U.S. patent application number 10/273507 was filed with the patent office on 2003-05-01 for video recorder for an automobile.
This patent application is currently assigned to Visteon Global Technologies, Inc.. Invention is credited to Berneis, Paul Allen, Bray, Thomas J., Matson, Jeff, Melnyk, Borys Joseph, Quigley, John H..
Application Number | 20030081942 10/273507 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 23334953 |
Filed Date | 2003-05-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030081942 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Melnyk, Borys Joseph ; et
al. |
May 1, 2003 |
Video recorder for an automobile
Abstract
A system for recording a video image is disclosed. The system is
mounted in a vehicle and captures the video image that is viewable
from the vehicle. The system includes a video capture device for
capturing the video image, a first memory storage device, a second
memory storage device, a vibration sensor, and a processor The
video capture device is mounted to the vehicle. The first memory
storage device is in communication with the vehicle capture device
for temporarily storing the video image. The second memory storage
device is in communication with the video capture device and the
first storage device for permanently storing the video image. The
vibration sensor is fixedly mounted to the vehicle for detecting a
vehicle vibration. The processor is in communication with the video
capture device and the vibration sensor and has executable code for
monitoring the vibration sensor and determining whether a
predefined vibration threshold has been reached.
Inventors: |
Melnyk, Borys Joseph; (Allen
Park, MI) ; Berneis, Paul Allen; (Dexter, MI)
; Bray, Thomas J.; (Saline, MI) ; Matson,
Jeff; (White Lake, MI) ; Quigley, John H.;
(Northville, MI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Steven L. Oberholtzer
BRINKS HOFER GILSON & LIONE
P.O. Box 10395
Chicago
IL
60610
US
|
Assignee: |
Visteon Global Technologies,
Inc.
|
Family ID: |
23334953 |
Appl. No.: |
10/273507 |
Filed: |
October 18, 2002 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60340790 |
Oct 29, 2001 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
386/227 ;
348/118; 386/279; 386/331; 386/E5.001 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07C 5/0891 20130101;
H04N 5/76 20130101; G07C 5/085 20130101; H04N 9/8042 20130101; H04N
5/781 20130101; H04N 5/85 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
386/125 ;
348/118 |
International
Class: |
H04N 005/781 |
Claims
1. A system for recording a video image, the system is mounted in a
vehicle and captures the video image that is viewable from the
vehicle, the system comprising: a video capture device mounted to
the vehicle for capturing the video image; a first memory storage
device in communication with the vehicle capture device for
temporarily storing the video image; a second memory storage device
in communication with the video capture device and the first
storage device for permanently storing the video image; a vibration
sensor fixedly mounted to the vehicle for detecting a vehicle
vibration; and a processor in communication with the video capture
device and the vibration sensor and having executable code for
monitoring the vibration sensor and determining whether a
predefined vibration threshold has been reached.
2. The system of claim 1 further comprising volatile memory for
storing the video image prior to writing the video image to one of
the first and second memory storage devices.
3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a video interface
device for receiving video image data from the video capture device
and transmitting the video image data to the processor.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein the video capture device is a
digital video camera.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the first memory storage device is
a hard disk drive.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein the second memory storage device
is a digital versatile disk drive.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein the vibration sensor is an
accelerometer.
8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a vehicle status
indicator in communication with the processor for detecting and
transmitting a vehicle status to the processor.
9. The system of claim 8 wherein the vehicle status is a
transmission position.
10. The system of claim 8 wherein the vehicle status is an ignition
switch position.
11. The system of claim 1 further comprising a microphone for
capturing an audio signal, the microphone being in communication
with the processor for receiving and storing the audio signal on
one of the first and second memory devices.
12. The system of claim 1 further comprising a wireless microphone
for capturing an audio signal.
13. The system of claim 12 further comprising a wireless receiver
in communication with the processor for capturing the audio signal
transmitted by the wireless microphone and storing the audio signal
on one of the first and second memory devices.
14. The system of claim 1 further comprising a encoder in
communication with the processor compressing the video image for
storage on one of the first and second memory devices.
15. The system of claim 14 wherein the encoder is an MPEG-4
encoder.
16. A method for recording a video image viewable from a vehicle,
the method comprising: acquiring a video image using a video
capture device; determining a vehicle operation state; and storing
the video image on one of a first memory storage device and a
second memory storage device in communication with the video
capture device depending on the determined vehicle operation
state.
17. The method of claim 16 further comprising acquiring an audio
signal using an audio capture device.
18. The method of claim 17 further comprising storing the audio
signal on one of the first memory storage device and the second
memory storage device in communication with the audio capture
device depending on the determined vehicle operation state.
19. The method of claim 16 wherein determining a vehicle operation
state further comprises determining whether the vehicle is
moving.
20. The method of claim 19 further comprising storing the video
image on the first memory storage device in communication with the
video capture device when the vehicle is determined to be
moving.
21. The method of claim 18 wherein determining a vehicle operation
state further comprises determining whether the vehicle is
stationary.
22. The method of claim 21 further comprising storing the video
image on the second memory storage device in communication with the
video capture device when the vehicle is determined to be
stationary.
23. The method of claim 16 wherein determining a vehicle operation
state further comprises determining whether a vehicle speed
threshold has been exceeded.
24. The method of claim 23 further comprising storing the acquired
video image on a third memory device when the vehicle speed
threshold has been exceeded.
25. The method of claim 24 wherein storing the acquired video image
on a third memory device further comprises storing the acquired
video image on a non-volatile memory.
26. The method of claim 16 further comprising determining whether a
vehicle vibration threshold has been exceeded.
27. The method of claim 26 further comprising storing the acquired
video image on a third memory device when the vehicle vibration
threshold has been exceeded.
28. The method of claim 27 wherein storing the acquired video image
on a third memory device further comprises storing the acquired
video image on a volatile memory.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present invention claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Serial No. 60/340,790 filed on Oct. 29, 2001, entitled "Video
Recorder For An Automobile."
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to video recording devices for
creating video recordings to document events taking place within
the interior of the vehicle or external of the vehicle.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Today many police vehicles have video systems installed to
record activity taking place in front of and sometimes inside the
vehicle. The primary use of the video is evidentiary, both to show
what the officers and suspects did and to show what the officers
did not do (e.g., when police brutality is alleged).
[0004] The video information is normally recorded on videotape,
typically either VHS or HI-8 format). Most often the recorder is in
the vehicle trunk in a locked vault. Sometimes the recorder is in
the passenger compartment, with or without a vault. In most cases
the video system prevents information on the tape from being
recorded over by the officer.
[0005] The problems with the current implementations are: videotape
is not a robust medium, video recorders jam and otherwise
misbehave, and they are relatively sensitive to temperature
variations. Additionally, videotape is bulky and therefore agencies
must devote substantial storage space to the videotapes. Videotape
is a rewritable medium and therefore subject to tampering.
Videotape is a serial access medium, therefore it is difficult to
access a particular time or to search a tape. Videotape is
difficult to annotate. The current state of the art is to
superimpose text and icons on top of the image, but this may
overlay critical information on the image.
[0006] Thus, there is a need for a new and improved system and
method to create video recordings. The system and method should
compress the video data, using a technique such as MPEG4 or similar
technique. Additionally, the system and method should offer higher
image quality. Furthermore, the video data should be much easier to
process when needed.
SUMMARY
[0007] In an aspect of the present invention a system for recording
a video image is provided. The system is mounted in a vehicle and
captures the video image that is viewable from the vehicle. The
system includes a video capture device for capturing the video
image, a first memory storage device, a second memory storage
device, a vibration sensor, and a processor. The video capture
device is mounted to the vehicle. The first memory storage device
is in communication with the vehicle capture device for temporarily
storing the video image. The second memory storage device is in
communication with the video capture device and the first storage
device for permanently storing the video image. The vibration
sensor is fixedly mounted to the vehicle for detecting a vehicle
vibration. The processor is in communication with the video capture
device and the vibration sensor and has executable code for
monitoring the vibration sensor and determining whether a
predefined vibration threshold has been reached.
[0008] In another aspect of the present invention, a volatile
memory for storing the video image prior to writing the video image
to one of the first and second memory storage devices is
provided.
[0009] In yet another aspect of the present invention, a video
interface device for receiving video image data from the video
capture device and transmitting the video image data to the
processor is provided.
[0010] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the video
capture device is a digital video camera.
[0011] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the first
memory storage device is a hard disk drive.
[0012] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the second
memory storage device is a digital versatile disk drive.
[0013] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the
vibration sensor is an accelerometer.
[0014] In yet another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle
status indicator in communication with the processor for detecting
and transmitting a vehicle status to the processor is provided.
[0015] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the vehicle
status is a transmission position.
[0016] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the vehicle
status is an ignition switch position.
[0017] In yet another aspect of the present invention, a microphone
for capturing an audio signal is provided, the microphone being in
communication with the processor for receiving and storing the
audio signal on one of the first and second memory devices.
[0018] In yet another aspect of the present invention, a wireless
microphone for capturing an audio signal is provided.
[0019] In yet another aspect of the present invention, a wireless
receiver in communication with the processor for capturing the
audio signal transmitted by the wireless microphone and storing the
audio signal on one of the first and second memory devices is
provided.
[0020] In yet another aspect of the present invention, an encoder
in communication with the processor for compressing the video image
for storage on one of the first and second memory devices is
provided.
[0021] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the encoder
is an MPEG-4 encoder.
[0022] In still another aspect of the present invention, a method
for recording a video image viewable from a vehicle is provided.
The method includes acquiring a video image using a video capture
device, determining a vehicle operating state, and storing the
video image on one of a first memory storage device and a second
memory storage device in communication with the video capture
device depending on the determined vehicle operating state.
[0023] In still another aspect of the present invention, acquiring
an audio signal using an audio capture device is provided.
[0024] In still another aspect of the present invention, storing
the audio signal on one of the first memory storage device and the
second memory storage device in communication with the audio
capture device depending on the determined vehicle operation state
is provided.
[0025] In still another aspect of the present invention,
determining a vehicle operating state further includes determining
whether the vehicle is moving.
[0026] In still another aspect of the present invention, storing
the video image on the first memory storage device in communication
with the video capture device when the vehicle is determined to be
moving is provided.
[0027] In still another aspect of the present invention,
determining a vehicle operation state further comprises determining
whether the vehicle is stationary.
[0028] In still another aspect of the present invention, storing
the video image on the second memory storage device in
communication with the video capture device when the vehicle is
determined to be stationary is provided.
[0029] In still another aspect of the present invention,
determining a vehicle operation state further includes determining
whether a vehicle speed threshold has been exceeded.
[0030] In still another aspect of the present invention, storing
the acquired video image on a third memory device when the vehicle
speed threshold has been exceeded is provided.
[0031] In still another aspect of the present invention, storing
the acquired video image on a third memory device further includes
storing the acquired video image on a non-volatile memory.
[0032] In still another aspect of the present invention determines
whether a vehicle vibration threshold has been exceeded.
[0033] In still another aspect of the present invention, this
method stores the acquired video image on a third memory device
when the vehicle vibration threshold has been exceeded.
[0034] In still another aspect of the present invention, storing
the acquired video image on a third memory device includes storing
the acquired video image on a volatile memory.
[0035] These and other aspects and advantages of the present
invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed
description of the invention in combination with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0036] FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a system for capturing
and recording a video image, in accordance with the present
invention; and
[0037] FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method for capturing
and recording a video image in a vehicle and/or external of the
vehicle, in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0038] With reference to FIG. 1, a vehicle having a system 10 for
capturing and recording a video image is provided, in accordance
with the present invention. System 10 utilizes a DVD 16, which
originally stood for Digital Video Disk and now stands for Digital
Versatile Disk, and CD or Compact Disk technologies. The major
difference between the two technologies is that the DVD is newer
and can hold between 9 and 25 times the data that a CD can hold. Of
course, the present invention contemplates using emerging
technologies. In place of or in conjunction with the DVD player 16
such as Blu-ray technology. Blu-ray is an emerging technology that
has the same form factor as a CD and has a storage capacity of 27
giga-bytes.
[0039] Both technologies have at their core a mass produced
version, which uses a combination of printing and stamping
processes to produce the disks in high volume. There are also
one-time recordable versions, CD-R or DVD-R, and re-recordable
versions, CD-RW and DVD-RW. The RW stands for Re-Writable.
[0040] The CD originally had only one format, the audio compact
disk. Additional file formats for the CD have been defined which
include the CD-ROM, which has a computer file system and a Video
CD, or VCD, which uses the CD-ROM file system, with the necessary
files to make it compatible with a DVD player.
[0041] DVD disks all have a file system similar to a CD-ROM only
larger. A video DVD has the necessary files to support video, audio
versions have audio only files, and a DVD-ROM contains computer
programs and data.
[0042] The Video CD (VCD) uses MPEG-1 encoding to compress up to 80
minutes of video onto a standard CD-R, which can be played on a
computer or a recently manufactured DVD player. The quality of the
video on a VCD is approaching that of VHS tape and has been very
popular in Asia. There is some interest in the US because creating
one is very simple and only requires a regular CD-R burner. With
the availability of the DVD-R, VCD has a tough road to follow.
[0043] DVD technology has two basic configurations, DVD-5 and
DVD-9. The differences between the two are that one holds
approximately 5 GB (Giga-Bytes) of data, the other has a second
layer and can store approximately 9 GB of data. A DVD can be either
single or double sided. A double-sided DVD-9 disk can hold almost
18 GB of data, audio, or video.
[0044] The standard video DVD uses MPEG-2 compression to store
approximately two hours of video on a DVD-5 disk.
[0045] Professional DVD-R systems are designed for authoring DVD
disks that will ultimately be mass-produced. The drives support
DVD-5 and DVD-9 format disks that directly match standard
mass-produced disks.
[0046] Consumer DVD-R systems use a modified DVD-R disk that does
not support the CSS encryption system used on mass-produced DVDs.
The disks are single density and hold slightly less data than a
DVD-5 disk holds. To ensure that the professional disks are not
used in the consumer unit, the disks use inks that respond to
different frequency lasers. The consumer DVD-R drives support not
only the DVD-R and DVD-RW but also support all the CD-R/RW disks as
well.
[0047] Tape and optical disk based technologies each have their
strengths and weaknesses. Each format is discussed below.
[0048] Tape based technology is the standard for recording video,
including police video footage. For police applications, the
primary advantage the tape has is that the tape is a linear
recording technology; it starts at the beginning and goes to the
end. Because of this, it has the following advantages: (1) it
preserves the sequence of the events that have been recorded. Once
recorded the tape is difficult to modify without leaving evidence
of the modification. (2) When done recording, the tape does not
require any finishing steps, such as closing out the recording, to
make the tape usable. (3) The mass of the moving media is small and
the movement of the recording mechanism is primarily rotational,
making it relatively impervious to shock and vibration. However,
tape transports do require protection from shock and vibration in
an automotive environment so that flexing of the mechanism does not
cause the tape to move out of position, potentially causing a jam.
(4) The overall recording will survive even if a small section of
tape has a problem due to a shock or other event; only the small
section is affected. However, tape does have its problems. These
are, for example: (1) Tape is fragile; it breaks and stretches
easily and is very sensitive to environmental hazards, such as
water and other liquids. (2) High heat can destroy tape very
quickly. (3) Rough handling by humans, other living creatures, and
the tape transport mechanism also pose significant risks to tape
longevity. (4) Current tape based system do not meet automotive
environmental specifications. The current technology is to place
the tape transport in a vault and protect it from shock, vibration,
and temperature extremes.
[0049] Tape cartridges can be large and bulky and take a
significant amount of space to store. Tape archival requires that
the tape be properly wound and requires annual checkups to
guarantee that the tape stays healthy. Tape wears out after
repeated use. In situations where a tape must be read into a
computer, it is normally limited to one or occasionally two times
the original recording rate due to limitations reading a magnetic
tape.
[0050] The optical disk based technologies have been around for a
long time and have been continuously eroding the traditional analog
and tape based formats. New advances in this technology are the up
and coming formats, replacing videotape for many applications.
[0051] Optical disks have a number of advantages, they are, for
example: (1) Relative to tape, a DVD or CD is extremely rugged. (2)
Disks are compact and can hold a huge amount of data. Disks support
direct access of the data. It is possible to go directly to a
specific track on the disk. (4) In applications where the disk must
be read into a computer, the data can be transferred at several
times the original transfer rate, dependant only on the drives and
the computer capabilities. (5) Disks are not physically touched by
the read mechanism so they do not deteriorate after being
repeatedly played. (6) Disks, if properly stored, have an estimated
archival period of over 100 years. Beyond the recommended
environmental constraints, there are no required maintenance
procedures required during the archival period.
[0052] The primary disadvantage with disk-based technology is the
write process. The process of recording a disk is complex compared
to tape and requires that all the steps be completed correctly or
the disk cannot be used. An excellent example is the professional
audio recording environment. In professional recording
applications, recorders using exclusively optical disk based
recording technology are not considered reliable enough to capture
live (not staged) events. On the other hand, when used in
conjunction with a hard disk, the technology is making major in
roads into this primarily tape based market.
[0053] One, potentially serious, problem is the possibility that
during the write operation the writer mechanism will sustain a
shock that will move the read/write head out of position,
potentially damaging neighboring tracks before the laser can be
shut off. To avoid this the writer must be adequately shock
mounted.
[0054] To improve the performance of system 10, the video image
date is automatically broken up into fixed sized sections and
recorded either while capturing data or during non-capture periods.
By using fixed sized sections, possibly one hour in length, each
section would take less than 10 minutes to record.
[0055] With continuing reference to FIG. 1, system 10 for recording
video images is further illustrated, in accordance with the present
invention. Preferably, system 10 includes a video camera or similar
video capture device 12, a processor 14, a DVD-R 16, a hard disk 18
(i.e. 10 GB), a processor interface 20, a video encoder 22, a
vehicle interface 24 and a shock sensor 26. Preferably, processor
14 is a Pentium IV based computer having 1 GB of DRAM memory 28 or
the like. Processor interface 20 is a conventional video capture
and display card. In one embodiment of the present invention, two
hard disks (one for the OS, the other for video image data) as
provided. The operating system can be either Windows
98/ME/2000/NT/XP or Linux or a similar operating system.
[0056] Preferably, a user interface is provided including a colored
LCD with touch screen or programmable buttons arranged around the
periphery of the display. DVD-R 16 is mounted in a vehicle to
minimize shock and vibration and is of the two times or faster
configuration. Encoder 22 is a hardware accelerated MPEG-4 encoder
or the like and is capable of encoding video at real time rates or
faster. The MPEG-4 compression produces data rates that allow at
least eight hours on a 4.7 GB disk. This is approximately one
quarter of the data rate of MPEG-2 encoded two hour movie. Vehicle
interface 24 detects vehicle motion or speed, state of the vehicle
transmission, and ignition switch status or position. Signal lines
30 and 32 provide transmission position and ignition switch
position, respectively. Shock sensor 26 may be accelerometer based
sensor or the like that is in communication with processor 14 for
determining whether the vehicle is undergoing shock and
vibration.
[0057] In another embodiment of the present invention, system 10
includes a vehicle interface 24 that is capable of receiving
vehicle speed, lights on/off, radar data and other relevant
information which is routed to systems 10 storage devices such as
hard disk 18 and DVD-R 16.
[0058] With continuing reference to FIG. 1, yet another embodiment
of the present invention is provided wherein system 10 includes a
wireless receiver 34 in communication with processor 14 for
receiving audio data from, for example, a wireless microphone 36.
Wireless microphone 36 transmits audio data preferably
corresponding to the video image data captured by video camera 12
thereby providing a system 10 capable of capturing both the video
and audio data and recording the data on system 10 storage devices
such as hard disk 18 and DVD-R 16.
[0059] Encoding Standards for a DVD Recorder
[0060] Typically, a DVD is encoded using MPEG-2 encoding. Data
rates are variable depending on the amount of motion and can be as
high as 1.5 MBytes/Second. Thus, a DVD-5 disk is limited to
approximately 2 hours of video.
[0061] If strict compatibility with existing DVD players is
relaxed, other compression technologies can be applied,
significantly increasing the record time available on a DVD.
[0062] One potential format is MPEG-1, which is used by computers
and Video CDs. This format fits up to 80 minutes of video onto a
standard CD-R, which translates to over 8 hours of video on a DVD-5
disk. Part of the compression scheme reduces the image to a
352.times.240 image size, which approximates what VHS tape is
specified to deliver. This format may be compatible with some of
the newer DVD players that can read VCD disks.
[0063] The current compression system is MPEG-4. This compression
system reduces the video data to approximately the same size as an
MPEG-1 system but can maintain a 720.times.480 interlaced image of
DVD. Higher amounts of compression are possible by using a smaller
image size. MPEG-4 is classified as a "very low bit-rate
audio/visual coding". The current crop of tools are really Beta
level tools and are not a great indicator of the final products.
Note that MPEG-4 requires a license to use it, the details of the
licensing are still being worked out. For more information on
MPEG-4 reference is made to web site: http://www.m4if.org/. MPEG-1
and MPEG-4 encoding standards are only compatible with select DVD
players.
[0064] In an embodiment of the present invention, a method 50 is
provided for recording video images and external of in an
automobile. Method 50 includes the steps of storing the video in
memory or on a hard disk and then writing the video image data on a
DVD at a later time. For the system to be usable, compression of
the video is required so that the data can be written quicker than
the real time capture of the video image. Method 50 is used in
systems having a shock mounted DVD-R that can survive low speed
automobile operation. Further, the system is tied into the vehicle
electrical networks so that the method includes detecting
transmission, engine, and vehicle speed status. The video is
captured and immediately encoded into MPEG-4 compressed video set
to the same resolution and quality of a VHS recorder running in SLP
mode. This level of compression produces files that are
approximately a quarter to an eighth the size of standard MPEG-2
commonly used for DVD recording. This will provide between 8 and 16
hours of record time on standard DVD-R. If the vehicle is
stationary, the data is directly written onto the DVD-R. If the
vehicle is in motion the data is saved for writing at a later time.
Data written to the DVD-R is done so in a fashion so that short
sections are written at a time, preferably taking between 2 and 5
seconds to complete so that data can be written anytime the vehicle
stops moving and can be completed before the vehicle accelerates to
an unreasonable speed.
[0065] Referring now to FIG. 2, method 50 for capturing and storing
a video image is illustrated in flow chart form, in accordance with
the present invention. Method 50 starts at block 52 where the
system for acquiring and storing video images is initialized. At
block 54, the video image is captured, typically, by a digital
video camera. At block 56 a determination is made regarding the
status of the vehicle, at block 56. For example, the status of the
vehicle may be whether the vehicle transmission is in park, drive,
or neutral. If at block 56 it is determined that the vehicle is in
park or stationary, then image data that is stored in memory, such
as volatile memory, or in non-volatile memory, such as a hard
drive, is written to a permanent storage device such as a DVD-R, as
represented by block 58. At block 60, while the vehicle is in park
data is written or recorded in small blocks onto a DVD-R.
[0066] However, if the determination was made that the vehicle
status or vehicle operating state is that the vehicle is not in
park or is not stationary, then other determinations regarding the
vehicle operating state are made, as represented by block 62. For
example, at block 62 a vehicle operating state includes a vehicle
speed and as shown, a determination of whether the vehicle has
exceeded a vehicle speed threshold is made. If the vehicle has
exceeded the speed threshold, then, as represented by block 64, the
video image data is written to volatile memory, such as DRAM. If,
at block 62, a determination is made that the vehicle speed has not
exceeded the vehicle speed threshold, then at block 66, a
determination is made as to whether a vehicle shock threshold has
been exceeded. If the vehicle shock threshold has been exceeded, as
indicated by block 66 and 64, the video image data is written to
volatile memory such as DRAM. However, if the vehicle shock
threshold has not been exceeded, the video image data is written to
non-volatile memory, such as a hard drive, as represented by block
68. At block 70, the method of the present invention is complete
after all data has been written to a non-volatile memory such as a
DVD-R device.
[0067] As any person skilled in the art of video recording devices
will recognize from the previous detailed description and from the
figures and claims, modifications and changes can be made to the
preferred embodiments of the invention without departing from the
scope of this invention defined in the following claims.
* * * * *
References