WICE video

Introduction

The WICE video module makes it possible to record and monitor live video from cameras connected to in-vehicle WCUs. Video can be very useful in many automotive R&D scenarios for recording conditions in and around the vehicle, including user behavior, traffic situations, etc. The video module thus extends traditional sensor data capture modules with the ability to capture video synchronized with other time series data. Similar to other data capture modules in WICE, for instance the Signal Reader module, the video module allows both recording and monitoring of video signals, with recording triggered by configurable events. Monitoring in this context means live streaming of video from the WCU to a remote video playback tool. Recording of video is done to the SD card in the WCU, with recorded clips subsequently uploaded to the WICE back-end.

Configuration and set-up

To start using video in WICE, you need to connect one or two cameras to a WCU. The cameras are connected to USB ports on the WCU. Suggested and well-tested cameras are:

1. Logitech HD Webcam C270
2. Logitech HD Webcam C310
3. Logitech Pro Webcam

The video cameras are configured in the WICE Portal module configuration for the WCU, reachable from the “Vehicles” tab.

After the cameras have been installed and configured, a video task needs to be created in the WICE Portal.

When creating the video task, the trigger signal determining when recording of video should be started and stopped is configured. Available options are ‘Trigger button’, ‘Signal Reader’ and ‘None’. The trigger button option requires a physical button to be connected to the WCU with cameras connected, and will start/stop video recording when the user pushes the button. If trigging from Signal Reader is selected, the name of a signal recorder in a running Signal Reader assignment must be supplied. When the trigger condition of the signal recorder is met, and the signal recorder started, the video recording will also be started. When the stop condition is met, the recording will be stopped. The video module also supports recording of a pre-trig buffer, which means that video will be recorded for a configurable time period before the recording start event. If no triggering mechanism is selected (i.e. ‘None’), recording of video will be started as soon as the WCU has finished booting, and will be stopped when the WCU shuts down (typically at ignition-off).