Method and apparatus for vehicle to vehicle communication and information relay

• US 9,305,461 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2014
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Elzein, Hadi, Ostrowski, Jeffrey Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): MORTELL, JOHN F
• Application Number:
  US14/260,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20150310740A1
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 340/902
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle

Abstract

A system includes a processor configured to detect a primary vehicle emergency-state. The processor is also configured to determine that emergency-services communication through an on-board device is not possible. Further, the processor is configured to search for a secondary vehicle having vehicle-to-vehicle communication capabilities. The processor is additionally configured to send an emergency-services request to the secondary vehicle to establish communication with the secondary vehicle and send prioritized emergency data to the secondary vehicle.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor configured to;

detect a primary-vehicle emergency-state;

determine that emergency-services communication through an on-board device is not possible;

search for a secondary vehicle having vehicle-to-vehicle communication capabilities;

send an emergency-services request to the secondary vehicle to establish communication with the secondary vehicle;

send prioritized emergency-data to the secondary vehicle; and

receive confirmation from the secondary vehicle that the secondary vehicle has sent the emergency request to emergency services.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to send the prioritized emergency data until no data remains to be sent.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to terminate emergency-service requests to additional secondary vehicles once confirmation is received.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to send instructions to terminate emergency requests from additional secondary vehicles once confirmation is received.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to search for and send requests and data to a plurality of secondary vehicles.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to prioritize emergency data and send a single packet containing highest priority data first.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the highest priority data includes a primary vehicle location.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the highest priority data includes primary vehicle emergency mitigation system activation.

9. A system comprising:

a vehicle-based processor configured to;

receive an emergency-services request from a primary vehicle in an emergency state;

establish vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the primary vehicle;

receive emergency data from the primary vehicle;

send a communication requesting emergency services on behalf of the primary vehicle; and

send a confirmation to the primary vehicle after the communication requesting emergency services has been sent.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the emergency data is prioritized.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to send a first communication once a predefined threshold level of information has been received.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to send a secondary communication with additional emergency information after the first communication has already been sent.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the communication includes an SMS message.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to ignore a do-not-communicate state of a secondary vehicle in which the processor resides, if the request is an emergency services request.