VEHICLE BLACK BOX
A vehicle black box includes a memory device for receiving and storing real-time data associated with the vehicle during a recording time window. Upon determining that an accident has occurred, circuitry freezes the recording time window and stores the real-time data within the frozen recording time window within a one-time programmable (OTP) memory.
1 . An apparatus within a vehicle, comprising:
a memory device for receiving real-time data associated with the vehicle and storing the real-time data therein during a recording time window;
a one-time programmable (OTP) memory coupled to the memory device; and
circuitry for determining that an accident involving the vehicle has occurred, and in response thereto, freezing the recording time window to produce a frozen recording time window and storing the real-time data within the frozen time window in the OTP memory.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the recording time window has a fixed duration such that the recording time window includes the real-time data received over the fixed duration.
3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the real-time data at the beginning of the recording time window is older data and the memory device overwrites the older data in the recording time window with recently received real-time data to maintain the fixed duration.
4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the circuitry freezes the recording time window such that the frozen recording time window includes at least the real-time data immediately prior to the accident within the fixed duration.
5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the circuitry freezes the recording time window such that the frozen recording time window includes the real-time data immediately prior to and immediately after the accident within the fixed duration.
6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the real-time data includes at least one of sensor data captured by one or more sensors within the vehicle and video data captured by one or more video cameras attached to the vehicle, the video data including at least one of exterior video data of an exterior of the vehicle and interior video data of an interior of the vehicle.
7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the real-time data is produced by a single device within the vehicle.
8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the real-time data is produced by multiple devices within the vehicle.
9 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the real-time data is produced and stored in the memory device during operation of the vehicle.
10 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the real-time data is produced and stored in the memory device when the vehicle is not in operation.
11 . A vehicle black box within a vehicle, comprising:
a vehicle network interface operable to couple to a vehicular communication network;
a memory device for receiving real-time data associated with the vehicle via the vehicular communication network and storing the real-time data therein during a recording time window;
a one-time programmable (OTP) memory coupled to the memory device; and
a processing module for:
facilitating storage of the real-time data within the memory device;
determining that an accident involving the vehicle has occurred;
in response thereto, freezing the recording time window within the memory device to produce a frozen recording time window; and
downloading the real-time data within the frozen time window from the memory device to the OTP memory.
12 . The vehicle black box of claim 11 , further comprising:
a local power source for providing power to the vehicle black box.
13 . The vehicle black box of claim 12 , wherein the processing module activates the local power source upon determining that the accident has occurred to enable the real-time data within the frozen time window to be downloaded from the memory device to the OTP memory.
14 . The vehicle black box of claim 12 , wherein the local power source further provides power to external devices within the vehicle via the vehicular communication network.
15 . The vehicle black box of claim 11 , further comprising:
a radio frequency (RF) interface coupled to the OTP memory and providing a wireless connection to a remote device outside of the vehicle to enable the real-time data within the frozen recording time window to be retrieved by the remote device via the wireless connection.
16 . The vehicle black box of claim 11 , wherein the real-time data within the frozen recording time window is accessible by an external computer device coupled to the vehicular communication network via the vehicular network interface.
17 . The vehicle black box of claim 11 , wherein:
the recording time window has a fixed duration such that the recording time window includes the real-time data received over the fixed duration;
the real-time data at the beginning of the recording time window is older data; and
the memory device overwrites the older data in the recording time window with recently received real-time data to maintain the fixed duration.
18 . The vehicle black box of claim 11 , wherein the processing module freezes the recording time window such that the frozen recording time window includes at least the real-time data immediately prior to the accident within the fixed duration.
19 . The vehicle black box of claim 11 , wherein the real-time data includes at least one of sensor data captured by one or more sensors within the vehicle and video data captured by one or more video cameras attached to the vehicle, the video data including one or more of exterior video data of an exterior of the vehicle and interior video data of an interior of the vehicle.
20 . The vehicle black box of claim 11 , wherein the real-time data is produced and stored in the memory device while the vehicle is in at least one of the following states: operating and not operating.