Emergency report terminal device and system

• US 20040166828A1
• Filed: 01/16/2004
• Published: 08/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yosioka, Kenji
• Granted Patent: US 7,274,924 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/344
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12

Abstract

A structure of a wireless communication device for calling an emergency report center via a cellular phone network is simplified. Further, provision is made so that voice communication can be established with the emergency report center from anywhere. To provide such an advantage, a built-in wireless communication section is used to transmit data, including a phone number of a cellular phone possessed by a user in a vehicle when an emergency report is made to the emergency report center via the cellular phone network. An operator in the emergency report center uses the phone number of the cellular phone to establish voice communication with the user. Since the built-in wireless communication section does not require a voice communication circuit, the wireless communication device structure can be simplified to reduce a size and cost of the device. Further, the emergency report center can establish voice communication with the user even when the user has to stay away from the vehicle depending on a situation.

Claims

1. An emergency report terminal device mounted in a vehicle for performing an emergency report communication process via a cellular phone network to call an emergency report center in the event of an emergency, transfer positional information about said vehicle, and establish voice communication to convey information about the emergency, said emergency report terminal device comprising:

built-in wireless communication means for performing said emergency report communication process; and

control means for transmitting a phone number of a cellular phone to said emergency report center when data is transmitted by said built-in wireless communication means.

2. The emergency report terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the data to be transmitted to said emergency report center includes the vehicle'"'"'s unique number, the emergency report terminal device'"'"'s unique number, current positional information, date/time of acquisition of said current positional information, information about a route traveled by the vehicle, dates/times of traveled route point recordings, and information about one or more causes of triggering the emergency report communication process.

3. The emergency report terminal device according to claim 1, comprising operating input means for acquiring the phone number of said cellular phone.

4. The emergency report terminal device according to claim 2, comprising operating input means for acquiring the phone number of said cellular phone.

5. The emergency report terminal device according to claim 1, comprising means for acquiring the phone number of said cellular phone when said cellular phone is connected to said emergency report terminal device.

6. The emergency report terminal device according to claim 2, comprising means for acquiring the phone number of said cellular phone when said cellular phone is connected to said emergency report terminal device.

7. The emergency report terminal device according to claim 3, comprising means for notifying a user of inability to acquire the phone number of said cellular phone when the phone number of said cellular phone cannot be acquired.

8. The emergency report terminal device according to claim 5, comprising means for notifying a user of inability to acquire the phone number of said cellular phone when the phone number of said cellular phone cannot be acquired.

9. An emergency report system in which an emergency report terminal device mounted in a vehicle performs an emergency report communication process via a cellular phone network to call an emergency report center in the event of an emergency, transfer positional information about said vehicle, and establish voice communication to convey the information about the emergency, wherein said emergency report terminal device comprises built-in wireless communication means for performing said emergency report communication process and control means for transmitting a phone number of a cellular phone possessed by a user in said vehicle to said emergency report center when data is transmitted by said built-in wireless communication means, and said emergency report center uses the phone number of said cellular phone, which is transmitted from said emergency report terminal device, to place a call to said user and establish voice communication to obtain the information about a situation in which an emergency report has been made.