VEHICLE IMPACT CAMERA SYSTEM

• US 20080079554A1
• Filed: 10/02/2006
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Steven James Boice
• Original Assignee: Steven James Boice
• Inventors: BOICE, STEVEN JAMES
• Application Number:
  US11/537,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20080079554A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/436
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0136 responsive to actual contact with an obstacle , e.g. to vehicle deformation, bumper displacement or bumper velocity relative to the vehicle monitoring crash strength in combination with passenger seat detection B60R21/01558
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/202 Personal digital assistant [PDA]
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/305 using a camera
• 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

In order to enable an owner of an unattended parked vehicle to identify a party that struck the owner'"'"'s unattended parked vehicle, the present invention provides for a method, system and computer-readable medium for integrating operation of an on-board recorder with one or more vehicle-mounted cameras. Whenever an impact of sufficient strength is detected by an impact detector on a vehicle, feed from one or more vehicle-mounted cameras, which have a field of view that encompasses the striking vehicle, is sent to the on-board video recorder. The feed can also be sent to a remote receiver, such as a computer, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a video-enabled cell phone, or a law enforcement monitor.

Claims

1. A method for recording an impact to a vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting an impact to the vehicle; and

in response to detecting the impact to the vehicle, recording a video feed from a vehicle-mounted camera, wherein the vehicle-mounted camera has a field of view that captures a source of the impact.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the impact has a force that exceeds a pre-determined level.

3. The method of claim 2, the force is caused by another vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recording an audio record of the impact.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the video feed is created by activating, from a plurality of vehicle-mounted cameras, a specific vehicle-mounted camera that has the field of view of captures the source of the impact.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the specific vehicle-mounted camera is chosen according to a direction from which the impact hit the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the video feed is from a single omnidirectional vehicle-mounted camera.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that an impact to the vehicle is imminent; and

in response to determining that the impact to the vehicle is imminent, initiating a recording of video feed from the vehicle-mounted camera that has the field of view that captures the source of the impact.

9. A vehicle comprising:

an impact detection logic that selectively detects an impact to the first vehicle, wherein the impact is determined by the impact detection mechanism to be of sufficient force to have been caused by an other vehicle traveling at a sufficient velocity to damage the first vehicle; and

at least one vehicle-mounted camera, wherein the at least one vehicle-mounted camera captures an image of the other vehicle in response to the impact detection mechanism selectively detecting the impact to the first vehicle.

10. The vehicle of claim 9, further comprising:

a momentum detection logic, wherein the momentum detection logic detects a direction from which the impact originated.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, further comprising:

a camera feed logic, wherein the camera feed logic selects a video feed from a plurality of vehicle-mounted cameras according to the direction from which the impact originated.

12. The vehicle of claim 10, further comprising:

a transmission means for transmitting the image of the other vehicle to a remote video receiver.

13. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the image of the other vehicle is a moving video image.

14. The vehicle of claim 10, further comprising:

an on-board video recorder for recording the image of the other vehicle.

15. A system comprising:

an impact detection logic;

an impact detection mechanism that selectively detects an impact to the first vehicle, wherein the impact is determined by the impact detection mechanism to be of sufficient force to have been caused by an other vehicle traveling at a sufficient velocity to damage the first vehicle; and

at least one vehicle-mounted camera, wherein the at least one vehicle-mounted camera captures an image of the other vehicle in response to the impact detection mechanism selectively detecting the impact to the first vehicle.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a momentum detection logic, wherein the momentum detection logic detects a direction from which the impact originated.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a camera feed logic, wherein the camera feed logic selects a video feed from a plurality of vehicle-mounted cameras according to the direction from which the impact originated.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a transmission means for transmitting the image of the other vehicle to a remote video receiver.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the image of the other vehicle is a moving video image.

20. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

an on-board video recorder for recording the image of the other vehicle.