Vehicle data recording device

• US 7,558,656 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2006
• Issued: 07/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
• Original Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
• Inventors: Ozawa, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kong; Sze-Hon
• Application Number:
  US11/500,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20070032930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: 701/35
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/005 Solid-state data loggers
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

Provided is a vehicle data recording device in which detection values of an acceleration sensor 210 and an driving status detecting sensor 220 are periodically and continuously recorded in a ring buffer 120, a detection value which has already been recorded in the ring buffer 120 is recorded in a specific recording area of a recorder 130 before a new detection value is recorded in the ring buffer 120 when a recording condition is satisfied, while the new detection value is periodically recorded in another recording area of the recorder 130, and recording is performed by the recorder 130 until all detection values which have already been recorded in the ring buffer 120 when the recording condition is satisfied are entirely recorded in a specific recording area of the recorder 130.

Claims

1. A vehicle data recording device, comprising:

a vehicle status detecting sensor that detects a vehicle status while running;

a ring buffer including a first recording area that records a detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor;

a recorder including a second recording area and a third recording area that record a detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor; and

a recording controller configured to normally perform a normal operation in which the detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor is periodically recorded in the first recording area of the ring buffer,

wherein the ring buffer is configured to record a detection value of the normal operation in the second recording area and a larger detection value than a predetermined value of the detection value in the third recording area when the vehicle status detecting sensor generates the larger detection value,

wherein the recording controller is configured to record the detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor, which has already been recorded in the first recording area of the ring buffer, in the second recording area before the detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor is periodically recorded in the first recording area of the ring buffer when the detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor detects the larger detection value, and thereafter perform a recording operation, in which a new detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor is recorded in the first recording area of the ring buffer while the new detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor is recorded in the third recording area of the recorder, until the detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor, which has already been recorded in the first recording area of the ring buffer when the vehicle status detecting sensor detects the larger detection value, is entirely recorded in the second recording area of the recorder, and thereafter perform the normal operation.

4. The vehicle data recording device of claim 1, wherein in the recording controller, the recorder stops a recording operation after a trigger signal is received when the trigger signal is externally received.

5. The vehicle data recording device of claim 1, wherein the vehicle status detecting sensor includes an acceleration sensor that detects impact force externally applied to the vehicle, or includes a driving status detecting sensor that detects a driving status of the vehicle along with the acceleration sensor.

6. The vehicle data recording device of claim 5, wherein the acceleration sensor includes a forward acceleration sensor that is disposed near the forward direction of the vehicle so as to detect impact force from the forward direction of the vehicle, a central acceleration sensor that is disposed near a center portion of the vehicle so as to detect impact force applied to the vehicle from the forward direction, and the right and left directions of the vehicle, a right acceleration sensor that is disposed near a right side of the vehicle so as to detect impact force applied to the vehicle from the right side thereof, and a left acceleration sensor that is disposed near the left side of the vehicle so as to detect impact force applied to the vehicle from the left direction thereof.

7. The vehicle data recording device of claim 5, wherein the driving status detecting sensor includes at least one of a vehicle speed sensor that detects a vehicle speed, an engine revolution sensor that detects the number of resolutions of an engine, a brake on-off sensor that detects whether a brake of the vehicle is on or off, and an accelerator opening angle sensor that detects opening angle of an accelerator.

10. The vehicle data recording device of claim 1, wherein when the vehicle status detecting sensor detects a plurality of detection values which are larger detection values than a predetermined value, the final larger detection value is recorded in the third recording area of the recorder.

2. A vehicle data recording device, comprising:

a vehicle status detecting sensor that detects a vehicle status while running;

a ring buffer including a fourth recording area that records N detection values of the vehicle status detecting sensor;

a recorder including a fifth recording area that records at least 2N detection values of the vehicle status detecting sensor; and

a recording controller that includes a first pointer which indicates an address of the fourth recording area of the ring buffer so that addresses are sequentially incremented from a first address until the number of detection values becomes equal to N, and the addresses are sequentially incremented returning back to the first address for every Nth detection values when the number of detection values exceeds N, a second pointer which indicates an address of the fifth recording area of the recorder so that the addresses are sequentially incremented from a second address, and a third pointer which indicates an address of the fifth recording area of the recorder so that the addresses are sequentially incremented from a third address, and that normally performs a normal operation, in which the detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor is periodically recorded in the fourth recording area of an address indicated by the first pointer and then the first pointer is incremented, and records the detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor, which has already been recorded in the fourth recording area of the address indicated by the first pointer, in the fifth recording area of the address indicated by the second pointer before the detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor is periodically recorded in the fourth recording area of the ring buffer when the vehicle status detecting sensor detects a larger detection value than a predetermined value of the detection value, and thereafter periodically performs a recording operation for N times, in which a new detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor is recorded in the fourth recording area of the address indicated by the first pointer and then the first pointer and the second pointer are incremented while the new detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor is recorded in the fifth recording area of the address indicated by the third pointer and then the third pointer is incremented, and thereafter performs the normal operation.

8. The vehicle data recording device of claim 2, wherein the third address is defined as the second address+N.

3. A vehicle data recording device, comprising:

a vehicle status detecting sensor that detects a vehicle status while running;

a ring buffer including a fourth recording area that records N detection values of the vehicle status detecting sensor;

a recorder including a fifth recording area that records at least 2N detection values of the vehicle status detecting sensor; and

a recording controller that includes a first pointer which indicates an address of the fourth recording area of the ring buffer so that the addresses are sequentially incremented from a first address until the number of detection values reaches N, and the addresses are sequentially incremented returning back to the first address for every Nth detection values when the number of detection values exceeds N, and a second pointer which indicates an address of the fifth recording area of the recorder so that the addresses are sequentially incremented from a second address, and that normally performs a normal operation, in which the detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor is periodically recorded in the fourth recording area of an address indicated by the first pointer and then the first pointer is incremented, and records the detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor, which has already been recorded in the fourth recording area of the address indicated by the first pointer, in the fifth recording area of the address indicated by the second pointer before the detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor is periodically recorded in the fourth recording area of the ring buffer when the vehicle status detecting sensor detects a larger detection value than a predetermined value of the detection value, and thereafter periodically performs a recording operation for N times, in which a new detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor is recorded in the fourth recording area of the address indicated by the first pointer and then the first pointer is incremented while the new detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor is recorded in the fifth recording area of the address which is separated from the address indicated by the second pointer by a predetermined address increment and then the second pointer is incremented, and thereafter performs the normal operation.

9. The vehicle data recording device of claim 3, wherein the predetermined address increment is N.