Vehicle information recording system

• US 20030125854A1
• Filed: 12/23/2002
• Published: 07/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawasaki, Yoshiteru, Senda, Keiichi, Mochizuki, Yoshiyuki, Kobayashi, Tadashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,254,482 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0891 Video recorder in combination with video camera

Abstract

A vehicle information recording system 100 includes a picture acquiring unit 101a placed in a vehicle that takes a picture of surroundings and generates picture data showing the picture, a vehicle data receiving unit 107 placed in the vehicle that receives other vehicle data concerning another vehicle shown in the picture acquired by the picture acquiring unit 101a, an acquired information sending unit 103 placed in the vehicle that sends data including the picture data and the other vehicle data outside of the vehicle, a receiving unit 104 placed outside of the vehicle that receives the data sent by the acquired information sending unit 103, an encoding unit 105 placed outside of the vehicle that encodes the other vehicle data among the data received by the receiving unit 104 and adds the encoded data to the picture data as related data, and a recording unit 106 placed outside of the vehicle that records the picture data to which the other vehicle data is added by the encoding unit 105.

Claims

1. A vehicle information recording system comprising an information acquisition device placed in a vehicle that acquires predetermined information and an information management device placed outside of the vehicle that stores and manages the information acquired by the information acquisition device,

wherein the information acquisition device includes:

a picture acquiring unit operable to take a picture of surroundings and generate picture data showing the picture;

an other vehicle data generating unit operable to generate other vehicle data which specifies an other vehicle shown in the picture data; and

a sending unit operable to send sending data including the picture data and the other vehicle data, and

the information management device includes;

a receiving unit operable to receive the sending data sent by the sending unit;

an adding unit operable to add the other vehicle data as related data to the picture data included in the sending data received by the receiving unit;

a recording unit operable to record the picture data to which the related data is added on a recording medium; and

a searching unit operable to search the data recorded in the recording medium for picture data which shows the other vehicle based on the other vehicle data.

2. The vehicle information recording system according to claim 1,

wherein the information acquisition device further includes a driving information acquiring unit operable to acquire driving-related information concerning a driving situation of the vehicle,

the sending unit sends the sending data including the driving-related information outside of the vehicle,

the adding unit further adds the driving-related information included in the sending data received by the receiving unit to the picture data as related data, and

the searching unit obtains the driving-related information together with the searched picture data.

3. The vehicle information recording system according to claim 2,

wherein the searching unit further searches the data recorded in the recording medium for desired picture data based on the driving-related information.

4. The vehicle information recording system according to claim 2,

wherein the information acquisition device further includes a picture information acquiring unit operable to acquire picture-related information concerning a picture-taking condition of the picture acquiring unit,

the sending unit sends the sending data including the picture-related information outside of the vehicle,

the adding unit further adds the picture-related information included in the sending data received by the receiving unit to the picture data as related data, and

the searching unit obtains the picture-related information together with the searched picture data.

5. The vehicle information recording system according to claim 4,

wherein the adding unit encodes the other vehicle data, the driving-related information or the picture-related information, and adds the encoded other vehicle data, driving-related information or picture-related information to the picture data.

6. The vehicle information recording system according to claim 4 comprising a plurality of the information acquisition devices which are respectively placed in a plurality of vehicles,

wherein the information acquisition device in each of the vehicles sends the sending data including own vehicle data specifying the vehicle itself where said information acquisition device is placed,

the adding unit further adds the own vehicle data corresponding to said each vehicle to the picture data included in the sending data of said each vehicle received by the receiving unit, and

the searching unit searches for desired picture data based on the other vehicle data or the own vehicle data.

7. The vehicle information recording system according to claim 6,

wherein the recording medium includes a plurality of recording mediums which are connected to each other via a network, and

the adding unit further adds location information on the network where one of the two picture data is recorded by the recording unit to the other picture data as related data, said one picture data being generated by the picture acquiring unit placed in one of a plurality of the vehicles, and said other picture data being generated by the picture acquiring unit placed in the other vehicle shown in said one picture data generated by the picture acquiring unit in said one vehicle.

8. The vehicle information recording system according to claim 1,

wherein the picture acquiring unit has a camera that takes a picture of surroundings,

the other vehicle data acquiring unit has a receiver that receives the other vehicle data transmitted from the other vehicle, and

directivity of the receiver matches with a viewing angle of a picture taken by the camera.

9. The vehicle information recording system according to claim 1,

wherein the information acquisition device further includes a color information acquiring unit operable to acquire color information indicated by a traffic light shown in the picture data,

the sending unit sends the sending data including the color information acquired by the color information acquiring unit outside of the vehicle, and

the adding unit further adds the color information included in the sending data received by the receiving unit to the picture data as related data.

10. The vehicle information recording system according to claim 1,

wherein the recording medium includes a plurality of recording mediums which are connected with each other via a network.

11. The vehicle information recording system according to claim 10,

wherein the adding unit further adds location information on the network where the picture data is recorded by the recording unit to the picture data as related data.

12. The vehicle information recording system according to claim 1,

wherein the picture acquiring unit has a plurality of cameras which are mounted in one vehicle.

13. The vehicle information recording system according to claim 1,

wherein the other vehicle data indicates a registration number of the other vehicle.

14. The vehicle information recording system according to claim 2,

wherein the driving-related information acquired by the driving information acquiring unit includes one of behavior information indicating a driving behavior of the vehicle, environment information indicating a driving environment of the vehicle and driver information indicating a condition of a driver of the vehicle.

15. The vehicle information recording system according to claim 14,

wherein the behavior information is at least one of a steering angle, an accelerator manipulated variable, a brake manipulated variable, a speed and a location of the vehicle,

the environment information is at least one of traffic information, temperature and precipitation, and

the driver information is at least one of a pulse and a body temperature of the driver.

16. The vehicle information recording system according to claim 2,

wherein the information acquisition device further includes a driving situation determining unit operable to determine a driving situation of the vehicle based on the driving-related information acquired by the driving information acquiring unit, and

the sending unit notifies an emergency contact station of an accident of the vehicle when the driving situation determining unit determines that the vehicle was involved in the accident.

17. The vehicle information recording system according to claim 4,

wherein the picture acquiring unit is equipped with a camera, and

the picture-related information includes a characteristic of the camera.

18. An information acquisition device in the vehicle information recording system according to claim 1,

wherein the information acquisition device is used for the vehicle information recording system comprising the information acquisition device placed in a vehicle that acquires predetermined information and an information management device placed outside of the vehicle that stores and manages the information acquired by the information acquisition device.

19. An information management device in the vehicle information recording system according to claim 1,

wherein the information management device is used for the vehicle information recording system comprising an information acquisition device placed in a vehicle that acquires predetermined information and the information management device placed outside of the vehicle that stores and manages the information acquired by the information acquisition device.

20. A vehicle information recording method for a vehicle information recording system comprising an information acquisition device placed in a vehicle that acquires predetermined information and an information management device placed outside of the vehicle that stores and manages the information acquired by the information acquisition device, the vehicle information recording method including:

step A performed in the information acquisition device including;

a picture acquiring step for taking a picture of surroundings and generating picture data showing the picture;

an other vehicle data generating step for generating other vehicle data which specifies an other vehicle shown in the picture data; and

a sending step for sending sending data including the picture data and the other vehicle data, and

step B performed in the information management device including;

a receiving step for receiving the sending data sent in the sending step;

an adding step for adding the other vehicle data as related data to the picture data included in the sending data received in the receiving step;

a recording step for recording the picture data to which the related data is added in a recording medium; and

a searching step for searching the data recorded in the recording medium for picture data which shows the other vehicle based on the other vehicle data.

21. A program for a vehicle information recording method performed by an information acquisition device in a vehicle information recording system comprising the information acquisition device placed in a vehicle that acquires predetermined information and an information management device placed outside of the vehicle that stores and manages the information acquired by the information acquisition device, the program causing a computer to execute:

a picture acquiring step for taking a picture of surroundings and generating picture data showing the picture;

an other vehicle data generating step for generating other vehicle data which specifies an other vehicle shown in the picture data; and

a sending step for sending sending data including the picture data and the other vehicle data.

22. A program for a vehicle information recording method performed by an information management device in a vehicle information recording system comprising an information acquisition device placed in a vehicle that acquires predetermined information and the information management device placed outside of the vehicle that stores and manages the information acquired by the information acquisition device, the program causing a computer to execute:

a receiving step for receiving sending data acquired and sent by the information acquisition device;

an adding step for adding other vehicle data as related data to picture data included in the sending data received in the receiving step;

a recording step for recording the picture data to which the related data is added in a recording medium; and

a searching step for searching the data recorded in the recording medium for picture data which shows the other vehicle based on the other vehicle data.