JP2002216270A - Onboard emergency report device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a proper rescue activity by a rescue center always receivable by eliminating such a troublesome operation as changing stored personal informa tion necessary for transmission of an emergency report signal even when a vehicle driver is different from an initial use and improving the versatility. SOLUTION: On a SIM card 9, fixed data such as the telephone number of the rescue center, ID information capable of specifying a vehicle or a vehicle driver, and personal information about the vehicle driver are registered, and the card is detachably set in a card reader 4 provided on the vehicle side. When an emergency report button 11 is operated or an acceleration of a predetermined level or more is detected by a G sensor 12, a controller 5 forms a telephone line with the rescue center through a communication device 6 or a mobile communication network, and it sends the emergency report signal including one's vehicle position obtained through a GPS receiver 7 and various information read from the SIM card 9 to the rescue center.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an in-vehicle emergency notification device for reporting an emergency to a rescue center by a communication means when an emergency occurs in a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when an emergency such as a traffic accident occurs in a vehicle, an emergency notification signal indicating the state is automatically transmitted from a vehicle through a mobile communication network. An emergency call service system (so-called Mayday system) has been proposed in which a rescue operation is performed in response to an emergency call. When constructing such a system, an emergency notification device for transmitting the emergency notification signal is mounted on the vehicle side. This emergency notification device detects the occurrence of an accident such as a collision or rollover of a vehicle based on the operation state of an airbag sensor, the output of a dedicated shock detection sensor (acceleration sensor), and the like, and an emergency occurs. Information, ID information that can identify a vehicle (or a vehicle driver), personal information about the vehicle driver (blood type, address, name, medical history, etc.), information indicating the position of the vehicle (for example, an in-vehicle GPS receiver) An emergency notification signal including information indicating the time of occurrence of an accident is created, and the emergency notification signal is transmitted to a predetermined rescue base through a mobile communication network. It is composed of Then, the rescue base receiving the emergency notification signal from the emergency notification device through the mobile communication network uses the information included in the emergency notification signal to rescue the accident vehicle, such as dispatching an ambulance or a tow truck. Necessary arrangements are made.

[0003]

In the emergency call service system as described above, the emergency call service is installed at the time of factory shipment of the in-vehicle emergency call device, at the time of contract for subscription of the emergency call service at a car dealership, or at the telephone line contract with a communication carrier. At this time, fixed data such as the telephone number of the rescue base and the ID information and personal information are written into a nonvolatile storage unit provided in the emergency notification device, and information is transmitted from the communication carrier to the vehicle driver. A telephone number for communication (such as a telephone number of a dedicated telephone or a telephone number of a car telephone mounted on a vehicle) necessary for sending is written, and when such a contract procedure is completed, the emergency call service is completed. Can be used.

[0004] However, in the above-described configuration, the emergency notification device in which the fixed data and the communication telephone number of the subscriber are written in advance is fixedly installed in the vehicle to be contracted. It is troublesome and difficult to transfer the vehicle to another vehicle, and such a vehicle replacement is rarely performed. Further, when the driver of the vehicle changes, it is difficult to change the fixed data and the communication telephone number written in the emergency notification device according to the driver.

Therefore, when the above-mentioned subscriber drives another vehicle, even if an emergency notification device is mounted on that vehicle, when the emergency situation occurs, it is not personal information about the relevant subscriber, Since an emergency call signal including personal information about another person is transmitted to the rescue base, it is impossible to receive the same emergency call service as when driving a contract target vehicle. In short, when a vehicle equipped with an emergency notification device is driven by a person other than the contractor corresponding to the personal information stored in the emergency notification device and the vehicle encounters an accident, the driver is Is not sent to the rescue base station side,
Since the personal information about the contractor is transmitted, there is a possibility that the rescue operation for the driver may become insufficient, and the emergency call service may not be properly performed. The low versatility has been an unsolved problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a storage device for transmitting an emergency notification signal even when a vehicle driver is different from an original user. Provide an on-board emergency notification device that eliminates the troublesome operation of changing information and improves versatility, thereby enabling the rescue center to always properly receive rescue activities. Is to do.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the data reading means of the in-vehicle emergency notification device is
When an emergency situation occurs in a vehicle equipped with the emergency notification device in a state where at least a data storage carrier storing personal information about the owner is set, the control unit controls the vehicle driver information and the own vehicle position. An emergency notification signal including the personal information read from the data storage carrier in addition to the indicated information is transmitted to a predetermined rescue center by the communication means. That is, in the in-vehicle emergency notification device in which the data storage carrier is set, when an emergency occurs in the vehicle, the emergency notification signal including the personal information on the owner of the data storage carrier as the vehicle driver information. To the rescue center.
In this case, since the data storage carrier is configured to be detachable, when the owner of the data storage carrier operates another vehicle, the data storage carrier is connected to the data reading means of the emergency notification device mounted on the vehicle. When an emergency occurs, an emergency notification signal including personal information on the owner as vehicle driver information is transmitted to the rescue center. As a result, even if the driver of the vehicle equipped with the emergency notification device is different from the original user, the storage personal information required for transmitting the emergency notification signal can be changed only by resetting the data storage carrier. This makes it possible to eliminate the troublesome operation of improving the versatility and thereby achieve a beneficial effect that the rescue center can always properly receive the rescue activity.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the emergency notification transmitting operation through the communication means can be executed only when the data storage medium is set in the data reading means. , The emergency notification signal including the vehicle driver information can be reliably transmitted.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 schematically shows the configuration of an in-vehicle emergency notification device according to the present embodiment and a portion related thereto according to a combination of functional blocks. In FIG. 1, a vehicle-mounted emergency notification device 1 is supplied with power from a vehicle-mounted battery 2 and has a Mayday unit 3 attached at an appropriate position in a vehicle.
And a card reading device 4 (corresponding to data reading means) which is attached to a position in the vehicle where the driver can easily operate the card reading device.

The above-mentioned Mayday unit 3 includes a control device 5 (corresponding to control means) including a microcomputer and an input / output interface, a communication device 6 to which a mobile communication antenna 6a is connected, a GPS The GPS receiver 7 to which the antenna 7a is connected, and the auxiliary battery 8 for backing up the power supply of the in-vehicle emergency notification device 1 when the power supply from the in-vehicle battery 2 is cut off are provided.

The communication device 6 connects and disconnects a line to a mobile communication network (corresponding to communication means) for performing communication with a rescue center in accordance with a command from the control device 5. And a unique communication telephone number is assigned based on a telephone line contract with a communication carrier that operates the mobile communication network. Note that the communication device 6 can be configured as a dedicated device for the Mayday unit 3, but can also be configured using an automobile telephone or a mobile telephone. The GPS receiving device 7 is provided to acquire information indicating the current position of the vehicle from a GPS satellite and to provide the information to the control device 5. Note that the GPS receiver 7 can also be configured as a dedicated device for the Mayday unit 3,
It can be configured using a GPS receiver for a car navigation device.

The card reader 4 is, for example, a SIM (Subscriber Identification Modification) as a data storage carrier.
ule) The card 9 can be set in a detachable manner. In this setting state, the storage information of the SIM card 9 is read, and the read information is given to the control device 5. In this case, the SIM card 9
Is registered (stored) with the communication telephone number based on the telephone line contract with the communication carrier, and is registered at the time of factory shipment of the in-vehicle emergency notification device 1 or a subscription contract of the emergency notification service at a car dealership. At times, a telephone number of the rescue center and an I which can specify a vehicle (or a vehicle driver)
Fixed data such as D information and personal information (blood type, address, name, medical history, etc.) about the vehicle driver are registered (stored). In addition, the above personal information includes the person,
It is desirable to include information that is actually needed in an emergency, such as family members and work contacts (phone numbers).

The control unit 5 is provided with each output from the emergency detection unit 10 mounted on the vehicle. The emergency detection unit 10 includes, for example, an emergency call button 11 and a G sensor 12. The emergency call button 11 is operated by the driver or a passenger when an emergency condition such as a traffic accident occurs in the host vehicle or the driver is suddenly ill, and a call is transmitted in response to the operation. A start command signal is generated and given to the control device 5. The G sensor 12 generates a transmission start command signal when an acceleration of a predetermined level or more acts on the vehicle, and supplies the signal to the control device 5. The G sensor 12 can be configured using an airbag sensor provided in the vehicle, but may be configured to provide a dedicated G sensor. In this case, when the dedicated G sensor 12 is provided,
It can be of a multi-axis type so that it can detect impacts from multiple directions, or it can be provided with a plurality of types.
It is also possible to dispose them so that impacts can be detected at a plurality of places on the vehicle.

In addition, the vehicle has a microphone 1 for making a voice conversation with an operator in charge of the emergency center.
3 and a speaker 14, and are connected to the control device 5.

FIG. 2 shows a part related to the gist of the present invention in the contents of control by the control device 5 in the on-board emergency notification device 1, which will be described below together with related operations. That is, the control device 5 performs an operation of reading information registered in the SIM card 9 through the card reading device 4 at the time of power-on and storing the information in the internal memory (step A1). It is determined whether or not essential data (fixed data including a telephone number of a rescue center, personal information, etc., a communication telephone number) indispensable for execution exists (step A2). When the essential data does not exist, that is, when the SIM card 9 is improper or when the SIM card 9 is not set in the card reading device 4, the unusable notification routine A3 is executed. Thereafter, the process returns to step A1.

The unusable notification routine A3 is for notifying the vehicle driver that the emergency notification transmission operation cannot be executed. For example, a notification operation by voice through the speaker 13 or provided on an instrument panel or the like is provided. A notification operation is performed by lighting an indicator (not shown). Further, a voice guidance for prompting the user to set the SIM card 9 in the card reader 4 as necessary may be generated through the speaker 13.

On the other hand, if "YES" is determined in the step A2, a step A4 for acquiring and storing the current position information of the own vehicle from the GPS receiver 7, and a transmission start command signal is sent from the emergency detection unit 10 Step A5 for judging whether or not the signal has been inputted is sequentially executed. In the non-input state of the transmission start command signal, the steps A4 and A5 are performed.
5 is formed repeatedly.

When the transmission start command signal is input, that is, when the emergency transmission button 11 is operated or when the acceleration exceeding a predetermined level is detected by the G sensor 12, the line connection routine A6 is executed. In the routine A6, the communication device 6 is operated to access the telephone number of the rescue center included in the stored information in the step A1 and connect the telephone line.
During this line connection operation, a redial operation is performed at a preset interval until the telephone line is connected.

The line connection routine A6 is repeatedly executed until it is determined in step A7 that the connection of the telephone line is successful.
An emergency call signal creation / transmission routine A8 is executed. In this routine A8, based on the respective stored information in steps A1 and A4, information indicating that an emergency has occurred and the time of occurrence, ID information that can identify a vehicle or a vehicle driver in the fixed data In addition, an emergency notification signal is generated by encoding personal information (corresponding to vehicle driver information) about the vehicle driver, information indicating the current position of the vehicle, a communication telephone number assigned to the communication device 6, and the like in a predetermined format. Then, the emergency notification signal is transmitted from the communication device 6 to the rescue center via a telephone line (mobile communication network).

In this case, when the rescue center receives the emergency report signal, it answers back the response signal to the in-vehicle emergency report device 1 in the line connection state. It is determined whether there is an answer back of the response signal (step A9), and the emergency notification signal creation / transmission routine A8 is repeatedly executed until there is a response.

If there is an answerback of the response signal, a line management routine A10 for managing maintenance and interruption of the telephone line is executed, and this routine A10 is thereafter executed in step A11. The process is continuously executed until it is determined that the line is interrupted. When the line is interrupted, a transition is made to a standby state in which external access to the communication device 6 is permitted.

When the rescue center receives the emergency call signal, it makes arrangements necessary for rescue activities such as dispatching an ambulance, police car or tow truck based on the information contained in the emergency call signal. In this case, the operator in charge attempts a voice conversation with the vehicle driver to grasp the specific situation on the vehicle side, and the conversation is possible. If it is in a state, information obtained through the conversation is reflected in rescue activities.

In short, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the following operations and effects can be obtained. That is,
With the SIM card 9 storing fixed data such as personal information about the owner and the telephone number for communication stored in the card reader 4 of the emergency notification device 1 mounted on the vehicle, When a situation occurs (when the emergency transmission button 11 is operated or when acceleration exceeding a predetermined level is detected by the G sensor 12), the control device 5 determines that the emergency situation has occurred and the time of occurrence. An emergency call signal including fixed information such as information indicating the position of the vehicle and personal information read from the SIM card 9 is transmitted to a predetermined rescue center via a telephone line of a mobile communication network in addition to the indicated information. become. That is, in the in-vehicle emergency notification device 1 in a state where the SIM card 9 is set in the card reading device 4, when the emergency occurs in the vehicle, the SIM card 9
An emergency notification signal including personal information about the owner of the vehicle as vehicle driver information is transmitted to the rescue center.

In this case, since the SIM card 9 is configured to be detachable, when the SIM card 9 owner drives another vehicle, the SIM card 9 is inserted into the vehicle-mounted emergency call system mounted on the vehicle. Card reader 4 of device 1
When an emergency occurs, an emergency notification signal including personal information about the card owner as vehicle driver information is transmitted to the rescue center. As a result, even if the driver of the vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle emergency notification device 1 is different from the original user, the memory card necessary for transmitting the emergency notification signal can be obtained simply by resetting the SIM card 9. It is possible to improve the versatility by eliminating the troublesome operation of changing the information, and thereby to have a beneficial effect that the rescue center can always properly receive the rescue activities. Become. In addition, since the operation of transmitting the emergency notification signal can be executed only when the SIM card 9 is set in the card reader 4, the personal information is transmitted to the vehicle driver when an emergency occurs in the vehicle. The emergency notification signal including the information can be reliably transmitted, and from this aspect, the rescue center can always enjoy the rescue activity properly.

In the case of canceling a telephone line contract or an emergency call service contract or performing data rewriting work in accordance with a change in the contract contents, only the SIM card 9 needs to be brought to a predetermined place. It is possible to easily perform the data rewriting operation, for example, by removing the need for removing the vehicle 1 or bringing the vehicle itself.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be modified or expanded as follows. In this embodiment, the mobile communication network is used as the communication means. However, it is also possible to install a dedicated wireless transmitter in the vehicle or use the road-to-vehicle communication device provided for the VICS system. It is. Although the SIM card 9 has been described as an example of the data storage carrier, the present invention is not limited to this, and any device that can store or rewrite / delete data, such as a SIM chip or a flash memory card, can be used. In addition, it is possible to provide a service such as collecting a contract fee of the emergency call system and the like together with the telephone line usage fee by centrally managing the contract telephone number with the communication carrier.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic functional block diagram showing an entire embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing control contents by a control device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 is a vehicle emergency notification device, 3 is a May Day unit, 4 is a card reader (data reader), 5 is a controller (controller), 6 is a communication device, 7 is a GPS receiver, 9 is S
The IM card (data storage carrier) 10 indicates an emergency detection unit.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G08B 25/08 G08B 25/08 A 5K101 25/10 25/10 D 25/12 25/12 G08G 1/13 G08G 1/13 H04B 7/26 H04M 3/42 U H04M 3/42 11/04 11/04 H04B 7/26 EF term (reference) 5C086 AA54 BA22 CA21 CA25 CB26 CB27 CB40 DA02 DA08 DA14 DA16 EA45 FA06 5C087 AA02 AA03 AA37 AA44 BB12 BB18 BB74 DD03 DD14 EE05 EE06 EE08 EE16 FF17 FF19 FF20 FF23 GG12 GG23 GG32 GG57 GG66 GG67 GG70 GG83 5H180 GG07 NN05 GG05 GG05 GG05 GG05 GG05 GG05 PP03 RR12

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An emergency notification transmitting operation for transmitting an emergency notification signal including vehicle driver information and information indicating the position of a host vehicle to a predetermined rescue center by a communication means when an emergency occurs. In an in-vehicle emergency notification device, a data storage carrier in which at least personal information about an owner is stored, and the data storage carrier is configured to be detachably set, and the storage information of the data storage carrier is read in a set state. Data reading means, provided to control the emergency call transmission operation in response to the occurrence of the emergency, and when transmitting the emergency call signal, the vehicle driver reads personal information read from the data storage medium by the data reading means. Control means for performing control to be added to the emergency notification signal as information. 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said control means is in a state in which an emergency call transmission operation through said communication means can be executed on condition that said data storage medium is set in said data reading means. An in-vehicle emergency notification device according to claim 1.