Apparatus and program

Abstract

To prevent processing to be performed when an accident or the like actually occurs from being performed even though the occurrence of the accident or the like is erroneously detected.SOLUTION: The device performs control for storing first information when a first condition is satisfied, and does not perform the control for storing the first information even if the first condition is satisfied again at an approval point which is a point where the first condition is satisfied due to an event not requiring storage of the first information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device used in a mobile body and a program for causing a device used in a mobile body to function. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, drive recorders have become increasingly installed in moving objects such as automobiles for the purpose of analyzing the situation when an accident occurs.

[0003] A drive recorder, for example, includes a camera for capturing images of the vehicle's surroundings, an acceleration sensor for detecting abnormalities such as sudden braking or sudden steering to avoid collisions or other accidents, and a storage medium for storing image data captured by the camera.

[0004] The camera continuously captures video data of the surroundings while the vehicle is moving. The system also monitors the output from the acceleration sensor, and if the acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold, it assumes that an abnormality such as sudden braking or sudden steering has occurred to avoid a collision or other accident, and stores image data for a predetermined period of time before and after that point in a storage medium. While the video data that is continuously captured is overwritten over time, the image data stored in the storage medium when the acceleration exceeds the predetermined threshold is not overwritten and can be played back at a later date.

[0005] This allows the user to check the situation around the vehicle when an abnormality such as sudden braking or sudden steering occurs in order to avoid a collision or accident, etc. An example of such a drive recorder is described in, for example, Patent Document 1.

[0006] It is also conceivable to store not only image data but also points where acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold in a storage medium, and then superimpose information indicating the points where acceleration exceeds the predetermined threshold on a map displayed by a car navigation device that provides navigation guidance to a user of a mobile vehicle.

[0007] As a prerequisite for this case, the basic functions of the car navigation system will now be described.

[0008] An example of a car navigation device is described in, for example, Patent Document 2. The car navigation device described in Patent Document 2 includes a position detection means that detects the current position of the vehicle by performing positioning using a GPS (Global Positioning System), a storage unit that stores road type information and the like, and a display unit that displays images.

[0009] The car navigation device described in Patent Document 1 creates information for driving guidance based on the location of the destination, the current location of the vehicle, road type information, etc., and displays the created information for driving guidance on the display unit, superimposed on map information.

[0010] By including icons or the like in this operation guidance information that represent the points where the acceleration exceeds the specified threshold and displaying them on a map, the user can easily understand where the acceleration has exceeded the specified threshold in the past. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0011] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-235395 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-160679 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] As described above, by utilizing the functions of the drive recorder, it is possible to store and play back video data when an accident occurs, and to store the location where the accident occurred. Furthermore, if the functions of the car navigation device are also utilized, it is possible to display an icon or the like representing the location where the accident occurred on a map.

[0013] However, in a method of detecting the occurrence of an accident or the like using measurement information such as acceleration, it is not possible to completely eliminate the possibility of falsely detecting that an accident or the like has occurred when no accident or the like has actually occurred. In other words, if the acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is only "assumed" that an accident or the like has probably occurred, and it is possible that an accident or the like has not actually occurred even when the acceleration exceeds the predetermined threshold.

[0014] Here, a specific example of such a case where an erroneous detection occurs will be described.

[0015] For example, suppose there is a point on the road where there is a step with a certain level of drop. Then, every time a mobile vehicle equipped with a drive recorder passes over the step at that point, it receives a certain amount of impact according to the drop of the step, and as a result, the acceleration exceeds a threshold each time it passes over. As a result, it is deemed that an accident or the like has occurred at that point each time it passes over.

[0016] However, simply driving over a point with a step is not an event that should be detected in relation to the functions of a drive recorder.Events that should be detected in relation to the functions of a drive recorder are, for example, an accident caused by contact with another vehicle, or inappropriate and dangerous driving such as sudden braking or sharp turns to avoid an accident.

[0017] In other words, considering the original purpose of recording video data using the drive recorder function, it is inappropriate to assume that an accident or other incident has occurred when the vehicle is traveling through an area with a step, and it can be said that assuming that an accident or other incident has occurred in this way is a false detection.

[0018] Furthermore, if an erroneous detection occurs, many problems will arise in relation to the erroneous detection, which will be explained below.

[0019] Naturally, the capacity of a storage medium is limited, and therefore there is an upper limit to the number of pieces of video data that can be stored. Nevertheless, if unnecessary video data is stored due to a false detection, the storage capacity of the storage medium is wasted, which is a problem. In addition, related to this, there is a problem that the free space of the storage medium is insufficient due to the unnecessary video data, and the video data of the accident cannot be stored even when an actual accident has occurred, or the video data stored based on a correct detection is erased by being overwritten.

[0020] Furthermore, when displaying icons or the like on a map that represent the locations where accidents or the like have occurred, as described above, icons representing locations where erroneous detections have occurred are also displayed, which causes the problem that the icons representing the locations where accidents or the like that should be displayed actually occur, and the map itself, become difficult to see.

[0021] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a device and a program that can prevent processing that should be performed if an accident or the like actually occurs from being performed even though the occurrence of an accident or the like has been mistakenly detected. [Means for solving the problem]

[0022] (1) A device that performs control to store first information when a first condition is satisfied, characterized in that at a certified location where the first condition was satisfied due to an event that does not require the storage of the first information, the device does not perform control to store the first information even if the first condition is satisfied again.

[0023] In this way, at a certified location where the first condition is satisfied due to an event that does not require the storage of the first information, it is preferable that the first information not be stored even if the first condition is satisfied again. This is advantageous because it reduces the amount of data to be stored. In particular, it is advantageous because it is not necessary to store the first information every time an event that does not require the storage of the first information occurs at the same location. This is advantageous because it prevents the storage capacity of the storage medium that stores the first information from becoming full.

[0024] In particular, it is preferable that the first information is stored when a first condition is satisfied at a location other than the certified location. This allows the first information to be stored at a location where the first condition is satisfied due to an event requiring the storage of the first information. For example, an event that does not require the storage of the first information does not occur every time at the same location, but the first information can be stored at a location where an event requiring the storage of the first information occurs. This allows the first information that is truly necessary to be stored.

[0025] The device may be implemented as a device including the functionality of a drive recorder. This allows the device to be implemented using hardware for implementing the functionality of the drive recorder. For example, software for implementing the functionality of the device may be run using a processor that performs arithmetic processing for implementing the functionality of the drive recorder and a storage device. Furthermore, for example, whether the first condition is satisfied may be determined by using measurement results from a sensor for implementing the functionality of the drive recorder. In particular, the sensor may be an acceleration sensor, and whether the first condition is satisfied may be determined based on the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor. Furthermore, for example, the control target of the control for storing the first information may be the control of information storage by the function of the drive recorder.

[0026] Furthermore, the "first condition" may be a predetermined pattern of predetermined information, and the predetermined information may particularly be information that changes as the moving object moves. For example, the "first condition" may be a case where "information that changes as the moving object moves" becomes a predetermined pattern. The "predetermined pattern" may be a case where a predetermined state continues or a state that has a predetermined correlation with a pre-stored pattern, but particularly, the following (2) may be used. Furthermore, the information that changes as the moving object moves may become a predetermined pattern when an impact that occurs when the moving object is involved in a collision accident or an impact that occurs when an abnormality such as sudden braking or sudden steering occurs to avoid an accident is detected. This allows the first information to be stored when an abnormality such as sudden braking or sudden steering occurs to avoid a collision accident or accident.

[0027] Furthermore, the "first information" may be information related to the event that caused the first condition to be satisfied, and may be, for example, image data of the inside of the moving body or the surrounding area of ​​the moving body captured by an imaging device mounted on the moving body. This is advantageous because it allows the situation inside the moving body or the surrounding area of ​​the moving body when the first condition was satisfied to be confirmed. Furthermore, while the image data used as the first information may be a still image, it is also advantageous because it is video recorded around the time the first condition was satisfied, including the time when the first condition was satisfied. This is advantageous because it allows the situation before and after the first condition was satisfied to be confirmed, not just the time when the first condition was satisfied.

[0028] Furthermore, the "event that does not require the storage of the first information" may be an event that is not intended as an event that requires the storage of the first information in light of the intended use of the device. This prevents the first information from being stored even when an unintended event occurs.

[0029] In particular, the device may be used to control information stored by a drive recorder. For example, it may be used to control whether or not to store video data when the drive recorder detects an impact. In this case, for example, if the impact is not due to an accident or the like but is due to passing over a bump, the device may be controlled not to store the video data. On the other hand, if the impact is due to an accident or the like, the device may be controlled to store the video data. This is advantageous because it prevents the storage capacity of the storage medium from becoming full. Furthermore, since it is possible to prevent the storage capacity of the storage medium from becoming full, it is advantageous because it is possible to store and preserve only the video that is truly necessary, such as video of an accident or the like.

[0030] Furthermore, a "certified location" may be a location that is recognized as a location where the first condition is satisfied due to an event that does not require the storage of the first information. For example, if the first condition is satisfied by a moving object passing through a certain location, and it is recognized that this is due to an event that does not require the storage of the first information, this certain location may be recognized as a certified location. The certified location may be recognized, for example, in response to a user operation. This allows for accurate recognition based on the user's judgment, rather than just based on whether the first condition is satisfied.

[0031] (2) A device characterized in that the first condition is that measurement information that changes with the movement of a mobile object carrying the device changes to predetermined information.

[0032] In this way, it is preferable to determine whether to store the first information based on measurement information that changes as the mobile object equipped with the device moves. This allows the first information to be stored according to the moving status of the mobile object. Furthermore, it is preferable to configure the device to measure information that changes as the mobile object moves. This allows the device to complete the processing.

[0033] In addition, even if the first condition is satisfied depending on the movement status of the moving object, the first information may not be stored at the certified point. This allows the first information not to be stored based only on the movement status of the moving object.

[0034] (3) when the first condition is satisfied, storing second information that is information that identifies the position of the point where the first condition is satisfied; An apparatus characterized in that, when a second condition is satisfied, the second information identifying the location of a point other than the certified point is output, but the second information identifying the location of the certified point is not output.

[0035] In this way, when the second condition is satisfied, it is preferable to output information that identifies a location other than the certified location where the first condition is satisfied, so that the location where the first condition is satisfied can be identified at the output destination.

[0036] In this way, it is preferable to configure the system not to output information that identifies the location of the certified location, which is preferable because it can prevent the amount of information output from becoming excessive, which would be caused by outputting both information that identifies locations other than the certified location where the first condition is satisfied and information that identifies the location of the certified location.

[0037] The "output" may be performed, for example, by displaying the information on a screen referenced by the user. In this way, the user can identify a location other than the certified location where the first condition is satisfied. In addition, in this case, information identifying the certified location is not output to the screen referenced by the user, which is advantageous in that it prevents the screen from becoming difficult to see.

[0038] The "second information" may be, for example, an icon displayed on a map. In this case, it is particularly preferable to vary the display mode of the icon depending on the degree to which the first condition is satisfied, the order in which the first condition is satisfied, etc. For example, the display mode may be varied by varying the color or shape of the icon or adding a number. In this way, a user who refers to the map and the icon can recognize the degree to which the first condition is satisfied, the order in which the first condition is satisfied, etc.

[0039] The "second condition" may be a condition that is satisfied when it is desirable to refer to the second information at the output destination. For example, the second condition may be that the map referenced by the user is displayed. In particular, it is more preferable to use the method described in (4) below.

[0040] (4) A device characterized in that the second condition is that the device has approached a point where the first condition is satisfied.

[0041] In this way, the second condition may be the device approaching a point where the first condition is satisfied, and when the second condition is satisfied, information specifying the point where the first condition is satisfied may be output. This allows the output destination to know that the first condition was satisfied in the vicinity of the device in the past.

[0042] The output may be displayed on a screen that the user can refer to, for example, so that the user can know that the first condition has been met in the past near the current location of the device.

[0043] (5) A device characterized by outputting the second information identifying the location of the certified point when a third condition is satisfied.

[0044] In this way, when the third condition is satisfied, it is preferable to configure the device to output the second information specifying the location of the certified point. This is preferable because the location of the certified point can be specified at the output destination. The output can be performed, for example, on a screen referenced by the user. In this way, the user can specify the location of the certified point. This is preferable because, for example, since the certified point will be passed soon, it is possible to know in advance that an event that satisfies the first condition will likely occur again. It is also preferable because it is possible to know why the first information has not been stored even though the first condition should have been satisfied.

[0045] The "third condition" may be a condition that is satisfied when it is desirable to refer to the location of the certified point at the output destination. For example, the third condition may be that an operation to confirm the location of the certified point has been received from the user.

[0046] (6) A device characterized in that the second information about the certified location and the second information about a location other than the certified location are displayed in different display modes.

[0047] In this way, it is preferable to configure the second information, which is information specifying the location of the point where the first condition is satisfied, to be output in different display modes for the certified point and other points, so that the location of the certified point and the location of points other than the certified point where the first condition is satisfied can be distinguished at the output destination.

[0048] (7) A device characterized in that the certified location is determined based on a user's operation that refers to stored information when a first condition is satisfied.

[0049] In this way, the certified point can be determined based on the user's operation. This allows the certified point to be determined more accurately than if the device were to automatically determine the certified point. Also, it is advantageous because it is not necessary to set the criteria for determining whether a point is certified or not in the device.

[0050] In this way, the user determines the certified location by referring to the stored information when the first condition is met, which allows the user to determine the certified location more accurately than if the information is not referred to.

[0051] The information stored when the first condition is met may be either the first information or the second information, but it is even better to store both, as this increases the information available to the user for decision making.

[0052] The first information may be, for example, image data captured when the first condition is met. This allows the user to refer to the image data and determine whether or not the location is a certified location.

[0053] The second information may be, for example, information specifying the location of a point that satisfies the first condition, so that the user can determine whether the point is a certified point after understanding the location of the point that satisfies the first condition.

[0054] (8) A device characterized in that the first condition includes condition 1-1 and condition 1-2, and at a certified location where condition 1-1 is certified to have been met due to an event that does not require the storage of the first information, if condition 1-1 is met again, control to store the first information is not performed, but if condition 1-2 is met, control to store the first information is performed.

[0055] In this way, it is preferable that the first information is not stored at a location that has become a certified location after satisfying condition 1-1 due to an event that does not require storage of the first information, even if condition 1-1 is satisfied again. This is advantageous because it reduces the amount of data to be stored. In particular, it is advantageous because it does not require storing the first information every time when the same event occurs at the same location. For example, if there is a step, the same level of impact occurs every time the location is passed, and it is advantageous because it does not require storing the first information every time at such a location.

[0056] Furthermore, even if a location has been certified as a certified location after satisfying condition 1-1, it may be configured to store the first information if it also satisfies condition 1-2. This allows the first information to be stored even if the location has been certified as a certified location once, provided that condition 1-2 is satisfied. In particular, even if the same event occurs at the same location each time, it is possible to store the first information if a different event occurs at the location, rather than the same event. For example, if a location has a step, the same level of impact will occur each time the location is passed, but if a greater impact than the same level occurs, the first information may be stored.

[0057] The "condition 1-1" and the "condition 1-2" may be defined as more detailed distinctions of the first condition. For example, if the first condition is that the measured acceleration exceeds a threshold, multiple thresholds may be set, and the condition 1-1 may be satisfied when the first threshold is exceeded, and the condition 1-2 may be satisfied when a second threshold, which is greater than the first threshold, is also exceeded. This makes it possible to store the first information when an accident or the like occurs at a certified point and a larger impact than the impact normally detected occurs due to a step at the certified point.

[0058] (9) An apparatus characterized in that the first condition includes a plurality of conditions in stages according to the magnitude of the threshold, and when the conditions are arranged in order from the smallest threshold, the 1-2 condition is a plurality of conditions including the condition that comes next after the 1-1 condition or a condition that comes after the 1-1 condition.

[0059] In this way, it is preferable to perform control to store the first information when the condition next to condition 1-1 or any of the conditions after that, in ascending order of threshold value, is satisfied. This advantageously prevents a situation in which the first information is not stored at a location that has been designated as a certified location because condition 1-1 has been satisfied, even though condition 1-2, which is next to condition 1-1, has been satisfied.

[0060] For example, suppose conditions are arranged in ascending order of threshold, resulting in n conditions, such as condition 1, condition 2, condition 3, ..., condition n. At a location that has been certified because condition 1 was met, the first information is not stored even if condition 1 is met again. This is because condition 1 is met every time due to a step at the certified location, and no accidents or other incidents have occurred. In addition, it is also possible to not store the first information even if condition 2 or condition 3 is met. However, if all of the conditions set in stages are subject to not storing the first information, a situation may arise in which the first information is not stored even though it should have been stored. For example, consider a case in which an accident or other incident occurs, and condition 2, which has a higher threshold, is met instead of condition 1, which is met every time due to a step at the certified location. In this case, it is preferable to store the first information because an accident or other incident has occurred. Therefore, it is preferable to store the first information if at least condition 2 is met.

[0061] (10) A device characterized in that the first condition includes multiple conditions in stages depending on the magnitude of the threshold, and when at least the condition with the highest threshold is satisfied, the first information is stored even at the certified location.

[0062] In this way, when the condition with the highest threshold among multiple conditions according to the threshold is satisfied, the first information is preferably stored regardless of whether the location is certified or not. This can advantageously prevent a situation in which the first information is not stored even when the condition with the highest threshold is satisfied.

[0063] When multiple thresholds are set, it is conceivable that even if an impact exceeding the highest threshold occurs, the first information will not be stored if the location is a certified location. However, if this is done, the first information will not be stored even if an extremely large impact occurs. The occurrence of such an extremely large impact is considered to be caused by an accident or the like. Therefore, it is preferable to store the first information. Therefore, as described in (10), it is advisable to store the first information when the highest threshold is exceeded.

[0064] (11) A device characterized in that the certified point is defined by a distance range representing the certified point and a direction of passage when passing through the certified point.

[0065] In this way, it is preferable to define the certified point not only by the distance range but also by the direction of passage when passing through the certified point. By doing so, if the distance range of the certified point is entered from a certain direction, it can be determined that the vehicle is within the range of the defined certified point. On the other hand, if the distance range of the certified point is entered from another direction, it can be determined that the vehicle is not within the range of the defined certified point.

[0066] For example, in a location where the first condition is satisfied every time the vehicle enters the distance range of the certified location from a certain direction, but the first condition is not satisfied every time the vehicle enters the distance range of the certified location from another direction, the configuration described in (11) may be used. This is because, in a location where the first condition is satisfied every time, it is preferable to determine the location as a certified location and not record the first information even if the first condition is satisfied.

[0067] For example, suppose there is a step in one lane (let's say the inbound lane) of a two-lane road, and no step in the other lane (let's say the outbound lane). In this case, when the vehicle enters the distance range of the certified point from the inbound lane, a certain amount of impact occurs due to passing over a step each time. Therefore, in this case, it is preferable not to store the first information as having passed the certified point. On the other hand, when the vehicle enters the distance range of the certified point from the outbound lane, there is no step, so normally no impact occurs. If an impact occurs, it is considered to be caused by an accident or the like. Therefore, in this case, it is preferable to store the first information as having not passed the certified point. Therefore, considering such cases where it is necessary to determine whether or not to store the information depending on the passing direction, it is preferable to define the certified point not only by the distance range but also by the passing direction when passing over the certified point, as in (11) above, so that it can be determined whether or not the certified point has been passed.

[0068] (12) A device characterized in that, when the first condition is met consecutively at multiple locations at intervals less than a predetermined time interval and all of the multiple locations are certified locations, the device groups the multiple certified locations into one group and outputs information identifying the location of this one group rather than information identifying the location of each of the multiple certified locations.

[0069] In this way, when the points that satisfy the first condition are consecutive and each of these points is a certified point, it is preferable to configure the device so that these points are grouped together and information specifying the position of the group is output.Also, it is preferable to configure the device so that multiple pieces of information specifying the position of each of the multiple points are not output.

[0070] By doing so, the output destination does not output information specifying each of the multiple locations, but rather information specifying the location of one group. For example, the output destination may be a screen referenced by the user. This is advantageous because it prevents the screen from becoming difficult to see due to all of the information specifying the location of each of the multiple locations being displayed. Furthermore, while the information specifying the location of each of the multiple locations is not displayed, the information specifying the location of one group is displayed, so the user can understand that multiple certified locations exist at that location.

[0071] Some roads have a series of bumps that are designed to reduce driving speed or alert the driver by providing sound or vibration to the driver. When a vehicle passes through such a road, the first condition is met in succession. However, if information identifying each point that satisfies the first condition is output, the amount of output information will be large. Therefore, by treating each point as a group and outputting information identifying the position of this group, it is possible to prevent the amount of output information from becoming unnecessarily large.

[0072] (13) A device characterized in that, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the location was certified as a certified location, or when the number of certified locations reaches a predetermined number, or when both of these cases occur, some or all of the locations that have been certified as certified locations are no longer treated as certified locations.

[0073] In this way, if a predetermined time has passed since a location was recognized as a certified location, it may be configured not to be treated as a certified location. By doing so, the number of certified locations can be kept below a predetermined number.

[0074] This is advantageous because it can prevent the number of certified locations from becoming too large. If the number of certified locations becomes too large, a large number of certified locations will be output when information specifying the positions of the certified locations is output, so it is preferable to prevent the number of certified locations from becoming too large in this way.

[0075] In particular, if the device is one that will be used continuously for a long period of time, the number of certified points will increase as the period of use increases, so it is advisable to limit the number of certified points in this way.

[0076] (14) A device characterized in that if the first condition is not satisfied even though the certified point has been passed, the certified point is not treated as the certified point.

[0077] In this way, if a location is certified as a certified location but the first condition is not met after the location has been passed, the location may not be treated as a certified location. This prevents a location that should no longer be a certified location from being treated as a certified location.

[0078] For example, suppose there is a step at a certain point, and an impact that satisfies the first condition occurs every time the point is passed. In this case, this point is designated as a certified point. However, if the situation changes, for example, if the step disappears, passing this point will no longer cause an impact that satisfies the first condition. In such a case, it is best not to treat this point as a certified point. This is because, although the point was certified as a certified point because the first condition was met every time the point was passed, due to a change in the situation, it has become a point that no longer satisfies the first condition even when passed.

[0079] (15) A device having a drive recorder function and a car navigation function, characterized in that the first information is image data captured by the drive recorder function, a location where the first condition is met due to an event that does not require storage of image data captured by the drive recorder function is the certified location, and information identifying the location of a location that meets the first condition but is other than the certified location is displayed on a map displayed by the car navigation function.

[0080] In this way, it is preferable that the image data captured by the drive recorder function is stored when the first condition is satisfied. This makes it possible to use the image data captured by the drive recorder function even after the first condition is satisfied. The "image data captured by the drive recorder function" may be, for example, a digitalized image of the surroundings of a mobile body captured when the mobile body equipped with the device comes into contact with another object and receives a certain impact.

[0081] Furthermore, at a certified location where the first condition is satisfied due to an event that does not require the storage of image data captured by the drive recorder function, the image data captured by the drive recorder function may be configured not to be stored. This advantageously prevents image data resulting from an event that does not require the storage of image data from being stored each time the vehicle passes through the certified location. An event that does not require the storage of image data may be, for example, a vehicle equipped with the device passing over a step. The first condition being satisfied due to an event that does not require the storage of image data may be, for example, a vehicle equipped with the device passing over a step, which detects an impact.

[0082] Furthermore, when displaying information specifying the locations of points that satisfy the first condition on a map displayed by a car navigation function, it is preferable to configure the system so that information specifying the locations of certified points is not displayed. This is advantageous in that it prevents more information than necessary from being displayed on the map. "Displaying information specifying the locations of points that satisfy the first condition on a map displayed by a car navigation function" may, for example, mean displaying an icon on the map that specifies the location of the point that satisfies the first condition.

[0083] (16) A program that causes a computer to function as the device described in any one of (1) to (15) above.

[0084] In this way, by creating a program that causes a computer to function as any of the devices described in (1) to (15) above, it is possible to realize all or at least part of the functions of the devices described in (1) to (15) above by the computer. [Effects of the Invention]

[0085] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a process that should be performed when an accident or the like actually occurs from being performed despite the occurrence of an accident or the like being erroneously detected. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0086] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is an image diagram illustrating three types of recording in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 10 is a display example showing a list of icons corresponding to manual recording and event recording in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 10 is a display example of a pop-up display when an event occurs in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing the basic operation when identifying an erroneous detection identified point in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 10 is a display example showing an example of how event icons are displayed on a map in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 10 is a display example of a map and a list of icons corresponding to manual recording and event recording in the present invention. [Figure 8] 10 is a display example showing an example of how a history icon is displayed on a map in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram (1 / 4) showing screen transitions in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram (2 / 4) showing screen transitions in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 3 is a diagram (3 / 4) showing screen transitions in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a diagram (4 / 4) showing screen transitions in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of a power supply control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] 1 is a flowchart (1 / 2) showing a basic operation during power supply control in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] 1 is a flowchart (2 / 2) showing a basic operation during power supply control in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] 10 is a display example when the drive recorder is not activated in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display when a navigation function is operating in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] 1A to 1C are six-sided views illustrating an example of implementation of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a notch provided in an implementation example of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a speaker slit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the cradle and the base are connected in an implementation example of an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0087] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0088] <Function block> First, the configuration of an all-in-one device 1000 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing functional blocks included in the all-in-one device 1000.

[0089] Referring to FIG. 1, the all-in-one device 1000 includes a first control unit 100, a touch panel 110, a speaker 120, an alarm LED 130, a button 140, a TV tuner 150, a GPS sensor 160, an acceleration sensor 170, a first memory unit 180, a main memory unit 190, a second control unit 200, a camera 210, a microphone 220, a second memory unit 230, a power supply unit 310, and a USB terminal 320.

[0090] Here, the first control unit 100 is a control unit that mainly realizes the function of a car navigation device. On the other hand, the second control unit 200 is a control unit that mainly realizes the function of a drive recorder. The first control unit 100 and the second control unit 200 cooperate to realize control of the all-in-one device 1000. In other words, the all-in-one device 1000 is a device that combines the function of a car navigation device and the function of a drive recorder. In the following description, it is assumed that the all-in-one device 1000 is installed and used on the dashboard of a vehicle, which is a moving object.

[0091] Next, the functions of each of these parts will be explained in more detail.

[0092] The first control unit 100 controls the touch panel 110, the speaker 120, the notification LED (Light Emitting Diode) 130, the button 140, the TV tuner 150, the GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor 160, the acceleration sensor 170, the first memory unit 180, and the main memory unit 190, among the above-mentioned units.

[0093] Specifically, the first control unit 100 inputs the content of the operation received by the touch panel 110. The first control unit 100 also outputs image data to be displayed to the touch panel 110. The first control unit 100 also outputs sounds such as music and voice to be output to the speaker 120. Furthermore, the first control unit 100 notifies the user by lighting or blinking the notification LED 130.

[0094] Furthermore, the first control unit 100 controls the TV tuner 150 in response to an operation received by the touch panel 110.

[0095] Furthermore, the first control unit 100 receives as input the position information measured by the GPS sensor 160. Furthermore, the first control unit 100 receives as input the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor 170.

[0096] Furthermore, the first control unit 100 writes information to the first storage unit 180. Furthermore, the first control unit 100 reads information from the first storage unit 180.

[0097] Furthermore, the first control unit 100 writes information to the main memory unit 190. Furthermore, the first control unit 100 reads information from the main memory unit 190.

[0098] Furthermore, the first control unit 100 is connected to the second control unit 200 via a communication line or the like mounted on the board, and communicates with the second control unit 200.

[0099] Furthermore, the first control unit 100 communicates with an external device connected via a USB terminal 320 .

[0100] Touch panel 110 accepts an operation when a user presses the screen, and outputs the content of the accepted operation to first control unit 100. Here, the content of the operation is information that specifies the position on the screen of touch panel 110 where the press is accepted. Furthermore, touch panel 110 displays image data input from first control unit 100 on the screen. Furthermore, touch panel 110 displays image data input from television tuner 150 on the screen.

[0101] The speaker 120 outputs sounds such as music and voices input from the first control unit 100 .

[0102] The notification LED 130 lights up or blinks under the control of the first control unit 100.

[0103] The button 140 is a physical button 140 provided on the housing of the all-in-one device 1000, and accepts user operations.

[0104] Here, when the all-in-one device 1000 is installed and used in an automobile as described above, the touch panel 110, the speaker 120, and the notification LED 130 are arranged in positions where the user can detect the outputs of the touch panel 110, the speaker 120, and the notification LED 130. Furthermore, the touch panel 110 and the button 140 are arranged in positions where the user can operate them.

[0105] Television tuner 150 receives television signals, converts the received television signals into image data in a predetermined format, and outputs the image data to touch panel 110. In the following description, the image data converted by television tuner 150 will be referred to as "television video."

[0106] The GPS sensor 160 measures the current position of the all-in-one device 1000 using GPS, and outputs the measured position information to the first control unit 100. Here, the position information is realized by, for example, coordinate information conforming to the GPS standard.

[0107] The acceleration sensor 170 measures acceleration and inputs the measured acceleration to the first control unit 100. The acceleration sensor 170 is also called a "G sensor."

[0108] The first storage unit 180 is a section into which a user inserts a removable storage medium. For example, a storage medium storing music files in MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3) format or television images written by the first control unit 100 is inserted into the first storage unit 180. Then, under the control of the first control unit 100, these music files and television images are read from the storage medium inserted into the first storage unit 180 and output from the speaker 120 and the touch panel 110.

[0109] The main memory unit 190 stores information for performing car navigation. Specifically, map information, information about certain landmarks, information for identifying road types, facility information, address information, etc. The main memory unit 190 also stores software for implementing control by the first control unit 100.

[0110] The software in the main memory unit 190 can also be updated using the latest data for software updated after the shipment of the all-in-one device 1000, the latest data for targets, etc. For example, a storage medium storing the latest data is inserted into the first storage unit 180, and the first storage unit 180 reads the additional data from the storage medium and updates the software in the main storage unit 190. Here, the main storage unit 190 is realized by, for example, a flash memory.

[0111] Furthermore, as described above, when the all-in-one device 1000 is installed and used in an automobile, the current position measured by the GPS sensor 160 represents the current position of the automobile, and the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor 170 represents the acceleration of the automobile. The first control unit 100 then compares the current position measured by the GPS sensor 160 with map information stored in the memory unit to create a map for navigation including the current position of the automobile, and displays this map for navigation on the touch panel 110. The touch panel 110, speaker 120, and notification LED 130 are also used to output predetermined information, warnings, and messages. The first control unit 100 performs these processes to realize the car navigation function.

[0112] On the other hand, the second control unit 200 controls the camera 210, the microphone 220, and the second storage unit 230 among the above-mentioned units.

[0113] Then, second control unit 200 receives the video signal captured by camera 210 and the audio signal collected by microphone 220, converts the received video signal and audio signal into image data in a predetermined format, and stores the image data in a storage unit. In the following description, the image data converted by second control unit 200 is referred to as "real-time video."

[0114] In addition, the second control unit 200 outputs the real-time video to the first control unit 100. The output real-time video is displayed on the touch panel 110.

[0115] The camera 210 includes an entrance portion 211 .

[0116] The light incident on the incident part 211 is converted into a video signal and output to the second control part 200.

[0117] Furthermore, the microphone 220 collects sound. The sound collected by the microphone 220 is converted into an acoustic signal and output to the second control unit 200.

[0118] When the all-in-one device 1000 is installed and used in an automobile, the light incident on the incident unit 211 and the sound collected by the microphone 220 are the objects to be captured by the drive recorder. Here, the objects to be captured by the drive recorder are, for example, the scenery in the direction of travel and the surrounding sounds captured through the windshield from inside the automobile. The second control unit 200 then stores the objects to be captured by the drive recorder in the second storage unit 230 in a predetermined video format, thereby realizing the function of the drive recorder.

[0119] The power supply unit 310 supplies power to each functional block included in the all-in-one device 1000. Power is supplied to the power supply unit 310 from an external device via a USB terminal 320. Note that wiring for the power supply unit 310 to supply power to each functional block is not shown in FIG.

[0120] The USB terminal 320 is a terminal that conforms to the USB standard. The USB terminal 320 is connected to an external device via a cable that conforms to the USB standard. Power is supplied from the external device via the cable. It is also possible for the first control unit 100 and the external device to communicate via the cable.

[0121] Here, when the all-in-one device 1000 is installed and used in a car, a cable connected to a car charger of the car is connected to the USB terminal 320. Then, the all-in-one device 1000 is supplied with power from the car charger of the car.

[0122] The functional blocks of this embodiment have been described above.

[0123] The first control unit 100 and the second control unit 200 described above are each realized by an arithmetic device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. The CPU reads software stored in the ROM or main storage unit 190, and performs arithmetic processing while expanding the software in the RAM, thereby realizing control by the first control unit 100 and the second control unit 200. <Processing of this embodiment> Next, each of the processes performed by this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. <Real-time video recording> First, the recording of real-time video images performed under the control of the second control unit 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. In this embodiment, there are three recording methods: continuous recording, manual recording, and event recording.

[0124] First, as a premise, imaging is performed and real-time video acquisition begins when the engine of the automobile in which the all-in-one device 1000 is installed is started. Then, imaging ends when the automobile engine is stopped, and the acquisition of real-time video also ends accordingly.

[0125] Here, whether the automobile engine is running may be determined, for example, based on whether power is being supplied from the automobile via the USB terminal 320. In other words, if power supply starts, acquisition of real-time video is started, and if power supply ends, acquisition of real-time video is ended.

[0126] Next, continuous recording will be described. From the start of acquisition of real-time video until the end of acquisition of real-time video, the real-time video is stored in the second storage unit 230. In other words, continuous recording is always performed while the car engine is running.

[0127] The recorded real-time video is divided into multiple files of a predetermined length and saved in the second storage unit 230. The predetermined length can be any unit, but for example, one file may be 30 seconds long. In the following explanation, these files will be referred to as "video files."

[0128] As shown in the upper left of Fig. 2, "From startup until the capacity of the second storage unit 230 is full," video files continue to be saved until the capacity of the second storage unit 230 allocated for continuous recording is full. The capacity allocated for continuous recording is arbitrary, but it is recommended that the capacity be such that video files corresponding to a length of 20 minutes can be recorded, for example.

[0129] Furthermore, even if the capacity of the second storage unit 230 allocated for continuous recording becomes full, the storage of video files continues. However, if this continues, there will not be enough capacity to store new video files. Therefore, when storing new video files, it is recommended to delete the oldest video files first.

[0130] Next, manual recording will be described. When a user presses button 140 or touch panel 110, manual recording is executed by second control unit 200. Specifically, when first control unit 100 detects that a user has pressed button 140 or touch panel 110, it instructs second control unit 200 to execute manual recording. Upon receiving this instruction, second control unit 200 protects the video file including the time when pressing button 140 or touch panel 110 was detected, and the video file immediately before that video file. In other words, two video files are protected in response to a single press. Here, protecting means that the protected video file is excluded from deletion of the oldest video file that would be deleted during continuous recording.

[0131] The two protected video files, the date and time of manual recording, and location information identifying the location where the two video files were captured are linked and stored as a pair in the second storage unit 230. An identifier must also be added to the pair to identify this current manual recording. For example, the date and time of manual recording may be used not only to confirm the date and time but also as an identifier. Alternatively, the first control unit 100 may request coordinate information measured by the GPS sensor 160 as location information, and the coordinate information transmitted from the first control unit 100 in response to the request may be used. Alternatively, when the first control unit 100 issues an instruction to execute manual recording, the first control unit 100 may transmit the coordinate information, and the second control unit may use the transmitted coordinate information.

[0132] Furthermore, the second control unit 200 notifies the first control unit 100 that manual recording has been performed. Specifically, the second control unit 200 associates the fact that manual recording has been performed, the date and time when manual recording was performed, and the location information specifying the location where manual recording was performed with each other to form a pair, and transmits this pair and an identifier for specifying this manual recording to the first control unit 100. The first control unit 100 then stores the received paired information and its identifier in the main storage unit 190.

[0133] The number of items that can be protected may be determined arbitrarily depending on the capacity of second storage unit 230, but may be set to, for example, a maximum of 10 incidents, i.e., 20 video files. When 20 video files are protected and a user press of button 140 is detected to perform new manual recording or new event recording (described below), the two oldest video files for one incident are removed from the list of protected files and deleted. This allows new video files to be protected.

[0134] Next, event recording will be described. When the first control unit 100 determines that an event has occurred, the second control unit 200 executes event recording. Here, an event refers to an occurrence for which real-time video should be recorded. In other words, when an event for which real-time video should be recorded occurs, it is determined that an event has occurred. Furthermore, an event for which real-time video should be recorded is, for example, a collision accident, which should be recorded using the drive recorder function, or an abnormality such as sudden braking or sudden steering to avoid an accident. However, a collision accident, or an abnormality such as sudden braking or sudden steering to avoid an accident is merely an example of an event, and these events may not be treated as events, or other events may be treated as events.

[0135] When the first control unit 100 determines that an event has occurred, it associates the date and time the event occurred with location information that identifies the location where the event occurred, and stores this pair and an identifier for identifying the current event recording in the main memory unit 190.

[0136] Furthermore, when the first control unit 100 determines that an event has occurred, it associates the event occurrence, the date and time the event occurred, and location information identifying the location where the event occurred to form a pair, and notifies the second control unit 200 of this pair and an identifier for identifying the current event recording. Upon receiving this notification, the second control unit 200 executes event recording. How the first control unit 100 determines that an event has occurred will be explained after the explanation of this event recording.

[0137] The second control unit 200 that executes event recording protects the video file that includes the point in time when the event occurred and the video file immediately before that video file, i.e., protects two video files in response to one event occurrence.

[0138] The two protected video files, the date and time the event occurred, and the location information identifying the location where the two video files were captured are then linked together to form a pair, and an identifier for identifying this pair and the current event recording is stored in the second storage unit 230. As with manual recording, the date and time the event occurred may also be used as an identifier. Furthermore, as with manual recording, the coordinate information transmitted from the first control unit 100 may also be used as the location information.

[0139] As with manual recording, the number of protectable events may be determined arbitrarily depending on the capacity of the second storage unit 230, but for example, it may be set to a maximum of 10 events, or 20 video files, when combined with the number of manual recordings. As with manual recording, when 20 video files are protected and further recording is performed, it is preferable to remove the two video files that are video files for the oldest single event from the list of protected events and delete them.

[0140] The video files recorded in this manner can be played back in response to user operations. For example, as shown in Fig. 3, the date and time at which the protected video files were captured are displayed as a list on touch panel 110, with the date and time at which the files were captured used as identifiers. Then, a user selection is accepted on touch panel 110, and the video file corresponding to the selection is played back on touch panel 110. Note that, to enable the user to distinguish between manual recording and event recording, an icon such as i1 in Fig. 3 is attached to manual recording, and an icon with a different shape from i1, such as i2 in Fig. 3, is attached to event recording.

[0141] <Event occurrence determination> In this embodiment, the first control unit 100 determines that an event has occurred.

[0142] To determine whether an event has occurred, the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor 170, which is measurement information that changes as the vehicle moves, and a predetermined threshold value are used. An event is determined to have occurred when the measured acceleration exceeds the predetermined threshold value. In this way, it can be determined that an event has occurred, such as the vehicle colliding with another moving object or an installed object, or that the user operating the vehicle has made a sudden stop, a sudden start, or a sharp turn.

[0143] Furthermore, instead of using only one threshold, multiple thresholds are provided in stages. By determining which of the thresholds provided in stages the measurement value of acceleration sensor 170 has exceeded, it is possible to determine not only whether the automobile has collided with another moving object or an installed object, but also the extent of the impact of the collision.

[0144] For example, the most sensitive threshold is set to 0.5G, and the thresholds become progressively less sensitive from there. That is, the second least sensitive threshold is 0.8G, the intermediate threshold is 1.1G, the second least sensitive threshold is 1.4G, and the least sensitive threshold is 1.7G, so that there are five levels in total.

[0145] If the measurement value of acceleration sensor 170 is less than 0.5 G, for example, it is not determined that an event has occurred. If the measurement value of acceleration sensor 170 is 0.9 G, for example, it exceeds the threshold of the second least sensitive stage, so it is determined that a level 2 event has occurred. If the measurement value of acceleration sensor 170 is 1.9 G, for example, it exceeds the threshold of the least sensitive stage, so it is determined that a level 5 event has occurred. In this way, the higher the measurement value of acceleration sensor 170, the higher the level of the event that is determined to have occurred. In other words, the higher the level of the event, the greater the impact that has been detected.

[0146] When it is determined that an event has occurred, the first control unit 100 associates location information for identifying the location where the event occurred, the level of the event that occurred, and the date and time when the event occurred to form a pair, and stores this pair and an identifier for identifying the current event in the main storage unit 190. In addition, the date and time when the event occurred may also be used as an identification code for identifying each event, similar to what the second control unit 200 does in manual recording and event recording.

[0147] Furthermore, as described above, when the first control unit 100 determines that an event has occurred, the second control unit 200 executes event recording. Specifically, when the first control unit 100 determines that an event has occurred, it notifies the second control unit 200 of this. Upon receiving this notification, the second control unit 200 executes event recording. The method for executing event recording by the second control unit 200 is as described above in the section <Recording of real-time video>.

[0148] Furthermore, when it is determined that an event has occurred, the first control unit 100 notifies the user of the occurrence of the event by lighting or blinking the notification LED 130. The first control unit 100 also displays a pop-up message such as "***** event has occurred" on the touch panel 110.

[0149] For example, when using the navigation function, a message will pop up on the map. An example of this message is shown in Figure 4.

[0150] First, as shown in FIG. 4, a map for operation guidance is displayed across the entire touch panel 110. Then, i3 shown in FIG. 4 is a message that is displayed as a pop-up to indicate the occurrence of an event. The "*****" in this message indicates, for example, the level of the event that has occurred. For example, it may be displayed as "A level 3 event has occurred." Furthermore, such a message is urgent and should be conveyed to the user promptly. In other words, it is highly important information to convey to the user. Therefore, when a function other than the navigation function is being used, for example, even when a television image is being played, it is preferable to display a pop-up message on the television image.

[0151] Additionally, the i4 area shown in Figure 4 has an area where various information used for operation guidance is displayed. In the example shown in Figure 4, this area is arranged from top to bottom with the current time obtained from GPS satellites, the reception strength and direction of the GPS signal, a value indicating the map scale, and shortcut buttons.

[0152] Here, the shortcut button is a button for switching the information displayed on the screen each time it is pressed. The switching of the information displayed on the screen when the shortcut button is pressed, i.e., the transition of the screen, will be described later, so a detailed explanation will be omitted here.

[0153] Also, i5 shown in FIG. 4 displays the current traveling speed of the automobile in which the all-in-one device 1000 is installed in kilometers per hour.

[0154] 4 displays information related to the location where the automobile in which the all-in-one device 1000 is installed is currently traveling. Information related to the location where the automobile is currently traveling may include, for example, the address, road name, latitude, and longitude of the location where the automobile is currently traveling. It may also be possible to display a menu screen when i6 shown in FIG. 4 is pressed.

[0155] <Locations where false positives were detected> Next, the recognition of an erroneous detection recognition point, which is a process unique to this embodiment, will be described.

[0156] As described above, the all-in-one device 1000 of this embodiment includes both a drive recorder function and a car navigation device function. The drive recorder function determines whether an event has occurred. If it is determined that an event has occurred, the all-in-one device 1000 executes event recording. Furthermore, the car navigation device function displays an icon or the like on a map to identify the location where the event has occurred.

[0157] As described above in the section <Determining whether an event has occurred>, in this embodiment, it is determined that an event has occurred when the measurement value of acceleration sensor 170 exceeds a predetermined threshold. In other words, the determination is made based on the premise that when the measurement value of acceleration sensor 170 exceeds a predetermined threshold, it means that an event has occurred.

[0158] However, a determination based on such a premise is not necessarily correct, and there may be cases where an event has not actually occurred even if the measurement value of acceleration sensor 170 exceeds a predetermined threshold. In other words, there may be cases where an event is erroneously detected as having occurred even though no event has actually occurred.

[0159] There are various possible causes for such false detection. For example, when there is a step on the road. If there is a step with a certain drop or more at a certain point on the road, a certain amount of impact occurs every time the car passes that point. Therefore, every time the car passes that point, the measurement value of the acceleration sensor 170 exceeds a predetermined threshold, and the first control unit 100 detects the occurrence of an event.

[0160] Furthermore, even if the vehicle does not encounter a step, for example, if the road has a sharp curve, the vehicle will make a sharp turn whenever passing over that point. As a result, it is conceivable that the measurement value of the acceleration sensor 170 will exceed a predetermined threshold value, causing the first control unit 100 to detect the occurrence of an event.

[0161] However, it is not desirable to determine that an event has occurred and start event recording simply because the vehicle has passed over a bump or made a sharp turn that is unavoidable due to the road structure.

[0162] This is because, in light of the functionality of a drive recorder, events that should be treated as such are, for example, a collision accident or an abnormal maneuver such as sudden braking or sudden steering in order to avoid an accident.

[0163] In contrast, simply passing over a bump or making a sharp turn that is unavoidable due to the road structure is not an event that should be treated as such in light of the drive recorder's functionality. If an event is falsely detected, unnecessary real-time video will be recorded when event recording is performed. This may result in the storage capacity of the storage medium inserted in the second storage unit 230 becoming full, potentially preventing the storage of truly necessary video of a collision or other accident. Furthermore, an icon identifying the location of the false detection point will be displayed on the map, making it difficult to read the map.

[0164] Therefore, in this embodiment, a location where it is determined that an event that should be treated as an event has occurred based on the measurement results of acceleration sensor 170, but the determination is incorrect and no event that should be treated as an event actually occurred, is recognized as an "erroneous detection recognized location." Information identifying the location of the erroneous detection recognized location is then stored, for example, in main memory unit 190. Then, when the erroneous detection recognized location is passed again, even if the measurement value of acceleration sensor 170 exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is not recognized as an event having occurred. And since it is not recognized as an event having occurred, event recording is not performed.

[0165] This prevents the storage capacity of the storage medium inserted in the second storage unit 230 from becoming full, making it possible to store and preserve footage of collision accidents and the like that is truly necessary.

[0166] In addition, since the event is not considered to have occurred, an icon for identifying the location of the event is not displayed on the map. Therefore, every time you pass a location where a false positive has been confirmed, a new icon for identifying the location of the event will not be displayed, preventing the map from becoming difficult to read.

[0167] Next, how to identify a false positive identified point will be described.

[0168] In this embodiment, a determination is made based on the reception of a user operation as to whether the detection of an event was an appropriate detection caused by an event such as a collision accident, or an erroneous detection caused by an event such as simply passing over a step.

[0169] The reason for making the determination based on the reception of user operations is that it is important to avoid making an erroneous determination as to whether or not a location is certified for safety reasons. If an erroneous determination is made and a location is certified as a false positive, then if an accident or other incident occurs at the location, the event will not be detected and event recording will not be performed.

[0170] In order to avoid such erroneous judgment, in this embodiment, the integrated device 1000 does not automatically judge whether a location is a location recognized as an erroneous detection based on predetermined criteria, but rather recognizes a location as a location recognized as an erroneous detection based on the user's judgment, which is considered to be more reliable than such an automatic judgment.

[0171] Next, the process when an erroneous detection recognized location is actually recognized will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0172] First, assume that an automobile equipped with the integrated device 1000 passes a point where there is a step while an operation to recognize an erroneous detection recognized point has not been received (No in step A1). Then, as described above in the section <Determining whether an event has occurred>, the first control unit 100 determines that an event has occurred because the measurement value of the acceleration sensor 170 exceeds a predetermined threshold (Yes in step A2). Then, it is determined that the point where there is a step has not been recognized as an erroneous detection recognized point (No in step A3).

[0173] Then, a process associated with the detection of the event is executed (step A4).

[0174] As a process accompanying event detection, first, the first control unit 100 instructs the second control unit 200 to perform event recording. In response to this instruction, the second control unit 200 performs event recording. Specifically, two video files related to the current event, the date and time the event occurred, and location information specifying the locations where the two video files were captured are linked together to form a pair, and an identifier for identifying this pair and the current event is stored in the second storage unit 230. Also, as shown in FIG. 4 , a message indicating the occurrence of an event is displayed as a pop-up on the touch panel 110. Furthermore, the first control unit 100 links together location information specifying the location where the event occurred, the level of the event that occurred, and the date and time the event occurred to form a pair, and stores this pair and an identifier for identifying the current event in the main storage unit 190.

[0175] In other words, even if there is a step at a point that should be considered a false positive detection point, if it has not yet been recognized as a false positive detection point, the processing associated with event detection, such as recording processing, screen display processing, and storage processing of location information, etc., is carried out as usual.

[0176] However, if no collision accident actually occurred and no sudden braking or other operation was performed to avoid an accident, the user can immediately determine that the detection of such an event was a false detection.

[0177] Even if the user is unable to make a judgment on the spot, the user can later determine that the event detection was a false positive by referring to the real-time video recorded by event recording. Even if the user is unable to make a judgment based on a single event detection, the user can determine that the event detection at that point was a false positive by detecting the event each time the user passes that point.

[0178] If the user determines that the event was detected as an erroneous detection, the user performs an operation to recognize the location where the event was detected as an erroneous detection recognized location. The all-in-one device 1000 then accepts this user operation via the touch panel 110 or the button 140 (Yes in step A1).

[0179] When the operation is accepted, the content of the accepted operation is input to the first control unit 100. Then, the first control unit 100, to which the content of the operation has been input, performs processing to accept that the location where the event was detected is a location where an erroneous detection occurred, that is, an erroneous detection confirmed location (step A5). Specifically, the date and time when the event occurred at the erroneous detection confirmed location and the location information that identifies the erroneous detection confirmed location are linked to form a pair, and this pair and an identifier for identifying this erroneous detection confirmed location are stored in the main storage unit 190.

[0180] After that, even if the measurement value of acceleration sensor 170 exceeds the predetermined threshold (Yes in step A2), if the location is an erroneous detection recognized location (Yes in step A3), first control unit 100 treats it as if an event has not occurred. Therefore, even if the measurement value of acceleration sensor 170 exceeds the predetermined threshold, the process does not proceed to step A4. In other words, the processes accompanying event detection, such as recording, screen display, and storage of position information, are not executed.

[0181] Thereafter, monitoring of A1 and A2 continues until a false detection recognition operation is performed on another point or a new event is detected (No in step A1 and No in step A2).

[0182] As described above, by performing the process with reference to FIG. 6, it is possible to identify erroneous detection identified points.

[0183] At the point where a false detection has been confirmed, even if the acceleration value exceeds the threshold, the event is treated as not having occurred, and the processes associated with detecting the event, such as recording, screen display, and storing of location information, are not performed.

[0184] This prevents the storage capacity of the storage medium inserted in the second storage unit 230 from becoming full, thereby providing the effect of making it possible to store and preserve footage of collision accidents and the like that is truly necessary.

[0185] Furthermore, since the event is not considered to have occurred, an icon for identifying the location of the event is not displayed on the map. This prevents a new icon for identifying the location of the event from being displayed each time a false positive detection point is passed, thereby preventing the map from becoming difficult to read.

[0186] On the other hand, if the location is not a location where a false detection has been confirmed and the acceleration value exceeds the threshold, the event is treated as not having occurred, and processing associated with the detection of the event, such as recording processing, screen display processing, and storage processing of location information, is performed.

[0187] Therefore, if an accident or the like actually occurs, event recording can be performed. In relation to this, since event recording is not performed at a location where an erroneous detection has been confirmed as described above, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the storage capacity of the storage medium is already full when an accident or the like actually occurs.

[0188] Furthermore, if an accident or the like actually occurs, an icon for identifying the location of the accident or the like is displayed, making it possible to identify the location where the accident or the like occurred. In relation to this, an icon for the location where a false detection has been confirmed is not displayed, making it possible to easily see the icon for identifying the location where the accident or the like occurred.

[0189] The basic details of the recognition of erroneous detection recognition points have been explained above. Below, a modified example related to erroneous detection recognition points will be explained.

[0190] As explained in the section above entitled "Determining whether an event has occurred," in order to determine whether an event has occurred, the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor 170, which is measurement information that changes as the vehicle moves, and a predetermined threshold value are used, but this threshold value is not just one, but multiple threshold values ​​are set in stages.

[0191] Therefore, it is conceivable to use these multiple thresholds also for the recognition of erroneous detection recognition points.

[0192] For example, suppose a point that exceeds the threshold of Level 1, which is the most sensitive level, is determined to be a false positive point. In this case, as explained in step A3 above, even if an event is detected when passing through the false positive point, this is considered to be a false positive and the event is treated as not having occurred (Yes in step A3).

[0193] However, it is possible to modify this. Specifically, if the level 1 threshold, which is the most sensitive threshold, is exceeded when passing through this false detection recognition point, it is considered to be a false detection, but if the level 2 or higher threshold, which is a threshold less sensitive than level 1, is exceeded, it is considered to be an actual event that has occurred, rather than a false detection.

[0194] The reason for this is as follows: When there is a step with a certain drop, a certain impact corresponding to the drop occurs each time the step is passed over. Therefore, in this embodiment, the point is recognized as an erroneous detection recognized point, and thereafter, the erroneous detection recognized point is treated as if no event had occurred.

[0195] However, if an impact greater than the impact that would be caused by the drop of the step occurs when passing over the step, it is considered that the impact was caused unrelated to the step. In other words, it is considered that the impact was caused by an accident or other event unrelated to the step. In such cases, even if the location is determined to be a false positive, event recording should be performed and video data from before and after the accident or other event should be stored.

[0196] Therefore, as described above, if a point that exceeds the level 1 threshold is deemed to be a false detection point, and if the point exceeds a less sensitive threshold of level 2 or higher, it is treated as an actual event occurring rather than a false detection, and processing associated with event detection is carried out (step A4).

[0197] By modifying the system in this way, if an accident or the like actually occurs at a location where an erroneous detection has been confirmed, it is possible to record the event and store video data before and after the accident or the like.

[0198] On the other hand, if only the same level of impact occurs each time at the location where a false detection has been confirmed, processing such as storing video data before and after the occurrence of an accident, etc. will not be performed, which has the effect of preventing unnecessary video data from being stored.

[0199] In the above explanation, a location that exceeds the Level 1 threshold is set as an erroneous detection recognition location, and when a threshold of a less sensitive level, Level 2 or higher, is exceeded, the processing associated with event detection is executed, but this is just one example. Alternatively, when a location that exceeds the Level 2 threshold is set as an erroneous detection recognition location, when a threshold of a less sensitive level, Level 3 or higher, is exceeded, the processing associated with event detection may be executed.

[0200] Furthermore, if a point exceeding the Level 1 threshold is designated as a false detection recognized point, it is conceivable to not execute the process associated with event detection when the thresholds for not only Level 1 but also Level 2 are exceeded, and to execute the process associated with event detection when a threshold for Level 3 or higher is exceeded. In other words, it is conceivable to configure the system so that the process associated with event detection is not executed unless the level is two or more levels away, rather than just one level higher. This is because, even if the step is the same, if the passing speed differs, the magnitude of the impact changes, and so the process associated with event detection is not executed not only for the same level but also for the next level higher. By doing so, if the same step causes the threshold for the next level higher to be exceeded, it is not necessary to execute the process of recertifying the false detection recognized point.

[0201] However, in this case, if an accident or the like occurs with an impact that exceeds the threshold of the next higher level, it is possible that the processing associated with event detection will be executed despite the occurrence of the accident or the like, and video data at the time of the accident or the like will not be stored. Therefore, considering that video data at the time of the accident or the like must be reliably stored, it is preferable not to configure the system so that the processing associated with event detection is not executed unless the levels are two or more apart. Furthermore, after a point where the level 1 threshold is exceeded when passing over a step is designated as an erroneous detection recognized point, if the level 2 threshold is next exceeded due to a difference in passing speed or the like at that step, it is preferable to accept the user's operation to recognize the erroneous detection recognized point again.

[0202] As another modification, when at least the highest threshold condition is satisfied, it is preferable to always execute the processing associated with event detection even at a location where an erroneous detection has been recognized. For example, if there are thresholds up to level 5, the processing associated with event detection is always executed when the threshold of level 5 is exceeded, even at a location where an erroneous detection has been recognized. This can advantageously prevent a situation in which the processing associated with event detection is not executed even when the highest threshold condition is satisfied, resulting in the processed video data not being stored.

[0203] When multiple thresholds are set, it is conceivable to not execute the processing associated with event detection even if an impact exceeding the highest threshold occurs if the location is a location recognized as a false detection. However, if this is done, the processing associated with event detection will not be executed even if an extremely large impact occurs. The occurrence of such an extremely large impact is considered to be caused by an accident or the like. Therefore, it is preferable to execute the processing associated with event detection. Therefore, as described above, it is advisable to always execute the processing associated with event detection when at least the highest threshold condition is met, even if the location is a location recognized as a false detection.

[0204] As another example, the size of the erroneous detection determination point can be defined as a certain distance range. For example, if an event is detected at a certain point, the area within a radius of several meters from that point can be defined as the erroneous detection determination point. By doing this, even if the impact point varies slightly depending on the speed of travel, even for the same step, this shifted point can still be treated as the erroneous detection determination point.

[0205] Furthermore, it is also conceivable to define the erroneous detection confirmed point by the direction of travel when passing through the erroneous detection confirmed point, in addition to the distance range that represents the erroneous detection confirmed point.

[0206] By doing so, if the user enters the distance range of the false detection confirmed point from a certain direction, it can be determined that the user is within the range of the defined false detection confirmed point, whereas if the user enters the distance range of the false detection confirmed point from another direction, it can be determined that the user is not within the range of the defined false detection confirmed point.

[0207] For example, when entering the distance range of the false detection confirmed point from a certain direction, the same degree of impact occurs each time, but when entering the distance range of the false detection confirmed point from another direction, no impact occurs each time.At this point, in addition to the distance range representing the false detection confirmed point as described above, it is advisable to define the direction of passage when passing through the false detection confirmed point.

[0208] For example, suppose there is a step in one lane (let's say the inbound lane) of a two-lane road, and no step in the other lane (let's say the outbound lane). In this case, if the vehicle enters the distance range of the false detection acknowledged point from the inbound lane, a certain amount of impact will occur due to passing over a step each time. Therefore, in this case, it is preferable not to execute the processing associated with event detection, assuming that the false detection acknowledged point has been passed. On the other hand, if the vehicle enters the distance range of the false detection acknowledged point from the outbound lane, there is no step, so normally no impact will occur. If an impact does occur, it is likely that it is due to the occurrence of an accident or the like. Therefore, in this case, it is preferable to execute the processing associated with event detection, assuming that the false detection acknowledged point has not been passed.

[0209] Therefore, in consideration of cases where it is necessary to determine whether or not to store a point depending on the direction of travel, it is advisable to define the point of misdetection based on the direction of travel when passing through it, in addition to the distance range representing the point of misdetection as described above.

[0210] As another modification, it is possible to perform processing to prevent the number of locations recognized as erroneous detections from increasing too much. For example, it is conceivable to not treat some or all of the locations recognized as erroneous detections as erroneous detections when a predetermined time has passed since the location was recognized as erroneous detection, or when the number of erroneous detection locations reaches a predetermined number, or both.

[0211] In this way, it is preferable to configure the system so that a location that has been recognized as an erroneous detection-certified location is not treated as an erroneous detection-certified location if a predetermined time has passed since it was recognized as an erroneous detection-certified location. By doing so, the number of erroneous detection-certified locations can be kept below a predetermined number. This also makes it possible to prevent the number of erroneous detection-certified locations from becoming enormous. If the number of erroneous detection-certified locations becomes enormous, a large number of erroneous detection-certified locations will be output when information identifying the locations of the erroneous detection-certified locations is output. Therefore, it is preferable to prevent the number of erroneous detection-certified locations from becoming enormous.

[0212] In particular, if the all-in-one device 1000 is a device that is used continuously for a long period of time, the number of erroneous detection recognition points will increase as the period of use increases, so it is advisable to suppress the number of erroneous detection recognition points in this way.

[0213] As another modification, if an erroneous detection-certified point is passed but no impact occurs, the point may not be treated as the erroneous detection-certified point thereafter.

[0214] This makes it possible to prevent a location that should no longer be considered an erroneous detection confirmed location from being treated as an erroneous detection confirmed location.

[0215] For example, suppose there is a step at a certain point, and an impact exceeding one of the threshold levels occurs every time the point is passed. In this case, as described above, this point is designated as a false positive detection point. However, if the situation changes, for example, if the step is removed due to paving work, passing this point will not cause an impact exceeding one of the threshold levels. In such a case, it is advisable not to treat this point as a false positive detection point. This is because, although the point was designated as a false positive detection point because an impact exceeding one of the threshold levels occurs every time the point is passed, due to a change in the situation, an impact exceeding one of the threshold levels will not occur even when the point is passed.

[0216] Furthermore, as another variation, it is also conceivable that the all-in-one device 1000, rather than the user, determines whether or not a location is an erroneous detection-certified location. However, as described above, it is to be avoided for safety reasons that a location that should not be an erroneous detection-certified location is mistakenly designated as an erroneous detection-certified location. For this reason, the description has been given assuming that the user, rather than the all-in-one device 1000, certifies an erroneous detection-certified location. However, if the all-in-one device 1000 can certify an erroneous detection-certified location with accuracy equal to or greater than that of a user, the all-in-one device 1000 may certify an erroneous detection-certified location.

[0217] As such, the all-in-one device 1000 can identify an erroneous detection identified point in the following three examples.

[0218] First, the first example is an example in which the acceleration value measured by acceleration sensor 170 is not simply used, but the acceleration of each axis of acceleration sensor 170 is taken into consideration. Assume that acceleration sensor 170 is capable of measuring acceleration along three axes: the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis. In this case, if a large impact is detected only along the Z-axis (for example, the axis corresponding to the up and down direction) among the three axes, it is determined that there is a step at that point, and that point is recognized as an erroneous detection point.

[0219] Next, in the second example, if the same level of impact is detected every time a certain point is passed, it is determined that there is a step or the like at that point and that no accident has occurred. It is not normally conceivable that an accident or the like will occur every time a certain point is passed. Therefore, if the same level of impact is detected every time a certain point is passed, it is determined that there is a step at that point and the point is recognized as a false positive point.

[0220] Finally, the third example is an example of pattern matching. First, a pattern of change in acceleration on each axis of acceleration sensor 170 when actually passing over a step is prepared as test data. Then, the pattern of change in acceleration on each axis measured when passing over a certain point is pattern matched with the prepared pattern. If the change patterns are similar, it is determined that there is a step at that point, and that point is recognized as a false detection point. <Display method> Next, a display method in this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the location where an event has occurred and an event recording has been performed, or the location where a manual recording has been performed in response to a user's operation, is displayed as, for example, an icon on a map for driving guidance displayed by a car navigation system function. In the following description, these icons will be referred to as "event icons."

[0221] When the user presses the event icon on the touch panel 110, the corresponding image data is played back. Here, the corresponding image data is captured using the drive recorder function. In other words, in this embodiment, the car navigation function and the drive recorder function are linked together.

[0222] Event icons can be a single color, but it is better to use different colors depending on the level of the event, for example. By doing this, a user who references the event icon can not only know the location of the event, but also the "level" of the event.

[0223] Furthermore, it is preferable to be able to distinguish between a location where an event recording was performed due to an event occurrence and a location where manual recording was performed in response to a user operation. Therefore, the color of the event icon representing a location where manual recording was performed should be different from the color of the event icon representing a location where event recording was performed. Furthermore, it is preferable to assign colors similar to traffic lights, for example, so that the user can intuitively recognize the location.

[0224] For example, the event icon for a level 1 event, which is an event based on a minor impact, is green. The event icon for a level 1 event, which is an event based on a medium level of impact, is yellow. The event icon for a level 5 event, which is an event based on a major impact, is red. The event icon for manual recording is indigo.

[0225] An example of this color allocation is shown in Table 1 below. The following explanation will be based on this allocation.

[0226] [Table 1]

[0227] The event icons thus assigned colors are then displayed on the touch panel 110, superimposed on a map for service guidance, as shown in FIG.

[0228] Furthermore, as described above with reference to FIG. 2, in this embodiment, an upper limit is set for the number of video files that can be recorded for each of manual recording and event recording. For example, the upper limit is 20 video files in total for manual recording and event recording, that is, 10 files in total. When a new recording is made, the oldest video file is deleted, even if the user has not yet viewed it. Therefore, it is preferable to let the user know which old video files will soon be deleted, and to encourage the user to view them before deleting them.

[0229] It is also preferable to allow the user to know which event icon corresponds to an event recording that just happened, and which event icon corresponds to a manual recording that was made, for example, three times ago.

[0230] Therefore, instead of simply displaying each event icon in a different color, for example, the event icons can be displayed with numbers in circles that include a chronological number, allowing the user to grasp which event icon is new, which is old, and how far back it is.

[0231] To display these event icons, the first control unit 100 uses map information stored in the main storage unit 190. It also uses information received from the second control unit 200 when manual recording has occurred and stored in the main storage unit 190, which is "information that indicates that manual recording has occurred, the date and time when manual recording was performed, and location information that identifies the location where manual recording was performed, all of which are linked together to form a set." It also uses information stored in the main storage unit 190 when an event has occurred, which is "information that identifies the location where the event has occurred, the level of the event that has occurred, and the date and time when the event has occurred, all of which are linked together to form a set."

[0232] A specific example of an event icon displayed with these contents is shown in FIG.

[0233] 6, first, a map for operation guidance is displayed on the touch panel 110. Then, it can be seen that i8 on the map is an event icon that is indigo blue and indicates the location where manual recording was performed. In addition, the number 1 indicates that it indicates the location where manual recording was performed most recently.

[0234] Additionally, i9 on the map is a yellow event icon that indicates the location where a level 3 event recording was made. Also, the number is 2, which indicates that it indicates the location of the event recording that was made just before the manual event that was made at i8 on the map.

[0235] Furthermore, it can be seen that i10 on the map is a red event icon that indicates the location where a level 5 event recording was made. In addition, the number is 3, which indicates that it indicates the location of the event recording made just before the event recording corresponding to i9 on the map.

[0236] Furthermore, it can be seen that i11 on the map is a green event icon that indicates the location where a level 1 event recording was made. In addition, the number is 4, which indicates that it indicates the location of the event recording made just before the event recording corresponding to i10 on the map.

[0237] Furthermore, i12 on the map is an event icon that indicates the current position and traveling direction of the automobile in which the all-in-one device 1000 is installed.

[0238] 6, the user can make decisions such as, "I'm approaching a place where a level 5 event occurred previously, so I'll try not to drive in a way that will cause an event this time," or "If I continue on this path, I won't pass through a place where I previously performed manual recording." In other words, it is possible to present information that is useful to the user.

[0239] When the user presses an event icon, the video file corresponding to the event icon is played back.

[0240] Specifically, when any event icon is pressed, a list of event icons including that event icon is displayed, for example, on the right half of the touch panel 110, as shown in i13 in Fig. 7. Therefore, a map is displayed, for example, on the left half, as shown in i14 in Fig. 7.

[0241] The first control unit 100 then determines which event icon in the event list the user pressed based on where on the touch panel 110 the user pressed. The first control unit 100 then reads from the main memory unit 190 the date and time when the event recording of the event corresponding to the pressed event icon was performed, or the date and time when the manual recording corresponding to the pressed event icon was performed. The first control unit 100 then transmits the read date and time to the second control unit 200.

[0242] The second control unit 200 searches the second storage unit 230 using the received date and time as a search key. Then, it reads out the video file corresponding to the date and time. Here, since the video files are paired in pairs for each manual recording and each event recording, the two video files that make up this pair are read out. The second control unit 200 then decodes these two read video files to generate image data. The image data is then transmitted to the first control unit 100.

[0243] The first control unit 100 plays back the received image data by outputting it to the touch panel 110. By referring to the played back image data, the user can check the state of manual recording or event recording.

[0244] Next, we will explain the history icon, which is a separate icon from the event icon. As mentioned above, there is a limit to the number of video files that can be protected for manual recordings and event recordings. If the limit exceeds 10, for example, the oldest video files will be deleted. Therefore, the event icons corresponding to the deleted video files will also be deleted.

[0245] The reason for deleting the video files here is to take into consideration the capacity of the second storage unit 230, and it is preferable to display information about manual recordings and event recordings older than 10 on the map if possible.

[0246] In this regard, the data size of information about the occurrence position of manual recording or event recording stored in the main storage unit 190 is small compared to the data size of a video file.

[0247] Therefore, this information is not deleted but remains stored in the main memory unit 190. This information is then used to display on a map icons indicating the occurrence locations of manual recordings and event recordings, and the level of event recording. In the following explanation, these icons will be referred to as "history icons" to distinguish them from event icons.

[0248] As mentioned above, the amount of data required to display history icons is small. However, if history icons were to be displayed for too many past manual recordings and event recordings, the number of icons displayed on the screen would be so large that it would interfere with the operation guidance.

[0249] Therefore, an upper limit is set on the number of icons to be displayed, for example, 10 event icons and 490 history icons, for a total of 500 icons.

[0250] It is also necessary to distinguish between history icons and event icons. To achieve this, the display mode, such as the shape and size of the history icons and the event icons, is made different. For example, the shapes can be different, such as round and rectangular. Alternatively, both can be round, but the sizes can be different, such as the event icon being larger and the history icon being smaller. In either case, the shapes and sizes of the history icons should be such that the colors of the icons can be distinguished. In the following explanation, the history icons are displayed as diamonds.

[0251] The information used to display the history icon is specifically "a set of information indicating that manual recording has occurred, the date and time when manual recording was performed, and location information specifying the location where manual recording was performed, all of which are linked together" received from the second control unit 200 when manual recording has occurred and stored in the main storage unit 190. Furthermore, the information used is "a set of location information for specifying the location where the event has occurred, the level of the event that has occurred, and the date and time when the event has occurred, all of which are linked together" stored in the main storage unit 190 when an event has occurred.

[0252] A specific example of an event icon displayed with these contents is shown in Figure 8. In the example shown in Figure 8, the video file corresponding to the event icon shown in the example in Figure 6 has become outdated and has been deleted, and replaced with a history icon.

[0253] 8, first, a map for operation guidance is displayed on the touch panel 110. Then, i15 on the map is a deep blue history icon indicating the location where manual recording was performed.

[0254] Also, i16 on the map is a yellow history icon that indicates the location where a level 3 event recording was made.

[0255] Additionally, i17 on the map is a history icon that is red and represents the location where a level 5 event recording was made.

[0256] Additionally, i18 on the map is a history icon that is green and represents the location where a level 1 event recording was made.

[0257] Furthermore, i19 on the map is an icon that represents the current position and traveling direction of the automobile in which the integrated device 1000 is installed.

[0258] In this way, by displaying not only the event icon but also the history icon, the user can grasp the locations where events frequently occur.

[0259] Although the above-mentioned event icons and history icons are usually displayed on the map for operation guidance, an icon representing the location of the erroneous detection recognition point may be displayed on the map for operation guidance, for example, when an operation to confirm the location of the recognition point is received from the user. The icon representing the location of the erroneous detection recognition point is called the "erroneous detection recognition icon."

[0260] By displaying the false detection confirmation icon on the map in this way, it is possible to know in advance that a certain impact will occur because the vehicle is about to pass a false detection confirmation point, and it is also possible to know why the video data, which is a process associated with the occurrence of an event, has not been stored despite the fact that an impact has occurred.

[0261] The false detection recognition icon may be a single color, but may be a different color depending on the level of the threshold that triggered the recognition of the false detection recognition location. For example, the false detection recognition icon may be a different color if the location where an event occurred with an impact exceeding level 1 is recognized as the false detection recognition location and if the location where an event occurred with an impact exceeding level 2 is recognized as the false detection recognition location. By doing so, a user who references the false detection recognition icon can not only know the location of the false detection recognition location, but also know the "level" of the threshold that was exceeded before the location became a false detection recognition location.

[0262] In addition, in order to distinguish between the erroneous detection acknowledgment icon and the event icon and history icon, it is preferable to make the display mode, such as the shape or color of the icon, different for the erroneous detection acknowledgment icon and the event icon and history icon.

[0263] Furthermore, if impacts exceeding a threshold occur consecutively at multiple locations at intervals less than a specified time interval, and all of the multiple locations are certified locations, the multiple certified locations can be treated as one group, and an icon shaped to identify the location of this one group can be displayed, rather than displaying multiple icons identifying the location of each of the multiple certified locations.

[0264] This prevents the screen from becoming difficult to see due to the display of a large number of icons specifying the positions of multiple locations. Also, although icons specifying the positions of multiple locations are not displayed, an icon specifying the position of one group is displayed, which is advantageous in that the user can understand that multiple erroneous detection confirmed locations exist at that location.

[0265] Some roads have a series of bumps that are designed to reduce driving speed or alert the driver by providing sound or vibration to the driver. When driving along such a road, impacts exceeding a threshold occur repeatedly. However, outputting information identifying each point where an impact exceeding a threshold occurred results in a large amount of output information. Therefore, treating each of these points as a single group and outputting an icon identifying the location of this group is advantageous in preventing the number of icons from being unnecessarily large. However, if this is done, requiring the user to individually identify each of these points as a false positive detection point would be cumbersome. Therefore, it is advantageous to group all of the points included in this group together and enable them to be identified as a false positive detection point with a single operation. <Screen transition> Next, how the screen transitions depending on the state of the vehicle and the user's operation will be described with reference to the transition diagrams of FIGS.

[0266] First, refer to Fig. 9. When the first control unit 100 is started, a main menu is displayed as shown in screen S1. On the main menu screen, various functions such as navigation, television, music, picture, and drive recorder can be selected. Of these, the navigation and drive recorder functions, which are the features of this embodiment, will be described.

[0267] When the [Navi] button is selected on screen S1, the navigation function is activated and the screen transitions to screen S2.

[0268] As described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 8, on screen S2, event icons and history icons are displayed on the map for operation guidance, and operation guidance is performed with audio output. The content of this display is as described in the above-mentioned section <Display Method>. Furthermore, the method by which the first control unit 100 determines whether an event has occurred, and the operation when an event occurs, are as described in the above-mentioned section <Event Occurrence>. Now, suppose that the user presses the [Shortcut] button. Here, suppose that the [Shortcut] button is associated with "Camera Video." In this case, the screen transitions to screen S3, and real-time video, which is video currently being captured by camera 210, is displayed on the screen. If the user presses the [End] button in this state, the screen transitions to screen S2, and operation guidance is performed again.

[0269] Furthermore, if any of the [icon] buttons is pressed while in screen S2, processing to play the video file corresponding to the pressed event icon or history icon is initiated. Specifically, the screen transitions to screen S4, which displays a message indicating that continuous recording will be temporarily suspended, and also accepts the user's selection of either the [Yes] or [No] button.

[0270] The reason for temporarily suspending continuous recording here is that by doing so, it is possible to prevent the image data being played back from being overwritten if it is determined that a new event has occurred while the image data is being played back.

[0271] Furthermore, in cases where image data is managed by assigning a number to each item of image data and listing it, and when it is determined that a new event has occurred during image data playback, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the number assigned to the new image data overlaps with the number assigned to the image data being played back. For example, if the currently played recorded data is managed as the latest image data, and new image data is generated, it is possible to prevent a situation in which it becomes impossible to manage which data is the latest data after playback has ended.

[0272] If the user presses the "No" button, the screen transitions to screen S2, and the operation guidance continues.

[0273] On the other hand, if the user presses the [Yes] button, the screen transitions to screen S5, and the event list is displayed in the right half of the screen as described with reference to Fig. 7. Here, the user now wishes to play the video file corresponding to the icon selected on screen S2, rather than the video file corresponding to the icon selected from the event list on screen S5.

[0274] Therefore, the entire event list is treated as an [Event Item] button, and when this [Event Item] button is pressed for the first time, the map moves to the coordinate value of the icon selected on screen S2. When the [Event Item] button is pressed for the second time, the screen transitions to screen S6 and video playback begins.

[0275] Screen S6 displays the message "Playing video" while processing to generate the video is being carried out. Then, when the message "Playing video" is displayed for a period of time longer than the predetermined time required to process the video, it is determined that a timeout has occurred and the screen transitions to screen S7. Then, on screen S7, the video file corresponding to the icon selected on screen S2 is played.

[0276] Then, when the user presses the [Back] button during or after shooting, the screen transitions to screen S5. Then, when the user presses the [Back] button on screen S5, the screen transitions to screen S2, where operation guidance continues. Also, continuous recording resumes without requiring user operation.

[0277] Next, we will explain the operation when, as described above, when any of the [Icon] buttons is pressed on screen S2, rather than playing the video file corresponding to the pressed icon, the user selects an icon from the event list and the video file corresponding to the icon selected from this event list is played.

[0278] When the [MENU] button at the bottom of the screen is pressed while the screen is in the S2 state, the screen transitions to the S8 screen, which is the menu screen for the navigation function.

[0279] Thereafter, when the [Register / Edit] button is pressed while the screen is S8, the screen transitions to screen S9, which is a menu screen for registering and editing.

[0280] When the [Event] button is pressed while the screen is S9, the screen transitions to screen S10 in FIG.

[0281] On screen S10, similar to screen S4, a message is displayed informing the user that continuous recording will be temporarily suspended, and the screen accepts the user's selection of either the "Yes" or "No" button. The reason for the temporary suspension of continuous recording is as explained in the explanation of screen S4.

[0282] If the user presses the [No] button, the screen transitions to screen S9 in FIG. 9, which is a registration / edit menu screen.

[0283] On the other hand, if the user presses the [Yes] button, the screen transitions to screen S11, and the event list is displayed in the right half of the screen as described with reference to Fig. 7. Unlike the case of screen S5, the user has not selected an icon on screen S2, so the user's selection of an icon from the event list on screen S5 is accepted.

[0284] Then, playback of the video file corresponding to the icon selected by the user begins. The subsequent processing on screens S6 and S7 is the same as the processing when transitioning from screen S5 to screen S6, so a detailed description will be omitted. Note that in Fig. 10, pressing the back button on screen S7 returns to screen S5, but it is also possible to return to screen S11 instead of screen S7.

[0285] The screen transitions when using the car navigation function have been explained above. Next, the screen transitions when using the drive recorder function will be explained.

[0286] First, when the [Drive Recorder] button is pressed on the screen S1, the screen transitions to screen S12 or screen S13 shown in Fig. 11. Here, the condition for transitioning to which screen is determined is that if the all-in-one device 1000 is not installed in a vehicle and is powered by a secondary battery included in the power supply unit 310, the screen transitions to screen S12. On the other hand, if the all-in-one device 1000 is installed in a vehicle and is powered by the vehicle, the screen transitions to screen S13.

[0287] First, we will explain the case where the all-in-one device 1000 is not installed in a vehicle and is powered by a secondary battery included in the power supply unit 310, resulting in a transition to screen S12. In this case, the battery capacity of the secondary battery is limited, so power consumption must be reduced. Furthermore, in this case, the user is using the all-in-one device 1000 while it is being carried around, and the camera 210 is not fixed, making it difficult to effectively utilize the drive recorder function. Therefore, in this embodiment, the drive recorder function is not activated when power is being supplied from a secondary battery. To inform the user of this, when the screen transitions to screen S12, a message such as "The drive recorder's recording and playback functions will not operate while this device is running on the built-in battery" is displayed. After a predetermined time has elapsed that is considered long enough for the user to recognize this message, the screen transitions to screen S1, assuming that a timeout has occurred.

[0288] Next, a case where the all-in-one device 1000 is installed in an automobile and the all-in-one device 1000 receives power from the automobile, and therefore the screen transitions to screen S13, will be described.

[0289] Screen S13 plays back in full screen a real-time video captured by camera 210. When the user presses touch panel 110 in this state, that is, when any part of the screen is touched, the screen transitions to screen S14.

[0290] Then, an [End Application] button is displayed on screen S14. When the user presses this [End Application] button, the operation of the application that realizes the drive recorder function is terminated and the screen transitions to screen S1. On the other hand, when a press on screen S14 is received, the screen returns to screen S13 again and the real-time video is played back in full screen display. Note that screen S14 may display, for example, a button for changing settings, and when the button for changing settings is pressed, the screen may transition to a screen for making various settings related to the drive recorder function, for example.

[0291] Furthermore, if a user operation is accepted while screens S13 and S14 are displayed, this triggers the start of manual recording, as described with reference to the middle part of Fig. 2. In other words, the real-time video played back on screens S13 and S14 is used as a preview image for performing manual recording.

[0292] Next, how the screen transitions in response to user operations when certifying or cancelling the certification of an erroneous detection certified point will be described with reference to FIG.

[0293] Here, the screen transitions when a misdetection location is recognized are basically the same as those explained with reference to the transition diagrams of Figures 9 to 11. Therefore, we will omit explanations of content that overlaps with the content explained with reference to the transition diagrams of Figures 9 to 11, and will only explain the differences.

[0294] On screen S2, the "Shortcut" button is associated with "display false detection acknowledgement icon." When the "Shortcut" button is pressed, the screen remains on screen S2 without transitioning to screen S3, but instead of the event icon and history icon, a false detection acknowledgement icon is displayed on the map. This allows the user to refer to the false detection acknowledgement icon. When the "Shortcut" button is pressed again in this state, the screen remains on screen S2, but instead of the false detection acknowledgement icon, an event icon and history icon are displayed on the map.

[0295] When any of the [Icon] buttons is pressed while an erroneous detection acknowledgement icon is displayed on the map on screen S2, the screen transitions to screen S21 instead of screen S4, as shown in the upper part of Fig. 12. Then, screen S21 accepts the user's selection of either the [Yes] or [No] button to confirm whether or not the point identified by the pressed erroneous detection acknowledgement icon should remain as an erroneous detection acknowledgement point.

[0296] If the [Yes] button is pressed here, the location identified by the pressed erroneous detection acknowledgement icon remains as an erroneous detection acknowledgement location, and the screen returns to screen S2.

[0297] On the other hand, if the "No" button is pressed, the location identified by the pressed false detection acknowledgement icon is deemed not to be a false detection acknowledgement location. Specifically, the set of information associated with the location identified by the pressed false detection acknowledgement icon, the date and time an event occurred at the false detection acknowledgement location, and the location information identifying the false detection acknowledgement location, stored in the main memory unit 190, and the identifier for identifying this false detection acknowledgement location are deleted. The screen then returns to screen S2.

[0298] When any of the [Icon] buttons is pressed while the event icon and history icon are displayed on the map on screen S2, the screen transitions to screen S22 instead of screen S4 and screen S21, as shown in the lower part of Fig. 12. Then, screen S22 accepts the user's selection of either the [Yes] or [No] button to confirm whether or not the location identified by the pressed false detection recognition icon should be designated as a new false detection recognition location.

[0299] If the "Yes" button is pressed, the location identified by the pressed event icon or the pressed history icon is deemed to be an erroneous detection-confirmed location. Then, the main memory unit 190 stores a set of information linking the date and time the event occurred at the erroneous detection-confirmed location, which corresponds to the location identified by the pressed event icon or the pressed history icon, with location information identifying the erroneous detection-confirmed location, and an identifier for identifying this erroneous detection-confirmed location. The screen then returns to screen S2.

[0300] On the other hand, if the "No" button is pressed, the process for identifying the location as an erroneous detection identified location is not performed, and the screen transitions to screen S4.

[0301] In this way, it becomes possible to certify and cancel the certification of an erroneous detection certified point. <Battery control> Next, the battery control in this embodiment will be described.

[0302] 1, the power supply unit 310 of the all-in-one device 1000 of this embodiment receives power from an external device via the USB terminal 320. Here, the external device is, for example, an automobile in which the all-in-one device 1000 is installed.

[0303] Specifically, one end of the cigarette plug cord is inserted into the cigarette lighter socket of the car. The other end of the cigarette plug cord is then connected to the USB terminal 320. The cigarette plug cord is equipped with a converter. The cigarette plug cord and converter have a rated voltage of 5V and a rated current of 2A, for example.

[0304] When the car engine starts, power supply from the cigarette lighter socket starts, and when the car engine stops, power supply from the cigarette lighter socket also stops.

[0305] Next, a detailed configuration of the power supply unit 310 will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Referring to Fig. 13, the power supply unit 310 includes a power supply control unit 311, a lithium ion battery 312, and a supercapacitor 313 (registered trademark). The power supply unit 310 is also connected to the first control unit 100 and the second control unit 200. Of the functional blocks shown in Fig. 1, those that are not directly related to the description of battery control are omitted from Fig. 13.

[0306] The supercapacitor 313 corresponds to the "capacitor" of the present invention. The lithium ion battery 312 corresponds to the "secondary battery" of the present invention. Furthermore, the power source supplied from the cigarette lighter socket of the automobile corresponds to the "external power source" of the present invention.

[0307] Here, the power supply control unit 311 has a function of controlling which device a voltage is applied to. The power supply control unit 311 is realized by, for example, a power management IC. Alternatively, the first control unit 100 may perform some or all of the control of the power supply control unit 311. In FIG. 13, signal lines for transmitting and receiving signals for the first control unit 100 to control the power supply control unit 311 are indicated by dashed lines. On the other hand, lines for applying voltage are indicated by solid lines in FIG. 13.

[0308] The lithium ion battery 312 is a secondary battery that stores electricity by charging and can then be used as a battery. The lithium ion battery 312 is charged under the control of the power supply control unit 311. When the all-in-one device 1000 receives power from an external device, the first control unit 100 is driven by the power supplied from the external device.

[0309] On the other hand, when the all-in-one device 1000 is not receiving power from an external device, the first control unit 100 is driven by power supplied by the lithium ion battery 312. Also, as described above in the explanation section of <Screen Transition>, when the all-in-one device 1000 is not receiving power from an external device and is driven by power supplied by the lithium ion battery 312, the first control unit 100 stops the drive recorder function. Since this is for the purpose of reducing power consumption, not only is the software running in the second control unit 200 shut down, but the application of voltage to the second control unit 200 itself is stopped.

[0310] The supercapacitor 313 is a power storage device that stores power when the integrated device 1000 receives power from an external device.

[0311] In this regard, in this embodiment, when the integrated device 1000 is removed from the automobile, the second control unit 200 performs a shutdown process, such as storing the information it caches in the second storage unit 230, which is a non-volatile memory, to prevent data corruption.

[0312] However, as described above, when the integrated device 1000 is removed from the vehicle, the application of voltage to the second control unit 200 is stopped. Therefore, the second control unit 200 performs this shutdown process using the charge stored in the supercapacitor 313. For this reason, the supercapacitor 313 used has a capacity that can guarantee that the shutdown process can be performed.

[0313] The information cached by the second control unit 200 is, for example, a real-time video that has been cached and has not yet been converted into a video file.

[0314] The first control unit 100 also controls the power supply. For example, the first control unit 100 controls the power supply of, among the units shown in Fig. 1, the touch panel 110, the speaker 120, the notification LED 130, the buttons 140, the TV tuner 150, the GPS sensor 160, the acceleration sensor 170, the first storage unit 180, and the main storage unit 190. In addition, the first control unit 100 may perform part or all of the control of the power supply control unit 311.

[0315] On the other hand, the second control unit 200 controls the power supply of the camera 210, microphone 220, and second storage unit 230 among the units shown in FIG.

[0316] Next, the basic concept of battery control in this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the activation of the first control unit 100 and the second control unit 200 and the charging of the supercapacitor 313 and the lithium ion battery 312 are not all performed in parallel, but are performed in stages by controlling the timing of these operations. This is to enable the activation of the first control unit 100 and the second control unit 200 and the charging of the supercapacitor 313 and the lithium ion battery 312 to be performed without exceeding the rated current of the cigarette lighter plug cord.

[0317] Here, the rated current of a cigar plug cord is, for example, 2 A. It is possible to use a cigar plug cord with a rated current exceeding 2 A. However, as the rated current increases, the cigar plug cord must be made thicker. This is because the conductors that make up the cord, such as the electric wires, have resistance, albeit small, and the heat generated by this resistance may melt the insulating coating, so the cord must be made thicker as the current increases.

[0318] However, if the cord is made thick, it becomes difficult to handle, which is very inconvenient for a user who uses the all-in-one device 1000 in the limited space inside a car. In addition, using a thick cord also poses the problem of increased manufacturing costs.

[0319] Therefore, in this embodiment, as described above, the activation of the first control unit 100 and the second control unit 200 and the charging of the supercapacitor 313 and the lithium ion battery 312 are not performed in parallel, but are performed in stages by controlling the timing of these operations. As a result, in this embodiment, the maximum value of the current when the all-in-one device 1000 is activated is suppressed.

[0320] Next, the power supply control process of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

[0321] First, when the all-in-one device 1000 is in a shutdown state and connected to a car charger, the car engine starts, which starts supplying power to the all-in-one device 1000 (Yes in step A11).

[0322] Then, the power supply control unit 311 starts applying a voltage to the first control unit 100. As a result, the first control unit 100 starts a startup process (step A12). The startup process includes, for example, processes for starting up the touch panel 110 and the GPS sensor 160.

[0323] After the startup process, the first control unit 100 displays a screen on the touch panel 110. The screen displayed at this time is the screen S1 shown in FIG. 9. Then, in response to pressing of the [NAVI] button 140, the navigation function is executed (step A13). Even if the [DRIVE RECORDER] button 140 is pressed, the drive recorder function has not yet been executed. Therefore, a message such as "The drive recorder is starting up. Please wait a moment" is displayed on the screen, as shown in screen S14 shown in FIG. 16. Then, after a predetermined time has elapsed that is considered long enough for the user to recognize this message, it is determined that a timeout has occurred and the screen transitions to screen S1. In this way, by first starting up the first control unit 100 and displaying the message on the touch panel 110, it is possible to notify the user that the startup process is being performed.

[0324] Furthermore, the power supply control unit 311 starts applying a voltage to the supercapacitor 313. Accordingly, the supercapacitor 313 starts storing electricity, and the voltage of the supercapacitor 313 increases (step A14).

[0325] Next, it is determined whether the current voltage of the supercapacitor 313 is greater than a predetermined first voltage (step A15). If the current voltage of the supercapacitor 313 is greater than the predetermined first voltage (Yes in step A15), the power supply control unit 311 starts applying a voltage to the second control unit 200. This causes the second control unit 200 to start a startup process. This startup process also includes processes for starting up the camera 210 and microphone 220.

[0326] However, if the drive recorder function is executed, the maximum current may exceed the rated current of the cigarette lighter plug cord. Therefore, the second control unit 200 performs startup processing but does not yet execute the drive recorder function. Therefore, even if the [Drive Recorder] button 140 is pressed at this point, a message like the screen S14 shown in FIG. 16 is displayed, just as in step A13, and the drive recorder function is not executed.

[0327] Next, it is determined whether the current voltage of the supercapacitor 313 is greater than a predetermined second voltage (step A17), where the predetermined second voltage is greater than the predetermined first voltage.

[0328] Then, when the current voltage of the supercapacitor 313 becomes larger than the predetermined second voltage (Yes in step A17), it means that the supercapacitor 313 is sufficiently charged, and a large current is no longer required to charge the supercapacitor 313. Therefore, in response to the Yes in step A17, the process proceeds to step A18, and the second control unit 200 executes the drive recorder function (step A18). Furthermore, the power supply control unit 311 starts applying voltage to the lithium ion battery 312. This starts charging the lithium ion battery 312 (step A19).

[0329] As described above, in this embodiment, the timing of applying voltage to each component included in the all-in-one device 1000 is controlled. This has the effect of suppressing the maximum current value when the all-in-one device 1000 is started, and eliminating the need to make the cigarette lighter plug cord thicker than necessary.

[0330] This point will be explained using specific values. For example, suppose that 1.3 A is used when applying a voltage to the first control unit 100 in step A12. Also, suppose that 0.5 A is used when applying a voltage to the supercapacitor 313 in step A14, at least until step A15 becomes Yes. Furthermore, suppose that 0.2 to 0.3 A is used when applying a voltage to the second control unit 200 in step A16. Furthermore, suppose that 0.35 A is used when applying a voltage to the lithium ion battery 312 in step A19.

[0331] Adding these currents together requires a total of 2.35 to 2.36 A, which exceeds the rated current of the above-mentioned cigarette plug cord of 2 A. However, in this embodiment, by controlling the timing of applying voltage to each component included in the integrated device 1000, it becomes possible to start the integrated device 1000 without exceeding the rated current of 2 A.

[0332] Next, battery control after the all-in-one device 1000 is started will be described with reference to FIG.

[0333] The all-in-one device 1000 executing the navigation function and the drive recorder function continues to monitor whether the power supply from the car charger has been interrupted as the car engine has stopped, and also continues to monitor whether the all-in-one device 1000 has been removed from the car charger by disconnecting the cigarette lighter plug cord from the USB terminal 320 or by disconnecting the cigarette lighter plug cord from the car charger (No in step A20 and No in step A22).

[0334] Then, when the supply of power from the car charger is interrupted due to the car engine being stopped (Yes in step A20), shutdown processing is performed for the first control unit 100 and the second control unit 200. At this time, the shutdown processing for the first control unit 100 is performed using power supplied from the lithium ion battery 312, and the shutdown processing for the second control unit 200 is performed using power supplied from the supercapacitor 313. Then, the process returns to step A2 and waits until power is supplied again.

[0335] On the other hand, when the all-in-one device 1000 is removed from the car charger by disconnecting the cigarette lighter plug cord from the USB terminal 320 or by disconnecting the cigarette lighter plug cord from the car charger (Yes in step A22), the second control unit 200 starts a shutdown process using power supplied by the supercapacitor 313. By doing so, the user is unable to use the drive recorder function, but the first control unit 100 does not perform a particular shutdown, so the navigation function can continue to be used. In other words, the all-in-one device 1000 can be used as a portable navigation system. The first control unit 100 continues to operate using power supplied from the lithium-ion battery 312. In this way, since only one of the two control units can be shut down, the other control unit can continue to operate without the need for a particular shutdown process or restart.

[0336] Next, it is determined whether the device is connected again to the car charger of the car, or whether it is connected to an external device other than the car. Here, the external device is, for example, a personal computer connected to the USB terminal 320 via a USB cable. Whether the device is connected to the car charger of the car or to a personal computer can be determined, for example, by the signal output from the USB cable. For example, a USB connector has five wires (VBus / D- / D+ / ID / GND). If the ID wire is shorted to the GND wire, it can be determined that the device is connected to a personal computer. On the other hand, if the ID wire is open (not connected), it can be determined that the device is connected to a car charger.

[0337] If the device is connected to the car (Yes in step A24: car), the process returns to step A2 and waits until power is supplied again.

[0338] On the other hand, if an external device is connected (Yes in step A24: external device), the process proceeds to step A25, where the first control unit 100 is shut down. This is because, when the all-in-one device 1000 is connected to a personal computer, it is considered that there is no need to execute the navigation function any more. Also, there may be cases where the output of the USB terminal 320 of the personal computer is not enough to provide the current required to drive the all-in-one device 1000.

[0339] After shutting down the first control section 100, charging of the lithium ion battery 312 is started in preparation for the case where the all-in-one device 1000 is used again as a portable navigation device (step A26).

[0340] Thereafter, it is monitored whether or not the portable terminal 100 has been removed from the external device (step A27). If the portable terminal 100 has been removed from the external device (Yes in step A27), the first control unit 100 starts a startup process by receiving power from the lithium ion battery 312 in order to realize the portable navigation function (step A28).

[0341] The first control unit 100 then displays on the touch panel 110 and executes the navigation function.

[0342] As described above with reference to Figure 15, in this embodiment, when the car engine stops and the power supply from the car charger is interrupted, when the car is removed from the car charger, and when the car is connected to an external device, it is possible to operate or shut down the first control unit 100 and the second control unit 200 as appropriate. <Car navigation> Next, the car navigation function of the first control unit 100 will be described in more detail. The first control unit 100 outputs a predetermined alarm when the current location detected by the GPS sensor 160 and the location of a target such as a traffic monitoring point stored in the main memory unit 190 are in a predetermined positional relationship. For this purpose, the main memory unit 190 stores information about the target to be detected (target location information including longitude and latitude, target type information, etc.), traffic safety information for driving more carefully and safely, such as accident-prone areas and traffic control information, and various information about landmarks and driving that is useful. Each piece of information is registered in association with the specific type of information (target type, traffic control type, accident-prone areas, landmark name, etc.) and location information.

[0343] The distance to the target when issuing the alarm can be changed depending on the type of target. As for the manner of the alarm, similar to the above, there are alarms by voice using the speaker 120 and alarms using the touch panel 110. In this embodiment, the all-in-one device 1000 realizes the car navigation function and therefore has map data.

[0344] Therefore, as a basic screen, the first control unit 100 has a function to read out road network information around the current location and display a map of the area around the current location on the touch panel 110. Then, a warning screen is displayed on the touch panel 110, superimposed on the currently displayed screen. While the map is being displayed, the warning screen is displayed when the distance between the current location and an LH system, which is a type of speed measurement device and a traffic monitoring point, becomes, for example, 500 m. Furthermore, the first control unit 100 performs processing to output a warning voice from the speaker 120 indicating the type of warning and the distance, such as "LH system 500 m ahead."

[0345] On the other hand, the first control unit 100 for realizing the navigation function also operates as follows: First, the main storage unit 190 stores road network information for navigation.

[0346] The first control unit 100 has a function of reading road network information around the current location from the main memory unit 190 and displaying a map of the area around the current location on the touch panel 110. The first control unit 100 can use this road network information to search for a route from one location to another. The main memory unit 190 also has a telephone number database that stores telephone numbers in association with the location information and names of the homes, businesses, facilities, etc. associated with those telephone numbers, and an address database that stores addresses in association with the location information of those addresses. The main memory unit 190 also stores location information of traffic monitoring points such as speed measurement devices along with their types.

[0347] The first control unit 100 also has a function of performing processing of a general navigation device. That is, the first control unit 100 constantly displays a map of the area around the current location on the touch panel 110 and displays a destination setting button 140. When the first control unit 100 detects a touch on the touch panel 110 at a position corresponding to the display position of the destination setting button 140, the first control unit 100 performs a destination setting process. In the destination setting process, a destination setting menu is displayed on the touch panel 110, and the user is prompted to select a destination setting method. The destination setting menu has a phone number search button 140 and an address search button 140 that prompt the user to select a destination setting method. When the first control unit 100 detects that the phone number search button 140 has been touched, the first control unit 100 displays a phone number input screen and obtains location information corresponding to the input phone number from the main storage unit 190. When the first control unit 100 detects that the address search button 140 has been touched, the first control unit 100 displays an address selection input screen and obtains location information corresponding to the input address from the main storage unit 190. The acquired location information is then set as the location information of the destination, and a recommended route from the current location to the destination is calculated based on the road network information stored in the main memory unit 190. A known method such as the Dijkstra algorithm can be used to calculate this recommended route.

[0348] The first control unit 100 then displays the calculated recommended route together with a map of the surrounding area. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, a route i23 from a current position i21 to a destination i22 is displayed as a recommended route in a predetermined color (e.g., red). This is similar to a typical navigation system. In this embodiment, the first control unit 100 compares position information on the route i23 with position information of landmarks such as traffic monitoring points stored in the main memory unit 190, and displays the positions of traffic monitoring points and the like located on the route i23.

[0349] As a result, for example, as shown in FIG. 17, a speech bubble is displayed from a position on the road, and the type of traffic monitoring point at that position stored in the main memory unit 190 is displayed in the speech bubble. For example, FIG. 17(a) is an example display of a warning point search screen, showing traffic monitoring points i25a to i25f. Traffic monitoring point i25a displays the letter "N" in its speech bubble, indicating an N system. Traffic monitoring points i25b, i25c, and i25e display the letters "LH" in their speech bubble, indicating an LH system. Traffic monitoring point i25d displays the letter "loop," indicating a loop coil, in its speech bubble. Traffic monitoring point i25f displays the letter "H," indicating an H system, in its speech bubble. In this way, when the touch panel 1108 detects a touch at the position of a speech bubble in the simplified display state where letters are displayed in the speech bubble, the simplified display is switched to the detailed display, as shown in FIG. 4(b).

[0350] 4(a), a traffic monitoring point type designation section i26 is displayed in the lower right corner of the touch panel 110. The traffic monitoring point type designation section i26 is a section that displays buttons 140 listing the types of traffic monitoring points present on the route i23. In the example of FIG. 4(a), an "N" type button 140i27a indicating the N system of traffic monitoring point i25a, an "LH" type button 140i27b indicating the LH system of traffic monitoring points i25b, i25c, and i25e, a "loop" type button 140i27c indicating the loop coil of traffic monitoring point i25d, and an "H" type button 140i27d indicating the H system of traffic monitoring point i25f are displayed. When the first control unit 100 detects a touch on the display unit of this type button 140 from the touch panel 1108, it displays the touched type button 140 in inverted mode and switches the display mode of the traffic monitoring point corresponding to the touched type button 140 to detailed display if it is in simple display mode, or to simple display if it is in detailed display mode.

[0351] The all-in-one device 1000 of this embodiment has a surrounding area search function as a method for setting a destination (hereinafter, including a stopover). When this surrounding area search function is selected and activated, the first control unit 100 extracts facilities that meet the specified conditions and are close to the current location, and draws the extraction results on the touch panel 110. The user can then select one of the candidates drawn on the touch panel 110 and confirm it to specify it as the destination (including a stopover).

[0352] That is, to realize this function, the main storage unit 190 of this embodiment stores information about each facility in association with information about the facility's classification along with its location information. The information about the facility's classification is a plurality of types of items grouped together by the name of the genre to which each facility corresponds.

[0353] In this embodiment, when any of the items is specified, the first control unit 100 extracts facilities that match the specified item and are close to the current location, and draws the extracted results as destination candidates on the touch panel 110. The user can select one of the candidates drawn on the touch panel 110 to specify it as a destination.

[0354] When any of the items is selected, the first control unit 100 accesses the main memory unit 190 and extracts facilities that exist within a reference distance (for example, 10 km) from the current location and that match the classification of the specified item. Then, it draws a predetermined number (for example, 10) of the closest facilities by superimposing icons (marks) representing the facilities on the corresponding locations on the map drawn on the touch panel 110. As facility information stored in the main memory unit 190, an icon is registered in association with each facility, and when drawing the facility, the associated icon is read out and drawn at a predetermined location on the touch panel 110.

[0355] If the current position is present on the map drawn on the touch panel 110, a vehicle icon representing the vehicle is drawn over the position corresponding to the current position. Furthermore, when drawing such facility icons, numbers are added to the icons in order of proximity to the vehicle. The numbers are updated as the vehicle moves.

[0356] When the user selects a desired facility, the first control unit 100 recognizes this and calculates a recommended route with the facility as the destination, and draws the result on the map on the touch panel 110 in an overlapping manner.

[0357] Furthermore, the first control unit 100 has a function of providing route guidance to the set destination. That is, in response to a user's selection to start guidance, the first control unit 100 sequentially detects the vehicle's position using GPS or autonomous navigation, and provides route guidance to the destination using images and audio while drawing map information showing roads and the like on the touch panel 110.

[0358] The above-mentioned user's input of instructions such as specification and selection can be triggered by the first control unit 100 detecting that the user has touched a button 140 on the touch panel 110 that displays the name of an item or function, or a facility icon. <Implementation example> The all-in-one device 1000 described above can be implemented in an electronic device, for example, as follows.

[0359] Fig. 18 is a six-sided view showing an example of the appearance of an electronic device equipped with the all-in-one device 1000. In Fig. 18, a front view is shown in the second row in the center column. Here, Fig. 18 shows the front view of the surface that faces the touch panel 110 when the all-in-one device 1000 is installed. The touch panel 110 is disposed on the front of the all-in-one device 1000. Furthermore, no buttons 140 or the like are disposed on the bezel surrounding the periphery of the touch panel 110 so as not to obstruct the view of the touch panel 110.

[0360] A left side view is shown to the left of the front view. The first storage unit 180, the notification LED 130b, and the USB terminal 320 are arranged on the left side of the all-in-one device 1000. The first storage unit 180 is realized by an SD slot, into which an SD card serving as a storage medium is inserted. The notification LED 130b is an LED that indicates whether power is being supplied, and lights up green, for example, when power is being supplied. A cigarette lighter plug cord 504 is connected to the USB terminal 320. As described in the section on battery control, the all-in-one device 1000 receives power from a car charger via the cigarette lighter plug cord 504. To clearly show the shape of the all-in-one device 1000, the cord extending from the cigarette lighter plug cord socket is not shown in FIG. 17.

[0361] A right side view is shown to the right of the front view. A second storage unit 230 is disposed on the right side of the all-in-one device 1000. The second storage unit 230 is realized by an SD slot into which an SD card, which is a storage medium, is inserted.

[0362] A top view is shown above the front view. An LED 130a, buttons 140a, 140b, and 140c are arranged on the top surface of the all-in-one device 1000. The LED 130a indicates whether continuous recording is being performed by the all-in-one device 1000. For example, it lights up red when continuous recording is not being performed. The button 140a is the button 140 for starting manual recording. Pressing the button 140a triggers the start of event recording. The button 140b is the button 140 for stopping or restarting continuous recording. Each time the button 140b is pressed, continuous recording is stopped or restarted. The button 140c is the button 140 for turning the all-in-one device 1000 on or off. When the button 140c is pressed while the all-in-one device 1000 is powered on, the all-in-one device 1000 is powered off. When the button 140c is pressed while the all-in-one device 1000 is powered off, the all-in-one device 1000 is powered on.

[0363] The third row in the center column shows a rear view. The camera 210 and joint portion 502 are disposed on the rear surface of the all-in-one device 1000. Edges 501a, 501b, 501c, and 501d are formed on the rear surface of the all-in-one device 1000. The camera 210 unit is incorporated into the all-in-one device 1000 via a ball joint, allowing the camera 210 to move. The range of movement of the camera 210 is, for example, 15 degrees in each direction. In other words, if the camera 210 is located in the center, it can move, for example, 15 degrees upward and 15 degrees downward. The joint portion is a portion for attaching the all-in-one device 1000 to a cradle that secures the all-in-one device 1000. Edges 501a, 501b, 501c, and 501d are ridges formed on the rear surface. The edge 501a, the edge 501b, the edge 501c, and the edge 501d are curved so as not to get caught in the hand of a user carrying the all-in-one device 1000.

[0364] The third row in the center column shows a bottom view. A speaker slit 503 is provided on the bottom surface of the all-in-one device 1000. The speaker slit 503 is a slit through which sound is output from the speaker 120 of the all-in-one device 1000. Details of the speaker slit 503 and the speaker 120 will be described later.

[0365] As described above, the all-in-one device 1000 has four ridges, edge 501a, edge 501b, edge 501c, and edge 501d, on its rear surface, thereby providing four surfaces on the rear surface. Also, as can be seen by referring to the bottom, top, left side, and right side views, the all-in-one device 1000 has a shape in which the camera 210 is at the apex and downward slopes are provided to the respective ends of the rear surface.

[0366] In this regard, it is conceivable to realize a flat rectangular housing for all-in-one device 1000 without providing such an inclination, by making the thickness of each end equal to that of camera 210. However, such a shape would result in an increase in the overall size of all-in-one device 1000, making it less portable.

[0367] Furthermore, the reason why the camera 210 portion is thick and becomes the apex is due to the size of the camera 210 unit that forms the camera 210. Therefore, the camera 210 portion cannot be made thinner. On the other hand, other circuits can be made thinner than the camera 210 portion. Therefore, even if the thickness of each end and the camera 210 portion were made the same, this would only result in wasted space within the housing of the all-in-one device 1000. From this perspective, too, there is no need to make the housing of the all-in-one device 1000 flat and rectangular.

[0368] Therefore, in this implementation example, the thickness of the back surface is made thinner by providing a downward slope from the camera 210 at the apex to each end of the back surface, which has the effect of preventing the case from becoming unnecessarily thick, making it less portable, and creating wasted space inside the housing.

[0369] Other features of this implementation example will also be described with reference to Fig. 19. Fig. 19(a) shows the left side of the all-in-one device 1000. As described with reference to Fig. 18, the USB terminal 320 for connecting the cigarette lighter plug cord 504 is disposed on the left side of the all-in-one device 1000. When viewed from the left side, a notch 505 is formed in the right half around the USB terminal 320. When viewed from the left side, the notch 505 is approximately vertical from top to bottom up to the height at which the USB terminal 320 is provided, but below the height at which the USB terminal 320 is provided, the notch 505 curves to the left like an arc.

[0370] 19(b) shows the rear of the all-in-one device 1000. When viewed from the rear, the cutout 505 has a different left-right length at its upper portion (e.g., approximately two-thirds of the total) from that at its lower portion (e.g., approximately one-third of the total). Specifically, the left-right length of the lower portion is shorter.

[0371] The reason why the cutout 505 has such a shape will be explained with reference to Fig. 19(c). Fig. 19(c) is a left side view showing the state in which the cigar plug cord 504 is attached to the USB terminal 320. Fig. 19(c) shows the cigar plug cord 504 and the cord portion 504-1 extending from the cigar plug cord 504.

[0372] First, as described with reference to FIG. 19(b), when viewed from the rear, notch 505 has a shorter left-right length at its lower portion, which corresponds to the thickness of the cable. Therefore, when viewed from the rear, cord portion 504-1 follows the shape of notch 505 without shifting left or right. When viewed from the left side of notch 505, cord portion 504-1 hangs down along a curved leftward arc. In other words, the curved leftward arc when viewed from the left side of notch 505 guides cord portion 504-1 of cigarette plug cord 504 in the desired direction rather than causing it to hang down.

[0373] This prevents the cord portion 504-1 from moving in an unintended direction. Also, the arc shape prevents the cord from bending at an acute angle, which extends the life of the cord.

[0374] Furthermore, the width of the notch 505 from side to side when viewed from the back of the all-in-one device 1000 should be set so that the cigarette plug cord 504 and cord portion 504-1 are not visible to the user when the all-in-one device 1000 is viewed from the front. This allows the user to see only the rectangular shape on the front of the all-in-one device 1000, creating a sense of unity.

[0375] Furthermore, the width of the notch 505 from side to side when viewed from the back of the all-in-one device 1000 should be set to a width that allows the cigarette plug cord 504 and the cord portion 504-1 to be visible to the user when viewing the all-in-one device 1000 from the front, thereby enabling the user to confirm that the cigarette plug cord 504 is connected to the USB terminal 320.

[0376] Other features of this implementation example will also be described with reference to Fig. 20. Fig. 20 is a rear view of the all-in-one device 1000, showing the shape when the rear part of the cover that forms the housing of the all-in-one device 1000 has been removed.

[0377] FIG. 20 shows a speaker unit 506, a speaker holder 507, and a speaker slit corresponding position 508 that indicates a position corresponding to the position of the speaker slit 503.

[0378] 1, and generates sounds such as voices for providing operational guidance, warning sounds, music, etc., using a diaphragm. Generally, a sound emission hole is provided in the back of the cover that forms the housing of the all-in-one device 1000 at a position corresponding to the speaker unit 506, for guiding the sound generated by the diaphragm to the outside of the cover.

[0379] However, in this implementation, it is assumed that the all-in-one device 1000 will be carried around, and it is conceivable that the user will see the back side, and in such a case, if sound emission holes are provided, the aesthetic appearance will be impaired.

[0380] Therefore, in this implementation example, speaker holding portion 507 not only holds speaker unit 506 but also surrounds the periphery of speaker unit 506. However, the lower portion of speaker unit 506 is not surrounded. As a result, sound generated by the diaphragm is guided from the lower portion of speaker unit 506 to speaker slit corresponding position 508 and is ultimately emitted from speaker slit 503. This makes it possible to output sound to the outside without providing a sound emission hole in the portion corresponding to speaker unit 506 on the back of the cover that realizes the housing of all-in-one device 1000. This makes it possible to prevent sound emission holes from spoiling the aesthetic appearance.

[0381] Next, referring to Fig. 21, a diagram of the state in which the all-in-one device 1000 is attached to the cradle 2000 and the base part 3000 in order to fix the all-in-one device 1000 to a dashboard or the like will be described. In this implementation example, the cradle 2000 is detachable from the joint part 502 shown in Fig. 18, and the all-in-one device 1000 can be installed on the dashboard of a vehicle and used together with the cradle 2000, or the all-in-one device 1000 can be removed from the cradle 2000 and used as a portable navigation system.

[0382] The cradle 2000 is further connected to a base 3000. The base 3000 includes: The cradle 2000 is supported in any position. The base 3000 is fixed to a dashboard or the like by suction cups or an adhesive sheet attached to the bottom surface. The base 3000 and the cradle 2000 are connected to each other via a connecting mechanism such as a ball joint so that they can rotate within a predetermined angular range. Because of the ball joint, the base 3000 and the cradle main body 2000 can rotate relative to each other within any angular range in three dimensions, and the frictional resistance at the joint portion keeps that position at any angular position. Therefore, the integrated device 1000 attached to the cradle 2000 can also be placed in any position on the dashboard. <Modification> The above-described embodiments and implementation examples are preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments alone, and the present invention may be implemented in various modified forms within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0383] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the shape of the icon displayed on the map was changed depending on whether or not a video file was present. The color of the icon displayed on the map was also changed depending on the level of the event. Furthermore, numbers were assigned to events according to their chronological order, and their order was displayed numerically. In other words, the display mode of each icon was changed depending on these conditions. Here, changing the display mode includes, for example, changing the color, shape, size, number display, etc. of the icon.

[0384] In this regard, the correspondence between the manner in which the display mode is changed and the conditions for changing the display mode are not necessarily limited to those of the above-described embodiment. For example, it is preferable to change the color of the icon displayed on the map depending on whether or not a video file is present. Also, it is preferable to change both the color and the shape. For example, it is also possible to change the number of the icon displayed on the map depending on the level of the event. Furthermore, if there is a first condition, such as whether or not a video file is present, and a second condition, such as the level of the event, it is also possible to change the way in which the display mode is changed depending on each condition.

[0385] For example, when performing continuous recording, it is a good idea not to delete the oldest file. This prevents new real-time video from being saved, but it prevents old real-time video from being deleted.

[0386] It is also preferable to start and stop continuous recording in conjunction with the supply of power, which allows continuous recording to be performed at any time without requiring user operation.

[0387] Furthermore, in manual recording and event recording, the oldest file may not be deleted even if a new event occurs or a user operation is performed. This does not protect new files, but it can prevent previously protected files from being deleted.

[0388] Furthermore, it would be good if files protected by manual recording and event recording could be deleted according to user operation or settings, which would allow users to check the contents and delete files deemed unnecessary, thereby increasing the free space in the storage unit.

[0389] Furthermore, in the list of icons such as i13, it is also good to arrange the event icon or history icon pressed on the map at the top of the list. It is also good to sort each event in chronological order based on the date and time when the event occurred.

[0390] Furthermore, it is also possible for the first recording unit and the second storage unit 230 to be able to use the same type of storage medium, and for example, when the capacity of the storage medium used by the second storage unit 230 reaches its maximum, it can be replaced with the storage medium used by the first storage unit 180. This makes it possible to use the two storage media appropriately depending on the situation. Also, it is advantageous because by inserting a storage medium storing a video file into the first storage unit 180 by the second control unit 200, the video file can be played back by the first control unit 100.

[0391] Furthermore, when it is determined that an event has occurred, it is preferable to perform control so that functions that would interfere with capturing real-time video are not executed. For example, a function that would interfere with capturing real-time video may be the audio output function of a television. By doing so, when capturing image data, at least after it is determined that an event has occurred, the audio from the television is stopped, making it possible to prevent the audio from being mixed into the captured data.

[0392] Furthermore, when an event is determined to have occurred, event recording may not be performed even if the measurement value of the acceleration sensor 170 exceeds one of multiple thresholds. This allows for, for example, if an event is frequently determined to have occurred based on a minor impact, a video file is not stored even if the event is determined to have occurred based on a minor impact. This prevents a situation in which too many video files accumulate and the storage medium's capacity is quickly used up. For example, depending on the vehicle type, road conditions, driving habits, etc., if an event is frequently determined to have occurred based on the most sensitive threshold, recording every time would quickly overwrite important recorded data. Therefore, in such cases, it is advisable to not store a video file even if an event is determined to have occurred based on the most sensitive threshold.

[0393] Furthermore, since the camera 210 is movable, it is preferable to make it possible to adjust either or both of the incident position and direction of the incident portion 211 of the camera 210. This makes it possible to adjust the incident position even after the automobile-integrated device 1000 has been installed. This makes it possible to adjust the captured range so as to correspond to the shape and installation position of the automobile, and to capture image data of the desired range.

[0394] Furthermore, the threshold for determining that an event has occurred can be set to a different value for each measurement axis, and the threshold for the measurement axis corresponding to the direction of travel of the vehicle may be set higher than the threshold for the other measurement axes. This allows the use of thresholds according to the usage status of the all-in-one device 1000, making it possible to prevent the occurrence of an erroneous determination that an event has occurred when no event has actually occurred.

[0395] In this regard, depending on the usage conditions of the all-in-one device 1000, the measurement value of the acceleration sensor 170 may increase in a predetermined direction regardless of the occurrence of an event. For example, if the front surface of the all-in-one device 1000 is the touch panel 110, when the user presses the touch panel 110, the measurement value of the acceleration sensor 170 increases in the measurement axis corresponding to the direction from the front to the rear of the all-in-one device 1000. Since this is unrelated to the occurrence of an event, it is preferable not to determine that an event has occurred in such a case.

[0396] Therefore, for example, it is advisable to increase the threshold value in the measurement axis corresponding to the direction from the front to the rear of the all-in-one device 1000. For example, when the all-in-one device 1000 is installed in an automobile, the front of the all-in-one device 1000 on which the touch panel 110 is provided faces the user, and the rear of the all-in-one device 1000 faces the direction of travel of the automobile. Therefore, for example, when the traveling direction of the automobile is set to the front, the measurement axis corresponding to the traveling direction of the automobile is set to the X direction (front-rear), when the traveling direction of the automobile is set to the front, the measurement axis corresponding to the left and right of the automobile is set to the Y direction (left and right), and when the traveling direction of the automobile is set to the front, the measurement axis corresponding to the top and bottom of the automobile is set to the Z direction (left and right), and it is advisable to increase the threshold value for the measurement axis in the X direction (front-rear).

[0397] This makes it possible not to determine that an event has occurred even if a slight impact is detected.

[0398] Furthermore, even if the measurement value of the acceleration sensor 170 exceeds the threshold, it is preferable not to determine that an event has occurred if the threshold is exceeded within a predetermined period including the time when an operation is received via the touch panel 110. As described above, for example, the measurement value of the acceleration sensor 170 increases along the measurement axis corresponding to the front-to-rear direction of the all-in-one device 1000. This does not correlate with the occurrence of an event, so it is preferable not to determine that an event has occurred in such a case. Therefore, if the measurement value is within a predetermined period including the time when the operation is received, it is preferable not to determine that an event has occurred. This prevents the acceleration sensor 170 from measuring an impact associated with an operation and erroneously determining that an event has occurred based on this measurement. Furthermore, in such a case, it is preferable to determine that an event has occurred and perform event recording, but not, for example, display a pop-up message indicating the occurrence of the event or output a warning sound. This makes it possible to prevent a situation in which a warning is output despite the acceleration sensor 170 measuring an impact associated with an operation and erroneously determining that an event has occurred.

[0399] When a vehicle is located near a location where an event has occurred, it is preferable to restrict at least some of the functions executed by the all-in-one device 1000 that is the control target of the all-in-one device 1000. This allows the user to concentrate on driving the vehicle in a location where a previous event occurred. It is often desirable to drive with caution in a location where an event has occurred in the past. For example, suppose there is a location where an event has been determined to have occurred because the driver previously braked hard to avoid an accident or the like. In this case, some of the functions of the all-in-one device 1000 that is the control target are restricted in the vicinity of this location. For example, it is preferable to restrict the audio output function of a television. This makes it possible to stop the audio output of a television that interferes with driving near a location where the driver previously braked hard to avoid an accident or the like, allowing the user to concentrate on driving the vehicle.

[0400] Furthermore, it is also advisable to output, for example, the vehicle's speed as measurement information other than the acceleration measured when an event occurred. This allows the user to prove that, for example, the vehicle was traveling at or below the legal speed limit when the event occurred, or that the vehicle was traveling slowly. The vehicle's speed can be calculated, for example, using GPS location information. It is also advisable to obtain the vehicle's speed using, for example, OBD (On-board diagnostics).

[0401] The above description has been given of displaying event icons and history icons on a map that includes the current location of the vehicle in which the all-in-one device 1000 is installed. In other words, the description has been given of displaying a map of the area around the vehicle. In addition to this, when performing a route search or a destination search, it is preferable to display event icons and history icons for manual recordings and event recordings that occurred around the route or destination. This allows the user to refer to icons for places that do not include the current location of the vehicle.

[0402] Furthermore, when an event icon or history icon is pressed, operation guidance may be provided to the location of the event icon or history icon. This allows users to easily revisit locations where accidents have occurred in the past, where events frequently occur, or where the user has manually recorded the location.

[0403] Furthermore, the information for navigation stored in the main storage unit 190 may include all information for the entire country at the time of shipment. Map data and the like may be provided stored on a storage medium for each region, and the user may prepare a storage medium storing the necessary map data and use it by inserting it into the first storage unit 180. The map data and the like stored on the storage medium may be transferred to and stored in the main storage unit 190. Alternatively, the first control unit 100 may access the storage medium, read it from there, and use it.

[0404] In the above-described embodiment, three storage units are provided, namely, the main storage unit 190, the first storage unit 180, and the second storage unit 230. However, it is not necessary to provide three storage units. For example, it is also possible not to provide the first control unit 100.

[0405] In the above-described embodiment, it has been explained that the software for realizing control by the first control unit 100 is stored in the main memory unit 190, but it is also possible to store part or all of the software in a ROM included in the first control unit 100 rather than in the main memory unit 190.

[0406] The threshold may be user-adjustable, but since it is generally thought that users do not know how much to adjust the threshold, the threshold may be fixed, which prevents the user from setting an inappropriate threshold.

[0407] In the above description, each icon is not simply displayed in a different color, but rather, for example, the icons are displayed as circled numbers including numbers in chronological order. In this case, the numbers may be assigned in ascending or descending order in chronological order. In other words, the newest icon may be numbered 1 and the oldest icon may be numbered 10. Alternatively, the newest icon may be numbered 10 and the oldest icon may be numbered 1.

[0408] In the above description, the video files are played back via the first control unit 100, but it is also possible to have the second control unit 200 directly output the video files to the touch panel 110. In addition, the process of decoding the two video files into image data may be performed by the first control unit 100, rather than the second control unit 200.

[0409] In the above explanation, it would also be better to associate "television image" with the [shortcut] button 140 rather than "camera image." Since the user will refer to "camera image" when setting up the all-in-one device 1000, but will likely refer to "television image" after installation, this would improve usability for the user.

[0410] Furthermore, it is preferable to continue providing voice guidance even when the [Shortcut] button 140 is pressed and the screen transitions to screen S3, thereby preventing the inconvenience of the guidance being interrupted.

[0411] Also, button 140 for accepting an operation that triggers manual recording may be displayed on the screen, that is, on touch panel 110. Also, it is preferable to accept an operation that triggers manual recording with button 140 that is a hard key, rather than button 140 displayed on touch panel 110. This eliminates the need to provide button 140 on touch panel 110, and therefore makes it possible to prevent, for example, the real-time video displayed full screen on screen S13 from being partially obscured by button 140.

[0412] 14, step A3 is performed first, followed by step A4, but steps A3 and A4 may be performed simultaneously if the current is within the rated current range of the cigarette lighter plug cord, thereby shortening the time it takes for the second control unit 200 to start up.

[0413] Furthermore, the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 170 varies depending on factors such as an individual's driving style, the type of vehicle, and the roads on which the vehicle is usually driven. Therefore, in some cases, the threshold value used as the criterion for determining that an event has occurred may be too low. In this case, it may be erroneously determined that an event has occurred even when it has not. On the other hand, in some cases, the threshold value used as the criterion for determining that an event has occurred may be too high. In this case, it may be erroneously determined that an event has not occurred even when it has actually occurred.

[0414] Therefore, it is also preferable to allow the user to modify the threshold set at the time of shipment. In this embodiment, multiple thresholds are set, and the color of the icon displayed on the map varies depending on which threshold the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 170 exceeds. This allows the user to use the different colored icons as a guide when individually setting the threshold based on individual differences in driving style, vehicle type, roads usually driven, etc.

[0415] Furthermore, if it is considered difficult for the user to set the threshold value, it may be possible to prevent the user from modifying the threshold value set at the time of shipment.

[0416] Furthermore, when an SD card or the like is inserted as a storage medium into the second storage unit 230, the number of video data that can be stored is limited depending on the storage capacity of the SD card, so it is not possible to view all of the videos for the icons displayed on the map. However, it is preferable to distinguish between the most recent files that contain video data and older files that do not contain video data. This distinction can be achieved, for example, by using different icon shapes or colors. The most recent files can be, for example, 10 files. [Explanation of symbols]

[0417] 100 First control unit 110 Touch Panel 120 speakers 130 Notification LED 140 buttons 150 TV Tuner 160 GPS sensors 170 Accelerometer 180 First memory unit 190 Main memory 200 Second control section 210 Camera 211 Incidence part 220 Mike 230 Second Memory Unit 310 Power supply section 320 USB port 501 Edge 502 Joint 503 Speaker slit 504 Cigarette lighter plug cord 504-1 Code section 505 Notch 506 Speaker Unit 507 Speaker holder 508 Speaker slit position 1000 integrated devices 2000 Cradle 3000 base

Claims

1. A device that receives power from an external power source, The first control unit and The second control unit, Power control unit, Rechargeable batteries and Energy storage devices, Includes, The aforementioned power storage device stores energy when the device is receiving power from the external power source. The power supply control unit, When the current voltage of the capacitor becomes greater than a predetermined first voltage, the application of voltage to the second control unit is initiated. When the current voltage of the aforementioned storage device becomes greater than a predetermined second voltage, the application of voltage to the secondary battery is started. The predetermined second voltage is a value greater than the predetermined first voltage. The second control unit is, When the current voltage of the capacitor becomes greater than the predetermined first voltage, the startup process is initiated. The drive recorder function is executed when the current voltage of the aforementioned power storage device becomes greater than the predetermined second voltage. Device.

2. The aforementioned energy storage device is a supercapacitor. The apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned secondary battery is a lithium-ion battery. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The first control unit is a control unit that realizes the functions of a car navigation system, The second control unit is a control unit that implements the function of a drive recorder. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The startup process of the second control unit includes processes for activating the camera and microphone. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. If the current voltage of the capacitor becomes greater than the predetermined first voltage, but not greater than the predetermined second voltage, The second control unit performs the startup process, but does not yet execute the drive recorder function. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The first control unit controls the power supply of the touch panel, speaker, notification LED, buttons, TV tuner, GPS sensor, acceleration sensor, first storage unit, and main storage unit. The second control unit controls the power supply of the camera, microphone, and second storage unit. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. If the power supply from the car charger is interrupted due to the car engine stopping, The first control unit and the second control unit are shut down. The shutdown process of the first control unit is performed by power supply from the secondary battery. The shutdown process of the second control unit is performed by power supply from the energy storage unit. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. When the aforementioned device is removed from the vehicle, The second control unit starts the shutdown process when power is supplied by the capacitor. The first control unit does not shut down. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The second control unit, as part of the shutdown process, performs a process to store the information it has cached in a second storage unit, which is a non-volatile memory. The information cached by the second control unit is cached real-time video before it is converted into a video file. The apparatus according to claim 9.

11. When connected to an external device other than an automobile, The first control unit is shut down, After shutting down the first control unit, charging of the secondary battery is started. When the device is removed from the external device, the first control unit starts the startup process by receiving power from the secondary battery. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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