Vehicle Emergency Broadcast and Relay

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017018182-A1
Application number	US-201514799017-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 14, 2015
Priority date	Jul 14, 2015
Publication date	Jan 19, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A vehicle includes a communication system. The communication system includes at least one controller and may include an RF transceiver. The controller is configured to receive a distress signal including emergency information and a relay count. The controller is configured to respond, when the relay count is less than a predetermined number and a location of the vehicle is greater than a predetermined distance away from a transmission location and an origination location of the distress signal, by causing the emergency information to be transmitted with an incremented relay count. The controller may be further configured to respond to the location of the vehicle being between the origination location and at least one transmission location by inhibiting the transmitting of the emergency information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vehicle communication system comprising:
a controller programmed to, in response to a distress signal including emergency information and a relay count less than a predetermined number and to the vehicle being located a distance greater than a predetermined distance away from a transmission location and an origination location of the distress signal, cause the emergency information to be transmitted with an incremented relay count.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the vehicle being located between the origination location and a transmission location, inhibit the transmitting of the emergency information.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further programmed to cause the emergency information to be transmitted in response to expiration of a predetermined delay time initiated upon receiving the distress signal.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the predetermined delay time is greater than 2 seconds.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the emergency information includes an identification of a distressed vehicle, and a location, a time, and a nature associated with the distress signal.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the identification of the distressed vehicle includes a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and a license plate number.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined distance is greater than 100 meters.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined number is 5.

9 . A vehicle comprising:
an RF transceiver; and at least one controller programmed to
receive a distress signal including emergency information and a relay count, and
in response to expiration of a delay timer initiated upon receiving the distress signal and the relay count being less than a predetermined number, cause the emergency information to be transmitted via the RF transceiver with an incremented relay count.

10 . The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the delay timer has a duration greater than 2 seconds.

11 . The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the at least one controller is further programmed to cause the emergency information to be transmitted in response to a location of the vehicle being within a band of distances away from a transmission location or an origination location of the distress signal.

12 . The vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the at least controller is further programmed to, in response to the location of the vehicle being between the origination location and a transmission location, inhibit the transmitting of the emergency information.

13 . The vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the band of distances is greater than 100 meters and less than 10 kilometers.

14 . The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the emergency information includes an identification of a distressed vehicle, and a location, a time, and a nature associated with the distress signal.

15 . The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the identification of the distressed vehicle includes a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and a license plate number.

16 . A method of relaying an emergency message with a vehicle comprising:
receiving an emergency message including emergency information and a relay count; and transmitting the emergency information with an incremented relay count in response to a location of the vehicle being more than a predetermined distance away from a transmission location of the emergency message.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the predetermined distance is greater than 100 meters.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the transmitting is further in response to expiration of a delay timer having a duration greater than a predetermined time after receiving the emergency message.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the duration is greater than 2 seconds.

20 . The method of claim 16 further comprising inhibiting the transmitting in response to the location of the vehicle being between an origination location and a transmission location.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Makled Daniel A
• Surnilla Gopichandra
• Mcquillen Michael

Classifications

• G08G1/123

  indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; {Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, trams}(transmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968) · CPC title

• G08G1/0965

  responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle · CPC title

• G08G1/087 Primary

  Override of traffic control, e.g. by signal transmitted by an emergency vehicle · CPC title

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title

• H04W4/46

  for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V] · CPC title