WO2017082756A1

WO2017082756A1 - Method and apparatus for collection and synthesis of vehicle crash information in a wireless communication system

Info

Publication number: WO2017082756A1
Application number: PCT/RU2015/000777
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yaroslav Alexandrovich DOMARATSKY
Original assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
Priority date: 2015-11-13
Filing date: 2015-11-13
Publication date: 2017-05-18

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and system is provided wherein an emergency response vehicle arriving at a crash scene, or a vehicle passing a crash scene, automatically and wirelessly collects vehicle crash information from one or more vehicles involved in a crash event and from data capture devices associated with the crash scene and wirelessly provides the collected information to an emergency response dispatch system. By collecting this information and delivering it to the emergency response dispatch system, emergency response/trauma system personnel are able to better determine crash-related information such as crash severity, predict potential injuries, and determine the appropriate personnel and equipment for responding to the crash event. Further, the emergency response dispatch system then is able to convey the crash-related information to emergency response vehicles and emergency responders in transit to the crash scene.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COLLECTION AND SYNTHESIS OF

VEHICLE CRASH INFORMATION IN A WIRELESS COM MUNICATION SYSTEM

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates generally to wireless communication systems and, in particular, to provision of vehicle crash information to, and synthesis of vehicle crash information by, incident responders in a wireless communication system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Automobile accidents are a leading cause of death in the United States. While many will die at the scene of the accident, others will be treated by various medical and emergency response professionals that make up modern trauma systems. The term "emergency response system" as used herein includes all elements of the emergency response process set in motion in response to an automobile accident, including emergency medical systems (EMS) and dispatch systems as they relate to motor vehicle accidents as well as the hospitals, trauma centers and other facilities that handle and treat victims of motor vehicle accidents.

[0003] Motor vehicle-related trauma is usually referred to as "blunt trauma" because most injuries are internal injuries. It is well-known that blunt trauma is a disease of time. The more rapidly a severely injured occupant receives surgical treatment, the greater their chances of survival. In responding to an automobile accident, a 911 dispatcher receives notification of an accident and dispatches an ambulance comprising emergency medical personnel, the ambu- lance travels to scene, on-scene treatment is performed by the emergency medical personnel, injured victims may be transported to a medical facility, and the victim's injuries may be diagnosed by medical personnel at the medical facility. These activities may take a significant amount of time to perform, resulting in the expiration of a critical amount of time with respect to treating the injuries.

[0004] Diagnosis of injuries can involve a consideration of several factors, including the conditions of the impact, the positions of the occupants in the au- tomobile in the automobile cabin, the characteristics of each occupant, such as his or her size, weight, age and medical condition, and the automobile safety features. Under present accident response systems, the information regarding these factors is usually collected at the scene of the accident by emergency responders upon arrival at the scene, such as by police, firemen, emergency medical technicians (EMT's) and paramedics. As a result, the collection of such information can take time, resulting in delay that may result in loss of life or increased injury.

[0005] One problem with present trauma dispatch systems is that there is little data available to emergency dispatchers, such as 911 dispatchers, that allow them to determine the severity of occupant injuries and therefore guide them in determining who to dispatch to the scene. For example, different ambulances may be staffed by different personnel and equipped with different equipment, such as Advanced Life Support ambulances staffed by paramedics as opposed to Basic Life Support ambulances staffed by EMT's. In addition, air ambulances may be able to transport a severely injured patient to a facility much more quickly than a ground ambulance. Under the present system, 911 dispatchers do not usually have information about the level of injury of the victims in order to determine a level of life support expertise needed at the scene. Another problem with present trauma dispatch systems is that emergency responders have little advance knowledge of what they may find at an accident scene, such as a number of injured occupants or what type of injuries they can expect. They may not have information suggesting whether vehicle extrication may be required or whether they will face hazards from potential vehicle fires, fuel leaks, or explosions and correspondingly may be unaware of the specific equipment required until arriving at the accident scene. Further, given the dif- ficulty in diagnosing internal injuries, decision-making by emergency responders can be assisted by information concerning the events surrounding the occurrence of the accident; however, such events can only be guessed by at the emergency responders based on their visual observations about the crashed vehicles and their occupants.

[0006] U.S. patent application 2002/0103622 (Burge) proposes a scheme for collecting on-board sensor data from crash-involved vehicles, analyzing the data, and delivering the results to emergency medical personnel. However, Burge pre-supposes that the crash-involved vehicles have direct wireless ac- cess to a back-end emergency services infrastructure, for example, via a commercial vehicle wireless communication system such as the General Motors OnStar system or the Mercedes Benz Tele- Aid system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to iden- tical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views, together with the detailed description below, are incorporated in and form part of the specification, and serve to further illustrate embodiments of concepts that include the claimed invention, and explain various principles and advantages of those embodiments. [0008] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a wireless communication system in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.

[0009] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an in- vehicle data collection system of the wireless communication system of FIG. 1 in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. [0010] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an infrastructure-based emergency response center information processing system of the wireless communication system of FIG. 1 in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. [0011] FIG. 4A is a signal flow diagram illustrating a collection, synthesis, and distribution of crash-related information in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.

[0012] FIG. 4B is a continuation of the signal flow diagram of FIG. 4A illus- trating the collection, synthesis, and distribution of crash-related information in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.

[0013] FIG. 5 is an exemplary depiction of a display of pushed crash-related information on a user interface in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. [0014] FIG. 6 is an exemplary depiction of a display of pushed crash-related information on a user interface in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] FIG. 7 is an exemplary depiction of a display of pushed crash-related information on a user interface in accordance with an embodiment of the pre- sent invention.

[0016] Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. It will further be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. Those skilled in the art will further recognize that references to specific implementation embodiments such as "circuitry" may equally be accomplished via replacement with software instruction executions either on general purpose computing apparatus (e.g., CPU) or specialized processing apparatus (e.g., DSP). It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expres- sions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] A method, apparatus, and system is provided wherein an emergency response vehicle arriving at a crash scene, or a vehicle passing a crash scene, automatically and wirelessly collects vehicle crash information from one or more vehicles involved in a crash event and from data capture devices associated with the crash scene and wirelessly provides the collected information to an emergency response dispatch system. By collecting this information and delivering it to the emergency response dispatch system, emergency response/trauma system personnel are able to better determine crash-related information such as crash severity, predict potential injuries, and determine the appropriate personnel and equipment for responding to the crash event. Further, the emergency response dispatch system then is able to convey the crash- related information to emergency response vehicles and emergency responders in transit to the crash scene.

[0018] Generally, an embodiment of the present invention encompasses a method for provision of crash-related information associated with a vehicular crash event. The method includes arriving, by an in-vehicle data collection system of a non-crash vehicle and subsequent to an occurrence of a vehicular crash event involving at least one crash vehicle, at the vehicular crash event; establishing, by the in-vehicle data collection system of the non-crash vehicle, a wireless link with the at least one crash vehicle; downloading, by the in- vehicle data collection system of the non-crash vehicle, vehicle operation and sensor data from an in-vehicle data collection system of the at least one crash vehicle; determining, by the in-vehicle data collection system of the non-crash vehicle and based on the vehicle operation and sensor data, that a crash-event has occurred; and in response to determining that a crash-event has occurred, conveying, by the in-vehicle data collection system of the non-crash vehicle, the downloaded vehicle operation and sensor data to a wireless infrastructure emergency response system.

[0019J Another embodiment of the present invention encompasses a method for provision of crash-related information associated with a vehicular crash event. The method includes identifying, by an infrastructure-based emergency response center information processing system, a location of a vehicular crash event; identifying, by the infrastructure-based emergency response center information processing system, one or more of an emergency response vehicle and an emergency responder traveling to the location; and conveying, by the infrastructure-based emergency response center information processing system to the identified one or more of the emergency response vehicle and the emergency responder and while the identified one or more of the emergency response vehicle and an emergency responder is in transit to the location, crash- related information associated with the vehicular crash event.

[0020] Yet another embodiment of the present invention encompasses an in- vehicle data collection system that is configured for installation in a motor vehicle. The in-vehicle data collection system includes a processor and an at least one memory device that is configured to store a set of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the following functions: in response to arriving at a vehicular crash event involving at least one crash vehicle, establish a wireless link with the at least one crash vehicle; download vehicle operation and sensor data from an in-vehicle data collection system of the at least one crash vehicle; determine, based on the vehicle operation and sensor data, that a crash-event has occurred; and in response to determining that a crash-event has occurred, convey the downloaded vehicle opera- tion and sensor data to a wireless infrastructure emergency response system. [0021] Still another embodiment of the present invention encompasses an infrastructure-based emergency response center information processing system that includes a processor and an at least one memory device that is configured to store a set of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the following functions: identify a location of a vehicular crash event; identify one or more of an emergency response vehicle and an emergency responder traveling to the location; and convey, to the identified one or more of the emergency response vehicle and the emergency responder and while the identified one or more of the emergency response vehicle and an emergency responder is in transit to the location, crash-related information associated with the vehicular crash event.

[0022] The present invention may be more fully described with reference to FIGs. 1-7. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a wireless communication system 100 in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. Communi- cation system 100 includes an incident, or crash, scene 136 comprising one or more one or more vehicles 102, 112 (two shown) that are involved in a vehicle crash (referred to herein as "crash vehicles"), such as striking each other, striking an object such as a light pole or a tree, or rolling over. Each of the one of more crash vehicles 102, 112 includes a respective in- vehicle data collection system 104, 114 that is configured for installation in a motor vehicle and that captures and stores detailed information concerning the occupants and operation of the vehicle and the crash incident. Each in- vehicle data collection system 104, 114 includes a respective one or more in- vehicle sensors 106, 116 for collecting vehicle operation and sensor data, such as today are pervasive in automobiles, a respective in- vehicle data storage device 107, 117 for storing data collected by the one or more in- vehicle sensors 106, 116, and a respective transceiver 108, 118 for transmitting wireless signals to, and receiving wireless signals from, other in-vehicle data collection systems via respective air interfaces 109 and 119 and with a commercial wireless network 146. [0023] Each of the one or more in-vehicle sensors 106, 116 may include vehicle condition monitoring sensors, vehicle environment sensors, vehicle location determination units, and cockpit monitoring sensors. The vehicle condition monitoring sensors monitor numerous vehicle operation parameters such as engine operating parameters, vehicle speed, transmission and wheel speed, vehicle acceleration in three axes, chassis function, emission control function, etc. These sensors may also provide data related to vehicle diagnostics. The vehicle environment sensors collect data related to the environment in which the vehicle is operating, for example, road conditions, traffic conditions, weather, etc. For example, road surface and traction estimates may be provided by anti-lock braking, traction control, and chassis control system sensors. Weather and time of day also may be monitored directly or derived from reported sources. The vehicle location determination units determine a location of the vehicle, such as an on-board navigation system utilizing global position- ing system (GPS) technology or a wireless communication device, such as a cellular telephone, that determines a vehicle's location information by reference to an associated wireless network, such as wireless network 146. Further, radar, laser, ultra-sonic, and video systems can assemble a map of objects near the vehicle and their motion relative to the vehicle. The cockpit monitoring sensors monitor a driver condition and/or a driver activity. For example, seat sensors and/or infrared sensors may sense a number of, and locations of, passengers in the vehicle. Floor and steering wheel sensors may indicate the position of the driver's feet and hands. And video or imaging sensors may monitor head, body, hand and feet positions and movements of the driver. [0024] Communication system 100 further includes one or more emergency response vehicles 122, 170 (two shown), such as a police car, a fire truck, or an ambulance, and one or more non-crash, passenger or commercial motor vehicles 130 (one shown) passing by crash scene 136, such as a passenger car, a bus, or a truck. Each of emergency response vehicles 122 and 170 and non- crash vehicles 130 includes a respective in-vehicle data collection system 124, 172, 132. For example, in- vehicle data collection system 132 of non-crash vehicle 130 may include one or more in- vehicle sensors (not shown), an in- vehicle data storage device (not shown), and a transceiver (not shown) similar to in-vehicle data collection systems 104 and 114. In- vehicle data collection system 124, 172 of emergency responder vehicles 122, 170 may include one or more data capture devices, an in-vehicle data storage device, and one or more transceivers (such as a one or more data capture devices 126, an in-vehicle data storage device 127, and a one or more transceivers 128 depicted in FIG. 1 of in-vehicle data collection system 124). The one or more data capture devic- es are audio/video devices that are capable of capturing ambient audio and/or video, such as a video camera or a sensor such as microphone, etc. The one or more transceivers transmit wireless signals to, and receive wireless signals from, other in-vehicle data collection systems, such as in-vehicle data collection systems 104, 114, and 132, and transmit wireless signals to, and receive wireless signals from, a wireless network 142. The in-vehicle data storage device stores data collected by the one or more data capture devices and further stores data received from other in-vehicle data collection systems, such as from in-vehicle data collection systems 104 and 114 of crash vehicles 102 and 112. [0025] Communication system 100 further includes a wireless infrastructure 140. Wireless infrastructure 140 includes a plurality of wireless networks 142, 146 that provides wireless communications services to mobile devices residing in a coverage area of the wireless network via a corresponding air interface 144, 148. Each wireless network 142, 146 includes a radio access network (RAN) comprising one or more wireless access nodes (not shown), such as an access point, a base station, and an eNodeB, which RAN is in communication with a core network (not shown). Each wireless network 142, 146 may operate in accordance with any wireless communication technology that supports data applications. For example, wireless network 142 may be a public safety (PS) network that can utilize, for example, Long Term Evolution (LTE), Enhanced Voice-Data Optimized (EVDO), IEEE 802.11 and variants thereof ("Wi-Fi"), Project 25 (P25), Digital Mobile Radio (DMR), Land Mobile Radio (DMR), Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA), etc. Wireless network 146 may be a commercial wireless network, such as a cellular network, operated by a com- mercial service provider, such as Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility, or T- Mobile.

[0026] Each of wireless networks 142 and 146 includes a connection to a data network 149, such as the Internet and/or an enterprise or public safety agency network, which allows for an exchange of communications between vehicles 102, 112, 122, 130, and 170 and a wireless infrastructure emergency response system (ERS) 150. Wireless infrastructure ERS 150 includes a Crash Information Analysis System (CIAS) 152, a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) 154, a medical center 156 such as a hospital emergency department, a trauma center 158, emergency responders 160, such as emergency responder 174, for example, policemen, firefighters, hazardous material handlers, ambulance drivers, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics, and various other medical personnel such as doctors and nurses, a medical records database 162, and a vehicle location database 164, and is designed to allow full use of crash scene data by such ERS components 152, 154, 156, 158, 160, 162, 164, includ- ing an ability to analyze the operational characteristics of crash scene 136 and an ability to view models and simulations of vehicle and occupant movements. In various embodiments of the present invention, CIAS 152 may be included in, or may be separate from but accessible by, PSAP 154.

[0027] As is know in the art, PSAP 154 is a call center responsible for answer- ing emergency calls, for example, calls to emergency telephone numbers for emergency responders such as police, firefighting, and emergency medical/ambulance services. Typically, a PSAP includes a computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system staffed by trained operators that are responsible for handling emergency calls and dispatching emergency responders to an incident scene, for example, by contacting any of medical center 156, trauma center 158, and emergency responders 160. Most PSAPs further include the capability of determining a location of an originator of the call, such as a caller location for a landline call or a location of a cellular phone call, known as E911 Phase 1 (cell tower used by a caller) and E911 Phase 2 (latitude and longitude of a caller to within 300 meters). The CAD system includes a user display screen that, in response to an emergency call, displays a real-time, on-screen E911 street map that highlights the caller's location and that further depicts nearest available emergency responders and/or emergency response vehicles and other relevant information, such as fire hydrants, hazardous materials, and/or other data maintained by a city. PSAPs also provide broadcast services, where outgoing voice and data can be broadcast to multiple mobile phones/emergency responders/emergency response vehicles in order to alert the emergency responders and emergency response vehicles to a local emergency incident. [0028] Medical records database 162 and vehicle location database 164 each are accessible by CIAS 152 and PSAP 154. Medical records database 162 maintains medical records, such as special medical conditions and prescription medicines, for the occupants of crash vehicles 102 and 112, and vehicle location database 164 maintains location and mobility information of emergency response vehicles, such as emergency response vehicles 122 and 170, and emergency responders 160. In various embodiments of the present invention, medical records database 162 may be maintained by medical center 156 or trauma center 158, may be distributed among the medical center and trauma center, or may be a separate database accessible by CIAS 152, PSAP 154, medical center 156, and trauma center 158. Further, in various embodiments of the present invention, vehicle location database 164 may be maintained by CIAS 152 or PSAP 154 or may be distributed among the CIAS and the PSAP.

[0029J Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram of an in-vehicle data collection system 200, such as in-vehicle data collection systems 104, 114, 124, 132, and 172, is provided in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. In-vehicle data collection system 200 generally includes a processor 202, at least one memory device 204, one or more input/output (I/O) interfaces 206, one or more in-vehicle sensors 208, such as the one or more in- vehicle sensors 106 and 116, a data storage device 210, such as data storage devices 107, 117, and 127, and one or more wireless interfaces 212 and 214 (two shown), such as transceivers 108, 118, and 128. Further, in-vehicle data collection system 200 may include a data capture device 216, such as data capture device 126, that is, an audio/video device that is capable of capturing ambient audio and/or video, such as a video camera or sensor such as micro- phone, etc. It should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that FIG. 2 depicts an in-vehicle data collection system 200 in an oversimplified manner, and a practical embodiment may include additional components and suitably configured processing logic to support known or conventional operating features that are not described in detail herein. The components (202, 204, 206, 208, 210, 212, 214, and 216) of in-vehicle data collection system 200 are communicatively coupled via a local interface 218. Local interface 218 can be, for example but not limited to, one or more buses or other wired or wireless connections, as is known in the art. Local interface 218 can have additional elements, which are omitted for simplicity, such as controllers, buffers (cach- es), drivers, repeaters, and receivers, among many others, to enable communications. Further, local interface 218 may include address, control, and/or data connections to enable appropriate communications among the aforementioned components.

[0030] In-vehicle data collection system 200 operates under the control of pro- cessor 202, such as one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), combinations thereof or such other devices known to those having ordinary skill in the art. Processor 202 operates the corresponding mobile device according to sets of data and instructions stored in the at least one memory device 204, such as random access memory (RAM), dynam- ic random access memory (DRAM), and/or read only memory (ROM) or equivalents thereof, which data and instructions may be executed by the corresponding processor so that the in-vehicle data collection system may perform the functions described herein.

[0031] Note that at least one memory device 204 may have a distributed archi- tecture, where various components are situated remotely from one another, but can be accessed by processor 202. The software in at least one memory device 204 can include one or more software programs, each of which includes an ordered listing of executable instructions for implementing logical functions. For example, the software in at least one memory device 204 includes a suita- ble operating system (O/S) and programs. The operating system essentially controls the execution of other computer programs, and provides scheduling, input-output control, file and data management, memory management, and communication control and related services. The programs may include various applications, add-ons, etc. configured to provide user functionality with in- vehicle data collection system 200, for example, at least one memory device 204 may maintain a CIAS client that, when executed by processor 202, facilitates a peer-to-peer exchange of signaling and traffic with CIAS 152. By way of further example, exemplary programs may include, but not limited to, a web browser, streaming media applications, mapping and location applications, data collection applications, data capture device operation, and the like.

[0032] The one or more I/O interfaces 206 may include user interfaces that allow a user to input information in, and receive information from, in-vehicle data collection system 200. For example, the user interfaces may include a keypad, a scroll ball, a scroll bar, buttons, a bar code scanner, a microphone, a speaker, and the like. Further, the user interfaces may include a display screen, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), touch screen, and the like for displaying system output. I/O interfaces 206 also can include, for example, a serial port, a parallel port, a small computer system interface (SCSI), an infrared (IR) interface, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, and the like for communicating with, or coupling to, an external device. [0033] Each of the one or more wireless interfaces 212, 214 includes a modem and facilitates an exchange of wireless communications with other in- vehicle data collection systems and/or with a wireless network, such as wireless networks 142 and 146. For example, the one or more wireless interfaces 212, 214 may include a wireless interface 212 for wireless wide area communications, such as a wireless wide area network (WAN) or a wireless local area network (WLAN) communications. Wireless interface 212 includes a modem and antenna for generating WAN/WLAN wireless signals. The one or more wireless interfaces 212, 214 further may include a short-range wireless interface 214 for short-range communications with other mobile devices, for example, that supports a Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2X) or Car-to-Car (Car2X) communication technology, such as a V2X or Car2X communication based on the 3 GPP LTE (Third Generation Partnership Project Long Term Evolution) Proximity Services or the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.1 lp/WAVE standards, or any other suitable device-to-device (D2D) short- range communication protocol. Other examples of short-range wireless interface 214 include a Bluetooth apparatus that includes a Bluetooth modem and antenna, a Wi-Fi apparatus that includes a Wi-Fi modem and antenna, or any other type of WLAN modem and antenna as known in the art for communi- eating over a WLAN.

[0034] Data storage device 210 may be used to store data and may include any of volatile memory elements, for example, random access memory (RAM) such as DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, and the like, nonvolatile memory elements, for example, ROM, hard drive, tape, CDROM, and the like, and combinations thereof. Moreover, data storage device 210 may incorporate electronic, magnetic, optical, and/or other types of storage media.

[0035] Referring now to FIG. 3, a block diagram is provided of an infrastructure-based emergency response center (ERC) information processing system 300, such as CIAS 152 and PSAP 154, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. ERC information processing system 300 generally in- eludes a processor 302, at least one memory device 304, one or more input/output (I/O) interfaces 306, one or more network interfaces 308, and a data storage device 310. It should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that FIG. 3 depicts ERC information processing system 300 in an oversim- plified manner, and a practical embodiment may include additional components and suitably configured processing logic to support known or conventional operating features that are not described in detail herein. The components (302, 304, 306, 308, and 310) of ERC information processing system 300 are communicatively coupled via a local interface 312. Local interface 312 can be, for example but not limited to, one or more buses or other wired or wireless connections, as is known in the art. Local interface 312 can have additional elements, which are omitted for simplicity, such as controllers, buffers (caches), drivers, repeaters, and receivers, among many others, to enable communications. Further, local interface 312 may include address, control, and/or data connections to enable appropriate communications among the aforementioned components.

[0036] ERC information processing system 300 operates under the control of processor 302, such as one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), combinations thereof or such other devices known to those having ordinary skill in the art. Processor 302 operates the corresponding mobile device according to sets of data and instructions stored in the at least one memory device 304, such as random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and/or read only memory (ROM) or equivalents thereof, which data and instructions may be executed by the corre- sponding processor so that the ERC information processing system may perform the functions described herein.

[0037] At least one memory device 304 may have a distributed architecture, where various components are situated remotely from one another, but can be accessed by processor 302. The software in at least one memory device 304 can include one or more software programs, each of which includes an ordered listing of executable instructions for implementing logical functions. For example, the software in at least one memory device 304 includes a suitable operating system (O/S) and programs. The operating system essentially controls the execution of other computer programs, and provides scheduling, input- output control, file and data management, memory management, and communication control and related services. The programs may include various applications, add-ons, etc. configured to provide user functionality with ERC information processing system 300. For example, exemplary programs may include, but not limited to, a web browser, streaming media applications, map- ping and location applications, data collection applications and the like.

[0038] The one or more I/O interfaces 306 may include user interfaces that allow an operator to input information in, and receive information from, ERC information processing system 300. For example, the user interfaces may include a keypad, a scroll ball, a scroll bar, buttons, bar code scanner, a micro- phone, a speaker, and the like. Further, the user interfaces may include a display screen such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), touch screen, and the like for displaying system output. I/O interfaces 306 also can include, for example, a serial port, a parallel port, a small computer system interface (SCSI), an infrared (IR) interface, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, and the like for communicating with, or coupling to, an external device.

[0039] The one or more network interfaces 308 provide for interfacing with other infrastructure devices of communication system 300, such as data network 149 and, via the data network, with emergency response vehicles 122 and 170 and emergency responders 160/174 via wireless network 142, with vehicles 102, 112, and 130 via wireless network 146, and with components 152, 154, 156, 158, 162, and 164 of ERS 150. Data storage device 310 may be used to store data and may include any of volatile memory elements, for example, random access memory (RAM) such as DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, and the like, nonvolatile memory elements, for example, ROM, hard drive, tape, CDROM, and the like, and combinations thereof. Moreover, data storage de- vice 310 may incorporate electronic, magnetic, optical, and/or other types of storage media.

[0040] When a vehicle crash occurs involving one or more vehicles, such as such as vehicles 102 and 112, an in-vehicle data collection system 104, 114 of the crash vehicle collects crash data from respective in-vehicle sensors 106, 116 and stores the data in respective in-vehicle data storage devices 107, 117. Further, the in-vehicle data collection system of each crash vehicle 102, 112 may store numerous vehicle operation parameters associated with the operation of the vehicle at the time of the crash, such as engine operating parame- ters, vehicle speed, transmission and wheel speed, vehicle acceleration in three axes, chassis function, emission control function, etc., vehicle operating environment parameters, such as road conditions, traffic conditions, weather, time of day, etc., a vehicle location, and a driver condition and/or driver activity, such as a number of, and locations of, passengers in the vehicle, a position of the driver's head, body, hand and feet, and movements of the driver. Such data then may be transferred to a passing motor vehicle 130 or to an emergency response vehicle 122 arriving at the crash scene 136, via a known Vehicle- to- Vehicle (V2X) or Car-to-Car (Car2X) communication technology, such as a V2X or Car2X communication based on the 3 GPP LTE (Third Generation Partnership Project Long Term Evolution) Proximity Services or the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11p/WAVE standards, or any other suitable device-to-device (D2D) short-range communication protocol. Such passing vehicle 130 or emergency response vehicle 122 may, in turn, transfer such data to wireless infrastructure 140, for example, to one or more of CIAS 152 and PSAP 154, or such passing vehicle 130 or emergency response vehicle 122 may transfer such data to another passing vehicle or emergency response vehicle for ultimate conveyance to one or more of CIAS 152 and PSAP 154, where the data can be analyzed and appropriate emergency responders and equipment can be dispatched to the crash scene. [0041] Referring now to FIGs. 4A-4B, a signal flow diagram 400 is depicted that illustrates a collection, synthesis, and distribution of vehicle crash-related information in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. Signal flow diagram 400 begins with an occurrence (406) of a vehicular crash event involving one or more of vehicles 102 and 112 (the "crash vehicles"). Prior to, concurrent with, and subsequent to the occurrence of the crash, the one or more in- vehicle sensors 106, 116 of the in- vehicle data collection system 104, 114 of each crash vehicle 102, 112 collects and stores (402, 404), in respective in- vehicle data storage devices 107, 117, vehicle operation and sen- sor data for that vehicle, such as vehicle condition, vehicle environment, vehicle location, and vehicle cockpit information. The vehicle operation and sensor data collected and stored include pre-crash, crash, and post-crash information.

[0042] Each in- vehicle data collection system 104, 114 further may collect (408, 410), via respective transceivers 108 and 118, and store its respective in- vehicle data storage device 107, 117, neighbor vehicle status information, that is, vehicle operation and sensor data of neighboring vehicles. For example, in- vehicle data collection system 104 of vehicle 102 may collect and store vehicle status information concerning vehicle 112, and in-vehicle data collection system 114 of vehicle 112 may collect and store vehicle status information con- cerning vehicle 102. That is, in-vehicle data collection systems based on V2X communication technology implement periodical vehicle status information transmissions to neighbor vehicles and to road infrastructure elements (that is, broadcast messages that are transmitted 10 times per second), which status information can include vehicle operation and sensor data. Using these mes- sages, vehicle 102 may receive vehicle 112 operation and sensor data, and vehicle 112 may receive vehicle 102 operation and sensor data. Based on the operation and sensor data received from the other vehicle, each in-vehicle data collection system 104, 114 can detect past movements (pre-crash) of the other vehicle and can predict future movements of the other vehicle, for example, for time intervals from 0 to several seconds and/or for a travel interval from 0 to several hundred meters.

[0043] In response to the occurrence of the crash event, each of crash vehicles 102 and 112, and in particular the in-vehicle data collection system 104, 114 of the crash vehicle, determines (412, 414) that the vehicle has crashed. Further, each of crash vehicles 102 and 112, and in particular the in-vehicle data collection system 104, 114 of the crash vehicle, may determine (416, 418) that the other crash vehicle has crashed as well. For example, when a vehicle crashes, the in-vehicle data collection system of the crash vehicle may generate, and broadcast via the crash vehicle's transceiver and over a V2X communication link, a status message informing that the crash vehicle has crashed. Thus, vehicle 102 may receive a status message, via transceiver 108, from vehicle 112 indicating that vehicle 112 has crashed, and vehicle 112 may receive a status message, via transceiver 118, from vehicle 102 indicating that vehicle 102 has crashed. By way of another example, each of crash vehicles 102 and 112 may determine that the other crash vehicle has crashed by analyzing status information received from the other crash vehicle. For example, vehicle 102 may determine that vehicle 112 has crashed by analyzing the vehicle operation and sensor data received from vehicle 112 over multiple instances in time, includ- ing vehicle 112's speed, acceleration, steering wheel angle, brake system status, and other status information, along with operation and sensor data collected by vehicle 102's own in-vehicle sensors 106, such as roads map and weather and road conditions. Similarly, vehicle 112 may determine that vehicle 102 has crashed by analyzing the vehicle operation and sensor data received from vehicle 102 over multiple instances in time, as well as operation and sensor data collected by vehicle 112's own in-vehicle sensors 116.

[0044] Similarly, an in-vehicle data collection system 132 of a non-emergency response vehicle 130 passing by crash event 136, such as a commercial or private vehicle (for example, a commercial truck or a passenger vehicle), can col- lect (420, 422) vehicle operation and sensor data from each of vehicles 102 and 112 and store, in the in- vehicle data storage device of the in- vehicle data collection system of the passing vehicle, the collected vehicle operation and sensor data. In various embodiments of the present invention, passing vehicle 130 can collect the vehicle operation and sensor data from the in- vehicle data collection systems 104, 114 of each of crash vehicles 102 and 112 individually, or passing vehicle 130 can collect the vehicle operation and sensor data for both crash vehicles 102 and 112 from the in- vehicle data collection system 104, 114 of one of the two crash vehicles, which in- ehicle data collection system 104, 114 has, in turn, collected and the vehicle operation and sensor data from the in-vehicle data collection system of the other crash vehicle. Passing vehicle 130, and in particular in-vehicle data collection system 132, then may determine (424) that each of crash vehicles 102 and 112 has crashed, either by receiving status message from one or more of crash vehicles 102 and 112 informing that the vehicles have crashed, or by analyzing the vehicle operation and sensor data received from one or both of the crash vehicles.

[0045] Thus, each of crash vehicles 102 and 112 may collect and store vehicle operation and sensor data for the other crash vehicle, and passing vehicle 130 may collect and store the vehicle operation and sensor data for both of crash vehicles 102 and 112. One of more of vehicles 102, 122, and 130 then may transfer, that is, transmit, (426, 428, 430) the operation and sensor data for crash vehicles 102 and 122 to emergency response system 150 via commercial wireless network 146, and more particularly to one or more of CIAS 152 and PSAP 154. For example, when passing vehicle 130 gets within range of wireless network 146, the in-vehicle data collection system 132 of passing vehicle 130 may transmit the vehicle operation and sensor data for both of crash vehicles 102 and 112 to PSAP 154 and/or CIAS 152 via air interface 148, wireless network 146, and data network 149. In another embodiment of the present invention, passing vehicle 130 may utilize a wireless mesh network comprising other passing vehicles having in-vehicle data collection systems and running V2X and/or C2X communication technology and transmit, to the in-vehicle data collection systems of the other passing vehicles, the vehicle operation and sensor data for both of crash vehicles 102 and 112. When such other passing vehicles are within range of their corresponding wireless networks, such as wireless network 146, the in-vehicle data collection systems of such other passing vehicles may transmit the vehicle operation and sensor data, received from passing vehicle 130, to PSAP 154 and/or CIAS 152 via their corresponding wireless networks, such as via air interface 148, wireless network 146, and data network 149.

[0046] That is, currently known Automatic Crash Notification (CAN) systems, such as GM OnStar, and European eCall, use an infrastructure-based wireless communication network to transmit vehicle crash information directly from a crash vehicle to the wireless communication network and a PSAP and/or a CIAS. However, there are situations when the vehicle crash information cannot be transmitted over the communication networks because the networks are either not deployed, are congested, or are down in the particular geographic area. To overcome these problems, communication system 100 utilizes an inter-vehicle ad hoc network, such as a wireless mesh network, running over V2X or C2X communication technology to transmit vehicle crash information, that is, the vehicle operation and sensor data of crash vehicles 102 and 112, to CIAS 152 and PSAP 154. Due to the dynamic nature of the ad hoc network, the ad hoc network running over V2X/C2X communication technology and providing for an inter-vehicle exchange of communications provides for increased data transmission reliability as compared to the commercial wireless communication networks. Communication system 100 also uses alternative vehicle crash information sources, for example, wherein each of crash vehicles 102 and 112 provides operation and sensor data for both of crash vehicles 102 and 112 and/or where other vehicles passing by crash vehicles 102 and 112 (that is, in addition to passing vehicle 130) may collect vehicle operation and sensor data from one or more of crash vehicles 102 and 112, in a manner simi- lar to passing vehicle 130, and transfer/transmit the collected vehicle operation and sensor data to emergency response system 150 via commercial wireless network 146. Thus, instances of vehicle crash information may be generated at each of multiple vehicles and independently transmitted by each such vehicle over the communication network, thereby increasing system reliability. [0047] In some embodiments of the present invention, instead of or in addition to a crash vehicles 102 and 112 transmitting the vehicle operation and sensor data for crash vehicles 102 and 122 to emergency response system 150 via wireless network 146, or passing vehicle 130 collecting and transferring the vehicle operation and sensor data for both of crash vehicles 102 and 112, such vehicle operation and sensor data may be collected (434, 436) by emergency response vehicle 122 in response to arriving (432) at crash scene 136. Emergency response vehicle 122 then may transfer, that is, transmit, (438) the vehicle operation and sensor data for both of crash vehicles 102 and 112 to emergency response system 150, and more particularly to CIAS 152, via wireless network 142 and air interface 144. Again, communication system 100 may utilize a wireless local area network running over V2X or C2X communication technology for the collection, by emergency response vehicle 122, of the vehicle operation and sensor data from crash vehicles 102 and 122. Emergency response vehicle 122 further may collect, and transmit to infrastructure 140, and more particularly to CIAS 152, crash-related information, such as recorded video or audio, from one or more data capture devices 138 (one shown) located at crash scene 136, such as audio/video devices that are capable of capturing ambient audio and/or video, such as a video camera or sensor such as microphone, etc., that may be affixed to a building or light pole. For example, various schemes by which an emergency response vehicle may collect such information from data capture devices located at a crash scene are described in U. S. patent application publication nos. 2014/0187190 and 2014/0187189, both of which were filed by, and are assigned to, Motorola Solutions, Inc. of Schaumburg, Illinois. [0048] In response to receiving the vehicle operation and sensor data for vehicles 102 and 112, CIAS 152 analyses the vehicle operation and sensor pre- crash, crash, and post-crash data for crash vehicles 102 and 112 and additional context information, and estimates (440) vehicle crash impact, a potential number of people injured, and potential people injury levels, that is, the severity and type of injuries to the injured people. That is, communication system 100, and in particular CIAS 152, may estimate vehicle crash impact and potential people injury level based on combined information processing including, but not limited to, vehicle-originated data collected by the in-vehicle sensors 106, 116 of each of crash vehicles 102 and 112, such as the total number of people potentially injured in the vehicle, people location in the vehicle cabins, lateral, longitudinal, and normal acceleration of the vehicle, safety belts status and airbags status, data collected from any body-worn sensors on the vehicle occupants, such as heart rate, blood pressure, sugar level in the blood, etc., and additional context information obtained from medical records database 162, such as special medical conditions and prescriptions for the vehicle occupants, current weather conditions, etc.

[0049] Further, CIAS 152 can estimate vehicle crash impact and vehicle crash severity based on the Acceleration Severity Index (ASI), which is available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NTHSA) and is described in the article by Gabauer, D. and Thomson, R. "Correlation of Vehicle and Roadside Crash Test Injury Criteria," along with the vehicle pre-crash and post-crash operation and sensor data received from one or more of vehicles 102, 112, and 130 and emergency response vehicle 122. Individual poten- tial people injury level then can be estimated based on the vehicle crash severity estimation, people location in the vehicle cabin, people body-worn sensor data, and additional context information such as individual medical conditions and prescriptions.

[0050] CIAS 152 further sends vehicle crash information for each of crash vehicles 102 and 112, such as the vehicle crash impact and vehicle crash severity information and potential people injury level, to PSAP 154, medical center 156, and trauma center 158, where the vehicle crash information and potential people injury level may be displayed on various user interfaces (UIs). For example, FIGs. 5, 6, and 7 depict exemplary displays 500, 600, and 700 of vehi- cle crash impact and vehicle crash severity information on a user interface, such as a display screen, of a console, for example, at an emergency response center, such as at PSAP 154, at medical center 156, and at trauma center 158. Display 500 includes information such as a count 502 of the number of injured people at crash scene 136 and a depiction 504 of the vehicle crash impacts. [0051] PSAP 154 then may automatically assign (442) ERS resources, such as one or more emergency response vehicles 170 and one or more emergency responders 174, to the vehicular crash event, that is, crash scene 136. For example, PSAP 154 may determine what types of emergency responders and/or emergency response vehicles are required at crash scene 136, for example, police, fire, and medical responders such as EMT's, paramedics, doctors, and nurses, and a number of required emergency responders and/or emergency response vehicles required at the crash scene, and assign the appropriate number of emergency responders/emergency response vehicles. Further, in assigning the emergency responders and/or emergency response vehicles, PSAP 154 may determine which emergency responders/emergency response vehicles are closest to crash scene 136 or are traveling to, that is, are currently proceeding to, the crash scene, such as emergency response vehicle 170 and emergency responder 174, and assign those emergency responders/emergency response vehicles to the crash scene. Additionally, PSAP 154 may query medical rec- ords database 162 for medical records of each of the potentially injured people and further may prioritize people evacuation based on an estimated number of people injured. The number of emergency responders/emergency response vehicles automatically assigned may based on the estimated number of people injured and the determined current injury state of the occupants of crash vehi- cles 102 and 112, which number of people injured and occupant injury states may be aggregated for all crash vehicles at the crash scene. Evacuation then may be prioritized for the people with a potentially severe injury and/or with abnormal current conditions.

[0052] Further, in assigning an emergency responder/emergency response ve- hide to crash scene 136, PSAP 154 may convey, for example, push, (444, 446) crash-related information to the assigned emergency response vehicles 170 and emergency responders 174, such as the estimated number of people injured, the determined current injury state of the potentially injured people, identification information and the medical records of each of the potentially injured people, vehicle information for each of the crash vehicles 102, 112, and crash reconstruction information. For example, FIG. 5 is an exemplary depiction of a display of such pushed crash-related information on a user interface, and in particular a display screen, of a console of an operator at a PSAP or of a computer monitor of an emergency response vehicle, which user interface displays an estimated number of people injured 502, a reconstruction of the crash scene 504, vehicle identification information 506, and vehicle operational status information 508 of the crash vehicles 102, 112. Similarly, FIGs. 6 and 7 are exemplary depictions of a user interface of a response vehicle computer system display screen or a display screen of a mobile device of an emergency re- sponder, which user interface also may display an estimated number of people injured, a reconstruction of the crash scene, identification information and estimated injury states of occupants of the crash vehicles, and vehicle operational status information, a location of the occupants in the vehicle cabins, and other associated information such as individuals special medical conditions, blood type, etc.

[0053] The embodiments of the present invention preferably are implemented within each of in-vehicle data collection systems 104, 114, 124, and 132 and ERC information processing systems 152 and 154, and more particularly with or in software programs and instructions stored in the at least one memory de- vices 204, 304 and executed by the processors 202, 302 of the in-vehicle data collection systems and ERC information processing systems. However, one of ordinary skill in the art realizes that the embodiments of the present invention alternatively may be implemented in hardware, for example, integrated circuits (ICs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and the like, such as ASICs implemented in one or more of in- vehicle data collection systems 104, 114, 124, and 132 and ERC information processing systems 152 and 154, and all references to 'means for' herein may refer to any such implementation of the present invention. Based on the present disclosure, one skilled in the art will be readily capable of producing and implementing such software and/or hardware without undo experimentation.

[0054] In the foregoing specification, specific embodiments have been described. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of present teachings.

[0055] The benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pro- nounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential features or elements of any or all the claims. The invention is defined solely by the appended claims including any amendments made during the pendency of this application and all equivalents of those claims as issued.

[0056] Moreover in this document, relational terms such as first and second, top and bottom, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The terms "comprises," "comprising," "has," "having," "includes", "including," "contains," "containing," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises, has, includes, contains a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by "comprises ...a," "has ...a," "includes ...a," "contains ...a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises, has, includes, contains the element. The terms "a" and "an" are defined as one or more unless explicitly stated otherwise herein. The terms "substantially," "essentially," "approx- imately," "about," or any other version thereof, are defined as being close to as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, and in one non-limiting embodiment the term is defined to be within 10%, in another embodiment within 5%, in another embodiment within 1% and in another embodiment within 0.5%. The term "coupled" as used herein is defined as connected, although not nec- essarily directly and not necessarily mechanically. A device or structure that is "configured" in a certain way is configured in at least that way, but may also be configured in ways that are not listed.

[0057] It will be appreciated that some embodiments may be comprised of one or more generic or specialized processors (or "processing devices") such as microprocessors, digital signal processors, customized processors and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and unique stored program instructions (including both software and firmware) that control the one or more processors to implement, in conjunction with certain non-processor circuits, some, most, or all of the functions of the method and/or apparatus described herein. Alter- natively, some or all functions could be implemented by a state machine that has no stored program instructions, or in one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), in which each function or some combinations of certain of the functions are implemented as custom logic. Of course, a combination of the two approaches could be used. Both the state machine and ASIC are considered herein as a "processing device" for purposes of the foregoing discussion and claim language.

[0058] Moreover, an embodiment can be implemented as a computer-readable storage element or medium having computer readable code stored thereon for programming a computer (e.g., comprising a processing device) to perform a method as described and claimed herein. Examples of such computer-readable storage elements include, but are not limited to, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory), an EPROM (Erasa- ble Programmable Read Only Memory), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) and a Flash memory. Further, it is expected that one of ordinary skill, notwithstanding possibly significant effort and many design choices motivated by, for example, available time, current technology, and economic considerations, when guided by the concepts and principles disclosed herein will be readily capable of generating such software instructions and programs and ICs with minimal experimentation.

[0059] The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method for provision of crash-related information associated with a vehicular crash event, the method comprising:

arriving, by an in-vehicle data collection system of a non-crash vehicle and subsequent to an occurrence of a vehicular crash event involving at least one crash vehicle, at the vehicular crash event;

establishing, by the in-vehicle data collection system of the non-crash vehicle, a wireless link with the at least one crash vehicle;

downloading, by the in-vehicle data collection system of the non-crash vehicle, vehicle operation and sensor data from an in-vehicle data collection system of the at least one crash vehicle;

determining, by the in-vehicle data collection system of the non-crash vehicle and based on the vehicle operation and sensor data, that a crash-event has occurred; and

in response to determining that a crash-event has occurred, conveying, by the in-vehicle data collection system of the non-crash vehicle, the downloaded vehicle operation and sensor data to a wireless infrastructure emergency response system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicular crash event involves a plurality of crash vehicles, wherein establishing a wireless link comprises establishing a wireless link with each crash vehicle of the plurality of crash vehicles, wherein downloading vehicle operation and sensor data comprises downloading vehicle operation and sensor data from an in-vehicle data collection system of each of the plurality of crash vehicles, and wherein transmitting comprises transmitting the downloaded vehicle operation and sensor data of each of the plurality of crash vehicles to the wireless infrastructure emergency response system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the in-vehicle data collection system of the non-crash vehicle is the in-vehicle data collection system of a passing mo- tor vehicle.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting comprises transmitting the downloaded vehicle operation and sensor data to a wireless infrastructure emergency response system via a commercial wireless network.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting, by the in- vehicle data collection system, the downloaded vehicle operation and sensor data to the wireless infrastructure emergency response system comprises transmitting, by the in-vehicle data collection system, the downloaded vehicle operation and sensor data to the wireless infrastructure emergency response system via in- vehicle data collection system of another non-crash vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the in-vehicle data collection system of the non-crash vehicle is the in-vehicle data collection system of an emergency response vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle operation and sensor data comprises data collected by one or more in-vehicle sensors.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more in-vehicle sensors comprise one or more of a vehicle condition monitoring sensor, a vehicle environment sensor, a vehicle location determination unit, and a cockpit monitoring sensor.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

storing, by the in-vehicle data collection system of the non-crash vehicle, the vehicle operation and sensor data downloaded from the in-vehicle data collection system of the at least one crash vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

estimating, by the emergency response system based on the vehicle op- eration and sensor data, one or more of a vehicle crash impact and potential people injuries.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: dispatching, by the emergency response system and based on the estimated one or more of a vehicle crash impact and potential people injuries, emergency response system resources to the vehicular crash event.

12. A method for provision of crash-related information associated with a vehicular crash event, the system comprising:

identifying, by an infrastructure-based emergency response center information processing system, a location of a vehicular crash event;

identifying, by the infrastructure-based emergency response center information processing system, one or more of an emergency response vehicle and an emergency responder traveling to the location; and

conveying, by the infrastructure-based emergency response center information processing system to the identified one or more of the emergency response vehicle and the emergency responder and while the identified one or more of the emergency response vehicle and an emergency responder is in transit to the location, crash-related information associated with the vehicular crash event.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, by the infrastructure-based emergency response center information processing system, vehicle operation and sensor data collected by one or more in-vehicle sensors of a crash vehicle involved in the vehicular crash event;

estimating, by the infrastructure-based emergency response center information processing system and based on the data received from the crash vehicle, one or more of a vehicle crash impact and potential people injuries; and

wherein the conveyed crash-related information is based on the estimated one or more of the vehicle crash impact and potential people injuries.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more in-vehicle sensors comprise one or more of a vehicle condition monitoring sensor, a vehicle envi- ronment sensor, a vehicle location determination unit, and a cockpit monitoring sensor.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, from a commercial wireless network, the data collected by the one or more in- vehicle sensors of the crash vehicle.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

displaying, on a display screen of the one or more of the emergency response vehicle and the emergency responder, the crash-related information.

17. An in- vehicle data collection system that is configured for installation in a motor vehicle, the in- vehicle data collection system comprising:

a processor;

an at least one memory device that is configured to store a set of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the following functions:

in response to arriving at a vehicular crash event involving at least one crash vehicle, establish a wireless link with the at least one crash vehicle;

download vehicle operation and sensor data from an in-vehicle data collection system of the at least one crash vehicle;

determine, based on the vehicle operation and sensor data, that a crash-event has occurred; and

in response to determining that a crash-event has occurred, convey the downloaded vehicle operation and sensor data to a wireless infrastructure emergency response system.

18. The in-vehicle data collection system of claim 17, wherein the at least one memory device further is configured to store a set of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to convey the downloaded vehicle operation and sensor data to the wireless infrastructure emergency response system by: establishing a wireless link with another in-vehicle data collection system; and

conveying the downloaded vehicle operation and sensor data to the another in-vehicle data collection system.

19. The in-vehicle data collection system of claim 17, further comprising: a transceiver that is configured to support one or more of a Vehicle-to- Vehicle (V2X) and Car-to-Car (Car2X) communication technology; and

wherein the-vehicle data collection system is configured to download the vehicle operation and sensor data from the in-vehicle data collection system of the at least one crash vehicle via the one or more of the V2X and the Car2X communication technology.

20. An infrastructure-based emergency response center information processing system comprising:

a processor;

identify a location of a vehicular crash event;

identify one or more of an emergency response vehicle and an emergency responder traveling to the location; and

convey, to the identified one or more of the emergency response vehicle and the emergency responder and while the identified one or more of the emergency response vehicle and an emergency responder is in transit to the location, crash-related information associated with the vehicular crash event.