Drive recorder for vehicle

• US 7,693,662 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2007
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Yamada, Yasufumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Kim T
• Application Number:
  US11/889,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20080059054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 964 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701117-120, 701/200, 701/213, 701300-301, 340/425.5, 340/435, 340/436, 340/438, 340/901, 340/903, 340/905, 180/271
• US Class Current: 701/301
• 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 in a vehicle, the drive recorder comprising:

a running state detector configured to output a running state signal depending on a running state of the vehicle;

an image pickup device configured to output an image signal indicative of conditions around the vehicle;

a position detector configured to output a position signal indicating a position of the vehicle;

a first memory having a memory capacity and configured to record during a first predetermined time period and to overwrite during a subsequent iteration of the first predetermined time period (i) running state signals outputted by the running state detector, (ii), image signals outputted by the image pickup device, and (iii) and position signals outputted by the position detector, the first predetermined time period being repeated;

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

a saving device configured to save the running state signals the image signals and the position signals which are recorded in the first memory and associated with the collision, when the collision determination means determines that the vehicle has been involved in the collision;

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

a second memory configured to record, each time the occurrence of the dangerous driving situation is determined, the running state signals, the image signals and the position signals which are transferred from the first memory with respect to a second predetermined time period associated with the each occurrence of the dangerous driving situation;

an approach determination means for determining whether the vehicle approaches a dangerous location based on (i) a position signal which is recorded in the second memory with respect to the each occurrence of the dangerous driving situation, and (ii) a position signal presently outputted by the position detector; and

a warning device configured to warn a driver of the vehicle when the approach determination means determines that the vehicle approaches the dangerous location.

2. The drive recorder according to claim 1, wherein

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

3. The drive recorder 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 a position signal presenting outputted by the position detector; and

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

4. The drive recorder 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 a past by using the image signal recorded in the second memory.

5. The drive recorder according to claim 1, wherein

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

6. The drive recorder according to claim 5, wherein

the approach determination means saves, in a list, each extracted position signal in associated with, a number of extractions relating to the each of extracted position signal, and updates the number of extractions saved relating to the each extracted position signal when a position signal indicating a location identical to a location indicated by the each extracted position signal is newly extracted.

7. The drive recorder according to claim 6, wherein

the approach determination means attaches a dangerous location flag indicating a location at which the driver should be warned to the each extracted position signal in the list 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 the dangerous location flag.

8. The drive recorder according to claim 6, wherein

the approach determination means decreases the number of extractions regarding the each extracted position signal in a case that the number of extractions is not updated until a predetermined term elapses.

9. The drive recorder according to claim 1, wherein

the signals recorded in the second memory are with respect to the second predetermined time period, the second predetermined time period ranging before and after the each occurrence of the dangerous driving situation.

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

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

11. The drive recorder for vehicle according to claim 1, wherein:

the approach determination means extracts a position signal at a time when the dangerous situation determination means determines the each occurrence of the dangerous driving situation among the position signals of the second predetermined time period recorded in the second memory, to thereby save, in a list, a plurality of extracted position signals in association with a number of extractions relating to each of the extracted position signals while incrementing the number of extractions when a position signal indicating a location identical to a location indicated by the each of the extracted position signals is newly extracted;

the approach determination means determines whether the vehicle approaches a dangerous location based on the extracted position signals in the list and a position signal presently outputted by the position detector; and

when it is determined that the vehicle approaches the dangerous location, the warning device warns the driver depending on the number of extractions with respect to the extracted position signal indicating the dangerous location.

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

a count of an elapsed time is started since the number of extractions relative to the each of the extracted position signals is updated; and

when it is determined that the number of extractions is not updated until the elapsed time reaches a predetermined term, the number of extractions is decremented.

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

the predetermined term used for determining the decrementing the number of extractions is identical with respect to all the extracted position signals in the list.

14. A drive recorder in a vehicle, the recorder comprising:

a running state detector configured to output a running state signal depending on a running state of the vehicle;

a position detector configured to output a position signal indicating a position of the vehicle;

a first memory having a memory capacity for storing during a first predetermined time period and overwriting during a subsequent iteration of the first predetermined time period (i) running state signals outputted by the running state detector and (ii) position signals outputted by the position detector, the first predetermined time period being repeated;

a second memory configured to store data transferred from the first memory; and

a processor configured to

determine an occurrence of a dangerous driving situation based on the running state signal from the running state detector;

transfer signals stored in the first memory to the second memory, when each occurrence of the dangerous driving situation is determined,

the transferred signals being running state signals and position signals with respect to a second predetermined time period ranging before and after the each occurrence of the dangerous driving situation,

extract a position signal at a time, when the each occurrence of the dangerous situation is determined, among the transferred position signals of the second predetermined time period recorded in the second memory,

save, in a list, a plurality of extracted position signals in association with a number of extractions of each of the extracted position signals while incrementing the number of extractions of the each of the extracted position signals when a position signal indicating a location identical to a location indicated by the each of the extracted position signals is newly extracted, and

determine whether the vehicle approaches a dangerous location based on the extracted position signals in the list and a position signal presently outputted by the position detector; and

a warning device configured to warn, when it is determined that the vehicle approaches the dangerous location, a driver of the vehicle depending on the number of extractions with respect to the extracted position signal indicating the dangerous location,

wherein the processor is further configured to

start a count of an elapsed time when the number of extractions relative to the each of the extracted position signals is updated, and

decrement the number of extractions when the number of extractions is not updated until the elapsed time reaches a predetermined term.

15. The drive recorder according to claim 14, 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 the collision.

16. The drive recorder according to claim 15, further comprising

a saving device configured to store the position signal when the vehicle has been involved in the collision;

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

the warning device being further configured to warn the vehicle driver when the processor determines that the vehicle approaches the past collision location.

17. The drive recorder for vehicle according to claim 14, wherein:

the predetermined term used for determining the decrementing the number of extractions is identical with respect to all the extracted position signals in the list.

18. The drive recorder for vehicle according to claim 14, further comprising:

an image pickup device configured to output image signals indicative of conditions around the vehicle, wherein;

the first memory is further configured to store during the first predetermined time period and overwriting during the subsequent iteration of the first predetermined time period, the image signals outputted by the image pickup device; and

the transferred signals, which are transferred by the processor with respect to the second predetermined time period from the first memory to the second memory, include the image signals in addition to the running state signals and the position signals.