System and program

Abstract

To provide a user-friendly system etc.SOLUTION: A system provided with a function to record video images taken at a vehicle while the vehicle is being parked includes functions of: detecting the approach of a user of the vehicle to the vehicle; canceling recording while the vehicle is being parked when the approach of the user of the vehicle to the vehicle is detected; and not starting recording while the vehicle is being parked until the user of the vehicle is further away from the vehicle than a predetermined range even while the vehicle is being parked. In this way, the user of the vehicle can be prevented from remaining in the video images. It is possible to provide a system, a program, etc. that are superior to conventional systems, in terms of usability etc., compared to conventional systems.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 23

Description

Technical Field

[0001] For example, it relates to systems, programs, etc.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when power supply from a vehicle is interrupted, such as when parking, a drive recorder having a function of continuously supplying power from a vehicle battery or a battery separate from the vehicle battery to the drive recorder and recording images during parking is known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Although images during parking can be recorded, sufficient usability has not been obtained. Therefore, an object is to provide a system, a program, etc. that are superior to the conventional ones, for example, and can obtain better usability than the conventional ones.

[0005] The object of the invention of the present application is not limited to this, and the applicant also has the intention to obtain rights through divisional applications, amendments, etc. for configurations aimed at obtaining effects resulting from parts of the configurations disclosed in this specification, drawings, etc. For example, the problem of reading the part described as "can be" in this specification as "is a problem" is disclosed in this specification. The problems are described as independent ones, and the applicant also has the intention to obtain rights through divisional applications, amendments, etc. alone for the configurations for solving each problem. Even if the problem is implicitly understood from the description in the specification, the applicant has the intention to make part of the configuration described in this specification the scope of claims through amendment or divisional application. In addition, the applicant also discloses the configuration for solving the problem of combining these independent problems and has the intention to obtain rights.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] (1) A system having a function of recording an image captured by a vehicle while the vehicle is parked, the system having a function of detecting the approach of a user of the vehicle to the vehicle, and having a function of canceling the recording during parking of the vehicle when the approach of the user of the vehicle to the vehicle is detected. In this way, a system with better usability than before can be realized. The user can cancel the recording just by approaching the parked vehicle.

[0007] For example, when the user approaches the vehicle, it will result in useless images being left if the user of the vehicle is shown in the video captured by the parking surveillance camera, and the recording area for the video, such as the recording medium, will be used uselessly. However, in this way, the waste can be reduced. For example, the approach may be an approach to the extent that it can be seen that the user gets into the car. In this way, when getting into the car, it will result in useless images being left if the user is shown in the video captured by the parking surveillance camera, and the recording area for the video, such as the recording medium, will be used uselessly. However, in this way, the waste can be reduced.

[0008] The vehicle may be, for example, a bicycle or a motorcycle, but an automobile is preferable. The vehicle may be a passenger vehicle such as a bus or a taxi, but a private car or a company car is particularly preferable.

[0009] When the vehicle is parked, for example, it is preferable that the engine of the vehicle or the power supply of the electric vehicle is turned off, and it is preferable to detect whether the engine of the vehicle or the power supply of the electric vehicle is turned off. For example, while receiving power supply from a separate power source such as connection to the vehicle's battery or a battery separate from the vehicle's battery to operate the system, monitor the power supply from the cigarette socket, and when there is no power supply from the cigarette socket, it is preferable to determine that the engine of the vehicle or the power supply of the electric vehicle is turned off.

[0010] The user may be all of the passengers in the vehicle, but at least a part of them is preferable. The user may be a co - passenger, but particularly the driver of the vehicle is preferable. Whether a person is a user or not may be determined, for example, based on whether an image similar to the pre - registered user's image is captured.

[0011] For example, when the vehicle is parked, particularly, it is preferable that the driver is not in the vehicle, and it is preferable to have a function of detecting whether the driver is not in the vehicle. The function of detecting whether the driver is not in the vehicle may be determined, for example, based on whether the pre - registered driver of the vehicle is present in the image captured in the vehicle.

[0012] Imaging is preferably performed by a camera installed in the vehicle, and a wide - angle camera is particularly desirable. More preferably, it is an omnidirectional camera. The imaging direction may be, for example, inside the vehicle or from inside the vehicle to the outside of the vehicle. Particularly, a configuration that enables imaging of both inside and outside the vehicle is preferable. Such a configuration may be, for example, performing imaging with two cameras, one for inside the vehicle and one for outside the vehicle, or installing a hemispherical camera inside the vehicle with its bottom facing downward from the ceiling of the vehicle interior.

[0013] As for recording, for example, it may be to record the captured video on a recording means, but it is particularly preferable to digitize it and record it on the recording means. As for the digitized recording, it is particularly preferable to compress and record the information. The recording means may be provided inside the vehicle, or may be provided in a server or the like connected by communication. The recording means is particularly preferably a removable recording medium. The recording means is preferably a non-volatile memory. The recording means is particularly preferably a semiconductor memory. The recording means is particularly preferably a card-shaped recording medium. The recording means is particularly preferably an SD card.

[0014] Recording may be, for example, simply to continuously record video data, but it is particularly preferable to do so by creating files for each predetermined unit. As the predetermined unit, it is preferable to be when a specific end condition is satisfied. For example, the end condition may be every predetermined time from the start of recording of the file. For example, one file may be generated every minute.

[0015] The system may be composed of a single housing, or may be composed of a plurality of housings and the plurality of housings are electrically connected by wire or wirelessly. A part of the system may be outside the vehicle. For example, a part of the system may be configured as a server, but it is particularly preferable that the system is entirely provided inside the vehicle.

[0016] As for cancellation, it is preferable not to perform recording. For example, when the user of the vehicle approaches the vehicle, it is preferable not to record the video captured in the vehicle. The cancellation may be, for example, a temporary stop of recording, but it is particularly preferable to be a stop of recording. As the stop of recording, it is preferable to close the file in which the video is being recorded.

[0017] The detection of the approach of the user of the vehicle to the vehicle may be, for example, to detect that the door of the vehicle has been opened by the user, but it is particularly preferable to be as in (2).

[0018] (2) It is preferable that the detection of the approach of the user of the vehicle to the vehicle is performed based on whether the user of the vehicle has come within a predetermined range outside the door of the vehicle. In this way, when the user of the vehicle approaches within a predetermined range outside the door of the vehicle, the recording during parking of the vehicle is released. (3) It is preferable that the detection of the approach of the user of the vehicle to the vehicle is performed based on the radio wave state with a terminal that the user can carry.

[0019] In this way, the approach can be detected more reliably. For example, compared with the recognition of the user by image recognition during imaging, the approach can be detected more reliably. Also, for example, the user can be detected without taking out the terminal from a storage place such as a bag or pocket one by one.

[0020] As a terminal that the user can carry, it is preferable to use a battery-powered device. For example, it may be a remote control, a key, a tag, etc., but it is preferable to use a smartphone. The inventor has found that there is a high possibility that the user of the vehicle will also take the smartphone outside the vehicle.

[0021] As the radio wave, for example, LTE or the like may be used, but it is particularly preferable to use a radio wave having a communication distance of about several meters to a dozen or so meters. In particular, it is preferable to use Bluetooth (registered trademark, the same hereinafter). In particular, it is preferable to use a beacon, and it is preferable to use a Bluetooth beacon.

[0022] As a configuration performed based on the radio wave state, for example, it may be detected that the vehicle is approached when a radio wave from the terminal can be received, but for example, it is preferable to detect that the vehicle is approached when wireless communication with the terminal becomes possible. More preferably, it is as in (4).

[0023] (4) It is preferable that the detection of the approach of the user of the vehicle to the vehicle is performed based on the intensity of the radio wave used for communication between the vehicle user's portable terminal and the vehicle. By doing so, it becomes unnecessary to provide a transmitter and a receiver for distance detection using radio waves that are separate from the transmitter and receiver of the radio waves used for communication.

[0024] Regarding the detection of the approach to the vehicle, for example, even if it is determined that the vehicle is being approached when the reception intensity of the radio wave emitted from the terminal that the user can carry in the said system reaches a predetermined state, in particular, it is assumed that the user measures the reception intensity of the radio wave emitted by the said system with a terminal that the user can carry, transmits the measured reception intensity to the said system, and the said system detects the approach to the vehicle when the reception intensity received by the said system reaches a predetermined state. By doing so, it is possible to suppress the consumption of the battery of the terminal that the user can carry. These predetermined states may be, for example, when it is equal to or greater than a predetermined reception intensity.

[0025] (5) The detection of the approach of the user of the vehicle to the vehicle is such that the system emits a radio wave that can be measured for its intensity at a terminal that the user of the vehicle can carry at a predetermined cycle from the system side, the terminal that the user of the vehicle can carry measures the intensity of the radio wave transmitted from the system side at a predetermined cycle, transmits information regarding the measurement result, and the system is a system that operates based on the information regarding the measurement result.

[0026] By doing so, it is possible to suppress the battery consumption of the terminal. In many cases, the battery capacity of the terminal is extremely small compared to the vehicle, and transmission often consumes significantly more power than reception. However, since the radio wave transmission is performed from the system on the vehicle side, the power required for transmission on the terminal side can be reduced.

[0027] In particular, when the intensity of the radio wave transmitted from the system side at a predetermined cycle is measured with a terminal that the user of the vehicle can carry, and the measurement result is equal to or greater than a predetermined intensity, information regarding the measurement result is transmitted, and the system operates based on the information regarding the measurement result. By doing so, the power consumption of the terminal can be significantly reduced, and the battery driving time of the terminal can be made longer.

[0028] The predetermined period is desirably an interval that can be received at least once, and particularly desirably an interval that can be received at least several times or more, within the time from when the user approaches the vehicle on foot and the terminal enters the receivable area of the radio wave transmitted from the system side until the user reaches the vehicle. The predetermined period is particularly preferably a time equal to or less than the time required for a person to take a few steps. The predetermined period may be, for example, 3 seconds or less. On the other hand, if the predetermined period is made too short, problems will occur. The predetermined time should be a time equal to or longer than the time that can suppress the battery consumption of the terminal. Also, the inventor has found that when the terminal has an app execution function, if reception events are frequent, the app will not operate smoothly. Therefore, it should be a time equal to or longer than the time that does not affect the operation of the app. Considering these factors comprehensively, the most suitable predetermined period is about 2 seconds. In this way, the consumption of the terminal's battery can be further reduced, other programs such as apps can operate smoothly, and when the user approaches the vehicle and an appropriate proximity relationship is established, it becomes possible to cancel the recording. For example, when the terminal is a smartphone and the system is configured as a camera, when the user walks close to the camera equipped with a beacon, frequent reception occurs on the smartphone, so it is necessary to reduce the consumption of the smartphone's battery and enable area determination with a movement of about three or four steps. Also, if the beacon is transmitted at short time intervals, the smartphone side will receive all the beacon signals, resulting in frequent reception events and the app being unable to operate smoothly. However, if it is about 2 seconds, such problems can be suppressed.

[0029] The information regarding the measurement result may be the reception level. When the system receives the information and satisfies predetermined conditions such as when the reception level is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the recording may be canceled. However, the information regarding the measurement result is particularly preferably a signal that requests the cancellation of the recording. When predetermined conditions are satisfied, such as when the intensity of the radio wave measured by the terminal is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, a signal that requests the cancellation of the recording is transmitted from the terminal, and the system cancels the recording when it receives this signal. In this way, the consumption of the terminal's battery can be further suppressed. The radio wave may be a beacon signal. The radio wave may be a signal for advertising.

[0030] For example, the system may be a parking monitoring camera equipped with a function to transmit a beacon, and the terminal may be a smartphone / tablet capable of running an app equipped with a function to receive the beacon signal transmitted from the camera. For example, the camera periodically (every 2 seconds for the product) transmits a Bluetooth beacon signal. When a person with a smartphone installed with a dedicated app approaches the parking monitoring camera and the Bluetooth beacon is received by the smartphone app, a Bluetooth connection is made to the camera. Each time a periodic monitoring notification message is received from the camera side, the RSSI value is obtained to detect the approximate distance from the camera. When the RSSI value becomes equal to or greater than a preset RSSI value, a Bluetooth connection is made to the camera, and the parking monitoring mode is stopped to cancel the parking monitoring operation of the camera.

[0031] The Bluetooth beacon may be one that advertises on the camera side. It is advisable to create a UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) dedicated to the beacon and transmit it periodically.

[0032] As for the Bluetooth beacon, it is advisable to transmit information of an ID called an advertisement packet from the beacon. This ID information includes a proximity UUID and the identification of Major and Minor

[0033] It is preferable to configure it to periodically transmit the configured ID information. The identifiers of the proximity UUID, Major, and Minor can be arbitrarily determined. For example, the proximity UUID can use a common ID for all systems, and the Major code and Minor code may have different contents for each individual system. In this way, even when there are multiple systems nearby, when approaching a specific system, it is possible to cancel the video recording and start the operation described later. When pairing the Major code and Minor code with a camera and a smartphone app, it is preferable to configure it to receive them as message data. When the app can detect that the user has re-paired or unpaired, the Major and Minor codes may be updated or cleared.

[0034] (6) It has a function of receiving, via wireless communication, a signal of an operation of a terminal that can be possessed by a user of the vehicle, and has an operation of canceling the recording during parking of the vehicle as an operation of the terminal. When receiving an operation of canceling the recording during parking of the vehicle, it has a function of canceling the recording during parking of the vehicle. When detecting the approach of the user of the vehicle to the vehicle, even if it does not receive an operation of canceling the recording during parking of the vehicle, it is preferable to configure it as a system that cancels the recording during parking of the vehicle.

[0035] In this way, when approaching the vehicle, there is no need to take out the terminal possessed by the user and perform an operation to cancel the recording during parking on that terminal. Therefore, the operation when getting into the vehicle becomes less troublesome.

[0036] (7) It is preferable to configure it as a system that has a communication function capable of communicating with a terminal that can be possessed by a user in a first range that is a range including a distance farther than a second range that is a range for detecting the approach to the vehicle and is in the vicinity of the vehicle, and has a function of transmitting information regarding the situation detected during parking of the vehicle in the first range.

[0037] In this way, when the user's portable terminal approaches the vehicle up to the first range, it can obtain information regarding the situation detected during the parking of the vehicle, and the recording during the parking of the vehicle is released in the second range where the user approaches the vehicle more closely than the first range. In particular, the user's portable terminal may preferably be provided with a function of receiving and notifying information regarding the situation detected during the parking of this vehicle from the system. In this way, the user can obtain information regarding the situation detected during the parking of the vehicle when approaching the vehicle up to the first range, and the recording during the parking of the vehicle is released in the second range where the user approaches the vehicle more closely than the first range. If the user only approaches up to the first range and does not enter the second range, it is possible to simply obtain information regarding the situation detected during the parking without the recording being released. For example, if no abnormality is notified, the user can refrain from approaching further and can also leave the vehicle to attend to business. In addition, if there is an abnormality, the recording can be released by simply entering the second range as it is.

[0038] The situation detected during the parking of the vehicle may be, for example, the recognition result such as the state of a suspicious person captured in the captured image, etc. In particular, the system may preferably be provided with a function of acquiring the state of the vehicle, and the situation detected during the parking of the vehicle may be information regarding the acquired state of the vehicle. The function of acquiring the state of the vehicle may be realized by providing a sensor or the like in the system, or may be realized by acquiring from the in-vehicle LAN or the like that the vehicle originally has.

[0039] The information regarding the situation detected during the parking of the vehicle may preferably be information regarding an abnormality of the vehicle. In this way, when approaching a parked vehicle, it is possible to immediately check whether there is an abnormality in the vehicle.

[0040] The information regarding the situation detected during the parking of the vehicle may be information regarding battery information or tire air pressure. In this way, when approaching a parked vehicle, the battery information, tire air pressure, etc. can be checked every time.

[0041] The first range may be the communication range provided by the communication function, and particularly may be a range of about ten-odd meters. The second range may be about 6 m, for example. Since people walk at various speeds, if the distance is made too short, the driver or the like may be reflected in the parking surveillance video. The inventor has found that if the distance is set to this extent, the possibility of not being reflected can be increased. Also, for example, when the driver approaches the vehicle, if it is configured to connect via Bluetooth and check the RSSI at a cycle of 2 seconds, it is desirable that the second range be slightly more than the distance that a person can walk (4 or 5 steps) within these 2 seconds. (8) It is preferable to provide an adjustment function for adjusting the second range by the operation of the user.

[0042] In this way, the user can set how close to the vehicle the video recording is to be canceled. For example, it may be configured to detect the approach by the intensity of the radio wave, and may be provided with a function of setting the intensity for the second range by the operation of the user. For example, it may be provided with a function of setting the RSSI level. By adjusting the preset RSSI value, the position with respect to the camera that starts / stops the parking surveillance can be adjusted, so that it is possible to control the start / stop of the parking surveillance at a position where the driver is not reflected in the monitored video.

[0043] (9) It is preferable to provide a system that does not start recording during the parking of the vehicle until the user of the vehicle moves away from the vehicle beyond a predetermined range. In this way, it is possible to prevent the user of the vehicle from remaining in the video.

[0044] Even when the vehicle is parked, it is preferable to provide a function of starting recording when the user of the vehicle moves away from the vehicle beyond a predetermined range. It is preferable to detect whether the user of the vehicle has moved away from the vehicle beyond a predetermined range, and start recording when it is detected that the user has moved away. The start of recording may be the release of the temporary stop of recording, but it is preferably the start of a new recording. When the video data is recorded in a file, it is preferable to generate a new file and start recording.

[0045] (10) It is preferable to adopt a system that has a function of recording the video captured by the vehicle during the running of the vehicle, and includes a driving record mode which is a mode of recording the video captured by the vehicle during the running of the vehicle, and a parking monitoring mode which is a mode of recording the video captured by the vehicle while the vehicle is parked. When it is detected that the vehicle has changed from running to parking, the recording in the driving record mode is stopped, and the recording in the parking monitoring mode of the vehicle is not started until the user of the vehicle has left a predetermined range from the vehicle. In this way, when entering the parking monitoring mode, it is easier to prevent the images of the driver and passengers from being left.

[0046] (11) It is preferable to adopt a system that has a function of detecting whether something that should be done when the vehicle is parked is forgotten and transmitting information indicating the same, and has a communication function capable of communicating with a terminal that can be held by the user in a third range which is a range including a distance farther than a fourth range which is a range for detecting the departure from the vehicle and is in the vicinity of the vehicle. When it is detected that something that should be done when the vehicle is parked is forgotten, the system has a function of transmitting information indicating the same by the communication function.

[0047] In this way, when the system detects that the user's portable terminal has forgotten something that should be done when the vehicle is parked, the terminal can receive information indicating the same. In particular, when the user's portable terminal receives the information indicating the same, it is preferable to notify the user of the same.

[0048] Examples of things that should be done when the vehicle is parked include turning off the illumination, locking the doors, and turning off the hazard lights. Examples of the information indicating the same may be the states of things that should be done when the vehicle is parked, but it is particularly good as information indicating forgetfulness. For example, it may be information such as the illumination state, door lock state, and hazard lamp blinking state, but it is preferable to be information indicating forgetting to turn off the illumination, forgetting to lock the doors, and forgetting to turn off the hazard lights. It is particularly convenient to configure such that these forgetfulnesses are automatically notified to the driver.

[0049] For example, the system may be a surveillance camera equipped with a Bluetooth communication function. When the surveillance camera is within the Bluetooth connection range (area in) of a smartphone, it may maintain the Bluetooth connection and periodically send regular surveillance notification messages from the camera side. When the smartphone receives this message, it obtains the RSSI value at the time of reception. When the RSSI value becomes less than or equal to a preset RSSI value, it is regarded as area out, and an instruction message may be sent to the camera to perform parking monitoring. When the terminal is configured with a smartphone, when the app is in the background, the app itself cannot operate periodically, and the correct RSSI value cannot be retrieved unless the RSSI value is read when receiving a message, and the correct distance from the camera cannot be known. However, such a problem can be solved by adopting a configuration in which the camera periodically sends messages. During the area in, by maintaining the connection with the camera, it is advisable to adopt a configuration in which when the state of the camera changes, the number of recorded videos, vehicle information, etc. are sent from the camera. Here too, the transmission cycle of the regular surveillance communication message is 2 seconds. The reason for 2 seconds is the same as the reason for the beacon transmission cycle. In particular, if it is transmitted in a short cycle, the app cannot be started smoothly, the app will operate frequently, and the battery will be consumed, but such problems can also be solved. By recognizing the distance between the parking surveillance camera and the smartphone in this way, when the user gets into the car, just by holding the smartphone and without any operation, the parking surveillance can be automatically stopped and the user can get into the car. When the user parks the car and just leaves the place with the smartphone, the parking surveillance of the camera can be automatically started. When approaching the parking surveillance camera, it is advisable to adopt a configuration in which the Bluetooth connection is automatically established with the camera. If the information held by the camera is during the Bluetooth connection, it should be configured to be readable when necessary. The regular surveillance notification message may be a signal, not a beacon, nor an advertisement. (12) It is advisable to have an adjustment function for adjusting the fourth range by the operation of the user.

[0050] In this way, the user can set how far away from the vehicle the recording of the video starts. For example, it is advisable to have a configuration that detects the departure by the intensity of radio waves and a function that allows the user to set the intensity for the fourth range by operation. For example, it is advisable to have a function for setting the RSSI level. By adjusting the preset RSSI value, the position of the camera for starting / stopping the parking monitoring can be adjusted, so it becomes possible to control the start / stop of the parking monitoring at a position where the driver is not reflected in the monitored video.

[0051] In particular, it is advisable to have both the configurations of (11) and (7), and the first range and the third range, and the second range and the fourth range may be the same range respectively. Also, it is advisable to have both the functions of (8) and (12).

[0052] It is convenient to be able to deter criminal acts related to the parked vehicle or to record what happens around the vehicle on video. Furthermore, it is even more convenient if the vehicle monitoring mode can be turned on / off without the user having to operate it themselves.

[0053] Also, for example, it may be configured to have a function of canceling / starting the recording while the vehicle is parked based on the passage of time or information detected by various sensors attached to the vehicle. For example, recording may be performed until a predetermined time has elapsed after entering the parking monitoring mode, and the recording may be stopped after the predetermined time has elapsed. Thieves are likely to approach the vehicle after confirming that the user has left the vehicle. In this way, such scenes can be accurately recorded and the recording capacity can be reduced. Also, recording may be started when the sensor detects the approach of a person who does not have the user's terminal. When it becomes possible to record the parking monitoring video in this way, evidence of criminal acts and the like can be left more accurately, the possibility of excluding the user's own reflection increases, the increase in the recording capacity can be reduced without performing unnecessary recording, and the recording content can also be made appropriate. Note that the configuration for detecting area in / area out is not limited to the case of using a Bluetooth beacon, and may be a configuration that uses GPS, for example. For example, it may be configured as a program for causing a computer to realize the functions described in the above (1) to (11).

[0054] The inventions described in the above (1) to (12) 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 from (2) onwards to all or a part of the configuration of the invention shown in (1). In particular, it is preferable to make an invention in which at least a part of the configuration of at least one of the inventions from (2) onwards is added to the invention shown in (1). Also, any configuration may be extracted from the inventions shown in (1) to (12), and the extracted configurations may be combined. The applicant of the present application intends to obtain rights for 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 intends to obtain rights for configurations that are not these cases or times. Also, the parts described in a sequential order are not limited to this order. The applicant also discloses configurations in which some parts are deleted or the order is changed, and intends to obtain rights for them.

Advantages of the Invention

[0055] It is possible to provide a system, program, etc. that are superior to the prior art, such as obtaining better usability compared to the prior art.

[0056] The effects of the invention of the present application are not limited to this, and the effects resulting from the parts of the configuration disclosed in this specification, drawings, etc. are also disclosed, and the applicant also intends to obtain rights for the configurations that exhibit the effects by means of divisional applications, amendments, etc. For example, the parts described as "can ~" in this specification are descriptions that clearly indicate the effects, and even if there is no description of "can ~", there are parts that show the effects. Also, even if there is no such description, there are effects grasped by the configuration.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0057]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0058] Hereinafter, as an example of an embodiment of the present invention, an example in which the configuration of this system is realized by a drive recorder that can be installed in a vehicle will be described.

[0059] The drive recorder of this embodiment includes a camera, an LED for low-light shooting, and a recording lamp in the camera unit, and a microphone, a speaker, a microSD card interface, a REC button, a recording button, a Bluetooth communication module, a WiFi communication module, a shock sensor, a tilt sensor, a door open sensor, etc. in the main body unit. These are connected to a microcomputer which is a control unit, and the CPU built into the microcomputer executes the program stored in the microcomputer to control these and realize the functions of the drive recorder described below.

[0060] The drive recorder has a function of wirelessly connecting to and exchanging information with a smartphone or a personal computer having these communication functions via the Bluetooth module and the WiFi module.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 1, the main body of the drive recorder of this embodiment includes a substantially cylindrical main body unit and a plate-shaped bracket disposed obliquely on the cylindrical surface of the substantially cylindrical main body unit, and is configured to be rotatable about the axis of the cylinder with respect to the main body unit. Further, on the lower surface side of the main body unit, there is provided a camera unit which is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped protruding portion that is square when viewed from the lower surface and has a longitudinal direction in the left-right direction when viewed from each side surface. The camera unit is configured to be adjustable in angle range by finger operation within the notch range of the main body around the axis of the cylinder of the main body. The camera unit has a camera with a lens on its lower surface. The adjustable angle range of the camera unit is, for example, 30 degrees to one side and 60 degrees in total in the front-rear direction with the posture facing directly downward as a reference. The angle of view of the camera mounted on the camera unit is 220 degrees in the vertical plane when the main body is correctly mounted on the vehicle 1. As a result, since a range wider than a hemisphere can be photographed with the lower side as the central axis, a range of 360 degrees with the vertical direction as the axis can be photographed.

[0062] On the front side and the back side of the camera unit, a recording lamp is provided at the center of each side, and a pair of LEDs for low-light shooting are provided at equal intervals on the left and right sides of the recording lamp. The LEDs for low-light shooting are lit when an event occurs in a dark place during the proximity monitoring mode described later. The recording lamp indicates the operating state of the main body by lighting, extinguishing, or blinking. Settings are required according to the mounting position.

[0063] As shown in Fig. 2(a), the mounting position can be, for example, at the upper part of the front glass of the vehicle, on the driver's side with the center rearview mirror in the left-right direction in between, or on the passenger's side. As shown in Fig. 2(b), the direction of the bracket can be mounted in a preferred direction. However, since the detection area of the built-in microwave sensor is narrow on the side surface of the bracket, when mounting on the driver's side as shown in Fig. 2(c), the bracket should be on the right side, while when mounting on the passenger's side, the bracket should be mounted so that it is on the right side. The bracket is attached to the front glass by sticking with double-sided tape. As shown in Fig. 2(d), the setting of the mounting direction is configured to be able to select whether the mounting position is on the right side or the left side from the dedicated viewer software operating on a personal computer or the dedicated app operating on a smartphone. The information on the mounting position set by the dedicated viewer software or the dedicated app has a function of transferring to the memory of the main body via Bluetooth connection. Based on the transferred information on the mounting position, it controls which of the recording lamps on the front side and the back side of the camera unit is to be lit. When set to the right side, the recording lamp on the front side in Fig. 1 is lit, while the recording lamp on the back side is not lit. When set to the left side, the recording lamp on the back side in Fig. 1 is lit, while the recording lamp on the front side is not lit. When the recording lamp on the outside of the vehicle is lit during driving, it may be a violation of the Road Traffic Law, but this can be prevented.

[0064] The attachment of the bracket to the windshield is as follows: As shown in Fig. 3, attach a double-sided tape to the attachment surface of the bracket, remove the nut provided on one side surface of the main body, insert the ring portion of the bracket from one side surface side of the main body, and tighten the nut to fix the angle between the bracket and the main body. The attachment structure of this ring to the bracket is a known structure. At this time, after adjusting the angle between the bracket and the main body so that the horizontal line on the other side surface of the main body becomes horizontal and temporarily fixing it by tightening the nut, as shown in Fig. 4, peel off the protective film of the double-sided tape on the windshield side and adjust the angle between the bracket and the main body so that the main body and the ground are horizontal, and then tighten the nut to completely fix it. After that, as shown in Fig. 5, operate the camera unit and adjust the angle.

[0065] On the lower surface side of the main body, as shown in Fig. 2, there is a microphone built into the main body, which has the function of collecting and recording ambient sounds. On the upper surface side of the main body, there is a speaker for outputting operation sounds.

[0066] One side surface of the main body is a substantially circular flat surface, and on this surface, the insertion port for the microSD card, the power connector, the REC button, and the record button are arranged in the positional relationship shown in Fig. 2(c).

[0067] A microSD card can be inserted into the insertion port for the microSD card. The inserted microSD card has the function of recording and storing the video captured by the camera and the audio collected by the microphone. When the main body is powered on, if the "NORMAL" folder, "EVGS" folder, and "EVSW" folder do not exist in the root directory of the microSD card, the "NORMAL" folder, "EVGS" folder, and "EVSW" folder are created.

[0068] The power connector is a connector for connecting the plug of the power cable shown in Fig. 6. The power cable is drawn out in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction of the plug of the power cable. The plug of the power cable is provided with power lines connected to the accessory power line of the vehicle, the battery power line of the vehicle, and the ground line of the vehicle using an electro tap or the like, and these power lines are stored in one sheath up to a certain point. The battery power line is configured to be connected to the vehicle's battery power through a fuse stored in a fuse holder.

[0069] As shown in Fig. 7, when ACC is on, such as when the vehicle engine is on, recording is performed in DVR mode. Recording in DVR mode includes continuous recording and event recording. Continuous recording starts when ACC is turned on and ends when it is turned off. During the period when ACC is on, recording continues. Continuous recording creates files every 3 minutes in the "NORMAL" folder, and when the recording capacity is full, it overwrites the old recording files and continues recording. The REC button is a button for inputting a user's manual instruction to stop / resume continuous recording. When the pressing of the REC button is detected while continuous recording is in progress, continuous recording is stopped, and when the pressing of the REC button is detected while continuous recording is stopped, continuous recording is resumed.

[0070] Event recording includes G-sensor recording and one-touch recording. G-sensor recording is a function that records when the acceleration detected by the G-sensor built into the main body exceeds a set level such as the impact level corresponding to a collision (when an acceleration event occurs), and generates a recording file of a total of 30 seconds, 10 seconds before the event and 20 seconds after the event, in the "EVGS" folder. One-touch recording is a function that records when it detects that the recording button has been pressed, and generates a recording file of a total of 30 seconds, 10 seconds before the event and 20 seconds after the event, in the "EVSW" folder.

[0071] As shown in FIGS. 8 to 12, when the ACC of the vehicle is turned off, it shifts to the proximity monitoring mode according to the operation trigger and starts parking monitoring. There are two recording methods for parking monitoring: parking recording and event recording. As shown in FIG. 8, there are two recording modes: "always" and "event only", and it has a function to set which mode to use. "Always" always records, and when any of the detection of impact by the impact sensor, the change in inclination by the inclination sensor, or the opening of the door by the door open sensor occurs, event recording is performed. "Event only", as shown in FIG. 9, when the approach of a person is detected by the microwave sensor, the camera is activated, and then when near approach, impact, inclination, or door opening is detected, event recording is performed. The initial value is set to event only. This can suppress power consumption. After the set recording time has elapsed (the initial value is 30 minutes), the recording mode is automatically switched to event only, and parking monitoring continues. The parking recording is performed with a lower number of frames than the initial value of 5 frames / second and the initial value of 30 frames / second for continuous recording when ACC is on. During event recording, the recording lamp blinks red. Only when inclination and door opening are detected, an alarm sound of "beep beep..." is emitted from the speaker for 20 seconds.

[0072] As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, there are three types of operation triggers in the parking monitoring mode: manual (the initial value), ACC OFF interlock, and area AUTO. It has a function to set any one of them in the same way as the setting of the above-mentioned mounting position.

[0073] When the operation trigger is set to manual, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 11, when the engine of the vehicle is turned off and ACC becomes OFF, the speaker outputs a voice saying "Press the REC button to shift to the proximity monitoring mode." When 15 seconds have elapsed after the output of this voice, the power is turned off. If the pressing of the REC button is detected within these 15 seconds, the speaker outputs a voice saying "Shifting to the proximity monitoring mode", and after the set transition time to the proximity monitoring mode (the initial value is 3 minutes) has elapsed, parking monitoring recording in the proximity monitoring mode starts.

[0074] When the operation trigger is set to ACC OFF linkage, as shown in the upper part of Fig. 12, when the vehicle engine is turned off and ACC becomes OFF, a voice "Switching to approach monitoring mode." is output from the speaker, and after the lapse of the set transition time to the approach monitoring mode (initial value: 3 minutes), the parking monitoring recording in the approach monitoring mode is started.

[0075] When the operation trigger is set to Area AUTO, as shown in the lower part of Fig. 12, it is determined whether there is a Bluetooth paired smartphone. If not, the operation of ACC OFF linkage is performed. If there is, a voice "Switching to approach monitoring mode." is output from the speaker. When the driver gets out of the vehicle with the Bluetooth paired smartphone and moves away from the main body and goes out of the set area sensitivity, the parking monitoring recording in the approach monitoring mode is started. The Bluetooth pairing is performed as shown in Figs. 13 to 15.

[0076] As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, Bluetooth pairing is performed within the setting mode of the drive recorder. The setting mode is entered when the vehicle engine is turned on, continuous recording has started, and after detecting the pressing of the REC button, the simultaneous pressing of the REC button and the record button is detected. When entering the setting mode, a voice "This is the setting mode. Please press the REC button" is output from the speaker. If the pressing of the REC button is detected within 15 seconds after the completion of the output of this voice, a voice "SD card format. Please press the REC button" is output from the speaker. If the pressing of the REC button is detected within 15 seconds after the completion of this output, the microSD card is formatted. On the other hand, if the pressing of the record button is detected within 15 seconds, a voice "Bluetooth pairing. Please press the REC button" is output from the speaker. If the pressing of the REC button is detected within 15 seconds after the completion of this output, a voice "Start Bluetooth pairing. Please press the REC button again" is output from the speaker. If the pressing of the REC button is detected within 15 seconds after the completion of the output of this voice, Bluetooth bearing is started.

[0077] On the smartphone, the user's operations and the processing in the app as shown in FIG. 15 are performed. First, turn on the Bluetooth of the smartphone. Launch the app "SQ Remote" from the launcher of the smartphone. When launched, a "Reconnect" button is displayed on the screen of the smartphone. When the tap of the "Reconnect" button is detected, a Bluetooth pairing request dialog is displayed. This dialog displays the device name of the drive recorder, a pairing button, and a back button. When the tap of the pairing button is detected, pairing is performed with the drive recorder of the displayed device name. When the pairing is successful, a voice "Pairing successful" is output from the speaker of the smartphone, and an operation screen is displayed.

[0078] The proximity monitoring mode operation screen has the screen configuration shown in Fig. 16 and is equipped with the functions shown in Fig. 17. As shown in Fig. 16, on the proximity monitoring mode operation screen, in order from the upper part to the lower part of the screen, there are an operation state display area, a vehicle battery voltage display area, an area sensitivity level display area, an event recording count display area, a recording mode switching area, a stop button, an area sensitivity setting button, a version information button, a recorder connection button, and a smartphone internal video display button.

[0079] In the operation status display area, displays such as operation trigger, recording / event monitoring / monitoring / stopped, cancel area, event recording NG, etc. are performed. In the vehicle battery voltage display area, the battery voltage of the vehicle is displayed. In the area sensitivity level display area, the area sensitivity of area AUTO is displayed. In the event recording count display area, the number of event recordings in the approach monitoring mode is displayed. The recording mode switching area is equipped with a constant button and an event-only button, and has a function to switch the recording mode according to the user's operation as shown in Fig. 18. The stop button stops the parking monitoring when there is a user operation as shown in Fig. 19. The area sensitivity setting button sets the area sensitivity of area AUTO. As shown in Fig. 20, when a touch on the area sensitivity setting button is detected, an area sensitivity setting screen is displayed. The area sensitivity setting screen, as shown in Fig. 20(b), is provided with a title area, a sensitivity level display area, a sensitivity level image display area, a sensitivity level slider area, and an OK button in order from top to bottom. The title area displays the title "Area Sensitivity". The sensitivity level display area displays the value of the sensitivity indicated by the slider of the slider bar displayed in the current sensitivity level slider area on the right side of the characters "Sensitivity Level". The sensitivity level can be set by moving it within the range from 1 at the left end to 10 at the right end according to the position of the slider of the slider bar displayed in the sensitivity level slider area. The example in Fig. 20(b) shows the state where the sensitivity level is "7". The sensitivity level image display area displays an image from the top of the vehicle, and a circle with a diameter exceeding the length of the vehicle in the left-right direction centered on the center of the image from the top of the vehicle is displayed in semi-transparent light blue. This diameter is changed and displayed according to the value of the current slider sensitivity level. The example in Fig. 20(b) shows the state where the sensitivity level is "7", and the examples in Fig. 21 show the states where the sensitivity levels are 2, 6, and 10 from left to right in order. When a touch on the OK button is detected, the sensitivity level set by the slider is saved as the set value, and the RSSI value corresponding to 1m in radius per sensitivity level is set as the RSSI set value, and the screen returns to the approach monitoring mode operation screen. For example, if the sensitivity level is 10, the RSSI value corresponding to a radius of 10m is set as the RSSI set value.Note that the default value of the sensitivity level slider is set to a sensitivity level of 6, which corresponds to an RSSI setting value for a radius of 6 m. For each sensitivity level, the RSSI values measured every 1 m in advance are stored, and these are used as the RSSI setting values.

[0080] When the drive recorder is within the Bluetooth connection range of the smartphone (hereafter referred to as the "in area"), it maintains the Bluetooth connection and periodically sends a periodic monitoring message from the drive recorder. When the smartphone receives this message, it acquires the RSSI value at the time of reception, and when the RSSI value becomes less than or equal to the RSSI setting value, it sends an instruction message to the drive recorder to perform parking monitoring as an "out of area". When the drive recorder receives this instruction message, it enters the parking monitoring mode and starts recording parking monitoring.

[0081] By sending the periodic monitoring message from the camera side in this way, even when this app of the smartphone is in the background state, this app can be called by the OS by this periodic monitoring message and operate. Also, by reading the RSSI value when receiving the message, the correct RSSI value can be obtained, and it becomes possible to obtain the correct distance from the drive recorder.

[0082] While in the in area, the connection between the drive recorder and the smartphone is maintained. When the state of the drive recorder changes, the values of the items shown and explained in Fig. 17 are sent from the drive recorder to the smartphone, and the smartphone receives the values of those items and updates the screen display of the smartphone in Fig. 16.

[0083] FIG. 22 is a diagram schematically showing the operations of the smartphone application and the drive recorder when a user with a smartphone gets out of the vehicle and moves away (at the time of separation). The outer circle represents the Bluetooth connectable range, and the connectable range is about a dozen meters. The inside of the inner circle is the range where the RSSI value exceeds the RSSI set value. After ACC is turned off, the process at the time of separation in FIG. 22 is performed. The monitoring process of the RSSI value of the periodic monitoring message is started. In the RSSI value monitoring process, when the RSSI value of the periodic monitoring message exceeds the RSSI set value, the "monitoring waiting" state is set. When the RSSI value of the periodic monitoring message exceeds the RSSI set value, the drive recorder is in a state where it does not record. In the range within the inner circle, the display in the operation state display area of the approach monitoring mode operation screen of the smartphone application is set to "monitoring waiting" as shown in the lower right of FIG. 22.

[0084] Then, when the user moves further away from the vehicle and the RSSI value of the periodic monitoring message becomes equal to or less than the RSSI set value, the smartphone transmits a parking monitoring recording start instruction signal to the drive recorder via Bluetooth. The drive recorder that has received the parking monitoring recording start instruction starts parking monitoring in the parking monitoring mode and starts recording. In the range between the inner circle and the outer circle in FIG. 22 where the RSSI value of the periodic monitoring message is equal to or less than the RSSI set value and within the Bluetooth connectable range, the smartphone application sets the display in the operation state display area of the approach monitoring mode operation screen to "event monitoring in progress" as shown in the center of the lower part of FIG. 22.

[0085] Furthermore, when the user moves away from the vehicle and is outside the Bluetooth connectable range, the smartphone application sets the display in the operation state display area of the approach monitoring mode operation screen to "-" as shown in the lower left of FIG. 22. When the smartphone is outside the Bluetooth connectable range and the Bluetooth communication is disconnected, the drive recorder starts the process of periodically transmitting Bluetooth beacon signals.

[0086] Next, the operation when the user with the smartphone returns to the vehicle will be described with reference to FIG. 23. FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram similar to the description of FIG. 22, and conversely to FIG. 22, it shows the operation when the user is coming towards the vehicle. Outside the Bluetooth connection range, the drive recorder periodically transmits a Bluetooth beacon signal. Outside the Bluetooth connection range, the display in the operation status display area of the proximity monitoring mode operation screen remains displayed as "-" as shown on the lower left side of FIG. 23.

[0087] When the smartphone enters the Bluetooth connection range and receives the Bluetooth beacon signal, it establishes a Bluetooth connection with the drive recorder, and the drive recorder starts the process of periodically transmitting a periodic monitoring notification message, and the drive recorder starts the monitoring process of whether the RSSI value of this periodic monitoring notification message exceeds the set value.

[0088] Then, when the user approaches the vehicle and the RSSI value of the periodic monitoring message becomes an RSSI value that exceeds the RSSI set value, the smartphone transmits a parking monitoring recording stop instruction signal to the drive recorder via Bluetooth. The drive recorder that has received the parking monitoring recording stop instruction stops the parking monitoring in the parking monitoring mode and stops the recording.

[0089] In the range between the inner circle and the outer circle of Fig. 23, where the RSSI value is less than or equal to the RSSI setting value and within the Bluetooth connectable range, the display in the operation status display area of the proximity monitoring mode operation screen is processed to show "Event monitoring in progress" as shown in the center of the lower row of Fig. 22. In the range within the inner circle, the display in the operation status display area of the proximity monitoring mode operation screen of the smartphone app is processed to show "Monitoring pending" as shown on the right side of the lower row of Fig. 22. While the connection between the drive recorder and the smartphone is maintained, when the status of the drive recorder changes, the values of the items described with reference to Fig. 17 are transmitted from the drive recorder to the smartphone, and the smartphone receives the values of those items and updates the screen display of the smartphone in Fig. 16. Thus, as can be seen by comparing the center and the right side of the lower row of Fig. 22, the display is updated. For example, the event recording count display area shows 0 in the center of the lower row and 1 on the right side of the lower row because a file is generated by stopping recording.

[0090] Note that the transmission period of the periodic monitoring message and the Bluetooth beacon is set to 2 seconds. By doing so, it is possible to suppress the consumption of the smartphone battery, and when the user holding the smartphone moves away from the drive recorder, the area determination can be made with a movement of about three or four steps. Also, if the periodic monitoring message is transmitted in an especially short cycle, the app of the smartphone may not start smoothly, and the app will also operate frequently, resulting in excessive battery consumption, but this can also be suppressed.

[0091] The drive recorder of the present embodiment described above is an example of a system having a function of recording video images captured in a vehicle while the vehicle is parked, and has a function of detecting the approach of a vehicle user to the vehicle, and when the approach of the vehicle user to the vehicle is detected, it has a function of canceling the recording while the vehicle is parked. Therefore, just by approaching the parked vehicle, the user can cancel the recording, and a system that is more user-friendly than before can be realized. For example, when the user approaches the vehicle, if the user of the vehicle appears in the video captured by the parking surveillance camera, it will result in leaving useless video images, and the recording area of the microSD card will be used uselessly. However, by doing so, the waste can be reduced. For example, the approach is defined as an approach to the extent that it can be understood that the user gets into the vehicle. When getting into the vehicle, if the user himself / herself appears in the parking surveillance video of the drive recorder, it will result in leaving useless video images, and the recording area for video images such as the microSD card will be used uselessly. However, by doing so, the waste can be reduced.

[0092] In the present embodiment, the vehicle is described as a four-wheeled automobile, but it may be, for example, a bicycle or a motorcycle. Also, in the present embodiment, the vehicle is assumed to be a private car, but it may be a company car or a passenger vehicle such as a bus or a taxi.

[0093] In the present embodiment, in order to detect the state where the engine of the vehicle or the power supply of the electric vehicle is turned off while the vehicle is parked, the connection shown in FIG. 6 is made, and it is detected that ACC is off. However, it may be detected by other methods. For example, the video image inside the vehicle compartment captured by the camera of the drive recorder may be subjected to image recognition, and if it is detected that there is no person, it may be determined that the vehicle is parked. Also, for example, the system may be operated by receiving power supply from a separate power source such as a connection to the vehicle's battery or a battery separate from the vehicle's battery, and the power supply from the cigarette socket may be monitored. When there is no power supply from the cigarette socket, it may be determined that the engine of the vehicle or the power supply of the electric vehicle is turned off.

[0094] In this embodiment, as the user, mainly the driver is assumed, but a passenger may also be acceptable. Whether a person is a user may be determined based on, for example, whether an image similar to the pre-registered user's image is captured.

[0095] In this embodiment, when the vehicle is parked, in particular, a state where the driver is not in the vehicle is assumed, but a function for detecting whether the driver is not in the vehicle may be provided. In this embodiment, the function for detecting whether the driver is not in the vehicle is detected based on the RSSI level of the radio wave emitted by the drive recorder received by the smartphone possessed by the driver. However, for example, it may be determined based on whether the pre-registered driver of the vehicle is present in the image captured in the vehicle.

[0096] In this embodiment, imaging is performed by the camera of the drive recorder installed in the vehicle interior of the vehicle, and a substantially hemispherical camera is used. However, more preferably, an omnidirectional camera may be used. A wide-angle camera may also be used. The imaging direction may be, for example, inside the vehicle or from inside the vehicle to the outside of the vehicle. In particular, a configuration capable of capturing both inside and outside the vehicle is preferable. As such a configuration, for example, imaging may be performed with two cameras, one for the interior of the vehicle and one for the exterior of the vehicle, or a hemispherical camera may be installed with its bottom facing downward from the ceiling of the vehicle interior.

[0097] In this embodiment, the video signal of the video captured by the camera is compressed and recorded on a microSD card as digital information, but it may be recorded analogously.

[0098] In this embodiment, the configuration is such that a microSD card is inserted into the main body of the drive recorder for recording. However, a recording unit separate from the camera unit of the drive recorder may be provided, and the two may be connected by wire or wirelessly for recording. The recording unit may be provided inside the vehicle, or may be provided in a server or the like connected by communication. The recording unit is preferably a removable recording medium in particular. The recording unit is preferably a non-volatile memory. The recording unit is preferably a semiconductor memory in particular. The recording means is particularly preferably a card-shaped recording medium. The recording unit is particularly preferably a card-shaped medium.

[0099] In this embodiment, recording is performed by creating files at predetermined time intervals. However, for example, video data may simply be continuously recorded. Also, recording may end when a specific end condition is satisfied instead of at time intervals.

[0100] The drive recorder may be configured with a single housing, or may be configured with a plurality of housings that are electrically connected by wire or wirelessly. A part of the functions of the drive recorder of this embodiment may be outside the vehicle. For example, the system may be configured with a part of it as a server. However, particularly as in this embodiment, the functions of the drive recorder are preferably all provided inside the vehicle.

[0101] In this embodiment, when a vehicle user approaches the vehicle, recording of the video captured in that vehicle is stopped and the file being recorded is closed. However, for example, it may be a temporary pause in recording.

[0102] Detection of the approach of the vehicle user to the vehicle may be performed, for example, by detecting that the vehicle door has been opened by the user. However, as in this embodiment, detection of the approach of the vehicle user to the vehicle is preferably performed based on whether the vehicle user has entered a predetermined range outside the vehicle door. In this way, the vehicle user only needs to approach within a predetermined range outside the vehicle door, and recording during vehicle parking is stopped.

[0103] In this embodiment, the detection of the approach of the vehicle user to the vehicle is performed based on the radio wave state of the smartphone, which is a terminal that the user can carry. Thereby, the approach can be detected more reliably. For example, compared with the recognition of the user by image recognition during imaging, the approach can be detected more reliably. Further, for example, the user can be detected without taking out the terminal from the storage location such as a bag or a pocket one by one.

[0104] The smartphone that the user can carry is battery-powered. In this embodiment, the terminal is a smartphone, but it may be, for example, a remote control, a key, a tag, or the like. However, it is best to use a smartphone. This is because the smartphone is likely to be carried outside the vehicle by the vehicle user.

[0105] As the radio wave, Bluetooth is used in this embodiment, but other radio waves may be used. For example, LTE or the like may be used, but it is particularly good to use a radio wave having a communication distance of about several meters to a dozen meters. In particular, it is good to use a beacon, and it is particularly good to use a Bluetooth beacon as in this embodiment.

[0106] As a configuration for performing based on the radio wave state, for example, it may be assumed that the approach to the vehicle is detected when the radio wave from the smartphone can be received by the drive recorder. However, for example, it is good to assume that the approach to the vehicle is detected when the wireless communication with the drive recorder becomes possible.

[0107] However, it is particularly good to be as in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the detection of the approach of the vehicle user to the vehicle is performed based on the intensity of the radio wave used for communication between the vehicle user's smartphone, which is a terminal that the user can carry. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a transmitter or receiver for distance detection of radio waves separate from the transmitter or receiver of the radio wave used for communication.

[0108] Regarding the detection of the approach to the vehicle, the user measures the reception intensity of the radio wave emitted by the drive recorder with a smartphone, which is a terminal that the user can carry, and transmits the measured reception intensity to the drive recorder. Even if the drive recorder detects the approach to the vehicle when the reception intensity received by the drive recorder exceeds a predetermined intensity, it may be acceptable. By doing so, it is possible to suppress the consumption of the battery of the terminal that the user can carry. These predetermined states may be, for example, when it is equal to or higher than a predetermined reception intensity.

[0109] The detection of the approach of the vehicle user to the vehicle is to emit a radio wave whose intensity can be measured by a smartphone, which is a terminal that the vehicle user can carry, from the drive recorder at a predetermined cycle, measure the intensity of the radio wave transmitted from the drive recorder side at a predetermined cycle with the smartphone, which is a terminal that the vehicle user can carry, and transmit information regarding the measurement result to the drive recorder. The drive recorder may detect the approach based on the information regarding the measurement result. By doing so, it is possible to suppress the battery consumption of the smartphone. Compared with the vehicle, the battery capacity of the smartphone is extremely small, and transmission generally consumes significantly more power than reception. However, since the radio wave is transmitted from the drive recorder on the vehicle side, the power required for transmission on the terminal side can be reduced.

[0110] Most preferably, as in the present embodiment, the intensity of the radio wave transmitted from the drive recorder side at a predetermined cycle is measured with a smartphone, which is a terminal that the vehicle user can carry. When the measurement result is equal to or higher than a predetermined intensity, information regarding the measurement result is transmitted, and the drive recorder receives the information regarding the measurement result and determines that the user has approached. By doing so, the power consumption of the terminal can be significantly reduced, and the battery driving time of the terminal can be extended.

[0111] The predetermined period is desirably an interval that can be received at least once within the time from when the user approaches the vehicle on foot and the terminal enters the receivable area of the radio wave transmitted from the system side until the user reaches the vehicle. In particular, an interval that can be received at least several times or more is desirable. The predetermined period is particularly preferably a time equal to or less than the time required for a person to take a few steps. The predetermined period may be, for example, 3 seconds or less. On the other hand, if the predetermined period is made too short, problems will occur. The predetermined time should be a time longer than the time that can suppress the battery consumption of the terminal. Also, the inventor has found that when the terminal has an app execution function, etc., if reception events are frequent, the app will not operate smoothly. Therefore, it should be a time longer than the time that does not affect the operation of the app. Considering these comprehensively, the predetermined period is most preferably about 2 seconds as in this embodiment. By doing so, the consumption of the terminal's battery can be further reduced, other programs such as apps can operate smoothly, and when the user approaches the vehicle and an appropriate proximity relationship is established, it becomes possible to cancel the recording. For example, when the terminal is a smartphone and the system is configured as a camera, when the user walks and approaches the camera equipped with a beacon, frequent reception will occur on the smartphone. Therefore, it is advisable to reduce the consumption of the smartphone's battery and enable area determination with a movement of about three or four steps. Also, if the beacon is transmitted at short time intervals, the smartphone side will receive all the beacon signals, resulting in frequent reception events and the app being unable to operate smoothly. However, if it is about 2 seconds, such problems can be suppressed.

[0112] The information regarding the measurement result is the reception level. When the drive recorder receives the reception level that meets a predetermined condition such as when the reception level is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, it is advisable to cancel the recording. However, the information regarding the measurement result is particularly preferably a signal that requests the stop of recording as in this embodiment. When the intensity of the radio wave measured on the smartphone side is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, a signal that requests the stop of recording is transmitted from the smartphone, and the drive recorder stops the recording when it receives this signal. By doing so, the consumption of the terminal's battery can be further suppressed. The radio wave may be a beacon signal as in this embodiment. The radio wave may be a signal for advertising, particularly like the Bluetooth beacon of this embodiment.

[0113] In this embodiment, a smartphone is described as an example of the terminal held by the user, but it may also be a tablet or other terminal. However, a smartphone is particularly preferable.

[0114] The drive recorder of this embodiment is an example of a parking monitoring camera equipped with a function to transmit a beacon. The terminal is a smartphone that can execute an app equipped with a function to receive the beacon signal transmitted from the camera. For example, a Bluetooth beacon signal is transmitted from the camera periodically (every 2 seconds for the product). When a person with a smartphone installed with a dedicated app approaches the parking monitoring camera and receives the Bluetooth beacon with the smartphone app, a Bluetooth connection is made to the camera. Each time a periodic monitoring notification message is received from the camera side, the RSSI value is obtained to detect the approximate distance from the camera. When the RSSI value becomes a value equal to or greater than a preset RSSI value, a Bluetooth connection is made to the camera and the parking monitoring mode is stopped, thereby canceling the parking monitoring operation of the camera.

[0115] The Bluetooth beacon may be one that advertises on the camera side. It is preferable to create a UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) dedicated to the beacon and transmit it periodically.

[0116] As the Bluetooth beacon, it is preferable to transmit information of an ID called an advertisement packet from the beacon. This ID information includes a proximity UUID, and identification of Major and Minor

[0117] It is advisable to configure it to periodically transmit the configured ID information. The identifiers such as proximity UUID, Major, and Minor can be arbitrarily determined. For example, the proximity UUID can use a common ID for all systems, and the Major code and Minor code may have different contents for each individual system. In this way, even when there are multiple systems nearby, it is possible to cancel the recording of the video and start the operation described later only when approaching a specific system. And when pairing this Major code and Minor code with the camera and the smartphone app, it is advisable to configure it to receive them as message data. When the app knows that the user has re-paired or unpaired, this Major and Minor code should be updated or cleared.

[0118] Also, in this embodiment, it has a function of receiving, via wireless communication, the operation signal of a smartphone which is a terminal that a vehicle user can possess, and has an operation of stopping the recording while the vehicle is parked as an operation of the smartphone. The drive recorder has a function of stopping the recording while the vehicle is parked when it receives the operation of stopping the recording while the vehicle is parked. When it detects the approach of the vehicle user to the vehicle, even if it does not receive the operation of stopping the recording while the vehicle is parked, it is used as a drive recorder that stops the recording while the vehicle is parked.

[0119] In this way, when approaching the car, there is no need to take out the smartphone the user possesses and perform an operation to stop the recording while parked on that smartphone. Therefore, the trouble of the operation when getting into the car is eliminated.

[0120] In this embodiment, a communication function capable of communicating with a terminal that a user can carry is provided in a first range that includes a range farther than a second range, which is a range for detecting approach to the vehicle, and is in the vicinity of the vehicle. The first range is provided with a function of transmitting information regarding a situation detected while the vehicle is parked in the first range. Therefore, when the terminal that the user can carry approaches the vehicle up to the first range, the user can obtain information regarding the situation detected while the vehicle is parked, and the recording during the parking of the vehicle is stopped in a second range where the user approaches the vehicle more closely than the first range. In particular, since the terminal that the user can carry has a function of receiving and notifying information regarding the situation detected while the vehicle is parked from the system, the user can obtain information regarding the situation detected while the vehicle is parked when approaching the vehicle up to the first range, and the recording during the parking of the vehicle is stopped in the second range where the user approaches the vehicle more closely than the first range. If the user only approaches up to the first range and does not enter the second range, it is possible to simply obtain information regarding the situation detected while parked without the recording being canceled. For example, if no abnormality is notified, the user can refrain from approaching further and can also leave the vehicle to attend to business. If there is an abnormality, the recording can be canceled by entering up to the second range as it is.

[0121] The situation detected while the vehicle is parked may be, for example, a recognition result such as the state of a suspicious person captured in the captured image. In particular, the drive recorder of this embodiment has a function of acquiring the state of the vehicle, and the situation detected while the vehicle is parked is information regarding the acquired state of the vehicle. The function of acquiring the state of the vehicle may be realized by providing a sensor or the like in the system, or may be realized by acquiring from an in-vehicle LAN or the like that the vehicle originally has. The information regarding the situation detected while the vehicle is parked is preferably information regarding an abnormality of the vehicle in particular. In this way, when approaching a vehicle being monitored for parking, it is possible to immediately check whether there is an abnormality in the vehicle.

[0122] As information regarding the situation detected during vehicle parking, it is advisable to include battery information and information regarding tire pressure. By doing so, when approaching a parked vehicle, battery information, tire pressure, etc. can be checked each time.

[0123] The first range is preferably the communication range provided by the communication function, particularly a range of about a dozen meters. The second range is preferably about 6 m, for example. Since people's walking speeds vary, if the distance is made too short, the driver or the like may be reflected in the parking surveillance video. By setting it to this extent, the possibility of not being reflected can be increased. Also, for example, when the driver approaches the vehicle and is configured to connect via Bluetooth and check RSSI at a 2-second cycle, a distance slightly longer than the distance a person can walk (4 or 5 steps) within these 2 seconds is desirable, and about 6 m is preferred.

[0124] It is advisable to have an adjustment function for adjusting the second range by the user's operation as in this embodiment. By doing so, the user can set how close to the vehicle the video recording is to be released. For example, it is advisable to have a configuration for detecting approach based on the radio wave intensity and a function for setting the intensity for the second range by the user's operation. For example, it is advisable to have a function for setting the RSSI level. By adjusting the preset RSSI value, the position with respect to the camera that starts / stops parking surveillance can be adjusted, so it becomes possible to control the start / stop of parking surveillance at a position where the driver is not reflected in the monitored video.

[0125] As in this embodiment, it is advisable to use a drive recorder that has a function of not starting the recording during vehicle parking until the user of the vehicle moves away from the vehicle by more than a predetermined range even during vehicle parking. By doing so, it is possible to suppress the user of the vehicle from being left in the video.

[0126] Also, as in this embodiment, even when the vehicle is parked, it is preferable to have a function of starting recording when the user of the vehicle leaves the vehicle by more than a predetermined range. It is preferable to detect whether the user of the vehicle has left the vehicle by more than a predetermined range, and start recording when it is detected that the user has left. The start of recording may be the release of the temporary stop of recording, but it is preferably the start of a new recording. When configured to record video data in a file, it is preferable to generate a new file and start recording.

[0127] As in this embodiment, it is provided with a function of recording the video imaged in the vehicle while the vehicle is running, a driving record mode which is a mode of recording the video imaged in the vehicle while the vehicle is running, and a parking monitoring mode which is a mode of recording the video imaged in the vehicle while the vehicle is parked. When it is detected that the vehicle has changed from running to parked, the recording in the driving record mode is stopped, and until the user of the vehicle leaves the vehicle by more than a predetermined range, it is preferable to be a drive recorder having a function of not starting the recording in the parking monitoring mode of the vehicle. In this way, when entering the parking monitoring mode, it becomes easier to prevent the images of the driver and passengers from being left.

[0128] In particular, as in this embodiment, the parking monitoring recording is not started until the driver with a smartphone leaves the vehicle beyond a predetermined range. When the driver with a smartphone has left beyond the predetermined range, the parking monitoring recording is started, and when the driver with a smartphone approaches the vehicle, the parking monitoring recording is stopped.

[0129] In addition, the drive recorder is provided with a function of detecting whether the user has forgotten to do something that should be done when the vehicle is parked and transmitting information indicating the same, and has a communication function capable of communicating with a terminal that the user can carry in a third range that includes a range farther than a fourth range that is a range for detecting separation from the vehicle and is in the vicinity of the vehicle. When it is detected that the user has forgotten to do something that should be done when the vehicle is parked, it is preferable to be provided with a function of transmitting information indicating the same by the communication function. In this way, when the drive recorder detects that the user has forgotten to do something that should be done when the vehicle is parked, a smartphone or the like that the user can carry can receive information indicating the same. In particular, when the smartphone that the user can carry receives the information indicating the same, it is preferable to notify the user of the same.

[0130] Examples of things that should be done when the vehicle is parked include turning off the illumination, locking the doors, and turning off the hazard lights. As information indicating the same, for example, it may be the state of things that should be done when the vehicle is parked, but it is particularly good as information indicating forgetfulness. For example, it may be information such as the illumination state, door lock state, and hazard lamp blinking state, but it is preferable to be information indicating forgetting to turn off the illumination, forgetting to lock the doors, and forgetting to turn off the hazard lights. It is particularly convenient to configure to obtain these information from an OBD connector or the like of the vehicle or directly from a sensor or the like and automatically notify the driver of forgetfulness.

[0131] For example, the system may be a surveillance camera equipped with a Bluetooth communication function. When the surveillance camera is within the Bluetooth connection range (area in) of a smartphone, it maintains the Bluetooth connection and periodically sends regular monitoring notification messages from the camera side. When the smartphone receives this message, it obtains the RSSI value at the time of reception. When the RSSI value becomes equal to or less than a preset RSSI value, it is considered as area out, and an instruction message is sent to the camera to perform parking monitoring. When the terminal is configured as a smartphone, when the app is in the background, the app itself cannot operate periodically, and the correct RSSI value cannot be retrieved unless the RSSI value is read when a message is received, so the correct distance from the camera cannot be determined. However, this problem can be solved by configuring the camera to send periodic messages. During area in, by maintaining the connection with the camera, it is advisable to configure the camera to send information such as the camera's status change, the number of recorded videos, and vehicle information when the status changes. Here too, the transmission cycle of the regular monitoring communication message is 2 seconds. The reason for 2 seconds is the same as the reason for the beacon transmission cycle. In particular, if it is transmitted in a short cycle, the app may not start smoothly, the app may operate frequently, and the battery may be consumed. However, such problems can also be solved. By recognizing the distance between the parking surveillance camera and the smartphone in this way, when the user gets into the car, just by holding the smartphone and without any operation, the parking monitoring can be automatically stopped and the user can get into the car. When the user parks the car and just leaves the scene with the smartphone, the parking monitoring of the camera can be automatically started. It is advisable to configure the system to automatically establish a Bluetooth connection with the camera when approaching the parking surveillance camera. If the information held by the camera is during a Bluetooth connection, it should be configured to be readable when necessary. The regular monitoring notification message should be a signal, not a beacon or an advertisement. Also, it is advisable to have an adjustment function to adjust the fourth range by the user's operation as in this embodiment. In this way, the user can set how far away from the vehicle the recording of the video starts.For example, it is preferable to have a configuration that detects separation by the intensity of radio waves and a function to set the intensity as the fourth range by the operation of the user. For example, it is preferable to have a function to set the RSSI level. By adjusting the preset RSSI value, the position of the camera for starting / stopping parking monitoring can be adjusted, so it is possible to control the start / stop of parking monitoring at a position where the driver is not reflected in the monitored video. In the present embodiment, the first range and the third range, and the second range and the fourth range are the same range, respectively, but they may be different ranges.

[0132] It is convenient to be able to suppress criminal acts related to parked vehicles or to record what happens around the vehicle on video. However, as in this embodiment, it is even more convenient to have a configuration that can be turned ON / OFF without the user operating the vehicle monitoring mode themselves.

[0133] Further, for example, it may be configured to have a function to cancel / start recording while the vehicle is parked based on the passage of time or information detected by various sensors attached to the vehicle. For example, recording may be performed until a predetermined time has elapsed after entering the parking monitoring mode, and recording may be stopped when the predetermined time has elapsed. Thieves are likely to approach the vehicle after confirming that the user has left the vehicle. In such a scenario, it is possible to accurately record such a scene and also reduce the recording capacity. Also, recording may be started when the sensor detects the approach of a person who does not have the user's terminal. When the parking monitoring video can be recorded in this way, it is possible to more accurately leave evidence of criminal acts, etc., and the possibility of excluding the user's own reflection increases, and it is possible to reduce the increase in recording capacity without performing unnecessary recording, and the recorded content can also be made appropriate. Note that the configuration for detecting area in / area out is not limited to the case of using a Bluetooth beacon, and for example, it may be configured to use GPS.

[0134] 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 herein. Among the present invention, the configuration for which a patent is sought is specified in the appended claims. However, even if a configuration is not currently specified in the claims, the configurations disclosed herein are intended to be included in the claims in the future.

[0135] The present invention of this application is not limited to the configurations described in the above-described embodiments. The constituent elements of the above-described embodiments and modification examples may be arbitrarily selected and combined. Also, 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 these, there is also an intention to obtain rights in amendments or divisional applications of this application. Even if there are descriptions such as "in the case of ~" or "when ~", it is not described as a configuration limited to that case or that time. Configurations other than these cases and times are also disclosed and there is an intention to obtain rights. Also, the order in the descriptions with an order is not limited to this order. Configurations with some parts deleted or the order changed are also disclosed and there is an intention to obtain rights.

[0136] Also, there is an intention to obtain rights for the overall design or partial design by filing a change application for a design application. Although the drawings depict the entire device in solid lines, the drawings include not only the overall design but also partial designs claimed for a part of the device. For example, it goes without saying that a part of the members of the device can be a partial design, and the drawings also include a partial design that includes 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 the members. Regarding the overall design, of course, there is an intention to claim the partial design in which an arbitrary part of the solid-line part of the drawing is made into a broken-line part.

Claims

1. A function of receiving and displaying information on the battery voltage of a vehicle to which a drive recorder is connected, the information being wirelessly transmitted from the drive recorder during parking monitoring by the drive recorder, A program for smartphones that enables the smartphone's computer to execute certain functions.

2. A function of wirelessly receiving and displaying information on the voltage of a battery other than the battery of the vehicle to which the drive recorder is connected from the drive recorder, A program for a smartphone for causing a computer of the smartphone according to claim 1 to execute the program.

3. A function of wirelessly receiving information on the number of events recorded in the drive recorder from the drive recorder and displaying the information, A program for a smartphone for causing a computer of the smartphone according to claim 1 or 2 to execute the program.

4. A drive recorder having a function of transmitting information to a smartphone during parking monitoring, A drive recorder having a function of wirelessly transmitting information about the battery voltage of a vehicle to which the drive recorder is connected to the smartphone.

5. A drive recorder as described in claim 4, having a function of wirelessly transmitting information on a battery voltage other than that of the battery of the vehicle to which the drive recorder is connected.

6. A drive recorder as described in claim 4 or 5, having a function of wirelessly transmitting information on the number of events recorded in the drive recorder to the smartphone.

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