Vehicle emergency notification system and related method

• US 7,323,972 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2004
• Issued: 01/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Nobusawa, Hisashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George
• Application Number:
  US10/954,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20050264403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,215 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.18, 340/436
• US Class Current: 340/436
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/001 Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12

Abstract

A vehicle emergency notification system is installed on a vehicle to transmit an emergency notification signal to a base station when a collision occurs and provide with a collision sensor sensing a collision of the vehicle, a notification switch whose operation is permitted when the collision sensor senses the collision, and a communicating section transmitting an emergency notification signal to the base station. The communicating section allows the emergency notification signal to be transmitted to the base station when the notification switch is turned on.

Claims

1. A vehicle emergency notification system installed on a vehicle to transmit an emergency notification signal to a base station when a collision occurs, the system comprising:

a collision sensor sensing a collision of a vehicle to transmit a detection signal;

a notification switch having an emergency switch whose operation is permitted to transmit an operation signal when the collision sensor senses the collision; and

a communicating section transmitting an emergency notification signal to a base station, the communicating section allowing the emergency notification signal to be transmitted to the base station when the detection signal from the collision sensor is inputted and the operation signal from the emergency switch is inputted,

wherein the notification switch includes a touch type switch to be displayed over a display screen of a display device, installed on the vehicle, when the collision sensor senses the collision.

2. The vehicle emergency notification system according to claim 1, further comprising a lift-up hood system operative to lift up a hood of the vehicle when the collision sensor senses the collision,

wherein the operation of the notification switch is permitted when the lift-up hood system is actuated.

3. The vehicle emergency notification system according to claim 1, wherein the lift-up hood system lifts up a rear end of the hood upward.

4. The vehicle emergency notification system according to claim 1, further comprising an air bag control unit deploying an air bag when the collision sensor senses the collision,

wherein the operation of the notification switch is permitted by the air bag control unit, and the emergency notification signal is generated by the air bag control unit to be transmitted through the communicating section to the base station.

5. The vehicle emergency notification system according to claim 1, wherein when the notification switch is not turned on, the emergency notification signal is not transmitted.

6. A vehicle emergency notification system installed on a vehicle to transmit an emergency notification signal to a base station when a collision occurs, the system comprising:

a collision sensor sensing a collision of a vehicle to transmit a detection signal;

a notification switch having an emergency switch whose operation is permitted to transmit an operation signal when the collision sensor senses the collision; and

a communicating section transmitting an emergency notification signal to a base station, the communicating section allowing the emergency notification signal to be transmitted to the base station when the detection signal from the collision sensor is inputted and the operation signal from the emergency switch is inputted,

wherein a cancel switch, selecting not to transmit the emergency notification signal, is displayed in an area near the notification switch.

7. The vehicle emergency notification system according to claim 6, wherein when the cancel switch is turned on, the emergency notification signal is not transmitted.

8. A vehicle emergency notification system installed on a vehicle to transmit an emergency notification signal to a base station when a collision occurs, the system comprising:

collision detection means for detecting a collision of a vehicle to transmit a detection signal;

notification selection means for selecting notification to a base station, the notification selection means having an emergency switch whose operation is permitted to transmit an operation signal when the collision detection means detects the collision; and

communication means for transmitting an emergency notification signal to the base station and operative to transmit the emergency notification signal to the base station when the detection signal from the collision detection means is inputted and the operation signal from the emergency switch is inputted,

wherein the notification selection means includes a touch type switch to be displayed over a display screen of a display device, installed on the vehicle, when the collision detection means detects the collision.

9. A vehicle emergency notification method transmitting an emergency notification signal to a base station when a collision of a vehicle occurs, the method comprising:

detecting a collision of a vehicle by a collision sensor to transmit a detection signal;

displaying a notification switch when the collision is detected, the notification switch having an emergency switch whose operation is permitted to transmit an operation signal when the collision sensor senses the collision; and

transmitting an emergency notification signal to a base station when the detection signal from the collision sensor is inputted and the operation signal from the emergency switch is inputted,

wherein the notification switch includes a touch type switch to be displayed over a display screen of a display device, installed on the vehicle, when the collision is detected.