Passenger vehicle safety and monitoring system and method

• US 7,812,711 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2007
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alertstar Safety Corporation USA
• Original Assignee: Alertstar Safety Corporation USA
• Inventors: Brown, Mark Richard, Dotson, Charles Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US11/770,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20080048886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 340/937, 340/438, 340/439, 340/426.18, 701/301
• US Class Current: 340/426.18
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules

Abstract

A passenger vehicle safety system is provided which comprises a violation system, a warning system or an inside system. The violation system collects evidence of traffic violation occurring in a vicinity of a passenger vehicle. The warning system provides a warning to individuals outside and in the vicinity of the passenger vehicle. The intra-vehicle system collects images of persons inside, or in the vicinity of, the passenger vehicle, so as to allow the passenger vehicle'"'"'s driver or one or more individuals located at a remote location, some distance from the passenger, to monitor activity in and around the passenger vehicle. Information captured by the inside system can be viewed in real time, as the information is being collected, or some time later, or both.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a violation system carried by a passenger vehicle and configured to record information associated with a traffic violation committed by a driver of another vehicle that occurs in a vicinity of the passenger vehicle;

an intra-vehicle system carried by the passenger vehicle and configured to monitor human behavior, at least a portion of the behavior occurring inside the passenger vehicle;

a warning system configured to provide at least one warning to a person in a vicinity of the passenger vehicle, the warning comprising at least one of a visual warning and an aural warning; and

a controller configured to receive an input and to control one or more of the violation, intra-vehicle and warning systems in response to the received input.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the associated information comprises one or more images of the other vehicle.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the associated information comprises one or more images of driver of the other vehicle.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the first input comprises information indicating that the passenger vehicle is in a loading state and the other vehicle is passing in the vicinity of the passenger vehicle.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the associated information further comprises an image of a license plate of the other vehicle.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the violation system in response to a first input identifying a traffic violation, the violation system being controlled to capture evidence comprising at least one image of the violation.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein, in response to an input that the passenger vehicle is in, or about to enter, a loading state and that a speed of the passenger vehicle is at or below a threshold speed, the controller is configured to activate the warning system.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein, in response to an input that the passenger vehicle is in operation, the controller is configured to activate the intra-vehicle system.

9. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage unit;

a global positioning system (GPS) unit;

a timer;

a security module configured to encrypt data stored in the storage unit;

a plurality of cameras;

a monitor displaying images captured by one or more of the plurality of cameras; and

a network interface.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the network interface interfaces to a wired network, a wireless network, or a combination of wired and wireless networks.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the network interface is used to transmit data stored in the storage unit to a server connected via the network interface.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the network interface transmits data via a wireless network comprising multiple channels and multiple antennae so as to provide overlapping coverage in an area, the network interface selecting a channel and antenna combination that provides a signal quality capable of transmitting the data.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the network interface determines a signal quality to determine the channel and antenna combination.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the network interface selects a different channel and antenna combination if a determined signal quality of a previously selected channel and antenna combination drops below a predetermined threshold.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the network interface is configured to transmit some or all of the data in an encrypted form.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the information associated with a traffic violation includes at least one of:

location information supplied by the GPS unit, date information, and time information.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the information comprises when and where the violation occurred.

18. The system of claim 9, wherein the GPS unit is configured to generate position and velocity data corresponding to the passenger vehicle.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the GPS unit is configured to determine whether a plurality of satellite signals have a sufficient signal strength, generate position and velocity data from the plurality of satellite signals in a case that there is sufficient signal strength or generate an estimated position and velocity information from previously-generated position and velocity data in a case that there is insufficient signal strength.

20. The system of claim 1, further comprising a motion detection unit coupled to the violation system, the motion detection unit detecting motion in the vicinity of the passenger vehicle.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the motion detection system notifies the violation system of the motion such that the violation system records information associated with a traffic violation that occurs in a vicinity of the passenger vehicle in response to the notification.

22. The system of claim 1 wherein the passenger vehicle is a school bus.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the traffic violation comprises illegally passing the school bus.

24. A system comprising:

processing unit;

an alarm unit controlled by the processing unit to generate an output to alert persons on or in a vicinity of a passenger vehicle;

a first set of one or more image capturing devices controlled by the processing unit to record evidence of a traffic violation committed by a driver of another vehicle occurring in a vicinity of the passenger vehicle;

a second set of one or more image capturing devices controlled by the processing unit to monitor activity within the passenger vehicle,

wherein the processing unit is configured to receive input signals and to generate one or more control signals to control the alarm unit and the image capturing devices.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the passenger vehicle is a school bus.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the traffic violation comprises illegally passing the school bus.

27. The system of claim 24 further including at least one device for recording audio within the passenger vehicle.

28. A system comprising:

a first set of one or more cameras, each of the cameras in the first camera set positioned on an external surface of a passenger vehicle, the first set of cameras configured to record images of a traffic violation by a driver of another vehicle occurring in a vicinity of the passenger vehicle;

a global positioning system (GPS), the GPS configured to output at least velocity information;

a timer configured to output information including a traffic violation time;

a warning system configured to generate one or more alerts for persons in a vicinity of the passenger vehicle, said one or more alerts warning of a potentially dangerous condition;

an intra-vehicle monitoring system consisting of a second set of one or more cameras mounted within the passenger vehicles and at least two cameras mounted outside the passenger vehicle at a location where passengers board or exit the passenger vehicle;

a digital video recorder (DVR) device, the DVR storing at least one or more visual images captured by the second set of cameras;

a memory storing information corresponding to a traffic violation; and

a network interface, the network interface configured to transmit data to a server.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the passenger vehicle is a school bus.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the traffic violation comprises illegally passing the school bus.

31. A method comprising:

using a passenger vehicle safety system installed in a passenger vehicle, the passenger vehicle safety system capturing one or more images and corresponding information associated with a traffic violation by another vehicle occurring in a vicinity of the passenger vehicle;

collecting a fine from a violator using the one or more images and corresponding information; and

using at least a portion of the collected fine to install a passenger vehicle safety system in another passenger vehicle.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

using at least a portion of the collected fine to present educate the public as to safe practices in or near a passenger vehicle.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the traffic violation comprises a criminal traffic violation.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the traffic violation comprise a civil traffic violation.

35. The system of claim 31 wherein at least a portion of the fine is further used to maintain the installed passenger vehicle safety system.

36. A method comprising:

receiving, by a server computer from a passenger vehicle safety computing system, encrypted information comprising one or more digital images and associated information corresponding to a traffic incident occurring, in a vicinity of a passenger vehicle;

accessing a decrypted copy of the received data to determine whether the traffic incident involved a traffic violation;

in a case that the traffic incident is determined to involve a traffic violation, performing the following;

using information identified from the one or more digital images and associated information to retrieve information corresponding to an individual involved in the traffic incident from a database;

generating a violation notification; and

transmitting the violation notification to the individual.

37. A method of claim 36, wherein the traffic violation is a criminal traffic violation and the violation notification comprises criminal traffic violation notification.

38. A method of claim 37, wherein the criminal traffic violation notification comprises a summons.

39. A method of claim 36, wherein the traffic violation is a civil traffic violation, and the violation notification comprises a civil traffic violation notification.

40. A method of claim 39, wherein the civil traffic violation notification comprises a ticket.