The present invention relates to a vehicle recorder system that is configured with a video camera, a light weight memory system, and a radio communications facility suitable for use in conjunction with an moving vehicle. An automobile equipped with such video recorder system that is used throughout a day of service provides a video record of unusual events which may occur from time-to-time. For example, events such as accidents, near-misses, and excessive speed, among others, trigger a system to preserve video images collected before and after the moment of the event. Replaying these images provides information regarding the cause and true nature of the event. These systems are particularly suitable for vehicle fleets, or other groups of vehicles that can communicate with a common system.

Vehicle event recorder systems

Exception event recorders and analysis systems include: vehicle mounted sensors arranged as a vehicle event recorder to capture both discrete and non-discrete data; a discretization facility; a database; and an analysis server all coupled together as a computer network. Motor vehicles with video cameras and onboard diagnostic systems capture data when the vehicle is involved in a crash or other anomaly (an ‘event’). In station where interpretation of non-discrete data is rendered, i.e. a discretization facility, captured data is used as a basis for production of supplemental discrete data to further characterize the event. Such interpreted data is joined to captured data and inserted into a database in a structure which is searchable and which supports logical or mathematical analysis by automated machines. A coupled analysis server is arranged to test stored data for prescribed conditions and upon finding such, to initiate further actions appropriate for the detected condition.

Vehicle exception event management systems

A LIDAR device may transmit light pulses originating from one or more light sources and may receive reflected light pulses that are then detected by one or more detectors. The LIDAR device may include a lens that both (i) collimates the light from the one or more light sources to provide collimated light for transmission into an environment of the LIDAR device and (ii) focuses the reflected light onto the one or more detectors. The lens may define a curved focal surface in a transmit path of the light from the one or more light sources and a curved focal surface in a receive path of the one or more detectors. The one or more light sources may be arranged along the curved focal surface in the transmit path. The one or more detectors may be arranged along the curved focal surface in the receive path.

Devices and methods for a rotating LIDAR platform with a shared transmit/receive path

Sensor-based object-detection optimization for autonomous vehicles

A vehicle-mounted system ( 1010 ) for recording video and audio. The system ( 1010 ) uses distributed processing, including encoding the video and audio at their source(s), and a high-speed, e.g., Ethernet, bus ( 1148 ) connecting the various system components and external devices. The system ( 1010 ) may include a display monitor ( 1040 ) which is integrated into the same housing ( 1020 ) as a rear view mirror ( 170 ) of the vehicle, with the display monitor ( 1040 ) being located behind the mirror ( 170 ) and video displayed on the monitor being visible through the mirror ( 170 ).

Vehicle-mounted video system with distributed processing

A data acquisition recording and display system for mounting in a vehicle having an interior console and an aperture in the console. The system comprising a frame mountable in the aperture. A recording media housed in the frame and operable to store and retrieve audio/video and other data. The content of the recording media being transferable to enable storage and searching on a remote device. Searching being performed with a search engine application.

Data acquisition and display system and method of operating the same

A system for determining the speed and position of objects comprises a beam source, a transmit reflection device, a beam receiver, a receive reflection device, and a controller. The beam source may generate a beam. The transmit reflection device may reflect the beam at the objects and may include a plurality of transmit faces with each transmit face oriented at a different angle and operable to reflect the beam at a different height. The beam receiver may detect the beam. The receive reflection device may include a plurality of receive faces with each receive face oriented at a different angle and operable to focus the beam reflected from objects at different heights onto the beam receiver. The controller may determine the position of the objects over time and calculate the speed of the objects based on a change in the position of the objects.

Kenneth L. Mccoy

Papers

Data acquisition and display system and method of operating the same

Traffic scanning lidar