METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR EMERGENCY CALL PLACEMENT

• US 20110098016A1
• Filed: 10/28/2009
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Original Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Inventors: Hatton, David Anthony
• Application Number:
  US12/607,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20110098016A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.2
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/001 Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• 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 vehicle communication system includes a computer processor in communication with persistent and non-persistent memory, at least a portion of one memory storing vehicle emergency event data. The system also includes a local wireless transceiver in communication with the computer processor and configured to communicate wirelessly with a cellular telephone located in proximity to the vehicle. Upon detection of an emergency event, the computer processor may initiate a connection to an emergency communication system. The processor may also send spoken communication to the emergency communication system and present a plurality of spoken options to an emergency operator. The processor may detect the selection of an option, and, in response to the selection of an option, output the vehicle emergency event data corresponding to the selected option.

Claims

1. A vehicle computing system comprising:

a computer processor in communication with persistent and non-persistent memory, the persistent or non-persistent memory storing at least data pertinent to a vehicle emergency event;

a local wireless transceiver in communication with the computer processor and configured to communicate wirelessly with a cellular telephone located in proximity to the vehicle;

wherein, upon detection of an emergency event, the computer processor is operable to initiate a connection request to an emergency communication system through the cellular telephone;

wherein the processor is further operable to send spoken communication through the cellular telephone to the emergency communication system, wherein the spoken communication begins as soon as an emergency system answers the connection request, such that requirements by the emergency system that the caller press a number are bypassed;

wherein the processor is further to present a plurality of spoken options to an emergency operator;

wherein the processor is operable to detect the selection of an option, and, in response to the selection of an option, to output the data pertinent to the vehicle emergency event corresponding to the selected option.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the output of the pertinent data is in spoken form.

3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the output of the pertinent data is in packet form.

4. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of options includes GPS coordinates of the vehicle.

5. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the output data includes safety system triggers.

6. The computing system of claim 5, wherein the safety system trigger includes notification of airbag deployment.

7. The computing system of claim 6, wherein the notification of airbag deployment includes information describing which specific airbags have been deployed.

8. The computing system of claim 5, wherein the safety system trigger includes notification of activation of fuel cutoff.

9. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the output data includes vehicle speed at impact.

10. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of options includes a language selection.

11. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of options includes vehicle coordinates.

12. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the processor obtains the requested data automatically from a vehicle system bus.

13. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to send automatic spoken communication through the cellular telephone to the emergency communication system.

14. A vehicle computing system comprising:

a computer processor;

a local wireless transceiver in communication with the computer processor and configured to communicate wirelessly with a cellular telephone located in proximity to the vehicle;

wherein, upon detection of an emergency event, the computer processor is operable to determine if a communication device is connected to the vehicle computing system;

wherein, if a communication device is not connected to the vehicle computing system, the processor is operable to search for a connectable communication device and automatically connect to an available connectable communication device;

wherein, once the processor is automatically connected to the communication device, the processor is operable to place an emergency communication using the communication device.

15. The computing system of claim 14, wherein, if no communication device is available, the processor is operable to inform a vehicle occupant, through a vehicle audio system, that no communication device is available.

16. The computing system of claim 14, wherein, if no communication device is available, the processor is operable to continue to search for an available communication device until an emergency condition has ceased to exist.

17. The computing system of claim 14, wherein, if a communication device is connected to the computing system, the processor is operable to determine if a secondary communication device should be searched for, wherein the processor is further operable to search for a secondary communication device, and wherein, upon detection of a secondary communication device, the processor is operable to connect to the secondary communication device.

18. The computing system of claim 17, wherein, the processor is further operable to receive at least one of a battery strength and/or battery warning signal from the communication device and base the determination that a secondary device should be searched for at least in part on the received information.

19. The computing system of claim 17, wherein, the processor is further operable to receive at least one of a cellular signal strength and/or cellular signal warning from the communication device and base the determination that a secondary device should be searched for at least in part on the received information.

20. A machine readable storage medium containing a plurality of machine readable instructions that, when executed by a vehicle computing system, cause the system to:

upon detection of an emergency event, determine if a communication device is connected to the vehicle computing system;

if a communication device is connected to the vehicle computing system, place an emergency call using the communication device;

if a communication device is not connected to the vehicle computing system, search for a connectable communication device; and

if a connectable communication device is found, automatically connect to the communication device.

21. The storage medium of claim 20, wherein execution of the instructions by a vehicle computing system further causes the system to:

if a communication device is connected to the vehicle computing system, before a call is placed, determine if there is a condition warranting connection to an alternative communication device; and

if a condition warranting connection to an alternative communication device is present, determine if an alternative communication device is available and connect to an available alternative communication device.