JPH08287386A - Vehicle accident notification system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To automatically notify the fist-aid notification at the time of the generation of an accident from the side of the person involved in the accident to a prescribed first-aid system. CONSTITUTION: The present positional information when an automobile runs based on the measured data obtained by acquiring the GPS satellite 1 that a navigation system 10 for automobile possesses is requested by the positional information request circuit within a control unit 20 at prescribed time interval. The read present positional information is stored in a memory circuit 21. Next, whether an air bag device 30 is operated or not is decided based on the shock detection signal from a shock detection sensor SG by a collision state decision circuit. Subsequently, after the signal operating at least the air bag device 30 is outputted, the present positional information stored in the memory circuit 21 is outputted as first-aid signal transmission data to a communication means 40 by a first-aid signal transmission command circuit. The transmission data is transmitted to a prescribed radio facility 2 having a first-aid command system via the communication means 40 and the generation of an accident is notified.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle accident reporting system, and more particularly to a vehicle capable of promptly and accurately performing emergency activities by reporting accident location information as an emergency signal when an automobile collision accident occurs. Accident reporting system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An air bag device has been adopted in many vehicle types as an auxiliary restraint device that effectively protects an occupant from an impact force generated in a vehicle collision. The purpose of this airbag device is to catch the occupant's body, especially the head and chest, that has moved forward while being restrained by the seat belt device at the time of a collision, with a bag-shaped cushion filled with gas, and To prevent from a collision. As described above, in recent automobiles, even if a collision accident occurs, measures such as a seatbelt device and an airbag device for ensuring safety after the collision are taken to minimize damage caused by the collision.

On the other hand, in the case of a collision accident or the like, in the case of a minor accident, the occupant of the accident vehicle uses a public telephone or an emergency telephone on the roadside to determine the location of the accident and the situation of the accident. I called the station and the fire department and waited for ambulances to arrive. In addition, when the occupant was seriously injured or unconscious, the ambulance crew could not obtain the information on the occurrence of the accident unless a nearby witness reported the accident. As described above, in a moving body such as an automobile, unlike a train or the like which is regularly operated and operated, other people cannot successively know its current position. In contrast, in recent years,
GPS using satellites (Global Positioning System: Global
As an application example of Positioning Sysytem, a so-called automobile navigation system has rapidly spread to general vehicles. Therefore, in a vehicle equipped with an automobile navigation system, it is possible to immediately obtain the position information of the own vehicle based on the GPS positioning result.

[0004]

When a vehicle collides with a vehicle, the degree of electrical collision of the airbag device is detected by the control unit based on the detection signal such as the impact acceleration at the time of the collision sent from the collision detection sensor to the control unit. Recognize. Further, it is determined whether or not to operate the airbag device. Then, if necessary, a squib signal (ignition signal) as an operation command signal for the airbag device is output to the inflator. With this, the airbag device itself exerts its original function and completes the operation as safety equipment.

On the other hand, in the above-mentioned automobile navigation system, the information such as the position of the vehicle is displayed in real time on the electronic map on the display during traveling. This allows the occupant to visually confirm the position information of the own vehicle on the map. However, since this position information is updated at predetermined time intervals based on the GPS positioning data, the position information at that point is only confirmed. As described above, one of them is a device for ensuring the safety of passengers, and the other is a device for assisting the running of the vehicle, which are independent systems. In particular, a car navigation system holds current position information while driving, but the information was not utilized at the time of an accident.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, to use the position information obtained by the car navigation system as the position information at the time of a car collision, and to determine the degree of the collision from the vehicle-mounted sensor. Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle accident notification system capable of transmitting these pieces of information as an emergency signal to a wireless facility station having an emergency command system.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an airbag device, an automobile navigation system that holds positioning data obtained by capturing GPS satellites, and the positioning data. Based on the shock detection signal from the shock detection sensor and the position information request circuit that requests the current travel position information at a predetermined time interval and accumulates the read current position information in the memory circuit. A collision state determination circuit for determining whether or not to operate the airbag device, and an emergency signal transmission of the current position information accumulated in the memory circuit after at least a signal for operating the airbag device is output. A control unit having an emergency signal transmission command circuit for outputting as data, and a predetermined radio facility having an emergency command system are provided with the emergency signal as the emergency signal. It is characterized in that a communication means for notifying occurrence of an accident and transmits the transmission data.

As the current position information, at least the latitude data, the longitude data and the traveling direction are stored in the RAM in the memory circuit.
It is preferable to accumulate at.

[0009]

According to the present invention, the current position information at the time of traveling based on the positioning data obtained by capturing the GPS satellites possessed by the automobile navigation system is determined by the position information request circuit in the control unit. While requesting at time intervals, the read current position information is stored in the memory circuit, and the collision state determination circuit determines whether to operate the airbag device based on the impact detection signal from the impact detection sensor. , At least after a signal for operating the airbag device is output, the emergency signal transmission command circuit outputs the current position information accumulated in the memory circuit to the communication means as emergency signal transmission data, and through this communication means The transmission data as the emergency signal is sent to a predetermined wireless facility with an emergency command system to notify the occurrence of an accident. Accordingly, since it can be confirmed early in the accident position in the event of an accident, emergency vehicle or the like is quickly dispatched, can be reached, the treatment after the accident, transport to the wounded of hospitals, houses a can be performed quickly.

As the current position information, at least latitude data, longitude data, and traveling direction are stored in the memory circuit as R.
By accumulating in the AM, it is possible to accurately confirm the position of the accident site based on the traveling state of the automobile during traveling.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a vehicle accident notification system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a vehicle accident notification system. The automobile navigation system in the figure (hereinafter referred to as the navigation system 10) is currently being developed and put on the market.
Either type of S system or hybrid system using autonomous navigation can be used. A display 11 such as an LCD is connected to the navigation system 10 so that an occupant can confirm the position information on the map. In addition, the GPS obtained by capturing the GPS satellite 1
The signal is received by the GPS antenna 12 mounted on the roof of the vehicle body. In this embodiment, a reception system having parallel 8 channels is used. When using the navigation system 10 while driving,
Similar to the known navigation system 10, when a switch of a remote controller (not shown) is turned on, predetermined information and menus are displayed on the display 11. The navigation system 10 retains GPS reception data and various position information and related information obtained through the system position information correction program. Of these, in addition to latitude and longitude information as basic data, vehicle speed and travel vector are passed to the control unit 20.

In this embodiment, the control unit 20 is a control unit composed of a one-chip MPU, and is mainly composed of an initial diagnosis circuit, a position information request circuit, a collision state judgment circuit, and an emergency signal transmission command circuit. Among them, the initial diagnosis circuit is a circuit for confirming normal operation of various circuits and various sensors before traveling. When the driver turns on the ignition switch 13, a dummy signal flows through the initial diagnosis circuit, and it is checked whether the circuit is open or short-circuited, and there is an abnormality in each part.

The position information request circuit outputs a signal for requesting position information of the current position held by the navigation system 10 to the navigation system 10 at predetermined time intervals. On the other hand, from the navigation system 10 side, position information in a predetermined data format is sent to the control unit 20 when the navigation system 10 is turned on,
It is output regardless of the OFF state.

Of this position information, the latitude and longitude information is G
The PS received data may be used as it is or may be information corrected through a correction program such as autonomous navigation. FIG.
Although not shown in the table, the differential GPS (DGP
If S) is adopted, the DG transmitted from the reference station
It is preferable to have a receiver for receiving the PS data link. Then, the control unit 20 may request the navigation system 10 for the data corrected by the differential correction data. A known determination circuit for operating the airbag device 30 can be used as the collision state determination circuit. Normally, when the detection signal from the mounted shock detection sensor SG exceeds a predetermined threshold shock value, the inflator 3
A squib signal to 1 is output. In addition to the shock detection sensor SG, it is equipped with a safety sensor to prevent accidental explosion.
An AND circuit of the safety sensor and the impact detection sensor SG may be provided.

On the other hand, in order to operate the airbag device 30, a plurality of detection sensors Si (i = 1 to n) are connected to the collision state determination circuit of the control unit 20. These detection sensors Si are classified into an impact detection sensor SG that is directly related to the inflation of the airbag 30, and an additional sensor that does not directly contribute to the operation of the airbag device but that obtains collision state information when an accident is reported. it can. An example of the latter is the deformation detection sensor Sd. This is attached to the frame of the body or the side door beam, and when the door or frame is greatly distorted due to a side collision or the like, the accident situation can be grasped separately from the impact detection sensor SG. Further, when the vehicle rolls over, the posture detection sensor Sf can detect an abnormal inclination of the vehicle and recognize that the vehicle is in an accident state. It is also preferable to provide the rear cross member with an impact detection sensor SG or a deformation detection sensor Sd. As a result, even if the impact force is not input in the direction in which the airbag device 30 is activated, if a detection signal that exceeds a predetermined threshold value is output, a serious accident is reported and an accident is reported. You can Also, by installing a temperature detection sensor, it is possible to know the occurrence of fire due to an accident. Based on these detection signal values and signal patterns, various collision conditions such as frontal collision, oblique collision, side collision, side collision, car body severely damaged, where the car is severely damaged, etc. You can know. This collision state can be collated with the collision mode stored in the memory circuit in a systematically classified state, and the collision mode information can be transmitted as an accident information together with position information in an emergency signal. .

The memory circuit 21 stores a RAM capable of accumulating current position information and collision mode information, a vehicle body number, a vehicle type, owner information, and detection signal values and signal patterns obtained from various detection sensors when an accident occurs. The EEPROM is configured to systematically classify corresponding collision states and store the collision states as collision modes.

In the emergency signal transmission command circuit of the control unit 20, the detection signal of the predetermined detection sensor exceeds the threshold value after the squib signal for turning on the inflator is output or even if the inflator is not judged to be on, and a serious accident occurs. If it can be recognized that the latest position information and collision mode information at the time of collision stored in the RAM are read, the data is sent to the communication means 40.

The backup power source 22 is the vehicle battery 1
4 is a backup power supply in the case where the power supply to the control unit 20 is cut off due to breakage of No. 4 or breakage of electric wiring. A large-capacity capacitor is used and is always charged. As a result, even if the wiring is broken due to damage to the vehicle body or the like, the collision state determination circuit, the emergency signal transmission circuit, and the RAM in the control unit 20 are backed up, and the circuit operation can be secured and the memory can be prevented from disappearing.

The inflator 31 and the air bag 32 which constitute the air bag device 30 are known devices. The control unit 20 turns on the inflator when the collision is judged.
If it is determined that the squib signal from the control unit 20 operates the inflator 31, the airbag 30 can be inflated and deployed.

As the communication means 40, a car telephone is used in this embodiment. 11 by emergency signal transmission circuit
The No. 0 report is automatically dialed to the wireless facility 2 which is the transmission destination, and the vehicle body number as the initial data, the vehicle type, the owner information, the accident occurrence position information and the collision mode information accumulated in the RAM are used as a tone signal, It is repeatedly sent until the other party confirms the response. As the communication means 40, various known communication means such as a mobile phone such as a cellular phone, personal communication, quasi-microwave band (1 to 3 GHz) radio, and mobile satellite communication can be adopted. In addition, FM multiplex broadcasting as position assistance information around the accident site,
It is also possible to transmit the surrounding situation obtained by the optical beacon and the radio beacon together. The communication means 40 has a dedicated battery 41. It is preferable to use a device that can check the degree of consumption of the battery 41 by the initial diagnosis circuit of the control unit 20 and charge the battery 41 if necessary.

A wireless facility 2 equipped with an emergency command system at the destination
An example is a police organization that receives the 110th call in the case of a public line. In addition, it is possible to notify a specific security company using personal radio, mobile satellite communication, etc., and have them contact 119 and 110, and receive the support system unique to the security company. Emergency signal signaling protocol,
There are various data formats, but first of all, the prescribed emergency data can be transmitted from the accident vehicle by one-way communication, and when it is confirmed that the data transmission / reception is complete, it may be set so that the interactive two-way communication is set as the conversation mode. . At this time, if the occupants of the accident vehicle can talk to each other, the emergency department can know the details of the accident and the condition of the injured person.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which the constituent elements of the system shown in FIG. 1 are mounted on an actual vehicle. A navigation system 10 and a control unit 20 are arranged in the front part of the cockpit. Further, an LCD display 11 is incorporated in the instrument panel. A squib signal line is connected from the control unit 20 to an inflator 31 housed in the steering wheel. On the other hand, a flat disk-shaped GPS antenna 12 is fixed to the rear part of the roof. Communication device 40
Are housed and held in a portion of the rear wheel axle near the rear axle with high vehicle rigidity. Pole antenna 4 from the rear trunk position
2 is extended. The sensors are, for example, front impact detection sensor SG1 and rear impact detection sensor SG.
2, the deformation detection sensor Sd (side door beam) is shown.

Next, the operation sequence of the control unit 20 will be described with reference to FIG. First, when the driver turns the ignition switch 13 on or off, the vehicle-mounted battery 14 is energized and the initial diagnostic circuit program is executed (steps 100, 110). If an abnormality is found at this time, for example, the warning light on the instrument panel is continuously turned on to inform the driver of the abnormality of the system. Next, the positioning data update circuit of the navigation system 10 is automatically activated (step 120). At this time, if the main body of the navigation system 10 is not in the ON state, the display is not displayed, but the positioning data as position information is updated. The interval of the update time may be a fixed time interval (for example, Δt = 1 second), or may be a speed sensitive system and may be decreased as the speed increases. A position information request signal is output from the control unit 20 to the navigation system 10 (step 130). The latest current position information is read from the navigation system 10 and written in the RAM. Also,
During traveling, the collision state determination circuit can successively take in output signals from the respective sensors. In the collision state determination circuit, the sensor detection signal Si and the sensor detection signal S
Corresponding to i, a threshold value Thi recognized as a collision is compared (step 160), and if the sensor detection signal Si is greater than or equal to the threshold value Thi, it is determined that a serious accident for which an accident notification is necessary, It is determined whether or not the collision corresponds to inflator ON (step 162). Inflator ON
If yes, a squib signal is output to the inflator (step 180). On the other hand, even if the collision does not inflate the airbag 30, it is determined that the accident is a serious accident. Therefore, the position information and the collision mode information written in the RAM are read, and the wireless communication having a predetermined emergency system is performed by the communication means. A command for transmitting an emergency signal to a facility or the like is output (step 200).

On the other hand, the sensor detection signal Si is the threshold value T
When it is less than hi, it means that normal traveling is possible. In this case, the positional information request is continuously repeated during traveling to update the positional information in the RAM to the latest one.
Ignition switch 1 when traveling and exiting
3, the positioning data update circuit of the navigation system 10 is also turned off (steps 170 and 210).

In the above description, the RAM stores not only the position information but also the collision mode information. However, the essential information as the emergency signal is the position information, and the collision mode information is the additional information. is there. Therefore, it is possible to select whether to use the system that collects the collision mode information as the collected data, or to adopt it as the transmission information when the collected data is collected.

[0026]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, not only is the safety of the occupant ensured in the event of a collision, but
An effect that emergency signals such as the location of the accident can be reported to a wireless facility that has a prescribed emergency command system, and the safety of passengers after the accident, such as transportation to a hospital and accommodation, can be more reliably ensured. Play.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a vehicle accident notification system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example in which a vehicle accident notification system is mounted on an actual vehicle.

FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart showing an operation flow of a control unit of the vehicle accident notification system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 GPS Satellite 2 Destination (Emergency System Facility) 10 Navigation System 12 GPS Antenna 20 Control Unit 21 Memory Circuit 30 Airbag Device 31 Inflator 40 Communication Means Si Impact Detection Sensor

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An airbag device, a navigation system for an automobile that holds positioning data obtained by capturing GPS satellites, and current position information during traveling based on the positioning data at predetermined time intervals. A collision state in which a position information request circuit that stores the read current position information in a memory circuit while making a request and determines whether to operate the airbag device based on a shock detection signal from a shock detection sensor A control unit having a determination circuit and an emergency signal transmission command circuit that outputs the current position information accumulated in the memory circuit as emergency signal transmission data after a signal for operating at least the airbag device is output, A predetermined wireless facility having an emergency command system was equipped with communication means for transmitting the emergency signal transmission data to report an accident occurrence. Vehicle accident notification system characterized and. 2. The present position information includes at least a latitude data, a longitude data, and a traveling direction in a RAM in the memory circuit.
The vehicle accident notification system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle accident notification system is stored in the vehicle.