Patent Publication Number: US-2016240020-A1

Title: Driving data recording method and driving data recorder

Description:
FIELD 
     The subject matter herein generally relates to a method and a device for data recording, especially relates to a method and a device for recording driving data. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Many vehicles use a driving data recorder, commonly known as a “black box,” to record driving data for accident reconstruction. Currently available driving data recorders are fixed in the vehicle and do not have a capability of photographing the environment around the vehicle from multiple angels, therefore, the recorded driving data is not enough for accident reconstruction. Accordingly, there is a need for a method and device for driving data recording which can provide more effective driving data for accident reconstruction. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Implementations of the present technology will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached figures. 
         FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic view of an exemplary embodiment of a car and a driving data recorder. 
         FIG. 2  is a diagrammatic view of an exemplary embodiment of an aerial vehicle. 
         FIG. 3  is block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a driving data recorder. 
         FIG. 4  is block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a control unit of a driving data recorder. 
         FIG. 5  is a diagrammatic view of an exemplary embodiment of a trajectory of an aerial vehicle. 
         FIG. 6  is a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of a driving data recording method. 
         FIG. 7  is a flowchart of another exemplary embodiment of a driving data recording method. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, where appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the different figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described herein can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the related relevant feature being described. Also, the description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and the proportions of certain parts may be exaggerated to better illustrate details and features of the present disclosure. 
     A definition that applies throughout this disclosure will now be presented. 
     The term “comprising,” when utilized, means “including, but not necessarily limited to”; it specifically indicates open-ended inclusion or membership in the so-described combination, group, series and the like. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a diagrammatic view of an exemplary embodiment of a car  1  and a driving data recorder  10 . The driving data recorder can include an aerial vehicle  100  and a trigger unit  200 . The aerial vehicle  100  can be positioned inside a car or outside a car, and can be configured to record driving data involved the car. In the exemplary embodiment, the aerial vehicle  100  can be positioned inside a car (not shown). The driving data recorder  10  can be positioned in any suitable ways, for example, in a similar way as a conventional driving data in which the aerial vehicle  100  can be locked through a locking device which can be stick onto a front windscreen of the car  1 . In the exemplary embodiment, the aerial vehicle  100  can be controlled to fly out off the car from a window of the car, for example, skylight, a left window or a right window. In the exemplary embodiment, the locking device can be switched between a locked station where the aerial vehicle  100  is locked at the locking device and an unlocked station where the aerial vehicle  100  can take off from the locking device. 
     In at least one embodiment, the aerial vehicle  100  can be positioned at any suitable portion of the head of outside of the car. For example, the aerial vehicle  100  can be positioned at a left side of the front windscreen or a right side of the front windscreen without obstructing field of view of a driver of the car. 
     The trigger unit  200  can include a trigger switch  201  configured to generate control signals when the car is suffering a car crash. The control signals can cause the aerial vehicle  100  to fly away from the vehicle so that can photograph the car in a wide range of view to capture more detail data for crash reconstruction. The trigger unit  200  can be positioned any suitable portion of the car and the trigger switch can be any suitable type of trigger switch which can be triggered when the car is suffering a car crash. For example, the trigger switch  201  can be a pressure switch. In at least one embodiment, the trigger switch  201  can be a shock sensor which can be triggered by specific shock due to a car crash. The trigger unit  200  can be positioned at a head of the car where the car most likely to be hit. In at least one embodiment, the number of the trigger switch  201  can be more than one and can be positioned at different portion of the car respectively. The trigger unit  200  can communicated with the aerial vehicle  100  through any suitable ways, for example, wired communications or wireless communications including Blue Tooth, Wi-Fi, Infrared Data Association (IrDA) or Near Field Communication (NFC). In such a way, the control signals are transmitted from the trigger unit  200  to the aerial vehicle  100 . In at least one embodiment, the trigger unit  200  can be configured to generate control signals to cause the locking device to be switched to the unlocked station so that the aerial vehicle  100  can take off. In at least one embodiment, where the aerial vehicle  100  is poisoned within the car, the trigger unit  200  can be configured to generate a control signal to open a corresponding window, for example, skylight, left or right window. 
     In a further exemplary embodiment, the aerial vehicle  100  can be a helicopter driven by at least one rotor. Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the aerial vehicle  100  can include a central body  101  and a control unit  110  positioned at the central body  101 , a detecting unit  120 , a propulsion unit  130 , a photographing device  140 , and a power system  150  configured to supply power to the aerial vehicle  100 . 
     The control unit  110  can communicate with the detecting unit  120  and the propulsion unit  130 . The control unit  110  can be configured to receive control signals from the trigger unit  200  to generate control commands to the detecting unit  120  to enable the detecting unit  120  to detect current flight data of the aerial vehicle  100 . The control unit  110  further can be configured to receive the current flight data of the aerial vehicle  100  to generate propulsion commands to the propulsion unit  130  to control flight of the aerial vehicle. The control unit  110  can include a memory  111  configured to store computerized instructions which can be performed by the integrated chip or the processor to control operations of the aerial vehicle  100 . 
     The detecting unit  120  can be configured to detect current flight data of the aerial vehicle  100  during flight of the aerial vehicle  100 . The detecting unit  120  can include, but not limited to, an accelerometer  121 , a magnetic compass  122 , a gyroscope  123 , and a Global Position System (GPS)  124 . The accelerometer  121  can be configured to detect current motion data of the aerial vehicle  100 , for example, current acceleration, and current velocity. The magnetic compass  122  can be configured to detect current attitude data, for example, current pitch angles, and current rotation angles. The gyroscope  123  can be configured to detect current angular velocity of the aerial vehicle  100 . The GPS  124  can be configured to detect current position data, for example, covered distance, coordinates of current position, and current altitude. 
     The propulsion unit  130  can include a plurality of drive unit  131  and at least one rotor  132 . In the exemplary embodiment, the drive unit  130  can include four drive units  131  and four rotors respectively corresponding to the four drive units  131 . Each drive unit  131  can be configured to drive a rotor  132  to rotate so as to move the aerial vehicle  100 . Referring to  FIG. 1 , the central body  101  extends substantially symmetrically arranged four arms  1011 . Four rotors  132  are respectively positioned at an end of the four arms  1011 . Each drive unit  131  receives propulsion commands from the control unit  110  and drives a corresponding rotor  132  to rotate in response to the propulsion commands. The rotation of the rotor can generate a pull force to move the aerial vehicle  100 . The aerial vehicle  100  can be controlled to vertical takeoff and/or land, level fly, level rotate, tilted fly, stay in air through controlling rotation of the rotor  132 . In the exemplary embodiment, the drive unit  131  can be a motor. In at least one embodiment, the number of the rotor  132  and the drive unit  131  can be modified as needed, for example, six or eight. 
     The photographing device  140  can include at least one camera  141 , at least one storage device  142 , and a configure unit  143 . The camera  141  can be configured to photograph the car and surroundings around the car. In the exemplary embodiment, the camera  141  can be a 
     Wide Field Camera (WFC). The storage device  142  can be configured to store images photographed by the camera  141 . The configure unit  143  can be configured to configure operation parameters of the camera, for example, frequency of photographing, number of shooting spot, and view angles of the camera. The number of shooting spot can be configured to any value as needed, for example, 8, 16, 24 and 32. The view angles can be modified to suite for different conditions. For example, when the car in a normal driving condition, the view angle of the camera  141  can be constant, for example, towards the front of the car, while, when the car has an accident, the aerial vehicle  100  takes off away from the car, the view angle of the camera  141  can be modified to take more efficient images. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a control unit of a driving data recorder is illustrated. The control unit  110  can include an integrated chip or a processor, including at least one of a single chip, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, or other data processor chip that performs functions of the aerial vehicle  100 . 
     The computerized instructions can be in the form of one or more programs. In the embodiment, the control unit  110  can include one or more modules, for example, a receiving module  112 , an analyzing module  113 , and a sending module  114 . A “module,” as used herein, refers to logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions, written in a programming language, such as, JAVA, C, or assembly. One or more software instructions in the modules may be embedded in firmware, such as in an EPROM. The modules described herein may be implemented as either software and/or hardware modules and may be stored in any type of non-transitory computer-readable medium or other storage device. Some non-limiting examples of non-transitory computer-readable medium include CDs, DVDs, BLU-RAY, flash memory, and hard disk drives. 
     The receiving module  112  can be configured to receive control signals from the trigger unit  200  and control the aerial vehicle  100  to fly in a predefined way in response to the control signals. In the exemplary embodiment, the aerial vehicle  100  can fly to a parallel plane and fly along a circle in the parallel plane. Referring to  FIG. 5 , an exemplary trajectory of the aerial vehicle  100  is illustrated. Firstly, the aerial vehicle  100  can be controlled to fly away from the car to a parallel plane P to which the distance from the car is H. Then, the aerial vehicle  100  can be controlled to fly along a circle with a radius R and a center O corresponding to a center O′ of the car. The photographing device  140  of the aerial vehicle  100  can take photos of the car and surroundings around the car during flight. Finally, the aerial vehicle can be controlled to land at the car after finished photographing. The flight of the aerial vehicle  100  can be controlled to be one or more circles. The flight time of the aerial vehicle  100  can depend on the power supply of the power system  150 . In the exemplary embodiment, the radius R can be 10 m, 15 m, 20 m, or 25 m. In at least one embodiment, the radius R can be any suitable value. The distance H and the radius R can be configured to any suitable values which are desirable to provide a wide range of field of view for the photographing device  140 . In at least one embodiment, the aerial vehicle  100  can be controlled fly along any suitable trajectory, for example, triangle or other polygon. In at least one embodiment, the aerial vehicle  100  can hover at a predefined altitude above the car for a predefined time interval. 
     The camera  141  can has a view angle θ which is defined as an angle between the line of sight of the camera  141  and the parallel plane P. The view angle θ can be defined in advance. The view angle θ can be less than 90 degree. In the exemplary embodiment, the view angle θ can be configured to satisfy: tan θ=H/R. 
     In the exemplary embodiment, the receiving module  112  can further configured to receive control signals from the trigger unit  200  and control the detecting unit  120  to detect flight data during flight of the aerial vehicle  100 . The flight data can include, but not limited to, motion data (for example, velocity and acceleration), attitude data (for example, pitch angel and rotation angle), and position data (for example, coordinates of current position, altitude, and translation distance). 
     The analyzing module  113  can be configured to store the flight data from the detecting unit  120  and analyze the flight data. The analyzing module  113  can be configured to comparing the received flight data with predefined flight data to generate propulsion commands. 
     The sending module  114  can be configured to send the propulsion commands to the propulsion unit  113  so as to control the flight of the aerial vehicle  100  based on the propulsion commands. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , a flowchart is presented in accordance with an example embodiment of a driving data recording method which is being thus illustrated. The example method  500  is provided by way of example, as there are a variety of ways to carry out the method. The method  500  described below can be carried out using the configurations illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 , for example, and various elements of the figure is referenced in explaining example method  500 . Each block shown in  FIG. 6  represents one or more processes, methods or subroutines, carried out in the exemplary method  500 . Furthermore, the illustrated order of blocks is by example only and the order of the blocks can change according to the present disclosure. Additional blocks may be added or fewer blocks may be utilized, without departing from this disclosure. The exemplary method  500  can be executed by a driving data recorder, and can begin at block  501 . The driving data recorder can include a trigger unit and an aerial vehicle  100 . The aerial vehicle can include a camera configured to take images of the car and surroundings around the car, a control unit configured to generate propulsion commands in response the control signals from the trigger unit, and a propulsion unit configured to move the aerial vehicle according to the propulsion commands. 
     At block  501 , when the car has an accident, the trigger unit generates control signals to be sent to the control unit. 
     At block  502 , the control unit generates propulsion commands in response to the control signals. In detail, the control unit generates propulsion commands based on a predefined flight data including at least one of velocity, acceleration, attitude, altitude, flight time, or trajectory. 
     At block  503 , the propulsion unit moves the aerial vehicle in response to the propulsion commands. 
     At block  504 , the camera photographs the car and the surroundings around the car during flight of the aerial vehicle. In at least one exemplary embodiment, images photographed by the photographing device can be stored into a storage device for accident reconstruction. 
     At block  505 , the control unit controls the aerial vehicle to land at the car. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , a flowchart is presented in accordance with another example embodiment of a driving data recording method which is being thus illustrated. The example method  600  is provided by way of example, as there are a variety of ways to carry out the method. The method  600  described below can be carried out using the configurations illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 , for example, and various elements of the figure is referenced in explaining example method  600 . Each block shown in  FIG. 7  represents one or more processes, methods or subroutines, carried out in the exemplary method  600 . Furthermore, the illustrated order of blocks is by example only and the order of the blocks can change according to the present disclosure. Additional blocks may be added or fewer blocks may be utilized, without departing from this disclosure. The exemplary method  600  can be executed by a driving data recorder, and can begin at block  601 . The driving data recorder can include a trigger unit and an aerial vehicle  100 . The aerial vehicle can include a detecting unit configured to detect current flight data of the aerial vehicle, a control unit configured to generate propulsion commands in response to the current flight data, and a propulsion unit configured to move the aerial vehicle based on the propulsion commands. 
     At block  601 , the detecting unit detects current flight data of the aerial vehicle. The flight data can include, but not limited to, motion data (for example, velocity and acceleration), attitude data (for example, pitch angel and rotation angle), and position data (for example, coordinates of current position, altitude, and translation distance). 
     At block  602 , the control unit analyzes the current flight data and generates propulsion commands to be sent to the propulsion unit. In detail, the control unit compares current flight data with predefined flight data to generate propulsion commands which can modify current flight condition to a desirable flight condition. 
     At block  603 , the control unit sends the propulsion commands to the propulsion unit. 
     At block  604 , the propulsion unit moves the aerial vehicle in a desirable way according to the propulsion commands. An exemplary desirable way is illustrated in  FIG. 4 . In the exemplary embodiment, the aerial vehicle takes off away from the car and vertically flies to an attitude H, and then hovers at least one circle in the parallel plane P. 
     The embodiments shown and described above are only examples. Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present technology have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the present disclosure, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in the detail, including in matters of shape, size and arrangement of the parts within the principles of the present disclosure up to, and including, the full extent established by the broad general meaning of the terms used in the claims.