JP7474057B2 - Vehicle operation recording system and vehicle operation recording device - Google Patents

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a vehicle operation recording system and a vehicle operation recording device .

Conventionally, vehicle operation recording devices such as drive recorders generally operate by receiving power from the vehicle's accessory power supply. In this case, for example, a retrofit vehicle operation recording device is connected to the vehicle's accessory power supply by inserting a power plug serving as the main power supply into the vehicle's cigarette lighter socket, accessory socket, or the like. In such a vehicle operation recording device, if the power supply from the vehicle's accessory power supply is cut off, all functions of the vehicle operation recording device will stop. Therefore, for example, if the vehicle's accessory power supply is turned off while the vehicle operation recording device is writing data to memory or communicating with the outside, the data writing or communication will stop midway, and there is a risk that this data will be corrupted.

In order to allow such vehicle operation recording devices to operate for a certain period of time even after the power supply from the vehicle's accessory power source is cut off, it is considered to use, for example, a storage battery. For example, by providing a storage battery in parallel with the main power supply device, the vehicle operation recording device can operate for a certain period of time by receiving power from the storage battery even if the power supply from the main power supply device is stopped.

However, if a storage battery is provided in parallel with the main power supply, the vehicle operation recording device will continue to operate for a certain period of time even after the power supply from the main power supply is cut off, until the remaining charge in the storage battery decreases and the voltage drops, making it difficult to detect when the power supply has been switched from the main power supply to the storage battery. In other words, the end of a vehicle's operation is generally determined when the accessory power supply for the vehicle is turned off, but with the above configuration it is difficult to detect the end of a vehicle's operation.

In response to this, by incorporating a storage battery into the vehicle operation recording device and using a CPU in the vehicle operation recording device to control switching from the main power supply to the storage battery, the vehicle operation recording device can determine the point in time when the vehicle's accessory power supply is turned off, i.e., the time when the vehicle operation ends. However, vehicle operation recording devices such as drive recorders are generally installed in places inside the vehicle that are particularly prone to becoming hot, such as the back side of the windshield. For this reason, there is a concern that if a storage battery is incorporated into the vehicle operation recording device, the storage battery may deteriorate more quickly due to the influence of the ambient temperature.

JP 2010-182214 A

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle operation recording system that is equipped with an auxiliary storage battery external to the vehicle operation recording device and can detect the end of vehicle operation by detecting a switch from the main power supply device to the storage battery.

The vehicle operation recording system of the embodiment includes a vehicle operation recording device, a main power supply device, and an auxiliary power supply device. The vehicle operation recording device has a function unit capable of recording vehicle operation information and a control unit that controls the operation of the function unit, and operates by receiving a supply of drive power. The main power supply device is connected to the vehicle operation recording device, and is capable of receiving power from a power source provided in the vehicle to supply drive power of a predetermined voltage to the vehicle operation recording device. The auxiliary power supply device is provided outside the vehicle operation recording device and between the vehicle operation recording device and the main power supply device, has a storage battery, and is capable of receiving power from the storage battery to supply drive power of a voltage different from that of the main power supply device to the vehicle operation recording device. The auxiliary power supply device further includes a switching unit that switches the source of the drive power from the main power supply device to the auxiliary power supply device when the supply of the drive power from the main power supply device to the vehicle operation recording device is stopped. The control unit is capable of executing a power supply switching determination process that determines whether to switch the source of the drive power based on a change in the voltage of the drive power supplied to the vehicle operation recording device from the predetermined voltage.

According to this configuration, the vehicle operation recording device can detect the switch from the main power supply to the auxiliary power supply having a storage battery based on the change in the voltage of the drive power. In this case, the driver generally turns off the power to the vehicle at almost the same time as the vehicle operation ends, so the point in time when the power supply provided in the vehicle is turned off can be considered the end of the vehicle operation. Therefore, according to this configuration, the vehicle operation recording device can detect the end of the vehicle operation relatively accurately by detecting the switch from the main power supply to the auxiliary power supply based on the change in the voltage of the drive power.

FIG. 1 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an example of the configuration of a vehicle operation recording system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a control flow executed by a vehicle operation recording device in a vehicle operation recording system according to a first embodiment; FIG. 13 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an example of the configuration of a vehicle operation recording system according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a control flow executed by a vehicle operation recording device in a vehicle operation recording system according to a second embodiment.

Several embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the same reference numerals will be used to designate substantially the same components in each embodiment, and descriptions will be omitted.

First Embodiment
1 includes, for example, a drive recorder that is attached later, and has a function of recording information related to vehicle operation in an internal or external recording device. In this embodiment, the information related to vehicle operation includes various information related to vehicle operation, such as the vehicle position, driving route, speed, acceleration, vehicle state, information on the driver's drowsiness or distraction, total driving time, total driving distance, etc., and the vehicle operation recording system 1 can record at least one of these pieces of information.

The vehicle operation recording system 1 includes a main power supply unit 10, an auxiliary power supply unit 20, and a vehicle operation recording device 30. In this embodiment, the main power supply unit 10, the auxiliary power supply unit 20, and the vehicle operation recording device 30 each have a different housing, and are connected in series by a power line 2 in the order of the main power supply unit 10, the auxiliary power supply unit 20, and the vehicle operation recording device 30.

The main power supply unit 10 can be configured, for example, as a cigarette plug, and is inserted into a cigarette lighter socket or an accessory socket, etc., to connect to an accessory power supply provided in the vehicle. The main power supply unit 10 has, for example, an internal voltage conversion circuit, and is connected to the vehicle operation recording device 30 via the auxiliary power supply unit 20. The main power supply unit 10 has the function of receiving power from an accessory power supply provided in the vehicle, converting the voltage of the power supplied from the accessory power supply to a predetermined voltage, and supplying it to the vehicle operation recording device 30 as the driving power for the vehicle operation recording device 30.

The voltage of the output power of the main power supply unit 10 is set within the allowable voltage range of the vehicle operation recording device 30. In this embodiment, the accessory power supply supplies 12V of power. The main power supply unit 10 has the function of converting the 12V of power supplied from the accessory power supply to 5V and supplying this 5V output power to the vehicle operation recording device 30 as drive power.

The auxiliary power supply 20 is located outside the vehicle operation recording device 30 and is provided between the vehicle operation recording device 30 and the main power supply 10. The voltage of the output power of the auxiliary power supply 20 is set to a value within the allowable voltage range of the vehicle operation recording device 30 and different from the output voltage of the main power supply 10. In other words, the auxiliary power supply 20 has the function of supplying a drive power of a different voltage from that of the main power supply 10, in this case 4.5V, to the vehicle operation recording device 30.

The auxiliary power supply 20 has a charging circuit 21, a storage battery 22, a boost voltage stabilizing circuit 23, a diode 24, a switching unit 25, and a comparator 26. The charging circuit 21 is connected to the power line 2 on the input side of the switching unit 25, and is connected to the main power supply 10 via the power line 2. The charging circuit 21 has the function of receiving 5V driving power supplied from the main power supply 10, supplying the driving power to the storage battery 22, and controlling the charging of the storage battery 22.

The storage battery 22 is connected in parallel to the main power supply 10 and the vehicle operation recording device 30 inside the auxiliary power supply 20. The storage battery 22 is configured to be capable of discharging and charging, and a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery or a nickel-cadmium battery, or a capacitor, etc. can be used. In this embodiment, a capacitor is used for the storage battery 22. By using a capacitor that can be rapidly charged and discharged for the storage battery 22, it is possible to prevent any temporary decrease in the driving power supplied from the storage battery 22 to the vehicle operation recording device 30, and as a result, it is possible to continuously and stably supply driving power to the vehicle operation recording device 30.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the storage battery 22 may be, for example, a lithium ion capacitor. A lithium ion capacitor has the characteristics of being able to maintain capacity even in a high-temperature environment with an ambient temperature of 85°C, with only a small increase in internal resistance, and of being less susceptible to deterioration due to repeated discharge and charge cycles. For this reason, a lithium ion capacitor is suitable for use inside a vehicle where temperatures tend to rise, such as the auxiliary power supply 20, and for repeated charging and discharging. In this case, the output voltage from the storage battery 22 is lower than the output voltage from the main power supply 10, for example, about 2.2 V to 3.8 V.

The boost voltage stabilization circuit 23 is connected to the power supply line 2 and the vehicle operation recording device 30 via a diode 24. The diode 24 is provided between the boost voltage stabilization circuit 23 and the power supply line 2, with the direction from the boost voltage stabilization circuit 23 toward the vehicle operation recording device 30 being the forward direction.

The boost voltage stabilization circuit 23 has the function of boosting and stabilizing the output power of the storage battery 22 to a voltage different from the output voltage of the main power supply device 10 and supplying it to the vehicle operation recording device 30. In this case, the boost voltage stabilization circuit 23 boosts the output power of the storage battery 22, which is 2.2V to 3.8V, to 4.5V, which is lower than the output voltage of the main power supply device 10, which is 5V, and outputs it.

The boost voltage stabilization circuit 23 may boost the output power of the storage battery 22 to a value higher than the output voltage of the main power supply device 10 and output it. However, it is preferable that the boost voltage stabilization circuit 23 boost the output power of the storage battery 22 to a value lower than the output voltage of the main power supply device 10 and output it. This is for the following reason. That is, if the output power of the storage battery 22 is boosted to a value higher than the output voltage of the main power supply device 10 and output, when the main power supply device 10 tries to supply driving power to the vehicle operation recording device 30, the driving power is not supplied from the main power supply device 10, but the driving power is supplied to the vehicle operation recording device 30 from the storage battery 22, which has a higher output voltage than the main power supply device 10. In this case, driving power will continue to be supplied from the storage battery 22 and the charging circuit 21, and there is a possibility that the charging circuit 21 will not be able to charge the storage battery 22 correctly.

The switching unit 25 has a function of switching the source of drive power from the main power supply unit 10 to the auxiliary power supply unit 20 when the supply of drive power from the main power supply unit 10 to the vehicle operation recording device 30 is stopped. The switching unit 25 is composed of a switch such as a relay. The switching unit 25 is disposed between the main power supply unit 10 and the vehicle operation recording device 30, and has a function of opening and closing between the main power supply unit 10 and the vehicle operation recording device 30. The switching unit 25 operates by receiving an output from the comparator 26. The comparator 26 compares the voltages at both ends of the switching unit 25, that is, compares the voltages on the main power supply unit 10 side and the boost voltage stabilization circuit 23 side, and outputs High or Low depending on the voltage difference.

In this embodiment, the comparator 26 outputs High when the voltage on the main power supply 10 side is higher than the voltage on the boost voltage stabilization circuit 23 side, and outputs Low when the voltage on the main power supply 10 side is lower than the voltage on the boost voltage stabilization circuit 23 side. In this case, the switching unit 25 closes the connection between the main power supply 10 and the vehicle operation recording device 30 when the output of the comparator 26 is High, and opens the connection between the main power supply 10 and the vehicle operation recording device 30 when the output of the comparator 26 is Low.

That is, when the vehicle accessory power supply is ON and 5V drive power is being supplied from the main power supply unit 10, the switching unit 25 connects between the main power supply unit 10 and the vehicle operation recording device 30. As a result, the 5V drive power output from the main power supply unit 10 is supplied to the vehicle operation recording device 30. On the other hand, when the vehicle accessory power supply is OFF and the supply of 5V drive power from the main power supply unit 10 is stopped, the switching unit 25 cuts off the connection between the main power supply unit 10 and the vehicle operation recording device 30. As a result, the 4.5V drive power output from the storage battery 22 via the boost voltage stabilization circuit 23 is supplied to the vehicle operation recording device 30.

The vehicle operation recording device 30 operates by receiving either the 5V driving power output from the main power supply device 10 or the 4.5V driving power output from the auxiliary power supply device 20. The vehicle operation recording device 30 has multiple functional units 31, a voltage detection unit 32, and a control unit 33.

The functional unit 31 is a device that functions when supplied with driving power, and is, for example, a photographing device such as a camera that records images and videos, a recording device that collects and records audio, a GPS receiving device that acquires location information using GPS radio waves, etc., a vehicle information acquiring device that acquires information about the vehicle, a recording device that records information about the vehicle's location and speed, a communication device that connects wirelessly or by wire to external devices inside or outside the vehicle, etc.

Note that, although two or more functional units 31 are omitted in FIG. 1, the number of functional units 31 is not particularly limited. Furthermore, the types of functional units 31 are not limited to those described above. Furthermore, the vehicle operation recording device 30 can be configured to allow an external storage medium 90, such as an SD card or USB memory, to be detachable. Furthermore, one of the functions of the functional unit 31 can be a function to write various information, such as operation information, to this external storage medium 90. Furthermore, one of the functions of the functional unit 31 can be a timer function to measure the current time.

The voltage detection unit 32 is built into the housing of the vehicle operation recording device 30. The voltage detection unit 32 branches off from the power line 2 and is provided between the power line 2 and the control unit 33. The voltage detection unit 32 has a function of detecting the voltage of the driving power supplied to the vehicle operation recording device 30 and outputting the detection result to the control unit 33. The voltage detection unit 32 is configured, for example, with an A/D converter. A voltage detection function using an A/D converter or the like is a configuration that is normally provided in this type of vehicle operation recording device. Therefore, by configuring the voltage detection unit 32 with an A/D converter or the like built into the vehicle operation recording device 30, the vehicle operation recording device 30 can detect the voltage change of the driving power without adding a new configuration for detecting the voltage change of the driving power.

The control unit 33 has the function of distributing the drive power supplied from the main power supply unit 10 or the auxiliary power supply unit 20 to each functional unit 31 and controlling the operation of each functional unit 31. The control unit 33 is mainly composed of a microcomputer having, for example, a CPU 331 and a memory area 332 such as a ROM, a RAM, and a rewritable flash memory. The memory area 332 stores a control program for controlling the vehicle operation recording device 30. The control unit 33 executes the control program stored in the memory area 332 in the CPU 331, causing each functional unit 31 to perform a function that matches the purpose of each functional unit 31.

The control unit 33 can also execute a power supply switching determination process by executing a control program stored in the memory area 332 in the CPU 331. The power supply switching determination process is a process that determines whether to switch the source of drive power based on the fact that the voltage of the drive power supplied to the vehicle operation recording device 30 has changed from a predetermined voltage. In this embodiment, the power supply switching determination process is a process that determines whether to switch the source of drive power based on the detection result of the voltage detection unit 32.

That is, when the vehicle operation ends and the accessory power supply of the vehicle is turned off, the power source of the drive power supplied to the vehicle operation recording device 30 is switched from the main power supply unit 10 to the auxiliary power supply unit 20 by the functions of the switching unit 25 and the comparator 26. Then, the voltage of the drive power supplied to the vehicle operation recording device 30 drops from 5V of the main power supply unit 10 to 4.5V of the auxiliary power supply unit 20. When the control unit 33 detects that a predetermined voltage change has occurred in the drive power detected by the voltage detection unit 32 by executing the power supply switching determination process, in this case a drop from 5V to 4.5V, it determines that the power source of the drive power has switched from the main power supply unit 10 to the auxiliary power supply unit 20.

The control unit 33 can execute the operation end process by executing the control program stored in the memory area 332 in the CPU 331. In this embodiment, the control unit 33 executes the operation end process when it detects that a predetermined voltage change has occurred in the drive power detected by the voltage detection unit 32, in this case, a drop from 5V to 4.5V. That is, in this embodiment, when the control unit 33 determines that the power source of the drive power has switched from the main power supply unit 10 to the auxiliary power supply unit 20 by executing the power source switching determination process, it determines that the vehicle operation has ended and executes the operation end process. In this case, the control unit 33 also obtains the time when the power source of the drive power was switched from the main power supply unit 10 to the auxiliary power supply unit 20 as the operation end time.

The operation end process is a process for safely ending the recording of operation information by controlling the required functional units 31 among the functional units 31 when the voltage of the drive power supplied to the vehicle operation recording device 30 changes from a predetermined voltage. For example, if there is a switch from the main power supply unit 10 to the auxiliary power supply unit 20 while the functional units 31 are writing data such as operation information to the internal memory area 332 or the external memory medium 90, the operation end process includes a process for safely ending the recording of operation information without damaging the data that is currently being written by writing all of the data to the memory area 332 or the memory medium 90.

For example, when switching from the main power supply 10 to the auxiliary power supply 20 while the functional unit 31 is transmitting data such as operation information to an external device, the operation end process includes, for example, a process of transmitting all data currently being transmitted to the external device and completing the transmission. In this case, the control unit 33 can include the operation end time in the data written to the memory area 332 or the memory medium 90, or in the data transmitted to the external device.

Next, an example of a control flow executed by the control unit 33 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. Note that step S12 is an example of a power supply switching determination process. In this case, the control unit 33 stores the voltage of the drive power supplied from the main power supply unit 10 as 5V, and stores the voltage of the drive power supplied from the auxiliary power supply unit 20 as 4.5V.

When drive power is supplied to the vehicle operation recording device 30 (START), in step S11, the control unit 33 detects the voltage of the drive power being supplied to the vehicle operation recording device 30 using the function of the voltage detection unit 32. Next, in step S12, the control unit 33 determines the voltage of the drive power detected in step S11. If the voltage of the drive power detected in step S11 is 5V, the control unit 33 determines that drive power is currently being supplied from the main power supply unit 10, that is, that switching from the main power supply unit 10 to the auxiliary power supply unit 20 has not occurred. The control unit 33 then returns to step S11 and repeats steps S11 and S12.

On the other hand, if the voltage of the drive power detected in step S11 is 4.5V, the control unit 33 determines that drive power is currently being supplied from the auxiliary power supply 20, that is, that a switch has been made from the main power supply 10 to the auxiliary power supply 20. The control unit 33 then transitions to step S13, executes operation termination processing, and ends the series of processes (END).

According to the embodiment described above, the vehicle operation recording system 1 includes a main power supply unit 10, an auxiliary power supply unit 20, and a vehicle operation recording device 30. The main power supply unit 10 is connected to the vehicle operation recording device 30 and has a function of receiving power from an accessory power supply provided in the vehicle and supplying a predetermined voltage, in this case 5V, of drive power to the vehicle operation recording device 30. The auxiliary power supply unit 20 is provided outside the vehicle operation recording device 30 and between the vehicle operation recording device 30 and the main power supply unit 10, and has a storage battery 22. The auxiliary power supply unit 20 has a function of receiving power from the storage battery 22 and supplying drive power of a voltage different from that of the main power supply unit 10, in this case 4.5V, to the vehicle operation recording device 30. The vehicle operation recording device 30 operates by receiving drive power from the main power supply unit 10 or the auxiliary power supply unit 20, and has a function unit 31 capable of recording vehicle operation information, and a control unit 33 that controls the operation of the function unit 31.

The auxiliary power supply 20 also has a switching unit 25. The switching unit 25 has a function of switching the source of drive power from the main power supply 10 to the auxiliary power supply 20 when the supply of drive power from the main power supply 10 to the vehicle operation recording device 30 is stopped. The control unit 33 mounted on the vehicle operation recording device 30 can execute a power supply switching determination process. The power supply switching determination process is a process for determining the switching of the drive power supply source based on the voltage of the drive power supplied to the vehicle operation recording device 30 changing from a predetermined voltage. In the case of this embodiment, the control unit 33 determines that the drive power supply source has switched from the main power supply 10 to the auxiliary power supply 20 based on the drive power supplied to the vehicle operation recording device 30 changing from 5V of the main power supply 10 to 4.5V of the auxiliary power supply 20.

According to this, the vehicle operation recording system 1 includes an auxiliary power supply unit 20 in addition to a main power supply unit 10. Therefore, even after the accessory power supply of the vehicle is turned off and the power supply from the main power supply unit 10 is cut off, the vehicle operation recording device 30 can continue to operate for a certain period of time by receiving driving power from the auxiliary power supply unit 20. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the auxiliary power supply unit 20 is provided outside the vehicle operation recording device 30. Therefore, the auxiliary power supply unit 20 can be installed in a different location from the vehicle operation recording device 30, for example, in a location in the vehicle that is less likely to become hot. This makes it possible to minimize the effect of the ambient temperature on the storage battery 22 built into the auxiliary power supply unit 20, and to minimize deterioration of the storage battery 22.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the vehicle operation recording device 30 can detect the switch from the main power supply device 10 to the auxiliary power supply device 20 having the storage battery 22 based on the change in the voltage of the driving power. In this case, since the driver generally turns off the power to the vehicle almost simultaneously with the end of the vehicle operation, the time when the accessory power of the vehicle is turned off can be regarded as the end time of the vehicle operation. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the vehicle operation recording device 30 can detect the end time of the vehicle operation relatively accurately by detecting the switch from the main power supply device 10 to the auxiliary power supply device 20 based on the change in the voltage of the driving power.

The control unit 33 can further execute a driving end process. The driving end process is a process that controls the functional unit 31 to safely end the recording of driving information when it is determined by the power source switching determination process that the power source of the driving power supplied to the vehicle driving recording device 30 has switched from the main power supply unit 10 to the auxiliary power supply unit 20. With this, even if the vehicle's accessory power is turned off and the supply of driving power from the main power supply unit 10 stops while the functional unit 31 is writing data to the built-in memory area 332 or the external memory medium 90 or communicating with the outside, the data writing and communication can be completed, and as a result, damage to the data can be suppressed.

The vehicle operation recording device 30 has a built-in voltage detection unit 32, such as an A/D converter, that detects the voltage of the drive power. The control unit 33 then executes a power supply switching determination process based on the detection result of the voltage detection unit 32. A voltage detection function using an A/D converter or the like is a configuration that is generally provided in this type of vehicle operation recording device. Therefore, by configuring the voltage detection unit 32 with an A/D converter or the like built into the vehicle operation recording device 30, the vehicle operation recording device 30 can detect voltage changes in the drive power without adding a new configuration for detecting voltage changes in the drive power.

And, because the vehicle operation recording device 30 determines the power source switching based on the voltage of the drive power supplied via the power line 2 that has been provided conventionally, no communication is required between the auxiliary power supply device 20 and the vehicle operation recording device 30. Therefore, in order to detect the switching of the power source, it is not necessary to add new wiring such as a signal line between the auxiliary power supply device 20 and the vehicle operation recording device 30. As a result, even in a configuration in which the auxiliary power supply device 20 is provided outside the vehicle operation recording device 30, the increase in electrical wiring can be suppressed, and the wiring area can be made neat.

The storage battery 22 is also made of a lithium-ion capacitor. This allows the battery to maintain capacity even in high-temperature environments, with only a small increase in internal resistance and little deterioration due to repeated charging and discharging cycles. Due to these characteristics, the battery can exhibit excellent performance in the auxiliary power supply 20, which is used inside a vehicle where temperatures can easily reach high temperatures and in which the battery is repeatedly charged and discharged.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
In this embodiment, the auxiliary power supply 20 has a function of outputting a switching signal indicating that the drive power supply source has been switched when the switching unit 25 switches the drive power source from the main power supply 10 to the auxiliary power supply 20. Then, the control unit 33 executes a power supply switching determination process based on the reception of the switching signal. In this case, the vehicle operation recording device 30 does not need to include the voltage detection unit 32. In other words, the voltage detection unit 32 is not necessary only when this embodiment is realized.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the vehicle operation recording device 30 further includes a signal line 34 and a connector 35. The signal line 34 is a physical electrical wiring that constitutes a transmission path defined by a communication standard or the like, and can be connected to an external device so as to enable at least data communication. The connector 35 corresponds to the signal line 34, and is detachably connected to a connector of the external device. Standards for the signal line 34 and the connector 35 include, for example, USB, HDMI (registered trademark), PoE (Power over Ethernet), Thunderbolt (registered trademark), SDI, etc. In other words, the signal line 34 is a wiring that is also used as an input/output bus for USB, etc.

The auxiliary power supply 20 further includes a signal line 27 and a connector 28. The signal line 27 connects the output side of the comparator 26 to the connector 28. The signal line 27 and the connector 28 are configured to correspond to the standards of the signal line 34 and the connector 35. The connector 28 on the auxiliary power supply 20 side and the connector 35 on the vehicle operation recording device 30 side are configured to be detachable from each other. When the connectors 28 and 35 are connected, the signal line 27 and the signal line 34 are also connected, and the output side of the comparator 26 is connected to the control unit 33. As a result, the High or Low signal output from the comparator 26 to the switching unit 25 side is also transmitted to the control unit 33 as a switching signal. The control unit 33 then executes a power supply switching determination process based on the High or Low signal, i.e., the switching signal, transmitted from the comparator 26.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, when drive power is supplied to the vehicle operation recording device 30 (start), the control unit 33 judges the switching signal received from the auxiliary power supply unit 20 in step S14. If the switching signal is High, the control unit 33 determines that drive power is being supplied from the main power supply unit 10, and repeats step S14.

On the other hand, if the switching signal is low or no switching signal has been received, the control unit 33 determines that the drive power is being supplied from the auxiliary power supply 20, i.e., that the power source of the drive power has switched from the main power supply 10 to the auxiliary power supply 20, and transitions the process to step S13. Thereafter, as in the first embodiment, the control unit 33 executes the operation termination process in step S13 and then terminates the series of processes.

According to the present embodiment described above, the auxiliary power supply 20 has a function of outputting a switching signal indicating that the source of drive power has been switched when the power source of the drive power is switched from the main power supply 10 to the auxiliary power supply 20 by the switching unit 25. Then, the control unit 33 executes a power supply switching determination process based on the reception of the switching signal.

According to this, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.
In addition, it is possible that the vehicle operation recording device 30 does not have a voltage detection unit such as an A/D converter depending on the specifications of the vehicle operation recording device 30. According to this embodiment, even if the vehicle operation recording device 30 does not have a built-in voltage detection unit such as an A/D converter, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment without changing the hardware of the vehicle operation recording device 30.

The vehicle operation recording device 30 further includes a signal line 34 to which an external device can be connected. The auxiliary power supply 20 is detachably connected to the signal line 34 and can transmit the switching signal to the control unit 33 using the signal line 34. Standards for the signal line 34 and connector 35 include, for example, USB, HDMI (registered trademark), PoE (Power over Ethernet), Thunderbolt (registered trademark), SDI, etc.

Here, this type of vehicle operation recording device 30 often has a signal line 34 and connector 35 of at least one of the above standards in order to transfer data stored in the vehicle operation recording device 30 to an external device. On the other hand, while the vehicle is operating and the vehicle operation recording device 30 is in operation, the vehicle operation recording device 30 is not normally connected to an external device, so the signal line 34 and connector 35 are not in use.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the signal line 34 and connector 35 that the vehicle operation recording device 30 originally has and that are unlikely to be used while the vehicle is operating are used to transmit a switching signal from the auxiliary power supply 20, thereby making it possible to accurately detect switching of the power source without the need to add new wiring for transmitting the switching signal. In other words, by sharing the signal line 34 and connector 35 that the vehicle operation recording device 30 originally has and that are unlikely to be used while the vehicle is operating as the signal line and connector for transmitting the switching signal, there is no need to add new wiring and connectors for transmitting the switching signal.

Other Embodiments
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings, and can be modified, combined, or expanded in any manner without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The numerical values and the like shown in the above embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting.
Although the present disclosure has been described based on the embodiment, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment or structure. The present disclosure also includes various modifications and modifications within the equivalent range. In addition, various combinations and forms, and other combinations and forms including only one element, more than one element, or less than one element, are also within the scope and concept of the present disclosure.

1...vehicle operation recording system, 10...main power supply unit, 20...auxiliary power supply unit, 22...storage battery, 25...switching unit, 30...vehicle operation recording device, 31...functional unit, 32...voltage detection unit, 33...control unit, 34...signal line

Claims (7)

A vehicle operation recording device that records vehicle operation information;
a main power supply device connected to the vehicle operation recording device and capable of receiving power from a power supply provided in the vehicle and supplying driving power of a predetermined voltage to the vehicle operation recording device;
an auxiliary power supply device that is provided outside the vehicle operation recording device and between the vehicle operation recording device and the main power supply device, has a storage battery, and is capable of receiving power from the storage battery and supplying a drive power having a voltage different from that of the main power supply device to the vehicle operation recording device;
the vehicle operation recording device determines that the main power supply has been switched to the auxiliary power supply when the supplied voltage has changed from the predetermined voltage to a different voltage , and acquires the time when the main power supply has been switched to the auxiliary power supply as the operation end time of the vehicle.
Vehicle operation record system. when it is determined that the main power supply has been switched to the auxiliary power supply, recording of the vehicle operation information is terminated.
The vehicle operation recording system according to claim 1 . The main power supply device is an accessory power supply provided in the vehicle, and the auxiliary power supply device is a storage battery provided separately from the accessory power supply.
3. A vehicle operation recording system according to claim 1 or 2. The auxiliary power supply device further includes a switching unit that connects the main power supply device and the vehicle operation recording device, and switches the supply of drive power from the storage battery to the vehicle operation recording device by disconnecting the connection between the main power supply device and the vehicle operation recording device when the supply of drive power from the main power supply device is stopped.
A vehicle operation recording system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The storage battery is composed of a lithium ion capacitor that continuously supplies driving power.
A vehicle operation recording system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A vehicle operation recording device that records vehicle operation information,
Detecting a voltage supplied from a main power supply and a voltage supplied from an auxiliary power supply different from the main power supply;
determining that the main power supply has been switched to the auxiliary power supply based on a result of the voltage detection, and acquiring the time when the main power supply has been switched to the auxiliary power supply as a travel end time of the vehicle;
Vehicle operation recorder. when it is determined that the main power supply has been switched to the auxiliary power supply, recording of the vehicle operation information is terminated.
7. A vehicle operation recording device according to claim 6.

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