Drive recorder system

Abstract

To record a video of a periphery of a vehicle when a dangerous situation for the vehicle has occurred, while reducing installation costs. [Solution] This drive recorder system 1 comprises a front camera 2 for imaging the front of a vehicle VH, and a video recording device 5 for recording a video captured by the front camera 2. The front camera 2 includes, as a functional configuration of an ECU 25, a determination unit 251 for determining the occurrence of a dangerous situation for the vehicle VH on the basis of the captured video, and a signal transmission unit 252 for transmitting a control signal SI to the front camera 2 on the basis of determination results DR of the determination unit 251. The signal transmission unit 252 transmits the control signal SI for starting the recording of the video to the video recording device 5 when the determination unit 251 determines the occurrence of a dangerous situation. The signal transmission unit 252 transmits a control signal SI for stopping the recording of the video to the video recording device 5 when the determination unit 251 determines the end of the dangerous situation.

Description

[Document Name] SPECIFICATION[Title of the Invention] DRIVE RECORDER SYSTEM [Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a drive recorder system. [Background Art]

[0002] A drive recorder system records, in a video recording device, a video of the periphery of a vehicle captured by an imaging device (e .g. , see Patent Document 1) . The video of the periphery of the vehicle can be used as evidence when a dangerous situation such as an accident has occurred for the vehicle, or used to improve safety measures for the vehicle, etc.[Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

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

[0004] In order to reliably record a dangerous situation for a vehicle, a drive recorder system in which video recording is constantly performed while driving the vehicle is conceivable. However, when performing constant video recording, a large video recording capacity is necessary for the video recording device, and installation costs increase . There is demand for a drive recorder system which records a video of the periphery of the vehicle when a dangerous situation for the vehicle has occurred, while reducing installation costs . It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to this type of demand, and the actions and effects derived from the configurations described in the following "Embodiments of the Invention" section, which are actions and effects unobtainable with the prior art, can also be positioned as other purposes of the present invention.[Means for Solving the Problem]

[0005] The present invention is a drive recorder system comprising: an imaging device that images a periphery of a vehicle; and a video recording device that records a video captured by the imaging device, wherein the imaging device includes a determination unit that determines an occurrence of a dangerous situation for a vehicle on the basis of the video that has been captured, and a signal transmission unit that transmits a control signal to the imaging device on the basis of determination results of the determination unit, and the signal transmission unit transmits a control signal for starting recording of the video to the video recording device when the determination unit determines an occurrence of the dangerous situation, and transmits a control signal for stopping the recording of the video to the video recording device when the determination unit determines the end of the dangerous situation. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] The present invention makes it possible to record a video of a periphery of a vehicle when a dangerous situation for the vehicle has occurred, while reducing installation costs .[Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0007] [FIG. 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle comprising a drive recorder system.[FIG. 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the drive recorder system.[FIG. 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an ECU in the drive recorder system.[FIG. 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of an ECU of a front camera during travelling of the vehicle.[Embodiments of the Invention]

[0008] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings .In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which a drive recorder system is applied to a vehicle comprising an autonomous driving system that is based on smart cameras . Note that the term autonomous driving includes both fully autonomous driving and partially autonomous driving such as ADAS (advanced driver assistance system) .FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle VH comprising a drive recorder system 1 .FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the drive recorder system 1.The arrangement relationship of each element constituting the drive recorder system 1 will be described below based on the front-rear direction, left-right direction (vehicle width direction) , and up-down direction (direction toward the front and the depth of the page) shown in FIG. 1.As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the drive recorder system 1 comprises a front camera 2 (imaging device) , which is a smart camera. The front camera 2 images the front (periphery) of the vehicle VH. The drive recorder system 1 comprises a video recording device 5 that records a video captured by the front camera 2 . The drive recorder system 1 can comprise at least one sensor 3 that detects an object in the periphery of the vehicle VH.The drive recorder system 1 applied to the vehicle VH comprising an autonomous driving system can comprise a display device 4 that displays the video of the front camera 2 in real-time, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0009] The front camera 2 and the sensor 3 are connected via an on-board network such as CAN / Flexray or Ethernet, for example, and can transmit / receive data.The front camera 2 is connected to the display device 4 and the video recording device 5 via an LVDS cable, a coaxial cable, etc. for video output, for example . The front camera 2 can output a captured video to the display device 4 and the video recording device 5 as a video signal VS . Furthermore, the front camera 2 and the video recording device 5 are connected via the onboard network.

[0010] The front camera 2 can be installed on a top portion of a windshield of the vehicle VH, for example. The front camera 2 images the front of the vehicle VH, together with acquiring sensor data SD from the sensor 3.In the autonomous driving system, the front camera 2 uses the captured video and the sensor data SD acquired from the sensor 3 to be able to execute various functions for controlling actuators pertaining to autonomous driving. The actuators are, for example, the brakes, electric power steering, engine, vehicle travelling motor, etc.The front camera 2 can use the sensor data SD for confirmation of an object within a ROI (region of interest) , for example . Here, ROI means a region in front of the vehicle, which is in a range that can be imaged by the front camera 2 . Alternatively, the front camera 2 can use the sensor data SD to support a function other than the ROI .

[0011] The sensor 3 detects an object in the periphery of the vehicle VH and can be, for example, a camera, radar, ultrasonic sensor, etc. The sensor 3 can be arranged dispersed at various locations of the vehicle VH so as to be capable of covering 360° of the periphery of the vehicle VH. Note that, in FIG. 1, the cameras (front camera 2, rear camera 31, and corner cameras 32) are shown by white rectangles, the radars (front radar 33 and corner radars 35) are shown by hatched rectangles, and ultrasonic sensors 36 are shown by circles . Furthermore, in FIG. 1, the range that can be imaged by the cameras (front camera 2, rear camera 31, and corner cameras 32) is shown by a solid line, the detectable range of the radars (front radar 33 and corner radars 35) is shown by a dash-dotted line, and the detectable range of the ultrasonic sensors 36 is shown by a dashed line . Note that the detectable range of the ultrasonic sensors 36 shows the integration of the detectable ranges of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors 36 respectively provided to the vehicle VH front side and the vehicle VH rear side .The type, number, and positions of the sensors 3 of the drive recorder system 1 are not limited to the examples shown in the drawings and may be modified as appropriate .

[0012] The camera can be installed at a position where it is possible to image a region such as the rear or side of the vehicle VH, inside the vehicle cabin, etc. , for example . It is possible to detect, from the video captured by the camera, the vehicle VH, pedestrians, obstacles, signals, signs, lights, climate, brightness, etc. , for example .

[0013] The radars and ultrasonic sensors can detect objects such as other vehicles, pedestrians, obstacles, etc. , for example .The radars transmit millimetre waves to the periphery of the vehicle VH, for example. The radars detect an object by receiving radio waves reflected by the object, and can acquire data in the distance or direction to the object . The radars are useful for detecting objects at a long distance from the vehicle VH in the front-rear direction of the vehicle VH, in particular.As shown in FIG. 1, the range that can be imaged (solid line) by an ordinary camera is around 100°, and the radars have a detectable range (dash-dotted line) that is wider than an ordinary camera. Furthermore, radars are moreaffordable than cameras . As shown in FIG. 1, by providing a plurality of radars on the vehicle VH, it is possible to cover a wide range and distance.

[0014] The ultrasonic sensors transmit ultrasonic waves to the periphery of the vehicle VH. The ultrasonics sensors detect an object by receiving ultrasonic waves reflected by the object, and can acquire data in the distance or direction to the object . The ultrasonic sensors are suitable for detecting objects approaching the vehicle VH, and can detect objects in ranges that are blind spots for the cameras and radars . Furthermore, ultrasonic sensors are more affordable than cameras . As shown in FIG. 1, by providing a plurality of the ultrasonic sensors 36, it is possible to cover a wide range .By installing a plurality of types of sensors 3 in various locations of the vehicle VH in this manner, it is possible to cover 360° of the periphery of the vehicle VH.

[0015] In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the following examples are illustrated as the sensors 3.■ Rear camera 31 . . . The rear camera is installed on the top portion etc. of the rear windshield of the vehicle VH, and images the rear of the vehicle VH.■ Corner cameras 32 . . . The corner cameras are installed on the left and right doors etc. of the vehicle VH, and image the sides of the vehicle VH.■ Front radar 33 . . . The front radar is disposed on the front side of the vehicle VH. The front radar is used as a redundant sensor for the front camera 2, which monitors the front of the vehicle.■ Corner radars 35 . . . The corner radars are respectively disposed on the four corners of the vehicle VH. The corner radars are used for monitoring traffic crossing the vehicle VH, support for a lane change function, etc.■ Rear radar 34 . . . The rear radar is disposed on the rear side of the vehicle VH. The rear radar is used for monitoring pedestrians to the rear of the vehicle VH, and the vehicle VH (note that the illustration of the rear radar 34 is omitted in FIG. 1) .■ Ultrasonic sensors 36 . . . The plurality of ultrasonic sensors 36 are respectively disposed at distances from each other on the front side and the rear side of the vehicle VH. The ultrasonic sensors are used to support low speed operations of the vehicle VH, the parking function, etc.The drive recorder system 1 can comprise, as other sensors 3, a driver monitoring camera for monitoring occupants inside the vehicle VH, LiDAR (light detection and ranging) for detecting objects by irradiation with laser emitted in pulses, etc. , for example .

[0016] The display device 4 (see fig. 2) can be formed from a display installed at a position where the occupant is visible, such as the dashboard of the vehicle VH, for example . The display device 4 can display a video captured by the front camera 2 in real-time . A detailed description will be omitted, but the display device 4 may display various items of information in addition to the video captured by the front camera 2 as an infotainment display of the autonomous driving system, for example .

[0017] The video recording device 5 comprises a storage 51 capable of recording a video with HD (high definition) quality and a high FPS (frames per second)rate. The storage 51 can be an SSD (solid state drive) or a HD (hard disk) , for example . The video recording capacity of the video recording device 5 can be expanded to several hundred GB, for example, in accordance with the needs of the user. The details will be described later, but in the present embodiment, the video recording device 5 starts the recording of the video and stops the recording of the video using a control signal SI from the front camera 2 as a trigger.As shown in FIG. 1, the video recording device 5 can be installed in the trunk etc. on the rear side of the vehicle VH, separated from the front camera 2, for example . In such case, the video recording device 5 has a high probability of avoiding damage, even if the front camera 2 installed on the windshield is damaged due to a collision accident or the like, for example .

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the front camera 2 comprises a lens 21, an imaging element 22, a serializer 23, a SoC 24 (system on a chip) , an ECU 25 (electronic control unit) , etc. The front camera 2 also comprises a video output connector 26, and an on-board connector 27 for connecting to the on-board network. The on-board network can be CAN / Flexray, Ethernet, etc. , for example.

[0019] The lens 21, which is an optical element, is installed toward the front of the vehicle. The lens 21 can be a wide angle lens, for example .The imaging element 22 is formed from a CCD (charge coupled device) image sensor or a CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) image sensor, etc. The imaging element 22 converts incident light from the lens 21 into a video signal VS, which is an electrical signal .

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the imaging element 22 is connected to each of the serializer 23 and the SoC 24 via an interface such as a MIPI (mobile industry processor interface) , for example . The imaging element 22 divides and outputs the video signal VS to each of the serializer 23 and the SoC 24.

[0021] The serializer 23 serializes the video signal VS input from the imaging element 22, and performs signal calibration or format modification to LVDS (low voltage differential signalling) , coaxial format, Ethernet, MPEG4, etc. The serializer 23 outputs the converted video signal VS to the display device 4 and the video recording device 5 via an interface that supports LVDS or coaxial format, the video output connector 26, an LVDS cable or coaxial cable, etc.

[0022] The SoC 24 (analysis unit) can be a unit having a built-in algorithm for video analysis by prior machine learning. The SoC 24 is connected to the ECU 25 by an l2C / SPI-based interface or the like . The SoC 24 analyses the video signal VS input from the imaging element 22, and extracts an element for determining a dangerous situation for the vehicle VH in the ECU 25. The element is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include the following.■ Pedestrians (number, direction, distance to the vehicle VH)■ Other vehicles (number, direction, distance to the vehicle VH)■ Obstacles such as kerbs (type, number, direction, distance to vehicle VH)■ Signals (colour of light)■ Signs (type of sign such as no entry, drive slowly, etc. )■ Weather (clear, rain, snow)■ Brightness (dawn, darkness)The SoC 24 outputs data of analysis results AR to the ECU 25.

[0023] The ECU 25 controls the operation of the front camera 2. The ECU 25 can operate as an ADAS-ECU constituting an ADAS (advanced driver assistance system) used in the autonomous driving system. The ADAS includes various functions for controlling autonomous driving, and the ECU 25 can be a unit having a built-in algorithm for executing these functions . In the drive recorder system 1 of the present embodiment, the ECU 25 further uses an algorithm for executing the ADAS function to determine dangerous situations for the vehicle VH, which serve as a trigger for video recording start and video recording stop in the video recording device 5.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the ECU 25 in the drive recorder system 1. The ECU 25 comprises a determination unit 251 and a signal transmission unit 252. The determination unit 251 determines dangerous situations for the vehicle VH on the basis of the analysis results AR input from the SoC 24 . The signal transmission unit 252 transmits the control signal SI to the video recording device 5 on the basis of determination results DR of the determination unit 251.The ECU 25 also accesses the sensors 3 via the on-board connector 27 and the on-board network to acquire sensor data SD. When the sensors 3 are radars or ultrasonic sensors, the sensor data SD can be numerical data. When the sensors 3 are cameras, the sensor data SD can be video signals .

[0025] The determination unit 251 can determine dangerous situations for the vehicle VH by using the sensor data SD together with the analysis results AR of the SoC 24.The signal transmission unit 252 generates the control signal SI for controlling the video recording device 5 in accordance with the determination results DR for the dangerous situation from the determination unit 251. The control signal SI can include the following content, for example .■ Video recording start trigger■ Video recording stop trigger■ Tag ID / synchronization index (hereinafter referred to merely as the "tag")■ Functional data associated with the determination of dangerous situations■ Sensor data SD

[0026] The content described above does not need to be included in one control signal SI, and may be transmitted separately or in parallel .The signal transmission unit 252 can transmit the control signal SI serving as the video recording start and video recording stop trigger as a binary signal of a High signal and a Low signal to the video recording device 5, for example .When the determination unit 251 determines the occurrence of a dangerous situation, the signal transmission unit 252 outputs the High signal to the video recording device 5. When the determination unit 251 determines the endof the dangerous situation, the signal transmission unit 252 switches to the Low signal from the High signal and outputs the Low signal . The video recording device 5 starts recording a video when the binary signal input from the determination unit 251 switches to the High signal from the Low signal .The video recording device 5 ends recording of the video when the binary signal input from the determination unit 251 switches to the Low signal from the High signal .

[0027] The signal transmission unit 252 may store and transmit the tag, functional data, and sensor data SD inside the same control signal SI data frame, for example .The signal transmission unit 252 may transmit the data frame containing the tag, functional data, and sensor data SD in parallel while the High signal serving as the recording start trigger is being output . Alternatively, the signal transmission unit 252 may transmit the data frame containing the tag, functional data, and sensor data SD after switching from the High signal to the Low signal serving as the recording stop trigger.

[0028] The tag is for identifying the type of dangerous situation determined by the determination unit 251 for the video recorded by the video recording device 5, and for synchronizing the functional data and sensor data SD with the video. The functional data associated with the determination of dangerous situations is data for the determination unit 251 to ascertain the content of functions used for determination of dangerous situations .Types of dangerous situations determined in the ECU 25 will be given as examples below, together with the function of ADAS for determining the dangerous situations .(a) When the collision avoidance system (collision avoidance system) is actuated The collision avoidance system is a function for avoiding collision by the vehicle VH with an object (other vehicle, obstacle, pedestrian, etc. ) . The collision avoidance system includes the following functions, for example .■ RCTA (rear cross traffic alert)The RCTA is a function for detecting other vehicles approaching from the left and right of the vehicle VH when the vehicle VH is starting in reverse from a stopped position. In particular, when there are many obstacles in the periphery of the stopped position of the vehicle VH, it may be difficult to detect other approaching vehicles from the video of the camera. In such a case, using the sensor data SD from the radars makes it easier to detect the other approaching vehicles .■ FCTA (front cross traffic alert)The FCTA is a function for detecting other vehicles approaching from the left and right of the vehicle VH when the vehicle VH is entering an intersection or the like . The FCTA can use the video captured by the front camera 2, or the sensor data SD from the front radar 33 and the corner radars 35, for example . In particular, at an intersection or the like where there are many obstacles and poor visibility, it may be difficult to detect other approaching vehicles from the video of the camera. Even in such a case, using the sensor data SD from the radars makes it easier to detect the other approaching vehicles .■ ACC (adaptive cruise control system)The ACC is a function for detecting vehicles travelling in front, and causes the vehicle VH to travel while maintaining a fixed inter-vehicle distance. The ACC can use the video captured by the front camera 2, or the sensor data SD from the front radar 33, for example .■ AEB (advanced emergency braking)The AEB is a function for causing emergency braking of the vehicle VH in order to reduce damage caused by collision with another vehicle or object . The AEB can use the video captured by the front camera 2, the rear camera 31, etc. , or the sensor data SD from the front radar 33, the corner radars 35, the rear radar 34, etc. , for example .■ BMP (pedal misapplication prevention)The BMP is a function for preventing acceleration caused by pedal misapplication .The PMP actuates when having detected an object approaching the vehicle VH while the vehicle VH is stopped or travelling at low speed (including travelling in reverse) . Under this condition, the PMP automatically prevents acceleration of the vehicle VH when the driver of the vehicle VH accidentally depresses the accelerator pedal instead of the brake pedal, thereby reducing the possibility of the vehicle VH colliding with an object, or reducing damage from the collision.The PMP needs to detect objects that have approached in the range of 0.4 to 3.0 m of the vehicle VH, and thus the sensor data SD from the ultrasonic sensors 36, in particular, is useful . The ultrasonic sensors 36 can also cover the approach range of the vehicle VH serving as the blind spot of the cameras . The ultrasonic sensors 36 can also further detect objects which are difficult to detect from the video of the cameras, such as glass surfaces . Furthermore, the ultrasonic sensors 36 are relatively affordable, and thus it is possible to cover a wide range by arranging a plurality of the ultrasonic sensors 36.■ BSW (blind spot warning)The BSW is a function for notifying the driver when another vehicle is present in a blind spot of the driver during a lane change .The BSW uses the sensor data SD from the corner radars 35, the rear radar 34, etc. to detect another vehicle that is travelling in an adjacent lane and approaching the vehicle VH from the rear, and to warn the driver, for example . In the situation of (a) described above, the signal transmission unit 252 transmits functional data associated with the RCTA, FCTA, AEB, PMP, etc. to the video recording device 5, for example .

[0029] (b) Aggressive cut-in and aggressive lane change (aggressive cut-in and cutout)Aggressive cut-in means a case where another vehicle has suddenly overtaken and cut in front of the vehicle VH on the road, for example. Aggressive lane change means a case where another vehicle travelling in front of the vehicle VH has suddenly changed lanes without operation of the direction indicator, for example . These situations can be determined by the function of the ACC described above .In the situation of (b) , the signal transmission unit 252 transmits functional data associated with the ACC, etc. to the video recording device 5, for example .

[0030] (c) When the host vehicle VH has changed lanes without operation of the direction indicator, when a road deviation monitoring system has actuated, and when a lane change is performed in a situation where another vehicle travelling at a slower speed than the host vehicle VH is present in a target lane These situations can be determined by a function for assisting the steering operation of the vehicle VH such that the vehicle VH maintains the lane in which the vehicle is travelling, such as a LKAS (lane keeping assist system) or LCC (lane centering control) , for example. These functions can use video such as from the front camera 2 or corner cameras 32 to detect the lane in which the vehicle VH is travelling or an adjacent lane, for example. Furthermore, when detecting the speed of another vehicle travelling in a target lane, in particular, the sensor data SD from the corner radars 35 is useful .In the situation of (c) , the signal transmission unit 252 transmits functional data associated with the LKAS, LCC, etc. , for example .

[0031] (d) Wrong-way travelling of the host vehicle VH or another vehicle can be determined by a function such as TSR (traffic sign recognition) , ISA (intelligent speed assistance) , and the LKAS and LCC described above, for example .The TSR is a function for recognizing, from the video captured by the camera, a traffic sign showing a speed limit or no entry, and the ISA is a function for assisting speed adjustment of the vehicle VH in accordance with the traffic sign in cooperation with the TSR, for example . When the vehicle VH has entered a road for which a no entry sign is detected from the video captured by the camera, the ECU 25 can determine that the vehicle VH is travelling the wrong way. Furthermore, the ECU 25 can determine that another vehicle is travelling the wrong way when having detected another vehicle approaching the vehicle VH. In order to determine that another vehicle is travelling the wrong way before the other vehicle approaches the vehicle VH, it is particularly useful to use the sensor data SD from the radars, which can perform detection over long distances .In the situation of (d) , the signal transmission unit 252 transmits functional data associated with the TSR / ISA, LKAS, LCC, etc. to the video recording device 5, for example.

[0032] (e) Sudden stop of preceding vehicleA sudden stop of a preceding vehicle can be determined by an object tracking function, for example.Object tracking is a function for using camera image processing, LiDAR, etc. to track many objects (other vehicles, pedestrians, buildings, etc. ) in the periphery of the vehicle VH, for example. The distance between the vehicle VH and the preceding vehicle can be measured by machine learning, LiDAR, etc. , together with calculating the speed of the preceding vehicle .In the situation of (e) , the signal transmission unit 252 transmits functional data associated with object tracking, etc. to the video recording device 5, for example .

[0033] The signal transmission unit 252 includes the sensor data SD acquired from the sensors 3 in the control signal SI when the determination unit 251 has determined a dangerous situation. The signal transmission unit 252 can also include the sensor data SD not used for determination in addition to the sensor data SD used for determination of the dangerous situation in the control signal SI .The sensor data SD can be images or video captured by the rear camera 31 or the corner cameras 32, for example . Alternatively, the sensor data SD can be numerical data, i .e . , detection results from the front radar 33, the rear radar 34, the corner radars 35, the ultrasonic sensors 36, etc.

[0034] The signal transmission unit 252 acquires functional data from the determination unit 251 when the determination unit 251 has determined a dangerous situation, and acquires the sensor data SD from the sensors 3. The signal transmission unit 252 creates a tag corresponding to the type of dangerous situation determined by the determination unit 251. The signal transmission unit 252 creates a control signal SI containing the tag, functional data, and sensor data SD, and transmits the control signal to the video recording device 5 .

[0035] Upon receiving the control signal SI, the video recording device 5 records the functional data and the sensor data SD in the storage 51 together with the video . Specifically, the video recording device 5 records the video, functional data, and sensor data SD in the storage 51 in association with the tag.The video recording device 5 thereby stores, as integrated data, the video of the front camera 2 during the occurrence of the dangerous situation, the functional data with which the dangerous situation is determined, and the sensor data SD .Due to this, the user can rapidly access the integrated data without needing to extract and gather data from various devices when verifying a dangerous situation or submitting proof of the dangerous situation, for example . Furthermore, the data recorded in the video recording device 5 is categorized depending on the type of the dangerous situation by the tag, and thus the user can easily access data in which a specific dangerous situation is recorded by performing retrieval using a tag.

[0036] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of the ECU 25 of the front camera 2 during travelling of the vehicle VH.The processing of the ECU 25 in the drive recorder system 1 will be explained here. When the vehicle VH starts travelling, the front camera 2 (see fig. 2) starts imaging, and the video signal VS is input to each of the SoC 24 and the serializer 23 from the imaging element 22. The serializer 23 performs processing such as serialization and format change on the video signal VS, and outputs the processed video signal to the display device 4 and the video recording device 5. The display device 4 displays the input video in realtime. The video recording device 5 does not perform recording of the video until the control signal SI serving as the video recording start trigger is input from the ECU 25.The SoC 24 analyses the video input from the imaging element 22, and inputs the analysis results AR to the ECU 25 at any time .

[0037] As shown in FIG. 4, the determination unit 251 of the ECU 25 determines whether a dangerous situation has occurred for the vehicle VH on the basis of the analysis results AR input from the SoC 24 (step SOI) .Note that the determination unit 251 may perform determination by using the sensor data SD acquired from the sensors 3 in addition to the analysis results AR of the SoC 24.When the determination unit 251 has determined the occurrence of a dangerous situation (step SOI : Yes) , the signal transmission unit 252 transmits the control signal SI serving as the video recording start trigger to the video recording device 5 (step S02) .The determination unit 251 then determines the dangerous situation of the vehicle VH on the basis of the analysis results AR input from the SoC 24 (step S03) .When the determination unit 251 has determined the end of the dangerous situation for the vehicle VH (step S03 : Yes) , the signal transmission unit 252 transmits the control signal SI serving as the video recording stop trigger to the video recording device 5 (step S04) .The signal transmission unit 252 transmits the control signal SI containing the tag, functional data, and sensor data SD to the video recording device 5 (step S05) .Note that the processing in step S05 does not necessarily need to be performed after the processing in step S04, and may be performed after step S02 in parallel with the processing in steps S03-04.The ECU 25 repeatedly performs the processing in steps S01-S05 during travelling of the vehicle VH, for example .

[0038] As described above, the drive recorder system 1 according to the present embodiment has the following configuration, for example .(1) The drive recorder system 1 comprises the front camera 2 (imaging device) for imaging the front (periphery) of the vehicle VH, and the video recording device 5 for recording the video captured by the front camera 2. The front camera 2 comprises the determination unit 251 for determining the occurrence of a dangerous situation for the vehicle VH, and the signal transmission unit 252 for transmitting the control signal SI to the front camera 2 on the basis of the determination results DR of the determination unit 251.The signal transmission unit 252 transmits the control signal SI for starting the recording of the video to the video recording device 5 when the determination unit 251 determines the occurrence of a dangerous situation. The signal transmission unit 252 transmits the control signal SI for stopping the recording of the video to the video recording device 5 when the determination unit 251 determines the end of the dangerous situation.

[0039] Due to this, it is possible to record a video of the periphery of the vehicleVH in the video recording device 5 when a dangerous situation for the vehicle VH has occurred, while reducing installation costs of the drive recorder system 1 .When the vehicle VH has travelled for 100 hours, the time of occurrence of dangerous situations for the vehicle VH can normally be considered to be around 10-20 minutes . The drive recorder system 1 of the present embodiment records a video only during the occurrence of a dangerous situation, and thus video recording time is greatly reduced as compared to a case where video recording is constantly being performed during travelling of the vehicle VH; therefore, it is possible to reduce the video recording capacity required of the video recording device 5.

[0040] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the video can be recorded in the video recording device 5, which is a separate member from the imaging device. The ECU 25 of the front camera 2 needs merely to transmit the control signal SI for video recording start and video recording stop to the video recording device 5, without needing to perform video recording processing, and thus it is possible to reduce the processing load.Furthermore, the video recording device 5 is a separate member from the front camera 2, thereby making it possible to arrange the video recording device on the rear side of the vehicle VH separated from the front camera 2 . This increases the probability of avoiding damage to the video recording device 5, even if the front camera 2 installed on the windshield is damaged due to a collision accident or the like of the vehicle VH, for example. Additionally, it may be difficult to expand the video recording capacity of the front camera 2, for which miniaturization is demanded, but expansion of video recording capacity is comparatively easy for the video recording device 5, which is a separate member from the front camera 2.Note that, in the present embodiment, an example was described in which the "imaging device" is the front camera 2, which images the front of the vehicle VH, but the "imaging device" may be the rear camera 31 or the corner cameras 32, and the front camera 2 may be one of the plurality of sensors 3.

[0041] In (1) described above, (2) the front camera 2 comprises the lens 21 and the imaging element 22. The lens 21 is installed toward the periphery of the vehicle VH. The imaging element 22 converts incident light on the lens 21 into the video signal VS, which is an electrical signal, and divides the video signal VS into a video signal VS recorded in the video recording device 5, and a video signal VS used for determination of the occurrence of a dangerous situation, with the imaging element outputting the divided video signals .

[0042] By the front camera 2 dividing and outputting the video signals VS in this manner, it is possible to to use a video captured by one camera (front camera 2) both for recording in the video recording device 5 and for determination of a dangerous situation in the determination unit 251. This makes it possible to reduce the installation cost of the cameras on the vehicle VH. Note that, in the present embodiment, an example was shown in which the imaging element 22 divided the video signal VS, but the dividing processing may be performed by achip or the like separate from the imaging element 22 .

[0043] In (1) or (2) described above, (i) the front camera 2 comprises an SoC 24 (analysis unit) that analyses the video output from the imaging element 22 by using an algorithm set by machine learning, and extracts an element for determining a dangerous situation for the vehicle VH.The determination unit 251 uses the analysis results AR from the SoC 24 to determine a dangerous situation for the vehicle VH.

[0044] The video signal VS has a large data size, and when directly inputting the video to the ECU 25 for analysis processing, the processing load of the ECU 25 increases . When the ECU 25 also functions as an ADAS-ECU of the autonomous driving system, the processing load increases further. In the present embodiment, the machine-learned SoC 24 analyses the video upstream of the ECU 25. Due to this, only the analysis results AR, i .e . , numerical data, are input to the ECU 25, and thus it is possible to reduce the processing load in the ECU 25; therefore,

[0045] In (1) , (2) , or (i) described above,(3) The drive recorder system 1 comprises at least one sensor 3 that is provided to the vehicle VH and can detect an object in the periphery of the vehicle VH.The signal transmission unit 252 of the ECU 25 transmits the control signal SI, in which the sensor data SD (data from the sensor 3) is recorded together with the video captured by the front camera 2, to the video recording device 5 when the determination unit 251 has determined the occurrence of a dangerous situation.

[0046] If configuring the invention in this manner, the sensor data SD for detecting the object in the periphery of the vehicle VH is comprehensively recorded in the video recording device 5 together with the video for which a dangerous situation for the vehicle VH has been determined. Due to this, the user does not need to gather data, and the dangerous situation that has occurred for the vehicle VH can be analysed from multiple angles from various data.Note that, in the present embodiment, an example was described in which the signal transmission unit 252 transmits the sensor data SD by including the data in the control signal SI, but in the drive recorder system 1, the sensor data SD may be directly input to the video recording device 5. In such case, the signal transmission unit 252 can transmit the control signal SI serving as the recording start and recording stop trigger of the sensor data SD to the video recording device 5 .

[0047] In (3) described above,(4) the sensors 3 can be radars or ultrasonic sensors 36.The determination unit 251 uses the data from the radars or the ultrasonic sensors 36 to determine the occurrence of a dangerous situation. The radars can be the front radar 33, the rear radar 34, the corner radars 35, etc. , for example .

[0048] The range that can be imaged by an ordinary camera is around 120° . For example, if using a wide-angle fisheye lens, the range that can be imaged would be around 150° , but there is the possibility that processing of the captured video will become complex.Radar has a wider detectable range than an ordinary camera, and is more affordable than a camera.The radars are further useful for detecting objects at a long distance from the vehicle VH in the front-rear direction of the vehicle VH.The ultrasonic sensors are suitable for detecting objects approaching the vehicle VH, and can detect objects in ranges that are blind spots for the cameras and radars . Furthermore, the ultrasonic sensors are more affordable than cameras, and it is possible to cover a wide range by providing a plurality of the ultrasonic sensors 36.In the present embodiment, radars (front radar 33, rear radar 34, corner radars 35, etc. ) or ultrasonic sensors 36 are used as the sensors 3, thereby making it easier to determine dangerous situations for which determination would be difficult from only the video of the front camera 2, and also dangerous situations which have occurred outside of the range that can be imaged by the front camera 2 .The radars are suitable for detecting vehicles VH approaching from the left and right of the vehicle VH when entering an intersection or the like with many blind spots, for example. Furthermore, the ultrasonic sensors are suitable for detecting objects approaching the vehicle VH, and thus are suitable for determining a pedal misapplication.In this manner, in the drive recorder system 1, the sensor data SD from the radars, ultrasonic sensors, etc. is used to determine a dangerous situation, thereby making it possible to record various dangerous situations in the video recording device 5.

[0049] In (3) or (4) described above,(5) the sensor 3 can be a camera capable of imaging a range outside of the range that can be imaged by the front camera 2 . The cameras can be a rear camera 31, corner cameras 32, etc. , for example .The signal transmission unit 252 of the ECU 25 transmits the control signal SI, in which the video or image captured by the camera is recorded together with the video captured by the front camera 2, to the video recording device 5 when the determination unit 251 has determined the occurrence of a dangerous situation.

[0050] By configuring the invention in this manner, the drive recorder system 1 can record in the recording device 5 the video that has captured an area outside of the range that can be imaged by the front camera 2, together with the video captured by the front camera 2. Due to this, it is possible to analyse a dangerous situation that has occurred for the vehicle VH from multiple angles from videos capturing various ranges, which increases the reliability of the evidence .Note that, in the present embodiment, an example was described in which the signal transmission unit 252 transmits the video or image captured by the rearcamera 31 and the corner cameras 32 by including the same in the control signal SI, but in the drive recorder system 1, the video or image captured by these cameras may also be directly input to the video recording device 5. In such case, the signal transmission unit 252 can transmit the control signal SI serving as the recording start and recording stop trigger of the video or image from the camera to the video recording device 5.

[0051] In any one of (3) to (5) above,(6) the signal transmission unit 252 transmits the control signal SI containing functional data associated with determination of a dangerous situation to the video recording device 5 when the determination unit 251 has determined the occurrence of a dangerous situation, and causes the video recording device 5 to record the functional data together with the video captured by the front camera 2 .

[0052] The drive recorder system 1 uses the function of the ADAS-ECU used in the autonomous driving system to thereby make it possible to determine various types of dangerous situations, for example. In such case, the functional data associated with the determination of a dangerous situation is recorded together with the video recording device 5 for which the dangerous situation has been determined, thereby making it possible to smoothly ascertain what type of dangerous situation has been determined when the user verifies the video .Furthermore, when the drive recorder system 1 uses the functions of the autonomous driving system, it is possible to record data associated with the autonomous driving functions in the video recording device 5, and to utilize the data for application development or data training.

[0053] In any one of (3) to (6) above,(7) the signal transmission unit 252 transmits the control signal SI containing a tag for identifying the type of dangerous situation to the video recording device 5 when the determination unit 251 has determined the occurrence of a dangerous situation, and causes the video recording device 5 to record the video captured by the front camera 2, the data of the sensors 3, and the functional data in association with the tag.

[0054] By configuring the invention in this manner, the video recording device 5 can record, as integrated data, the video of the front camera 2 from when the dangerous situation occurred, the functional data associated with determination of the dangerous situation, and the sensor data SD.When the user uses data of various devices in which dangerous situations are recorded, it is not necessary to gather data from each device, and thus it is possible to improve convenience . Additionally, the data recorded in the video recording device 5 is categorized depending on the type of the dangerous situation by the tag. Thus, the user can easily access data in which a specific dangerous situation is recorded by performing retrieval using a tag.

[0055] In any one of (2) to (7) and (i) above,(8) the drive recorder system 1 comprises the display device 4, which displaysthe video captured by the front camera 2 in real-time .The video signal VS output from the imaging element 22 of the front camera 2 to the video recording device 5 is also input to the display device 4 .

[0056] The autonomous driving system of the vehicle VH sometimes comprises an infotainment display that displays the images captured by the cameras in realtime.The imaging element 22 also outputs the video signal VS to the display device 4, thereby making it possible to also use the video captured by one camera (front camera 2) in live streaming with the display device 4, in addition to recording with the video recording device 5 and determination of a dangerous situation with the determination unit 251. Due to this, a dashboard camera for infotainment display is not necessary, and it is possible to reduce installation costs of the cameras .

[0057] (9) In any one of (1) to (8) and (i) above, the front camera 2 can output the control signal for an actuator pertaining to autonomous driving of the vehicle VH.

[0058] By configuring the invention in this manner, the front camera 2 can be caused to function as the imaging device of the drive recorder system, and also caused to function as the control device of the actuator pertaining to the autonomous driving of the vehicle VH. Due to this, it is not necessary to provide a separate camera for the drive recorder system, and it is possible to reduce installation costs of the cameras .

[0059] Embodiments and modification examples of the present invention were described above, but the present invention is not limited to these configurations, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the technical idea of the invention.[Description of Reference Symbols]

[0060] 1 : Drive recorder system2 : Front camera (imaging device)3 : Sensor4 : Display device5 : Video recording device21 : Lens22 : Imaging element23 : Serializer24 : SoC (analysis unit)25 : ECU251 : Determination unit252 : Signal transmission unit26 : Video output connector27 : On-board connector31 : Rear camera33 : Front radar32 : Corner camera34 : Rear radar35: Corner radar36: Ultrasonic sensorVH: Vehicle VS: Video signalAR: Analysis resultSI: Control signalSD : Sensor data

Claims

[Document Name] CLAIMS

1. A drive recorder system comprising: an imaging device that images a periphery of a vehicle; and a video recording device that records a video captured by the imaging device, wherein the imaging device includes a determination unit that determines an occurrence of a dangerous situation for a vehicle on the basis of the video that has been captured, and a signal transmission unit that transmits a control signal to the imaging device on the basis of determination results of the determination unit, and the signal transmission unit transmits a control signal for starting recording of the video to the video recording device when the determination unit determines an occurrence of the dangerous situation, and transmits a control signal for stopping the recording of the video to the video recording device when the determination unit determines the end of the dangerous situation.

2. The drive recorder system according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device includes a lens installed toward the periphery of the vehicle, and an imaging element that converts incident light on the lens into a video signal, which is an electrical signal, and the imaging device divides the video signal into a video signal recorded in the video recording device, and a video signal used for determination of the occurrence of the dangerous situation, and outputs the divided video signals .

3. The drive recorder system according to claim 1 or claim 2, comprising at least one sensor that is provided to the vehicle and can detect an object in the periphery of the vehicle, wherein the signal transmission unit transmits a control signal for recording data from the sensor together with the video captured by the imaging device to the video recording device when the determination unit has determined the occurrence of the dangerous situation.

4. The drive recorder system according to claim 3, wherein the sensor is a radar or an ultrasonic sensor, and the determination unit uses data from the radar or the ultrasonic sensor to determine the occurrence of the dangerous situation.

5. The drive recorder system according to claim 3, wherein the sensor is a camera capable of imaging a range outside of a range that can be imaged by the imaging device, and the signal transmission unit transmits a control signal for recording a video or an image captured by the camera together with the video captured by the imaging device to the video recording device when the determination unit has determined the occurrence of the dangerous situation.

6. The drive recorder system according to claim 3, wherein the signal transmission unit transmits a control signal containing functionaldata associated with the determination of the dangerous situation to the video recording device when the determination unit has determined the occurrence of the dangerous situation, and causes the video recording device to record the functional data together with the video captured by the imaging device.

7. The drive recorder system according to claim 6, wherein the signal transmission unit transmits a control signal containing a tag for identifying the type of the dangerous situation to the video recording device when the determination unit has determined the occurrence of the dangerous situation, and causes the video recording device to record the video captured by the imaging device, the data of the sensor, and the functional data in association with the tag.

8. The drive recorder system according to claim 2, comprising a display device that displays the video captured by the imaging device in real-time, wherein the video signal output to the video recording device from the imaging element is also input to the display device.

9. The drive recorder system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the imaging device outputs a control signal for an actuator pertaining to autonomous driving of the vehicle .

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