JP6949359B2 - Sensors and electronic devices, etc. - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to, for example, sensors, electronic devices, and the like.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a drive recorder that operates even when parked. This drive recorder, for example, in paragraph [0039], states, "... The camera is usually arranged to photograph the front of the vehicle, but when this function is used, for example, the camera is capable of photographing the inside of the vehicle. Is arranged toward the inside of the vehicle. In addition, a power supply means such as a battery is provided outside, and the power required for operating the drive recorder is supplied to the drive recorder from the power supply means when the vehicle is parked. Even when the power of the vehicle is off, the drive recorder can be continuously operated to record the state inside the vehicle. By this, for example, even when a suspicious person intrudes into the vehicle while parking, the inside of the vehicle can be recorded. For example, in paragraph [0069], for the function of operating when the vehicle is parked, "for example, a moving body sensor for detecting a moving body is provided in addition to the acceleration sensor, and the vehicle or a vehicle or the like is provided. In addition to detecting the impact on the drive recorder and recording the video and audio, the video and audio may be recorded by detecting a person or the like moving in the vehicle. "

JP-A-2014-102800

The detection range of a conventional sensor that detects a moving object is a relatively narrow range facing a specific direction, for example, in a vehicle interior. Therefore, for example, it cannot meet the demand for detecting the movement of an object within the detection range around the entire plane with the sensor as a reference. Further, in the object detection for the detection range of the entire circumference, a plurality of sensors having a detection range facing a specific direction are arranged so that the plurality of sensors detect different directions, and one sensor detects the entire circumference. I couldn't do it.

The object of the invention of the present application is not limited to this, and there is an intention to acquire rights by divisional application, amendment, etc. for a configuration for the purpose of obtaining an effect produced from a portion of the configuration disclosed in the present specification, drawings, etc. .. For example, the present specification discloses a problem in which the part described as "can be" is replaced with "is a problem" in the present specification. The issues are described as independent, and we have the intention to independently acquire the rights to the structure for solving this issue by divisional application, amendment, etc. Even if the subject matter is implicitly grasped from the description in the specification, the applicant intends to make a part of the structure described in the specification amended or to be claimed in the divisional application. In addition, issues that combine these independent issues are also disclosed.

(1) A sensor that detects an object based on radiated radio waves, and an output means that outputs radio waves in a specific direction, and the output radio waves are directed in the 360-degree direction of a plane centered on the sensor. It is characterized by being provided with a radiating antenna.

The output means only needs to output radio waves in one of the specific directions, and the antenna can change the traveling direction of the radio waves as appropriate to radiate the radio waves in the 360-degree direction, making it compact and compact. Become. The sensor corresponds to the area sensor 48 in the embodiment. The radio wave is a quasi-millimeter wave in the embodiment, but may be a microwave or a microwave other than the quasi-millimeter wave. The object corresponds to a person, a vehicle, or the like in the embodiment. The output means corresponds to the sensor module 50 in the embodiment. In the direction of 360 degrees, it may be continuously radiated over the entire circumference of 360 degrees, or it may be radiated intermittently without being partially radiated. It is preferable to radiate continuously because the detection area is continuous. The gain, reach, etc. of the radio waves radiated in the 360-degree direction may be uniform or different over the entire circumference, and the shape of the antenna, etc. may be adjusted to match the part of the region to be detected. It is good to set. The course is changed by an antenna, and unlike a rider, for example, there is no mechanism for swinging a specific direction to output radio waves, which simplifies the configuration.

(2) The radiation in the 360-degree direction may be performed by weakening the radio wave traveling in the specific direction and strengthening the radio wave traveling in a direction other than the specific direction by using the property of the reflected / wraparound radio wave. By using the properties of radio waves, the course of radio waves can be changed as appropriate and radio waves can be radiated in a desired direction, and the configuration is simple.

(3) The antenna may radiate so as to form a detection region having a spread in the direction of the plane and a spread smaller in the direction orthogonal to the direction of the plane than the spread in the direction of the plane. .. By reducing the spread in the direction orthogonal to the plane, the spread in the direction of the plane can be relatively widened, and it is possible to fly far. By narrowing the spread in the orthogonal direction, it is possible to pinpoint the movement of the object in the orthogonal direction.

(4) The antenna is arranged at a position that blocks the output radio wave, reflects a part of the radio wave output from the output means, and makes the traveling direction orthogonal to the specific direction in two opposite directions. It is provided with a reflecting body to be distributed and a radiating means for radiating radio waves reflected and distributed by the reflecting body in a direction opposite to the specific direction and in the two directions, and the reflecting body outputs the radio waves from the output means. It is preferable to have a slit through which a part of the radio wave is passed, and to radiate in the same direction as the specific direction based on the radio wave passing through the slit. Radio waves output from the output means are radiated through the slit in the same direction as the specific direction, and are radiated by the reflector and the radiating means in the two directions orthogonal to the specific direction and in the opposite direction, so that they are flat. Can be radiated toward the surroundings of. An antenna with a simple structure can be used to form a detection region that extends in the plane direction around the sensor. In the embodiment, the two directions are the directions from the sensor module to the H plane of the output radio wave.

(5) The radiating means includes an opening provided at the tip in the two directions, a first metal fin extending from the peripheral edge of the opening in a direction parallel to the specific direction, and the peripheral edge of the opening. A second metal fin extending in the opposite direction is provided, and the length of the first fin and the second fin is such that the wide angle range of the radio wave radiating in two directions orthogonal to the specific direction is equal to or larger than the reference angle. It is preferable that the second fin guides the radiation in the opposite direction.

With a simple configuration in which the first fin and the second fin are provided on both sides of the opening, radio waves can be radiated to the surroundings other than a specific direction. By providing the openings, the electric field direction can be changed in the direction perpendicular to the input electric field direction, and two main lobes can be radiated from the two openings. By providing the first fin and the second fin, it is possible to secure a radiation area of 45 degrees or more on each of the left and right sides of the main lobe, although not as much as the main lobe. Therefore, a high gain can be secured in two directions orthogonal to the input, and a gain in a certain range can be secured in a wide angle. By providing the second fin, it is possible to radiate a radio wave having a desired gain in the direction opposite to the specific direction.

In the embodiment, the metal film is formed by forming a metal film on the surface of the main body, but the whole may be formed of metal. It is preferable to form a metal film by forming a film as in the embodiment because it is simple and the quality is stable.

(6) It is preferable that the reflector has a conical shape and its side surface changes its inclination in a plurality of steps. With such a stepped conical shape, the radio waves radiated from the opening can be spread over a wide range. By appropriately setting the tilt shape, the radiation angle of the radio wave traveling in two directions can be controlled, and the high gain direction of the main lobe radiation from the two directions can be set to a desired state.

(7) Among the radio waves output from the output means, it is preferable to provide a blocking plate that blocks radio waves traveling in the directions orthogonal to the specific direction and each of the two directions. The radio waves spreading in the orthogonal directions can be suppressed, and the radio waves traveling in two directions can be increased. The radio wave radiation region can be crushed from both orthogonal directions to spread the radio waves traveling in two directions. These two directions are also plane directions. The orthogonal directions correspond to the vertical directions in the embodiment.

(8) The antenna has a rectangular frame, and the output means is attached to the frame and connected without being screwed. In the connected state, the antenna is electromagnetically grounded to the ground of the output means. You should try to do it. As a result, the antenna and the output means can be easily assembled, and the sensor can be easily assembled.

(9) It is preferable to form a metal film on the surface of the antenna. A metal antenna is constructed by forming a metal film, and the material of the main body on which the metal film is formed is not limited to metal. Therefore, it is easy to mold even a complicated shape such as plastic, and it is lightweight and inexpensive. It is good because you can select. By adjusting the film thickness, it is possible to easily obtain the desired functions of the reflector, the first fin, the second fin, and the blocking plate. The film formation may be performed by, for example, a plating process or a thin film deposition process.

(10) It is preferable to provide an adjusting means for adjusting the direction of the plane. If the orientation of the plane is adjusted by the adjusting means, it can be detected in the adjusted plane. You can take the plane in the direction you want to detect. For example, when the plane is horizontal, it is suitable for performing proximity monitoring in the plane, for example. For example, if the plane is vertical, it is suitable for detecting gate passage, for example.

(11) It is preferable to install it indoors and detect an object outside the room. By doing so, it is possible to detect the movement of an outdoor object while it is installed indoors. Since the detection area is in the 360-degree direction around the sensor, both indoors and outdoors are monitoring areas. Further, it is good that the outdoor detection area and the indoor detection area can be detected even if they are on opposite sides based on the sensor. The interior corresponds to the inside of the vehicle in the embodiment, and the outside corresponds to the vehicle. For example, in the case of a vehicle, if the sensor is installed so that the direction in the plane direction is horizontal to the ground, the detection area of the sensor is the periphery outside the vehicle. It can detect people and other objects that exist or move around the vehicle and can approach them. At the boundary between the indoor and outdoor areas, it is preferable that there is glass or other member that transmits radio waves.

(12) Any of (1) to (11), which is installed in the room and captures a photographing range including the room and the outdoor side opposite to the room, and detects the movement of an object in the photographing range. It is preferable to include the sensor described in the above and a control means for controlling the operation of the photographing means based on the detection output of the sensor.

Since the detection area of the sensor extends in the plane direction, even if the shooting range is oriented in different directions such as indoors and outdoors on the opposite side of the room, the detection area is in the plane direction so that the detection areas are inside and outside the room, for example. By setting the direction of, the movement of the object in the shooting range can be detected. By controlling the operation of the photographing means based on the movement of the object, it is possible to appropriately photograph the moving object. The interior corresponds to, for example, the interior of the vehicle in the embodiment, and the outside corresponds to, for example, the front of the vehicle. In combination with the sensor provided with the adjusting means of (10), for example, when the adjustment means is used to adjust the direction in the plane direction so as to be horizontal to the ground, one sensor can be used indoors, for example, inside the vehicle and outdoors, for example, in front of the vehicle. It is possible to detect the movement of an object in a wide range in the shooting range in the opposite direction. Also, in the case of a vehicle, if the detection area of the sensor is adjusted to be horizontal, it is possible to detect areas other than the front of the vehicle. It is good because it can be done.

Although the photographing means is mounted integrally with the sensor in the embodiment, it may be configured separately. Control includes, for example, start / stop of shooting, start of recording of a video shot by a shooting means, and the like. Electronic devices include in-vehicle devices such as drive recorders and security devices, and devices for communication. The device that communicates is, for example, a communication robot or a device that interacts with a machine only by a microphone and a speaker such as Amazon Echo. The notification / response includes voice, display, etc., and it is particularly preferable to generate dialogue voice. When communicating, it is preferable to determine the existence or nonexistence of the communication partner based on the detection output of the sensor.

(13) It is preferable to provide a fixing means for fixing at a predetermined position in the vehicle interior, and to install the photographing means and the sensor at a predetermined position in the vehicle interior by the same fixing means. It is good because it can be mounted compactly. In the embodiment, the fixing means corresponds to the mounting plate portion and the double-sided tape.

(14) The predetermined position in the vehicle interior is the windshield of the vehicle, and it is preferable that the vehicle is mounted so that the plane becomes a horizontal plane. In order to monitor and photograph the surroundings, it is desirable to place it in the center of the vehicle interior, but if it is attached to the ceiling or near the room lamp, for example, if it emits radio waves in the horizontal direction, it will not go out, so lower it a little. It will have to be in a suspended position. For example, the upper edge of the windshield is lower than the ceiling in the passenger compartment. By attaching it to the windshield, it is not necessary to hang it and it can be firmly fixed to maintain the posture of the electronic device, and by attaching it to the glass surface that is a radio wave transmitting member, the radio waves emitted from the sensor can be output to the outside of the vehicle. ..

(15) It is preferable to provide an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the orientation of the sensor and the photographing means by independently rotating them. In this way, since each of the sensor and the photographing means can be set in a desired direction, the relationship between the detection area of the sensor and the photographing range of the photographing means can be made into an appropriate state. For example, the main body case on which the sensor is mounted is rotatably arranged within a predetermined angle range with respect to the fixing means, and the camera case on which the photographing means is mounted rotates within a predetermined angle range with respect to the main body case. It is good to make it possible to install it. In particular, the center of rotation of the main body case and the center of rotation of the camera case may be arranged coaxially or in parallel.

In this way, when the main body case is rotated to adjust the orientation of the sensor, even if the camera case rotates around the center of rotation of the main body case together with the main body case, the rotating surface at that time is It is equal to the rotating surface of the camera case with respect to the main body case. Therefore, even if the camera case rotates with the rotation of the main body case and the shooting direction of the shooting means is displaced, the camera case can be independently rotated by a predetermined angle to set the shooting direction by the shooting means to a desired position. can.

In the embodiment, the main body case is arranged with respect to the fixing means so that it can be attached to and detached from the ring portion integrated with the fixing means. It is better if it can be attached and detached because it is more versatile. In the detachable method, for example, a method of fixing with a nut member as in the embodiment may be adopted, and it may be possible to fix it firmly, or it may be possible to support a configuration in which it can be attached from two different directions.

If the shooting direction is only forward, it is not necessary to adjust the camera orientation severely, and it is sufficient to point the sensor detection range and camera orientation forward. On the other hand, in the case of a sensor that detects the inside of a plane including opposite directions such as front and rear, the angle of the sensor is important. If it is not aligned with the horizontal plane, there is a high possibility that one area cannot be detected.

(16) The means for rotating the sensor may be configured to be more firmly fixed than the means for rotating the photographing means. In this way, the orientation of the sensor can be firmly fixed, and the desired orientation, for example, horizontal can be maintained, and the orientation of the photographing means is looser than the fixing of the sensor. It is good because it is easy to adjust the shooting range by rotating it even when it is installed in. For example, if it is fixed between the side surfaces, it can be firmly fixed, and if it is fixed between the peripheral surfaces, it may be easy to rotate and loosely fix it.

(17) The camera case on which the photographing means is mounted is rotatably attached via a connecting mechanism while protruding from the main body case on which the sensor is mounted in a state of being mounted in the vehicle interior, and the connecting mechanism is attached to the mounting. It is preferable to allow the vehicle to rotate in the front-rear direction in the state of being in the state, and to maintain the posture of the camera case at a predetermined angle.

By rotating in the front-rear direction, for example, if the area including the front of the vehicle is rotated from the first position (first posture) to the rear side and positioned at the second position, the image is taken at the first position. Although the upper end position is lower than the previous shooting area, it becomes possible to shoot the rear area that could not be shot at the first position. The camera case is allowed to rotate in the front-back direction, and the posture of the camera case is maintained at a predetermined angle. Since it can be held, it is good to be able to shoot an image suitable for the situation.

In the embodiment, the rotation in the front-rear direction corresponds to a rotation in a range from diagonally forward to downward and diagonally backward, but the rotation is not limited to this, and for example, from a posture of photographing an area including the front of the vehicle. The lower end of the camera case may move toward the rear so that the upper end of the shooting area is lowered, but may not move until the lower end faces the rear.

(18) The shooting means includes one camera that shoots a wider range than the hemisphere, and the camera so that the camera case and the main body case are less likely to be captured within the range of the image shot by the camera. The relationship between the position and orientation of the camera on the case and the main body case may be set.

Since the main body case and camera case are less likely to be reflected in the image taken by the camera, it is possible to easily see the scenery outside the vehicle and the inside of the vehicle. For example, the relationship that makes it difficult to be reflected may be set so that the main body case or the like does not appear in the shooting range of the camera due to the rotation of the camera case, or the image is captured in a range where the influence is small. It is better to make the shape that exists in the shooting range of the camera as small as possible. For example, the dimensions and shape of the main body case and camera case should be as small as possible, and the blind spot of the camera should be conical. It may be a similar shape or an inscribed rectangular shape.

(19) The portion fixed to the vehicle and the portion having the photographing means are detachable, and the portion having the photographing means is attached from both directions opposite to the portion fixed to the vehicle. good. In this way, the position of the camera can be displaced while the position of the fixed portion in the vehicle is constant, and the shooting range of the camera can be adjusted. The two opposite directions may be the left-right directions of the vehicle with the electronic device fixed to the vehicle. In this way, the main body case can be placed at a position that is easy for the driver or the like to operate, depending on, for example, the right-hand drive or the left-hand drive. It is good because the main body case can be arranged at an appropriate position according to the usage situation, and the variation of mounting increases.

(20) When a main body portion including the photographing means and a fixing member for fixing the main body portion at a predetermined position of the vehicle are provided and the fixing member is fixed to the vehicle, the main body portion is above the fixing member. It is preferable to have a structure capable of taking a certain first posture and a second posture in which the main body portion is below the fixing member.

In this way, for example, the front can be positioned as high as possible at a position where the front can be photographed by the photographing means. For example, there is a vehicle that is masked in the upper area of the windshield, and in such a territory, the fixing member is attached to the masked part in the second posture, and the main body part is positioned in the lower position and forward. Make it possible to shoot. In a vehicle without such a mask, a fixing member can be attached in the first posture, the main body portion can be arranged at a position as high as possible, and the front can be photographed as high as possible.

The structure capable of taking the first posture and the second posture is, for example, on the outer peripheral surface of the support portion when the main body portion is rotatably supported (may be detachable or non-detachable as in the embodiment). It is preferable that they are in contact with each other or are connected via a connecting member so that a large amount of one side protrudes at the contacting portion.

In particular, in combination with (16), when the mounting plate is adhered and fixed to the front glass, there are two patterns, a first posture in which the ring is located above the mounting plate and a second posture in which the ring is located below the mounting plate. On the other hand, since there are two patterns in which the drive recorder main body can be mounted from either the left or right side of the mounting member, there are a total of four patterns of 2 × 2, which is interesting because there are abundant variations.

(21) It is preferable to have a function as a drive recorder for taking a picture by the taking picture means while traveling, and a function for controlling the operation of the taking picture means for taking a picture based on the detection output of the sensor when parking. In this way, it functions as a drive recorder when driving and as security when parking. Since the operation of the photographing means is controlled based on the detection output of the sensor, photography can be performed efficiently. For example, by starting shooting when it detects the approach of a person or an object (vehicle, door, etc.), it is possible to shoot before a person enters the vehicle and before the vehicle, door, etc. collide. Can be done. Also, if you always start up or record while parking, power consumption will be large, the battery of the vehicle will run out, and the time of the external power supply will be shortened, but by operating it when necessary such as when an object approaches , It is good because it prolongs the battery life. Shooting during running is not limited to the entire period during running, and it is sufficient to shoot during an appropriate period during running. The sensor at the time of parking may not necessarily operate continuously for the entire period of parking, but if it is a section, the next child does not have to operate continuously, and it may operate intermittently to improve battery life. It may be stopped after operating for a certain period of time. The operation control includes, for example, activating the photographing means, recording the captured image in the recording means, and the like.

(22) The photographing means may include one camera that photographs a wider range than the hemisphere including the lower hemisphere while being attached to the vehicle. One camera can take pictures of the interior, the surroundings of the vehicle, and the upper front. As a result, for example, in addition to the horizontal to lower region that can cover the hemispherical portion, the diagonally upper region can also be photographed, so that it is possible to photograph an object above the traffic light or the like while traveling, for example. Further, since the inside of the vehicle and the outside of the vehicle can be photographed by the hemispherical portion, it can be used for security monitoring during parking, for example.

(23) The photographing means includes one camera that photographs a range equal to or larger than the lower hemisphere when attached to the vehicle, and has a diameter of a circular range in which light passing through the lens of the camera is imaged. However, the length of the long side in the rectangular imaging region of the image sensor is shorter than the length of the short side, and the image taken in the front-rear direction of the vehicle is in the direction along the long side of the image sensor. It may be configured to form an image. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the wasted area outside the circular range in the photographing region of the image sensor, and it is preferable that the subject can be photographed in a large size. Of the captured images, all the images in the front-rear direction enter the imaging area in the image sensor, so that the scenery in front of the vehicle and the state inside the vehicle can be captured. Since the portion of the image circle outside the imaging area of the image sensor is in the left-right direction of the vehicle, there is no problem. That is, for example, when shooting a range equal to or greater than that of a drive recorder that used to shoot the front view and the rear / inside of a vehicle with two conventional cameras, and for example, when shooting a wider range than the hemisphere. Is an area outside the image pickup area of the image sensor and cannot receive light because the ceiling of the vehicle is photographed and the outside scenery is not captured. Therefore, there is no problem even if the image cannot be recorded. The advantage of being able to effectively use the image sensor and taking a large image is greater than the disadvantage of not being able to take a part of the image in the left-right direction. The lower hemisphere or higher may be a hemisphere or a wider range than the hemisphere as in the embodiment.

The inventions (1) to (23) described above can be arbitrarily combined. For example, the configuration may be such that at least a part of the configuration of at least one invention after (2) is added to all or part of the configuration of the invention shown in (1). In particular, the invention shown in (1) may be an invention in which at least a part of at least one of the inventions after (2) is added. Further, the invention shown in (12) may be an invention in which at least a part of at least one of the other inventions is added. The applicant of the present application intends to acquire a patent right, a design right, etc., even for those including these configurations, by filing an amendment, divisional application, change application to a design registration application, etc.

According to the present invention, it is possible to detect the movement of an object in a plane in the 360-degree direction around the sensor with a compact configuration. Further, for example, it is possible to provide a product described in the present specification, such as a product having an effect described as "can be" in the present specification.

The effect of the invention of the present application is not limited to this, and the effect exerted from the part of the constitution disclosed in the present specification and the drawings, etc. is also disclosed, and the right of the constitution exhibiting the effect is acquired by divisional application, amendment, etc. Have the intention to do. For example, in the present specification, the part described as "can be" is a description that clearly indicates the effect to be exerted, and there is a part that shows the effect even if there is no description of "can be". Moreover, even if there is no such description, there is an effect that can be grasped by the configuration.

It is an external view which shows one preferable embodiment of the drive recorder which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the attachment to the windshield of the drive recorder. It is the figure which omitted the illustration of a bracket and a nut member. It is a figure which shows the bracket. It is an exploded view which shows the state which removed the nut member. It is a figure explaining the variation of attachment of the main body part with respect to a bracket. It is a figure explaining the variation of fixing a bracket to a windshield. It is a figure explaining the angle adjustment of a camera part. It is the figure which omitted the illustration of some parts of a drive recorder. It is the figure which omitted the illustration of some parts of a drive recorder. It is a figure explaining the linkage structure of a camera part and an inner case. It is a figure which shows the camera part. It is a figure which shows the circuit, the component, etc. mounted on the housing of the main body part. It is a figure which shows the circuit, the component, etc. mounted on the housing of the main body part. It is a figure which shows the area sensor. It is a figure which shows the antenna. It is a figure which shows the antenna. It is a figure which shows the antenna. It is a figure explaining the propagation of the radio wave radiated from the antenna. It is a six-sided view which shows an example of a drive recorder. It is a figure which shows another dry recorder. It is a figure explaining the relationship between an image circle and an image sensor. It is a figure which shows the display example of a smartphone. It is a figure which shows the display example of a smartphone. It is a figure which shows the display example of a smartphone. It is a figure which shows the display example of the PC viewer. It is a figure which shows the display example of the PC viewer.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. These drawings are used to illustrate the technical features that can be adopted by the present invention. The configuration, shape, etc. of the device described are merely explanatory examples, and the present invention is not construed as being limited thereto, and is based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art as long as it does not deviate from the scope of the present invention. , Various changes, modifications and improvements can be made.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 and the like, in the drive recorder 10 of this embodiment, the main body 11 that executes various processes, the camera unit 12 attached to the main body 11, and the main body 11 are positioned at predetermined positions of the vehicle 1. A bracket 13 for attaching to is provided. The predetermined position of the vehicle 1 is preferably, for example, the upper side of the windshield 2 of the vehicle on the vehicle interior side and near the center. The drive recorder 10 of the present embodiment has a drive recorder function of photographing and recording a predetermined area such as the front of the vehicle 1 or the interior of the vehicle when traveling, for example, the front of the vehicle 1 or the interior of the vehicle when parking. It is equipped with a security function that captures and records a predetermined area of the car. The main body 11 is provided with various sensors, and is constantly recorded in an event recording mode in which the operation of shooting / recording is controlled based on the detection output of the sensor even during the operation of any of the drive recorder function and the security function. There is a constant recording mode.

In order to realize this security function, the drive recorder 10 is a power supply device prepared separately from the vehicle even when the power of the vehicle is turned off because the ignition switch is turned off and the power supply from the vehicle battery cannot be received, such as when the vehicle is parked. It is good to receive power from and operate. Further, if the power supply device is separately prepared in this way, even if the power supply can be supplied from the battery of the vehicle while parking, the power supply can be received from the power supply device and the battery of the vehicle can be prevented from running out.

The drive recorder 10 is provided with a camera as a shooting means, and the shooting range of the camera is wide including the front side of the vehicle and the opposite direction such as the front side and the rear side of the vehicle with respect to the drive recorder 10 such as the inside of the vehicle. It is set to the range. Further, the present embodiment includes one camera that captures a wider range than the hemisphere. The main body 11 is fixed to a predetermined position of the vehicle 1 via the bracket 13, the camera 12 is positioned below the main body 11 in the installed state on the vehicle 1, and the postures of the main body 11 and the camera 12 are properly adjusted. In this state, the camera unit 12 captures a wider range than the hemisphere including the lower hemisphere of the drive recorder 10. This camera is mounted on the camera unit 12.

Further, the present embodiment includes an area sensor that detects the movement of a person or other object within a predetermined detection area. This area sensor is mounted on the main body 11. For example, in the event recording mode when parking, the area sensor is operated to activate the camera and start shooting when it detects the intrusion of an object such as a person into the detection area or the movement within the detection area. If the event conditions of are met, the captured video etc. will be recorded. In this way, compared to the parking recording mode in which continuous shooting is performed and continuous recording is performed, the battery consumption is reduced, and long-term monitoring during parking becomes possible.

The function as a drive recorder while driving is, for example, a continuous recording mode in which a camera constantly shoots a shooting range and records it in a recording means, and a recording file for a predetermined time before and after a predetermined event condition occurs. It is provided with an event recording mode in which a file is created and recorded in a recording means. The predetermined event conditions include the case where an impact exceeding a certain level is detected and the case where the record button is pressed. In addition, if a predetermined event condition occurs during recording in the continuous recording mode, event recording based on the event is also performed. The recording area based on the continuous recording mode and the recording area based on the event recording are separated. For example, in the case of overwrite recording, the recording area in the same mode is overwritten. Since these functions are the same as those of a general drive recorder, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The drive recorder 10 of the present embodiment has a security function of photographing and recording while parking. Such a function has a continuous recording mode and an event-only recording mode. In the continuous recording mode, while performing parking recording that constantly shoots and records, when a predetermined event condition occurs during parking, a recording file for a predetermined time before and after the occurrence is created and recorded in the recording means. It is a mode to perform. Predetermined event conditions include, for example, "impact", "tilt", "door open" and the like. The "impact" is a case where the vehicle has an impact of a certain level or more, and is detected by, for example, an acceleration sensor. "Inclination" is a case where the inclination or jack-up of the vehicle above a certain level is detected, for example, it is detected by an inclination sensor. This tilt sensor is an acceleration sensor, but is a sensor different from the acceleration sensor for impact detection. "Door open" detects that the door of the vehicle has opened. For example, a change in sound pressure in the vehicle interior is detected by a microphone or the like. The microphone for detecting the opening of the door that detects the sound pressure is different from the microphone for recording, and these two microphones are mounted in one housing.

In the event-only recording mode, parking recording is not performed at all times, and as described above, the area sensor monitors the approach, and when an approach is detected, the camera is activated and shooting is started, and when a predetermined event condition occurs. This is a mode in which a recording file is created for a predetermined time before and after the occurrence of the event, and the event is recorded in the recording means. Predetermined event conditions include, for example, "close proximity", "impact", "tilt", "door open", and the like. “Proximity / proximity” is a case where it is detected that a person or a vehicle is approaching during the approach monitoring mode using the area sensor, and the area sensor detects it. The "impact" is a case where the vehicle receives an impact of a certain level or more during the approach monitoring mode using the area sensor, and is detected by, for example, an acceleration sensor. “Inclination” is a case where the inclination or jack-up of the vehicle above a certain level is detected during the approach monitoring mode using the area sensor, and is detected by, for example, an inclination sensor or an acceleration sensor. "Door open" detects that the door of the vehicle has opened during the approach monitoring mode using the area sensor, and detects, for example, a change in sound pressure in the vehicle interior with a microphone or the like.

The area sensor of the present embodiment is a sensor that emits radio waves such as microwaves and millimeter waves and detects the movement of an object based on the reflected waves of the radio waves. The microwave may be, for example, a quasi-millimeter wave of 20 to 30 GHz, and in this embodiment, it is set to 24 GHz. The range reached by the radiated radio waves is the detection area. The detection area of the area sensor may be the same as or wider than the shooting range in the horizontal plane. The detection area is smaller than that.

Then, when the plane is set to be in the horizontal plane, the detection area of the area sensor is within a predetermined range around the entire outside of the vehicle 1, for example, when there is no person approaching the vehicle 1, the battery Power consumption can be suppressed as much as possible, and on the other hand, when the movement of a person or the like is detected, by taking a picture of the camera, it is within the range including the moment when there is an actual contact or intrusion with the vehicle 1. It is possible to record the video of.

Various electronic components, circuits, and the like are mounted in the cylindrical housing 20 of the main body 11. The housing 20 is configured by abutting the first case 21 and the second case 22 which are vertically divided into two while being attached to the vehicle 1. The housing 20 has a cylindrical outer shape as a whole, and the first case 21 and the second case 22 constituting the housing 20 are divided into upper and lower parts with the cylinder lying down, and the cross section is formed. It becomes a semicircular arc. The housing 20 is connected to the first case 21 and the second case 22 in a state where the lower end surface of the peripheral surface 21f of the first case 21 and the upper end surface of the peripheral surface 22j of the second case 22 are in contact with each other. Form.

The upper end surface of the second case 22 forms a wall portion 22k projecting upward in the outer half region thereof. A concavely cutout portion is formed on the inner circumference of the wall portion 22k over the entire circumference. On the other hand, although omitted, the lower end surface of the first case 21 forms a wall portion that protrudes downward in the area for determining the inside thereof, and is a portion that is recessed over the entire circumference of the outer periphery of the wall portion. Is formed. When joining the first case 21 and the second case 22, by fitting the wall portions of each other into the concavely cut portion of the other party, the first case 21 and the second case 22 are firmly connected in a state where the movement in the horizontal plane direction is suppressed. Further, the claw piece 22e formed upright near the center of the upper end surface of the peripheral surface 22j of the second case 22 upward in the axial direction is formed in the inner peripheral surface near the lower end surface of the first case 21 (not shown). ) Suppresses vertical detachment.

With the first case 21 and the second case 22 in contact with each other in this way, the set screws 88 are used to firmly fix the first case 21 and the second case 22. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9 (a) and the like, a bottomed cylindrical portion 21e projecting inward is provided near the four corners of the peripheral surface 21f of the first case 21. The upper end of the cylindrical portion 21e opens in the peripheral surface 21f of the first case 21, and is not shown, but the bottom surface of the cylindrical portion 21e is above the lower end surface of the peripheral surface 21f of the first case 21. It is placed one step deeper, and a through hole is formed in the center of the bottom surface. When the set screw 88 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 21e from the outside of the first case 21 at the time of assembly, the thread portion of the set screw 88 protrudes downward from the through hole provided on the bottom surface, and the head of the set screw 88 is cylindrical. It contacts and stays at the bottom of the portion 21e.

On the other hand, a cylindrical portion 22i is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the second case 22 facing the cylindrical portion 21e provided in the first case 21. The upper end position of the cylindrical portion 22i is positioned so as to protrude upward from the upper end surface of the peripheral surface 22j of the first case 21. A female screw is formed at the upper end portion of the cylindrical portion 22i, and the above-mentioned set screw 88 is fastened to the female screw to securely fix the first case 21 and the second case 22.

[Variations of mounting bracket 13 and body 11]
As shown in FIG. 3 and the like, the outer dimensions of the one end portions 21a and 22a of the first case 21 and the second case 22 are formed to be one size smaller, and the one end portions 21a and 22a and the main body portion 11 are axially oriented. A step is formed between the center and the central part of the. A saw blade-shaped tooth portion 23 is formed on the wall surface where the step is formed. In the present embodiment, the tooth portion 23 is formed only on the second case 22 side. Further, a male screw 24 is formed on the outer peripheral surface on the distal end side of the one end portions 21a, 22a of the first case 21 and the second case 22.

As shown in FIG. 4 and the like, the bracket 13 includes a ring portion 16 that holds the main body portion 11, and a fixing plate portion 17 that is arranged on the outer peripheral surface 16a side of the ring portion 16 and is attached and fixed to the windshield 2. The bracket 13 is adhered and fixed to the front glass 2 by attaching one adhesive surface of the double-sided adhesive tape to the mounting surface 17a of the fixing plate portion 17 and attaching the other adhesive surface of the double-sided adhesive tape to a predetermined position of the front glass 2. do. The mounting surface 17a of the fixing plate portion 17 is arranged so as to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the tangential direction of the outer peripheral surface 16a of the ring portion 16. A connecting portion 18 is provided between the ring portion 16 and the fixing plate portion 17 so as to have such an inclined arrangement. The ring portion 16 is formed of an endless ring, and its diameter is substantially equal to or slightly larger than the outer diameters of the one end portions 21a and 22a of the first case 21 and the second case 22.

Further, the structure of the positional relationship between the ring portion 16 and the fixed plate portion 17 is the first posture in which the ring portion 16 is above the fixed plate portion 17 when the fixed plate portion 17 is fixed to the vehicle 1 (FIG. 7B). (See) and a structure in which the ring portion 16 can take a second posture (see FIG. 7 (a)) below the fixed plate portion. In the structure capable of taking the first posture and the second posture, the ring portion 16 may be connected at a position eccentric from the center of the fixing plate portion 17 along the circumferential direction of the ring portion 16. Further, for example, it is preferable that one of the opposite sides of the fixing plate portion 17 along the circumferential direction of the ring portion 16 protrudes a lot in the tangential direction.

In this way, for example, the camera unit 12 can be positioned as high as possible at a position where the front can be photographed. For example, there is a vehicle with a mask or the like in the upper region of the windshield 2, and in such a region, the fixing plate portion 17 is attached to the masked portion in the second posture, and the main body portion 11 is placed at a position lowered downward. Position it so that you can shoot forward. In a vehicle without such a mask, the fixing plate portion 17 is attached in the first posture, the main body portion 11 is arranged at the highest possible position, and the front can be photographed as high as possible. Can be taken.

Tooth portions 25 are formed on both sides of the ring portion 16 in the axial direction over the entire circumference thereof. The tooth portions 25 are set to have the same dimensions, shape, and pitch so as to match the tooth portions 23 formed in the second case 22. Both ends of the ring portion 16 are open in the axial direction, and the main body portion 11 can be mounted from both of the opening sides.

As a result, when the ring portion 16 is attached to the one end portions 21a and 22a of the first case 21 and the second case 22, the ring portion 16 has one end of the first case 21 and the second case 22 with its central axis as the center of rotation. Forward and reverse rotation is possible relative to the portions 21a and 22a. Then, the rotation is suppressed by engaging the tooth portion 23 provided on the second case 22 side with the tooth portion 25 provided on the ring portion 16 facing the tooth portion 23. In the present embodiment, since the tooth portions 25 having the same shape are provided on both sides of the ring portion 16, the teeth provided in the second case 22 can be attached regardless of which opening side of the ring portion 16 the main body portion 11 is attached to. It is possible to control the relative angular position between the ring portion 16 and the main body portion 11 by engaging with the portion 23.

When one end portions 21a, 22a of the first case 21 and the second case 22 are inserted through one opening of the ring portion 16, the tip portions of the one end portions 21a, 22a and the male screw 24 provided therein are attached to the ring portion 16. It projects outward from the other opening (see FIG. 5 etc.). The nut member 26 is attached to the protruding male screw 24. The nut member 26 has a flat disc-shaped cap shape, and a female screw 27 corresponding to the male screw 24 is formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof. Then, when the female screw 27 of the nut member 26 and the male screw 24 of the one end portions 21a and 22a of the first case 21 and the second case 22 of the main body portion 11 are firmly fastened, the ring portion 16 becomes the housing of the main body portion 11. It is sandwiched between the body 20 and the nut member 26 with a predetermined force, and in this state, the tooth portions 23 and 25 mesh with each other, and the rotation of the ring portion 16 and thus the bracket 13 is suppressed. On the other hand, when the nut member 26 is loosened, the rotation is allowed. Therefore, the relative angular positional relationship between the main body 11 and the bracket 13 can be adjusted to an arbitrary position and fixed at that position.

As described above, the main body 11 can be inserted into the ring 16 from either the left or right side, and the teeth 25 are provided at both openings of the ring 16, so that the ring 16 can be inserted from either direction. , The relative angular positional relationship between the ring portion 16 and the main body portion 11 can be adjusted to an arbitrary position and fixed at that position (see FIG. 6 and the like). Register from the left or right side by setting the mode. The control unit of the drive recorder controls the operation according to the left and right mode settings. For example, according to the left and right mode settings, it is recognized which side of the main body unit or the camera unit faces the front / interior of the vehicle, and control is performed based on the recognition. Such control determines, for example, the front-back orientation of the image captured by the camera unit, and controls the presence or absence of LED light emission such that the front side of the vehicle does not emit light, as will be described later.

In this way, the main body 11 is attached from both openings of the ring 16 to make it reversible. Therefore, for example, when the attachment position of the drive recorder 10 cannot be secured at the center of the windshield 2, the main body is attached to the bracket 13. By changing the mounting direction of the portion 11, the camera portion 12 can be centered as much as possible. Since the camera unit 12 of the present embodiment has a wide shooting range centered on the camera unit 12 and diagonally upward including the downward hemisphere, the camera unit 12 is arranged near the center of the windshield 2 and thus the vehicle 1. Therefore, it is preferable that the outside of the vehicle 1 can be photographed in an even range without being biased to the left or right. For example, when the bracket 13 is attached to the driver's seat, the main body portion 11 is attached from the passenger seat side so that the camera portion 12 is arranged as close to the center as possible.

The structure that enables attachment to the bracket 13 from both the left and right sides is not limited to the request to bring the camera unit 12 to the center as much as possible as described above, for example, the driver of either the right-hand drive or the left-hand drive. It is also possible to improve operability such as button operation and memory card attachment / detachment, and to improve visibility in front by hiding many parts of the drive recorder 10 behind the rearview mirror.

Further, as a usage mode of the structure that enables attachment to the bracket 13 from both the left and right sides, the camera unit 12 is positioned toward the left and right ends, as opposed to the case where the camera unit 12 is brought to the center as described above. It can also meet the demand for focusing on one side. One side is important, for example, when the parking lot has one side wall, it may be installed on the side other than the wall so that the outside side other than the wall can be photographed widely. In addition, it can also be used for one-sided focused photography in vehicle interior photography.

As described above, a total of four patterns of mounting postures can be obtained by appropriately combining the two patterns of the mounting direction of the main body 11 with respect to the bracket 13 and the two patterns of the bracket 13 fixed posture to the windshield 2.

[Area sensor detection area plane adjustment function]
As described above, the detection area of the area sensor extends in the direction of a plane such as a disk, and when the drive recorder 10 is used, the plane is adjusted and set in a horizontal plane parallel to the ground. For this adjustment, for example, the nut member 26 is tightened and fixed by rotating the main body 11 in a state where the nut member 26 is loosened and making the detection area of the area sensor horizontal.

In this embodiment, the horizontal line 30 is provided on the tip end surface side of the one end portions 21a and 22a of the first case 21 and the second case 22 of the main body portion 11. The horizontal line 30 is located in the plane of the detection area of the area sensor, and when the angle is adjusted so that the horizontal line 30 is horizontal, the area sensor is set so that the detection area of the area sensor is also in the horizontal plane. It is mounted on the main body 11.

In this embodiment, the horizontal line 30 utilizes a joint surface formed by matching the first case 21 and the second case 22. As shown in FIG. 5 and the like, a circular through hole 28 is formed in the central portion of the nut member 26. Small semicircular convex portions 21b and 22b formed at the tips of the first case 21 and the second case 22 of the main body 11 are exposed to the outside from the through hole 28. A horizontal line 30 is formed at the abutting portion between the convex portion 21b of the first case 21 and the convex portion 22b of the second case 22.

The user adjusts the rotation angle of the main body 11 while observing the angle of the horizontal line 30, and tightens and fixes the nut member 26 in a state where the horizontal line 30 is horizontal (see FIG. 8A and the like). , The main body 11 is set at the correct angle position so that the detection area of the area sensor is in the horizontal plane. By adjusting the plane direction of the detection area of the area sensor so that it is horizontal to the ground in this way, one area sensor detects the movement of an object in the 180-degree opposite shooting range of the front of the vehicle and the interior of the vehicle. In addition, it is possible to detect the movement of an object such as approaching or wandering from any direction around the entire outside of the vehicle 1. Then, by controlling the operation of the camera based on the movement of the object, it is possible to appropriately take a picture of the moving object.

[Camera rotation mechanism]
As shown in FIG. 8A and the like, the drive recorder 10 of the present embodiment has a configuration in which the camera unit 12 is rotatably linked to the main body unit 11. The shooting range of the camera unit 12 of the present embodiment includes the lower hemisphere when the viewing direction of the camera unit 12 is directed downward, and is wider than the hemisphere so that the camera unit 12 can shoot diagonally upward. Therefore, even when the viewing direction of the camera unit 12 is directly below, for example, an area diagonally above the front of the vehicle can be photographed. On the other hand, in a camera that shoots a shooting range of a hemisphere or more, the resolution is the best in the central portion and the lowest in the peripheral portion among the circular images obtained by shooting. Therefore, the scenery in front of the vehicle, particularly diagonally above, is located at the peripheral portion of the circular image obtained by shooting, and the resolution is deteriorated.

Therefore, for example, while driving, the viewing direction of the camera unit 12 is directed diagonally forward, the shooting area diagonally above the front is widened so that the front scenery can be photographed with high resolution and beautifully, and the viewing direction of the camera unit 12 is changed while parking. It is possible to shoot in a range of 360 degrees in the horizontal plane and 180 degrees or more in the vertical plane with the drive recorder as the center, and it is possible to shoot the situation such as mischief, collision accident, theft, etc. with respect to the vehicle 1.

In the present embodiment, an area sensor that detects a horizontal 360-degree range is provided in the main body 11, and the detection area of the area sensor is adjusted and installed so as to be in the horizontal plane, and the main body 11 is installed. It is necessary to maintain the installed state, and the main body 11 cannot be rotated in order to change the viewing direction of the camera after the installation. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as described above, the camera unit 12 can be rotated with respect to the main body unit 11, and as shown in FIG. 8A, the camera unit keeps the horizontal line 30 positioned horizontally. The structure is such that the 12 is rotatably connected so as to swing back and forth, and the detection area of the area sensor can be changed while maintaining the horizontal plane.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8A, when the drive recorder 10 is attached to the vehicle 1, for example, the posture in which the camera unit 12 faces directly downward is used as a reference, and the posture is such that the drive recorder 10 faces the front side of the vehicle. , It is possible to swing back and forth like a posture facing the rear side. Since the structure is such that the head can be swung back and forth in this way, for example, the main body 11 is mounted from either the left or right side of the ring portion 16, and even if the front side of the main body 11 facing the front side of the vehicle 1 is reversed, the main body 11 is installed. In this state, the camera unit 12 can be directed to the front of the vehicle.

Further, in the present embodiment, the orientation of the detection area of the area sensor is adjusted by the rotation of the main body 11 and the ring 16, and the orientation of the camera is adjusted by changing the rotation angle of the camera 12 with respect to the main body 11. adjust. As described above, it is characterized by providing an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the orientation of the detection area of the area sensor and the orientation of the camera unit in the visual field direction by independently rotating them. As a result, each of the area sensor and the camera unit 12 can be set in a desired direction, so that the relationship between the detection area of the area sensor and the shooting range of the camera unit 12 can be set to an appropriate state. In the present embodiment, the rotation center of the main body 11 and the rotation center of the camera 12 are coaxially arranged. As a result, when the main body 11 is rotated to adjust the direction of the area sensor, even if the camera unit 12 is rotated around the rotation center of the main body together with the main body 11, the rotating surface at that time Is equal to the rotating surface of the camera case with respect to the body case. Therefore, even if the camera case rotates with the rotation of the main body case and the shooting direction of the shooting means is displaced, the camera case can be independently rotated by a predetermined angle to set the shooting direction by the shooting means to a desired position. can.

The orientation of the camera unit 12 may be adjusted so that the user faces the desired direction by visual confirmation while looking at the orientation of the camera unit 12, for example, a rotatable angle range when facing forward. It may be moved to the maximum angle of. Such visual adjustment is preferable because it can be easily performed. Further, as will be described later, in the present embodiment, the drive recorder 10 has a function of communicating with a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, and has a function of transmitting, for example, an image captured by the camera unit 12 in real time. A mobile terminal such as a smartphone displays the received video on the display unit 91 (see FIG. 8B and the like). The user may adjust the orientation of the camera unit 12 while viewing the displayed image, and determine the orientation of the camera unit 12 in a state where the desired shooting range is reached. In this way, it is even better because the desired area can be set in the shooting range with higher accuracy.

The adjustable angle range of the camera unit 12 is, for example, a range of 30 degrees on one side and 60 degrees in the front-rear direction, based on the posture of facing straight down, for example. Although details will be described later, the angle of view of the camera mounted on the camera unit 12 is, for example, 220 degrees in a vertical plane with the drive recorder 10 correctly attached to the vehicle 1. Then, when 0 degrees directly below, the shooting range in front becomes 110 degrees. If the front range is within the range of 110 degrees, for example, when the vehicle temporarily stops just before the stop line at an intersection, it is not possible to sufficiently photograph the traffic light in the traveling direction. Therefore, for example, if a traffic light in the direction of travel turns blue and then is hit from the side in a state of starting, there is a possibility that the self-validity of starting in blue cannot be proved. In the present embodiment, the direction of the camera can be changed, for example, when tilted by 30 degrees, 110 + 30 becomes 140 degrees, and the color of the signal of the traffic light can be photographed and recorded. For example, if the range is 40 degrees on one side, the shooting range expands upward and the traffic light is more reliably positioned within the shooting range, and the shooting can be done closer to the center of the lens, so clearer shooting is possible. It is not preferable because the range of the room that cannot be captured is wide, and since it is possible to shoot at 30 degrees, there is little need to make it larger than 30 degrees. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the range is set to 30 degrees. The angle is set so that, for example, an object to be photographed, such as a traffic light, is out of the shooting range with the camera in the first posture, and is rotated to shift the direction of the camera unit to the second posture so as to be within the shooting range. , It is good to set the relationship between the angle of view of the camera and the rotation angle.

If the camera unit can be rotated in a vertical plane with the drive recorder attached to the windshield and the camera unit is oriented diagonally forward, the shooting area diagonally upward and forward is widened, and the drive recorder has a priority posture that allows shooting of traffic lights. In this case, the shooting area in the room becomes narrow. On the other hand, when the camera is turned downward, 360 degrees around the vehicle in the horizontal direction can be photographed at an angle of 180 degrees or more in the vertical plane, which gives priority to shooting the situation inside the vehicle and prioritizing security monitoring inside and outside the vehicle.

[Specific structure for rotating the camera unit 12]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the camera unit 12 is rotatably attached to the main body portion 11, but the specific structure thereof is as follows. First, in the first case 21 and the second case 22 constituting the housing 20 of the main body 11, the cylinder is divided into upper and lower parts as described above, and the parts other than the end portions 21a and 22a are the same over the entire length. It has a semicircular arcuate peripheral surface with a diameter. The peripheral surface of one end 21a of the first case 21 has two recesses 21c. A technical standard conformity certification label 31 is attached to one of the two recesses 21c, and a serial number sticker is attached to the other. The ring portion 16 of the bracket 13 is attached to the portion of the one end portion 21a. In this embodiment, the recessed portion 21c is provided and is one step lower than the peripheral surface of one end portion 21a. Therefore, for example, even if the ring portion 16 is rotated, the label seal does not come off, and the label seal is formed by the ring portion 16 in the used state. Since it is covered, it will not deteriorate over time or be accidentally peeled off.

The side surface of the housing 20 opposite to the side on which the ring portion 16 and the nut member 26 are mounted is a flat surface. In the present embodiment, the other end surface of the second case 22 is a disk-shaped side surface 22d extending in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction, and the end edge 21d of the first case 21 is in contact with the peripheral edge of the side surface 22d. It becomes. As described above, in the present embodiment, the side surface on the opposite side of the housing 20 is characterized in that the side surface 22d of the second case 22 is composed of one piece and is not divided like the one end portion.

On the side surface 22d side, a rectangular opening 22g is provided at a position slightly above the center thereof, and the power connector 34 is arranged on the back surface side of the opening 22g. Further, on the lower side of the opening 22g, two openings 22h are provided so as to be arranged vertically, and a recording button 33 and a recording button 33 are provided so as to project outward from the back surface side of the side surface 22d via the opening 22h. The button 32 is arranged. As shown in FIG. 9C, the recording button 33 is integrally formed with leaf springs 33a on the left and right side surfaces, and the tip of the leaf spring 33a is fixed to the back surface of the side surface 22d. A leaf spring 32a is integrally formed on each of the left and right side surfaces of the recording button 32, and the tip of the leaf spring 33a is fixed to the back surface of the side surface 22d. As a result, when each button is pushed, it is pushed inward of the housing 20, but when the pushing force is released, each button is pushed back by the elastic restoring force of the leaf springs 33a and 32a and protrudes to the outside of the side surface 22d. .. Further, a vertically long card insertion slot 35 extending in the vertical direction is provided on the upper side of the side surface 22d, and the memory card 36 is attached / detached from the card insertion slot 35.

When the recording button 33 is pressed independently, the control unit repeatedly stops and resumes recording. When the record button 32 is pressed during continuous recording, the control unit executes one-touch recording. Further, when the recording button 33 and the recording button 32 are pressed at the same time while the recording is stopped, the control unit shifts to the setting mode.

The lower second case 22 is provided with a large opening 22c at the central portion of the peripheral surface in the axial direction. The opening 22c has a strip-shaped opening along the circumferential direction, and is opened by 30 degrees in the front-rear direction with reference to the lowermost end when the drive recorder 10 is attached, for a total of 60 degrees. The camera unit 12 is rotatably mounted in the opening 22c.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the camera unit 12 includes a camera case 40 and a camera unit 87 mounted in the camera case 40. The camera case 40 integrates the first lens holder 41 and the second lens holder 42, which are divided into upper and lower parts, by connecting the upper end edge and the lower end edge together. The first lens holder 41 is composed of a substantially rectangular box whose upper end is open, has concave notches 41a at the center of each of the four sides of the quadrangle at the upper end edge, and is screwed at the four corners of the quadrangle. A hole 41b is provided. The upper end portion of the screw hole 41b projects slightly upward from the upper end edge of the first lens holder 41.

The second lens holder 42 includes a rectangular frame 42a having the same dimensions and shape as the outer dimensions of the upper end edge of the first lens holder 41, and a curved portion 42b continuously formed at the upper end of the frame 42a. .. The lateral width of the curved portion 42b is wider than the lateral width of the frame body 42a, and both side edges of the curved portion 42b along the axial direction have a shape protruding outward from the side surface of the frame body 42a. In a state where the end faces of the frame body 42a and the first lens holder 41 are joined to each other, the upper open side of the concave notch 41a formed in the first lens holder 41 is closed by the lower end garden of the frame body 42a and is elongated in the horizontal direction. Opening is formed. Through holes 42c are formed at the four corners of the inner surface of the frame body 42a. When the end faces of the frame body 42a and the first lens holder 41 are joined to each other, the through hole 42c and the screw hole 41b formed in the first lens holder 41 face each other and enter the through hole 42c from the frame body 42a side. The set screw 85 is inserted and screwed to integrate the first lens holder 41 and the second lens holder 42 to form the camera case 40.

The camera case 40 having such a structure is inserted so that the first lens holder 41 projects outward from the inside of the opening 22c of the second case 22. Then, the first lens holder 41 and the frame body 42a project outward from the opening 22c, but since the width of the curved portion 42b is set wider than the width of the opening 22c in the axial direction, the curved portion 42b is the first. (2) It comes into contact with the peripheral surface without the case 22, and does not separate to the outside any more.

Then, as shown in FIG. 10 and the like, the inner case 38 is arranged inside the second case 22, the curved portion 42b of the camera case 40 of the camera unit 12 is sandwiched between the second case 22 and the inner case 38, and the camera unit 12 Suppresses the detachment and entry into the main body 11. The radius of curvature of the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the curved portion 42b is substantially equal to the inner peripheral surface of the facing second case 22 and the outer peripheral surface of the inner case 38, and rotation is possible along the curved surface. ..

The contact surface between the curved portion 42b and the inner case 38 is provided with triangular wavy uneven tooth portions so as to allow rotation and stop rotation at a desired angle to maintain a posture. Then, the position of the rotation direction is determined with the tooth portions provided on the contact surface meshed with each other, and even when the tooth portions are meshed with each other, when a certain amount of urging force is applied in the rotation direction, the shape is triangular and the meshing occurs. It is configured to release and rotate. In the present embodiment, the tooth portions are provided on both sides in the axial direction and on the center side.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the first tooth portion 86a on the camera side is provided at the central portion of both sides of the inner surface of the curved portion 42b in the axial direction. Further, at the central portion of the inner surface of the curved portion 42b in the axial direction, the second tooth portion 86b on the camera side is provided up to the vicinity of both tips in the circumferential direction. The first tooth portion 86a on the camera side has a large peak, and the arrangement pitch of the peak is set to, for example, a pitch of 5 degrees. Further, locking convex portions 86c are provided at both ends of the curved portion 42b in the circumferential direction at the tip of the second tooth portion 86b on the camera side. The locking convex portion 86c is a protruding portion larger than the second tooth portion 86b on the camera side.

On the other hand, the inner case 38 has a semi-cylindrical shape that is open upward, and its axial length is longer than the lateral width and axial length of the curved portion 42b. The axially central portion of the inner case 38 is a thin portion 38a whose surface side is shaved. The axial length of the thin portion 38a is substantially equal to or slightly longer than the lateral width of the curved portion 42b. Further, the surface of the thin portion 38a is set at a position lower than the surface on both ends in the axial direction of the inner case 38 by the thickness of the curved portion 42b. As a result, when the curved portion 42b is mounted in the thin portion 38a of the inner case 38, it can rotate in the circumferential direction along the curved surface.

Further, an opening 38e that opens wide is formed in the central portion of the thin portion 38a. A narrow region is formed between the axially both side edges of the opening 38e and the axially both side edges of the thin portion 38a, and the main body side that matches the first tooth portion 86a on the camera side in that region. The first tooth portion 38c is provided. The first tooth portion 86a on the camera side and the first tooth portion 38c on the main body side both have shallow peaks, and the arrangement pitch of the peaks is half that of the second tooth portion 86b on the camera side, for example, a pitch of 2.5 degrees. .. Because it is shallow, it moves in the direction of rotation while overcoming it.

In addition, two notches 38g are formed at a predetermined interval in the axially central portion of the thin portion 38a from both tips toward the inside in the circumferential direction. Similarly, two notches 38g are formed at predetermined intervals from the peripheral edge of the opening 38e toward the tip end side in the circumferential direction. The portion sandwiched between the two notches 38g provided on the same side becomes a leaf spring, and the second tooth portion 38d on the main body side is provided at the tip of the leaf spring. The second tooth 38d on the main body side is one ridge extending in the axial direction at the upper end edge of the inner case 38 and two places near the opening 38e, and the height of the ridge is the second tooth on the camera side. It is equal to the part 86b. The pair of ridges are separated by a predetermined distance. Then, as shown in FIGS. 11B and 11C, when the camera unit 12 is rotated 30 degrees in the front-rear direction with respect to the inner case 38, the locking convex portion 86c provided on the curved portion 42b is formed. It is located between the second tooth portions 86b on the camera side provided in the inner case 38.

Bosses 38f extending upward are provided at predetermined positions at the four corners of the inner peripheral surface of the inner case 38. This predetermined position is a position facing the cylindrical portion 22i of the second case 22 when the inner case 38 is mounted on the second case 22. The boss 38f has a through hole that opens up and down, and the inner diameter of the through hole is such that the inner diameter near the upper end is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 22i provided in the second case 22, and as it goes downward. The shape is gradually increased. As a result, in the state where the inner case 38 is mounted on the second case 22, the cylindrical portion 22i is inserted into the through hole of the boss 38f, and the boss 38f is supported by the cylindrical portion 22i. Since the upper end of the through hole of the boss 38f is smaller than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 21e, the upper end position of the boss 38f is one step lower than the upper end position of the cylindrical portion 22i of the second case 22, that is, downward. It is in a state of being slightly shifted to the outside of the second case 22.

The central axis of the camera case 40 and the curved portion 42b and the inner case 38 are displaced from each other. The curve of the curved portion 42b and the curve of the inner case 38 are changed to make the inner case 38 side smaller. As a result, even if the inner case 38 side becomes larger than the design value due to manufacturing tolerance, for example, the curved portion 42b is surely fitted in the thin portion 38a of the inner case 38 so as not to be larger than the curved portion 42b. Since the inner case 38 side is set small, if the central axes are aligned as they are, rattling will occur. Therefore, the central axis is shifted so that the inner case 38 is located on the outside. To shift the central axis, it was utilized that the through hole of the boss 38f described above was made a tapered surface and positioned slightly downward at the time of mounting.

By doing so, the curved portion 42b of the camera case 40 is pressed against the inner case 38 in the second case 22, the teeth are firmly engaged with each other, and the elastic restoring force of the leaf spring of the inner case 38 is obtained. , Securely fixed to a wide pitch (for example, 5 degree pitch) by the meshing of large peaks.

As described above, the mechanism for adjusting the rotation angle between the main body 11 and the bracket 13 and the ring 16 for adjusting the orientation of the area sensor and the angle holding mechanism after the adjustment loosens the nut member 26 and the main body. The meshing of the tooth portions that come into contact with each other on the side surfaces of the ring portion 16 and the ring portion 16 is adjusted by unlocking, and after the adjustment, the nut member 26 is tightened so that the teeth can be firmly fixed. By firmly tightening the nut member, for example, even if the main body 11 or the camera 12 is accidentally touched, the rotation angle of the main body 11 and the direction of the area sensor do not change.

On the other hand, the main body 11 and the camera 12 hold the orientation of the camera 12 by engaging the unevenness / teeth that come into contact with each other on the peripheral surfaces, but it is necessary to enable rotation in the meshed state. Since the unevenness and the ridges of the teeth are reduced and the elastic deformation force using a leaf spring or the like is used for fixing, the fixing is gentler than the fixing force in the direction of the area sensor.

In this way, the means for rotating the area sensor is configured to be more firmly fixed than the means for rotating the camera unit, so that the orientation of the sensor can be firmly fixed and the desired orientation, for example, horizontal to the ground, is maintained. It is good because the direction of the camera is looser than the fixed area sensor, and it is easy to adjust the shooting range by rotating it even when it is installed in the vehicle interior. In particular, the direction of the camera is, for example, when using it as a drive recorder with the camera facing forward while driving, and when using it as a security by turning it downward when parking and allowing the entire circumference of the vehicle to be photographed, once the area sensor is set to the direction. You can leave it as it is, but since the direction of the camera changes frequently, it is preferable to fix it loosely. It is better to configure it so that the one with less frequency of adjustment can be firmly fixed.

[The main body case, etc. is difficult to see]
The camera unit 87 mounted in the camera case 40 is mounted in the first lens holder 41 in this embodiment. The four corners of the circuit board 87a on the upper side of the camera unit 87 are notched in a concave shape. In the state where the camera unit 87 is mounted, the notched portion is set close to the outer peripheral surface of the screw hole 41b. A photographing lamp 44 and a recording lamp 45 are arranged on the lower surface of each side of the upper circuit board 47a. One recording lamp 45 is arranged at the center of each of the front and rear sides of the drive recorder 10 installed in the vehicle, and two recording lamps 44 are arranged on each side. These lamps are arranged at positions facing the opening formed by the concave notch 41a and can be visually recognized from the outside. An annular ridge 41d is provided in the center of the outside of the bottom surface 41c of the first lens holder 41, and the lens 43 included in the camera unit 87 is arranged so as to project from the lower end of the ridge 41d. In the present embodiment, the shooting range of the camera is a range of a hemisphere or more, and since the lens 43 is arranged on the bottom surface side of the camera case 40, it is 180 degrees or more in the vertical plane, and is diagonally above the rear side of the lens 43. The side is also the shooting range.

In the present embodiment, the position and orientation of the lens 43 on the camera case 40 are set so that the camera case 40 and the main body 11 / bracket 13 are less likely to be reflected in the range of the image captured by the camera unit 12. The relationship with the main body 11 and the like is set. Since the main body 11 and the camera case 40 are less likely to be reflected in the image taken by the camera, it is possible to easily see the scenery outside the vehicle and the inside of the vehicle. For example, the relationship that makes it difficult to be reflected may be set so that the main body 11 and the like are not captured or are captured within a range that is less affected by the rotation of the camera case. It is better to make the shape that exists in the shooting range of the camera as small as possible. For example, the dimensions and shape of the main body case and camera case should be as small as possible, and the blind spot of the camera should be conical. It may be a similar shape or an inscribed rectangular shape. In the present embodiment, since the main body 11 has a horizontally long cylindrical shape, for example, the side surfaces of the main body 11 on both sides in the axial direction are not reflected or are difficult to be reflected. In the camera case 40, a ring-shaped ridge 41d is projected below the bottom surface 41c of the first lens holder 41, and the lens 43 is projected and exposed below the ridge 41d. The setting is such that the rectangular case portion of the first lens holder 41 is not reflected in the shooting range behind.

Further, as described above, the camera unit 87 is mounted in the camera case 40. The components of the camera unit 87 to be mounted are components that can be mounted in a space set so that the camera case 40 does not appear in the shooting range of the camera or is captured in a range where the influence is small as described above. The amount was determined and implemented as a camera unit.

[lamp]
As described above, the camera unit 12 has the photographing lamps 44 arranged on the four surfaces of the rectangular case portion of the camera case 40, and the recording lamps 45 provided on the front and rear surfaces in a state of being attached to the vehicle. The photographing lamp 44 is a white LED. For example, when the surroundings are dark when shooting while parking, the control unit of the drive recorder lights all the shooting lamps 44 on all four sides. As a result, it is possible to photograph and record an object such as a person who is surely approaching even in a situation where the image is not sufficiently bright at night or the like. The ambient brightness is determined based on, for example, the output of the illuminance sensor mounted on the main body 11.

Instead of turning on all the photographing lamps 44 on the four surfaces, it is possible to emit light in a part of the directions and photograph the part. For example, it is preferable that the photographing lamp 44 does not light at least one that emits light toward the outside of the vehicle, such as the front surface, while traveling. Further, even while driving, for example, it is preferable that the lamp on the rear side in the traveling direction is lit so that the situation inside the vehicle can be clearly photographed.

In addition, for example, if a wall or the like is close to one side of a parked vehicle, for example, outside the passenger seat side, and there is a risk of intrusion or collision from the passenger seat side, other than that, depending on the setting. It is also possible to turn on only the direction to reduce power consumption.

Furthermore, it is said that the light is emitted at an appropriate timing except when shooting due to the detection of surrounding objects. By doing so, it is good because it appeals to the surroundings that it is intimidating / approaching warning and that the monitoring operation is in progress, and exerts a deterrent effect against mischief.

The recording lamp 45 operates as an indicator, and in the present embodiment, an LED or the like that emits two colors of red and green is used. For example, the control unit controls that the red light is lit during normal continuous recording during running, the green light is lit while recording is stopped, and the red flashes during recording of various events. Further, it is preferable that the recording lamp 45 on the front side of the vehicle is turned off during traveling.

[Structure to be mounted in the housing 20 of the main body 11]
As shown in FIGS. 9B, 13, 14, and the like, various processing circuits, power supply circuits, and the like for realizing the above-mentioned drive recorder function and security function are mounted in the housing 20. As shown in FIG. 9B and the like, the first circuit board 46 and the second circuit board 47 are mounted in the housing 20 in an upright state. The first circuit board 46 and the second circuit board 47 connect connectors provided on opposite surfaces to each other to transmit and receive a power source and a signal. The GPS / WiFi board 53 is arranged horizontally above the first circuit board 46. Each of these boards is supported by the printed circuit board holder 57 and mounted in the housing 20. The power connector 34 is mounted on the first circuit board 46, the terminal pin 34a of the power connector 34 is bent into an L shape, and the tip thereof is directly connected to the printed wiring formed on the first circuit board 46. Further, two switch elements 60 are attached to the first circuit board 46. The switch element 60 is operated by the recording button 32 and the recording button 33. A CPU, a card slot for mounting a memory card 36, and other components and sensors are mounted on the second circuit board 47, and the front side thereof is covered with a shield case 58. A GPS antenna 54, a WiFi antenna 56, a battery 55, and the like are mounted on the upper surface of the GPS / WiFi substrate 53. A GPS module, a WiFi module, or the like is mounted on the lower surface side of the GPS / WiFi board 53, and data is transmitted / received to / from the CPU mounted on the second circuit board 47. Further, a microphone 61, a speaker 62, an acceleration sensor and various other sensors are mounted in the housing 20.

[area sensor]
The area sensor 48 is arranged on one end 21a, 22a side of the first case 21 and the second case 22. The area sensor 48 outputs a radio wave in a specific direction and detects the movement of the object based on the reflected wave of the output radio wave, and the radio wave output from the sensor module 50 in a predetermined plane direction. An antenna 51 that radiates toward the surroundings is provided. In the present embodiment, the radio wave uses a microwave including a quasi-millimeter wave, but a frequency band such as a millimeter wave may be used. The size of the antenna changes depending on the wavelength, but the outer dimensions of the main body 11 of the drive recorder 10 on which the area sensor 48 is mounted are about 88 mm in the axial direction and about 50 mm in the diameter, so it is preferable to use microwaves. .. The microwave used was, for example, 24 GHz.

In the sensor module 50, the first module case 50a and the second module case 50b are screwed together with the circuit board 50c sandwiched between the first module case 50a and the second module case 50b having a predetermined shape arranged vertically. And integrate. The first module case 50a and the second module case 50b are both metal housings. Although not shown, the first module case 50a and the second module case 50b come into contact with the ground wiring pattern of the circuit board 50c when they are integrated. As a result, the surfaces of the first module case 50a and the second module case 50b are also grounded.

The terminal pin 50d is formed upright from the portion exposed to the outside of the circuit board 50c. The sensor module 50 is attached to the first circuit board 46, and the terminal pin 50d is connected to the circuit pattern of the first circuit board 46 to conduct conduction. The sensor module 50 receives power from the first circuit board 46 side via the terminal pin 50d, outputs a radio wave, and sends a detection output based on the reflected wave to the first circuit board 46 side. The sensor module 50 constitutes a waveguide and has a vertically long outlet 50e on the output side of the radio wave, and outputs radio waves from the feeding point of the emitting port 50e in the specific direction and the feeding direction in the arrow direction in the figure. do. The longitudinal direction of the outlet 50e is parallel to the circuit board 50c. The plane parallel to the longitudinal direction parallel to the circuit board 50c is the magnetic field plane (E-plane), and the short side direction is the electric field plane (H-plane). Further, the sensor module 50 includes a flange portion 50f extending in a direction orthogonal to a specific direction on the output side. The flange portion 50f has a dimensional shape determined by a standard, has a rectangular outer shape as a whole, and is provided with a concave notch portion 50g near the center of each side.

The antenna 51 is mounted in front of the outlet 50e in the radio wave output direction. The antenna 51 is a reflect antenna that utilizes reflection and polarization conversion, and uses the properties of radio waves such as reflection and wraparound, and the output direction of the radio waves from the sensor module 50 is one specific direction, and the radio waves are directed toward the surroundings. Is set to radiate. The periphery has a radiation region centered on the area sensor 48, which spreads in the plane direction with respect to the periphery and has a small spread in the direction orthogonal to the plane direction. Since only one output direction is required from the sensor module, the area sensor 48 is compact and compact.

The sensor module 50 is based on a function of detecting an object by using the Doppler effect for fluctuations in the reflected wave with respect to the direct wave of the emitted radio wave, a direct wave of the emitted electric field, and a composite wave formed by the reflected wave. It also has a function to detect a moving object by utilizing the fact that the voltage standing wave ratio fluctuates. The sensor module 50 detects an object by combining these functions.

Conventionally, a microwave Doppler sensor is often used for object detection generally used for this type of security monitoring. If the receiving circuit uses Doppler to detect, for example, in the case of a large vehicle, the reflected wave may become small and cannot be detected, but by using the standing wave ratio, it can be detected regardless of the size of the vehicle. ..

[antenna]
The antenna 51 is connected to the GND (metal housing or circuit board GND) of the sensor module 50 so as to be short-circuited (grounded) at a high frequency. The antenna 51 is formed by metal plating or metal vapor deposition on a metal die casting or a dielectric having a predetermined shape described below. It is preferable to form a structure in which a metal film is formed on the surface of the dielectric because it can be easily, accurately and inexpensively formed even if the shape is complicated.

The antenna 51 includes a rectangular frame 65 that is substantially rectangular and has front and rear openings. The dimensional shape of the inner peripheral surface of the frame body 65 is substantially equal to the dimensional shape of the outer peripheral surface of the flange portion 50f. Further, on one opening side of the frame body 65, a projecting piece 73 projecting inward is integrally formed at a central portion of each side. As for the projecting pieces 73, one set arranged in the vertical direction is wide, and the remaining one set is narrow. The dimensional shape of each projecting piece 73 is equal to the concave notch portion 50g provided at the central portion of each side of the flange portion 50f of the sensor module 50.

Then, the flange portion 50f is inserted into the frame body 65 from the opening side on which the projecting piece 73 is not formed, and is positioned to the deepest portion of the frame body 65. Then, the projecting piece 73 and the concave notch portion 50g are fitted to each other, and the antenna 51 and the sensor module 50 are fixed in a predetermined positional relationship. In particular, since it is small and lightweight, it does not shift in position even if it is not screwed by fixing by such fitting. Since the structure does not require screwing in this way, the man-hours for mounting and dismounting can be reduced. Further, the antenna 51 is entirely formed of a metal die-cast or a metal film on the entire surface, and when the inner peripheral surface of the frame body 65 and the flange portion 50f come into contact with each other, the antenna 51 is fixed and electromagnetically connected to the metal housing. It is good because it is done.

On the side of the upper and lower surfaces of the frame body 65 where the projecting pieces 73 are provided, the blocking plate 66 is arranged so as to project in front of the projecting pieces 73. The blocking plate 66 suppresses electromagnetic wave radiation in a direction perpendicular to the electric field at the feeding point P, and the suppressed radio waves are concentrated forward. By arranging the blocking plate 66, the radiation region of the radio wave is crushed from above and below and expanded in the horizontal direction. If the width t3 of the blocking plate 66, that is, the length in the direction orthogonal to the output direction of the radio wave is short, the gain of the radiated radio wave decreases, so an appropriate length is set. In the present embodiment, the length of the width t3 is about 4/5 λ, which is about 15.5 mm.

A shielding plate 67 is arranged so as to straddle a pair of blocking plates 66 arranged one above the other. The shielding plate 67 is arranged at a position to block radio waves output from the sensor module 50, and blocks radio waves traveling in the output direction. , Reflects in the appropriate direction. The tip of the blocking plate 66 is projected forward from the shielding plate 67, and the length t2 of the tip portion is about 2 mm (see FIG. 17A and the like).

A part of the radio waves output from the sensor module 50 is reflected on the back surface of the shielding plate 67, that is, the surface facing the exit port 55e, and the traveling direction is orthogonal to the specific direction and is opposite to the electric field surface 2. A reflector 68 that distributes in the direction is provided. The structure is such that the reflector 68 is sandwiched between the upper and lower shielding plates 67. The reflector 68 has a conical shape, and the apex of the conical shape is arranged so as to be at a position separated from the feeding point P by a predetermined distance t1. The predetermined distance t1 may be, for example, in the range of 1 / 16λ to 1 / 8λ, and in the present embodiment, it is 1.15 mm (see FIG. 17A and the like).

An opening 70 is provided at the tip of the electric field surface in two directions. The distance from the apex of the reflector 68 to each opening 70 was set to about 3/4 λ and 10.4 mm. The opening 70 faces the front and the rear of the vehicle 1 with the drive recorder 10 attached to the vehicle 1 so that the horizontal line 30 in the correct posture is horizontal. Radio waves reflected by the reflector 68 and traveling in two directions on the electric field surface are radiated from the opening 70 toward the outside of the antenna 51, respectively. Then, as described above, the electric field component of the radio wave whose vertical path is blocked and suppressed by the blocking plate 66 is distributed in two directions by the reflector 68, and the radio wave radiated from the pair of openings 70 in the main lobe. In addition, radio waves will reach farther. The reflection loss (VSWR: Voltage Standing Wave Ratio) is adjusted by the distance between the reflector 68 and the opening 70.

The side surface of the conical reflector 68 has a plurality of steps of inclination. In this embodiment, it is divided into two stages, a steep angle portion near the apex and a gentle portion at the hem portion. By setting the two stages in this way, the radio waves radiated from one of the openings 70 can be spread over a wide range of about 180 degrees, based on the cooperation with the first fin 71 and the second fin 72. As a result of simulation, in the case of a simple cone with one inclination, it was not possible to radiate over a wide range up to nearly 180 degrees even if the angle and the length of the fins were adjusted. It seems that the two stages have different reflection angles and reflect over a wide range. By changing the tilt shape in which the side surface of the cone has two stages in this way, the radiation angle of the radio wave traveling in the two directions of the electric field surface can be controlled, and a high gain direction of the main lobe radiation from the two directions is desired. Can be set to the state of.

The reflector 68 is provided with a slit 69 in a predetermined section on a vertical line including the apex of the cone. The slit 69 is not provided at the apex portion of the reflector 68, and is arranged so as to extend in the vertical direction from a position separated from the apex by a predetermined distance in the vertical direction. The direction of the slit 69 coincides with the magnetic field surface, and a part of the radio waves output from the sensor module 50, mainly the magnetic field, passes through the slit 69. Further, in the present embodiment, since the reflector 68 has a conical shape, the magnetic field tends to fall forward in the traveling direction, and the slit 69 easily resonates and is easily emitted forward.

As the magnetic field after passing through the slit 69 advances, an electric field is also generated, and when it reaches a distant field separated by a certain distance, radio waves are radiated in the same direction as a specific direction as normal electromagnetic waves. The radio waves heading in the same direction as the specific direction are radiated outward from the end faces of the one end portions 21a and 22a provided with the horizontal line 30 of the drive recorder 10. When it hits an object within the detection area, the reflected wave returns.

Further, as the width of the slit 69 becomes wider, the electric field component passing through the slit 69 increases, and the electric field component distributed by the reflector 68 decreases relatively. The radio waves radiated in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and the radio waves radiated toward the side surface on the opposite side where the area sensor 48 is not provided are based on the electric field components distributed by the reflector 68. Therefore, the slit width is set in balance with the reachable range of the radiated radio waves based on the distributed electric field components.

Further, in the present embodiment, the apex portion of the reflector 68 does not have a slit 69, and a slit 69 extending in the vertical direction from the middle is provided. If a slit is provided up to the apex, the electric field reflected by the slit at the apex of the cone and distributed in two directions is not even, and the balance of the radio waves radiated from both openings 70 becomes poor. On the other hand, as in the present embodiment, since the apex portion has the apex of the cone, the electric field colliding there is reflected on both sides in a well-balanced manner and distributed. Further, if the shape is such that the slit is provided up to the apex, it is difficult to manufacture, but it is also good that the manufacturing is facilitated by providing the apex.

Further, since the cone is not provided with a slit at the apex and the slit 69 is provided from the middle of the side surface of the cone, the magnetic field component can easily move forward and the radio wave can be sent to a long distance, which is preferable. As a result of the simulation, it can be confirmed that the phases of the magnetic field components traveling in the upper slit 69 and the lower slit 69 are opposite to each other, and if all the upper and lower slits including the apex are provided, the phases do not become opposite. Was confirmed. A phenomenon similar to the fact that the electric field components distributed in the two directions are in opposite phases (the directions of both electric fields are in the direction of the black arrow in FIG. 18) is occurring, and this opposite phase affects the transmission distance of radio waves. Estimated to grow. Further, as shown in FIG. 17E, for example, the dimension of the portion near the apex where the slit 69 is not provided passes from one end of one of the slits 69 on the apex side to the other end of the slit 69 on the apex side. The distance t6 along the side surface of the conical to reach may be, for example, about 1 / 2λ. The distance from the apex to one end of each slit 69 is about 1 / 4λ.

Further, a metal first fin 71 extending in a direction parallel to a specific direction from the peripheral edge of the opening 70 provided at the tip in two directions of the electric field surface, and a metal second fin extending in the opposite direction from the peripheral edge of the opening 70. 72 is provided. In the present embodiment, the second fin 72 is also used as the frame body 65. Also used is a wall surface connected to the opening 70 of the frame body 65.

The first fin 71 and the second fin 72 exhibit a function of turning the electric field radiated from the opening 70 in the direction of 45 degrees. Without such fins, the spread of the electric field becomes small, radio waves cannot be radiated from the opening 70 in a wide range, and directivity is obtained only by radiating and spreading as it is from the portion of the opening 70. On the other hand, when the first fin 71 and the second fin 72 are provided, the radio wave wraps around to the tip of each fin and radiates from there, so that the radio wave can be radiated over a wide range. The lengths of the first fin 71 and the second fin 72 are set so that the wide-angle range of the radio waves radiated in the two directions orthogonal to the specific direction is equal to or larger than the reference angle. If the length of the fin is increased, the wide-angle range is widened and radiation is emitted from the opening 70 to a wide range. It becomes difficult. Also, if the length is not appropriate, the gain will drop. For example, the length may be 1 / 2λ to 1 / 4λ. Further, the length of the second fin 72 is set so as to have a function of propagating there and radiating in the opposite direction and radiating backward. Such a length is resonated at the portion of the second fin 72 and propagated backward. Based on the above range, it is set appropriately in consideration of resonance. In the present embodiment, the length t5 of the first fin 71 is about 3/8 λ, which is about 5 mm, and the length t4 of the second fin 72 is about 3/4 λ, which is about 9 mm. In the present embodiment, since the area sensor 48 is eccentric to one end side of the main body portion 11, the length of the first fin 71 is shortened and the length of the second fin 72 is lengthened. The radiation angle on the two fins 72 side was increased so that the front and rear sides could radiate in a wide range based on the drive recorder 10.

Further, contrary to the magnetic field after passing through the slit 69, the electric field is dominant in the near field in the radio wave radiated from the opening 70, but the electric field and the magnetic field become uniform in the far field to some extent, and the detection region. When it hits an object inside, the reflected wave returns.

By doing so, although not as much as the main lobe, it is possible to secure a radiation area of 45 degrees or more for each constant gain, secure a high gain in two directions orthogonal to the input, and have a wide angle in a certain range. It is possible to secure a gain. Further, by appropriately setting the inclination angle of the two-stage conical reflector 68, it is possible to obtain a high gain direction with respect to the two-direction radio waves radiated from the opening 70.

As described above, the radio wave output from the sensor module 50 is radiated through the slit 69 in the same direction as the specific direction, and is radiated in two directions orthogonal to the specific direction, and in the opposite direction, the reflector and the first. Since it is radiated by the fin 71 and the second fin 72, it can be radiated toward the periphery of the plane (see the white arrow in FIG. 18). Using an antenna having a simple structure, the radio wave radiated from the antenna 51 is radiated toward the circumference of 360 degrees in the horizontal direction, and a detection region having a spread in the plane direction can be formed around the area sensor 48.

The antenna 51 of the present embodiment is formed by injecting and forming a plastic, which is an example of a dielectric, to form a main body having the above-mentioned predetermined shape, and plating the surface of the main body to form a predetermined metal film. .. In particular, the antenna of this embodiment cannot be manufactured by sheet metal or the like because it has a small shape of several centimeters square and a complicated shape. It can be easily manufactured by injection molding of plastic. Moreover, it is only necessary to plate the surface with metal, and a product having the same performance as a metal die-cast product can be made light and relatively inexpensive. Moreover, it is good because the performance does not vary easily. Further, the resin such as plastic has more elastic force than the metal die-cast product, and as described above, it can be closely fixed by simply fitting the flange portion 50f of the sensor module 50 without screwing. In addition to being lightweight, the antenna 51 does not come off from the sensor module 50 even if it is not screwed.

The metal film may be formed by using, for example, nickel plating or nickel chrome plating. Then, the film thickness of the metal film should be thicker than the design value obtained by ordinary calculation. For example, the normal film thickness is 3 to 4 μm, but it is preferably about 1.5 times, for example, about 5 to 6 μm. The thickness of the plastic was about 1 mm. In the plating process, the surface of the plastic is roughened to form a metal film. If the film thickness is thin, it seems that the effect of the rough unevenness on the surface of the plastic is exerted. Therefore, it is considered that the radiated current flowing on the surface is not stable and also flows inside the film. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the film thickness is increased, the roughness of the plastic surface is filled, the surface of the metal film becomes uniform, and the radiated current flows substantially in the vicinity of the surface, so that the desired characteristics can be exhibited. The film thickness is about 1.5 times, but for example, it is preferable to form a film with a desired thickness from the state where the surface roughness is filled. It may be vapor-deposited instead of the plating process, but it is good because the plating process can be easily manufactured.

[Area sensor drive control]
As described above, the area sensor 48 is activated while operating in the recording mode only for the event when parked, and performs approach monitoring and the like. At this time, the area sensor 48 may be continuously operated to perform constant monitoring, but it is operated intermittently due to the battery capacity.

In the present embodiment, for example, an intermittent operation is performed at a cycle of 1 second, and a 500 ms operation is repeated and a 500 ms stop is performed. When various conventional sensors and the like are operated intermittently, they are switched in a shorter cycle, but the area sensor 48 becomes unstable for a certain period of time after being activated, and has a section that cannot be used for object detection. Therefore, if switching is performed in a short cycle, the actual working time that can be actually detected during operation becomes short, and appropriate approach detection cannot be performed. Therefore, the operation period is set to be at least as high as the unstable period, and the operation is intermittently performed periodically. Since the area sensor 48 is disturbed for 250 ms from the start-up, it has the same actual operation period of 250 ms, and in total, the area sensor 48 is stopped at 500 m after 500 ms operation as described above.

When the target of proximity monitoring is, for example, a person, the high frequency region is cut so as not to pick up anything other than the movement of the person. The cut frequency is several tens of Hz. For example, the peep operation is at a low frequency of about 5 kHz, and even when a person moves and runs up, it is within several tens of kHz or less. Therefore, by making the high frequency region a dead zone as described above, the battery consumption due to the start of shooting by the camera due to false detection by a person other than humans is suppressed. For example, when the door of a vehicle parked next to the vehicle opens and collides with the vehicle, it can be detected that the movement accompanying the opening of the door is several tens of Hz or less.

[Radiation characteristic pattern in drive recorder]
As described above, the area sensor 48 radiates radio waves toward the entire circumference with reference to the area sensor 48 in a predetermined plane / electric field surface direction. The radio waves radiated toward the entire periphery pass through the housing 20 and are radiated to the outside of the drive recorder 10. A part of the radio wave radiated from the area sensor 48 passes through the housing 20 as it is and is radiated to the outside. For example, the radio wave based on the magnetic field component that has passed through the slit 69 of the antenna 51 is radiated as it is from the convex portions 21b and 22b, which are the side surfaces of one end of the housing 20, toward the outside in the axial direction. Most of the radio waves radiated from the pair of openings 70 of the antenna 51 over a wide area pass through the housing 20 and travel in the radiated direction.

As shown in FIG. 13B and the like, a shield case 58 attached to the second circuit board 47 is close to one of the second fins 72 of the antenna 51 at a predetermined distance. The radio wave radiated from the second fin 72 in the direction opposite to the specific direction has a maximum current due to resonance, so that it can easily propagate even if there is metal in the surroundings. That is, originally, if there is a gap, it cannot be transmitted due to reflection with the metal, but since the current is maximized, the shield case 58 also forms a transmission path for electromagnetic waves and can propagate, and the other side of the housing 20. It reaches the immediate vicinity of the side surface 22d of. Then, it is radiated from the end surface of the shield case 58 toward the side surface 22d side as it is, and the radiated radio wave is transmitted to the outside through the side surface 22d.

The shield case 58 is arranged only on one side, and as shown in FIG. 13A and the like, there is no metal plate corresponding to the shield case on the other second fin 72 side. Therefore, the radio wave efficiently travels backward only on one side. Even if it is propagated or radiated on only one side, the target level can be obtained and the radio wave can reach the desired range area. Then, it is preferable to arrange metal plates corresponding to the shielding plates on both sides because the detection area is further expanded. It spreads about 1.8 times, for example.

In the present embodiment, due to the influence of the shield case 58 arranged on only one side, the peak in the direction orthogonal to the side surface 22d shifts and does not come to the side. Further, although the power cable is connected to the power connector 34 during use, radio waves radiated from the side surface 22d to the outside may be attracted to the power cable and affect the radiation pattern. In this case, if the power cable is arranged on the center side of the metal plate / shield case 58, a force in the direction of returning the radiation direction of the radio wave to the center acts. In the present embodiment, since the power connector 34 is arranged near the center of the side surface 22d, the power cable connected to the power connector 34 may also be routed near the center.

Further, the camera unit 12 and the camera unit 87 affect the radiation pattern because the camera unit 12 and the camera unit 87 are separated from each other because the radiation pattern from the area sensor 48 is in the horizontal plane below the main body unit 11. do not.

There are a first case 21 and a second case 22 near the opening 70 of the antenna 51, and a part of radio waves is radiated to the case in a state of being perpendicular to or curved with respect to the radiation surface. .. Then, as shown by an arrow in FIG. 18, when a high-frequency current propagating on the surface of the case as a surface wave flows through the metal element 75 provided on the side surface 22d, it is delayed with respect to the electromagnetic wave directly radiated from the area sensor 48. It is possible to radiate electromagnetic waves.

As described above, the electromagnetic wave radiated from the housing 20 and the electromagnetic wave radiated from the metal element 75 can be delayed, and the arrangement does not affect the radiation characteristics of the mounted antenna. In this way, when the radiation pattern is disturbed by a complicated shape such as the housing 20 or the shield case 58, the case can be corrected without significantly changing the antenna shape. That is, without affecting the characteristics of the mounted antenna, for example, when the level of the radio wave becomes extremely low or zero due to the electromagnetic wave radiated directly from the antenna 51, the direct radiation radiates the electromagnetic wave with a delay from the metal element 75. When the detection area that cannot be reached is matched, the radio wave from the metal element 75 is adjusted to the detection area. Therefore, it can be corrected on the time axis.

In addition, there are places where the radiation characteristics drop in the front-rear direction of the vehicle based on the electric field and in the left-right direction based on the magnetic field, but there is no effect in practical use because there are pillars in the direction of the drop. The pattern of radiation characteristics matches the planar shape of the vehicle.

(Second Embodiment)
A normal drive recorder shoots the front, back, side, etc. in spots. Recently, there is also a drive recorder that uses a hemispherical lens to capture a hemispherical region of 180 degrees in the vertical direction + 360 degrees in the horizontal direction with one camera. A drive recorder that captures this type of hemispherical region is mounted on the ceiling and captures the lower hemisphere with reference to the mounting surface. At 180 degrees, the ceiling is not visible from ceiling to ceiling (see the range indicated by 180 degrees in FIG. 20). Then, as is clear from FIG. 20A, the traffic light 80 above the ceiling is out of the shooting range.

On the other hand, in the case of a drive recorder that shoots a predetermined direction in a spot, which is widely used at present, the angle of view in the vertical direction is about 70 to 90 degrees when the front is viewed. Then, since the upper half is about 40 degrees, it is sufficient if the range from the ceiling to about 40 degrees above can be photographed. In addition, when the traffic light 80 is used as an object to be photographed, it is effective for proving the legitimacy of oneself, such as traveling at a green light when a contact accident occurs while temporarily stopping at an intersection or passing through an intersection. Is. In order to prove that the vehicle has entered the intersection at a green light, it is necessary for the traffic light 80 in the traveling direction to take a picture together with the color of the signal from a position such as a stop line in front of the intersection. Then, in order to take a picture of the traffic light 80 under the conditions of the height of the traffic light 80, the width of the road 81 in front of the stop line, the mounting height of the drive recorder, etc., as shown in FIG. It is good if you can shoot up to the range of. In the present embodiment, the viewing angle of the lens is set to 360 degrees horizontally and 240 degrees vertically. Assuming that the vertical angle is 240 degrees, when the drive recorder 10 is attached to the vehicle and the lens is directed directly downward, a range of 120 degrees on the front side can be photographed, which is included in the lower limit of 30 degrees from the ceiling.

Of the circular images obtained by shooting, the resolution is best in the central portion and lowest in the peripheral portion. Therefore, even if a 240-degree lens is used, the peripheral edge becomes small and the image is not good, and the range that can be substantially recognized as an image is in the range of 220 degrees. Since the camera of the present embodiment employs equidistant projection, the area 220 to 240 is optically stretched even if it is in the effective pixel, and it is difficult for a person to recognize it. .. In addition, since the shooting range is wider than 180 degrees, it is difficult to receive light from the back side of the lens. Considering this point, about 10 degrees and about 20 degrees on both sides are the contents even if you look at the shot images. Is difficult to see. Therefore, if a 220-degree lens is used, the range that can actually be effectively photographed is the range of 200 degrees, which is almost a hemisphere. By using a 240 degree lens in this embodiment, it is possible to shoot up to a range of 220 degrees without any problem.

Then, if the range is 220 degrees, the diagonally upper front is a range of 30 degrees, and the traffic light 80 can be photographed. Therefore, it is not always necessary to provide a mechanism for changing the direction of the camera as in the above-described embodiment, but it is more preferable to provide a mechanism for changing the direction. Then, by changing the direction of the camera, the shooting position on the lens of the traffic light 80 can be positioned on the center side having a higher resolution, and the shooting can be performed more clearly.

[Setting the relationship between the circular range where the light passing through the camera lens is imaged (hereinafter referred to as the "image circle") and the shooting area of the shooting element]
As shown in FIG. 21, the image taken by the lens becomes a circular image circle. The image sensor of C-MOS, which is a photographing element included in the camera unit 87, has a rectangular photographing area. Normally, a 180-degree camera captures an image with a relationship in which the diameter of the image circle shown in FIG. 21 (a) and the length of the short side of the C-MOS sensor are equal. As a result, the entire circumference of 180 degrees can be photographed, but the area outside the image circle is not used for photographing and is useless.
The area that is not used for actual shooting differs depending on the aspect ratio, but about half is wasted. There is a problem of expanding the effective area for actually shooting with the sensor.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the diameter of the image circle is equal to or less than the length of the long side in the rectangular imaging region of the C-MOS image sensor, and shorter than the length of the short side. Further, the image taken in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1 is configured to form an image in the direction along the long side of the image pickup device. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the lateral direction is 180 degrees, which is the same as that of a conventional hemispherical camera, and the longitudinal direction is 240 degrees, which is the diameter of the image circle. Further, it is preferable to use an image sensor having an aspect ratio of 3: 2 as the image sensor.

If the image circle obtained by shooting with the lens is larger than the shooting area of the image sensor, the image in the overlapping range is actually captured by the C-MOS image sensor. A part of the image circle is cut out. As a result, the wasted area not used for photographing the C-MOS image sensor is reduced, and the sensor is effectively used. Further, in this way, the wasted area outside the image circle can be reduced, and the subject can be photographed in a large size.

Furthermore, since the images taken in the front-rear direction of the vehicle are imaged in the direction along the long side of the C-MOS image sensor, all the images in the front-rear direction of the vehicle enter the shooting area of the image sensor and are in front of the vehicle. You can take pictures of the scenery and the state of the passenger compartment. Further, since the portion of the image circle outside the imaging region of the image sensor is an area diagonally upward in the left-right direction of the vehicle, there is no problem. That is, for example, when shooting a range equal to or greater than that of a drive recorder that used to shoot the front view and the rear vehicle interior with two conventional cameras, and for example, when shooting a wider range than the hemisphere. Is an area outside the image pickup area of the image sensor and cannot receive light because the ceiling of the vehicle is photographed and the outside scenery is not captured. Therefore, there is no problem even if the image cannot be recorded. The advantage of being able to effectively use the image sensor and taking a large image is greater than the disadvantage of not being able to take a part of the image in the left-right direction. Furthermore, if the longitudinal direction is 240 degrees, the entire interior of the vehicle can be seen from the front view.

There are various types of C-MOS sensors such as 16: 9, 4: 3, 3: 2, etc., but in this embodiment, a 3: 2 sensor is used. When this 3: 2 size sensor is used, if the lateral direction of the C-MOS sensor is assigned to 180 degrees, the longitudinal direction can correspond to up to 270 degrees. Since a 240 degree lens is used, if the total length of the C-MOS sensor in the longitudinal direction is assigned to 240 degrees, the lateral direction becomes about 160 degrees, and in reality, about 140 degrees can be photographed. At around 140 degrees, it is difficult to shoot outside the car, but the inside of the car can be taken, so for example, one camera can shoot the same or more range as the drive recorder that shoots the front view and the rear interior with two cameras. It is good because the imaging area of the C-MOS sensor can be effectively used. As described above, the lateral direction may be less than 180 degrees, and in the above case, the utilization rate is close to 100%.

However, in the case of 140 degrees, if the drive recorder is mounted closer to the driver's seat side or the passenger seat side, it becomes difficult to see the opposite side, so in order to avoid this, it is advisable to mount the drive recorder near the center. For example, when it is installed on the passenger seat side, the seat surface of the driver's seat is only visible, and at least the driver's face is not visible. When installed on the driver's side, the opposite is true. Therefore, it becomes a convenient drive recorder for the request to shoot only one side. Requests to take a picture of only one are, for example, "general users do not want to see themselves, but want to take pictures of other vehicle interior conditions", "passengers want to take pictures from the viewpoint of crime prevention such as taxis", and "operation". I want to take a picture of the driver from the management. "

In addition, in the case of a tall sedan-type vehicle, the entire image is easy to see even if the mounting position is shifted to the driver's seat side / passenger's seat side, and in the case of a sports car type vehicle with a low vehicle height, it becomes more difficult to see. .. If it is a bus, 140 degrees is not a problem.

Further, if a range of 170 degrees in the lateral direction of the image sensor is assigned to the short side of the imaging area of the C-MOS sensor, the inside of the vehicle can be photographed regardless of the position of the image sensor. Further, as described above, if the temperature is 180 degrees, the entire image can be photographed because it is reflected up to the vicinity of the ceiling, but it is delicate whether it is necessary to that extent. Therefore, it is better to reduce the shooting range in the left-right direction of the vehicle to about 170 degrees and widen the angle in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

The number of pixels of the image sensor is the smallest of C-MOS, 0.3M pixels for VGA, 8M pixels for 4K TV, and 16M pixels for 16K. The image projected in the imaging area of the same size of C-MOS is a hemispherical lens and a lens that shoots a wide range of 240 degrees compared to a drive recorder that shoots only the front spot using a conventional optical lens. A wider range of captured images will be aggregated in the real space. Therefore, unless a C-MOS sensor having a high resolution is used, it cannot be viewed at the same resolution as the conventional one when reproduced and displayed. If the same C-MOS is used, for example, what was visible in the conventional drive recorder may become a point and cannot be visually recognized in the drive recorder of the present embodiment. Therefore, it is preferable to use a high-resolution sensor such as 4K or 8K.

As an example, assuming a pattern in which the entire image circle shown in FIG. 21 (a) is included, the image circle when VGA is used is 1080 at 2M, whereas the image circle when 4K is used is 1920. Since it is a pixel, the area ratio is about 1.7 times. Further, when 8K is used, the image circle is 2976 pixels at 12M, and the area ratio increases about 2.7 times. Then, in the present embodiment, the 6.8M sensor compresses the resolution to 4M and records the image.

[Linkage with smartphone: Settings]
The drive recorder 10 has a short-range wireless communication function using Bluetooth (registered trademark), and pairs with a smartphone using the communication function. Download the application corresponding to the drive recorder to the smartphone in advance, start the application, and display the setting screen on the display unit of the smartphone. The user operates the setting screen to set the detection sensitivity (10 steps) of the area sensor 48, the impact sensitivity setting, the tilt sensor ON / OFF, the door opening ON / OFF, and the like. Since power is consumed when the drive recorder is turned on for setting, security operation can be performed without driving the drive recorder 10 side. Therefore, the tilt sensor (G sensor) in which the microphone sensor and the tilt sensor are separately provided for security monitoring is turned on when the engine is turned off, and the G sensor of the drive recorder is turned on when the engine is turned on.

The specific processes and functions for linking with smartphones are as follows. For example, download an application corresponding to the drive recorder to the smartphone in advance. When pairing, turn on the Bluetooth (registered trademark) of the smartphone and start the application. Along with this activation, the application displays an operation button for connection for pairing on the display unit. When it detects that the operation button is touched, the application transmits a signal for pairing, receives a signal from the drive recorder 10 for the signal, and establishes pairing. When the pairing is successful, the application notifies a predetermined result message (for example, "Pairing was successful") by voice, and displays, for example, the operation screen shown in FIG. 23A on the display unit 91. If the pairing is not established after a certain period of time, the app will give a voice notification of a predetermined result message (for example, "Pairing failed"). In response to this, the user touches the operation button for connection again to establish pairing.

As shown in FIG. 23A, the setting screen includes a setting content display unit 92a, a recording mode setting button 92b, a stop button 92c, an area sensitivity setting button 92d, and a version information confirmation button 92e. Further, at the lower position of the setting screen, a recorder connection button and a video button in the smartphone are provided.

The setting content display unit 92a displays four display items: "operating state", "vehicle battery voltage", "area sensitivity level", and "number of event recording histories". The "operating state" column indicates the current state of video recording. In the figure, "Area AUTO" indicating the type of the operation trigger being set and "Waiting for monitoring" indicating the transition to the approach monitoring mode are displayed. The "vehicle battery voltage" is an area for displaying the current vehicle battery voltage ("12.7V" in the example of the figure). This battery voltage is displayed based on, for example, the information sent from the drive recorder 10. The "area sensitivity level" is an area for displaying the currently set area sensitivity. In the figure, it is displayed as 7/10, indicating that it is level 7 out of 10 stages. The "event record history number" is an area for displaying the number of event records in the approach monitoring mode.

The recording mode setting button 92b includes an "always recording button" and an "event recording button" on the left and right. These buttons are used to temporarily change the recording mode during parking recording. For example, when changing the recording mode from "event recording" to "always recording" during parking recording, touch the "always recording button". The application that detects such a touch displays a "recording mode switching confirmation screen" (not shown), and switches to continuous recording on condition that the confirmation button is touched. If you want to record the parking with "Event record" while parking, touch the "Event record button". The application that detects such a touch displays a "recording mode switching confirmation screen" (not shown), and starts parking recording by event recording on condition that the confirmation button is touched. The change will be reflected only this time, and the mode registered in the mode setting will be executed at the next parking recording.

When the stop button 92c is touched, the application that detects it stops the parking record. If either the "Continuous recording button" or the "Event recording button" is touched while stopped, the corresponding parking recording is started.

The user operates the setting screen to set the detection sensitivity (10 steps) of the area sensor 48, the impact sensitivity setting, the tilt sensor ON / OFF, the door opening ON / OFF, and the like. The sensitivity is set as follows. When the area sensitivity setting button 92d is touched, the application that detects it is a sensitivity setting screen including a sensitivity level display unit 93, a sensitivity level adjustment unit 94, and a decision button 95, as shown in FIG. 23 (b). Is displayed. The sensitivity level display unit 93 displays a circular area that schematically represents the monitoring area around the vehicle, and displays the current sensitivity level as text above. The sensitivity level adjusting unit 94 adjusts the level by sliding the circular operation button / slider left and right while touching it with a finger. In this embodiment, the level range is 1 (near) to 10 (far). When the slider is located at the left end, the level is 1, and when the slider is located at the right end, the level is 10. As the slider moves left and right, the app changes the corresponding sensitivity level value. In addition, the diameter of the circular region surrounding the vehicle may be changed according to the change in the sensitivity level. In this way, the smaller the level, the smaller the diameter is displayed, and the sensitivity can be intuitively understood. When the decision button 95 is touched, the sensitivity level set by the sensitivity level adjusting unit 94 at that time is determined, and thereafter, area sensing is performed with the determined sensitivity.

The recorded file taken by the drive recorder 10 and recorded on the memory card can be handled by, for example, a personal computer. For example, with the memory card set in the reader / writer connected to the personal computer, accessing the memory card from the personal computer, importing the desired recorded file to the personal computer, or transferring the imported recorded file to the smartphone. Can be done.

The app has the ability to play back recorded files that are transferred to the smartphone and saved on the smartphone. For example, when it is detected that the "video button in the smartphone" arranged at the bottom of the setting screen shown in FIG. 23A or the like is touched, the application searches for the recorded file saved in the smartphone and displays the list. Display (see FIG. 23 (c)). The user touches the recorded file to be played from this list. The application that detects the touch reads out the corresponding recorded file and displays it on the display unit 91 for playback (see FIG. 23 (d)). When playing back the recorded file saved in this smartphone, the same processing as the processing for the video of the recorded file saved in the drive recorder described later can be performed.

The application downloaded to the smartphone has a function of playing back a video taken by the drive recorder 10 or a saved recorded file by connecting to the drive recorder 10 via a wireless LAN. Press the record button 33 to stop recording on the drive recorder 10. With this recording stopped, a wireless LAN connection is made with the drive recorder 10 using the WiFi connection function provided in the smartphone.

When the application is started, the setting screen shown in FIG. 23A is displayed when the smartphone and the drive recorder 10 are connected via Bluetooth, and a screen prompting the connection is displayed when the smartphone and the drive recorder 10 are not connected via Bluetooth. Each screen is provided with a recorder connection button and a video button in the smartphone below the display unit 91. Then, the user touches the recorder connection button. The application that detects the touch displays the recorder connection target list shown in FIG. 24 (a).

The user touches the drive recorder 10 to be connected from the list. The application that detects the touch displays the confirmation message shown in FIG. 24 (b) in an overlapping manner, and when "OK" or "Do not display from next time" is touched, the live image currently being shot by the camera unit 12 is displayed. Is received and displayed on the display unit 91 of the smartphone (see FIG. 24 (c) and the like). Using this live image display function, for example, the angle of the camera unit 12 described with reference to FIG. 8 is adjusted.

Further, as shown in FIG. 24 (d), the "main unit recording button" is arranged on the lower left side and the "smartphone recording tongue" is arranged on the right side in the area for displaying the live image. Then, when the main body recording button is pressed, the application sends a recording instruction to the drive recorder 10, and the control unit of the drive recorder 10 saves the recording file in the memory card in response to the recording instruction. Also, when the smartphone recording tongue is pressed, the app saves the captured video directly in the storage memory of the smartphone. At this time, it is not saved in the drive recorder 10. In this way, it is possible to instruct the recording of the captured video by operating the smartphone. Such an operation is good because the operability is improved because the operation is performed at the user's hand and the screen is larger than the button of the drive recorder 10.

Further, when the smartphone is turned sideways, the application switches the captured image to the full screen display as shown in FIG. 24 (e). The app turns off the information display such as recording time in a few seconds and displays only the video. If the screen is touched while displaying only the video in full screen display, the app redisplays the information such as the recording time.

FIG. 25 shows an example of the setting change screen of the drive recorder 10. FIG. 25A is a recording condition setting screen. The figure shows the initial value, the number of recorded frames is 15 frames / second, various operation settings are turned on, and the G sensor sensitivity is set to operate at 1.00 G or more for each axis. To switch ON / OFF, each time the corresponding item is touched, ON / OFF is switched alternately. The number of frames to be recorded is determined, for example, "30 frames / second, 15 frames / second, 10 frames / second, 5 frames / second", and is switched each time the touch is made. Alternatively, a pull-down menu list showing the number of frames that can be selected by long-pressing may be displayed, and a pull-down menu list may be touched to select from the pull-down menu list. The G sensor sensitivity is set in 0.1 steps for each axis by moving the slider of "○" to the left or right.

FIG. 25B is an approach monitoring mode setting screen using the area sensor 48. The figure shows the initial value, and each item is touched and changed. The number of recording frames sets the number of recording frames in the approach monitoring mode, and is selected from 30 frames / second, 15 frames / second, 10 frames / second, 5 frames / second, and 1 frame / second. The approach monitoring mode transition time sets the time from the vehicle engine OFF (ACC OFF) to the start of parking recording, and is selected from 3 minutes and 5 minutes later. The camera standby time sets the time from when the camera is started to when it is stopped, and is selected from 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, and 4 minutes. The recording time (when the multi-battery is not connected) sets the parking recording time when the external battery / external power supply device is not connected, and is selected from 30 minutes and 1 hour. The recording time (when connected to a multi-battery) sets the parking recording time when an external battery / external power supply is connected. Not used, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours, Choose from 6 hours or 12 hours. The detection voltage setting is to set the voltage in the function of turning off the power when the voltage of the vehicle battery becomes less than the set value, and is selected from 12.6V, 12.3V, 12.2V, and 11.9V. The tilt sensor and the door open sensor select whether or not to perform detection by each sensor. The impact sensitivity sets the impact sensitivity at the start of event recording, and is set to OFF, 1 to 10. The microwave sensor area detection sensitivity sets the area detection sensitivity for detecting the intrusion of a person or the like into the detection area by the area sensor, and is set between OFF and 1 to 10. The microwave sensor proximity / near sensitivity sets the sensitivity for detecting the proximity / nearness at the start of event recording, and is set between OFF and 1 to 10.

The video recorded by the drive recorder 10 can be displayed in conjunction with a map such as Google Maps by using the dedicated viewer software installed in the personal computer. By activating the application program (referred to as "PC viewer" in this embodiment) installed in the storage unit of the personal computer, the personal computer operates as a display device for a drive recorder. The drive recorder 10 records various information related to recorded images such as date and time information and speed information as well as images and sounds taken while traveling, parking, etc. on the memory card 36. When playing back the video or the like recorded on the memory card 36, the user takes out the memory card 36 from the memory card slot and sets it in the reader / writer of the personal computer. The started PC viewer is executed, and the video or the like recorded while driving or the like is displayed on the display unit. The specific functions of the PC viewer are as follows.

FIG. 26 shows an example of a display layout displayed on the display unit of a personal computer in a state in which a PC viewer is started, a recorded video is selected, and playback is executed. The left side of the display screen 100 has a menu bar, a calendar display unit, a playlist display unit 102, a map display unit 103, and the like from the top, and an image display for displaying the image of the selected data in a large area on the right side thereof. Area 101 is arranged. An information display unit 105, an acceleration sensor graph / acceleration plot diagram display unit 104, and the like are provided below the image display area 101.

Based on the own vehicle position information of the read video, a map of the surrounding area, for example, Google Maps, etc. is acquired and displayed on the map display unit 103, and the own vehicle position icon is moved in conjunction with the map. If you are not connected to the Internet, the map of the surrounding area will not be displayed.

The acceleration sensor graph / acceleration plot diagram display unit 104 is an area for displaying data related to the recorded acceleration, and is an area for displaying the acceleration sensor graph shown in FIG. 26 (b) or the acceleration plot diagram shown in FIG. 26 (c). be. The acceleration sensor graph displays the recorded data as a graph with acceleration (vertical axis) and time (horizontal axis). Click the + button to enlarge the accelerometer scale, and click the-button to reduce the accelerometer scale. The zoom button on the top scales the time, and the zoom button on the side scales the acceleration. The acceleration plot diagram displays the recorded data as an X-axis and Y-axis plot diagram. Click the + button to enlarge the acceleration plot, and click the-button to reduce the acceleration plot.

A playback screen tool is displayed on the right side of the video display area 101. The PC viewer has a function of changing the display mode by clicking each icon of the playback screen tool. For example, the “fisheye display” shown in FIG. 27A is a display mode in which the recorded image is displayed as it is (fisheye state). The “enlarged flat display” shown in FIG. 27 (b) is a display mode in which a part of the display is enlarged and displayed on a flat surface. The “panoramic display” shown in FIG. 27 (c) is a display mode in which a single image is displayed horizontally in the 360-degree horizontal direction. The “ring-shaped display” shown in FIG. 27 (d) is a display mode in which a panoramic image is displayed as an image in a ring state. The “dome-shaped display” shown in FIG. 27 (e) is a display mode in which a dome-shaped image is displayed. The “180 ° VR panoramic display” shown in FIG. 27 (f) is a display mode in which a panoramic image is displayed in VR.

[Modification example]
In the above-described embodiment, the area sensor uses a radio wave sensor using a microwave such as a quasi-millimeter wave, but the radio wave used may be a microwave or a millimeter wave other than the quasi-millimeter wave. It may also be called a radio wave type motion sensor or a quasi-millimeter wave motion sensor that detects the movement of an object.

In the embodiment, the ring portion 16 has a continuous ring shape, but a part of the ring portion 16 may be cut out, for example, a C ring. However, a continuous ring shape is preferable because it can firmly hold the main body portion 11. Further, although the main body portion 11 is detachable from the ring portion 16, it may be linked so as not to be detachable.

In the above-described embodiment, the camera unit 87 is mounted on the camera case 40, and the memory card slot, the main CPU, the power supply circuit, and the like are mounted on the housing 20 of the main body, but a part thereof is on the camera case 40 side. It may be provided.

In the above-described embodiment, the shooting lamp 44 is provided, the control of the shooting lamp is turned on / off, and the brightness / brightness of the lamp is fixed, but the brightness that emits light corresponding to the ambient brightness is set. You should change it. When changing, it is better to change dynamically. Since the LED is reflected when blinking / PWM control is performed, it is preferable to control by changing the current value.

In the above-described embodiment, the reflector 68 has changed in two stages, but it may have three or more stages or a trumpet-shaped curved surface. It is preferable because the radiation pattern can be adjusted. Further, when it is not necessary to radiate to a wide range close to 180 degrees, a simple conical shape having one side inclination angle may be used. However, in order to perform approach monitoring that uniformly detects in a horizontal plane and detects even if approaching from any direction, it is preferable to perform two steps as in the embodiment.

In the above-described embodiment, the variation of the mounting direction of the main body 11 with respect to the bracket 13 is intended to position the camera in the center, and another purpose is to position the camera in an easy-to-operate place. In addition to this, it may be applied when mounting a sensor having an orientation such as an infrared sensor. Further, when the drive recorder 10 is provided with a detection area in the axial direction, it is preferable to use a structure in which the bracket is attached from either the left or right side, because the attachment mode can be taken according to the situation. Further, it is preferable to apply not only to sensors but also to antennas and other asymmetrical objects. For example, in the case of an antenna that skips Wi-Fi, if there is an antenna with strong directivity on one side from the position of the parking lot at home and the position of home, install it so that the home comes to the side with strong directivity. Further, it is not limited to sensing and transmission, and for example, it is preferable to provide a light emitting unit and adjust the light emitting amount and the mounting method when the installed type is asymmetrical. For example, if the amount of light on the driver's side is increased and the amount of light on the passenger's side is decreased, or vice versa, or if security threats during parking are assumed, the light is emitted toward the side that is easily visible to the outside. And so on.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the radiation pattern is such that radio waves are radiated from the antenna 51 / area sensor 48 to the entire circumference in the plane, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the radiation is weak in a part of the surroundings. There may be parts that are not radiated. In that case, it is preferable that there is an obstacle such as a pillar when the outside of the vehicle is viewed from the inside of the vehicle in the direction of the portion when the vehicle is attached to the vehicle. In this way, since it is not possible to take a picture of the outside of the vehicle by a pillar or the like in the direction, the influence is small even if the radio wave is not radiated, and since the radio wave is not radiated in the direction, the radio wave in the other direction can be sent far. It's good because it's good.

In the above-described embodiment, the shape of the antenna 51 is set as desired, and the radio waves output from the sensor module 50 are reflected by each part of the antenna 51 to radiate the radio waves in a desired direction. The present invention is not limited to this, and it is preferable to arrange a reflecting element or the like at an appropriate position separately from the antenna 51 and adjust the radiation pattern.

For example, the reflecting element is arranged at a position separated by a predetermined distance from the vertically arranged blocking plates 66 arranged vertically. In this way, the radiation from the blocking plate 66 can be returned by the reflecting element, and the radiation gain in the non-vertical direction can be improved. The predetermined distance may be, for example, 1 / 2λ or 1 / 4λ.

It is preferable to add a reflecting element at a position where one of the openings 70 is separated from the opening 70 by a predetermined distance. In this way, the radio wave radiated from the opening on the side to which the reflecting element is added is returned by the reflecting element and travels toward the opening 70 on the opposite side. Then, it is possible to perform in-phase synthesis of electromagnetic waves that are distributed by the reflector 68 and then travel toward the opening 70 on the opposite side, and improve the gain of the radio waves radiated from the opening 70 on the opposite side. So good.

Such a reflective element can be realized, for example, by attaching a metal tape to a predetermined position of the ring portion 16. In particular, in the above-described embodiment, since the ring portion 16 is arranged outside the opening 70 of the antenna 51, the reflective element can be placed at a position separated from the opening 70 by a predetermined distance by attaching the ring portion 16 to a predetermined position of the ring portion 16. You can take the arranged composition. The metal tape may be attached to the inner peripheral surface of the ring portion 16.

Further, by changing the position where the metal tape is attached on the ring portion 16, for example, the gain of radiation toward the front of the vehicle can be increased, or the gain of radiation toward the interior of the vehicle can be increased. .. Further, the reflective element arranged on the outside of the blocking plate 66 described above can also be realized by attaching a metal tape to a predetermined position of the ring portion 16. Then, a plurality of types of brackets to which the metal tape is attached to the desired position of the ring portion 16 are prepared. For example, prepare a "bracket for front and rear shooting", a "bracket for front center shooting", and a "bracket for rear center shooting", and the user should attach the drive recorder 10 using a bracket that suits his or her taste. It is good to set it to.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the radio wave outlet 50e of the sensor module 50 is a vertically long rectangle, but it may be circular, and the polarization can be either linearly polarized or circularly polarized. However, it is preferable to make it rectangular as in the embodiment because it is easy to correspond with the slit 69.

The function of outputting radio waves of the sensor module 50 is configured by using a waveguide, but the present invention is not limited to this, and power may be supplied by using, for example, a microstrip patch structure or a slot structure. .. In that case, the magnetic field direction may be the vertical direction connecting the pair of upper and lower blocking plates. The shape of the patch shall be rectangular or any other shape. However, if the waveguide type is used as in the embodiment, for example, by setting the flange portion 50f on the frame body 65, the relative positional relationship between the antenna 51 and the sensor module 50 / feeding point can be set, fixed, and grounded. So good.

In the above-described embodiment, the photographing means is a camera capable of photographing a wider range than the hemispherical camera or the hemispherical camera, such as one camera mounted on the camera unit 12 that captures a wider range than the hemisphere or the hemisphere. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It suffices if it has a shooting range including 180 degrees opposite directions, such as omnidirectional cameras or two cameras arranged in opposite directions to shoot forward and backward, but it was particularly used in the embodiment. Hemispherical cameras (including cameras that can shoot a range larger than the hemisphere) and spherical cameras are recommended.

The omnidirectional camera has a shooting range of 360 ° in the surroundings by, for example, reflecting the surrounding landscape on an omnidirectional mirror mounted on the upper part and shooting the image from the camera mounted upward. As the shape of the omnidirectional mirror, various shapes such as a cone, a hemisphere, and a parabolic curved surface can be used. Since the camera placed upward is captured near the lower apex of the mirror, the vertical direction is in the range of about 10 to 15 ° above and about 55 ° below the horizontal plane, and the scenery in the direction directly below cannot be photographed. Therefore, for example, it is not suitable for photographing the inside of a vehicle.

On the other hand, a hemisphere camera such as a hemisphere or a camera that shoots a wider range than the hemisphere shown in the embodiment, a camera that can shoot a wider range than the hemisphere camera, and a spherical camera are For example, it includes a lens having an angle of view of 360 degrees horizontally and 180 degrees vertically or more, and an image pickup element that captures the light focused by the lens. Since the shooting range is a space of 180 degrees or more that is continuous with respect to the circumference of 360 degrees and a direction orthogonal to the direction of the surroundings, it is good that a continuous space can be shot in the front-rear direction including the vehicle interior, for example. ..

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the area sensor is mounted on the drive recorder has been described, but the area sensor may be mounted on various devices / systems other than the drive recorder. As an application example, it can be applied to, for example, a device for communicating.

For example, in the case of a communication robot, which is an example of a device for communicating, the area sensor 48 is attached to a predetermined position of the robot body so that the plane becomes a horizontal plane. The predetermined position may be, for example, a predetermined position on the lower side or the head. Especially when it is placed below, it is good because it can be mounted inconspicuously. It is possible to detect the entire circumference in the horizontal direction centered on the robot, and for example, it is possible to detect that a person has entered the room or has disappeared from the room. It can be applied to both self-propelled and fixed robots. Normally, an automatic transfer robot can see only one-dimensional direction of movement by using a rider, but it is good to use this because the entire circumference can be seen. Since it is an antenna, it is sufficient to change the system and detection algorithm to be attached so that the distance to the object can be known by changing to object detection, and it can be used for detection so as not to hit an obstacle.

Further, for example, in a fixed robot, the pair of openings 70 of the antenna 51 are directed to the left and right of the robot instead of the front and rear as in the drive recorder, and the main lobe is radiated in the left and right direction to widen the detection range. It is good to install it.

Further, it is preferable to mount the sensor on a communication device other than the robot so as to respond based on the detection output of the movement, approach, separation, etc. of a person.

In addition, for example, the detection range of the sensor is set appropriately to detect the movement of a bedridden old man and notify when there is no movement, notify when a fall from the bed is detected, or detect when wandering out of the room. It is good to use it for notifying when it is out of the range. Since the monitoring area is wide, it is good because it can be monitored by one sensor.

Further, the direction of the plane of the detection area of the sensor is set to a vertical plane, and the inside of the vertical plane is set as a monitoring area. Since the radiation pattern is crushed like a kagami mochi, there is little horizontal spread. Therefore, if it is placed at the gate, it will not be detected until just before, and it can be detected when trying to pass through the gate.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, it is basic to radiate radio waves toward the entire circumference, or the radiation direction is narrowed down to, for example, two directions, and a plurality of antennas are arranged in a string of beads to cover the entire area. .. Adjacent paired antennas change the frequency depending on the transmission / reception type, detect the difference frequency, and switch to the opposite type detector. At this time, the shift should be 1 MHz or more. Then, when it passes between the antennas, it can be detected, and it is possible to detect from which point the intrusion / escape occurred.

Although various aspects of the present invention have been described above using embodiments, modifications, and the like, these embodiments and explanations have not been made for the purpose of limiting the scope of the present invention, and an understanding of the present invention. It should be added that it was provided to contribute to.

The scope of the present invention is not limited to the configurations expressly described herein, but also includes combinations of various aspects of the invention disclosed herein. Of the present invention, the configuration for which a patent is sought is specified in the appended claims, but even if the configuration is not specified in the claims at present, it is disclosed in the present specification. We intend to make this configuration the scope of claims in the future. The applicant of the present application intends to acquire the right to such a part / combination by filing an amendment, divisional application, change application to a design registration application, or the like.

The invention of the present application is not limited to the configuration described in the above-described embodiment. The components of each of the above-described embodiments and modifications may be arbitrarily selected and combined. Further, any component of each embodiment or modification, and any component described in the means for solving the invention or a component described in the means for solving the invention are embodied. And may be configured in any combination. We also intend to acquire the rights to these in the amendment or divisional application of the present application.

In addition, he / she intends to acquire the right to the whole design or the partial design by filing a change application to the design application. Although the entire drawing of this device is drawn with solid lines, it is a drawing that includes not only the whole design but also the partial design requested for a part of the device. For example, it is a drawing which includes a part of the device as a partial design regardless of the member as well as a part of the member of the device as a partial design. As a part of the device, it may be a part of the device or a part of the member. Not only the whole design, but also the partial design in which any part of the solid line part of the drawing is a broken line part is intended to be granted the right.

1: Vehicle 2: Front glass 10: Drive recorder 11: Main body 12: Camera 13: Bracket 16: Ring 17: Fixing plate 20: Housing 21: First case 22: Second case 23: Tooth 25 : Tooth part 26: Nut member 30: Horizontal line 38: Inner case 38c: Main body side first tooth part 38d: Main body side second tooth part 40: Camera case 41: First lens holder 42: Second lens holder 42b: Curved Part 43: Lens 48: Area sensor 50: Sensor module 50e: Exit 50f: Flange part 51: Antenna 58: Shield case 65: Frame 66: Blocking plate 67: Shielding plate 68: Reflector 69: Slit 70: Opening Part 71: First fin 72: Second fin 73: Projection piece 75: Metal element 86a: Camera side first tooth part 86b: Camera side second tooth part 86c: Locking convex part 87: Camera unit P: Power feeding point

Claims (3)

And output means for outputting the radio wave in a specific direction, an antenna for radiating the output radio wave in a predetermined direction, a sensor for detecting an object based on the radiated radio wave,
The antenna is arranged at a position that blocks radio waves output in the specific direction, reflects the output radio waves, and distributes the traveling direction orthogonal to the specific direction in two opposite directions.
A first metal fin extending in the specific direction from the peripheral edge of the opening provided at the tip in the two directions, and
A second metal fin extending in the direction opposite to the specific direction from the peripheral edge of the opening.
The length of the first fin and the second fin is set so that the wide angle range of the radio wave radiated from the opening in two directions orthogonal to the specific direction is equal to or larger than the reference angle.
Sensor for radiation to the opposite direction while being guided by the front Stories second fin. The reflector has a slit through which a part of radio waves output from the output means is passed.
The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor radiates in the same direction as the specific direction based on the radio wave passing through the slit. The sensor according to claim 2, wherein the reflector has a conical shape, and the slit is provided in a side surface portion other than the apex portion of the conical shape.

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