Security and emergency communication service coordination system and notification control method therefor

• US 6,337,621 B1
• Filed: 08/12/1999
• Issued: 01/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Yoshihide, Katayose, Takahiro, Ogino, Takayuki, Ogawa, Tsutomu, Diaz, Melvin
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US09/373,420
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: 340/425.5, 340/426, 340/427, 340/428, 340/429, 340/531, 340/532, 340/533, 340/534, 340/825.31, 340/825.32, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 180/173, 180/287, 307/10.2, 307/10.3
• US Class Current: 340/425.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/1004 Alarm systems characterised by the type of sensor, e.g. current sensing means using door lock sensors B60R25/1001
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/008 Alarm setting and unsetting, i.e. arming or disarming of the security system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A user is notified of an abnormal condition occurring in a vehicle via a Mayday system. A security apparatus which detects an abnormal condition occurring in a vehicle and which issues an alarm and an emergency communication service apparatus which communicates with a response center and which receives services from the response center during an emergency are connected so that information can be transmitted and received between them. When the security apparatus detects an abnormal condition occurring in the vehicle, the security apparatus notifies the emergency communication service apparatus of the occurrence of the abnormal condition, and in response to the notification, the emergency communication service apparatus notifies a user of the occurrence of the abnormal condition via the response center.

Claims

1. A security and emergency communication service coordination system for vehicles, comprising:

a security apparatus for detecting an abnormal condition occurring in a vehicle and for issuing an alarm; and

an emergency communication service apparatus for notifying a response center of an emergency state during an emergency, wherein the security apparatus and the emergency communication service apparatus are connected so that information can be transmitted and received between them;

the coordination system operating so that when the security apparatus detects an abnormal condition occurring in the vehicle, the security apparatus notifies the emergency communication service apparatus of the occurrence of the abnormal condition, and in response to the notification, the emergency communication service apparatus notifies a user of the occurrence of the abnormal condition via the response center, and wherein said response center prestores the correspondence among the vehicle ID numbers and the telephone numbers or the pager numbers of the contact locations, the emergency communication service apparatus sends the vehicle ID number together with an abnormal-condition occurrence notification to the response center, and the response center calls the contact location indicated by the vehicle ID number to notify the user; and

wherein said emergency communication service apparatus notifies the user of an abnormal condition-detected sensor name via the response center.

2. A security and emergency communication service coordination system according to claim 1, wherein said response center prestores the correspondence among the vehicle ID numbers and the telephone numbers or the pager numbers of a plurality of contact locations, the emergency communication service apparatus sends the vehicle ID number together with the abnormal-condition occurrence notification to the response center, and when the response center calls a first contact location indicated by the vehicle ID number and cannot notify the user, the response center calls a second contact location in order to notify the user of the occurrence of the abnormal condition.

3. A security and emergency communication service coordination system for vehicles, comprising:

a security apparatus for detecting an abnormal condition occurring in a vehicle and for issuing an alarm; and

an emergency communication service apparatus for notifying a response center of an emergency state during an emergency, wherein the security apparatus and the emergency communication service apparatus are connected so that information can be transmitted and received between them;

the coordination system operating so that when the security apparatus detects an abnormal condition occurring in the vehicle, the security apparatus notifies the emergency communication service apparatus of the occurrence of the abnormal condition, and in response to the notification, the emergency communication service apparatus notifies a user of the occurrence of the abnormal condition via the response center, and wherein said emergency communication service apparatus notifies the user of an abnormal-condition-detected sensor name via the response center.

4. A security and emergency communication service coordination system for vehicles, comprising:

a security apparatus for detecting an abnormal condition occurring in a vehicle and for issuing an alarm; and

an emergency communication service apparatus for notifying a response center of an emergency state during an emergency, wherein the security apparatus and the emergency communication service apparatus are connected so that information can be transmitted and received between them;

the coordination system operating so that when the security apparatus detects an abnormal condition occurring in the vehicle, the security apparatus notifies the emergency communication service apparatus of the occurrence of the abnormal condition, and in response to the notification, the emergency communication service apparatus notifies a user of the occurrence of the abnormal condition via the response center, and wherein said emergency communication service apparatus transmits sounds from within the vehicle together with the abnormal-condition occurrence notification and receives a command from the response center for terminating an alarm state or a command for issuing an alarm, the emergency communication service apparatus then transmitting the command to the security apparatus.

5. A security and emergency communication service coordination system for vehicles, comprising:

a security apparatus for detecting an abnormal condition occurring in a vehicle; and

an emergency communication service apparatus for notifying a response center of an emergency state during an emergency, wherein said security apparatus and said emergency communication service apparatus are connected so that information can be transmitted and received between them, the coordination system operating so that when the security apparatus detects an abnormal condition occurring in the vehicle, the security apparatus notifies the emergency communication service apparatus of the occurrence of the abnormal condition, and in response to the notification, the emergency communication service apparatus notifies a user of the occurrence of the abnormal condition and an abnormal-condition-detected sensor name via the response center; and

when the emergency communication service apparatus receives, from a response center, a confirmation command inquiring whether the security apparatus is armed, the emergency communication service apparatus identifies the operating state of the security apparatus and notifies the response center.

6. A security and emergency communication service coordination system according to claim 5, wherein said emergency communication service apparatus is operable to receive, from the response center, a command for arming, which the emergency communication service apparatus transmits to the security apparatus.

7. A security and emergency communication service coordination system according to claim 5, wherein when the security apparatus is not armed, the emergency communication service apparatus is operable to cause the security apparatus to be armed.

8. A security and emergency communication service coordination system for vehicles, comprising:

a security apparatus for detecting an abnormal condition occurring in a vehicle and for issuing an alarm; and

an emergency communication service apparatus for notifying a response center of an emergency state during an emergency, wherein the security apparatus and the emergency communication service apparatus are connected so that information can be transmitted and received between them, the coordination system operating so that when the security apparatus detects an abnormal condition occurring in the vehicle, the security apparatus notifies the emergency communication service apparatus of the occurrence of the abnormal condition, and in response to the notification, the emergency communication service apparatus notifies a user of the occurrence of the abnormal condition and an abnormal-condition-detected sensor name via the response center; and

when the emergency communication service apparatus receives, from a response center, a command for arming, the emergency communication service apparatus transmits the command to the security apparatus.

9. A notification control method for use with a security and emergency communication service coordination system for vehicles, said notification control method comprising the steps of:

notifying an emergency communication service apparatus of an abnormal-condition-detected sensor name when an abnormal condition occurring in a vehicle is detected by a security apparatus;

the emergency communication service apparatus obtaining the current position of a subject vehicle by a global positioning system receiver when the emergency communication service apparatus receives an abnormal-condition-detected notification, and transmitting the vehicle ID number, the abnormal-condition-detected sensor name, and the vehicle position information to a response center; and

the response center determining, by referring to a database, the contact-location number corresponding to the vehicle ID number contained in the received data, and notifying a user of the occurrence of the abnormal condition;

wherein when the response center cannot contact a first contact location corresponding to the vehicle ID number, the response center calls and notifies another contact location corresponding to the vehicle ID number.

10. A notification control method for use with a security and emergency communication service coordination system for vehicles, said notification control method comprising the steps of:

notifying the emergency communication service apparatus of an abnormal-condition-detected sensor name when an abnormal condition occurring in a vehicle is detected by a security apparatus;

the emergency communication service apparatus obtaining the current position of the subject vehicle by a global positioning system receiver when the emergency communication service apparatus receives an abnormal-condition-detected notification, picking up sounds from within the vehicle by a microphone disposed within the vehicle, and transmitting the sounds from within the vehicle together with the vehicle ID number, the abnormal-condition-detected sensor name, and the position information of the subject vehicle to a response center; and

the response center judging the situation of the subject vehicle from the sounds from within the vehicle, and sending an alarm termination command to the emergency communication service apparatus from the response center when the response center determines that the abnormal condition is caused by the malfunction of the sensor and sending a command for issuing an alarm when the abnormal condition is not caused by the malfunction of the sensor.

11. A notification control method according to claim 10, wherein said emergency communication service apparatus notifies the security apparatus of the received command, and the security apparatus performs an operation in accordance with the received command.

12. A notification control method for use with a security and emergency communication service coordination system for vehicles, said notification control method comprising the steps of:

providing a security apparatus for detecting an abnormal condition occurring in a vehicle and for issuing an alarm and an emergency communication service apparatus for notifying a response center of an emergency state during an emergency, wherein the security apparatus and the emergency communication service apparatus are connected so that information can be transmitted and received between them, the coordination system operating so that when the security apparatus detects an abnormal condition occurring in the vehicle, the security apparatus notifies the emergency communication service apparatus of the occurrence of the abnormal condition, and in response to the notification, the emergency communication service apparatus notifies a user of the occurrence of the abnormal condition and an abnormal condition-detected sensor name via the response center;

a user instructing a response center to confirm that the security apparatus is armed;

the response center sending an armed-state confirmation command to the emergency communication service apparatus;

the emergency communication service apparatus determining whether the security apparatus is armed, sending armed-state information to the response center when the security apparatus is armed, and transmitting disarmed-state information to the response center when the security apparatus is disarmed; and

the response center notifying the user of the armed-state or disarmed-state of the security apparatus.

13. A notification control method according to claim 12, wherein when arming is instructed by the user, the response center transmits an arming command to the security apparatus via the emergency communication service apparatus so that the security apparatus is placed in an armed mode.

14. A notification control method according to claim 12, wherein if the security apparatus is in a disarmed mode, the security apparatus is automatically placed in an armed mode.

15. A security and emergency communication service coordination system for vehicles, comprising:

a security apparatus for detecting an abnormal condition occurring in a vehicle and for issuing an alarm;

an emergency communication service apparatus for notifying a response center of an emergency state during an emergency, wherein the security apparatus and the emergency communication service apparatus are connected so that information can be transmitted and received between them;

the coordination system operating so that when the security apparatus detects an abnormal condition occurring in the vehicle, the security apparatus notifies the emergency communication service apparatus of the occurrence of the abnormal condition, and in response to the notification, the emergency communication service apparatus notifies a user of the occurrence of the abnormal condition and an abnormal-condition-detected sensor name via the response center; and

a buffer including at least one data storage area;

wherein the buffer is operable to receive data from or transmit data to either of the security apparatus and the emergency communication service apparatus.

16. A security and emergency communication service coordination system according to claim 15, wherein the buffer includes a first data storage area for storing data to be transmitted from the security apparatus to the emergency communication service apparatus, and a second data storage area for storing data to be transmitted from the emergency communication service apparatus to the security apparatus.

17. A security and emergency communication service coordination system according to claim 16, wherein the emergency communication service apparatus reads the contents of the first data storage area at a predetermined cycle, and the security apparatus reads the contents of the second data storage area at a predetermined cycle.

18. A security and emergency communication service coordination system according to claim 16, wherein the data stored in the second data storage area may include a command to the security apparatus to sound a continuous alarm, or a command to the security apparatus to stop an alarm.

19. A security and emergency communication service coordination system according to claim 16, wherein the data stored in the second data storage area may include a query to check whether the security apparatus is armed.

20. A security and emergency communication service coordination system according to claim 19, wherein the security apparatus is automatically set to an armed mode if the result of the query is that the security apparatus is not armed.

21. A security and emergency communication service coordination system according to claim 16, wherein the data stored in the second data storage area may include a command to arm the security apparatus.

22. A security and emergency communication service coordination system according to claim 15, wherein the user notification is transmitted by the emergency communication service apparatus to a response center located apart from the vehicle.

23. A security and emergency communication service coordination system according to claim 22, wherein the transmitted user notification includes an identification of the occurrence of an abnormal condition as detected by the security apparatus.

24. A security and emergency communication service coordination system according to claim 23, wherein the transmitted user notification further includes an ID number of the vehicle.

25. A security and emergency communication service coordination system according to claim 24, wherein the transmitted user notification further includes an identification of a sensor detecting the abnormal condition.

26. A security and emergency communication service coordination system according to claim 24, wherein the transmitted user notification further includes sounds from within the vehicle.