Vehicle driving recorder, vehicle travel analyzer and storage medium

• US 6,067,488 A
• Filed: 12/02/1996
• Issued: 05/23/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Data Tec Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Data Tec Company Limited
• Inventors: Tano, Michiyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): DOMBROSKE, GEORGE M
• Application Number:
  US08/756,895
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/9, 701/25, 701/33, 701/35, 701/39, 701/110, 73/117.3, 73/118.1
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/127 for acceleration values
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

In a driving recorder, angular velocity data and acceleration data of a vehicle are sequentially measured and stored into a memory along with time information, thereby updating the data stored in the memory in sequence. If a shock due to crash or the like occurs at the vehicle, a given time period is set for further data storage. When the time is up, the data storage into the memory is stopped. Thus, the memory holds at least the angular velocity data and the acceleration data for the set time period after detection of the occurrence of shock and for a given time period before detection of the occurrence of shock. Upon analysis, a travel analyzer is connected to the driving recorder for reading out the data stored in the memory. Based on the read-out data, the travel analyzer produces data representing a travel history of the vehicle and visually expresses such travel history data.

Claims

1. A vehicle travel analyzer comprising:

measured data acquiring means for acquiring angular velocity data and acceleration data measured in time sequence relative to axes of a plurality of dimensions at a given position in a vehicle;

measured data correcting means for removing a drift component contained in the acquired angular velocity data; and

historical data producing means for deriving travel attitude angles of the vehicle from the angular velocity data without said drift component, deriving velocities of the vehicle along the axes of the dimensions from said travel attitude angles and said acquired acceleration data, and producing historical data of said derived travel attitude angles and velocities of the vehicle;

wherein said measured data correcting means compares an angular component derived by periodically intergrating said acquired angular velocity data and an angular component derived from said acquired acceleration data in a stopped state of the vehicle so as to derive a rate of occurrence of drift contained in said angular velocity data, and wherein said measured data correcting means removes said drift component from said angular velocity data based on said drift occurrence rate.

2. A vehicle driving recorder for measuring the angular velocity data and the acceleration data to be inputted into the vehicle travel analyzer according to claim 1, said vehicle driving recorder comprising:

a sensor section for detecting the angular velocity data and the acceleration data in time sequence relative to the axes of the plurality of dimensions at the given position in the vehicle;

a nonvolatile memory for storing the angular velocity data and the acceleration data for a given time period; and

memory control means for sequentially storing sets of the angular velocity data and the acceleration data, each with a corresponding measurement time, into said memory so as to update the angular velocity data and the acceleration data stored in said memory and for, upon detection of a command inputted from said vehicle travel analyzer, reading the angular velocity data and the acceleration data stored in said memory and transferring them to said vehicle travel analyzer.

3. The vehicle travel analyzer according to claim 1, further comprising means for detecting a time point of an occurrence of shock of the vehicle and a time point of a stop of the vehicle after the occurrence of shock, wherein said historical data producing means derives the travel attitude angles at the time point of the vehicle stop as initial values and further derives the travel attitude angles and the velocities before the vehicle stop using said initial values.

4. The vehicle travel analyzer according to claim 3, further comprising means for processing said travel attitude angles and velocities of the vehicle derived by said historical data producing means so as to visually express a travel history of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle travel analyzer according to claim 4, wherein said processing means visually expresses the travel history of the vehicle for a given time period going back from the time point of the vehicle stop.

6. The vehicle travel analyzer according to claim 4, wherein said processing means visually expresses the travel history of the vehicle for a given time period toward the time point of the vehicle stop.

7. The vehicle travel analyzer according to claim 4, wherein said processing means is an external device.

8. A vehicle travel analyzer comprising:

measured data acquiring means for acquiring angular velocity data and acceleration data measured in time sequence relative to axes of a plurality of dimensions at a given position in a vehicle;

measured data correcting means for removing a drift component contained in the acquired angular velocity data; and

historical data producing means for deriving travel attitude angles of the vehicle from the angular velocity data without said drift component, deriving velocities of the vehicle along the axes of the dimensions from said travel attitude angles and said acquired acceleration data, and producing historical data of said derived travel attitude angles and velocities of the vehicle;

wherein said measured data correcting means accumulates said acquired angular velocity data measured in a stopped state of the vehicle so as to derive a tendency of occurrence of drift contained in said angular velocity data, and wherein said measured data correcting means removes said drift component from said angular velocity data based on said drift occurrence tendency.

9. The vehicle travel analyzer according to claim 8, further comprising means for detecting a time point of an occurrence of shock of the vehicle and a time point of a stop of the vehicle after the occurrence of shock, wherein said historical data producing means derives the travel attitude angles at the time point of the vehicle stop as initial values and further derives the travel attitude angles and the velocities before the vehicle stop using said initial values.

10. The vehicle travel analyzer according to claim 9, further comprising means for processing said travel attitude angles and velocities of the vehicle derived by said historical data producing means so as to visually express a travel history of the vehicle.

11. The vehicle travel analyzer according to claim 10, wherein said processing means visually expresses the travel history of the vehicle for a given time period going back from the time point of the vehicle stop.

12. The vehicle travel analyzer according to claim 10, wherein said processing means visually expresses the travel history of the vehicle for a given time period toward the time point of the vehicle stop.

13. The vehicle travel analyzer according to claim 10, wherein said processing means is an external device.

14. A vehicle driving recorder for measuring the angular velocity data and the acceleration data to be inputted into the vehicle travel analyzer according to claim 8, said vehicle driving recorder comprising:

a sensor section for detecting the angular velocity data and the acceleration data in time sequence relative to the axes of the plurality of dimensions at the given position in the vehicle;

a novolatile memory for storing the angular velocity data and the acceleration data for a given time period; and

memory control means for sequentially storing sets of the angular velocity data and the acceleration data, each with a corresponding measurement time, into said memory so as to update the angular velocity data and the acceleration data stored in said memory and for, upon detection of a command inputted from said vehicle travel analyzer, reading the angular velocity data and the acceleration data stored in said memory and transferring them to said vehicle travel analyzer.

15. A vehicle driving recorder comprising:

a sensor section for measuring angular velocity data and acceleration data in time sequence relative to axes of a plurality of dimensions at a given position in a vehicle;

measured data correcting means for comparing an angular component derived by periodically integrating the measured angular velocity data and an angular component derived from the measured acceleration data in a stopped state of the vehicle so as to derive a rate of occurrence of drift contained in the measured angular velocity data, and for removing a drift component from the measured angular velocity data based on said drift occurrence rate;

a nonvolatile memory; and

memory control means for sequentially storing measured data including the angular velocity data free of said drift component and the acceleration data into said memory so as to update the measured data stored in said memory and for, upon detection of a command inputted from an external device, reading the measured data stored in said memory and transferring them to said external device.

16. A computer-readable storage medium storing a functional descriptive material, said functional descriptive material causing a computer to execute the steps of:

acquiring angular velocity data and acceleration data measured in time sequence relative to axes of a plurality of dimensions at a given position in a vehicle;

comparing an angular component derived by periodically integrating the acquired angular velocity data and an angular component derived from the acquired acceleration data in a stopped state of the vehicle so as to derive a rate of occurrence of drift contained in the acquired angular velocity data;

removing a drift component from the acquired angular velocity data based on said drift occurrence rate; and

deriving travel attitude angles of the vehicle from the angular velocity data free of said drift component and velocities of the vehicle along the axes of the plurality of dimensions from said travel attitude angles and said acquired acceleration data so as to produce historical data of said derived travel attitude angles and velocities of the vehicle.