Method and apparatus for controlling antennas in vehicle communication system

• US 10,003,361 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2015
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Kim, Jang Yeol
• Primary Examiner(s): Karikari, Kwasi
• Application Number:
  US14/604,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20160087655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0027 Post collision measures, e.g. notifying emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/00 Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles B60R22/00; devices, apparatus or methods for life-saving in general A62B; safety devices for propulsion unit control specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles B60K28/00; seats constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats, B60N2/42; energy-absorbing arrangements for hand wheels for steering vehicles B62D1/11; energy-absorbing arrangements for vehicle steering columns B62D1/19; harnessing in aircraft B64D25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/005 adapting radio receivers, transmitters andtransceivers for operation on two or more bands, i.e. frequency ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/336 Signal-to-interference ratio [SIR] or carrier-to-interference ratio [CIR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0808 comparing all antennas before reception
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0825 with main and with auxiliary or diversity antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0834 based on external parameters, e.g. subscriber speed or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A method for controlling antennas in a vehicle having an external antenna and an internal antenna includes triggering an eCall service function upon sensing an accident occurrence event, measuring a quality of one or more wireless signals received through the external antenna, comparing the measured quality of the wireless signals with a reference quality value, and selecting one of the external antenna and the internal antenna to be used in the eCall service function based on the results of the step of comparing the measured quality of the wireless signals with the reference quality value. A system of emergency communication of a vehicle is also provided.

Claims

1. A method for controlling antennas in a vehicle having an external antenna and an internal antenna, the method comprising:

triggering an eCall service function upon sensing an accident occurrence event;

measuring a quality of wireless signal received through a mobile communication antenna of the external antenna;

judging whether or not position information through a GPS antenna of the external antenna is normally acquired;

performing the eCall service through a mobile communication antenna of the internal antenna when the measured quality of the wireless signal is less than a reference quality value;

acquiring current position information through the GPS antenna of the internal antenna when the normal acquisition of the position information through the GPS antenna of the external antenna is unavailable; and

transmitting, by a rescue center, a warning message of an accident to approaching peripheral vehicles; and

identifying, by the rescue center, an insurance company insuring the vehicle in the accident using vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle,

wherein the triggering an eCall service function uses a eCall button provided at one side of a room mirror,

wherein the warning message includes information regarding a position where the accident occurs and information regarding a traffic state around an area where the accident occurs, and

wherein the judging whether or not position information through a GPS antenna of the external antenna is determined based on a rate of normally received positioning signals during a designated first movement section.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the accident occurrence event is generated when the intensity of impact applied to the exterior of the vehicle is greater than or equal to a reference impact intensity value.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the accident occurrence event is generated when trouble or malfunction is sensed by an electronic controller in the vehicle.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the accident occurrence event is generated when at least one air bag provided in the vehicle is deployed or an eCall button mounted in the vehicle is pressed.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising judging whether or not the current position information is normally acquirable through the GPS antenna of the internal antenna during a designated second movement section.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measured quality of the one or more wireless signals is at least one of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), a signal to noise ratio (SNR), a bit error rate (BER), and a block error rate (BLER) of wireless signals received from a base station of a mobile communication network.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the quality of the wireless signals is determined by averaging values periodically measured for a unit time.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising acquiring current position information of the vehicle through the one of the external antenna and the internal antenna selected, wherein the acquired current position information and vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle are transmitted to a rescue center by a text message.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising setting a call channel for the eCall service function, the call channel connected to a rescue center, wherein the call channel includes at least one of a voice call channel, a video call channel, and a packet data channel.

10. The method according to claim 5, wherein a distance of the designated second movement section is less than that of the designated first movement section.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising informing, by the rescue center, the identified insurance company of accident occurrence data.