Mechanical shock mitigation for data storage

• US 9,823,859 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2015
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Chahwan, Alain, Ong, Choo-Bhin, Syu, Meiman Lin, Chao, Kevin Chiteh
• Primary Examiner(s): Figueroa, Jaime
• Application Number:
  US14/671,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20160132257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 701 322
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0866 for peripheral storage systems, e.g. disk cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1032 Reliability improvement, data loss prevention, degraded operation etc
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/173 Vehicle or other transportation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/205 Hybrid memory, e.g. using both volatile and non-volatile memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/217 Hybrid disk, e.g. using both magnetic and solid state storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/222 Non-volatile memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/281 Single cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0653 Monitoring storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0656 Data buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0673 Single storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/068 Hybrid storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• 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

Abstract

A device adapted to capture vehicle data or surveillance data that includes a disk and a Non-Volatile Solid-State Memory (NVSM). The vehicle or surveillance data is received in a buffer of the device for storage on the disk, and an input is received indicating a level of mechanical shock. It is determined whether the input indicates the level of mechanical shock exceeds a first threshold indicative of an impact. If the input indicates the level of mechanical shock exceeds the first threshold, the vehicle or surveillance data is stored in the NVSM from the buffer and a status is determined for storing data on the disk.

Claims

1. A device adapted to capture vehicle data related to a vehicle in motion, the device comprising:

a disk for storing vehicle data;

a Non-Volatile Solid-State Memory (NVSM) for storing vehicle data;

a memory including a buffer for storing vehicle data before writing the vehicle data on the disk; and

a controller configured to;

receive vehicle data into the buffer for storage on the disk;

receive an input indicating a level of mechanical shock;

determine whether the input indicates the level of mechanical shock exceeds a first threshold indicative of an impact; and

if the input indicates the level of mechanical shock exceeds the first threshold;

store vehicle data from the buffer in the NVSM; and

determine a status for storing vehicle data on the disk.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine an additional status for storing vehicle data on the disk if the status for storing vehicle data on the disk previously indicated that vehicle data could not be stored on the disk.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein in determining the status for storing vehicle data on the disk, the controller is further configured to perform a diagnostic test on the disk.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller includes a shock signal amplifier, and wherein the controller is further configured to:

process the input into a first shock signal used by the controller to determine whether the input indicates the level of mechanical shock exceeds the first threshold;

process the first shock signal into a second shock signal using the shock signal amplifier; and

determine based on the second shock signal whether the input indicates the level of mechanical shock exceeds a second threshold, the second threshold corresponding to less mechanical shock than the first threshold.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the NVSM includes a first portion reserved for storing vehicle data from the buffer upon determining that the input indicates the level of mechanical shock exceeds the first threshold indicative of an impact.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the NVSM includes a second portion reserved for storing a predetermined amount of new vehicle data received by the controller for storage in the device after determining that the input indicates the level of mechanical shock exceeds the first threshold.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the NVSM includes a third portion, and wherein the controller is further configured to:

receive new vehicle data into the buffer for storage in the device after determining that the input indicates the level of mechanical shock exceeds the first threshold;

receive an additional input indicating a subsequent level of mechanical shock;

determine whether the additional input indicates the subsequent level of mechanical shock corresponds to an additional impact; and

store the new vehicle data from the buffer in the third portion of the NVSM if the additional input indicates the subsequent level of mechanical shock corresponds to an additional impact, wherein the third portion of the NVSM is reserved for storing a predetermined amount of the new vehicle data from the buffer.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the NVSM includes a circular buffer, and wherein the controller is further configured to:

receive new vehicle data for storage in the device after determining that the input indicates the level of mechanical shock exceeds the first threshold; and

store the new vehicle data in the circular buffer.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the buffer includes a first portion and a second portion, and wherein the controller is further configured to receive vehicle data into the first portion of the buffer for storage on the disk while storing vehicle data on the disk that was previously received in the second portion of the buffer.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising a video camera, wherein the vehicle data includes video data from the video camera.

11. The device of claim 1, further comprising a host in communication with a remote storage device via a network, and wherein the host is configured to:

retrieve vehicle data stored in the NVSM; and

send the retrieved vehicle data to the remote storage device via the network.

12. A method of operating a device adapted to capture vehicle data related to a vehicle in motion, the device including a disk and a Non-Volatile Solid-State Memory (NVSM) for storing vehicle data, the method comprising:

receiving vehicle data into a buffer of the device for storage on the disk;

receiving an input indicating a level of mechanical shock;

determining whether the input indicates the level of mechanical shock exceeds a first threshold indicative of an impact; and

if the input indicates the level of mechanical shock exceeds the first threshold;

storing vehicle data from the buffer in the NVSM; and

determining a status for storing vehicle data on the disk.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining an additional status for storing vehicle data on the disk if the status for storing vehicle data on the disk previously indicated that vehicle data could not be stored on the disk.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein in determining the status for storing vehicle data on the disk, the method further comprises performing a diagnostic test on the disk.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

processing the input into a first shock signal used to determine whether the input indicates the level of mechanical shock exceeds the first threshold;

processing the first shock signal into a second shock signal using a shock signal amplifier; and

determining based on the second shock signal whether the input indicates the level of mechanical shock exceeds a second threshold, the second threshold corresponding to less mechanical shock than the first threshold.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising storing vehicle data from the buffer in a reserved first portion of the NVSM upon determining that the input indicates the level of mechanical shock exceeds the first threshold indicative of an impact.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a predetermined amount of new vehicle data for storage in the device after determining that the input indicates the level of mechanical shock exceeds the first threshold; and

storing the predetermined amount of new vehicle data in a reserved second portion of the NVSM.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving new vehicle data into the buffer for storage in the device after determining that the input indicates the level of mechanical shock exceeds the first threshold;

receiving an additional input indicating a subsequent level of mechanical shock;

determining whether the additional input indicates the subsequent level of mechanical shock corresponds to an additional impact; and

storing the new vehicle data from the buffer in a third portion of the NVSM if the additional input indicates the subsequent level of mechanical shock corresponds to an additional impact, wherein the third portion of the NVSM is reserved for storing a predetermined amount of the new vehicle data from the buffer.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving new vehicle data for storage in the device after determining that the input indicates the level of mechanical shock exceeds the first threshold; and

storing the new vehicle data in a circular buffer of the NVSM.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving vehicle data into a first portion of the buffer for storage on the disk while storing vehicle data on the disk that was previously received in a second portion of the buffer.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the vehicle data includes video data from a video camera.

22. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

retrieving vehicle data stored in the NVSM; and

sending the retrieved vehicle data to a remote storage device via a network.