Device and method for emergency call
First Claim
1. A device for emergency calling of an assistance center by a vehicle, the device comprising:
- an on-board system in said vehicle including;
(a) a central unit including a microprocessor and a memory;
(b) a location module configured to estimate the location of said vehicle, said location module being interconnected with said central unit and a last location of said vehicle being memorized in said central unit memory;
(c) a first sensor including a vocal interface, interconnected with said central unit, and configured to estimate the number of passengers in said vehicle on the basis of audio signals detected in a passenger compartment of said vehicle, said estimate of said number of passengers being memorized in said central unit memory;
(d) a second sensor interconnected with said central unit and configured to detect the occurrence of an accident; and
(e) a communication module interconnected with said central unit and configured to communicate with said assistance center;
wherein, when an accident is detected, said central unit is configured to communicate to said assistance center a message that includes both said last location of said vehicle and said number of passengers.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A device and method for emergency calling of an assistance center by a vehicle provided with an on-board system that includes a location module for estimation and recording of the location of the vehicle and a sensor for estimation of the number of passengers in the vehicle. The last location and the estimated number of passengers are memorized in a memory of a central unit. The on-board system includes a second sensor interconnected with the central unit and adapted to detect the occurrence of an accident and an on-board communication module that is also interconnected with that central unit. When an accident is detected, the central unit is adapted to communicate to the assistance center a message that includes both the last location of the vehicle and the number of passengers on-board.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A device for emergency calling of an assistance center by a vehicle, the device comprising:
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an on-board system in said vehicle including;
(a) a central unit including a microprocessor and a memory;
(b) a location module configured to estimate the location of said vehicle, said location module being interconnected with said central unit and a last location of said vehicle being memorized in said central unit memory;
(c) a first sensor including a vocal interface, interconnected with said central unit, and configured to estimate the number of passengers in said vehicle on the basis of audio signals detected in a passenger compartment of said vehicle, said estimate of said number of passengers being memorized in said central unit memory;
(d) a second sensor interconnected with said central unit and configured to detect the occurrence of an accident; and
(e) a communication module interconnected with said central unit and configured to communicate with said assistance center;
wherein, when an accident is detected, said central unit is configured to communicate to said assistance center a message that includes both said last location of said vehicle and said number of passengers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A process for emergency calling from a vehicle to a call center, including the steps of:
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(a) estimating a location of said vehicle and memorizing in an on-board memory a last location of said vehicle;
(b) estimating a number of passengers in said vehicle using a vocal interface on-board said vehicle and memorizing in the on-board memory said estimated number;
(c) detecting the occurrence of an accident; and
(d) communicating to said assistance center, on the detection of said accident, a message including both said last location and said number of passengers. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
calling automatically or manually said assistance center to establish a vocal connection between said vehicle and said assistance center; and
including in said message a variable that indicates the type of triggering, manual or automatic.
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18. A method according to claim 17, further including the step of identifying said vehicle or its driver to said assistance center by a telephone number of a mobile communication module that is on-board said vehicle and is used to establish said vocal connection.
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19. A method according to claim 16, further including the steps of:
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recording in a memory audio signals detected in a passenger compartment of said vehicle; and
transmitting from said assistance center, in the event that the passengers do not communicate verbally with said assistance center at the time of establishing of said emergency call, a command signal to the on-board system to retrieve the recording of audio signals.
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20. A method according to claim 16, further including the step of estimating said number of passengers using door sensors of said vehicle.
Specification