Method and apparatus for detecting vehicular collisions
First Claim
1. A portable, electronic device capable of detecting a collision, the device comprising:
- a controller subsystem;
a radio-frequency transmit and receive subsystems;
a global positioning system subsystem; and
an accelerometer;
wherein the controller subsystem comprises a microprocessor and a memory, the memory having firmware stored therein, and wherein the firmware comprises at least one filter for preventing false positives from being detected; and
wherein the at least one filter is dependent on an output of the global positioning system subsystem and an output of the accelerometer.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A portable electronic device, like a cellular telephone is capable of detecting collisions between vehicles and notifying the proper authorities. The device includes a microprocessor and memory, in addition to an accelerometer and global positioning systems receiver. The memory includes at least one filter for screening out false positives, which are false collision detections. In one embodiment, the device determines its velocity. It then checks to see if its velocity falls within a range associated with moving vehicles. If so, the device monitors the accelerometer. When acceleration values in excess of a predetermined threshold are detected, the device pauses and again checks its velocity. If the velocity has fallen from the range associated with moving vehicles to a range associated with a vehicle that has sustained a collision, the device notifies emergency personnel that a collision has occurred. Another filter includes an operability check of the keypad, coupled with a notification message that the authorities will be called if the keypad has not been actuated within a predetermined time. Another embodiment includes a detector capable of detecting a vehicular cradle, such that the notification only occurs when high acceleration values are detected in a vehicle.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A portable, electronic device capable of detecting a collision, the device comprising:
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a controller subsystem; a radio-frequency transmit and receive subsystems; a global positioning system subsystem; and an accelerometer; wherein the controller subsystem comprises a microprocessor and a memory, the memory having firmware stored therein, and wherein the firmware comprises at least one filter for preventing false positives from being detected; and
wherein the at least one filter is dependent on an output of the global positioning system subsystem and an output of the accelerometer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 17)
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7. A portable, electronic device capable of detecting a collision, the device comprising:
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a controller subsystem; a radio-frequency transmit and receive subsystems; a global positioning system subsystem; an accelerometer; and a means for detecting a vehicular cradle, wherein the device actuates the accelerometer to facilitate the detection of a collision only if the vehicle cradle is detected. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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18. A portable, electronic device capable of detecting a collision, the device comprising:
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a controller subsystem comprising a microprocessor and a memory, the memory having firmware stored therein, and the firmware comprises at least one filter for preventing false positives; a radio-frequency transmit and receive subsystems; a global positioning system subsystem; an accelerometer; and a means for detecting a vehicular cradle, wherein the at least one filter comprises a plurality of actions to be executed by the microprocessor, the plurality of actions comprising; monitoring the velocity of the device; recording a plurality of velocity values in the memory; monitoring the acceleration of the device via the accelerometer; determining when the velocity falls within a predetermined range; determining when the acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold; and actuating the transmit subsystem to notify an external source that a collision has occurred when both the velocity falls within a predetermined range and the acceleration exceeds the predetermined threshold.
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Specification