Method and system for emergency calls from vehicles

• US 20080074245A1
• Filed: 07/12/2006
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Hoffmann, Lars, Wittorf, Marten, Hofmann, Matthias
• Granted Patent: US 7,541,921 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/426.18
• 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

A method for an emergency call from a vehicle to an alarm centre, including receiving a wireless initiation signal from a portable alarm unit, evaluating the initiation signal, and sending, based on the result of the evaluation, a wireless alarm signal from a vehicle communication system arranged in the vehicle to the alarm centre. If the owner of the vehicle or some other person gets into an emergency, for instance is assaulted, in the immediate surroundings of the vehicle, it is thus possible to send an alarm signal to an alarm centre via the vehicle without first entering it. The personal safety for the individual is therefore increased. In addition, in the case of an assault, the perpetrator can be frightened away by sound and/or light signals emitted by the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for an emergency call from a vehicle to an alarm centre, comprising the steps of

receiving (S1) a wireless initiation signal from a portable alarm unit (11), said wireless initiation signal comprising an identification code (ID_L) which identifies the alarm unit (11);

evaluating (S2) said initiation signal; and

sending (S3), based on the result of said evaluation, a wireless alarm signal (13a-b) from a vehicle communication system (27) arranged in the vehicle (12a-b) to the alarm centre,

the step (S2) of evaluating said initiation signal comprising the steps of

identifying said initiation signal as an emergency signal; and

allowing emission of a wireless alarm signal (13a-b) in response to a wireless initiation signal from each of a plurality of portable alarm units (11), said alarm units (11) having different identities (ID_L).

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein emission (S3) of a wireless alarm signal (13a-b) is allowed in response to a wireless initiation signal from a portable alarm unit (11) which is related to another vehicle.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, further comprising the step (S4) of obtaining a safety-related signal (31a-f) from a sensor located in the vehicle (12a-b).

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein said step (S2) of evaluating said initiation signal further comprises the step of evaluating said safety-related signal (31a-f) in order to thus obtain information about an emergency.

5. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said alarm signal (13a-b) comprises information about at least one of the position of the vehicle (12a-b), the identity of the vehicle (ID_B), the identity of the alarm unit (ID_L) and the emergency.

6. An emergency call system (19;

30) for vehicles, comprising a receiver (25) located in a vehicle (12a-b) and adapted to receive a wireless initiation signal from a portable alarm unit (11), a control unit (26) connected to the receiver (25) and adapted to send, after evaluation of said initiation signal, an alarm command to a vehicle communication system (27), the vehicle communication system (27) being adapted to send, in response to said alarm command, a wireless alarm signal to an alarm centre, said wireless initiation signal comprising an identification code (ID_L) which identifies the alarm unit (11), and said control unit (26) being adapted to send an alarm command to said vehicle communication system (27) in response to a wireless initiation signal from each of a plurality of portable alarm units (11) with different identities (ID_L).

7. An emergency call system (19;

30) as claimed in claim 6, wherein said control unit (26) is adapted to send an alarm command to said vehicle communication system (27) in response to a wireless initiation signal from a portable alarm unit (11) which is related to another vehicle.

8. An emergency call system (19;

30) as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein said control unit (26) is further adapted to obtain a safety-related signal (31a-f) from a sensor located in the vehicle (12a-b).

9. An emergency call system (19;

30) as claimed in claim 8, wherein said control unit (26) is further adapted to evaluate said safety-related signal (31a-f) in order to thus obtain information about an emergency.

10. An emergency call system (19;

30) as claimed in any one of claims 6-9, wherein said alarm signal (13a-b) comprises information about at least one of the position of the vehicle (12a-b), the identity of the vehicle (ID_B) , the identity of the alarm unit (ID_L) and the emergency.