EP2580744B1

EP2580744B1 - Telematic appliance for vehicles

Info

Publication number: EP2580744B1
Application number: EP11729162.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giuseppe Simonazzi
Original assignee: Meta System SpA
Current assignee: Meta System SpA
Priority date: 2010-06-10
Filing date: 2011-05-16
Publication date: 2017-07-12
Anticipated expiration: 2031-05-16
Also published as: ITMO20100172A1; WO2011154788A1; EP2580744A1; IT1402935B1

Description

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a telematic appliance for vehicles, particularly usable for detecting and recording sudden events.

Background Art

Telematic appliances are known which, once installed on board a vehicle, are able to detect the way the vehicle itself is used over time.
Such appliances can be applied, for example, in the insurance field to determine personalised tariffs on the basis of actual vehicle use or to detect and verify sudden events such as accidents or the like in the environmental field, to detect, in real time, the polluting emissions of a vehicle, or to manage vehicle rental, in order to achieve greater automation of vehicle tariff, pickup and delivery procedures.
The appliances of known type generally comprise a control unit which can be installed on board the vehicle, inside the passenger compartment, and can be connected to the electronics of the vehicle itself.
Such appliances also comprise a radio-wave device, of the type commonly used in the field of mobile phones such as, e.g., a transceiver using second or third-generation technologies and standards (GSM, GPRS, UMTS).
The radio-wave device, in particular, supports the sending of information collected by the appliance towards a remote data storage and processing unit.
If necessary, the radio-wave device is used to receive, from the remote unit, control software updates relating to the appliance on board the vehicle.
Such appliances generally also comprise a satellite receiver of the type of a GPS receiver or equivalent, which allows locating the vehicle by means of detected latitude, longitude and, if necessary, altitude coordinates.
In point of fact, the operation of the appliance envisages the collection at regular time intervals of information relating to the position of the vehicle by means of the GPS receiver and the subsequent transmission of such information towards the remote unit by means of the radio-wave device.
The information so collected by the remote unit is then processed to determine data useful for the purpose of the specific field of application.
Further information can be collected by the appliance by means of the use of further devices such as, e.g., an accelerometer installed on the vehicle and suitable for detecting sudden accelerations and decelerations.
In particular, the presence of the accelerometer allows monitoring the user's driving "style" and, if necessary, permits detecting sudden accelerations and decelerations of the vehicle due to the occurrence of an accident, thereby making it possible to reconstruct the dynamics of the accident itself.
These appliances of known type however are susceptible to upgrading, in particular in order to improve the quantity and the quality of the information collected and subsequently processed by the remote unit.
Document WO 2007/066064 A1 discloses a vehicle comprising a recording apparatus for providing evidence in the event of an accident, wherein the recording apparatus comprises a camera and recording means for providing a continuous video recording.
Document US 2010/123779 A1 discloses a video recording device capable of being mounted in a vehicle for recording images of an accident.
Document GB 2 451 485 A discloses a vehicle monitoring system for assisting with driver training, comprising image data gathering means and vehicle data gathering means located in a vehicle.
Document US 2004/145457 A1 discloses a vehicular video mirror system including an interior rear view mirror assembly and a video display assembly.
Document WO 2007/042798 A2 discloses a vehicular security system comprising: a recording device; a number of sensor devices including image recording devices and vehicle status indicators; a communication system and an operating system, wherein the operating system is operated in accordance with a predefined duty cycle, which, in conjunction with a low power equipment, provides an effective duty cycle.
Document US 2009/143967 A1 discloses a motor vehicle with a wheel-view camera. An image processing unit is operatively connected to the wheel-view camera unit for receiving image data from the wheel-view camera. A display unit is operatively connected to the image processing unit.
However, also these appliances of known type are susceptible to upgrading, in particular in order to collect and process precise information, of greater usefulness, by means of a simple, easy and effective to use and low cost solution. The documents JP 2007 164775 A , EP 1 944 190 A1 , and DE 10 2004 028946 A1 also disclose similar appliances.

Description of the Invention

The present Invention is defined in the appended independent claim to which reference should be made. Advantageous features are set out in the appended dependent claims.
The main aim of the present invention is to provide a telematic appliance for vehicles that allows to collect and process more precise information, of greater usefulness, as part of a simple, easy and effective to use and low cost solution. The above objects are achieved by the present telematic appliance for vehicles, installable on a vehicle and comprising at least a communication unit suitable for communicating with at least a remote processing central unit and at least a measuring device suitable for measuring the instantaneous acceleration/deceleration of said vehicle, characterized by the fact that it comprises interface means associable with at least a camera installed on said vehicle and connected to a parking aid system of said vehicle, wherein said interface means are associated with said measuring device and have at least a storage unit for storing the images acquired by said camera before and during a sudden event detected by said measuring device.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more evident from the description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of a telematic appliance for vehicles, illustrated by way of example, but not limited to them, in the annexed drawings in which:

figure 1 is a general functional diagram of the telematic appliance for vehicles according to the invention.

Embodiments of the Invention

With particular reference to such figures, globally indicated by 1 is a telematic appliance for vehicles, usable in particular for detecting and recording sudden events such as accidents, theft attempts, acts of vandalism, etc.
The use of the appliance 1 cannot however be ruled out in other applications such as, e.g., the detection of road traffic conditions, the detection of weather conditions, etc.
The appliance 1 comprises an external container body 2 associable with a vehicle.
Advantageously, the appliance 1 can comprise a power battery for supplying power to vehicles, housed inside the container body 2. In this case, the container body 2 can be installed inside the engine compartment of the vehicle instead of the traditional battery, and the power battery of the appliance 1 can be connected to the power supply line of the vehicle.
The appliance 1 comprises a communication unit 3 suitable for communicating with at least a remote processing central unit C.
In particular, the communication unit 3 comprises at least a transmitter and a receiver operating with second or third-generation mobile phone protocols, such as, e.g., UMTS, GSM, GPRS or the like.
The communication unit 3, moreover, is associable with one or more antennas for transmitting/receiving signals to/from the remote processing central unit C.
The appliance 1 comprises a measuring device 4 suitable for measuring the instantaneous acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle.
Preferably, the measuring device 4 is composed of at least a triple-axis accelerometer.
Usefully, the appliance 1 can comprise a supplementary measuring device, not shown in the illustrations, suitable for detecting variations in the inclination of the vehicle and usable, e.g., to detect vehicle overturning following an accident.
In particular, such supplementary measuring device can be made up of a gyroscope or the like.
The appliance 1 also comprises a locating device for locating the position of vehicle, schematically shown in figure 1 and indicated with reference number 5.
Preferably, the locating device 5 is composed of a satellite signal receiver of the type used in Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo Positioning System satellite navigation systems or the like.
The speed of the vehicle can be determined at any time thanks to the data collected by the locating device 5 and is a piece of information which, e.g., in most accidents is decisive for fully understanding how the events took place and for establishing the actual responsibilities of the persons involved.
Alternatively, the appliance 1 can be connected to a locating device 5 outside the container body 2, of the type e.g. of a satellite signal receiver of known type installed inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle.
The appliance 1 comprises a processing unit 6, of the type of a microprocessor system or the like, operatively connected to the communication unit 3, to the measuring device 4 and to the locating device 5.
Advantageously, the appliance 1 comprises interface means, schematically shown in the figure 1 and generally indicated by the reference number 7, associable with one or more cameras T installed on the vehicle and connected to a parking aid system.
In particular, the cameras T can be of the type of conventional cameras used in convention parking aid systems for vehicles of known type, positioned close to the rear bumper and, if necessary, the front bumper of the vehicle.
The use cannot furthermore be ruled out of further cameras T such as, e.g., those conventionally installed in correspondence to the side mirrors of the vehicle and used to detect the roadside or the centre line.
As shown in the figure 1, such cameras are usually connected by means of a dedicated channel B to a display D installed on board the vehicle, in correspondence to the dashboard.
The parking aid system automatically starts the cameras T and the display D during vehicle parking operations, providing the driver with a more precise view of the available spaces and overall dimensions of the vehicle.
The interface means 7, in particular, are connected to the accelerometer 4 and have at least a storage unit 8, of the type of a temporary memory or the like, suitable for storing the images acquired by the cameras T before and during a sudden event detected by the accelerometer 4.
In particular, the expression "sudden event" in this description shall mean an anomalous behaviour of the vehicle detectable in a sudden and rapid change of the regular conditions of movement of the vehicle, such as, e.g., a rapid deceleration following sudden braking or a collision with another vehicle or with an obstacle in general.
The interface means 7, in particular, comprise a management unit 9 associable with the dedicated channel B connecting the cameras T to the display D of the parking aid system.
The management unit 9, furthermore, is associated with a plurality of storage units 8, preferably one for each camera T, and is suitable for recording in a continuative way over time the images acquired by the cameras T on the storage units 8.
In particular, the management unit 9 can be equipped with a device for digitalizing the images and, if necessary, with a hardware and/or a software for compressing the digitalized images before storing them in the storage units 8.
The images acquired by means of the cameras T and stored are kept inside the storage units 8 for a preset time interval.
This way, the new acquired images are stored and, at the same time, the "older" images, inside the preset time interval, are removed by the storage units 8.
The management unit 9 is connected to the processing unit 6 and, in case of a sudden event detected by the accelerometer 4, interrupts the storage of new images and keeps in the storage units 8 the images acquired up to that time which therefore correspond to the images acquired before and during the sudden event.
The images acquired before and during the sudden event therefore can be sent to the remote processing unit C by means of the communication unit 3 or, alternatively, can be downloaded on-site directly from the appliance 1.
In these conditions, the appliance 1 is therefore able to provide a film, if necessary complete with audio, inasmuch as having occurred during the instants preceding the event and during the event itself.
For example, in the case of a collision between two vehicles in correspondence to a crossroads regulated by traffic lights, the film allows establishing, without any fear of contradiction, which of the two vehicles went through a red light and therefore which of the two drivers is responsible for the accident.
Usefully, the interface means 7 comprise a control unit 10 associated with the cameras T and suitable for controlling the switching on and off of the cameras themselves.
Preferably, the control unit 10 is associable with the cameras T through a control channel E already installed on the vehicle such as, e.g., the CAN type channel conventionally used.
In has in practice been ascertained how the described invention achieves the proposed objects.
In particular, the fact is underlined that the telematic appliance for vehicles according to the invention allows collecting and processing more precise information, of greater usefulness, as part of a simple solution, easy and effective to use and of low cost, inasmuch as it allows the use of the cameras already installed on the vehicle and normally used as parking aids for detecting and recording sudden events.

Claims

Telematic appliance (1) for detecting and recording sudden events on vehicles, installed on a vehicle provided with a parking aid system, comprising at least a communication unit (3) configured to communicate with at least a remote processing central unit (C), at least a measuring device (4) configure to measure the instantaneous acceleration/deceleration of said vehicle, and interface means (7) connected to at least a camera (T) installed on said vehicle, wherein said camera (T) is connected to said parking aid system of the vehicle and is connected to a display (D) of the parking aid system through a dedicated channel (B), and wherein said interface means (7) are associated with said measuring device (4) and are provided with at least a storage unit (8), which is configured to store images acquired by said camera (T) before and during a sudden event detected by said measuring device (4), characterized by the fact that said interface means (7) comprise:
- at least a management unit (9) connected to said dedicated channel (B) connecting said camera (T) to the display (D) of the parking aid system , associated with said storage unit (8) and configured to record the images acquired by said camera (T) continuously over time on said storage unit (8), wherein said management unit (9) is associated with said measuring device (4) and, in case of the sudden event detected by said measuring device (4), is configured to interrupt the storage of new images and to keep on said storage unit (8) the images acquired by said camera (T) before and during said sudden event;

- at least a control unit (10) connected to said camera (T) through a control channel (E) already installed on said vehicle, of the type of a CAN channel, and configured to control the switching on and off of said camera (T).
Appliance (1) according to the claim 1, characterized by the fact that said images acquired and stored are kept inside said storage unit (8) for a preset time interval.
Appliance (1) according to the claim 1, characterized by the fact that it comprises at least a locating device (5) configured to locate the position of said vehicle.
Appliance (1) according to the claim 1, characterized by the fact that it comprises at least a locating device (5) configured to locate the position of said vehicle.
Appliance (1) according to claims 3 or 4, characterized by the fact that said locating device (5) comprises at least a satellite signal receiver.
Appliance (1) according to the claim 1, characterized by the fact that said communication unit (3) comprises at least a transmitter and/or a receiver operating with mobile phone protocols.
Appliance (1) according to the claim 6, characterized by the fact that said mobile phone protocols are selected from the group comprising UMTS, GSM, GPRS or the like.
Appliance (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said communication unit (3) is associable with at least an antenna configured to transmit/receive at least a signal to/from said remote processing central unit (C).
Appliance (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that it comprises at least a processing unit (6) associated with at least one between said communication unit (3), said measuring device (4), said interface means (7), said control unit (10) and said locating device (5).
Appliance (1) according to the claim 1, characterized by the fact that it comprises at least an external container body (2) connected to said vehicle.
Appliance (1) according to the claim 1, characterized by the fact that it comprises at least an electric battery for the supply of vehicles housed inside said container body (2) and connected to the electric supply line of said vehicle.
Appliance (1) according to the claim 1, characterized by the fact that it comprises at least a supplementary measuring device configured to detect the changes in the inclination of said vehicle.
Appliance (1) according to the claim 12, characterized by the fact that said supplementary measuring device comprises at least a gyroscope or the like.