ENHANCED TELEMATIC EMERGENCY RESPONSE

• US 20120295576A1
• Filed: 05/20/2011
• Published: 11/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Peterson, Don
• Granted Patent: US 8,744,401 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.2
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

An enhanced emergency notification system comprising a vehicle location device located in a vehicle, an emergency notification device located in the vehicle, a receiving/transmitting device, and an emergency responder receiving device. The vehicle location device is configured to provide data regarding a current location of the vehicle. The emergency notification device is configured to send a first signal upon a specified event, wherein the first signal includes information on the location of the vehicle obtained from the vehicle location device. The receiving/transmitting device is configured to directly receive the first signal from the emergency notification device and transmit a second signal within a range, wherein the second signal includes at least the same information as the first signal. The emergency responder receiving device is configured to directly receive the second signal from the receiving/transmitting device when within the range.

Claims

1. An emergency notification system for a vehicle, the system comprising:

a vehicle location device located in the vehicle, wherein the vehicle location device is configured to provide data regarding the current location of the vehicle;

an emergency notification device located in the vehicle, wherein;

the emergency notification device is configured to receive input data regarding the vehicle, process the input data to determine if a specified event has occurred, and send a first signal upon determining that a specified event has occurred, and;

the first signal is configured to include data regarding the current location of the vehicle received from the vehicle location device and to be sent to a receiving/transmitting device, wherein the receiving/transmitting device is configured to receive the first signal directly from the emergency notification device and automatically transmit a second signal which includes at least the same data as the first signal within a range, and;

an emergency responder receiving device, wherein the emergency responder receiving device is configured to receive the second signal directly from the receiving/transmitting device when within the range.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the emergency notification device is integrated with a telematic system of the vehicle.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the emergency notification device is configured to transmit the first signal to both a cellular tower and to the receiving/transmitting device.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the first signal and the second signal are radio-frequency wireless signals.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the first signal and the second signal are radio-frequency wireless signals on the cellular band.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the current location of the vehicle is described by coordinates obtained from global positioning satellites.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the input data regarding the vehicle comprises data regarding the status of the vehicle and wherein the first signal sent from the emergency notification device further includes data regarding the status of the vehicle.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein the data regarding the status of the vehicle includes data that an airbag has deployed in the vehicle.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the specified event is an airbag deployment in the vehicle.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving/transmitting device is located on a cellular tower.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein the emergency notification system comprises a plurality of receiving/transmitting devices and each one of the receiving/transmitting device of the plurality of receiving/transmitting devices is located in a different region.

12. A system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving/transmitting device broadcasts the transmission of the second signal omnidirectionally.

13. A system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving/transmitting device has a standby mode and an active mode, and wherein the standby mode uses less power relative to the active mode and the receiving/transmitting device in the standby mode is configured to switch to the active mode upon receiving the first signal.

14. A system according to claim 1, wherein the emergency responder receiving device is located in an emergency responder vehicle.

15. A system according to claim 14, wherein the emergency responder receiving device includes a display that is configured to visually show at least some of the data obtained from the second signal.

16. A system according to claim 15, wherein the display for the emergency responder receiving device is integrated with a pre-existing display in the emergency responder vehicle.

17. A system according to claim 15, further comprising a second vehicle locating device in the emergency responder vehicle, wherein the second vehicle locating device is configured to send data regarding the current location of the emergency responder vehicle to the emergency responder receiving device, and further wherein the data obtained from the second signal is shown on the display of the emergency responder receiving device only if the location of the emergency responder vehicle is within a predefined distance to the location of the vehicle having the emergency notification device which sent the first signal.

18. A system according to claim 15, further comprising a second vehicle locating device in the emergency responder vehicle, wherein the second vehicle locating device is configured to send data regarding the current location of the emergency responder vehicle to the emergency responder receiving device, and further wherein the display of the emergency responder receiving device displays a suggested navigational route between the emergency responder vehicle and the vehicle having the emergency notification device which sent the first signal.

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein the second vehicle locating device in the emergency responder vehicle is integrated with a pre-existing vehicle navigation device.

20. A method of emergency notification for a vehicle, the method comprising:

providing input data regarding the vehicle to an emergency notification device;

processing input data to determine if a specified event has occurred;

transmitting a first signal from the emergency notification device to a receiving/transmitting device, the first signal including data regarding the location of the vehicle;

receiving a second signal transmitted by the receiving/transmitting device, wherein the second signal includes at least the same data as the first signal, and the second signal is received by an emergency responder receiving device when within a range of the receiving/transmitting device;

determining whether a display of the emergency responder receiving device should display the data received from the second signal based on the data included in the second signal, and;

displaying an emergency notification on the display of the emergency responder receiving device including at least information regarding the location of the vehicle if the determination is that the emergency responder receiving device should display the data received from the second signal.