System for capturing accident data relating to persons in a vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for capturing accident data (24) related to persons in a vehicle (2), the system comprising at least one camera (3) designed as a high-speed camera (3) for capturing image data (20) of at least one vehicle occupant (12), a circular memory (4) for storing the captured image data (20), and a control unit (5) designed to receive an accident start signal (21). The control unit (5) determines when the storage of the image data (20) ends (t 停止 ) and control the cyclic memory (4) and / or the camera (3) to end at the end time (t 停止 ) is a predetermined time interval (t def ) The person-related accident data (24) includes at least image data (20) stored in the circular memory (4).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for capturing accident data relating to persons in a vehicle, a process for capturing data relating to persons in a vehicle, and a process for establishing a medical diagnosis of at least one vehicle occupant following an accident. [Background technology]

[0002] US Patent No. 5,399,633 describes a process for transferring image and audio data from a vehicle accident, for example in the context of an automatically generated emergency call (eCall), to a location for further processing, where the transferred data can then be evaluated to assess the severity of specific damage and personal injuries.

[0003] US Pat. No. 5,399,433 also describes an in-vehicle system that is able to automatically send an emergency call to a rescue control centre in the event of an accident.

[0004] Traffic accidents can cause a variety of injuries to the driver of a vehicle or other vehicle occupants. Particularly susceptible to injury during accidents, especially rear-end (rear-end) accidents, are the cervical spine (due to the sudden and unexpected movement of the head towards the immobilized torso), the head itself, and even the thorax, as well as the torso and extremities. For example, the various thrusting movements of the head towards the torso when held by a seat belt during an accident occur within a very short time of a few hundred milliseconds. The resulting injuries and / or medical symptoms are designated as whiplash injuries (cervical spine strain or whiplash syndrome) and can range in severity from excessive stretching of ligaments to spinal fractures or fatal injuries.

[0005] However, if the impact angle is poor, the seat belt's retention function may not function properly, causing an unlimited number of injuries, which can be verified by images.

[0006] However, most of the injuries that occur cannot or are difficult to visualize using traditional imaging medical procedures, such as x-rays, which may provide medical diagnosis and evidence that may make insurance claims difficult, especially for long-term damages. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] German Patent Application Publication No. 102014200567 [Patent Document 2] US Patent Application Publication No. 2008 / 0195261 Summary of the Invention

[0008] The task of the present invention consists of providing an alternative or further improved system for capturing accident data relating to persons in a vehicle, or a process for capturing accident data relating to persons in a vehicle, in particular accident data relating to persons, which can be taken into account when making a medical diagnosis and which allows the reconstruction and mapping of the entire sequence of the accident in a realistic manner.

[0009] This task is solved by a system for capturing accident data related to a person according to claim 1, a vehicle according to claim 11, a process for capturing accident data related to a person according to claim 12 and a process for performing a medical diagnosis according to claim 13. In so doing, the process may also be embodied by the following system and / or vehicle characteristics and / or characteristics recited in the dependent claims, and vice versa, further system and vehicle characteristics or further process characteristics may also be used in relation to each other as embodiments.

[0010] The system according to the invention for capturing accident data related to persons in a vehicle comprises at least one camera for capturing image data of at least one vehicle occupant, the camera being designed as a high-speed camera; a circular memory for storing the captured image data; and a control unit. The control unit is designed to receive an accident start signal and to control the circular memory and / or the camera such that the storage of the image data is completed at an end time, the end time being after a predefined time interval after receiving the accident start signal. The accident data related to persons comprises at least the image data stored in the circular memory.

[0011] In the following, a high-speed camera refers to a camera suitable for capturing a high number of frames per second (fps), i.e. a camera that exhibits a high capture rate and captures particularly short and / or occurring events particularly quickly. For example, a high-speed camera having a capture rate of at least 700 fps, preferably at least 1000 fps, can be used as the camera.

[0012] A circular memory is a digital memory having a specified size or storage capacity, in which image data captured by, among other things, a high-speed camera is stored continuously. When the maximum size of the circular memory is reached and the circular memory is full, the oldest associated storage element is overwritten, so that data is stored in a loop. Hence, the graphic representation of the memory is in the shape of a ring.

[0013] The circular memory can for example be implemented by suitable software, whereby the storage and reading of data in the digital memory is controlled accordingly.

[0014] Preferably, the size of the circular memory is sufficient to store frames captured by the high-speed camera over a time interval of several seconds, for example 10 or 20 seconds, before overwriting it again. The required storage capacity therefore depends on both the shooting speed of the high-speed camera, the size of the image data to be stored (in other words, the amount of data), as well as the desired storage period (in other words, the desired occurrence period to be stored as image data in the circular memory) or even the desired capture period (in other words, the desired duration of the video sequence to be shot and stored).

[0015] For example, using the system according to the invention for capturing person-related accident data, it is possible to continuously photograph vehicle occupants in a vehicle and store the captured image data in a circular memory. Due to the large amount of data generated, image data that is not generally required in the circular memory is overwritten by newly captured image data after a predefined time interval, which depends, inter alia, on the size of the circular memory. In case of an accident, the storage of new image data is stopped after a certain time to prevent the accident-related data from being overwritten again. The circular memory therefore includes the relevant data after the accident that has been stored, in other words the capture of vehicle occupants, in particular immediately after the accident or even while the accident is occurring.

[0016] For example, due to the high capture speed of the camera, the image data can be evaluated to represent the accelerations and brakings associated with the accident of the bodies of the vehicle occupants, which occur in slow motion essentially within a few hundred milliseconds. Thus, a conclusion can be drawn about possible injuries of the vehicle occupants, in other words the accident event can be analyzed from a medical point of view (hereinafter designated as medical analysis of the accident). In doing so, the circular memory can ensure, for example, that not too much data is analyzed and that unnecessary data is not overwritten, in other words that in the circular memory where only such image data is stored, only essential images are stored that are relevant for medical and in any case also for legal accident analysis.

[0017] Such a medical analysis of the accident using person-related accident data may improve, for example, the initial response to the people involved in the accident (i.e., at least one vehicle occupant) at the accident scene and / or at medical facilities, and may, for example, reduce at least the resulting medical damage. The medical analysis of the accident may also be used, for example, to advise on the continuing treatment of the people involved in the accident and / or to justify claims against insurance policies, especially in legal disputes.

[0018] Preferably, the predefined time interval is established according to an acquisition period corresponding to the storage capacity of the circular memory, in particular the predefined time interval corresponds to at least half, preferably at least two-thirds, of the acquisition period of the circular memory. Thus, it is ensured that image data are continuously acquired and stored for a sufficient period of time from the time when the accident started, for example, so that suitable image data is available for post-accident medical analysis. Furthermore, the image data in the circular memory is also acquired in such a way that it was acquired at a time just before the accident, and thus contains, for example, information about the position of the vehicle occupant, for example the rotation and / or tilt of the head of the vehicle occupant when the accident started. This information can also be used, for example, for post-accident medical analysis.

[0019] Preferably, the system further comprises a sensor for providing an accident initiation signal, for example a sensor for capturing the state of an airbag and / or an accelerometer and / or a speed sensor. Thus, for example, it is possible to provide the accident initiation signal based on the sensors.

[0020] Alternatively or additionally, the system further comprises an analysis unit for analyzing the captured image data and for providing an accident initiation signal depending on the analyzed image data. As a result, it is possible to use, for example, high acceleration and / or speed with respect to the vehicle occupants as a detection pattern of the accident. In particular, as a result, even image data related to a medical analysis of the accident may be used as a trigger for interrupting the storage, thereby reducing the risk of false interruption of the storage of the image data, since the accident initiation signal may be provided independently of the sensor.

[0021] Preferably, the accident data relating to the person further comprises medical data of at least one vehicle occupant, the medical data being preferably stored in a second memory of the system, and / or the accident data relating to the person further comprises driving data of the vehicle, the driving data being preferably stored in the circular memory. The medical data may for example comprise information regarding previous illnesses and / or diagnoses and / or medications, medication incompatibilities and / or allergies and / or previous injuries and / or implants and / or medical procedures received, etc. of the at least one vehicle occupant.

[0022] For example, by providing medical data of at least one vehicle occupant, it is possible to take these medical data into account in the initial treatment of the vehicle occupant involved in the accident and thus improve the initial treatment. During or even shortly before the accident event, vehicle driving data, also designated as vehicle physical values, for example the vehicle speed or acceleration, can also be used for the medical analysis of the accident.

[0023] Preferably, the camera for capturing image data is suitable for multiple vehicle occupants and / or the system includes multiple cameras designed as high-speed cameras. In this way, it is possible to capture and store accident data (particularly image data) related to multiple, preferably all, vehicle occupants. Furthermore, it is possible to capture, for example, at least one occupant with multiple high-speed cameras, preferably from different viewing angles, to generate a three-dimensional motion representation of the vehicle occupants during the accident. Thus, further improving the medical analysis of the accident.

[0024] Preferably, the system further comprises at least one lighting device for illuminating at least one vehicle occupant, the lighting device being preferably controlled by the control unit so that it is switched on at least from the reception of the accident start signal until the end time. For example, via the lighting device, it is possible to capture and store high-quality images, in particular also in poor light, for example at night, and thus a good assessability of the images can be achieved. On the other hand, the use of lighting makes it possible, for example, to reduce the resolution of a high-speed camera capturing the images, thus reducing the amount of data to be stored. Thus, the lighting can be performed in the infrared range and the image capture can also be performed by means of an infrared camera, using an infrared camera.

[0025] Preferably, the system further comprises a preferably protected second memory for storing at least the image data in the circular memory, in other words a hard disk memory and / or an SD card and / or a memory stick, and / or the system further comprises a transfer unit for transferring the person-related data to an external location and / or an external memory and / or an external protected server, in particular as a cloud, wirelessly and / or encrypted. Thus, it is possible, for example, to provide the person-related accident data for a medical analysis of the accident. By transferring the person-related accident data to an external location, this data can be used, for example, by first aiders and / or first aid doctors, for an improved assessment of the medical condition of at least one vehicle occupant. By storing in the system's internal memory, for example, the person-related accident data can be used for a medical analysis after the accident, for example by first aid or later treatment doctors and / or specialists, and can be read out on site by the first aiders. Encryption of the data is used for confidentiality and / or data protection, preventing unauthorized access to the data.

[0026] Preferably, the system further comprises an analysis unit for analyzing the captured image data, the analysis unit being designed to compare the face of the at least one vehicle occupant with the at least one stored face, so as to provide the data to a rescue control centre, for example even before first responders arrive at the accident scene, providing the identity of the at least one vehicle occupant and / or providing correct medical data using the face and person detection system.

[0027] A vehicle according to the invention includes the above-mentioned system for capturing accident data relating to a person. It is thus possible, for example, to provide a vehicle in which the above-mentioned advantages can also be achieved in connection with the system.

[0028] The process according to the invention for capturing accident data related to persons in a vehicle includes the steps of capturing image data of at least one vehicle occupant by at least one camera, the camera being designed as a high speed camera; storing the captured image data in a circular memory; and receiving an accident start signal by a control unit, the control unit controlling the circular memory and / or the camera such that the storage of the image data ends at an end time, the end time being a predefined time interval after receiving the accident start signal; wherein the accident data related to persons includes at least the image data stored in the circular memory. Thus, for example, the above-mentioned advantages related to the system may also be achieved by the process for capturing accident data related to persons.

[0029] The process according to the invention for performing a medical diagnosis of at least one vehicle occupant after an accident comprises the steps of providing the person-related accident data captured by the above-mentioned system and / or vehicle and / or in the above-mentioned process, and analysing the person-related accident data by first aiders and / or treating doctors and / or specialists and / or further specialists. Thus, for example, image data in the case of an accident can be analysed in order to perform a rapid medical analysis already in advance, in particular before the (initial) investigation of the person involved in the accident, the estimation of the physical condition and possible injuries of the person involved in the accident, and / or the data can be used to assist in performing a medical diagnosis, in particular in connection with the medical investigation of the person involved in the accident, and / or to review and / or modify a subsequent medical diagnosis.

[0030] Preferably, for performing a medical diagnosis, the image data including the person-related accident data is analyzed such that at least one movement process of the head of the at least one vehicle occupant is captured during the accident, preferably as a relative movement with respect to the upper body and / or shoulder area of ​​the at least one vehicle occupant. In particular, the whole body including the head, neck, chest, arms, torso and in any case a part of the lower limbs is captured. Thus, for example, it is possible to draw a conclusion about injuries of the vehicle occupant due to the accident.

[0031] Further features and objects of the invention will become apparent from the description of illustrative examples which follow, using the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0032] [Figure 1a] FIG. 1b is a schematic diagram of a vehicle including a system according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention as shown diagrammatically in FIG. [Figure 1b] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a process for capturing and analysing person-related accident data using the system shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b. [Diagram 3]FIG. 2 shows a time axis that illustrates the storage period of a circular memory in relation to the time of incident detection; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a system according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a system according to a third illustrative example of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0033] In the following, a first illustrative example of the present invention is described with reference to Figures 1a and 1b. Figure 1a shows a vehicle 2 including a vehicle occupant 12 and a diagrammatically represented in-vehicle system 1 for capturing accident data related to people, the system 1 being shown for a transparent view diagrammatically shown in Figure 1b. The vehicle 2 shown as an example in Figure 1a is a car, but the vehicle 2 can also be designed as a multi-purpose vehicle.

[0034] The in-vehicle system 1 for capturing accident data relating to persons essentially comprises at least one camera designed as a high-speed camera 3 , a circular memory 4 , a control unit 5 and a transfer unit 9 .

[0035] The high-speed camera 3 of the system 1 is designed and positioned in the vehicle 2 so as to be suitable for capturing the area inside the vehicle where the vehicle occupant 12 is located, i.e. suitable for capturing a video sequence in the form of images of the vehicle occupant 12. To do this, the high-speed camera 3 does not need to capture the entire body of the vehicle occupant 12, rather it is sufficient to capture the upper part of the occupant's body, in particular the head 12a, neck and upper body and / or shoulder regions 12b. Optimally, the camera also captures more distal regions of the body.

[0036] The high speed camera 3 exhibits a high capture rate, for example at least 700 fps, preferably at least 1000 fps. Images of the video sequence are captured by the high speed camera 3 as digital image data 20.

[0037] The circular memory 4 of the system 1 is provided at any position of the vehicle 2 and is connected to the high-speed camera 3 by a data connection, e.g. a data cable, and is thus suitable for storing in digital form image data 20 captured by the high-speed camera 3. Alternatively, the circular memory 4 may be an internal memory of the high-speed camera 3.

[0038] The circular memory 4 exhibits a storage capacity corresponding to an acquisition period T, i.e. the acquisition period T captured by the high-speed camera 3, and the image data 20 stored in the circular memory 4 remain in the circular memory 4 during the acquisition period T of the circular memory 4 before being overwritten by newly captured image data 20. The storage capacity of the circular memory 4 can be selected to correspond, for example, to an acquisition period T of at least 10 seconds, preferably at least 15 seconds, and even more preferably at least 20 seconds. These values ​​are understood only as sample data, and the acquisition period may also be less than 10 seconds.

[0039] The system 1 further comprises a sensor 6 provided at a suitable location in the vehicle 2, the sensor being suitable for determining an accident of the vehicle 2 and for generating a corresponding accident initiation signal 21. For example, the sensor 6 may be an airbag sensor capturing the state of an airbag (not shown) of the vehicle 2 and generating the accident initiation signal 21 when the airbag is activated, and / or the sensor 6 may be a speed or acceleration and / or rotation sensor generating the accident initiation signal 21 when a preset speed change or a preset acceleration or a predefined rotation is exceeded. Under the term "acceleration", negative acceleration, e.g. braking, should be understood.

[0040] The system 1 optionally further comprises a driving data capture unit 11 provided at a suitable position on the vehicle 2 for capturing driving data 22 of the vehicle 2, the driving data capture unit 11 being connected to the circulating memory 4 by means of a data connection, e.g. a data cable, and storing the driving data 22 in the circulating memory 4, preferably in association with the image data 20. For example, the driving data capture unit may be designed as an accelerometer and / or a position sensor, e.g. a GPS, for capturing the instantaneous speed or even the position of the vehicle 2 as driving data 22.

[0041] Optionally, the system 1 further comprises a lighting device 10 in the vehicle 2 designed and arranged in the vehicle 2 so as to be suitable for illuminating the interior of the vehicle, in particular the area within the vehicle where a vehicle occupant 12 is located.

[0042] Furthermore, the system 1 optionally comprises a second on-board data memory 8 in which facial recognition data 25' of the at least one vehicle occupant 12 and medical data 23 of the at least one vehicle occupant 12 are stored. The medical data 23 of the vehicle occupant 12 may for example comprise information regarding incompatibilities of medications and / or allergies and / or previous injuries and / or implants and / or medical procedures received. The second data memory 8 may for example be designed as a hard disk and / or an SD card and / or a memory stick.

[0043] An optional in-vehicle analysis unit 7 of the system 1 is also connected to the circular memory 4 and to the second data memory 8 via a data connection (e.g. a data cable) each and is suitable for calculating facial recognition data 25 from the images stored in the circular memory 4 and for comparing these data with facial recognition data 25' stored in the second data memory 8. To do this, the analysis unit 7 may include a CPU, the operation of which is controlled by a computer program (software) for facial recognition.

[0044] A transfer unit 9 of the system 1 is also arranged at any position in the vehicle 2 and is connected to the circular memory 4 and to the second data memory 8 of the system 1 via one data connection each (e.g. a data cable). That transfer unit 9 is suitable for transferring the image data 20, optionally the driving data 22 and the medical data 23, as person-related accident data 24, to an external location 13, preferably encrypted, by a wireless transmission process. To do this, the transfer unit 9 exhibits a data interface, not shown.

[0045] The external location 13 can be, for example, a rescue control center and / or a first aider and / or a specific first aid doctor, or a specific first aid medical facility, for example an accident response clinic. The external location 13 can also be a data memory outside the vehicle, for example an external server or the cloud.

[0046] The in-vehicle control unit 5 of the system 1 should be designed to control the individual in-vehicle components of the system 1. To do this, it is connected to the relevant components via a data connection (e.g. a data cable). The control unit 5 may include a CPU, the operation of which is controlled by a computer program (software). In particular, the control unit 5 is suitable for receiving an incident initiation signal 21 from the sensor 6 and for controlling the high-speed camera 3, the circular memory 4, the analysis unit 7 and the forwarding (transmission) unit 9 to carry out the process control described with reference to FIG. 2.

[0047] The system 1 may for example be provided completely or partly as an extension or retrofit kit for the vehicle 2 or may already be integrated in the vehicle 2. In this way, components already present in the vehicle 2 may be used in the system 1. For example, the sensor 6 may be a sensor already present in the vehicle 2 and / or the control unit 5 may be a control unit already present in the vehicle 2 provided with a suitable computer program (software) for controlling the components of the system 1.

[0048] Figure 2 shows diagrammatically the process for capturing accident data relating to persons in a vehicle 2 described with reference to Figures 1a and 1b. In step S1, the high-speed camera 3 continuously photographs the vehicle occupants 12 during the journey, i.e. captures image data 20 of the vehicle occupants 12 and transfers these data to the circular memory 4. Optionally, at the same time, driving data 22 of the vehicle 2 is captured by the driving data capture unit 11 continuously or discreetly, preferably at equidistant times during the journey, and also transfers said data to the circular memory 4.

[0049] The image data 20 and the driving data 22 are stored in the circular memory 4 in step S2, the data being preferably stored such that driving data 22 captured at one time is assigned to image data 20 captured at the relevant time. This time assignment of the driving data 22 and the image data 20 can be done, for example, by embedding the driving data 22 in the image data 20, for example by storing the driving data 22 as metadata of the time-assigned image data 20, or by graphically integrating the driving data 22 into the image data 20, for example as text. Due to the limited storage capacity of the circular memory 4, the image data 20 and the associated driving data 22, respectively, are stored in the circular memory 4 only for a limited capture period T and are then overwritten again by new data.

[0050] Since the circular memory 4 presents a limited storage capacity as mentioned above, it may be advantageous to process the image data 20 before storing them in the circular memory 4, resulting in a smaller amount of data. For example, image sections corresponding to the image data 20 may be compressed and / or color images captured by the high-speed camera 3 may be stored as grayscale images. Thus, suitable image processing software (not shown) may be provided, preferably integrated into the high-speed camera 3.

[0051] In step S3, an accident of the vehicle 2 is detected by the sensor 6, for example by the deployment of an airbag and / or a significant decrease in speed of the vehicle 2 and / or a significant braking (negative acceleration) of the vehicle 2 and / or a significant turning or leaning of the vehicle 2. As a result, the sensor 6 sends an accident initiation signal 21 to the control unit 5.

[0052] Next, in step S4, the control unit 5 stops storing the image data 20 and the driving data 22 in the circular memory 4. As shown in FIG. 3, the end time t 停止 is the time t passing through the control unit 5 after receiving the fault initiation signal. Unfall A predefined time interval t from def Therefore, at a predefined time interval t def is at most as large as the duration T corresponding to the storage capacity of the circular memory 4, in other words, t def ≦T, preferably corresponding to at least half, and more preferably at least two-thirds, of the capture period T corresponding to the storage capacity of the circular memory 4. This ensures that the image data 20 and driving data 22 captured in the circular memory 4 at the time of the accident and immediately thereafter (i.e. especially during the accident event) are not overwritten any more.

[0053] Thus, after the image data 20 and the driving data 22 have been continuously stored in the circular memory 4, the capture period T is extended to the time t Unfall The time t0 before the accident and the end time t 停止 The time t Unfall can be considered to be the time of the accident occurrence, therefore data exists from the period immediately before and after the accident.

[0054] With a storage capacity of the cyclic memory 4 corresponding to an acquisition period of T=10 seconds, the predefined time interval is, for example, t def= 5 seconds, so that after finishing storing the data in the circular memory 4, the image data 20 and driving data 22 captured in the period from 5 seconds before the accident to 5 seconds after the accident are stored. def After finishing storing the data in the circular memory 4 at a predefined time interval of 0.5 = 7 seconds, there are image data 20 and driving data 22 captured during the period from 3 seconds before the accident to 7 seconds after the accident.

[0055] The capture period T and the predefined time interval t def The time specifications should be understood as example values ​​only and include the capture period T and the predefined time interval t def may also deviate from the values ​​mentioned in the context of the present invention.

[0056] The end of data storage is, for example, when the control unit 5 issues a command to simultaneously turn off the high-speed camera 3 and the driving data acquisition unit 11 at an end time t 停止 , whereby new image data 20 and driving data 22 are not generated any more and / or the storage itself is interrupted by the control unit 5 through appropriate activation of the circular memory 4 .

[0057] Further, in step S4, the lighting device 10 is Unfall The end time t 停止 and is activated by the control unit 5 to illuminate at least the interior area of ​​the vehicle 2, in which the section of the body of the vehicle occupant 12 captured by the high speed camera 3 is located.

[0058] In a next step S5, after the storage of the data has been completed, the image data 20 present in the circular memory 4 is analyzed by an analysis unit 7, for example by a facial recognition software. The facial recognition data 25 thus captured is compared with the facial recognition data 25' stored in the second memory 8, and if there is a sufficient correspondence between the two data sets, in other words if the face of the vehicle occupant 12 captured by the high-speed camera 3 corresponds with a sufficiently high probability to the face captured in the memory 8, the medical data 23 of the recognized person stored in the second memory 8 is transferred to the transfer unit 9. Furthermore, in step S5, the image data 22 and the driving data 22 present after the storage of the data in the circular memory 4 has been completed are also transferred to the transfer unit 9.

[0059] Facial recognition can also be performed independently of the onset of an accident, for example at the start of a journey of the vehicle 2 and / or periodically while capturing image data 20.

[0060] Then, in step S6, the image data 20 and the driving data 22 present in the circular memory 4 are transferred together with the medical data 23 to the external location 13 as person-related accident data 24. The transmission of the person-related accident data 24 thus takes place wirelessly, for example by radio, in particular by mobile radio or the Internet, and can take place, for example, together with an electronically made emergency call (known as eCall). Preferably, the person-related accident data 24 is transferred in an encrypted form, for example by OpenPGP, whereby the person-related accident data 24 is encrypted by the transfer unit 9 with a public key generated by the external location 13 and can only be decrypted again by the corresponding secret key by the external location 13. The public key is either already present in the transfer unit 9 or the transfer unit 9 can request this public key from the external location 13 before encrypting and transferring the data.

[0061] Next, in step S7, the transferred and encrypted person-related accident data 24 is evaluated by authorized and / or suitably trained persons, e.g. employees of a rescue control center and / or first aiders and / or first aid doctors, in other words by a medical analysis of the accident 12, for example in order to obtain an initial estimate of the health status of the vehicle occupants.

[0062] In particular, the image data, ideally capturing the whole body and in particular the movement process of the head 12a of the vehicle occupant 12 during the accident, can be evaluated to perform a medical diagnosis, in particular the relative movement of the head 12a with respect to the upper body and / or shoulder region 12b of the vehicle occupant in this case can be analyzed to draw conclusions about accident-related injuries in the region of the cervical spine.

[0063] Fig. 4 shows an in-vehicle system 1' according to a second illustrative example of the invention. The system 1' shown in Fig. 4 differs essentially from the system 1 shown in Fig. 1b in that an analysis unit 7 connected to the circulating memory 4 via a data connection is designed to use the image data 20 stored in the circulating memory 4 to generate an accident initiation signal 21 by means of a suitable image processing program, for example in case of an accident of the vehicle 2, and to transfer this to the control unit 5. To do this, the analysis unit 7 may include a CPU, the operation of which is controlled by a computer program (software) for image recognition. The accident initiation signal 21 may be generated, for example, by a movement of the vehicle occupant 12 recognized by the analysis unit 7, in particular an acceleration and / or a velocity of the vehicle occupant 12 exceeding predefined limits.

[0064] The incident initiation signal 21 of the system 1' shown in Figure 4 can be generated directly from the captured and stored image data 20, so that the sensor 6 shown for capturing the incident in Figure 1b is not required.

[0065] In the system 1' shown in Figure 4, the process shown diagrammatically in Figure 2 is modified as follows: in step S2, image recognition of the image data 20 stored in the circular memory 4 is performed continuously by the analysis unit 7 while the vehicle 2 is traveling. The analysis unit 7 recognizes an accident of the vehicle 2 using the analyzed image data 20, and in step S3, the analysis unit 7 transfers an accident initiation signal 21 to the control unit 5. The process of steps S1 and S4 to S7 described with reference to Figure 2 does not differ in the system 1' shown in Figure 4 from the process of the system 1 shown in Figure 1b.

[0066] Fig. 5 shows an in-vehicle system 1'' according to a third illustrative example of the invention. The system 1'' shown in Fig. 5 differs essentially from the system 1 shown in Fig. 1b and from the system 1' shown in Fig. 5 in that the person-related accident data 24 is not transferred externally by a transfer unit but is stored in a second data memory 8 in the vehicle or in a further in-vehicle data memory (not shown). In order to protect the person-related accident data 24 or the second memory 8 in case of an accident of the vehicle 2, the second memory 8 is preferably designed as a protected memory (black box).

[0067] In the process described with reference to figure 2, in the system 1'' shown in figure 5, in step S5 the image data 20 and the optional driving data 22 are transferred not to the transfer unit but to a second data memory 8 in the vehicle, which second data memory 8 may already contain and store the optional medical data 23. Thus, the step S6 of transferring the data to an external location shown in figure 2 is omitted. To evaluate the accident data 24 relating to the person (step S7), this can for example be read from or downloaded to the second data memory 8.

[0068] The above features of the three illustrative examples can also be combined with each other in any way. Thus, for example, the system 1 shown in Fig. 1b and / or the system 1' shown in Fig. 4 may only include a second memory 8 for in-vehicle storage of the accident data 24 related to the person, instead of the forwarding unit 9, as described with reference to Fig. 5. Also, the accident data 24 related to the person may be forwarded both to the second memory 8 in the vehicle and to an external location 13. For example, in the system 1 and / or the system 1'' described with reference to Fig. 1b or Fig. 5, the accident initiation signal 21 may also be provided by the image data 20 analyzed by the analysis unit 7 (instead of or in addition to the provision of the accident initiation signal 21 by the sensor 6), and / or with the system 1' described with reference to Fig. 4, an additional accident initiation signal may be provided by the sensor 6.

[0069] The driving data 22 and / or the medical data 23 comprise optional data in the person-related accident data 24, for example to enable a better medical analysis of the accident or even a better (initial) care of the person involved in the accident. The person-related accident data 24 may also comprise only image data 20. In this case, the in-vehicle system 1, 1', 1'' for capturing the person-related accident data 24 in the vehicle 2 may also be provided without the driving data capture unit 11 or without an internal second data memory 8 (if the system comprises a transfer unit 9). Furthermore, the system 1, 1', 1'' for capturing the person-related accident data 24 may also be provided without the analysis unit 7 and / or without the lighting device 10. In particular, the captured image data 20 may also be analyzed by the control unit 5 itself, rather than by the analysis unit 7.

[0070] Furthermore, the components of the in-vehicle systems 1, 1', 1'' may also be components already provided in the vehicle 2 for another use and / or the components of the systems 1, 1', 1'' may be used for other tasks and / or functions. In other words, the components may be used in multiple ways. For example, the high-speed camera 3 may also be assigned to, for example, an assistance and / or safety system of the vehicle 2 and may detect momentary sleep (microsleep) of the vehicle occupant 12 and / or the sensors 6 and / or the driving data acquisition unit 11 may be components already provided in the vehicle 2.

[0071] To simplify the description of the illustrative examples, these are done only for one vehicle occupant. The in-vehicle system may also be suitable for capturing accident data relating to multiple vehicle occupants. To do this, preferably multiple high-speed cameras for capturing image data of the vehicle occupants and / or multiple circular memories for storing at least the image data are provided.

[0072] Additionally, the vehicle occupant may be photographed by multiple high speed cameras from different viewing angles, for example, to generate a three-dimensional view of the vehicle occupant.

Claims

1. A system for capturing accident data (24) relating to a person in a vehicle (2), the system comprising: at least one camera for capturing image data (20) of at least one vehicle occupant (12), said camera being designed as a high-speed camera (3); a circular memory (4) for storing said recorded image data (20); a second memory (8) in which facial recognition data (25') of said at least one vehicle occupant is stored; An accident start signal (21) is received, and the storage of the image data (20) ends at a time (t 停止 a control unit (5) designed to control the circular memory (4) and / or the camera (3) so as to terminate the The end time (t 停止 ) is a predetermined time interval (t ｄｅｆ ) and accident data (24) relating to said person includes at least said image data (20) stored in said circular memory (4); The system further comprises at least one lighting device (10) for illuminating the at least one vehicle occupant (12), the lighting device (10) being controlled by the control unit (5) to be switched on at least from the time of receiving the accident start signal (21) until the end time (tstop), the lighting device transmitting light in the infrared range, the at least one camera for capturing image data being an infrared camera, The system further comprises an analysis unit (7) for analyzing the detected image data (20), the analysis unit (7) being connected to the circular memory (4) and the second memory (8), the analysis unit (7) being designed to compare facial recognition data (25) of the at least one vehicle occupant (12) captured based on the image data (20) with the facial recognition data (25') stored in the second memory (8) and to transfer medical data (23) of the recognized person stored in the second memory (8) together with the image data (20) and driving data (22) to a transfer unit (9), if there is a correspondence between the facial recognition data (25) of the at least one vehicle occupant (12) captured based on the image data (20) and the facial recognition data (25') stored in the second memory (8), the transfer unit (9) transfers the medical data (23), the image data (20) and the driving data (24) to an external location (13) as the accident data (24); the accident data (24) being subjected to evaluation by authorized or trained persons, including employees of a rescue control center or first aiders or doctors providing first aid, The predefined time interval (t ｄｅｆ ) is set equal to or less than the capture period (T) corresponding to the storage capacity of the circular memory (4); system.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a sensor (6) for providing said fault initiation signal (21).

3. 3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an analysis unit (7) for analyzing the recorded image data (20) and for providing the incident initiation signal (21) in response to the analyzed image data (20).

4. 4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the person-related accident data (24) further comprises medical data (23) of the at least one vehicle occupant (12), the medical data (23) being stored in the second memory (8) of the system (1, 1', 1'').

5. 5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the person-related accident data (24) further comprises driving data (22) of the vehicle (2), the driving data (22) being stored in the circular memory (4).

6. 6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the camera for capturing image data (20) is adapted to a plurality of vehicle occupants (12) and / or a plurality of cameras designed as high-speed cameras (3) are provided.

7. The transfer unit (9) further transfers the accident data (24) related to the person wirelessly to an external memory; The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second memory (8) further stores at least the image data (20) stored in the circular memory (4).

8. A vehicle comprising a system (1, 1', 1'') according to any one of claims 1 to 7 for capturing accident data (24) relating to persons.

9. A process for capturing accident data (24) relating to a person in a vehicle (2), the process comprising: - a step (S1) of detecting image data of at least one occupant (12) by means of at least one camera, said camera being designed as a high-speed camera (3); storing the detected image data (20) in a circular memory (4) (S2); A step (S4) of receiving an incident start signal (21) by a control unit (5), said control unit (5) determining when the storage of said image data (20) will end (t 停止 ), and controlling the circular memory (4) and / or the camera (3) to end at the end time (t 停止 ) is a predetermined time interval (t ｄｅｆ ) in the step of the person-related accident data (24) includes at least the image data (20) stored in the circular memory (4); The system further comprises a lighting device (10) for illuminating the at least one vehicle occupant (12), the lighting device (10) being controlled by the control unit (5) to be switched on at least from the time of receiving the accident start signal (21) until the end time (tstop), the lighting device transmitting light in the infrared range, the at least one camera for capturing image data being an infrared camera, the system further comprises an analysis unit (7) for analyzing the detected image data (20), the analysis unit (7) being connected to the circular memory (4) and a second memory (8), in which facial recognition data (25') of the at least one vehicle occupant is stored, the analysis unit being designed to compare the facial recognition data (25) of the at least one vehicle occupant (12) captured based on the image data (20) with the facial recognition data (25') stored in the second memory (8) and to transfer medical data (23) of the recognized person stored in the second memory (8) together with the image data (20) and driving data (22) to a transfer unit (9), if there is a correspondence between the facial recognition data (25) of the at least one vehicle occupant (12) captured based on the image data (20) and the facial recognition data (25') stored in the second memory (8); the transfer unit (9) transfers the medical data (23), the image data (20) and the driving data (24) to an external location (13) as the accident data (24); the accident data (24) being subjected to evaluation by authorized or trained persons, including employees of a rescue control center or first aiders or doctors providing first aid, The predefined time interval (t ｄｅｆ ) is set equal to or less than the capture period (T) corresponding to the storage capacity of the circular memory (4); process.

10. 1. A process for conducting a medical assessment of at least one vehicle occupant (12) after an accident, the process comprising: - providing accident data related to a person detected by a system (1, 1', 1'') according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and / or by a vehicle (2) according to claim 8 and / or in a process according to claim 9; and a step (S7) of analyzing accident data (24) related to said person by first aiders and / or treating doctors and / or specialists and / or further specialists, process.

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