On-board communication terminal and information service center communicating with on-board communication terminal

• US 7,200,409 B1
• Filed: 11/10/2000
• Issued: 04/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1999
• 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: Ichikawa, Yukio, Mizuno, Masaru
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin; Jean
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bhattacharya; Sam
• Application Number:
  US09/889,086
• Time in Patent Office: 2,335 Days
• Field of Search: 455/426.1, 455/557, 455/556.1, 455/345, 455/346, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/521, 455/456.1, 340/902, 340/903, 340/935, 340/936, 340/989, 340/991, 340/425.5, 340/426.1, 340/429, 340/426.11, 340/426.15, 379/37, 379/38, 379/39, 379/48, 701/2, 701/124, 701/92
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• 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 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service

Abstract

The invention provides an on-vehicle communication terminal that secures a report to a center and safety of a crew by providing short-range radio communication means in the on-vehicle communication terminal, separately configuring a mobile terminal provided with a part of the functions of a conventional on-vehicle terminal detached therefrom, and letting the crew who are escaping carry a mobile terminal.

That is, an on-vehicle terminal (1) according to the invention includes location information detecting means (11), state sensor (14) for detecting an abnormal state and outputting the state information, first radio communication means (12) for transmitting predetermined data including state information, location information on a plurality of locations and a terminal ID to the information service center (2) on occurrence of a predetermined event, and second radio communication means (16) for providing radio communications between the on-vehicle terminal (1) and the mobile terminal (3). The mobile terminal (3) includes second radio communication means (31) and further location information detecting means (11) and a state sensor (14). Thus, by configuring an on-vehicle communication terminal with a combination of the on-vehicle terminal (1) and the mobile terminal (3), the crew can report to the information service center (2) while securing safety in the event of an accident.

Claims

1. An on-vehicle communication system including first radio communication means for transmitting predetermined data having state information in the detection of an abnormal state, the predetermined location information and a terminal ID to an information service center on occurrence of a predetermined event,

said on-vehicle communication system comprising:

an on-vehicle terminal main unit having the first radio communication means to communicate with the information service center;

a mobile terminal detachable from said on-vehicle terminal main unit, and

means for detecting a relative distance between said on-vehicle terminal main unit and said mobile terminal,

wherein said means switches a main system for communications of said on-vehicle communication system,

wherein said mobile terminal includes voice communication means,

wherein said on-vehicle terminal main unit and said mobile terminal can communicate with each other via second radio communication means, and

wherein if said first radio communication means has finished transmitting the predetermined data to the information service center, said mobile terminal has the second radio communication means transmit data for voice communication to the information service center via said on-vehicle terminal main unit.

2. The on-vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein said system further comprises location information detecting means as a function of said mobile terminal.

3. The on-vehicle communication system according to claim 1,

wherein said mobile terminal further includes a function of state sensor means.

4. An on-vehicle communication system according to claim 1,

wherein said mobile terminal further includes functions of location information detecting means and state sensor means.

5. An on-vehicle communication system including first radio communication means for transmitting predetermined data having state information in the detection of an abnormal state, the predetermined location information and a terminal ID to an information service center on occurrence of a predetermined event,

said on-vehicle communication system comprising:

an on-vehicle terminal main unit;

a mobile terminal detachable from said on-vehicle terminal main unit, and

means for detecting a relative distance between said on-vehicle terminal main unit and said mobile terminal,

wherein said means switches a main system for communications of said on-vehicle communication system,

wherein said mobile terminal includes voice communication means,

wherein said on-vehicle terminal main unit and said mobile terminal can communicate with each other via second radio communication means,

wherein if said first radio communication means has finished transmitting the predetermined data to the information service center, said mobile terminal has the second radio communication means transmit data for voice communication to the information service center via said on-vehicle terminal main unit, and

wherein the information service center includes means for distinguishing whether information is transmitted from said on-vehicle terminal main unit or whether the information is transmitted from said mobile terminal when said service center receives and restores the information transmitted from a plurality of types of on-vehicle communication systems according to a predetermined communication protocol.

6. An on-vehicle communication system including location information detecting means;

state sensor means for detecting an abnormal state and outputting state information;

means for recording predetermined location information having time information and latitude/longitude information of the location information obtained by the location information detecting means at each point;

first radio communication means for transmitting predetermined data having the state information, the predetermined location information and a terminal ID to an information service center on occurrence of a predetermined event; and

voice communication means,

wherein said on-vehicle communication system comprises an on-vehicle terminal main unit and a mobile terminal detachable from said on-vehicle terminal main unit, and

wherein said mobile terminal includes voice communication means and data retaining means for temporarily storing data, and

wherein said on-vehicle terminal main unit and said mobile terminal can communicate with each other via second radio communication means,

wherein the data retaining means temporarily stores data updated as required while the vehicle is traveling, and

wherein the mobile terminal can transmit data stored in the data retaining means to the on-vehicle terminal main unit, which can then transmit the data to the information service center.

7. The on-vehicle communication system according to claim 6,

wherein said data retaining means stores higher-priority emergency information data to be transmitted to the information service center, and the emergency information data stored in the data retaining means can be taken out of the vehicle together with said mobile terminal in the event of an emergency.

8. The on-vehicle communication system according to claim 7,

wherein said on-vehicle communication system makes voice communication with the information service center after transmitting the emergency information data to the information service center from said mobile terminal.

9. The on-vehicle communication system according to claim 8,

wherein communications from said mobile terminal to the service center are made via a communication apparatus different from said on-vehicle communication system associated with said mobile terminal, the communication apparatus existing in the close proximity of said mobile terminal.