In-vehicle device

Abstract

To provide an on-vehicle device capable of easily registering a mounting position of a drive recorder in the drive recorder.SOLUTION: The in-vehicle device 10 includes an imaging unit 13 that images the inside and the outside of the car 30 in a state in which the in-vehicle device 10 is attached to the car 30, a detection unit 35a that detects a left end 36a and a right end 101a corresponding to the interior of the car 30 in the image captured by the imaging unit 13, a calculation unit 35a that calculates a left position 36a and a right position 40a of the imaging unit 13 in the car 30 based on the positions of the left end 31a and the right end 101b in an image 40 and a center position of the image 40, and an installation position setting unit 31a that sets the left position and the right position of the imaging unit 13 as an installation position of the in-vehicle device 10. 101d.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an in-vehicle device. [Background technology]

[0002] A drive recorder that captures and records images of the front and rear of a vehicle is known. The drive recorder is attached by a user to the inside glass surface of the vehicle.

[0003] Recent drive recorders are equipped with advanced driver assistance systems known as ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems). For example, ADAS has the function of detecting the risk of an accident and warning the driver. Some ADAS functions require the drive recorder to recognize its left-right mounting position on the windshield in order to function properly.

[0004] Several methods have been proposed for making a drive recorder recognize its installation position. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that after installing the drive recorder, the driver or the like needs to set information in advance and repeatedly fine-tune the position of the drive recorder's camera while looking at the built-in monitor, and therefore calculates the vanishing point required to calculate the distance to the vehicle based on the image. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-142268 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the method disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not mention how the user can make the drive recorder recognize the installation position.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide an in-vehicle device that allows the mounting position of a drive recorder to be easily registered in the drive recorder. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An in-vehicle device according to one aspect of the present invention is an in-vehicle device that is mounted on a vehicle, and includes an imaging unit that captures images of the interior and exterior of the vehicle when the in-vehicle device is mounted on the vehicle, a detection unit that detects the left and right ends of the image captured by the imaging unit that correspond to the interior width of the vehicle, a calculation unit that calculates the left and right positions of the imaging unit in the vehicle based on the positions of the left and right ends and the center position of the image, and an installation position setting unit that sets the left and right positions of the imaging unit as the installation position of the in-vehicle device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an in-vehicle device that can easily register the installation position of a drive recorder in the drive recorder. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the front side of the vehicle of the on-board device according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the rear side of the vehicle of the in-vehicle device according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the in-vehicle device according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing some of the functions of the CPU of the in-vehicle device according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the mounting position of the in-vehicle device according to this embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control flow of the position setting unit of the in-vehicle device according to this embodiment. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an image captured by the imaging unit of the in-vehicle device according to this embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining setting of the mounting position of the drive recorder according to this embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the setting of the lane center in the drive recorder according to this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The in-vehicle device 10 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0012] In this embodiment, the in-vehicle device 10 will be described as a drive recorder 10 having an ADAS function.

[0013] In this embodiment, it is assumed that a user has concluded an automobile insurance contract with a non-life insurance company and that the user installs a drive recorder 10 designated by the non-life insurance company in his / her vehicle. Therefore, the drive recorders 10 in this embodiment are linked to vehicle information stored in a database 200a in a server 200 of the non-life insurance company by information unique to each drive recorder 10, such as a serial number or an IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity). The information unique to each drive recorder 10 may be referred to as unique information in the following description.

[0014] [structure] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the front side of a drive recorder 10 according to this embodiment, which is the front side of the vehicle, and Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the back side of the drive recorder 10, which is the rear side of the vehicle.

[0015] The drive recorder 10 includes a housing 11 , an attachment portion 12 , a camera 13 , a power input terminal 14 , a slot 15 for a recording medium, a display 16 , a speaker 17 , and a control portion 100 .

[0016] The housing 11 is formed in a box shape and houses various devices of the drive recorder 10. The size of the housing 11 is set so as not to obstruct the driver's field of view as much as possible when it is attached to the windshield 31 (FIG. 5). Here, the drive recorder 10 is not limited to being attached to the windshield 31, but may also be attached to the rear glass of the vehicle 30 or the ceiling of the vehicle 30 above the windshield 31. In other words, the drive recorder 10 is attached to the vehicle 30.

[0017] The mounting portion 12 is provided on the upper part of the housing 11. The mounting portion 12 has a flat bracket 12a that is attached to the windshield 31, and a bracket insertion portion 12b on the upper part of the housing into which a protrusion on the bracket 12a is inserted to connect the bracket 12a to the housing 11.

[0018] After inserting bracket 12a into bracket insertion portion 12b, housing 11 can be fixed by closing angle adjustment knob 12c. At that time, by loosening angle adjustment knob 12c, housing 11 can be freely moved to adjust the angle. Note that bracket 12a and angle adjustment knob 12c are omitted from Figure 1 for clarity of illustration.

[0019] Camera 13 is disposed on the front side of housing 11. Drive recorder 10 is attached to vehicle 30 so that camera 13 faces forward of vehicle 30. Camera 13 has wide-angle lens 13a so as to capture as wide an area as possible in front of vehicle 30. In other words, camera 13 captures images of the interior and exterior of vehicle 30.

[0020] The power input terminal 14 is provided on the top of the housing 11, and is supplied with power via a cigarette lighter socket and a plug cord from a battery (not shown) of the vehicle 30. Power is supplied to the power input terminal 14 in conjunction with the ignition being turned on of the vehicle 30, and the power is cut off in conjunction with the ignition being turned off.

[0021] The recording medium slot 15 is an insertion port for inserting an external memory for recording video data captured by the camera 13. A plurality of recording medium slots 15 may be provided to increase the storage capacity.

[0022] Display 16 is disposed on the rear side of housing 11. Display 16 can display images captured by camera 13 and a menu screen such as that shown in FIG. 2. Display 16 may be a liquid crystal display or an organic electroluminescence (EL) display. Display 16 may also be a touch panel type.

[0023] The speaker 17 can emit various sounds to alert the driver. For example, different sounds are emitted when the power is turned on, when the drive recorder is operated, when the touch panel of the display 16 is operated, when an event is detected, when a warning is issued by the driving assistance function, etc. Here, the detection of an event means that the control unit 100 determines that an impact has been detected based on a value acquired by the acceleration sensor 161, for example.

[0024] [System Configuration] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the drive recorder 10 according to this embodiment.

[0025] The drive recorder 10 includes a control unit 100, operation buttons 110, a display unit 120, a power supply unit 130, a GPS receiver 140, an imaging unit 151, a recording unit 152, an acceleration sensor 161, a geomagnetic sensor 162, an atmospheric pressure sensor 163, a communication unit 170, and a communication antenna 170a. The drive recorder 10 does not necessarily have to include the GPS receiver 140, the acceleration sensor 161, the geomagnetic sensor 162, and the atmospheric pressure sensor 163.

[0026] The control unit 100 can be realized by, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a working memory, and a non-volatile storage device storing a control program. The control unit 100 may also be realized by a user-programmable integrated circuit such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or a microcomputer. The control unit 100 executes a control application program (not shown) stored in a memory (not shown) to control the entire drive recorder 10 and also function as a position setting unit 101 and a driving assistance unit 102 (described later).

[0027] 2, when the display 16 is a touch panel type, the operation buttons 110 determine that a button operation has been performed when the user performs a touch operation. Note that the buttons for performing the operation, specifically, a button for manually starting event recording when an event is detected, may be separately arranged as a hard key on the side or back of the housing 11. In other words, the operation buttons 110 may be either soft keys or hard keys.

[0028] The display unit 120 displays necessary information on the display 16 provided on the back surface of the housing 11. The displayed information includes, for example, real-time images captured by the camera 13, setting information, images of the rear of the vehicle 30 if a rear camera that captures images of the area behind the vehicle 30 is installed, and warnings and attention-grabbing information from driving assistance.

[0029] The power supply unit 130 appropriately steps down the DC voltage of 12V or 24V supplied from the cigarette lighter socket of the vehicle 30, and supplies the power required for operating the drive recorder 10 to the control unit 100.

[0030] The GPS receiver 140 receives signals from GPS satellites to calculate three-dimensional coordinates, determine the current position and altitude of the vehicle 30, and transmit them to the control unit 100.

[0031] The imaging unit 151 uses the camera 13 to create video data of the area ahead of the vehicle 30 in real time, and constantly transmits the created video data to the recording unit 152, which will be described later. The imaging unit 151 can also transmit the real-time video data to the control unit 100 as necessary.

[0032] The recording unit 152 writes the video data created by the imaging unit 151 to a card-shaped memory card inserted into the recording medium slot 15. If the video data exceeds the capacity of the memory card, the excess data is overwritten, starting with the oldest data in the memory card. The recording unit 152 does not necessarily have to include the recording medium slot 15, for example, if it includes an internal storage device.

[0033] The acceleration sensor 161 detects the acceleration applied to the vehicle 30 and transmits a value indicating the acceleration to the control unit 100. When the control unit 100 determines that the value indicating the acceleration is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, it determines that an impact has been detected on the vehicle 30 and controls a predetermined operation to be performed when an accident occurs.

[0034] The geomagnetic sensor 162 detects the direction of the vehicle 30 based on geomagnetism and transmits a value indicating the direction to the control unit 100. The control unit 100 transmits the received value indicating the direction to the server 200. The server 200 creates a travel trajectory of the vehicle based on the received value indicating the direction.

[0035] The atmospheric pressure sensor 163 detects the atmospheric pressure at the location where the vehicle 30 is located and transmits a value indicating the atmospheric pressure to the control unit 100. The control unit 100 transmits the received value indicating the atmospheric pressure to the server 200. The server 200 determines whether the vehicle is traveling above or below an elevated road based on the received value indicating the atmospheric pressure. The server 200 also determines whether there is an abnormality in the atmospheric pressure, such as when the vehicle 30 falls or slides off a bank or cliff without being subjected to a large external impact.

[0036] The communication unit 170 has a transmission unit 171 and a reception unit 172, and transmits and receives information to and from an external server 200 via a communication antenna 170a. A database 200a is stored in the external server 200, and when, for example, unique information of the vehicle 30 is transmitted from the transmission unit 171, information linked to the unique information is searched for in the database, and the information can be received by the reception unit 172 via the communication antenna 170a.

[0037] Furthermore, when the control unit 100 determines that an impact has been detected, the event-recorded video is recorded in the recording unit 152, and the transmission unit 171 processes and transmits the video to the server 200 in real time or as quickly as possible.

[0038] Furthermore, the transmitting unit 171 periodically transmits the GPS signal received by the GPS receiver 140, the detection value of the acceleration sensor 161, the detection value of the geomagnetic sensor 162, and the like to the server 200. This allows the non-life insurance company, which can use the data from the server 200, to diagnose the driver's driving and determine dangerous driving such as running the wrong way on a highway.

[0039] [Function Block] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing some of the functions of the control unit 100.

[0040] The control unit 100 functions as a position setting unit 101 and a driving support unit 102 .

[0041] The position setting unit 101 sets the installation position of the drive recorder 10 in the left-right direction and the center position of the lane in the storage unit 157 based on the image 40 captured by the imaging unit 151 .

[0042] The position setting unit 101 includes a detection unit 101a, a calculation unit 101b, an acquisition unit 101c, an installation position setting unit 101d, and a lane center position setting unit 101e. The calculation unit 101b includes a ratio calculation unit 101b1, an installation position calculation unit 101b2, and a vehicle center position calculation unit 101b3. Details of each component will be described later.

[0043] The driving assistance unit 102 executes the ADAS function based on the left-right mounting position and lane center position of the drive recorder 10 that are set in the storage unit 157. That is, the driving assistance unit 102 indirectly assists the driver in driving by providing the driver with information necessary for safe driving of the vehicle 30 based on real-time images captured by the imaging unit 151.

[0044] The driving support unit 102 includes a detection unit 102a and a warning unit 102b. Details of each component will be described later.

[0045] (Installation position of the drive recorder 10) Next, the installation positioning work of the drive recorder 10 and the operation of the drive recorder 10 in response to the installation work will be described.

[0046] 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the drive recorder 10 is attached to the windshield 31. FIG. 5 shows the windshield 31 in front of the vehicle 30 as seen from the center of the interior of the vehicle 30 in the left-right direction.

[0047] In the central area of ​​the upper part of the windshield 31 in the left-right direction, there are a line-mounted camera (not shown) for driving assistance and an anti-glare inner mirror 32, so the drive recorder 10 is often installed in a position shifted to either the left or right of the center.

[0048] Furthermore, regulations require that the drive recorder 10 be mounted in an area within the upper 20% of the entire windshield 31. Therefore, the drive recorder 10 is mounted near the upper end of the windshield 31, as close to the center as possible, as shown in FIG.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 5, when a user attaches the drive recorder 10 to the windshield 31 and turns on the power of the drive recorder 10 for the first time, the drive recorder 10 requests the user to perform an initial setting.

[0050] Specifically, the installation location setting unit 101d of the drive recorder 10 displays on the display 16 a screen (Figure 2) that allows the user to select the type of vehicle 30 in which the drive recorder 10 is installed, such as a passenger car or truck, from multiple options.

[0051] When the vehicle type is selected by the user, the installation position setting unit 101d registers the average mounting height of the drive recorder 10, the distance from the drive recorder 10 to the front end of the vehicle 30, and the like, which are set in advance for each vehicle type. Here, the vehicle type may be selected by transmitting unique information to the server 200, such as an interior width W (described later), and searching the database 200a of the server 200 for the vehicle type of the vehicle 30 that corresponds to the unique information.

[0052] Thereafter, the position on the windshield 31 where the drive recorder 10 is attached in the left-right direction is automatically set by a position setting process to be described later. Conventionally, this setting has been required to be made by the user.

[0053] After the installation position of the drive recorder 10 in the left-right direction is automatically set, the drive recorder 10 requests the user to perform the setting operation again. Specifically, the installation position setting unit 101d displays an image 40 (FIG. 7) on the display 16 by appropriately superimposing the horizon and the hood position on the guide lines.

[0054] The user performs an adjustment by pressing the arrow buttons on the display 16 so that the horizon line aligns with the guide lines. Next, the user performs an adjustment by pressing the arrow buttons on the display 16 so that the hood position aligns with the guide lines. The adjustment of the horizon and the hood position to align with the guide lines is an essential task when the driving assistance unit 102 performs a forward collision warning or a preceding vehicle abnormal proximity warning, but this task may be omitted when the driving assistance unit 102 only performs a lane departure warning.

[0055] Thereafter, the position of the lane center in the image 40 is automatically set by a position setting process, which will be described later. Conventionally, this has been required to be set by the user.

[0056] The drive recorder 10 is installed in the manner described above.

[0057] (Position setting process) 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the position setting process of the position setting unit 101. FIG.

[0058] The position setting process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6 and the explanatory diagram of FIG.

[0059] In step S1, the position setting unit 101 waits until the drive recorder 10 is powered on for the first time, and if it determines that the drive recorder 10 has been powered on for the first time, the process proceeds to step S2. Note that when the drive recorder 10 is powered on during the above-described operation of installing the drive recorder 10, it is determined that the power has been turned on for the first time. More specifically, the control unit 100 provides an area in the recording unit 152 for recording information on whether or not an adjustment has been made at the time of installation, and records information indicating that an adjustment has not been made at the time of installation in the production process of the drive recorder 10. Then, when the drive recorder 10 is powered on, the control unit 100 checks the area in the recording unit 152 for recording information on whether or not an adjustment has been made at the time of installation, and if information indicating that an adjustment has not been made is recorded, it determines that the power has been turned on for the first time.

[0060] In step S2, the acquisition unit 101c acquires interior information, which is information relating to the interior width of the vehicle 30, from the server 200.

[0061] Specifically, the acquisition unit 101c transmits the unique information as an identification number to the server 200 via the communication unit 170. When the server 200 receives the unique information transmitted from the drive recorder 10, it refers to the vehicle information recorded in the specification table of the contracted vehicle 30 in the database 200a, searches for the interior width W of the vehicle 30 from the vehicle information corresponding to the received unique information, and transmits the interior width W to the drive recorder 10. The acquisition unit 101c receives the interior width W transmitted from the server 200 via the communication unit 170 and stores it in the memory unit 157.

[0062] In step S3, the detection unit 101a detects the left and right end portions 35a, 36a corresponding to the interior width W of the vehicle 30 in the image 40 captured by the camera 13. For example, the detection unit 101a detects the end portions 35a, 36a of the lower ends of the left and right A-pillars 35, 36 of the vehicle 30 and the side ends on the windshield side in the image 40 captured by the camera 13. The detection of the end portions 35a, 36a is performed by image processing of the image 40 captured by the camera 13.

[0063] In step S4, the calculation unit 101b calculates the number of pixels P between the ends 35a, 36a of the left and right A-pillars 35, 36 in the image 40. Information about the image pickup element of the camera 13 is held by the imaging unit 151 or the control unit 100, and the number of pixels P between the ends 35a, 36a in the left-right direction of the image 40 is calculated.

[0064] In step S5, the ratio calculation unit 101b1 of the calculation unit 101b calculates the ratio (W / P) between the number of pixels P between the ends 35a, 36a of the left and right A-pillars 35, 36 in the image 40 calculated in step S4 and the interior width W acquired in step S2. The ratio (W / P) indicates the distance per pixel.

[0065] In step S6, the installation position calculation unit 101b2 detects the center position 40a in the left-right direction of the image 40. The center position 40a is detected as the position corresponding to the center pixel on the imaging element.

[0066] In step S7, the installation position calculation unit 101b2 calculates the number of pixels Pc between the end 35a of the right A pillar 35 and the image center position 40a.

[0067] In step S8, the installation position calculation unit 101b2 calculates the length between the end 35a of the right A pillar 35 and the left / right position 31a of the imaging unit 151 based on the number of pixels Pc between the end 35a of the right A pillar 35 and the image center position 40a calculated in step S7 and the ratio (W / P) calculated in step S5.

[0068] Specifically, the installation position calculation unit 101b2 multiplies the number of pixels Pc between the end 35a of the right A-pillar 35 and the center position 40a of the image by the ratio (W / P) of the number of pixels P between the ends 35a, 36a of the left and right A-pillars 35, 36 in the image 40 to the interior width W, and sets the resulting value as the left-right position 31a of the imaging unit 151 on the windshield 31 from the end 35a of the right A-pillar 35.

[0069] Next, in step S9, the installation position setting unit 101d sets the left / right position 31a of the imaging unit 151 calculated in step S8 in the storage unit 157 as the installation position of the drive recorder 10. More specifically, the left / right position 31a is set in the storage unit 157 as the installation position of the drive recorder 10, starting from the end 35a and moving toward the other end 36a, a position spaced apart by the length between the end 35a of the right A-pillar 35 calculated in step S8 and the left / right position 31a of the imaging unit 151.

[0070] In step S10, the vehicle center position calculation unit 101b3 calculates the vehicle center position 40b by multiplying half the number of pixels P between the ends 35a, 36a of the left and right A-pillars 35, 36 in the image 40 calculated in step S4 by the distance per pixel (ratio (W / P)) calculated in step S5. Then, the lane center position setting unit 101e sets the calculated vehicle center position 40b in the storage unit 157 as the lane center position.

[0071] The distance between the ends 35a, 36a of the left and right A-pillars 35, 36 corresponds to the interior width W listed in the specifications table. Therefore, the ratio of the interior width W to the number of pixels P (step S4) between the ends 35a, 36a of the left and right A-pillars 35, 36 (step S3) represents the physical distance per unit pixel (step S5). Therefore, the installation position of the drive recorder 10 can be identified by multiplying the distance per unit pixel by the number of pixels between the end 35a of the right A-pillar 35 and the center position 40a of the screen (step S9).

[0072] Furthermore, since the center between the ends 35a, 36a of the left and right A-pillars 35, 36 can be identified as the center of the interior width, the value obtained by multiplying half the number of pixels P between the ends 35a, 36a of the left and right A-pillars 35, 36 by the distance per pixel (ratio (W / P)) can be set as the vehicle center position 40b, and this can be set as the lane center position (step S10).

[0073] Based on the installation position of the drive recorder 10 and the lane center position thus set, the driving assistance unit 102 performs driving assistance.

[0074] Setting of the mounting position and the lane center position will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 along with the display of the drive recorder 10. FIG.

[0075] 8, the windshield 31 is divided into areas from the left into "Left 2," "Left 1," "Center," "Right 1," and "Right 2," each of which is defined to occupy approximately 20% of the total area. That is, according to the distance from the left, "Left 2" is 0-20% of the area, "Left 1" is 20-40% of the area, "Center" is 40-60% of the area, "Right 1" is 60-80% of the area, and "Right 2" is 80-100% of the area.

[0076] The mounting position of the drive recorder 10 set by the position setting unit 101 is assigned to one of the areas in Fig. 8 depending on the length from the end 35a of the right A-pillar 35 or the end 36a of the left A-pillar 36. If the drive recorder 10 is mounted at the position shown in Fig. 7 and, for example, in step S8 in Fig. 6, the position is calculated to be 70% from the end 36a of the left A-pillar 36, the drive recorder 10 is set to be mounted in the "Right 1" area in Fig. 8.

[0077] If the technology of the present disclosure is not implemented, an image 40 is displayed on the display 16 as shown in Fig. 9, and the user stops the vehicle 30 so that it is positioned in the center of the lane, and then operates the button 16b to move the guide line 16a left or right, thereby performing a lane center setting operation to align the guide line 16a with the center of the driving lane. In Fig. 9, the lane center is at the center of the image 40, but if the drive recorder 10 is installed in the area on the right 1 as shown in Fig. 8, the lane center will be shifted to the left of the center.

[0078] However, when the lane center is set manually, errors are likely to occur. In particular, when setting the lane center, it is often the case that the vehicle 30 cannot be stopped in the center of the lane, resulting in a misalignment of the center position. Because the imaging unit 151 has the wide-angle lens 13a, the image 40 becomes more likely to be distorted as the mounting position of the drive recorder 10 moves left or right from the center of the windshield 31 and the lane center moves away from the center position 40a of the image 40.

[0079] Therefore, the position setting unit 101 identifies the vehicle center position 40b, which is the center between the ends 35a, 36a of the left and right A-pillars 35, 36, through image processing, and sets this vehicle center position 40b as the center of the lane, thereby suppressing errors arising from the stopping position and image distortion.

[0080] In this embodiment, since the lane center is automatically set, there is no need to display the display shown in Fig. 9 on the display 16. However, the user may ultimately check whether the automatically set lane center position is significantly different from the actual position and correct it as necessary. In this case, the user can correct the guide line 16a to the left or right using the arrow buttons on the display 16 and then press the OK button 16c.

[0081] (Driving assistance processing) The drive recorder 10 can perform a lane departure warning as a driving assistance function using the camera 13.

[0082] In this embodiment, the installation position and the lane center position are automatically set by the position setting unit 101 of the drive recorder 10. Therefore, the drive recorder 10 of this embodiment can improve the accuracy of the lane departure warning function, among various driving assistance functions.

[0083] A case where the drive recorder 10 performs a lane departure warning function as a driving assistance function will be described with reference to Fig. 4 and Fig. 7. The control unit 100 functions as a driving assistance unit 102. The driving assistance unit 102 has a detection unit 102a and a warning unit 102b.

[0084] The detection unit 102a detects that the lane center position has shifted left or right and that the vehicle has deviated from the lane in which it is traveling, based on the image 40 captured by the imaging unit 151 and the installation position of the drive recorder 10 and the lane center position set in the storage unit 157. The driving assistance unit 102 constantly recognizes the left and right lane boundary lines that define the traveling lane ahead of the vehicle 30 by image processing, and determines that the vehicle 30 has deviated from the lane in which it is traveling when the lane center position deviates from the lane boundary lines.

[0085] The warning unit 102b warns the driver when it detects that the vehicle 30 is deviating from its lane. The warning is given for a certain period of time, for example, by sounding a warning or displaying a warning message on the display 16. Here, the certain period of time is, for example, five seconds, but is not limited to this. When the driver receives the warning and returns the vehicle 30 to its original lane, the warning unit 102b may stop the warning.

[0086] [Variations] (Image 40: rear of vehicle) In the above embodiment, the drive recorder 10 has been exemplified as having the imaging unit 151 that captures an image in front of the vehicle 30. However, in addition to this, an imaging unit 151 that captures an image behind the vehicle 30 may be installed. In this case, the rear imaging unit 151 can automatically set the mounting position of the imaging unit 151 in the left-right direction of the rear window of the vehicle 30, similar to the drive recorder 10 of the above embodiment.

[0087] In this case, for example, instead of the ends 35a, 36a of the left and right A pillars 35, 36, the lower ends of the left and right C pillars or the lower ends of the left and right D pillars may be detected depending on the type of vehicle 30.

[0088] (Another example of a driving assistance function) In the above embodiment, the driving assistance function is exemplified as a lane departure warning that requires high detection accuracy in the left and right directions of the vehicle 30, but a forward collision warning, a start delay warning, an abnormal approach warning of a preceding vehicle, etc. may also be provided. Furthermore, if the rear imaging unit 151 is installed, an abnormal approach warning of a following vehicle, a snake driving warning of a following vehicle, etc. may also be provided.

[0089] (Another example of the edge corresponding to the vehicle's interior width) In the above embodiment, the positions of the ends 35a, 36a of the left and right A-pillars 35, 36 are used as references when calculating the installation position of the drive recorder 10 in the left-right direction, but the references do not have to be the ends 35a, 36a of the left and right A-pillars 35, 36 as long as they are near the bottom and side edges of the windshield 31 and can be detected in the image 40 captured by the imaging unit 151. For example, the side edges of the dashboard or the quarter windows may also be used.

[0090] (Another example of obtaining the interior width W) In the above embodiment, the interior width W is acquired from the server 200 to calculate the installation position of the drive recorder 10. However, the interior width W may be manually input directly by the user to the display 16 of the drive recorder 10. In this case, the drive recorder 10 does not need to be provided with the communication unit 170 that communicates with the server 200.

[0091] (Example where the interior width W is not used) In the above embodiment, the interior width W is used to calculate the installation position of the drive recorder 10. However, as shown in FIG. 8, if it is only necessary to know the installation area of ​​the drive recorder 10 in the area obtained by dividing the windshield 31 into five areas in the left and right directions, the interior width W does not have to be used.

[0092] In this case, the position setting unit 101 calculates the number of pixels P between the ends 35a, 36a of the left and right A-pillars 35, 36 and the number of pixels from either the left or right at the image center position 40a in the image 40 captured by the imaging unit 151. Next, the position setting unit 101 calculates what percentage of the distance from the left the image center position 40a is located between the ends 35a, 36a of the left and right A-pillars 35, 36.

[0093] The position setting unit 101 can specify the installation area of ​​the drive recorder 10 by applying the calculated value to FIG.

[0094] (Position identification of the imaging unit 151) In the above embodiment, the position setting unit 101 is described as specifying the left-right mounting position of the drive recorder 10. However, since the mounting position is specified by image processing based on the image 40 captured by the imaging unit 151, strictly speaking, it is the position of the imaging unit 151 that is specified by the position setting unit 101.

[0095] Therefore, the position setting unit 101 may be an image capturing unit position setting unit that specifies the position of the lens center of the image capturing unit 151.

[0096] However, if the center of the lens of the imaging unit 151 coincides with the center of the housing 11 of the drive recorder 10, it can be said that the position setting unit 101 has identified the installation position of the drive recorder 10.

[0097] Furthermore, even if the center of the lens is misaligned with the center of the housing 11, as shown in Figure 8, if the number of divisions into the windshield 31 is small, it may be assumed that the position setting unit 101 has identified the mounting position of the housing 11 of the drive recorder 10.

[0098] (Another example of the in-vehicle device 10) In the above embodiment, the in-vehicle device 10 has been described as a drive recorder 10, but it may be, for example, a radar detector or a digital inner mirror, as long as it has a built-in camera.

[0099] (Mounting body of the drive recorder 10) Although not mentioned in the above embodiment, this embodiment can also be applied when the drive recorder 10 is installed in a case where the drive recorder 10 is purchased by the user at a mass retailer or installed by an installation company, etc.

[0100] (Timing of position setting process) In the above embodiment, the position setting process is executed when the power of the drive recorder 10 is first turned on. However, taking into consideration that the housing 11 may be displaced due to vibration of the vehicle 30 or loosening of the angle adjustment knob 12c (FIG. 1) during long-term use, the position setting process may be set to be executed periodically.

[0101] In this case, the control unit 100 functioning as the position setting unit 101 may store the fact that the processing has been completed in an external memory unit 157 or the like, and may perform the processing at predetermined time intervals based on a value of a timer or the like, or may perform the processing at predetermined times, assuming that the number of times the power is turned on is the number of times the vehicle 30 is driven.

[0102] (Left and right of A-pillar) In the above embodiment, the mounting position of the drive recorder 10 was set based on the length between the end 35a of the right A-pillar 35 and the image center position 40a. Alternatively, the mounting position of the drive recorder 10 may be set based on the length between the end 36a of the left A-pillar 36 and the image center position 40a.

[0103] In the above embodiment, the windshield 31 is divided into five parts, but may be divided into three, four, six or more parts depending on the required accuracy.

[0104] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, the divided areas of the windshield 31 are set so that the percentage gradually increases from the end 36a of the left A-pillar 36 toward the right, but conversely, the areas may be divided so that they increase according to the distance from the end 35a of the right A-pillar 35.

[0105] [Supplementary explanation of the embodiment] The above-described embodiments each show a preferred specific example of the present invention. The numerical values, components, arrangement positions of the components, order of connection, etc. shown in the above-described embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, the drawings are not necessarily strict illustrations.

[0106] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments merely illustrate some of the application examples of the present invention, and it is not intended that the technical scope of the present invention be limited to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.

[0107] The above-described series of processes can be executed by hardware or software. When the series of processes are executed by software, the programs constituting the software are installed from a program recording medium into a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware, or into, for example, a general-purpose computer that can execute various functions by installing various programs.

[0108] The program executed by the computer may be a program that processes in chronological order according to the order described in this specification, or may be a program that processes in parallel or at the required timing, such as when called.

[0109] [Note] The contents of the above-described embodiments can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0110] (1) Position calculation The drive recorder 10 attached to the vehicle 30 includes: When the drive recorder 10 is attached to the vehicle 30 (FIG. 5), an imaging unit 151 captures images of the inside and outside of the vehicle 30; a detection unit 101a that detects left and right end portions 35a, 36a corresponding to the interior width of the vehicle 30 in an image 40 (FIG. 7) captured by the imaging unit 151; a calculation unit (101b) that calculates a left-right position (31a) of the imaging unit (151) in the vehicle (30) based on the positions of the left and right ends (35a, 36a) in the image (40) and a center position (40a) of the image (40); an installation position setting unit 101d that sets the left and right positions 31a of the imaging unit 151 as the installation position of the drive recorder 10; Equipped with.

[0111] As a result, simply by attaching the drive recorder 10 to the vehicle 30, the installation position in the left-right direction on the vehicle 30 is set using the imaging unit 151, so the user does not need to set the installation position in the left-right direction after attaching the drive recorder 10. This allows the user to omit complicated work, improving convenience.

[0112] (2) Utilizing the width of the vehicle interior The vehicle 30 further includes an acquisition unit 101c for acquiring information about an interior width W of the vehicle 30. The calculation unit 101b may further use the room width W to calculate the left and right positions 31a of the image capturing unit 151.

[0113] This allows the interior width W of the vehicle 30 to be further utilized to calculate the left and right positions 31a of the imaging unit 151 in the vehicle 30, so that the installation position of the drive recorder 10 can be set in accordance with the actual interior width W of the vehicle 30.

[0114] (3) Setting the installation location The calculation unit 101b a ratio calculation unit 101b1 that calculates the ratio (W / P) of the number of pixels P in the left-right direction between the ends 35 and 36 in the image 40 to the indoor width W; an installation position calculation unit 101b2 that calculates the number of pixels Pc in the left-right direction between the position of one end 35 in the image 40 and the center position 40a of the image 40, and the length between one end 35a and the center of the image 40 based on the ratio (W / P); Equipped with The installation position setting unit 101d may set one end 35a as the starting point and a position spaced apart by the length of the other end 36a as the installation position.

[0115] This allows the number of pixels P to be converted into an actual length, so that the installation position of the drive recorder 10 can be set as an actual length starting from one end 35a and moving away from the other end 36a in accordance with the actual interior width W of the vehicle 30.

[0116] (4) Setting the lane center position The calculation unit 101b a vehicle center position calculation unit 101b3 that calculates a vehicle center position 40b in the image 40; a lane center position setting unit 101e that sets the vehicle center position 40b as the lane center position; may further comprise:

[0117] As a result, simply by attaching the drive recorder 10 to the vehicle 30, the vehicle center position is calculated from the image 40 acquired using the imaging unit 151, and the vehicle center position is set as the lane center position, eliminating the need for the user to set the lane center position on the display 16. This allows the user to omit cumbersome tasks and improves convenience.

[0118] (5) A-pillar The end portions 35a, 36a may be the lower ends of the left and right A-pillars 35, 36 of the vehicle 30, respectively, and may be the side ends of the vehicle 30 on the windshield 31 side.

[0119] This allows the installation position of the drive recorder 10 to be calculated based on a portion that is easily visible from the imaging unit 151 at the top of the windshield 31 of the vehicle 30, which is the installation area of ​​the drive recorder 10, and has a width close to the interior width W, so the installation position can be calculated more accurately. [Explanation of symbols]

[0120] 10 Drive recorder (in-vehicle device) 13 Imaging unit 30 vehicles 31 Windshield 31a Left and right position of the imaging unit 35 Right A-pillar 36 Left A-pillar 35a Edge of right A-pillar 36a Edge of left A-pillar 40 images 40a Image center position 40b Center of vehicle 101a Detector 101b Arithmetic unit 101b1 Ratio calculation section 101b2 Installation position calculation section 101b3 Vehicle center position calculation unit 101c acquisition department 101d Installation position setting section 101e Lane center position setting unit W Interior width

Claims

1. An in-vehicle device that is attached to a vehicle an imaging unit that captures images of the inside and outside of the vehicle when the in-vehicle device is attached to the vehicle; a detection unit that detects left and right end portions corresponding to an interior width of the vehicle in the image captured by the imaging unit; a calculation unit that calculates a left-right position of the imaging unit on the vehicle based on the positions of the left and right ends of the image and a center position of the image; an installation position setting unit that sets the left and right positions of the imaging unit as an installation position of the in-vehicle device; An in-vehicle device comprising:

2. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1, An acquisition unit that acquires interior information that is information regarding an interior width of the vehicle, The calculation unit further uses the indoor information to calculate the left and right positions of the imaging unit. An in-vehicle device comprising:

3. 3. The in-vehicle device according to claim 2, The calculation unit a ratio calculation unit that calculates a ratio between the number of pixels in the left-right direction between the ends in the image and the interior width; an installation position calculation unit that calculates the number of pixels in the left-right direction between one of the edges and the center of the image in the image and the length between the one of the edges and the center of the image based on the ratio; Equipped with the installation position setting unit sets a position that is a starting point at the one end and that is spaced apart by the length toward the other end as the installation position; An in-vehicle device comprising:

4. 3. The in-vehicle device according to claim 2, The calculation unit a vehicle center position calculation unit that calculates a vehicle center position in the image; a lane center position setting unit that sets the vehicle center position as a lane center position; The in-vehicle device further comprises:

5. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1, The end portions are lower ends of the left and right A-pillars of the vehicle and side ends on the windshield side of the vehicle. An in-vehicle device comprising:

Images