System and method for selective review of event data

• US 7,804,426 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2006
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lytx, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lytx, Inc.
• Inventors: Etcheson, Jamie
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullen; Thomas J
• Application Number:
  US11/566,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20070260361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,394 Days
• Field of Search: 701/35, 340/439, 340/576, 340/937, 348/148, 702/188, 709/219, 725/86, 725/91, 725/93, 725/94, 725143-146
• US Class Current: 340/937
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing
• 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: G07C 5/0858 wherein the data carrier is removable
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0891 Video recorder in combination with video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 23/00 Alarms responsive to unspecified undesired or abnormal conditions

Abstract

Systems and methods for computer assisted cueing and selective reviewing of driving data in order to save time in the data review process are provided. The method allows identifying essential portions of the data, selecting the essential portions, reviewing the selected data and retrieving additional data leading to the event if necessary. At least one event capture device continuously captures data into a buffer. The data are sent to an event detector communicatively coupled to the event capture device only when the event detector requests them. After receiving the data, the event detector selects and indexes a pre-event portion, during-event portion and post-event portion, combines the portions of captured data into a single driving event record and sends the driving event record to the evaluation server. From the server, the driving event record is sent to the analysis station for review and analysis.

Claims

1. A system for selective reviewing of driving event data, comprising:

an event detector coupled with a vehicle, configured to capture and store driving events, each said captured and stored driving event having a pre-event time, a trigger time and a post-event time;

an evaluation server configured to receive and store a plurality of said driving events from the event detector and provide said driving events for analysis; and

an analysis station comprising a data loading module, a data indexing module, a data control module, and a data playing module, wherein the data loading module is configured to receive the captured driving event from the evaluation server and load the captured driving event for review, the data indexing module is configured to cue up the captured driving event at a selected cue time that is prior to the trigger time, and to adjust the cue time within the range between the pre-event time and the trigger time, and the data playing module is configured to play the cued up driving event from the cue time to the post-event time.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data control module is configured to stop the playing of the cued up driving event, request an adjustment of the cue time, and request the playing of the driving event from a new cue time.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the captured driving event comprises information collected from inside the vehicle.

4. The system method of claim 1, wherein the captured driving event comprises information collected from outside the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the captured driving event comprises information from an internal vehicle bus about the baseline noise level of the operating vehicle.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the captured driving event comprises video data.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the video data comprises stilt images.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the video data comprises moving images.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the captured driving event comprises audio data.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the captured driving event comprises metadata.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the event detector further comprises at least one event capture device for capturing driving events.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the event capture device comprises a video camera.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the event capture device comprises a still camera.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the event capture device comprises a microphone.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of event capture devices communicatively coupled with the event detector and configured to capture and store driving event data, the event detector being configured to receive captured data from selected event capture devices on detection of a driving event.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the event capture devices are selected from a group consisting of:

image capture devices, audio data capture devices, and meta data capture devices.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the event capture devices comprise at least a video camera, an audio data capture device, and a meta data capture device.

18. A method for selective reviewing of driving event data, comprising:

capturing and indexing a driving event at an event detector, wherein the event detector is coupled with a vehicle, and wherein the captured driving event has a trigger time;

sending the captured driving event from the event detector to an evaluation sewer;

receiving and storing a plurality of said driving events at the evaluation server;

sending the captured driving event from the evaluation server to an analysis station;

receiving the captured driving event at the analysis station and loading the captured driving event for review;

cueing up the captured driving event at a cue time set prior to the trigger time; and

playing the cued up driving event from the cue time, further comprising adjusting the cue time within the range between a pre-event time and the trigger time, and playing the captured event from a new cue time.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein capturing and indexing a driving event comprises capturing and indexing information collected from inside the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein capturing and indexing a driving event comprises capturing and indexing information collected from outside the vehicle.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein capturing and indexing a driving event comprises capturing and indexing information collected from an internal vehicle bus about the baseline noise level of the operating vehicle.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein capturing and indexing a driving event comprises capturing and indexing still images.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein capturing and indexing a driving event comprises capturing and indexing moving images.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein capturing and indexing a driving event comprises capturing and indexing metadata.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein capturing and indexing a driving event comprises capturing and indexing audio data.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein capturing and indexing a driving event comprises capturing and indexing data from at least one event capture device.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein capturing and indexing a driving event comprises capturing and indexing data from a plurality of event capture devices.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein capturing and indexing a driving event comprises capturing and indexing data from at least an image recording device, a microphone, and a meta data capture device.

29. The method of claim 18, wherein the event detector indexes the captured driving event with an event trigger time, a selected pre-event start time prior to the trigger time, an event end time, and a post-event end time at a predetermined time interval after the event end time, and the captured driving event comprises pre-event data from the pre-event start time to the trigger time, event data from the trigger time to the event end time, and post-event data from the event end time to the post-event end time.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the cue time is at a selected time between the pre-event start time and the trigger time.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the event detector further indexes the captured driving event with a post-event time, and the post-event time is a selected time between the event end time and the post-event end time.

32. The method of claim 18, wherein capturing and indexing a driving event further comprises the steps of:

capturing data in buffers;

detecting an event start trigger;

identifying buffered data received prior to the event start trigger as pre-event data;

identifying buffered data received from the event start trigger until detection of an event end trigger as event data;

detecting the event end trigger; and

identifying buffered data received after the event end trigger as post-event data.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein capturing and indexing a driving event further comprises the step of:

combining the pr-event data, event data, and post-event data into a single diving event record.