Emergency reporting system and terminal apparatus therein

• US 6,337,641 B1
• Filed: 01/21/2000
• Issued: 01/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1999
• 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): Tweel, Jr., John
• Application Number:
  US09/488,525
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• Field of Search: 340/989, 340/988, 340/426, 340/457, 455/404, 455/456, 701/213, 701/215, 701/222
• US Class Current: 340/989
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/52 for indicating emergencies
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12

Abstract

An emergency reporting apparatus for a vehicle includes a communication device. In cases where an emergency occurs in the vehicle, the communication device is used to report the emergency to an emergency report receiving center. A user is informed of an operating condition of the communication device when the communication device is used to report the emergency. The communication device may include a radio communication device.

Claims

1. An emergency reporting apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a communication device;

first means for, in cases where an emergency occurs in the vehicle, using the communication device to report the emergency to an emergency report receiving center; and

second means for informing on a passive basis a user on an automatically generated audio basis of an operating condition of the communication device when the communication device is used by the first means.

2. An emergency reporting apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the communication device includes a radio communication device.

3. An emergency reporting apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the operating condition of the communication device includes at least one of a standby state, a calling state, a data communication state, a communication ending state, a retry calling state, a normal communication state, an abnormal communication state, and an out-of-service-area communication-impossible state.

4. An emergency reporting apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the second means comprises at least one of 1) means for generating a sound or 2) means for generating a voice.

5. An emergency reporting apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a trigger button operable by a user in cases where the vehicle causes an accident;

first means for detecting a collision of the vehicle against another object;

second means for detecting that the vehicle causes an accident in response to at least one of operation of the trigger button and operation of the first means;

third means for updatably detecting a position of the vehicle;

a memory;

fourth means for storing information of the vehicle position detected by the third means into the memory;

a communication device;

fifth means for, when the second means detects that the vehicle causes an accident, using the communication device to call an emergency report receiving center and establish connection with the emergency report receiving center;

sixth means for, when the connection with the emergency report receiving center has been established by the fifth means, transmitting the information of the vehicle position from the memory to the emergency report receiving center via the communication device;

an informing device; and

seventh means for, when the connection with the emergency report receiving center has been established by the fifth means, using the informing device on a passive basis to notify the user on an automatically generated audio basis of an operating condition of the communication device.

6. An emergency reporting apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a trigger button operable by a user in cases where an emergency occurs;

first means for reporting an emergency to an emergency report receiving center in response to operation of the trigger button; and

second means for informing on a passive basis a user on an automatically generated audio basis that the first means is reporting an emergency.

7. An emergency reporting apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein the second means comprises means for generating a beep.

8. An emergency reporting apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein the second means comprises means for generating a synthesized voice.

9. An emergency reporting apparatus as recited in claim 6, further comprising a loudspeaker provided in the second means, and third means for using the loudspeaker to execute speech communication while the first means is reporting an emergency.

10. An emergency reporting apparatus as recited in claim 6, further comprising a loudspeaker in an audio apparatus, the second means including the loudspeaker.

11. An emergency reporting network system comprising:

emergency report receiving center;

a communication network; and

emergency reporting apparatuses connectable with the emergency report receiving center via the communication network;

wherein each of the emergency reporting apparatuses comprises the emergency reporting apparatus of claim 6.