Automatic crash notification using WiMAX

• US 8,548,686 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2007
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Pisz, James T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US11/870,977
• Publication Number:
  US 20090099732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,182 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/29, 701/32, 701/35, 701/36, 701/45, 701/29.1, 701/29.6, 701/31.4, 701/31.5, 701/32.2, 701/32.3, 701/32.4, 701/33.4, 280/734, 280/735, 340/901, 340/425.5, 340/436, 340/438, 340459-462, 180/271, 180/274, 180/282
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

An automatic crash notification system may include a crash detection system configured to detect a crash of a vehicle, a wireless communication system configured to wirelessly transmit a message to and wirelessly receive a message from a remote location in conformance with the IEEE 802.16 standard, and a processing system configured to transmit notice of a crash over the wireless communication system to the remote location in conformance with the IEEE 802.16 standard in response to detection of the crash by the crash detection system. The wireless communication may be configured to wirelessly transmit a message to and wireless receive a message from the remote location using WiMAX. The automatic crash notification system may include a memory system containing a first prerecorded message that includes one or more words that mean that the remote location has received notice of a crash and a user communication system configured to deliver words to an occupant of the vehicle. The processing system may be configured to cause the first prerecorded message to be communicated over the user communication system in response to receipt by the wireless communication system of an acknowledgement from the remote location that the remote location has received notice of the crash, but which does not include the first prerecorded message.

Claims

1. An automatic crash notification system comprising:

a crash detection system configured to detect a crash of a vehicle;

a wireless communication system configured to wirelessly transmit a message to and wirelessly receive a message from a remote location in conformance with IEEE 802.16;

a processing system configured to transmit notice of a crash over the wireless communication system to the remote location in conformance with IEEE 802.16, in response to detection of the crash by the crash detection system;

a memory system containing a first prerecorded message that includes one or more words that mean that the remote location has received notice of a crash; and

a user communication system configured to deliver words to an occupant of the vehicle,

wherein the processing system is configured to cause the first prerecorded message to be communicated over the user communication system in response to receipt by the wireless communication system of an acknowledgement from the remote location that the remote location has received notice of the crash, but which does not include the first prerecorded message.

2. The automatic crash notification system of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication system is configured to wirelessly transmit a message to and wireless receive a message from the remote location using WiMAX.

3. The automatic crash notification system of claim 1 wherein the memory system contains the first prerecorded message in multiple languages and wherein the processing system is configured to select the language to be communicated based on user input.

4. The automatic crash notification system of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication system is configured not to transmit or receive words.

5. The automatic crash notification system of claim 1 wherein the first prerecorded message includes one or more words that also mean that the remote location has summoned help.

6. The automatic crash notification system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle includes an entertainment system and wherein the processing system is configured to mute the sound from the entertainment system in response to detection of a crash by the crash detection system.

7. The automatic crash notification system of claim 1 further including a GPS receiver configured to generate location information indicative of the location of the vehicle and wherein the processing system is configured to cause the location information to be included in the notice of the crash that is transmitted to the remote location.

8. The automatic crash notification system of claim 1 further including a user-actuated cancel control and wherein the processing system is configured to transmit a cancellation notice over the wireless communication system to the remote location in response to actuation of the user-actuated cancel control.

9. The automatic crash notification system of claim 8 wherein the memory system contains a second prerecorded message that includes one or more words that mean that a remote location has received a cancellation notice and wherein the processing system is configured to cause the second prerecorded message to be communicated over the user communication system in response to receipt by the wireless communication system of an acknowledgement from the remote location that the remote location has received a cancellation notice, but which does include the second prerecorded message.

10. The automatic crash notification system of claim 1 wherein the user communication system includes a sound system and wherein the processing system is configured to cause the one or more words to be played over the sound system.

11. The automatic crash notification system of claim 1 wherein the user communication system includes a display and wherein the processing system is configured to cause the one or more words to be displayed on the display.

12. An automatic crash notification process comprising:

automatically detecting a crash of a vehicle; and

transmitting notice of the crash from the vehicle to a remote location automatically in response to the automatically detecting the crash over a wireless communication system in conformance with IEEE 802.16;

storing a first prerecorded message that includes one or more words that mean that a remote location has received notice of a crash in a memory in the vehicle;

receiving an acknowledgement at the vehicle from the remote location that the remote location has received notice of the crash, but which does not include the first prerecorded message; and

communicating the first prerecorded message over a user communication system in response to receipt of the acknowledgement from the remote location that the remote location has received notice of the crash.

13. The automatic crash notification process of claim 12 wherein the transmitting uses WiMAX.

14. The automatic crash notification process of claim 12 wherein the process includes selecting the language of the message that is communicated.

15. The automatic crash notification process of claim 12 wherein words are not transmitted or received over the wireless communication system.

16. The automatic crash notification process of claim 12 wherein the first prerecorded message includes one or more words that also mean that the remote location has summoned help.

17. The automatic crash notification process of claim 12 wherein the process includes muting sound from an entertainment system in the vehicle in response to detection of the crash.

18. The automatic crash notification process of claim 12 wherein the process includes generating location information indicative of the location of the vehicle and transmitting the location information as part of the notice of the crash.

19. The automatic crash notification process of claim 12 wherein the process includes actuating a user-actuated cancel control in the vehicle and transmitting a cancellation notice from the vehicle to the remote location in response to actuation of the user-actuated cancel control.

20. The automatic crash notification process of claim 19 wherein the process includes storing a second prerecorded message that includes one or more words that mean that the remote location has received a cancellation notice;

receiving a second acknowledgement at the vehicle from the remote location that the remote location has received the cancellation notice, but which does not include the second prerecorded message; and

communicating the second prerecorded message that was stored in the vehicle over the user communication system in response to receipt of the second acknowledgement from the remote location.

21. The automatic crash notification process of claim 12 wherein the one or more words are played on a sound system.

22. The automatic crash notification process of claim 12 wherein the one or more words are displayed on a display.