KR101700416B1

KR101700416B1 - Electronic safety belt system capable of automatic unlocking in case of emergency

Info

Publication number: KR101700416B1
Application number: KR1020150081280A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 허치영; 허남수
Original assignee: 허치영
Priority date: 2015-06-09
Filing date: 2015-06-09
Publication date: 2017-01-26
Also published as: KR20160144744A

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a seat belt system for an automobile or an aircraft, and more particularly, to an electronic seat belt system capable of automatically releasing an emergency such as a falling accident or a traffic accident.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, an electronic safety belt system capable of automatically releasing an emergency in an emergency such as a collision, submergence or fire of a moving means includes a plurality of sensors installed on the moving means for detecting at least one of an emergency shock, Detection sensor; A solenoid provided in a buckle of an electronic seatbelt of each seat and pulling the slide knob through the control of an electronic control unit which has received a signal from the detection sensor to separate the fasteners associated with the plate from the plate; And an emergency battery which receives a signal from the detection sensor in an emergency and supplies power to the electronic control unit and the solenoid when the commercial power source (battery) is shut off.
According to the present invention, when a moving means such as an automobile or an aircraft is flooded due to an unexpected accident in a river or sea while the vehicle is in operation, or when a collision accident with a vehicle or an object is expected to cause secondary or tertiary damage, There is an effect that the occupant can escape easily because the fire in the engine causes the seat belt to be automatically released at the time of emergency.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an electronic safety belt system capable of automatically releasing an emergency,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a seat belt system such as an automobile or an aircraft, and more particularly, to an electronic seat belt system capable of automatically releasing an emergency such as a falling accident or a traffic accident.

Generally, a seat belt installed on a vehicle or an aircraft is fixed on a seat as much as possible while the occupant is in operation, so that when the vehicle body or the like is about to stop in an emergency such as a collision accident, the driver or the occupant So as not to be thrown out to the outside of the vehicle or the like, thereby reducing a secondary injury that may be caused by an impact force due to inertia at the time of a collision.

That is, after the driver and the passenger are seated on the seat, the seat belt is configured to pull the belt toward the upper body and fasten the plate to the fastener in the buckle so as to fix the upper body of the occupant between the seat belt and the seat back.

However, in accidents such as the following example, a seat belt may be a problem.

A small aircraft belonging to the Taiwan Fusing Airlines flight in February 2015 crashed into the river more than an aircraft engine after the takeoff, resulting in more than 30 deaths. Passengers wearing seat belts could not escape from the water, There was a media report that all passengers who did not wear a belt were rescued. There has been controversy over whether the seat belt should be worn for a while in the media.

As described above, conventionally, when the automobile or the like has fallen into the river or the sea and has flooded, and the passenger has become embarrassed in the event of a fire or a collision, the passenger can not escape the seatbelt and can not escape or take a long time to rescue him. There was often a problem.

In this regard, an example of a technology in which an emergency seatbelt is automatically released in an emergency is disclosed in Korean Utility Model Application No. 20-1998-0007697 (Published Date: Apr. 30, 1998) The main contents are as follows: a buoyancy switch is installed in the bonnet to release the seatbelt from the motor, or when the car is submerged in water, the battery is cut off and the motor can not be driven, little.

In addition, Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-1999-0051148 (published on June 30, 1999) discloses a "unlocking device for a seatbelt". However, in the case where the seatbelt assembly of the seatbelt is combined with the rocker, A solenoid having an actuator which is locked or extended by signal transmission of an electrically connected electronic control device and a solenoid which is installed to interlock the other side according to the infiltration or extension of the actuator and restrictively rotates about the hinge axis, Or a hook for automatically releasing the locking of the seat belt. The electronic control unit senses the number of revolutions of the engine and automatically detects the safety of the seat belt when the seat belt is worn. The technique of releasing the belt will not be far from the technology of releasing the seat belt in emergency.

There are several safety belts that have been released by using battery power installed in a vehicle in the event of a traffic accident. However, when a traffic accident occurs, the battery is damaged due to a traffic accident, There is also a problem that when the vehicle is overturned and flooded, the battery is discharged by water and the seat belt becomes useless in the emergency.

Such a conventional seat belt fastening structure has a fixing structure through a combination of a bottom of a vehicle body and a pillar and a plate and a buckle. When the seat belt is released, a push button provided on the buckle is manually depressed to release the plate from the buckle have. In other words, engagement and disengagement of the buckle, in particular, when the buckle is released, the plate of the seat belt can be separated from the buckle only when a person operates the push button provided on the buckle.

However, in case of accident such as driving carelessness or drowsiness driving, the vehicle falls into the water such as river or sea, or in case of collision with an object, and in case of engine fire, the occupant becomes embarrassed, So that it is not easy to escape or structure in the state where the seatbelt is fastened to the seatbelt, thereby causing personal injury.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a portable vehicle in which a moving means such as an automobile or an airplane is flooded by an unexpected accident, Emergency can be released automatically when the second and third damages are expected due to collision with an object and the fire is generated in the engine so that the seatbelt is automatically released during emergency situations so that the occupant can escape easily To provide an electronic seat belt system.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a seat belt retractor capable of easily escaping a passenger who is insufficient in operation of a seatbelt such as a child or an elderly person, thereby reducing personal injury, and is also automatically released even by a simple one- The present invention provides an electronic safety belt system capable of automatically releasing an emergency.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for automatically connecting a rescue institution or a family member through an application of a smart device interlocked with a wireless communication in case of collision of a mobile means, fire or flooding, And to provide an electronic safety belt system capable of automatic release in an emergency in which an efficient structure is possible.

The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited thereto, and other matters not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an electronic seat belt system capable of automatically releasing an emergency. According to an embodiment of the present invention, an electronic safety belt system capable of automatically releasing an emergency in an emergency such as a collision, submergence or fire of a moving means includes a plurality of sensors installed on the moving means for detecting at least one of an emergency shock, Detection sensor; A solenoid provided in a buckle of an electronic seatbelt of each seat and pulling the slide knob through the control of an electronic control unit which has received a signal from the detection sensor to separate the fasteners associated with the plate from the plate; And an emergency battery for supplying power to the electronic control unit and the solenoid in an emergency.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a timer may be further provided for generating a driving signal of the solenoid after a predetermined time elapses or immediately after a signal is input from each of the sensing sensors.

According to an example embodiment, the detection sensor may include a fire detection sensor provided in the vicinity of an engine of the moving means; And a water detection sensor and an impact detection sensor positioned near the seat belt of each seat.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an electronic safety belt system including a safety belt switch connected in an ON state when the plate and the fastening member are engaged, Lt; / RTI >

The manual switch may further include a manual switch provided on the buckle to generate a driving signal of the solenoid to release the fastener from the plate when a passenger presses the button.

According to an embodiment, the solenoid is preferably operated sequentially for each seat provided with the electronic seat belt.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the smart device may further include an application installed in an emergency communication with the electronic control unit through a wireless communication, and transmitting the structured signal to the incident management server.

The electronic seat belt system capable of automatically releasing the emergency in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention is a system in which a moving means such as an automobile or an airplane is flooded due to an unexpected accident in river or sea while being operated, , The occupant can easily escape by releasing the seatbelt automatically when the second and third damages are expected and the fire in the engine occurs in an emergency.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, an electronic safety belt system capable of automatically releasing an emergency can easily escape a passenger who is insufficient in operation of a seat belt such as a child or an elderly person, thereby reducing personal injury, It is automatically released even if it is tapped by a small amount, so that it can be used more conveniently.

In addition, an electronic seatbelt system capable of automatically releasing an emergency in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is automatically connected to a rescue institution or a family through an application of a mobile device, a smart device interlocked with a wireless communication in case of fire or flooding, And the GPS function is used to track the location of the accident point, thereby enabling an efficient structure.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and, together with the description of the invention, It should not be construed as limited.
1 is a view schematically showing the construction of an electronic seatbelt system capable of automatically releasing an emergency in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the electronic seatbelt of Fig. 1;
3 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the electronic safety belt of Fig. 1 is engaged; Fig.
4 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the electronic safety belt of Fig. 1 is released; Fig.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Each drawing has been partially or exaggerated for clarity. It should be noted that, in adding reference numerals to the constituent elements of the respective drawings, the same constituent elements are shown to have the same reference numerals as possible even if they are displayed on different drawings. Also, components and acts referred to as " comprising (or comprising) " do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components and operations. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

1 is a view schematically showing a configuration of an electronic seatbelt system capable of automatically releasing an emergency in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, an electronic safety belt system 10 capable of automatically releasing an emergency includes a sensing sensor 100, a solenoid 200, an emergency battery 300, a timer 400, a seat belt switch 500, (600), and a smart device (700).

The electronic safety belt system 10 capable of automatically releasing an emergency in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention can automatically release the electronic safety belt 20 in an emergency such as collision, flooding or fire of the moving means 1. [ Here, the moving means 1 may include all the moving means of any structure capable of installing a seat belt in a seat such as an automobile or an airplane capable of moving a person by using power.

A plurality of detection sensors 100 may be installed on the moving means 1. [ The detection sensor 100 can sense at least one of shock, vibration, water or fire in an emergency or emergency such as collision, flooding or fire of the moving means 1. [

The detection sensor 100 may include a fire detection sensor 110, a water detection sensor 120, and a shock detection sensor 130. Here, the shock sensor 130 may be replaced with a vibration sensor, and both of the sensors may be used to sense impact or vibration.

The fire detection sensor 110 may be provided in the vicinity of the engine of the moving means 1. [ For example, when the moving means 1 is an automobile, the fire detection sensor 110 is located in a bonnet of an automobile and can detect fire or smoke when the fire occurs in the engine.

The water sensing sensor 120 and the impact sensing sensor 130 may be installed at predetermined positions near the seat belts of the respective seats. The water sensing sensor 120 can sense water when immersed. For example, the water detection sensor 120 may be provided on a floor such as a seat under a seat or an indoor floor in an automobile, but is not limited thereto. The impact sensor 130 may be provided on one side or the bottom of the seat. In some cases, the water sensing sensor 120 and the impact sensing sensor 130 may be mounted in the seat belt buckle 21.

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the electronic seatbelt of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the electronic seatbelt of Fig. 1 is fastened, and Fig. Fig. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing the state of the state.

2 to 4, a solenoid 200 may be provided in the buckle 21 of the electronic seat belt 20 of each seat. The solenoid 200 can be operated under the control of the electronic control unit 12 that has received signals from the respective sensors 100. Specifically, the solenoid 200 can pull the slide knob 25 to lift the fastener 22 coupled with the plate 23 and detach the fastener 22 while retracting. Thus, the solenoid 200 can release the plate 23 from the fastener 22. That is, the solenoid 200 separates the plate 23 and the buckle 21 in an emergency or emergency so that the electronic seat belt 20 can be released.

The solenoid 200 is configured to pull the slide housing (not shown) to lift the fasteners 22 associated with the plate 23 and to disengage the fasteners 22 from the plate 23 It is possible.

The solenoid 200 is maintained in an OFF state when the plate 23 and the buckle 21 are coupled and then automatically turned on when water, fire, impact, or the like is detected from the respective sensors 100 So that the solenoid 200 is operated and the plate 23 and the fastener 22 can be separated.

Accordingly, the present invention utilizes an electronic seat belt 20 that can be released by driving a solenoid 200 that operates by electric force, and a plate, which is a conventional seat belt fastening means, and a buckle.

Also, as another embodiment, the solenoid 200 may replace its role with a geared motor.

2 to 4, the buckle 21 of the electronic seat belt 20 of the present invention includes a fastener 22, a slide knob (not shown) 25, a fastening portion 26, an elastic body 27, a connecting member 28, a solenoid 200, and the like.

The solenoid 200 may be connected to the rear end 25a of the slide knob 25 through the connecting member 28. [ The connecting member 28 can transmit the driving force of the solenoid 200 driven when the power is supplied to the slide knob 25. The slide knob 25 is a structure corresponding to a press button of a buckle opening in a conventional seat belt. In general, the slide knob 25 is slid inward through a pressing operation so as to release a plate in a coupled state.

A fastening portion 26 may be provided at a lower portion of the buckle 21 to allow the plate 23 to be inserted therein. The fastening portion 26 may be provided with a hook-shaped fastener 22. The combination of the plate 23 and the fastener 22 can be achieved by inserting the plate 23 into the buckle 21 so that the fastener 22 spans the plate hole 23a formed in the plate 23. [

A separate elastic body 27 such as a spring is connected to the rear of the fastening hole 22 so that the plate 23 is engaged in the buckle 21 and the elastic body 27 is contracted. It is possible to generate a restoring force toward the inlet side. That is, when the fastener 22 is detached from the plate hole 23a, the plate 23 is separated from the buckle 21 because the plate 23 is always separated from the buckle 21 by the action of the elastic body 27 The elastic force of the outward direction is received.

In the buckle (21), a slide knob (25) may be provided on the upper portion of the fastening portion (26). The slide knob 25 is moved backward by the solenoid 200 to retract the fastener 22 while contracting the elastic body. Depending on the embodiment, the fasteners 22 may be lifted and pulled back, or simply retained in the lifted state.

The operation of the solenoid 200 causes the slide knob 25 to be pulled toward the solenoid 200 or backward so that the slide knob 25 is pulled to pull the fastener 22, And can be separated from the sphere 22.

According to the embodiment, an elastic member may be additionally or alternatively connected between the rear end of the slide knob 25 and the solenoid 200 instead of the connecting member 28. The elastic member may be a spring or the like. Such an elastic member can provide a restoring force when the slide knob 25 is moved backward by the solenoid 200 and then returned to the front.

The rear slide knob 25 can be returned to the original position in front by the operation of the solenoid 200 through the connecting member 28. [

The emergency battery 300 can supply power to the electronic control unit (ECU) 12 and the solenoid 200 when the commercial power (battery) is disconnected in an emergency or in an emergency. Emergency battery 300 may include both a rechargeable or replaceable battery (battery) that is normally charged from a commercial power source (battery).

The emergency battery 300 can be provided in case of interruption of the power supply due to breakage of the commercial power source (battery) of the moving means 1 due to an accident such as collision, immersion, fire or the like. That is, usually, the seat belt is operated by the commercial power source (battery) of the moving means 1, but only when the fire, flood, shock or the like is detected and the commercial power source (battery) So that the solenoid 200 can be operated.

Further, the solenoid 200 can be sequentially operated for each seat in which the electronic safety belt 20 is installed in an emergency. For example, referring to FIG. 1, in a typical automobile, each solenoid 200 in each electronic seat belt 20 may be operated in the order of the driver's seat, the passenger's seat, the rear seat 1, the rear seat 2, It goes without saying that this order can be arbitrarily changed.

This prevents the situation where the power supply of the emergency battery 300 is temporarily shortened because the solenoid 200 of each of the electronic safety belts 20 is simultaneously driven and the capacity of the emergency battery 300 is reduced It is to be able to keep it.

The electronic control unit 12, the solenoid 200, the emergency battery 300, the impact sensor 130, and various switches 500 and 600 described later are waterproofed so that they can be operated even when they are submerged in water desirable.

In addition, referring to FIG. 1, an electronic control unit 12 and an emergency battery 300 may be provided in a control box according to an embodiment of the present invention. The control box may be installed at a predetermined position near the electronic safety belt 20. [ Alternatively, the electronic control unit 12 and the emergency battery 300 may be installed separately from each other. Optionally, the emergency battery 300 may be mounted in the buckle 21 of the electronic seat belt 20.

The timer 400 can generate a driving signal of the solenoid 200 after a predetermined time elapses or immediately after a sensing signal such as a shock (vibration), water, or fire is inputted from each sensing sensor 100.

For example, when an impact accident occurs with an object while the vehicle is running, when the impact sensor 130 senses the initial impact and the set time (s) on the timer 400 is exceeded, Can be released. If the set time on the timer 400 is 5 seconds, if the second and third shocks are detected again within 5 seconds after the impact detection, the counted time s becomes '0' (reset) The electronic seat belt 20 can be automatically released when the time counted for 5 seconds is exceeded.

In addition, if the vehicle 1 falls into the river or the sea due to an unexpected accident during the operation of the moving means 1, the electronic seatbelt 20 is automatically released after the setting time (s) after the first shock detection is exceeded. s, the electronic seat belt 20 can be automatically released immediately upon detection of a signal from the fire detection sensor 110 or the water detection sensor 120.

That is, the timer 400 generates a solenoid 200 driving signal when a signal of the fire detection sensor 110 or the water detection sensor 120 is sensed after a predetermined time from the input of the signal of the impact detection sensor 130 .

The drive signal of the timer 400 may be transmitted to the electronic control unit 12 to operate the solenoid 200 in each electronic seat belt 20. [

The seat belt switch 500 may be connected to the ON state when the plate 23 and the fastener 22 are engaged in the buckle 21 of the electronic seat belt 20. [

The seat belt switch 500 is a switch whose switch contact is changed in accordance with whether or not the plate 23 of the electronic seat belt 200 is engaged with the buckle 21. When the plate 23 and the buckle 21 are engaged And can be displayed on the instrument panel of the moving means 1 or the like.

That is, the seat belt switch 500 can be switched to the ON state when the passenger normally wears the electronic seat belt 20.

The electronic safety belt system 10 capable of automatically releasing an emergency in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention can be operated in a state in which the safety belt switch 500 is turned ON.

That is, in the present invention, the solenoid 200 in the buckle 21 of each seat-mounted electronic seat belt 20 according to the operation of the fire detection sensor 110, the water detection sensor 120 or the impact detection sensor 130 The drive is operable when the plate 23 of the electronic seat belt 20 and the buckle 21 are engaged and the seat belt switch 500 is connected in the ON state.

The manual switch 600 is provided in the buckle 21 of each electronic seat belt 20 so that the solenoid 200 can be actuated to release or separate the fastener 22 from the plate 23 during the pressing operation of the occupant have. That is, the manual switch 600 allows the electronic seat belt 20 to be conveniently used in a touch manner, not in an emergency. When the manual switch 600 is used, a general commercial power source of the moving means 1 can be used.

For example, the manual switch 600 may be installed at the entrance of the buckle 21 of the electronic seat belt 20 into which the plate 23 is inserted. According to one example, the manual switch 600 may be located on the push button of a conventional mechanical seat belt. This manual switch 600 is provided in a one-touch manner to facilitate disengagement of the electronic safety belt 20. [ The manual switch 600 is also turned ON by pressing the solenoid 200 to activate the electronic seat belt 20. Such a manual switch 600 can be viewed as a way of utilizing the existing mechanical seat belt structure in order to easily operate the seat belt in everyday life, not in an emergency or emergency.

Therefore, the electronic seat belt 20 according to the present invention can be released from the seat belt mechanically through a normal push button, as well as electronically releasing the seat belt via the manual switch 600.

As described above, the present invention is advantageous in that the manual switch 600 can be automatically released even if the user manually presses the manual switch 600 with a simple one-touch operation.

The smart device 700 may be provided with an application connected to the electronic control unit 12 in an emergency or in an emergency in a short-range wireless communication or the like. Here, bluetooth or the like may be used for short-range wireless communication.

The smart device 700 can transmit a structure signal or structure information through the application to the incident management server 800 or a smart terminal of the family in which the same application is installed. Here, the smart device 700 may include a smart phone, a smart pad, a tablet PC, and the like.

The incident management server 800 may be provided in a situation room such as 119 or 112. The accident management server 800 can receive a rescue signal or structure information from the smart device 700 and take measures to request emergency rescue of the rescue team and the ambulance to the accident site using the GPS position tracking of the accident point and the like.

The present invention having such a configuration as described above can be applied to a case in which a moving means such as an automobile or an airplane is flooded due to unexpected accident in a river or sea while being operated or a second or third damages When it is anticipated and a fire occurs in the engine, the seatbelt is automatically released in an emergency, so that the occupant can easily escape. That is, the present invention is advantageous in that a passenger who is insufficient in operation of a seat belt such as a child or an elderly person, or a passenger who is confused due to an accident can easily escape without feeling the difficulty of releasing the seatbelt, thereby reducing personal injury.

In addition, the present invention automatically connects to a rescue institution or a family member through an application of a smart device interlocked with a wireless communication in the event of collision of mobile means, fire or flood, .

In addition, since the present invention does not need to significantly change the structure or strength of a conventional mechanical safety belt, it is economically advantageous and highly utilizable.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate rather than limit the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention should be construed according to the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope of equivalents should be construed as falling within the scope of the present invention.

10: Electronic seat belt system that can be automatically released in an emergency
20: Electronic seat belt 21: Buckle
22: fastener 23: plate
25: slide knob 27: elastic body
100: detection sensor 110: fire detection sensor
120: water sensor 130: shock sensor
200: Solenoid 300: Emergency battery
400: Timer 500: Seat belt switch
600: manual switch 700: smart device
800: Incident Management Server

Claims

1. A seat belt system capable of automatically releasing an emergency in the event of collision, immersion or fire of a moving means,
A plurality of sensors installed on the moving means for sensing at least one of an impact, water or fire in an emergency;
A solenoid provided in a buckle of an electronic seatbelt of each seat and pulling the slide knob through the control of an electronic control unit which has received a signal from the detection sensor to separate the fasteners associated with the plate from the plate;
An emergency battery for supplying power to the electronic control unit and the solenoid in an emergency; And
And a timer for generating a driving signal of the solenoid immediately after a predetermined time elapses when a signal is input from each of the sensing sensors,
The detection sensor includes:
A fire detection sensor provided near the engine of the moving means; And
A water detection sensor and an impact detection sensor positioned near the seat belt of each seat,
The timer generates the driving signal immediately when a signal of the fire detection sensor or the water detection sensor is detected after a predetermined time when a signal of the impact detection sensor is inputted,
The timer counts the predetermined time again after resetting the counting time when a signal of the impact detection sensor is detected again within the predetermined time after the signal of the impact detection sensor is inputted,
Wherein the solenoid is sequentially operated for each seat in which the electronic seat belt is installed,
Wherein the electronic control unit and the solenoid are operated by the commercial power supply of the normally moving means and are operated by the emergency battery when the power supply of the commercial power supply is stopped in an emergency,
Wherein the emergency battery includes a rechargeable battery charged from a commercial power source.

delete

The method according to claim 1,
And a seat belt switch connected in an ON state when the plate and the fastener are engaged,
Wherein the electronic safety belt system capable of automatically releasing the emergency is operated in an emergency state when the safety belt switch is in the ON state.

The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a manual switch provided on the buckle for generating a driving signal of the solenoid to release the fastening member from the plate when a passenger pushes the seat.

delete

The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a smart device installed in an application for wireless communication with the electronic control unit in an emergency to transmit a structure signal to the management server when an emergency occurs.