Onboard apparatus and report control method

• US 9,333,912 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2014
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Automotive Electronics Company Limited (Nidec Corporation)
• Inventors: Tomita, Yosuke, Takizawa, Koji, Naruse, Yoshie
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US14/471,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20150061851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 340/436, 340/426.1, 34042618-42621, 340/426.24, 340/426.25, 340/426.27, 340/429, 340/539.18, 701/45
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool
• 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 automatic report to an appropriate destination can be sent in a short time when abnormality is detected with a vehicle. When the shock is determined to occur with the vehicle in step S1, inside/outside determination of a portable device for a vehicle is performed in step S2. In a case where the portable device is determined to be in the vehicle in step S3, an emergency organization is selected as a reporting destination in step S4, and in a case where the portable device is determined to be outside of the vehicle, a user'"'"'s portable telephone device is selected as a reporting destination in step S5. Then, in step S6, a report is sent to the selected reporting destination. The present invention can be applied to, for example, an onboard apparatus for performing automatic report when abnormality occurs with the vehicle.

Claims

1. An apparatus onboard a vehicle, the onboard apparatus configured to perform automatic reporting when an abnormality is detected with respect to the vehicle,

the onboard apparatus comprising:

a shock detection unit configured to detect a shock to the vehicle as the abnormality;

an inside/outside determination unit configured to perform inside/outside determination as to whether a portable device for communicating with the vehicle is inside of the vehicle or outside of the vehicle;

a reporting destination selection unit configured to select a reporting destination on the basis of a determination result of the inside/outside determination; and

a reporting unit configured to report first information based at least in part on the abnormality to the selected reporting destination in a case where a shock is detected to the vehicle.

2. The onboard apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the determination result of the inside/outside determination is determined to be inside of the vehicle, the reporting destination selection unit selects a predetermined emergency organization as the reporting destination, and when the determination result of the inside/outside determination is determined to be outside of the vehicle, a user'"'"'s communication terminal is selected as the reporting destination.

3. The onboard apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the shock detection unit further determines the magnitude of the shock to the vehicle, and

when the shock to the vehicle is determined to be large and the determination result of the inside/outside determination is determined to be outside of the vehicle, then the reporting destination selection unit selects not only the communication terminal but also the emergency organization as the reporting destination.

4. The onboard apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in a case where at least one of activation of an airbag of the vehicle and breaking of a window of the vehicle occurs, the shock detection unit determines that the shock occurs to the vehicle, and in a case where the airbag is activated, the shock detection unit determines that the shock to the vehicle is large, and in a case where the airbag is not activated, the shock detection unit determines that the shock to the vehicle is small.

5. The onboard apparatus according to claim 4, wherein in a case where the shock is detected to the vehicle, the inside/outside determination unit performs the inside/outside determination, and the reporting destination selection unit selects the reporting destination on the basis of the determination result of the inside/outside determination.

6. The onboard apparatus according to claim 4 further comprising:

a communication unit configured to perform wireless communication with the portable device; and

a storage unit configured to store the determination result of the inside/outside determination,

wherein the inside/outside determination unit performs the inside/outside determination on the basis of the state of the wireless communication that is performed with predetermined timing between the communication unit and the portable device, and stores the determination result of the inside/outside determination to the storage unit, and

the reporting destination selection unit selects the reporting destination on the basis of the determination result of the latest inside/outside determination stored in the storage unit when the shock is detected to the vehicle.

7. The onboard apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in a case where the shock is detected to the vehicle, the inside/outside determination unit performs the inside/outside determination, and the reporting destination selection unit selects the reporting destination on the basis of the determination result of the inside/outside determination.

8. The onboard apparatus according to claim 3 further comprising:

a communication unit configured to perform wireless communication with the portable device; and

a storage unit configured to store the determination result of the inside/outside determination,

wherein the inside/outside determination unit performs the inside/outside determination on the basis of the state of the wireless communication that is performed with predetermined timing between the communication unit and the portable device, and stores the determination result of the inside/outside determination to the storage unit, and

the reporting destination selection unit selects the reporting destination on the basis of the determination result of the latest inside/outside determination stored in the storage unit when the shock is detected to the vehicle.

9. The onboard apparatus according to claim 2, wherein in a case where the shock is detected to the vehicle, the inside/outside determination unit performs the inside/outside determination, and the reporting destination selection unit selects the reporting destination on the basis of the determination result of the inside/outside determination.

10. The onboard apparatus according to claim 2 further comprising:

a communication unit configured to perform wireless communication with the portable device; and

a storage unit configured to store the determination result of the inside/outside determination,

wherein the inside/outside determination unit performs the inside/outside determination on the basis of the state of the wireless communication that is performed with predetermined timing between the communication unit and the portable device, and stores the determination result of the inside/outside determination to the storage unit, and

the reporting destination selection unit selects the reporting destination on the basis of the determination result of the latest inside/outside determination stored in the storage unit when the shock is detected to the vehicle.

11. The onboard apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where the determination result of the inside/outside determination is determined to be outside of the vehicle, the reporting destination selection unit does not select the reporting destination, and in a case where the shock is detected to the vehicle and the reporting destination is not selected, the reporting unit does not report.

12. The onboard apparatus according to claim 11, wherein in a case where the shock is detected to the vehicle, the inside/outside determination unit performs the inside/outside determination, and the reporting destination selection unit selects the reporting destination on the basis of the determination result of the inside/outside determination.

13. The onboard apparatus according to claim 11 further comprising:

a communication unit configured to perform wireless communication with the portable device; and

a storage unit configured to store the determination result of the inside/outside determination,

wherein the inside/outside determination unit performs the inside/outside determination on the basis of the state of the wireless communication that is performed with predetermined timing between the communication unit and the portable device, and stores the determination result of the inside/outside determination to the storage unit, and

the reporting destination selection unit selects the reporting destination on the basis of the determination result of the latest inside/outside determination stored in the storage unit when the shock is detected to the vehicle.

14. The onboard apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where the shock is detected to the vehicle, the inside/outside determination unit performs the inside/outside determination, and the reporting destination selection unit selects the reporting destination on the basis of the determination result of the inside/outside determination.

15. The onboard apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

a communication unit configured to perform wireless communication with the portable device; and

a storage unit configured to store the determination result of the inside/outside determination,

wherein the inside/outside determination unit performs the inside/outside determination on the basis of the state of the wireless communication that is performed with predetermined timing between the communication unit and the portable device, and stores the determination result of the inside/outside determination to the storage unit, and

the reporting destination selection unit selects the reporting destination on the basis of the determination result of the latest inside/outside determination stored in the storage unit when the shock is detected to the vehicle.

16. A report control method used when an abnormality is detected with respect to a vehicle,

the report control method comprising:

a shock detection step for detecting a shock to the vehicle as the abnormality;

an inside/outside determination step for performing inside/outside determination as to whether a portable device for communicating with the vehicle is inside of the vehicle or outside of the vehicle;

a reporting destination selection step for selecting a reporting destination on the basis of a determination result of the inside/outside determination; and

a reporting step for reporting first information based at least in part on the abnormality to the selected reporting destination in a case where a shock is detected to the vehicle.