U.S. patent application number 14/799174 was filed with the patent office on 2017-01-19 for vehicle emergency broadcast.
The applicant listed for this patent is Ford Global Technologies, LLC. Invention is credited to Daniel A. Makled, Michael Mcquillen, Gopichandra Surnilla.
Application Number | 20170015263 14/799174 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57629954 |
Filed Date | 2017-01-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170015263 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Makled; Daniel A. ; et
al. |
January 19, 2017 |
Vehicle Emergency Broadcast
Abstract
A communication system for a vehicle includes an accelerometer,
and a controller electrically coupled to the accelerometer and
configured to respond to a signal indicative of an accident of the
vehicle. The controller's response to the signal includes
activating an emergency mode, requesting biometric data of
occupants of the vehicle, and transmitting data identifying the
vehicle, a location of the vehicle and a time of activation, and
biometric data.
Inventors: |
Makled; Daniel A.;
(Dearborn, MI) ; Mcquillen; Michael; (Warren,
MI) ; Surnilla; Gopichandra; (West Bloomfield,
MI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Ford Global Technologies, LLC |
Dearborn |
MI |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
57629954 |
Appl. No.: |
14/799174 |
Filed: |
July 14, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G08B 25/004 20130101;
G08G 1/127 20130101; G08B 25/009 20130101; B60R 2021/0027 20130101;
G08B 25/016 20130101; G06K 9/00845 20130101; B60R 21/00
20130101 |
International
Class: |
B60R 21/00 20060101
B60R021/00; G08G 1/127 20060101 G08G001/127; G06K 9/00 20060101
G06K009/00 |
Claims
1. A vehicle communication system comprising: an accelerometer; and
a controller programmed to, in response to a signal from the
accelerometer indicative of an accident of the vehicle, activate an
emergency mode, request biometric data of occupants of the vehicle,
and cause data identifying the vehicle, a location of the vehicle,
and a time of activation of the emergency mode, and biometric data
received in response to the request to be transmitted.
2. The system of claim 1 further including a seat belt having a
biometric sensor in communication with the controller and
programmed to measure a heart rate and respiration rate, and to
output the biometric data based on the rates.
3. The system of claim 1 further including a steering wheel having
a biometric sensor in communication with the controller and
programmed to measure a heart rate and to output the biometric data
based on the rate.
4. The system of claim 1 further including a camera in
communication with the controller and programmed to capture images
of an operator of the vehicle, wherein the controller is further
programmed to activate the emergency mode in response to detection
of eyes of the operator being closed for a time greater than a
predetermined time.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further
programmed to receive data from a remote sensor including a
personal wearable device.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein a mobile phone relays the data
from the personal wearable device to the controller.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the data identifying the vehicle
includes a vehicle identification number (VIN) and a license plate
number.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the controller is further
programmed to encrypt the biometric data prior to transmission with
an encryption key associated with the license plate number and the
VIN.
9. The system of claim 1 further including an RF transceiver,
wherein the controller is further programmed cause the data to be
transmitted via the RF transceiver.
10. A vehicle comprising: a biometric sensor; an RF transceiver;
and at least one controller programmed to, in response to
activation of an emergency mode, request biometric data of
occupants of the vehicle, and transmit via the RF transceiver, data
identifying the vehicle, a location of the vehicle, and a time of
activation of the emergency mode, and biometric data received from
the sensor in response to the request.
11. The vehicle of claim 10 further including an emergency button
electrically coupled to the at least one controller, wherein
activation of the emergency mode is in response to activation of
the emergency button and wherein the at least one controller is
further programmed to transmit an Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA)
to a healthcare facility.
12. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the at least one controller is
further programmed to activate the emergency mode in response to
detection of a traffic accident involving the vehicle.
13. The vehicle of claim 10 further including a seatbelt assembly,
wherein the biometric sensor is mounted to the seatbelt
assembly.
14. The vehicle of claim 10 further including a steering wheel
assembly, wherein the biometric sensor is mounted to the steering
wheel assembly.
15. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the data identifying the
vehicle includes a vehicle identification number (VIN) and a
license plate number.
16. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the at least one controller is
further programmed to encrypt the biometric data prior to
transmission with an encryption key associated with the license
plate number and the VIN.
17. A method of broadcasting a vehicular emergency message
comprising: receiving biometric data of occupants of a vehicle from
a sensor; detecting an emergency event associated with the vehicle;
assigning an emergency type associated with the emergency event;
and transmitting the biometric data, the emergency type, a
location, a time, an identification of the vehicle, and route data
in response to the emergency event.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the sensor is coupled to a
seatbelt assembly and the biometric data includes a heart rate and
a respiration rate.
19. The method of claim 17 further comprising transmitting an
Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) to a healthcare facility.
20. The method of claim 17, wherein the emergency type includes
traffic accident, medical emergency, police assistance, fire
assistance, or Emergency Medical Service (EMS) assistance.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This application is generally related to a system in a
vehicle configured to selectively broadcast emergency
information.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Drivers of vehicles have a constantly growing amount of
information to observe and process in order to maneuver safely
while driving on the open road. Drivers must not only know about
and adhere to the rules of the road in their own right, but they
must also be aware of what nearby vehicles are doing. Vehicle to
vehicle (V2V) and vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) systems allow
vehicles to communicate and share information allowing the drivers
to focus on operation of the vehicle. A goal of the vehicular
communication system is to support active safety vehicle features
in avoiding and notifying of accidents and traffic congestions by
taking advantage of the information exchange with the surrounding
vehicle and road infrastructure stations. The features supported by
V2V and V2I communication include vehicle diagnostics, vehicle
assistance, intersection control, collision warning, and
co-operative adaptive cruise control. These services usually
require multiple radio links in order to monitor surroundings of
the vehicle including other vehicles and the roadway
infrastructure.
SUMMARY
[0003] A vehicle communication system includes an accelerometer and
a controller. The controller is programmed to respond to a signal
from the accelerometer indicative of an accident of the vehicle. In
response to the signal indicative of an accident, the controller is
programmed to activate an emergency mode, request biometric data of
occupants of the vehicle, and cause data identifying the vehicle, a
location of the vehicle, and a time of activation of the emergency
mode, and biometric data received in response to the request to be
transmitted.
[0004] A vehicle includes a biometric sensor, an RF transceiver,
and at least one controller. The at least one controller is
programmed to respond to activation of an emergency mode. In
response to the activation, the at least one controller will
request biometric data of occupants of the vehicle, and transmit
via the RF transceiver, data identifying the vehicle, a location of
the vehicle, and a time of activation of the emergency mode, and
biometric data received from the sensor in response to the
request.
[0005] A method of broadcasting a vehicular emergency message
includes receiving biometric data of occupants of a vehicle from a
sensor and detecting an emergency event associated with the
vehicle. The method also includes assigning an emergency type
associated with the emergency event and transmitting the biometric
data, the emergency type, a location, a time, an identification of
the vehicle, and route data in response to the emergency event.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIGS. 1A and 1B are an exemplary block topology of a vehicle
infotainment system.
[0007] FIG. 2 is an exemplary illustration of a vehicle
communication system relaying information between vehicles and a
vehicular infrastructure.
[0008] FIG. 3 is an exemplary illustration of a vehicle
interior.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0009] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein.
It is to be understood, however, that the disclosed embodiments are
merely examples and other embodiments can take various and
alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some
features could be exaggerated or minimized to show details of
particular components. Therefore, specific structural and
functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as
limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one
skilled in the art to variously employ the embodiments. As those of
ordinary skill in the art will understand, various features
illustrated and described with reference to any one of the figures
can be combined with features illustrated in one or more other
figures to produce embodiments that are not explicitly illustrated
or described. The combinations of features illustrated provide
representative embodiments for typical applications. Various
combinations and modifications of the features consistent with the
teachings of this disclosure, however, could be desired for
particular applications or implementations.
[0010] The embodiments of the present disclosure generally provide
for a plurality of circuits or other electrical devices. All
references to the circuits and other electrical devices and the
functionality provided by each, are not intended to be limited to
encompassing only what is illustrated and described herein. While
particular labels may be assigned to the various circuits or other
electrical devices disclosed, such labels are not intended to limit
the scope of operation for the circuits and the other electrical
devices. Such circuits and other electrical devices may be combined
with each other and/or separated in any manner based on the
particular type of electrical implementation that is desired. It is
recognized that any circuit or other electrical device disclosed
herein may include any number of microprocessors, integrated
circuits, memory devices (e.g., FLASH, random access memory (RAM),
read only memory (ROM), electrically programmable read only memory
(EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory
(EEPROM), or other suitable variants thereof) and software which
co-act with one another to perform operation(s) disclosed herein.
In addition, any one or more of the electric devices may be
configured to execute a computer-program that is embodied in a
non-transitory computer readable medium that is programmed to
perform any number of the functions as disclosed.
[0011] This disclosure, among other things, proposes communication
systems and methods for vehicle to vehicle (V2V) and vehicle to
infrastructure (V2I) communication. Emergency information
associated with a vehicle may be transmitted from the vehicle in
response to a request to transmit. The emergency information may
include a frame of data. The frame of data may include vehicle
identification data such as a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
or other way to provide a make, model, and color of the vehicle,
and a license plate of the vehicle. Other associated information
that may be provided with the vehicle identification includes a
current location of the vehicle, a current time, a location
associated with an event and a time associated with the event,
wherein the event may be associated with a condition of an occupant
of the vehicle, a condition of the vehicle, or a condition of a
road the vehicle is traveling on. The condition of an occupant of
the vehicle may include a desire of the occupant such as hungry,
thirsty, or looking for a bathroom, or may include a medical
emergency. The condition of the vehicle may include a status based
on internal vehicle diagnostics such as low fuel, low oil, over
temperature, low on tire pressure, a current condition, or a past
condition. The condition of the road may be assessed by a vehicle
stability system of the vehicle to include road hazards such as a
patch of ice or oil, a bump or pothole, and traffic. The vehicle
stability system may provide vehicle speed, tire rotational speed
for each tire, longitudinal acceleration, yaw and pitch. The
request to transmit may be automatically generated by the system
such as detection of a vehicle crash, vehicle diagnostics such as
engine temperature, low oil pressure, low tire pressure, or may be
based upon user activation such as depression of a button, a voice
activated transmission.
[0012] The transmission may be a Radio Frequency (RF) transmission
and may be received by a second vehicle. The second vehicle, upon
reception of the information, may process the information including
decoding the information and updating the information. Typically, a
message sent by an originating vehicle is broadcast to all
surrounding vehicles, and the second or surrounding vehicles may
rebroadcast the information. Here, the message may be analyzed by a
receiving vehicle to determine a distance between the originating
vehicle and the receiving vehicle, a change in time from the
transmission of the originating information to reception of the
information by the receiving vehicle, and a relay count associated
with retransmission or "hops" from the originating vehicle.
[0013] In one embodiment, to reduce RF transmissions and provide
for information to be transmitted beyond the range of the RF
transmitter of the originating vehicle, a delay may be added such
that the originating message including the origination location and
time and subsequent locations of relays, times of relays and a
relay count may be transmitted after expiration of the delay such
as underflow of a count down timer, overflow of a count up timer,
or a match in the comparison of the timer with a predetermined
value. The use of a delay allows the relay system to analyze the
information and possibly subsequent retransmissions of updated
information such that an area of coverage may be maximized and
duplicated transmissions may be reduced. A supplement to this
embodiment may be achieved by limiting the relay transmission of
the information including updated information such that the relay
transmission is only performed when the relay vehicle is at least a
predetermined distance away from the preceding transmissions and
the origination location.
[0014] FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate an example diagram of a system
100 that may be used to provide telematics services to a vehicle
102. The vehicle 102 may be one of various types of passenger
vehicles, such as a crossover utility vehicle (CUV), a sport
utility vehicle (SUV), a truck, a recreational vehicle (RV), a
boat, a plane or other mobile machine for transporting people or
goods. Telematics services may include, as some non-limiting
possibilities, navigation, turn-by-turn directions, vehicle health
reports, local business search, accident reporting, and hands-free
calling. In an example, the system 100 may include the SYNC system
manufactured by The Ford Motor Company of Dearborn, Mich. It should
be noted that the illustrated system 100 is merely an example, and
more, fewer, and/or differently located elements may be used.
[0015] The computing platform 104 may include one or more
processors 106 configured to perform instructions, commands and
other routines in support of the processes described herein. For
instance, the computing platform 104 may be configured to execute
instructions of vehicle applications 110 to provide features such
as navigation, accident reporting, satellite radio decoding, and
hands-free calling. Such instructions and other data may be
maintained in a non-volatile manner using a variety of types of
computer-readable storage medium 112. The computer-readable medium
112 (also referred to as a processor-readable medium or storage)
includes any non-transitory medium (e.g., a tangible medium) that
participates in providing instructions or other data that may be
read by the processor 106 of the computing platform 104. The
processor may also be multiple processors in multiple computing
units which each perform a part of the overall driver alert. For
example, one processor may perform audible alert functions, located
in the audio module (122), while a different processor in the video
controller (140) handles the visual alert, predicated from the same
alert message. Computer-executable instructions may be compiled or
interpreted from computer programs created using a variety of
programming languages and/or technologies, including, without
limitation and either alone or in combination, Java, C, C++, C#,
Objective C, Fortran, Pascal, Java Script, Python, Perl, and
PL/SQL.
[0016] The computing platform 104 may be provided with various
features allowing the vehicle occupants to interface with the
computing platform 104. For example, the computing platform 104 may
include an audio input 114 configured to receive spoken commands
from vehicle occupants through a connected microphone 116, and
auxiliary audio input 118 configured to receive audio signals from
connected devices. The auxiliary audio input 118 may be a physical
connection, such as an electrical wire or a fiber optic cable, or a
wireless input, such as a BLUETOOTH audio connection. In some
examples, the audio input 114 may be configured to provide audio
processing capabilities, such as pre-amplification of low-level
signals, and conversion of analog inputs into digital data for
processing by the processor 106.
[0017] The computing platform 104 may also provide one or more
audio outputs 120 to an input of an audio module 122 having audio
playback functionality. In other examples, the computing platform
104 may provide the audio output to an occupant through use of one
or more dedicated speakers (not illustrated). The audio module 122
may include an input selector 124 configured to provide audio
content from a selected audio source 126 to an audio amplifier 128
for playback through vehicle speakers 130 or headphones (not
illustrated). The audio sources 126 may include, as some examples,
decoded amplitude modulated (AM) or frequency modulated (FM) radio
signals, and audio signals from compact disc (CD) or digital
versatile disk (DVD) audio playback. The audio sources 126 may also
include audio received from the computing platform 104, such as
audio content generated by the computing platform 104, audio
content decoded from flash memory drives connected to a universal
serial bus (USB) subsystem 132 of the computing platform 104, and
audio content passed through the computing platform 104 from the
auxiliary audio input 118.
[0018] The computing platform 104 may utilize a voice interface 134
to provide a hands-free interface to the computing platform 104.
The voice interface 134 may support speech recognition from audio
received via the microphone 116 according to grammar associated
with available commands, and voice prompt generation for output via
the audio module 122. In some cases, the system may be configured
to temporarily mute or otherwise override the audio source
specified by the input selector 124 when an audio prompt is ready
for presentation by the computing platform 104 and another audio
source 126 is selected for playback.
[0019] The computing platform 104 may also receive input from
human-machine interface (HMI) controls 136 configured to provide
for occupant interaction with the vehicle 102. For instance, the
computing platform 104 may interface with one or more buttons or
other HMI controls configured to invoke functions on the computing
platform 104 (e.g., steering wheel audio buttons, a push-to-talk
button, instrument panel controls, etc.). The computing platform
104 may also drive or otherwise communicate with one or more
displays 138 configured to provide visual output to vehicle
occupants by way of a video controller 140. In some cases, the
display 138 may be a touch screen further configured to receive
user touch input via the video controller 140, while in other cases
the display 138 may be a display only, without touch input
capabilities.
[0020] The computing platform 104 may be further configured to
communicate with other components of the vehicle 102 via one or
more in-vehicle networks 142. The in-vehicle networks 142 may
include one or more of a vehicle controller area network (CAN), an
Ethernet network, and a media oriented system transfer (MOST), as
some examples. The in-vehicle networks 142 may allow the computing
platform 104 to communicate with other vehicle 102 systems, such as
a vehicle modem 144 (which may not be present in some
configurations), a global positioning system (GPS) module 146
configured to provide current vehicle 102 location and heading
information, and various vehicle ECUs 148 configured to cooperate
with the computing platform 104. As some non-limiting
possibilities, the vehicle ECUs 148 may include a powertrain
control module configured to provide control of engine operating
components (e.g., idle control components, fuel delivery
components, emissions control components, etc.) and monitoring of
engine operating components (e.g., status of engine diagnostic
codes); a body control module configured to manage various power
control functions such as exterior lighting, interior lighting,
keyless entry, remote start, and point of access status
verification (e.g., closure status of the hood, doors and/or trunk
of the vehicle 102); a radio transceiver module configured to
communicate with key fobs or other local vehicle 102 devices; and a
climate control management module configured to provide control and
monitoring of heating and cooling system components (e.g.,
compressor clutch and blower fan control, temperature sensor
information, etc.).
[0021] As shown, the audio module 122 and the HMI controls 136 may
communicate with the computing platform 104 over a first in-vehicle
network 142A, and the vehicle modem 144, GPS module 146, and
vehicle ECUs 148 may communicate with the computing platform 104
over a second in-vehicle network 142B. In other examples, the
computing platform 104 may be connected to more or fewer in-vehicle
networks 142. Additionally or alternately, one or more HMI controls
136 or other components may be connected to the computing platform
104 via different in-vehicle networks 142 than shown, or directly
without connection to an in-vehicle network 142.
[0022] The computing platform 104 may also be configured to
communicate with mobile devices 152 of the vehicle occupants. The
mobile devices 152 may be any of various types of portable
computing device, such as cellular phones, tablet computers, smart
watches, laptop computers, portable music players, or other devices
capable of communication with the computing platform 104. In many
examples, the computing platform 104 may include a wireless
transceiver 150 (e.g., a BLUETOOTH module, a ZIGBEE transceiver, a
Wi-Fi transceiver, an IrDA transceiver, an RFID transceiver, etc.)
configured to communicate with a compatible wireless transceiver
154 of the mobile device 152. The wireless modules may transmit
data at a carrier frequency or a center frequency. The center
frequency is an important aspect of a wireless system by impacting
noise immunity and bandwidth. For example, typical remote keyless
entry systems operate at 315 MHz in the United States, and 433 MHz
in Europe, while WiFi and Bluetooth may operate at frequencies
including frequencies over 2 GHz such as 2.4 GHz. Additionally or
alternately, the computing platform 104 may communicate with the
mobile device 152 over a wired connection, such as via a USB
connection between the mobile device 152 and the USB subsystem
132.
[0023] The communications network 156 may provide communications
services, such as packet-switched network services (e.g., Internet
access, VoIP communication services), to devices connected to the
communications network 156. An example of a communications network
156 may include a cellular telephone network. Mobile devices 152
may provide network connectivity to the communications network 156
via a device modem 158 of the mobile device 152. To facilitate the
communications over the communications network 156, mobile devices
152 may be associated with unique device identifiers (e.g., mobile
device numbers (MDNs), Internet protocol (IP) addresses, etc.) to
identify the communications of the mobile devices 152 over the
communications network 156. In some cases, occupants of the vehicle
102 or devices having permission to connect to the computing
platform 104 may be identified by the computing platform 104
according to paired device data 160 maintained in the storage
medium 112. The paired device data 160 may indicate, for example,
the unique device identifiers of mobile devices 152 previously
paired with the computing platform 104 of the vehicle 102, such
that the computing platform 104 may automatically reconnect to the
mobile devices 152 referenced in the paired device data 160 without
user intervention.
[0024] When a mobile device 152 that supports network connectivity
is paired with the computing platform 104, the mobile device 152
may allow the computing platform 104 to use the network
connectivity of the device modem 158 to communicate over the
communications network 156 with the remote telematics services 162.
In one example, the computing platform 104 may utilize a
data-over-voice plan or data plan of the mobile device 152 to
communicate information between the computing platform 104 and the
communications network 156. Additionally or alternately, the
computing platform 104 may utilize the vehicle modem 144 to
communicate information between the computing platform 104 and the
communications network 156, without use of the communications
facilities of the mobile device 152.
[0025] Similar to the computing platform 104, the mobile device 152
may include one or more processors 164 configured to execute
instructions of mobile applications 170 loaded to a memory 166 of
the mobile device 152 from storage medium 168 of the mobile device
152. In some examples, the mobile applications 170 may be
configured to communicate with the computing platform 104 via the
wireless transceiver 154 and with the remote telematics services
162 or other network services via the device modem 158. The
computing platform 104 may also include a device link interface 172
to facilitate the integration of functionality of the mobile
applications 170 into the grammar of commands available via the
voice interface 134 as well as into display 138 of the computing
platform 104. The device link interfaced 172 may also provide the
mobile applications 170 with access to vehicle information
available to the computing platform 104 via the in-vehicle networks
142. Some examples of device link interfaces 172 include the SYNC
APPLINK component of the SYNC system provided by The Ford Motor
Company of Dearborn, Mich., the CarPlay protocol provided by Apple
Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., or the Android Auto protocol provided by
Google, Inc. of Mountain View, Calif. The vehicle component
interface application 174 may be once such application installed to
the mobile device 152.
[0026] The vehicle component interface application 174 of the
mobile device 152 may be configured to facilitate access to one or
more vehicle 102 features made available for device configuration
by the vehicle 102. In some cases, the available vehicle 102
features may be accessible by a single vehicle component interface
application 174, in which case the vehicle component interface
application 174 may be configured to be customizable or to maintain
configurations supportive of the specific vehicle 102 brand/model
and option packages. In an example, the vehicle component interface
application 174 may be configured to receive, from the vehicle 102,
a definition of the features that are available to be controlled,
display a user interface descriptive of the available features, and
provide user input from the user interface to the vehicle 102 to
allow the user to control the indicated features. As exampled in
detail below, an appropriate mobile device 152 to display the
vehicle component interface application 174 may be identified, and
a definition of the user interface to display may be provided to
the identified vehicle component interface application 174 for
display to the user.
[0027] Systems such as the system 100 and system 200 may require
mobile device 152 pairing with the computing platform 104 and/or
other setup operations. However, as explained in detail below, a
system may be configured to allow vehicle occupants to seamlessly
interact with user interface elements in their vehicle or with any
other framework-enabled vehicle, without requiring the mobile
device 152 or wearable device 202 to have been paired with or be in
communication with the computing platform 104.
[0028] FIG. 2 is an exemplary illustration of a vehicle
communication system 200 for relaying information between vehicles
and a vehicular infrastructure. The communication system 200
illustrates an originating vehicle 202 encountering an emergency.
The emergency may include a vehicular based emergency, an occupant
based emergency, or a road infrastructure based emergency. The
vehicle based emergency may include a mechanical breakdown or
malfunction, an electrical breakdown or malfunction, low air
pressure in a tire of the vehicle, or a low vehicular fluid level.
The occupant based emergency may include a medical emergency
including circulation, respiration or nervous system impairment, or
a personal emergency including need of a restaurant, rest room or
rest stop. A road infrastructure based emergency may include a
pothole, sinkhole, uneven pavement, frost heave, ice patch, oil
spill or other roadway hazard.
[0029] In this illustration, the originating vehicle 202 is shown
after an accident with another vehicle 220. Upon the occurrence of
the accident, a driver or passenger of the vehicle 202 may need
assistance and may not be a condition to physically make a call for
assistance. Also, based on the location of the accident, the
driver, passenger or a bystander in the proximate area may not be
able to make a cellular call for multiple reasons including a lack
of cellular service in that specific geographic location. For
example, if a terrain is hilly, the range of a cellular telephone
may be as little as 3 miles or 5 kilometers from a nearby cellular
tower. In the event that a cellular phone call is not possible or
desirable and if the vehicle 202 is equipped with a RF transmitter
or an RF transceiver, the vehicle 202 may automatically transmit an
originating message regarding a condition such as details of the
accident. The transmission may be triggered automatically or
manually. An event to provide automatic triggering may include an
output of an accelerometer exceeding a threshold indicating that
the vehicle had a sudden deceleration such as in an accident,
deployment of an airbag, signal indicating that the vehicle has
rolled over or other signals from systems configured to detect an
accident or emergency. Also, the mechanism to provide the
triggering may be manual such as a button in the vehicle or on a
device coupled to the vehicle. The device coupled to the vehicle
may be an RF based electronic system such as a keyfob, a cellular
phone, or an electronic tablet. The button may be a single button
or a plurality of buttons. The plurality of buttons may be
configured such that each button has a specific function associated
with its activation. For example, a system may include a medical
button, a police button, and a fire/rescue button.
[0030] A message broadcasted by the system may include a field, the
field of the message associated with a nature or classification of
the emergency such as medical, police, fire/rescue, mechanical, or
road hazard. The medical button may allow the message to be
directed to first response, ambulance, hospital and medical
personal. The field of the message associated with the police
button may allow the message to be directed to local law
enforcement. The field of the message associated with the
fire/rescue button may allow the message to be directed to
fire/rescue or towing services. The field of the message associated
with the mechanical may allow the message to be directed to an OEM
diagnostic service, an auto service station, or a towing service.
And, the field of the message associated with the road hazard may
allow the message to be directed to highway safety or the state
department of transportation.
[0031] The originating message may include fields including a time
of activation or time of triggering, a time of transmission of the
originating message, a location associated with the vehicle 202 at
a time of activation, a current location, speed, and heading
associated with the vehicle 202 and a status associated with the
vehicle 202. The status may include various fault codes from a
variety of the vehicle ECUs 148. These fault codes could provide an
indication of a level of damage the vehicle has. This data could
then be used to help determine a severity of the accident. This
information, in conjunction with the other data sent from the
vehicle, could be used to determine if a local hospital would be
equipped to treat the vehicle passengers or if the passengers would
need to be air lifted to a hospital that was better suited to
treating their condition. Also, the message may include a field for
biometric data associated with the driver or an occupant. The
message may also include relay fields including relay information
including a time the message was relayed, a location of the relay
vehicle, and a count associated with the number of relays or
"hops". The relay fields may consist of a single relay field in
which relay information regarding the last relay overwrites the
field such that the most recent relay information is held in the
field, or there may be a predetermined number of dedicated relay
fields for each relay or "hop" of the information.
[0032] The originating message transmitted from the originating
vehicle 202 may be transmitted via radio frequency (RF) signals.
The energy of the RF signals is greater at a distance close to the
originating vehicle 202 and the energy of the signal is reduced as
the location from the originating vehicle 202 is increased. For
example, an RF signal 222 will have different energies at different
distances from the vehicle 202. At a circumference close to the
vehicle 202, as illustrated as 222A, the energy is typically higher
than the energy at a circumference further away from the vehicle
202, as illustrated as 222B; likewise, the energy at 222B is
typically greater than the energy at 222C. Also, there is a limit
to the effective range of the RF signals, as illustrated by 222D.
When the RF signal is transmitted, it may be received by vehicles
within the range of the RF signals 222D, such as vehicles 204, 206,
and 208. Other vehicles on the roadway may be capable of receiving
and transmitting RF signals. For example, vehicle 204 can transmit
RF signal 224, vehicle 206 can transmit RF signal 226, vehicle 208
can transmit RF signal 228, and vehicle 230 can transmit RF signal
230. Each of the RF signals (224, 226, 228, and 230) will have
different energies at different distances from the transmitting
vehicle. For example, the energy of the RF signal 224 will
typically decrease as the distance from the transmitting source
becomes greater, so the energy at 224A is typically higher than the
energy at 224B, likewise, the energy at 224C is typically greater
than the energy at 222D. This applies to each of the RF signals
226, 228, and 230 (i.e. 226A-D, 228A-D, and 230A-D). Thus, it may
be advantageous for a vehicle (such as vehicle 204 and 206) close
to the originating vehicle 202 to not relay the message and a
vehicle 208 within a predetermined distance from the originating
vehicle 202 to relay the message.
[0033] Vehicles equipped with an RF receiver or an RF transceiver
including a first vehicle 204, a second vehicle 206 and a relaying
vehicle 208 may receive the RF signal. Many systems operate such
that a vehicle receiving a message from another vehicle will not
relay or re-broadcast that message. Here, it may be advantageous
for the vehicles (204, 206, and 208) to relay the message
especially if the vehicle 202 is at a location in which there is no
or limited cellular coverage or the RF transmitter cannot reach the
vehicular infrastructure. To relay the message, upon receiving the
RF signal, all vehicles (204, 206, and 208) may re-broadcast the
message. Also, the vehicles (204, 206, and 208) may re-broadcast
the message after a delay period. The delay period may include a
fixed delay, such as 2 seconds, or a variable delay. The variable
delay may be a function of a distance from a vehicle infrastructure
tower, a speed of the vehicle, a direction of the vehicle, an
elevation of the vehicle, an expected elevation along a currently
traveling route. The delay may also be associated with a location.
For example, if a relay vehicle having a navigation system is
traveling along a route and the navigation system anticipates that
the vehicle will reach a point, the vehicle may store the message
and delay the relay of the message until the vehicle reaches the
point. The point may be associated with a location that is expected
to have better transmission characteristics such as elevation,
proximity to vehicular infrastructure having an RF receiver
capability, greater vehicle density, and the vehicle being within a
predetermined band of distances from the transmission point of the
message.
[0034] Although vehicles 204, 206, and 208 may relay the
information, if each vehicle (204, 206, and 208) that received the
message relays the message, an overall increase in area the message
covers may not justify an increase in overall system bandwidth used
by the vehicles (204, 206, and 208). An example in which a relay
bandwidth may be greatly increased with little added benefit is in
congested areas such as metropolitan areas. As the coverage of area
may not be significantly greater if each vehicle (204, 206, and
208) relays the message than if only a single vehicle 208 relays
the message, inhibiting the relay of the message may be
advantageous. Aspects to consider to inhibit the relay of the
message include a distance from either/both the originating vehicle
and a location the message was relayed,
[0035] An example of a distance from either/both the originating
vehicle and a location the message was relayed is if the relay
vehicle is within a predetermined band of distances from a
transmission point of the message, allow the message to be relayed
and inhibit the relay of messages of vehicles outside the
predetermined band of distances from a transmission point. Or if
the single vehicle 208 is at a location greater than a
predetermined distance from a transmission point of the message,
allow the message to be relayed. Alternatively, the vehicle 208 may
store the message until it travels to a point within a
predetermined band of distances from the transmission point of the
message, and if it has not received a relayed message associated
with the original message, relay the message. For example, if
vehicles (204, 206, and 208) receive the message, a vehicle 208 at
a location being within a predetermined band of distances from the
transmission point of the message, vehicle 208 would then relay the
message, which is received by vehicle 210. Vehicle 210 may then
relay the message due to vehicle 210 being within a predetermined
band of distances from the transmission point of the message,
vehicle 208, and within a predetermined band of distances from the
other transmission points of the message, including the originating
vehicle 202. The relayed message from vehicle 210 is then received
by the emergency vehicle 212, the vehicle infrastructure 214, such
as a hospital, fire station, or traffic light 216. The relayed
message received by the emergency vehicle 212 may contain field
information including the number of relays, in this example the
first relay was by vehicle 208, the second relay was by vehicle 210
and the emergency vehicle 212 may be the third relay or vehicle 212
may be the destination and not relay the information. Further, upon
reception by vehicle 212, a message may be broadcast to inhibit
further transmission of this message.
[0036] If received by a traffic light, the traffic light may
accommodate the emergency vehicle or the distressed vehicle if in
motion to allow faster response. Also, the vehicle infrastructure
may provide directions to the nearest facility for assistance based
on data indicative that the vehicle is still in motion. The vehicle
infrastructure may notify nearby agencies such as police, fire, and
EMS.
[0037] The vehicle may gather data from a phone and other device
including a infotainment system and forward that data to the
infrastructure. The data sent to the infrastructure may include
public data such as a license plate or Vehicle Identification
Number (VIN) and secure data such as medical information, pulse
rate, blood pressure, respiration rate, oxygen saturation, to the
infrastructure (supporting autonomous driving) and public data to
other vehicles.
[0038] Upon classification of the message, the infrastructure may
forward the message to a controller, system or server to process
the message thereby requesting emergency services including an
ambulance, a tow truck, a police officer or a fire department.
Also, the message may include both open and encrypted information,
such that some information may be decrypted by the controller and
confidentially transmitted to other agencies. For example, some
biometric data may be collected by the vehicle 202 and encrypted by
the vehicle 202 prior to transmission. The encrypted data may be
received by other vehicles (204, 206, 208, 210, 212, and 220) and
relayed by other vehicles (208, 210, and 212), however the vehicle
receiving the data and relaying the data may not have the key to
decrypt the data and therefore, obscure the meaning of the data
while encrypted. This encryption mechanism would provide security
of confidential information including medical information,
insurance information, personal information, and financial
information.
[0039] The use of dedicated relay fields allows a history or a path
the relays took to reach a present location. Similar to the example
in which the relaying was inhibited after reception by the
emergency vehicle 212, the number of relays or "hops" may be
limited such that only a certain number of relays is permitted
after which the data is no longer relayed.
[0040] FIG. 3 is an exemplary illustration of a vehicle interior
300. The vehicle interior 300 includes a seat belt assembly 203, a
steering wheel assembly 304, an instrument cluster 306 and an
infotainment system 308. The seat belt assembly includes a seat
belt and a sensor coupled to the seat belt. The sensor may be
configured to measure biometric characteristics of a passenger
secured by the seat beat. An example of biometric characteristics
that may be detected by a seat belt include, heart rate,
respiration rate, and movement indicative of being conscious. The
steering wheel assembly may include a sensor configured to measure
biometric characteristics of a passenger proximate to the steering
wheel. The steering wheel may include a sensor on the steering to
measure a heart rate and oxygen saturation based on measurements of
a hand in contact with the steering wheel. The instrument cluster
may include vision system or a camera in which the camera may
detect biometric characteristics including movement of a person in
the field of view indicative of consciousness, a respiration rate
based on detected movement of the chest, activity of the driver
based on detection of eye motion. The infotainment system 308 may
also include a vision system and/or an audible system to receive
and transmit verbal commands and information to passengers in the
vehicle interior 300. Similar to a camera in an instrument cluster,
a camera in the infotainment system 308 may be configured to detect
biometric characteristics including movement of a person in the
field of view indicative of consciousness, a respiration rate based
on detected movement of the chest, activity of the driver based on
eye motion. The audible system in the infotainment system 308 may
be configured to detect and convert audible sound waves to signals
indicative of commands or sound waves indicative of biometric
characteristics such as respiration rate and consciousness.
[0041] The processes, methods, or algorithms disclosed herein may
be deliverable to or implemented by a processing device,
controller, or computer, which may include any existing
programmable electronic control unit or dedicated electronic
control unit. Similarly, the processes, methods, or algorithms may
be stored as data and instructions executable by a controller or
computer in many forms including, but not limited to, information
permanently stored on non-writable storage media such as ROM
devices and information alterably stored on writeable storage media
such as floppy disks, magnetic tapes, CDs, RAM devices, and other
magnetic and optical media. The processes, methods, or algorithms
may also be implemented in a software executable object.
Alternatively, the processes, methods, or algorithms may be
embodied in whole or in part using suitable hardware components,
such as Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs),
Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), state machines, controllers
or other hardware components or devices, or a combination of
hardware, software and firmware components.
[0042] While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not
intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms
encompassed by the claims. The words used in the specification are
words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood
that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit
and scope of the disclosure. As previously described, the features
of various embodiments can be combined to form further embodiments
of the invention that may not be explicitly described or
illustrated. While various embodiments could have been described as
providing advantages or being preferred over other embodiments or
prior art implementations with respect to one or more desired
characteristics, those of ordinary skill in the art recognize that
one or more features or characteristics can be compromised to
achieve desired overall system attributes, which depend on the
specific application and implementation. These attributes can
include, but are not limited to cost, strength, durability, life
cycle cost, marketability, appearance, packaging, size,
serviceability, weight, manufacturability, ease of assembly, etc.
As such, embodiments described as less desirable than other
embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or
more characteristics are not outside the scope of the disclosure
and can be desirable for particular applications.
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