermined time, for data acquisition processing, and issue the standby command to the video recording system that is not the target.

[0036] When the time the mobile body stays at a predetermined place it stops by is short, there is a high possibility that the storage device needs to quickly acquire data from the video recording system. By prioritizing the video recording system mounted on such a mobile body as the processing target, data can be surely acquired while the mobile body stays. For those expected to have a long residence time, even if a standby command is sent and data acquisition is postponed, it is acceptable because data can be acquired while the mobile body stays.

[0037] For example, the correspondence relationship of the stopping times by time zone and by moving body may be memorized, and the determination may be made based on the correspondence relationship with the time of arrival. Or, for example, information for identifying the moving body from the past history of the moving body's stops, the time zone of the stop, and statistical values such as the average value and median of the staying time in each time zone are calculated and memorized, and the stopping time is determined by assuming the statistical value of the time zone corresponding to the time when the moving body stops.

[0038] For the storage device to determine whether the staying time is close to a predetermined time, for example, it is advisable to make a judgment based on the time of arrival and time zone of the stop as to whether it can be assumed that the staying time for a temporary stop is short, or whether it can be assumed that the staying time for the final stop is long. For example, when the moving body is a business vehicle or an employee, and the predetermined place where it stops is a business office, for example, during business hours or in a time zone corresponding to a lunch break, it is advisable to assume that there is a high possibility of a temporary stop. For example, when it is near the closing time in the evening or after the closing time at night, it is advisable to assume that there is a high possibility of staying for a relatively long time at night. Also, for example, when there are multiple predetermined places and the moving body has set a predetermined place to which it belongs, at a predetermined place where it does not belong, it is advisable to assume that the staying time for a temporary stop is short. Information regarding the predicted staying time may be notified from the video recording system side, and the determination may be made on the storage device side based on this information.

[0039] (8) It is advisable for the storage device to acquire data recorded by the video recording system that is in a communicable state by wireless and that has not been accumulated in the storage system, and upload it to the storage system.

[0040] For example, the storage device only needs to obtain unaccumulated data from the video recording system, which can shorten the communication time. This configuration is preferably adopted when a plurality of storage devices are connected to the same storage system. When adopting such a configuration, when moving to different predetermined locations and the storage device at another predetermined location at the destination of the movement obtains data from the video recording system, for example, even when the storage device at another predetermined location at the destination obtains the data recorded by the video recording system for the first time, it only needs to obtain a part of the unaccumulated data in the storage system without obtaining all the data recorded in the video recording system, and it is good that the acquisition and upload of the data can be processed in a short time. If another storage device is uploading, it is advisable for the storage device communicating with the video recording system not to obtain the uploaded data.

[0041] (9) The video recording system has first specific information for distinguishing it from other video recording systems, there are a plurality of the predetermined locations, the storage system has second specific information for specifying the video recording system that is the accumulation target of data to the storage system, and if the video recording system communicating with the storage device is determined to be a legitimate one based on the relationship between the first specific information and the second specific information, it is advisable for the storage device to obtain the data from the video recording system and upload the obtained data to the storage system.

[0042] Since the storage system is provided with second specific information for specifying the video recording system that moves together with all moving bodies that stop at a plurality of predetermined locations, for example, the storage devices installed at each predetermined location can obtain the data from the video recording system that the storage system should accumulate and accumulate it in the storage system even if they do not store the specific information for specifying the video recording system. For example, the storage device can also obtain data from the video recording system of a moving body that happens to stop and accumulate it in the storage system. It is good that the data recorded by the video recording system can be uploaded to the storage system from any storage device installed at a predetermined location.

[0043] The first specific information and the second specific information may be the same or different, as long as the correspondence relationship can be specified, but it is better if they are the same. The determination of whether it is regular may be performed in any of the memory system, the memory device, and the video recording system, but it is better to perform it in the memory system.

[0044] When the determination is made on the memory system side, the memory device side does not have to hold information for specifying the video recording system. For example, even for a newly added video recording system, data can be acquired and uploaded even if the memory device side does not have the information for specifying it, and it is not necessary to acquire data from an unregistered video recording system. Also, for example, when there are multiple predetermined locations, since the memory system has the second specific information for specifying the video recording system that moves together with all the moving bodies that stop at the multiple predetermined locations, for example, the memory device installed at each predetermined location does not have to store the specific information for specifying the video recording system, and the memory system can acquire data from the video recording system from which the data should be accumulated and store it in the memory system. For example, the memory device can acquire data from the video recording device of a moving body that has happened to stop by and store it in the memory system, and data can be uploaded to the memory system from any predetermined location such as an office. For example, when the memory system determines that it is regular, when transmitting the determination result, information for specifying the accumulated data is also sent. For example, the memory device can acquire and upload only the unaccumulated data based on the information.

[0045] As for the determination by the memory system, for example, the memory device acquires the first specific information of the video recording system from the video recording system, sends the acquired first specific information to the memory system, and the memory system determines whether the acquired first specific information has a predetermined correspondence relationship with the second specific information registered in the memory system and is regular, and if it is regular, it is better to request an upload via the memory device.

[0046] As a system for the memory system to determine whether it is regular or not, for example, both the video recording system and the memory system have first specific information and second specific information respectively. It is advisable to send the second specific information of all video recording systems from the memory system to the storage device at regular or appropriate timings, and let the storage device side make the determination. Also, it is advisable to send the camera ID (first specific information) registered via the storage device from the memory system to the video recording system, and send it if there is any that matches the first specific information held by the video recording system side.

[0047] (10) It is advisable for the video recording system to be equipped with a function to start communication with the storage device when the mobile body reaches a predetermined location where it stops by, and it detects that the mobile body has entered a moving stop state.

[0048] Even if the video recording system reaches a predetermined location where the mobile body stops by, if it does not stop, it will not start communication with the storage device and will not transmit data. For example, when the video recording system records the data taken during movement, and when the mobile body is a vehicle and enters a non-drivable state such as parking, it stops the process of recording the data taken. During the shooting and recording, it does not transmit data, and starts transmitting after stopping the process. Thus, it can transmit the data taken and recorded. Since it does not start communication during the movement of the mobile body, for example, the processing load on the CPU of the video recording system can be suppressed.

[0049] To detect reaching a predetermined location, for example, it is advisable to do so by recognizing a communication point of wireless communication or by the video recording system and the storage device becoming communicable. In the embodiment, the communication point corresponds to an access point, and it is advisable to use, for example, a wireless LAN router or the like. The communication point is within a predetermined location, and it is advisable to recognize the communication point, for example, when authentication (such as SSID and password) for communication passes between the communication point and the system.

[0050] (11) It is advisable to use the video recording system used in the system described in (1) to (10).

[0051] (12) The video recording system is a video recording system that moves together with a moving body and has a function of storing the photographed data. It operates by receiving power supply from the moving body, continues to be powered on even when the moving body is in a stopped state of movement, communicates with a storage device installed at a predetermined location where the moving body stops by, and has a function of transmitting the stored data.

[0052] When the moving body stops by at a predetermined location and is in a stopped state of movement, the video recording system and the storage device can communicate, and the data stored in the video recording system can be sent to the storage device. Even in the case where the moving body moves by the operation of a driver such as a vehicle and becomes in a non-drivable state such as engine off when getting off the vehicle, the driver may be able to get off the vehicle without waiting for the communication to be completed.

[0053] (13) It is preferable to have a function of executing a process for turning off the power when the moving body is in a stopped state of movement and a communication partner cannot be detected. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the power from remaining on in a state where a communication partner cannot be detected. For example, when the moving body becomes in a stopped state of movement at a place other than a parking lot of a business office, etc., where the moving body does not stop by, the power of the video recording device is turned off, so it is possible to prevent the battery from increasing due to the power being continuously on. When a communication partner cannot be detected, for example, it may be set that it fails after trying a plurality of times.

[0054] (14) It is preferable to have a detection function of detecting the received electric field strength of radio waves emitted by a device for wireless communication with the storage device and a notification function of notifying information based on the detected received electric field strength.

[0055] In this way, the user can know information based on the received electric field strength of the radio waves emitted by the device that communicates wirelessly with the storage device. For example, it is preferable to notify information based on the detected received electric field strength as being strong or weak. With such a configuration, it is possible to find a place where the received electric field strength is strong and the communication environment is good, move to such a place, stay there, and shorten the data transmission time. The notification of information based on the received electric field strength may simply notify the magnitude of the electric field strength, but it is preferable to provide a notification that prompts movement when the electric field strength is lower than a predetermined level. The notification that prompts movement may be, for example, an icon, but it is particularly preferable to be a message that prompts. In this way, movement can be prompted. The prompting message or the like is preferably a notification that informs the direction of movement to a place where the received electric field strength is strong and the communication environment is good. The direction of movement or the like may be specified based on, for example, storing the history of the received electric field strength and based on the history.

[0056] (15) It is preferable to include a function of shooting and recording video, a video recording unit having a communication function, and a power supply unit that controls the power supply to the video recording unit. The power supply unit supplies power even when the moving body is in a stopped state of movement, and has a function of entering a power-saving state when receiving a standby command from the video recording unit and starting a normal power supply after the standby time has elapsed.

[0057] On the power supply unit side, the power supply to the video recording unit is controlled, and when a standby command is received, the power-saving state can be entered to suppress the overall power consumption. After the standby time has elapsed, by starting a normal power supply, the video recording unit can be in the power supply state before standby and can perform wireless communication.

[0058] The power supply unit and the video recording unit may be configured integrally, but it is preferable to be configured separately. The power supply unit controls the ON / OFF of the entire video recording unit, but it suffices to have a function of waiting in a power-saving state.

[0059] (16) The program according to the present invention may be a program for causing a computer to realize the functions in the storage device used in the system according to any one of (1) to (10).

[0060] The inventions described above in (1) to (10) can be arbitrarily combined. For example, it may be configured to add at least a part of the configuration of at least one of the inventions after (2) to all or part of the configuration of the invention shown in (1). In particular, it is preferable that the invention shown in (1) is an invention obtained by adding at least a part of the configuration of at least one of the inventions after (2). The inventions described above in (12) to (15) can be arbitrarily combined. For example, it may be configured to add at least a part of the configuration of at least one of the inventions after (13) to all or part of the configuration of the invention shown in (12). In particular, it is preferable that the invention shown in (12) is an invention obtained by adding at least a part of the configuration of at least one of the inventions after (13). The applicant of the present application has the intention to obtain patent rights, design rights, etc. by means of amendment, divisional application, change application to design registration application, etc. for those including these configurations.

[0061] Also, any configuration may be extracted from the inventions shown in (1) to (16), and the extracted configurations may be combined. The applicant of the present application has the intention to obtain rights for the inventions including these configurations. Also, even if there is a description such as "in the case of ~" or "when ~", it is not described as a configuration limited to that case or that time. These show examples of better configurations, and the applicant also has the intention to obtain rights for configurations other than these cases and times. Also, the parts with descriptions in a certain order are not limited to this order. The applicant also discloses configurations in which some parts are deleted or the order is changed, and has the intention to obtain rights.

Advantages of the Invention

[0062] For example, the data recorded in the video recording system can be easily uploaded to the storage system, and the uploaded data and the like can be confirmed.

[0063] The effects of the invention of the present application are not limited to this, and the effects resulting from the components of the configurations disclosed in this specification, drawings, etc. are also disclosed, and the applicant also has the intention to obtain rights for the configurations that produce such effects through divisional applications, amendments, etc. For example, in this specification, the parts described as "can" are descriptions that clearly indicate the resulting effects, and even if there is no description of "can", there are parts that indicate the effects. Even without such descriptions, there are effects grasped by the said configurations.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0064]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0065] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. These drawings are used to explain the technical features that can be adopted by the present invention. The configurations, shapes, etc. of the devices described are merely illustrative examples, and the present invention is not to be construed as being limited thereto. Without departing from the scope of the present invention, various changes, modifications, and improvements can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0066] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show one form of a data capture system that automatically captures video data and the like recorded by a drive recorder including one form of the system of the present invention and stores it in a server. The data capture system of this form, when storing the video data and the like captured and recorded by the drive recorder 2 mounted on the vehicle 1 in the server 3, has a function of wirelessly transmitting it once to the NAS 3 installed at a predetermined location where the vehicle 1 stops, without directly transmitting it from the drive recorder 2 to the server 3. The NAS 4 constituting the data capture system has a function of recording the wirelessly transmitted data and transmitting the recorded data to the server 3 via the Internet. The server 3 is configured to be accessible from the Internet 15.

[0067] The NAS 4 used in this embodiment has a storage function for storing data, a control function for executing programs, a communication function for connecting to a network and communicating, and the like. In this embodiment, the communication function has a function of connecting to the local network 11. As will be described later, a router 14 is connected to the local network 11, and the NAS 4 is connected to the Internet 15 via the router 14 and is configured to be able to access the server 3 connected to the Internet 15.

[0068] The NAS 4 may be, for example, a plurality of offices 5 provided in various places across the country. In this form, the NAS 4 is installed inside the building 6 of the office 5. Many of the offices 5 are provided with parking lots 7, and there is a parking lot 7 near the building 6.

[0069] The vehicle 1 equipped with the drive recorder 2 is, for example, an automobile or the like, and is a business vehicle registered and managed at any business office 5. This business vehicle travels outside the business office 5, such as during daytime business hours, and returns to the parking lot 7, for example, in the evening and parks there during non-business hours such as at night. The business office 5 where the vehicle 1 is registered is a predetermined place where the vehicle 1 stops by. Also, the vehicle 1 may move to a business office 5 different from the registered business office 5, and such another business office 5 is also a predetermined place where the vehicle stops by.

[0070] In the building 6 of the business office 5, a wireless LAN access point 10 is installed, and the NAS 4 is network-connected to the access point 10 via the local network 11. The access point 10 may be composed of, for example, a Wi-Fi router. The access point 10 has a function of mutually converting the wireless LAN and the local network 11 in the building 6, connecting a terminal connected to the wireless LAN and devices / terminals on the local network 11, and performing mutual communication. The communicable area of the access point 10 is set to cover the installation area of the parking lot 7. In this way, the access point 10, which is a wireless LAN communication system device, is installed in the business office 5, and is configured to emit radio waves of the wireless LAN from the access point 10 toward the parking lot 7. As a result, the drive recorder 2 mounted on the vehicle 1 parked in the parking lot 7 is located within the communicable area of the access point 10.

[0071] The drive recorder 2 has a wireless communication function. The drive recorder 2 activates the wireless communication function at a predetermined timing, such as when the vehicle 1 parks in the parking lot 7, and has a function of connecting to the access point 10 by wireless communication and transmitting recorded video data and the like to the NAS 4 via the access point 10 while being located in the communicable area of the access point 10.

[0072] A PoE switch 12 is connected to the local network 11 to supply power to the access point 10. A personal computer 13 and a router 14 are connected to the PoE switch 12 via the local network 11. It is preferable to configure the system so that the personal computer 13 can access the NAS 4.

[0073] The NAS 4 has a function of uploading video data and the like transmitted by the drive recorder 2 to the server 3 via the Internet 15. The video data and the like wirelessly communicated by the drive recorder 2 are temporarily recorded in the NAS 4 and uploaded from the NAS 4 to the server 3. Since the server 3 is configured to be accessible from the Internet 15, for example, the personal computer 13 disposed in the business office 5 and other personal computers 17 connected to the Internet 15 access the server 3 via the Internet 15, and for example, the video data and the like stored and held in the server 3 in the accessed state are reproduced and displayed on the display units of the personal computers 13 and 17 using a web browser or the like.

[0074] If the vehicle 1 is a commercial vehicle belonging to the business office 5, etc., the vehicle 1 departs from the business office 5, moves to a predetermined external area or location, returns to the business office 5 at an appropriate timing, and then parks at the parking lot 7 for a predetermined time. Since the commercial vehicle always stops at the business office 5 and parks there for a predetermined time or more, the driver can naturally position the drive recorder 2 in an area where it can communicate with the NAS 4 just by performing normal work, and the driver does not need to move to a specific location unrelated to normal work in order to send the video data stored in the drive recorder 2 deliberately. In the present embodiment, the drive recorder 2 has a function of automatically transmitting the video data, etc. stored during the parking of the vehicle 1 to the NAS 4. When the driver returns to the business office 5, the driver simply turns off the engine and gets out of the vehicle, and then performs a series of normal work actions such as returning to the building 6, etc., and the video data, etc. is transmitted at an appropriate timing thereafter. It is good that the driver does not need to perform special work for transmitting the video data, etc. The appropriate timing is, for example, one that involves leaving the warehouse in the morning, staying outside all day, returning in the evening, and staying parked for a relatively long time until the next morning. In such a case where parking is for a relatively long time, for example, even when a large number of vehicles 1 are parked, the video data, etc. recorded by the drive recorder 2 installed in each vehicle 1 can be sent to the NAS 4 by wireless transmission using the long time until morning, and thus it can be uploaded to the server 3, which is preferable.

[0075] In this embodiment, an NAS 4 is placed for each office 5, and a system is adopted in which data is once collected for each office and then aggregated on the server 3. If the NAS 4 of this embodiment is installed in the office 5, video data and the like captured and stored by the drive recorder 2 of each vehicle 1 are uploaded to the server 3. A combination of a distributed type NAS and a centralized type server is adopted to form a mechanism that can aggregate data on the server. Therefore, for example, an operation manager 18 for the entire operation of offices across the country operates a personal computer 17 connected to the Internet 15, accesses the server 3, reads out, for example, video data of a predetermined drive recorder 2 stored in the server 3, plays and displays it on the display unit of the personal computer 17, checks the played video, and can check the operation status and the like of the driver of the vehicle 1 equipped with the predetermined drive recorder 2. It is preferable that the operation manager 18 can perform operation management by accessing the server 3 from a location where it is possible to connect to the Internet 15 without going to each office.

[0076] The operation manager 18 is configured to go to see the data stored in the server 3 instead of directly going to see the data stored in the NAS 4. For example, a person in the office 5 may adopt a configuration in which they directly go to see the NAS 4 via the local network 11 using a personal computer 13 or the like in the office 5, but it is better to make it difficult to see a single location where information is aggregated, such as the server, as in this embodiment. If one directly goes to see the NAS 4, one has to go to the office 5 where the NAS 4 is installed when something happens, but since the data is aggregated on the server 3, it is good because the operation manager 18 can check even when away from the server 3 or the office 5. For example, when the NAS fails, since the server 3 stores and holds video data and the like, the failed NAS can be replaced or repaired, and then the necessary data and the like can be stored. If one directly goes to see the NAS arranged in each individual office, the data cannot be seen when the NAS fails or the like, but in this embodiment, there is no such risk, which is good.

[0077] Hardware often malfunctions or breaks down, and repairs and maintenance are necessary when such problems occur. If each NAS 4 at each office 5 is configured to store and manage video data, etc., and directly access and play back and check the video data on the NAS 4, the NAS 4 needs to be installed at office 5. When performing repairs and maintenance, the operator needs to travel to office 5 in a distant location, which also poses the problem of difficult maintenance. Especially in the case of a company with offices 5 spread across the country, each office is, for example, far from the maintenance center that performs system maintenance such as the head office, and the factory may also be installed in a remote and outlying area such as a local area, so the above problems become more prominent.

[0078] In contrast, in this embodiment, the NAS installed at office 5 is configured to temporarily upload video data, etc. from the drive recorder 2 of the vehicle 1 that stopped at the parking lot by wireless communication and upload it to the server 3. For example, it is advisable to install a predetermined software remotely from a remote location and perform maintenance by storing backup data. Also, on the side of office 5, the malfunctioning NAS is removed from the local network 11 and sent to a maintenance center or the like, and at the maintenance center, a new NAS incorporated with necessary data, software, etc. is returned. On the office side, it is sufficient to connect the sent new NAS to the power supply and the local network 11 and start it up to construct the system of this embodiment. When it is necessary to send the latest data, etc. stored in NAS 4, after startup, remotely access the new NAS 4 from the maintenance center and send and store the necessary data, or download the necessary data from the server 3 by an application that automatically executes at startup and is installed on the NAS side.

[0079] The server 3 that constitutes the data capture system of this embodiment includes, for example, as shown in Fig. 3(b), a communication unit 31, a control unit 32, a data storage unit 33, and an ID storage unit 34. The communication unit 31 is an interface that connects to the Internet 15.

[0080] The ID storage unit 34 stores specific information for identifying the drive recorder 2 that records and manages video data and the like. The specific information is set as an ID (hereinafter referred to as "drive recorder ID") for each individual drive recorder. The drive recorder IDs of all the drive recorders 2 installed in the vehicle 1 that stops at any one of the nationwide offices 5 are registered.

[0081] The data storage unit 33 stores the video data and the like transmitted by the drive recorder 2. In this embodiment, in order to store and hold the video data and the like transmitted by a plurality of drive recorders 2, for example, the video data and the like are stored in association with each individual drive recorder 2 (see FIG. 3(c)). Storing in association means, for example, forming a holder for each drive recorder ID and storing the uploaded video data and other files in the holder of the corresponding drive recorder ID. When a holder is created for each drive recorder 2, an operation administrator 18 or the like who accesses the server 3 can easily find the video data and the like of the drive recorder 2 to be confirmed. In particular, the greater the number of drive recorders 2 to be managed, the greater the effect.

[0082] When the video data and the like sent from the drive recorder 2 are limited to, for example, the video data recorded during an event, the capacity of each file per event is, for example, 20 megabytes. When 10 events of event recording occur, the total capacity of the files transmitted from one drive recorder main body 16 is 200 megabytes. The memory capacity of the data storage unit 33 of the server 3 may be set, for example, assuming the number of drive recorders 2 to be managed and the number of days to be stored.

[0083] In addition to, for example, the drive recorder ID, the server 3 is provided with information necessary for authenticating as a legitimate partner when communicating information such as information identifying the NAS installed at each business office, and driver information stored about the driver associated with the drive recorder ID. It is advisable to register the business office in one item of the driver information. These pieces of information are stored, for example, in a predetermined storage area of the server. For example, by accessing the server 3, the operation administrator can view the uploaded video data and easily identify who the video data is associated with and which business office the driver belongs to. By accessing the server 3 in this way, various pieces of information can be collected.

[0084] The NAS 4 constituting the data capture system of the above-described embodiment is provided with, for example, as shown in FIG. 3(a), a communication unit 21, a control unit 22, a data storage unit 23, a communication IP address storage unit 24, and a communication drive recorder ID storage unit 25. The communication unit 21 is an interface for connecting to the local network 11. The control unit 22 communicates with devices on the local network 11 via the communication unit 21. For example, the control unit 22 has a function of communicating with the access point 10 on the local network 11 and transmitting and receiving data to and from the drive recorder 2 wirelessly connected to the access point 10. The control unit 22 also has a function of communicating with the router 14 on the local network 11 and transmitting and receiving data to and from the server 3 via the Internet 15 connected to the router 14. While communicating with other devices and the like by the above-described transmitting and receiving functions, the control unit 22 has a function of executing a predetermined process described later.

[0085] The data storage unit 23 stores video data and the like transmitted by the drive recorder 2. In the present embodiment, in order to store and hold video data and the like transmitted by a plurality of drive recorders 2, for example, the video data and the like are stored in association with each individual drive recorder 2. The communication IP address storage unit 24 stores the IP addresses of wireless terminals such as the drive recorder 2 that has established communication with the access point 10. The control unit 22 accesses the communication IP address storage unit 24, and if the IP address stored in the communication IP address storage unit 24 is that of a legitimate drive recorder 2, it continues the communication, and if it is not legitimate, it controls not to continue the communication. The determination as to whether it is the IP address of the legitimate drive recorder 2 may be made on the NAS 4 side, but in the present embodiment, it is preferably made on the server 3 side. When there are a plurality of offices 5 as in the present embodiment, for example, a certain vehicle 1 may be a place where a specific one of the offices 5 stops by, or another vehicle 1 may be a place where a plurality of different offices 5 stop by, and also the place where it stops by may change to another office as time passes. When the determination is made on the NAS 4 side, it is necessary to register the IP address of the legitimate drive recorder 2 in the NAS 4, and it is necessary to store the IP address of the same drive recorder 2 in the NAS 4 of a plurality of offices 5 or to correct the IP address to be registered in each office according to the situation, which becomes complicated. On the other hand, when the determination is made on the server 3 side as in the present embodiment, the drive record ID of the drive recorder that is a stop-by place in any of the offices 5 across the country is registered in the ID storage unit 34 of the server 3, and it can be collectively managed. And when registering the drive record ID, there is no need to determine which office is the stop-by place, and there is no need to update even when the stop-by place is changed, and even when going to another business office that is not the normal stop-by place, it can be authenticated as a legitimate drive recorder at the destination, and the video data can be uploaded, which is good.

[0086] During communication, the drive recorder ID storage unit 25 stores the drive recorder ID of the drive recorder 2 currently in communication. The wireless LAN access point 10 is configured to be able to connect to a plurality of wireless terminals simultaneously and enable wireless communication. Since the bandwidth available for use in the wireless LAN is limited, a large amount of data cannot be wirelessly transmitted at once. Therefore, in this embodiment, for example, a limit is set on the number of drive recorders 2 that simultaneously connect and wirelessly transmit video data, etc. When a number of drive recorders 2 exceeding the limit number simultaneously wirelessly connect to the access point 10, communication is carried out with up to the limit number of drive recorders 2, and the drive recorders 2 of the remaining vehicles are made to standby. Since the transmission of video data, etc. is carried out while the vehicle 1 is parked, the standby drive recorders 2 are put into a power-saving mode and attempt communication after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0087] In this embodiment, the control unit 22 of the NAS 4 manages the transmission of video data, etc. from the drive recorder 2. The control unit 22 determines whether the number of simultaneously connected drive recorders 2 is less than or equal to the limit number based on the number of drive recorder IDs stored in the drive recorder ID storage unit 25 during communication. If it exceeds the limit number, it determines the drive recorders 2 to standby and sends a standby command to the determined drive recorders 2. Details will be described later.

[0088] FIG. 4 shows an example of the drive recorder 2 mounted on the vehicle 1. The drive recorder 2 of this embodiment includes a drive recorder main body 16 and a power adapter 19 that supplies power to the drive recorder main body 16. The drive recorder main body 16 includes a control unit 40, a CCD camera 41 as a photographing means for photographing video, a microphone 42 for collecting audio, an acceleration sensor 43, a GPS receiver 44, a speaker 45, a memory card slot 46, an AP information storage unit 47, a wireless communication unit 48, an interface 49, and an operation switch 50, etc.

[0089] The drive recorder main body 16 is mounted at a predetermined position of the vehicle 1 using mounting means such as a predetermined bracket. The predetermined position includes the front glass, the dashboard, etc. It is preferably the front glass, and particularly preferably above the front glass. The CCD camera 41 is preferably set so that the shooting range faces, for example, the front of the vehicle with the drive recorder main body 16 fixed at a predetermined position of the vehicle 1. For example, when the CCD camera 41 is a camera that shoots a hemispherical sky or a range wider than a hemispherical sky, with the drive recorder main body 16 fixed at a predetermined position of the vehicle via a bracket or the like, the CCD camera 41 is set to shoot the hemispherical sky below the drive recorder main body 16 and a range wider than and including the hemispherical sky, thereby shooting the front of the vehicle and the interior of the vehicle cabin.

[0090] The acceleration sensor 43 detects, for example, impacts applied to the vehicle 1, sudden accelerations, sudden decelerations, and sudden curves. The GPS receiver 44 receives radio waves transmitted from artificial satellites on satellite orbits, measures the latitude and longitude of the current position, and sends the obtained current position information and the like to the control unit 40 in NMEA format data. The speaker 45 notifies, for example, the operation sound at the operation switch 50 and various messages (such as guides and warnings).

[0091] The control unit 40 is a microcomputer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, non-volatile memory, I / O, etc. It executes predetermined processing based on information input from the above various input devices (CCD camera 41, microphone 42, acceleration sensor 43, GPS receiver 44, wireless communication unit 48, operation switch 50, etc.), and outputs predetermined information using output devices (speaker 45, memory card slot 46, wireless communication unit 48, etc.). The functions of the drive recorder main body 16 are stored on the EEPROM of the control unit 40 as a program executed by a computer included in the control unit 40, and are realized by the computer included in the control unit 40 executing this program.

[0092] A memory card 46a is detachably mounted in the memory card slot 46. The control unit 40 stores the video data captured by the CCD camera 41 in the memory card 46a. The storage of this video data includes a continuous recording mode in which the CCD camera 41 continuously captures the inside of the shooting range and records it in the memory card 46a which is a recording means, and an event recording mode in which a recording file for a predetermined time before and after the occurrence is created when a predetermined event condition occurs and recorded in the memory card 46a. The control unit 40 also stores the audio data acquired by the microphone 42 together with the video data in the memory card 46a. The video data and the audio data are associated with each other, and when the video data stored in the memory card 46a is played back, the audio data is also played back simultaneously.

[0093] The predetermined event conditions include when sudden acceleration, sudden deceleration, sudden curve, or impact based on the acceleration sensor 43 is detected, when the operation switch 50 is pressed, and notifications from optional devices described later. Also, during recording in the continuous recording mode, when a predetermined event condition occurs, event recording based on the event is also performed. The recording area based on the continuous recording mode and the recording area based on the event recording are separated. For example, in the case of overwriting, overwriting is performed on the recording area of the same mode.

[0094] In addition to the video data described above, the control unit 40 also stores in the memory card 46a GPS information such as position information received by the GPS receiver 44 and acceleration sensor information detected by the acceleration sensor 43. The GPS information is a GPS log indicating the history of the position information, and for example, it may be used to obtain the movement trajectory. The acceleration sensor information may be recorded in association with the position information, for example, when acceleration exceeding a threshold value is detected. By doing so, it is possible to store the location where a dangerous driving such as an impact occurring due to an accident, sudden acceleration, sudden braking, or sudden curve occurred, which is preferable for safe driving. It is advisable to make the stored acceleration information cooperate with, for example, a map application so that the location where dangerous driving occurred can be displayed and confirmed on the map.

[0095] The AP information storage unit 47 stores AP identification information for identifying and communicating with the access point 10. The AP identification information is, for example, the SSID and password of the installed access point 10. The AP identification information for the access point 10 installed at the business office 5 where the vehicle 1 stops is registered in advance. When there are a plurality of access points 10 to be connected, the AP identification information of all of the plurality of access points 10 is stored and held.

[0096] The control unit 40 uses the AP identification information stored in the AP information storage unit 47 to wirelessly connect to the access point 10 within the wireless communication range of the wireless communication unit 48. The timing for performing the wireless connection may be, for example, when the vehicle 1 stops at the business office 5 and is parked in the parking lot 7 and the engine is turned off or in a moving stop state. The drive recorder main body 16 constituting the drive recorder 2 of the present embodiment operates by receiving power supply from the battery of the vehicle 1 and continues to be in the power-on state even when the vehicle is in the moving stop state. The continuation of this power-on state is performed by supplying power from the power adapter 19 described later to the drive recorder main body 16. The control unit 40 has a function of establishing wireless communication with the access point 10 when the vehicle 1 is in a moving stop state such as when the engine is turned off during parking and transmitting the data stored in the memory card 46a during driving to the NAS 4. The data to be transmitted may be video data recorded in each mode recorded on the memory card 46a, but it is particularly good to use information other than continuous recording.

[0097] For example, if vehicle 1 returns to the same workplace once a day and transmits video data or the like while parked, the data volume of the video data or the like transmitted at one time is caused by the number of event recordings generated in a day. The number of event recordings varies depending on the driving trend, but it can be predicted to be about 10 cases at most per day. If the capacity of a file per event is, for example, 20 megabytes, when 10 event recordings occur, the total capacity of the files transmitted by one drive recorder main body 16 is 200 megabytes. To this extent, even for a relatively large number of vehicles, for example, 30 or more, it is possible to collect video data or the like for one day by using the parking time at night. If we try to transmit the video data recorded in the always-recording mode as well, the data volume becomes extremely large, and the time required for one mounted drive recorder to complete transmission becomes long. When a large number of vehicles are parked, there is a risk that video data or the like cannot be uploaded from all the drive recorder main bodies 16 by morning. Therefore, as in this embodiment, it is better to upload data other than always-recording data. Since the video data or the like stored in the event recording mode is more useful information, for example, when performing operation management, than the video data in the always-recording mode, this embodiment that can efficiently collect necessary data is more preferable.

[0098] The drive recorder main body 16 continues to be powered on even during parking after the engine is turned off, and the control unit 40 has a function of reading out video data or the like stored in the memory card 46a and wirelessly transmitting it. While the vehicle is running, the drive recorder main body 16 operates a recording function for shooting and recording video. After the engine is turned off, the recording function stops and the communication function operates. The driver does not need to start the engine to transmit the video data stored in the drive recorder main body 16 during driving. For example, the driver can just carry out normal business activities, turn off the engine of vehicle 1, and return to the building 6 of workplace 5, and the video data or the like is uploaded to the NAS 4. The driver can get out of the vehicle without waiting for the communication to complete, and it is good that there is no annoyance of waiting in the vehicle until the communication is completed.

[0099] During the engine ON state from when the engine starts until it stops, the control unit 40 may be configured not to perform the process of searching for the access point 10 and attempting to establish communication. During driving after leaving the business establishment 5, usually there is no access point 10 in the communicable area. Thus, even if the said process is executed, there is no possibility of wireless connection with the access point 10, and it is good because the load on the control unit 40 can be reduced by not executing the said process. Also, for example, when the vehicle 1 enters the business establishment 5 and is driving within the business establishment 5 or the parking lot 7, and the engine is ON and the drive recorder 2 exists within the communication area of the access point 10, it is possible to wirelessly connect to the access point 10 and transmit video data etc., and such a configuration may be adopted. However, in the present embodiment, since the condition for starting communication is that the engine is turned OFF, even within the communication area of the access point 10, the communication function is not activated when the engine is ON, and it is characterized by not performing wireless communication. By doing so, during the said driving, the communication function is not activated and the recording function as a normal drive recorder is operating. Thus, the said accident is also recorded and stored in the memory card 46a, and communication is started when the engine is turned OFF later, so it is good because the video data etc. of the said accident can also be transmitted. On the other hand, for example, when an accident etc. occurs while entering and driving within the business establishment 5, there is a problem that video data resulting from the said accident cannot be transmitted because it is an accident after communication has started. Therefore, it is good to activate the communication function after the engine is turned OFF and transmit as in the present embodiment. Also, the state of parking with the engine turned OFF has the merit that communication can be stably performed. For example, when driving and the position of the vehicle 1 moves, the communication environment may change and communication may become unstable, but such a situation does not occur when parking with the engine turned OFF, so it is good. Also, when the speed is 0 km / h with the engine ON, the distance between the drive recorder 2 and the access point 10 does not change, so communication is more stable than when moving, but it is even better when the engine is turned OFF. In particular, since large-capacity data such as video data is communicated, it is good to send it in a state where the communication environment is stable, and it is good to configure it to perform communication after the engine is turned OFF as in the present embodiment.

[0100] The wireless communication unit 48 has a wireless transmission / reception function that uses a wireless LAN. In this embodiment, it performs wireless communication with the access point 10. The wireless communication used by the wireless communication unit 48 preferably has a communication range that covers the parking lot 7 and has a short length that does not include the distance to a base station such as LTE (carrier). Using a communication method with a short communication distance and a limited communication range is also preferable in terms of security. Also, it is preferably compatible with a wireless LAN method in which multiple wireless terminals simultaneously connect to the access point 10 and perform wireless communication, rather than a peer-to-peer connection such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), and for example, Wi-Fi may be used. Wi-Fi does not require a wireless license, can be used for free, its bandwidth can transmit video data, and the communication speed is fast enough to transmit video data without stress, so it is preferable. Bluetooth (registered trademark) has a shorter communication distance than a wireless LAN using Wi-Fi and may not be able to cover the entire area of the parking lot 7. Considering this point, it is also preferable to use Wi-Fi.

[0101] The interface 49 is for attaching one end of a connection cable 63 that connects to the power adapter 19. In this embodiment, the connection cable 63 is configured as a single harness that includes a communication cable for communicating data and a power line for supplying power. The interface 49 has UART, NTSC, power, and ground, and on the side surface of the case of the drive recorder main body 16, a socket portion for connecting the connector terminal of the connection cable 63 of the interface 49 is arranged.

[0102] The power adapter 19 includes a power supply circuit 51, a control unit 52, a timer 53, an interface 54, etc. The power supply circuit 51 is connected to the battery of the vehicle 1, receives power supply from the battery, and has a function of supplying power to externally connected devices such as the drive recorder main body 16.

[0103] The control unit 52 has functions such as communicating with the drive recorder main body 16, controlling the ON / OFF of power supply to the drive recorder main body 16, etc. The interface 54 has the same configuration as the interface 49 and mounts the other end of the connection cable 63. The power output from the power output circuit of the power supply circuit 51 is supplied to the drive recorder main body 16 via the connection cable 63. The control unit 52 communicates with the control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 via the connection cable 63.

[0104] Each control unit implemented in the above-mentioned NAS 4, server 3, drive recorder main body 16, and power adapter 19 cooperates with the control units of other devices and apparatuses, and has a function of uploading and aggregating the video data and the like captured and recorded by the drive recorder 2 mounted on the vehicle 1 during the running of each vehicle 1 to the data storage unit 33 of the server 3. FIG. 5 shows an example of the communication procedure among the drive recorder 2, NAS 4, and server 3, and the control units of each device have a function of executing the communication procedure.

[0105] The control unit 22 of the NAS 4 periodically wirelessly transmits an ARP scan in broadcast via the access point 10 (process a). Periodically, for example, it may be about once a minute.

[0106] As described above, for example, when the engine of the vehicle 1 is turned off in the parking lot 7, the control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 constituting the drive recorder 2 establishes wireless communication with the access point 10. Therefore, when the drive recorder 2 mounted on the vehicle 1 with the engine turned off and parked receives an ARP scan by the wireless communication unit 48, as a response to the received ARP scan, the control unit 40 transmits its own IP address (process b).

[0107] The control unit 22 of NAS4 stores the returned IP address in the IP address in communication storage unit 24. As a result, the IP address of the wireless device that has currently established a wireless communication with the access point 10, in this example, the IP address of the drive recorder, is listed in the IP address in communication storage unit 24. The control unit 22 of NAS4 accesses the IP address in communication storage unit 24, obtains a predetermined IP address, and sends a Telnet ID inquiry command to the wireless terminal with that IP address (process c).

[0108] The control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 that constitutes the drive recorder 2 which has received the ID inquiry command determines whether the received command is addressed to its own IP address. If it is addressed to itself, the control unit 40 sends its own drive ID together with the IP address (process d).

[0109] The control unit 52 of NAS4 recognizes that the received drive ID is that of a drive recorder and stores it in the drive ID in communication storage unit 25. The control unit 52 deletes the IP address corresponding to the received drive ID from the IP address in communication storage unit 24. The control unit 52 sequentially obtains drive IDs from the top of the list of drive IDs in the network connection stored in the drive ID in communication storage unit 25, and sends a request for uploadability for the obtained drive ID to the server 3 (process e).

[0110] When the control unit 32 of the server 3 receives the request, it accesses the ID storage unit 34 and determines whether the received drive ID is registered. If it is a registered legitimate one, the control unit 32 accesses the data storage unit 33 and creates an uploaded file list with specific information for identifying the stored video data and other files related to the drive ID stored in the data storage unit 23. The specific information may be, for example, the file name. When the drive ID is registered in the ID storage unit 34, the control unit 32 returns the uploaded file list as a response, and when the drive ID is not registered in the ID storage unit 34, it returns an error response indicating that it is not in the list (process f).

[0111] When the control unit 22 of NAS4 receives a response of the uploaded file list from the server 3, it makes a transmission request for the un-uploaded files together with the uploaded file list for the corresponding drive recorder ID (process g). When an error response is received in process f, the control unit 22 of NAS4 deletes the corresponding drive recorder ID from the drive recorder ID storage unit 25 during communication and ends the process for that drive recorder ID.

[0112] The control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 that configures the drive recorder 2 which has received a transmission request for un-uploaded files accesses the memory card 46a and extracts video data files and the like that are not listed in the uploaded file list. The control unit 40 wirelessly transmits the extracted video data and the like to NAS4 (process h).

[0113] The control unit 22 of NAS4 temporarily stores the video data and the like wirelessly transmitted by the received drive recorder 2 in the data storage unit 23. The control unit 22 uploads the stored video data and the like to the server 3 together with the drive recorder ID at an appropriate timing (process i).

[0114] The control unit 32 of the server 3 receives the video data and the like uploaded together with the drive recorder ID, and stores the received video data and the like in the storage area holder for the corresponding drive recorder ID in the data storage unit 33. After the storage is completed, the control unit 32 transmits a response of the completion of the upload of the drive recorder ID performed in process i to NAS4 (process j).

[0115] When the control unit 22 of the NAS 4 receives a completion response, it sends a power-off command to the drive recorder 2 with that drive record ID (process k). The control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 that constitutes the drive recorder 2 which has received this power-off command executes a process to turn off the power. In the present embodiment, the control unit 40 sends a power-off command to the power adapter 19, and the control unit 52 of the power adapter 19 that has received the power-off command performs a process to turn off the power supply from the power circuit 51.

[0116] By turning off the power supply, it is possible to prevent the battery from running out, which is good. The power supply is turned off based on the upload completion response from the server 3, and in that state, it is sufficient to ensure that the video data stored in the drive recorder 2, more specifically, the drive recorder main body 16, has been uploaded.

[0117] Also, the control unit 22 of the NAS 4 deletes the drive record ID of the drive recorder 2 that is the recipient of the above-mentioned power-off command from the communication drive record ID storage unit 25. Along with this deletion, one communication frame becomes available. So, when a drive record ID is added in, for example, the next ARP scan process (processes a to d) of the NAS 4, the control unit 22 of the NAS 4 performs a process (processes e to j) to upload the video data etc. stored in the drive recorder 2 with the added drive record ID. When the drive recorder main body 16 of the drive recorder 2 that was on standby without being included in the top five in the previous process restarts and sends a drive record ID, and if it becomes within the top five of the camera list upon receiving it, the video data is sucked up from the drive recorder main body 16.

[0118] [Control When Exceeding the Number of Simultaneous Connection Limits] The control unit 22 of NAS4 executes the series of processes from the above-described process e in order from the top of the list of drive recorder IDs during network connection stored in the drive recorder ID storage unit 25 during communication, thereby communicating with up to the maximum number of recorders (for example, 5 in this embodiment) of drive recorders and uploading to the server 3. When the number of drive recorder IDs stored in the drive recorder ID storage unit 25 during communication exceeds the maximum number, a standby command is sent to the excess number of drive recorders 2. For example, if the maximum number is 5, a standby command is sent to the drive recorders 2 after the 6th in the list of drive recorder IDs stored in the drive recorder ID storage unit 25 during communication. The standby command is notified together with the standby time, for example, "Restart in N minutes". The control unit 22 deletes the drive recorder ID of the target to which the standby command has been sent from the drive recorder ID storage unit 25 during communication.

[0119] Upon receiving the standby command, the drive recorder 2 once controls to turn off the power of the drive recorder main body 16, and after the specified standby time has elapsed, turns on the power of the drive recorder main body 16. When this power is turned on, the engine of the vehicle 1 is off and the drive recorder 2 is on, and the control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 executes a process of starting the communication function and establishing a wireless connection with the access point 10, and executes the transmission process flow of video data and the like shown in FIG. 5 described above. It is good because battery consumption can be prevented by turning off the power during standby.

[0120] In this embodiment, since the power supply adapter 19 controls the power supply of the drive recorder main body 16 of the drive recorder 2, the control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 that has received the standby command transmits a suspension command to the power supply adapter 19 along with the standby time. This transmission is performed using wired communication via the connection cable 63. When the control unit 52 of the power supply adapter 19 receives the suspension command, it sets the received standby time in the timer 53 and cuts off the power supply to the drive recorder main body 16 via the connection cable 63. Further, when the timer 53 is activated and times out, it notifies the control unit 52 to that effect. When the time has timed out, the control unit 52 resumes the power supply. Along with the resumption of this power supply, the power of the drive recorder main body 16 is turned on, the communication function is activated, and processing for transmitting video data and the like from the wireless connection to the access point 10 is performed.

[0121] As described above, in this embodiment, the power supply adapter 19 has a function of switching the power supply ON / OFF for the drive recorder main body 16, and the drive recorder main body 16 is turned ON / OFF as a whole. As a mechanism for suppressing power consumption during standby, for example, a power control function such as stopping some unused parts in the drive recorder main body 16, such as those related to video recording, and intermittently driving the communication module, etc., may be provided. However, it is better to provide no power control function on the drive recorder main body 16 side as in this embodiment and turn ON / OFF the entire drive recorder on the power supply adapter 19 side. The control process performed by the power supply adapter 19 is simpler than the control performed by the drive recorder main body 16, and the CPU constituting the control unit 52 on the power supply adapter 19 side consumes less power than the CPU constituting the control unit 40 on the drive recorder main body 16 side, which is good. If the CPU on the drive recorder main body 16 side performs fine power control, the power supply adapter 19 side operates normally and supplies power to the drive recorder main body 16. Therefore, it is preferable to perform control on the power supply adapter 19 side because it can suppress the overall power consumption of the drive recorder 2. In order to prevent the vehicle 1 from running out of battery as in this embodiment, it is preferable to turn OFF the entire drive recorder main body 16 during standby.

[0122] For example, some drive recorders have a parking monitoring mode in which, even while parked, they receive power supply from the vehicle's battery or a power supply box with a built-in battery, and record the surrounding video. When the parking monitoring mode is activated, it operates for a determined time, so there is always a certain amount of power consumption while parked. In contrast, in this embodiment, if video data or the like recorded during driving is transmitted, for example, the power supply of the drive recorder main body 16 is turned off, so it is possible to suppress power consumption while parked. For example, if there is only one event recording, it is sufficient to turn off the power supply by transmitting that one recording. In particular, it is more preferable to configure the power supply adapter 19 to also be turned off when the transmission of video data or the like is completed.

[0123] In this embodiment, when deleting the drive recorder ID of a drive recorder waiting from the communication drive recorder ID storage unit 25 during communication, no waiting list or the like is created and stored, and no waiting order is assigned to the deleted drive recorder ID. Therefore, for example, if a 5-minute waiting instruction is given to drive recorder A as the waiting time, and the communication of video data performed by another drive recorder currently in communication ends in 3 minutes, there will be a 2-minute vacancy. During those 2 minutes, if another drive recorder B returns to the depot, transmits its IP address and further its drive recorder ID in response to the ARP scan, and is registered within the 5th position in the list of the communication drive recorder ID storage unit 25, drive recorder B starts communicating video data or the like. After that, when drive recorder A accesses after standby release and 5 drive recorders, which is the limited number, are communicating, NAS4 notifies drive recorder A to "restart in M minutes" (M = N or M ≠ N). Depending on the timing of the return of each vehicle 1 like this, the drive recorder 2 of the vehicle 1 that returned later may complete the communication of video data or the like first, and even if it returns early, it may repeat waiting many times if unlucky.

[0124] For example, if there is a drive recorder on standby, the processing of the drive recorder 2 of another vehicle 1 that returned later may be performed after giving it priority. However, in this embodiment, as described above, the drive recorder ID of the drive recorder 2 on standby is deleted from the in-communication drive recorder ID storage unit 25, and there is no standby list, and no processing for giving priority to such standby is performed. Each drive recorder 2 connects to the access point 10 at an appropriate timing, and the selected drive recorder 2 within the limited number performs transmission of video data and the like.

[0125] In this way, if the drive recorder 2 that came later while the drive recorder 2 is on standby is in a state where it can attempt communication and transmit video data or the like, it is preferable to process the later-coming drive recorder 2 first as in this embodiment because the overall processing for all the vehicles parked at the business office 5 will be completed faster. Also, even if the drive recorder 2 on standby is not given priority processing, the driver of the vehicle equipped with the drive recorder 2 on standby can get out of the vehicle regardless of whether the upload of video data or the like is completed, so there is no problem. If the drive recorder 2 on standby is given priority processing, it is necessary to manage it in a standby list and the processing becomes complicated. If the drive recorder 2 on standby waits until the standby time elapses, during that time, a drive recorder less than the limited number will perform transmission processing of video data or the like, and the processing of another drive recorder 2 that could originally be processed will be further delayed, resulting in a problem that the time when the upload of the drive recorder 2 installed in all the vehicles parked at the business office 5 is completed will be delayed. However, according to this embodiment, such a problem does not occur, which is good.

[0126] The standby time may be determined by predicting, for example, the transmission completion time of the currently communicating drive recorder 2 from the number of files to be uploaded, and obtaining an optimal value that allows video data, etc. to be transmitted immediately after the standby time has elapsed. However, it is better to set a fixed value in advance. Setting a fixed value is good because there is no need to determine the standby time each time and the control can be easily performed. By setting a fixed value, even if, for example, when attempting to resume communication from standby due to bad timing, the number of drive recorders 2 connected to the access point 10 exceeds the limit and the transition to the standby state occurs multiple times again, in cases where, for example, the vehicle returns to the depot after business hours and is parked for a relatively long time at night, video data, etc. can be uploaded until the vehicle is taken out the next day, so the above-mentioned drawbacks due to the fixed value are few.

[0127] When trying to determine the per-time standby time, it is difficult to accurately determine it from changes in the communication environment and transmission status of the drive recorders that are self-arranged and communicating simultaneously, the time required for the upload to the server 3 to be completed, etc., and it is difficult to determine an appropriate standby time itself. If the standby time is determined with a margin, it will result in wasted time when not transmitting, which is not preferable. When another vehicle 1 returns to the garage and turns off the engine at the parking lot 7 during standby, if the drive recorder 2 of the other vehicle 1 establishes a connection with the access point 10 and the number of drive recorders 2 communicating at that time is less than or equal to the limit number, the drive recorder 2 of the other vehicle 1 starts transmitting video data and the like. In this way, when the drive recorder 2 mounted on the vehicle 1 that returned during standby, etc., when the drive recorder 2 during standby becomes powered on after the standby time has elapsed, there is a possibility of exceeding the limit number, and in such a situation, it will receive a standby command again and standby. Coupled with the fact that the time when each vehicle 1 stops by at the business office and parks is indefinite, there is no guarantee that video data and the like can be transmitted after the restart of the drive recorder 2 that has received a standby command once. Since the effect is small even if the optimal standby time is determined, it is better to set the standby time to a fixed value as in this embodiment, and it is better to have a function to change the fixed value according to the setting. For example, when there is a tendency for many drive recorders 2 with a large amount of video data and the like to be recorded and transmitted for event recording, etc., the standby time can be set longer, etc., and it is better to set the time for the processing of the drive recorders 2 of the number of vehicles 1 that stop by at the business office 5 to be completed. The standby time after setting is carried out with the set fixed value. When the standby time is fixed, the standby time can be set on the power adapter 19 side, and the NAS 4 only receives a standby command. After receiving the standby command, it can be turned off and restarted after the set standby time, but if it is configured as in this embodiment so that the NAS 4 notifies the standby time, it can also be applied to a system that flexibly changes the standby time, so it is preferable.

[0128] [Priority order to be listed in the drive recorder ID list] In this embodiment, when a number of drive recorders 2 exceeding the restricted number are connected, the control unit 22 of the NAS 4 performs transmission and reception of video data and the like with the drive recorders 2 corresponding to the upper restricted number registered in the list, and controls to send a standby command to the lower drive recorders 2 exceeding the restricted number.

[0129] When the control unit 22 creates this list, it is preferable to set a higher priority for the drive recorder main bodies that are likely to complete the process quickly. For example, as the ones that are likely to complete the process quickly, the response time from when a Telnet inquiry is made to each IP address until the response of the drive record ID is returned is obtained, and the control is performed such that the ones with a faster response time have a higher priority and are listed at the top. The shorter the response time, the higher the possibility that the transmission process of video data and the like will be completed quickly. Therefore, by prioritizing the drive recorders that complete the process quickly, the number of drive recorders 2 in standby can be reduced. For the drive recorders 2 with a long response time and likely to take a long time for processing, it is better to process them slowly later.

[0130] The response time becomes faster as the communication distance is shorter and as the communication environment is better, and it is also affected by the response processing of each control unit. In the difference in distance within the parking lot 7, there is not much difference in the response time according to the distance. Actually, there are influences from the communication environment and the response processing system of the control unit / CPU, and particularly the influence of the communication environment is large. The determination of the priority does not have to be limited to the response time, and it is better to determine it based on the information that changes according to the communication environment. As the information that changes according to the communication environment, for example, the field strength of the received signal in the wireless communication between the drive recorder 2 and the access point 10 can be used. For example, within the limited range such as in the parking lot 7, the influence on the response time based on the distance difference is low, and it can be said that the higher the field strength, the better the communication environment. Therefore, it is preferable to set a higher priority for the ones with a higher field strength.

[0131] The electric field strength may be determined, for example, on the access point 10 side. However, it is preferable that the radio communication unit 48 of the drive recorder 2 detects the electric field strength of the signal sent from the access point 10, and the control unit 40 transmits electric field strength information related to the electric field strength detected when sending the drive record ID. The electric field strength information may be divided into multiple levels such as level 1, level 2, level 3, etc., and the level to which the electric field strength belongs may be used. However, it is better to use the numerical value of the electric field strength itself. Using the numerical value itself is good because it can accurately determine the quality of the communication environment where each drive recorder 2 is placed.

[0132] As described above, the ones with higher priority obtained are registered higher in the list of drive record IDs, and video data and the like are received from the drive recorders 2 up to the limited number from the top. Even for the drive recorder 2 with low priority, if the number of simultaneously connected drive recorders 2 is below the limited number, the connection is continued and video data and the like are transmitted. The drive recorder 2 with low priority should not be postponed. If it is possible to communicate with a connection below the limited number at that time, it is preferable to perform the process for uploading video data and the like. Also, even if a drive record with high priority comes back while the limited number of connections has already been made including those with low priority, it is characterized by not disconnecting the ones in communication and accepting the transmission of video data from the drive recorder 2 with high priority. If communication has already started even with low priority, it is preferable to continue the communication as it is, complete the upload of video data and the like and disconnect, and then perform the upload of video data and the like from the next drive recorder 2. This is because the overall processing for the vehicles 1 parked at the business office 5 will end faster.

[0133] For example, in a case where each vehicle 1 arrives at the workplace 5 separately and parks, the upload process of video data and the like is performed in the order of arrival and parking. The standby command to the drive recorder 2 that exceeds the restricted number using priorities as described above is issued when a plurality of vehicles 1 turn off their engines and the drive recorder 2 starts communication within a certain period of time. The certain period of time is, for example, the interval at which an ARP scan is performed, and is about 1 minute, for example. For example, it is possible that more than, for example, 5 vehicles return within 1 minute, such as near the closing time of the workplace 5. The control unit 22 of the NAS 4 performs a distribution control on whether to send a standby command in such a case.

[0134] Operation management requires a roll call, and if it is necessary, guidance is required on the spot. When uploading sequentially in the order of arrival and parking as in this embodiment, for example, when returning, the upload of video data and the like is completed by the time the driver returns to the building 6 of the workplace 5, and it is good because the operation manager can check before the driver goes home.

[0135] In this embodiment, the drive recorder main body 16 transmits un-uploaded video data and the like to the server 3, temporarily stores it in the NAS 4, and then uploads it to the server 3. As a result, for example, when there is data in the NAS 4 but it has not been uploaded to the server 3 for some reason, the drive recorder main body 16 also transmits the data already recorded in the NAS 4. However, the NAS 4 only needs to perform the process of uploading the data sent from the drive recorder main body 16 to the server 3, and does not need to determine whether the data stored on the NAS 4 side has been uploaded. Therefore, it is preferable because the desired video data and the like stored by the drive recorder main body 16 can be surely uploaded to the server 3 and stored.

[0136] [Configuration on the vehicle side] FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of in-vehicle equipment mounted on the vehicle 1. As described above, the drive recorder main body 16 and the power adapter 19 that constitute the drive recorder 2 are connected via the connection cable 63. In the drive recorder main body 16, the lens 41a of the CCD camera 41 is disposed below the case main body 16a. When the viewing direction of the lens 41a is downward, it is preferable that the CCD camera 41 includes the lower hemisphere and has a range wider than that hemisphere and can photograph up to an obliquely upper direction. In this way, even when the viewing direction of the CCD camera 41 is directly downward, for example, the area obliquely above the front of the vehicle is also within the photographing range. In the case main body 16a of the drive recorder main body 16, the acceleration sensor 43 and other devices shown in FIG. 4 are mounted, and the drive recorder main body 16 determines the start of event recording based on the acceleration.

[0137] In addition to the drive recorder main body 16, the power adapter 19 of this embodiment has a function of supplying power to and communicating with another device. As shown in FIG. 7, the power adapter 19 includes a flat rectangular case main body 19a, and the devices shown in FIG. 4 and the like are provided in the case main body 19a. This power adapter 19 is preferably installed, for example, in the space under the seat of the vehicle 1 or behind the dashboard. Since no rechargeable battery is mounted, the case main body 19a is thin and does not get in the way even when installed. It is also preferable to update the firmware of the control unit 52 via Wi-Fi.

[0138] On one side surface in the longitudinal direction of the case main body 19a, a first socket portion 19c, a second socket portion 19d, a third socket portion 19e, a fourth socket portion 19f, and a fifth socket portion 19g are provided. The connector terminal of the connection cable 63 connected to the drive recorder main body 16 is detachably attached to the first socket portion 19c. The socket portion is also referred to as a female connector or the like, for example. The first socket portion 19c corresponds to the socket portion that constitutes a part of the interface 54.

[0139] One end of the connection cable 64 is attached to the second socket part 19d, and the connector terminal at the other end of the connection cable 64 is connected to, for example, the first option device 61. The power supply circuit 51 of the power adapter 19 supplies power to the first option device 61 via the connection cable 64. The control unit 52 has a function of communicating with the first option device 61 via the connection cable 64. The first option device 61 may be, for example, a collision warning system that measures the distance with a laser and warns of the approach of the vehicle ahead. When the first option device 61 is a collision warning system, the control unit 52 has a function of notifying the drive recorder main body 16 of the detection of the approach of the vehicle ahead by the collision warning system through communication with the collision warning system. The control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 may perform event recording of the approach based on the reception of the detection of the approach of the vehicle ahead. The recorded information may be transmitted to the NAS 4 and uploaded to the server 3 when parked in the parking lot 7 of the business office 5. Further, when the above collision warning system or another first option device 61 has, for example, a white line deviation detection function, the control unit 52 has a function of knowing the white line deviation detected by the first option device 61 through communication with the first option device 61 and notifying the drive recorder main body 16 of the white line deviation. The drive recorder main body 16 may perform event recording based on such notification.

[0140] One end of the connection cable 65 is attached to the third socket part 19e, and the connector terminal at the other end of the connection cable 65 is connected to, for example, the second optional device 62. The power circuit 51 of the power adapter 19 supplies power to the second optional device 62 via the connection cable 65. The control unit 52 has a function of communicating with the second optional device 62 via the connection cable 65. The second optional device 62 may be, for example, an IC card reader. For example, when driving, the driver sets an ID card for identifying himself / herself in the IC card reader. The control unit 52 notifies the drive recorder main body 16 of the driver's ID information recorded on the ID card read by the IC card reader, for example. The drive recorder main body 16 may perform the acquisition of the ID information together with the recording of video data and the like, and transmit the ID information together with the video data and the like when transmitting the video data and the like. By doing so, it is possible to associate which driver's driving video data and the like are stored in the NAS 4 and thus in the server 3. For example, when an operation manager or the like views the video data and the like, it is preferable that it is easy to confirm and understand whose driving video data and the like they are.

[0141] One end of the vehicle signal connection cable 66 is attached to the fourth socket part 19f, and the connector terminal at the other end of the vehicle signal connection cable 66 is attached to a socket part or the like where the vehicle information of the vehicle 1 is output. The vehicle information includes turn signal information, the state of the foot brake, vehicle speed pulses, and external device trigger inputs such as digital co. The control unit 52 has a function of notifying the drive recorder main body 16 of the acquired vehicle information as serial information via the connection cable 63. Further, when the control unit 52 receives a notification of an event from the drive recorder main body 16 sent via the connection cable 63, it also has a function of outputting a trigger signal to an external device such as digital co via the vehicle signal connection cable 66. The power adapter 19 also has a function as an interface for such information transmission and reception.

[0142] One end of the power cable's connector terminal is connected to the fifth socket portion 19g. The power cable includes a battery connection line 67a, an ACC connection line 67b, and a ground line 67c, and the tips of these respective lines 67a, 67b, 67c are connected to a predetermined position such as a power line of the vehicle 1. The fifth socket portion 19g is electrically connected to the power circuit 51 within the case body 19a. As described above, power is supplied from the battery of the vehicle 1 to the drive recorder main body 16, the first option device 61, and the second option device 62 via the power circuit 51.

[0143] As shown in FIG. 7, an opening that opens at a position one step lower and deeper from the upper surface is provided on the upper surface of the case body 19a, and the dip switch 19b for monitoring voltage setting is disposed in an exposed state in the opening. This dip switch 19b for monitoring voltage setting is a 4-bit dip switch, and is a switch for setting the cut-off voltage of a 12V or 24V battery by operation of the user.

[0144] The control unit 52 detects two states of ON / OFF of the ACC. When the ACC of the vehicle 1 is in the ON state, the control unit 52 reads out and stores the dip switch setting. The control unit 52 monitors the battery voltage of the vehicle 1, and when the battery voltage becomes equal to or lower than the set cut-off voltage, shuts off the power and stops the power supply to the drive recorder main body 16. Thereby, it suppresses the rise of the battery of the vehicle 1. When the dip switch 19b for monitoring voltage setting is operated when the ACC of the vehicle is in the OFF state, the control unit 52 reads out the dip switch setting when the next ACC becomes in the ON state.

[0145] FIGS. 8 and later show an example of the processing flow between the devices constituting the data capture system using the in-vehicle devices shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The processing flow for components other than the option devices may be similarly applied to the processing flow of the above-described embodiment explained using FIGS. 5 and the like.

[0146] FIG. 8 shows the processing flow when the vehicle 1 is running and the engine is turned off at a location other than the business office 5. In the figure, "main body" indicates the drive recorder main body 16, "adapter" indicates the power adapter 19, and "vehicle" indicates the vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 starts the engine and becomes in the ON state. At this time, ACC becomes ON (a1). Along with the ACC ON, the power of the power adapter 19 is turned on. The control unit 52 of the power adapter 19 unconditionally starts the power supply to the drive recorder main body 16 and the optional devices by the power circuit 51 at the first startup (a2). The drive recorder main body 16 is powered on along with the start of the power supply and executes a predetermined initialization process (s1). Then, it operates in the set mode and stores video data and the like when the recording conditions are met.

[0147] The control unit 52 determines the power supply type of the battery of the vehicle 1 (s2). The power supply type determination is a determination of whether it is 12V or 24V, and for example, it is determined based on the battery voltage to which the power is supplied. This determination is executed during the waiting time Tad_init until the first periodic transmission starts after the power of the power adapter 19 is turned on. This Tad_init may be, for example, 1 second. The control unit 52 notifies the drive recorder main body 16 of the determination result of the power supply type (a3). The drive recorder main body 16 executes a predetermined initialization process based on the notification. The control unit 52 of the power adapter 19 performs periodic transmission toward the drive recorder main body 16 at a predetermined period (Tad_tr) (a4). The predetermined period (Tad_tr) may be, for example, 0.02 seconds.

[0148] The control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 performs event recording when an event such as an acceleration sensor or a button operation occurs, for example (S3). The control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 notifies the power adapter 19 that event recording has been performed (a4).

[0149] The engine of vehicle 1 is turned off and ACC becomes OFF (a5). The control unit 52 of the power adapter 19 has a function of detecting the two states of ON / OFF of ACC. When the control unit 52 detects that ACC has become OFF, it turns off the power supply to the optional equipment (S4). In this embodiment, the power supply to the first optional equipment 61 and the second optional equipment 62 is turned off. The time (Top_off) from when it is detected that ACC has become OFF until the power supply to the optional equipment is turned off is preferably set to 0 seconds. By turning it off immediately, it is possible to suppress the wasteful consumption of the battery of vehicle 1 during parking. The control unit 52 continues to supply power to the drive recorder main body 16 using the power circuit 51.

[0150] When performing periodic transmission after the OFF process of the power supply to the optional equipment, the control unit 52 notifies that ACC is OFF, that is, the engine is in the OFF state (a6). When the control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 receives such an ACC OFF / engine OFF notification, it stops recording functions such as continuous recording and event recording, and activates the wireless communication function (wireless LAN: WLAN) (S5). Along with the activation of this wireless communication function, a process of searching for the access point 10 of the pre-set SSID is executed.

[0151] If no response from the access point 10 of the predetermined SSID is found and it cannot be found, a timeout occurs (S6). The timeout is preferably set to about 3 minutes, for example. When a timeout occurs, the control unit 40 sends a power-off request to the power adapter 19 (a7).

[0152] When the control unit 52 of the power adapter 19 receives a power-off request from the control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16, it immediately performs a full power-off process (S7). By the full power-off process, the power supply to the drive recorder main body 16 is stopped (a8), and the power of the power adapter 19 itself is also turned off. In the process of S4, the power supply to the optional device has already been turned off, and that state is continued. By "immediately", it is preferable that the time (OFFTpwr_off) from receiving the power-off request to becoming the OFF state is 0 seconds.

[0153] The vehicle 1 may park outside a designated place where the vehicle 1 stops, such as a parking lot of a convenience store, a business destination, or other facilities. In such a case, when the engine is turned off upon parking, the access point 10 is searched for. However, since the access point 10 does not exist, communication for searching for the access point 10 will continue to be tried. Continuing such tries may lead to the vehicle 1's battery running out. It is good that the consumption of the battery can be suppressed by turning off all power along with the power-off request.

[0154] FIG. 9 shows a processing flow when transmitting video data etc. when the vehicle 1 stops and the engine is turned off within the business office 5. In the figure, "NAS" indicates the NAS4, "main body" indicates the drive recorder main body 16, "adapter" indicates the power adapter 19, "vehicle" indicates the vehicle 1, and "FCW-L1" indicates the first optional device 61. When the vehicle 1 is running, for example, the same processing as the processing in the engine-ON state shown in FIG. 8 is executed.

[0155] When the engine of the vehicle 1 is turned off and the ACC becomes OFF (a5), the control unit 52 executes an optional power-off process (S4). Along with this, the power supply to the optional device is stopped (a9).

[0156] When performing periodic transmission after the option power-off process, the control unit 52 notifies that the ACC is OFF, that is, the engine is in the OFF state (a6). In response to this notification, the control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 stops recording functions such as continuous recording and event recording, and activates the wireless communication function (here, for example, wireless LAN: WLAN) (S5).

[0157] On the other hand, the NAS 4 periodically performs a life-and-death monitoring to check whether the drive recorders 2 and the drive recorder main body 16 that are OFF are present in the parking lot 7 (a10). This life-and-death monitoring corresponds to processes such as the ARP scan (process a) shown in FIG. 5, for example. When the engine is in the ON state while the vehicle is running, since normal operations such as the recording function are being performed on the drive recorder main body 16, the server 3 repeatedly performs the life-and-death monitoring periodically.

[0158] After stopping the recording function and activating the wireless communication function (WLAN) in process S5, when the NAS 4 performs the life-and-death monitoring, it executes processes a to g shown in FIG. 5, for example, and issues a file transmission request for unuploaded files. The control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 that has received this file transmission request notifies the number of files to be transmitted this time that are unuploaded files (a11).

[0159] The control unit 22 of NAS4 requests a file list to be transmitted to the drive recorder main body 16 (a13). The control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 that has received the request wirelessly transmits a file list such as video data to be transmitted (a14). The control unit 22 of NAS4 that has received the file list requests file transmission (a15). The control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 that has received the request transfers the files in order, listed in the file list wirelessly transmitted in a14 (a16). The control unit 22 of NAS4 stores the transferred files in the data storage unit 23. The control unit 22 of NAS4 checks the file names of the files transferred and the file names listed in the previously received file list. If all files have been received, it wirelessly transmits an end command to the drive recorder main body 16 (a16). Upon receiving this end command, the control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 knows that all file transfers listed in the file list have been successful.

[0160] After transmitting the end command, the control unit 22 of NAS4 transmits an SD format command (a18). When the control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 receives the SD format command, it executes the formatting of the memory card (S8). After the formatting is completed, the control unit 40 wirelessly transmits a completion response to NAS4 (a19), disconnects the connection with the access point 10, and ends the communication with NAS4. The control unit 40 notifies the power adapter 19 of a power-off request via the connection cable 63 (a7).

[0161] When the control unit 52 of the power adapter 19 receives the power-off request from the control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16, it immediately performs a full power-off process (S7). The full power-off process stops the power supply to the drive recorder main body 16 (a8) and also turns off the power of the power adapter 19 itself.

[0162] Figure 10 shows the processing flow when waiting during data transfer from other vehicles when the vehicle 1 stops and the engine is turned off at a location within the business office 5. In the figure, "other vehicle main body" indicates the drive recorder main body installed in a vehicle during communication such as video data, "NAS" indicates NAS4, "main body" indicates the drive recorder main body 16, "adapter" indicates the power adapter 19, "vehicle" indicates vehicle 1, and "FCW-L1" indicates the first option device 61. When the vehicle 1 is running, for example, the same processing as that in the processing in the engine ON state shown in FIG. 8 is executed.

[0163] When the engine of vehicle 1 is turned off and ACC becomes OFF (a5), the control unit 52 executes the option power OFF process (S4). Along with this, the power supply to the option device is stopped (a9).

[0164] When performing periodic transmission after the option power OFF process, the control unit 52 notifies that ACC is OFF, that is, the engine is turned off (a6). In response to this notification, the control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 stops the recording functions such as continuous recording and event recording, and activates the wireless communication function (for example, wireless LAN: WLAN) (S5).

[0165] On the other hand, NAS4 periodically performs life and death monitoring and monitors whether the drive recorder 2 and the drive recorder main body 16 with the engine off are present in the parking lot 7 (a10). Also, in this example, file transfer of video data and the like is being performed between the drive recorder of another vehicle along with the previous life and death monitoring (a16).

[0166] The drive recorder main body 16 that has activated the wireless communication function (for example, wireless LAN: WLAN) sends the number of files in response to the life and death monitoring (a10) from NAS4 received after activation (a11). The processing up to this point is the same as that shown in FIG. 9.

[0167] On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 10, since the drive recorder main body 16 of another vehicle has already transferred files such as video data to the NAS 4 and is in a state where it cannot accept file transfer from a new drive recorder main body 16, the control unit 22 of the NAS 4 requests a waiting time (S10) and sends the obtained waiting time to the drive recorder main body 16 (a20). The control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 that has received the waiting time issues a timer set command for the waiting time to the power adapter 19 via the connection cable 63 (a21).

[0168] The control unit 52 of the power adapter 19 that has received this reservation timer set command sets the received waiting time in the timer 53, and the timer 53 starts. Also, at an appropriate timing, the drive recorder main body 16 notifies the power adapter 19 via the connection cable 63 of a power-off request for the drive recorder main body 16 (a22).

[0169] The control unit 52 of the power adapter 19 that has received this power-off request turns off the power supply from the power circuit 51 to the drive recorder main body 16 (S22). As a result, the power supply to the drive recorder main body 16 is stopped (a23), and the drive recorder main body 16 is powered off. The power of the power adapter 19 remains in the ON state, and the timer 53 continues to operate. When the waiting time elapses and the timer 53 ends (S23), the control unit 52 resumes the power supply from the power circuit 51 to the drive recorder main body 16 (a24).

[0170] Along with this, the power of the drive recorder main body 16 is turned on, and a predetermined initialization process is executed (s1). The control unit 52 of the power adapter 19 notifies that the ACC is OFF, that is, the engine is in the OFF state, during the periodic transmission performed after the timer ends (a25). When the control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 receives such an ACC OFF / engine OFF notification, it activates a wireless communication function (for example, wireless LAN: WLAN) (S25). Along with the activation of this wireless communication function, a process of searching for the access point 10 of the pre-set SSID is executed.

[0171] When the control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 receives such an ACC OFF / engine OFF notification, it stops recording functions such as continuous recording and event recording, and activates a wireless communication function (for example, wireless LAN: WLAN) (S5). Along with the activation of this wireless communication function, it executes a process of searching for an access point 10 with a pre-set SSID, and connects to the access point 10.

[0172] If, before the above-described timer expires and before the wireless communication function in S25 is activated, file transfer by the drive recorder main body 16 of another vehicle has ended, the drive recorder main body 16 of that other vehicle executes a predetermined process after the file transfer shown in FIG. 9, and ends communication with the NAS 4. Along with this, when the number of drive recorders connected to and communicating with the NAS 4 becomes less than the limit number, the drive recorder main body 16 that has returned from the standby state becomes in a state where file transfer of video data etc. to the NAS 4 is possible. In this state, the NAS 4 performs a life / death monitoring (a10), and as a response thereto, the control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 notifies the number of files to be transmitted this time (a11). Thereafter, for example, it executes the process shown in FIG. 9, transfers desired video data etc. as files, and after the transfer is completed, performs a process of turning off the power of the drive recorder main body 16.

[0173] As specifically described above, the basic function during parking is that even when the engine is turned off, the power adapter 19 continues to supply power to the drive recorder main body 16, and has a function of completely turning off and normally ending if the drive recorder main body 16 cannot search for the SSID (see FIG. 9 etc.). When receiving a standby command from the drive recorder main body 16, the power adapter 19 has a function of turning off the power supply to the drive recorder main body 16, setting a standby time timer, and starting the power supply to the drive recorder main body 16 when the time is up. When the transmission of video data etc. by the drive recorder main body 16 is completed, upon receiving a notification from the drive recorder main body 16, the power adapter 19 has a function of shutting down and completely turning off (see FIG. 9 + FIG. 8 etc.).

[0174] In this embodiment, it is characterized by having a function of turning off the power of the drive recorder main body 16 during standby and turning on the power again after the standby time has elapsed. For example, even if it can be wirelessly connected to the access point 10, it is not always possible to transmit video data or the like to the NAS 4. In this case, the drive recorder main body 16 may remain in the ON state and wait, but it is indefinite how long the ON state should be continued, and there is a problem that the risk of battery depletion increases as the standby time becomes longer. It is preferable to turn off the power and standby as in this embodiment because such a problem does not occur.

[0175] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when receiving a command to stop the ON state from the NAS4, such as "turn off and standby once", it is characterized by having a function of transitioning to the standby state and continuing the ON state until receiving the stop command. For example, when multiple vehicles return to the depot and start communicating simultaneously, the NAS4 sequentially communicates with each drive recorder, obtains the drive record ID, requests the transmission of video data, etc. for a predetermined drive record ID, and accepts file transfer. For example, if a certain amount of time has passed after finding the desired SSID and establishing communication with the access point 10 but no transfer request for video data, etc. comes from the NAS4, for example, "the number of drive recorder main bodies currently in communication is below the limit and it is inherently possible to transmit video data, etc., but no transfer request comes due to the processing timing on the NAS4 side, etc." (Situation 1), or "the number of drive recorder main bodies currently in communication exceeds the limit and it is inherently impossible to transmit video data, etc." (Situation 2), it is unknown on the drive recorder main body 16 side. In Situation 1, if you wait a little while, you can connect to the NAS4 and be in a state where wireless transmission of video data, etc. is possible. However, in Situation 2, it is necessary to wait without being able to transmit video data, etc. for a while. In the present embodiment, by continuing the ON state until receiving the stop command, in the case of Situation 1, the drive recorder 2 can wait while remaining in the ON state, enabling early transmission of video data, etc. In the case of Situation 2, since the standby command is received at an appropriate timing, the drive recorder main body 16 can wait with the power off, suppressing the consumption of the vehicle's battery.

[0176] When a certain period of time has elapsed after connecting to the access point, the drive recorder main body 16 may automatically turn off the power and shift to the standby state. However, if a certain period of time has elapsed in Situation 1 and it waits even though it could have been transmitted if it had waited a little longer, it will cause a situation where video data cannot be uploaded early, and it is not preferable because it cannot meet the requirement of performing operation management early. Since it starts over from searching for the access point at the time of restart after standby, it causes battery consumption, which is not preferable. Also, at the time of restart after standby, communication from the drive recorder main bodies of multiple other vehicles may concentrate, leading to a standby state where communication is not possible again. Considering that the communication efficiency of video data and the like of all the vehicles parked at the workplace may be poor and it may take time, it is better to configure it as in this embodiment.

[0177] [Adjustment of standby time] It is characterized by having a function of notifying both the standby command and the standby time. In this embodiment, the standby time can be changed by setting. However, the standby time for notification during operation is set as a fixed value rather than varying according to the situation. It would be better to have a mechanism that can adjust the standby time according to factors such as congestion, priority, and the number of video data files to be transferred. For example, based on the number of files from the drive recorder main body 16 that is currently communicating video data or the like, calculate the estimated time when the file transfer will be completed, calculate the time until the number of drive recorder main bodies 16 during communication is less than the limit number, and set a value corresponding to the calculated time as the standby time. By doing so, it is possible to efficiently receive the transfer of video data or the like from the drive recorder 2 of each vehicle 1 without waiting time. The corresponding value can be the calculated time as it is, but it is better to have a certain margin. If the transmission of video data or the like takes longer than expected, when the drive recorder main body that has returned from the standby state attempts communication, it may not be able to transmit because the number is more than the limit number and may return to the standby state again. Therefore, by providing a little margin, the probability that the drive recorder main body that has returned from the standby state can transmit video data or the like is high, which is good. Note that if the margin is set too long, there will be idle time when video data or the like is not being transmitted, and the probability that another vehicle that has returned during standby will start communication will occur. The margin should be determined considering these factors.

[0178] When there is only one event recording currently in communication, the standby time is preferably about 5 minutes, for example. In this embodiment, continuous recording is set not to be transmitted. However, when it is to be transmitted, it is preferably about 1 hour for the continuous recording part, for example.

[0179] [Prioritization According to Vehicle Usage Status] When transmitting video data and the like when the limit number of units is exceeded, the transmission order of the drive recorder is set to increase the priority of the drive recorder that is likely to complete the process quickly in the above-described embodiment. Instead of focusing on speed in this way, or in addition to that, it is advisable to determine the priority according to the usage status of the vehicle. For example, the higher the priority of the drive recorder installed in a vehicle with a high usage frequency. For example, as the usage frequency of the vehicle, if there are vehicles that are frequently used and vehicles that are not used very often, the priority of the frequently used vehicles should be increased. For example, if there are a wagon, a one-box vehicle, and a light vehicle, and the light vehicle is frequently used, it is advisable to change the priority according to the vehicle type. However, since the usage frequency depending on the vehicle type also varies depending on the business type, it is advisable to set it according to the actual usage frequency. For the setting, for example, it is advisable to store and hold the priority information in the drive recorder main body 16 and also send the priority information together when transmitting the drive recorder ID.

[0180] The priority information set in the drive recorder main body 16 should be made changeable by setting. For example, when parking for a relatively short time, such as temporarily returning to the workplace, parking for a short time and then leaving the warehouse again, or being used by another person and leaving the warehouse, and when parking for a long time, such as not using the vehicle until the next morning after returning to the warehouse, the parking time after returning may vary depending on the situation at that time, not on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis. In such a case, for example, by changing the priority information according to the situation at that time, such as when getting out of the vehicle, more appropriate prioritization can be achieved.

[0181] [Vehicle stopping place] In the above-described embodiment, even when a plurality of offices 5 are arranged, each vehicle uses one of the offices as a place to stop by. For example, in the case where a vehicle departs in the morning, makes a round trip outside all day, returns in the evening, and parks in a parking lot at night. In such a case, as described above, the vehicle returns to the parking lot, detects the SSID, wirelessly connects to the access point 10, and transmits video data and the like in the order of being connected to the NAS 4. The basic routine is that the upload of video data and the like for all the vehicles 1 is completed by morning. In such a system, for example, in the case where the vehicle returns once during the day and parks in the parking lot 7 for a predetermined lunch break time (for example, one hour) and then goes out for half a day in the afternoon, it is advisable to upload the morning part during the lunch break parking and upload the afternoon part when returning in the evening. In addition, considering the relationship between the number of vehicles that have returned during the lunch break, the parking time, and the time required for transfer, etc., if video data and the like cannot be uploaded during the lunch break period, it is advisable to upload the whole day's worth at once during the night parking. Also, if it could not be uploaded at night, upload the two-day portion together the next day.

[0182] As described above, in this embodiment, the place where the vehicle stops is one business office. However, the system of the above-described embodiment can also be applied to cases where there are a plurality of different business offices as the places where the vehicle stops. For example, video data and the like taken during driving the previous day at Office A are uploaded to Server 3 while the vehicle is parked at night in the parking lot of Office A. For example, assume a case where the vehicle departs from Office A for route sales the next morning, goes to Office B, parks at the parking lot of Office B for a predetermined time, and then returns to Office A after route sales. In this embodiment, since the drive recorder ID is stored in Server 3, NAS 4 at Office B inquires Server 3 about the drive recorder ID obtained through ARP scanning. If it is registered in Server 3, it is recognized as a legitimate drive recorder main body. Server 3 returns the list of uploaded files as a response. NAS 4 at Office B acquires the differential video data and the like that have not been uploaded, and uploads the acquired differential video data and the like to the server. Although NAS at Office B has not acquired video data and the like taken during driving the previous day, since such video data and the like taken during driving the previous day have already been uploaded to Server 3, the drive recorder main body 16 transmits video data and the like taken during driving from Office A to Office B on the current day. If the upload to the server is completed while the vehicle is parked at Office B, then when the vehicle returns to and parks at Office A later, video data and the like taken during driving from Office B to Office A on the current day are transmitted. Also, if the upload to the server cannot be completed while the vehicle is parked at Office B, then when the vehicle returns to and parks at Office A, the video data and the like for the driving segment from Office A to Office B and the driving segment from Office B to Office A are uploaded to Server 3 via NAS 4 at Office A.

[0183] In order to perform such correspondence, it is advisable to perform the storage of the drive recorder ID and the determination of whether it is legitimate on the server as in this embodiment. In this embodiment, video data and the like from the drive recorder ID registered on the server are characterized in that they are sucked up to the server via the NAS of any business office.

[0184] Although the case of going from office A to office B and returning to office A has been described, for example, if the vehicle does not return to office A but goes to another office C, the NAS of each office may upload to the server using the same mechanism. The video data taken during the drive from office A to office B may be acquired by the NAS of office B when the vehicle is parked at office B, and uploaded to the server 3. In this case, the NAS 4 of office C uploads the video data from office B to office C. By the NAS 4 of office B uploading the video data up to that point to the server once, for example, it is possible to meet the request to view the video data up to office B and perform operation management, etc., and even if the data stored in the drive recorder main body 16 is lost due to a major accident on the way from office B to office C, the video data up to office B can at least be uploaded. If the stay time at office B is short, the NAS of office B may upload the video data with the highest priority. In addition, if uploading is not possible at Office B, all video data and other materials from the drive from Office A to Office B and from Office B to Office C will be uploaded in one go by the NAS at Office C, the final destination.

[0185] [Parking monitoring function] The drive recorder 2 is preferably equipped with a parking monitoring mode that receives power from the vehicle's battery or a power box with a built-in battery even while the vehicle is parked, and records images of the surroundings. This parking monitoring mode is preferably not activated when the vehicle is parked at the business establishment 5 / parking lot 7, which is a place where the vehicle is stopped off, but is activated when the vehicle is parked at a place other than the business establishment 5 / parking lot 7. Business establishments are safe because they are equipped with security systems and have security staff on duty, so by configuring the drive recorder not to monitor parking, it is possible to prevent the battery from running out, etc.

[0186] For example, when the engine is turned off, the control unit 40 of the drive recorder main body 16 switches to the parking monitoring mode and searches for the SSID. If the SSID cannot be found, the parking monitoring mode is continued as it is. When the SSID is found, the parking monitoring mode is stopped. After the transmission of video data and the like to the NAS 4 is completed, or even during standby, the power is turned off without shifting to parking monitoring.

[0187] In this embodiment, since the parking monitoring mode is stopped when the SSID is found and connected to the access point 10, when transmitting video data and the like to the NAS 4 thereafter, the parking monitoring mode is stopped. Also, while the parking monitoring mode is activated, the transmission of video data and the like to the NAS 4 is not performed. Therefore, since parking monitoring for writing to the memory card 46a and transfer processing of video data and the like read from the memory card 46a are not performed simultaneously, the load on the CPU does not increase and the processing speed does not decrease. It is good because it can concentrate on reading / transfer and shorten the time required for transmitting video data and the like.

[0188] Note that in order not to perform the writing and reading of the memory card 46a in parallel, when communication with the NAS 4 is established and a transfer request for video data and the like comes, the recording may be stopped. However, if it is done in this way, for example, parking monitoring will be performed even during standby and the power of the drive recorder main body 16 will be turned on. Since the premises 5 are safe as described above, it is more preferable to end the parking monitoring mode when the SSID is found. Also, instead of finding the SSID, it may be possible to detect entry into the premises by another detection method and not activate the parking monitoring mode when the engine is turned off inside the premises. However, it is preferable to use the detection of the SSID and the connection to the access point 10 as a trigger because it can be done without using a special detection method.

[0189] [Parking location guidance function] If the electric field strength is weak, communication takes time. Therefore, in the above-described form, the received electric field strength is used for the priority order listed in the list of drive recorder IDs, and those with stronger electric field strength are listed higher in the list. This list functions when there are simultaneous accesses from more drive recorder main bodies 16 than the limited number. Although the drive recorder main body 16 with low received electric field strength is postponed, video data and the like are transmitted in its poor communication environment, so it takes time.

[0190] In this form, when parked in a place with a poor communication environment with low received electric field strength, it is preferable that the drive recorder main body 16 has a function of prompting movement to a place with a good communication environment. Although the ARP scan is transmitted at regular intervals, since the Wi-Fi radio wave is always flying, the drive recorder main body 16 detects the radio wave with the wireless communication unit 48 and has a function of guiding movement to a place with a good communication environment with high received electric field strength.

[0191] In this system, since the Wi-Fi communication function does not start unless the engine is turned off, it is determined whether the received electric field strength is equal to or greater than the threshold value after the communication function starts. If it is below the threshold value, a "message prompting movement" is notified, and if it is above the threshold value, communication starts as it is. The message prompting movement may be, for example, a caution / notification such as "Please move because the radio wave is weak".

[0192] [How to handle the case where there are multiple NASs in one office] The NAS4 of this system, for example, retrieves unuploaded video data and the like from the drive recorder main body 16 of the vehicle 1 during parking at night and uploads it to the server 3. In this embodiment, the maximum number of simultaneously connectable units is limited to 5. For example, if 10 vehicles return at the same time, 5 of them will be processed and the other 5 will be in a standby state. When the processing of the previous 5 units is completed, the processing of the next 5 units becomes possible. However, if another vehicle returns during standby, the waiting vehicles will be released. As the number of processing units increases, there is a risk that even if waiting all night, the turn may never come. Considering the processing capacity and resources of the NAS and the data capacity of the video data and the like to be processed, the number of drive recorders 2 that can have their event recording videos retrieved by one NAS4 is, for example, 35. If the capabilities and specifications of the NAS4 increase, the maximum number will also increase.

[0193] When the number of drive recorder main bodies 16 exceeds the limit, the power supply from the power adapter 19 is turned off, and after the standby time has elapsed, the power is turned on to restart the drive recorder main body 16 and start communication. When the number of units to be processed is large, if another vehicle returns at an inopportune timing when starting communication after restarting, it will enter the standby state again and wait with the power turned off during the notified standby time. Therefore, as the maximum number of processing units increases slightly, it will repeat turning on and off, resulting in increased battery consumption and, ultimately, more wasted communication processing where videos cannot be sent, which is not preferable. Considering the balance of such points, it is good to set it at 35 units.

[0194] When the number of vehicles parked in the parking lot 7 of the office 5 exceeds the maximum number, it is advisable to install multiple NASs 4. As in the above-described embodiment, when the communication area of one access point 10 can cover the entire parking lot 7, install multiple access points 10 and connect the access points 10 and the NASs 4 one-to-one. Uniquely identify the drive recorder to be managed for each NAS 4. For example, when there are 40 vehicles exceeding the maximum number of 35, for example, the first NAS stores and uploads the drive recorder main bodies numbered 1 to 20, and the second NAS stores and uploads the drive recorder main bodies numbered 21 to 40. Then, the server 3 stores and holds the information on the association between each of these drive record IDs and the NASs. When the NAS sends the drive record ID to the server in process e of FIG. 5, it also sends the specific information for identifying itself. The server determines whether the drive record ID is legitimate and also determines whether it is a processing target for that NAS, and returns a response (process f). For example, when the first NAS communicates with the drive recorder main body 16 numbered 10 and obtains the drive record ID (10), a file list is sent from the server. Therefore, after process g, the unuploaded files sent from the drive recorder main body 16 numbered 10 are uploaded to the server. On the other hand, when the first NAS communicates with the drive recorder main body 16 numbered 30 and obtains the drive record ID (30), it receives a NO response from the server, and the first NAS deletes the drive record ID (30) from the in-communication drive record ID storage unit 25. Also, the drive record ID (30) is registered in the in-communication drive record ID storage unit 25 of the second NAS, and in response to a request from the second NAS, the server returns a file list. As a result, the unuploaded files of the drive recorder main body numbered 30 are uploaded to the server by the second NAS. In this way, any of the multiple NASs uploads, and video data and the like are aggregated on the server.

[0195] Regardless of the maximum number of units, if the communication area of an access point can only cover a part of Parking Lot 7, arrange multiple access points so that their combined communication area covers the entire Parking Lot 7. Then, associate each access point with a NAS on a one-to-one basis. As described above, in the case of a system where the server 3 determines whether the drive recorder ID is normal, the server determines whether it is normal via any access point or NAS. If it is normal, the server notifies the NAS of the file list. For example, the drive recorder of a vehicle parked in the communication area of the first access point communicates with the first NAS connected to the first access point via the first access point, and the first NAS uploads the un-uploaded files to the server. The drive recorder of a vehicle parked in the communication area of the second access point communicates with the second NAS connected to the second access point via the second access point, and the second NAS uploads the un-uploaded files to the server. If there is a vehicle parked in the communication areas of both the first and second access points, it is advisable to allocate which access point or NAS it corresponds to based on the congestion status of NAS processing, etc.

[0196] [Users suitable for using this system] The vehicles using this system are preferably, for example, commercial vehicles or vehicles carrying passengers such as taxis, and are preferably applicable to white-numbered commercial vehicles. Especially when the business office is located in a rural area, a Parking Lot 7 is often provided adjacent to Building 6, making it easy to apply. For example, if the driver is an MR (medical representative), they generally engage in route sales. When leaving the business office 5 in the morning, they drive along a fixed route, visit various medical institutions, and return to the business office in the evening.

[0197] In the case of commercial vehicles, information identifying the company, such as the company name and symbol mark of the vehicle, is often displayed on the surface. Then, for example, not only dangerous driving but also inappropriate driving may lead to claims being made by ordinary people who notice it against the company. Inappropriate driving includes, for example, driving while eating or drinking, littering such as cigarette butts, rough driving such as cutting in or squeezing the distance between vehicles, and driving while operating a mobile phone or smartphone. The operation manager has a need to check whether such driving that is likely to result in claims is being carried out, and to confirm the true intention if a claim is made. To meet such a need, it may be possible to always add recording data to video data uploaded to the server, but it is not realistically possible to upload recording data at all times when there are many vehicles to be managed.

[0198] Therefore, a function for event recording is provided based on actions where such claims are likely to occur, and the video data recorded in the event is uploaded. This event recording is, for example, an optional device connected to the power adapter 19, which photographs the driver during driving, performs image processing and recognition, detects parts where there are abnormal behaviors of people who are likely to make claims, and sends an event notification to the drive recorder main body 16 via the power adapter 19. When the drive recorder main body 16 receives the event notification, it records the event for a certain period before and after.

[0199] It is good if the operation manager can efficiently find out when there is driving that is likely to result in claims and give warnings or guidance to the driver. For example, in the case of MR, due to work that is particularly stressful, there is also a possibility that there will be more abnormal behaviors than ordinary drivers. However, by extracting and recording their conduct, appropriate treatment including stress relief can be carried out at an early stage, which is good.

[0200] When the number of drive recorders to be processed by one NAS is small or the communication speed increases, it is advisable to transmit the video data recorded constantly to the NAS. For example, depending on the communication capacity and storage capacity, it is possible to transmit all the video data recorded on that day. However, it is difficult to upload all the video data from the NAS of each business office to the server. For example, from the drive recorder main body 16 to the NAS 4, it is advisable to transmit all video data including the constantly recorded data, and for the upload to the server, similar to the above-described embodiment, it is advisable to perform video data other than the constantly recorded data, and the constantly recorded data may be stored and held by the NAS.

[0201] It is advisable to have a function of sorting the video data and the like acquired by the NAS into those to be uploaded to the server and those not to be uploaded. The sorting function may be divided by the type of file, such as constantly recorded data or other data as described above, but it is further advisable to select a predetermined file from the constantly recorded data and upload it. The predetermined file may be, for example, a file in which video data likely to result in a claim as described above is recorded. The extraction of such a file may be, for example, to perform image recognition on the video of the constantly recorded data by AI edge computing, detect movements of the driver that are likely to result in a claim, and extract the file. Since the constantly recorded data is composed of files divided every predetermined time, if the corresponding file is extracted and uploaded, files in which movements likely to result in the claim are recorded will be aggregated on the server, which is good.

[0202] In the above-described embodiment, data aggregation is performed by the server, but it is better to use the cloud. The cloud may be composed of one device, but it is better to be composed of a plurality of devices.

[0203] [Modification Example 1] In the above-described embodiment, once connected, the drive recorder main body 16 transfers all unuploaded files to the NAS 4. For example, in case of congestion, it is advisable to end once after transmitting one file.

[0204] [Modification Example 2] The NAS preferably has a mode of uploading to the server as described above and a mode of being used alone in the NAS without uploading to the server, and has a function of switching between these two modes. The switching is preferably configured to be performed in response to an instruction to the NAS. For example, first, it is set to the mode of being used alone in the NAS. For example, video data captured and stored by a drive recorder mounted on a vehicle parked in the parking lot of an office is transferred to the NAS operating alone and stored in the NAS. The stored video data etc. may be accessed from a personal computer etc. within the office via a local network to the NAS, and output and played back on the display unit of the personal computer for confirmation. Then, for example, an instruction to switch to the mode of connecting to the server and uploading to the NAS is sent from the personal computer. The NAS that has received this instruction enters the mode of uploading to the server and operates as a system for aggregating data to the server via the NAS as in the above-described embodiment etc. By doing so, it is good because the introduction of this system becomes easy. This switching is not limited to an instruction from the personal computer. For example, a changeover switch etc. may be provided on the NAS and the switching may be performed on the NAS side. Also, it may be configured so that the switching can be performed from the server side.

[0205] [Modification Example 3] In each of the above-described embodiments and the like, the system has a configuration in which the drive recorder side is the slave unit and the NAS side is the master unit. However, it is preferable that the NAS side be equipped with a smartphone emulation function. Conventional Wi-Fi-compatible drive recorders are configured such that the drive recorder side serves as the master unit and the smartphone side serves as the slave unit, and the drive recorder and the smartphone are wirelessly connected. In this state, video data captured and stored by the drive recorder can be played back and confirmed on the smartphone, which is convenient. Therefore, it is preferable to implement the functions of a conventional smartphone application on the NAS side. By doing so, event recording data and the like can be drawn up from an existing Wi-Fi-compatible drive recorder to the NAS using the existing mechanism, which is convenient. In addition to such a function, it is preferable that the NAS be equipped with the functions of each of the above-described embodiments and have a function for switching between the two functions. This switching may be performed, for example, at regular intervals. By doing so, data can be drawn up from either an existing drive recorder or a drive recorder corresponding to each of the above-described embodiments to the NAS, which is convenient. Also, for example, in order to draw up the video of a conventional drive recorder that connects the drive recorder and the smartphone in ad-hoc mode and displays the video of the drive recorder on the NAS, it is preferable to have a function that allows the NAS side to control the access point to switch from infrastructure mode to ad-hoc mode.

[0206] [Modification Example 4] For example, for a leased vehicle, it is important to move the vehicle, but battery depletion and flat tires are major factors that cannot be leased. A flat tire can be detected through regular inspections, but battery depletion occurs suddenly. In the above-described embodiment, since the power adapter 19 has a function of monitoring the battery voltage of the vehicle 1, the drive recorder 2 is mounted on the leased vehicle, and the control unit 52 of the power adapter 19 notifies the detected battery voltage to the drive recorder main body 16, and the battery voltage is sucked up to the NAS via the drive recorder main body 16. It is preferable to have a function of predicting and notifying battery depletion from the history of the sucked-up battery voltage. Although it is difficult to detect signs when the engine is ON, in this system, it is preferable because the power adapter 19 can know the battery voltage when the engine is OFF.

[0207] To accurately measure and determine battery degradation, a dedicated tester is required, and it is difficult to judge simply based on the battery voltage alone, but it is good if it can be notified as a reference. Also, when it is actually detected that the battery has depleted, the power adapter 19 notifies the drive recorder main body 16 of the battery depletion and sends it from the drive recorder main body 16 to the NAS4. Then, by recording the history immediately before the battery depletes on the NAS (for example, the voltage drop when starting the engine, the voltage when applied, the voltage when stopped, etc.), the trend immediately before the battery depletes can be understood. Therefore, it is good to notify if such a trend exists thereafter.

[0208] The detection of battery depletion may be regarded as battery depletion, for example, not when the battery actually depletes, but at the timing when the cut-off voltage set by the monitoring voltage setting dip switch is reached. Also, for example, when the SSID can be obtained and communication is established, but then there is no response in the communication, it may be determined that the battery has depleted. In this case, there are other factors besides the battery depleting for the lack of response, and when using the power adapter 19, since the cut-off voltage is reached and the power is turned off before the actual battery depletes, it is preferable to regard it as battery depletion at the timing when the cut-off voltage is reached as described above.

[0209] [Modification Example 5] For example, in the case of a general vehicle, the video data recorded for an event is either once a day or not, but it is more frequent in the case of a taxi. A taxi driver steps on the accelerator frequently, steps on it hard once to accelerate greatly, and then drives stably at a predetermined speed. This behavior may be counted as a sudden acceleration and the number of events may increase. A truck is special, and if a drive recorder set based on a normal vehicle is directly applied, the number of event recordings tends to increase. It is advisable to make the method of recording events different between taxis and other general commercial vehicles. For example, in the case of a taxi, it is advisable not to regard strong stepping on the accelerator and even sudden acceleration as events.

[0210] [Other Modification Examples] 1. The NAS may be equipped with a function to transcode video data when a "predetermined condition" is met, reduce the file size for storage, and automatically delete the original file. At this time, it is advisable to have a function not to delete the GPS log.

[0211] 1-1. The "predetermined condition" for transcoding may be, for example, either the elapse of a predetermined number of days since upload or the elapse of a predetermined number of days since the recording date. It is also advisable to provide a function to delete only the parts where no event has occurred. It is advisable to have a function to set which of these to implement.

[0212] 1-2. The NAS preferably has a function of performing real-time transcoding (on-the-fly) or batch transcoding (background) of the video data described above. Also, for example, perform real-time transcoding, transmit it to a smartphone or the like, and display it on the smartphone. At the same time, the NAS copies and stores the stream at the time of real-time transcoding in the NAS. When performing batch transcoding, the stream at the time of real-time transcoding that has been copied and stored may be excluded from the transcoding target. In this way, duplicate encoding can be avoided and the load on the NAS can be reduced.

[0213] 2. The part written as NAS in the part below 1. above may be replaced with the cloud.

[0214] 3. Cloud storage has storage with different prices according to the service level, access frequency, rewrite frequency, retrieval time, etc. For example, in AWS, there is standard storage, low-frequency access storage, and Glacier storage. Glacier storage is inexpensive but takes several hours to retrieve. It is preferable to have a function of selecting which storage to use as the upload destination from the NAS. When Glacier storage is selected, a confirmation screen indicating that it takes time, such as "It's cheap, but is it okay that it takes several hours to retrieve?" may be displayed.

[0215] As described above, various aspects of the present invention have been explained using embodiments and variations. It should be noted that these embodiments and explanations are not provided for the purpose of limiting the scope of the present invention, but for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the configurations explicitly described in the specification, but also includes combinations of various aspects of the present invention disclosed in this specification. Among the present invention, the configuration for which a patent is sought has been specified in the claims attached to the application. However, even if a configuration is not currently specified in the claims, it is stated for the record that the configurations disclosed in this specification may potentially be claimed in the future. The applicant of this application intends to acquire rights through amendments, divisional applications, change applications for design registrations, etc. for such locations and combinations. Also, even if there are descriptions such as "in the case of ~" or "when ~", they are not described as being limited to such cases or times. Configurations other than these cases and times are also disclosed, and the applicant has the intention of acquiring rights. Also, the order described in some places is not limited to this order. Configurations with some parts deleted or the order changed are also disclosed, and the applicant has the intention of acquiring rights.

[0216] Also, through a change application for a design application, the applicant has the intention of acquiring rights for the overall design or partial design. Although the drawings depict the entire device with solid lines, the drawings include not only the overall design but also partial designs claimed for a part of the device. For example, not only can a part of the members of the device be a partial design, but the drawings also include partial designs for a part of the device regardless of the members. As a part of the device, it can be a part of the members of the device or a part of those members. Regarding the overall design, of course, the applicant has the intention of obtaining rights for partial designs in which any part of the solid-line portions of the drawings is made into a dashed-line portion.

[0217] The invention of the present application is not limited to the configurations described in the above embodiments. The constituent elements of the above-described embodiments and modification examples may be arbitrarily selected and combined. Further, any constituent element of each embodiment or modification example may be arbitrarily combined with any constituent element described in the means for solving the invention or a constituent element embodying any constituent element described in the means for solving the invention. Regarding the inventions of these configurations, there is also an intention to obtain rights in the amendment or divisional application of the present application, etc.

Explanation of Signs

[0218] 1: Vehicle 2: Drive recorder 3: Server 5: Business office 6: Building 7: Parking lot 10: Access point 11: Local network 15: Internet 16: Drive recorder main body 17: Personal computer 18: Operation manager 19: Power adapter 21: Communication unit 22: Control unit 23: Data storage unit 24: Communication IP address storage unit 25: Communication drive record ID storage unit 31: Communication unit 32: Control unit 33: Data storage unit 34: ID storage unit 40: Control unit 41: CCD camera 43: Acceleration sensor 46a: Memory card 47: AP information storage unit 48: Wireless communication unit 50: Operation switch 51: Power circuit 52: Control unit 53: Timer

Claims

1. A video recording system that moves with the moving object; A storage device installed at a predetermined location where the mobile object stops; A system comprising: the storage device has a function of sending a standby command to the video recording system not performing data acquisition processing when a communication state with the video recording system in communication exceeds a predetermined communication possible condition; The video recording system has a communication function for wirelessly transmitting data to the storage device, and when the video recording system receives the standby command, has a function for performing a process of putting the communication function into an inoperative state for a set standby time and activating the communication function after the set standby time has elapsed. system.

2. The video recording system is configured to turn off the power to put the communication function in an inoperative state, and to turn on the power after the set standby time has elapsed to activate the communication function. The system of claim 1 .

3. A video recording system that moves with the moving object; A storage device installed at a predetermined location where the mobile object stops; A system comprising: the storage device has a function of sending a standby command to the video recording system not performing data acquisition processing when a communication state with the video recording system in communication exceeds a predetermined communication possible condition; The video recording system has a communication function for wirelessly transmitting data to the storage device, and has a function for turning off a power supply when the video recording system receives the standby command, and turning on the power supply after the set standby time has elapsed to activate the communication function. system.

4. The storage device has a function of, when a communication state with the video recording system during communication exceeds a predetermined communication possible condition, giving priority to a video recording system which has a quick response from the video recording system to a response from the storage device as a target for data acquisition processing, and sending the standby command to the video recording system which is not the target. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The storage device has a function of, when a communication state with the video recording system in communication exceeds a predetermined communication possible condition, giving priority to a video recording system with a high electric field strength of a received signal in the wireless transmission as a target for data acquisition processing, and sending the standby command to the video recording system that is not the target. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. the storage device has a function of sending the standby time together with the standby command; The storage device has a function of adjusting the waiting time. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The storage device has a function of determining the waiting time based on an expected time when the wireless transmission of the video recording system will be completed. The system of claim 6.

8. The video recording system has a function of performing processing to stop the wireless transmission while the mobile object is moving when the mobile object reaches a predetermined stopover location, and to start the communication function when the mobile object stops moving. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The video recording system has a function of performing parking monitoring to record surrounding video when the moving object stops moving at a location other than the predetermined location. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The video recording system has a function of not performing the parking monitoring when the moving object that has stopped moving is in the predetermined location. The system of claim 9.

11. 11. A program for causing a computer to realize functions of the storage device used in the system according to claim 1.

12. 11. A program for causing a computer to realize functions of the video recording system used in the system according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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