Drive recorder for vehicle

• US 20080059054A1
• Filed: 08/16/2007
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Yamada, Yasufumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,693,662 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0866 the electronic data carrier being a digital video recorder in combination with video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09626 where the origin of the information is within the own vehicle, e.g. a local storage device, digital map

Abstract

A drive recorder stores information regarding a dangerous location where a vehicle collision or a dangerous driving situation occurred in the past. When it is determined that the vehicle approaches the dangerous location based on a position signal from a GPS receiver for detecting the present position of the vehicle, a warning is provided to the vehicle driver. According to the warning, the vehicle driver can recognize that the vehicle is approaching the dangerous location where the vehicle collision or the dangerous driving situation occurred in the past.

Claims

1. A drive recorder for vehicle comprising:

a running state detector for outputting a running state signal depending on a running state of a vehicle;

an image pickup device for outputting an image signal indicative of conditions around the vehicle;

a position detector for outputting a position signal indicating a position of the vehicle;

a first memory for periodically recording the running state signal, the image signal and the position signal, and having memory capacity to record the running state signal, the image signal and the position signals for a predetermined time period, and for overwriting the signals during a subsequent iteration of the predetermined time period;

a collision determination means for determining whether a vehicle has been involved in a collision based on the running state signal from the running state detector;

a saving device for saving the running state signal, the image signal and the position signal recorded in the first memory when the collision determination means determines that the vehicle has been involved in a collision;

a dangerous situation determination means for determining the occurrence of a dangerous driving situation based on the running state signal from the running state detector;

a second memory for recording the running state signals, the image signals and the position signals of a predetermined time transferred from the first memory when the dangerous situation determination means determines the vehicle has encountered a dangerous driving situation;

an approach determination means for determining whether the vehicle approaches a dangerous location based on a position signal recorded in the second memory and a position signal output by the position detector; and

a warning device for warning the vehicle driver when the approach determination means determines that the vehicle approaches the dangerous location.

2. A drive recorder for vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the dangerous driving situation is a situation which does not involve a collision but which is nonetheless determined to put the vehicle and the driver at risk for a collision.

3. A drive recorder for vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the warning device comprises a display for displaying an image;

and

the display warns by displaying an image indicative of the dangerous driving situation that the vehicle encountered in the past by using the image signal recorded in the second memory.

4. A drive recorder for vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the approach determination means extracts a position signal at the time when the dangerous situation determination means determines the dangerous driving situation among the position signals of the predetermined time recorded in the second memory, and determines whether the vehicle approaches a dangerous location based on the extracted position signal and the position signal output by the position detector.

5. A drive recorder for vehicle according to claim 3, wherein

the approach determination means saves the listed extracted position signals, and saves the number of extractions relating to each of extracted position signals, and updates the number of extractions saved relating to the extracted position signal when a position signal indicating the same location as the listed extracted position signal is newly extracted.

6. A drive recorder for vehicle according to claim 4, wherein

the approach determination means attaches a dangerous location flag indicating the location at which the vehicle diver should be warned for the listed extracted position signal depending on the number of extractions, and determines that the vehicle approaches a dangerous location when the vehicle approaches only a location corresponding to an extracted position signal having an attached dangerous location flag.

7. A drive recorder for vehicle according to claim 4, wherein

the approach determination means decrease the number of extractions regarding the extracted position signal by not updating the number of extractions until a predetermined term elapses.

8. A drive recorder for vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

the second memory records the running state signal, the image signal and the position signal transferred from the first memory when the collision determination means determines the vehicle has been involved in a collision;

the approach determination means determines whether the vehicle approaches a past collision location based on the position signal recorded in the second memory and the position signal output by the position detector; and

the warning device warns the vehicle driver when the approach determination means determines that the vehicle approaches a collision location.

9. A drive recorder for vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the signals recorded in the second memory include signals before and after the dangerous determination means determines the vehicle encountered the dangerous driving situation.

10. A drive recorder for vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the warning device comprises a sound device for outputting a warning sound.

11. A drive recorder for vehicle comprising:

at least one vehicle operation detector for outputting a running state signal depending on a running state of a vehicle and for outputting a position signal indicating a position of the vehicle;

a memory device for periodically recording the running state signal and the position signal, and storing the position signal when the vehicle has encountered a dangerous driving situation;

a processor configured to determine the occurrence of a dangerous driving situation based on the running state signal from the vehicle operation detector, and to determine whether the vehicle approaches a dangerous location based on the position signal stored in the memory device and the position signal output by the vehicle operation detector; and

a warning device for warning the vehicle driver when the processor determines that the vehicle approaches a dangerous location.

12. A drive recorder for vehicle according to claim 11, wherein

the dangerous driving situation is a situation which does not involve a collision but which is nonetheless determined to put the vehicle and the driver at risk for a collision.

13. A drive recorder for vehicle according to claim 12, wherein

the memory device stores the position signal when the vehicle has been involved in a collision;

the processor is configured to determine whether the vehicle has been involved in a collision based on the running state signal from the vehicle operation detector, and to determine whether the vehicle approaches the past collision location based on the position signal stored in the memory device and the position signal output by the vehicle operation detector; and

the warning device warns the vehicle driver when the processor determines that the vehicle approaches the past collision location.

14. A drive recorder for vehicle comprising:

at least one vehicle operation detector for outputting a running state signal depending on a running state of a vehicle, outputting an image signal picked up a condition around the vehicle, and a position detector for outputting a position signal indicating a position of the vehicle;

a memory device including a first memory for periodically recording the running state signal, the image signal and the position signal, and having memory capacity to record the running state signal, the image signal and the position signal for a predetermined time period, and for overwriting the signals during a subsequent iteration of the predetermined time period, a saving device for saving the running state signal, the image signal and the position signal recorded in the first memory when the vehicle has been involved in a collision, and a second memory for recording the running state signal, the image signal and the position signal transferred from the first memory when the vehicle has encountered a dangerous driving situation;

a processor configured to determine whether the vehicle has been involved in a collision based on the running state signal from the vehicle operation detector, to determine the occurrence of a dangerous driving situation based on the running state signal from the vehicle operation detector and to determine whether the vehicle approaches a dangerous location based on a position signal recorded in the second memory and a position signal output by the vehicle operation detector; and

a warning device for warning the vehicle driver when the processor determines that the vehicle approaches the dangerous location.