Emergency informing terminal, emergency informing system, and method for controlling emergency informing terminal

• US 20020075166A1
• Filed: 08/03/2001
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshioka, Kenji
• Granted Patent: US 6,617,979 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/901
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0027 Post collision measures, e.g. notifying emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01061 between the airbag system and other vehicle electronic systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01 Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents electrical circuits for transmission of signals between steering wheel and the vehicle itself B60R16/027; for electrically actuating belt retractor locking means B60R22/343
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

The disclosed emergency informing terminal mounted on a vehicle for making an emergency call to the center for supervising the emergency informing system recognizes emergency informing signals of different signal formats, and executes the emergency informing process. This emergency informing terminal recognizes emergency informing signals entered in different signal formats in every vehicle, and the control unit for executing emergency informing process according to the signal recognizes whether the signal format belongs to the air bag equipment connected to a vehicular LAN or the directly connected air bag equipment on the basis of the status signal. Consequently, transferring to the input state confirming state of the signal format, the signal is processed. Further, when a signal showing air bag developing state or the like is entered, the emergency informing process is started.

Claims

1. An emergency informing terminal mounted on a vehicle for sending an emergency call to a center for supervising an emergency informing system comprising:

means for recognizing an emergency informing signal entered in a different signal format in every vehicle, and

emergency informing means for making an emergency informing process based on of the emergency informing signal.

2. The emergency informing terminal of claim 1,

wherein the emergency informing signal is on of an air bag developing signal and a fuel cut-off signal issued responding to a shock sensor.

3. The emergency informing terminal of claim 1,

wherein the emergency informing process is executed at least based on of one of an emergency call request signal from a device connected to a LAN for composing a network in the vehicle through the LAN, and an emergency call request signal from a device mounted on the vehicle through an exclusive line.

4. The emergency informing terminal of claim 1,

wherein said means for recognizing and controlling the emergency informing signal receives a status signal for identifying the vehicle, and identifies a signal format of the emergency informing signal entered in the emergency informing terminal at least base on of the status signal.

5. The emergency informing terminal of claim 4,

wherein said means for recognizing and controlling the emergency informing signal, when selecting one signal format on the basis of the status signal, invalidates an emergency informing signal entered in another signal format.

6. The emergency informing terminal of claim 4,

wherein said means for recognizing and controlling the emergency informing signal recognizes whether the vehicle is a vehicle having a LAN for connecting an electric equipment or a vehicle not having the LAN, based on the status signal.

7. The emergency informing terminal of claim 6,

wherein said means for recognizing and controlling the emergency informing signal, when recognizing the vehicle to be a vehicle having a LAN on the basis of the status signal, controls-to recognize an emergency informing signal from the LAN, and controls not to recognize an emergency informing signal from a direct line other than the LAN.

8. The emergency informing terminal of claim 6,

wherein said means for recognizing and controlling the emergency informing signal, when recognizing the vehicle to be a vehicle not having a LAN on the basis of the status signal, controls to recognize an emergency informing signal from a direct line, and controls not to recognize an emergency informing signal from the LAN.

9. The emergency informing terminal of claim 1,

wherein said means for recognizing and controlling the emergency informing signal receives a status signal for identifying the vehicle, and identifies a signal format of the emergency informing signal entered in the emergency informing terminal, and an irregular signal telling abnormality of a device for issuing the emergency informing signal, at least on the basis of the status signal.

10. The emergency informing terminal of claim 9,

wherein said means for recognizing and controlling the emergency informing signal, when selecting an emergency informing signal and an irregular signal entered in one signal format on the basis of the status signal, invalidates an emergency informing signal and an irregular signal entered in another signal format.

11. The emergency informing terminal of claim 10,

wherein said means for recognizing and controlling the emergency informing signal recognizes whether the vehicle is a vehicle having a LAN for connecting an electric equipment or a vehicle not having the LAN, on the basis of the status signal.

12. The emergency informing terminal of claim 11,

wherein said means for recognizing and controlling the emergency informing signal, when recognizing the vehicle to be a vehicle having a LAN on the basis of the status signal, controls to recognize an emergency informing signal and an irregular signal from the LAN, and controls not to recognize an emergency informing signal and an irregular signal from a direct line other than the LAN.

13. The emergency informing terminal of claim 11,

wherein said means for recognizing and controlling the emergency informing signal, when recognizing the vehicle to be a vehicle not having a LAN on the basis of the status signal, controls to recognize an emergency informing signal and an irregular signal from a direct line, and controls not to recognize an emergency informing signal and an irregular signal from the LAN.

14. The emergency informing terminal of claim 12,

wherein said means for recognizing and controlling the emergency informing signal, by controlling not to recognize an emergency informing signal and irregular signal from a direct line other than LAN, controls not to recognize an abnormality if a signal from the direct line is not entered.

15. The emergency informing terminal of claim 13,

wherein said means for recognizing and controlling the emergency informing signal, by controlling not to recognize emergency informing signal and an irregular signal from the LAN, controls not to recognize an abnormality if a signal from the LAN is not entered.

16. The emergency informing terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

an emergency informing signal controller for controlling input or output of the emergency informing signal, aside from a control unit for controlling the emergency informing terminal.

17. The emergency informing terminal of claim 16,

wherein said emergency informing signal controller includes a circuit having an exclusive microcomputer.

18. The emergency informing terminal of claim 16,

wherein said emergency informing signal controller generates an emergency informing signal or an irregular signal to be issued to the control unit for controlling the emergency informing terminal.

19. The emergency informing terminal of claim 18,

wherein a signal for instructing an emergency informing process to be issued to the control unit is generated at least based on one of an emergency informing signal from a LAN and an emergency informing signal from a direct line, in a common signal format, regardless of the LAN or the direct line, so that the control unit processes without consciousness of the direct line or the LAN.

20. The emergency informing terminal of claim 18,

wherein a signal for telling an abnormality to be issued to the control unit is generated at least based one of an abnormality of no input of signal from a LAN and abnormality of no input of periodic communication signal from a direct line, in a common signal format, regardless of the LAN or the direct line, so that the control unit processes without consciousness of the direct line or the LAN.

21. The emergency informing terminal of claim 5,

wherein a status signal for identifying the vehicle is recognized at a time of input of one of a vehicle accessory power source (ACC power) and an ignition power source (IG power), and when one signal format is selected in synchronism with input of one of the ACC power and the IG power, another signal format is invalidated.

22. The emergency informing terminal of claim 5,

wherein the status signal for identifying the vehicle is periodically entered in the means for recognizing and controlling the emergency informing signal, and when one signal format is selected in synchronism with a recognition process of the status signal, another signal format is invalidated.

23. An emergency informing system comprising:

a) an emergency call center for supervising the emergency informing system, and receiving an emergency informing signal from a emergency informing terminal; and

b) an emergency informing terminal mounted on a vehicle for sending an emergency call to the center,

wherein the emergency informing terminal includes,

i) means for recognizing an emergency informing signal entered in a different signal format in every vehicle, and

ii) emergency informing means for making an emergency informing process based on of the emergency informing signal.

24. A control method of an emergency informing terminal mounted on a vehicle for sending an emergency call to a center for supervising an emergency informing system, said method comprising the steps of:

a) judging if the vehicle has a LAN or not by a status signal for identifying the vehicle,

b) judging an air bag equipment is regular at a time of input of periodic communication signal from the LAN when the vehicle is recognized to have the LAN at step a),

c) judging a start of an emergency informing process upon input of an air bag developing signal from the LAN,

d) judging a status to be irregular when a signal from the LAN is not entered,

e) ignoring input of a fuel cut-off signal or the air bag developing signal from a direct line, and

f) judging the status other than an irregular state by input of a irregular signal from the direct line or non-input of regular signal.

25. A control method of an emergency informing terminal mounted on a vehicle for sending an emergency call to a center for supervising an emergency informing system, said method comprising the steps of:

a) judging if the vehicle has a LAN or not by a status signal for identifying the vehicle,

b) judging an air bag equipment is regular at a time of input of a regular signal form a direct line when the vehicle is recognized not to have a LAN at step a),

c) judging a start of an emergency informing process upon input of a fuel cut-off signal or an air bag developing signal from the direct line,

d) judging a status to be irregular when the regular signal from the direct line is not entered,

e) ignoring input of the air bag developing signal from the LAN, and

f) judging the status other than irregular state by non-input of a periodic communication signal from the LAN or input of an irregular signal.