Apparatus and method for initiating an emergency call using a personal communication device

• US 10,194,484 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2015
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lucero, Jacob, Miller, Thomas Lee, Reed, Eric L., Smyth, Cameron
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US14/857,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20170086045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• Field of Search: 4554041, 4555692, 4555759
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

A vehicle system includes a controller configured to receive a vehicle state signal indicative of a vehicle being in an emergency state, repeatedly transmit a request, via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), to a personal communication device (PCD) to contact an emergency provider in response to receiving the vehicle state signal, and stop transmitting the request to contact the emergency provider in response to receiving an acknowledgement from the PCD that the emergency provider was contacted.

Claims

1. A vehicle system comprising:

a controller configured to;

responsive to a vehicle being in an emergency state, initiate a timer after determining whether a previously connected personal communication device (PCD) is within a predetermined signal range of the vehicle;

repeatedly transmit a request including a unique identifier of the vehicle, via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), to a non-previously connected PCD to contact an emergency provider; and

stop transmitting the request responsive to an acknowledgement from the PCD including the identifier that the emergency provider was contacted.

2. The vehicle system of claim 1 wherein the PCD was not previously electrically connected to the vehicle.

3. The vehicle system of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to receive the acknowledgement, via BLE, from the PCD in response to the PCD receiving an input accepting the request to contact the emergency provider.

4. The vehicle system of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to receive the acknowledgement, via BLE, from the PCD in response to:

(i) the PCD receiving an input rejecting the request,

(ii) the PCD transmitting the request to a service provider server (SPS), and

(iii) the PCD receiving a signal from the SPS indicating that the emergency provider was contacted.

5. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to transmit the request to the PCD to contact the emergency provider in response to determining that the timer has not expired and the previously connected PCD is not within the predetermined signal range of the vehicle.

6. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to stop transmitting the request to contact the emergency provider in response to determining that the timer expired.

7. The vehicle system of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to receive a first input indicative of a user command at the vehicle to stop transmitting the request to the PCD.

8. The vehicle system of claim 1 wherein the request includes at least one of a vehicle location, a vehicle description, a number of vehicle occupants, a seat belt status, an air bag status, and a vehicle-specific identifier.

9. A personal communication device comprising:

a controller configured to;

receive a request from a vehicle, via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), to contact an emergency provider, the request including a unique identifier of the vehicle;

in response to receiving a first input accepting the request and contacting the emergency provider, transmit an acknowledgement including the identifier to the vehicle, via BLE, that the emergency provider was contacted; and

in response to receiving a second input rejecting the request, transmitting the request to a service provider server (SPS), and receiving from the SPS a signal including the identifier and indicating that the emergency provider was contacted, transmit an acknowledgement including the identifier to the vehicle, via BLE, that the emergency provider was contacted.

10. The personal communication device of claim 9 wherein the controller is further configured to transmit to the vehicle, via BLE, the acknowledgement that the emergency provider was contacted in response to (i) receiving the second input rejecting the request, (ii) transmitting the request to the SPS, and (iii) receiving from the SPS, within a predetermined period, the signal indicating that the emergency provider was contacted.

11. A method for a vehicle comprising:

receiving, by a controller including a transceiver, a vehicle emergency state signal;

transmitting a request including a unique identifier of the vehicle, via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), to a personal communication device (PCD) to contact an emergency provider in response to the emergency state signal and after an initiation of a timer following a determination whether a previously connected PCD is within a predetermined signal range of the vehicle;

receiving, at the controller, via BLE, a PCD acknowledgement including the identifier and indicating the emergency provider was contacted; and

stopping, at the controller, the transmitting of the request in response to receiving the acknowledgement.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the PCD was not previously electrically connected to the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein receiving the acknowledgement, via BLE, from the PCD is in response to the PCD receiving an input indicative of a user accepting the request to contact the emergency provider.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein receiving the acknowledgement from the PCD is in response to:

(i) the PCD receiving an input indicative of a user rejecting the request to contact the emergency provider, (ii) the PCD transmitting the request to a service provider server (SPS), and (iii) the PCD receiving a signal from the SPS indicating that the emergency provider was contacted.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein transmitting the request to the PCD to contact the emergency provider is in response to, at the controller, determining that the timer has not expired and the previously connected PCD is not within the predetermined signal range of the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein stopping of transmitting of the request to contact the emergency provider is in response to, at the controller, determining that the timer expired.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein stopping of transmitting of the request to contact the emergency provider is in response to receiving, at the controller, a first input indicative of a user command at the vehicle to stop transmitting the request to the PCD.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the request to contact the emergency provider includes at least one of a vehicle location, a vehicle description, a number of vehicle occupants, a seat belt status, an air bag status, and a vehicle-specific identifier.