APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR TRANSMISSION OF EMERGENCY CALL DATA OVER WIRELESS NETWORKS

• US 20100202368A1
• Filed: 02/10/2009
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: HANS, MARTIN
• Granted Patent: US 8,265,022 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• 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 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for providing useful data in association with a high-priority call such as an emergency call. In one embodiment, the data comprises a data (e.g., an MSD or FSD) embedded within one or more real-time protocol packets such as RTP Control Protocol (RTCP) packets, that are interspersed within the voice or user data stream (carried in e.g., RTP packets) of an emergency call. Apparatus and methods are described for transmitting the data portion reliably from the initiating terminal (e.g., an in-vehicle system) to a Public Safety Answering Point CPSAP), by using the same transport connection as the user data.

Claims

1. A method of providing an emergency call within a network adapted for substantially real-time packet-switched operation, the emergency call comprising a composite stream having a first stream and one or more second streams, the method comprising:

providing the first stream in a substantially continuous manner;

providing the one or more second streams;

forming the composite stream using at least the first stream and the one or more second streams;

establishing a session, wherein the session is additionally adapted to route the composite stream; and

transmitting the composite stream via the session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the session comprises a real-time session established utilizing a session initiation protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first stream is comprised of a plurality of voice packets, and the one or more second streams is comprised of a plurality of data packets.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the substantially continuous manner is comprised of substantially continuously encoding a voice signal to produce the voice packets.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the one or more second streams is performed in a substantially discontinuous or non-constant manner.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the substantially discontinuous manner comprises providing data from at least one source only periodically or intermittently.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the data comprises location data, and the at least one source comprises a GPS receiver.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the composite stream, the first stream and the one or more second streams are packetized.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the act of forming comprises forming the composite stream by interspersing one or more packets of the first stream, with one or more packets of the second stream.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the interspersing is performed using a multiplexing algorithm.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming the composite stream using at least the first stream and the one or more second streams comprises:

disposing at least portions of the first stream in a plurality of RTP packets;

disposing at least portions of the one or more second streams in a plurality of RTCP packets; and

interspersing the RTP packets with the RTCP packets.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a 3GPP IMS-compliant cellular network, and the session is established utilizing the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

13. An apparatus for making an emergency call within a network capable of packet-switched operation, the apparatus comprising:

a microphone, adapted to continuously capture and digitally analyze voice into a plurality of first packets;

one or more sensors, the sensors being adapted to encode one or more parameters associated with the apparatus or a platform on which the apparatus is carried into one or more second packets;

a radio transmitter, wherein the transmitter is adapted to transmit a plurality of packets across a wireless network;

a processor in data communication with the transmitter; and

a computer-readable apparatus comprising media adapted to contain a computer program having a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processor;

generate the plurality of packets for transmission at least in part from an interspersing of the plurality of first packets with the one or more second packets;

establish a session, wherein the session is adapted to route the interspersed plurality of first packets and one or more second packets; and

transmit the interspersed plurality of packets via the radio transmitter.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the generation of the plurality of packets for transmission comprises generating a plurality of third packets, the third packets being derived from the interspersed plurality of first packets and one or more second packets.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus additionally comprises:

a radio receiver, the receiver adapted to receive a plurality of packets from the wireless network; and

a speaker adapted to digitally synthesize voice from the received plurality of packets.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus additionally comprises a speaker subsystem, receiver apparatus adapted to receive a plurality of packets from the wireless network, and separation apparatus adapted to separate the plurality of packets received from the network into a voice component and a data component, the separation apparatus adapted to:

(i) provide the voice component to the speaker subsystem; and

(ii) determine from the data component a status of receipt of the one or more second packets.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is housed substantially within a vehicle adapted to transport one or more occupants.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the apparatus comprises a satellite-based position determination receiver, and one or more sensors comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

(i) an accelerometer adapted to detect a collision;

(ii) an accelerometer adapted to detect the vehicle overturning; and

(iii) a sensor adapted to determine the vehicle occupancy.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the wireless network comprises a cellular network compliant with 3GPP IP Multimedia Core Network Sub-System (IMS) requirements, and the session is established using the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the interspersing of the plurality of first packets with the one or more second packets comprises interspersing a plurality of RTP packets with one or more RTCP packets, the one or more RTCP packets comprising a Minimum Set of Data (MSD).

21. Network apparatus configured to receive an emergency call within a packet switched network, the apparatus comprising:

a network interface adapted to receive first and second pluralities of packets via an internet protocol (IP) network in data communication with the apparatus;

a processor in data communication with the interface; and

a computer readable apparatus comprising media adapted to contain a computer program having a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions that when executed by the processor;

receive a request for a communication session, the session being adapted facilitate to transfer the first and second pluralities of packets;

establish the session;

receive the first and second pluralities of packets via the session;

extract substantially real-time user data from the first plurality of packets; and

extract emergency-related data from the second plurality of packets.

22. The network apparatus of claim 21, further comprising an audio module having a speaker and adapted to play out audio via the speaker, the audio derived from the extracted substantially real-time user data.

23. The network apparatus of claim 21, wherein the packet-switched network comprises a 3GPP IP Multimedia Core Network Sub-System (IMS), and the session is established using at least the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

24. The network apparatus of claim 21, wherein the first and second pluralities of packets comprise interspersed RTP packets and RTCP packets, respectively.

25. The network apparatus of claim 24, wherein at least a portion of the RTCP packets comprise a Minimum Set of Data (MSD).

26. The network apparatus of claim 21, wherein the emergency-related data comprises a Minimum Set of Data (MSD).

27. The network apparatus of claim 21, wherein the network apparatus comprises a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).

28. A method of placing a high-priority call within a network capable of packet-switched operation, the method comprising:

providing a substantially continuous user data stream;

providing a plurality of data related to a high-priority event;

disposing at least portions of the user data stream within a first packetized protocol structure;

disposing at least portions of the data related to the high-priority event within a second packetized protocol structure;

interspersing the first and second protocol structures; and

transmitting the composite stream over the network via a communications session.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the high-priority call comprises an emergency call, and the data related to a high-priority event comprises a Minimum Set of Data (MSD).

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the network comprises a 3G cellular network, and the transmitting comprises first establishing at least one session via a session establishment protocol.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the first packetized protocol comprises a real-time transport protocol, and the second packetized protocol comprises a real-time control protocol.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the method is initiated substantially automatically by a transmission apparatus disposed substantially within a land vehicle pursuant to the event.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the event is selected from the group consisting of:

(i) a collision;

(ii) a vehicle roll-over; and

(iii) a vehicle fire.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein the user data comprises both video and voice data.

35. The method of claim 28, wherein the data related to a high-priority event comprises substantially accurate location data for the first entity at the time of the call.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the accurate location data is not solely based on a network address.

37. A telecommunications apparatus adapted for the conveyance of emergency calls using a reliable packetized protocol transport to an entity adapted to receive packetized data from a network and process the data, the apparatus comprising:

a radio transmitter; and

apparatus in communication with the transmitter and adapted to cause transmission of packetized data over the network, the packetized data comprising first packets carrying substantially real-time user data, and second packets interspersed with the first packets and carrying emergency-related data;

wherein the first and second packets are formatted according to different protocols; and

wherein each of the different protocols support quality-of-service requirements adapted to provide the reliability.

38. The telecommunications apparatus of claim 37, wherein the emergency-related data comprises accurate location data for the telecommunications apparatus at the time of a call.

39. The telecommunications apparatus of claim 38, wherein the accurate location data is not solely based on a network address.

40. A method of routing an emergency call from a source to a destination, the method comprising:

determining if both circuit-switched and packet-switched network routes are available to route the call;

if both the routes are available;

(i) evaluating at least one of the routes against at least one selection criterion;

(ii) selecting one of the routes based at least in part on the evaluating; and

(iii) routing the call over the selected route; and

if only the packet-switched route is available, routing the call over the packet-switched route.