Vehicle traveling information recording device

• US 9,804,012 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2009
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ROHM Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ROHM Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Marumoto, Kyoji, Tanaka, Masahide
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nolan, Peter D
• Application Number:
  US13/001,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20110112719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,046 Days
• Field of Search: 701123, 340438, 340439
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0236 for economical driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/00 Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles B60R22/00; seats constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats, B60N2/42; energy-absorbing arrangements for hand wheels for steering vehicles B62D1/11; energy-absorbing arrangements for vehicle steering columns B62D1/19
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 9/008 where the other variable is the flight or running time
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 9/02 wherein the other variable is the speed of a vehicle
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

The vehicle traveling information recording device of the present invention comprises a camera unit for acquiring image information relating to outside of a vehicle; a recording unit for recording the image information from the camera unit; an abnormality detection unit for detecting an abnormal vehicle state; an auxiliary data detection unit for acquiring auxiliary data when the abnormality detection unit has detected an abnormality; and a control unit for combining the auxiliary data with the image information in the recording unit when the abnormality detection unit has detected the abnormality, and recording image information after the combination related to abnormality detection.

Claims

1. A vehicle traveling information recording device comprising:

a fuel economy gauge;

a traveling information detection unit;

a control unit for using the traveling information detection unit to classify fuel economy information of the fuel economy gauge, the control unit distinguishing the fuel economy information of the fuel economy gauge for a first state of travel at constant speed over flat ground, which is a unique combination of a constant speed and a flat ground, from a second state of travel with acceleration or deceleration over flat ground and from a third state of travel at constant speed over an up or down slope; and

an analyzer of driving technique configured to extract the fuel economy information for the second and third states and to exclude the fuel economy information for the first state which is unaffected by the driving technique and in no use for analyzation by itself, wherein the extracted second and third states are used for analyzation of driving technique of acceleration or deceleration and travelling over up or down slope, respectively,

whereby the fuel economy information affected by the driving technique is effectively extracted from profusion of information without disturbance by the fuel economy information unaffected by the driving technique,

wherein the vehicle traveling information recording device further comprises;

a notification unit for providing notification on the basis of information of the traveling information detection unit, and

a timing control unit for controlling timing of notification performed by the notification unit.

2. A vehicle traveling information recording device comprising:

a fuel economy gauge;

a traveling information detection unit;

a control unit for using the traveling information detection unit to classify fuel economy information of the fuel economy gauge, the control unit distinguishing the fuel economy information of the fuel economy gauge for a first state of travel at constant speed over flat ground, which is a unique combination of a constant speed and a flat ground, from a second state of travel with acceleration or deceleration over flat ground and from a third state of travel at constant speed over an up or down slope; and

an analyzer of driving technique configured to extract the fuel economy information for the second and third states and to exclude the fuel economy information for the first state which is unaffected by the driving technique and in no use for analyzation by itself, wherein the extracted second and third states are used for analyzation of driving technique of acceleration or deceleration and travelling over up or down slope, respectively,

whereby the fuel economy information affected by the driving technique is effectively extracted from profusion of information without disturbance by the fuel economy information unaffected by the driving technique,

wherein the vehicle traveling information recording device further comprises;

a transmitting unit for transmitting vehicle information acquired by the fuel economy gauge to the exterior, and

a receiving unit for receiving statistical information of fuel economy information collected from other numerous vehicles.

3. A vehicle traveling information recording device comprising:

a vehicle information acquisition unit;

a transmitting unit for transmitting own vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit to the exterior for dual purposes of participating in statistics of vehicle information of a plurality of actually running vehicles and of receiving the statistics in exchange of the transmission of the own vehicle information;

a receiving unit for receiving the statistics of the vehicle information actually collected from the plurality of actually running vehicles; and

a controlling unit for comparing the statistics received by the receiving unit and the own vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit,

wherein the vehicle information includes information for a first state of travel at constant speed over flat ground, a second state of travel with acceleration or deceleration over flat ground, and a third state of travel at constant speed over an up or down slope, wherein the first state is distinguished from the second and third states as a unique combination of a constant speed and a flat ground, and wherein the transmitting unit extracts the vehicle information for the second and third states for transmission and excludes the vehicle information for the first state from the transmission.

4. The vehicle traveling information recording device according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle information acquisition unit includes a fuel economy gauge, and the statistics include information that indicates a state of distribution of the fuel economy information collected from numerous vehicles.

5. The vehicle traveling information recording device according to claim 3, wherein the actually running numerous vehicles entitled to participate in the statistics are limited to the same vehicle type for the statistics to be free from influence of change in vehicle type.

6. The vehicle traveling information recording device according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle information acquisition unit includes a slope detection unit.

7. A vehicle traveling information recording device comprising:

a fuel economy gauge;

a traveling information detection unit;

a control unit for using the traveling information detection unit to classify fuel economy information of the fuel economy gauge, the control unit distinguishing the fuel economy information of the fuel economy gauge for a first state of travel at constant speed over flat ground, which is a unique combination of a constant speed and a flat ground, from a second state of travel with acceleration or deceleration over flat ground and from a third state of travel at constant speed over an up or down slope; and

an analyzer of driving technique configured to extract the fuel economy information for the second and third states and to exclude the fuel economy information for the first state which is unaffected by the driving technique and in no use for analyzation by itself, wherein the extracted second and third states are used for analyzation of driving technique of acceleration or deceleration and travelling over up or down slope, respectively,

whereby the fuel economy information affected by the driving technique is effectively extracted from profusion of information without disturbance by the fuel economy information unaffected by the driving technique,

wherein the control unit is configured to compute information relating to a ratio of the first state of travel at constant speed over flat ground to the other states including the second and third traveling states.

8. The vehicle traveling information recording device according to claim 7, wherein the control unit is configured to compare the information relating to the ratio with an average of the information relating to the ratio collected from other numerous vehicles.

9. A vehicle traveling information recording device comprising:

a fuel economy gauge;

a traveling information detection unit;

a control unit for using the traveling information detection unit to classify fuel economy information of the fuel economy gauge, the control unit distinguishing the fuel economy information of the fuel economy gauge for a first state of travel at constant speed over flat ground, which is a unique combination of a constant speed and a flat ground, from a second state of travel with acceleration or deceleration over flat ground and from a third state of travel at constant speed over an up or down slope; and

an analyzer of driving technique configured to extract the fuel economy information for the second and third states and to exclude the fuel economy information for the first state which is unaffected by the driving technique and in no use for analyzation by itself, wherein the extracted second and third states are used for analyzation of driving technique of acceleration or deceleration and travelling over up or down slope, respectively,

whereby the fuel economy information affected by the driving technique is effectively extracted from profusion of information without disturbance by the fuel economy information unaffected by the driving technique,

wherein the vehicle traveling information recording device further comprises a notification unit for providing a notification on the basis of the control unit, and a timing control unit configured to control the notification unit not to provide the notification while the vehicle is traveling.

10. The vehicle traveling information recording device according to claim 9, wherein the timing control unit is configured to allow the notification unit to provide the notification if the vehicle is stopped.

11. A vehicle traveling information recording device comprising:

a traveling information detection unit;

a control unit configured responsive to the traveling information detection unit to distinguish a first state of travel at constant speed over flat ground from the other states of travel including a second state of travel with acceleration or deceleration over flat ground-and a third state of travel at constant speed over an up or down slope, wherein the first state consists of a unique combination of a constant speed and a flat ground;

a computer configured to compute information relating to a ratio of the first state of traveling to the overall states of traveling detected by the traveling detection unit-including the first state of traveling, the second state of traveling and the third state of traveling; and

an analyzer configured to compare the computed information relating to the ratio with a standard to decide whether the computed information relating to the ratio is greater or less than the standard,

whereby the computed information relating to the ratio of the first state of traveling to all of the states of traveling detected by the traveling detection unit is an indication of ecological driving.

12. The vehicle traveling information recording device according to claim 11, wherein the standard is an average of the information relating to the ratio collected from other numerous vehicles.

13. The vehicle traveling information recording device according to claim 11, wherein the traveling information detection unit includes a slope detection unit.