Vehicle emergency broadcast and relay

• US 9,759,574 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2015
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Makled, Daniel A., Surnilla, Gopichandra, Mcquillen, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Lau, Hoi
• Application Number:
  US14/799,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20170018182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 34028602, 3405391, 340471, 340901, 340 75, 340989, 340 751, 370312, 370347, 370328, 709204, 709226
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/00 Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems
• 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 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• 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 1/087 Override of traffic control, e.g. by signal transmitted by an emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/093 Data selection, e.g. prioritizing information, managing message queues, selecting the information to be output
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A vehicle includes a communication system. The communication system includes at least one controller and may include an RF transceiver. The controller is configured to receive a distress signal including emergency information and a relay count. The controller is configured to respond, when the relay count is less than a predetermined number and a location of the vehicle is greater than a predetermined distance away from a transmission location and an origination location of the distress signal, by causing the emergency information to be transmitted with an incremented relay count. The controller may be further configured to respond to the location of the vehicle being between the origination location and at least one transmission location by inhibiting the transmitting of the emergency information.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

an RF transceiver; and

at least one controller programmed to

receive a distress signal including emergency information and a relay count, and

in response to expiration of a delay timer initiated upon receiving the distress signal and the relay count being less than a predetermined number, cause the emergency information to be transmitted via the RF transceiver with an incremented relay count.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the delay timer has a duration greater than 2 seconds.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is further programmed to cause the emergency information to be transmitted in response to a location of the vehicle being within a band of distances away from a transmission location or an origination location of the distress signal.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the at least one controller is further programmed to, in response to the location of the vehicle being between the origination location and a transmission location, inhibit the transmitting of the emergency information.

5. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the band of distances is greater than 100 meters and less than 10 kilometers.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the emergency information includes an identification of a distressed vehicle, and a location, a time, and a nature associated with the distress signal.

7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the identification of the distressed vehicle includes a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and a license plate number.

8. A method of relaying an emergency message with a vehicle comprising:

receiving an emergency message including emergency information and a relay count; and

transmitting the emergency information with an incremented relay count in response to a location of the vehicle being more than a predetermined distance away from a transmission location of the emergency message.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the predetermined distance is greater than 100 meters.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the transmitting is further in response to expiration of a delay timer having a duration greater than a predetermined time after receiving the emergency message.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the duration is greater than 2 seconds.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising inhibiting the transmitting in response to the location of the vehicle being between an origination location and a transmission location.