Vehicle recording device and recording control method

Abstract

To enable an appropriate use during traveling and parking of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A recording device 10 for a vehicle includes: a vehicle status determination unit 135 that determines whether a vehicle is in a traveling state or a parked state; a drive control unit 136 that controls a drive unit 280 so that, when the vehicle is in the traveling state, a first enclosure is in a first arrangement in which a camera 210 faces the front of the vehicle and a display 250 faces the interior side of the vehicle, and, when the vehicle is in a parked state, the first enclosure is in a second arrangement in which the camera 210 faces upward or downward; a cutout processing unit 123 that performs cutout of a video captured by the camera 210; and a recording control unit 124 that records the video subjected to the cutout processing. The cutout processing unit 123 performs a narrow cutout of an angle of view in a vertical direction of the captured video when the first enclosure is in the first arrangement, and performs the cutout processing of a region excluding a region centered on an optical axis of the captured video when the first enclosure is in the second arrangement.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a recording device for a vehicle and a recording control method. [Background technology]

[0002] So-called drive recorders (vehicle recording devices) are known that are equipped with a camera capable of capturing images in a full or half-distance range so as to record images over a wide range (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Also known are drive recorders that are equipped with a camera that captures images of the area behind the vehicle and display the captured images of the area behind the vehicle on a display unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-196066 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a drive recorder capable of capturing a full-dome or half-dome range is equipped with a display, the display must be positioned so that it does not enter the capture range. This increases the vertical size of the drive recorder, which may obstruct the field of view. Also, when using a drive recorder for parking monitoring, a display is not necessary.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has an object to be appropriately used when a vehicle is traveling and when it is parked. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, a vehicle recording device according to the present invention includes a first housing including an imaging unit and a display unit, the imaging unit facing forward of the vehicle and the display unit facing toward the interior of the vehicle when in a first positioning state, and the imaging unit facing upward or downward when in a second positioning state, a second housing supporting the first housing in the first positioning state and the second positioning state, a drive unit that moves the first housing between the first positioning state and the second positioning state, a vehicle state determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is in a traveling state or a parked state, and a drive unit that moves the first housing to the front when it is determined that the vehicle is in a traveling state. The system includes a drive control unit that controls the drive unit to move the first housing to the second configuration when the first configuration is set and it is determined that the vehicle is parked, a cut-out processing unit that cuts out the image captured by the imaging unit, and a recording control unit that records the image cut-out by the cut-out processing unit, and when the first housing is in the first configuration, the cut-out processing unit cuts out a narrow angle of view in at least the vertical direction of the image from the image captured by the imaging unit, and when the first housing is in the second configuration, it performs cut-out processing on a range of the image captured by the imaging unit excluding a range centered on the optical axis of the imaging unit.

[0007] a drive unit that moves the first housing between the first and second positions; a vehicle state determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is in a moving state or a parked state; a drive control unit that controls the drive unit to place the first housing in the first position when it is determined that the vehicle is in a moving state, and to place the first housing in the second position when it is determined that the vehicle is in a parked state; and a recording control unit that records video captured using the standard imaging unit when the first housing is in the first position, and records video captured using the wide-angle imaging unit when the first housing is in the second position.

[0008] A recording control method according to the present invention is a control method for a vehicle recording device comprising: a first housing having an imaging unit and a display unit, wherein, in a first arrangement, the imaging unit faces forward of the vehicle and the display unit faces toward the inside of the vehicle cabin, and in a second arrangement, the imaging unit faces upward or downward; a second housing that supports the first housing in the first arrangement and the second arrangement; and a drive unit that moves the first housing between the first arrangement and the second arrangement, the control method including the steps of: determining whether the vehicle is in a traveling state or a parked state; controlling the drive unit to position the first housing in the first arrangement, if it is determined that the vehicle is in a traveling state, and recording an image captured by the imaging unit with a narrow angle of view in at least the vertical direction of the image; and controlling the drive unit to position the first housing in the second arrangement, if it is determined that the vehicle is in a parked state, and recording an image captured by the imaging unit with a narrow angle of view in at least the vertical direction of the image.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording control method for a vehicle recording device having a first housing including an imaging unit having a wide-angle imaging unit for capturing images at a wide angle of view and a standard imaging unit for capturing images at a narrower angle of view than the wide-angle imaging unit, a display unit, and in a first positioning state, the imaging unit faces forward of the vehicle and the display unit faces toward the interior of the vehicle, and in a second positioning state, the imaging unit faces upward or downward, a second housing supporting the first housing in the first positioning state and the second positioning state, and a drive unit moving the first housing between the first positioning state and the second positioning state. The recording control method includes a state determination step of determining whether the vehicle is in a driving state or a parked state; a drive control step of controlling the drive unit to place the first housing in the first position when it is determined that the vehicle is in a driving state, and to place the first housing in the second position when it is determined that the vehicle is in a parked state; and a recording control step of controlling the drive unit to record video captured using the standard imaging unit when the first housing is in the first position, and to record video captured using the wide-angle imaging unit when the first housing is in the second position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The present invention has the effect of being able to be used appropriately when the vehicle is running and when it is parked. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first arrangement of the housing of the vehicle-mounted recording device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second arrangement of the housing of the vehicle-mounted recording device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the vehicle-mounted recording device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the angle of view in the first arrangement of the housing of the vehicular recording device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5]FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the angle of view in the second arrangement of the housing of the vehicular recording device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of the angle of view in the second arrangement of the housing of the vehicular recording device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the vehicular recording device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the vehicular recording device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the vehicular recording device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a recording device for a vehicle according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle-mounted recording device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the vehicle-mounted recording device according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a vehicle-mounted recording device and a recording control method according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0013] [First embodiment] <Vehicle Recording Device> FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first arrangement of the vehicle-mounted recording device 10 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second arrangement of the vehicle-mounted recording device 10 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the vehicle-mounted recording device 10 according to the first embodiment. The vehicle-mounted recording device 10 has a first housing 11 and a second housing 12 that supports the first housing 11. The second housing 12 is fixed to the front of the vehicle interior. The second housing 12 is placed, for example, on the dashboard.

[0014] The first housing 11 is movable relative to the second housing 12 fixed to the vehicle. In this embodiment, the first housing 11 is movable relative to the second housing 12 about a rotation axis AX. The second housing 12 supports the first housing 11 in a first position and a second position. The first housing 11 can be in a first position in which it is open relative to the second housing 12 as shown in FIG. 1, or in a second position in which it is closed relative to the second housing 12 as shown in FIG. 2. The first housing 11 is in the first position while the vehicle is moving and in the second position while the vehicle is parked. The first housing 11 is supported by the second housing 12 in the first and second positions. In the first position, the first housing 11 stands upright relative to the second housing 12. In the second position, the first housing 11 is positioned overlapping the second housing 12.

[0015] The first housing 11 includes a camera 210 disposed on the surface 11a and a display unit 250 disposed on the opposite side of the surface 11a. When the first housing 11 is in the first positioning state, the camera 210 is disposed facing the front of the vehicle and facing the windshield, and the display unit 250 is disposed facing the driver of the vehicle. When the first housing 11 is in the second positioning state, the camera 210 faces upward or downward, and the display unit 250 is disposed overlapping the surface 12a of the second housing 12. In this embodiment, since the second housing 12 is disposed on the dashboard of the vehicle, when the first housing 11 is in the second positioning state, the camera 210 is disposed facing upward. For example, when the second housing 12 is disposed on the ceiling of the vehicle interior, the camera 210 is disposed facing downward when the first housing 11 is in the second positioning state.

[0016] The vehicular recording device 10 may be a device installed in a vehicle, or may be a portable device that can be used in a vehicle. The vehicular recording device 10 may also be realized by including the functions or configurations of a device or a navigation device that is pre-installed in the vehicle.

[0017] The vehicle recording device 10 has a housing sensor 200, a camera (photographing unit) 210, a recording unit 220, an operation unit 240, a display unit 250, an acceleration sensor 260, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiving unit 270, a drive unit 280, and a vehicle recording control device 100.

[0018] The housing sensor 200 is a sensor that detects the state of the housing of the vehicle recording device 10. More specifically, the housing sensor 200 detects the state of the first housing 11 relative to the second housing 12. The housing sensor 200 detects whether the first housing 11 is open or closed relative to the second housing 12. For example, the housing sensor 200 may detect rotation of the first housing 11 about the central axis AX. For example, the housing sensor 200 may detect whether the first housing 11 is in contact with the surface 12a of the second housing 12. The housing sensor 200 outputs the detection result as housing information to the housing information acquisition unit 110 of the vehicle recording control device 100.

[0019] The camera 210 captures video in the direction in which it is pointed. In this embodiment, the camera 210 is a camera capable of capturing a half-heavenly 180° image. The camera 210 is disposed on the surface 11a of the first housing 11. The camera 210 constantly captures video from when the engine starts until it stops, and when the vehicle is parked. The camera 210 constantly captures video whether the first housing 11 is in the first position or the second position. The camera 210 outputs the captured video data to the video data acquisition unit 120 of the vehicle recording control device 100. The video data is, for example, a moving image composed of images at 30 frames per second.

[0020] The recording unit 220 is used for temporary storage of data in the vehicle recording device 10. The recording unit 220 is, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as RAM (Random Access Memory) or flash memory, or a recording unit such as a memory card. Alternatively, the recording unit 220 may be an external recording unit wirelessly connected via a communication device (not shown). The recording unit 220 records loop recorded video data or event recorded data based on a control signal output from the recording control unit 124 of the vehicle recording control device 100.

[0021] The operation unit 240 can accept various operations for the vehicular recording device 10. For example, the operation unit 240 can accept an operation to manually save captured video data as event recording data in the recording unit 220. For example, the operation unit 240 can accept an operation to play back loop recorded video data or event recording data recorded in the recording unit 220. For example, the operation unit 240 can accept an operation to erase event recording data recorded in the recording unit 220. For example, the operation unit 240 can accept an operation to end loop recording. The operation unit 240 outputs operation information to the operation control unit 130 of the vehicular recording control device 100.

[0022] The display unit 250 is a display device provided in the vehicle recording device 10. The display unit 250 is a display including, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic electro-luminescence (EL) display. The display unit 250 displays video based on a video signal output from the display control unit 131 of the vehicle recording control device 100. The display unit 250 displays video captured by the camera 210 or video recorded in the recording unit 220.

[0023] The display unit 250 is disposed in the first housing 11. When the first housing 11 is in the first positioning state, the display surface of the display unit 250 faces the interior of the vehicle, where it is visible to the driver and passengers of the vehicle. When the first housing 11 is in the second positioning state, the display unit 250 overlaps the second housing 12, and the display surface is not exposed to the outside. The display unit 250 displays an image when the first housing 11 is in the first positioning state, and does not have to display an image when the first housing 11 is in the second positioning state.

[0024] The acceleration sensor 260 is a sensor that detects acceleration applied to the vehicle. The acceleration sensor 260 outputs the detection result to the acceleration information acquisition unit 132 of the vehicle recording control device 100. The acceleration sensor 260 is a sensor that detects acceleration in, for example, three axial directions. The three axial directions are the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction of the vehicle.

[0025] The GNSS receiver 270 receives GNSS signals from GNSS satellites (not shown) and outputs the received radio wave signals to the position information acquirer 134 of the vehicle recording control device 100.

[0026] The drive unit 280 is a drive mechanism that changes the position of the first housing 11. In this embodiment, the drive unit 280 changes the first housing 11 between a first position and a second position. The drive unit 280 changes the first housing 11 around the central axis AX.

[0027] <Vehicle recording control device> The vehicular recording control device 100 is an arithmetic processing device (control device) configured with, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The vehicular recording control device 100 includes an internal memory (not shown) that is used for temporary data storage in the vehicular recording control device 100. The vehicular recording control device 100 loads a stored program into the internal memory and executes the instructions included in the program. The vehicular recording control device 100 includes a housing information acquisition unit 110, a state determination unit 111, a video data acquisition unit 120, a buffer memory 121, a video data processing unit 122, a clipping processing unit 123, a recording control unit 124, a playback control unit 125, an operation control unit 130, a display control unit 131, an acceleration information acquisition unit 132, an event detection unit 133, a position information acquisition unit 134, a vehicle state determination unit 135, and a drive control unit 136, all of which are connected to a bus 100X.

[0028] The housing information acquisition unit 110 acquires housing information from the housing sensor 200.

[0029] The state determination unit 111 determines the state of the vehicular recording device 10 based on the case information acquired by the case information acquisition unit 110. The state determination unit 111 determines, based on the case information, whether the first case 11 is in an open state or a closed state relative to the second case 12. The state determination unit 111 determines, based on the case information, whether the first case 11 is in a first placement state or a second placement state.

[0030] Video data acquisition unit 120 acquires video data captured by camera 210. More specifically, video data acquisition unit 120 acquires video data output by camera 210 and outputs it to buffer memory 121. Video data acquisition unit 120 controls the shooting operation of camera 210.

[0031] The buffer memory 121 is a memory that temporarily stores video data, and temporarily records, while updating, video data for a certain period of time acquired by the video data acquisition unit 120, or video data acquired by the video data acquisition unit 120 and cut out to a predetermined range by the cut-out processing unit 123.

[0032] The video data processing unit 122 converts the video data temporarily stored in the buffer memory 121 into an arbitrary file format, such as MP4 format, encoded using an arbitrary codec, such as H.264 or MPEG-4 (Moving Picture Experts Group). The video data processing unit 122 generates video data as a file for a certain period of time from the video data temporarily stored in the buffer memory 121. As a specific example, the video data processing unit 122 generates 60 seconds of video data as a file in the recording order from the video data temporarily stored in the buffer memory 121. The video data processing unit 122 outputs the generated video data to the recording control unit 124. The video data processing unit 122 also outputs the generated video data to the display control unit 131. The period of the video data generated as a file is set to 60 seconds as an example, but is not limited to this. The video data referred to here may also be data containing audio in addition to video captured by the camera 210.

[0033] The cropping processor 123 performs cropping processing to crop a predetermined range from the video data acquired by the video data acquisition unit 120. When the first housing 11 is in the first placement state, the cropping processor 123 may crop a range from the video data acquired by the video data acquisition unit 120 so as to narrow the angle of view in at least the vertical direction (up-down direction). This is to crop video of the front of the vehicle, which is highly useful when the first housing 11 is in the first placement state. The cropping processor 123 outputs the cropped video data to the buffer memory 121. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the angle of view in the first placement state of the first housing 11 of the vehicular recording device 10 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, when the first housing 11 is in the first placement state, the cropping processor 123 crops the vertical direction of the captured video data, i.e., the vertical angle of view θ, so that the vertical angle of view θ is in the range of approximately 90° to 120°, compared to the vertical angle of view of 180° in the first placement state. The vertical angle of view θ is the angle of view centered on the optical axis of the camera 210. An image with a vertical angle of view θ between 90° and 120° is a range in which the image is captured in the direction of travel of the vehicle and mainly captures the exterior of the vehicle. Therefore, there is a high possibility that other vehicles or pedestrians in front of the vehicle will be captured. An image outside this angle of view captures, for example, the sky, the cabin ceiling, the dashboard, etc., and is less likely to capture other vehicles or pedestrians, making the image less useful.

[0034] When the first housing 11 is in the second arrangement state, the cut-out processing unit 123 does not perform cut-out processing on the video data acquired by the video data acquisition unit 120. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the angle of view when the first housing 11 of the vehicular recording device 10 according to the first embodiment is in the second arrangement.

[0035] When the first housing 11 is in the second placement state, the clipping processing unit 123 may clip a portion of the video data acquired by the video data acquisition unit 120. This is to clip video of the front, interior, and rear of the vehicle, which is highly useful when the first housing 11 is in the second placement state. When the first housing 11 is in the second placement state, the clipping processing unit 123 performs clipping processing on a range excluding the range of the angle of view Φ centered on the optical axis of the camera 210. This is because the range centered on the optical axis of the camera 210 captures, for example, the ceiling of the interior of the vehicle, and the video is less useful. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of the angle of view when the first housing 11 of the vehicular recording device 10 according to the first embodiment is in the second placement state.

[0036] The recording control unit 124 controls the recording unit 220 to record the video data filed by the video data processing unit 122. During a period in which loop recording processing is being performed, such as when the vehicle's accessory power is ON, the recording control unit 124 records the video data filed by the video data processing unit 122 as overwritable video data in the recording unit 220. More specifically, during a period in which loop recording processing is being performed, the recording control unit 124 continues to record the video data generated by the video data processing unit 122 in the recording unit 220, and when the capacity of the recording unit 220 becomes full, it overwrites the oldest video data with new video data.

[0037] When the event detection unit 133 detects an event, the recording control unit 124 stores the video data for a predetermined period in the video data generated by the video data processing unit 122 in the recording unit 220 as event recording data that is prohibited from being overwritten.

[0038] When the first housing 11 is in the first disposition state, the recording control unit 124 performs monitoring operations while the vehicle is traveling. More specifically, when the first housing 11 is in the first disposition state, the recording control unit 124 activates a driving monitoring function, which is a monitoring operation while the vehicle is traveling, and saves video data captured by the camera 210. The driving monitoring function detects events based on, for example, acceleration, and saves the video data using a loop recording process. "While the vehicle is traveling" refers to a state in which power is supplied to the vehicular recording control device 100 from the vehicle's accessory power supply, or a state in which power such as the vehicle engine is running and the vehicle is being operated by the driver. Therefore, "while the vehicle is traveling" includes not only a state in which the vehicle is traveling, but also a state in which the vehicle is temporarily stopped.

[0039] When the first housing 11 is in the second position, the recording control unit 124 performs monitoring while the vehicle is parked. More specifically, when the first housing 11 is in the second position, the recording control unit 124 activates a parking monitoring function, which is a monitoring operation while the vehicle is parked, and saves video data captured by the camera 210. The parking monitoring function detects an event, for example, based on motion detection, and saves video data using a loop recording process. The parking monitoring function detects an event, for example, based on motion detection, and saves video data for a predetermined period after the event detection. A parked vehicle refers to a state in which power is not supplied to the vehicular recording control device 100 from the vehicle's accessory power supply, a state in which the vehicle is stopped and power such as the engine is stopped, the vehicle is not being operated by the driver, or a state in which the driver is not in the vehicle. The recording control unit 124 may control the video data acquisition unit 120 to cause the camera 210 to capture images at different frame rates when the first housing 11 is in the first position and when the first housing 11 is in the second position. For example, when first housing 11 is in the first position, video is captured at about 25 to 30 frames per second, and when first housing 11 is in the second position, video is captured at about 1 to 5 frames per second.

[0040] The playback control unit 125 controls the playback of the loop recorded video data or event recorded data recorded in the recording unit 220 based on a playback operation control signal output from the operation control unit 130 .

[0041] The operation control unit 130 acquires operation information of an operation accepted by the operation unit 240. For example, the operation control unit 130 acquires save operation information indicating a manual save operation of video data, play operation information indicating a play operation, or delete operation information indicating an delete operation of video data, and outputs a control signal. For example, the operation control unit 130 acquires end operation information indicating an operation to end loop recording, and outputs a control signal.

[0042] The display control unit 131 controls the display of video data on the display unit 250. The display control unit 131 outputs a video signal that causes the video data to be output to the display unit 250. More specifically, the display control unit 131 outputs a video signal that displays video captured by the camera 210, or loop recorded video data or event recorded data recorded in the recording unit 220 by playing back the video. The display control unit 131 may cause the display unit 250 to display video when the first housing 11 is in the first arrangement state, and may not cause the display unit 250 to display video when the first housing 11 is in the second arrangement state.

[0043] The acceleration information acquisition unit 132 acquires information about the vehicle acceleration applied to the vehicle from the detection result of the acceleration sensor 260.

[0044] When first housing 11 is in the first placement state, event detection unit 133 detects an event based on acceleration applied to the vehicle. More specifically, when first housing 11 is in the first placement state, in other words, when the travel monitoring function is being executed, event detection unit 133 detects an event for the vehicle based on the detection result of acceleration sensor 260 acquired by acceleration information acquisition unit 132. When acceleration detected by acceleration sensor 260 is equal to or greater than a threshold, event detection unit 133 detects it as an event.

[0045] When the first housing 11 is in the second placement state, the event detection unit 133 detects an event based on the detection of a moving object in the video captured by the camera 210. When the first housing 11 is in the second placement state, in other words, when the parking monitoring function is being executed, the event detection unit 133 detects the detection of a moving object in the vicinity of the vehicle as an event. More specifically, the event detection unit 133 performs image processing on the video data captured by the camera 210 to detect the moving object. Any known technology may be used as a method for detecting a moving object from the video data, and there is no limitation.

[0046] A moving object is, for example, a moving object such as a vehicle, a person, a falling object, or a flying object.

[0047] The position information acquisition unit 134 calculates the current position information of the vehicle based on the GNSS signals received by the GNSS receiving unit 270 using a known method.

[0048] The vehicle state determination unit 135 determines the state of the vehicle, which means whether the vehicle is parked or in motion.

[0049] The vehicle state determination unit 135 determines whether the vehicle is parked. For example, when the accessory power of the vehicle is OFF, the vehicle state determination unit 135 determines that the vehicle is parked. More specifically, the vehicle state determination unit 135 determines that the vehicle is parked by acquiring a signal indicating that the accessory power of the vehicle has been OFF from a power information acquisition unit (not shown). For example, the vehicle state determination unit 135 determines that the vehicle is parked when the vehicle has stopped in a parking lot for a predetermined period of time or longer. More specifically, the vehicle state determination unit 135 determines that the vehicle is parked when it is determined that the vehicle has stopped in a parking lot for a predetermined period of time or longer based on the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 134, map information stored in a map information storage unit (not shown), and information such as vehicle speed acquired from a CAN (Controller Area Network) (not shown).

[0050] The vehicle state determination unit 135 determines whether the vehicle is moving, including whether the vehicle is moving or stopped. For example, the vehicle state determination unit 135 determines that the vehicle is moving when the accessory power supply of the vehicle is ON. The vehicle state determination unit 135 determines that the vehicle is moving by acquiring a signal indicating that the accessory power supply of the vehicle has been turned ON from a power supply information acquisition unit (not shown). For example, the vehicle state determination unit 135 determines that the vehicle is moving when the vehicle has been moving for a predetermined time or more. More specifically, the vehicle state determination unit 135 determines that the vehicle is moving when it is determined that the vehicle has been moving for a predetermined time or more based on at least one of the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 134 and information such as vehicle speed acquired from a CAN (Controller Area Network) (not shown).

[0051] The drive control unit 136 performs control to change the position of the first housing 11 based on the position of the first housing 11 and the determination result of the vehicle state determination unit 135.

[0052] When the first housing 11 is not in the first arrangement state and the vehicle state determination unit 135 determines that the vehicle is not parked, the drive control unit 136 performs control to change the first housing 11 to the first arrangement state. More specifically, when the vehicle is not parked, the drive control unit 136 outputs a control signal to the drive unit 280 to change the first housing 11 to the first arrangement state.

[0053] The drive control unit 136 performs control to change the first housing 11 to the second arrangement state when the vehicle state determination unit 135 determines that the vehicle is parked. More specifically, when the vehicle is parked, the drive control unit 136 outputs a control signal to the drive unit 280 to change the first housing 11 to the second arrangement state.

[0054] When the first housing 11 is in the first placement state, the vehicular recording device 10 constantly records video, i.e., performs so-called loop recording, and detects events based on acceleration. When the first housing 11 is in the second placement state, and power is supplied to the vehicular recording device 10 from the vehicle battery in addition to the accessory power supply, the vehicular recording device 10 constantly records video, i.e., performs so-called loop recording, and detects events by moving object detection.

[0055] <Processing in the vehicle recording device> Next, the processing flow in the vehicle recording control device 100 will be explained using Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing flow in the vehicle recording device 10 according to the first embodiment. During startup of the vehicle recording device 10, the housing sensor 200 detects the state of the first housing 11 relative to the second housing 12.

[0056] The vehicular recording control device 100 uses the vehicle state determination unit 135 to determine whether the vehicle is in a moving state (step SB101). If the vehicle state determination unit 135 determines that the vehicle is in a moving state (Yes in step SB101), the vehicular recording control device 100 proceeds to step SB102. Since it has been determined that the vehicle is in a moving state in step SB101, the vehicular recording control device 10 has a moving monitoring function operating in this state. If the vehicle state determination unit 135 determines that the vehicle is not in a moving state (No in step SB101), the vehicular recording control device 100 proceeds to step SB105. Since it has been determined that the vehicle is not in a moving state in step SB101, the vehicle is in a parked state, and the vehicular recording device 10 has a parking monitoring function operating.

[0057] If the vehicle is determined to be in a driving state (Yes in step SB101), the vehicle recording control device 100 determines whether the vehicle has entered a parked state (step SB102). The vehicle recording control device 100 uses the vehicle state determination unit 135 to determine whether the vehicle has entered a parked state from a driving state. If the vehicle state determination unit 135 determines that the vehicle has entered a parked state (Yes in step SB102), the vehicle recording control device 100 proceeds to step SB103. If the vehicle state determination unit 135 does not determine that the vehicle has entered a parked state (No in step SB102), the vehicle recording control device 100 proceeds to step SB108.

[0058] If it is determined that the vehicle is parked (Yes in step SB102), the vehicle recording control device 100 changes the first housing 11 to the second arrangement using the drive control unit 136 (step SB103). The vehicle recording control device 100 then proceeds to step SB104.

[0059] The vehicle recording control device 100 starts the parking monitoring function (step SB104). The parking monitoring function processing will be described later. The vehicle recording control device 100 proceeds to step SB108.

[0060] If it is determined that the vehicle is not in a moving state (No in step SB101), that is, if the vehicle is in a parked state, it determines whether the vehicle has entered a moving state (step SB105). The vehicle recording control device 100 uses the vehicle state determination unit 135 to determine whether the vehicle has entered a moving state from a parked state. If the vehicle state determination unit 135 determines that the vehicle has entered a moving state (Yes in step SB105), the vehicle recording control device 100 proceeds to step SB106. If the vehicle state determination unit 135 does not determine that the vehicle has entered a moving state (No in step SB105), the vehicle recording control device 100 proceeds to step SB108.

[0061] If it is determined that the vehicle is moving (Yes in step SB105), the vehicle recording control device 100 changes the first housing 11 to the first arrangement (step SB106). The vehicle recording control device 100 then proceeds to step SB107.

[0062] The vehicle recording control device 100 starts the driving monitoring function (step SB107). The parking monitoring function will be described later. The vehicle recording control device 100 proceeds to step SB108.

[0063] The vehicular recording control device 100 determines whether or not to end the process (step SB108). End of the process is determined, for example, when the function of the vehicular recording device 10 is stopped by operating the operation unit 240. If it is determined to end the process (Yes in step SB108), the process ends. If it is determined not to end the process (No in step SB108), the process of step SB101 is executed again.

[0064] Next, a process flow for detecting an event based on acceleration and saving video data using a loop recording process will be described with reference to Fig. 8 as an example of the traveling monitoring function. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the process flow in the vehicular recording device 10 according to the first embodiment. The process shown in Fig. 8 is executed when the traveling monitoring function starts operating in step SB107 of the flowchart shown in Fig. 7.

[0065] The vehicular recording control device 100 starts normal recording (step S111). More specifically, the vehicular recording control device 100 starts continuous recording using the camera 210, and then starts event detection and loop recording based on acceleration. The vehicular recording control device 100 uses the video data processing unit 122 to generate loop recording video data for each video of a predetermined period from the video data recorded in the buffer memory 121. The vehicular recording control device 100 causes the recording control unit 124 to record the loop recording video data in the recording unit 220. The vehicular recording control device 100 proceeds to step S112.

[0066] The vehicular recording control device 100 determines whether an event has been detected by the event detection unit 133 (step S112). The vehicular recording control device 100 detects an event for the vehicle using the event detection unit 133 based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor 260 acquired by the acceleration information acquisition unit 132. More specifically, the vehicular recording control device 100 determines that an event has been detected when the event detection unit 133 detects acceleration equal to or greater than a threshold. If the event detection unit 133 detects an event (Yes in step S112), the vehicular recording control device 100 proceeds to step S113. If the event detection unit 133 does not detect an event (No in step S112), the vehicular recording control device 100 proceeds to step S114.

[0067] If an event is detected (Yes in step S112), the vehicular recording control device 100 saves the event record data (step S113). More specifically, the vehicular recording control device 100 uses the video data processing unit 122 to generate event record data from video data acquired from the camera 210 for a predetermined period before and after the event detection. Specifically, the vehicular recording control device 100 saves video data from the loop-recorded video data for a predetermined period before and after the event detection as event record data. When the vehicular recording control device 100 determines that the predetermined time has elapsed, it causes the recording control unit 124 to save the event record data generated by the video data processing unit 122 in the recording unit 220, and then proceeds to step S114.

[0068] The vehicle recording control device 100 determines whether the traveling monitoring function has ended (step S114). End of the traveling monitoring function is determined, for example, when the accessory power is turned off or when the traveling monitoring function is stopped by operating the operation unit 240. If it is determined that the traveling monitoring function has ended (Yes in step S114), this process ends. If it is determined that the traveling monitoring function has not ended (No in step S114), the process of step S112 is executed again.

[0069] Next, a process flow for detecting an event by moving object detection and saving video data using loop recording processing will be described as an example of the parking monitoring function with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the process flow in the vehicular recording device 10 according to the first embodiment. The process shown in Fig. 9 is executed when the parking monitoring function starts operating in step SB104 of the flowchart shown in Fig. 7.

[0070] The vehicular recording control device 100 starts moving object detection (step S121). More specifically, the vehicular recording control device 100 starts capturing images with the camera 210 and starts event detection through moving object detection. The vehicular recording control device 100 starts event detection based on the video data captured by the camera 210 using the recording control unit 124. The vehicular recording control device 100 proceeds to step S122.

[0071] The vehicular recording control device 100 determines whether an event has been detected by the event detection unit 133 (step S122). The vehicular recording control device 100 detects, as an event, the detection of a moving object in the vicinity of the vehicle by the event detection unit 133. More specifically, if the event detection unit 133 detects a moving object in the vicinity of the vehicle, the vehicular recording control device 100 determines that an event has been detected (Yes in step S122) and proceeds to step S123. If the event detection unit 133 does not detect a moving object in the vicinity of the vehicle, the vehicular recording control device 100 determines that an event has not been detected (No in step S122) and proceeds to step S124.

[0072] If an event is detected (Yes in step S122), the vehicular recording control device 100 saves the event record data (step S123). More specifically, the vehicular recording control device 100 uses the video data processing unit 122 to generate event record data from video data acquired from the camera 210 for a predetermined period of time from the time the event was detected. Specifically, the vehicular recording control device 100 starts recording video data when an event is detected, and saves the video data for a predetermined period of time from the time the event was detected as event record data. The vehicular recording control device 100 proceeds to step S124.

[0073] The vehicle recording control device 100 determines whether the parking monitoring function has ended (step S124). End of the parking monitoring function is determined, for example, when the accessory power is turned on or when the parking monitoring function is stopped by operating the operation unit 240. If it is determined in step S124 that the parking monitoring function has ended (Yes in step S124), this process ends. If it is determined that the parking monitoring function has not ended (No in step S124), the process of step S122 is executed again.

[0074] <Effects> As described above, in this embodiment, the first housing 11 is controlled to be in the first position when the vehicle is traveling and in the second position when the vehicle is parked. In this embodiment, when the vehicle is traveling, the first housing 11 is in the first position, causing the camera 210 to capture an image of the front of the vehicle. In this embodiment, when the vehicle is parked, the first housing 11 is in the second position, causing the camera 210 to capture an image of a wide area including the interior of the vehicle, or an image of the front and rear of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the first housing 11 can be appropriately positioned according to the state of the vehicle. In this embodiment, when the first housing 11 is in the first position, an event related to the vehicle is detected based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor 260 acquired by the acceleration information acquisition unit 132. In this embodiment, when the first housing 11 is in the second position, the detection of a moving object around the vehicle is detected as an event. In this way, according to this embodiment, the vehicle can be appropriately used both when traveling and when parked.

[0075] In this embodiment, the camera 210 is disposed on the surface 11a of the first housing 11, and the display unit 250 is disposed on the opposite side of the surface 11a. In this embodiment, even if the camera 210 is a camera capable of capturing images over a half-circle of the sky, the display unit 250 can be positioned so as not to be included in the capturing range. According to this embodiment, the vertical size of the vehicular recording device 10 can be reduced, thereby reducing the possibility of obstructing the field of view.

[0076] In this embodiment, when the parking monitoring function is executed, the first housing 11 is in the second arrangement state, so that the display unit 250 does not fall within the shooting range of the camera 210, and a wide range of video can be shot.

[0077] In this embodiment, when first housing 11 is in the first placement state, at least the vertical angle of view is narrowed for the image captured by camera 210. According to this embodiment, it is possible to save image data with an appropriate angle of view depending on the placement of first housing 11.

[0078] In this embodiment, when the first housing 11 is in the first placement state, an event for the vehicle is detected based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor 260 acquired by the acceleration information acquisition unit 132. In this embodiment, when the first housing 11 is in the second placement state, the detection of a moving object in the vicinity of the vehicle is detected as an event. This embodiment can be used appropriately when the vehicle is driving and when it is parked.

[0079] [Second embodiment] The vehicle recording device 10D according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 12. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the vehicle recording device 10D according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the vehicle recording device 10D according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow of the vehicle recording device 10D according to the second embodiment. The basic configuration of the vehicle recording device 10D is similar to that of the vehicle recording device 10 of the first embodiment. The vehicle recording device 10D differs from the first embodiment in that it includes a standard camera 310D in addition to the wide-angle camera 210D and in the processing performed by the vehicle recording control device 100D. The wide-angle camera 210D is similar to the camera 210 of the first embodiment and is capable of capturing a half-height image with a 180° angle of view. The standard camera 310D captures an image with a narrower angle of view than the wide-angle camera 210D. The standard camera 310D captures an image with a vertical capture range of, for example, approximately 90° to 120°.

[0080] The standard camera 310D is placed near the wide-angle camera 210D, facing the same direction. The standard camera 310D is placed on the surface 11a of the first housing 11, just like the wide-angle camera 210D. The standard camera 310D constantly captures video while the vehicle is driving, and the wide-angle camera 210D constantly captures video while the vehicle is parked. The wide-angle camera 210D and the standard camera 310D output the captured video data to the video data acquisition unit 120D of the vehicle recording control device 100D. The video data is, for example, a moving image composed of images at 30 frames per second.

[0081] Video data acquisition unit 120D acquires the video data output by wide-angle camera 210D and standard camera 310D, and outputs it to buffer memory 121D.

[0082] The video data processing unit 122D outputs the generated video data to the recording control unit 124D and the display control unit 131D.

[0083] Recording control section 124D controls switching between shooting with wide-angle camera 210D and shooting with standard camera 310D, depending on the arrangement of first housing 11.

[0084] When the first housing 11 is in the first placement state, the recording control unit 124D controls the standard camera 310D to capture and save video data. When the first housing 11 is in the first placement state, the recording control unit 124D activates the driving monitoring function and saves the video data captured by the standard camera 310D.

[0085] When first housing 11 is in the second placement state, recording control unit 124D controls wide-angle camera 210D to capture and store video data. When first housing 11 is in the second placement state, recording control unit 124D activates the parking monitoring function and stores the video data captured by wide-angle camera 210D.

[0086] Next, the process flow of the vehicular recording control device 100D will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Steps SB141, SB142, SB143, SB145, SB146, and SB148 in Fig. 12 are the same as steps SB101, SB102, SB103, SB105, SB106, and SB108 in Fig. 7.

[0087] When the first housing 11 is changed to the second placement state (step SB143), the vehicle recording control device 100D starts the driving monitoring function using the wide-angle camera 210D (step SB144). As a result, the parking monitoring function captures the surroundings of the vehicle with a wider angle of view than the standard angle of view. The vehicle recording control device 100D proceeds to step SB148.

[0088] When the first housing 11 is changed to the first placement state (step SB146), the vehicle recording control device 100D starts the driving monitoring function using the standard camera 310D (step SB147). As a result, the driving monitoring function captures images of the front of the vehicle with a standard angle of view. The vehicle recording control device 100D proceeds to step SB148.

[0089] As described above, in this embodiment, switching is made between capturing images using standard camera 310D and capturing images using wide-angle camera 210D depending on the position of first housing 11. In this embodiment, when first housing 11 is in the first position, standard camera 310D is used to execute the driving monitoring function. In this embodiment, when first housing 11 is in the second position, wide-angle camera 210D is used to execute the parking monitoring function. This embodiment can be used appropriately both when the vehicle is driving and when it is parked.

[0090] The vehicle-mounted recording device 10 according to the present invention may be implemented in various different forms other than the above-described embodiment.

[0091] The components of the illustrated vehicle recording device 10 are conceptual and functional, and do not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown. In other words, the specific form of each device is not limited to that shown, and all or part of the devices may be functionally or physically distributed or integrated in any unit depending on the processing load and usage status of each device.

[0092] The configuration of the vehicle recording device 10 is realized, for example, as software, by a program loaded into a memory. In the above embodiment, the configuration has been described as functional blocks realized by the cooperation of these hardware and software. In other words, these functional blocks can be realized in various forms, using only hardware, only software, or a combination of both.

[0093] The above-described components include those that can be easily imagined by a person skilled in the art and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the above-described configurations can be appropriately combined. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the configurations are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0094] Although the above description has been given of the vehicle recording control device 100 including the clipping processor 123, clipping of video data does not have to be performed, and the vehicle recording control device 100 does not have to have the clipping processor 123. [Explanation of symbols]

[0095] 10 Vehicle recording device 11 First enclosure 12 Second enclosure 100 Vehicle recording control device 110 Housing information acquisition unit 111 Status determination unit 120 Video data acquisition unit 121 buffer memory 122 Video data processing section 123 Cutout processing unit 124 Recording control section 125 Playback control section 130 Operation control section 131 Display control unit 132 Acceleration information acquisition section 133 Event detection unit 134 Location information acquisition unit 135 Vehicle condition determination unit 136 Drive control unit 200 Housing Sensor 210 Camera (photography section) 220 Recording Department 240 Operation section 250 Display section 260 Accelerometer 270 GNSS receiver 280 Drive Unit

Claims

1. a first housing including an imaging unit having a wide-angle imaging unit that captures images at a wide angle of view and a standard imaging unit that captures images at a narrower angle of view than the wide-angle imaging unit, wherein the imaging unit faces forward of the vehicle when in a first disposition state and faces upward or downward when in a second disposition state; a second housing that supports the first housing in the first position and the second position; a drive unit that moves the first housing between the first and second positions; a vehicle state determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is in a running state or a parked state; a drive control unit that controls the drive unit so that the first housing is in the first position when it is determined that the vehicle is in a traveling state, and so that the first housing is in the second position when it is determined that the vehicle is in a parked state; a recording control unit that records an image captured using the standard imaging unit when the first housing is in the first positioning state, and records an image captured using the wide-angle imaging unit when the first housing is in the second positioning state; A vehicle recording device comprising:

2. a first housing including an imaging unit having a wide-angle imaging unit that captures images at a wide angle of view and a standard imaging unit that captures images at a narrower angle of view than the wide-angle imaging unit, wherein the imaging unit faces forward of the vehicle when in a first disposition state and faces upward or downward when in a second disposition state; a second housing that supports the first housing in the first position and the second position; a drive unit that moves the first housing between the first and second positions; A recording control method for a vehicle recording device, comprising: a state determination step of determining whether the vehicle is in a running state or a parked state; a drive control step of controlling the drive unit to place the first housing in the first position when it is determined that the vehicle is in a traveling state, and to place the first housing in the second position when it is determined that the vehicle is in a parked state; a recording control step of controlling the recording of an image captured using the standard imaging unit when the first housing is in the first disposition state, and the recording of an image captured using the wide-angle imaging unit when the first housing is in the second disposition state; A recording control method including:

Images