Inspection apparatus

• US 20060164090A1
• Filed: 12/10/2003
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Codasystem France
• Original Assignee: Codasystem France
• Inventors: Poletti, Claude
• Application Number:
  US10/538,936
• Publication Number:
  US 20060164090A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/323
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/10 together with the recording, indicating or registering of other data, e.g. of signs of identity
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

The present invention relates to inspection reports for certifying that a particular event has actually taken place at a particular date or time, and, where appropriate, at a particular place. The invention provides an inspection apparatus (100) including, in a secure casing, a central processing unit (1), a digital audiovisual device (2) such as a camera and/or a video camera and/or a sound recorder, a clock (3), and a watermarker (4) capable of embedding temporal information provided by the clock (3) in the data stream coming from the audiovisual device (2). The apparatus (100) may include, in addition to the above-mentioned devices and depending upon the application envisaged, supplementary incorporated measuring instruments providing digital data, in particular a geographic position measuring device (5) such as a GPS.

Claims

1. Inspection apparatus (100) comprising, in a secure casing:

a central processing unit (1),

at least one digital audiovisual device (2),

a clock (3), and

a watermarker (4) capable of embedding the temporal information provided by said clock (3) in the data stream coming from said audiovisual device (2).

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said audiovisual device (2) is a camera.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said audiovisual device (2) is a video camera.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said audiovisual device (2) is a sound recorder.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a device (5) for measuring the geographic position of the apparatus, and in that said watermarker (4) is capable of embedding the information provided by said geographic position measuring device (5) in the data stream coming from the audiovisual device (2).

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that said geographic position measuring device (5) is a receiver forming part of the GPS system.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a distance measuring device.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a thermal probe.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises an inclinometer.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises an electronic compass.

11. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises at least one connector (10) enabling an external source of secure data to be attached.