Drive recorder, captured image display device, captured image display method, captured image display program, and storage medium

Abstract

The present invention provides an imaging device that can be mounted on a rearview mirror and is capable of suitably capturing the scenery in front of the vehicle. [Solution] The drive recorder 1 is mounted on the rearview mirror 2 installed in the vehicle and comprises a mirror section 3 and a camera 11. The camera 11 has a shooting direction that is tilted horizontally by 20° with respect to the normal direction at the center of the mirror surface of the mirror section 3. In this case, when the mirror section 3 is adjusted to the use state, the shooting direction of the camera 3 substantially coincides with the front direction of the vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for photographing the forward view from a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a rearview mirror integrally provided with a camera for photographing the forward view of a vehicle is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a rearview mirror with a built-in camera in which a camera is installed in the internal space of a case constituting the rearview mirror, and the photographing direction of the camera is configured to be invariant regardless of the angle adjustment of the rearview mirror.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In Patent Document 1, there is a problem that a space for eliminating the interference between the camera and the case of the rearview mirror is required, and the case of the rearview mirror becomes large.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and a main object thereof is to provide an imaging device that is attached to a rearview mirror and can suitably photograph the forward view of a vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The invention described in the claims is a drive recorder that displays an image captured by an imaging unit mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a display unit for displaying the image captured; a display control unit for displaying character information indicating at least one of the time the image was captured and the vehicle's speed at the time the image was captured, superimposed on the image on the display unit; a mirror unit disposed in front of the display unit and transmitting a portion of the light of the image displayed by the display unit; an acceleration detection unit for detecting acceleration; and a mounting unit for mounting a main body including the display unit, the display control unit, the mirror unit, and the acceleration detection unit so as to overlap the mirror surface of the rearview mirror of the vehicle, wherein the mounting unit can be mounted in a first direction and a second direction rotated 180 degrees from the first direction along the mirror surface of the rearview mirror, and the display control unit sets the rotation direction of the character information to be displayed on the display unit based on the direction of the gravitational acceleration detected by the acceleration detection unit. Furthermore, the invention described in the claims is a photographic image display device that is attached to a rearview mirror installed in a vehicle and displays a photographic image acquired by an imaging unit mounted in the vehicle, comprising: a mounting part that can be mounted on the rearview mirror in a first direction and a second direction that is inverse to the first direction; a mirror part that enables the user to see behind; a display unit configured as a part of the mirror part; and a display control unit that adds text or a figure to the photographic image and displays it on the display unit, wherein the display control unit rotates the orientation of the display of the text or the figure based on the direction of gravity acting on the photographic image display device. Furthermore, the invention described in the claims is a method for displaying an image captured by a captured image display device, which can be mounted on a vehicle's rearview mirror in a direction opposite to a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction, and which displays an image captured by an imaging unit mounted on the vehicle on a display unit configured in a part of the mirror that enables the user to see behind, the method being performed by a display control step of adding text or a figure to the captured image and displaying it on the display unit, wherein the display control step is characterized in that the orientation of the display of the text or the figure is rotated based on the direction of gravity acting on the captured image display device. Furthermore, the invention described in the claims is a captured image display program, wherein the captured image display device can be mounted on the rearview mirror of a vehicle in a direction opposite to a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction, and displays captured images acquired by an imaging unit mounted on the vehicle on a display unit configured in a part of the mirror that enables the user to see behind, and the computer of the captured image display device executes a display control step of adding text or a figure to the captured image and displaying it on the display unit, wherein the display control step rotates the orientation of the display of the text or the figure based on the direction of gravity acting on the captured image display device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] The front and rear views of the dashcam are shown. [Figure 2] This shows a top view of the dashcam. [Figure 3] A block diagram of the dashcam is shown. [Figure 4] The diagram shows the top and side views of the interior of a vehicle with right-hand drive. [Figure 5] This diagram shows the relationship between the captured image and the cropped image. [Figure 6] This is an example of a display. [Figure 7] The rear and top views of the dashcam are shown for vehicles with left-hand drive. [Figure 8]This is a schematic diagram of the system configuration related to the modified example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a photographing device is attached to a rearview mirror installed in a vehicle and photographs the scenery in front of the vehicle, comprising a mirror portion and a photographing means having a photographing direction tilted by a first angle horizontally with respect to the normal direction at the center position of the mirror surface of the mirror portion, wherein the first angle is set such that, when the mirror portion is adjusted to a usable state, the photographing direction of the photographing means substantially coincides with the front direction of the vehicle.

[0009] The above-described photographic device is mounted on a rearview mirror installed in a vehicle and comprises a mirror and a photographic means. The photographic means has a photographic direction that is tilted horizontally by a first angle with respect to the normal direction at the center of the mirror surface of the mirror. Here, the first angle is set so that when the mirror is adjusted to a usable state, the photographic direction of the photographic means substantially coincides with the front direction of the vehicle. Here, "the angle in which the photographic direction of the photographic means substantially coincides with the front direction of the vehicle" refers to, for example, an angle in which the photographic direction of the photographic means falls within a difference of 10° from the front direction of the vehicle. In this configuration, the photographic device can suitably photograph the forward scenery centered on the front direction of the vehicle when the mirror is adjusted to a usable state by the driver.

[0010] In one embodiment of the above-described imaging device, the imaging device comprises an acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration and an image control means for outputting an image obtained by cropping a portion of the image captured by the imaging means based on the output of the acceleration sensor. In this embodiment, the imaging device can suitably recognize the tilt of the imaging device, etc., based on the output of the acceleration sensor, and suitably crop and output the portion of the captured image that shows the front of the vehicle.

[0011] In another embodiment of the above-described imaging device, the imaging device and the image control means change the center position of the image output by the image control means based on the angle difference between the normal direction and the front direction of the vehicle, which is calculated based on the output of the acceleration sensor. In this embodiment, the imaging device can suitably crop and output the portion of the captured image that shows the front direction of the vehicle.

[0012] In another embodiment of the above-described imaging device, the imaging device includes a detection means for detecting a vanishing point in an image captured by the imaging means, and an image control means for cropping and outputting a portion of the image captured by the imaging means based on the vanishing point detected by the detection means. In this embodiment as well, the imaging device can suitably crop and output the portion of the captured image that shows the front of the vehicle.

[0013] In another embodiment of the above-described photographic device, the photographic device includes a display means configured in part of the mirror section, and the display means displays the image output by the image control means. In this embodiment, the photographic device can suitably allow the driver to view an image of the scenery in front of the vehicle.

[0014] In another embodiment of the above-described imaging device, the imaging device is equipped with a non-volatile memory for storing images, and the non-volatile memory stores the output image of the image control means rotated based on the direction of gravity acting in the mirror surface direction of the mirror portion. In this embodiment, regardless of how the imaging device is mounted to the rearview mirror, an image of the forward-facing scenery can always be stored in the non-volatile memory.

[0015] In another embodiment of the above-described imaging device, the imaging device includes a superposition means for superimposing text or a graphic onto an image captured by the imaging means and outputting the result, wherein the superposition means rotates the orientation of the text or graphic based on the direction of gravity acting in the mirror surface direction of the mirror portion. In this embodiment, the imaging device can appropriately set the orientation of the text or graphic to be superimposed on the image captured by the imaging means.

[0016] In another aspect of the above-described imaging device, the imaging means has an imaging direction inclined with respect to the normal direction by only the first angle which is an angle within the range of 10° to 30°. With this aspect, the imaging device can suitably image the front view in front of the vehicle in the usage state after the angle adjustment.

Embodiment

[0017] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, the “imaging direction” shall refer to the direction that is the front of the camera and passes through the center of the camera's visual field (imaging range).

[0018] [Schematic Configuration] FIG. 1 shows a drive recorder 1 according to this embodiment. Specifically, FIG. 1(A) shows a front view of the drive recorder 1 in a state where it is attached to the rearview mirror 2 in the vehicle interior (simply referred to as the “attached state”), and FIG. 1(B) shows a rear view of the drive recorder 1 in the attached state. Hereinafter, the longitudinal direction of the drive recorder 1 shall be the “Y-axis direction”, the short side direction of the drive recorder 1 shall be the “Z-axis direction”, and the direction perpendicular to the Y-axis and Z-axis shall be the “X-axis direction”, and each positive direction shall be defined as shown in the figure.

[0019] The drive recorder 1 shown in FIG. 1 mainly includes a mirror part 3, a camera (imaging means) 11, a display (display means) 10 existing on the back surface of the mirror part 3, and clamping parts 16A to 16D. And in the attached state, the drive recorder 1 is fixed to the rearview mirror 2 by the clamping parts 16A to 16D clamping the rearview mirror 2. And in the attached state of the drive recorder 1, the mirror surface of the rearview mirror 2 and the back surface of the drive recorder 1 overlap.

[0020] Note that FIG. 1 shows the attached state of the drive recorder 1 when the vehicle is a right-hand drive vehicle. When the vehicle is a left-hand drive vehicle, the drive recorder 1 in a state rotated 180° on the YZ plane from FIG. 1(B) is attached to the rearview mirror 2. The case where the vehicle is a left-hand drive vehicle will be described in detail in the section of [Corresponding to Left-Hand Drive].

[0021] The mirror section 3 is, for example, a half-mirror that transmits some of the incident light and reflects the rest. As a result, when the display 10 on its back is not emitting light, the mirror section 3 functions as a normal mirror that reflects the scenery behind the vehicle, and when the display 10 is emitting light, it transmits the light emitted from the display 10, allowing the driver to see the contents of the display 10.

[0022] The display 10 displays an image (also called "extracted image Imc") extracted from the image (also called "captured image Im") taken by the camera 11. As will be described later, the extracted image Imc is an image extracted from the captured image Im so that the forward scenery in the direction in front of the vehicle is at the center of the image, and has fewer pixels vertically and horizontally than the captured image Im. The display 10 also displays the extracted image Imc with an image representing text, shapes, etc. (also called "guidance image") superimposed on it. In Figure 1(A), the display 10 superimposes a guidance image representing the vehicle speed and a guidance image of a rectangular frame highlighting the illuminated signal lights onto the extracted image Imc.

[0023] Camera 11 is positioned on the back of the drive recorder 1, in a state where it does not overlap with the rearview mirror 2. Furthermore, the shooting direction of camera 11 (i.e., the orientation of camera 11) is tilted 20° laterally with respect to the normal (also called the normal "Ln") at the center of the mirror surface of the mirror part 3. Here, the aforementioned "20°" is the standard left-right tilt angle when a driver of average build sets the tilt of the rearview mirror 2, and is an example of the "first angle" in this invention. As a result, when the driver adjusts the angle of the drive recorder 1, the shooting direction of camera 11 approximately coincides with the front direction of the vehicle (forward direction). This will be explained with reference to Figure 2.

[0024] Figure 2 shows a top view of the drive recorder 1. In the example in Figure 2, the drive recorder 1 is tilted counterclockwise by 20° so that the mirror portion 3 of the drive recorder 1 is directed towards the driver.

[0025] Here, as shown in Figure 2, the shooting direction of camera 11 indicated by arrow 41 is tilted clockwise (right) by 20° relative to the normal Ln on the horizontal plane (i.e., the XY plane). Furthermore, the normal Ln is tilted counterclockwise (left) by 20° relative to the front direction of the vehicle on the horizontal plane due to the angle adjustment of the driver's mirror unit 3. As a result, in the example in Figure 2, the shooting direction of camera 11 indicated by arrow 41 coincides with the front direction of the vehicle.

[0026] Hereafter, the installation state of the drive recorder 1 shown in Figure 2, that is, the state in which the normal vector Ln is tilted counterclockwise by 20° with respect to the front direction of the vehicle in the XY plane, and the drive recorder 1 is perpendicular to the horizontal plane, will also be referred to as the "reference state".

[0027] Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of the drive recorder 1. As shown in Figure 3, the drive recorder 1 includes a display 10, a camera 11, an acceleration sensor 12, a non-volatile memory 13, and a control unit 14.

[0028] The acceleration sensor 12 detects acceleration in the three axes of the X, Y, and Z axes and supplies the detected signals to the control unit 16. The non-volatile memory 13 is a storage medium such as an SD card and stores the captured image Im generated by the camera 11 or the cropped image Imc displayed on the display 10, based on the control of the control unit 14.

[0029] The control unit 14 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores control programs and data executed by the CPU, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that sequentially reads and writes various data as work memory when the CPU is operating, and performs overall control of the drive recorder 1.

[0030] For example, the control unit 14 overwrites the captured image Im or cropped image Imc for a predetermined time into the temporary memory, and when the acceleration sensor 12 detects an acceleration of a predetermined value or higher, it writes the captured image Im or cropped image Imc stored in the temporary memory to the non-volatile memory 13. Furthermore, based on the captured image Im, the control unit 14 performs various recognition processes such as detecting the vehicle ahead, detecting lanes, and detecting the color of traffic lights using known image recognition techniques, and displays a guidance image based on the recognition results superimposed on the cropped image Imc on the display 10. The control unit 14 is an example of the "image control means" and "superposition means" in the present invention.

[0031] [How to generate cropped image (IMC)] Next, the method for generating the cropped image Imc will be described. In general terms, the control unit 14 moves the center position of the cropped image Imc on the captured image Im based on the difference in the horizontal and vertical inclination of the normal vector Ln compared to the reference state shown in Figure 2. As a result, even when the angle of the mounted drive recorder 1 is adjusted according to the driver's physique, the control unit 14 can suitably generate a cropped image Imc centered on the front direction of the vehicle and display it on the display 10.

[0032] The following section will describe the case where the vehicle has right-hand drive. The control unit 14 determines whether the drive recorder 1 is installed in a right-hand drive or left-hand drive vehicle, for example, based on the acceleration in the Z-axis direction (i.e., gravitational acceleration) output by the acceleration sensor 12.

[0033] Figure 4(A) shows a top view of the interior of a vehicle with right-hand drive. Figure 4(B) shows a side view of a vehicle with right-hand drive.

[0034] In this case, first, the control unit 14 recognizes the angle of inclination of the normal vector Ln relative to the front direction of the vehicle in the horizontal plane (also called the "horizontal inclination angle θh"; see Figure 4(A)) and the angle of elevation of the normal vector Ln relative to the horizontal plane (also called the "vertical inclination angle θv"; see Figure 4(B)), based on the output of the acceleration sensor 12. Preferably, in this case, the control unit 14 calculates statistical values ​​over a predetermined period, such as a moving average, for the output values ​​of the X, Y, and Z axes of the acceleration sensor 12, and then calculates the horizontal inclination angle θh and the vertical inclination angle θv based on the calculated statistical values.

[0035] Next, the control unit 14 shifts the center position of the cropped image Imc on the captured image Im laterally from the center position of the captured image Im, according to the difference between the detected horizontal tilt angle θh and the horizontal tilt angle θh in the reference state (i.e., 20°). Also, the control unit 14 shifts the center position of the cropped image Imc on the captured image Im vertically from the center position of the captured image Im, according to the difference between the detected vertical tilt angle θv and the vertical tilt angle θv in the reference state (i.e., 0°). This will be explained with reference to Figure 5.

[0036] Figure 5 shows the positional relationship between the captured image Im and the cropped image Imc. In Figure 5, position "Pimc" indicates the center position of the cropped image Imc, and position "Pim" indicates the center position of the captured image Im. Furthermore, the width and height of the cropped image Imc are set to be shorter than those of the captured image Im, taking into account the possible angles of the horizontal tilt angle θh and the vertical tilt angle θv.

[0037] In the example shown in Figure 5, the control unit 14 determines that the horizontal tilt angle θh detected by the acceleration sensor 12 is greater than the horizontal tilt angle θh in the reference state (i.e., 20°) by a predetermined angle, and shifts the center position Pimc to the right by a distance "Lh" corresponding to that predetermined angle from the center position Pim. In this case, the control unit 14 stores in advance, for example, a map or formula that shows appropriate distance Lh settings for each candidate value of the predetermined angle, and sets the distance Lh by referring to the map, etc. On the other hand, if the detected horizontal tilt angle θh is smaller than the horizontal tilt angle θh in the reference state, the control unit 14 shifts the center position Pimc to the left of the center position Pim according to the angle difference between these horizontal tilt angles θh.

[0038] Similarly, in the example shown in Figure 5, the control unit 14 determines that the vertical tilt angle θv detected by the acceleration sensor 12 is greater than the vertical tilt angle θv in the reference state (i.e., 0°) by a predetermined angle, and shifts the center position Pimc downward from the center position Pim by a distance "Lv" corresponding to that predetermined angle. In this case, the control unit 14 stores in advance, for example, a map or formula that shows appropriate distance Lv settings for each candidate value of the predetermined angle, and sets the distance Lv by referring to the map, etc. Note that if the detected vertical tilt angle θv is smaller than the vertical tilt angle θv in the reference state, the control unit 14 shifts the center position Pimc upward from the center position Pim according to the angle difference between these vertical tilt angles θv.

[0039] In the example shown in Figure 5, the center position Pimc is moved based on the horizontal tilt angle θh and the vertical tilt angle θv. As a result, the center position of the cropped image Imc coincides with the center position of the captured image Im, which is captured when the shooting direction of the camera 11 coincides with the front direction of the vehicle. In other words, the control unit 14 determines the cropping range of the cropped image Imc so that the vanishing point on the extension of the front direction of the vehicle is at the center position of the cropped image Imc.

[0040] Figure 6 shows an example of the display on the display 10 showing the cropped image Imc shown in Figure 5. As shown in Figure 6, the control unit 14 displays the cropped image Imc, which was generated based on the vertical tilt angle θv and the horizontal tilt angle θh, on the display 10, and also displays guidance images 80 and 81 to guide the driver. In Figure 6, the control unit 14 superimposes guidance image 80, which surrounds the illuminated signal light recognized based on the captured image Im, and guidance image 81, which represents the vehicle speed acquired based on the output of a distance sensor or the like (not shown), onto the cropped image Imc.

[0041] As shown in Figure 6, even when the drive recorder 1 is adjusted to an appropriate angle according to the driver's physique, etc., from the reference state shown in Figure 2, the control unit 14 can generate a cropped image Imc with the same direction as the driver's line of sight as the shooting direction and display it on the display 10. Furthermore, when the mirror unit 3 is adjusted to the usage state, the camera 3 is tilted in advance so that the shooting direction of the camera 3 approximately coincides with the front direction of the vehicle, making it possible to bring the number of pixels of the captured image Im and the cropped image Imc closer together. In other words, an image showing the front direction of the vehicle can be displayed on the display 10 without drastically degrading the resolution of the cropped image Imc displayed on the display 10.

[0042] [Support for left-hand drive vehicles] Next, we will explain the case where the vehicle has left-hand drive. Figure 7(A) shows a rear view of drive recorder 1 when the vehicle has left-hand drive, and Figure 7(B) shows a top view of drive recorder 1 when the vehicle has left-hand drive.

[0043] As shown in Figure 7(A), if the vehicle is left-hand drive, the drive recorder 1 is mounted on the rearview mirror 2 after being rotated 180° on the YZ plane from the state shown in Figure 1(B) when the vehicle is right-hand drive. In this case, the drive recorder 1 is mounted on the rearview mirror 2 with the clamping parts 16A and 16B clamping the lower end of the rearview mirror 2 and the clamping parts 16C and 16D clamping the upper end of the rearview mirror 2.

[0044] In this case, as shown in Figure 7(B), the shooting direction of camera 11 indicated by arrow 41 is tilted 20° counterclockwise (leftward) on the XY plane with respect to the normal Ln. Also, in Figure 7(B), the normal Ln is tilted 20° clockwise (rightward) on the XY plane with respect to the front direction of the vehicle. Therefore, in the state shown in Figure 7(B), the shooting direction of camera 11 indicated by arrow 41 approximately coincides with the front direction of the vehicle.

[0045] The control unit 14 then considers the state shown in Figure 7(B) as the reference state and determines the center position of the cropped image Imc in the captured image Im, in the same manner as described in Figures 4 and 5. Specifically, the control unit 14 determines the center position of the cropped image Imc on the captured image Im based on the angle difference between the horizontal tilt angle θh (i.e., 20°) and vertical tilt angle θv (i.e., 0°) in the reference state and the horizontal tilt angle θh and vertical tilt angle θv detected by the acceleration sensor 12.

[0046] After determining the range of the cropped image Imc, the control unit 14 displays the cropped image Imc on the display 10 without inverting it vertically. Here, since both the display 10 and the camera 11 are inverted vertically compared to when installed in a right-hand drive vehicle, the control unit 14 ensures that the driver can view the cropped image Imc in the correct orientation.

[0047] Furthermore, the control unit 14 displays the guidance image superimposed on the cropped image Imc on the display 10 after rotating it by 180°. In this case, the control unit 14 displays not only the guidance image generated in relation to the image recognition result (for example, the guidance image 80 in Figure 6), but also guidance images that show various information such as operation menus, the current time, and the vehicle's speed (for example, the guidance image 81 in Figure 6), after rotating them by 180° and superimposing them on the cropped image Imc. As a result, the control unit 14 superimposes the guidance image on the cropped image Imc in the appropriate orientation for the driver to view.

[0048] Furthermore, when the control unit 14 records the captured image Im or cropped image Imc to the non-volatile memory 13, it rotates the captured image Im or cropped image Imc to be recorded to the non-volatile memory 13 by 180° before recording it to the non-volatile memory 13. By doing so, when the non-volatile memory 13 is removed from the drive recorder 1 and the captured image Im or cropped image Imc recorded in the non-volatile memory 13 is played back on a PC or the like, it is possible to effectively suppress the display of the captured image Im or cropped image Imc in an upside-down state.

[0049] As described above, the drive recorder 1 according to this embodiment is mounted on a rearview mirror 2 installed in a vehicle and comprises a mirror section 3 and a camera 11. The camera 11 has a shooting direction that is tilted horizontally by 20° with respect to the normal direction at the center of the mirror surface of the mirror section 3. In this case, when the mirror section 3 is adjusted to the use state, the shooting direction of the camera 3 substantially coincides with the front direction of the vehicle. Therefore, the drive recorder 1 can suitably capture the forward scenery centered on the front direction of the vehicle while the vehicle is in motion.

[0050] [Differentiation] The following describes suitable modifications of the above-described embodiments. The following modifications may be applied to the above-described embodiments in any combination.

[0051] (Variation 1) In Figure 2, etc., the camera 11 was tilted 20° relative to the normal Ln in the longitudinal direction of the drive recorder 1. However, the installation angle of the camera 11 to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to this. Alternatively, the camera 11 may be tilted relative to the normal Ln in the longitudinal direction of the drive recorder 1 within the adjustment range of 10° to 30°, which is the typical adjustment range of a driver's rearview mirror 2.

[0052] (Modification 2) In the section on [Method for generating cropped images], the control unit 14 determined the center position of the cropped image Imc in the captured image Im based on the detected horizontal tilt angle θh and vertical tilt angle θv. Alternatively, the control unit 14 may detect a vanishing point from the captured image Im using a known method and define the range of the cropped image Imc so that the detected vanishing point is at its center.

[0053] In this case, preferably, the control unit 14 calculates the position of the vanishing point in the captured image Im taken while driving on a flat and straight road using a statistical method, and fixes it as the center position of the cropped image Imc. For example, the control unit 14 calculates the vanishing point on multiple captured images Im for which the output of the acceleration sensor 12 at the time of capture was within a predetermined range, and sets the average position of the calculated vanishing points as the center position of the cropped image Imc. By doing so, the control unit 14 can suitably suppress the frequent changes in the relative position of the cropped image Imc within the captured image Im, even when the vanishing point in the captured image Im frequently moves when driving on rough or uneven roads. In this modified example, the control unit 14 is an example of the "detection means" in the present invention.

[0054] (Variation 3) The drive recorder 1 can be attached to the rearview mirror 2 and has only a shooting function using the camera 11; it does not need to have a display function using the display 10 or an image recording function using the non-volatile memory 13.

[0055] Figure 8 shows an overview of a modified system. In the example shown in Figure 8, the drive recorder 1 is connected to the server device 6 via a network. The drive recorder 1 then transmits the captured image Im or cropped image Imc to the server device 6 when it detects an acceleration exceeding a predetermined value using the acceleration sensor 12.

[0056] (Modification 4) The drive recorder 1 may decide whether to store the captured image Im or the cropped image Imc in the non-volatile memory 13 based on user input to an input unit (not shown). When the cropped image Imc is stored in the non-volatile memory 13 based on user input, the drive recorder 1 can suitably record video that accurately captures the front direction of the vehicle. On the other hand, when the captured image Im is stored in the non-volatile memory 13 based on user input, the drive recorder 1 can suitably record video with a wide field of view. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1. Dashcam 2. Rearview mirror 3 Mirror section 6 Server devices 10 displays 11 Cameras 12. Accelerometer 13 Non-volatile memory 14 Control Unit

Claims

[Claim 1] A drive recorder that displays captured images acquired by an imaging unit mounted on a vehicle, A display unit that displays the captured image, A display control unit that displays character information indicating at least one of the time the captured image was taken and the vehicle's speed at the time the image was taken, superimposed on the captured image on the display unit; A mirror portion is positioned in front of the display unit and transmits a portion of the light of the image displayed by the display unit, An acceleration detection unit that detects acceleration, A mounting section is provided for mounting the main body, which includes the display unit, the display control unit, the mirror unit, and the acceleration detection unit, so as to overlap with the mirror surface of the rearview mirror of the vehicle. Equipped with, The mounting portion can be mounted so that the orientation of the main body portion is oriented toward a first direction and a second direction rotated 180 degrees from the first direction along the mirror surface of the rearview mirror, and the display control unit sets the rotation direction of the character information to be displayed on the display unit based on the direction of the gravitational acceleration detected by the acceleration detection unit. A dashcam characterized by the following features.

Images