WO2002095757A2 - Vehicle incident recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

An incident recorder which can be fitted to a vehicle for recording images of the environment surrounding the vehicle. The recorded images may later be used to reconstruct an incident such as a road traffic accident, road rage attack or vehicle theft. The recorder comprises at least one camera for periodically taking an image of the vehicle exterior and converting the image into a digital image, and memory means for storing the digital images. The incident recorder may also include an inertia sensor which switches the incident recorder on or off upon sensing changes in the vehicle inertia above given thresholds.

Description

VEHICLE INCIDENT RECORDER

The present invention relates to a device which is fitted to a vehicle for recording images of the environment surrounding the vehicle. The recorded images are intended to be suitable for providing a visual reconstruction of an incident such as a road traffic accident, road rage attack or vehicle theft.

Road traffic accidents are unfortunately an everyday occurrence. The parties involved in an accident may have different views of the events leading to the accident. Without reliable witnesses to the accident it can often prove impossible for the police to establish the events that actually transpired. This not only proves terribly frustrating for the innocent party, but it may also prevent them from making an otherwise successful insurance claim against the responsible party. In addition, parties who have behaved recklessly may escape prosecution.

Other incidents occur on the roads which do not necessarily result in an accident but are nevertheless distressing for the innocent party, e.g. tailgating and other acts of road rage. Unfortunately, the innocent party is unable to take any action against the offending party without some form of supporting evidence.

It is therefore desirable to have a device which is capable of recording images of the environment surrounding a vehicle during use. In the event of an accident, the images captured by the device may then be used as documentary evidence for reconstructing the events leading to the accident. Reckless or threatening acts made by other road users may also be recorded and reported to the police.

Were such a device to become commonplace among road users then incidents of reckless or dangerous driving, such as tailgating or weaving, may be curtailed. Furthermore, as the device may be used to establish which party is responsible for an incident, insurance premiums may be reduced for vehicles equipped with such a device. Present devices for recording vehicle accidents, such as that described in JP 2001122163, are generally dormant during normal driving and are activated only upon the detection of an impact. Whilst these devices provide a record of events subsequent to an initial impact, they fail to record the events leading up to the accident.

Surveillance systems, such as those used by traffic police, generally comprise little more than a video camera and video recorder. Whilst this type of system is suitable for monitoring the behaviour of a particular vehicle on the road, the system is unsuitable for continuously monitoring the surrounding environment of a vehicle other than in a single direction. Furthermore, as these systems are in regular use and generally use videotape as the recording medium, thus having moving parts, the system is susceptible to damage with prolonged use and the videotape must regularly be replaced. There is therefore a perceived need for a device capable of continuously recording images of the surrounding environment of a vehicle during use. It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide such a device, overcoming at least some of the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art. Accordingly, the present invention provides an incident recorder for a vehicle comprising at least two cameras for periodically taking images of at least two regions around the vehicle and converting the images into digital images, and memory means for storing the digital images.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides an rear-view mirror assembly for a vehicle comprising a housing, a mirror supported on the housing and an incident recorder mounted substantially within the housing, the incident recorder comprising at least two cameras for periodically taking images of at least two regions around the vehicle and converting the images into digital images, and memory means for storing the digital images. In a third aspect, the present invention provides an anti-theft device for a vehicle comprising an inertia sensor, at least one camera for periodically taking an image of at least a region around the vehicle, the camera being activated by the inertia sensor upon sensing a change in the vehicle inertia above a predetermined threshold, and a transmitter for transmitting the image of the camera to a receiver.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of a preferred embodiment of an incident recorder designed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of an incident recorder designed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a motor vehicle having mounted therein a preferred embodiment of an incident recorder designed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 4 is a plan view of a motor vehicle having mounted therein a preferred embodiment of an incident recorder designed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a motor vehicle having mounted therein an embodiment of an incident recorder designed in accordance with the present invention.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention in which the incident recorder forms part of a rear-view mirror assembly 10 for use inside a vehicle, the assembly 10 comprising at least a housing 11 and a mirror 12. The incident recorder of this particular embodiment comprises four cameras 13-16, a memory card 17, an inertia sensor 18, a stop button 19, a restart button 20, a status indicator 21 , and a power cable.

The incident recorder is connected to the electrical system of the vehicle by means of the power cable such that the incident recorder starts recording once the ignition of the vehicle has been turned on, and stops recording when the ignition has been turned off. In operation, the cameras 13-16 periodically capture images of the environment surrounding the vehicle and convert the images into digital images. The output of the cameras 13-16 are then fed to the memory card 17 where the digital images are stored. When the storage capacity of the memory card 17 becomes full, the first digital images are overwritten by the latest digital images received from the cameras 13-16. The second digital images are then overwritten and so on. The digital images are thus stored on the memory card as a continuous loop. The inertia sensor 18 causes the incident recorder to stop recording upon sensing a change in the vehicle inertia, e.g. such as that resulting from a collision. The incident recorder can also be stopped using the stop button 19 and restarted using the restart button 20. The status of the incident recorder, i.e. whether or not it is recording, is indicated by the status indicator 21. Following an incident, the memory card 17 can be removed from the incident recorder and the digital images stored on the memory card 17 retrieved and viewed by a suitable reader.

Referring now to figures 2, 3 and 4, the first camera 13 is mounted within the housing 11 of the mirror assembly 10 such that the field of view of the first camera 13 is ahead of the driver and approximately normal to the direction of travel of the vehicle, i.e. the first camera 13 is aimed towards the region ahead of the front of the vehicle. The second camera 14 is mounted within the housing 11 such that field of view of the second camera 14 is also normal to the direction of travel of the vehicle but behind the driver, i.e. the second camera 14 is aimed towards the region beyond the rear of the vehicle. The third 15 and fourth 16 cameras are mounted within the housing 11 such that their fields of view are respectively normal to directions which are roughly +120° and -120° (+240°) to the direction of travel of the vehicle, i.e. the third 15 and fourth 16 cameras are aimed respectively towards the regions beyond the rear right-hand and rear left- hand sides of the vehicle. Each camera 13-16 comprises a digital image sensor and a lens. The digital image sensor is responsible for converting an optical scene incident on the sensor into a series of digital images. The frame rate of the digital image sensor is preferably 7 frames per second. The digital image sensor is preferably a CMOS digital image sensor owing to its small size, relatively low cost and low power consumption. However, alternative digital image sensors may be used, e.g. such as those based on CCD technology.

The lens is responsible for focussing the optical scene onto the digital image sensor and is preferably a wide-angle or fish-eye lens, preferably having a lens angle of between 80 and 90°, such that the camera has a relatively wide field of view. The focal length of each camera lens need not be the same, and a telescopic rather a wide-angle lens may alternatively be used. For example, owing to the position and orientation of the second camera 14, the field of view of a wide-angle lens will include a significant portion of the vehicle interior. By narrowing the field of view of the second camera 14, i.e. by increasing the focal length of the lens, the portion of the vehicle interior captured by the second camera 14 will decrease. Indeed, a telescopic lens may be used for the second camera 14 such that the field of view is predominantly the vehicle exterior. For each camera 13-16 of the incident recorder, an aperture is formed in the housing 11 of the mirror assembly 10. The position and size of each aperture is preferably such that the field of view of the corresponding camera is not obscured by the housing 11. Each camera 13-16 may be mounted within the housing 11 such that the lens sits within the corresponding aperture. Alternatively, the housing apertures may be covered by a transparent window.

In order that light may reach the second camera 14, the region of the mirror 12 which lies in the field of view of the second camera 14 is transparent and has no reflective coating. Alternatively, the relevant region may be half-silvered or the mirror 12 may have an appropriately sized aperture. When the region of the mirror 12 which lies in the field of view of the second camera 14 is half-silvered, the light sensitivity of the second camera 14 is preferably higher than that of the other cameras 13, 15, 16 to account for the diminished light levels.

It will be appreciated that the alignment of the cameras 13-16 mounted within the housing 11 will depend upon the layout of the vehicle, and in particular the position of the rear-view mirror assembly 10 with respect to the vehicle windows. Furthermore, the angle of the third and fourth cameras relative to the direction of travel of the vehicle need not be ±120° and may equally lie at any angle between ±0-180°. However, if cameras are employed which are directed towards and opposite the direction of travel of the vehicle then the direction of the third and fourth cameras preferably lie in the range ±70-160°. It will also be appreciated that the optical axis of each camera 13-16 does not necessarily lie in a plane that is parallel to the ground. If the position of a camera is relatively high in relation to the ground, as might be the case when the incident recorder is used in a heavy goods vehicle, then it may be necessary to angle the cameras slightly downward.

As the position of the mirror assembly 10 relative to the vehicle windows is adjusted to suit the height and seating of the driver, the field of view of each camera 13-16 is preferably sufficiently wide that the mirror assembly 10 may be moved within reasonable limits without seriously affecting the exterior coverage provided by the cameras 13-16. Alternatively, the mirror assembly 10 and housing 11 may be fixed relative to the vehicle windows and the mirror 12 is instead pivotally mounted with respect to the housing 11. The orientations of the cameras 13-16 are thus fixed and the position of the mirror 12 is adjusted in a manner similar to that presently performed for wing mirrors.

Whilst the number of cameras employed in the present embodiment is four, it will be appreciated that the incident recorder may equally function with fewer or more cameras. Nevertheless, it is preferred that at least two cameras are employed having respective fields of view generally respectively ahead and behind the vehicle.

The memory card 17 is removable from the incident recorder and comprises a non-volatile memory. An aperture is provided in the housing 11 for receiving the memory card 17. The non-volatile memory comprises a set of four clocked buffers, each consisting of a series of individually addressable memory elements. Each buffer stores digital images from one of the cameras and each memory element stores a single digital image generated by one of the cameras 13-16. In this way, the process of storing the digital images within the memory elements occurs as an indefinite cycle.

The non-volatile memory is preferably non-volatile over a period of at least a few days. This then enables the memory card 17 to be removed from the incident recorder following an incident and the digital images to be retrieved by a suitable reader. Suitable candidates for the non-volatile memory include EEPROM and flash memory.

The length of real-time stored by the incident recorder will depend upon the size of the non-volatile memory, the number of cameras, the frame rate of the cameras, the size, resolution and colour of each image. The number and type of cameras, in particular the size in bytes of the images generated and the frame rate, and the non-volatile memory are preferably chosen such that the incident recorder is able to store up to 15 minutes of real-time.

The digital images may be data compressed, e.g. into MPEG, JPEG or GIF format, by a microprocessor before storage in the memory card 17. As a result of data compression, many more digital images may be stored on the memory card 17. The microprocessor may form an integral part of the incident recorder, e.g. housed within the housing 11 of the mirror assembly 10, or it may alternatively be included on the memory card 17. The inertia sensor 18, which is generally conventional in construction, is housed entirely within the housing 11 of the mirror assembly 10 and is activated upon sensing a change in the vehicle inertia above a threshold value. When activated, the inertia sensor 18 causes the incident recorder to stop operating by disconnecting the camera and memory card circuit from the power supply. This feature is particularly useful as an incident involving a large inertia change may cause the driver to become incapacitated, e.g. unconscious, and thus incapable of turning off the vehicle ignition or pressing the stop button 19. Alternatively, as a result of shock or confusion, the driver may simply forget to turn off the ignition or stop the incident recorder. The inertia sensor 18 thus ensures that the digital images stored in the memory card 17 are not overwritten following an incident involving a sizeable inertia change.

The inertia sensor 18 is preferably a ball-type sensor having a threshold value of 10 m/s². Naturally, the sensitivity of the inertia sensor 18 may be adjusted to suit. The inertia sensor 18 may be connected to a timer such that the camera-memory card circuit is only disconnected from the power supply after a specific period of time has elapsed, e.g. 5 minutes. Thus when the inertia sensor 18 is activated, e.g. by a collision, images of the incident continue to be recorded for a predetermined period of time. The inertia sensor 18 may also be configured to start the incident recorder upon sensing a change in vehicle inertia above the threshold value. This feature would then ensure that the incident recorder would record any incidents of vandalism to the vehicle or if vehicle is hit by a third party when the vehicle is not in use, e.g. when parked. When the incident recorder is configured in this manner, a timer is again employed to ensure that the incident recorder stops after a set period of time so that the digital images of the incident are not overwritten. The inertia sensor 18 may have a second threshold value for when the vehicle, and moreover the incident recorder, is not in use. The inertia sensor 18 would then start the incident recorder when a change in vehicle inertia above the second threshold is sensed. The second threshold may be set such that the inertia sensor 18 is more sensitive when the vehicle and incident recorder are not in use.

An incident may occur while the vehicle is in motion which the driver may wish to record and retain without having to stop the vehicle and turn off the ignition, e.g. tailgating or other acts of road rage. The stop button 19 enables the driver to stop the incident recorder at any time without having to turn off the vehicle ignition.

The incident recorder may inadvertently be stopped by the inertia sensor 18, e.g. if the vehicle hits a hole or bump on the road. The restart button 20 enables the driver to restart the incident recorder should this occur. In addition, the restart button 20 allows the incident recorder to be restarted if it has been stopped using the stop button 19. In this way, the incident recorder may be stopped, the memory card 17 removed, a new memory card inserted and the incident recorder restarted whilst the vehicle is in motion.

The stop 19 and restart 20 buttons are simply buttons which when depressed cause the camera and memory-card circuit to respectively disconnect and connect with the power supply. Both buttons 19,20 protrude through apertures provided in the housing 11 to enable easy operation, for example by the driver of the vehicle.

Rather than having two buttons for stopping and restarting the incident recorder, a single stop-start button may alternatively be provided.

Following an incident, the driver may get out of the vehicle to inspect for damage, establish if anyone is hurt, or to discuss the incident with the other involved parties. Before getting out of the vehicle, the driver would normally turn off the vehicle ignition or press the stop button 19 on the incident recorder to ensure that the recording of the incident is not overwritten. On getting out of the vehicle, however, the driver may become the victim of a road rage attack. The incident recorder, therefore, preferably includes a timer such that the incident recorder continues to operate for a predetermined period of time, e.g. 5 minutes, after the vehicle ignition has been turned off or the stop button 19 has been pressed. In including this feature, any attack on the driver should be recorder by the incident recorder.

The status indicator 21 is an LED which forms part of the camera- memory card circuit and is visible via an aperture in the housing 11. When the incident recorder is in operation, i.e. when the camera-memory card circuit is complete, and there is no fault with the power supply, such as a flat battery, the LED is illuminated green. When the incident recorder is stopped via the inertia sensor 18 or stop button 19, the LED flashes red to indicate that the incident recorder has stopped or is about to stop operating. The status indicator may also include a piezoelectric bleeper or similar device to provide an audible alarm that the incident recorder has stopped or is about to stop. In particular, the bleeper may sound a continuous alarm when the incident recorder has been stopped by the inertia sensor 18 to alert and notify the rescue services that there is information data available on the memory card 17. When the incident recorder is not in operation, e.g. when the vehicle ignition is turned off, the LED is not illuminated.

The incident recorder is preferably powered by the battery of the vehicle. However, it will be appreciated that the incident recorder may alternatively be powered by, or include, a separate battery housed within the housing 11. In having an additional backup battery housed within the housing 11 , the incident recorder can continue to operate should the power cable become damaged following an incident. Rather than using the vehicle ignition to start and stop the incident recorder, the restart 20 and stop 19 buttons may instead be used to start and stop the incident recorder on entering and leaving the vehicle. Alternatively, the inertia sensor 18 may be configured to start the incident recorder when movement of the vehicle typical of the driver entering the vehicle is sensed. The inertia sensor 18 could then stop the recorder when no movement is sensed for a specific period of time, which must be long enough to account for time spent at traffic lights etc. As a further alternative, the incident recorder may further include a motion sensor which starts the incident recorder when motion inside the vehicle is sensed and stops the recorder when no motion inside the vehicle is sensed for a specific period of time.

Whilst reference to an incident recorder has thus far been as part of a rear-view mirror assembly 10, other embodiments are anticipated. For example, the cameras 13-16 of the incident recorder may be secured at various other parts of the vehicle. In particular, the cameras 13-16 may form part of the wing mirrors or the front and rear lights of the vehicle. The first camera may be attached to the front windscreen and the second camera attached to the rear window.

The memory card 17, stop button 19, restart button 20 and status indicator 21 may alternatively form part of the dashboard. Rather than having a removable memory card 17, the memory card

17 may be fixed, e.g. within the mirror assembly 10 or dashboard. In this embodiment, the incident recorder may further include an interface port, such as a USB or RS232 serial port, for accessing the digital images stored on the memory card 17. Alternatively, as illustrated in figure 5, the incident recorder may include a transceiver for transmitting the digital images stored in the memory card 17. Transmission of the digital images may be initiated via an additional button provided on the incident recorder or upon receiving an instructing signal.

When the incident recorder includes a transceiver and the inertia sensor 18 is configured to start the incident recorder upon sensing a change in vehicle inertia, the incident recorder may act as an anti-theft device by transmitting the digital images immediately to a receiver 22, figure 5. The receiver 22, which may for example be situated in the house of the vehicle owner, may sound an alarm to alert the owner that the incident recorder has been activated. Moreover, the receiver 22 may include or be connected to a monitor or TV such that when a signal is received, the images of the environment surrounding the vehicle are immediately displayed. The incident recorder may include a camera which has a field of view sufficient to capture at least a portion of the interior of the vehicle and preferably an area normally occupied by the driver. Should the vehicle be stolen before the owner is able to respond, the images received by the receiver 22 may assist the police in finding and prosecuting the thief and returning any property that may have been stolen from the vehicle.

In addition to storing images of the environment surrounding the vehicle, the incident recorder may also store data such as the date and time, the speed of the vehicle and the vehicle acceleration. This may be achieved by including additional components within the incident recorder, e.g. a clock and acceleration sensor, or by reading the vehicle instruments, e.g. clock and speedometer. This information may be of use in proving the time and date upon which an incident occurred or that the driver was driving safely and within the legal speed limits when the incident occurred. Reference herein to the term vehicle should be understood to mean any motorised vehicle, including cars, motorcycles, coaches, heavy goods vehicles, etc.

Claims

1. An incident recorder for a vehicle comprising at least two cameras for periodically taking images of at least two regions around the vehicle and converting the images into digital images, and memory means for storing the digital images.

2. An rear-view mirror assembly for a vehicle comprising a housing, a mirror supported on the housing and an incident recorder mounted substantially within the housing, the incident recorder comprising at least two cameras for periodically taking images of at least two regions around the vehicle and converting the images into digital images, and memory means for storing the digital images.

3. A recorder as claimed in claim 1 or assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cameras continuously take periodic images of the vehicle exterior and the memory means continuously stores digital images during use of the vehicle.

4. A recorder or assembly as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the memory means stores the digital images in a buffer such that the oldest images are dumped once the memory means becomes full.

5. A recorder or assembly as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the field of view of the first camera is substantially normal to the direction of travel of the vehicle.

6. A recorder or assembly as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the incident recorder comprises four cameras having fields of view providing substantially 360° coverage of the region around the outside of the vehicle.

7. A recorder or assembly as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the incident recorder is switchable between an off state and an on state and digital images are stored in the memory means only when the incident recorder is in an on state, and the incident recorder further comprises an inertia sensor for switching the state of the incident recorder upon sensing changes in the vehicle inertia above predetermined thresholds.

8. A recorder or assembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein the inertia sensor upon sensing a change in the vehicle inertia above a first threshold switches the state of the incident recorder from off to on.

9. A recorder or assembly as claimed in either of claims 7 or 8, wherein the inertia sensor upon sensing a change in the vehicle inertia above a second threshold switches the state of the incident recorder from on to off.

10. A recorder or assembly as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the incident recorder includes switching means for switching the incident recorder between an off state and an on state and digital images are stored in the memory means only when the incident recorder is in an on state, and the incident recorder when switched to an off state remains in an on state for a predetermined period of time before switching to an off state.

11. A recorder or assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the switching means is manually operable such that a road rage attack may be recorded.

12. A recorder or assembly as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the cameras periodically takes images of at least a portion of the vehicle interior.

13. An anti-theft device for a vehicle comprising an inertia sensor, at least one camera for periodically taking an image of at least a region around the vehicle, the camera being activated by the inertia sensor upon sensing a change in the vehicle inertia above a predetermined threshold, and a transmitter for transmitting the image of the camera to a receiver.

14. An anti-theft device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the at least one camera periodically takes images of at least a portion of the vehicle interior.

15. An anti-theft device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the portion of the vehicle interior includes an area normally occupied by the driver's head.