Vehicle event triggering system and method

Abstract

The invention provides a vehicle event triggering system and method. A system for activating emergency monitoring, lighting, and / or alert features for a plurality of vehicles is disclosed. The system may include a vehicle access device associated with a first vehicle. The vehicle access device may be configured to obtain a trigger signal and emit an emergency mode activation signal at a predefined wavelength in response to obtaining the trigger signal. The system may also include a second vehicle configured to receive an emergency mode activation signal from the vehicle access device when the vehicle access device may be within a predefined distance range from the second vehicle. The second vehicle may also be configured to activate the vehicle component in response to receiving the emergency mode activation signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle event triggering system and method. Background Art

[0002] Hidden places such as parking lots, garages, etc. are known to be crime-prone areas. Many users, especially female users, feel uncomfortable when they are alone in such areas. During nighttime, when the ambient light is dark, the crime rate in hidden places is usually higher.

[0003] When many users feel threatened in such areas, they use their phones to seek support or shout for help. However, these measures are not always effective, and users may still feel unsafe when passing through secluded places. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present disclosure describes a system and method for activating emergency monitoring, lighting, and / or reminder features of one or more vehicles by using a vehicle access device. The vehicle access device can be a key fob that can be associated with a first vehicle. The key fob can be configured to emit an emergency mode activation signal at a predefined wavelength when the key fob obtains a trigger signal. In some aspects, the key fob can obtain a trigger signal from the actuator when a user activates a dedicated actuator disposed on the key fob. In other aspects, the key fob can obtain a trigger signal from the first vehicle when the first vehicle may be located or parked in a geographic area, parking lot, etc. with a historically high crime rate. In other aspects, the key fob transmits an emergency mode activation signal when the key fob determines that the key fob may be located or parked in a geographic area, parking lot, etc. with a high crime rate.

[0005] In response to the key fob receiving the trigger signal and transmitting the emergency mode activation signal at the predefined wavelength, one or more vehicles (e.g., a second vehicle) configured to receive the emergency mode activation signal at the predefined wavelength may receive the emergency mode activation signal. In response to receiving the emergency mode activation signal, the second vehicle may activate one or more vehicle components. Examples of vehicle components include, but are not limited to, vehicle cameras, exterior lights, speakers, etc.

[0006] In an exemplary aspect, the second vehicle can activate exterior lights in response to receiving the emergency mode activation signal so that the user's path can be illuminated and the user can feel safe near the second vehicle (e.g., in a parking lot). In another exemplary aspect, the second vehicle can activate a camera to capture images near the second vehicle.

[0007] In some aspects, the second vehicle can transmit the captured image to a server or call center, which can analyze the image and determine whether any undesirable activity (e.g., assault, theft, etc.) may occur near the second vehicle. In response to determining that undesirable activity may be occurring, the call center or server can send an alert notification along with the second vehicle's geographic location to authorities (e.g., police) who can take remedial action. Additionally, in response to determining that undesirable activity may be occurring near the second vehicle, the call center or server can cause the second vehicle to output a predefined alert message via a speaker.

[0008] In other aspects, the second vehicle may include an image processing module that can analyze the captured images and can itself detect whether there is undesirable activity near the second vehicle based on the image analysis. In response to detecting the undesirable activity, the second vehicle can transmit an alert notification to the authorities.

[0009] The second vehicle may also be configured to deactivate corresponding vehicle components when the second vehicle stops receiving the emergency mode activation signal from the key fob (e.g., when the user carrying the key fob moves away from the second vehicle). In addition, the second vehicle will not activate (or deactivate) corresponding vehicle components when one or more occupants may be present in the second vehicle.

[0010] The present disclosure discloses a system and method for activating emergency monitoring, lighting and / or reminder features of multiple vehicles by using a key fob. When a user feels unsafe, the user can conveniently cause the vehicle lights to illuminate dark surroundings (e.g., lighting up a parking lot during nighttime or when ambient light may be dark) by using the key fob. In this way, the system helps the user gain confidence when the user may be alone in a secluded place. The system may also enable multiple vehicles to capture images of the vicinity of the vehicle and transmit the images to authorities to ensure that remedial actions can be performed in a timely manner when the user may need support in an emergency.

[0011] These and other advantages of the present disclosure are provided in detail herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings. The use of the same reference numerals may indicate similar or identical items. Various embodiments may utilize elements and / or components other than those shown in the accompanying drawings, and some elements and / or components may not be present in various embodiments. The elements and / or components in the accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Throughout this disclosure, singular and plural terms may be used interchangeably, depending on the context.

[0013] Figure 1 An example environment is depicted in which techniques and structures for providing the systems and methods disclosed herein may be implemented.

[0014] Figure 2 Depicted is a block diagram of an example system for activating an emergency trigger feature of a vehicle according to the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 3 Depicted are example actions performed by a vehicle when an emergency trigger feature is activated in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 4 Depicted is an example scenario when an emergency trigger feature is deactivated in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 5 A flow chart depicting an example method for activating an emergency trigger feature of a vehicle according to the present disclosure is depicted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments of the disclosure are shown and which are not intended to be limiting.

[0019] Figure 1 An example environment 100 is depicted in which techniques and structures for providing the systems and methods disclosed herein may be implemented. The environment 100 may include a plurality of vehicles 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, 102e parked in a parking lot 104. Each vehicle 102a-102e may take the form of any passenger or commercial vehicle, such as, for example, a car, a work vehicle, a crossover vehicle, a truck, a van, a minivan, a taxi, a bus, etc. In addition, the vehicles 102a-102e may be manually driven vehicles, and / or may be configured to operate in a partially autonomous mode, and may include any powertrain, such as, for example, a gasoline engine, one or more electric actuation motors, a hybrid powertrain, etc.

[0020] The environment 100 may also include a user 106 who may be located near one or more of the plurality of vehicles 102a-102e in the parking lot 104. The user 106 may carry a vehicle access device, such as a key fob 108, a wearable device, a phone-as-a-key (PaaK), etc. In some aspects, the vehicle access device (e.g., the key fob 108) may be a device that the user 106 may use to access the vehicle using one or more wireless communication protocols such as The invention relates to any communication device (e.g., ultra-wideband (UWB), Wi-Fi, near field communication (NFC), radio frequency identification (RFID), etc.) to access one or more features of a vehicle (e.g., vehicle 102a) associated with a vehicle access device (e.g., key fob 108). Examples of features include, but are not limited to, unlocking or locking vehicle doors, activating the vehicle engine, controlling one or more vehicle components, etc. Hereinafter in this disclosure, the vehicle access device is referred to as key fob 108; however, the present disclosure is not limited to the use of a key fob, and any other vehicle access device, such as a cell phone used as a key, may be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0021] The key fob 108 may be configured to be communicatively coupled not only to the vehicle 102a associated with the key fob 108, but also to other vehicles (e.g., vehicles 102b-102e) that may be configured to receive signals from the key fob 108. In this case, the key fob 108 may be configured to trigger activation of one or more vehicle components (e.g., lights, cameras, speakers, etc.) in the vehicles 102b-102e that may be configured to receive signals from the key fob 108. The key fob 108 may be configured to trigger activation of vehicle components in the vehicles 102b-102e when a key fob event mode or an emergency mode may be activated, as described below.

[0022] In some aspects, when the user 106 may be alone in the parking lot 104 and / or may feel unsafe in the surrounding environment, the user 106 can actuate a dedicated actuator (not shown) on the key fob 108 to activate the key fob emergency mode. In other aspects, when the vehicle 102a or the key fob 108 determines that the vehicle 102a or the key fob 108 is located / parked in the parking lot 104 during night time or is located / parked in an enclosed parking lot / garage with low ambient light or a geographic area with a historically high crime rate, the vehicle 102a or the key fob 108 can automatically activate the key fob emergency mode.

[0023] In response to the key fob emergency mode activation, the key fob 108 may continuously (or at a preset frequency) transmit an emergency mode activation signal at a predefined wavelength for a predetermined duration, such as 10 minutes to 20 minutes. When the user 106 drives / walks past the vehicles 102b to 102e, those vehicles configured to receive the emergency mode activation signal at the predefined wavelength from the key fob 108 may be communicatively coupled (or "paired") with the key fob 108. In response to receiving the emergency mode activation signal from the key fob 108 (and pairing with the key fob 108), such vehicles (e.g., vehicles 102b to 102e) may activate corresponding emergency trigger features to make the user 106 feel safe. In some aspects, when the vehicles 102b to 102e activate the corresponding emergency trigger features, the vehicles 102b to 102e may activate one or more of their vehicle components. For example, the vehicles 102 b - 102 e may activate corresponding vehicle exterior lights to illuminate the path of the user 106 , activate vehicle cameras to capture images of the vehicle's surroundings, activate speakers to output preset messages, etc. As the user 106 with the key fob 108 moves away from the vehicle 102 b - 102 e , the vehicle 102 b - 102 e may stop receiving the emergency mode activation signal from the key fob 108 and may thus deactivate corresponding vehicle components.

[0024] As an example, in Figure 1 , when vehicle 102b receives the emergency mode activation signal from key fob 108, vehicle 102b may activate its vehicle components. As user 106 walks away from vehicle 102b and toward vehicle 102d, when vehicle 102b stops receiving the emergency mode activation signal from key fob 108, vehicle 102b may deactivate its vehicle components. Further, in this case, when vehicle 102d receives the emergency mode activation signal from key fob 108, vehicle 102d may activate its vehicle components, and when the vehicle stops receiving the emergency mode activation signal from key fob 108, may deactivate its vehicle components.

[0025] Combined with the following Figures 2 to 4 Details of actions performed by the vehicles 102 b - 102 e in response to obtaining the emergency mode activation signal from the key fob 108 are described.

[0026] The user 106 , the vehicles 102 a - 102 e , and / or the key fob 108 implement and / or perform operations as described herein in the present disclosure in accordance with the vehicle owner's manual and safety guidelines.

[0027] Figure 2 A block diagram of an example system 200 for activating an emergency trigger feature of a vehicle according to the present disclosure is depicted. Figure 2 When you can refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 .

[0028] System 200 may include a vehicle 202, a key fob 204, another vehicle 206, and one or more servers 208 that are communicatively coupled to each other via one or more networks 210. Vehicle 202 may be the same as vehicle 102a, and key fob 204 may be a combination of the above. Figure 1 The key fob 204 may be the same as the key fob 108 described above. The key fob 204 may be associated or paired with the vehicle 202. In addition, the key fob 204 may not be paired with the vehicle 206. Specifically, the vehicle 206 may be one of the above-mentioned vehicles 102b to 102e that may not be associated or paired with the key fob 204; however, the vehicle 206 may be configured to receive an emergency mode activation signal at a predefined wavelength from the key fob 204. The server 208 may be associated with a call center or a company that provides monitoring and / or emergency response services. In another aspect, the server 208 may be associated with an authority (e.g., the police).

[0029] Network 210 may be and / or include the Internet, a private network, a public network, or other configurations operating using any one or more known communication protocols, such as, for example, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Wi-Fi, ultra-wideband (UWB), near-field communication (NFC), radio frequency identification (RFID), based on Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard 802.11, and cellular technologies such as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPDA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and Fifth Generation (5G), to name a few.

[0030] The vehicle 206 may include a number of units including, but not limited to, a transceiver 212 , a processor 214 , a memory 216 , one or more cameras 218 , exterior lights 220 , speakers 222 , and a telematics control unit (TCU) 224 .

[0031] The transceiver 212 may be configured to receive / transmit data, information, signals, notifications, etc. from / to units or components external or internal to the vehicle 202. For example, the transceiver 212 may be configured to transmit data, images, notifications, etc. to the server 208 via the network 210. The transceiver 212 may further be configured to transmit and / or receive signals, data information, etc. to / from the processor 214, the memory 216, and other components / units within the vehicle 206.

[0032] The processor 214 may be configured to communicate with one or more memory devices (eg, memory 216 and / or memory 218) configured to communicate with a corresponding computing system. Figure 2The processor 214 may utilize the memory 216 to store programs and / or store data in code form to perform various aspects of the present disclosure. The memory 216 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage memory or medium that stores an emergency mode activation code that enables the processor 214 to perform functions according to the present disclosure when executed by the processor 214. The memory 216 may include any one or combination of volatile memory elements (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), etc.), and may include any one or more non-volatile memory elements (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), etc.).

[0033] In some aspects, the memory 216 may include an image database 226 and an image processing module 228. The image database 226 may be configured to store images captured by the camera 218. The image processing module 228 as described herein may be stored in the form of computer executable instructions, and the processor 214 may be configured and / or programmed to execute the stored computer executable instructions to determine whether an emergency condition can be met. Specifically, the processor 214 may be an artificial intelligence (AI)-based processor that may execute instructions stored in the image processing module 228 to analyze images captured by the camera 218 and determine whether an emergency condition (e.g., an attack, undesirable activity, etc.) may be occurring near the vehicle 206.

[0034] The TCU 224 may be configured and / or programmed to provide vehicle connectivity to wireless computing systems on and off the vehicle 206 and may include a navigation (NAV) receiver for receiving and processing GPS signals, modules, Wi-Fi transceivers, UWB transceivers, low frequency antennas, remote tuner module (RTM) antennas, and / or other wireless transceivers / antennas that may be configured for wireless communication (including cellular communication) between the vehicle 206 and other systems (e.g., key fob 204), computers, and modules. Figure 2 not shown).

[0035] The computing system architecture of the vehicle 206 may omit certain computing modules. It should be readily understood that Figure 2 The computing environment depicted in FIG. 1 is an example of possible implementations according to the present disclosure and, therefore, should not be considered limiting or exclusive.

[0036] In operation, the user 106 may activate the key fob emergency mode of the key fob 204 by actuating a dedicated actuator (not shown) on the key fob 108, as described above in conjunction with Figure 1 As described. In response to user 106 actuating the dedicated actuator, key fob 204 (e.g., key fob transceiver, not shown) may receive a trigger signal from the dedicated actuator instructing key fob 204 to transmit an emergency mode activation signal, as described above. In some aspects, when vehicle 202 (or key fob 204) enters or is parked in a geographic area with a historically high crime rate, a parking lot (e.g., parking lot 104), or a location where ambient light may be low, vehicle 202 (or key fob 204) may automatically activate the key fob emergency mode of key fob 204 (by transmitting a trigger signal to the key fob transceiver). In this case, vehicle 202 may pre-store information associated with geographic areas with high crime rates, or may obtain the information from an external server at a predefined frequency, and may activate the key fob emergency mode when vehicle 202 detects that vehicle 202 has entered or is parked in such a geographic area. In response to vehicle 202 automatically activating the key fob emergency mode, key fob 204 (or key fob transceiver) may receive a trigger signal from vehicle 202.

[0037] In response to receiving the trigger signal, the key fob 204 (or a key fob processor, not shown) may generate an emergency mode activation signal, and may transmit the emergency mode activation signal at a predefined wavelength for a predefined duration (e.g., 10 minutes to 20 minutes). The emergency mode activation signal may be configured to elicit a response from a vehicle (e.g., vehicle 206) that receives the emergency mode activation signal. In some aspects, the predefined wavelength may be different from the wavelength at which the key fob 204 transmits / receives signals to / from the vehicle 202 to cause the vehicle 202 to perform one or more functions, such as unlocking or locking the doors, activating the vehicle engine, controlling one or more vehicle components, etc.

[0038] If the user 106 wants the key fob 204 to keep transmitting the emergency mode activation signal for a longer duration (e.g., when the user 106 may not have left the parking lot 104), the user 106 can activate the key fob emergency mode again after the predefined duration by actuating a dedicated actuator. In some aspects, the key fob 204 can transmit the emergency mode activation signal to communicatively couple with the vehicle 206 (which can be configured to receive the emergency mode activation signal at a predefined wavelength). Specifically, when the key fob 204 transmits the emergency mode activation signal, the TCU 224 can receive the emergency mode activation signal from the key fob 204. Then, the TCU 224 can transmit the emergency mode activation signal to the processor 214. In response to obtaining the emergency mode activation signal, the processor 214 can activate the emergency trigger feature of the vehicle. Specifically, in response to obtaining the emergency mode activation signal, the processor 214 can activate one or more vehicle components to make the user 106 feel safe in the parking lot 104.

[0039] For example, in response to receiving the emergency mode activation signal, the processor 214 can activate the exterior lights 220 to illuminate the path of the user 106, such as Figure 3 302. By activating or lighting the exterior lights 220, the processor 214 enables the user 106 to feel safe in the parking lot 104.

[0040] As another example, in response to obtaining the emergency mode activation signal, the processor 214 may activate the speaker 222 to output a predefined audio message to make the user 106 feel safe and alert any passers-by.

[0041] In another exemplary aspect, in response to obtaining the emergency mode activation signal, the processor 214 can activate the camera 218 (specifically, the vehicle exterior camera) to capture images near the vehicle 206. The processor 214 can store the images captured by the camera 218 in the image database 226. The processor 214 can also be configured to dynamically expand the range of the camera 218 based on the vehicle position and line of sight / field of view relative to the user 106 (i.e., relative to the key fob 204). For example, the processor 214 can dynamically adjust the camera range based on the distance between the key fob 204 and the vehicle 206 (determined by the signal strength of the signal received through the TCU 224).

[0042] In some aspects, the processor 214 may also transmit the captured image to the server 208 via the transceiver 212, such as Figure 3304 of . As described above, the server 208 may be associated with a call center or a company that provides monitoring and / or emergency response services. The server 208 may automatically analyze the images obtained from the transceiver 212, or an operator operating the server 208 may analyze the images and determine whether an emergency condition can be met. In some aspects, an emergency condition may be met when the user 106 may be under attack, a theft attempt may be occurring near the vehicle 206, or any other undesirable activity. In response to determining that the emergency condition can be met, the server 208 may transmit a notification to the authorities (e.g., the police) informing them that there is an emergency condition. In some aspects, in addition to the images captured by the camera 218, the notification may also include the geographic location of the vehicle 206, which may be provided to the server 208 by the transceiver 212.

[0043] In further aspects, in response to determining that an emergency condition may be met, the server 208 may transmit a speaker activation signal and a predefined message to the transceiver 212. In response to receiving the speaker activation signal and the predefined message, the transceiver 212 may send the received information to the processor 214. In response to obtaining the speaker activation signal and the predefined message from the transceiver 212, the processor 214 may activate the speaker 222 and cause the speaker 222 to output the predefined message. In an exemplary aspect, the predefined message may be “You are under surveillance.” It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that in response to hearing such a message via the speaker 222, a person indulging in undesirable activities may evacuate the parking lot 104, thereby making the user 106 feel safe.

[0044] As yet another example, instead of or in addition to transmitting the images captured by the camera 118 to the server 208, the processor 214 may execute instructions stored in the image processing module 228 to analyze the captured images and itself determine whether an emergency condition (e.g., an attack, unexpected activity, etc.) may be or may be occurring near the vehicle 206. In response to determining that an emergency condition may be met, the processor 214 may perform one or more predefined actions. Examples of predefined actions include, but are not limited to, transmitting an alert notification to the server 208 and / or to authorities (e.g., the police), such as Figure 3 306. The alert notification may include the captured image and the vehicle's geographic location so that authorities may take remedial action.

[0045] In some aspects, the processor 214 may be additionally configured to activate one or more of the above-described vehicle components based on the time of day (e.g., determined via a timer (not shown) of the vehicle) and / or the illumination level of ambient light near the vehicle 206 (e.g., detected by an ambient light sensor (not shown) of the vehicle). Specifically, in response to obtaining the emergency mode activation signal from the key fob 204, the processor 214 may determine the appropriate vehicle components to activate based on the time of day and / or the illumination level of ambient light. For example, the processor 214 may activate the camera 218 without activating the exterior lights 220 during daytime or when the illumination level of ambient light may be greater than a predefined illumination threshold (which may be pre-stored in the memory 216). As another example, the processor 214 may activate both the camera 218 and the exterior lights 220 during nighttime or when the illumination level of ambient light may be less than a predefined illumination threshold.

[0046] In another aspect, the processor 214 can be configured to determine appropriate vehicle components to activate based on the vehicle battery state of charge (SoC). For example, the processor 214 can activate only the exterior lights 220, but not the camera 218, when the battery SoC may be less than a predefined SoC threshold (which can be pre-stored in the memory 216).

[0047] The processor 214 may also be configured to disable vehicle components when the TCU 224 stops receiving the emergency mode activation signal from the key fob 204 (e.g., when the key fob 204 moves away from the vehicle 206). For example, the processor 214 may turn off or disable the exterior lights 220, the camera 218, and / or the speaker 222 when the user 106 carrying the key fob 204 moves away from the vehicle 206 (when the TCU 224 does not receive the emergency mode activation signal from the key fob 204).

[0048] In some aspects, when processor 214 determines that one or more occupants may be present in vehicle 206, processor 214 does not activate or deactivate vehicle components even if TCU 224 receives an emergency mode activation signal from key fob 204. Specifically, processor 214 can be configured to obtain input from one or more vehicle sensors (e.g., interior radio detection and ranging (radar) sensors, not shown) and determine whether one or more occupants may be sitting in vehicle 206. In response to determining that an occupant is present in vehicle 206 based on input obtained from the vehicle sensors (e.g., Figure 4 402), even if the TCU 224 receives an emergency mode activation signal from the key fob 204, the processor 214 will not activate vehicle components, such as Figure 4 shown.

[0049] Figure 5A flow chart of an example method 500 for activating an emergency trigger feature of a vehicle (eg, vehicle 206) according to the present disclosure is depicted. Figure 5 The following process is exemplary and is not limited to the steps described below. Furthermore, alternative embodiments may include more or fewer steps than shown or described herein, and may include the steps in an order different from the order described in the following exemplary embodiments.

[0050] The method 500 begins at step 502. At step 504, the method 500 may include obtaining, by the processor 214, an emergency mode activation signal at a predefined wavelength from the key fob 204. At step 506, the method 500 may include activating, by the processor 214, one or more vehicle components in response to obtaining the emergency mode activation signal. As described above, the vehicle components may include the camera 218, the exterior lights 220, and the speaker 222.

[0051] At 508 , method 500 may include deactivating, by processor 214 , a vehicle component when key fob 204 is moved away from vehicle 206 .

[0052] Method 500 ends at step 510 .

[0053] In the above disclosure, reference has been made to the accompanying drawings that form a part of the above disclosure, which illustrate specific embodiments in which the present disclosure can be practiced. It should be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. References to "one embodiment," "embodiment," "example embodiment," etc. in this specification indicate that the described embodiment may include specific features, structures, or characteristics, but each embodiment may not necessarily include the specific features, structures, or characteristics. In addition, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, when features, structures, or characteristics are described in conjunction with an embodiment, whether or not explicitly described, those skilled in the art will recognize such features, structures, or characteristics in conjunction with other embodiments.

[0054] In addition, where appropriate, the functions described herein may be performed in one or more of the following: hardware, software, firmware, digital components, or analog components. For example, one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) may be programmed to perform one or more of the systems and programs described herein. Certain terms are used throughout the specification and claims to refer to specific system components. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, components may be referred to by different names. This document is not intended to distinguish between components that have different names but the same function.

[0055] It should also be understood that the word "example" as used herein is intended to be non-exclusive and non-limiting in nature. More specifically, the word "example" used herein indicates one of several examples, and it should be understood that no undue emphasis or preference is placed on the specific example described.

[0056] Computer-readable media (also referred to as processor-readable media) include any non-transitory (e.g., tangible) media that participate in providing data (e.g., instructions) that can be read by a computer (e.g., by a processor of a computer). Such media can take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile media and volatile media. A computing device may include computer-executable instructions, where the instructions may be executable by one or more computing devices (such as those listed above) and stored on a computer-readable medium.

[0057] With respect to the processes, systems, methods, heuristics, etc. described herein, it should be understood that although the steps of such processes, etc. have been described as occurring according to a certain ordered sequence, such processes may be practiced by performing the described steps in an order different from the order described herein. It should also be understood that certain steps may be performed simultaneously, other steps may be added, or certain steps described herein may be omitted. In other words, the descriptions of processes herein are provided for the purpose of illustrating various embodiments and should in no way be construed as limiting the claims.

[0058] Therefore, it should be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Upon reading the above description, many embodiments and applications other than the examples provided will be apparent. The scope should not be determined with reference to the above description, but should be determined with reference to the entire scope of the appended claims and equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is expected and anticipated that the technology discussed herein will develop in the future, and the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. In short, it should be understood that the present application is capable of modification and change.

[0059] Unless explicitly indicated to the contrary in this article, all terms used in the claims are intended to be given their ordinary meanings as understood by the skilled person described herein. Specifically, unless the claims state an explicit limitation to the contrary, the use of singular articles such as "one", "the", "said" and the like should be interpreted as describing one or more of the indicated elements. Unless otherwise specifically stated or understood in other ways within the context when used, conditional language such as, in particular, "can", "may", "can" or "may" is generally intended to express that certain embodiments may include certain features, elements and / or steps, while other embodiments may not include certain features, elements and / or steps. Therefore, such conditional language is generally not intended to imply that one or more embodiments require each feature, element and / or step in any way.

[0060] In one aspect of the invention, the vehicle component comprises a vehicle camera.

[0061] In one aspect of the invention, the method includes obtaining an image captured from the vehicle camera; determining based on the image that a predefined emergency condition is satisfied; and performing a predefined action in response to determining that the predefined emergency condition is satisfied.

[0062] In one aspect of the invention, the predefined action includes transmitting an alert notification to a server.

[0063] In one aspect of the invention, the method includes: obtaining an image captured from the vehicle camera; and transmitting the image to a server.

[0064] In one aspect of the invention, the method includes deactivating the vehicle component when the processor ceases to obtain the emergency mode activation signal from the vehicle access device.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising: a transceiver configured to receive an emergency mode activation signal at a predefined wavelength from a vehicle access device, wherein the vehicle access device is not paired with the vehicle; and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: obtaining the emergency mode activation signal from the transceiver; and A vehicle component is activated in response to obtaining the emergency mode activation signal.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The vehicle component includes a vehicle camera.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein: The processor is further configured to: obtaining an image captured from a camera of the vehicle; determining based on the image that a predefined emergency condition is satisfied; and A predefined action is performed in response to determining that the predefined emergency condition is met.

4. The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein: The predefined action includes transmitting an alert notification to a server.

5. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein: The processor is further configured to: obtaining an image captured from a camera of the vehicle; and The image is transmitted to a server.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein: The vehicle component includes at least one of: a vehicle exterior light and a vehicle speaker.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein: The processor is further configured to activate the vehicle component based on at least one of: time of day and ambient light illumination level.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein: The processor is further configured to deactivate the vehicle component when the transceiver ceases to receive the emergency mode activation signal from the vehicle access device.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein: The processor is further configured to: Obtain input from vehicle sensors; detecting the presence of an occupant in the vehicle based on the input obtained from the vehicle sensors; and The vehicle component is deactivated in response to detecting the presence of the occupant.

10. A vehicle access device, comprising: a transceiver configured to receive a trigger signal; as well as a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: obtaining the trigger signal from the transceiver; generating an emergency mode activation signal in response to obtaining the trigger signal; and Transmitting the emergency mode activation signal at a predefined wavelength, wherein the emergency mode activation signal is configured to elicit a response from a vehicle, the vehicle being configured to receive the emergency mode activation signal at the predefined wavelength, and wherein the vehicle is not paired with the vehicle access device.

11. The vehicle access device according to claim 10, wherein: The vehicle access device is a key fob or a Phone as a Key (PaaK).

12. The vehicle access device according to claim 10, wherein: The transceiver receives the trigger signal from a first vehicle, wherein the vehicle access device is paired with the first vehicle, and wherein the first vehicle is configured to transmit the trigger signal to the vehicle access device when the first vehicle is located in a predefined geographic area.

13. The vehicle access device according to claim 10, wherein: When a user actuates an actuator provided on the vehicle access device, the transceiver receives the trigger signal from the actuator.

14. A method comprising: obtaining, by a processor of a vehicle, an emergency mode activation signal at a predefined wavelength from a vehicle access device, wherein the vehicle access device is not paired with the vehicle; and A vehicle component is activated by the processor in response to obtaining the emergency mode activation signal.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein: The vehicle access device is a key fob or a Phone as a Key (PaaK).

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