Vehicle video recording device, playback device, program

Abstract

To display an image to meet driver's intention only by performing a driving operation by a driver.SOLUTION: Camera image displaying processing performs processing that an image to be displayed on a display device 16 is switched to an image from a rear view camera 13 if an image signal is inputted in an image signal from the rear view camera 13, and the image to be displayed on the display device 16 is switched to an image before switching to the image from the rear view camera 13 if the image signal is not inputted in the image signal from the rear view camera 13. Thereby, only by setting a shift position to a back position by a driver, the image photographed by the rear view camera 13 is displayed on the display device 16 and conditions in rear of a vehicle can be checked by watching the display device 16.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle video recording device and the like.

Background Art

[0002] A drive recorder that stores vehicle status information (front video, vehicle speed, sudden acceleration and deceleration, etc.) before and after an automobile accident provides useful information for verification in the event of an automobile collision accident, etc. Therefore, it is particularly widely installed in transport vehicles such as trucks and commercial vehicles such as taxis and buses, and is also being installed in general vehicles.

[0003] This drive recorder is configured to be able to store the front video for a certain period before and after an accident or sudden braking and the driving data (brake operation, wiper operation, driving route, etc.) indicating the driver's driving operation status. Briefly explaining the configuration for storing video data, the CCD camera etc. constantly captures the vehicle and the surrounding situation from the driver's perspective (field of view), and stores the captured video in a temporary storage memory such as a ring buffer. The video stored in this temporary storage memory is sequentially updated with the latest one, and the past video data is retained for the set time. On the other hand, the drive recorder is equipped with sensors such as an acceleration sensor that detects impacts occurring during accidents or sudden braking and sudden steering. When the output value of the sensor exceeds the threshold value, a certain period of video before the time point when the threshold value is exceeded (impact detection) is read from the temporary storage memory and stored in a non-volatile memory (such as an SD memory card). After the time point when the threshold value is exceeded, the video of the CCD camera etc. captured thereafter is stored in the non-volatile memory directly or via the temporary storage memory, so as to have a function of storing the video and the driving data etc. for a predetermined time before and after the impact in the non-volatile memory (SD card).

[0004] Furthermore, in the event of an accident, it is possible to clearly prove the driver's innocence based on vehicle status information (video, etc.) stored in non-volatile memory. This type of drive recorder is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2006-321423 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] Some of these drive recorders have a function to play back and display the recorded video of the area around the vehicle on a display device such as a monitor. Others have a function to acquire video of the area around the vehicle and display the acquired video on a display device. The driver needs to use a remote control or switch to specify which of these videos to display on the display device. Therefore, there is a problem in that it is difficult for the driver to switch to the desired video while driving. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a vehicle video recording device that (1) acquires the vehicle state and multiple vehicle surrounding video images, and records the acquired vehicle state and multiple vehicle surrounding video images in a time-synchronized manner as playable data to a recording means, characterized in that it performs control to determine and output to a display means a video to be prioritized from among the multiple vehicle surrounding video images based on the vehicle operation state by the driver.

[0008] With this configuration, the system determines and outputs the video to the display based on the driver's vehicle operation status, eliminating the need for the driver to switch between videos using a remote control or switches while driving.

[0009] The video footage of the area around the vehicle may be footage from outside the vehicle or footage from inside the vehicle (for example, inside the passenger compartment).

[0010] (2) In particular, the driver's vehicle operation state should be a driving state that indicates the direction the driver intends to drive the vehicle. In this way, the video of the direction the driver intends to drive will be output, and the appropriate video that matches the driver's intention will be displayed at the appropriate time. For example, the configuration shown in (8) and (9) below should be used.

[0011] (3) The system includes a video generation means for generating an image to be output to the display means, wherein the image generated by the video generation means includes at least one of the following: an image showing setting items related to control for determining and outputting an image to be given priority to output to the display means; an image showing the vehicle status recorded in the recording means; at least one image from among the acquired images of the vehicle's surroundings; and an image reproduced from at least one image recorded in the recording means. The control for determining and outputting an image to be given priority to output to the display means may be at least one of the following: a control to switch to only that image; a control to switch to an image in which a predetermined image is superimposed on that image; a control to display that image as a larger image than other images; or a control to display that image closer to the center of the display means than other images.

[0012] (4)(3) Based on the configuration of (3), the video generation means is configured to generate video to be output to the display means by executing a computer program, and it is preferable to further include hardware that controls the output of video to the display means with priority over other videos when a signal for video to be output preferentially to the display means is detected, even when it is not possible to generate video by executing the computer program.

[0013] When implementing a function to generate video by executing a computer program, there may be situations where video generation by computer program execution is not possible, for example, when the computer is in the process of starting up or when the computer's processing load is high. In such cases, it is difficult to output video that immediately reflects the driver's vehicle operation status by executing a computer program. However, with this configuration, when a video signal that should be output preferentially to the display means is detected by the hardware, that video will be output with priority over other videos, so that the video that should be output preferentially to the display means can be displayed, immediately reflecting the driver's vehicle operation status.

[0014] (5) The control that determines and outputs the video to be prioritized for output to the display means based on the operating state of the vehicle by the driver is configured to output the video to be prioritized for output when the video signal of the video to be prioritized for output is input, and it is preferable that power is not supplied to the device that outputs the video signal of the video to be prioritized for output when the operating state of the vehicle by the driver is not in a predetermined operating state, and power is supplied to the device that outputs the video signal of the video to be prioritized for output when the operating state of the vehicle by the driver is in a predetermined operating state.

[0015] With this configuration, if the driver's vehicle operation state is not in a predetermined state, the video signal for the priority output video is not output, and the video is not displayed on the display means. On the other hand, when the driver's vehicle operation state reaches a predetermined state, the video signal for the priority output video is output, and the video is displayed on the display means.

[0016] (6) The system is provided with multiple video input terminals for inputting the multiple vehicle surrounding video images, and the video input terminal for the video to be output to the display means in priority should have a different shape from the video input terminals for the other video images. This makes it easy to determine which video input terminal to connect the imaging means (e.g., a camera) for the video to be output in priority.

[0017] (7)(6) Assuming the configuration of (7)(6), the video input terminal for the video to be output preferentially to the display means and the video input terminal for the other video should be arranged on the same plane of the housing, and the slot for the recording medium constituting the recording means should be provided on the plane opposite to the plane on which these video input terminals are located. In this way, cables connected to the video input terminals will not get in the way when inserting or removing the recording medium from the slot. In addition, problems such as accidentally snagging and pulling out cables connected to the video input terminals when inserting or removing the recording medium from the slot will be less likely to occur.

[0018] (8) At least one of the multiple vehicle surrounding images is a rear view of the vehicle, and the system is configured to prioritize outputting the rear view of the vehicle over other images when the driver operates the vehicle in reverse. In this way, the driver can check the situation behind the vehicle by looking at the display means simply by shifting the gear position to reverse.

[0019] (9) The configuration is such that at least one of the multiple vehicle surrounding images is a vehicle right side image, and at least one of the multiple vehicle surrounding images is a vehicle left side image, and when the driver operates the vehicle and the right turn signal is activated at a predetermined vehicle speed or below, the vehicle right side image is output with priority over the other images, and when the driver operates the vehicle and the left turn signal is activated at a predetermined vehicle speed or below, the vehicle left side image is output with priority over the other images.

[0020] In this way, for example, when exiting a parking lot to the left or right, or when turning at an intersection with poor visibility, the video of the area around the vehicle in the direction in which the turn signal was activated will be displayed on the display device while the vehicle speed is below a predetermined speed. Therefore, in situations requiring attention, the driver can easily check the video of the area around the vehicle in that direction without having to perform any special operation to display it. On the other hand, if the vehicle speed exceeds the predetermined speed, even if the turn signal is activated, the video of the area around the vehicle in the direction in which the turn signal was activated will not be displayed on the display device. Therefore, the driver will not feel bothered by the video of the area around the vehicle being displayed on the display device while driving above the predetermined speed, nor will their concentration on driving be distracted.

[0021] (10) It is preferable to provide a function that issues an alarm if a person is visible in the video output to the display means with priority. In this way, when an alarm is issued, evasive action such as stopping the vehicle can be taken easily and immediately. In addition, the driver can easily confirm whether the object of the alarm is one to be avoided simply by looking at the display means when an alarm is issued, without having to perform any special operation. For example, it is preferable to issue an alarm if a person is visible in the side camera video when the turn signal is on, or if a person is visible in the rear camera video when the reverse position is on.

[0022] (11) The system includes collision detection means for detecting a state equivalent to a vehicle collision, and regardless of the video output to the display means, the recording of the acquired vehicle state and the multiple vehicle surrounding video images to the recording means is performed when a collision is detected by the collision detection means. In this way, multiple vehicle surrounding video images at the time of collision can be reliably recorded.

[0023] (12) Regardless of the video output to the display means, it is preferable to configure the recording means to record the acquired vehicle state and the plurality of vehicle surrounding videos. By doing so, it is possible to reliably record the plurality of vehicle surrounding videos at the time of a collision. <> <>

[0024] <> (13) It may be provided with collision detection means for detecting a state corresponding to a collision of the vehicle, and when a collision is detected by the collision detection means, it may be configured to preferentially record the video output to the display means to the recording means. By doing so, it is possible to reliably record a video with a high possibility of recording the moment of a collision. In particular, according to the configuration based on the configuration of (2), since it is possible to record the video in the direction in which the driver attempts to drive the vehicle, it exhibits an excellent effect. <> <>

[0025] <> (14) When determining the video to be preferentially output to the display means based on the operation state of the vehicle by the driver from the plurality of vehicle surrounding videos, it may be configured to record it as the reproducible data to the recording means. For example, based on the configuration of (9), when the speed of the vehicle is slower than a predetermined value and the hazard warning lights are turned on, the video of the side camera may be displayed on the in-vehicle monitor, and the recording may be performed at the timing when the hazard warning lights are turned on. <> <>

[0026] <> (15) When reproducing the data of the vehicle surrounding video recorded by the recording means, it is preferable to have a function of reproducing the reproduced video by reversing it left and right or up and down. By doing so, even if the camera for shooting the vehicle surrounding video is installed upside down, the video can be reproduced in the correct orientation. Also, for example, the video shot by a rearview camera that outputs a video signal of a horizontally reversed video can be reproduced by reversing it horizontally. <> <>

[0027] <> (16) It is preferable to configure the recording means to record, as data that can be reproduced with the operation state of the vehicle by the driver, the acquired vehicle state, and a plurality of vehicle surrounding images, synchronized in time. For example, as the operation state of the vehicle by the driver, by recording what the shift position is, it is possible to know whether there was a collision during reverse, whether engine braking was applied on a downhill slope, whether the vehicle was stopped, in neutral or parking (ECO driving). etc.

[0028] (17) It is preferable to configure the recording means to record, as data that can be reproduced with the information indicating the image preferentially output to the display means, the operation state of the vehicle by the driver, the acquired vehicle state, and a plurality of vehicle surrounding images, synchronized in time.

[0029] (18) A playback device that plays back the data recorded in the recording means by the vehicle video recording device according to (1) to (17), and when playing back the data of the vehicle surrounding images recorded in the recording means, it is preferable to have a function of playing back the playback image reversed left - right or up - down. The playback device may be mainly installed outside the vehicle, such as a personal computer, or may be configured as a function of a navigation device installed inside the vehicle.

[0030] (19) A playback device that plays back the data recorded in the recording means by the vehicle video recording device according to (17), and based on the information indicating the image preferentially output to the display means, it is preferable to configure to perform a predetermined display indicating the image preferentially output to the display means from among a plurality of vehicle surrounding images during playback. In this way, it can be easily grasped later, when playing back with the playback device, which image was displayed on the display means. (20) It can be configured as a program for realizing the function as the playback device according to (18) or (19) on a computer.

Advantages of the Invention

[0031] According to the present invention, the driver does not need to perform any special operations such as switching images with a remote control or switches while driving; simply by driving, the driver can have images that match their intentions displayed on the display means. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0032] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a drive recorder, which is a preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the connection relationship between the main unit and various parts of the dashcam. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing the front and back of the main unit of the dashcam. [Figure 4] This diagram shows how to insert a memory card into the main unit and an example of how to install the main unit in a vehicle. [Figure 5] This diagram shows the installation of the front view camera on the vehicle. [Figure 6] This diagram shows an example of installing an additional camera and the camera configuration. [Figure 7] This diagram shows the mounting status of the rearview camera on the vehicle and its field of view. [Figure 8] This diagram shows the method of supplying power to the rearview camera. [Figure 9] This diagram shows an example of the remote control configuration and its mounting location on the vehicle. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of what is displayed on a display device when the camera's image is shown. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of what is displayed on the display device during playback. [Figure 12] This is an example of the playback screen display. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0033] Figures 1 to 9 show the configuration of a drive recorder as a vehicle video recording device, representing a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is a functional block diagram, and Figure 2 is a device configuration diagram.

[0034] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the system includes a main unit 1 (hereinafter also referred to as the main body) equipped with a control unit 10, and a remote control 11, GPS unit 12, rearview camera 13, additional camera 14, frontview camera 15, display device 16, built-in microphone 17, external microphone 18, memory card slot 19, acceleration sensor 20, and speaker 21 connected to the control unit 10 of the main unit 1.

[0035] As shown in Figures 2 and 3(a), the front of the main unit 1 is equipped with an AV output terminal 16b for outputting video and audio signals to the display device 16, a microphone terminal 18b for inputting audio signals from an external microphone 18, an SD card slot 19b (corresponding to the memory card slot 19 in Figure 1), and a slide lever 19c for locking and securing the SD card 2 (see Figure 4(a)) when it is inserted into the SD card slot 19b. The slide lever 19c is for locking the SD card 2 when it is inserted. As shown in Figure 4(a), the slide lever 19c is moved to the left to insert the SD card 2 into the SD card slot 19b, and when the slide lever 19c is released, it returns to its original position (Figure 4(a)) and locks the SD card 2.

[0036] As shown in Figure 3(b), the rear side of the main unit 1 (the side facing the front) is equipped with a vehicle signal connection terminal 40b, a remote control connection terminal 11b, a GPS unit connection terminal 12b, a rear-view camera connection terminal 13b, an additional camera connection terminal 14b, and a front-view camera connection terminal 15b, all of which are connected to the control unit 10. In addition, the top surface of the main unit has an opening, and a built-in microphone 17 connected to the control unit 10 is located inside the opening.

[0037] As shown in Figure 2, each of these terminals is connected to its corresponding connector, and each connector is connected to its corresponding device (part) via a cord (cable). Specifically, the control unit 10 is connected to the display device 16 via the AV output connector 16a connected to the AV output terminal 16b, and to the external microphone 18 via the microphone connector 18a connected to the microphone terminal 18b. The control unit 10 is also connected to the vehicle's brake lamp wire 33, the vehicle's left turn signal wire 32, the vehicle's right turn signal wire 31, the vehicle's vehicle speed signal wire 30, the vehicle's ground wire, and the vehicle's ACC power supply via the vehicle signal connection connector 40a connected to the vehicle signal connection terminal 40b. Furthermore, the control unit 10 is connected to the remote control 11 via a remote control connector 11a connected to the remote control connection terminal 11b, to the GPS unit 12 via a GPS unit connection connector 12a connected to the GPS unit connection terminal 12b, to the rearview camera 13 via a rearview camera connection connector 13a connected to the rearview camera connection terminal 13b, to the additional camera 14 via an additional camera connection connector 14a connected to the additional camera connection terminal 14b, and to the frontview camera 15 via a frontview camera connection connector 15a connected to the frontview camera connection terminal 15b. The frontview camera connection terminal 15b and the additional camera connection terminal 14b are mini-pin jacks, and the rearview camera connection terminal 13b is an RCA terminal; the two are terminals of different shapes.

[0038] The main unit 1 is installed inside the vehicle. For example, as shown in Figure 4(b), it is installed near the driver's seat in a location where the driver can easily remove the SD card 2, and where the cables connected to the aforementioned terminals do not interfere with driving operations. For example, as shown in Figure 4(b), the bottom surface is attached and secured to the center console or the under cover of the instrument panel located to the left front of the driver's seat using double-sided tape. In this case, the front of the unit should face to the right in Figure 4(b), and the rear of the unit should face to the left.

[0039] The front view camera 15 is a camera for capturing images of the area in front of the vehicle and outputs an NTSC signal as the video signal of the captured image. As shown in Figure 5, the front view camera 15 is fixed to the windshield inside the vehicle using double-sided tape so that the lens faces the direction of travel when capturing images of the area in front of the vehicle. The fixing position is within 20% of the entire windshield from the top of the windshield inside the vehicle (the range indicated by the symbol d in the figure). The power for the front view camera 15 is supplied from the control unit 10.

[0040] The additional camera 14 is a camera that can be mounted at any position to capture images of the area around the vehicle, and outputs an NTSC signal as the video signal of the captured images. For example, as shown in Figure 6(a), it is fixed to the windshield inside the vehicle with double-sided tape, with the camera facing in the direction of the interior (from the windshield towards the rear of the vehicle). The power for the additional camera 14 is supplied from the control unit 10.

[0041] As shown in Figure 6(b), the additional camera 14 has a normal image mode that outputs the captured image as is, and a mirror image mode that outputs the captured image inverted horizontally, and is equipped with a setting switch 14s for setting the mode. The additional camera 14 switches between normal image mode and mirror image mode depending on the state of the setting switch 14s and outputs the corresponding video signal. For example, it is good to set it to normal image mode when shooting in the direction of the front of the vehicle, and to mirror image mode when shooting in the direction of the interior or the rear of the vehicle.

[0042] The rearview camera 13 is a camera for photographing the rear of the vehicle and outputs an NTSC signal as the video signal of the captured image. The rearview camera 13 is installed, for example, near the license plate on the outside of the vehicle's back door, as shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b). The field of view captured by the rearview camera 13 is shown in Figures 7(c) and 7(d). Figure 7(c) shows the vehicle as viewed from the top side of the vehicle and shows the field of view in the left-right direction when displayed on the display device 16, which is 60 degrees to the left and right of the shooting direction (120 degrees in total). Figure 7(d) shows the vehicle as viewed from the side of the vehicle and shows the field of view in the up-down direction when displayed on the display device 16, which is 43 degrees to the left and right of the shooting direction (86 degrees in total).

[0043] The wiring for the power supply of the rearview camera 13 and the wiring for the video signal from the rearview camera 13 will be explained with reference to Figure 8. The power supply for the rearview camera 13 is supplied from the positive side wiring 93 of the vehicle's reverse lamp. Specifically, the positive side wiring 93 of the reverse lamp and the power supply wire 81 are connected by an electrical tap 80, and the power supply wire 81 and fuse 82 are connected to the power line of the rearview camera 13. The positive side wiring 93 of the vehicle's reverse lamp is connected to one end of the reverse lamp and to one end of the back position switch 92 on the shift lever. The other end of the reverse lamp 94 is connected to the negative terminal of the battery, and the other end of the back position switch 92 is connected to the positive terminal of the battery. One end of the ground wire 83 is connected to an existing unpainted screw on the vehicle, and the other end is connected to the ground line of the rearview camera 13. The unpainted screw on the vehicle is connected to the negative terminal of the battery 91. The vehicle's back position switch 92 is configured to be ON when the shift lever is in the back position and OFF when the shift lever is not in the back position. As a result, while the shift lever is in the reverse position, current flows through the positive wiring 93 of the vehicle's reverse lamp, and the reverse lamp 94 lights up. At this time, power is supplied to the rearview camera 13 from the electrical tap 83 via the power line 81 and fuse 82. The rearview camera 13 outputs a video signal while power is supplied. This video signal is input to the control unit 10 via the rearview camera connection connector 13a connected to the rearview camera connection terminal 13b. On the other hand, while the shift lever is in a position other than the reverse position, no current flows through the positive wiring 93 of the vehicle's reverse lamp, the reverse lamp 94 turns off, and power is no longer supplied to the rearview camera 13. As a result, while the shift lever is in a position other than the reverse position, the rearview camera 13 does not output a video signal, and the control unit 10 does not receive a video signal from the rearview camera 13.

[0044] The GPS unit 12 is installed in a forward position on the dashboard, receives GPS signals, determines the current location from the received GPS signals, and sends the determined location information (longitude, latitude, etc.) to the control unit 10 in NMEA format data.

[0045] As shown in Figure 9(a), the remote control 11 is equipped with a first button 11p, a second button 11q, a third button 11r, and a first lamp 11x and a second lamp 12y. As shown in Figure 9(b) with three installation patterns, the remote control is fixed by attaching the back side with double-sided tape to a location easily accessible to the driver, such as the center console or the under cover of the instrument panel. The display device 16 is a liquid crystal monitor that receives and displays NTSC signals from devices such as car navigation systems and car televisions.

[0046] The acceleration sensor 20 is located inside the main unit 1 and connected to the control unit 10. After the main unit 1 is fixed to the vehicle (for example, as shown in Figure 4(b)), the control unit 10 performs an initial setup if it detects that both the first button 11p and the second button 11q of the remote control 11 are pressed simultaneously for 2 seconds or more. This initial setup involves moving the vehicle straight back and forth, detecting the direction of acceleration generated during this movement with the acceleration sensor 20, detecting the correspondence between the three axes (x, y, and z axes) of the acceleration sensor 20 and the vehicle's forward and backward direction, and then setting the acceleration sensor 20 to output values ​​where the vehicle's forward and backward direction is the X-axis, the vehicle's left and right direction is the Y-axis, and the vehicle's up and down direction is the Z-axis. The forward direction is the positive direction of the X-axis, the left direction is the positive direction of the Y-axis, and the up direction is the positive direction of the Z-axis. A known method can be used for such an initial setup. The speaker 21 is located inside the main unit 1 and is connected to the control unit 10.

[0047] The control unit 10 is equipped with a microcontroller that includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, flash memory, various peripheral circuits, and interfaces, and is connected to each part shown in Figure 1 via interfaces that input or output signals to each part. When the vehicle's ACC is turned ON, power is supplied to the control unit 10 and it starts operating. The control unit 10 uses a boot loader recorded in ROM to load the OS and application programs recorded in flash memory onto RAM, and then executes the OS and application programs on RAM to perform the various processes described below and realize various functions. The OS is a multitasking OS, and parallel processing is achieved by switching and executing various application programs.

[0048] After power is turned on, the control unit 10 acquires NMEA data from the GPS unit 12, the signal status of the acceleration sensor 20, the brake light wire 33, the left turn signal wire 32, and the right turn signal wire 31 as vehicle status, and performs data and signal status recording processing to record this data and signal status to a file on the memory card 2 installed in the memory card slot 19 at predetermined time intervals (for example, 30 times per second).

[0049] Furthermore, the control unit 10 acquires images from the front view camera 15, rear view camera 13, and additional camera 14 as multiple vehicle surrounding images and performs camera image display processing to display them on the display device 10, and performs video and audio recording processing to record the vehicle status recorded by data and signal status recording processing and these vehicle surrounding images in a time-synchronized manner and record them on the memory card 2 as playable data.

[0050] The control unit 10 includes a video capture circuit as a peripheral circuit that captures NTSC signals from the front view camera 15, the rear view camera 13, and the additional camera 14 as video data onto RAM. The control unit 10 also includes a video memory (VRAM) as a peripheral circuit, and a video generation circuit that outputs the drawing data drawn on the video memory as an NTSC signal to the display device 16 via an electronic switch, which will be described later.

[0051] After power-on, the control unit 10 periodically transfers the captured video data to video memory and performs camera video display processing to display it on the display device 16. As a default process, the camera video display processing outputs the video from the front view camera 15 to the display device 16. In addition, when the first button 11p of the remote control 11 is detected to be pressed, the camera video display processing switches the video transferred to video memory and displayed on the display device 16 in the order of the front view camera 15, the additional camera 14, and the rear view camera 13. For example, if the driver presses the first button 11p twice after the device is started and the shift position is in reverse, the video captured by the rear view camera 13 will be displayed in the display area 16a of the display device 16, as shown in Figure 10. Furthermore, in the camera image display processing, when a video signal is input to the rearview camera 13, the image transferred to the video memory and displayed on the display device 16 is switched to the image from the rearview camera 13. When the video signal is no longer input to the rearview camera 13, the image transferred to the video memory and displayed on the display device 16 is switched back to the image from before the switch to the rearview camera 13.

[0052] In this way, the driver can simply shift the gear position to reverse, and as shown in Figure 10, the image captured by the rearview camera 13 will be displayed in the display area 16a of the display device 16, allowing the driver to check the situation behind the vehicle by looking at the display device 16. In this manner, the control unit 10 determines and outputs the image to be prioritized to the display device 16 based on the driver's vehicle operation status, so the driver does not need to switch images with the remote control 11 along with driving operations, and the image of the direction the driver is about to drive will be output, ensuring that the appropriate image that matches the driver's intentions is displayed at the appropriate time.

[0053] The video and audio recording process involves recording audio data acquired from the built-in microphone 17 and the external microphone 18 together with the video data captured by the front view camera 15, rear view camera 13, and additional camera 14 after power-on. For each of the video data from the front view camera 15, the rear view camera 13, and the additional camera 14, the audio data acquired from the built-in microphone 17 is used as the left channel, and the audio data acquired from the external microphone 18 is used as the right channel. These are encoded in MPEG format and recorded into three files.

[0054] The filenames of the signal state files recorded during the data / signal state recording process and the filenames of the three MPEG files recorded during the video / audio recording process are recorded using the date and time when each file was recorded in each process, based on the real-time clock (clock) provided as a peripheral circuit of the microcontroller. Therefore, by reading the date and time of this filename, the position of the data recorded at the same date and time for each file can be identified. Thus, playback processing that plays these files while maintaining temporal synchronization is possible. The recording of these files is terminated when the ACC power supply to the main unit is cut off. The control unit 18 is equipped with a backup power supply with a battery that operates the control unit 18 and each connected part for the time required to terminate file recording (5 seconds) when the ACC power is cut off. When the ACC power cut-off is detected, the OS notifies the recording process, and the termination process for recording all files is executed. Therefore, each recording file is generated between the time the vehicle is powered on by ACCON and the time it is powered off by ACCOFF.

[0055] When the control unit 10 detects that the second button 11q of the remote control 11 has been pressed and held (continuously pressed for 2 seconds or more), it starts playback processing to play the video and audio from the front view camera 15 from the beginning of the MPEG file currently being recorded (starting so-called chase playback, which plays back while recording). For a certain period of time (5 seconds) from the start of playback processing, as shown in Figure 11, the control unit 10 displays operation help 82, camera information 85 of the playback video, playback status 84, and playback video date and time 83 superimposed on the playback video 81. These displays are also shown for a predetermined period of time (3 seconds) if any button on the remote control 11 is detected to be pressed during playback processing.

[0056] The operation help 82 indicates what action is performed when a button on the remote control 11 is pressed. As shown in Figure 11, it shows the correspondence between the button positions and the actions performed on the remote control 11 when the remote control 11 in Figure 9 is rotated 45 degrees clockwise. Pressing a button shown in black in the figure will execute the action described in text to its right. For example, in the schematic diagram of the remote control 11 to the left of the area labeled "Play / Stop / Slow" in Figure 11, the button shown in black corresponds to the second button 11q. Each time only the press of this second button 11q is detected, the screen display process (i.e., the playback process of the control unit 10) switches in the order of Play → Stop → Slow. The current state of the screen display process is displayed in Playback State 84 as "Playing," "Stopped," or "Slow." Information indicating which camera recorded the currently playing video is displayed as camera information 85. Camera information 85 displays "CAM1" when displaying video from a file recorded by the front view camera 15, "CAM2" when displaying video from a file recorded by the additional camera 14, and "REAR" when displaying video from a file recorded by the rear view camera 13. Playback video date and time 83 is an area that displays the date and time of the video from the currently displayed file. It obtains the recording date and time of the beginning of the file from the file name and displays the recording date and time of the currently displayed frame based on the file's frame information.

[0057] If only the first button 11p is pressed during playback, the system switches the playback file and resumes playback from the same frame at the same time as the currently playing frame. This ensures that even if the playback file is switched, the video displayed will be chronologically continuous. As a result, the playback video date and time 83 will also progress continuously even if the playback file is switched. If only the third button 11r is detected to have been pressed during playback, the playback process will be terminated and the camera image display process will be performed (playback terminated).

[0058] If the second button 11q and the third button 11r are pressed simultaneously during playback, the playback file itself will be switched from the currently playing file to the previous file. That is, the file name is referenced, and the date and time contained in the file name is used to identify the file recorded immediately before the currently playing file, and the video will be played from the beginning of that file. If there is no file older than the currently playing file, the currently playing file will be played from the beginning.

[0059] If the first button 11p and the second button 11q are pressed simultaneously during playback, the playback file itself will be switched from the currently playing file to the next new file. In other words, the file name is referenced, and the date and time contained in the file name is used to identify the file recorded immediately after the currently playing file, and the video of that file is played from the beginning. If there is no file newer than the currently playing file, the currently playing file will be played from the beginning.

[0060] In this way, by operating the remote control 11, it is possible to switch between the images from the front view camera 15, the additional camera 14, and the rear view camera 13 to display the desired current image on the display device 16, or to play back images that have been captured by the front view camera 15, the additional camera 14, and the rear view camera 13 and already recorded on the memory card 2, and by operating the remote control 11, to switch between the played-back images from the front view camera 15, the additional camera 14, and the rear view camera 13 to display the desired past image on the display device 16. The control unit 10 performs control to switch to only images that are played back from at least one of the images acquired in this way around the vehicle, or at least one of the images recorded on the memory card 2.

[0061] In this embodiment, the control unit 10 performs control to switch to only the video that is a playback of at least one of the acquired vehicle surrounding video images or at least one of the videos recorded on the memory card 2. However, the control unit 10 may also display a video showing setting items related to the control of determining and outputting the video to be prioritized to the display device 16, and a video showing the vehicle status recorded on the memory card 2. Furthermore, the control of determining and outputting the video to be prioritized to the display device 16 is a control to switch to only that video, but it may also be at least one of the following: a control to switch to a video in which a predetermined video is superimposed on that video, a control to display that video as a larger video than other videos, or a control to display that video closer to the center of the display device 16 than other videos.

[0062] According to the processing of this embodiment, regardless of the video output to the display device 16, the acquired vehicle status and multiple vehicle surrounding images acquired from the front view camera 15, rear view camera 13, and additional camera 14 are recorded to the memory card 2. In this way, multiple vehicle surrounding images at the time of collision can be reliably recorded.

[0063] In this embodiment, video is recorded continuously from ACCON to ACOFF. However, continuous recording may be omitted, or continuous recording may be performed, and when the acceleration sensor 20 detects a condition equivalent to a vehicle collision, the system may record the vehicle status and the vehicle surroundings video acquired from the front view camera 15, rear view camera 13, and additional camera 14 to the memory card 2, regardless of the video being output to the display device 16. This ensures that multiple vehicle surroundings videos at the time of collision are reliably recorded. Alternatively, when a collision is detected, the system may prioritize recording the video being output to the display device 16 to the memory card 2. This ensures that video that is highly likely to capture the moment of collision is reliably recorded.

[0064] In this embodiment, the system records video from a rear-view camera 15 that captures the area behind the vehicle, but it is not limited to this and any video may be recorded. Furthermore, any operating state of the vehicle may be acquired and recorded. For example, side cameras are provided to acquire video from the right side and left side of the vehicle. The control unit 10 is connected to the in-vehicle LAN and, based on packets flowing through the in-vehicle LAN, if it detects that the right turn signal has been activated while the vehicle speed is below a predetermined speed (e.g., 10 km / h or less), it controls the output of the right-side vehicle video with priority over other video. Conversely, if it detects that the left turn signal has been activated while the vehicle speed is below a predetermined speed (e.g., 10 km / h or less), it controls the output of the left-side vehicle video with priority over other video. In this way, for example, when exiting a parking lot in either direction or when turning at an intersection with poor visibility, the display device 16 will display video of the area around the vehicle in the direction in which the turn signal was activated while the vehicle speed is below a predetermined speed. Therefore, in situations requiring such attention, the driver can easily check the vehicle's surroundings in that direction by looking at the display device 16 without having to perform any special operation for display. On the other hand, if the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined speed, even if the turn signal is activated, the vehicle's surroundings in the direction the turn signal was activated will not be displayed on the display device 16. Therefore, the driver will not feel bothered or distracted by the vehicle's surroundings being displayed on the display device 16 when driving above a predetermined speed. Furthermore, the control unit 10 may be configured to record data on the memory card 2 as playable data when it determines which video to prioritize output to the display device 16 from among multiple vehicle surroundings videos based on the driver's vehicle operation status. For example, when the car's speed is slower than a predetermined value and the turn signal is activated, the side camera video may be displayed on the in-cabin monitor, and recording may be performed at the moment the turn signal is activated.

[0065] It would be beneficial to include a function to reverse the playback of vehicle surroundings video data recorded on memory card 2, either horizontally or vertically. This would allow the video to be played back in the correct orientation even if the camera capturing the vehicle surroundings is installed upside down. Furthermore, it would also be possible to reverse the video captured by a rearview camera, for example, which outputs a horizontally reversed video signal, and play it back horizontally.

[0066] Furthermore, it is preferable to configure the system to record the driver's vehicle operation status, acquired vehicle status, and multiple vehicle surrounding video images as playable data synchronized in time to the memory card 2. For example, by recording the shift position as part of the driver's vehicle operation status, it is possible to determine whether a collision occurred while backing up, whether engine braking was applied on a downhill slope, whether the vehicle was stopped, in neutral, or in park (ECO driving). It is preferable to then perform a process to record the information indicating the video output to the display device 16 with priority, the driver's vehicle operation status, the acquired vehicle status, and multiple vehicle surrounding video images as playable data synchronized in time to the memory card 2.

[0067] In this embodiment, the camera image display processing is performed by the execution of a computer program to generate the output image. However, even when it is not possible to generate an image by the execution of a computer program, it is preferable to have hardware that controls the output of an image that should be given priority to output to the display device 16 if an image signal that should be given priority to output is detected. Specifically, the control unit 10 is further equipped with an electronic switch (image signal selector), which is hardware that controls the output of the image from the rearview camera 13 to be given priority over the image from the frontview camera 15 and the image from the additional camera 14 when the shift position is in reverse. The image signal line from the rearview camera 13 and the output line from the image generation circuit of the control unit 10 are connected to this electronic switch. When an image signal is input to the image signal from the rearview camera 13, the electronic switch outputs the image signal from the rearview camera 13 to the display device 16. When no image signal is input to the image signal from the rearview camera 13, the electronic switch outputs the output from the image generation circuit to the display device 16. Furthermore, a signal indicating whether or not a video signal is being input from the rearview camera 13 is output to the microcontroller in the control unit 18. If the microcontroller detects that a video signal is being input to the rearview camera 13 during the playback process described above, the playback process is temporarily paused. With the configuration shown and explained in Figure 8, when the shift lever is in a position other than the reverse position, the video signal from the rearview camera 13 is not input to the electronic switch of the control unit 10, and when the shift lever is in the reverse position, the video signal from the rearview camera 13 is input to the electronic switch of the control unit 10.

[0068] In this way, the driver can immediately check the situation behind the vehicle by simply shifting the gear position to reverse, by looking at the display device 16. In this manner, the control unit 10 determines and outputs the video to the display device 16 with priority based on the driver's vehicle operation status, so the driver does not need to switch the video with the remote control 11 as they operate the vehicle, and the video of the direction they are about to drive will be output, so that the appropriate video that matches the driver's intentions is displayed at the appropriate time. Since the camera video display processing is realized by the execution of a program by the microcontroller, there may be cases where it is not possible to generate video by the camera video display processing, for example, when the microcontroller is in the process of starting up the OS or when the processing load on the microcontroller is high. In such cases, it is difficult to immediately reflect the driver's vehicle operation status and output the video from the rearview camera 13 by the camera video display processing. However, when a video signal from the rearview camera 13 is detected by an electronic switch (hardware), the video from the rearview camera 13 is output with priority over other videos, so the driver's vehicle operation status can be immediately reflected and the video from the rearview camera 13 can be displayed on the display device 16.

[0069] Furthermore, the control unit 10 can determine whether or not a person is visible in the video data acquired from the rearview camera 13, which is prioritized for output to the display device 16, such as the video from the rearview camera 13, by performing pattern matching processing on the video data. If a pattern corresponding to a person is matched, the speaker 21 can emit an alarm sound. In this way, avoidance actions, such as stopping the vehicle, can be easily and immediately taken when the alarm sound is heard. Also, the driver can easily confirm whether the object being warned about is something to be avoided simply by looking at the display device 16 when the alarm sound is heard, without having to perform any special operation. For example, if a person is visible in the side camera video when the turn signal is on, an alarm sound can be emitted, or if a person is visible in the rearview camera video when the vehicle is in reverse position, an alarm sound can be emitted.

[0070] In this embodiment, the rear-view camera connection terminal 13b, which is the input terminal for the rear-view video that is prioritized for output to the display device 16, is an RCA terminal, while the front-view camera connection terminal 15b and the additional camera connection terminal 14b, which are the video input terminals for other video, are mini-pin jacks, thus having different shapes. This makes it easy to see which video input terminal should be used to connect the camera for the video that is prioritized for output (rear-view camera 13). The rear-view camera connection terminal 13b, the front-view camera connection terminal 15b, and the additional camera connection terminal 14b are located on the back of the main unit 1, and the memory card slot 19, which is the insertion point for the memory card 2, is located on the front of the main unit 1, opposite the side where these video input terminals are located. This way, when inserting or removing the memory card 2 from the memory card slot 19, the cables connected to the video input terminals do not get in the way. Furthermore, when inserting or removing memory card 2 from memory card slot 19, it becomes less likely that cables connected to the video input terminal will be accidentally snagged and pulled out.

[0071] Data recorded on memory card 2 can be played back by removing memory card 2 from memory card slot 19, inserting it into a personal computer, and using a program on the computer. Processing by the program on the computer can, for example, display a viewer screen 100 as shown in Figure 12. As shown in Figure 12, the viewer screen 100 includes a menu bar 101, a display area 102, a display switching button 103, a volume knob 104, a speed display 105, a brake / turn signal display 106, an acceleration display 107, a latitude / longitude display 108, display operation buttons 109, an acceleration sensor graph 110, a date and time display 111, a map 112, and a playlist list 113.

[0072] Display area 102 includes a front view camera video playback area 102a, an additional camera video playback area 102b, and a rear view camera video playback area 102c. When playing back vehicle surrounding video data from the front view camera, additional camera, and rear view camera recorded on memory card 2, it has a function to invert the playback video horizontally or vertically. Right-clicking on the front view camera video playback area 102a, additional camera video playback area 102b, or rear view camera video playback area 102c switches the playback video in the following order: horizontal inversion, vertical inversion, horizontal / vertical inversion, and no inversion.

[0073] Furthermore, based on the information indicating the video output to the display device 16 as described above, it is preferable to configure the system to display a predetermined image indicating the video output to the display device 16 as preferential from among multiple vehicle surrounding video images being played back. In this way, it is easy to determine which video was displayed on the display device 16 when playing it back later on a playback device such as a PC. For example, the start and end dates and times when the video from the rearview camera was input are recorded, and while the video from that date and time is being played back, the outer frame of the rearview camera video playback area 102c is highlighted.

[0074] Although the viewer screen 100 is shown as a screen displayed on a personal computer, it may also be configured to output to a screen of a navigation system installed in the vehicle, or to a display device 16.

[0075] Although the present invention has been described above using examples, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. The examples described in the above embodiments may be combined in any combination, or various modifications or improvements may be made. Furthermore, the contents of the claims, background art, problem to be solved by the invention, and means for solving the problem may be appropriately applied to each embodiment, and the embodiments may be created by applying the common technical knowledge of those skilled in the art. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 2 Memory Cards 10 Control Unit 11 Remote control 12 GPS units 13. Rearview camera 14 Additional cameras 15 Front view camera 16 Display device 17. Built-in microphone 18. External microphone 19 memory card slots 20 Accelerometer 21 speakers

Claims

1. A device equipped with the function of playing back video footage captured and recorded by multiple cameras in a vehicle, Furthermore, it has a function to switch between the images from the multiple cameras and display the desired current image, A function to switch between playing the aforementioned video or displaying the current video, A function to pause playback during playback, Equipped with multiple buttons, A function to detect the press of a button to switch which camera's recorded video is played back and displayed, It includes a function to detect the press of a button to switch which of the multiple cameras' videos to capture and display, The buttons for switching which camera's recorded video is played back and displayed, and the buttons for switching which of the multiple cameras' videos is captured and displayed, are the same buttons, separate from the button for pausing playback, and are used to switch between their respective functions. A device characterized by the following.

2. A program for a computer to implement the functions of the apparatus described in claim 1.

Images