Emergency call system provided with theftproof function

• US 20010002815A1
• Filed: 01/17/2001
• Published: 06/07/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Seto, Hitoshi
• Granted Patent: US 6,587,040 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/1003 Alarm systems characterised by arm or disarm features
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/1004 Alarm systems characterised by the type of sensor, e.g. current sensing means using door lock sensors B60R25/1001
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/16 Anti-theft; Abduction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled

Abstract

An emergency call system is provided in which an arithmetic and control unit sets a drive mode or a theft prevention mode in a vehicle, in accordance with an instruction provided from a HELP center or a portable phone of an authorized user via a data transmission unit, or provided locally via an operation interface, and in which a determination as to occurrence of a theft is made accurately under the control of the arithmetic and control unit on the basis of a current vehicle location obtained via a GPS reception/gyro sensor unit, verification of an ID of a user, frequency of trials for verification of the ID, status of a door of the vehicle, and time that elapses while the door remains closed.

Claims

1. An emergency call system comprising:

a vehicle interface unit for receiving inputs of a vehicle speed pulse indicating a speed of a vehicle and signals including a status signal indicating a status of a key of the vehicle;

a data transmission unit for transmitting information indicating a status of the vehicle to one of a HELP center provided outside the vehicle and a registered portable phone, and for receiving a control signal transmitted from one of the HELP center and the registered portable phone to set a status of the vehicle;

a GPS reception and gyro sensor unit for detecting a current vehicle location;

an operation interface for locally receiving the control signal for setting the status of the vehicle;

a display unit for displaying the status of the vehicle;

an arithmetic and control unit connected to said vehicle interface unit, said data transmission unit, said operation interface, said display unit and said GPS reception and gyro sensor unit, and provided with a memory for storing a program or data controlling said vehicle interface unit, said data transmission unit, said operation interface, said display unit and said GPS reception and gyro sensor unit, wherein

said arithmetic control unit receives the control signal via one of said data transmission unit and said operation interface so as to set one of a drive mode and a theft prevention mode in the vehicle, accordingly checks an ID of a user, a frequency of trials for verifying the ID, a current vehicle location and a status of a door of the vehicle, and generates information related to the theft when it is determined that the vehicle is stolen, thus sending the information to one of the HELP center and the portable phone via said data transmission unit and displaying the information in said display unit.

2. The emergency call system according to

claim 1

, said arithmetic and control unit in the drive mode verifies the ID when the door of the vehicle is open and executes the steps of:

detecting a current vehicle location via said GPS reception and gyro sensor unit when the ID is successfully verified so as to store the detected current vehicle location;

detecting the current vehicle location via said GPS reception and gyro sensor unit when the ID is not verified, thus determining, when there is a difference between data relating to a previous vehicle location stored in the memory and data relating to the current vehicle location, that the vehicle is stolen, and stores, when there is no difference, the data relating to the current vehicle location in the memory; and

counting the frequency of trials for verifying the ID and determining, when the count exceeds a predetermined level, that the vehicle is stolen so as to notify one of the HELP center and the portable phone accordingly via said data transmission unit;

wherein

said arithmetic and control unit in the theft prevention mode determines that the vehicle is stolen, when the door of the vehicle is closed and when there is a difference between the data relating to the current vehicle location detected via said GPS reception and gyro sensor unit and the data relating to the previous vehicle location stored in the memory, so as to notify one of the HELP center and the portable phone accordingly via said data transmission unit; and

wherein

said arithmetic and control unit in the theft prevention mode verifies the ID when the door of the vehicle is open, and executes the steps of;

detecting a current vehicle location via said GPS reception and gyro sensor unit when the ID is successfully verified so as to store the detected current vehicle location;

detecting the current vehicle location via said GPS reception and gyro sensor unit when the ID is not verified, thus determining, when there is a difference between data relating to a previous vehicle location stored in the memory and data relating to the current vehicle location, that the vehicle is stolen, and stores, when there is no difference, the data relating to the current vehicle location in the memory; and

counting the frequency of trials for verifying the ID and determining, when the count exceeds a predetermined level, that the vehicle is stolen so as to notify one of the HELP center and the portable phone accordingly via said data transmission unit.