JP7631786B2 - Shooting control device, shooting control method and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a photography control device, a photography control method, and a program.

A drive recorder mounted on a vehicle, for example, comprises a camera that captures the view ahead, a recording unit that records the video data captured by the camera, and a display unit that displays the video data captured by the camera and the video data recorded in the recording unit. While the vehicle is traveling, the camera captures the view ahead, and the recording unit records the video data captured by the camera. An example of such a drive recorder is described in Patent Document 1 below. Some of these drive recorders have a display unit shared with the main unit or other systems, and display and check video data, etc. inside the vehicle, but during normal operating conditions such as when the vehicle is traveling or stopped, the display unit is turned off so as not to interfere with driving, and video data, etc. is displayed when a specified operation is performed.

JP 2009-290462 A

If a malfunction occurs in the vehicle lights for some reason while the vehicle is traveling at night, and the lights in front of the vehicle go out, the driver's forward visibility will be insufficient on roads without street lights, etc. This may cause problems for the driver in driving the vehicle.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above, and aims to ensure peripheral visibility even if a malfunction occurs in the vehicle's headlights.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the imaging control device according to the present invention includes a video data acquisition unit that acquires video data captured outside the vehicle, a lighting abnormality detection unit that detects a malfunction of the vehicle lighting, and a display control unit that displays the video data on a display unit when a malfunction of the vehicle lighting is detected.

The imaging control method according to the present invention includes a video data acquisition step of acquiring video data of the exterior of the vehicle, a lighting abnormality detection step of detecting a malfunction of the vehicle lighting, and a display control step of displaying the video data on a display unit when a malfunction of the vehicle lighting is detected.

The program of the present invention causes a computer operating as an imaging control device to execute a video data acquisition step of acquiring video data of the exterior of the vehicle, a lighting abnormality detection step of detecting a malfunction of the vehicle lighting, and a display control step of displaying the video data on a display unit when a malfunction of the vehicle lighting is detected.

The present invention has the effect of ensuring peripheral visibility even if a malfunction occurs in the vehicle's headlights.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle imaging device having an imaging control device according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the vehicle imaging device. FIG. 3 is a rear view showing the vehicle imaging device. FIG. 4 is a front view showing a modified example of the vehicle imaging device. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of imaging processing in the imaging control device according to this embodiment.

The following describes in detail the embodiments of the imaging control device, imaging control method, and program according to the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[Vehicle-mounted imaging device]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle imaging device having an imaging control device according to this embodiment, FIG. 2 is a front view showing the vehicle imaging device, FIG. 3 is a rear view showing the vehicle imaging device, and FIG. 4 is a front view showing a modified example of the vehicle imaging device.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle image capturing device 10 acquires image data capturing the exterior of the vehicle, and when a malfunction occurs in the vehicle lights, displays the image data on the display unit. In this embodiment, the vehicle lights are headlamps.

The vehicle image capturing device 10 is a so-called drive recorder, and in addition to being installed in the vehicle, it may be a portable device that can be used in the vehicle. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the vehicle image capturing device 10 is fixed to the vehicle windshield via a mounting unit 20. The vehicle image capturing device 10 has a camera 210 and an illuminance sensor 270 mounted on the front side. The vehicle image capturing device 10 has a display unit 240 mounted on the rear side. The camera 210 is, for example, a high-sensitivity camera.

Note that the vehicle image capturing device 10 is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration. As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle image capturing device 10 may be equipped with an optical camera 210A, an infrared camera 210B, and an illuminance sensor 270 on the front side. The optical camera 210A and the infrared camera 210B can be switched or used in conjunction with each other. For example, the optical camera 210A is used during the day when the vehicle's headlights are not needed, or at night when the headlights are working normally. On the other hand, the infrared camera 210B is used at night when a malfunction occurs in the vehicle's headlights and the forward lighting is insufficient. The vehicle image capturing device 10 may have an infrared illumination light source (not shown) to operate the infrared camera 210B efficiently.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vehicle imaging device 10 has a camera (imaging unit) 210, a recording unit 220, an operation unit 230, a display unit 240, an acceleration sensor 250, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiving unit 260, an illuminance sensor 270, and an imaging control device 100.

Camera 210 is a camera that captures the exterior of the vehicle. In this embodiment, camera 210 is described as a high-sensitivity camera that can capture images at approximately 100° or more in the horizontal direction and approximately 55° or more in the vertical direction. However, camera 210 is not limited to this, and may be a camera that can capture images of the entire 360° sky, or a group of multiple cameras that capture images in each direction.

Camera 210 is disposed, for example, at the front of the vehicle cabin. Camera 210 constantly captures video from when the engine starts until it is stopped, that is, while the vehicle is operating. Camera 210 constantly captures video while the vehicle's accessory power is ON. Camera 210 starts capturing video when the accessory power is OFF, in other words, when an event is detected while the vehicle is parked. Camera 210 outputs the captured video data to video data acquisition unit 120 of imaging control device 100. The video data is, for example, a moving image composed of images at 30 frames per second.

The recording unit 220 is used for storing data in the vehicle imaging device 10. The recording unit 220 is, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a flash memory, or a recording unit such as a memory card. Alternatively, the recording unit 220 may be an external recording unit that is wirelessly connected via a communication device (not shown). The recording unit 220 records event recording data or loop recording data based on a control signal output from the recording control unit 123 of the imaging control device 100. The event recording data and loop recording data will be described later.

The operation unit 230 can accept various operations for the vehicle imaging device 10. For example, the operation unit 230 can accept an operation to manually save the captured video data in the recording unit 220. For example, the operation unit 230 can accept an operation to play back the event recording data or loop recording data recorded in the recording unit 220. For example, the operation unit 230 can accept an operation to erase the event recording data recorded in the recording unit 220. For example, the operation unit 230 can accept an operation to end the loop recording. The operation unit 230 outputs operation information to the operation control unit 125 of the imaging control device 100.

The operation unit 230 is, for example, a touch panel provided on the display unit 240, and an operation to play back the event recording data stored in the recording unit 220 is performed by touching a list of event recording data displayed on the display unit 240, etc., to select the event recording data and give an instruction to play it. The list of event recording data is displayed as thumbnails, etc.

The display unit 240 is, for example, a display device specific to the vehicle imaging device 10, or a display device shared with other systems including a navigation system. The display unit 240 is, for example, a display including a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic electroluminescence (EL) display. In this embodiment, the display unit 240 is formed integrally with the camera 210. The display unit 240 displays an image based on a video signal output from the display control unit 126 of the imaging control device 100. The display unit 240 displays an image captured by the camera 210 or an image recorded in the recording unit 220.

The acceleration sensor 250 is a sensor that detects acceleration acting on the vehicle. The acceleration sensor 250 outputs the detection result to the event detection unit 127 of the imaging control device 100. The acceleration sensor 250 is a sensor that detects acceleration in, for example, three axial directions. The three axial directions are the forward/rearward direction, the left/right direction, and the up/down direction of the vehicle. An impact to the vehicle can be detected by the acceleration in the three axial directions.

The GPS receiver 260 receives radio waves from a GPS satellite (not shown). The GPS receiver 260 outputs the received radio wave signal to the position information acquisition unit 128 of the imaging control device 100.

The illuminance sensor 270 measures the illuminance outside the vehicle. In this embodiment, the illuminance sensor 270 measures the illuminance in front of the vehicle. That is, the illuminance sensor 270 measures the illuminance in the range illuminated by the vehicle's headlights. For this reason, the illuminance sensor 270 is preferably provided near the vehicle's headlights, but the location of the illuminance sensor 270 is not limited. The illuminance sensor 270 measures and digitizes the intensity of light. Specifically, the illuminance sensor 270 measures the amount of light per unit area in order to digitize the brightness of the illuminated surface.

[Photography control device]
The photography control device 100 is an arithmetic processing device (control device) configured with, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like. The photography control device 100 loads a stored program into a memory and executes instructions included in the program. The photography control device 100 includes an internal memory (not shown), which is used for temporary storage of data in the photography control device 100. The photography control device 100 includes a video data acquisition unit 120, a buffer memory 121, a video data processing unit 122, a recording control unit 123, a playback control unit 124, an operation control unit 125, a display control unit 126, an event detection unit 127, a position information acquisition unit 128, and a light abnormality detection unit 129, which are connected to a bus 110.

The video data acquisition unit 120 acquires video data captured around the vehicle. More specifically, the video data acquisition unit 120 acquires video data output by the camera 210.

The buffer memory 121 is an internal memory provided in the imaging control device 100, and is a memory that temporarily records a certain amount of video data acquired by the video data acquisition unit 120 while updating it.

The video data processing unit 122 converts the video data temporarily stored in the buffer memory 121 into an arbitrary file format, such as MP4 format, encoded with an arbitrary codec, such as H.264 or MPEG-4 (Moving Picture Experts Group). The video data processing unit 122 generates video data as a file for a certain period of time from the video data temporarily stored in the buffer memory 121. As a specific example, the video data processing unit 122 generates 60 seconds of video data as one file in the order of recording from the video data temporarily stored in the buffer memory 121. The video data processing unit 122 outputs the generated video data to the recording control unit 123. The video data processing unit 122 also outputs the generated video data to the display control unit 126. The period of the video data generated as a file is set to 60 seconds as an example, but is not limited to this. The video data referred to here may include data that includes images captured by the camera 210 as well as audio from inside and outside the vehicle acquired from a microphone (not shown) or the like.

The recording control unit 123 controls the recording unit 220 to record the video data filed by the video data processing unit 122. The recording control unit 123 records the video data, which is a video image captured continuously and filed by the video data processing unit 122, in the recording unit 220 as overwritable loop recording data during a period during which the loop recording process is executed, such as when the accessory power of the vehicle is ON. More specifically, during the period during which the loop recording process is executed, the recording control unit 123 continues to record the video data generated by the video data processing unit 122 in the recording unit 220 as loop recording data filed at predetermined intervals. An example of the predetermined period is 60 seconds, but is not limited to this. When the capacity of the recording unit 220 becomes full, the oldest loop recording data is overwritten with new loop recording data. The loop recording data is also called constant recording data.

When the event detection unit 127 detects an event, the recording control unit 123 stores the video data for a predetermined period that has been filed by the video data processing unit 122 in the recording unit 220 as event recording data that is prohibited from being overwritten. When the event detection unit 127 detects an event, the recording control unit 123 stores the video data resulting from the detected event as event recording data captured by the camera 210.

Video data resulting from an event, during a period in which loop recording processing is being performed, is video data from a specified period before and after the event is detected; an example of the specified period is a period of 10 to 60 seconds before and after the event is detected. Also, video data resulting from an event, during a period in which loop recording processing is not being performed, is video data from the instant that filming begins after an event is detected until a specified period has elapsed since filming began; an example of the specified period is a period of 10 to 60 seconds after filming begins.

The playback control unit 124 plays the selected event recording data or loop recording data. The playback control unit 124 controls the playback of the event recording data or loop recording data recorded in the recording unit 220 based on the control signals for the selection operation and playback operation output from the operation control unit 125.

The operation control unit 125 acquires operation information of the operation accepted by the operation unit 230. For example, the operation control unit 125 acquires save operation information indicating an operation to manually save video data, selection operation information indicating an operation to select video data, playback operation information indicating an operation to play video data, or deletion operation information indicating an operation to delete video data, and outputs a control signal. For example, the operation control unit 125 acquires end operation information indicating an operation to end loop recording, and outputs a control signal.

The display control unit 126 controls the display of video data on the display unit 240. The display control unit 126 outputs a video signal that causes the video data to be output to the display unit 240. More specifically, the display control unit 126 causes the display unit 240 to display the video captured by the camera 210, or the event recording data or loop recording data recorded in the recording unit 220 that has been played back by the playback control unit 124.

The event detection unit 127 detects an event for the vehicle. The method by which the event detection unit 127 detects an event for the vehicle is arbitrary, but as an example, the event detection unit 127 detects an event based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor 250. In this case, the event detection unit 127 detects an event when acceleration equal to or greater than a threshold value in the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 250 is detected. The acceleration detected by the event detection unit 127 as an event is set to a threshold value that detects the impact of a collision accident on the vehicle, sudden acceleration, and sudden braking.

The location information acquisition unit 128 calculates the current location information of the vehicle using a known method based on the radio waves received by the GPS receiver unit 260. The location information calculated by the location information acquisition unit 128 may be multiplexed and stored together with the event record data or the loop record data.

The light abnormality detection unit 129 detects a malfunction of the vehicle light. In this embodiment, the light abnormality detection unit 129 detects a malfunction of the headlight of the vehicle. Here, a malfunction of the headlight is a headlight being turned off due to a malfunction or damage of the lighting device itself, such as a lamp constituting the headlight, a fuse being damaged, a switch malfunction, etc. In addition to the above, a malfunction of the headlight also includes a decrease in illuminance due to adhesion of foreign matter such as mud or snow to the headlight. Causes of a headlight malfunction include vehicle malfunction, accident, submersion due to flooding or falling, etc. In this embodiment, the light abnormality detection unit 129 detects a headlight malfunction based on the measurement result of the illuminance sensor 270. The light abnormality detection unit 129 determines that a malfunction has occurred in the headlight when the illuminance in front of the vehicle falls below a preset judgment value. This judgment value is, for example, a value at which the brightness of the driver's forward field of vision has decreased to a level that interferes with driving, and can be changed as necessary.

When the light abnormality detection unit 129 detects a headlight malfunction, it causes the display control unit 126 to display the video data on the display unit 240. That is, when the light abnormality detection unit 129 detects a headlight malfunction based on the measurement results of the illuminance sensor 270, it outputs a headlight malfunction occurrence signal to the display control unit 126. When the display control unit 126 receives a malfunction occurrence signal from the light abnormality detection unit 129, it displays the current video data captured by the camera 210 acquired by the video data acquisition unit 120 on the display unit 240. When the vehicle's headlight state is normal, the display control unit 126 stops displaying the video data by turning the display unit 240 OFF so as not to interfere with driving and to reduce power consumption. When the display control unit 126 receives a malfunction occurrence signal from the light abnormality detection unit 129, it switches the display unit 240 from the OFF state to the ON state and displays the video data currently captured by the camera 210 on the display unit 240.

In the above description, the light abnormality detection unit 129 is configured to detect a malfunction of the headlight based on the measurement results of the illuminance sensor 270, but this configuration is not limited to this. For example, a failure sensor may be provided in the headlight or in the line that supplies power to the headlight, and the light abnormality detection unit 129 may determine that a malfunction has occurred in the headlight when the failure sensor detects a malfunction in the headlight.

The display control unit 126 may be configured to forcibly display the current video data on the display unit 240 when the occupant operates the operation unit 230. That is, when the occupant operates the operation unit 230, the operation control unit 125 outputs a forced display signal to the display control unit 126. When the display control unit 126 receives the forced display signal from the operation control unit 125, it displays the current video data captured by the camera 210 and acquired by the video data acquisition unit 120 on the display unit 240.

[Shooting control method]
Here, a description will be given of a method for controlling photography using the vehicle photography device 10. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of a warning process in the photography control device according to this embodiment.

As shown in Figures 1 and 5, when the vehicle is normal, the display control unit 126 of the imaging control device 100 turns off the display unit 240 to stop displaying video data. Furthermore, when the vehicle is used during the day, the headlights are turned off. Even when the vehicle is used during the day, the headlights are manually or automatically switched from the off state to the on state when the vehicle travels through a tunnel, inside a building, etc.

In step S101, the photography control device 100 judges whether the operation switch of the vehicle's headlights is ON. In this case, the photography control device 100 judges by receiving a light signal indicating the state of the headlights from a vehicle control device (not shown), for example. If it is judged that the vehicle's headlights are not ON (No), the routine is terminated without doing anything. On the other hand, if it is judged that the vehicle's headlights are ON (Yes), the routine proceeds to step S102. In step S102, the light abnormality detection unit 129 of the photography control device 100 judges whether the illuminance in front of the vehicle has decreased. In this embodiment, the light abnormality detection unit 129 judges whether the forward illuminance is equal to or lower than a judgment value based on the measurement result of the illuminance sensor 270. The judgment of the forward illuminance may be made based on a sudden decrease in illuminance in a short period of time compared to the past illuminance state, and it may be judged that the forward illuminance has decreased. If it is judged that the forward illuminance is not equal to or lower than the judgment value (No), the routine is terminated without doing anything.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the forward illuminance is equal to or lower than the judgment value (Yes), in step S103, the light abnormality detection unit 129 determines that a malfunction has occurred in the headlight, and outputs a headlight malfunction signal to the display control unit 126. In step S104, when the display control unit 126 receives the malfunction signal from the light abnormality detection unit 129, it turns on the display unit 240, which was in the OFF state, and displays the current video data captured by the camera 210 and acquired by the video data acquisition unit 120 on the display unit 240. Therefore, when a malfunction occurs in the headlight and forward visibility is reduced, the driver can ensure peripheral visibility by using the video data displayed on the display unit 240.

When the display control unit 126 receives a malfunction occurrence signal, the display control unit 126 displays the video data captured by the camera 210 on the display unit 240. However, for example, the display unit 240 may be stopped when the vehicle safely stops. In addition, after the video data captured by the camera 210 is displayed on the display unit 240, the display unit 240 may be stopped after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[effect]
In this embodiment, the vehicle is equipped with a video data acquisition unit 120 that acquires video data captured outside the vehicle, a lighting abnormality detection unit 129 that detects a malfunction in the vehicle lights, and a display control unit 126 that displays the video data on a display unit 240 when a malfunction in the vehicle lights is detected.

Therefore, even if the driver's field of vision suddenly becomes dark when a malfunction occurs in the vehicle lights, the video data captured by the camera 210 is displayed on the display unit 240, so the driver can ensure peripheral visibility through the video data displayed on the display unit 240. As a result, the safety of the driver in emergency situations when driving the vehicle can be improved.

So far, we have described the vehicle imaging device 10 according to the present invention, but it may be implemented in various different forms other than the above-described embodiment.

Each of the components of the vehicle imaging device 10 shown in the figure is a functional concept, and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. In other words, the specific form of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or part of it may be functionally or physically distributed or integrated in any unit depending on the processing load and usage status of each device.

The configuration of the vehicle image capture device 10 is realized, for example, as software, such as a program loaded into memory. In the above embodiment, these functional blocks are described as being realized by the cooperation of these hardware and software. In other words, these functional blocks can be realized in various forms, using only hardware, only software, or a combination of both.

The above-mentioned components include those that a person skilled in the art would easily imagine and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the above-mentioned configurations can be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the configurations are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the lights are described as headlights, but the display unit 240 may be configured to display video data when a malfunction is detected in a taillight or the like. Also, the video data may be recorded as event recording data, with the detection of a malfunction in a light serving as an event trigger.

In the above embodiment, the illuminance sensor 270 was used to determine the decrease in illuminance of the headlights, but the decrease in illuminance may be determined without using an illuminance sensor, for example by obtaining brightness information of the area illuminated by the headlights from the exposure control value and video data when the camera 210 captures the image.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Vehicle imaging device 100 Imaging control device 110 Bus 120 Video data acquisition unit 121 Buffer memory 122 Video data processing unit 123 Recording control unit 124 Playback control unit 125 Operation control unit 126 Display control unit 127 Event detection unit 128 Position information acquisition unit 129 Light abnormality detection unit 210 Camera 220 Recording unit 230 Operation unit 240 Display unit 250 Acceleration sensor 260 GPS receiving unit 270 Illuminance sensor

Claims (5)

a video data acquisition unit that acquires video data capturing an exterior of the vehicle;
A light abnormality detection unit that detects a malfunction of a vehicle light;
A display unit that displays the video data;
a display control unit that controls the display unit to be in an off state when the vehicle light is normal during nighttime driving, and to be in an on state when a malfunction of the vehicle light is detected;
An imaging control device comprising: The light abnormality detection unit determines that a malfunction has occurred in the vehicle light when the illuminance ahead of the vehicle becomes equal to or lower than a preset determination value.
The imaging control device according to claim 1 . The light abnormality detection unit determines that a malfunction has occurred in the vehicle light when the vehicle light fails.
The imaging control device according to claim 1 or 2. A video data acquisition step of acquiring video data capturing an exterior of the vehicle;
A light abnormality detection step for detecting a malfunction of a vehicle light;
displaying the video data on a display unit;
a display control step of controlling the display unit to be in an off state when the vehicle light is normal during nighttime driving, and to be in an on state when a malfunction of the vehicle light is detected;
A shooting control method comprising: A video data acquisition step of acquiring video data capturing an exterior of the vehicle;
A light abnormality detection step for detecting a malfunction of a vehicle light;
displaying the video data on a display unit;
a display control step of controlling the display unit to be in an off state when the vehicle light is normal during nighttime driving, and to be in an on state when a malfunction of the vehicle light is detected;
A program for causing a computer operating as an imaging control device to execute the above.

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