Urgent message apparatus and system

• US 7,680,479 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2006
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishida, Junichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar; Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Getachew; Ezana
• Application Number:
  US11/526,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20100035543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• Field of Search: 455/572, 455/574, 455/90.1, 455/90.2, 455/67.11, 455/404.2, 455/404.1, 455/11.1, 455/427, 455/569.2, 455/567, 455/345, 455343-3436, 370/318, 370/315, 370/316, 701/200, 701/201, 701/202, 701/207, 701/213
• US Class Current: 455/343.6
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/181 due to failing power supply

Abstract

An urgent message apparatus mounted in a vehicle, for transmitting, in an emergency, an urgent message with a backup battery with the use of a low-earth orbit orbiting satellite, detects a current position of the vehicle; a obtaining part obtaining a communication not-possible time zone of the low-earth orbit orbiting satellite, for the current position of the vehicle detected by the position detecting part; calculates a power amount to be consumed when the backup battery is maintained in a transmission standby state during the communication not-possible time zone obtained by the obtaining part; measures remaining power of the backup battery; compares a sum of a power amount required for transmitting the urgent message and the power amount calculated by the calculating part, with the remaining power measured by the measuring part; and determines that charging or replacement of the backup battery is required when the sum is larger.

Claims

1. An urgent message apparatus mounted in a vehicle, for transmitting, in an emergency, an urgent message with the use of a backup battery by means of a low-earth orbit satellite, comprising:

a position detecting part detecting a current position of the vehicle;

an obtaining part obtaining a time period in which communication with the low-earth orbit satellite is unavailable, for the current position of the vehicle detected by said position detecting part;

a calculating part calculating a power amount required when said backup battery is kept in a transmission standby state during the time period in which communication with the low-earth orbit satellite is unavailable that is obtained by said obtaining part; and

a measuring part measuring remaining power of said backup battery;

wherein said calculating part compares a sum of a power amount required for transmitting the urgent message and the power amount calculated by said calculating part, with the remaining power measured by said measuring part, and determining that charging or replacement of said backup battery is required when said sum is larger than the remaining power.

2. The urgent message apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said obtaining part periodically obtains the time period in which communication with the low-rate orbit satellite is unavailable; and

said determining part carries out the determination processing each time when the time period in which communication with the low-rate orbit satellite is unavailable is newly obtained by said obtaining part.

3. An urgent message system in which an urgent message apparatus mounted in a vehicle transmits, in an emergency, an urgent message with the use of a backup battery by means of a low-earth orbit satellite, comprising a center which manages said low-earth orbit satellite and carries out communication with said urgent message apparatus with the use of said low-earth orbit satellite, wherein:

said urgent message apparatus detects a current position of the vehicle; and

transmits the detected vehicle current position to the center; and

when receiving the vehicle current position from said urgent message apparatus, said center transmits time period in which communication with said low-earth orbit satellite is unavailable for said position, to said urgent message apparatus;

said urgent message apparatus then receives the time period in which communication with the low-earth orbit satellite is unavailable from the center;

calculates a power amount required when said backup battery is kept in a transmission standby state during said time period in which communication with the low-earth orbit satellite is unavailable;

measures remaining power of said backup battery; and

compares a sum of a power amount required for transmitting the urgent message and the power amount thus calculated, with the remaining power thus measured, and determining that charging or replacement of said backup battery is required when said sum is larger than the remaining power.

4. The urgent message system as claimed in claim 3, wherein:

said urgent message apparatus periodically obtains, from the center, the time period in which communication with the low-earth orbit satellite is unavailable, and determines whether or not charging or replacement of said backup battery is required.