Secure, vehicle mounted, incident recording system

Abstract

A novel system for gathering, analyzing and storing information for the purpose of motor vehicle accident investigations. An on board, secure vehicle incident capture system, activated when the ignition switch is energized, having a video camera for generating video signals of an incident external to the vehicle, which is digitized into a synchronized data file, carrying a unique vehicle identification and a time indicator with other input data occurring on or about the vehicle such as motion sensors, brake application sensors, and the like. The file is encrypted and stored on a large capacity, code accessible device. Once written, the encrypted file can not be altered or corrupted, decrypted without the encryption key, or accessed without the access authorization code. The data file can be down loaded to be used as evidence.

Description

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention[0002] The invention is broadly directed to an on-board, vehicle incident surveillance system and, particularly to a system for producing a secure, permanent record of vehicular accidents for evidentiary purposes.[0003] 2. Related Art[0004] Each year there are over 35 million on the road accidents in the United States alone. There are many other vehicles including water craft, and off road vehicles which are involved in mishaps. These can vary from one vehicle to multi-vehicle incidents. These mishaps or accidents result in property and bodily injury in the multi billion dollar range. In most cases, one or more of the parties are at fault and it is the requirement of law enforcement officers, insurance adjusters and the like to find credible witnesses to re-account the factual evidence, so culpability and liability may accurately be determined.[0005] Because of the trauma and the instantaneous nature of vehicle accidents, even the most truthful and un...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011] An on board, secure vehicle incident capture system, activated when the ignition switch is energized having at least one video camera for generating video signals of an incident external to the vehicle is provided. The video camera, mounted inside the vehicle, is positioned to photograph the scene through the front and / or rear window. The video camera of the instant invention can be mounted to get forward view and / or rearward view and preferably is a wide angled lense that captures a wide angle in front and in the rear of the vehicle. The analogue video signal is generated and stored on a large capacity, code accessible device. In a preferred embodiment, the signal is digitized into a synchronized data file, carrying a unique vehicle identification and a time indicator. The digitized data is stored on a large capacity hard disk which prevents data from being overwritten for very extended periods of time. In another embodiment, a set of transducer generated, digital signals is superimposed on the digitized video data file and synchronized to GMT by means of a transponder, prior to storage. In a preferred embodiment, the superimposed digitized video data file is encoded and written to a storage device. Access to the device is controlled by a systems controller. Once written, the encrypted file can not be altered or corrupted, decrypted without the encryption key or accessed without the access authorization code. A limited access interface accepts the access authorization code and allows the encrypted superimposed digitized video stored data file to be externally down loaded. The decrypting key can then be used to decrypt the data, thus providing a secure chain of title for evidentiary purposes.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the video incident capture system, the video recorder and the system controller are enclosed in an explosion and crash proof vault or repository mounted, for example, within the trunk of the vehicle. This vault or repository is designed to withstand a cataclysmic collision and is secured by an authorized service technician, thus preventing the system controller and data storage from being accessed by the operator of the vehicle.

[0018] The method of the invention involves activating a secure vehicle incident capture system having at least one video camera for generating video signals of an incident external to the vehicle; generating a video signal of an incident external to the vehicle; storing video signal of an incident external to the vehicle on a large capacity, code accessible device; and accessing the stored video signal by means of the access code. In a preferred method, the signal is digitized into a synchronized data file, carrying a unique vehicle identification and a time indicator. The digitized data is stored on a large capacity hard drive which prevents data from being overwritten for very extended periods of time.

Problems solved by technology

These mishaps or accidents result in property and bodily injury in the multi billion dollar range.

Because of the trauma and the instantaneous nature of vehicle accidents, even the most truthful and unbiased witness may be mistaken as to the facts surrounding an accident.

In many cases, because of this lack of consistent credible evidence, many insurance companies make financial reparations to people involved in vehicular accidents without adequate proof of liability.

In some cases the circumstances surrounding the incident are greatly exaggerated and even fabricated.

One of the primary drawbacks of prior art surveillance systems is that they are capable of being tampered with or even destroyed and therefore can not be relied upon as credible evidence, especially in a court of law.

Another failure of prior art systems is external synchronization so that the exact time is accurately embedded into the secure coded information such that information taken from more than one vehicle can be compared on a synchronized basis.

This system, however, is not secure.

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