Patent Publication Number: US-2023144640-A1

Title: Event data processing device and vehicle assessment system

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an event data processing device and a vehicle assessment system that generate data on accident history of a vehicle. 
     In recent years, vehicles have been obligated to be equipped with a device having a function to record data on crash phenomena that have occurred (hereinafter also referred to as “event data”), and such a device is also referred to as an event data recorder (EDR). Such event data is retrieved by using a dedicated external tool, which is also referred to as crash data retrieval (CDR), after occurrence of the crash, and is used to comprehend a status of the vehicle at the time of the crash. For example, a crash visualization device is proposed in JP-A-2018-524308. The crash visualization device uses various types of travel information collected by onboard devices to provide a display with which the status of the vehicle at the time of the crash can be comprehended at a glance. 
     By the way, when a used vehicle is bought or sold, accident history of a target vehicle is important information. Conventionally, when evaluating an assessed price of the used vehicle, an assessor visually inspects exterior and interior of the target vehicle. However, it is not easy to comprehend the complete accident history of the vehicle by the visual inspection. In addition, since the above-described event data includes the various types of the information, it is not easy to decipher an output report. The crash visualization device disclosed in JP-A-2018-524308 provides the display that promotes comprehension of the status of the vehicle at the time of the crash. However, there is a case where information that is required for assessment of the used vehicle is not included in the information on the status of the vehicle at the time of the crash. In such a case, the information on the status of the vehicle at the time of the crash is not suited information for the assessment of the used vehicle. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has been made in view of the above problem and therefore has a purpose of providing an event data processing device and a vehicle assessment system capable of generating accident history report data, which is used for assessment of a used vehicle, on the basis of event data output from an event data recording section provided to the vehicle. 
     An aspect of the present invention provides an event data processing device that includes an accident history report generation section that generates an accident history report used for assessment of a vehicle. The accident history report generation section extracts some of data on accident history of the vehicle from event data that is output from an event data storage section provided to the vehicle, and executes specified arithmetic processing to generate the accident history report. 
     Another aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle assessment system that includes: an assessor terminal that retrieves event data stored in an event data storage section provided to a vehicle; and an event data processing device that obtains the event data sent from the assessor terminal. The event data processing device extracts some of data on accident history of the vehicle from the acquired event data, executes specified arithmetic processing to generate an accident history report, and sends the accident history report to the assessor terminal. The assessor terminal is configured to be able to output the received accident history report. 
     According to the present invention that has been described so far, the accident history report data that is used for the assessment of the used vehicle can be generated on the basis of the event data that is output from the event data recording section provided to the vehicle. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic view illustrating an overall configuration example of a vehicle assessment system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG.  2    is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the vehicle assessment system according to the embodiment. 
         FIG.  3    is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by an assessor terminal according to the embodiment. 
         FIG.  4    is an explanatory table illustrating a display example of an accident history report. 
         FIG.  5    is an explanatory view illustrating a display example of another accident history report. 
         FIG.  6    is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by a management server according to the embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A detailed description will hereinafter be made on a preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration will be denoted by the same reference sign, and a description thereon will not be repeated. 
     &lt;1. Overall Configuration Example of Vehicle Assessment System&gt; 
     First, a description will be made on an example of an overall configuration of a vehicle assessment system according to an embodiment of the present invention.  FIG.  1    is a schematic view illustrating an example of an overall configuration of a vehicle assessment system  100  according to this embodiment. 
     The assessment system  100  includes a management server  10  and assessor terminals  63   a ,  63   b  . . .  63   n  (hereinafter collectively referred to as assessor terminals  63  unless those have to be particularly distinguished). The assessor terminals  63   a ,  63   b  . . .  63   n  are mainly used by dealers and assessors of used vehicles (hereinafter also collectively referred to as “assessors  60 ”) and are respectively connected to assessment target vehicles  61   a ,  61   b  . . .  61   n  (hereinafter collectively referred to as vehicles  61  unless those have to be particularly distinguished) via data retrieval tools, which are not illustrated. The management server  10  and the assessor terminal  63  are configured to be mutually communicable via a communication network  5  such as mobile communication or Wi-fi. The communication network  5  may be a wireless or wired communication network. In addition, the communication network  5  may be a dedicated line for the assessment system  100 . 
     The assessor terminal  63  may be constructed of a general-purpose computer device such as a laptop computer or a mobile terminal device, and may be a dedicated terminal device for the assessment system  100 . The assessor terminal  63  that is used by the assessor  60  is connected to the assessment target vehicle  61  via the data retrieval tool, and retrieves event data (hereinafter also referred to as “event data recorder (EDR) data”) that is stored in an event data storage section provided to the vehicle  61 . In this embodiment, the assessor terminal  63  sends the retrieved EDR data to the management server  10 . 
     The assessor terminal  63  may be configured to generate an event data report (hereinafter also referred to as a “CDR report”) on the basis of the retrieved EDR data. The CDR report is a report in which various types of data included in the EDR data of each of the vehicles  61  are put together in a specified format, and is used not only for assessment of the vehicle  61  but also for analysis and the like of a state of the respective vehicle  61  at the time of an accident. The assessor terminal  63  sends the generated CDR report to the management server  10 . 
     The management server  10  has a function as the event data processing device according to the present invention. The management server  10  may be a cloud server, for example. The management server  10  obtains the EDR data that is sent from the assessor terminal  63 , and stores the EDR data in a database. In addition, the management server  10  extracts some of data on accident history from the stored EDR data, and executes specified arithmetic processing to generate an accident history report. The management server  10  sends data on the generated accident history report to the assessor terminal  63 . 
     The management server  10  is configured to be mutually communicable, via the communication network  5 , with terminals  53   a ,  53   b  . . .  53   n  (hereinafter collectively referred to as expert-side terminals  53  unless those have to be particularly distinguished) used by experts, organizations, and the like  51   a ,  51   b  . . .  51   n  (hereinafter these experts, organizations, and the like will be referred to as “experts  51 ”) that request provision of the CDR report. Here, the management server  10  may have a function to generating the CDR report on the basis of the EDR data. 
     A communication network that connects the expert-side terminal  53  and the management server  10  may be a common network with the communication network  5  that connects the assessor terminal  63  and the management server  10 , or may be a different network therefrom. In response to the request from the expert-side terminal  53 , the management server  10  sends data on the CDR report of the desired vehicle  61  to the expert-side terminal  53 . The expert-side terminal  53  and the assessor terminal  63  may be the same terminal device. 
     In the assessment system  100  according to this embodiment, communication between the management server  10  and the expert-side terminal  53  or the assessor terminal  63  is established via the communication network  5 . However, data exchange between the management server  10  and the expert-side terminal  53  or the assessor terminal  63  may partially be executed without the communication network  5  being interposed therebetween. For example, the expert  51  or the assessor  60  may send, to an administrator of the management server  10 , a request for the CDR report or the accident history report by means such as a letter or an e-mail. In addition, the administrator of the management server  10  may provide the expert  51  or the assessor  60  with a storage medium that stores the data on the generated CDR report or the accident history report, or may provide the expert  51  or the assessor  60  with the data on the CDR report or the accident history report by an e-mail or the like. 
     &lt;2. Configuration Example Related to Assessment of Vehicle&gt; 
       FIG.  2    is a block diagram illustrating functional configurations of the management server  10  and the assessor terminal  63  in the vehicle assessment system  100 .  FIG.  2    only illustrates the single assessor terminal  63  and the single expert-side terminal  53  of the plural assessor terminals  63  and the plural expert-side terminals  53  that are connected to the management server  10 . 
     (Assessor Terminal) 
     The assessor terminal  63  includes a communication section  71 , a control section  75 , a storage section  77 , and a display section  79 . The assessor terminal  63  also includes an input section, which is not illustrated and accepts an input operation by a worker. Although the assessor terminal  63  is illustrated as a single device in  FIG.  2   , the assessor terminal  63  may be configured that plural devices are mutually communicable. 
     The communication section  71  is an interface for communicating with the management server  10  via the communication network  5 . The communication section  71  is constructed of an interface for wireless communication or wired communication that is compatible with a communication method of the communication network  5 . For example, the communication network  5  may be the mobile communication, the Internet such as Wi-fi, or the dedicated line. 
     The assessor terminal  63  is connected to a control system  67  of the assessment target vehicle  61  via a data retrieval tool  73 . The data retrieval tool  73  is a dedicated external tool for retrieving the EDR data and is also referred to as a CDR tool. For example, the control system  67  of the vehicle  61  includes devices such as plural electronic control units (ECUs) that are communicably connected with each other via a controller area network (CAN) and the Local Inter Net (LIN). The data retrieval tool  73  is configured to include an interface that is compatible with a CAN protocol, for example. 
     Here, the control system  67  of the vehicle  61  includes an event data storage section  69 . The control system  67 , to which the assessment system  100  according to this embodiment can be applied, in the vehicle  61  is provided with an event data storage function to store data (the EDR data) on various phenomena (events) that have occurred to the vehicle  61 . The event data storage section  69  includes at least one of a storage element and a storage medium. Examples of the storage element are random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM). Examples of the storage medium are a hard disk drive (HDD), a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a solid-state drive (SSD), a universal serial bus (USB) flash drive, and a storage device. The event data storage section  69  stores various pieces of the EDR data. 
     In this embodiment, the EDR data includes data on an operation state or a travel state of the vehicle  61  at the time of a crash of the vehicle  61  and on a shock applied to the vehicle  61 . For example, as the data on the operation state or the travel state of the vehicle  61  at the time of the crash of the vehicle  61  and on the shock applied to the vehicle  61 , one or a plurality of the following data pieces is included. 
     Number of crash phenomena from time of production of the vehicle  61  to time of retrieval of the EDR data 
     Date and time of the crash phenomenon 
     Type of the crash phenomenon (crash position) 
     Maximum speed change amount in a vehicle length direction at the time of the crash 
     Maximum speed change amount in a vehicle width direction at the time of the crash 
     Duration until the maximum speed change occurs at the time of the crash 
     Vehicle speed, steering angle, accelerator operation amount, and brake operation amount at the time of the crash 
     Actuation status of an airbag system at the time of the crash 
     Number of times an ignition switch is turned on or number of times an engine is started from the time of the production of the vehicle  61  to the time of the crash 
     Number of times the ignition switch is turned on or number of times the engine is started from the time of the production of the vehicle  61  to the time of retrieval of the EDR data 
     For example, every time such a crash occurs that a change amount of a sensor value of an acceleration sensor or an angular velocity sensor provided to the vehicle  61  exceeds a specified threshold value, the data on the crash of the vehicle  61  is stored as data that is detected by an electronic control unit for controlling various systems mounted to the vehicle  61 . 
     Each of the maximum speed change amount in the vehicle length direction at the time of the crash and the maximum speed change amount in the vehicle width direction at the time of the crash can be a maximum value in data on the speed change amount that is recorded in shorter one of a period of 250 milliseconds from the time of the occurrence of the crash at which the change amount of the sensor value of the acceleration sensor or the angular velocity sensor exceeds the specified threshold value or a period that is obtained by adding 30 milliseconds to a period from the time of the occurrence of the crash to time at which acceleration or an angular velocity becomes zero, for example. Similarly, the duration until the occurrence of the maximum speed change at the time of the crash can be an elapsed time until generation of the maximum speed change amount that is identified in shorter one of the period of 250 milliseconds from the time of the occurrence of the crash or the period that is obtained by adding 30 milliseconds to the period from the time of the occurrence of the crash to time at which the acceleration or the angular velocity becomes zero. 
     The actuation status of the airbag system includes information on whether a warning lamp that indicates abnormality of a front airbag device is lit. That is, the actuation status of the airbag system is used as information for determining whether the airbag system is in a state of being actuated normally. In addition, the actuation status of the airbag system includes information on an elapsed time from the time of the crash to time at which airbags at a driver&#39;s seat and a passenger seat are each deployed. Both of these pieces of the information are used as information for determining presence or absence of failure or responsiveness of the airbag system. 
     For example, as another piece of the EDR data, one or a plurality of the following data pieces is included. 
     Malfunction in a communication state of the control system 
     Failure of the control system 
     Failure of each controller or sensor device 
     Self-diagnosis result of the control system 
     Malfunction data at the time of manufacturing 
     The storage section  77  stores a computer program that is used for assessment work of the vehicle  61  or information such as a parameter used to execute the program. The storage section  77  includes at least one of a storage element, such as the RAM or the ROM, and a storage medium, such as the HDD, the CD, the DVD, the SSD, the USB flash drive, or the storage device. 
     The display section  79  displays an operation guide, an operation screen, a progress status, a processing result, and the like when the computer program used for the assessment work is executed. The display on the display section  79  is controlled by the control section  75 . The display section  79  is constructed of a display device such as a liquid-crystal panel. 
     For example, the control section  75  is configured to include a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessing unit (MPU) and an electric circuit. The control section  75  may partially or entirely be constructed of one whose firmware and the like can be updated, or may partially or entirely be a program module or the like that is executed by a command from the CPU or the like. 
     The control section  75  executes processing to retrieve the EDR data that is stored in the event data storage section  69  of the vehicle  61 . For example, the control section  75  retrieves various pieces of the EDR data that are stored in the event data storage section  69  when EDR data retrieval processing starts being executed in a state where the assessor terminal  63  is connected to the control system  67  of the vehicle  61  and the computer program in the assessment system is activated. 
     When retrieving the EDR data, the control section  75  also retrieves at least some data of data on a country of manufacture, a manufacturer, and a model name of the vehicle  61  as well as on a type of the control system, a version of the control system, part numbers of onboard devices, dates of manufacture of the onboard devices, and the like (hereinafter these pieces of the data will also be referred to as “vehicle system identification data”) that are stored in the control system  67 . The vehicle system identification data may include data on a type or a specification of the device such as the sensor that is mounted to the vehicle  61 . However, some or all of these pieces of the vehicle system identification data may be input to the assessor terminal  63  by the assessor  60 . For example, a registration year of the vehicle  61  and date of manufacture of a seat-belt device may be data that is input by the assessor  60 . 
     The control section  75  sends the retrieved EDR data and vehicle system identification data to the management server  10  via the communication section  71 . At this time, in addition to the vehicle system identification data, the control section  75  may only send, to the management server  10 , data that is selected in advance as necessary data for an analysis of the crash occurred to the vehicle  61  (hereinafter also referred to as “crash-related event data”) of the retrieved EDR data. 
     At the time, the control section  75  may convert the crash-related event data and the vehicle system identification data into the CDR report in a specified format, and may then send the CDR report in the specified format to the management server  10 . The CDR report may be generated according to a known CDR report format. The control section  75  may store data to be sent to the management server  10  or the generated CDR report in the storage section  77 . However, since the EDR data that is retrieved from the event data storage section  69  includes the various pieces of the data, the control section  75  preferably transfers the data to be sent to the management server  10  without storing such data in the storage section  77 . 
     (Management Server) 
     The management server  10  includes a communication section  11 , a control section  13 , a storage section  14 , and a database  15 . The communication section  11  is an interface for communicating with the assessor terminal  63  and the expert-side terminal  53  via the communication network  5 . The communication section  11  is constructed of an interface for the wireless communication or the wired communication that is compatible with the communication method of the communication network  5 . In the case where the communication network between the expert-side terminal  53  and the management server  10  differs from the communication network  5  between the assessor terminal  63  and the management server  10 , the communication section  11  may include plural communication interfaces. 
     Each of the storage section  14  and the database  15  is configured to include at least one of a storage element, such as the RAM or the ROM, and a storage medium, such as the HDD, the CD, the DVD, the SSD, the USB flash drive, or the storage device. The storage section  14  and the database  15  may be configured as a single storage section or may be configured as separate storage sections. The storage section  14  stores an event data processing program that is executed by the control section  13 , parameters that are used to execute the program, and the like. The database  15  stores a pair of the vehicle system identification data and one of the EDR data and the crash-related event data or stores the data on the CDR report sent from the assessor terminal  63  (hereinafter also referred to as “received event data”). 
     The control section  13  is configured to include a processor such as the CPU or the MPU and an electric circuit, for example. The control section  13  may partially or entirely be constructed of one whose firmware and the like can be updated, or may partially or entirely be a program module or the like that is executed by a command from the CPU or the like. The control section  13  includes an accident history report generation section  21 , an accident occurrence information generation section  23 , and an event data report output section  25 . These accident history report generation section  21 , accident occurrence information generation section  23 , and event data report output section  25  may be functions that are implemented when the processor such as the CPU executes the program. 
     The accident history report generation section  21  extracts some of the data on the accident history of the assessment target vehicle  61  from the received event data stored in the database  15 , and executes the specified arithmetic processing to generate the accident history report. The accident history report is generated in the specified format when some of the data on the accident history, which is required for the assessment of the vehicle  61 , is extracted from the received event data and the specified arithmetic processing is executed. For example, the data on the accident history report may be data in a comma-separated values (CSV) format. The accident history report generation section  21  sends the data on the generated accident history report to the assessor terminal  63 . 
     A user who can view or obtain the accident history report is restricted by an identification code or the like of a user of the assessor terminal  63 . The accident history report generation section  21  may reply to the assessor terminal  63  with the data on the generated accident history report when the received event data is sent from the assessor terminal  63  that is connected to the specific vehicle  61 . Alternatively, when the user (the assessor terminal  63 ) who has the authority to view or the authority to obtain the accident history report of the vehicle  61  requests provision of the accident history report data of the specific vehicle  61 , the accident history report generation section  21  may send the data on the accident history report to the assessor terminal  63 . 
     The accident history report at least includes the data on the manufacturer, the model name, and a body identification number of the vehicle  61 , the number of the crash phenomena from the time of the production of the vehicle  61  to the time of the retrieval of the EDR data, the type of the crash phenomenon, and the shock applied to the vehicle  61  at the time of the crash. The data on the manufacturer, the model name, and the body identification number of the vehicle  61  is information for identifying the vehicle  61 . The number of the crash phenomena is data on the number of the crashes in which the vehicle  61  has been involved since the production of the vehicle  61 . The type of the crash phenomenon is data on whether each of the crashes is a frontal crash, a front offset crash, a side crash, a rear crash, or a rear offset crash, and is information for identifying the crash position of the vehicle  61 . The data on the shock applied to the vehicle  61  at the time of the crash includes data on the change amount of the vehicle speed, a load input direction, and the actuation status of the airbag system of the vehicle  61  at the time of each of the crashes, and is information with which damage to an undercarriage structure of the vehicle  61  can be estimated. 
     In addition to the above, the accident history report may also include data on the number of times the ignition switch is turned on or the number of times the engine is started from the time of the production of the vehicle  61  to the time of the crash or the time of the retrieval of the EDR data. These pieces of the data are information with which the number of times the vehicle  61  is used can be determined. 
     The accident history report may also include data on registration date of the vehicle  61 , manufactured date of the seat-belt device, a part number of an airbag control module (ACM), and the like. These data are information with which a possibility of replacement of any of the onboard devices or a possibility of operation failure associated therewith can be determined. 
     The accident history report generation section  21  extracts, from the received event data, the data that is used to generate the accident history report. In addition, the accident history report generation section  21  executes processing to calculate the data, such as the change amount of the vehicle speed and the load input direction, that is used to generate the accident history report on the basis of the received event data. 
     The accident occurrence information generation section  23  generates information that notifies a possibility of an accident estimated on the basis of the received event data. For example, in the case where the date of manufacture of the seat-belt device does not match the registration date of the vehicle  61 , the accident occurrence information generation section  23  generates information notifying that the accident requiring the replacement of the seat-belt device has possibly occurred. In addition, for example, a version of the airbag system or software of the airbag system is older than an estimated version, the accident occurrence information generation section  23  generates information notifying that an airbag controller has been replaced and that an accident in which an airbag deployed has possibly occurred. In addition to the above, the accident occurrence information generation section  23  may generate information notifying the possibility of the accident of the vehicle  61  that is estimated on the basis of the received event data. 
     The accident occurrence information generation section  23  sends the generated information on the possibility of the accident to the assessor terminal  63 . The accident occurrence information generation section  23  may always send, to the assessor terminal  63 , the information on the possibility of the accident together with the data on the accident history report, or may send the information on the possibility of the accident to the assessor terminal  63  when the assessor terminal  63  requests provision of the information on the possibility of the accident. 
     The event data report output section  25  sends, to the expert-side terminal  53 , the CDR report in the specified format that includes the data not included in the accident history report. A user who can view or obtain the CDR report is restricted by an identification code or the like of a user of the expert-side terminal  53 . When the user (the expert-side terminal  53 ) who has the authority to view or the authority to obtain the accident history report of the specific vehicle  61  requests provision of the data on the CDR report of such a vehicle  61 , the event data report output section  25  sends the data on the CDR report to the expert-side terminal  53 . 
     In the case where the data on the CDR report is generated in the assessor terminal  63  and is stored in the database  15  of the management server  10 , the event data report output section  25  sends the data on the CDR report of the specific vehicle  61 , which is requested from the expert-side terminal  53 , to the assessor terminal  63 . In addition, in the case where the vehicle system identification data and one of the EDR data and the crash-related event data are sent from the assessor terminal  63 , the event data report output section  25  refers to the database  15  to generate the CDR report and sends the CDR report to the expert-side terminal  53  when provision of the event data report of the specific vehicle  61  is requested from the expert-side terminal  53 . 
     A range of the users (the assessors) who can view or obtain the accident history report is set to be wider than a range of the users (the experts) who can view or obtain the CDR report. This is because, while the CDR report includes the various types of the data and a use range thereof is limited to the accident analysis and the like, the accident history report only includes the limited data that is required for the assessment of the vehicle  61 , and is the data used for evaluation of the assessment. 
     &lt;3. Operation Example of Assessment System&gt; 
     Next, an operation example of the vehicle assessment system  100  according to this embodiment will be described by being divided into an operation example of the assessor terminal  63  and an operation example of the management server  10 . In the assessment system  100 , which will be described below, the assessor terminal  63  is configured to generate the CDR report on the basis of the EDR data and the vehicle system identification data retrieved from the event data storage section  69  of the vehicle  61  and send the CDR report to the management server  10 . 
     (3-1. Operation Example of Assessor Terminal) 
       FIG.  3    is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing that is executed by the control section  75  of the assessor terminal  63 . 
     First, the assessor terminal  63  is connected to the control system  67  of the assessment target vehicle  61 , and the control section  75  obtains the data input by the assessor  60  in a state where the program of the assessment system stored in the assessor terminal  63  is activated (step S 11 ). For example, the assessor  60  refers to a vehicle inspection certificate of the assessment target vehicle  61  to input the registration year of the vehicle  61  and refers to a seat-belt label to input the date of manufacture of the seat-belt device. In addition to the above, appropriate data may be input by the assessor  60 . 
     Next, the control section  75  retrieves the EDR data, which is stored in the event data storage section  69  of the vehicle  61 , via the data retrieval tool  73  (step S 13 ). At this time, the control section  75  also retrieves the vehicle system identification data used to identify the vehicle  61  and the system mounted to the vehicle  61 . The vehicle system identification data may partially or entirely be input to the assessor terminal  63  by the assessor  60 . 
     Next, the control section  75  extracts the crash-related event data, which is set in advance, from the retrieved EDR data and generates the CDR report together with the vehicle system identification data (step S 15 ). Then, the control section  75  sends the data on the generated CDR report to the management server  10  (step S 17 ). 
     In the case where the management server  10  directly retrieves the EDR data and the vehicle system identification data via the assessor terminal  63 , in step S 11 , the assessor terminal  63  only needs to transfer the retrieved EDR data and the retrieved vehicle system identification data to the management server  10 . Thus, step S 15  and step S 17  are omitted. 
     Next, the control section  75  receives the data on the accident history report that is sent from the management server  10  (step S 19 ). Then, the control section  75  causes the display section  79  to display the accident history report on the basis of the received data on the accident history report (step S 21 ). 
       FIG.  4    illustrates an example of an accident history report  30  that is displayed. The accident history report  30  illustrated in  FIG.  4    may be printed by a printer or the like for use in addition to be displayed in the display section  79  or instead of being displayed in the display section  79 . 
     The example of the accident history report  30  illustrated in  FIG.  4    displays, in a table format, data  41  on a vehicle registration year REGIS_C and date MFD_SB of manufacture of the seat-belt device, data  42  on a manufacturer MKR and a model name NM of the vehicle  61 , data  43  on a body identification number No. and a type TYP, data  44  on a part number No. ACM of the airbag control module and generation GEN_EDR of an event data storage system, data  45  on generation date and time DT-CDR of the CDR report, data  46  on a data extraction worker NM_PER, data  47  on a CDR data file identification code No_CDRx as a source of the generated accident history report, data  48  on a version Ver.CDR of the software that retrieves the EDR data and generates the CDR report and a version Ver.CHR of the software that generates the accident history report from the CDR report, and data  49  on the latest crash phenomenon count CNT and a maximum speed change amount MAX_dV in the stored EDR data. The displayed accident history report  30  may include data other than the above. 
     In addition, in the example of the accident history report  30  illustrated in  FIG.  4   , information  31  on a comprehensive evaluation JDG that is determined from an accident history status of the vehicle  61  is displayed in five levels. The comprehensive evaluation JDG is classified and set to any rank according to a threshold value of each of the ranks that are set on the basis of statistical data on the number of the crash phenomena, the type of the crash phenomenon, the shock applied to the vehicle  61  at the time of the crash phenomenon, and the malfunction and replacement history of the onboard device. The comprehensive evaluation JDG is lowered as the number of crashes or the number of crash positions is increased. In addition, the comprehensive evaluation JDG is lowered as the shock applied to the vehicle  61  at the time of the crash is intensified. Furthermore, the comprehensive evaluation JDG is lowered as the number of the replacement history of the onboard device is increased. Such a comprehensive evaluation JDG is set by the accident history report generation section  21  of the management server  10 . 
     The example of the accident history report  30  illustrated in  FIG.  4    includes a display field  33  of a comment CMT about malfunction of the vehicle  61  that is estimated from the CDR report. Such a comment CMT displays the information on the possibility of the accident, which is estimated by the accident occurrence information generation section  23  of the management server  10 . For example, in the display field  33  of the comment CMT, a comment “The date MFD_SB of manufacture of the seat-belt device does not match the vehicle registration year REGIS_C.” or such a comment “The airbag controller has possibly been replaced, and an accident in which the airbag deployed has possibly occurred.” is displayed. The display of such a comment CMT may be displayed when the assessor  60  requests the notification. 
       FIG.  5    illustrates another example of the accident history report  30 . The accident history report  30  illustrated in  FIG.  5    can be displayed together with the accident history report  30  illustrated in  FIG.  4   . However, the accident history report  30  illustrated in  FIG.  5    may not be displayed. 
     The accident history report  30  illustrated in  FIG.  5    illustrates, for each of the frontal crash, a left side crash, a right side crash, and the rear crash, event data of the crash phenomenon in which a value of the maximum speed change amount MAX_dV at the time of the crash is the largest. An event EVT in the drawing represents a detection order of the crash, and a principal direction of force (PDOF) represents the load input direction. The load input direction is illustrated in a 360° display with the front of a vehicle advancing direction as 0°. 
     The example illustrated in  FIG.  5    illustrates the event data of the four crash phenomena. The first crash (EVT=00) is the frontal crash, the maximum speed change amount MAX_dV at the time of the crash is 34 km/h, and the load input direction is 5°. The second crash (EVT=01) is the right side crash, the maximum speed change amount MAX_dV at the time of the crash is 23 km/h, and the load input direction is 120°. The third crash (EVT=02) is the rear crash, the maximum speed change amount MAX_dV at the time of the crash is 12 km/h, and the load input direction is 180°. The fourth crash (EVT=03) is the left side crash, the maximum speed change amount MAX_dV at the time of the crash is 1 km/h, and the load input direction is 270°. Due to the display of such an accident history report  30 , the assessor  60  can easily comprehend occurrence history of the relatively serious accidents that can affect the undercarriage structure. 
     (3-2. Operation Example of Management Server) 
       FIG.  6    is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing that is executed by the control section  13  of the management server  10 . 
     First, the control section  13  of the management server  10  receives the data on the CDR report that is sent from the assessor terminal  63  (step S 31 ). The control section  13  stores the received data on the CDR report in the database  15 . 
     Next, the accident history report generation section  21  of the control section  13  extracts some of the data on the accident history of the vehicle  61 , which is set in advance, from the data on the CDR report, and executes the specified arithmetic processing to generate the accident history report (step S 33 ). To the generated accident history report, not only the data, which is set in advance, but also appropriate data may be added in response to the request from the assessor  60 . Alternatively, the generated accident history report may include the information that is generated by the accident occurrence information generation section  23  and notifies the possibility of the accident. Such information that notifies the possibility of the accident may be added in response to the request from the assessor  60 . 
     Next, the accident history report generation section  21  sends the data on the generated accident history report to the assessor terminal  63  (step S 35 ). In this way, the assessor terminal  63  can assess the assessment target vehicle  61  with reference to the received accident history report. 
     As it has been described so far, according to the management server (the event data processing device)  10  according to this embodiment, some of the data on the accident history of the vehicle  61  is extracted on the basis of the EDR data that is retrieved from the event data storage section  69  of the assessment target vehicle  61  and is sent from the assessor terminal  63 , the specified arithmetic processing is executed, and the accident history report is generated. The generated accident history report is sent to the assessor terminal  63  and is used to assess the assessment target vehicle  61 . Thus, the vehicle  61  can be assessed in consideration of a case where repair history is not described and the accident history that cannot be comprehended by visual inspection of interior or exterior. 
     In addition, the generated accident history report is generated when only the required data is extracted from the EDR data or the CDR data and the specified arithmetic processing is executed. Thus, it is possible to easily acknowledge only the information on the accident history required for the assessment, and it is thus possible to suppress an increase in a burden on the assessor  60 . Furthermore, since the accident history report is generated from the conventionally used EDR data or CDR data, the accident history report can be provided to the assessor  60  without major modification or a system construction. 
     The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail so far with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. It is obvious that a person who has basic knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains could have easily arrived at various modification examples and correction examples that fall within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. It is understood that those naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention.