Discretization facilities for vehicle event data recorders

• US 8,139,820 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2006
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SmartDrive Systems, Inc. (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: SmartDrive Systems, Inc. (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Plante, James, Kasavaraju, Ramesh, Mauro, Gregory, Nickerson, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Tabatabai, Abolfazl
• Application Number:
  US11/637,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20080147266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,924 Days
• Field of Search: 382/104, 348/148, 340/438, 340/439, 340/440, 340/870.41, 701/29, 701/34, 701/35
• US Class Current: 382/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0027 Post collision measures, e.g. notifying emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool
• 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 5/0891 Video recorder in combination with video camera

Abstract

Exception event recorders and analysis systems include: vehicle mounted sensors arranged as a vehicle event recorder to capture both discrete and non-discrete data; a discretization facility; a database; and an analysis server all coupled together as a computer network. Motor vehicles with video cameras and onboard diagnostic systems capture data when the vehicle is involved in a crash or other anomaly (an ‘event’). In station where interpretation of non-discrete data is rendered, i.e. a discretization facility, captured data is used as a basis for production of supplemental discrete data to further characterize the event. Such interpreted data is joined to captured data and inserted into a database in a structure which is searchable and which supports logical or mathematical analysis by automated machines. A coupled analysis server is arranged to test stored data for prescribed conditions and upon finding such, to initiate further actions appropriate for the detected condition.

Claims

1. A discretization facility for converting non-discrete data into discrete data comprising:

a coupling to a vehicle event recorder;

an interpretation unit; and

a database interface,

said coupling to a vehicle event recorder is arranged to convey data captured in an exception event to the interpretation unit,

said interpretation unit is arranged to review non-discrete portions of data captured in an exception event and to provide a discrete dataset which depends upon an interpretation thereof;

said database interface is arranged as a data coupling system which inserts members of said discrete dataset into prescribed fields of a cooperative database record,

said interpretation unit is comprised of;

a media player; and

a graphical user interface,

said media player arranged to present a graphical and image representation of non-discrete data captured in an exception event,

said graphical user interface is a variable state device whose states are responsive to human inputs.

2. A discretization facility of claim 1, said coupling is characterized as a data conduit between a fixed computer installation and a mobile computing system mounted in a motor vehicle.

3. A discretization facility of claim 2, said coupling is further characterized as a wireless communications link.

4. A discretization facility of claim 1, said interpretation unit comprising interpretation means implemented as a machine.

5. A discretization facility of claim 1, said interpretation means is characterized as a ‘

fuzzy logic’

system operable for reading non-discrete data and producing an interpreted discrete output dataset.

6. A discretization facility of claim 1, said interpretation means is characterized as an ‘

artificial intelligence’

system operable for reading non-discrete data and producing an interpreted discrete output dataset.

7. A discretization facility of claim 1, said interpretation means is characterized as a ‘

image recognition’

system operable for reading non-discrete data and producing an interpreted discrete output dataset.

8. A discretization facility of claim 1, said media player is comprised of display devices for presentation of images or video and graphical representation of data.

9. A discretization facility of claim 8, said video includes those captured in a vehicle event recorder camera coupled to an image field of traffic ahead of the vehicle.

10. A discretization facility of claim 8, said graphical representation of data include graphs of acceleration, speed, or audio data.

11. A discretization facility of claim 8, said graphical representation of data include graphs of an event timeline.

12. A discretization facility of claim 8, said media player displays data synchronized in time with all other data similarly presented.

13. A discretization facility of claim 1, input is made via a computer peripheral characterized as a pointing device.

14. A discretization facility of claim 1, said graphical user interface is further comprised of a plurality of control elements, each control element having a present value state and a value state range.

15. A discretization facility of claim 14, said graphical user interface is comprised of control elements, including those from the group:

textbox;

dropdown box;

listbox;

combobox;

radio button;

checkbox;

tabstrips;

menus;

toolbars;

sliders; and

spin button.

16. A discretization facility of claim 14, either of said controls is further coupled to the timeline and includes a static time stamp value.

17. A discretization facility of claim 1, said graphical user interface and said media player are displayed together simultaneously on a common display field.

18. A discretization facility of claim 1, database records are arranged with a one-to-one relationship with exception events.

19. A discretization facility of claim 1, said database interface provides coupling between each control element and a corresponding field of an event record whereby an ‘

insert’

action results in the value state of the control being placed into the event record data field.