In-Vehicle High-Speed Occupant Imaging for Accident Injury Reconstruction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for recording personal accident data in vehicles are inadequate for accurately capturing and analyzing the sequence of events during accidents, particularly for injuries like whiplash, which are difficult to visualize using conventional medical imaging and may result in incomplete or inaccurate medical assessments.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a high-speed infrared camera and ring memory to capture and store image data of vehicle occupants, with a control unit that receives an accident occurrence signal to stop data storage after a predefined time interval, ensuring relevant accident data is preserved for medical and legal analysis, and optionally includes sensors and an analysis unit for enhanced data analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional medical imaging techniques (X-ray) are used to diagnose injuries, then the diagnostic process is simplified, but injuries like whiplash and soft tissue damage cannot be visualized or are difficult to detect
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system (high-speed camera with infrared imaging) that captures accident sequences as visual evidence. This intermediary provides indirect observation of injury mechanisms (whiplash movements, impact forces) that cannot be directly seen through conventional X-ray imaging, thereby improving injury detection capability without requiring complex medical imaging equipment
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary recording of the accident sequence before medical diagnosis occurs. By capturing high-speed footage of the accident events (whiplash movements, impact angles, occupant positions) in advance, the system preserves critical information that aids subsequent medical diagnosis and legal assessment, overcoming the limitation of conventional imaging that can only show static injury results
2Loss of information
If a high-speed camera with large storage capacity is used to record the entire accident sequence, then complete accident data is captured, but the storage memory is quickly filled and overwritten, losing critical post-accident data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic storage management where the ring buffer continuously overwrites old data during normal operation, but upon detecting an accident event, dynamically adjusts to preserve the post-accident sequence. This dynamic adaptation allows the fixed storage capacity to effectively capture the complete critical sequence (pre-accident, during accident, and post-accident phases) without requiring excessive memory capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary continuous recording into the ring buffer before the accident occurs. This preliminary action ensures that when the accident happens, the buffer already contains the pre-accident sequence, and the subsequent pause in overwriting preserves both the pre and post-accident data within the limited storage capacity
3Measurement precision
If the high-speed camera records continuously at high frame rates, then detailed accident sequences are captured, but the data volume becomes excessively large for practical analysis and storage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and preserves only the critical accident sequence data by implementing a ring buffer that automatically overwrites non-critical continuous footage. When an accident is detected, the system extracts and holds the specific time window containing the accident events (pre-accident, during, and post-accident sequences), separating this critical data from the unnecessary continuous recording data, thereby reducing overall data volume while maintaining essential detail
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses partial recording by pausing the ring buffer overwrite operation for a predetermined time after accident detection. This partial action (recording only the critical post-accident sequence rather than continuous high-speed footage) captures sufficient detail for analysis while significantly reducing the total data volume generated
4Reliability
If the ring buffer continues to overwrite data after an accident occurs, then storage space is maintained, but critical post-accident data is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by pausing the ring buffer overwrite operation immediately upon detecting an accident event. This preemptive pause prevents the harmful action of overwriting critical post-accident data, ensuring that the buffer preserves the complete accident sequence (pre-accident, during, and post-accident) with high reliability, even though this temporarily reduces storage efficiency
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables a detailed and accurate reconstruction of accident sequences, improving initial medical care and legal substantiation by providing comprehensive and relevant image data for medical and legal analysis, reducing the risk of data loss and enhancing the assessment of injuries.
Implementation Method 1
at least one infrared camera for recording image data of at least one vehicle occupant
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A system for recording personal accident data (24) in a vehicle (2) comprises at least one camera for recording image data (20) of at least one vehicle occupant (12), wherein the camera is configured as a high-speed camera (3), a ring buffer (4) for storing the recorded image data (20), and a control unit (5) configured to receive an accident occurrence signal (21). The control unit (5) controls the ring buffer (4) and/or the camera (3) such that the storage of the image data (20) is terminated at an end time (tstop), wherein the end time (tstop) is a predefined time interval (tdef) after the receipt of the accident occurrence signal (21). The personal accident data (24) comprises at least the image data (20) stored in the ring buffer (4).