Earthquake emergency management system for motor vehicles

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a "Seismic Emergency Management System for Motor Vehicles". Methods and apparatus for providing potential hazard awareness to occupants of a motor vehicle in response to a seismic warning while taking autonomous actions such as slowing the vehicle, navigating to a safe location, and providing safety recommendations. Data collected by the vehicle can be wirelessly transmitted to a remote center for coordinating emergency response using the data. The vehicle preferably includes a powertrain system, a plurality of vehicle accessory systems, and an emergency management controller. The controller is adapted to receive a seismic warning message. The controller responds to the warning message by providing power saving commands to at least one accessory system to reduce power consumption of at least one corresponding non-critical accessory function. In addition, it also assesses the vehicle's mobility status and automatically initiates corresponding safety measures.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention generally relates to earthquake response systems, and more specifically, to emergency management devices and methods in personal motor vehicles for mitigating harmful effects on the vehicle and its occupants, and for assisting in data collection at a central emergency response center. Background Technology

[0002] Earthquake monitoring is crucial for public safety and scientific exploration. Traditional detection systems employ relatively expensive dedicated sensing and communication systems. Availability of power and other factors has slowed the widespread deployment of sensing stations. However, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are becoming available, capable of detecting earthquakes and rapidly disseminating warnings to other areas before tremors arrive. It is hoped that by providing additional data sources, these gaps can be filled, overcoming the sparsity of sensing stations in certain areas due to limitations in communication and power access.

[0003] When an earthquake warning is broadcast, the alert may arrive within seconds to minutes before the impact of a major earthquake. Given the speed of human reaction time, there is a desire to provide automated safety measures to mitigate the effects of earthquakes as much as possible.

[0004] Especially in earthquake-prone coastal areas, a large number of vehicles are typically on the roads throughout the day. Therefore, a large number of people driving (in conventional or autonomous vehicles) during an earthquake may be affected. People may not be aware of an earthquake warning (EW). Even if they do receive an EW, they may continue driving into damaged or dangerous areas, such as tunnels, bridges, or near bodies of water or tall buildings. Furthermore, they may panic and / or be unaware of the best course of action to take or not to take. After an earthquake, people may be trapped inside their vehicles due to damage or road blockages. If occupants are injured or unconscious, external assistance may be required. Summary of the Invention

[0005] With the increasing availability of electromechanical accelerometers, GPS navigation, and wireless communications in modern personal transport vehicles (such as cars and trucks), these vehicles can operate as earthquake sensing "nodes" that can communicate with each other and with a centralized response system. Therefore, designated response centers can obtain more complete and extensive datasets, improving detection accuracy and response time, and consequently, generating better warnings.

[0006] For vehicles associated with earthquake warning systems, this invention enhances occupant safety and improves rescue efforts in hazardous situations. It allows for automatic response and various methods of presenting earthquake response instructions to vehicle occupants.

[0007] In one aspect of the invention, the vehicle includes a powertrain, multiple vehicle accessory systems, and an emergency management controller. The controller is adapted to receive earthquake warning messages. The controller responds to the warning messages by providing power-saving commands to at least one accessory system to reduce the power consumption of at least one corresponding non-critical accessory function. Furthermore, it assesses the vehicle's mobility status and automatically activates corresponding safety measures. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating the interacting elements of a seismic response system including personal motor vehicles.

[0009] Figure 2 This is a block diagram showing a single vehicle including an emergency management controller.

[0010] Figure 3 and Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a preferred method of the present invention.

[0011] Figure 5 A user guidance screen is depicted for displaying information to vehicle occupants in the event of or prediction of an earthquake.

[0012] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a preferred method for determining whether a single vehicle is in distress after an earthquake.

[0013] Figure 7 This diagram shows a group of vehicles operating in a coordinated manner as they move to a safe location after an earthquake. Detailed Implementation

[0014] refer to Figure 1Vehicles 10, 11, and 12 are driven within the area covered by the earthquake warning system. Specifically, vehicle 11 is approaching bridge 13 while vehicle 12 is passing high-rise building 14. The earthquake early warning system has a remote emergency response center 15 connected to multiple earthquake sensor stations 16, 17, and 18. Seismic waves 20, manifested by the earthquake event, are detected by sensors 16-18, allowing known equipment at the emergency response center 15 to quickly estimate the epicenter and severity of the earthquake. Therefore, early earthquake warnings can be generated at the response center 15 and propagated via cloud network 21 to various locations, including first responders 22 (fire and rescue), law enforcement agencies, and other government agencies. For issuing warnings to moving vehicles, wireless communication systems, such as vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) systems, include a transmission station 23 for sending warning messages to vehicles 10-12 via wireless communication channel 24. For example, based on the warning message, vehicle 11 can avoid driving onto bridge 13, and vehicle 12 can reposition itself away from building 14. Wireless communication channel 24 preferably carries bidirectional communication so that data can support earthquake detection and be used to assess earthquake damage and identify the need to transmit emergency response to emergency response center 15, as described below.

[0015] GPS satellite system 25 can provide GPS signals to vehicles 10-12 via wireless channel 26 in order to monitor geographical coordinates known in the art.

[0016] Typically, when an earthquake occurs, a vehicle employing this invention may be in motion or parked, with or without occupants. A control module, such as a restraint control module (RCM) or any other control module, receives an earthquake warning message. The warning message may be generated by a monitoring system within the vehicle, received wirelessly via a vehicle-to-the-world (V2X) communication system, or manually activated by the driver. The control module switches the vehicle to an "emergency earthquake management mode" to conserve energy by disabling non-critical features such as media entertainment, HVAC climate control, and auxiliary power connections. Preferably, the driver can still control the deactivation of desired features.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the vehicle displays predefined earthquake guidance in the form of safety instructions or prompts, such as how, where, and when to stop and leave the vehicle (e.g., slow down, avoid bridges, tall buildings, and water hoses). The vehicle can also communicate any additional information or instructions from the earthquake warning center via a display, radio, or text-to-speech system.

[0018] Figure 2A vehicle electronic architecture 30 is illustrated, built around a multiplexed bus 31, providing high-speed data and control communication capabilities between different electrical subsystems. As used herein, “auxiliary system” may refer to any electrical / electronic subsystem within architecture 30. An emergency management controller 32 connected to bus 31 includes a data logger 33 and other typical components such as a programmable microprocessor. Although shown as a separate module, the emergency management controller functionality may coexist in other modules, such as a restraint control module (RCM) 34. RCM 34 is connected to bus 31 and associated collision sensors 35 (e.g., accelerometers) and associated restraint devices 36 (e.g., airbags and seatbelt pretensioners). Other common components, such as a navigation module 37, a human-machine interface (HMI) display 38, an audio system 39, and an HVAC climate control system 40, are also connected to bus 31. Audio system 39 may be connected to a speaker system 41 for reproducing media entertainment content and a microphone 42 for receiving verbal commands from the driver.

[0019] A wireless communication module 43 (e.g., a vehicle-to-the-outside or V2X transceiver) connected to bus 31 wirelessly communicates with a non-vehicle cloud infrastructure 44, which is further connected to an emergency response center 45. The vehicle includes a powertrain system having a powertrain control module (PCM) 46 connected to bus 31. PCM 46 can interact with an internal combustion engine 47 and / or an electric drive unit 48. Depending on any known vehicle powertrain architecture, electric or hybrid vehicle embodiments will include a battery 49 and a battery charger 50, which is also connected to PCM 46. The vehicle can include an autonomous (driverless) vehicle via an autonomous controller 51 having an interface with bus 31 and multiple associated actuators and sensors 52 as known in the art.

[0020] In addition to dedicated sensors such as constraint sensor 35, the vehicle may also include other shared or centralized sensors to support various vehicle functions, such as camera 53 coupled to bus 31. Camera 53 may include top-mounted cameras, other 360° cameras, and forward-looking, side-looking, rear-looking, and interior-looking cameras for capturing images in visible or infrared light. They may also include radar echo detection sensors, lidar (LiDAR) systems, and other remote sensing systems known in the art. Related sensors may also include an ambient air temperature sensor in HVAC 40.

[0021] The vehicle may include various other accessory systems 54 connected to the bus 31, which consume power while performing various critical and non-critical accessory functions. For example, a power connection point 55 may be provided for connecting smartphones or other devices to share data and / or power.

[0022] The data logger 33 can access various vehicle parameters, including vibrations experienced by the vehicle as measured by sensor 35 and internal and external images from camera 53. The recorded data can be used internally to detect earthquakes and assess vehicle condition, or externally to remotely transmit data to response center 45 to help detect and quantify seismic events and the resulting damage.

[0023] Figure 3 A preferred method of the invention is illustrated, wherein a check is performed in step 62 to determine whether an earthquake warning message has been received. The earthquake warning may be initiated as a remotely generated message transmitted wirelessly to the vehicle, an internally generated message based on vibration monitoring using vehicle sensors (such as accelerometers in a restraint control system), or an internally generated message based on input actions initiated by occupants within the vehicle. When an earthquake warning message has been received, a check is performed in step 61 to determine the vehicle's mobility status (e.g., whether the vehicle is occupied and / or is moving). If the vehicle is not occupied, the method proceeds to... Figure 4 The steps are as follows. When the vehicle is occupied, alarm data is presented to the occupants in step 62. The alarm data may include relevant details about the location, intensity, and time of arrival of the earthquake event, or it may simply be a notification of an earthquake emergency without further details. In any case, the occupants are informed of the anticipated or already occurring earthquake emergency, and the method then continues to automatically activate one or more other safety measures corresponding to the vehicle's mobility status.

[0024] Corresponding safety measures may include providing earthquake response guidance to vehicle occupants. In step 63, instructions and prompts for mitigating harm to occupants are conveyed using a human-machine interface (HMI) in the form of text and / or graphics, audio messages from a text-to-speech system, or relay audio information received from a remote emergency response system. Figure 5 An example of a text display is shown, which can be automatically presented to vehicle occupants on a dashboard screen inside the vehicle, or, for example, pushed to personal devices or smartphones via Bluetooth connection.

[0025] In step 64, as part of the emergency management mode, the vehicle emergency management system sends a power-saving message to pre-determined vehicle accessory systems, such as climate control systems, audio systems, or any other vehicle systems with non-critical accessory functions. By saving power / fuel, the vehicle can maintain its ability to move out of hazardous areas and additionally extend the availability of vehicle systems supporting occupant needs. Within the corresponding accessory system that receives the power-saving command, a check can be performed in step 65 to determine whether the vehicle occupant (e.g., the driver) has generated an overdrive command to continue using the non-critical function. If so, no action is taken; otherwise, a low-power mode is entered for the corresponding accessory system in step 66. Examples of non-critical functions and their low-power modes include: 1) air conditioning provided by an HVAC climate control system, where cooling is reduced or turned off; 2) music reproduced by a media player, where audio output is reduced or turned off; 3) video displayed on a deactivated rear entertainment system; and 4) power supply to auxiliary power connection points that will also be deactivated.

[0026] In step 67, the emergency management controller performs a check to determine if the vehicle is moving and located in a non-hazardous area. As used herein, a non-hazardous area may include a road crossing or near a bridge or overpass, near a tall building, or near a body of water. When the vehicle is not traveling in a particularly hazardous area, the corresponding safety measures include imposing a speed limit on the vehicle's movement in step 68. If swaying begins before the vehicle comes to a stop, a reduction in speed means a decrease in the risk of loss of control or a major collision. However, when in a hazardous area, the maximum speed may be reduced less or not at all, allowing the vehicle to leave the hazardous area first.

[0027] As another corresponding safety measure that automatically activates when the vehicle is occupied and driven, the emergency management controller can obtain or calculate a route to a safe location away from nearby hazards in step 70. If the vehicle is not autonomous and includes a navigation system that the driver is actively using to follow a predetermined route to the destination, the present invention can use that navigation system to present earthquake response guidance in the form of a modified route. If the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle traveling along a route without active driver control, a modified route can be automatically adopted, which includes altered road sections to avoid potential hazards; or if the current destination is deemed unsafe, the driver can be notified to choose a new destination.

[0028] Additional safety measures in step 71 include modifying the constraint deployment criteria to account for vehicle acceleration that may be caused by ground vibrations rather than an actual impact. For example, the threshold used to detect a collision event that should trigger airbag deployment can be adjusted for comparison with acceleration curves, or the acceleration signal itself can be filtered based on a filtering function that compensates for potential seismic features in the acceleration data.

[0029] Another earthquake response safety measure involves pushing data from the vehicle to a remote response center and / or other nearby vehicles. Data collected by the response center can support its analysis of the extent and location of earthquake damage and can identify and prioritize specific events that may require rescue assistance. Therefore, in step 72, an inspection is performed to determine if the vehicle is damaged (i.e., already in a collision, damaged by debris, or trapped in an unstable location). If the vehicle is damaged, in step 73, an interior camera view is acquired to show the status of the vehicle occupants and internal vehicle systems. Figure 6 A preferred method for determining whether a vehicle is damaged or undamaged is shown. In step 93, a check is performed to determine if an impact or rollover has been detected by the restraint control module. If not, a check is performed in step 94 to determine if a fault message or other diagnostic code indicating a serious problem to be addressed has been generated in the vehicle. If not, a check is performed in step 95 to determine if the vehicle is in a tilted position, which may indicate that the vehicle has become unstable. The tilting state of the vehicle can be determined using an RCM sensor, a level sensor in various systems (e.g., a fuel tank or window washer fluid reservoir), or other onboard sensors known in the art. If there is no tilt, a check is performed in step 96 to determine if the user has generated an input signal indicating that the vehicle is damaged or requesting assistance. A positive answer in any of steps 93-96 results in a detected damaged state. Otherwise, the state is undamaged.

[0030] In step 74, the emergency management controller detects and records the external camera view, as well as other data such as acceleration data, air temperature, or other relevant parameters. In step 75, all collected / recorded data is relayed to the response center.

[0031] When the vehicle mobility status from step 61 determines that the vehicle is not occupied, the preferred method is based on... Figure 4 The steps shown are performed. In step 80, in response to receiving an earthquake warning message, the relevant sensors and systems are activated. In step 81, predetermined auxiliary systems deemed relevant (e.g., lane-keeping systems with cameras for acquiring images around the vehicle) and predetermined auxiliary systems requiring only partial functionality are placed in a low-power mode, where parts of the auxiliary systems not required to perform earthquake emergency functions are de-energized.

[0032] In step 82, a check is performed to determine whether the vehicle is an electric vehicle and whether it is currently in charging mode. If so, charging is stopped in step 83 to avoid potential damage caused by possible disruption of electrical conductors due to the earthquake.

[0033] In step 84, the earthquake emergency management controller detects and records environmental data, including internal and / or external images, as well as other relevant data such as accelerometer measurements from the RCM and air temperature measurements from the HVAC system. In step 85, the data is relayed to the response center.

[0034] In step 86, a check is performed to determine if the vehicle is an autonomous, self-driving vehicle. If not, the method checks in step 87 whether the seismic event has ended. If not, it returns to step 84 to continue detecting, recording, and relaying data. If the seismic event has ended, the method proceeds to step 88 and the vehicle is powered off.

[0035] If the vehicle is autonomous, a check is performed in step 92 to determine if the autonomous vehicle is parked in a hazardous location. Hazardous locations may include parking lots, covered garages, or other situations that could potentially cause injury, such as proximity to water. If in a hazardous location, the autonomous vehicle identifies nearby safe locations in step 91 and automatically repositions the vehicle to a safe location. For example, a vehicle parked in a parking lot can be automatically repositioned to a location outside the parking lot by calculating an appropriate route to a safe destination and then activating the powertrain and autonomous controller to execute that route.

[0036] Figure 7 Another feature of the invention is illustrated for saving power among a group of vehicles during an emergency. More efficient repositioning of vehicles can also be achieved in an orderly manner by platooning the vehicle group after an earthquake to coordinate the response. Thus, the lead vehicle 100 communicates with the cloud / response center via a base station 101 providing a V2I communication channel 102. The lead vehicle 100 consumes power to obtain route instructions and other information about earthquake hazards from the response center, and collects and transmits data characterizing the conditions around the vehicle 100 to the response center. Multiple platooned vehicles 103, 104, and 105 communicate with the lead vehicle 100 via a V2V communication channel 106 to receive route instructions and information. Therefore, vehicles 103, 104, and 105 have reduced energy consumption compared to the energy consumed when interacting directly with the response center. Vehicles 103, 104, and 105 can simply follow the lead vehicle 100, or they can independently execute a shared route. If the power or communication capabilities of the lead vehicle 100 are impaired, one of the other vehicles can take over as the lead vehicle, making it the only vehicle that interacts directly with the response center.

[0037] According to the present invention, a vehicle is provided having: a powertrain system; a plurality of vehicle accessory systems; and an emergency management controller adapted to receive an earthquake warning message, wherein the management controller responds to the warning message by providing power-saving commands to at least one accessory system to reduce the power consumption of at least one corresponding non-critical accessory function, assessing the vehicle's mobility status, and automatically activating corresponding safety measures.

[0038] According to one embodiment, the invention is further characterized by a data logger that collects vehicle status information from an accessory system; and a wireless communication system, wherein security measures include transmitting vehicle status information from the data logger to a remote emergency response center.

[0039] According to one embodiment, the status information includes camera images depicting the captured external scene to show localized damage to the exterior of the vehicle after an earthquake.

[0040] According to one embodiment, the emergency management controller uses vehicle status information to assess mobility status to detect damage status, and wherein when damage status is detected, the transmitted status information includes camera images depicting the interior scene inside the vehicle after an earthquake.

[0041] According to one embodiment, the mobility status includes an occupancy status, and the corresponding safety measures include presenting earthquake response instructions to the vehicle occupants.

[0042] According to one embodiment, the response guidance includes route instructions to locations where there is no predetermined seismic hazard.

[0043] According to one embodiment, the response guidance includes personal instruction prompts to mitigate damage caused by an earthquake.

[0044] According to one embodiment, non-critical accessory functions include at least one of media entertainment functions, HVAC functions, and power connection point functions.

[0045] According to one embodiment, the emergency management controller and accessory system are adapted to deny power-saving commands in response to manual over-control.

[0046] According to one embodiment, the invention is further characterized by a passenger restraint system that generates a deployment signal in response to a measured acceleration of the vehicle and is coupled to an emergency management controller to receive a warning message, wherein the measured acceleration is adjusted to identify criteria for the conditions used to generate the deployment signal in response to the warning message to compensate for potential earthquake-based acceleration.

[0047] According to one embodiment, the powertrain includes a battery that can be connected to the power grid to charge the battery, and wherein safety measures include stopping the charging of the battery.

[0048] According to one embodiment, when the mobility state corresponds to the vehicle moving on a road without hazardous features, the corresponding safety measures include imposing a predetermined speed limit on the movement.

[0049] According to one embodiment, the invention is further characterized by a navigation system for guiding a vehicle to a programmable destination; wherein when the mobility state corresponds to a moving vehicle, the corresponding safety measures include updating the route being followed to the programmable destination to avoid predetermined hazardous environments.

[0050] According to one embodiment, the invention is further characterized by an autonomous control system for enabling a vehicle to drive autonomously to a programmable destination; wherein when the mobility state corresponds to the vehicle being parked in a hazardous environment and without occupants, the corresponding safety measures include activating the powertrain system and setting the programmable destination to a predetermined safe location.

[0051] According to one embodiment, the emergency management controller is configured to coordinate with nearby vehicles via a vehicle-to-vehicle communication channel to form a convoy, such that at least one vehicle communicates with the response center indirectly only through another vehicle.

[0052] According to the present invention, a seismic response method for a vehicle having a powertrain system and multiple vehicle accessory systems includes: receiving a seismic warning message; providing a power-saving command to at least one accessory system to reduce the power consumption of at least one corresponding non-critical accessory function; assessing the vehicle's mobility status; and automatically activating corresponding safety measures.

[0053] According to one embodiment, the invention is further characterized by the following steps: collecting vehicle status information from an accessory system; wherein safety measures include wirelessly transmitting the vehicle status information to a remote emergency response center, wherein the status information includes camera images depicting a captured external scene to show localized damage to the exterior of the vehicle after an earthquake.

[0054] According to one embodiment, the evaluation step includes analyzing vehicle status information to detect damage; wherein when damage is detected, the transmitted status information includes camera images depicting the interior scene inside the vehicle after an earthquake.

[0055] According to one embodiment, the mobility status includes an occupancy status, wherein the corresponding safety measures include presenting earthquake response instructions to the occupants of the vehicle, and wherein the response instructions include at least one of: i) route instructions to a location without a predetermined earthquake hazard, and ii) personal instruction prompts to mitigate damage caused by an earthquake.

[0056] According to one embodiment, non-critical accessory functions include at least one of media entertainment functions, HVAC functions, and power connection point functions.

[0057] According to one embodiment, the invention is further characterized by the step of denying the power-saving command of the selected non-critical function in response to manual over-control.

[0058] According to one embodiment, when the mobility state corresponds to the vehicle moving on a road without hazardous features, the corresponding safety measures include imposing a predetermined speed limit on the movement.

[0059] According to one embodiment, the vehicle includes an autonomous control system for enabling the vehicle to drive autonomously to a programmable destination, and wherein when the mobility state corresponds to the vehicle being in motion, the corresponding safety measures include updating the route being followed to the programmable destination to avoid predetermined hazardous environments.

[0060] According to one embodiment, the vehicle includes an autonomous control system for enabling the vehicle to drive autonomously to a programmable destination, wherein when the mobility state corresponds to the vehicle being parked in a hazardous environment and without occupants, the corresponding safety measures include activating the vehicle's powertrain and setting the programmable destination to a predetermined safe location.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising: Power transmission system; Multiple vehicle accessory systems; An autonomous control system for enabling the vehicle to drive autonomously to a programmable destination; and An emergency management controller is configured to receive earthquake warning messages, wherein the emergency management controller responds to the warning messages by: providing a power-saving command to at least one accessory system to reduce the power consumption of at least one corresponding non-critical accessory function, thereby increasing the vehicle's ability to move out of the danger zone; assessing the vehicle's mobility status; and automatically activating corresponding safety measures. When the vehicle mobility state corresponds to the vehicle being parked in a hazardous environment and without occupants, the corresponding safety measures include activating the powertrain system and setting the programmable destination to a predetermined safe location.

2. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: A data logger that collects vehicle status information from the accessory system; and A wireless communication system, wherein the safety measures include transmitting vehicle status information from the data logger to a remote emergency response center.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the status information includes camera images depicting a captured external scene to show localized damage to the exterior of the vehicle after an earthquake.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the mobility state includes an occupied state, and wherein the corresponding safety measure includes presenting earthquake response instructions to the occupants of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the response guidance includes route instructions to a location where there is no predetermined seismic hazard.

6. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the response guidance includes personal instruction prompts to mitigate damage caused by an earthquake.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the non-critical accessory functions include at least one of media entertainment functions, heating and ventilation functions, and electrical connection point functions.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the emergency management controller and the accessory system are adapted to deny the power-saving command in response to manual over-control.

9. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: A passenger restraint system that generates a deployment signal in response to measured acceleration of the vehicle and is coupled to the emergency management controller to receive the warning message, wherein the measured acceleration is adjusted to identify criteria for generating the deployment signal to compensate for potential earthquake-based acceleration in response to the warning message.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the powertrain includes a battery capable of being connected to a power grid for charging, and wherein the safety measure includes stopping the charging of the battery.

11. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein when the mobility state corresponds to the vehicle moving on a road without hazardous features, the corresponding safety measures include imposing a predetermined speed limit on the movement.

12. A vehicle comprising: Power transmission system; Multiple vehicle accessory systems; An emergency management controller is adapted to receive an earthquake warning message, wherein the controller responds to the warning message by providing a power-saving command to at least one accessory system to reduce the power consumption of at least one corresponding non-critical accessory function, assessing the vehicle's mobility status, and automatically activating corresponding safety measures. A data logger that collects vehicle status information from the accessory system; and A wireless communication system, wherein the safety measures include transmitting vehicle status information from the data logger to a remote emergency response center. The emergency management controller uses the vehicle status information to assess the mobility status to detect damage, and when the damage is detected, the transmitted status information includes camera images depicting the interior scene inside the vehicle after the earthquake.

13. A seismic response method for a vehicle having a powertrain and multiple vehicle accessory systems, wherein the vehicle includes an autonomous control system for enabling the vehicle to drive autonomously to a programmable destination, the method comprising: Receive earthquake warning messages; Provide a power-saving command to at least one accessory system to reduce the power consumption of at least one corresponding non-critical accessory function, thereby increasing the vehicle's ability to move out of a hazardous area; Assess the vehicle's mobility status; as well as Automatically activate the corresponding security measures. When the vehicle mobility state corresponds to the vehicle being parked in a hazardous environment and without occupants, the corresponding safety measures include activating the powertrain system and setting the programmable destination to a predetermined safe location.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of: Collect vehicle status information from the accessory system; The safety measures mentioned include wirelessly transmitting vehicle status information to a remote emergency response center, wherein the status information includes camera images depicting the captured external scene to show localized damage to the exterior of the vehicle after the earthquake; The assessment steps include analyzing the vehicle status information to detect damage. When the damaged state is detected, the transmitted state information includes camera images depicting the interior scene of the vehicle after the earthquake; and The non-critical accessory functions mentioned above include at least one of media entertainment functions, HVAC functions, and electrical connection point functions.

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