Method of determining in-vehicle injury information and vehicle electronic control device determining injury information

Abstract

This invention discloses a method (100) for determining injury information of vehicle occupants after a vehicle accident. The method (100) includes the following steps: - sensing (114) at least one physiological signal of an occupant via a vital signs sensor and providing a first output signal indicating internal trauma to the occupant to a vehicle electronic control unit; - providing (116) at least one second output signal indicating external trauma to the occupant from an in-vehicle sensor to the vehicle electronic control unit; and - determining (118, 200) an emergency severity index indicating a life-threatening condition based on the first and second output signals. Furthermore, this invention also discloses a vehicle electronic control unit for determining injury information of vehicle occupants after a vehicle accident, wherein the vehicle electronic control unit is configured or set to perform the method (100) according to the invention.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a method for determining injury information concerning the injuries of occupants after a vehicle accident. This invention also relates to a vehicle electronic control device for determining injury information concerning the injuries of occupants after a vehicle accident. Background Technology

[0002] Occupant safety plays a crucial role in vehicle development. Safety methods typically include several measures to improve driving safety, ranging from structural protection of the vehicle cabin, occupant restraint systems such as airbags and seatbelt tensioners, to automatic emergency call transmissions, all aimed at better protecting occupants in the event of an accident.

[0003] Automated emergency call methods and systems are known, in which, when a vehicle accident occurs, an emergency call is transmitted, specifically to a rescue control center or similar agency, along with relevant accident information. Such systems are also known as eCall systems. This ensures that a rescue chain is established as quickly as possible. For this purpose, information regarding the location and direction of travel of the vehicles involved in the accident is typically transmitted during the emergency call.

[0004] For the survival and maximum recovery of injured occupants, the time from the accident to effective first aid and the arrival of professional rescue services, as well as the quality of first aid at the accident site and subsequent clinical care, are crucial in emergency care. Known emergency assistance methods and systems can significantly save time in the rescue phase after a vehicle accident by shortening search time or time to reach the accident site. However, there is undoubtedly a drawback in known emergency assistance methods and systems: the decision to deploy rescue services is made by the rescue control center, which does not provide detailed information about the collision and the severity of injuries. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the above, the object of the present invention is to provide a method and a vehicle electronic control device for determining injury information of occupants after a vehicle accident, the method and device ensuring accurate and appropriate determination of injury information, thereby enabling rapid and effective rescue after an accident and thereby improving the safety of occupants.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for determining injury information of occupants inside a vehicle after a vehicle accident. The method includes:

[0007] - Detect at least one physiological signal of the occupant through vital signs sensors and provide a first output signal indicating internal injury of the occupant to the vehicle electronic control unit;

[0008] - The in-vehicle sensors provide at least one second output signal indicating bodily injury to the vehicle's electronic controls; and

[0009] - The vehicle's electronic control unit determines the severity index of the emergency situation, which describes the life-threatening condition, based on the first and second output signals.

[0010] The basic consideration of this invention is that if occupant injury information is determined, injured occupants can be quickly and effectively rescued and cared for after an accident, thereby determining an emergency severity index that describes a life-threatening situation. Furthermore, this invention is based on the consideration that if relevant determinations are made based on post-accident data, accurate and confident determinations can be made, wherein the determinations are based on a combination of occupant physiological data or internal injury data and occupant external injury data.

[0011] According to the present invention, injury information can be accurately and appropriately determined, thereby ensuring rapid and effective post-accident rescue and care, and thereby improving the safety of vehicle occupants.

[0012] The method steps are preferably performed in the post-accident stage, especially immediately after a collision or accident.

[0013] External injuries, especially those involving bleeding outside the occupant and / or penetrating injuries to the occupant.

[0014] The method may use one or more vital sign sensors, preferably sensing more than one physiological signal, especially different physiological signals. One or more vital sign sensors are preferably part of an occupant monitoring system, which is particularly capable of acquiring different physiological signals. Furthermore, the method may use one or more in-vehicle sensors.

[0015] In-vehicle sensors are internal sensors placed within a vehicle, particularly those integrated into the headliner between the front seats and / or near the rearview mirrors.

[0016] Preferably, the dormant phase of the vital signs sensors and in-vehicle sensors is activated in the pre-collision phase to prevent sensor damage due to subsequent collisions or accidents. After the collision or accident, i.e., in the post-collision phase, the corresponding sensors are reactivated. Here, the power reserves can be used to reactivate the relevant sensors.

[0017] If an accident occurs in a vehicle with more than one occupant, an emergency severity index is assigned to each occupant.

[0018] Furthermore, in the event of an accident involving a vehicle with more than one occupant, priority is preferably determined based on the occupants' ages. Therefore, children and the elderly should be given particular consideration when implementing the method. For the step of detecting at least one occupant's physiological signal via vital signs sensors and providing a first output signal indicating internal injury to the vehicle's electronic control unit, as an alternative or additional measure based on occupant age, priority is given based on the occupant's past medical conditions, which can be retrieved from the vehicle's electronic control unit's storage unit. Therefore, children, the elderly, and / or occupants with a medical history should be given particular priority when performing this step. For the step of providing at least one second output signal indicating external injury to the vehicle's electronic control unit from in-vehicle sensors, as an alternative or additional measure based on occupant age, priority is given based on the status of the occupant restraint devices. Therefore, children, the elderly, and / or occupants whose restraint devices are correspondingly ineffective or malfunctioning should be given particular priority when performing this step.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment, at least one physiological signal is at least one of respiratory rate, heartbeat, heart rate, pulse, body temperature, oxygen saturation, or brain waves.

[0020] According to another specific embodiment, the in-vehicle sensor is configured as an optical sensor, preferably an imaging sensor such as an in-vehicle camera. In particular, the in-vehicle sensor is configured as a thermal imaging sensor, wherein the use of a thermal imaging sensor can additionally identify internal injuries of the occupants.

[0021] In cases where occupant external bleeding is a form of bodily trauma, video processing of the contact surface and the occupant's blood detection can be used to derive at least one second output signal.

[0022] In the event of penetrating injury to the occupant, it is preferable to derive at least one second output signal based on the occupant's state information in the pre-collision phase.

[0023] Furthermore, according to another specific embodiment, the method further includes:

[0024] - Detect at least one collision-related data through a collision sensor and provide a third output signal describing the dynamic characteristics of the collision to the vehicle's electronic control unit;

[0025] - Based on the third output signal, at least one collision location or damage extent is determined, and a fourth output signal describing the collision location and / or damage extent is generated by the vehicle electronic control unit; and

[0026] - The vehicle's electronic control unit determines an emergency severity index that describes a life-threatening situation based on the first, second, and fourth output signals.

[0027] In this way, the determination of the emergency severity index also takes into account the collision location and / or the extent of damage derived from collision sensor signals. This method makes the determination of injury information more accurate.

[0028] The step of detecting at least one collision-related data by a collision sensor and providing a third output signal describing the dynamic characteristics of the collision to the vehicle's electronic control unit is preferably performed in the pre-collision stage and / or at the time of the collision or accident, i.e., during the collision stage.

[0029] In the step of determining at least one collision location or damage extent, only the collision location may be determined. Alternatively, only the damage extent may be determined. Alternatively, both the collision location and the damage extent may be determined in this step. When determining the collision location, information from one or more collision locations can also be used with in-vehicle sensors to determine the scanning area. Furthermore, the determined one or more collision locations can be categorized according to their probability. Different categories such as "high probability (certain)," "medium probability (possible)," and "low probability (impossible)" can be used for this purpose and assigned to the respective collision locations.

[0030] It is preferable to use more than one collision sensor and sense more than one collision-related data, especially different collision-related data. The collision sensor can be configured as an acceleration sensor, angular velocity sensor, pressure sensor, or an environmental sensor such as a radar sensor, lidar sensor, or external camera device.

[0031] In another preferred embodiment, at least one collision-related data point is at least one of vehicle acceleration, collision velocity, collision angle, or pressure. A combination of these data points is also possible.

[0032] Furthermore, in another preferred embodiment, at least one collision location or damage extent is determined based on at least one of the following: occupant seating position, occupant restraint system status, presence of moving objects inside the vehicle compartment, or vehicle compartment design. This information is preferably determined at some stage prior to the collision or accident.

[0033] Furthermore, according to another specific embodiment, the method further includes:

[0034] - A control signal is generated by the vehicle's electronic control unit to respond to the determined severity index of the emergency and trigger the sending of an emergency assistance request.

[0035] In another preferred embodiment, the emergency assistance request includes at least one of the following: an emergency assistance request for immediate assistance from a nearby vehicle, an emergency assistance request for assistance from an automatic collision notification system, an emergency assistance request for assistance from emergency medical services, or an emergency assistance request to notify a personal contact of the occupant. Therefore, an emergency assistance request is sent to a specific recipient based on a determined severity index of the emergency situation.

[0036] In another preferred embodiment, a determined emergency severity index is provided along with the emergency request for assistance. Thus, the emergency severity index is also transmitted along with the emergency request for assistance and provided to the recipient.

[0037] In another preferred embodiment, at least one occupant seating position or occupant age is provided along with the emergency assistance request. Thus, the occupant seating position and / or occupant age are also transmitted along with the emergency assistance request and provided to the recipient. Furthermore, along with the emergency assistance request, the number of occupants in the accident vehicle, and especially the number of children or elderly persons, can be provided.

[0038] In another specific implementation, the severity index of the emergency is stored in the storage unit of the vehicle's electronic control unit. In this way, rescue personnel at the accident site can obtain the necessary information.

[0039] According to another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle electronic control device provides injury information for determining the injuries of vehicle occupants after an accident, wherein the vehicle electronic control device is configured to:

[0040] - Obtain a first output signal indicating internal injury to the occupant from a life sensor that senses at least one physiological signal of the occupant;

[0041] - Acquire at least one second output signal from in-vehicle sensors indicating bodily injury to the occupant; and

[0042] -Based on the first and second output signals, determine the severity index of the emergency situation that describes the life-threatening condition.

[0043] The advantages and preferred embodiments described in the method according to the present invention are also applicable to the vehicle electronic control device according to the present invention. Attached Figure Description

[0044] The accompanying drawings described herein are provided to further understand the invention and are a part of the invention. The examples and descriptions of embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes and do not constitute an undue limitation of the invention. In the drawings:

[0045] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a method for determining occupant injury information after a vehicle accident, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

[0046] Figure 2 Display according to Figure 1 The flowchart shown is a method for determining the severity index of an emergency. Detailed Implementation

[0047] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described herein can be combined with each other. In all figures, corresponding portions are always provided using the same reference numerals.

[0048] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a method 100 for determining injury information of vehicle occupants after a vehicle accident.

[0049] In step 110, collision-related data during a vehicle collision or accident is sensed by a collision sensor, and a third output signal describing the dynamic characteristics of the collision is provided to the vehicle electronic control unit configured as an airbag control device.

[0050] In step 112, the collision location and damage extent are determined based on the third output signal and the occupant's seat position, wherein the occupant's seat position was determined in a stage prior to the collision or accident. Then, the vehicle's electronic control unit generates a fourth output signal describing the collision location and damage extent.

[0051] In step 114, several physiological signals of the occupants after the accident are sensed by means of different vital sign sensors, which are part of the occupant monitoring system, and a first output signal indicating internal injury of the occupants is provided to the vehicle electronic control unit.

[0052] In step 116, the second output signal of the in-vehicle sensor is provided to the vehicle electronic control device, wherein the in-vehicle sensor is configured as an in-vehicle camera device to indicate physical injuries such as bleeding to the occupant.

[0053] In step 118, the severity index of the emergency situation describing the life-threatening condition is determined by the vehicle electronic control device based on the first output signal, the second output signal, and the fourth output signal.

[0054] In this way, critical situations that threaten the lives of occupants can be accurately and reliably identified.

[0055] If an accident occurs in a vehicle with more than one occupant, an emergency severity index / severity index is determined for each occupant through the steps described above.

[0056] In step 120, the vehicle's electronic control unit generates a control signal to trigger an emergency distress call in response to a determined emergency severity index, and transmits the emergency distress call to the appropriate recipient. Along with the emergency distress call, the vehicle's location, number of occupants, number of children or elderly occupants, occupant seating positions, and the determined occupant emergency severity index are also provided or transmitted. In this step, the provided or transmitted information is also stored in the storage unit of the vehicle's electronic control unit.

[0057] In this way, based on the accurate and reliable determination of the urgency index that describes the critical state of the occupants' lives, rapid and effective post-collision care can be provided to injured occupants.

[0058] Figure 2 Display according to Figure 1 The flowchart shown is for a method 200 used to determine the severity index of an emergency.

[0059] In step 210, it is determined whether the occupant is alive. This determination is based on sensed physiological signals or a first output signal. If no vital signs are sensed or detected, a value of 6 is assigned to the Emergency Severity Index (ESI).

[0060] If at least one vital sign is sensed or detected, then in step 212, it is determined whether the occupant is about to die. This determination is based on physiological signals such as sensed respiratory rate and heart rate, or corresponding first output signals. If these vital signs gradually disappear, i.e., a critical level is reached, then a value of 5 is assigned to the Emergency Severity Index (ESI).

[0061] If these vital signs do not disappear, i.e., do not reach a critical level, then in step 214, the severity of the occupant's vital signs is determined. This determination is based on sensed physiological signals such as respiratory rate, heart rate, and oxygen saturation, or corresponding first output signals. If these vital signs are below an acceptable predetermined vital sign threshold, then a value of 4 is assigned to the Emergency Severity Index (ESI).

[0062] If these vital signs are not lower than a predetermined life threshold, then in step 216, the occupant's neurological state of consciousness is determined based on the known Glasgow Coma Scale, according to perceived physiological signals or a first output signal. If the determined Glasgow Coma Scale value is lower than a predetermined limit, then a value of 3 is assigned to the Emergency Severity Index (ESI).

[0063] If the determined Glasgow Coma Scale score is higher than a predetermined limit, then in step 218, an occupant injury severity score is determined based on the number and severity of bodily injuries provided by the second output signal. If the determined occupant injury severity score is higher than a predetermined injury threshold, then a value of 2 is assigned to the Emergency Severity Index (ESI).

[0064] If the determined occupant injury severity score is lower than a predetermined injury threshold, then in step 220, the occupant injury situation is estimated based on possible collision analysis and injury estimation based on the fourth output signal. If occupant injury is assumed, then a value of 1 is assigned to the Emergency Severity Index (ESI).

[0065] If it is assumed that the occupants are not injured, then in step 222 it is determined that no medical assistance is needed, and the value 0 is assigned to the Emergency Severity Index (ESI).

[0066] If all information, data, or signals are unavailable, then assign a value of 9 to the Emergency Severity Index (ESI).

Claims

1. Method (100) for determining injury information of vehicle occupants inside a vehicle after an accident of the vehicle, wherein The method (100) comprises the steps of: sensing (114) at least one physiological signal of the occupant by a vital sign sensor and providing a first output signal indicative of internal injuries of the occupant to a vehicle electronic control unit; providing (116) at least one second output signal indicative of external injuries of the occupant to the vehicle electronic control unit by an in-vehicle sensor; and determining (118, 200) an emergency severity index indicative of a life-critical state by the vehicle electronic control unit based on the first output signal and the second output signal, wherein, if more than one occupant is present in the vehicle at the time of the accident, an emergency severity index is determined for each occupant and prioritized based on at least one of the occupant's age, past medical conditions of the occupant retrievable from a storage unit of the vehicle electronic control unit, and a state of a restraint system of the occupant.

2. The method (100) of claim 1, wherein The at least one physiological signal is at least one of a breathing rate, a heartbeat, a heart rate, a pulse, a body temperature, an oxygen saturation, or a brain wave.

3. The method (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The in-vehicle sensor is configured as an optical sensor.

4. The method (100) of claim 3, wherein The in-vehicle sensor is configured as an imaging sensor.

5. The method (100) according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: sensing (110) at least one crash-related data by a crash sensor and providing a third output signal indicative of crash dynamics to the vehicle electronic control unit; determining (112) at least one crash location or damage extent based on the third output signal and generating a fourth output signal indicative of the crash location and / or damage extent by the vehicle electronic control unit; and determining (118, 200) the emergency severity index indicative of a life-critical state by the vehicle electronic control unit based on the first output signal, the second output signal, and the fourth output signal. The at least one crash-related data is at least one of a vehicle acceleration, a crash speed, a crash angle, or a pressure.

6. The method (100) of claim 5, wherein The crash location or damage extent is determined (112) further based on at least one of the following information: an occupant seat position, a state of an occupant restraint system, a presence of a moving object inside the vehicle cabin, or a design of the vehicle cabin.

7. The method (100) of claim 5, wherein 8. The method (100) according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: generating (120) a control signal by the vehicle electronic control unit for triggering a transmission of an emergency call in response to the determined emergency severity index. The emergency call comprises at least one of the following emergency calls: an emergency call requesting immediate assistance from nearby vehicles, an emergency call requesting an automatic crash notification system, an emergency call requesting a medical emergency service, or an emergency call notifying personal contacts of the occupant.

9. The method (100) of claim 8, wherein The determined emergency severity index is provided together with the emergency call.

10. The method (100) of claim 8, wherein, At least the occupant seat position or the occupant age is provided in the emergency call.

11. The method (100) of claim 8, wherein The emergency severity index is stored in a storage unit of the vehicle electronic control unit.

12. The method (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The vehicle electronic control unit is configured for:

13. A vehicle electronic control device for determining injury information of an occupant in a vehicle after an accident, wherein retrieving the first output signal indicative of internal injuries of the occupant from a vital sensor sensing at least one physiological signal of the occupant; retrieving the at least one second output signal indicative of external injuries of the occupant from an in-vehicle sensor; and ​ ​ determining an emergency severity index indicative of a life-critical condition based on the first output signal and the second output signal, wherein if the vehicle accident involves more than one occupant, an emergency severity index is determined for each occupant, and prioritization is based on at least one of the occupant's age, past medical conditions of the occupant retrievable from a vehicle electronic control device memory unit, and a state of a restraint protection device of the occupant.

Images