Enhanced telematic emergency response

• US 8,744,401 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2011
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Peterson, Don
• Primary Examiner(s): Addy, Anthony S.
• Application Number:
  US13/112,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20120295576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/414.1, 455/415, 455/418, 455/422.1, 455/445, 455/426.1, 455/456.1, 455/466, 340/471, 340/425.5, 340287-309, 370328-338, 379 37- 51, 379/142.1, 379/207.12, 701/23, 701/45, 701/31.5
• US Class Current: 455/404.2
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

An enhanced emergency notification system comprising a vehicle location device located in a vehicle, an emergency notification device located in the vehicle, a receiving/transmitting device, and an emergency responder receiving device. The vehicle location device is configured to provide data regarding a current location of the vehicle. The emergency notification device is configured to send a first signal upon a specified event, wherein the first signal includes information on the location of the vehicle obtained from the vehicle location device. The receiving/transmitting device is configured to directly receive the first signal from the emergency notification device and transmit a second signal within a range, wherein the second signal includes at least the same information as the first signal. The emergency responder receiving device is configured to directly receive the second signal from the receiving/transmitting device when within the range.

Claims

1. An emergency notification system for a vehicle, the system comprising:

a vehicle location device located in the vehicle, wherein the vehicle location device is configured to provide data regarding the current location of the vehicle;

an emergency notification device located in the vehicle,

wherein;

the emergency notification device is configured to receive input data regarding the vehicle, process the input data to determine if a specified emergency event has occurred, and upon the determination that the specified even has occurred, transmit substantially at the same time a first and a second type of emergency notification signals, which contain at least the current location data provided by the vehicle location device, to a cellular base station comprising a transceiver configured to relay the second type of signal to an emergency call center upon receipt of the second type of signal,

the base station further includes an emergency receiving/transmitting device configured to;

receive the first type of emergency notification signal, compare the current location data of the vehicle to the predetermined location of the base station;

upon determining the current location data of the vehicle meets a location criteria with respect to the location of the base station, transmit a third type of signal including at least the same data that was in the first type of signal directionally to at least a remote emergency responder receiving device;

the system further comprises an emergency responder receiving device configured to receive the third type signal from the transmitting/receiving device,

wherein the emergency responder device is located in an emergency responder vehicle and comprises a display that is configured to visually show at least some of the data obtained from the received third type signal; and

a second vehicle locating device located in the emergency responder vehicle;

wherein the second vehicle locating device is configured to obtain current location data of the emergency responder vehicle to the emergency responder receiving device;

the emergency receiving device is further configured to display the data obtained from the third type of signal on the display only if the emergency responder receiving device determines that the location of the emergency responder vehicle is within a predefined distance to the location of the vehicle having the emergency notification device which sent the first type emergency notification signal.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the emergency notification device is integrated with a telematic system of the vehicle.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the first type and the second type emergency notification signals are radio-frequency wireless signals.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein the first and second types of emergency notification signals are radio-frequency signals on a cellular communications system band.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the current location of the vehicle is described by coordinates obtained from global positioning satellites.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the input data regarding the vehicle comprises data regarding an operational status of the vehicle and wherein the first type emergency notification signal sent from the emergency notification device further includes data regarding the operational status of the vehicle.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein the data regarding the status of the vehicle includes data that an airbag has deployed in the vehicle.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein the specified event is an airbag deployment in the vehicle.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the emergency notification system comprises a plurality of receiving/transmitting devices and each one of the receiving/transmitting device of the plurality of receiving/transmitting devices is located in a different region.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving/transmitting device broadcasts the transmission of the third signal omnidirectionally.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving/transmitting device has a standby mode and an active mode, and wherein the standby mode uses less power relative to the active mode and the receiving/transmitting device in the standby mode is configured to switch to the active mode upon receiving the first type emergency notification signal.

12. A system according to claim 1, wherein the display for the emergency responder receiving device is integrated with a pre-existing display in the emergency responder vehicle.

13. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a second vehicle locating device in the emergency responder vehicle, wherein the second vehicle locating device is configured to send data regarding the current location of the emergency responder vehicle to the emergency responder receiving device, and further wherein the display of the emergency responder receiving device displays a suggested navigational route between the emergency responder vehicle and the vehicle having the emergency notification device which sent the first type emergency notification signal.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein the second vehicle locating device in the emergency responder vehicle is integrated with a pre-existing vehicle navigation device.

15. A method of emergency notification for a vehicle, the method comprising:

providing input data regarding the vehicle to an emergency notification device located in the vehicle;

obtaining current location of the vehicle using a vehicle location device located in the vehicle;

processing input data to determine if a specified event has occurred;

transmitting substantially at the same time a first and a second type of emergency notification signals which contain at least current location data provided by the vehicle location device from the emergency notification device,

relaying by a cellular base station the second type of signal to an emergency call center upon receipt of the second type of signal;

at a an emergency receiving/transmitting device located on the cellular base station, upon receiving the first type of emergency notification signal, comparing the current location data of the vehicle to the predetermined location data of the base station;

upon determining the current location data of the vehicle meets a location criteria with respect to the location of the base station, transmitting a third type of signal including at least the same data that was in the first type of signal directionally to at least a remote emergency responder receiving device;

providing an emergency responder receiving device located in an emergency responder vehicle and configured to receive the third type signal from the transmitting/receiving device, showing via a display of the emergency responder receiving device at least some of the data obtained from the received third type signal; and

obtaining, using a second vehicle locating device located in the emergency responder vehicle, current location data of the emergency responder vehicle and providing the obtained location data to the emergency responder receiving device;

displaying on the display of the emergency receiving device the data obtained from the third type of signal on the display only if the emergency responder receiving device determines that the location of the emergency responder vehicle is within a predefined distance to the location of the vehicle having the emergency notification device which sent the first type emergency notification signal.