JP4186356B2 - Vehicle emergency call device and vehicle emergency call method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an emergency call device for a vehicle and a vehicle emergency call method for reporting the current position of a vehicle to a predetermined call center when it detects that an impact of a certain level or more has occurred in the vehicle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, automobiles have been equipped with communication means such as car phone devices, and position detection means such as navigation devices that detect the current position using GPS (Global Positioning System) signals, and at the time of an accident an occupant is impacted. In order to prevent the body from reaching the body, it is often performed to install an airbag device. Further, a reporting system has been devised that automatically reports the current position of a vehicle when a rear-end collision or the like occurs in an automobile by using these devices in an integrated manner.
[0003]
For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-167893, when it is detected that an airbag has been deployed at the time of an accident, an automobile telephone device automatically sends a call to a public or private center that is determined in advance as an emergency contact, A technique is disclosed in which position data indicating a point where an accident has occurred is transmitted.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Such a notification system is effective when the vehicle occupant is seriously injured so that the passenger cannot move due to the impact of an accident. However, even if the deployment of the airbag is detected, the vehicle occupant is not necessarily seriously injured. For example, there may be cases where the impact is absorbed by the airbag and the injury is relatively minor, or there may be a slight self-injury accident. In such a case, if automatic notification is made uniformly, the vehicle occupant does not want it There was a problem that the situation would become bigger.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to make an emergency call for a vehicle that makes an emergency call only when necessary after confirming the presence or absence of a reaction by a vehicle occupant in the event of an accident. It is to provide an apparatus and a vehicle emergency notification method.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
[0009]
According to the vehicle emergency notification system of claim 1, wherein, the notification control means, from the time a certain level or higher impact generated in the vehicle is detected within a predetermined time by the impact detection means, the vehicle by the open state detecting means When the door open state is not detected, the emergency call means is activated to make an emergency call by wireless communication.
[0010]
In other words, even if an accident occurs in the vehicle, if the effect on the passenger's body is slight and the freedom is effective, the passenger will open the door of the vehicle by himself after the accident and go out of the vehicle. If this is the case, the emergency call means will not be activated. On the other hand, if the influence on the occupant's body is serious and the freedom is not effective, the occupant will be left in the passenger compartment. It is activated. Therefore, it is possible to perform appropriate notification in accordance with the occurrence of accidents.
[0011]
According to the vehicular emergency notification device according to claim 2 , the notification control means detects the open state of the vehicle door by the open state detection means within a predetermined time from the time when the impact is detected by the impact detection means. At that time, emergency calls by means of emergency calls are prohibited. Therefore, the process can be terminated when the vehicle door is opened within the predetermined time.
[0012]
According to the vehicular emergency notification device according to claim 3 , the warning means does not detect the open state of the vehicle door by the open state detecting means within a predetermined time from the time when the impact is detected by the impact detecting means. If this happens, warn the vehicle occupant that an emergency call will start. Then, after the warning is given by the warning means, the notification control means activates the emergency notification means when there is no response for stopping the notification within a predetermined time.
[0013]
Accordingly, when the vehicle door does not open within a predetermined time, an emergency call is made after a warning is given and the occupant's reaction is confirmed, so that the occupant's intention can be more appropriately reflected.
[0014]
According to the vehicular emergency notification device according to claim 4 , the notification control means, when the open state of the vehicle door is detected by the open state detection means immediately after the impact is detected by the impact detection means, or If the open state cannot be detected by the open state detecting means, the emergency notification means is activated at that time. In other words, when the impact of an accident is extremely large, it is possible that the door will open at the same time as the occurrence of the accident, or that the door will fall off. It is preferable to carry out. Therefore, in such a case, a report can be made promptly.
[0015]
According to the vehicular emergency notification device according to claim 5 , since the impact detection means is configured as an acceleration sensor provided as a trigger for deploying the airbag in the airbag device, it is used for a normal airbag device. By using the obtained acceleration sensor as the impact detection means, it becomes unnecessary to arrange an independent dedicated component.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a diagram conceptually showing the configuration of the entire emergency call system. The automobile 1 is equipped with an emergency call device 2 (see FIG. 2 or FIG. 3). The emergency call device 2 is connected to a public center 4 serving as a call center via a radio telephone exchange 3 via a radio telephone line and a private sector. Communication with the center 5 is possible. The public center 4 and the private center 5 are organizations that are predetermined as emergency call destinations, and can also communicate with each other.
[0017]
The public center 4 and the private center 5 specify the specific location of the accident occurrence point based on the current position information of the automobile 1 received from the emergency call device 2 and the operator via a radio telephone line as necessary. In some cases, detailed information such as the location of the accident and the situation of the accident may be obtained by directly talking with the passenger of the car 1. Then, the public center 4 contacts the police headquarters 6 and the firefighting headquarters 7 according to the situation, and requests the dispatch of an ambulance or a patrol car. In addition, the private center 5 contacts the service company 8 or the hospital 9 that provides services such as emergency repair of vehicles or tow truck movement as necessary, and requests provision of necessary services or acceptance of injured persons.
[0018]
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the emergency call device 2, and FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state in which the emergency call device 2 is mounted on the automobile 1 with a part cut away and seen through. . A navigation device (position detecting means) 10 arranged on the vehicle rear side receives a GPS signal transmitted from a GPS satellite by a GPS antenna 10a. The positioning calculation unit 11 detects the absolute position of the vehicle 1 from the received GPS signal, and the autonomous navigation unit 12 is based on a sensor signal provided from a sensor unit 13 including an orientation sensor, a distance sensor, and the like. Detect relative position. And the positioning calculating part 11 and the autonomous navigation part 12 output the positional information which each detected to the control part 14. FIG.
[0019]
The control unit 14 is configured with a microcomputer as a center, and detects the current position of the automobile 1 based on position information provided by the positioning calculation unit 11 and the autonomous navigation unit 12. Then, for example, map data near the current position is read from the data storage unit 15 constituted by a CD-ROM and its driver, and displayed on the screen of the monitor 16. Further, the control unit 14 is connected to the in-vehicle LAN 17 via an in-vehicle LAN interface (not shown), and can communicate with an information transmission device (report control means, warning means) 18 connected to the in-vehicle LAN 17 in the same manner. It has become.
[0020]
The information transmission device 18 arranged between the driver's seat and the passenger seat is also composed mainly of a microcomputer, and is output from the G sensor (acceleration sensor, impact detection means) 19 to the device 18. Trigger signal is provided. As shown in FIG. 2, the G sensor 19 is built in, for example, the steering wheel central portion 1 a of the automobile 1 together with the airbag device 20, and applies an impact applied to the automobile 1 when an accident such as a collision occurs in the automobile 1. When the acceleration (G) is detected and the acceleration is equal to or greater than a threshold value, a trigger signal is output to the airbag device 20.
[0021]
Then, the airbag device 20 ignites the inflator drug and burns it to generate gas explosively, so that the airbag (not shown) is rapidly inflated and deployed to be applied to the driver's body. It is configured to absorb the impact of accidents that occur as much as possible and ensure the safety of the driver.
[0022]
In addition, a car telephone device (emergency notification means, warning means) 21 is connected to the information transmission device 18 via the in-vehicle LAN 17 so as to be communicable. The automobile telephone device 21 is disposed on the left side of the backrest of the driver's seat, and is normally used as an automobile telephone so that a hands-free call is possible. When an accident occurs, telephone numbers of both centers 4 and 5 are stored in an internal memory (not shown) in order to make an emergency call by automatically making a call to the public center 4 and / or the private center 5.
[0023]
Further, the automobile telephone device 21 is configured to give a warning by voice as warning means, as will be described later, in the case of performing automatic transmission, and has built-in voice data, an IC for voice reproduction, and the like. In addition, an output terminal of a stop switch 22 is connected to the information transmission device 18 for stopping the automatic notification by the automobile telephone device 21 based on the judgment of the occupant.
[0024]
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the control contents of the information transmission device 18, which starts when a collision accident occurs in the automobile 1 and a trigger signal is output from the G sensor 19 (impact detection step). First, the information transmission device 18 acquires the current position information of the automobile 1 from the control unit 14 of the navigation device 10 via the in-vehicle LAN 17 (step A1). Then, a command for warning notification to the passenger of the automobile 1 is output via the in-vehicle LAN 17 (step A2, warning step).
[0025]
Then, the automobile telephone device 21 reads out the warning voice data from the internal memory, converts it into an analog voice signal by the reproduction IC, and outputs it from the receiving speaker. For example, a warning is issued by outputting a voice such as “Emergency call will start 30 seconds later. If you do not need the report, press the stop switch”.
[0026]
Next, the information transmission device 18 starts timing by, for example, a software timer, and the stop switch 22 is turned on by a vehicle occupant within a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) from the time when the warning is issued in step A2. (Steps A3 and A4). When the stop switch 22 is turned on, “YES” is determined in Step A3, and the process is terminated.
[0027]
On the other hand, when the predetermined time elapses without the stop switch 22 being turned on, the information transmission device 18 determines “YES” in Step A4 and proceeds to Step A5 (notification step). Then, the position information acquired in step A1 is output to the automobile telephone device 21. At the same time, a command is given to the public center 4 and / or the private center 5 to start an emergency call.
[0028]
As described above, according to this embodiment, when the trigger signal is output from the G sensor 19, the information transmission device 18 acquires the current position of the automobile 1 from the navigation device 10 and uses the speaker of the automobile telephone device 21. Then, the occupant of the vehicle 1 is warned that an emergency call will be started. Then, after the warning is issued, when the stop switch 22 is not turned on within a predetermined time, the automobile telephone device 21 makes an emergency call to the public center 4 and the private center 5.
[0029]
In other words, even if an accident occurs in the car 1, if it is determined that the effect on the occupant's body is negligible and the action is free, and it can be handled without reporting the accident, respond to the warning. If the stop switch 22 is turned on within a predetermined time, no emergency call is made. On the other hand, for example, the emergency call is automatically issued if the stop switch 22 cannot be turned on within a predetermined time even if a warning is given because the influence on the occupant's body is serious and freedom is not effective. Done. Therefore, it is possible to make an appropriate report according to the situation of the accident.
[0030]
Further, according to the present embodiment, the impact detection means is configured by using the G sensor 19 provided as a trigger for deploying the airbag of the airbag device 20, and thus is used for a normal airbag device. By using the G sensor 19 that is often used, it is not necessary to arrange an independent dedicated component.
[0031]
(Second embodiment)
FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. Only different parts will be described below. The configuration of the second embodiment is basically the same as that of the first embodiment, and the control content by the information transmitting device 18 is slightly different.
[0032]
In other words, in FIG. 5, if “NO” is determined in step A3, the process proceeds to step A6, and it is determined whether or not 10 seconds have elapsed after giving a warning in step A2a instead of step A2. If it is determined “NO”, the process proceeds to step A4. If it is determined “YES” after 10 seconds, the process returns to step A2a, and the mobile phone device 21 is informed so as to issue a warning according to the elapsed time. Give a directive. For example, a voice message such as “Emergency call will start 20 seconds later. If you do not need the call, press the stop switch” is output.
[0033]
After that, if the stop switch 22 is not turned ON, the loop of step A3 → A6 → A4 → A3 →... Continues, and if 10 second unit passes again and “YES” is determined in step A6, the process returns to step A2a. , Warning according to the elapsed time. For example, a voice message such as “Emergency call starts 10 seconds later. If you do not need to call, press the stop switch” is output. That is, steps A2a, A3, and A6 correspond to warning steps.
[0034]
As described above, according to the second embodiment, the information transmission device 18 issues an emergency call every time a predetermined time of, for example, 30 seconds elapses, for example, 10 seconds after giving a warning by the automobile telephone device 21. Since the remaining time until the start is notified, the occupant of the car 1 can specifically know how much time will elapse before the emergency call is started, so a response to stop the report is given. It is possible to easily determine whether or not to hurry.
[0035]
(Third embodiment)
FIGS. 6 and 7 show a third embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted, and only different parts will be described below. In the third embodiment, a door control ECU 23 disposed on a driver's seat side door is communicably connected to an information transmission device (report control means, warning means) 18A via an in-vehicle LAN 17. The door control ECU 23 obtains a signal of a door courtesy switch (open state detecting means) 24 that outputs an open / closed state of the door by ON / OFF, or performs drive control of a power window (not shown) according to a driver's switch operation. It is supposed to do.
[0036]
Next, the operation of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 7 showing the control contents of the information transmitting device 18A, the information transmitting device 18A starts processing when a trigger signal is output from the G sensor 19 (impact detection step) as in the first embodiment. When the current position information of the automobile 1 is acquired from the navigation device 10 in step B1 as in step A1, time measurement by a software timer or the like is started (step B2), and the process waits until a predetermined time elapses (step B3). , Timing step). When a predetermined time has elapsed in Step B3 (“YES”), the process proceeds to Step B4 to communicate with the door control ECU 23 to determine whether or not the driver side door is open.
[0037]
In step B4, if the door is open at that time (“YES”), the process is terminated. If the door is not open ("NO"), the process proceeds to step B5 and the notification process is performed in the same manner as in step A5.
[0038]
As described above, according to the third embodiment, the information transmission device 18A is configured so that the door courtesy switch 24 does not detect the door open state within a predetermined time from when the trigger signal is output by the G sensor 19. The emergency call is made by the automobile telephone device 21.
[0039]
In other words, even if an accident occurs in the car 1, if the influence on the occupant's body is slight and the freedom is effective, the occupant will open the door of the car 1 and go out of the car by himself after the accident occurs. In that case, there is no need to make an emergency call. On the other hand, if the influence on the body of the occupant is serious and the freedom is not effective, the occupant is left in the passenger compartment, so that an emergency call is automatically started when a predetermined time elapses. Therefore, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to make an appropriate report depending on the occurrence of the accident.
[0040]
(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 8 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those of the third embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. Only different parts will be described below. The configuration of the fourth embodiment is basically the same as that of the third embodiment, and the contents of control by the information transmitting device 18A are slightly different.
[0041]
That is, in FIG. 8, when a trigger signal is output by the G sensor 19, the information transmission device 18A determines whether or not the door is open immediately after that (step C1, immediate notification step). Here, it is assumed that the impact of an accident such as a collision is extremely large, and the door is opened almost simultaneously with the occurrence of the accident or the door is dropped.
[0042]
Here, since the time from when the trigger signal is output by the G sensor 19 until the airbag is actually deployed is about 30 milliseconds, the “immediately after” means, for example, 100 milliseconds after the trigger signal is output. About time.
[0043]
That is, in step C1, the information transmission device 18A normally detects the open state by the door courtesy switch 24 via the door control ECU 23, or the door control ECU 23 breaks down when the door is dropped or when an accident occurs. For example, since communication with the door control ECU 23 is disabled, the disabled state may be detected. Accordingly, when any of the above states is detected in step C1, the information transmission device 18A determines “YES”, and proceeds to step B5 to make an emergency call at that time. If none of the above states is detected ("NO"), the process proceeds to step B2 and the same process as in the third embodiment is performed.
[0044]
As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, the information transmission device 18A detects that the open state by the door courtesy switch 24 is normally detected or the door control substantially simultaneously with the output of the trigger signal by the G sensor 19. If communication with the ECU 23 becomes impossible and detection of the open state of the door is impossible, an emergency call is started at that time, so the impact of the accident is so great that the door opens or drops at the same time as the accident occurs. In such a case, it is possible to make a report within a short time as much as possible.
[0045]
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings, and the following modifications or expansions are possible.
Steps A1 and B1 may be deleted, and the control unit 14 of the navigation device 10 may be configured to output the current position of the automobile 1 to the information transmission device 18 at regular intervals. With this configuration, even when the navigation device 10 breaks down due to the occurrence of an accident, the information transmission device 18 can obtain at least position information in the vicinity of the accident occurrence point.
In the second embodiment, when it is determined whether or not 30 seconds have elapsed in step A4, the number of executions of step A4 may be counted.
In the third embodiment, step B4 may be executed if “NO” is determined in step B3, and the process may return to step B3 if “NO” is determined in step B4. In this case, when the step B4 is a cancellation step and it is detected that the door is opened before the predetermined time has elapsed, the processing can be terminated at that point.
In the third embodiment, after determining “NO” in step B4, the same processing as that in the first or second embodiment may be executed in series to issue a warning.
[0046]
The impact detection means is not limited to the acceleration sensor provided in the airbag device, and a dedicated acceleration sensor may be provided separately. Further, a pressure sensor that directly detects that the airbag has been deployed may be used.
The warning means is not limited to the one using the speaker of the automobile telephone device 21, and a warning dedicated speaker may be separately provided.
The predetermined time is not limited to 30 seconds and may be changed as appropriate. Further, the fixed unit is not limited to 10 seconds. Further, the “immediately after” time in the fourth embodiment may be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention.
The information transmitting device 18, the navigation device 10, and the door control ECU 21 are not limited to communicating with each other using the in-vehicle LAN 17, but the information transmitting device 18, the navigation device 10, and the door control ECU 21 are directly connected to each other by independent communication ports. You may do it.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing control contents of an information transmitting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an emergency call device. FIG. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of the emergency call system. FIG. 5 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 showing a second embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 7 illustrating a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
1 is an automobile (vehicle), 2 is an emergency notification device, 4 is a public center (report center), 5 is a private center (report center), 10 is a navigation device (position detecting means), and 18 and 18A are information transmission devices (report) Control means, warning means), 19 a G sensor (acceleration sensor, impact detection means), 20 an airbag device, 21 an automobile telephone device (emergency notification means, warning means), and 24 a door courtesy switch (open state detection means). Indicates.

Claims (9)

When an impact detection unit detects an impact of a certain level or more that is mounted on a vehicle and detects the occurrence of an accident and the current position of the vehicle detected by the position detection unit, a predetermined notification center is provided. In the vehicle emergency call device provided with an emergency call means for reporting by wireless communication,
An open state detecting means for detecting an open state of the door of the vehicle;
Notification control means for controlling the emergency notification means to be activated when the open state detection means does not detect the open state of the vehicle door within a predetermined time from the time when the impact is detected by the impact detection means. DOO emergency notification system for vehicle characterized by comprising comprises a. The notification control unit prohibits an emergency notification by the emergency notification unit when the open state detection unit detects an open state of a vehicle door within a predetermined time from when the impact is detected by the impact detection unit. The vehicular emergency notification device according to claim 1 . If the open state detection means does not detect the open state of the vehicle door within a predetermined time from when the impact is detected by the impact detection means, a warning is given to the vehicle occupant to start an emergency call. With warning means,
The notification control means controls the emergency notification means to be activated when there is no response for canceling the notification within a predetermined time after the warning is given by the warning means. Item 3. The vehicle emergency notification device according to Item 1 or 2. Before SL notification control means, if the open state of the vehicle door is detected by the open state detecting means immediately after an impact is detected by the impact detection means, or the detection of an open state by the open state detecting means If it is impossible, the vehicle emergency notification system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the controller controls so as to activate the emergency notification means at that time. 5. The vehicular emergency notification device according to claim 1, wherein the impact detection means is an acceleration sensor provided as a trigger for deploying the airbag in the airbag device. An impact detection step for detecting an impact of a certain level or more on the vehicle;
A time measuring step for measuring time from execution of this shock detection step to a predetermined time;
A notification step of notifying the occurrence of an accident and the current position of the vehicle to a predetermined notification center by wireless communication when the door open state of the vehicle is not detected by the end of the execution of the timing step. A vehicle emergency call method. The vehicle emergency notification according to claim 6, further comprising: a stop step of stopping subsequent processing when it is determined that the door of the vehicle is substantially in an open state during execution of the time measuring step. Method. A warning step of warning the vehicle occupant that the occurrence of an accident and the current position of the vehicle are to be notified to a predetermined reporting center after the completion of the time measuring step;
8. The vehicle emergency notification method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the notification step performs the notification when there is no response for canceling the notification within a predetermined time after execution of the warning step. . If an open state of the vehicle door is detected immediately after execution of the impact detection step, or if it is impossible to detect the door open state, the occurrence of an accident and the current position of the vehicle are notified in advance. 9. The vehicle emergency notification method according to claim 6, further comprising an immediate notification step of reporting to the center .

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