Vehicular data recording apparatus

• US 8,160,771 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2006
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Iyoda, Motomi, Okada, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US11/997,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20080234890A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,087 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0002 Type of accident
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/127 for acceleration values
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/14 for permanent recording G01P1/125 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0891 Video recorder in combination with video camera

Abstract

A vehicular data recording apparatus includes crash detection portion (12) for detecting a crash of a vehicle, and recording process portion (14) for recording and retaining output data of various vehicle-mounted sensors (20, 30, 40, 50) mounted in the vehicle, in a non-volatile memory (70). If a crash is detected by the crash detection portion (12), a data recording/retaining process relevant to the crash is performed by the recording process portion. If a plurality of crashes different in the crash form are detected continually in a short time by the crash detection portion, the recording process portion performs the data recording/retaining process relevant to each crash in accordance with a predetermined order of priority based on the crash form of each crash.

Claims

1. A vehicular data recording apparatus that performs a data recording/retaining process relevant to a crash of a vehicle, comprising:

a crash detection portion configured to detect a crash of the vehicle; and

a recording process portion configured to record and retain output data of various vehicle-mounted sensors mounted in the vehicle, in a non-volatile memory,

wherein if a plurality of crashes are detected continually in close proximity in time by the crash detection portion, the recording process portion is configured to perform a data recording/retaining process relevant to each crash in accordance with a predetermined order of priority of each crash,

wherein if a plurality of crashes different in crash form are detected continually in a short time by the crash detection portion, the recording process portion is configured to perform the data recording/retaining process relevant to each crash in accordance with an order of priority based on the crash form of each crash, and

wherein if, during the data recording/retaining process relevant to a first crash following detection of the first crash, a second crash higher in the order of priority than the first crash is detected by the crash detection portion, the recording process portion is configured to interrupt the data recording/retaining process relevant to the first crash, and configured to perform the data recording/retaining process relevant to the second crash.

2. The vehicular data recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein during the data recording/retaining process relevant to a first crash following detection of the first crash, the recording process portion is configured to prohibit the data recording/retaining process relevant to a crash other than the first crash.

3. The vehicular data recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording process portion is configured to perform the data recording/retaining process relevant to the crash low in the order of priority after completing the data recording/retaining process relevant to the crash high in the order of priority.

4. The vehicular data recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the crash detection portion is configured to perform detection of a crash, and configured to determine a crash form based on an output value of the various vehicle-mounted sensors mounted in the vehicle.

5. The vehicular data recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein data recorded and retained by the recording process portion after a crash is detected by the crash detection portion includes at least one of on/off information regarding a buckle switch, occupant detecting sensor information, on/off information regarding a manual cut switch of an airbag, a diagnostic code, a number of times of IG being on during a failure, a light-on duration of a failure lamp, a time parameter, a write completion flag, and a freeze signal.

6. The vehicular data recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein data recorded and retained by the recording process portion further includes at least one of brake operation information, engine rotation speed information, shift position information, a vehicle speed, and an accelerator operation amount.

7. The vehicular data recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein data recorded and retained by the recording process portion further includes at least one of brake operation information, engine rotation speed information, shift position information, a vehicle speed, and an accelerator operation amount.

9. The vehicular data recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one event is considered to last from occurrence of an initial crash until elapse of a predetermined time, and if another crash occurs within a same event, the same event is still considered as one event, and the recording process portion is configured to perform the data recording process relevant to the crash in correspondence to the event in which the crash occurred.

10. The vehicular data recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein if a plurality of crashes occur in the same event, predetermined information is recorded at a time of the first occurring crash in the same event, and the predetermined information is not recorded at times of the second and later occurring crashes in the same event.

8. A vehicular data recording apparatus that performs a data recording/retaining process relevant to a crash of a vehicle, comprising:

a crash detection portion configured to detect a crash of the vehicle; and

a recording process portion configured to record and retain output data of various vehicle-mounted sensors mounted in the vehicle, in a non-volatile memory,

wherein if a crash is detected by the crash detection portion, the recording process portion is configured to record and retain relevant information that indicates a state of an occupant and/or a state of the vehicle occurring at a time of detection of the crash or in a predetermined time preceding the time of detection of the crash, together with the output data of a predetermined vehicle-mounted sensor following the crash, and wherein if a plurality of crashes are detected continually in close proximity in time by the crash detection portion, the recording process portion is configured to not record or retain the relevant information concerning the second or later-detected crash.

11. A method of performing data recording/retention relevant to a crash of a vehicle, comprising:

detecting a crash of the vehicle; and

recording and retaining output data of various vehicle-mounted sensors mounted in the vehicle, in a non-volatile memory,

wherein if a plurality of crashes are detected continually in close proximity in time, a data recording/retaining process relevant to each crash is performed in the recording and retaining step in accordance with a predetermined order of priority of each crash, and

wherein if a plurality of crashes different in crash form are detected continually in a short time, the data recording/retaining process relevant to each crash is performed in accordance with an order of priority based on the crash form of each crash, and

wherein if, during the data recording/retaining process relevant to a first crash following detection of the first crash, a second crash higher in the order of priority than the first crash is detected, the data recording/retaining process relevant to the first crash is interrupted, and the data recording/retaining process relevant to the second crash is performed.

12. A vehicular data recording apparatus comprising:

crash detection means for detecting a crash of a vehicle, and

recording process means for recording and retaining output data of various vehicle-mounted sensors mounted in the vehicle, in a non-volatile memory,

wherein if a crash is detected by the crash detection means, a data recording/retaining process relevant to the crash is performed by the recording process means,

wherein if a plurality of crashes are detected continually in close proximity in time by the crash detection means, the recording process means performs the data recording/retaining process relevant to each crash in accordance with a predetermined order of priority of each crash, and

wherein if a plurality of crashes different in crash form are detected continually in a short time by the crash detection means, the recording process means is configured to perform the data recording/retaining process relevant to each crash in accordance with an order of priority based on the crash form of each crash, and

wherein if, during the data recording/retaining process relevant to a first crash following detection of the first crash, a second crash higher in the order of priority than the first crash is detected by the crash detection means, the recording process means is configured to interrupt the data recording/retaining process relevant to the first crash, and configured to perform the data recording/retaining process relevant to the second crash.