Vehicular crash notification system

• US 9,102,220 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2007
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Inventors: Breed, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILSON, BRIAN P
• Application Number:
  US11/923,929
• Publication Number:
  US 20080195261A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,847 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/00 Sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02246 Electric motors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0248 with memory of positions
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0268 using sensors or detectors for adapting the seat or seat part, e.g. to the position of an occupant
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0272 using sensors or detectors for detecting the position of seat parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0276 reaction to emergency situations, e.g. crash
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/28 Seats readily mountable on, and dismountable from, existing seats or other parts of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2806 for securing the child seat to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2863 backward facing
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/829 characterised by their adjusting mechanisms, e.g. electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/853 characterised by their adjusting mechanisms, e.g. electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/888 with arrangements for protecting against abnormal g-forces, e.g. by displacement of the head-rest
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/088 using a cell of electrically changeable optical characteristic, e.g. liquid-crystal or electrochromic mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0241 for telephones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/037 for occupant comfort , e.g. for automatic adjustment of appliances according to personal settings, e.g. seats, mirrors, steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1223 with sensors or transducers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1253 with cameras, video cameras or video screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0027 Post collision measures, e.g. notifying emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01088 wireless
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01315 : monitoring occupant displacement
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01327 : Angular velocity or angular acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23153 : specially adapted for rear seat passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/26094 : characterised by fluid flow controlling valves
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2765 : comprising means to control the venting
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/208 : by automatic or remote control means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4825 : for sensing amount of belt winded on retractor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 : responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 : responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0136 : responsive to actual contact with an obstacle , e.g. to vehicle deformation, bumper displacement or bumper velocity relative to the vehicle monitoring crash strength in combination with passenger seat detection B60R21/01558
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01516 : using force or pressure sensing means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0152 : using strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01534 : using electromagneticwaves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01536 : using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01538 : for image processing, e.g. cameras or sensor arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0154 : in combination with seat heating
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01542 : detecting passenger motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01544 : detecting seat belt parameters, e.g. length, tension or height-adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01548 : sensing the amount of belt winded on retractor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01552 : detecting position of specific human body parts, e.g. face, eyes or hands
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01554 : Seat position sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/21656 : Steering wheel covers or similar cup-shaped covers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/276 : with means to vent the inflation fluid source, e.g. in case of overpressure B60R21/30 takes precedence; venting means on inflatable member walls B60R21/239
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/20 : adjustable in position, e.g. in height
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/25 : using biometry
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/252 : Fingerprint recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/255 : Eye recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/257 : Voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/55 : Windows
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/04 : Systems determining presence of a target based on relative movement of target G01S13/56
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/10 : using transmission of interrupted, pulse modulated waves determination of distance by phase measurement G01S13/32
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/58 : Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 : Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/89 : for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/10 : using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves determination of distance by phase measurement G01S15/32
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/582 : using transmission of interrupted pulse-modulated waves and based upon the Doppler effect resulting from movement of targets
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/86 : Combinations of sonar systems with lidar systems; Combinations of sonar systems with systems not using wave reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/87 : Combinations of sonar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/88 : Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications seismic or acoustic prospecting or detecting G01V1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/89 : for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/10 : using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves determination of distance by phase measurements G01S17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/58 : Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 : Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 : Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 : for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/002 : for traffic control, mobile tracking, guidance, surveillance or anti-collision
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/417 : involving the use of neural networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/539 : using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation; Target signature; Target cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/59 : inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 : Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/1282 : Automobiles
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3219 : Geometry of the configuration

Abstract

Arrangement for a vehicle including a sensor system arranged on the vehicle for sensing an event requiring an emergency response, a location determining device for determining the location of the vehicle, a communication device arranged on the vehicle for automatically communicating to a remote location when an event has occurred that the event has occurred and providing the remote location with the determined location of the vehicle, and a power source for providing power for the sensor system, the location determining device and the communication device. The communication device communicates to the remote location upon occurrence of the event. The location determining device may be arranged partially or entirely on the vehicle or elsewhere. The remote location may be an emergency response center which can direct aid to the vehicle'"'"'s location.

Claims

1. An arrangement in a vehicle, comprising:

a location-determining device;

a sensor system configured to detect one or more physical conditions of one or more persons in the vehicle and a collision of the vehicle, wherein one or more wireless transmitters and one or more wireless receivers are used together to determine a position and number of the one or more persons in the vehicle, wherein the position of the one or more persons with the respect to an airbag determines whether the airbag, which normally would be deployed during a collision, is disabled; and

a communication device coupled to the sensor system and the location-determining device,

the communication device being configured to communicate with a remote location and provide the remote location with location-related information determined by the location-determining device, condition information related to the one or more physical conditions detected by the sensor system and the number of the one or more persons in the vehicle upon the sensor system detecting the collision of the vehicle;

the communication device being configured to wirelessly and externally transmit an operational status of the sensor system and an operational status of the location-determining device the communication device including communication hardware configured to enable the communication device to wirelessly transmit signals to the remote location,

the communication device being configured to receive condition information.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the sensor system includes one or more of the following:

a temperature sensor, a fire sensor, and a smoke detector.

3. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the communication device is configured to wirelessly transmit the signals toward a satellite.

4. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the sensor system is configured to perform a self-diagnostic test, and wherein the communication device is configured to wirelessly report data from the self-diagnostic test.

5. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the communication device is configured to receive information and controlling request from the remote location.

6. The arrangement of claim 1, comprising:

a power source for providing power for the sensor system and the location-determining device; and

an electric power device, energy harvesting device or solar energy collection device separate from the power source and functioning as a substitute for the power source in the event of a problem with the power source, wherein the electric power device, energy harvesting device or solar energy collection device is coupled to the sensor system and the location-determining device.

7. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the communication device comprises a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit messages including one or more of the following:

quantitative data of an event, a degree of danger of the event, and the condition information after the event.

8. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the sensor system includes an optical sensor that is configured to obtain images, the communication device being coupled to the optical sensor and configured to wirelessly transmit the images or information derived therefrom to the remote location.

9. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the sensor system includes a sound sensor or a microphone that receives sounds recognizes sounds.

10. The arrangement of claim 9, wherein the sound sensor or the microphone is configured to receive and interpret vocal commands.

11. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the sensor system comprises an accelerometer or a gyroscope.

12. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the location-determining device comprises one or more of the following:

a GPS receiver, a DGPS receiver, a Galileo receiver, and a GLONASS receiver.

13. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the communication device includes one or more of the following:

a cell phone, a dedicated short-range communication device, a ground-based cellular communication device, and an Internet communication device.

14. The arrangement of claim 1, comprising:

a manually operated switch that is configured to enable the one or more persons to initiate a wireless communication to the remote location via the communication device when the manually operated switch is operated.

15. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein sensor system is configured to sense an even relating to the one or more persons that requires an emergency response.

16. The arrangement of claim 15, wherein the communication device is configured to wirelessly communicate with the remote location when the event has occurred as sensed by the sensor system and then provide the remote location with the location-related information and the condition information the communication device being configured to receive the condition information after the event is detected by the sensor system and to wirelessly transmit the location-related information and the condition information after the event to the remote location.

17. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the sensor system is integrated with the location-determining device in the arrangement.

18. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the sensor system is separate from the location-determining device.

19. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the communication device is housed in the arrangement.

20. The arrangement of claim 1, comprising:

a processor coupled to the sensor system, the location-determining device, and the communication device,

the processor being configured to receive the condition information from the sensor system, associate the location-related information and the condition information, and cause the communication device to wirelessly transmit the associated location-related information and the condition information to the remote location.

21. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the sensor system is configured to automatically detect the one or more physical conditions of the one or more persons in the vehicle.

22. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the detection of the one or more physical conditions includes monitoring a heartbeat of the one or more persons in the vehicle by a heartbeat sensor that is built into the vehicle.

23. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the detection of the one or more physical conditions includes one or more of the following:

monitoring of a heartbeat, breathing, and consciousness of the one or more persons.

24. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the sensor system is configured to provide data and images indicative of the one or more physical conditions of the one or more persons in the vehicle.

25. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the detection of the one or more physical conditions includes monitoring a heartbeat of the one or more persons in the vehicle by a motion sensor that is built into the vehicle, wherein the motion sensor is disposed in a vehicle seatback.

26. The arrangement of claim 25, wherein the motion sensor comprises an impulse sensor that is configured to detect motion.

27. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the detection of the one or more physical conditions includes monitoring a heartbeat of the one or more persons by a heartbeat sensor that is built into the vehicle, wherein the heartbeat sensor is configured to sense a variation in an electrical signal to detect the heartbeat of the one or more persons in the vehicle, and wherein the electric signal includes an electric field that is near the one or more persons.

28. An arrangement in a vehicle, comprising:

a location-determining device configured to determine a location of the vehicle;

a sensor system configured to detect one or more physical conditions of one or more persons in the vehicle and a collision of the vehicle, wherein the sensor system includes one or more wireless transmitters and one or more wireless receivers, wherein the one or more wireless transmitters and the one or more wireless receivers are used together to determine a position and number of the one or more persons in the vehicle, wherein the position of the one or more persons with respect to an airbag determined whether the airbag, that normally would be deployed during a collision, is disabled, wherein the sensor system is configured to perform a self-diagnostic test;

a communication device coupled to the sensor system and configured to communicate with a remote location, the communication device including communication hardware configured for wireless transmission to the remote location, the communication device being configured to wirelessly and externally transmit an operational status of the sensor system; and

a processor coupled to the sensor system, the location-determining device, and the communication device,

the processor being configured to receive condition information related to the one or more physical conditions from the sensor system and the number of the one or more persons in the vehicle,

the processor being configured to associate location-related information determined by the location-determining device, the condition information and the number of the one or more persons in the vehicle, and

the processor being configured to direct the communication device to wirelessly transmit signals relating to the associated location-related information, the condition information and the number of the one or more persons in the vehicle upon the sensor system detecting the collision of the vehicle to the remote location.

29. The arrangement of claim 28, wherein the communication device is configured to wirelessly report data from the self-diagnostic test performed by the sensor system.

30. The arrangement of claim 28, wherein the communication device comprises a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit messages including one or more of the following:

quantitative data of an event, a degree of danger of the event, and the condition information after the event.

31. The arrangement of claim 28, comprising and optical sensor configured to receive one or more images, the communication device being coupled to the optical sensor and being configured to wirelessly transmit the one or more images or information derived therefrom to the remote location.

32. The arrangement of claim 28, wherein the sensor system comprises an accelerometer.

33. The arrangement of claim 28, wherein the sensor system includes a sound sensor or a microphone that receives sounds and recognizes sounds.

34. The arrangement of claim 33, wherein the sound sensor or the microphone is configured to receive and interpret vocal commands.

35. The arrangement of claim 28, wherein the location-determining device comprises one or more of the following:

a GPS receiver, a DGPS receiver, a Galileo receiver, and a GLONASS receiver.

36. The arrangement of claim 28, wherein the communication device includes one or more of the following:

a cell phone, a dedicated short-range communication device, a ground-based cellular communication device, and an Internet communication device.

37. The arrangement of claim 28, wherein sensor system is configured to sense an event relating to the one or more persons that requires an emergency response.

38. The arrangement of claim 37, wherein the communication device is configured to wirelessly communicate with the remote location when the event has occurred as sensed by the sensor system and then provide the remote location with the location-related information and the condition information, wherein the communication device is configured to receive information related to the condition information after the event and to wirelessly transmit the location-related information and the condition information after the event to the remote location.

39. The arrangement of claim 28, wherein the sensor system is integrated with the location-determining device in the arrangement.

40. The arrangement of claim 28, wherein the sensor system is separate from the location-determining device.

41. The arrangement of claim 28, wherein the communication device is housed in the arrangement.

42. The arrangement of claim 28, wherein the detection of the one or more physical conditions includes monitoring a heartbeat by sensing vibrations introduced into the vehicle.

43. The arrangement of claim 28, wherein the processor is separate from the sensor system, the location-determining device, and the communication device.

44. The arrangement of claim 28, wherein the processor is configured to interrogate the sensor system and to receive the location-related information, and wherein the processor is configured to send the condition information and the location-related information to the communication device for processing and transmission.

45. An arrangement in a vehicle, comprising:

a sensor system configured to detect one or more physical conditions of one or more persons and a collision of the vehicle, wherein the sensor system includes a gyroscope built into the vehicle, wherein one or more wireless transmitters and one or more wireless receivers are used together to determine a position and number of the one or more persons in the vehicle, wherein the position of the one or more persons with respect to an airbag determines whether the airbag, that normally would be deployed during a collision, is disabled; and

a communication device couple to the sensor system and a location-determining device,

the communication device being configured to automatically communicate with a remote location and provide the remote location with location-related information determined by the location-determining device, the one or more physical conditions detected by the sensor system and the number of the one or more persons in the vehicle upon the sensor system detecting the collision of the vehicle,

the communication device being configured to wirelessly and externally transmit an operational status of the sensor system and an operational status of the location-determining device,

the communication device including communication hardware that enables the communication device to wirelessly transmit signals to the remote location via a wireless communication network,

the communication device being configured to receive the one or more physical conditions and the number of the one or more persons in the vehicle detected by the sensor system and the location-related information from the location-determining device.