KR100744157B1 - Black box system for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A black box system is provided to employ a small-sized camera in a low price, constitute an accident detector using a plurality of sensors by taking into consideration the erroneous operation of the sensors, and simultaneously store an image for accident recording in a non-volatile memory and an external memory. A black box system includes a camera(101), a GSP part(103), an accident detector(105), a memory(107), a user input part(109), an LCD part(111), a controller(113), a USB part(115), a power supplier(117), and a microphone(MIC), and a speaker(SP). The controller(113) temporarily records an image data received therein from the camera(101) in a non-volatile memory and an external memory. The controller(113) creates an accidental folder in the non-volatile memory if an event signal is input from the accident detector(105) in a recording operation, selects accident image data corresponding to specific time before and after an accident time point from image data of the non-volatile memory, and then stores the accident image data in the accident folder.

Description

Car accident recorder {BLACK BOX SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE}

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a vehicle accident recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a vehicle accident recording method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a block diagram of a vehicle accident recording apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a vehicle accident recording method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

※ Explanation of code about main part of drawing ※

101: camera 103: GPS unit

105: accident detection unit 107: memory unit

1071: volatile memory 1072: non-volatile memory

1073: external memory 109: user input unit

111: LCD 113: control unit

The present invention relates to a vehicle accident recording apparatus that can objectively and clearly determine the causes of traffic accidents, etc. by stably recording the surrounding conditions before and after an accident of a vehicle, and more particularly, the accuracy of accident recognition and accident record data. It relates to a vehicle accident recording apparatus that can greatly improve the stability.

In general, when a car accident occurs, accidents are concluded by referring to skid marks and paint marks at the scene of the accident and in the presence of the police. There have been frequent disadvantages, and various measures have been suggested to objectively and clearly determine the causes of traffic accidents.

Korean Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-68682 (Prior Art 1) discloses an accident recording apparatus and method for a vehicle. The pressure sensor is attached to the front and rear of a vehicle when a user has a collision with another vehicle while driving on a road. The interrupt signal is generated, and the central processing unit stops the refresh function of the memory in which the vehicle information is recorded, the situation information is stored in the memory at the time of the accident, and records the scene of the vehicle accident to be used for accurate situation analysis. In this way, it is possible to reduce the traffic congestion that occurs in the past because it enables quick situation handling when a vehicle accident occurs. However, the prior art 1 has a configuration in which the recording is made after the shock is detected, and thus recording only the situation after the accident has occurred, which has a disadvantage in that the accuracy of identifying the cause of the accident is inferior.

Korean Utility Model Publication No. 341106 (Prior Art 2) discloses a digital video camera combined personal handheld terminal that automatically records video when the navigator is operating.It is equipped with a road traffic information guide device called a navigator and stops. By attaching a digital video camera and a personal portable device with video recording and video recording capabilities to the vehicle's interior, the road traffic information required for driving can be used. It is to be recorded as. However, the prior art 2 requires a large storage space in order to continuously record the image.

Korean Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-58643 (Prior Art 3) is an image recording storage having a portable multiplex function that has a GPS navigation device, a multiplex function that combines a TV, a radio, an MP3, a digital video camera, and a handsfree function. Disclosed is an output device. However, even in the prior art 3, since the recording is continuously performed, the disadvantage of requiring a large storage space is exposed.

Meanwhile, a vehicle black box has been developed that analyzes the cause of an accident using various sensors (eg, a vehicle speed sensor, an impact sensor, a wheel angle sensor, etc.) and a video camera. For example, Korean Utility Model Publication No. 20-0229711 (prior art 4) and Korean Utility Model Publication 20-0172344 (prior art 5). However, the vehicle black box according to the prior art 4 and the prior art 5 has to be equipped with expensive equipment such as various sensors and video cameras in order to store all kinds of data related to the accident in various kinds of accident situation, the installation cost There was a high economic problem. In addition, in the sensor configuration, since the sensor occupies most of the data collection related to the accident, it was not possible to check the exact time of the accident detection, and thus there was a side problem that the accuracy of the accident recognition was lowered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to employ an inexpensive compact camera and to configure an accident detection unit using a plurality of sensors in consideration of malfunctions of the accident detection sensors, and a nonvolatile memory and an external memory. At the same time, by storing the accident record image at the same time to provide a low-cost, accident detection device for vehicles that greatly improved the accuracy of the accident detection and the stability of the accident record data.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be described below and will be appreciated by the embodiments of the invention. In addition, the objects and advantages of the invention may be realized by the means and combinations indicated in the claims.

An accident recording apparatus for a vehicle according to the present invention for achieving the above technical problem includes a camera for providing image data around the vehicle; A GPS unit for providing location information of the vehicle; Sound detection sensor for detecting the sound around the vehicle, impact sensor for detecting the impact applied to the vehicle, a leaf switch for detecting the vehicle body vibration of the vehicle, and a balance switch for detecting the balance of the vehicle body An accident detection unit recognizing this as an accident detection signal when a condition exceeding a predetermined threshold occurs; A memory unit including a volatile memory, a nonvolatile memory, and an external memory for storing the image data and the like; A user input unit for allowing a user to select various operation modes including a play key; An LCD unit for displaying stored image data according to an operation control signal input from the user input unit; The image data received from the camera is temporarily recorded in the volatile memory and continuously recorded in the external memory. When an event signal is input from the accident detection unit during recording, an accident folder is generated in the nonvolatile memory and the volatile memory is generated. And a control unit for controlling to record the accident details of a predetermined time amount before and after the accident in the temporary image data in the accident folder.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals in the drawings denote components that perform the same function.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a vehicle accident recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the camera 101, the GPS unit 103, the accident detection unit 105, the memory unit 107, the user input unit 109 , The LCD unit 111, the control unit 113, the USB port 115, the power supply unit 117, a microphone MIC, a speaker SP, and the like.

The camera 101 captures an image in real time and provides image data around the vehicle, and it is preferable to employ a low-cost compact camera. For example, a 1.3M pixel CCD camera is applicable.

The GPS unit 103 provides current location information of the vehicle using GPS information received from a satellite received through a GPS antenna.

The accident detection unit 105 is a means for recognizing an accident detection signal when a condition exceeding a predetermined threshold occurs.

According to the present invention, a sound sensor for detecting a sound around a vehicle, a shock sensor for detecting a shock applied to the vehicle, a leaf switch for detecting a vehicle body shake, and a balance for detecting a vehicle equilibrium ) It is possible to increase the accuracy of the accident recognition by configuring the switch.

The sound sensor is configurable as a sound level meter, and generates a detection signal based on the distinguishable volume decibel (dB) according to the height difference of the sound.

The shock sensor can be configured as an acceleration sensor and generates a detection signal based on the instantaneous impact speed.

The leaf switch is a kind of sensor constructed by embedding several number of contact spring pieces in parallel, and generates a detection signal based on the number of contacts.

In addition, the balance switch is configurable as a leveling sensor which is movable by installing a metal ball inside a container having an arc-shaped passage and by placing a pair of reed switches at both ends of the container, which are switched by the ball approaching. Based on the detection signal.

Each element of the accident detection unit 105 may be mounted on at least one element of the vehicle, and may be used alone or in combination. If this value is specified otherwise, a specific event will occur.

As in the present invention, when two or more sensors are used, there is an advantage that an operation error due to a malfunction of the sensor can be prevented. For example, assuming that the probability of one sensor malfunctioning is 10%, the probability that all three sensors malfunction is 0.1%. Therefore, even if the individual sensor elements are not high in reliability, the combination in parallel can provide high reliability required for accident detection.

The memory unit 107 is a means for storing a control program, image data, and the like, and includes a volatile memory 1071, a nonvolatile memory 1072, and an external memory 1073.

Preferably, the volatile memory 1071 is a RAM, the nonvolatile memory 1072 is a Flash ROM, and the external memory 1073 is any one selected from an MMC type, an SD type, and a CF type memory card. Can be one. Here, since the RAM is a volatile memory, when a hard reset is performed due to a power cut, all the stored data are lost, whereas the flash ROM, which is a nonvolatile memory, does not lose its stored data even when the power supply is cut off.

In the present invention, the types of data to be stored are, for example, image data, audio data, impact data, vehicle position information, vehicle speed information, time information, and the like, and these data have a small size of several bytes and are necessary for accident analysis. Since the amount of data is sufficient for a collection amount of about 2 to 5 minutes, for example, a small memory of several tens of Mbytes or less may be installed.

The user input unit 109 allows a user to select various operation modes including a play key.

The LCD unit 111 displays the stored image data according to the operation control signal input from the user input unit 109. For example, when a minor accident occurs, such as a contact accident, the LCD unit 111 records the accident on the spot. The image can be confirmed.

The controller 113 controls the overall operation of the device. In particular, the control unit 113 temporarily records the image data received from the camera 101 in the volatile memory 1071 of the memory unit 107, and further stores the image data received from the camera 101 in the external memory 1073. Allow continuous recording.

At this time, during the recording, when an event signal is input from the accident detection unit 105, an accident folder is automatically generated in the nonvolatile memory 1072, and the accident history of the designated time amount before and after the accident is stored in temporary image data in the volatile memory 1071. To record to the folder. For example, when an accident occurs, the accident details are stored in the internal memory one minute before and after the accident.

In the accident folder, vehicle speed information and time information are compressed and stored in the nonvolatile memory 1072 together with image data output from the camera 101 so as to correspond to the location information of the GPS unit 103. Here, the accident folder may be created in various ways, for example, may be created in the form of accident 1 / accident 2 / accident 3 ....

In addition, the controller 113 automatically deletes data in the external memory when the external memory 1073 is in a full state so that image data received from the camera 101 can be continuously recorded.

The USB port 115 is mainly used to transmit accident record image data and the like to an external computer (not shown) connected through a USB cable.

The power supply unit 117 is responsible for power supply to the vehicle accident recording apparatus, it is preferable to have a separate rechargeable power supply. That is, the vehicle accident recording apparatus can basically be supplied with power from the car battery, but it is preferable to have a rechargeable power source in preparation for such a case because it must operate even when the car battery is exhausted.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a vehicle accident recording method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, image data around the vehicle is received in real time from the camera 101 (S100).

Next, the control unit 113 temporarily records the image data received from the camera 101 in the volatile memory 1071 of the memory unit 107, and further stores the image data received from the camera 101 in the external memory 1073. Control to record continuously to (S110).

Next, during the recording, it is checked whether an event signal is input from the accident detection unit 105 (S120).

If an event signal is input from the accident detection unit 105, the control unit 113 automatically generates an accident folder in the nonvolatile memory 1072, and then designates a predetermined amount of time before and after accident among temporary image data in the volatile memory 1071. For example, when an accident occurs, the accident details for each minute before and after the accident are recorded in the accident folder (S130).

The accident detection unit 105 recognizes this as an accident detection signal when a condition exceeding a predetermined threshold occurs, and preferably simultaneously determines the detection signals from the sound detection sensor, the impact detection sensor, the leaf switch, and the balance switch. Make more accurate judgments of vehicle accidents.

As described above, in the present invention, the accident detection unit is composed of a plurality of sensors in consideration of malfunctions of the accident detection sensors, and the accident recording image is simultaneously stored in the nonvolatile memory and the external memory, thereby greatly improving the accuracy of the accident detection and the stability of the accident recording data. It is improving.

On the other hand, Figure 3 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle accident recording apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, unlike the embodiment described above has the difference that the camera is composed of a wireless camera.

Referring to FIG. 3, the wireless camera 120 includes a wireless communication unit 119 on the device side, a wireless communication unit 121, and an object detecting unit 123 for wireless communication.

The object detecting unit 123 may be mounted on predetermined portions of front, rear, left, and right sides of the vehicle body to detect an object within a predetermined distance approaching the vehicle and output a detection signal.

Preferably, when the detection signal is received from the object detecting unit 123, by outputting the camera driving signal as well as the predetermined alarm signal, the camera in a specific direction is configured to photograph the object approaching the vehicle.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a vehicle accident recording method according to another embodiment of the present invention, and illustrates the operation of the vehicle accident recording apparatus of FIG. 3.

First, image data around the vehicle is received in real time from the camera 101 (S200).

Next, the control unit 113 temporarily records the image data received from the camera 101 in the volatile memory 1071 of the memory unit 107, and further stores the image data received from the camera 101 in the external memory 1073. Control to record continuously in (S210).

Next, during the recording, it is checked whether the primary detection signal is input from the object detection unit 123 (S220), and if the primary detection signal is input from the object detection unit 123, an accident recording standby mode is performed. (S230).

Next, during the accident recording standby mode, it is checked whether or not the secondary detection signal is input from the accident detection unit 105 after a predetermined time has elapsed (S240).

In operation S240, when the secondary detection signal is input from the accident detection unit 105, the control unit 113 automatically generates an accident folder in the nonvolatile memory 1072, and then stores temporary image data in the volatile memory 1071. The accident history of the designated time before and after the accident to be recorded in the accident folder (S250). At this time, the control unit 113 preferably controls to store the accident details of a predetermined time amount before and after the reception of the object detection signal in the accident folder on the basis of the time when the primary detection signal is received from the object detection unit 123.

Since the vehicle accident recording apparatus of the present invention is prepared for a vehicle accident, the durability is designed to be high and the arrangement of each component should be determined in consideration of this.

In addition, the vehicle accident recording apparatus of the present invention may be provided in a variety of portable terminals, such as a mobile phone, a digital camera with a built-in GPS function.

The best embodiments have been disclosed in the drawings and specification above. Although specific terms have been used herein, they are used only for the purpose of describing the present invention and are not used to limit the scope of the present invention as defined in the meaning or claims. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible from this. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention will be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

As described in detail above, the present invention has the effect of maximizing the function of the vehicle by clearly identifying errors between the drivers so as to record the surrounding situation when the vehicle accident occurs to be utilized in accurate situation analysis. Particularly, in the present invention, a low-cost compact camera is employed, and an accident detection unit is composed of a plurality of sensors in consideration of malfunctions of the accident detection sensors, and the accident recording image is simultaneously stored in a nonvolatile memory and an external memory, thereby reducing the accuracy of the accident detection. And it provides an advantage that can greatly improve the stability of the accident record data.

Claims (8)

A camera providing image data around the vehicle; A GPS unit for providing location information of the vehicle; And a sound sensor for detecting sound around the vehicle, a shock sensor for detecting a shock applied to the vehicle, a leaf switch for detecting a vehicle body tremor of the vehicle, and a balance switch for detecting a vehicle body balance. An accident detection unit recognizing this as an accident detection signal when a condition exceeding a predetermined threshold occurs; A memory unit including a volatile memory, a nonvolatile memory, and an external memory for storing the image data and the like; A user input unit for allowing a user to select various operation modes including a play key; An LCD unit for displaying stored image data according to an operation control signal input from the user input unit; The image data received from the camera is temporarily recorded in the volatile memory and continuously recorded in the external memory. When an event signal is input from the accident detection unit during recording, an accident folder is generated in the nonvolatile memory and the volatile memory is generated. And a controller configured to control to record an accident history of a predetermined time amount before and after an accident in the temporary image data in the accident folder. The accident folder created in the non-volatile memory of the controller is stored in the volatile memory and the vehicle speed information and time information is stored in the volatile memory along with the image data output from the camera to correspond to the location information of the GPS unit Incident Recorder. The method according to claim 1, The volatile memory is a RAM, the non-volatile memory is a Flash ROM, and the external memory is any one selected from an MMC type, an SD type, and a CF type memory card. Device. delete The method according to claim 1, And the control unit automatically deletes data in the external memory when the external memory is in a full state. The method according to claim 1, The camera is a vehicle accident recording apparatus, characterized in that the wireless camera. The method according to claim 5, The wireless camera is a vehicle accident recording apparatus comprising a wireless communication unit for wireless communication with the vehicle accident recording device and an object detecting sensor for detecting an object within a predetermined distance and outputting a detection signal. The method according to claim 6, The controller performs an accident recording standby mode when a signal is input from the object detection sensor, and if an event signal is input from the accident detection unit after a predetermined time elapses during the standby mode, the controller generates an accident folder in the nonvolatile memory and starts the accident recording. Vehicle accident recording device, characterized in that to control to. The method according to claim 7, The control unit is a vehicle accident recording device, characterized in that for controlling to store the accident history of the specified time amount before and after the reception of the object detection signal in the accident folder.

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