System and Method for Adjusting Recording Modes for Driver Facing Camera

Abstract

A system for recording vehicle occupants and their immediate environments includes a driver-facing camera having a plurality of recording modes; an input that receives vehicle related data from one or more sensors configured to detect the vehicle related data, including one or more of: time, occupant location in the vehicle, vehicle behavior, parking brake status, ignition status; and a processor configured to determine a mode-changing event based on the detected vehicle related data, and to alter the recording mode of the driver-facing camera in response to determining the mode-changing event.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The invention relates to adjusting recording modes of driver facing cameras and, in particular, to adjusting recording modes of driver facing cameras in response to the detection of certain events, which allows for the recording of driver activity during periods and at levels of detail that minimize the invasion of driver privacy.BACKGROUND[0002]Current methods of capturing driving data include capturing video data via one or more driver facing cameras. However, such driver facing cameras have the potential to invade driver privacy, particularly during rest periods in which the driver may be located in a bunk area visible to the driver facing cameras. Recording during under these circumstances is potentially intrusive and is often unnecessary, and may lead to an insufficiently rested and resentful driver.[0003]The current approach for limiting the potential intrusion of driver privacy is to simply turn off the driver facing camera. However, aside from the...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent describes a system that uses a camera to record vehicle occupants and their environment. The camera has multiple recording modes, one of which is an obscuring mode that partially or wholly obscures the image. The system also receives data from sensors that detect information related to the vehicle, such as time, location, and behavior, and a processor uses this data to determine when there is a need to change modes and alters the camera's recording mode accordingly. The technical effect of this system is to provide a more comprehensive and accurate record of vehicle occupant safety and their environment, and to enhance safety for drivers and passengers.

Problems solved by technology

However, such driver facing cameras have the potential to invade driver privacy, particularly during rest periods in which the driver may be located in a bunk area visible to the driver facing cameras.

Recording during under these circumstances is potentially intrusive and is often unnecessary, and may lead to an insufficiently rested and resentful driver.

However, aside from the inconvenience of having to manually operate the driver facing camera, this known approach can be overly restrictive in that even permissible data is not collected while the driver facing camera is turned off.

Moreover, even if non-video data continues to be collected while the driver facing camera is turned off, there will still be gaps in or desynchronization of the data since there is no corresponding video data to associate with any other event data that may have been collected.

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