System and method for providing emergency alert message broadcast interruption in a vehicle

• US 9,548,827 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2014
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Jones, Bruce McCulloch
• Primary Examiner(s): Jain, Ankur
• Application Number:
  US14/197,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20150256276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/106 Receiver-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/40 Arrangements for broadcast specially adapted for accumulation-type receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/62 for transportation systems, e.g. in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side

Abstract

A system and method for providing emergency broadcast interruption is provided for a vehicle. The system and method include monitoring one or more radio broadcast transmissions, detecting for emergency alert messages on the one or more radio broadcast transmissions, recording the one or more emergency alert messages from the one or more radio broadcast transmissions in which the one or more emergency alert messages are detected, and enabling immediate playing of the one or more emergency alert messages.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing emergency broadcast interruption in a vehicle comprising:

receiving at least one radio broadcast transmission;

analyzing the at least one radio broadcast transmission to detect at least one emergency alert message on the at least one radio broadcast transmission;

assigning a priority to the at least one emergency alert message based on a type of the at least one emergency alert message, description of emergency detailed with the at least one emergency alert message, and proximity of the emergency detailed within the at least one emergency alert message with respect to the vehicle;

recording the at least one emergency alert message from the at least one radio broadcast transmission in which the at least one emergency alert message is detected; and

controlling a component of the vehicle to play the at least one emergency alert message based on the priority assigned to the at least one emergency alert message, wherein controlling the component of the vehicle includes at least one of;

enabling an infotainment player and playing the at least one emergency alert message within the vehicle when it is determined that the infotainment player is disabled and controlling the infotainment player to interrupt a currently playing infotainment stream that is taking place in the vehicle to play the at least one at least one emergency alert message when it is determined that the infotainment player is enabled and the currently playing infotainment stream is not playing the at least one emergency alert message.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein assigning the priority to the at least one emergency alert message includes assigning the priority to the at least one emergency alert message based on known environmental conditions within a region in which the vehicle is traveling.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the at least one radio broadcast transmission includes identifying an audio indicator in the at least one radio broadcast transmission corresponding to an issuance of the at least one emergency alert message.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein analyzing the at least one radio broadcast transmission includes determining whether the type of the at least one emergency alert message includes a test emergency alert or a real emergency alert.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein controlling the component of the vehicle to play the at least one emergency alert message includes at least one:

of playing the at least one radio broadcast transmission in which the at least one emergency alert message is detected and playing back the recording of the at least one emergency alert message.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein controlling the component of the vehicle to play the at least one emergency alert message includes at least one of:

interrupting the currently playing infotainment stream that is taking place in the vehicle to broadcast the at least one emergency alert message and interrupting a currently playing infotainment steam that is taking place in the vehicle to playback the at least one recorded emergency alert message.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein controlling the component of the vehicle to play the at least one emergency alert message is based on at least one of:

an operating state of the vehicle, and the priority assigned to the at least one emergency alert message.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein controlling the component of the vehicle to play the at least one emergency alert message includes playing back the at least one emergency alert message upon the operating state of the vehicle changing from an OFF ignition state to at least one of an ACC ignition state and an ON ignition state.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, including providing power for recording the at least one emergency alert message from the at least one radio broadcast transmission in which the at least one emergency alert message is detected wherein the operating condition of the vehicle is in an OFF ignition state.

10. A computer-implemented method for providing emergency broadcast interruption in a vehicle comprising:

receiving at least one radio broadcast transmission;

analyzing the at least one radio broadcast transmission to detect at least one emergency alert message on the at least one radio broadcast transmission;

assigning a priority to the at least one emergency alert message based on a type of the at least one emergency alert message, description of emergency detailed with the at least one emergency alert message, and proximity of the emergency detailed within the at least one emergency alert message with respect to the vehicle;

recording the at least one emergency alert message from the at least one radio broadcast transmission in which the at least one emergency alert message is detected; and

controlling a component of the vehicle to play the at least one emergency alert message based on the priority assigned to the at least one emergency alert message, wherein controlling the component of the vehicle includes at least one of;

enabling an infotainment player and playing the at least one emergency alert message within the vehicle when it is determined that the infotainment player is disabled and controlling the infotainment player to interrupt a currently playing infotainment stream that is taking place in the vehicle to play the at least one at least one emergency alert message when it is determined that the infotainment player is enabled and the currently playing infotainment stream is not playing the at least one emergency alert message.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein assigning the priority to the at least one emergency alert message includes assigning the priority to the at least one emergency alert message based on known environmental conditions within a region in which the vehicle is traveling.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein analyzing the at least one radio broadcast transmission includes, determining whether the type of the at least one emergency alert message includes a test emergency alert or a real emergency alert.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein controlling the component of the vehicle to play the at least one emergency alert message includes at least one of:

an audio system playing the at least one emergency alert message from the at least one radio broadcast transmission and the digital audio recorder playing back the recording of the at least one emergency alert message stored on the storage device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein controlling the component of the vehicle to play the at least one emergency alert message includes at least one of:

interrupting the currently playing infotainment stream that is taking place by an infotainment system of the vehicle to broadcast the at least one emergency alert message and interrupting the currently playing infotainment stream that is taking place by the infotainment system of the vehicle to playback the at least one recorded emergency alert message.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein controlling the component of the vehicle to play the at least one emergency alert message is based on at least one of:

an ignition switch position of the vehicle, and the priority assigned to the at least one emergency alert message.

16. The system of claim 10, including providing power to record the at least one emergency alert message when the ignition switch of the vehicle is in an OFF position by at least one of:

a battery of the vehicle and an independent power source.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, storing instructions that when executed by a computer, which includes a processor, performs a method, the method comprising:

monitoring at least one radio broadcast transmission;

analyzing the at least one radio broadcast transmission to detect at least one emergency alert message on the at least one radio broadcast transmission;

assigning a priority to the at least one emergency alert message based on a type of the at least one emergency alert message, description of emergency detailed with the at least one emergency alert message, and proximity of the emergency detailed within the at least one emergency alert message with respect to a vehicle;

recording the at least one emergency alert message from the at least one radio broadcast transmission in which the at least one emergency alert message is detected; and

controlling a component of the vehicle to play the at least one emergency alert message based on the priority assigned to the at least one emergency alert message, wherein controlling the component of the vehicle includes at least one of;

enabling an infotainment player and playing the at least one emergency alert message within the vehicle when it is determined that the infotainment player is disabled and controlling the infotainment player to interrupt a currently playing infotainment stream that is taking place in the vehicle to play the at least one at least one emergency alert message when it is determined that the infotainment player is enabled and the currently playing infotainment stream is not playing the at least one emergency alert message.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein assigning the priority to the at least one emergency alert message includes assigning the priority to the at least one emergency alert message based on known environmental conditions within a region in which the vehicle is traveling.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein controlling the component of the vehicle to play the at least one emergency alert message includes at least one of:

playing the at least one radio broadcast transmission in which the at least one emergency alert message is detected and playing back the recording of the at least one emergency alert message.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein controlling the component of the vehicle to play the at least one emergency alert message includes interrupting the currently playing infotainment stream that is taking place in the vehicle based on at least one of:

an operating state of the vehicle, and the priority assigned to the at least one emergency alert message.