Vehicle information recording system

• US 7,254,482 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2002
• Issued: 08/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Mochizuki, Yoshiyuki, Kobayashi, Tadashi, Kawasaki, Yoshiteru, Senda, Keiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CUONG H
• Application Number:
  US10/326,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20030125854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,688 Days
• Field of Search: 345/9, 345/7, 701/35, 701/36, 701200-202, 701/204, 701206-207, 701/211, 701/213, 701/205, 701/45, 701/49, 701/117, 701/300, 348/148, 348/149, 348/143, 348/161, 348/142, 731/78.R, 340/425.5, 340/426.23, 340/463, 340/901, 340435-436, 359/630, 382/104
• US Class Current: 701/211
• 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 which is placed in a vehicle and which acquires predetermined information, and an information management device which is placed outside of the vehicle and which stores and manages the information acquired by said information acquisition device;

wherein said information acquisition device includes;

a picture acquiring unit operable to take a picture of surroundings and to generate picture data showing the picture, said picture acquiring unit including a camera which is operable to take the picture of the surroundings;

an other vehicle data acquiring unit operable to acquire other vehicle data that is identification information which is uniquely assigned to each vehicle and which identifies an other vehicle shown in the picture data, said other vehicle data acquiring unit including a receiver which is operable to receive the other vehicle data transmitted from the other vehicle, wherein directivity of said receiver matches a viewing angle of a picture taken by said camera; and

a sending unit operable to send sending data including own vehicle data which identifies the vehicle in which said information acquisition device is placed, the picture data and the other vehicle data; and

wherein said information management device includes;

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

an adding unit operable to add the other vehicle data and the own vehicle data which are included in the sending data, as related data, to the picture data included in the sending data received by said 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 one of the added other vehicle data and own vehicle data.

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

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

said sending unit is operable to send the sending data including the driving-related information outside of the vehicle;

said adding unit is further operable to add the driving-related information included in the sending data received by said receiving unit to the picture data as related data; and

said searching unit is operable to obtain the driving-related information together with the searched picture data.

3. The vehicle information recording system according to claim 2, wherein said searching unit is further operable to search 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:

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

said sending unit is operable to send the sending data including the picture-related information outside of the vehicle,

said adding unit is further operable to add the picture-related information included in the sending data received by said receiving unit to the picture data as related data, and

said searching unit is operable to obtain the picture-related information together with the searched picture data.

5. The vehicle information recording system according to claim 4, wherein said adding unit is operable to encode at least one of the other vehicle data, the driving-related information and the picture-related information, and to add at least one of the encoded other vehicle data, driving-related information and picture-related information to the picture data.

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

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

7. The vehicle information recording system according to claim 4, wherein:

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

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

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

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

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

said 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;

said sending unit is operable to send the sending data including the color information acquired by said color information acquiring unit outside of the vehicle; and

said adding unit is further operable to add the color information included in the sending data received by said 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 said adding unit is further operable to add location information where the picture data is recorded on the network by said recording unit to the picture data as related data.

12. The vehicle information recording system according to claim 4, wherein the picture-related information includes a characteristic of said camera.

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 said 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 said 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 said driving information acquiring unit, and

said sending unit is operable to notify an emergency contact station of an accident of the vehicle when said driving situation determining unit determines that the vehicle was involved in the accident.

17. 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 which is placed in a vehicle and which acquires predetermined information, and an information management device which is placed outside of the vehicle and which stores and manages the information acquired by the information acquisition device, said program being recorded on a computer-readable medium and causing a computer to execute:

taking a picture of surroundings by using a camera which is placed in the information acquisition device, and generating picture data showing the picture;

acquiring other vehicle data that is identification information which is uniquely assigned to each vehicle and which identifies an other vehicle shown in the picture data, by receiving the other vehicle data transmitted from the other vehicle via a receiver located in the vehicle in which the information acquisition device is placed, wherein directivity of the receiver matches a viewing angle of a picture taken by the camera in said taking of the picture of the surroundings; and

transmitting sending data including own vehicle data which identifies the vehicle in which said information acquisition device is placed, the picture data and the other vehicle data.

18. A vehicle information recording method for a vehicle information recording system comprising an information acquisition device which is placed in a vehicle and which acquires predetermined information, and an information management device which is placed outside of the vehicle and which stores and manages the information acquired by the information acquisition device,

wherein, in the information acquisition device, said vehicle information recording method comprises:

taking a picture of surroundings by using a camera which is placed in the information acquisition device, and generating picture data showing the picture;

acquiring other vehicle data that is identification information which is uniquely assigned to each vehicle and which identifies an other vehicle shown in the picture data, by receiving the other vehicle data transmitted from the other vehicle via a receiver located in the vehicle in which the information acquisition device is placed, wherein directivity of the receiver matches a viewing angle of a picture taken by the camera in said taking of the picture of the surroundings; and

transmitting sending data including own vehicle data which identifies the vehicle in which the information acquisition device is placed, the picture data and the other vehicle data, and

wherein, in the information management device, said vehicle information recording method comprises;

receiving the sending data transmitted in said transmitting of the sending data;

adding the other vehicle data and the own vehicle data which are included in the sending data, as related data, to the picture data included in the sending data received in said receiving of the sending data;

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

searching the data recorded in the recording medium for picture data which shows the other vehicle based on one of the added other vehicle data and own vehicle data.