Emergency call system

• US 6,310,543 B1
• Filed: 02/15/2000
• Issued: 10/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Masashi, Yoshioka, Kenji, Nakama, Yasutoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US09/504,115
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 340/426, 340/988, 340/436, 340/438, 342/457, 701/213, 701/300, 701/115, 701/35, 455/517
• US Class Current: 340/436
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• 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 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

An emergency call system disposed in a vehicle for sending data such as on the present location of the vehicle as well as a registered details of the vehicle to an emergency call system-governing center such as a police station and an emergency call center in case of emergency such as a traffic accident or sudden illness, the improvement wherein emergency call system terminal equipment is controllable from the outside thereof. The emergency call system according to the present invention includes an emergency call communication means for telephoning the emergency call system-governing center via a telecommunication enterpriser'"'"'s base station, a control section for sending data such as on a vehicle'"'"'s travelling or heading direction as well as a vehicle'"'"'s location to the emergency call system-governing center, and a connection interface for causing one interface signal from the emergency call communication means and another from the control section to be sent out to the outside of the emergency call system terminal equipment, thereby permitting these interface signals to interface with the respective external connection equipment.

Claims

1. An emergency call system terminal equipment to be disposed in a vehicle, comprising:

an emergency call communication means for telephoning an emergency call system-governing center via a telecommunication enterpriser'"'"'s base station, said emergency call communication means being built in said emergency call system terminal equipment;

a control section for controlling said emergency call communication means, thereby sending data including a traveling or heading direction of said vehicle as well as a location of said vehicle to said emergency call system-governing center; and

a connection interface detachably connected to said emergency call system terminal equipment for establishing connection between said emergency call communication means and said control section thereby allowing communication therebetween when said connection interface is attached to said emergency call system terminal equipment, and further for releasing said connection between said emergency call communication means and said control section and for allowing said emergency call communication means and said control section to be relayed to respective external connection equipment when said connection interface is detached from said emergency call system terminal equipment.

3. The emergency call system as defined in claim 1, wherein an external interface signal from said emergency call communication means is sent out to the outside of said emergency call system terminal equipment.

4. The emergency call system as defined in claim 1, wherein an external interface signal from said control section is sent out to the outside of said emergency call system terminal equipment.

5. The emergency call system as defined in claim 1, wherein removal of said connection interface from said emergency call system terminal equipment allows a signal from said external connection equipment to provide direct access to said emergency call communication means which may be a cell phone.

6. The emergency call system as defined in claim 1, wherein removal of said connection interface from said emergency call system terminal equipment allows a signal from said external connection equipment to provide direct access to said control section.

7. The emergency call system as defined in claim 1, wherein use of a cell phone as said emergency call communication means allows a signal from said external connection equipment to provide direct access to an external interface of said cell phone.

8. The emergency call system as defined in claim 1, wherein use of a cell phone as said emergency call communication means causes a signal from said external connection equipment to provide direct access to an external interface of said cell phone, thereby making it possible to gain access including writing, overwriting, and reading to a storage means of said cell phone which may be an internal memory thereof.

9. The emergency call system as defined in claim 1, wherein use of a cell phone as said emergency call communication means causes a signal from said external connection equipment to provide direct access to an external interface of said cell phone, whereby a phone number can be written to said cell phone from said external connection equipment, and further said phone number in said cell phone can be overwritten and read therefrom.

10. The emergency call system as defined in claim 1, wherein a signal from said external connection equipment is allowed to provide direct access to said control section inside said emergency call system terminal equipment, thereby making it possible to gain access including writing, overwriting, and reading to data in said control section.

11. The emergency call system as defined in claim 1, wherein a signal from said external connection equipment is allowed to provide direct access to said control section inside said emergency call system terminal equipment, thereby making it possible to gain access including writing, overwriting, and reading to data in a storage means such as memory, said storage means being linked to said control section.

12. The emergency call system as defined in claim 1, further including an information-transmitting means for notifying a user of removal of said connection interface from said emergency call system terminal equipment when said connection interface is removed therefrom.

13. The emergency call system as defined in claim 1, further including an information-transmitting means for notifying a user of removal of said connection interface from said emergency call system terminal equipment when said connection interface is removed therefrom in a state of said emergency call system terminal equipment being electrically conducting.

14. The emergency call system as defined in claim 12, wherein removal of said connection interface from said emergency call system terminal equipment can be recorded as a history under control of said control section when said connection interface is removed therefrom.

15. The emergency call system as defined in claim 12, herein removal of said connection interface from said emergency call system terminal equipment can be recorded as a history under control of said control section when said connection interface is removed therefrom in a state of said emergency call system terminal equipment being electrically conducting.

16. The emergency call system as defined in claim 12, wherein it can be recorded as a history under control of said control section that a user is notified of removal of said connection interface from said emergency call system terminal equipment by means of voice, display or illumination when said connection interface is removed therefrom.

17. The emergency call system as defined in claim 12, wherein a history is fed into said external connection equipment under control of said control section when said connection interface is removed from said emergency call system terminal equipment, said history recording such removal of said connection interface therefrom.

18. The emergency call system as defined in claim 12, wherein a history is fed into external connection equipment through an interface signal from said control section under control of said control section when said connection interface is removed from said emergency call system terminal equipment, said interface signal from said control section being sent out to the outside of said emergency call system terminal equipment, said history recording such removal of said connection interface therefrom.

2. An emergency call system to be disposed in a vehicle, comprising:

an emergency call system terminal equipment adapted to automatically start sending data including a present location of said vehicle as well as registered details of said vehicle to an emergency call system-governing center in case of emergency, said emergency call system terminal equipment including an emergency call communication means inside said emergency call system terminal equipment and a control section located inside said emergency call system terminal equipment; and

a connection interface detachably disposed outside said emergency call system terminal equipment, wherein said emergency call communication means and said control section can be communicated to one another through said connection interface when said connection interface is attached to said emergency call system terminal equipment, and wherein said emergency call communication means and said control section can be connected to respective external connection equipment while said connection between said emergency call communication means and said control section is released when said connection interface is detached from said emergency call system terminal equipment.