Vehicle Event Playback Apparatus and Methods

• US 20140046550A1
• Filed: 08/10/2012
• Published: 02/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SmartDrive Systems, Inc. (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: SmartDrive Systems, Inc. (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Palmer, Jason, Sljivar, Slaven
• Granted Patent: US 9,728,228 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/48
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79

Abstract

Vehicle event data playback systems have been devised and invented to provide authorized users means for advanced visual review. Detailed circumstances relating to vehicle operation are visually presented in these unique playback systems. In particular, a group of cooperating visual display devices operate in conjunction with each other to effect a detailed visual presentation of a vehicle'"'"'s operational states. An interested party is afforded a high level of access to many data types in highly graphical and intuitive arrangements. Further, data replay access is enhanced by slow motion, fast forward, loop repeat, among others which have never before been associated with these data types nor with the compound visual presentations first taught in the accompanying disclosure.

Claims

1. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus comprising:

a logic processor;

a graphical display device; and

an graphical user interface system,

said graphical user interface system comprising a plurality of control objects, at least one control object being responsively coupled to a vehicle event record whereby the visual nature of coupled controls depends upon data values in said vehicle event record.

2. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus of claim 1, said graphical user interface is further characterized as an interactive graphical user interface whereby a user/operator may engage and manipulate elements of the graphical user interface and the interface is responsive to user/operator actions.

3. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus of claim 1, said vehicle event data playback apparatus further comprises a timeline control object, said timeline control object having a start time, an end time, and a discrete number of time instants therebetween.

4. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus of claim 3, said timeline control object is coupled to at least one of a plurality of other control objects of the graphical user interface to effect time synchronization between so coupled control objects.

5. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus of claim 4, further comprising control objects which provide expressions of data related to vehicle operation.

6. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus of claim 5, said control objects provide a visual expression of data related to vehicle operation, said visual expressions of data include are characterized as graphical and/or alphanumeric.

7. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a control object characterized as either of those from the group including:

video player control object;

g-force control object;

engine speed control object;

vehicle speed control object;

throttle position control object;

engine load control object;

power take-off control object;

malfunction indicator light control object;

brake system control object;

anti-lock brake system control object;

traction control object;

electronic stability control object;

excess fuel consumption control object;

notation control object; and

environment state control object.

8. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus of claim 3, further comprising at least one video player control object arranged for playing data files comprising an image series.

9. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus of claim 8, further comprises at least two video player control objects, video images presented in each are synchronized in time whereby images simultaneously displayed have a frame capture time instant which is substantially the same.

10. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus of claim 9, either of said video player control objects includes a virtual video player configured to play an image series, whereby said image series is derived from sources other than vehicle event recorders.

11. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus of claim 10, said virtual video player is characterized as a steetview video player whereby said image series includes images captured at a time independent from the event period, the images captured from a plurality of discrete street locations.

12. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus of claim 11, said streetview video player is further characterized as a player which presents an image series whereby the streetview image series is comprised of images made from locations substantially correspond to the locations recorded by the vehicle event recorder in an event record.

13. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus of claim 12, said streetview image series further includes icons and augmentations the nature of which depend upon data captured in a vehicle event recorder dataset.

14. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus of claim 13, said icons or augmentations are characterized as those from the group including:

those which indicates location of the scene;

those which indicate direction of travel;

those which indicate street name; and

those which identify landmarks.

15. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus of claim 10, said virtual video player is characterized as a mapview video player whereby said image series includes images characterized as map images.

16. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus of claim 15, said map images include locations which substantially correspond to locations recorded in a vehicle event recorder dataset.

17. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus of claim 16, said map images further include augmentations which depend upon data captured in a vehicle event recorder.

18. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus of claim 17, said augmentation is characterized as a vehicle position indicator.

19. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus of claim 17, said augmentation is characterized as an infraction indicator.

20. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus of claim 10, virtual video player is characterized as a bird'"'"'s eye view player.

21. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus of claim 20, bird'"'"'s eye view images include augmentation.

22. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus of claim 21, said augmentation depends upon information captured in a vehicle event recorder.

23. ) Vehicle event data playback apparatus of claim 22, said augmentation depends upon the measured position of the vehicle.