Emergency informing apparatus

• US 6,392,316 B1
• Filed: 03/20/2000
• Issued: 05/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshioka, Kenji, Kurosawa, Arata
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Rajnikant B.
• Application Number:
  US09/531,552
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• Field of Search: 307/66, 307/10.2, 340/426, 340/429, 340/528, 340/455, 340/531, 340/573, 340/636, 340/539
• US Class Current: 307/66
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]

Abstract

Battery test of a backup battery in an emergency informing apparatus is performed. The result of the battery test is displayed to display an amount of remaining energy, an error condition, an empty condition, a replacing timing of the backup battery. The result may be displayed by flickering an LED or an LCD. The event of the battery test is controlled with a timer to prevent a power consumption of the backup battery. That is, the battery test is effected when an engine is started after a predetermined interval has passed from the previous engine start. Moreover, a timer repeatedly generates a timing signal. If the timing signal is generated during a running condition of the engine, the battery test is performed. Moreover, at start-up of the engine if a predetermined interval has passed from the previous battery test, the present battery test is executed. The time interval data may be inputted to change the predetermined interval.

Claims

1. An emergency informing apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

power supplying means including;

a backup battery; and

voltage detection means for detecting a voltage of a battery of said vehicle, said power supplying means generating a supply power for said emergency informing apparatus from either of said battery of said vehicle or said backup battery in accordance with said detected voltage;

position detecting means for detecting a position of said emergency informing apparatus in response to a command signal;

data generation means including storing means for generating emergency data including at least identification data of said vehicle from said storing means, called party data from said storing means, and said position data in response to said command signal;

transmitting means for making a call with said called party data and transmitting emergency data to a called party indicated by said called party data in response to said command signal;

detecting means responsive to a detection command signal for detecting a condition of said backup battery; and

display means for displaying battery data in accordance with said detected condition.

2. An emergency informing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said detecting means detects an amount of remaining energy of said backup battery and said display means displays said detected amount of remaining energy as said battery data.

3. An emergency informing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising judging means for judging an error of said backup battery in accordance with said detected condition and judging a replacing timing of said backup battery in accordance with said detected condition, wherein said display means displays said battery data including data indicating said error and data indicating said replacing timing.

4. An emergency informing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said display means flickers in accordance with said detected condition.

5. An emergency informing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said display means flickers at a cycle determined in accordance with a value of said detected condition.

6. An emergency informing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said display means comprises a light emitting diode.

7. An emergency informing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said display means comprises a liquid crystal display.

8. An emergency informing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said display means comprises a light emitting diode.

9. An emergency informing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said display means comprises a liquid crystal display.

10. An emergency informing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

running condition detection means for detecting a running condition of an engine of said vehicle;

timer means having a predetermined time interval value; and

detection command signal generation means for generating said detection command signal at a timing determined in accordance with said running condition detection means and said timer means.

11. An emergency informing apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

power supplying means including;

a backup battery; and

voltage detection means for detecting a voltage of a battery of said vehicle, said power supplying means generating a supply power for said emergency informing apparatus from either of said battery of said vehicle or said backup battery in accordance with said detected voltage;

position detecting means for detecting a position of said emergency informing apparatus in response to a command signal;

data generation means including storing means for generating emergency data including at least identification data of said vehicle from said storing means, called party data from said storing means, and said position data in response to said command signal;

transmitting means for making a call with said called party data and transmitting emergency data to a called party indicated by said called party data in response to said command signal;

running condition detection means for detecting a running condition of an engine of said vehicle;

timing control means having a predetermined time interval value for generating a timing signal; and

detecting means responsive to a detection command signal for detecting a condition of said backup battery and outputting data of said detected condition, said detection command signal generation means generating said detection command signal at a timing determined in accordance with said running condition detection means and said timing signal.

12. An emergency informing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said running condition detection means comprises start-up detection means for detecting a start-up condition of said engine of said vehicle, said timing control means is responsive to said start-up detection means for measuring an interval between the previous start-up condition and the present start-up condition and comparing said interval with said predetermined time interval value, and said detection command signal generation means generates said detection command signal in response to said timing control means and said start-up detection means when said interval exceeds said predetermined time interval value.

13. An emergency informing apparatus as claimed in claim 12, further comprising inputting means for inputting said predetermined time interval to said timing control means.

14. An emergency informing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said timing control means periodically generates said timing signal at an interval corresponding to said predetermined time interval value and said detection command signal generation means generates said detection command signal in response to said timing control means and said running condition detection means when said running condition detection means detects said running condition of said engine and said timing signal is generated.

15. An emergency informing apparatus as claimed in claim 14, further comprising inputting means for inputting said predetermined time interval value to said timing control means.

16. An emergency informing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said running condition detection means comprises start-up detection means for detecting a start-up condition of said engine of said vehicle, said timing control means is responsive to said detection command signal generation means for measuring an interval corresponding to said predetermined time interval value from when said condition of said backup battery is previously detected, and said detection command signal generation means generates said detection command signal in response to said timing signal and said start-up condition detection means when said start-up condition detection means detects said start-up condition of said engine after said interval has passed from when said condition of said backup battery is previously detected.

17. An emergency informing apparatus as claimed in claim 16, further comprising inputting means for inputting time data corresponding to said predetermined time interval value to said timing control means.