JP5856849B2 - In-vehicle information recording apparatus and data writing management method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle information recording apparatus and a data writing management method, and more particularly to a technique related to a failure of a recording medium.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a general vehicle information recording apparatus, vehicle-mounted devices such as drive recorders and digital tachographs are mounted and used in various business vehicles. Many common drive recorders mounted on a vehicle automatically record data such as images taken by an in-vehicle camera and vehicle speed on a recording medium such as a memory card. Conventionally, there are a trigger recording type in which recording is performed for a predetermined time using an event such as the occurrence of a traffic accident as a trigger, and a constant recording type drive recorder in which recording is always performed regardless of the event. Many digital tachographs regularly acquire information related to vehicle operation, such as vehicle speed, engine speed, and vehicle position, and automatically record these time-series data on a recording medium such as a memory card. .

  By the way, in the drive recorder and the digital tachograph as described above, since a recording medium such as a memory card is a data storage destination, the capacity of recordable data is limited. However, since the data to be recorded is gradually added every time an event occurs or with the passage of time, there is no free space on the recording medium, and the subsequent data cannot be stored.

  Therefore, in the drive recorder, when there is no free space where data can be recorded on the recording medium, the old recording data is deleted from the recording medium in time to secure a new free space, or the old recording data Generally, data is written so as to overwrite. For this reason, it is not possible to record all long-time data, and it is not possible to leave data that is out of date.

  By the way, when using onboard equipment, such as a drive recorder, malfunction may occur. Specifically, when writing data from the vehicle-mounted device to the recording medium, correct data may not be written, and a write error or a read error may occur.

  As a cause of the writing error, there may be a problem of failure or deterioration of the recording medium. In other words, the flash memory mounted on a recording medium such as a memory card, in principle, has a limit on the number of rewrites because electrons penetrate through an oxide film that becomes an insulator during erasing and writing and deteriorate the oxide film. Yes, it deteriorates gradually with repeated data rewriting.

  When recording image data with a large data capacity on a recording medium, it is necessary to perform control so that old data is erased over time and new data is overwritten as necessary due to the recording capacity limitation of the recording medium. . That is, data rewriting is repeated for the same recording area on the flash memory. As a result, in a region where the number of data rewrites has increased on the recording medium, there is a possibility that a partial deterioration occurs and a write error occurs.

  The prior art relevant to this invention is disclosed by patent document 1, for example. Patent Document 1 proposes a technique for enabling data access in a magnetic disk control device without using a defective sector of a magnetic disk. Specifically, a replacement information semiconductor memory that stores information indicating a defective sector on a disk of a magnetic disk device, a replacement semiconductor memory that stores data as a replacement destination of the defective sector, and data access to the defective sector A control CPU is provided that performs control to switch to access to the replacement destination semiconductor memory instead of accessing to the disk when requested.

JP-A-5-101545

  By the way, in an in-vehicle device such as a drive recorder, in order to enable long-term data recording exceeding the upper limit of the recording capacity of one recording medium, it is considered to mount a plurality of recording media. For example, by mounting two recording media, the recordable capacity can be doubled compared to the case where only one recording medium is used, and recording can be performed for a long time.

  On the other hand, if a data write error or read error occurs due to a failure or deterioration of the recording medium, there is a possibility that a large amount of valuable data collected and recorded until then may be lost. It becomes impossible to write data.

  For example, when two recording media are mounted, these can be used properly. That is, when a data write error occurs, it is assumed that the write destination recording medium is switched in the same manner as the content of the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1. This makes it possible to continue writing the collected data even after an error has occurred.

  However, there is a possibility that all valuable data already written on the corresponding recording medium when an error occurs is lost. Actually, by inspecting a recording medium in which an error has occurred using a special inspection device, it may be possible to take out most of the written data from the recording medium in a normal state. However, if a long time elapses after a failure or error occurs, the recording medium receives a physical shock (vibration on the vehicle, etc.), or repeats data read or write access, There is a high possibility that the deterioration further proceeds as a cause, and there is a possibility that the data cannot be read.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to continue a recording operation when an abnormality such as a failure or deterioration occurs in a recording medium, and to record a valuable information that has already been recorded. It is an object of the present invention to provide an in-vehicle information recording apparatus and a data writing management method capable of minimizing damage caused by data loss.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the in-vehicle information recording apparatus according to the present invention is characterized by the following (1) or (2).
(1) An on-vehicle information recording device that is mounted on a vehicle as an in-vehicle device, automatically collects information related to the operation of the vehicle, and records the collected information on a predetermined recording medium,
A first recording medium and a second recording medium independent of each other as the recording medium;
A wireless communication unit for wirelessly connecting between a predetermined host device on the vehicle and outside the vehicle;
Recording control for automatically selecting one of the first recording medium and the second recording medium as a writing destination and recording the collected information on the first recording medium or the second recording medium of the writing destination And
When an abnormality in data writing to the recording medium is detected, data in a readable range is read from the first recording medium or the second recording medium selected as a writing destination, and the read data is read A backup data transmission control unit for transmitting to the host device using the wireless communication unit;
The destination to which information collected after detecting an abnormality in data writing to the recording medium is automatically set to a recording medium in which no abnormality in data writing is detected among the first recording medium and the second recording medium. And a writing destination switching unit for switching to.
(2) The on-vehicle information recording device according to (1) above,
The backup data transmission control unit recognizes that an abnormality in data writing has occurred when a test code indicating that the writing result is normal after writing is not obtained, and selects the first data Among the recorded areas of the recording medium or the second recording medium, all the data in the area where the inspection code indicating that the writing result is normal is detected as the data in the readable range. To recognize.

According to the in-vehicle information recording apparatus having the configuration (1), when an abnormality occurs in the recording medium, the readable data among the already written data is transmitted to the host apparatus by wireless communication. Can be backed up. Therefore, even if the recording medium further deteriorates after data transmission, it is possible to minimize damage to lost data. In addition, when an abnormality occurs, the writing destination of the information collected thereafter is automatically switched, so that the information recording operation can be continued, and the deterioration of the recording medium in which the abnormality has occurred is caused by access. It is also possible to prevent progress.
According to the in-vehicle information recording apparatus having the configuration (2), when an abnormality in data writing occurs in the first recording medium or the second recording medium, the data recorded in the recording medium in which the abnormality has occurred is recorded. Of these, data in a readable range can be extracted and transmitted.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the data write management method according to the present invention is characterized by the following (3).
(3) Data for controlling the operation of an in-vehicle information recording device that is mounted on a vehicle as an in-vehicle device, automatically collects information related to the operation of the vehicle, and records the collected information on a predetermined recording medium. A write management method,
When the recording medium includes a first recording medium and a second recording medium that are independent from each other, either the first recording medium or the second recording medium is automatically selected and collected as a writing destination. A recording control procedure for recording the recorded information on the first recording medium or the second recording medium as a write destination;
When an abnormality in data writing to the recording medium is detected, data in a readable range is read from the first recording medium or the second recording medium selected as a writing destination, and the read data is predetermined. Backup data transmission control procedure for transmitting to the host device outside the vehicle using the wireless communication unit of
The destination to which information collected after detecting an abnormality in data writing to the recording medium is automatically set to a recording medium in which no abnormality in data writing is detected among the first recording medium and the second recording medium. And a writing destination switching procedure for switching to.

  According to the data write management method having the configuration of (3) above, when an abnormality occurs in the recording medium, readable data among the already written data is transmitted to the host device by wireless communication. Can be backed up. Therefore, even if the recording medium further deteriorates after data transmission, it is possible to minimize damage to lost data. In addition, when an abnormality occurs, the writing destination of the information collected thereafter is automatically switched, so that the information recording operation can be continued, and the deterioration of the recording medium in which the abnormality has occurred is caused by access. It is also possible to prevent progress.

  According to the in-vehicle information recording apparatus and the data writing management method of the present invention, when an abnormality such as a failure or deterioration occurs in a recording medium, the recording operation can be continued and valuable data already recorded is lost. Damage can be minimized.

  The present invention has been briefly described above. Further, details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading through the modes for carrying out the invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a system including the in-vehicle information recording device according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing main operations of the drive recorder main body shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of area division on the recording medium.

  Specific embodiments relating to the in-vehicle information recording apparatus and the data writing management method of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<Configuration of onboard equipment and system>
A configuration example of a system including the in-vehicle information recording apparatus in the present embodiment is shown in FIG. The system shown in FIG. 1 includes an in-vehicle information recording device mounted on a vehicle as an in-vehicle device, a host device 40 installed outside the vehicle, and a wireless communication network 30 connecting them.

  The in-vehicle information recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes a drive recorder main body 10, and an in-vehicle camera 21, an acceleration sensor 22, and a speed sensor 23 connected thereto. The host device 40 corresponds to a personal computer installed in an office of a company that manages a vehicle equipped with an in-vehicle information recording device or a server installed in a predetermined data management center. As the wireless communication network 30, for example, a mobile communication network provided by a communication carrier such as a mobile phone company is assumed.

  The drive recorder main body 10 includes a microcomputer (CPU) 11, interfaces (I / F) 12, 13, 14, recording media 15, 16, a memory (SDRAM) 17, and a wireless communication module 18.

  The microcomputer 11 implements various functions necessary for controlling the drive recorder by executing a program prepared in advance. That is, a function of collecting and storing information (video, vehicle speed, acceleration, etc.) on the vehicle as needed is realized. In the present embodiment, a special process is executed when an abnormality in data writing is detected. Specific processing contents will be described later.

  A vehicle-mounted camera 21 is connected to the interface 12. The in-vehicle camera 21 has a built-in two-dimensional image sensor such as a CCD, and is fixed to the vehicle body, and can continuously shoot a subject required during operation of the vehicle. For example, by installing the in-vehicle camera 21 with the shooting direction forward or backward in the traveling direction outside the vehicle, various subjects including other vehicles and pedestrians on the road can be shot. Further, by directing the shooting direction into the passenger compartment, it is possible to take a picture of the driving situation of the crew. The interface 12 can process video signals captured by the in-vehicle camera 21 to generate image data that can be processed by the microcomputer 11.

  An acceleration sensor 22 is connected to the interface 13. The acceleration sensor 22 outputs an electrical signal indicating the magnitude of acceleration such as the front-rear direction of the traveling direction of the vehicle. The interface 13 processes the electrical signal output from the acceleration sensor 22 and outputs a digital signal representing the magnitude of acceleration to the microcomputer 11.

  A speed sensor 23 is connected to the interface 14. The speed sensor 23 is incorporated in the transmission of the vehicle, and outputs a pulse signal (vehicle speed pulse) every time the output shaft of the transmission operates a predetermined number of times. The interface 14 converts the vehicle speed pulse output from the speed sensor 23 into a signal suitable for processing by the microcomputer 11. By measuring the vehicle speed pulse, the moving speed and moving distance of the vehicle can be grasped.

  Each of the recording media 15 and 16 is a removable storage device such as a CF (CompactFlash) (registered trademark) card or an SD memory card, and has a built-in nonvolatile memory in which data can be written and read. . The microcomputer 11 can selectively access each of the plurality of recording media 15 and 16 as necessary.

  In this embodiment, when a predetermined trigger occurs, image data of a video obtained by photographing with the in-vehicle camera 21, information on the magnitude of acceleration obtained by the acceleration sensor 22, and a vehicle speed pulse output from the speed sensor 23. The vehicle speed information obtained by the above is written and stored in the recording medium 15 or 16.

  The memory 17 is a storage device (SDRAM) in which data can be written and read by accessing the microcomputer 11 and is used for temporarily storing various data.

  The wireless communication module 18 performs wireless communication with a wireless base station included in the wireless communication network 30 using an antenna (not shown), and wireless communication necessary for the microcomputer 11 in the drive recorder main body 10 to perform data communication. Secure communication lines.

  The host device 40 includes a communication interface (not shown) for connecting to the wireless communication network 30 and a hard disk device 40a. The host device 40 can perform data communication with the drive recorder main body 10 via the wireless communication network 30, and receives data transmitted from the drive recorder main body 10 and stores it on the hard disk device 40a. Can do.

<Operation of OBE>
The contents of main operations of the drive recorder main body 10 shown in FIG. 1 are shown in FIG. The microcomputer 11 of the drive recorder main body 10 periodically performs the operation shown in FIG. 2, for example, and writes data to be stored in the recording medium 15 or the recording medium 16.

  Note that the data storage destination may be assigned to either the recording medium 15 or the recording medium 16 in the initial state depending on the type of data, or may be switched alternately every time there is no free space in the storage destination. is there. As will be described later, the storage destination may be forcibly changed by the processing shown in FIG.

  In step S11, the microcomputer 11 identifies whether or not it is time to write data to the recording medium 15 that is the first recording medium. That is, it is identified whether there is new data to be stored that has not yet been stored, and whether or not the recording medium 15 is selected as the storage destination of this data. If this condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S12. If the condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S14.

  In step S <b> 12, the microcomputer 11 sequentially writes the data to be saved in the empty area on the recording medium 15. If there is no free area, writing may be performed so as to overwrite the area where old data is written.

  In step S13, the microcomputer 11 identifies whether or not the writing was successful as a result of the writing in step S12. For example, when the storage medium 15 of the storage destination is an SD memory card, a CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) code of the written data is specified when a write command ("write" command) is transmitted to the card by specifying the location of the write area. Is generated, and whether or not it is normal is identified by this CRC value. Also, it is determined that the response is not normal when there is no response to the transmitted command. If normal, the process proceeds to step S14, and if not normal, the process proceeds to step S21.

  In step S14, the microcomputer 11 identifies whether or not it is time to write data to the recording medium 16 that is the second recording medium. That is, it is identified whether there is new data to be stored that has not yet been stored, and whether or not the recording medium 16 is selected as the storage destination of this data. If this condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S15. If the condition is not satisfied, the process in FIG. 2 is terminated.

  In step S <b> 15, the microcomputer 11 sequentially writes the data to be saved in the empty area on the recording medium 16. If there is no free area, writing may be performed so as to overwrite the area where old data is written.

  In step S16, the microcomputer 11 identifies whether or not the writing was successful as a result of the writing in step S15. For example, when the storage medium 16 of the storage destination is an SD memory card, the CRC code of the written data is generated when the write command is transmitted to the card by specifying the location of the write area. Or not. Also, it is determined that the response is not normal when there is no response to the transmitted command. If normal, the process of FIG. 2 is terminated, and if not normal, the process proceeds to step S23.

  In step S <b> 21, the microcomputer 11 confirms the range of the area where data can be read out of the entire area of the write destination recording medium 15 in which the abnormality is detected. For example, when the storage medium 15 of the storage destination is an SD memory card, the CRC code of the written data is returned when a read command (“read” command) is transmitted to the card by specifying the location of the read target area. Depending on whether or not the CRC value is normal, whether or not the corresponding area can be read is identified. Further, it is determined that an area where there is no response to the transmitted command cannot be read.

  In step S22, the microcomputer 11 reads out data for each area on the recording medium 15 determined to be readable as a result of the processing in step S21, and passes this data through the wireless communication module 18 and the wireless communication network 30. To the host device 40.

  In this case, the host device 40 stores the data received from the drive recorder main body 10 on the hard disk device 40a. The data stored by the host device 40 is used for backup when data recorded on the recording medium 15 is destroyed or disappears.

  In step S <b> 23, the microcomputer 11 confirms the range of the area in which data can be read out of the entire area of the write destination recording medium 16 in which the abnormality is detected. For example, when the storage medium 16 of the storage destination is an SD memory card, the CRC code of the written data is returned when the read command is sent to the card by specifying the location of the read target area, so that the CRC value is normal. Whether or not the corresponding area can be read out is identified depending on whether or not it is. Further, it is determined that an area where there is no response to the transmitted command cannot be read.

  In step S24, the microcomputer 11 reads data for each area on the recording medium 16 determined to be readable as a result of the processing in step S23, and passes this data through the wireless communication module 18 and the wireless communication network 30. To the host device 40.

  In this case, the host device 40 stores the data received from the drive recorder main body 10 on the hard disk device 40a. The data stored by the host device 40 is used as a backup when data recorded on the recording medium 16 is destroyed or disappears.

  In step S25, the microcomputer 11 identifies whether or not normal writing can be performed on the other recording medium 16 that is not currently selected as the storage destination. For example, in the case where the recording medium 16 to be investigated is an SD memory card, a CRC code indicating whether it is normal is returned by designating the location of the area and sending a read command or sending a write command. Therefore, it is identified by this CRC value. When there is no response to the transmitted command, the recording medium 16 is recognized as abnormal. If normal writing can be performed on the recording medium 16, the process proceeds to step S26, and if not, the subsequent data recording operation is stopped (S31).

  In step S <b> 26, the microcomputer 11 forcibly switches the data storage destination from the selected recording medium 15 to the recording medium 16, and thereafter writes the data to be stored in the recording medium 16.

  In step S27, the microcomputer 11 identifies whether or not the writing was successful as a result of the writing in step S26. For example, in the case where the storage destination recording medium 16 is an SD memory card, whether or not it is normal is identified based on the CRC value returned from the card after the write command. Also, it is determined that the response is not normal when there is no response to the transmitted command. If normal, the process of FIG. 2 is terminated. If not normal, the subsequent data recording operation is stopped (S31).

  In step S28, the microcomputer 11 identifies whether or not normal writing can be performed on the other recording medium 15 that is not currently selected as the storage destination. For example, in the case where the recording medium 15 to be investigated is an SD memory card, a CRC code indicating whether it is normal is returned by designating the location of the area and sending a read command or sending a write command. Therefore, it is identified by this CRC value. When there is no response to the transmitted command, the recording medium 15 is recognized as abnormal. If normal writing can be performed on the recording medium 15, the process proceeds to step S29. If not, the subsequent data recording operation is stopped (S31).

  In step S29, the microcomputer 11 forcibly switches the data storage destination from the selected recording medium 16 to the recording medium 15, and thereafter writes the data to be stored in the recording medium 15.

  In step S30, the microcomputer 11 identifies whether or not the writing was successful as a result of the writing in step S29. For example, in the case where the storage destination recording medium 15 is an SD memory card, whether or not it is normal is identified based on the CRC value returned from the card after the write command. Also, it is determined that the response is not normal when there is no response to the transmitted command. If normal, the process of FIG. 2 is terminated. If not normal, the subsequent data recording operation is stopped (S31).

<Specific example of operation>
A specific example of area division on one recording medium 15 is shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that an abnormality has occurred in the recording medium 15. However, the abnormality does not occur throughout the entire recording medium 15, and the range of the area A1 is the data read-out. The area A2 is in a state in which data cannot be read out.

  Therefore, when the recording medium 15 in the state shown in FIG. 3 is selected as the storage destination, an abnormality occurs in the writing in step S12 in FIG. 2, and the process proceeds from step S13 to S21. The microcomputer 11 confirms in step S21 that reading can be performed within the area A1 shown in FIG. 3, and transmits all data within the area A1 to the host device 40 in step S22.

  Thereafter, when the other recording medium 16 is normal, the process proceeds from step S25 to S26, and the microcomputer 11 forcibly switches the data storage destination from the recording medium 15 to the recording medium 16 and performs the data recording operation as it is. continue.

  Therefore, even if a data writing failure occurs due to deterioration or failure in the recording medium 15 or 16, if either one of the two recording media 15, 16 is normal, the storage destination is automatically selected. Since the switching is performed (S26, S29), the data recording operation can be continued.

  Further, even when the deterioration or failure state of the recording medium 15 or 16 further progresses, the readable area (A1) of the recording medium 15 or 16 in which the defect has occurred when the abnormality is first detected. Is transmitted to the host device 40 and backed up, so that damage can be minimized. For example, even if all the data on the recording medium 15 or 16 is destroyed between the time when the vehicle equipped with the drive recorder main body 10 finishes the work of the day and returns to the office, it is backed up from the host device 40. Since the data can be retrieved, the amount of lost data can be minimized.

<Possibility of system modification>
In the above-described embodiment, it is assumed that the present invention is applied to a drive recorder, but the present invention can be similarly applied to other vehicle-mounted devices such as a digital tachograph or a taximeter.

  In the configuration example shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that data is directly transmitted from the drive recorder main body 10 to the host device 40 of the office via the wireless communication network 30, but it is arranged on a predetermined network. It may be changed so that data is transmitted from the drive recorder main body 10 to the server. Further, the number of recording media that can be mounted in the drive recorder main body 10 may be increased to 3 or more.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Drive recorder main body 11 Microcomputer 12, 13, 14 Interface 15, 16 Recording medium 17 Memory 18 Wireless communication module 21 Car-mounted camera 22 Acceleration sensor 23 Speed sensor 30 Wireless communication network 40 Host apparatus 40a Hard disk apparatus

Claims (3)

An in-vehicle information recording device that is mounted on a vehicle as an in-vehicle device, automatically collects information related to the operation of the vehicle, and records the collected information on a predetermined recording medium,
A first recording medium and a second recording medium independent of each other as the recording medium;
A wireless communication unit for wirelessly connecting between a predetermined host device on the vehicle and outside the vehicle;
Recording control for automatically selecting one of the first recording medium and the second recording medium as a writing destination and recording the collected information on the first recording medium or the second recording medium of the writing destination And
When an abnormality in data writing to the recording medium is detected, data in a readable range is read from the first recording medium or the second recording medium selected as a writing destination, and the read data is read A backup data transmission control unit for transmitting to the host device using the wireless communication unit;
The destination to which information collected after detecting an abnormality in data writing to the recording medium is automatically set to a recording medium in which no abnormality in data writing is detected among the first recording medium and the second recording medium. An in-vehicle information recording apparatus comprising: a writing destination switching unit that switches to The backup data transmission control unit recognizes that an abnormality in data writing has occurred when a test code indicating that the writing result is normal after writing is not obtained, and selects the first data Among the recorded areas of the recording medium or the second recording medium, all the data in the area where the inspection code indicating that the writing result is normal is detected as the data in the readable range. The in-vehicle information recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the on-vehicle information recording apparatus is recognized. Data writing management method for controlling the operation of an in-vehicle information recording apparatus that is mounted on a vehicle as an on-vehicle device, automatically collects information related to the operation of the vehicle, and records the collected information on a predetermined recording medium Because
When the recording medium includes a first recording medium and a second recording medium that are independent from each other, either the first recording medium or the second recording medium is automatically selected and collected as a writing destination. A recording control procedure for recording the recorded information on the first recording medium or the second recording medium as a write destination;
When an abnormality in data writing to the recording medium is detected, data in a readable range is read from the first recording medium or the second recording medium selected as a writing destination, and the read data is predetermined. Backup data transmission control procedure for transmitting to the host device outside the vehicle using the wireless communication unit of
The destination to which information collected after detecting an abnormality in data writing to the recording medium is automatically set to a recording medium in which no abnormality in data writing is detected among the first recording medium and the second recording medium. A data write management method comprising: a write destination switching procedure for switching to.

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