Apparatus and method for processing signal of telematics terminal

• US 20050151682A1
• Filed: 01/07/2005
• Published: 07/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Hyong-Kyun
• Granted Patent: US 7,091,903 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.550
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0018 Transmission from mobile station to base station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12

Abstract

Apparatus and method for implementing an autonomous GPS function and an emergency signal transmitting function is described. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a switching unit for changing a connection path of a GPS signal received through an antenna when a request to transmit an emergency signal is made. The first converting unit receives the GPS signal and calculates position information based on the GPS signal. In another embodiment, the switching unit changes a connection path of the position information calculated by a GPS signal processing unit when the request to transmit the emergency signal is made. A mobile communications modem receives the position information and transmits same to a base station. The mobile communication modem also controls the changing of the connection path of the switching unit when the request to transmit the emergency signal is made. Accordingly, load on a control unit can be decreased.

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing a signal of a telematics terminal, comprising:

a global positioning system (GPS) functioning unit for providing an autonomous GPS function by calculating position information based on the signal;

a radio frequency (RF) functioning unit for calculating position information based on the signal and for transmitting the calculated position information to a base station when a request to transmit an emergency signal is received; and

a switching unit for selectively providing the signal received through the antenna to the GPS functioning unit during normal operation or to the RF functioning unit when the request to transmit the emergency signal is received.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the GPS functioning unit comprises:

a GPS signal processing unit for calculating the position information based on the signal provided through the switching unit; and

a control unit for providing the position information as information for vehicle navigation.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RF functioning unit comprises:

a first converting unit for calculating the position information based on the signal provided through the switching unit; and

a mobile communications modem for controlling a path of the signal within the switching unit and for transmitting the position information received from the first converting unit when the request to transmit the emergency signal is received.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first converting unit comprises a GPS signal receiver.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the switching unit comprises a switch adopting a SPDT (single pole double throw) method in which the signal is provided to one of two output terminals.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal is GPS (Global positioning System) signal.

7. An apparatus for processing a signal of a telematics terminal, comprising:

a switching unit for selecting a path of the signal;

a first converting unit for calculating position information based on the signal provided through the switching unit when a request to transmit an emergency signal is received; and

a mobile communications modem for receiving the position information from the first converting unit, transmitting the received position information to a base station, and controlling the selection of the path within the switching unit to supply the first converting unit with the signal when the request to transmit the emergency signal is received.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a GPS signal processing unit for calculating position information based on the signal provided through the switching unit when the request to transmit the emergency signal is not received; and

a control unit for implementing an autonomous GPS function based on the position information calculated by the GPS signal processing unit.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the switching unit comprises a switch adopting a SPDT (single pole double throw) method in which the signal is provided to one of two output terminals.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first converting unit comprises a GPS signal receiver for processing the signal.

11. A method for processing a signal of a telematics terminal, comprising:

directing the signal to the first converting unit when a request to transmit an emergency signal is received;

calculating position information based on the signal utilizing the first converting unit when the request to transmit the emergency signal is received; and

transmitting the position information to a base station when the request to transmit the emergency signal is received.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of directing the signal comprises:

determining whether the request to transmit the emergency signal is received; and

switching a path of a switching unit to provide the signal to the first converting unit when it is determined that the request to transmit the emergency signal is received.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of transmitting the position information to the base station is accomplished by utilizing a mobile communications modem.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

directing the signal to a GPS signal processing unit when the request to transmit the emergency signal is not received;

calculating the position information based on the signal utilizing the GPS signal processing unit; and

utilizing the position information for vehicle navigation.

15. An apparatus for processing a signal of a telematics terminal, comprising:

a GPS signal processing unit for calculating position information based on the signal;

a switching unit for selecting a path of the position information when a request to transmit the emergency signal is received; and

a mobile communications modem for receiving the position information from the GPS signal processing unit, transmitting the position information to a base station, and controlling the selection of the path within the switching unit to supply the position information to the mobile communications modem when the request to transmit the emergency signal is received.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

a control unit for implementing an autonomous GPS function based on the position information calculated by the GPS signal processing unit when the request to transmit the emergency signal is not received.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the switching unit comprises a switch adopting a SPDT (single pole double throw) method in which the signal is provided to one of two output terminals.

18. A method for processing a signal of a telematics terminal, comprising:

calculating position information based on the signal;

directing the position information to a mobile communications modem when a request to transmit an emergency signal is received; and

transmitting the position information to a base station utilizing the mobile communications modem when the request to transmit the emergency signal is received.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of directing the position information comprises:

determining whether the request to transmit the emergency signal is received; and

switching a path of a switching unit to provide the position information to the mobile communications modem when it is determined that the request to transmit the emergency signal is received.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

directing the position information to a control unit when the request to transmit the emergency signal is not received; and

utilizing the position information for vehicle navigation when the request to transmit the emergency signal is not received.