Systems, devices, and methods for communicating vehicle-related image data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12568348-B2
Application number	US-202519081110-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2025
Priority date	Mar 18, 2024
Publication date	Mar 3, 2026
Grant date	Mar 3, 2026

Abstract

Multiple communication modules are used in communicating image data from an image capture device at a vehicle. Telematic data is communicated to a management server via a telematics device. An event is detected based on the telematic data. The management server requests image data from the image capture device corresponding to the event. The image capture device activates and transmits the requested image data via its own communication module in response to the request. In this way, regular, minimalistic communication is performed via the telematics device, but major data communication is performed directly by the image capture device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system comprising:
a management server having a first at least one communication module, a first at least one processor, and a first at least one non-transitory processor readable storage medium storing first processor-executable instructions thereon; a telematics device positioned at a vehicle, a second communication module, a third communication module, a second at least one processor, and a second at least one non-transitory processor readable storage medium storing second processor-executable instructions thereon; and an image capture device positioned at the vehicle, the image capture device having at least one image sensor, a fourth communication module, a fifth communication module, a third at least one processor, and a third at least one non-transitory processor-readable storage medium storing third processor-executable instructions thereon, wherein: the third processor-executable instructions cause the image capture device to:
capture, by the at least one image sensor, image data; and
store, by the third at least one non-transitory processor-readable storage medium, the image data;
the second processor-executable instructions cause the telematics device to:
receive telematic data for the vehicle; and
transmit, by the third communication module for reception at the management server, the telematic data;
the first processor-executable instructions cause the management server to:
receive, by the first at least one communication module, the telematic data;
apply, by the first at least one processor, an event detection model to the telematic data to detect an event at the vehicle; and
in response to detecting the event at the vehicle, transmit, by the first at least one communication module for reception at the telematics device, a request for image data corresponding to a time period of the event;
the second processor-executable instructions further cause the telematics device to:
receive, by the third communication module, the request for image data; and
transmit, by the second communication module, the request for image data for reception at the image capture device; and
the third processor-executable instructions further cause the image capture device to:
receive, by the fourth communication module, the request for image data;
access, at the third at least one non-transitory processor-readable storage medium, image data corresponding to the time period; and
transmit, by the fifth communication module for reception remote from the vehicle, the image data corresponding to the time period, comprising operating the fifth communication module in an active mode where communication with the management server is enabled, bypassing the telematics device; and
after transmitting the image data corresponding to the time period, operate the fifth communication module in an inactive mode where communication with the management server is not enabled and power consumption is lower than in the active mode.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the fourth communication module and the second communication module comprise respective wired communication modules, for wired communication between the telematics device and the image capture device.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the fourth communication module and the second communication module comprise respective short-range wireless communication interfaces.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the fifth communication module comprises a first cellular modem at the image capture device which communicates over a first cellular network; the third communication module comprises a second cellular modem at the telematics device which communicates over the first cellular network or a second cellular network different from the first cellular network; and the first at least one communication module comprises a network module which communicatively couples to a cloud network or the internet.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the telematic data includes at least inertial data for the vehicle; the event is a collision; and the first processor-executable instructions which cause the first at least one processor to apply the event detection model to the telematic data cause the first at least one processor to: apply a collision detection model to at least the inertial data to detect the collision.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein:
the telematic data further includes speed data for the vehicle; and the first processor-executable instructions which cause the first at least one processor to apply a collision detection model to at least the inertial data to detect the collision cause the first at least one processor to: apply the collision detection model to the inertial data and the speed data to detect the collision.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the telematic data includes at least inertial data for the vehicle; the event is a harsh motion event comprising at least one of a harsh turn event, a harsh brake event, or a harsh acceleration event; and the first processor-executable instructions which cause the first at least one processor to apply the event detection model to the telematic data cause the first at least one processor to: apply a harsh motion detection model to at least the inertial data to detect the harsh motion event.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein:
the telematic data further includes speed data for the vehicle; and the first processor-executable instructions which cause the first at least one processor to apply a harsh motion detection model to at least the inertial data to detect the harsh motion event cause the first at least one processor to: apply the harsh motion detection model to the inertial data and the speed data to detect the harsh motion event.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the image capture device further comprises an emergency user interface; in response to activation of the emergency user interface by a driver of the vehicle, the third processor executable instructions cause the image capture device to transmit an emergency indication to the telematics device by the fourth communication module; the second processor-executable instructions further cause the telematics device to receive the emergency indication by the second communication module; the second processor-executable instructions which cause the telematics device to transmit the telematic data by the third communication module further cause the telematics device to transmit the emergency indication with the telematic data; and the first processor-executable instructions which cause the first at least one processor to apply the event detection model to the telematic data cause the first at least one processor to: detect the event based on the emergency indication.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the telematic data includes speed data for the vehicle; the event is speeding event where a speed of the vehicle exceeds a speed threshold; and the first processor-executable instructions which cause the first at least one processor to apply the event detection model to the telematic data cause the first at least one processor to: apply a speeding detection model to the speed data to detect the speeding event.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the third processor-executable instructions further cause the third at least one processor to collect following distance data between the vehicle and another vehicle in front of the vehicle, by applying a following distance detection model to the captured image data; the third processor executable instructions further cause the image capture device to transmit at least a portion of the following distance da

Assignees

• Geotab Inc

Inventors

• Beal Daniel James
• Beltrame Bruno Simione
• Dhillon Jaskaranbir
• Fox Stephen Michael
• Hoefert Sebastian Brian
• Huang Xiaowei
• Ivascu Cristian Florin
• Liu Wenyang
• Manickam Sanjeev
• Omar Aziz
• Roth Alexander Joshua
• Shah Dharati Bhaumik
• Swanson Robert
• Thomas Jason-Jon Isaac
• Willison Nicholas

Classifications

• H04N7/188 Primary

  Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position (signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253) · CPC title

• H04N7/185

  from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control · CPC title

• H04N7/035

  Circuits for the digital non-picture data signal, e.g. for slicing of the data signal, for regeneration of the data-clock signal, for error detection or correction of the data signal · CPC title

• B60W2520/10

  Longitudinal speed · CPC title

• B60R16/023

  for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems · CPC title