CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to and benefits of Chinese Patent Application Serial No. 201210215169.X, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of P. R. China on June 27, 2012, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of vehicle communication, especially to a vehicle-mounted device, and a system and a method of recording abnormal information of a vehicle and informing a vehicle owner of the abnormal information.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, with the enhancement of a living standard, a vehicle is entering every family gradually and becomes a necessity of life. Therefore, there may be a larger development space for the function of a vehicle-mounted communication system.

Some collision or scrape accidents may take place during a vehicle driving process. Because the vehicle owner is in the accident site when the accident happens, the collision information or the scrape information may be obtained accurately. However, when an accident happens during a vehicle parking process and the vehicle owner is not in the accident site, the collision information or the scrape information cannot be obtained accurately at once, which does not facilitate determining the responsibility in a traffic accident and may bring some economic losses to the vehicle owner. SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure seek to solve at least one of the problems existing in the prior art to at least some extent.

According to embodiments of a first broad aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle-mounted device is provided. The vehicle-mounted device comprises: a collision sensor configured to obtain a collision information; an image acquisition apparatus configured to collect an image signal according to the collision information and to output the image signal; a terminal connected to the image acquisition apparatus and configured to receive, store and display the image signal, and to set and send a vehicle owner information; and a communication apparatus configured to extract the image signal, to receive the vehicle owner information sent by the terminal, and to send the image signal to a mobile terminal of the vehicle owner according to the vehicle owner information.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the vehicle-mounted device further comprises: a starting apparatus comprising an input end connected to the collision sensor and an output end connected to the image acquisition apparatus, the terminal and the communication apparatus respectively, and configured to identify the collision information and to start the image acquisition apparatus, the terminal and the communication apparatus according to the collision information.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the image acquisition apparatus comprises a first camera disposed on a rearview mirror of the vehicle and a second camera disposed on a rear windshield glass of the vehicle. In one yet embodiment of the present disclosure, the first camera is an omnidirectional camera configured to take pictures around the vehicle, and the second camera is configured to take pictures behind the vehicle.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal comprises: a display module configured to display the image signal; an image processing module connected to the image acquisition apparatus and the display module respectively, and configured to extract the image signal and display the image signal on the display module; an image storage module configured to store the image signal; and a vehicle owner information processing module configured to set and store the vehicle owner information and to send the vehicle owner information to the communication apparatus.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the vehicle owner information comprises a SIM number.

According to embodiments of a second broad aspect of the present disclosure, a system for recording abnormal information of a vehicle and informing a vehicle owner of the abnormal information is provided. The system comprises a vehicle-mounted device according to embodiments of the first broad aspect of the present disclosure; and a server communicating with the communication apparatus, and configured to send the image signal to the mobile terminal of the vehicle owner according to the vehicle owner information uploaded by the communication apparatus. With the vehicle-mounted device and the system comprising the same according to embodiments of the present disclosure, if the vehicle owner is far from the vehicle when an accident happens, the system may record an abnormal information (for example, collision information or scrape information) rapidly, and then sends the abnormal information to the vehicle owner to make sure that the vehicle owner may obtain the abnormal information of the vehicle at once.

Specifically, when the vehicle is in a parking state and the vehicle owner is far from the vehicle, if an accident happens, the collision sensor obtains the collision information; the image acquisition apparatus, the terminal, and the communication apparatus start to work; the image acquisition apparatus collects the image signal and sends the image signal to the terminal; the terminal stores and displays the image signal, and sets and sends the vehicle owner information; the communication apparatus extracts the image signal, receives the vehicle owner information sent by the terminal, and sends the image signal to a mobile terminal of the vehicle owner according to the vehicle owner information. Therefore, even if the vehicle owner is far from the vehicle when an accident happens, the vehicle owner may obtain the abnormal information of the vehicle at once.

According to embodiments of a third broad aspect of the present disclosure, a method of recording abnormal information of a vehicle and informing a vehicle owner of the abnormal information is provided. The method comprises: obtaining a collision information by a collision sensor; collecting an image signal according to the collision information and outputting the image signal by an image acquisition apparatus; receiving, storing and displaying the image signal by a terminal; setting and sending a vehicle owner information by the terminal; extracting the image signal and receiving the vehicle owner information by a communication apparatus; and sending the image signal to the vehicle owner according to the vehicle owner information by the communication apparatus.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further comprises starting the image acquisition apparatus, the terminal and the communication apparatus according to the collision information by a starting module.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further comprises: when an external force from only one direction is applied to the vehicle, judging the one direction of the external force by the image acquisition apparatus according to the collision information and taking pictures in the one direction; or when an external force from at least two directions is applied to the vehicle, judging the at least two directions of the external force sequentially by the image acquisition apparatus according to a sequence of the collision information and taking pictures sequentially in the at least two directions.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the collecting step comprises taking pictures at a speed of 4 pictures per second after the image acquisition apparatus is started, and automatically stopping taking pictures after 8 pictures are continuously taken.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the receiving, storing and displaying step further comprises: extracting the image signal.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the image signal is displayed on a display module of the terminal.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the setting and sending step further comprises: storing the vehicle owner information.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the step of sending the image signal to the vehicle owner comprises: uploading the image signal and the vehicle owner information to a server by the communication apparatus; and sending by the server the image signal to a mobile terminal of the vehicle owner according to the vehicle owner information uploaded by the communication apparatus.

With the method of recording abnormal information of the vehicle and informing the vehicle owner of the abnormal information according to embodiments of the present disclosure, the abnormal information (for example, collision information or scrape information) may be recorded rapidly when an accident happens, and sent to the mobile terminal of the vehicle owner to make sure that the vehicle owner may obtain the abnormal information of the vehicle at once.

Additional aspects and advantages of embodiments of present disclosure will be given in part in the following descriptions, become apparent in part from the following descriptions, or be learned from the practice of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following descriptions made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle-mounted device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a terminal of a vehicle-mounted device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of a system for recording abnormal information of a vehicle and informing a vehicle owner of the abnormal information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 4 is a flow chart of a method of recording abnormal information of a vehicle and informing a vehicle owner of the abnormal information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

Fig. 5 is a flow chart of a method of recording abnormal information of a vehicle and informing a vehicle owner of the abnormal information according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will be made in detail to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein with reference to drawings are explanatory, illustrative, and used to generally understand the present disclosure. The embodiments shall not be construed to limit the present disclosure. The same or similar elements and the elements having same or similar functions are denoted by like reference numerals throughout the descriptions.

Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "coupled" and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, "connected" and "coupled" are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle-mounted device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle-mounted device comprises a collision sensor 1, a starting apparatus 2, an image acquisition apparatus 3, a terminal 4 and a communication apparatus 5.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the collision sensor 1 is mounted in the vehicle and configured to obtain a collision information from an external force. The collision sensor 1 could be mounted in different places in the vehicle. Therefore, the collision information from the external force can be detected more accurately. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the collision sensor 1 is mounted on all sides (e.g., front/rear/left/right) of the vehicle.

The image acquisition apparatus 3 is configured to collect an image signal according to the collision information obtained by the collision sensor 1 and to output the image signal.

In one embodiment, the image acquisition apparatus 3 comprises a camera 31. The camera 31 may judge a direction of the external force according to the collision information and rapidly turn to the direction to take pictures. When an external force from only one direction is applied to the vehicle, the camera 31 judges the one direction of the external force according to the collision information and rapidly turns to the one direction to take pictures in a predetermined way. When an external force from at least two directions is applied to the vehicle, the camera 31 judges the at least two directions of the external force sequentially according to a sequence of the collision information, and then turns to the at least two directions sequentially to take pictures in a predetermined way.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the camera 31 may be a high-speed camera. The camera 31 may take pictures at a speed of 4 pictures per second after the camera 31 is started, and automatically stop taking pictures after 8 pictures are continuously taken. When an external force from at least two directions is applied to the vehicle, the camera 31 takes pictures in one direction at a speed of 4 pictures per second and automatically stops taking pictures after 8 pictures are continuously taken in the one direction, and then the camera 31 turns to the other direction to take pictures at a speed of 4 pictures per second and automatically stops taking pictures after 8 pictures are continuously taken in the other direction.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the camera 31 comprises a first camera disposed on a rearview mirror of the vehicle and a second camera disposed on a rear windshield glass of the vehicle. The first camera is an omnidirectional camera configured to take pictures around the vehicle. That is, when one or more external forces from all sides (e.g., front/rear/left/right) of the vehicle are applied to the vehicle, the first camera could rapidly turn to a corresponding direction to take pictures. The second camera is configured to take pictures behind the vehicle. That is, when an external force from a rear of the vehicle is applied to the vehicle, the second camera may take pictures behind the vehicle. Therefore, it may be more easy and effective to obtain the collision information or the scrape information.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a terminal of a vehicle-mounted device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 2, the terminal 4 is connected to the image acquisition apparatus 3 and configured to receive, store and display the image signal, and to set and send a vehicle owner information. The terminal 4 comprises: a display module 41, an image processing module 42, an image storage module 43 and a vehicle owner information processing module 44.

The display module 41 is configured to display the image signal. The image processing module 42 is connected to the image acquisition apparatus 3 and the display module 41 respectively, and configured to extract the image signal and display the image signal on the display module 41. The image processing module 42 is connected to the image storage module 43 and configured to send the image signal to the image storage module 43. The image storage module 43 is configured to store the image signal. The vehicle owner information processing module 44 is configured to set and store the vehicle owner information and to send the vehicle owner information to the communication apparatus 5. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the vehicle owner information comprises a SIM number, and the vehicle owner information processing module 44 sets and stores the SIM number of the vehicle owner.

The communication apparatus 5 is configured to extract the image signal, to receive the vehicle owner information sent by the terminal 4, and to send the image signal to a mobile terminal of the vehicle owner according to the vehicle owner information.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the vehicle-mounted device further comprises a starting apparatus 2. The starting apparatus 2 comprises an input end connected to the collision sensor 1 and an output end connected to the image acquisition apparatus 3, the terminal 4 and the communication apparatus 5 respectively. The starting apparatus 2 is configured to identify the collision information and to start the image acquisition apparatus 3, the terminal 4 and the communication apparatus 5 according to the collision information.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of a system for recording abnormal information of a vehicle and informing a vehicle owner of the abnormal information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 3, the system for recording abnormal information of the vehicle and informing the vehicle owner of the abnormal information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises the vehicle-mounted device according to the above embodiments and a server 6 communicating with the communication apparatus 5.

The communication apparatus 5 is configured to extract the image signal, to receive the vehicle owner information sent by the terminal 4, and to send the image signal to a mobile terminal of the vehicle owner according to the vehicle owner information. If the vehicle owner is close to the vehicle, for example, the vehicle owner is within 100 meters of the vehicle, the communication apparatus 5 may communicate with the mobile terminal (e.g., a mobile phone) of the vehicle owner directly, that is, the communication apparatus 5 sends the image signal to the mobile terminal of the vehicle owner according to the vehicle owner information.

In one embodiment, the communication apparatus 5 is configured to upload the image signal and the vehicle owner information to the server 6, and the server 6 is configured to send the image signal to the mobile terminal of the vehicle owner according to the vehicle owner information uploaded by the communication apparatus 5. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Fig. 3, the communication apparatus 5 uploads the image signal and the vehicle owner information to the server 6, and then the server 6 sends the image signal to a mobile terminal of the vehicle owner according to the vehicle owner information uploaded by the communication apparatus 5. For example, when the vehicle owner is far from the vehicle, the communication apparatus 5 extracts the image signal and uploads the image signal and the vehicle owner information to the server 6 via a wireless network (for example, a 3G network), and then the server 6 sends the image signal to the mobile terminal of the vehicle owner according to the vehicle owner information uploaded by the communication apparatus 5.

It should be noted that, in order to reduce the energy consumption, the image acquisition apparatus 3, the terminal 4 and the communication apparatus 5 may work only when an abnormal condition happens. Specifically, after the communication apparatus 5 uploads the image signal and the vehicle owner information, the image acquisition apparatus 3, the terminal 4 and the communication apparatus 5 will turn off automatically.

With the vehicle-mounted device and the system comprising the same according to embodiments of the present disclosure, if the vehicle owner is far from the vehicle, the system may record an abnormal information such as the collision information or the scrape information rapidly when an accident happens, and then sends the abnormal information to the vehicle owner to make sure that the vehicle owner may obtain the abnormal information of the vehicle at once.

Fig. 4 is a flow chart of a method of recording abnormal information of a vehicle and informing a vehicle owner of the abnormal information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 4, the method comprises steps of: SI : obtaining a collision information by a collision sensor;

S2: collecting an image signal according to the collision information and outputting the image signal by an image acquisition apparatus;

S3: receiving, storing and displaying the image signal by a terminal;

S4: setting and sending a vehicle owner information by the terminal;

S5: extracting the image signal and receiving the vehicle owner information by a communication apparatus; and

S6: sending the image signal to the vehicle owner according to the vehicle owner information.

After the starting apparatus identifies the collision information obtained by the collision sensor, the starting apparatus starts the image acquisition apparatus, the terminal and the communication apparatus according to the collision information. Specifically, the starting apparatus starts a camera and a signal output unit of the image acquisition apparatus, and starts a display module, an image processing module, an image storage module and a vehicle owner information processing module of the terminal.

When an external force from only one direction is applied to the vehicle, the camera of the image acquisition apparatus judges the one direction of the external force according to the collision information obtained by the collision sensor and then rapidly turns to the one direction to take pictures in a predetermined way. When an external force from at least two directions is applied to the vehicle, the camera of the image acquisition apparatus judges the at least two directions of the external forces sequentially according to a sequence of the collision information, and then turns to the at least two directions sequentially to take pictures in a predetermined way. After the camera of the image acquisition apparatus is started, the camera will take pictures at a speed of 4 pictures per second after the camera is started, and automatically stop taking pictures after 8 pictures are continuously taken.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the receiving, storing and displaying step further comprises: extracting the image signal. The image signal is displayed on a display module of the terminal. Specifically, after the image signal is sent to the terminal, the terminal stores the image signal and extracts the image signal, and displays the image signal on the display module of the terminal.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the setting and sending step further comprises: storing the vehicle owner information. Specifically, the terminal sets and stores the vehicle owner information, and sends the vehicle owner information to the communication apparatus.

Specifically, the image storage module stores and extracts the image signal, and displays the image signal on the display module of the terminal. The vehicle owner information processing module sets and stores the vehicle owner information and sends the vehicle owner information to the communication apparatus.

If the vehicle owner is close to the vehicle, for example, the vehicle owner is within 100 meters of the vehicle, the communication apparatus may communicate with the mobile terminal of the vehicle owner directly, that is, the communication apparatus sends the image signal to the mobile terminal (for example, a mobile phone) of the vehicle owner according to the vehicle owner information.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Fig. 5, the step of sending the image signal to the vehicle owner comprises: S7: uploading the image signal and the vehicle owner information to a server by the communication apparatus; and S8: sending by the server the image signal to a mobile terminal of the vehicle owner according to the vehicle owner information uploaded by the communication apparatus. The server will identify and confirm the vehicle owner information after receiving the vehicle owner information to make sure that the image signal will be sent to the vehicle owner precisely. In some embodiments, the vehicle owner information comprises a SIM number of the vehicle owner.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Fig. 5, the communication apparatus extracts and receives the image signal and receives the vehicle owner information, and then uploads the image signal and the vehicle owner information to a server, and then the server sends the image signal to a mobile terminal of the vehicle owner according to the vehicle owner information uploaded by the communication apparatus. For example, when the vehicle owner is far from the vehicle, the communication apparatus extracts the image signal and uploads the image signal and the vehicle owner information to the server via a wireless network (for example, a 3G network), and then the server sends the image signal to the mobile terminal of the vehicle owner according to the vehicle owner information uploaded by the communication apparatus.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, after the communication apparatus uploads the image signal and the vehicle owner information to the server, the image acquisition apparatus, the terminal and the communication apparatus will turn off automatically. The image acquisition apparatus, the terminal and the communication apparatus works only when an abnormal condition happens, and therefore the energy consumption will be reduced.

Although explanatory embodiments have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the above embodiments can not be construed to limit the present disclosure, and changes, alternatives, and modifications can be made in the embodiments without departing from spirit, principles and scope of the present disclosure.