Occupant imaging device

An occupant imaging device that captures images of occupants inside a vehicle in which a display device having a plurality of display areas arranged side by side in a horizontal direction is provided in front of and between a driver's seat and a passenger seat, the occupant imaging device comprising:

• an illumination unit that illuminates an area around the face of an occupant seated in a seat, wherein the light emitted from the illumination unit is near-infrared light;
• and
• an imaging unit that captures images of the area around the face of the occupant seated in the seat, wherein
• the display device includes an outer frame extending on at least left and right sides of the display area,
• the illumination unit and the imaging unit are arranged in a vertical direction in a region of the outer frame of the display device excluding a passenger seat side portion or in a connecting section between the plurality of display areas, and
• the occupant imaging device further comprises an indicator, the indicator, the illumination unit and the imaging unit being arranged in the vertical direction in the outer frame, and
• the imaging unit captures images of an area around the face of an occupant including at least a driver seated in the driver's seat,
• wherein:
• the indicator indicates whether a driver status monitoring system is enabled or disabled;
• the indicator is configured to light up when the illumination unit is emitting light and the driver status monitoring system is enabled;
• and
• light emission intensity of a light emitting element of the illumination unit is lower than light emission intensity of a light emitting element of the indicator while the light emitting element of the illumination unit and the light emitting element of the indicator light up simultaneously,
• wherein the light emission intensity of the illumination unit being lower than the light emitting element of the indicator, which are arranged in the vertical direction in the region of the outer frame of the display device excluding the passenger seat side portion,
• (i) causes the occupants to perceive the light emitted from the indicator more strongly than the light emitted from the illumination unit, and
• (ii) reduces stress on the occupants that is caused from the near-infrared light emitted from the illumination unit.