JP2014134960A - Vehicle information recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle information recording device which can maintain a proper recording state of collision data in an internal memory.SOLUTION: A vehicle information recording device 30 includes: a collision determination part 31 for determining whether or not an object collides with a vehicle on the basis of a detection value Vg of an impact sensor 21 that detects impact added to the vehicle; and an information management part 32 for recording collision data about a collision to an internal memory 33 on the basis of the determination result by the collision determination part 31. The information management part 32 records preliminary data which copies the collision data to one or more external memories (42, 52, 62, 72) communicably connected, acquires the preliminary data from the external memories according to the state of the internal memory, and restores the collision data. Thus, it is possible to maintain a proper recording state of the collision data in the internal memory 33.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle information recording apparatus that records a collision between a vehicle and an object.

  Conventionally, a vehicle information recording device has been proposed as a device that detects a collision between a vehicle and an object and records collision data relating to the collision. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which an impact applied to a vehicle is detected by an acceleration sensor, and vehicle information such as detection values of various sensors in a predetermined time before and after the collision is recorded as collision data. Such a vehicle information recording device records collision data in, for example, an internal memory provided in an in-vehicle ECU that determines the presence or absence of a collision in a vehicle.

JP 2007-126041 A

  By the way, the recorded collision data is used for verifying the behavior of the vehicle at the time of the collision and for managing the operation of the vehicle. When a collision that requires the operation of an occupant protection device such as an airbag occurs, after the collision data relating to the collision is recorded, the subsequent vehicle information recording process may be restricted for the purpose of data protection. is there. In that case, the vehicle information recording device is replaced with a new one along with the return processing of the activated occupant protection device. Then, even if the vehicle has a collision history, the vehicle information before the collision is not recorded in the internal memory of the vehicle information recording device.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle information recording apparatus capable of maintaining an appropriate recording state of collision data in an internal memory.

  The invention according to claim 1, which has been made to achieve the above object, includes a collision determination unit that determines whether or not the object collides with the vehicle based on a detection value of an impact sensor that detects an impact applied to the vehicle. An information management unit that records the collision data related to the collision in an internal memory based on a determination result by the collision determination unit, and the information management unit is connected to one or a plurality of external memories that are communicably connected. Preliminary data obtained by copying the collision data is recorded, and the collision data is restored by acquiring the preliminary data from the external memory according to the state of the internal memory.

According to this configuration, the information management unit restores the collision data according to a state in which the collision data recorded in the internal memory is insufficient. Thereby, the vehicle information recording device can maintain an appropriate recording state of the collision data in the internal memory. Therefore, even if the vehicle information recording device is newly installed in the vehicle, when the vehicle has a collision history, the vehicle information recording device can restore the vehicle information before the collision is recorded.
In addition, the code | symbol in the bracket | parenthesis of each means described in this column and the claim shows the correspondence with the specific means as described in embodiment mentioned later.

It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the vehicle information recording device in embodiment. It is a figure which shows the format of collision data. It is a flowchart which shows the control processing by airbag ECU. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the various collision and the detection value of an impact sensor, and a timing chart which shows the ON / OFF state of the recording in an information management part. It is a flowchart which shows the transmission / reception process of the collision data by vehicle-mounted ECU. It is a flowchart which shows the decompression | restoration process of the collision data by airbag ECU.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which a vehicle information recording apparatus of the present invention is embodied will be described with reference to the drawings. This vehicle information recording apparatus records collision data relating to a collision between a vehicle and an object. In this embodiment, an airbag ECU that controls the operation of an airbag apparatus that is an occupant protection apparatus for a vehicle (of the present invention). A vehicle information recording device is applied to “an occupant protection ECU”, and an information recording system is configured as a whole.

<Embodiment>
(Overall configuration of information recording system 1)
As shown in FIG. 1, the information recording system 1 includes an airbag device 10, a plurality of acceleration sensors 21, a plurality of bumper sensors 22, an airbag ECU 30, a plurality of in-vehicle ECUs 40 to 70, a communication device 80, And a drive recorder 90. In the information recording system 1, the airbag device 10, various sensors 21 and 22, various in-vehicle ECUs 30 to 70, and the like are connected to each other via a communication bus 2 so that a vehicle LAN is constructed. In this vehicle LAN, various data are transmitted and received by various communication protocols. In this embodiment, CAN (Controller Area Network) is adopted as a communication protocol.

  The airbag device 10 is an occupant protection device that protects an occupant when a collision with an obstacle or the like occurs while the vehicle is running. The airbag device 10 is driven by a drive circuit 11 connected to the airbag ECU 30 via the communication bus 2. The drive circuit 11 is a circuit that ignites an inflator of the airbag device 10 based on a control signal of the airbag ECU 30 and deploys an airbag (not shown).

  The acceleration sensor 21 is an impact sensor that detects an impact applied to the vehicle. Various types of impact sensors are conceivable. In the present embodiment, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration in a predetermined direction is used. In addition, a plurality of acceleration sensors 21 are provided at each of the front and rear portions and the left and right portions of the vehicle. The acceleration sensor 21 is connected to the airbag ECU 30 via the communication bus 2. The acceleration sensor 21 outputs a detection value corresponding to the acceleration to the airbag ECU 30 by using, for example, a change in capacitance due to the displacement of the electrode plate due to a change in acceleration in the detection direction.

  The bumper sensor 22 detects deformation of the bumper of the vehicle when the vehicle collides with an object. As the bumper sensor 22, a pressure sensor that detects an internal pressure that changes with the deformation of the bumper is applied, and a plurality of bumper sensors 22 are provided in front and rear bumper portions of the vehicle. The bumper sensor 22 is connected to the airbag ECU 30 via the communication bus 2. The value detected by the bumper sensor 22 is used for determining whether or not the collision object is a pedestrian, for example. When the acceleration sensor 21 detects an impact, the airbag ECU 30 determines whether or not a pedestrian protection device (not shown) needs to be activated based on the result of the pedestrian determination.

  The airbag ECU 30 is a control unit that activates the airbag device 10 and the pedestrian protection device in response to a collision in the vehicle and records various collisions. As described above, the airbag ECU 30 is connected to various sensors such as the acceleration sensor 21, the bumper sensor 22, and a vehicle speed sensor (not shown) via the communication bus 2, and inputs detection values of the various sensors. The airbag ECU 30 is connected to the drive circuit 11 of the airbag device 10 and the drive circuit of the pedestrian protection device, and outputs a control signal to each drive circuit. In the present embodiment, the airbag ECU 30 is configured to be supplied with electric power from the in-vehicle battery when the ignition switch of the vehicle is ON.

  The airbag ECU 30 includes a collision determination unit 31, an information management unit 32, and an internal memory 33. The collision determination unit 31 determines the presence or absence of an object collision with the vehicle based on the detection values of the plurality of acceleration sensors 21. Specifically, when the collision determination unit 31 inputs a detection value from the acceleration sensor 21, whether or not the impact applied to the vehicle is due to a collision that requires the operation of the airbag device 10 is recorded. Is determined based on each criterion. The collision determination unit 31 determines that an object has collided with the vehicle when it is determined that at least the collision data needs to be recorded.

  Here, the above “collision data” is various data relating to the collision, and as shown in FIG. 2, for example, sensor information (sensor No., detection value, detection time) of the acceleration sensor, type of collision, The maximum detection value in the front-rear direction, the maximum detection value in the left-right direction, the collision position of the object with respect to the vehicle, the time when the ignition switch is turned on / off, and the like are included. The information management unit 32 records the collision data in the internal memory 33 based on the determination result by the collision determination unit 31. The internal memory 33 is composed of a non-volatile recording medium such as a flash memory, and records various processing programs executed by the airbag ECU 30, threshold values used for determination, and the like. Further, the internal memory 33 has a storage area as an EDR (Event Data Recorder), and is configured to record a predetermined amount of collision data in order from the newest one.

  In addition, the information management unit 32 of the airbag ECU 30 records the collision data in the internal memory 33 as described above, and records preliminary data obtained by copying the collision data in a plurality of external memories connected to be communicable. This preliminary data is a copy of a part or all of the collision data, and in this embodiment, the preliminary data is the same as the data format and recording contents of the collision data shown in FIG. Then, the information management unit 32 acquires spare data from a plurality of external memories according to the state of the internal memory 33 and restores the collision data. Details of the preliminary data recording process and the collision data restoration process by the information management unit 32 will be described later.

  The plurality of in-vehicle ECUs 40, 50, 60, 70 are other in-vehicle ECUs having different functions from the airbag ECU 30, and are communicably connected to the airbag ECU 30 via the communication bus 2. In the present embodiment, the vehicle-mounted ECUs 40, 50, 60, and 70 are used for electric power steering, navigation, braking, and engine control, respectively. The in-vehicle ECUs 40, 50, 60, and 70 include control circuits 41, 51, 61, and 71 configured by a CPU, a ROM, and the like, and flash memories 42, 52, 62, and 72 that are nonvolatile recording media. . The flash memories 42, 52, 62, and 72 correspond to the “external memory” described above.

  More specifically, the in-vehicle ECU 40 for electric power steering controls the steering angle of the vehicle by controlling the operation of an EPS motor (not shown). The in-vehicle ECU 50 for navigation detects the position of the vehicle based on, for example, a GPS signal, and displays guidance to the destination. The in-vehicle ECU 60 for braking controls braking of the vehicle according to the depression amount of the brake pedal, the traveling state of the vehicle, and the like. The on-vehicle ECU 70 for the engine controls the driving force of the engine according to the depression amount of the accelerator pedal, the accelerator opening degree, and the like.

  The communication device 80 is a communication module (DCM: Data Communication Module) that performs data communication with the outside of the vehicle. The communication device 80 includes a control circuit 81 that transmits and receives data, and a flash memory 82 that is a nonvolatile recording medium. Specifically, the communication device 80 performs one-way communication or two-way communication with an information collection center outside the vehicle using predetermined communication means. The flash memory 82 of the communication device 80 corresponds to the “external memory” described above.

  The drive recorder 90 records vehicle information such as video and travel data when a collision or sudden deceleration occurs in the vehicle. The drive recorder 90 includes a control circuit 91 that determines whether or not to record vehicle information, and a nonvolatile flash memory 92 that records various setting values and vehicle information. Specifically, the drive recorder 90 inputs a detection value from a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, or the like, and detects a collision occurring in the vehicle. Then, the drive recorder 90 records the vehicle information before and after the buffered collision in the flash memory 92 with the detected collision as a trigger. The flash memory 92 of the drive recorder 90 corresponds to the “external memory” described above.

(Control processing of information recording system 1)
Next, basic control processing of the information recording system 1 having the above-described configuration will be described. When an impact is applied to the vehicle and at least one of the plurality of acceleration sensors 21 detects the impact, a detection value Vg is input to the airbag ECU 30. Thereby, airbag ECU30 calls the program which performs a process as shown in FIG. 3, and performs control processes, such as a drive of the airbag apparatus 10 and recording of vehicle information.

  The collision determination unit 31 acquires the detection value Vg by the acceleration sensor 21 input to the airbag ECU 30, and the threshold value Tg1 that is one of the determination criteria for determining whether or not to operate the airbag device 10. (Hereinafter, step is abbreviated as S) 11. Here, when the detected value Vg is equal to or greater than the threshold value Tg1 (Vg ≧ Tg1) (S11: Yes), the collision determination unit 31 causes a collision to activate the airbag device 10 (hereinafter, also referred to as “heavy collision”). Is determined to have occurred in the vehicle. More specifically, the detection value Vg in the case of a heavy collision is a value as shown by a curve Lg1 in FIG. Then, the collision determination unit 31 determines that a heavy collision has occurred at time T1 when the detection value Vg exceeds the threshold value Tg1.

  Further, here, in order to simplify the explanation, in S11, the collision determination unit 31 determines whether or not there is a heavy collision based on the detection value Vg by the acceleration sensor 21. Actually, the collision determination unit 31 comprehensively determines activation of the airbag device 10 in consideration of detection values by other sensors such as a vehicle speed sensor and a seating sensor, and prevents malfunction of the airbag device 10. doing.

  And it transfers to the starting process of the airbag apparatus 10 by airbag ECU30 (S12). Specifically, a control signal is output from the airbag ECU 30 to the drive circuit 11 of the airbag device 10, and the drive circuit 11 ignites the inflator of the airbag device 10 to deploy the airbag. At this time, the airbag ECU 30 may perform the activation process of the pedestrian protection device in parallel with the activation process of the airbag device 10. In that case, airbag ECU30 inputs the detection value by the several bumper sensor 22, determines whether a collision object is a pedestrian, and starts a pedestrian protection apparatus based on the result of the said determination. Thereafter, the airbag ECU 30 proceeds to a process after the activation of the airbag device 10 (S13). The processing after the activation includes, for example, lighting of a warning lamp indicating the operation of the airbag.

  If the detection value Vg is less than the threshold value Tg1 (Vg <Tg1) (S11: No) in the determination of whether or not the collision is a heavy collision in S11, the collision determination unit 31 records the detection value Vg and the collision data. The threshold value Tg2 which is one of the determination criteria is compared (S16). The detection value Vg in this case is a value as indicated by, for example, the curves Lg2 and Lg3 in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the threshold value Tg2 is set to a value smaller than the threshold value Tg1, which is a criterion for determining whether or not to operate the airbag device 10 (Tg1> Tg2).

  Here, when the detected value Vg is equal to or greater than the threshold value Tg2 (Vg ≧ Tg2) (S16: Yes), the collision determination unit 31 does not need to activate the airbag device 10 or the pedestrian protection device, but as vehicle information. It is determined that a collision for which collision data should be recorded (hereinafter referred to as “light collision”) has occurred in the vehicle. More specifically, the detection value Vg in the case of a light collision is a value as shown by a curve Lg2 in FIG. Then, the collision determination unit 31 determines that a light collision has occurred at time T2 when the detection value Vg exceeds the threshold value Tg2.

  Thus, the collision determination unit 31 determines whether or not the impact that has not been determined to be a heavy collision in S11 is a light collision in S16. The reason why the collision determination unit 31 gives priority to the activation determination (S11) of the airbag device 10 or the like in the control process is to quickly activate the safety device such as the airbag device 10 in the event of a heavy collision. Because it is. When the detected value Vg is less than the threshold value Tg2 (Vg <Tg2) (S16: No), the airbag ECU 30 determines that the detected impact is due to vibration during driving of the vehicle, a light collision with an object, or noise. Shall. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the recording OFF state in the information management unit 32 is maintained, and the airbag ECU 30 ends this control process.

  If the collision determination unit 31 determines that a heavy or light collision has occurred in the vehicle (S11, S16: Yes), the information management unit 32 performs a collision data recording process (S14). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the information management unit 32 performs the predetermined time L from the time T1 when the detection value Vg of the acceleration sensor 21 exceeds the threshold Tg1, and the time when the detection value Vg exceeds the threshold Tg2. The recording is turned on for a predetermined time L from T2.

  Then, the information management unit 32 outputs the detection value Vg detected during this period to the sensor information (sensor No., detection value Vg, detection time, etc.) of the acceleration sensor 21 and a control signal to the airbag device 10. The history information and the like are also recorded in the internal memory 33 as collision data. In addition, the information management unit 32 buffers the detection value Vg, and when it is determined by the collision determination unit 31 that a heavy collision has occurred, for example, the information detected after time T1 (T2) It may be recorded in the memory 33. In addition, the information management part 32 is set as the structure which controls the recording process of the vehicle information with respect to the internal memory 33 after that for the purpose of data protection, when the heavy collision generate | occur | produces in the vehicle.

  Further, the information management unit 32 records preliminary data obtained by copying the collision data recorded in the internal memory 33 in S14 in each of the plurality of external memories (S15). The plurality of external memories are the other in-vehicle ECUs 40, 50, 60, 70, the communication device 80, and the flash memories 42, 52, 62, 72, 82 of the drive recorder 90, which are communicably connected to the airbag ECU 30. It corresponds to 92. Here, in order to simplify the description, a recording process of preliminary data by the information management unit 32 and the in-vehicle ECU 40 for electric power steering will be described.

  When the vehicle ignition switch is turned on and the power is turned on, the in-vehicle ECU 40 for electric power steering calls a program for executing processing as shown in FIG. First, the vehicle-mounted ECU 40 determines whether or not CAN communication can be received (S21). Next, when the vehicle-mounted ECU 40 does not permit the reception of CAN communication (S21: No), the vehicle-mounted ECU 40 sets the reception to a permitted state (S22). On the other hand, when the vehicle-mounted ECU 40 has already been allowed to receive (S21: Yes), the process proceeds to S23.

  Subsequently, the in-vehicle ECU 40 determines whether or not a processing request signal has been received from the airbag ECU 30 (S23). If no signal is received from the airbag ECU 30 (S23: No), this process is terminated. The in-vehicle ECU 40 calls the program at predetermined intervals and repeats S21 to S23, thereby waiting for a processing request signal sent from the airbag ECU 30. When the information management unit 32 determines that there is a collision (S11, S16: Yes), the information management unit 32 sends a processing request signal related to the recording of spare data onto the communication bus 2.

  When the in-vehicle ECU 40 receives a processing request signal from the airbag ECU 30 (S23: Yes), CAN communication with the airbag ECU 30 is started. Then, the in-vehicle ECU 40 determines whether the received processing request is recording of preliminary data or reading of preliminary data (S24). Here, it is assumed that the processing request is related to recording of preliminary data (S24: Yes), and the in-vehicle ECU 40 inputs the collision data by CAN communication and records it in the flash memory 42 (S25).

  Further, the airbag ECU 30 executes the same preliminary data recording process with the other in-vehicle ECUs 50, 60, 70, the communication device 80, and the drive recorder 90. As a result, the same preliminary data is recorded in the flash memory of the other in-vehicle ECU 50 or the like. Thereafter, the airbag ECU 30 disconnects the CAN communication with the in-vehicle ECU 40 and the like, and ends the preliminary data recording process and the control process.

(Collision data restoration processing by the information recording system 1)
Next, collision data restoration processing by the information recording system 1 will be described. When the ignition switch of the vehicle is turned on and the power is turned on, the airbag ECU 30 calls a program for executing processing as shown in FIG. First, the information management unit 32 adds the current amount to the power-on counter N (S31). The counter N is the number of times power is supplied since the airbag ECU 30 is manufactured, and is stored in the internal memory 33.

  Subsequently, the information management unit 32 compares the counter N with a preset constant Cn (S32). The constant Cn is set in consideration of, for example, the inspection after the airbag ECU 30 is manufactured and the number of test activations after the vehicle is mounted. When the counter N is equal to or smaller than the constant Cn (N ≦ Cn) (S32: Yes), the information management unit 32 determines whether or not the collision data has been recorded in the internal memory 33 (S33). When the collision data is not recorded in the internal memory 33 (S33: Yes), the information management unit 32 determines that the internal memory 33 is in an initial state by replacement or initialization of the airbag ECU 30.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the information management unit 32 determines whether or not the internal memory 33 is in the initial state based on the number of times the power is supplied to the airbag ECU 30 and the presence or absence of collision data in the internal memory 33. It is determined (S32, S33). Next, the information management unit 32 allows the airbag ECU 30 to receive CAN communication (S34), and sends a processing request signal related to the restoration of the collision data to the communication bus 2 (S35).

  At this time, as described above, the other vehicle-mounted ECUs 40 and the like are in a state of waiting for a processing request signal from the airbag ECU 30 after the ignition switch of the vehicle is turned on (S21 to S23 in FIG. 5). For example, when the vehicle-mounted ECU 40 for electric power steering receives a processing request signal (S23: Yes), CAN communication with the airbag ECU 30 is started. Then, the in-vehicle ECU 40 determines whether the received processing request is recording of preliminary data or reading of preliminary data (S24). Here, it is assumed that the processing request is related to the restoration of collision data (S24: No), and the in-vehicle ECU 40 transmits all the preliminary data recorded in the flash memory 42 by CAN communication (S26).

  Subsequently, the information management unit 32 determines whether preliminary data as collision data is received by CAN communication (S36 in FIG. 6). When spare data is recorded in an external memory such as another in-vehicle ECU 40 and communication is normally executed (S36: Yes), the information management unit 32 acquires the spare data and stores it in the internal memory 33. The collision data is restored by recording (S37). Thereby, the internal memory 33 is returned to the recording state before the initial state by the replacement or initialization of the airbag ECU 30. Thereafter, the airbag ECU 30 ends the collision data restoration process.

  On the other hand, when the preliminary data as the collision data cannot be received despite the CAN communication with the other in-vehicle ECU 40 or the like being executed (S36: No), the information management unit 32 restores the collision data. The process is terminated without doing so. For example, the internal memory 33 is in an initial state, but the vehicle has no history of collision, or the ignition switch is turned off and the CAN communication is interrupted.

  Further, when the counter N is larger than the constant Cn (N> Cn) in S32 (S32: No), the information management unit 32 executes the collision data restoration process before the power-on count reaches the constant Cn. As a result, the subsequent restoration process is omitted. Furthermore, when the collision data is not recorded in the internal memory 33 in S33 (S33: No), the information management unit 32 omits the subsequent restoration process. For example, there is a case where the collision data has already been restored to the internal memory 33 by the restoration process before the number of power-on times reaches the constant Cn.

  As described above, when the information management unit 32 determines that the collision data restoration process is unnecessary (S32, S33: No), the information recording system 1 executes CAN communication with other in-vehicle ECU 40 and the like. The restoration process is finished. On the other hand, when it is determined that the internal memory 33 of the airbag ECU 30 is in the initial state (S32, S33: Yes), the information recording system 1 includes a plurality of in-vehicle ECUs 40 that record preliminary data. The spare data is acquired from either of them and the collision data is restored (S37).

(Effects of the configuration of the embodiment)
As is clear from the above detailed description, according to the airbag ECU 30 to which the vehicle information recording device of the present embodiment is applied, the information management unit 32 is a spare recorded in the external memory according to the state of the internal memory 33. The configuration is such that the data is acquired and the collision data is restored (S37). Thereby, the airbag ECU 30 can maintain an appropriate recording state of the collision data in the internal memory 33. Therefore, even if the airbag ECU 30 is newly installed in the vehicle, the airbag ECU 30 can restore the vehicle information before the collision is recorded when the vehicle has a collision history.

  Further, the information management unit 32 determines that the collision data needs to be restored when the internal memory 33 is in the initial state (S32, S33: Yes). Thereby, it can suppress that airbag ECU30, other vehicle-mounted ECU40 grade | etc., Perform unnecessary communication. Therefore, the communication load on the communication bus 2 can be reduced. Further, the information management unit 32 uses the number of times the power is supplied to the airbag ECU 30 (counter N) in determining whether or not the internal memory 33 is in the initial state (S31, S32). Thereby, the information management part 32 can grasp | ascertain the state of the internal memory 33 easily, and can reduce processing load.

  In the present embodiment, the collision determination unit 31 and the information management unit 32 constitute the airbag ECU 30 that determines whether the operation of the airbag device 10 is necessary. Here, detection values of various sensors such as the acceleration sensor 21 are input to the airbag ECU 30 and are connected to other in-vehicle ECUs 40 and the like via the communication bus 2. Therefore, by adopting a configuration in which the vehicle information recording device is applied to such an airbag ECU 30, the information recording system 1 can be efficiently configured without adding a dedicated device.

  The external memory in which the information management unit 32 records the preliminary data is flash memory 42, 52, 62, 72, 82 provided in the other in-vehicle ECUs 40, 50, 60, 70, the communication device 80, and the drive recorder 90. , 92. Thereby, the existing communication equipment (communication bus 2) and the recording medium can be used. Further, as in the present embodiment, the preliminary data is distributed and recorded in the plurality of in-vehicle ECUs 40 and the like, so that the loss of the preliminary data can be prevented and the collision data can be reliably restored.

  The collision data recorded by the information management unit 32 includes the detected value of the acceleration sensor 21 and the collision position of the object with respect to the vehicle, as shown in FIG. Collision data including such recorded contents depends on the length of the predetermined time L related to the recording target period at the time of the collision, but requires storage capacity among other vehicle information. Therefore, it is particularly useful to apply the information recording apparatus of the present invention to the airbag ECU 30 that targets the recording and restoration of the collision data because the collision data recording process and the restoration process can be made more efficient. .

<Modification of Embodiment>
Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the information management unit 32 performs the collision data restoration process when the internal memory 33 is in the initial state (S32, S33: Yes). In addition, the information management unit 32 may appropriately execute the collision data restoration process according to the state of the internal memory 33 by detecting, for example, a state in which the recording content of the internal memory 33 has been illegally rewritten. .

  The information management unit 32 is based on the counter N corresponding to the number of times the airbag ECU 30 is turned on when determining whether or not the internal memory 33 is in the initial state. On the other hand, the information management part 32 is good also as a structure based on the frequency | count of determination, for example by the collision determination part 31, for the determination whether the internal memory 33 is an initial state. That is, it is possible to grasp the state of the internal memory 33 from the number of times of actually determining the presence or absence of a collision based on the detection value of the acceleration sensor 21 and the like and the quantity of recorded collision data. In addition, for example, the information management unit 32 periodically collates collision data or preliminary data respectively stored in the internal memory 33 and the external memory, and performs the collision data restoration processing based on the result. The necessity may be determined.

  In the above embodiment, the information recording device is applied to the airbag ECU 30, and the collision determination unit 31 and the information management unit 32 constitute the airbag ECU 30. On the other hand, the information recording device may be provided in the vehicle as an EDR provided separately from the airbag ECU 30. In addition, the external memory is also provided in another in-vehicle ECU 40 or the like different from the airbag ECU 30, but a configuration may be provided in which a dedicated recording medium capable of recording preliminary data is provided. A storage device such as a PC installed in an information collection center outside the vehicle that performs data communication may be used.

  The information management unit 32 records the same spare data in a plurality of external memories. On the other hand, even when there are a plurality of other in-vehicle ECUs 40 and the like, the information management unit 32 records the spare data in one external memory and records the spare data in different external memories. Also good. And the information management part 32 can restore | restore collision data by aligning based on the detection time of the acceleration sensor 21 contained in the acquired some preliminary data. With such a configuration, the recording capacity required for each external memory can be reduced.

  Further, when the collision determination unit 31 determines that a heavy collision or a light collision has occurred in the vehicle (S11, S16: Yes), the information management unit 32 externally prepares preliminary data obtained by copying the collision data. Recorded in memory. On the other hand, the information management unit 32 may collectively record the preliminary data when the collision data is accumulated to some extent or when the vehicle ignition switch is switched on / off.

1: information recording system, 10: airbag device (occupant protection device), 21: acceleration sensor (impact sensor), 30: airbag ECU (occupant protection ECU, vehicle information recording device), 31: collision determination unit, 32: Information management unit, 33: internal memory, 40, 50, 60, 70: in-vehicle ECU, 42, 52, 62, 72: flash memory (external memory), Vg: detection value

Claims (7)

A collision determination unit (31) for determining whether or not the object collides with the vehicle based on a detection value Vg of an impact sensor (21) that detects an impact applied to the vehicle;
An information management unit (32) for recording collision data related to the collision in an internal memory (33) based on a determination result by the collision determination unit;
The information management unit records spare data obtained by copying the collision data in one or a plurality of external memories (42, 52, 62, 72) that are communicably connected, and the spare data is stored in accordance with the state of the internal memory. A vehicle information recording device (30), wherein the collision data is restored by acquiring data from the external memory.   The vehicle information recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information management unit restores the collision data when the internal memory is in an initial state.   3. The vehicle information recording according to claim 2, wherein the information management unit determines whether or not the internal memory is in an initial state based on the number of times the power is turned on to the vehicle information recording device. apparatus.   The vehicle information recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information management unit determines whether the internal memory is in an initial state based on the number of times of the determination by the collision determination unit. . The vehicle is provided with an occupant protection device (10) for protecting an occupant during the collision,
The said collision determination part and the said information management part comprise occupant protection ECU (30) which determines the necessity of the action | operation of the said occupant protection apparatus, The Claim 1 thru | or 4 characterized by the above-mentioned. Vehicle information recording device.   6. The vehicle information recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the external memory is provided in another in-vehicle ECU (40, 50, 60, 70) connected to the occupant protection ECU so as to be communicable.   The vehicle information recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the collision data includes a detection value of the impact sensor and a collision position of the object with respect to the vehicle.

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