Method and apparatus for automated collection and transfer of collision information

• US 6,741,168 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2001
• Issued: 05/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Webb, Ronald J., Herle, Sudhindra P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T.
• Application Number:
  US10/020,640
• Publication Number:
  US 20030112133A1
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: 340/436, 340/539.1, 340/903, 340/904, 340/425.5, 340/825.36, 340/825.49, 180/271, 180/274, 701/29, 701/30
• US Class Current: 340/436
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered

Abstract

A device within an automobile comprises or includes a wireless communications controller which, upon detection of impact, attempts to establish a wireless communications link to each of any counterpart wireless communications controllers which are within vehicles also subject to a recent impact, and therefore presumably involved in the collision. Vehicle identification information and information collected regarding the collision, such as vehicle speed, location, direction of travel, impact direction and magnitude, point of impact, etc., are automatically exchanged between vehicles involved in the collision and may be later retrieved from either vehicle, preserving objective information for accident reconstruction by police and insurance companies.

Claims

1. For use in an automobile, a device for acquiring collision information comprising:

a sensor detecting an impact to a vehicle containing a collision recorder;

a memory containing information relating to at least one of the impact and the vehicle, the memory comprising a first-in, first-out buffer for buffering the information on a rolling basis where newest information replaces oldest information in the buffer; and

a wireless communications controller coupled to the sensor and to the memory, wherein the controller, in response to detection of the impact, automatically

attempts to establish a wireless communications link to a counterpart wireless communications controller within another vehicle subject to a recent impact by

broadcasting availability of an information exchange service by the wireless communications controller, and

searching for availability of an information exchange service for the counterpart wireless communications controller, and

responsive to successfully establishing a wireless communications link to the counterpart wireless communication controller, exchanges at least a portion of the information within the memory for corresponding information from the counterpart wireless communications controller.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communications controller, in response to detection of the impact, automatically attempts to establish a wireless communications link to counterpart wireless communications controllers within each vehicle in a predefined range which has been subject to a recent impact.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communications controller, responsive to successfully establishing a wireless communications link to a plurality of counterpart wireless communication controllers each within a different vehicle subject to a recent impact, automatically exchanges at least the portion of the information within the memory for corresponding information from each counterpart wireless communications controller.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communications controller attempts to establish a wireless communications link to a counterpart wireless communications controller within another vehicle utilizing Bluetooth wireless communications.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communications controller exchanges at least the portion of the information within the memory for corresponding information from the counterpart wireless communications controller in an ordered sequence beginning with vehicle identification information.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the collision recorder, upon detection of the impact to the vehicle containing the collision recorder, preserves the information in the nonvolatile memory for exchange by the wireless communications controller for the corresponding information from the counterpart wireless communications controller information, wherein the information is selected from the group consisting of vehicle speed when the impact to the vehicle containing the collision recorder occurred, location of the vehicle when the impact to the vehicle containing the collision recorder occurred, direction of vehicle travel when the impact to the vehicle containing the collision recorder occurred, impact direction, impact magnitude, and point of impact.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communications controller, responsive to a request from an authorized device establishing a second wireless communications link to the wireless communications controller, transmits at least a portion of the information within the memory to the authorized device.

8. An automobile, comprising:

at least one control system;

a sensor detecting an impact to the automobile;

a nonvolatile memory containing at least one of identification information relating to the automobile and measurement information from the at least one control system captured upon detection of the impact to the automobile; and

a wireless communications controller coupled to the sensor and to the memory, wherein the controller, in response to detection of the impact, automatically

attempts to establish a wireless communications link to a counterpart wireless communications controller within another vehicle subject to a recent impact, and

responsive to successfully establishing a wireless communications link to the counterpart wireless communication controller, exchanges at least a portion of the information within the memory for corresponding information from the counterpart wireless communications controller;

wherein a collision recorder, upon detection of the impact to the vehicle containing the collision recorder, preserves the information in the nonvolatile memory for exchange by the wireless communications controller for the corresponding information from the counterpart wireless communications controller information, and

wherein the information is selected from the group consisting of vehicle speed when the impact to the vehicle containing the collision recorder occurred, location of the vehicle when the impact to the vehicle containing the collision recorder occurred, direction of vehicle travel when the impact to the vehicle containing the collision recorder occurred, impact direction, impact magnitude, and point of impact.

9. The automobile according to claim 8, wherein the wireless communications controller, in response to detection of the impact, automatically attempts to establish a wireless communications link to counterpart wireless communications controllers within each vehicle in a predefined range which has been subject to a recent impact.

10. The automobile according to claim 8, wherein the wireless communications controller, responsive to successfully establishing a wireless communications link to a plurality of counterpart wireless communication controllers each within a different vehicle subject to a recent impact, automatically exchanges at least the portion of the information within the memory for corresponding information from each counterpart wireless communications controller.

11. The automobile according to claim 8, wherein the wireless communications controller attempts to establish a wireless communications link to a counterpart wireless communications controller within another vehicle by:

broadcasting availability of an information exchange service by the wireless communications controller, and

searching for availability of an information exchange service for the counterpart wireless communications controller.

12. The automobile according to claim 8, wherein the wireless communications controller attempts to establish a wireless communications link to a counterpart wireless communications controller within another vehicle utilizing Bluetooth wireless communications.

13. The automobile according to claim 8, wherein the wireless communications controller exchanges at least the portion of the information within the memory for corresponding information from the counterpart wireless communications controller in an ordered sequence beginning with vehicle identification information.

14. The automobile according to claim 8, wherein the wireless communications controller, responsive to a request from an authorized device establishing a wireless communications link to the wireless communications controller, transmits at least a portion of the information within the memory to the authorized device.

15. A method of acquiring collision information, comprising:

detecting an impact to a vehicle;

responsive to detection of the impact, automatically attempting to establish a wireless communications link between a wireless communications controller coupled to a memory within the vehicle and containing information relating to at least one of the impact and the vehicle and a counterpart wireless communications controller within another vehicle subject to a recent impact; and

responsive to successfully establishing a wireless communications link between the wireless communications controller and the counterpart wireless communication controller, exchanging at least a portion of the information within the memory for corresponding information from the counterpart wireless communications controller;

wherein the step of automatically attempting to establish a wireless communications link further comprises;

broadcasting availability of an information exchange service by the wireless communications controller, and

searching for availability of an information exchange service for the counterpart wireless communications controller.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the step of automatically attempting to establish a wireless communications link further comprises:

attempting to establish a wireless communications link to counterpart wireless communications controllers within each vehicle in a predefined range which has been subject to a recent impact.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

responsive to successfully establishing a wireless communications link to a plurality of counterpart wireless communication controllers each within a different vehicle subject to a recent impact, exchanging at least the portion of the information within the memory for corresponding information from each counterpart wireless communications controller.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the step of automatically attempting to establish a wireless communications link further comprises:

utilizing Bluetooth wireless communications.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein the step of exchanging at least a portion of the information within the memory for corresponding information from the counterpart wireless communications controller further comprises:

exchanging the portion of the information within the memory for corresponding information from the counterpart wireless communications controller in an ordered sequence beginning with vehicle identification information.

20. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

responsive to a request from an authorized device establishing a wireless communications link to the wireless communications controller, transmitting at least a portion of the information within the memory to the authorized device.