Automated voice emergency call

• US 8,620,256 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2008
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental AG
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Sthlin, Ulrich, Rieth, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Miah, Liton
• Application Number:
  US12/593,494
• Publication Number:
  US 20100130161A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,105 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/414.4
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/012 using recorded signals, e.g. speech G08B25/08 takes precedence
• 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

A data channel for the transmission of voice from a subscriber and of additional data characterizing the cause of an accident is used for an emergency call from a vehicle. These characterizing data are likewise transmitted in the form of voice. The data transmission is effected sequentially in this case.

Claims

1. An emergency call device of a vehicle for the transmission of an emergency call during a voice connection, said emergency call device having:

a detection unit for capturing measurement data of the vehicle;

a speech detection unit for detecting an audible input of an occupant of the vehicle;

a control unit for converting the captured measurement data into a first voice signal by media conversion;

a communication unit for transmitting an emergency call, which includes the first voice signal and a second voice signal corresponding to the audible input of the occupant of the vehicle, to a receiver;

wherein the communication unit alternately transmits the first voice signal and the second voice signal during the voice connection so that the first voice signal is;

a) transmitted during the voice connection in response to the second voice signal not being detected by the speech detection unit, and

b) buffered during the voice connection in response to the second voice signal being detected by the speech detection unit and transmitted by the communication unit.

2. The emergency call device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the communication unit is configured to transmit the first voice signal and the second voice signal in the same transmission channel.

3. The emergency call device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the communication unit and the control unit are configured to transmit the first voice signal and the second voice signal serially.

4. The emergency call device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the control unit has a voice synthesizer which is configured to convert data by voice synthesis for the purpose of converting the data into the first voice signal.

5. The emergency call device as claimed in claim 1,

Wherein, after a connection has been established, the communication unit and the control unit are configured to transmit the first voice signal directly and to transmit the second voice signal after the first voice signal has been transmitted.

6. The emergency call device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the communication unit and the control unit are configured to transmit the first voice signal if no voices can be heard from the vehicle over a prescribable period of time.

7. The emergency call device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the communication unit and the control unit are configured to transmit only the first voice signal or only the second voice signal in response to a request from the receiver.

8. The emergency call device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the communication unit and the control unit are configured to transmit the data in text form or to transmit the first voice signal in response to a request from the receiver.

9. The emergency call device as claimed in claim 1,

further comprising an input unit with a buffer store for recording and buffer-storing the audible user input from an occupant of the vehicle.

10. The emergency call device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the receiver is a mobile terminal.

11. The emergency call device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the receiver is a permanently installed network access device.

12. The emergency call device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the communication link for transmitting the information is a narrowband communication link.

13. The emergency call device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the control unit is configured to evaluate captured measurement data;

wherein the control unit can take the evaluation as a basis for deciding whether an accident has occurred;

wherein the information is transmitted only if the evaluation indicates that an accident has occurred.

14. The emergency call device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein converted data have at least one data type selected from the group consisting of text data, video data and audio data.

15. An emergency call system, having:

an emergency call device as claimed in claim 1; and

a receiver for receiving the first voice signal and the second voice signal.

16. The emergency call system as claimed in claim 15,

wherein the receiver is configured to automatically make a return call when an emergency call is received if no further message from the occupant of the vehicle is received within a prescribed period of time, in which case the receiver initiates rescue measures;

wherein the emergency call device is configured such that it can be called back and can accept a return call.

17. The use of an emergency call device as claimed in claim 1 in a vehicle.

18. A method for the transmission of an emergency call from a vehicle during a voice connection, said method comprising the steps of:

capturing measurement data of the vehicle;

detecting an audible input of an occupant of the vehicle;

converting the captured measurement data into a first voice signal by media conversion;

transmitting an emergency call including the first voice signal and a second voice signal corresponding to the audible input of the occupant of the vehicle to a receiver,

wherein the communication unit alternately transmits the first voice signal and the second voice signal during the voice connection so that the first voice signal is;

a) transmitted during the voice connection in response to the second voice signal not being detected, and

b) buffered during the voice connection in response to the second voice signal being detected and transmitted.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium which stores a computer program product which, when executed on a processor prompts the processor to perform the following steps:

capture measurement data of a vehicle;

detect an audible input of an occupant of the vehicle;

convert the captured measurement data into a first voice signal by media conversion;

transmit an emergency call during a voice connection, the emergency call including the first voice signal and a second voice signal corresponding to the audible input of the occupant of the vehicle to a receiver,

wherein the communication unit alternately transmits the first voice signal and the second voice signal during the voice connection so that the first voice signal is;

a) transmitted during the voice connection in response to the second voice signal not being detected, and

b) buffered during the voice connection in response to the second voice signal being detected and transmitted.