Digital operation recorder

• US 5,526,269 A
• Filed: 06/20/1994
• Issued: 06/11/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Akihiro, Ishibashi, Wataru
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US08/262,376
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 364/424.01, 364/424.03, 364/424.04, 364/561, 377/20, 340/438, 340/439
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0858 wherein the data carrier is removable

Abstract

A digital operation recorder provided with a recording medium having a data region for recording operation data for each operation of a car, a clock, whose time is correctable, for generating time data, and a write means for successively writing the operation data into the data region within the recording medium at intervals of a preset time and writing, in response to the time data from the clock, such data from which its starting time and ending time can be found out is disclosed. In the recorder, the write means comprises a time write means for writing, every time the operation data of the car is successively written into the data area within the recording medium, the time elapsed after the start of each operation into a first area of the data region such that the currently written elapsed time supersedes the previously written time, and a time-of-day write means for writing, every time the operation data of the car is successively written into the data area within the recording medium, the time of write into a second area of the data region such that the currently written time of write supersedes the previously written time.

Claims

1. A digital operation recorder for providing a correct start time for each operation of a vehicle comprising:

a recording medium having a data region for recording a plurality of operation data of each operation of said vehicle;

a presettable clock for generating time data, said presettable clock having means for correcting said time data to a correct time during the operation of said vehicle; and

write means for storing each of said plurality of operation data into said data region at predetermined time intervals during operation of said vehicle, wherein said write means includes

elapsed time write means for storing, into a first data area of said data region, an elapsed time from when each operation of the vehicle is started, said elapsed time is updated each time one of said plurality of operation data is stored into said data region at said predetermined time intervals,

time-of-day writing means for storing, into a second data area of said data region, a time-of-day at which one of said plurality of operation data is stored into said data region, said time-of-day is determined based upon said time data from said presettable clock and is stored into said second data area each time one of said plurality of operation data is stored into said data region at said predetermined time intervals, and

means for determining said correct start time of each operation of said vehicle based upon said elapsed time and said time-of-day corresponding to one of said plurality of operation data when said time data is corrected by said presettable clock during the operation of said vehicle.

2. A digital operation recorder according to claim 1 further comprising an ignition-on detector means, connected to said write means, for detecting an on-state of an ignition of the vehicle.