Mobile terminal and emergency reporting system

• US 6,404,352 B1
• Filed: 05/24/2000
• Issued: 06/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Miyano, Akifumi, Ichikawa, Yukio
• Primary Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US09/578,067
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 340/426, 340/988, 340/995, 340/990, 340/989, 340/992, 340/539, 340/573.1, 342/457, 701/208, 701/211, 701/213
• US Class Current: 340/988
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/006 for emergency situations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile

Abstract

When a mobile terminal transmits information to an information service centre, the terminal stores positional data of plural points detected by a positional data detector such as a GPS satellite into a memory. The mobile terminal transmits an instant status data, positional data and the terminal ID when an emergency such as an accident, sudden illness occurs. At this time, an appropriate data compression is conducted responsive to a travelling status, such as using relative information, a data-(non-) existing-flag, and a number of points, so that the data volume to be transmitted can be reduced. As a result, the accuracy of positional data is maintained and yet the data transmission time is shortened.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a position data detector for detecting position data corresponding to an absolute position along a traveled path, wherein the position data includes a time data, a latitude and longitude date, a distance data traveled by said terminal, a circular direction data and a global positioning system (GPS) quasi-distance data;

a memory for storing a plurality of said position data;

a data compressor for producing compressed relative position data, said relative position data being a change in said absolute position;

an input device for inputting information indicating an emergency;

a transmission data producing device for producing a transmission data including said compressed relative position data and a terminal ID; and

a transceiver for transmitting said compressed relative position data to an information service center.

2. The mobile terminal as defined in claim 1 wherein said data compressor calculates a time difference between an instant time of said terminal and a time at an immediate last point thereof and compresses the time difference.

3. The mobile terminal as defined in claim 1 wherein said data compressor calculates differences of the latitude and longitude data between an instant point of said terminal and at an immediate last point thereof and compresses the differences.

4. The mobile terminal as defined in claim 1 wherein said data compressor calculates a distance difference between an instant point of said terminal and an immediate last point thereof and compresses the difference.

5. The mobile terminal as defined in claim 1 wherein said data compressor compresses the plurality of position data stored in said memory.

6. The mobile terminal as defined in claim 1 wherein said memory stores said compressed relative position data.

7. The mobile terminal as defined in claim 1 wherein said memory stores the plurality of position data cyclically.

8. The mobile terminal as defined in claim 1 wherein said input device is a sensor for detecting automatically an emergency.

9. The mobile terminal as defined in claim 1 wherein said input device is a button operable manually by an owner of said terminal.

10. The mobile terminal as defined in claim 1 wherein the owner of said terminal can set a transmission data and a data compression method arbitrarily in said transmission data producing device.

11. The mobile terminal as defined in claim 1 further comprising a switch for switching a data communication mode to a voice communication mode after the transmission data has been transmitted.

12. A mobile terminal comprising:

a position data detector for detecting position data corresponding to an absolute position along a traveled path;

a memory for storing a plurality of said position data;

a data compressor for producing compressed relative position data, said relative position data being a change in said absolute position, wherein said data compressor calculates an angle difference between an instant point of said terminal and an immediate last point thereof and compresses the difference;

an input device for inputting information indicating an emergency;

a transmission data producing device for producing a transmission data including said compressed relative position data and a terminal ID; and

a transceiver for transmitting said compressed relative position data to an information service center, wherein said data compressor does not transmit the position data when the circular angle at the point where the data is to be acquired is smaller than a given angle.

13. A mobile terminal comprising:

a position data detector for detecting position data corresponding to an absolute position along a traveled path;

a memory for storing a plurality of said position data;

a data compressor for producing compressed relative position data, said relative position data being a change in said absolute position, wherein said data compressor adds a flag indicating a presence of a distance data traveled, and transmits a data-existing flag and the distance data traveled as a transmission data when the distance data traveled is available, and wherein said data compressor transmits a data-non-existing-flag as a transmission data when no distance data is available;

an input device for inputting information indicating an emergency;

a transmission data producing device for producing a transmission data including said compressed relative position data and a terminal ID; and

a transceiver for transmitting said compressed relative position data to an information service center, wherein said data compressor does not transmit the position data when the circular angle at the point where the data is to be acquired is smaller than a given angle.

14. A mobile terminal comprising:

a position data detector for detecting position data corresponding to an absolute position along a traveled path;

a memory for storing a plurality of said position data;

a data compressor for producing compressed relative position data, said relative position data being a change in said absolute position, wherein said data compressor adds a flag indicating a presence of a circling direction data, and transmits a data-existing flag and the circling direction data as a transmission data when the circling direction data is available, and wherein said data compressor transmits a data-non-existing-flag as a transmission data when no circling direction data is available;

an input device for inputting information indicating an emergency;

a transmission data producing device for producing a transmission data including said compressed relative position data and a terminal ID; and

a transceiver for transmitting said compressed relative position data to an information service center, wherein said data compressor does not transmit the position data when the circular angle at the point where the data is to be acquired is smaller than a given angle.

15. A mobile terminal comprising:

a position data detector for detecting position data corresponding to an absolute position along a traveled path;

a memory for storing a plurality of said position data;

a data compressor for producing compressed relative position data, said relative position data being a change in said absolute position, wherein said data compressor adds a flag indicating a presence of a GPS quasi distance data, and transmits a data-existing flag and the GPS quasi distance data as a transmission data when the GPS quasi distance data is available, and wherein said data compressor transmits a data-non-existing-flag as a transmission data when no GPS quasi distance data is available,

an input device for inputting information indicating an emergency;

a transmission data producing device for producing a transmission data including said compressed relative position data and a terminal ID; and

a transceiver for transmitting said compressed relative position data to an information service center, wherein said data compressor does not transmit the position data when the circular angle at the point where the data is to be acquired is smaller than a given angle.

16. A mobile terminal comprising:

a position data detector for detecting position data corresponding to an absolute position along a traveled path;

a memory for storing a plurality of said position data;

a data compressor for producing compressed relative position data, said relative position data being a change in said absolute position, wherein said data compressor compresses a surplus obtained by dividing the GPS quasi-distance data by a value corresponding to a specified distance as the transmission data for compressing data volume;

an input device for inputting information indicating an emergency;

a transmission data producing device for producing a transmission data including said compressed relative position data and a terminal ID; and

a transceiver for transmitting said compressed relative position data to an information service center, wherein said data compressor does not transmit the position data when the circular angle at the point where the data is to be acquired is smaller than a given angle.

17. A mobile terminal comprising:

a position data detector for detecting position data corresponding to an absolute position along a traveled path;

a memory for storing a plurality of said position data;

a data compressor for producing compressed relative position data, said relative position data being a change in said absolute position, wherein said data compressor does not transmit the position data when the circular angle at the point where the data is to be acquired is smaller than a given angle;

an input device for inputting information indicating an emergency;

a transmission data producing device for producing a transmission data including said compressed relative position data and a terminal ID; and

a transceiver for transmitting said compressed relative position data to an information service center.

18. An information service center comprising:

a receiver for receiving emergency information including a compressed relative position data from a mobile terminal wherein the position data includes a time data, a latitude and longitude date, a distance data traveled by said terminal a circular direction data and a global positioning system (GPS) quasi-distance data;

a decoder for decoding said compressed relative position data;

an acquisition device for acquiring data of a path traveled by the mobile terminal and developing a

map corresponding to the compressed relative position data; and

a display for displaying the path traveled by the mobile terminal on the map.

19. An emergency reporting system comprising:

a mobile terminal linked with an information service center through radio communication,

wherein said mobile terminal transmits a compressed relative positional data including a track traveled by said terminal together with a terminal ID and emergency information, wherein the position data includes a time data, a latitude and longitude date, a distance data traveled by said terminal, a circular direction a data and a global positioning system (GPS) quasi-distance data,

wherein said information service center identifies said terminal with the terminal ID received, decodes the compressed relative positional data and displays the track traveled by said terminal on a map indicating an instant position of said terminal, and answers to said terminal about the emergency information.