In-vehicle drive recorder device

Abstract

To make it possible to increase a detection accuracy of a course obstruction action with respect to the own vehicle and to record an entire picture of the course obstruction action.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle dashboard camera comprises: an image capturing unit which is mounted on the own vehicle and captures an image in front of the own vehicle; a course obstruction action detection unit for detecting a course obstruction action with respect to the own vehicle in which a preceding vehicle follows a course change of the own vehicle and changes the course, the preceding vehicle traveling within a predetermined distance in front of the own vehicle; a repetition detection unit for detecting that the preceding vehicle has repeated the course obstruction action a predetermined number of times within a prescribed time after the course obstruction action is detected; and a recording control unit for prohibiting overwriting of a captured image captured by the image capturing unit from when the course obstruction action is first detected by the course obstruction action detecting unit until the preceding vehicle moves out of a field angle of the image capturing unit, and for recording the captured image in the recording unit in the case that the repeat detection unit detects that the course obstruction action has been repeated the predetermined number of times.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for detecting aggressive driving by a following vehicle based on the distance between the vehicle and the following vehicle, and for recording an image of the rear. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-205078 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the technology described in the above Patent Document 1 does not sufficiently consider recording the entire picture of the obstruction of a path that occurs in front of the vehicle, and there is room for improvement.

[0005] In consideration of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle drive recorder device that can improve the accuracy of detecting a path obstruction and record the entire course of the path obstruction without being overwritten. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The in-vehicle drive recorder device according to the present invention described in claim 1 includes an imaging unit mounted on a host vehicle for imaging a scene ahead of the host vehicle, and a driving recorder for detecting a course obstruction to the host vehicle by a preceding vehicle within a predetermined distance ahead of the host vehicle that changes course to follow the course change of the host vehicle. and output a triggera repetition detection unit that detects whether the preceding vehicle repeats the path obstruction a predetermined number of times within a predetermined time period after the path obstruction is detected; and when the repetition detection unit detects that the path obstruction has been repeated the predetermined number of times, The trigger is output and a recording control unit that causes images captured by the imaging unit from when the preceding vehicle is detected to when the preceding vehicle moves out of the angle of view of the imaging unit to be recorded in a recording unit in a manner that prohibits overwriting.

[0007] According to the in-vehicle drive recorder device of the present invention described in claim 1, the device includes a path obstruction detection unit that detects a path obstruction of the vehicle by a preceding vehicle that is within a predetermined distance ahead of the vehicle and changes its path following the path change of the vehicle, and a repetition detection unit that detects that the preceding vehicle has repeated the path obstruction a predetermined number of times within a predetermined time after the path obstruction was detected. In this way, by detecting the path obstruction repeatedly performed by the preceding vehicle, path obstruction with an attacking intent against the vehicle can be detected, and therefore the detection accuracy of the path obstruction can be improved.

[0008] The in-vehicle drive recorder device according to the present invention described in claim 1 includes a recording control unit that, when the repetition detection unit detects that the path obstruction has been repeated a predetermined number of times, causes the captured images captured by the imaging unit from when the path obstruction detection unit first detects the path obstruction until the preceding vehicle moves out of the field of view of the imaging unit to be recorded in the recording unit in an overwrite-prohibited manner. Therefore, when the captured image includes a preceding vehicle that is obstructing the path, the captured image is recorded in the recording unit in an overwrite-prohibited manner, so that the entirety of the path obstruction can be recorded without being overwritten. Note that "recording the entirety of the path obstruction" is intended to record a moving image in which the path obstruction can be confirmed, and the entirety of the preceding vehicle that is obstructing the path does not have to be present in the captured image.

[0009] In the drive recorder device of the present invention described in claim 2, the path obstruction detection unit detects a path change of the vehicle based on a boundary line indicating a lane boundary detected based on an image acquired by the imaging unit and on turn signal information of the vehicle.

[0010] According to the in-vehicle drive recorder device of the present invention described in claim 2, when detecting a lane change of the vehicle, boundary lines indicating lane boundaries detected based on an image and turn signal information of the vehicle are used, thereby improving the detection accuracy of a lane change of the vehicle compared to when only one of them is used for detection.

[0011] The drive recorder device of the present invention described in claim 3 detects the obstruction of the path when the path obstruction detection unit detects that the preceding vehicle has moved forward of the host vehicle and that the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle is below a predetermined threshold within a predetermined time after detecting a lane change of the host vehicle.

[0012] According to the drive recorder device of the present invention described in claim 3, when it is detected that the preceding vehicle moves forward of the own vehicle and the distance between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold within a predetermined time after detecting the lane change of the own vehicle, the act of obstructing the path is detected. Therefore, the preceding vehicle that changes its path to match the own vehicle can be detected as an act of obstructing the path. Effect of the Invention

[0013] As described above, the vehicle-mounted drive recorder device according to the present invention has the excellent effect of increasing the accuracy of detection of an obstruction of the path of the vehicle and recording the entirety of the obstruction. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an in-vehicle drive recorder device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a control device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a captured image acquired by a front camera; [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of a series of controls performed by a control device according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] An in-vehicle drive recorder device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. In the following description, when front, rear, left, right, top and bottom directions are given, these directions refer to the front, rear, left, right, top and bottom directions of the vehicle.

[0016] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an in-vehicle drive recorder device 10 according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the in-vehicle drive recorder device 10 according to the first embodiment is mounted on a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "own vehicle") and includes a front camera 12 as an imaging unit, a distance detection unit 14, a recording unit 16, and a control unit 20.

[0017] The front camera 12 is a camera that captures an image of the area in front of the vehicle, and is composed of a color CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera or the like. The front camera 12 is installed in the center of the vehicle width direction on the inside or outside of the front part of the vehicle. The front camera 12 captures an image of the area in front of the vehicle at a predetermined frame rate based on an imaging signal from the control device 20, and outputs the captured image data to the control device 20 and an automatic overwrite area 16A of the recording unit 16, which will be described later.

[0018] The distance detection unit 14 detects the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle. Specifically, the distance detection unit 14 has a millimeter wave radar device (not shown). The millimeter wave radar device is fixed to the body of the vehicle, outputs a transmission wave (electromagnetic wave) toward the front of the vehicle, and receives a reflected wave reflected by the preceding vehicle. The millimeter wave radar device also detects the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle based on the time from when the transmission wave is transmitted to when the reflected wave is received. The distance detection unit 14 outputs the detected distance information to the control device 20.

[0019] The recording unit 16 is a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, and in this embodiment, it has an automatic overwrite area 16A in which data is automatically overwritten and recorded when the amount of recorded data exceeds the capacity, and an automatic overwrite prohibition area 16B in which automatic overwrite is prohibited. In the automatic overwrite area 16A, captured images taken by the front camera 12, the distance between the vehicle and an object detected by the distance detection unit 14, the vehicle speed and steering angle of the vehicle, etc. are recorded. In the automatic overwrite prohibition area 16B, captured images related to these are recorded when the repetition detection unit 220 described later determines that the preceding vehicle has repeatedly obstructed the path. The obstruction of the path will be described in detail later.

[0020] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the control device 20 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, the control device 20 is an ECU (Electronic Control Unit), and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 22, a ROM (Read only Memory) 24, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 26, a storage 28, and an input / output I / F 30. The CPU 22, the ROM 24, the RAM 26, the storage 28, and the input / output I / F 30 are connected to each other via a bus 32 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0021] The CPU 22 is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 22 reads a program from the ROM 24 or the storage 28, and executes the program using the RAM 26 as a working area. The CPU 22 controls each component and performs various calculation processes, which will be described later, according to the program recorded in the ROM 24 or the storage 28.

[0022] The ROM 24 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 26 temporarily records programs or data as a working area. The storage 28 is composed of a recording device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and stores various programs including an operating system, and various data.

[0023] The input / output I / F 30 is an interface for the control device 20 to input and output data to and from the front camera 12, the distance detection unit 14, the recording unit 16, and the like.

[0024] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the control device 20. As shown in Fig. 3, the control device 20 has a path obstruction detection unit 210, a repetition detection unit 220, and a recording control unit 230. Each functional configuration is realized by the CPU 22 reading out and executing an execution program recorded in the ROM 24 or storage 28.

[0025] The path obstruction detection unit 210 detects a path obstruction to the host vehicle caused by a preceding vehicle within a predetermined distance ahead of the host vehicle, which changes course to follow the path change of the host vehicle. Specifically, based on the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle detected by the distance detection unit 14, it is determined whether or not the preceding vehicle is traveling within a predetermined distance ahead of the host vehicle. In other words, it is determined whether or not the inter-vehicle distance is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. In this embodiment, the threshold is set to 10 m as an example.

[0026] In addition, the path obstruction detection unit 210 has a turn signal detection unit (not shown) that detects whether the turn signal light mounted on the vehicle has been turned on, and the turn signal detection unit detects whether the vehicle wishes to change lane to the left or right.

[0027] Further, the path obstruction detection unit 210 detects a boundary line indicating a boundary between lanes based on the captured image captured by the front camera 12. The captured image captured by the front camera 12 will be described below as an example. Fig. 4 is an example diagram showing an example of a captured image 50 captured by the front camera 12. Note that the road in the captured image 50 shown in Fig. 4 is a two-lane road with a left lane 60A and a right lane 60B on one side.

[0028] The path obstruction detection unit 210 detects the position of a boundary line 60C indicating the boundary between the left lane 60A and the right lane 60B in the captured image 50 by using a known image analysis method for the multiple captured images 50 captured in time series by the front camera 12. In this embodiment, as an example, the relationship between the position of the boundary line 60C in the captured image 50 and the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling, i.e., the left lane 60A and the right lane 60B, is derived in advance. Then, by detecting the position of the boundary line 60C in the multiple captured images 50 captured in time series by the front camera 12, it is detected whether the host vehicle has changed course (changed lanes). In this embodiment, as an example, a white line and an orange line are detected as the boundary line 60C.

[0029] The path obstruction detection unit 210 detects that the vehicle has changed path when the turn signal detection unit of the vehicle detects the desired direction in which the vehicle should change path and detects that the vehicle has crossed the boundary line 60C toward the desired direction based on the position of the boundary line 60C detected in the captured image 50.

[0030] In addition, the path obstruction detection unit 210 uses a known image analysis method to analyze a plurality of captured images 50 captured in time series by the front camera 12, thereby determining whether or not a leading vehicle 40 is present in the captured image 50. If a leading vehicle 40 is present, it detects whether or not the leading vehicle 40 has crossed the boundary line 60C.

[0031] Then, the path obstruction detection unit 210 detects that the preceding vehicle 40 has moved ahead of the host vehicle, i.e., that the preceding vehicle 40 has changed course into the same lane as the host vehicle, within a predetermined time after it is detected that the host vehicle has changed course, and detects that the distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle 40 is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, and outputs a trigger of "1" to the control device 20. In this embodiment, as an example, the predetermined time is 5 seconds, and the predetermined threshold is 10 meters. The predetermined time is measured by a timer (not shown) mounted on the host vehicle.

[0032] The repetition detection unit 220 detects that the preceding vehicle 40 has repeated the above-mentioned path obstruction act a predetermined number of times within a predetermined time after the path obstruction act detection unit 210 has detected the path obstruction act to the host vehicle. In this embodiment, as an example, the predetermined time is 10 seconds and the predetermined number is four times. The above-mentioned predetermined time is measured by a timer (not shown) mounted on the host vehicle.

[0033] When the repetition detection unit 220 detects that the preceding vehicle 40 has repeated an act of path obstruction a predetermined number of times, the recording control unit 230 causes the recording unit 16 to record, with overwriting prohibited, the captured image 50 captured by the forward camera 12 from the time when the path obstruction detection unit 210 first detects an act of path obstruction by the preceding vehicle 40 until the preceding vehicle 40 moves out of the field of view of the forward camera 12.

[0034] Specifically, when the repetition detection unit 220 detects that the preceding vehicle 40 has repeatedly engaged in obstruction of the path a predetermined number of times, the recording control unit 230 flags the captured image 50 captured by the forward camera 12 as "not overwritable" after a trigger of "1" is output to the control device 20.

[0035] Furthermore, when the repetition detection unit 220 detects that the preceding vehicle 40 has repeatedly performed the obstruction act a predetermined number of times, the recording control unit 230 flags the captured images until the preceding vehicle 40 leaves the angle of view of the front camera 12 as "cannot be overwritten", and stops flagging the images as "cannot be overwritten" when a certain time has elapsed since the preceding vehicle 40 left the angle of view of the front camera 12. Note that the captured images until the preceding vehicle 40 leaves the angle of view refer to images in which the preceding vehicle 40 is present in the captured images 50. In this embodiment, the certain time is set to 5 seconds as an example, and the certain time is measured by a timer (not shown) mounted on the host vehicle.

[0036] The recording control unit 230 records the captured image 50 with the "non-overwritable" flag in the automatic overwrite prohibition area 16B of the recording unit 16, and records the captured image 50 without the "non-overwritable" flag in the automatic overwrite area 16A of the recording unit 16.

[0037] Next, the operation of the vehicle-mounted drive recorder device 10 will be described.

[0038] 5 is a flowchart for explaining the control by the control device 20. The CPU 22 reads out a program from the ROM 24 or storage 28, loads it into the RAM 26, and executes it, whereby the control process by the CPU 22 is performed.

[0039] First, the path obstruction detection unit 210 determines whether or not the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle detected by the distance detection unit 14 is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (step S11). If the inter-vehicle distance is not equal to or less than the predetermined threshold (step S11; NO), the path obstruction detection unit 210 repeats the process of step S11 until the inter-vehicle distance becomes equal to or less than the predetermined threshold.

[0040] On the other hand, in step S11, if the vehicle distance is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold (step S11; YES), the path obstruction detection unit 210 judges whether or not a lane change of the host vehicle has been detected (step S12). Specifically, as described above, the path obstruction detection unit 210 detects that the host vehicle has changed its lane when the turn signal detection unit of the host vehicle detects a desired lane change direction of the host vehicle and detects that the host vehicle has crossed the boundary line 60C toward the desired direction based on the position of the boundary line 60C detected in the captured image 50.

[0041] In step S12, when a change in the course of the vehicle is not detected (step S12; NO), the course obstruction detection unit 210 shifts the process to step S11 and performs the process of step S11.

[0042] On the other hand, if a lane change of the host vehicle is detected in step S12 (step S12; YES), the path obstruction detection unit 210 judges whether or not a path obstruction to the host vehicle has been detected (step S13). Specifically, as described above, the path obstruction detection unit 210 detects the movement of the leading vehicle 40 ahead of the host vehicle within a predetermined time after detecting a lane change of the host vehicle, and detects that the distance between the host vehicle and the leading vehicle 40 is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, and detects that a path obstruction to the host vehicle has occurred.

[0043] In step S13, if an obstruction to the host vehicle is detected (step S13; YES), the obstruction detection unit 210 outputs a trigger of "1" to the control device 20 (step S14).

[0044] In addition, if it is detected in step S12 that there is no change in the path of the vehicle (step S12; NO), and if it is detected in step S13 that there is no obstruction to the path of the vehicle (step S13; NO), the path obstruction detection unit 210 transitions to step S11 and performs the process of transitioning to step S11.

[0045] Next, in step S15, the repetition detection unit 220 detects whether or not the preceding vehicle 40 has repeated the above-mentioned obstruction a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined time period after the obstruction detection unit 210 has detected the obstruction (step S15). If the obstruction has not been repeated a predetermined number of times or more (step S15; NO), the repetition detection unit 220 shifts the process to step S12 and further detects obstruction to the vehicle, i.e., performs the processes from step S12 onward.

[0046] In step S15, if the obstruction of the path of the vehicle is repeated a predetermined number of times or more (step S15; YES), the recording control unit 230 determines that obstruction of the path of the vehicle is being repeated and flags the captured image 50 captured by the forward camera 12 after the first output of the trigger as "1" to the control device 20, i.e., after the first output of the trigger as "1", as "not overwritable" (step S16).

[0047] Next, the recording control unit 230 judges whether or not the preceding vehicle 40 has disappeared ahead of the host vehicle (step S17). Specifically, it detects whether or not the preceding vehicle 40 has gone out of the angle of view of the front camera 12, that is, it detects whether or not the preceding vehicle is not present in the captured image 50 captured by the front camera 12 after the trigger is first output as "1".

[0048] If it is determined in step S17 that there is a preceding vehicle 40 (step S17; NO), the recording control unit 230 transitions to step S16 and repeats the processes from step S16 onward. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S17 that there is no preceding vehicle 40 (step S17; YES), the recording control unit 230 determines whether a certain time has passed since the preceding vehicle 40 moved out of the angle of view of the front camera 12 (step S18).

[0049] If the certain time has not elapsed (step S18; NO), the recording control unit 230 repeats the process of step S18 until the certain time has elapsed. If the certain time has elapsed (step S18; YES), the recording control unit 230 stops flagging the captured image 50 as "not overwritable" (step S19).

[0050] Then, the recording control section 230 records the captured image 50 with the "non-overwritable" flag in the automatic overwrite prohibition area 16B of the recording section 16, and records the captured image 50 without the "non-overwritable" flag in the automatic overwrite area 16A of the recording section 16 (step S20), and the CPU 22 ends the series of control processes. In this manner, the series of processes by the control device 20 are performed.

[0051] Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0052] The vehicle-mounted drive recorder device 10 according to this embodiment includes a path obstruction detection unit 210 that detects a path obstruction of the vehicle itself by a preceding vehicle 40 that is within a predetermined distance ahead of the vehicle itself and changes course to follow the path change of the vehicle itself, and a repetition detection unit 220 that detects that the preceding vehicle 40 has repeated the path obstruction a predetermined number of times within a predetermined time after the path obstruction was detected. Therefore, by detecting the path obstruction repeatedly performed by the preceding vehicle 40, it is possible to detect path obstruction with the intention of attacking the vehicle itself, thereby improving the detection accuracy of the path obstruction.

[0053] Moreover, the in-vehicle drive recorder device 10 according to this embodiment includes a recording control unit 230 that, when the repetition detection unit 220 detects that the path obstruction has been repeated a predetermined number of times, causes the captured image 50 captured by the front camera 12 from when the path obstruction detection unit 210 first detects the path obstruction until the preceding vehicle 40 moves out of the angle of view of the front camera 12 to be overwritten and recorded in the recording unit 16. Therefore, when the captured image 50 includes the preceding vehicle 40 performing the path obstruction, the captured image 50 is overwritten and recorded in the recording unit 16, so that the entire picture of the path obstruction can be recorded without being overwritten.

[0054] In addition, according to the vehicle-mounted drive recorder device 10 of this embodiment, when detecting a lane change of the vehicle, the boundary line 60C indicating the boundary of the lane detected based on the captured image 50 and the turn signal information of the vehicle are used, thereby improving the detection accuracy of a lane change of the vehicle compared to the case where only one of them is used for detection.

[0055] Furthermore, the vehicle-mounted drive recorder device 10 according to this embodiment detects a course obstruction when it detects that the preceding vehicle 40 moves forward of the vehicle and that the distance between the preceding vehicle 40 and the vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold within a predetermined time after detecting a course change of the vehicle. Therefore, the preceding vehicle 40 that changes course to match the vehicle can be detected as a course obstruction.

[0056] Furthermore, according to the in-vehicle drive recorder device 10 of this embodiment, the recording control unit 230 plugs the data as "not overwritable" until a certain time has elapsed since the preceding vehicle 40 left the viewing angle of the front camera 12. Therefore, the situation ahead of the vehicle after repeated obstruction of the path can also be recorded with overwriting prohibited.

[0057] In addition, in this embodiment, the distance detection unit 14 has a millimeter wave radar device, but the present invention is not limited to this. Any technology may be used as long as it can detect the distance between the preceding vehicle 40 and the vehicle itself, and for example, if the front camera 12 is a stereo camera, the distance between the vehicle itself and the preceding vehicle may be detected based on a parallax image captured by the stereo camera.

[0058] In addition, in this embodiment, the camera constituting the front camera 12 is configured with a color CCD, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be configured with a monochrome CCD or other types of cameras such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) camera.

[0059] In addition, in this embodiment, the path obstruction detection unit 210 determines whether the preceding vehicle 40 is traveling within 10 m ahead of the vehicle, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the value may be, for example, 8 m or 12 m, or may be changed as appropriate.

[0060] In this embodiment, the path obstruction detection unit 210 detects that a path obstruction has occurred when it detects that the leading vehicle 40 has moved in front of the host vehicle within 5 seconds after it detects that the host vehicle has changed its path, and detects that the distance between the host vehicle and the leading vehicle 40 is 10 meters or less, but the present invention is not limited to this. The time may be, for example, 4 seconds or 6 seconds, and the distance may be, for example, 8 meters or 12 meters, and the values ​​may be changed as appropriate.

[0061] In this embodiment, the repetition detection unit 220 detects that the preceding vehicle 40 has repeated the above-mentioned obstruction four times within 10 seconds after the obstruction detection unit 210 detects the obstruction, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the time may be 9 seconds or 11 seconds, and the number of times may be, for example, 3 times or 5 times, and the values ​​may be changed as appropriate.

[0062] In addition, in this embodiment, the recording control unit 230 stops flagging the data as “not overwritable” 5 seconds after the preceding vehicle 40 leaves the field of view of the front camera 12, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the stop time may be 4 seconds or 6 seconds, or the value may be changed as appropriate.

[0063] In addition, various processors other than the CPU may execute each process executed by the CPU 22 shown in FIG. 2 by reading the software (program) in this embodiment. In this case, examples of the processor include a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacture, and a dedicated electric circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) which is a processor having a circuit configuration designed exclusively for executing a specific process. Each process may be executed by one of these various processors, or may be executed by a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (for example, a plurality of FPGAs, a combination of a CPU and an FPGA, etc.). More specifically, the hardware structure of these various processors is an electric circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0064] Furthermore, each program described in the present embodiment may be provided in a form recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, etc. Furthermore, the programs may be provided in a form downloaded from an external device via a network.

[0065] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above, and it is of course possible to implement the present invention in various other modified forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 10. In-vehicle drive recorder device 12 Front camera (imaging unit) 16 Recording Section 210 Path Obstruction Detection Unit 220 Repetition detection unit 230 Recording control section 40 Leading vehicle 50 Captured images 60C border

Claims

1. An imaging unit mounted on the vehicle and configured to capture an image of a scene ahead of the vehicle; a path obstruction detection unit that detects a path obstruction to the host vehicle caused by a preceding vehicle within a predetermined distance ahead of the host vehicle changing its path to follow the path change of the host vehicle and outputs a trigger; a repetition detection unit that detects whether the preceding vehicle repeats the act of obstruction a predetermined number of times within a predetermined time period after the act of obstruction is detected; a recording control unit that, when the repetition detection unit detects that the path obstruction act has been repeated the predetermined number of times, causes an image captured by the imaging unit from when the path obstruction act detection unit outputs the trigger until when the preceding vehicle moves out of the angle of view of the imaging unit to be recorded in a recording unit in an overwrite-protected manner; A drive recorder device comprising:

2. The drive recorder device according to claim 1, wherein the path obstruction detection unit detects a path change of the vehicle based on a boundary line indicating a lane boundary detected based on an image acquired by the imaging unit and turn signal information of the vehicle.

3. The drive recorder device of claims 1 and 2, wherein the path obstruction detection unit detects the path obstruction when it detects that the preceding vehicle has moved forward of the vehicle and that the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold within a predetermined time after detecting a path change of the vehicle.

Images