Vehicle visual and non-visual data recording system

• US 7,983,811 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2009
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Appy Risk Technologies Limited (Trak Global Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Mechatronic Systems Inc. (Trak Global Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Basir, Otman A., Bhavnani, Jean-Pierre, Rahim, Inam, Karray, Fakhreddine, Desrochers, Kristopher, Bullock, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; John Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Broadhead; Brian J
• Application Number:
  US12/627,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20100076646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• Field of Search: 701/30, 701/35, 340/439
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0866 the electronic data carrier being a digital video recorder in combination with video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0891 Video recorder in combination with video camera

Abstract

The system described in this invention can be used for monitoring and analyzing real time visual and non-visual information pertaining to the occupant, vehicle, and surroundings prior to, during and post eccentric operating conditions for a given period of time. The system stores vehicle and occupant data from sensors throughout the vehicle and also makes use of existing vehicle sensors that may already be present in the vehicle. The invention also includes a video recording module that makes use of a fish-eye camera to capture video from the inside and the outside of the vehicle. Real-time data analysis is performed to detect and to recognize vehicle occupants, and recognize impending eccentric events. Vehicle, occupant, and video data are stored in circular buffers. When an eccentric event, a collision for example, has been detected, the device continues to record data and video for a fixed period of time. Once this time has elapsed, the data is transferred from volatile to non-volatile memory for later retrieval. A computer may be used to retrieve and display the vehicle and occupant data in a synchronization with the video data for the purposes of accident recreation, driver or vehicle monitoring.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle recording system comprising:

a plurality of occupant sensors in the vehicle capturing occupant data, including occupant position;

a video capture module recording video data inside and outside the vehicle;

a data recorder in the vehicle, the data recorder recording vehicle data, the occupant data and the video data and synchronizing the occupant data with the video data, wherein the video data is synchronized with the occupant data from the plurality of occupant sensors; and

an in-vehicle display that displays data recorded by the data recorder, wherein the vehicle data includes vehicle lifetime use data that can be displayed by the in-vehicle display, wherein the vehicle lifetime use data is based upon occurrences of unsafe driving conditions.

2. The in-vehicle recording system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle data includes GPS location.

3. The in-vehicle recording system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle data includes accelerator position.

4. The in-vehicle recording system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle data includes brake position.

5. The in-vehicle recording system of claim 1 wherein the display displays the video data and the occupant data from the occupant sensors, and wherein the occupant data from the occupant sensors is synchronized with the video data on the display.

6. The in-vehicle recording system of claim 5 wherein the occupant sensors determine the number of occupants in the vehicle and report the number of occupants in the vehicle to the data recorder.

7. The in-vehicle recording system of claim 6 wherein the occupant sensors determine positions of occupants in the vehicle and report the positions of the occupants in the vehicle to the data recorder.

8. The in-vehicle recording system of claim 7 wherein the occupant sensors determine the size of at least one of the plurality of occupants in the vehicle and report the size of the at least one occupant in the vehicle to the data recorder.

9. The in-vehicle recording system of claim 8 wherein the occupant sensors determine a drowsiness level of the at least one occupant in the vehicle and report the drowsiness level to the data recorder.

10. An in-vehicle recording system comprising:

a plurality of occupant sensors in the vehicle capturing occupant data, including occupant position;

a video capture module recording video data inside and outside the vehicle;

a data recorder in the vehicle, the data recorder recording vehicle data, the occupant data and the video data and synchronizing the occupant data with the video data, wherein the video data is synchronized with the occupant data from the plurality of occupant sensors; and

an in-vehicle display that displays data recorded by the data recorder, wherein the vehicle data includes vehicle lifetime use data that can be displayed by the in-vehicle display, wherein the vehicle lifetime use data is based upon number of times that the speed of the vehicle exceeded a threshold.

11. An in-vehicle recording system comprising:

a plurality of occupant sensors in the vehicle capturing occupant data, including occupant position;

a video capture module recording video data inside and outside the vehicle;

a data recorder in the vehicle, the data recorder recording vehicle data, the occupant data and the video data and synchronizing the occupant data with the video data, wherein the video data is synchronized with the occupant data from the plurality of occupant sensors; and

an in-vehicle display that displays data recorded by the data recorder, wherein the vehicle data includes vehicle lifetime use data that can be displayed by the in-vehicle display, wherein the vehicle lifetime use data is based upon number of times that the vehicle experienced large accelerations.

12. An in-vehicle recording system comprising:

a plurality of occupant sensors in the vehicle capturing occupant data, including occupant position;

a video capture module recording video data inside and outside the vehicle;

a data recorder in the vehicle, the data recorder recording vehicle data, the occupant data and the video data and synchronizing the occupant data with the video data, wherein the video data is synchronized with the occupant data from the plurality of occupant sensors; and

an in-vehicle display that displays data recorded by the data recorder, wherein the vehicle data includes vehicle lifetime use data that can be displayed by the in-vehicle display, wherein the vehicle lifetime use data reflects low-oil conditions.

13. An in-vehicle recording system comprising:

a data recorder;

a GPS receiver;

a plurality of vehicle sensors in the vehicle capturing vehicle data and sending the vehicle data to the data recorder; and

a display in the vehicle for displaying the vehicle data from the data recorder and for displaying information from the GPS receiver, wherein the display displays navigation instructions based upon the information from the GPS receiver, wherein the vehicle data includes vehicle lifetime use data that can be displayed by the in-vehicle display, wherein the vehicle lifetime use data is based upon occurrences of unsafe driving conditions.

14. The in-vehicle recording system of claim 13 wherein the vehicle lifetime use data is based upon number of times that the speed of the vehicle exceeded a threshold.