Vehicle exception event management systems
View Patent ↗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.
1. A vehicle exception event management system comprising:
a vehicle event recorder mounted in a vehicle, the vehicle event recorder configured to:
responsive to a detected vehicle event, capture and save vehicle event information, the vehicle event information including non-discrete sensory data and discrete quantitative data related to operation of the vehicle during the detected vehicle event, the vehicle event recorder configured to save the discrete quantitative data and the non-discrete sensory data in preliminary event records such that, responsive to a first detected vehicle event, the vehicle event recorder saves first discrete quantitative data and first non-discrete sensory data in a first preliminary event record; and
transmit the vehicle event records to a discretization system;
the discretization system configured to determine discrete quantitative data from the non discrete sensory data, the discretization system comprising:
one or more physical computer processors configured to determine second discrete quantitative data automatically based on at least one of predetermined logic rules or predetermined algorithms from at least a first portion of the first non-discrete sensory data; and
a user interface configured to facilitate manual interpretation of at least a second portion of the first non-discrete sensory data by a human interpreter, the user interface configured to receive one or more of entry or selection of manual interpretation information from the human interpreter, the one or more physical computer processors configured to determine third discrete quantitative data based on the manual interpretation information; and
a database configured to electronically store the first discrete quantitative data, the first non-discrete sensory data, the second discrete quantitative data, and the third discrete quantitative data in a first complete event record and facilitate access to the first complete event record by a remote computing device associated with an end user for analysis by the end user.
2. The vehicle exception event management system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle event recorder includes one or more video cameras having fields-of-view that include environments about the vehicle and one or more sensors configured to generate output signals that convey information related to the operation of the vehicle,
wherein the non-discrete sensory data includes video information recorded by the one or more video cameras, and
wherein the discrete quantitative data includes information conveyed by the output signals from the one or more sensors.
3. The vehicle exception event management system of claim 2 , wherein the user interface of the discretization system includes:
a media player configured to replay the video information recorded by the one or more video cameras, and
a graphical user interface comprising a plurality of control elements, the control elements having a range of discrete value states that are settable by the human interpreter.
4. The vehicle exception event management system of claim 3 , said media player is characterized as a multi-media player comprising subsystems to replay and present recorded event datasets comprising video and audio data.
5. The vehicle exception event management system of claim 4 , said media player comprises display field portions including field portions characterized as one or more of video fields, graphics fields, or text fields.
6. The vehicle exception event management system of claim 5 , wherein said video fields, graphic fields and text fields are coupled to a common event timeline.
7. The vehicle exception event management system of claim 6 , said media player further comprises a speaker wherein an audio signal provided to the speaker is synchronized with the common event timeline.
8. The vehicle exception event management system of claim 5 , said video fields include at least one view corresponding to the viewpoint of a vehicle event recorder video camera.
9. The vehicle exception event management system of claim 8 , wherein said video fields include a plurality of individual views, the individual views corresponding to individual vehicle event recorder cameras.
10. The vehicle exception event management system of claim 5 , said graphics fields comprising at least one dynamic graphic element responsive to data in the preliminary event record.
11. The vehicle exception event management system of claim 10 , said graphics fields comprising a dynamic graphics element arranged as a plot of force verses time.
12. The vehicle exception event management system of claim 10 , said graphics fields comprising two plots of force, a first plot associated with a first direction that is orthogonal to a second direction associated with a second plot.
13. The vehicle exception event management system of claim 10 , said graphics fields comprising a dynamic graphic representation of steering wheel position.
14. The vehicle exception event management system of claim 5 , said text fields comprise at least one dynamic text element responsive to data in the preliminary event record.
15. The vehicle exception event management system of claim 14 , said text fields comprising at least one text element which characterizes an exception event, the at least one text element related to one or more of vehicle speed, engine speed, seatbelt status, steering position, airbag status, or braking status.
16. The vehicle exception event management system of claim 3 , wherein the graphical user interface includes timeline control elements.
17. The vehicle exception event management system of claim 16 , wherein said timeline control elements include one or more of replay; rewind; slow motion; fast forward; or loop.
18. The vehicle exception event management system of claim 3 , wherein the user interface is configured to display the graphical user interface and said media player simultaneously.
19. The vehicle exception event management system of claim 18 , wherein the user interface further comprises a tactile device wherein a human operator may manipulate the present value states of graphical user interface control elements.
20. The vehicle exception event management system of claim 1 , further comprising an analysis server coupled to said database wherein machine processable discretization commands are executed against data stored in the database.