Vehicle event recorder systems and networks having integrated cellular wireless communications systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9691195-B2
Application number	US-201615295932-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2016
Priority date	Mar 16, 2006
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

Vehicle event recorder systems are arranged to be in constant communication with remote servers and administrators via mobile wireless cellular networks. Vehicle event recorders equipped with video cameras capture video and other data records of important events relating to vehicle use. These data are then transmitted over special communications networks having very high coverage space but limited bandwidth. A vehicle may be operated over very large region while maintaining continuous communications connections with a remote fixed server. As such, systems of these inventions may be characterized as including a mobile unit having: a video camera; a microprocessor; memory; an event trigger; and mobile wireless transceivers, and a fixed network portion including: mobile wireless cellular network, a protocol translation gateway, the Internet and an application-specific server.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle event recorder system comprising:
a video camera configured to capture image data, wherein the video camera has a field of view arranged to include an environment in and/or around a vehicle;
a communications transceiver configured to transmit a first type of information via a first communication network to a server computer, wherein the communications transceiver is further configured to transmit a second type of information via a second communication network to the server computer, wherein the first communication network is different from the second communication network;
an electronic memory configured to electronically store information; and
a microprocessor configured to:
effectuate storage of captured image data in the electronic memory,
responsive to physical anomaly event triggers, create detailed complete datasets that correspond to individual physical anomaly event triggers, wherein the detailed complete datasets include image data captured by the video camera, wherein the physical anomaly event triggers include a particular individual physical anomaly event trigger, and wherein the detailed complete datasets include a particular individual detailed complete dataset that corresponds to the particular individual physical anomaly event trigger;
create abbreviated datasets by parsing the detailed complete datasets such that the abbreviated datasets include less bytes of data than the corresponding detailed complete datasets, wherein the abbreviated datasets include a particular individual abbreviated dataset that has been created by parsing the particular individual detailed complete dataset such that the particular individual abbreviated dataset corresponds to the particular individual physical anomaly event trigger;
effectuate storage of the abbreviated datasets in the electronic memory, and
facilitate transmission of the detailed complete datasets through the communications transceiver via the first communication network such that the particular individual detailed complete dataset is transmitted via the first communication network; and
facilitate transmission of the abbreviated datasets through the communications transceiver via the second communication network such that the particular individual abbreviated dataset is transmitted via the second communication network.

2. The vehicle event recorder system of claim 1 , wherein transmission of the particular individual abbreviated dataset via the second communication network is performed such that said transmission uses a cellular network.

3. The vehicle event recorder system of claim 1 , wherein transmission of the particular detailed complete dataset via the first communication network is performed such that said transmission uses a WiFi network.

4. The vehicle event recorder system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more vehicle systems transducers configured to generate output signals conveying vehicle usage information, the one or more vehicle systems transducers forming at least part of an on-board databus system, the vehicle usage information including information related to one or more of a drive-train of the vehicle, a gear transmission of the vehicle, an engine of the vehicle, brakes of the vehicle, or lights of the vehicle, wherein the physical anomaly event triggers are detected based at least in part on the output signal generated by the one or more vehicle systems transducers.

5. The vehicle event recorder of claim 1 , wherein the microprocessor is configured such that the particular individual physical anomaly event trigger is associated with one or more of a vehicle accident, swerving, or hard braking.

6. The vehicle event recorder of claim 1 , wherein the captured image data includes video images associated with a prescribed moment in time, wherein the prescribed moment corresponds to the particular individual physical anomaly event trigger, and wherein the captured image data includes video images captured prior to and after the prescribed moment in time.

7. The vehicle event recorder of claim 1 , wherein the microprocessor is configured to facilitate transmission of one or more of the particular individual detailed complete dataset or the particular individual abbreviated dataset via the communications transceiver to the server computer responsive to electronic requests originating from the server computer.

8. The vehicle event recorder system of claim 1 , wherein the detailed complete datasets include a first detailed complete dataset and a second detailed complete dataset, wherein the first detailed complete dataset corresponds to a first physical anomaly event trigger, wherein the second detailed complete dataset corresponds to a second physical anomaly event trigger, wherein the first detailed complete dataset includes more bytes of data than the second detailed complete dataset, wherein the abbreviated datasets include a first abbreviated dataset and a second abbreviated dataset, wherein the first abbreviated dataset corresponds to the first detailed complete dataset, and wherein the second abbreviated dataset corresponds to the second detailed complete dataset.

9. The vehicle event recorder system of claim 8 , wherein the microprocessor is configured to facilitate transmission of the first abbreviated dataset instantly via the second communication network upon creation of the first abbreviated dataset, wherein the microprocessor is configured to facilitate transmission of the second abbreviated dataset instantly via the second communication network upon creation of the second abbreviated dataset, wherein the microprocessor is configured to facilitate transmission of the first detailed complete datasets responsive to the amount of available bandwidth being sufficient to permit transmission of the first detailed complete dataset, and wherein the microprocessor is configured to facilitate transmission of the second detailed complete datasets responsive to the amount of available bandwidth being sufficient to permit transmission of the second detailed complete dataset.

10. The vehicle event recorder system of claim 1 , further comprising a vehicle system transducer configured to detect occurrences of events during use of the vehicle, wherein the physical anomaly event triggers are based on the detected occurrences of events.

11. The vehicle event recorder system of claim 1 , wherein the electronic memory includes managed loop memory and buffer memory, wherein the microprocessor is configured to effectuate storage of captured image data in the managed loop memory, and wherein the microprocessor is further configured to transfer, responsive to the physical anomaly event triggers, the captured image data from the managed loop memory to the buffer memory.

12. The vehicle event recorder system of claim 11 , wherein the microprocessor is configured to effectuate storage of the abbreviated datasets in the buffer memory, and wherein the communications transceiver is configured to transmit information from the buffer memory via the second communication network to the server computer.

13. The vehicle event recorder system of claim 1 , wherein the microprocessor is configured to create the abbreviated datasets through compression of the detailed complete datasets.

14. The vehicle event recorder system of claim 1 , wherein transmission of the individual one of the abbreviated datasets via the communications transceiver is performed wirelessly.

15. The vehicle event recorder system of claim 1 , further comprising the server computer configured to receive transmission from the communications transceiver.

Assignees

• Smartdrive Systems Inc

Inventors

• Plante James

Classifications

• H04N23/64

  Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image · CPC title

• H04N7/188

  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

• H04N7/183

  for receiving images from a single remote source · CPC title

• H04L67/12

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title

• G07C5/0891

  Video recorder in combination with video camera · CPC title