In-vehicle terminal for emergency notification

• US 8,391,831 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2011
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Masuda, Koichi, Murakami, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): WOO, KUO-KONG
• Application Number:
  US13/096,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20110281545A1
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 455/574, 455/404.1, 455/572, 455/521, 455/456.5, 455/411, 340/539.18
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/006 Alarm destination chosen according to type of event, e.g. in case of fire phone the fire service, in case of medical emergency phone the ambulance
• 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 notification in-vehicle terminal mountable to a vehicle is disclosed. The in-vehicle terminal is configured to transmit emergency information to a center in response to detection of an occurrence of an emergency situation involving the vehicle. The in-vehicle terminal determines, in response to the detection of the occurrence of the emergency situation, whether the emergency notification in-vehicle terminal is operating by an electric power of a back-up battery. If it is determined that the emergency notification in-vehicle terminal is operating by the electric power of the back-up battery, the in-vehicle terminal transmits a minimum necessary amount of the emergency information to the center.

Claims

1. An emergency notification in-vehicle terminal mountable to a vehicle and configured to transmit emergency information to a vehicle service center in response to detection of an occurrence of an emergency situation involving the vehicle, the emergency notification in-vehicle terminal comprising:

a determination portion configured to determine, in response to the detection of the occurrence of the emergency situation, whether the emergency notification in-vehicle terminal is operating by an electric power of a back-up battery;

a transmission portion configured to transmit a minimum necessary amount of the emergency information to the vehicle service center when the determination portion determines that the emergency notification in-vehicle terminal is operating by the electric power of the back-up battery; and

a memory portion configured to store a phone number, the phone number being incorporated into the minimum necessary amount of the emergency information, wherein;

the phone number is a cell-phone number,

the transmission portion is further configured to transmit a predetermined data in addition to the minimum necessary amount of the emergency information to the vehicle service center in cases where the determination portion determines that the emergency notification in-vehicle terminal is operating not by the electric power of the back-up battery but by an electric power of a vehicle battery;

the back-up battery is a power source dedicated to the emergency notification in-vehicle terminal; and

the vehicle battery is another power source common to parts of the vehicle.

3. The emergency notification in-vehicle terminal according to claim 1, wherein

the cell-phone number is associated with a driver'"'"'s cell-phone that is inside the vehicle.

4. The emergency notification in-vehicle terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

a processor acquiring the cell-phone number from a driver'"'"'s cell-phone via an in-vehicle apparatus, when

(i) the processor determines that the driver'"'"'s cell-phone is connected by a Bluetooth connection with the in-vehicle apparatus and

(ii) the processor determines that the cell-phone number is readable from the driver'"'"'s cell-phone via the in-vehicle apparatus.

5. The emergency notification in-vehicle terminal according to claim 4, wherein

the processor acquires the cell-phone number from the driver'"'"'s cell-phone via the in-vehicle apparatus after the processor had previously determined that the cell-phone number was not readable from the driver'"'"'s cell-phone, and

waited for a predetermined time period before determining that the cell-phone number is readable from the driver'"'"'s cell-phone via the in-vehicle apparatus.

6. An emergency notification system comprising:

an emergency notification in-vehicle terminal recited in claim 1; and

the vehicle service center that, upon receipt of the emergency information from the emergency notification in-vehicle terminal, calls back the cell-phone number of the driver'"'"'s cell-phone, wherein

when the vehicle service center is connected to the driver by the call back to the cell-phone number of the driver'"'"'s cell phone, but is then later disconnected, the vehicle service center calls a phone number of the emergency notification in-vehicle terminal or a phone number other than the cell-phone number of the driver'"'"'s cell-phone.

7. An emergency notification system according to claim 6, wherein:

the phone number other than the cell-phone number of the driver'"'"'s cell-phone is a number that is pre-registered in the emergency notification in-vehicle terminal and that is also pre-registered in the vehicle service center.

8. An emergency notification system according to claim 7, wherein:

when the vehicle service center is connected to the driver by the call back to the cell-phone number of the driver'"'"'s cell phone, but is then later disconnected,

the vehicle service center first calls back a number that is pre-registered in the emergency notification in-vehicle terminal and that is also pre-registered in the vehicle service center, and

when connection with the number that is pre-registered in the emergency notification in-vehicle terminal and that is also pre-registered in the vehicle service center is not possible, the vehicle service center then calls the phone number of the emergency notification in-vehicle terminal.

9. An emergency notification system according to claim 7, wherein:

the number that is pre-registered in the emergency notification in-vehicle terminal and that is also pre-registered in the vehicle service center is a home telephone number of an owner of the vehicle.

2. An emergency notification in-vehicle terminal mountable to a vehicle and configured to transmit emergency information to a vehicle service center in response to detection of an occurrence of an emergency situation involving the vehicle, the emergency notification in-vehicle terminal comprising:

a determination portion configured to determine, in response to the detection of the occurrence of the emergency situation, whether the emergency notification in-vehicle terminal is operating by an electric power of a back-up battery;

a transmission portion configured to transmit a minimum necessary amount of the emergency information to the vehicle service center when the determination portion determines that the emergency notification in-vehicle terminal is operating by the electric power of the back-up battery; and

a memory portion configured to store a phone number, the phone number being incorporated into the minimum necessary amount of the emergency information, wherein;

the phone number is a phone number that is pre-registered in the emergency notification in-vehicle terminal and that is also pre-registered in the vehicle service center,

the transmission portion is further configured to transmit a predetermined data in addition to the minimum necessary amount of the emergency information to the vehicle service center in cases where the determination portion determines that the emergency notification in-vehicle terminal is operating not by the electric power of the hack-up battery but by an electric power of a vehicle battery;

the back-up battery is a power source dedicated to the emergency notification in-vehicle terminal; and

the vehicle battery is another power source common to parts of the vehicle.