Emergency notification device and emergency notification system

• US 10,424,187 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2017
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Seto, Takayuki, Tanimoto, Hiroaki, Lin, Pingyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Mahendra R
• Application Number:
  US16/086,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20190103010A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• Field of Search: 4554041, 4554042, 4554561, 340 572, 3404255
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/004 Alarm propagated along alternative communication path or using alternative communication medium according to a hierarchy of available ways to communicate, e.g. if Wi-Fi not available use GSM
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72418 for supporting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• 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

An emergency notification device (10) for notifying an emergency notification center (2) of emergency information b from the vehicle (1) in case of vehicle emergency, comprising: a wireless communication part (15) for performing wireless communication with the emergency notification center (2); a control part (11) for controlling the wireless communication part (15) to perform wireless communication with the emergency notification center (2) in case of vehicle emergency; and an in-vehicle communication part (12, 17) for performing communication with a communication terminal (40) in the vehicle; wherein the control part (11) is configured to, in a wireless communication disabled state in case of vehicle emergency, communicate with the communication terminal (40) in the vehicle via the in-vehicle communication part to cause the communication terminal (40) to transmit the emergency information b to a predetermined emergency contact destination.

Claims

1. An emergency notification device for notifying an emergency notification center outside a vehicle of emergency information from the vehicle in case of a vehicle emergency, the emergency notification device comprising:

a wireless communication part for performing wireless communication with the emergency notification center;

a control part controlling the wireless communication part to perform the wireless communication with the emergency notification center in case of the vehicle emergency;

an in-vehicle communication part for performing communication with at least one of a plurality of communication terminals in the vehicle; and

a storage part storing device information identifying at least two of the plurality of communication terminals as registered communication terminals, wherein at least one of the registered communication terminals is portable by a driver of the vehicle;

wherein

the control part is configured to, in a wireless communication disabled state in which the wireless communication with the emergency notification center via the wireless communication part is disabled in case of the vehicle emergency, communicate with the at least one of the registered communication terminals existing in the vehicle via the in-vehicle communication part to cause the at least one of the registered communication terminals existing in the vehicle to transmit the emergency information to at least another of the registered communication terminals other than the at least one of the registered communication terminals existing in the vehicle.

2. The emergency notification device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one of the registered communication terminals existing in the vehicle is an in-vehicle communication terminal, and

wherein the control part is configured to:

acquire device information about the in-vehicle communication terminal via the in-vehicle communication part;

judge whether or not the in-vehicle communication terminal that the control part has communicated with is any one of the registered communication terminals, based on the device information stored in the storage part; and

cause the in-vehicle communication terminal to transmit the emergency information, if the in-vehicle communication terminal that the control part has communicated with is the any one of the registered communication terminals.

3. The emergency notification device according to claim 2, wherein the storage part stores a communication address of the registered communication terminals.

4. The emergency notification device according to claim 3, wherein, in the wireless communication disabled state, the control part is configured to:

judge whether or not the control part is in a state of communicating with the any one of the registered communication terminals via the in-vehicle communication part; and

cause the registered communication terminal to transmit the emergency information, if the any one of the registered communication terminals is in the communication state.

5. The emergency notification device according to claim 3, wherein, in the wireless communication disabled state, the control part is configured to:

judge whether or not the control part is in a state of communicating with the any one of the registered communication terminals via the in-vehicle communication part; and

if none of the registered communication terminals is in the communication state, establish a vehicle communication link with any other of the registered communication terminals via the in-vehicle communication part and cause the any other of the registered communication terminals to transmit the emergency information.

7. The emergency notification device according to claim 4, wherein, in the wireless communication disabled state, the control part is configured to:

judge whether or not the control part is in the state of communicating with the any one of the registered communication terminals via the in-vehicle communication part; and

if none of the registered communication terminals is in the communication state, establish a vehicle communication link with any other of the registered communication terminals via the in-vehicle communication part and cause the any other of the registered communication terminals to transmit the emergency information.

6. An emergency notification system comprising:

an emergency notification device for notifying an emergency notification center outside a vehicle of emergency information from the vehicle in case of a vehicle emergency; and

a plurality of communication terminals;

wherein

the emergency notification device comprises;

a wireless communication part for performing wireless communication with the emergency notification center;

a control part controlling the wireless communication part to perform the wireless communication with the emergency notification center in case of the vehicle emergency;

an in-vehicle communication part for performing communication with at least one of the plurality of communication terminals; and

a storage part storing device information identifying at least two of the plurality of communication terminals as registered communication terminals, wherein at least one of the registered communication terminals is portable by a driver of the vehicle;

wherein

the control part is configured to, in a wireless communication disabled state in which the wireless communication with the emergency notification center via the wireless communication part is disabled in case of the vehicle emergency, transmit an emergency information transmission command signal to the at least one of the registered communication terminals existing in the vehicle via the in-vehicle communication part in order to cause the at least one of the registered communication terminals existing in the vehicle to execute transmission of the emergency information to at least another of the registered communication terminals; and

the at least one of the registered communication terminals existing in the vehicle is configured to transmit the emergency information to the at least another of the registered communication terminals other than the at least one of the registered communication terminals existing in the vehicle in response to receiving the emergency information transmission command signal.