Video recorder for an automobile

• US 20030081942A1
• Filed: 10/18/2002
• Published: 05/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: L-3 Communications Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies Incorporated (Visteon Corporation)
• Inventors: Berneis, Paul Allen, Bray, Thomas J., Matson, Jeff, Melnyk, Borys Joseph, Quigley, John H.
• Application Number:
  US10/273,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20030081942A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/125
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 43/003 Positioning devices B21D28/04 and B21D28/265 take precedence; stops B21D43/26; centering moving strips B21D43/023
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 43/021 Control or correction devices in association with moving strips
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 43/12 by chains or belts B21D43/145 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 51/2692 Manipulating, e.g. feeding and positioning devices; Control systems
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 51/44 Making closures, e.g. caps folded of thin metal foils in the way of making paper caps B31D5/00; making closures in conjunction with applying same B67B
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 51/443 easily removable closures, e.g. by means of tear strips
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 51/446 Feeding or removal of material
• CPC Class Codes: B67B 3/22 by applying snap-on caps
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0891 Video recorder in combination with video camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A system for recording a video image is disclosed. The system is mounted in a vehicle and captures the video image that is viewable from the vehicle. The system includes a video capture device for capturing the video image, a first memory storage device, a second memory storage device, a vibration sensor, and a processor The video capture device is mounted to the vehicle. The first memory storage device is in communication with the vehicle capture device for temporarily storing the video image. The second memory storage device is in communication with the video capture device and the first storage device for permanently storing the video image. The vibration sensor is fixedly mounted to the vehicle for detecting a vehicle vibration. The processor is in communication with the video capture device and the vibration sensor and has executable code for monitoring the vibration sensor and determining whether a predefined vibration threshold has been reached.

Claims

1. A system for recording a video image, the system is mounted in a vehicle and captures the video image that is viewable from the vehicle, the system comprising:

a video capture device mounted to the vehicle for capturing the video image;

a first memory storage device in communication with the vehicle capture device for temporarily storing the video image;

a second memory storage device in communication with the video capture device and the first storage device for permanently storing the video image;

a vibration sensor fixedly mounted to the vehicle for detecting a vehicle vibration; and

a processor in communication with the video capture device and the vibration sensor and having executable code for monitoring the vibration sensor and determining whether a predefined vibration threshold has been reached.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising volatile memory for storing the video image prior to writing the video image to one of the first and second memory storage devices.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a video interface device for receiving video image data from the video capture device and transmitting the video image data to the processor.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the video capture device is a digital video camera.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the first memory storage device is a hard disk drive.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the second memory storage device is a digital versatile disk drive.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the vibration sensor is an accelerometer.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a vehicle status indicator in communication with the processor for detecting and transmitting a vehicle status to the processor.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the vehicle status is a transmission position.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the vehicle status is an ignition switch position.

11. The system of claim 1 further comprising a microphone for capturing an audio signal, the microphone being in communication with the processor for receiving and storing the audio signal on one of the first and second memory devices.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising a wireless microphone for capturing an audio signal.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising a wireless receiver in communication with the processor for capturing the audio signal transmitted by the wireless microphone and storing the audio signal on one of the first and second memory devices.

14. The system of claim 1 further comprising a encoder in communication with the processor compressing the video image for storage on one of the first and second memory devices.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the encoder is an MPEG-4 encoder.

16. A method for recording a video image viewable from a vehicle, the method comprising:

acquiring a video image using a video capture device;

determining a vehicle operation state; and

storing the video image on one of a first memory storage device and a second memory storage device in communication with the video capture device depending on the determined vehicle operation state.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising acquiring an audio signal using an audio capture device.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising storing the audio signal on one of the first memory storage device and the second memory storage device in communication with the audio capture device depending on the determined vehicle operation state.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein determining a vehicle operation state further comprises determining whether the vehicle is moving.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising storing the video image on the first memory storage device in communication with the video capture device when the vehicle is determined to be moving.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein determining a vehicle operation state further comprises determining whether the vehicle is stationary.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising storing the video image on the second memory storage device in communication with the video capture device when the vehicle is determined to be stationary.

23. The method of claim 16 wherein determining a vehicle operation state further comprises determining whether a vehicle speed threshold has been exceeded.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising storing the acquired video image on a third memory device when the vehicle speed threshold has been exceeded.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein storing the acquired video image on a third memory device further comprises storing the acquired video image on a non-volatile memory.

26. The method of claim 16 further comprising determining whether a vehicle vibration threshold has been exceeded.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising storing the acquired video image on a third memory device when the vehicle vibration threshold has been exceeded.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein storing the acquired video image on a third memory device further comprises storing the acquired video image on a volatile memory.