Method and apparatus for communicating emergency information using wireless devices

• US 20040142678A1
• Filed: 05/20/2003
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Krasner, Norman
• Granted Patent: US 7,289,786 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.2
• 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: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• 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 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing emergency notification by a wireless mobile device in response to triggering a sensor that is remote from the mobile device. A detection system, which may be located within a vehicle, comprises one or more sensors configured to sense an emergency event and transmit a message via a wireless link regarding the emergency event. A wireless mobile device within short range of the transmitter receives the message via a short range receiver located therein and processes the message regarding the triggering of the sensor. For example, the wireless mobile device may be programmed to determine position information about the wireless transmitter and/or mobile device, call a predetermined emergency number such as E911, and transmit data including position and other information from the mobile device to the emergency number in response to the received message.

Claims

1. A wireless mobile device comprising:

a short range wireless receiver capable of receiving a message from a short range wireless transmitter;

a notification system electrically coupled to said receiver and configured to process said message received from said transmitter;

a position location system electrically coupled to said notification system that provides position information upon request from said notification system; and

a two-way wireless telecommunications system electrically coupled to said notification system;

wherein said telecommunications system is configured to call a predetermined number upon request from said notification system and to provide a data transmission including said position information during said call.

2. The wireless mobile device of claim 1, wherein said two-way telecommunications system comprises a cellular telephone.

3. The wireless mobile device of claim 1, wherein said position location comprises a GPS receiver.

4. The wireless mobile device of claim 1, wherein said short range wireless receiver is configured to receive a transmission within a range of about 0.1 to 50 meters.

5. The wireless mobile device of claim 1, wherein said notification system comprises a microprocessor.

6. The wireless mobile device of claim 1, wherein said notification system comprises programming for processing standardized messages received from said transmitter.

7. The wireless mobile device of claim 1, wherein said predetermined number is configured to send a request for additional information in response to said data transmission, and wherein said notification system is configured to respond to said request for additional information by sending at least one additional data transmission.

8. The wireless mobile device of claim 1, wherein said position information comprises one of a latitude and longitude of said mobile device, a plurality of GPS pseudo-ranges, and a plurality of relative times-of-arrivals of signals from a plurality of base stations.

9. A method of providing automatic notification by a wireless mobile device due to a vehicular event within a vehicle, comprising:

sensing said vehicular event within said vehicle;

transmitting a message via a short range wireless transmitter located within said vehicle;

receiving said message via a short range wireless receiver located within said wireless mobile device;

determining position information of said wireless mobile device;

automatically calling a predetermined number in response to said message using said wireless mobile device; and

transmitting data including said position information from said wireless mobile device to said predetermined number.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of sensing said vehicular event comprises triggering a sensor within a vehicle in response to said vehicular event.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said vehicular event comprises at least one of airbag deployment, abrupt decceleration, and detection of a poinsonous gas.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of transmitting a message to a wireless mobile device includes transmitting at least one of sensor information and vehicular information.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of transmitting data comprises at least one of electronic data, synthesized voice data, and actual voice communication.

14. A method of providing emergency notification by a wireless mobile device in response to triggering of a sensor, comprising:

sensing an event by said sensor;

transmitting a message via a short range wireless transmitter electrically connected to said sensor;

receiving said message via a short range wireless receiver located within said wireless mobile device;

determining position information of one of said wireless transmitter or said wireless mobile device;

calling a predetermined number using said wireless mobile device in response said message; and

transmitting data, including said position information, from said wireless mobile device to said predetermined number.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of sensing an event comprises sensing said event within a vehicle, and said sensor is located within said vehicle.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of sensing an event comprises sensing said event within a structure, and said sensor is located within said structure.

17. A wireless mobile device comprising:

receiver means for receiving a message from a short range wireless transmission;

notification means electrically coupled to said receiver means for processing said message from said receiver means;

wireless telecommunications means electrically coupled to said notification means for calling a predetermined number upon request from said notification means; and

positioning means electrically coupled to said notification system and said two way wireless telecommunications system for determining position information of said wireless mobile device.

18. A telematics system for providing automatic dialing of a predetermined number using a two-way telecommunication system in response to a vehicular event within a vehicle, comprising:

a detection system located within said vehicle; and

a wireless mobile device remote from said vehicle, wherein said wireless mobile device includes

a short range wireless receiver capable of receiving messages from a local wireless transmitter,

a notification system electrically coupled to said receiver and configured to process said messages received from said transmitter,

a position location system electrically coupled to said notification system that provides position information upon request from said notification system, and

a two-way wireless telecommunications system electrically coupled to said notification system,

wherein said telecommunications system is configured to call a predetermined number upon request from said notification system and to provide a data transmission including said position information during said call.

19. The telematics system of claim 18, wherein said detection system comprises:

a sensor configured to sense said vehicular event;

a detection system processor electrically coupled to said sensor and configured to process data received from said sensor; and

a short range wireless transmitter configured to transmit messages from said detection system processor within a predetermined range.

20. The telematics system of claim 19, wherein said sensor comprises one of an accelerometer, airbag release sensor, heat sensor, fire detector, and impact sensor.

21. The telematics system of claim 19, further comprising a plurality of sensors electrically coupled to said detection system processor.

22. A detection system for sensing an emergency event within a vehicle and transmittting a short range message about the event to a wireless mobile device that can communicate with a remote emergency response service, the detection system comprising:

a sensor configured to sense said emergency event within a vehicle;

a detection system processor electrically coupled to said sensor and configured to process data received from said sensor; and

a short range wireless transmitter configured to transmit a wireless event message to the mobile device, said message including information received from said sensor and information indicative of an emergency, thereby informing the wireless mobile device of an emergency situation, which in response thereto communicates with the emergency response service.

23. The detection system of claim 22, wherein said sensor comprises one of an accelerometer, airbag release sensor, heat sensor, fire detector, and impact sensor.

24. The detection system of claim 22, wherein said emergency information comprises one of a set of standardized messages recognizable by the emergency response service.

25. The detection system of claim 22, wherein said emergency information comprises a request for emergency assistance from at least one of medical personnel, police department, and fire department.

26. The detection system of claim 22, wherein said emergency information comprises data indicating a priority level of emergency to be transmitted to the emergency response service.

27. The detection system of claim 22, wherein said transmitter utilizes a standard transmission protocol selected from 802.11 and Bluetooth standards.

28. The detection system of claim 22, wherein said short range wireless tranmitter has a predetermined range between about 0.1 and 100 meters.

29. A method of using a wireless mobile device to notify an emergency response service in response to an emergency event, comprising:

sensing said emergency event by a sensor;

communicating sensor information from said sensor to a short range wireless transmitter;

in response to said communicated sensor information, transmitting an emergency event message from said short range wireless transmitter to said wireless mobile device, said emergency event message including information received from said sensor and information indicative of the emergency event;

determining position information of said wireless mobile device; and

in response to said emergency event message, communicating emergency data from said wireless mobile device to said emergency response service, said emergency data including said position information and information indicative of said emergency event.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the step of sensing an emergency event comprises sensing said event within a structure, and said sensor is located within said structure.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the step of sensing an emergency event comprises sensing said event within a vehicle, and said sensor is located within said vehicle.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein said event within said vehicle comprises at least one of airbag deployment, abrupt decceleration, and detection of a poinsonous gas.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of transmitting an emergency message to a wireless mobile device includes transmitting vehicular information.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the step of communicating emergency data comprises at least one of electronic data, synthesized voice data, and actual voice communication.