Controller in a motor vehicle, motor vehicle and method for emergency communication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9729638-B2
Application number	US-201515109328-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2015
Priority date	Mar 20, 2014
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

A communication device for wireless communication in a mobile radio network is included in a controller installed in a motor vehicle. The controller also includes a connection device which connects to at least one bus system of the motor vehicle and a computer device for controlling the exchange of data between the at least one bus system and the mobile radio network and/or an external network. The communication device has, in addition to a connection to a controller-external mobile radio antenna, an additional mobile radio antenna which is integrated into the controller and is to be used in the event of failure of the controller-external mobile radio antenna. The communication device outputs an emergency call signal to the mobile radio network when an emergency trigger signal is received via the bus system and/or some other communication connection.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A networking controller in a motor vehicle having bus systems provided for communications between different vehicle systems, a controller-external mobile radio antenna, and at least one communication connection, the networking controller comprising:
a controller-internal mobile radio antenna integrated into the networking controller;
a communication device including an interface configured to connect to the controller-external mobile radio antenna, the communication device being configured to perform wireless communication in a mobile radio network, to output an emergency call signal to the mobile radio network when an emergency trigger signal is received via at least one of the bus systems and/or the at least one communication connection, and to use the controller-internal mobile radio antenna when the controller-external mobile radio antenna fails;
a connection device connected to the bus systems of the motor vehicle; and
a computer device connected to the connection device and configured to control an exchange of data between the bus systems and between the bus systems and at least one of the mobile radio network and an external network including the Internet, which can be reached via the mobile radio network.

2. The networking controller as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a power source configured to provide power to the networking controller when an external power supply to the networking controller fails.

3. The networking controller as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the power source is a battery.

4. The networking controller as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the motor vehicle includes a first global positioning system (GPS) antenna, and
the networking controller further comprises a second GPS antenna connected to the communication device ( 6 ) and integrated into the networking controller.

5. The networking controller as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the communication device is configured to output the emergency call signal including position information of the motor vehicle using position data received via one or more of the second GPS antenna and at least one of the bus systems.

6. The networking controller as claimed claim 1 , wherein the motor vehicle includes at least one of a controller-external microphone and a controller-external loudspeaker, and
wherein the communication device further includes at least one interface configured to connect to at least one of the controller-external microphone and the controller-external loudspeaker and is configured to establish a voice connection to an emergency call number with the outputting of the emergency call signal.

7. The networking controller as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the computer device and the communication device are connected to one another via at least one of a serial peripheral interface connection, a universal serial bus connection, and an emergency connection provided for transmitting the emergency trigger signal to the communication device.

8. A motor vehicle, comprising:
a chassis;
a controller-external mobile radio antenna;
bus systems configured to for communicate between different vehicle systems and at least one output communication connection; and
a networking controller including:
a controller-internal mobile radio antenna integrated into the networking controller;
a communication device including an interface configured to connect to the controller-external mobile radio antenna, the communication device being configured to perform wireless communication in a mobile radio network, to output an emergency call signal to the mobile radio network when an emergency trigger signal is received via at least one of the bus systems and/or the at least one output communication connection, and to use the controller-internal mobile radio antenna when the controller-external mobile radio antenna fails:
a connection device connected to the bus systems; and
a computer device connected to the connection device and configured to control an exchange of data between the bus systems and between the bus systems and at least one of the mobile radio network and an external network including the Internet, which can be reached via the mobile radio network.

9. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the networking controller is disposed in a crash-proof region of the motor vehicle.

10. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising a passenger compartment having a rear seat bench,
wherein the crash-proof region of the motor vehicle is located underneath the rear seat bench of the passenger compartment.

11. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising:
a driver seat; and
at least one of a safety monitoring device and an emergency operator control element which is reachable from the driver seat, the at least one of the safety monitoring device and the emergency operator control element being configured to generate the emergency trigger signal to be transmitted to the communication device.

12. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the at least one of the safety monitoring device and the emergency operator control element is connected to the networking controller via the at least one output communication connection via a signal line.

13. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the controller-external mobile radio antenna is installed in a region of a front window of the motor vehicle.

14. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 8 , wherein a quality of the emergency call signal output via the controller-internal external mobile radio is less than the quality of the emergency call signal output via the controller-external mobile radio antenna.

15. A method for emergency communication in a motor vehicle having a controller-external mobile radio antenna, bus systems provided for communications between vehicle systems, and a networking controller which includes a communication device connected via an interface to the controller-external mobile radio antenna, a connection device connected to the bus systems, and a computer device, the method comprising:
controlling, by the computer device, exchange of data between the bus systems and between the bus systems and at least one of a mobile radio network and an external network including the Internet, reachable via the mobile radio network;
determining, when an emergency trigger signal is received by the communication device via at least one of the bus systems and another communication connection, whether the communication device is able to communicate via the controller-external mobile radio antenna; and
when communication via the controller-external mobile radio antenna is unavailable, transmitting an emergency call signal via the mobile radio network from a controller-internal mobile radio antenna integrated into the networking controller to an emergency call number.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising providing power to the networking controller using a power source integrated into the networking controller, when the networking controller determines a power supply external to the networking controller has failed.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising obtaining position data of the motor vehicle using a global positioning system antenna connected to the communication device and integrated into the networking controller, when the networking controller is unable to obtain position data of the motor vehicle from another source external to the networking controller.

Assignees

• Audi Ag

Inventors

• Kulnick Sascha
• Seemann Volker
• Langer Niels-Stefan

Classifications

• H04W4/90

  Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS] · CPC title

• H04W88/02

  Terminal devices · CPC title

• G08G1/205 Primary

  Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental · CPC title

• H04L67/12 Primary

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title

• H04W4/22

  Electricity · mapped topic