Emergency-call device for a motor vehicle

• US 7,495,547 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2004
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Mack, Frank, Lich, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mehmood; Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US10/558,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20070096886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,797 Days
• Field of Search: 340/467, 340/463, 340/464, 340/466, 340/457.1, 340/459, 340/539.12, 340/667, 3404041-4042, 340/425.5, 340/426.15, 340/426.17, 340/436, 340/437, 340/457, 340/471, 340/472, 340/473, 701300-302, 701/45, 455/460
• US Class Current: 340/425.5
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

An emergency-call device for a motor vehicle has a sensor system for detecting the accelerations acting upon the vehicle and its occupants, an analyzer unit and a transmitter unit for automatically placing an emergency call. Such an emergency-call device is to be equipped with devices for estimating the type and extent of the occupants'"'"' injuries, a model of the occupants being used as a basis. The thus obtained information about injury type and extent is transmitted automatically together with the emergency call to a rescue coordination center, so that appropriate relief measures may be taken rapidly.

Claims

1. An emergency-call device for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a sensor system for detecting an acceleration acting on at least one of the vehicle and an occupant of the vehicle,

an analyzer unit;

a transmitter unit for automatically placing an emergency call; and

an arrangement for estimating a type and extent of an injury of the occupant, the estimating being based on a model of the occupant,

wherein the model of the occupant includes linked masses representing physical parts of the occupant, and parameters of the model of the occupant are adapted to an individual occupant, and

wherein the transmitter unit transmits information obtained by the arrangement about injury type and extent to a rescue coordination center together with the emergency call.

2. The emergency-call device as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an interior sensing system, wherein;

the information is taken into account when estimating the type and extent of the injury of the occupant.

3. The emergency-call device as recited in claim 2, wherein the interior sensing system includes an arrangement for detecting seat occupancy.

4. The emergency-call device as recited in claim 2, wherein the interior sensing system includes at least one of a sensor mat and an absolute weight measuring sensor for detecting seat occupancy.

5. The emergency-call device as recited in claim 2, wherein the interior sensing system includes an automatic child seat sensor.

6. The emergency-call device as recited in claim 2, wherein the interior sensing system includes at least one video camera.

7. The emergency-call device as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

an arrangement for inputting individual-specific data of at least one user, wherein the individual-specific data is taken into account when estimating the type and extent of the injury of the occupant.

8. The emergency-call device as recited in claim 1, wherein information about at least one of a type of a restraining device used and a time of deployment is taken into account when estimating the type and extent of the injury of the occupant.

9. The emergency-call device as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

at least one of an optical output system and an acoustic output system, via which information about a recommended first aid measure is made available to a first aid provider, wherein the at least one of the optical output system and the acoustic output system reads the corresponding information from a database on the basis of a previously determined type and extent of injury of the occupant.

10. The emergency-call device as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

an arrangement for bidirectional communication with at least one of an external database and a further helper.

11. The emergency-call device as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an interior sensing system, wherein;

the information is taken into account when modeling the occupant.

12. The emergency-call device as recited in claim 6, wherein the at least one video camera includes a removable stereo video camera.

13. The emergency-call device as recited in claim 1, wherein the model of the occupant includes eight mass elements representing head, trunk, two upper limbs, two lower limbs and two feet.

14. The emergency-call device as recited in claim 2, wherein parameters of the model of the occupant are adapted to the individual occupant based on information detected by the interior sensing system.