US 6,741,168 B2Granted

Method and apparatus for automated collection and transfer of collision information

AssigneeSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

InventorsRonald J. Webb, Sudhindra P. Herle

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Abstract

A device within an automobile comprises or includes a wireless communications controller which, upon detection of impact, attempts to establish a wireless communications link to each of any counterpart wireless communications controllers which are within vehicles also subject to a recent impact, and therefore presumably involved in the collision. Vehicle identification information and information collected regarding the collision, such as vehicle speed, location, direction of travel, impact direction and magnitude, point of impact, etc., are automatically exchanged between vehicles involved in the collision and may be later retrieved from either vehicle, preserving objective information for accident reconstruction by police and insurance companies.

Claims20

Dependent claims

For use in an automobile, a device for acquiring collision information comprising:

a sensor detecting an impact to a vehicle containing a collision recorder;
a memory containing information relating to at least one of the impact and the vehicle, the memory comprising a first-in, first-out buffer for buffering the information on a rolling basis where newest information replaces oldest information in the buffer;
and
a wireless communications controller coupled to the sensor and to the memory, wherein the controller, in response to detection of the impact, automatically
attempts to establish a wireless communications link to a counterpart wireless communications controller within another vehicle subject to a recent impact by
broadcasting availability of an information exchange service by the wireless communications controller, and
searching for availability of an information exchange service for the counterpart wireless communications controller, and
responsive to successfully establishing a wireless communications link to the counterpart wireless communication controller, exchanges at least a portion of the information within the memory for corresponding information from the counterpart wireless communications controller.

5 more elements

An automobile, comprising:

at least one control system;
a sensor detecting an impact to the automobile;
a nonvolatile memory containing at least one of identification information relating to the automobile and measurement information from the at least one control system captured upon detection of the impact to the automobile;
and
a wireless communications controller coupled to the sensor and to the memory, wherein the controller, in response to detection of the impact, automatically
attempts to establish a wireless communications link to a counterpart wireless communications controller within another vehicle subject to a recent impact, and
responsive to successfully establishing a wireless communications link to the counterpart wireless communication controller, exchanges at least a portion of the information within the memory for corresponding information from the counterpart wireless communications controller;
wherein a collision recorder, upon detection of the impact to the vehicle containing the collision recorder, preserves the information in the nonvolatile memory for exchange by the wireless communications controller for the corresponding information from the counterpart wireless communications controller information, and
wherein the information is selected from the group consisting of vehicle speed when the impact to the vehicle containing the collision recorder occurred, location of the vehicle when the impact to the vehicle containing the collision recorder occurred, direction of vehicle travel when the impact to the vehicle containing the collision recorder occurred, impact direction, impact magnitude, and point of impact.

6 more elements

A method of acquiring collision information, comprising:

detecting an impact to a vehicle;
responsive to detection of the impact, automatically attempting to establish a wireless communications link between a wireless communications controller coupled to a memory within the vehicle and containing information relating to at least one of the impact and the vehicle and a counterpart wireless communications controller within another vehicle subject to a recent impact;
and
responsive to successfully establishing a wireless communications link between the wireless communications controller and the counterpart wireless communication controller, exchanging at least a portion of the information within the memory for corresponding information from the counterpart wireless communications controller;
wherein the step of automatically attempting to establish a wireless communications link further comprises:
broadcasting availability of an information exchange service by the wireless communications controller, and
searching for availability of an information exchange service for the counterpart wireless communications controller.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.