Vehicular data recording apparatus and method

• US 6,246,934 B1
• Filed: 05/18/2000
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kido, Shigeyuki, Otake, Hirotada
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): To, Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US09/573,254
• Time in Patent Office: 390 Days
• Field of Search: 701/35, 364/424.03, 303/9.71, 180/248, 180/197, 280/707
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/122 Speed recorders
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/127 for acceleration values
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A vehicular data recording apparatus records running data regarding a vehicle into a memory in an overwrite manner when the running data needs to be recorded. If the vehicle enters an abnormal state, such as a crash or the like, the apparatus prevents the recording, and retains the running data recorded up to that moment in the memory. The apparatus determines whether the vehicle is in the abnormal state, for example, on the basis of a determination as to whether the vehicle has entered a stopped state within a predetermined time Tc following a time point at which the absolute value of a longitudinal acceleration Gx of the vehicle becomes equal to or greater than a reference value Gx1 and/or a time point at which the absolute value of a lateral acceleration Gy becomes equal to or greater than a reference value Gy1. Alternatively, or in addition, the vehicle is determined to be in an abnormal state based on a determination as to whether the vehicle is in the stopped state and the absolute value of the longitudinal acceleration Gx is equal to or greater than a reference value Gx2, and/or the absolute value of the lateral acceleration Gy is equal to or greater than a reference value Gy2.

Claims

1. A vehicular data recording apparatus comprising:

a memory that records running data regarding a vehicle; and

a controller that;

determines whether a magnitude of an acceleration of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a reference acceleration value;

determines whether a vehicle speed of the vehicle is equal to or less than a reference speed value;

determines whether the vehicle is in an abnormal state based on a result of the determinations regarding the acceleration and speed of the vehicle; and

controls the recording of the running data by the memory based on whether the vehicle is determined to be in the abnormal state.

2. A vehicular data recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines that the vehicle is in the abnormal state if the vehicle speed is determined to be equal to or less than the reference speed value within a predetermined length of time following a time point at which the acceleration is determined to be equal to or greater than the reference acceleration value.

3. A vehicular data recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller determines whether a magnitude of a longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a reference longitudinal acceleration value, and determines whether a magnitude of a lateral acceleration of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a reference lateral acceleration value;

and

the controller determines that the vehicle is in the abnormal state if the vehicle speed is determined to be equal to or less than the reference speed value within the predetermined length of time following one of a time point at which the controller determines that the magnitude of the longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle is equal to or greater than the reference longitudinal acceleration value and a time point at which the controller determines that the magnitude of the lateral acceleration of the vehicle is equal to or greater than the reference lateral acceleration value.

4. A vehicular data recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines that the vehicle is in the abnormal state if the controller determines that the vehicle speed is equal to or less than the reference speed value and the controller determines that the acceleration of the vehicle is equal to or greater than the reference acceleration value.

5. A vehicular data recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the controller determines whether a magnitude of a longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a reference longitudinal acceleration value, and determines whether a magnitude of a lateral acceleration of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a reference lateral acceleration value;

and

the controller determines that the vehicle is in the abnormal state if the controller determines that the vehicle speed is equal to or less than the reference speed value and the controller determines that the magnitude of the longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle is equal to or greater than the reference longitudinal acceleration value, or if the controller determines that the vehicle speed is equal to or less than the reference speed value and the controller determines that the magnitude of the lateral acceleration of the vehicle is equal to or greater than the reference lateral acceleration value.

6. A vehicular data recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines that the vehicle speed is equal to or less than the reference speed value when the vehicle speed is substantially zero.

7. A vehicular data recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the memory includes a memory controller that records the running data by writing the running data into the memory in an overwrite manner;

and

the controller prevents the memory controller from recording if the controller determines that the vehicle is in the abnormal state.

8. A vehicular data recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the memory includes a plurality of storage areas, and is designed so that the running data is written into a storage area that stores oldest running data in the overwrite manner.

9. A vehicular data recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines whether the running data regarding the vehicle is to be recorded;

and the memory includes;

a memory controller that writes the running data into the memory when the controller determines that the running data is to be recorded.

10. A vehicular data recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the controller determines whether the running data is to be recorded at predetermined time intervals.

11. A vehicular data recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the vehicle includes a motion control apparatus that performs a motion control that stabilizes a motion of the vehicle during driving;

and

the controller determines that the running data is to be recorded when the motion control apparatus is performing the motion control.

12. A vehicular data recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the controller determines that the running data is to be recorded if a magnitude of a lateral acceleration of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a reference lateral acceleration value.

13. A vehicular data recording method comprising:

determining whether a magnitude of an acceleration of a vehicle is equal to or greater than a reference acceleration value;

determining whether a vehicle speed of the vehicle is equal to or less than a reference speed value;

determining whether the vehicle is in an abnormal state based on a result of the determinations regarding the acceleration and speed of the vehicle; and

controlling the recording of running data regarding the vehicle into a memory based on the determination as to whether the vehicle is in the abnormal state.

14. A vehicular data recording method according to claim 13, wherein the vehicle is determined to be in the abnormal state if the vehicle speed is determined to be equal to or less than the reference speed value within a predetermined length of time following a time point at which the acceleration of the vehicle is determined to be equal to or greater than the reference acceleration value.

15. A vehicular data recording method according to claim 14, wherein the acceleration determination step determines whether a magnitude of a longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a reference longitudinal acceleration value, and determines whether a magnitude of a lateral acceleration of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a reference lateral acceleration value;

and

wherein the vehicle is determined to be in the abnormal state if the vehicle speed is determined to be equal to or less than the reference speed value within the predetermined length of time following one of a time point at which the magnitude of the longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle is determined to be equal to or greater than the reference longitudinal acceleration value, and a time point at which the magnitude of the lateral acceleration of the vehicle is determined to be equal to or greater than the reference lateral acceleration value.

16. A vehicular data recording method according to claim 13, wherein the vehicle is determined to be in the abnormal state if the vehicle speed is determined to be equal to or greater than the reference speed value and the acceleration of the vehicle is determined to be equal to or greater than the reference acceleration value.

17. A vehicular data recording method according to claim 16, wherein the acceleration determination step determines whether a magnitude of a longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a reference longitudinal acceleration value, and determines whether a magnitude of a lateral acceleration of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a reference lateral acceleration value;

and

wherein the vehicle is determined to be in the abnormal state if the vehicle speed is determined to be equal to or less than the reference speed value and the magnitude of the longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle is determined to be equal to or greater than the reference longitudinal acceleration value, or if the vehicle speed is determined to be equal to or less than the reference speed value and the magnitude of the lateral acceleration of the vehicle is determined to be equal to or greater than the reference lateral acceleration value.

18. A vehicular data recording method according to claim 13, wherein the vehicle speed is determined to be equal to or less than the reference speed value when the vehicle speed is substantially zero.

19. A vehicular data recording method according to claim 13, wherein the running data regarding the vehicle is recorded in the memory by writing the running data into the memory in an overwrite manner;

and

the controlling step includes preventing the running data from being written into the memory if the vehicle is determined to be in the abnormal state.

20. A vehicular data recording method according to claim 13, wherein the controlling step includes determining whether the running data regarding the vehicle is to be recorded in the memory;

and

the running data is written data into the memory if it is determined that the running data is to be recorded.

21. A vehicular data recording method according to claim 20, wherein the determination as to whether the running data is to be recorded is repeatedly made at predetermined time intervals.

22. A vehicular data recording method according to claim 20, wherein the vehicle includes a motion control apparatus that performs a motion control that stabilizes a motion of the vehicle during driving;

and

the running data is recorded when the motion control apparatus is performing the motion control.

23. A vehicular data recording method according to claim 20, wherein the controlling step causes the running data to be recorded in the memory if a magnitude of a lateral acceleration of the vehicle is determined to be equal to or greater than a reference lateral acceleration value.