Recording device and recording method

Abstract

This recording device comprises: a camera capable of capturing images in all directions around the device itself; a mirror that is installed at a position away from a central part of a lens of the camera in a first direction, reflects an image in at least one of front and rear directions orthogonal to the first direction, and causes the reflected image to be incident on the central part of the lens; an imaging control unit that controls the camera to capture an omnidirectional image around the device itself and the reflected image caused to be incident on the central part of the lens by the mirror; and a recording control unit that causes a recording unit to record the omnidirectional image and / or the reflected image.

Description

Recording apparatus and recording method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a recording apparatus and a recording method.

[0002] A 360-degree drive recorder capable of capturing and recording omnidirectional video centered on the own vehicle is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-92814

[0004] The 360-degree drive recorder captures a circular image with, for example, an omnidirectional camera capable of 360-degree shooting. In this case, since an image of the front or rear of the vehicle is captured at the edge portion of the lens, the image quality is lower than that of an image captured at the center of the lens. Since images of the front or rear of the vehicle are mainly used for event detection, it is desired to capture them with high image quality.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a recording apparatus and a recording method capable of capturing and recording the front or rear of a vehicle with high image quality.

[0006] The recording apparatus of the present disclosure comprises: a camera capable of capturing an omnidirectional view centered on the apparatus itself; a mirror disposed at a position spaced apart in a first direction from a central portion of a lens of the camera, the mirror reflecting an image in at least one of front and rear directions orthogonal to the first direction to cause the image to enter the central portion of the lens; an imaging control unit that controls the camera to capture an omnidirectional image centered on the apparatus itself and a reflected image that the mirror causes to enter the central portion of the lens; and a recording control unit that causes a recording unit to record at least one of the omnidirectional image and the reflected image.

[0007] The recording device of this disclosure includes a camera capable of capturing images in all directions centered on the device; a mirror positioned at a distance from the central part of the lens of the camera in a first direction, which reflects at least one image in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the first direction and causes it to incident on the central part of the lens; a shooting control unit that controls the camera to capture an all-around image centered on the device and a reflected image caused by the mirror incident on the central part of the lens; an event detection unit that detects whether or not an event has occurred in the vehicle on which the device is mounted based on the reflected image; and a recording control unit that, if the event detection unit does not detect an event in the vehicle, causes the recording unit to loop record the reflected image.

[0008] The recording method of this disclosure includes the steps of: using a mirror installed at a position away from the center of the lens of a camera capable of capturing images in all directions, reflecting at least one image in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the first direction and causing it to incident on the center of the lens; capturing an all-around image centered on the vehicle and a reflected image of the mirror incident on the center of the lens; and recording at least one of the all-around image and the reflected image in a recording unit.

[0009] The recording method of this disclosure includes the steps of: using a mirror positioned at a distance in a first direction from the central part of the lens of a camera capable of capturing images in all directions around a vehicle, reflecting at least one image in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the first direction and causing it to incident on the central part of the lens; capturing an all-around image centered on the vehicle and the reflected image that the mirror has caused to incident on the central part of the lens; detecting whether or not an event has occurred to the vehicle based on the reflected image; and, if no event to the vehicle is detected, loop recording the reflected image to a recording unit.

[0010] According to this disclosure, it is possible to photograph and record the front or rear of a vehicle in high definition.

[0011] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the shooting range of a recording device according to a comparative example. Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the problems of the recording device according to a comparative example. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a recording device according to an embodiment. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing a side view of the recording device according to an embodiment. Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the mirror according to an embodiment. Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the shooting range of a recording device according to an embodiment. Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating the captured image captured by the recording device according to an embodiment. Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example configuration of a recording device according to an embodiment. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the recording process flow according to an embodiment. Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating a method for controlling the mirror according to an embodiment.

[0012] Embodiments relating to this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. However, this embodiment does not limit the disclosure, and in the following embodiments, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals to avoid redundant explanations.

[0013] [Comparative Example] (Shooting Range of Recording Device) The shooting range of the recording device in the comparative example will be explained using Figure 1. Figure 1 is a diagram for explaining the shooting range of the recording device in the comparative example.

[0014] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a comparative example recording device 10a viewed from above. The recording device 10a is, for example, a recording device such as a drive recorder mounted in a vehicle. As shown in Figure 1, the camera 20 of the comparative example recording device 10a captures 360 degrees in all directions, including the front, rear, left, and right, with the device as the center.

[0015] The problems of the recording device relating to the comparative example will be explained using Figure 2. Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining the problems of the recording device relating to the comparative example.

[0016] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a recording device according to a comparative example viewed from the side. In order to detect events on the vehicle on which it is mounted, it is preferable for the recording device 10a to capture a range 100 including the forward and rear directions centered on the device with high image quality. As a result, for example, the recording device 10a can capture a vehicle C1 located in the forward direction of the vehicle with high image quality. However, the image captured by the camera 20 can be captured with the highest image quality in the downward shooting range 101 of the central part of the camera 20. In contrast, the forward shooting range 102 and the rearward shooting range 103 of the camera 20 are captured at the edges of the lens of the camera 20, so the image quality is lower compared to the image captured in the center of the lens.

[0017] Therefore, this disclosure provides a recording device for a vehicle equipped with an omnidirectional camera that can capture images in the forward and rear directions with high resolution.

[0018] [Embodiment] (Recording device) An example of the configuration of a recording device according to the embodiment will be described using Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a recording device according to the embodiment. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the recording device according to the embodiment viewed from the side.

[0019] As shown in Figure 3, the recording device 10 comprises a camera 20, a mirror 22, a recording unit 24, and a control unit 26. The recording device 10 can be implemented, for example, as a drive recorder mounted in a vehicle.

[0020] Camera 20 is an omnidirectional camera capable of capturing images in a 360-degree direction centered on the vehicle. Camera 20 can be implemented, for example, as a 360-degree spherical camera.

[0021] The mirror 22 is installed below the center of the lens of the camera 20. The direction below the center of the lens of the camera 20 is also called the first direction. The first direction can be said to be parallel to the optical axis at the center of the lens of the camera 20. The mirror 22 may be installed directly below the center of the lens of the camera 20, or it may be installed at a position shifted within a predetermined range from directly below the center of the camera 20. The mirror 22 is installed with its reflective surface tilted with respect to the first direction. The mirror 22 is installed in a way that allows control of the direction in which its reflective surface faces. The mirror 22 may be a convex mirror or a plane mirror. The shape, size, and curvature of the mirror 22 may be arbitrarily changed according to the design.

[0022] The mirror 22 may be installed on a stay, for example, below the center of the lens of the camera 20. Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the mirror 22 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, for example, the lens of the camera 20 may be covered by, for example, a transparent dome-shaped cover 20A, and the mirror 22 may be installed in the space between the lens of the camera 20 and the cover 20A.

[0023] The mirror 22 reflects the image and directs it into the center of the camera 20's lens. The mirror 22 reflects at least one image from either the forward or backward direction perpendicular to the first direction and directs it into the center of the camera 20's lens. The forward or backward direction perpendicular to the first direction is each a type of second direction. In the example shown in Figure 4, the mirror 22 directs the optical axis L1 from the center of the camera 20's lens toward the vehicle C1 in the forward direction. The mirror 22 reflects the image within the shooting range 104 and directs it into the center of the camera 20's lens.

[0024] Furthermore, although this embodiment describes the mirror as reflecting at least one image in the forward or backward direction, the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the mirror 22 may reflect at least one image in the leftward or rightward direction back to the device and cause it to enter the center of the camera 20's lens.

[0025] The recording unit 24 records various types of information. The recording unit 24 records the calculation contents of the control unit 26 and information such as programs. The recording unit 24 includes at least one of the following: a main recording device such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory), or an external recording device such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive).

[0026] The control unit 26 controls each part of the recording device 10. The control unit 26 includes, for example, an information processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), and a recording device such as a RAM or ROM. The control unit 26 executes a program that controls the operation of the recording device 10 according to this disclosure. The control unit 26 may be implemented by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The control unit 26 may be implemented by a combination of hardware and software.

[0027] The control unit 26 comprises a shooting control unit 30, an event detection unit 32, a mirror control unit 34, and a recording control unit 36.

[0028] The shooting control unit 30 controls the camera 20 to take an image. The shooting control unit 30 controls the camera 20 to take an omnidirectional image centered on the recording device 10. The shooting control unit 30 causes the mirror 22 to enter the center of the lens of the camera 20 to take a reflected image.

[0029] The shooting control unit 30 acquires the omnidirectional image and reflected image captured by the camera 20 from the camera 20.

[0030] The event detection unit 32 detects events that occur in the vehicle. The event detection unit 32 detects events that do not involve impact to the vehicle, for example. The event detection unit 32 detects events based on, for example, at least one of the omnidirectional image and the reflected image acquired by the shooting control unit 30. The event detection unit 32 detects an event, for example, when the distance between the vehicle and a vehicle traveling in front of or behind the vehicle decreases to a predetermined distance or more within a predetermined period of time, based on the omnidirectional image and the reflected image. The event detection unit 32 detects, for example, so-called aggressive driving against a vehicle as an event. If the event detection unit 32 detects aggressive driving, for example, it identifies the offending vehicle. The event detection unit 32 may also detect an event, for example, when an acceleration sensor (not shown) detects an acceleration above a threshold.

[0031] The mirror control unit 34 controls the mirror 22. The mirror control unit 34, for example, changes the tilt of the mirror 22 with respect to the first direction. The mirror control unit 34 controls the mirror 22 to change the state from one in which the forward (rearward) image is reflected and incident on the center of the camera 20's lens to one in which the rearward (forward) image is reflected and incident on the center of the camera 20's lens.

[0032] The recording control unit 36 ​​performs a process to cause the recording unit 24 to record at least one of the omnidirectional image and the reflected image acquired by the shooting control unit 30 from the camera 20. The specific processing of the recording control unit 36 ​​will be described later.

[0033] (Shooting Range) The shooting range of the recording device according to the embodiment will be explained using Figure 6. Figure 6 is a diagram for explaining the shooting range of the recording device according to the embodiment.

[0034] As shown in Figure 6, the recording device 10 can capture images in all directions around itself, similar to the comparative example, by adjusting the installation position and size of the mirror 22. The recording device 10 also captures a reflected image by reflecting the image in the forward direction off the mirror 22. In other words, the recording device 10 captures two images in the forward direction: an all-around image and a reflected image.

[0035] (Captured Images) Figure 7 will be used to explain the captured images taken by the recording device according to this embodiment. Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating the captured images taken by the recording device 10 according to this embodiment.

[0036] As shown in Figure 7, the captured image 200 taken by the camera 20 of the recording device 10 includes region 201, region 202, region 203, and region 204. Regions 201, 202, 203, and 204 are the regions where images incident on the edge of the lens of the camera 20 are displayed. Region 205 is the region where images incident on the central part of the lens of the camera 20 are displayed.

[0037] Regions 201, 202, 203, and 204 are images that display images of the area surrounding the recording device 10. Region 201 is, for example, an area that displays an image taken in front of the recording device 10. Region 202 is, for example, an area that displays an image taken in rear of the recording device 10. Region 203 is, for example, an area that displays an image taken to the right of the recording device 10. Region 204 displays an image taken to the left of the recording device 10. The image quality of the images displayed in regions 201, 202, 203, and 204 is relatively low. In this disclosure, the images displayed in regions 201, 202, 203, and 204 are referred to as omnidirectional images.

[0038] Area 205 is the area where images taken from the downward direction of camera 20 are displayed. The image quality of the images displayed in area 205 is relatively high.

[0039] In this disclosure, a mirror 22 is installed below the camera 20, so, for example, the forward-facing image from the recording device 10 is incident on the central part of the camera 20's lens. Therefore, a relatively high-quality forward-facing image is displayed in region 205.

[0040] Therefore, in the present disclosure, a forward image with relatively low image quality is displayed in region 201, and a forward image with relatively high image quality is displayed in region 205. That is, in the present disclosure, the camera 20 of the recording apparatus 10 can capture two types of forward images.

[0041] Normally, an image captured of the situation inside the vehicle compartment including the driver is displayed in region 205, but the necessity of capturing the situation inside the vehicle compartment is relatively low. In addition, there are not a few drivers who do not want to be imaged. Therefore, as will be specifically described later in the present disclosure, a forward image is displayed in region 205 during normal operation, and an image of the vehicle compartment including the driver is displayed in region 205 when an event is detected. Accordingly, an image that is highly likely to be related to an event can be recorded with high image quality during normal operation, and the state of the driver with respect to the event can be recorded when an event occurs. Thereby, the present disclosure enables appropriate images to be recorded.

[0042] (Modified Example of Recording Apparatus) A configuration example of the recording apparatus according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the recording apparatus according to the embodiment.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 8, in the recording apparatus 10, two mirrors, a mirror 22-1 and a mirror 22-2, may be installed below the camera 20.

[0044] The mirror 22-1 reflects the image of the forward imaging range 105 and causes the image to enter the central portion of the lens of the camera 20. That is, the mirror 22-1 reflects the image of the vehicle C1 traveling in the forward direction and causes the image to enter the central portion of the lens of the camera 20.

[0045] The mirror 22-2 reflects the image of the rearward imaging range 106 and causes the image to enter the central portion of the lens of the camera 20. That is, the mirror 22-2 reflects the image of the vehicle C2 traveling in the rearward direction and causes the image to enter the central portion of the lens of the camera 20.

[0046] Accordingly, in the modification of the embodiment, images of both the vehicle C1 traveling in the forward direction and the vehicle C2 traveling in the rearward direction can be captured with high image quality and recorded in the recording unit 24. In this case, in the example shown in FIG. 8, a high-quality image of the vehicle C1 is displayed in the upper half area of the area 205, and a high-quality image of the vehicle C2 is displayed in the lower half area of the area 205.

[0047] Further, for example, the mirror 22-1 may reflect an image in the left direction to make the image incident on the central portion of the lens of the camera 20, and the mirror 22-2 may reflect an image in the right direction to make the image incident on the central portion of the lens of the camera 20. Accordingly, images in both the left direction and the right direction relative to the present apparatus can be captured with high image quality and recorded in the recording unit 24.

[0048] (Recording Process) The recording process according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of the recording process according to the embodiment.

[0049] The mirror control unit 34 controls the mirror 22 to reflect an image of at least one of the front and the rear, and cause the image to be incident on the central portion of the lens of the camera 20 (step S10). Here, it is assumed that the mirror control unit 34 controls the mirror 22 to reflect the front image and cause the image to be incident on the central portion of the lens of the camera 20. Then, the process proceeds to step S12.

[0050] The imaging control unit 30 controls the camera 20 to start imaging an image (step S12). Specifically, the imaging control unit 30 causes the camera to capture an omnidirectional image centered on the present apparatus, and a reflected image in the forward direction that the mirror 22 has caused to be incident on the central portion of the lens of the camera 20. Then, the process proceeds to step S14.

[0051] The event detection unit 32 determines whether an event with respect to the vehicle has been detected (step S14). If it is not determined that an event has been detected (step S14: No), the process proceeds to step S16. If it is determined that an event has been detected (step S14: Yes), the process proceeds to step S18.

[0052] Step S14; If No, the recording control unit 36 ​​loop-records the reflected image in the recording unit 24 (step S16). Specifically, in the example shown in Figure 7, the recording control unit 36 ​​loop-records the image of region 205 in the recording unit 24. Then, the process proceeds to step S26.

[0053] Step S14; If Yes, the event detection unit 32 identifies the target vehicle associated with the detected event (Step S18). Specifically, the event detection unit 32 identifies, for example, a vehicle included in the reflected image as the target vehicle. The event detection unit 32 identifies, for example, the license plate number of the target vehicle based on the reflected image. The event detection unit 32 records, for example, the license plate number of the identified target vehicle in the recording unit 24. Then, the process proceeds to Step S20.

[0054] The mirror control unit 34 controls the mirror 22 to end the reflection of the image (step S20). Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating a method for controlling the mirror according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 10, the mirror control unit 34 controls the reflective surface of the mirror 22 to be parallel to the first direction. As a result, the image of the shooting range 101 is incident on the central part of the lens of the camera 20. Images of the shooting ranges 102 and 103 are incident on parts of the lens other than the central part of the lens of the camera 20. Then the process proceeds to step S22.

[0055] The shooting control unit 30 controls the camera 20 to capture an all-around image of the vehicle, including an image of the interior of the vehicle, including the driver (step S22). Specifically, in the example shown in Figure 10, the shooting control unit 30 captures images in shooting ranges 101, 102, and 103. This allows the shooting control unit 30 to capture the driver's appearance in high quality. Then, the process proceeds to step S24.

[0056] The recording control unit 36 ​​records the omnidirectional images of the vehicle, including the driver and the interior, captured by the shooting control unit 30, to the recording unit 24 as event recording data (step S24). This allows for the recording of the driver's behavior in high-resolution images when an event such as aggressive driving occurs, as well as recording omnidirectional images of the vehicle. Then, the process proceeds to step S26.

[0057] The control unit 26 determines whether or not to terminate the process (step S26). The control unit 26 determines to terminate the process, for example, when the engine of the vehicle on which the recording device 10 is installed is turned off, or when the power to the recording device 10 is turned off. If it is determined that the process should be terminated (step S26; Yes), the process shown in Figure 9 is terminated. If it is not determined that the process should be terminated (step S26; No), the process returns to step S14 and the above process is repeated.

[0058] As described above, this embodiment allows for high-resolution capture of images of the front and rear of the vehicle by installing a mirror directly below the camera. This enables the recording of highly important images in high resolution.

[0059] Furthermore, this embodiment can loop-record at least one of the images from the front and rear of the vehicle in high resolution when no event occurs, and when an event occurs, it can record an all-around image of the vehicle, including an image of the interior of the vehicle with the driver, as event recording data. As a result, this embodiment can meet the needs of drivers who do not want to appear in images, as the driver's image is not recorded when no event is detected. Also, when no event is detected, the consumption of recording capacity can be suppressed because the all-around image of the vehicle, which is captured at the lens edge where the image quality is lower compared to the center of the lens, is not recorded. Moreover, when an event is detected, this embodiment can record an image of the interior of the vehicle with the driver in high resolution, as well as an all-around image of the vehicle, so that the driver's reaction to the event and the surrounding conditions of the vehicle can be appropriately recorded.

[0060] As a variation of the above embodiment, when no event occurs, at least one of the images of the front and rear of the vehicle may be loop-recorded in high quality, and when an event occurs, the mirror control unit 34 may not control the mirror 22, maintain the reflection state of the image, and the control unit may be configured to record both the reflected image and the omnidirectional image as event recordings by providing an input interface (not shown).

[0061] Each component of the illustrated device is a functional concept and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown. In other words, the specific forms of distribution and integration of each device are not limited to those shown, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit according to various loads and usage conditions. Furthermore, this distribution and integration configuration may be performed dynamically.

[0062] While embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited by the content of these embodiments. Furthermore, the aforementioned components include those that are readily conceivable to those skilled in the art, those that are substantially identical, and those that fall within the so-called equivalent range. Moreover, the aforementioned components can be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the components can be made without departing from the spirit of the embodiments described above.

[0063] The recording device and recording method of this disclosure can be used, for example, in a dashcam.

[0064] 10, 10a Recording device 20 Camera 20A Cover 22, 22-1, 22-2 Mirror 24 Recording unit 26 Control unit 30 Shooting control unit 32 Event detection unit 34 Mirror control unit 36 ​​Recording control unit 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106 Shooting range 100 Range 200 Captured image 201, 202, 203, 204, 205 Area C1, C2 Vehicle

Claims

1. A recording device comprising: a camera capable of capturing images in all directions centered on the device; a mirror installed at a position away from the center of the camera's lens in a first direction, which reflects at least one image in the front-to-back direction perpendicular to the first direction and causes it to incident on the center of the lens; a shooting control unit that controls the camera to capture an all-around image centered on the device and a reflected image caused by the mirror incident on the center of the lens; and a recording control unit that causes at least one of the all-around image and the reflected image to be recorded in a recording unit.

2. The recording device according to claim 1, wherein the mirror has a structure that reflects images in both the front-rear direction and the front-back direction perpendicular to the first direction and causes them to incident on the central part of the lens.

3. The recording device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a mirror control unit for controlling the angle of the mirror.

4. The recording device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mirror is a convex mirror.

5. A recording device comprising: a camera capable of capturing images in all directions centered on the device; a mirror positioned at a distance from the central part of the camera lens in a first direction, which reflects at least one image in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the first direction and causes it to incident on the central part of the lens; an imaging control unit that controls the camera to capture an all-around image centered on the device and a reflected image caused by the mirror incident on the central part of the lens; an event detection unit that detects whether or not an event has occurred in the vehicle on which the device is mounted based on the reflected image; and a recording control unit that, if the event detection unit does not detect an event in the vehicle, causes the reflected image to be loop-recorded in a recording unit.

6. The recording device according to claim 5, comprising a mirror control unit that controls the angle of the mirror so that when an event is detected on the vehicle by the event detection unit, an image of the interior of the vehicle is incident on the center of the lens of the camera, the shooting control unit controls the camera to capture the omnidirectional image, and the recording control unit causes the omnidirectional image to be recorded in the recording unit as event recording data.

7. The recording device according to claim 5, wherein when the event detection unit detects an event with respect to the vehicle, the recording control unit causes the recording unit to record the reflected image and the omnidirectional image as event recording data.

8. The recording device according to claim 6, wherein the shooting control unit causes the camera to photograph the situation of the driver of the vehicle as the situation inside the vehicle.

9. A recording method comprising: using a mirror positioned at a location away from the center of the lens of a camera capable of capturing images in all directions, reflecting at least one image in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the first direction and causing it to incident on the center of the lens; capturing an all-around image centered on the vehicle and a reflected image of the mirror incident on the center of the lens; and recording at least one of the all-around image and the reflected image in a recording unit.

10. A recording method comprising: using a mirror positioned at a distance in a first direction from the central part of the lens of a camera capable of capturing images in all directions around a vehicle, reflecting at least one image in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the first direction and causing it to incident on the central part of the lens; capturing an all-around image centered on the vehicle and a reflected image of the mirror incident on the central part of the lens; detecting whether or not an event has occurred to the vehicle based on the reflected image; and, if no event to the vehicle is detected, loop recording the reflected image to a recording unit.

Images