Patent ID: 7558656

Claim:
A vehicle data recording device, comprising: a vehicle status detecting sensor that detects a vehicle status while running; a ring buffer including a first recording area that records a detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor; a recorder including a second recording area and a third recording area that record a detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor; and a recording controller configured to normally perform a normal operation in which the detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor is periodically recorded in the first recording area of the ring buffer, wherein the ring buffer is configured to record a detection value of the normal operation in the second recording area and a larger detection value than a predetermined value of the detection value in the third recording area when the vehicle status detecting sensor generates the larger detection value, wherein the recording controller is configured to record the detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor, which has already been recorded in the first recording area of the ring buffer, in the second recording area before the detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor is periodically recorded in the first recording area of the ring buffer when the detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor detects the larger detection value, and thereafter perform a recording operation, in which a new detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor is recorded in the first recording area of the ring buffer while the new detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor is recorded in the third recording area of the recorder, until the detection value of the vehicle status detecting sensor, which has already been recorded in the first recording area of the ring buffer when the vehicle status detecting sensor detects the larger detection value, is entirely recorded in the second recording area of the recorder, and thereafter perform the normal operation.