DEVICE AND METHOD FOR INITIALLY MAKING AN EMERGENCY CALL USING A PERSONAL COMMUNICATION DEVICE

Abstract

Vehicle system, which includes the following: a control device (20) designed to perform the following: Receiving a vehicle status signal indicating that a vehicle (10) is in an emergency condition, Determine whether a previously connected personal communication device (PCD) (14) is within a predetermined signal range of the vehicle (10) after receiving the vehicle status signal indicating that the vehicle (10) is in an emergency state, and Initializing a timer that specifies a waiting period during which an emergency call should be made after it has been determined that the previously connected PCD (14) is within the specified signal range of the vehicle (10) and before sending a request to the PCD (14), wherein the PCD (14) corresponds to a PCD (14) that was not previously connected, Repeatedly sending the request via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to the PCD (14) to contact an emergency service, responding to the receipt of the vehicle status signal, and Terminating the sending of the request to contact the emergency service upon receipt of confirmation from the PCD (14) that the emergency service has been contacted, characterized by the fact that the control unit (20) is designed to respond to the detection that the timer has not expired and that the previously connected PCD (14) is not within the specified signal range of the vehicle, to send a request to the PCD (14) to contact the emergency service.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Aspects of the present disclosure provide an apparatus and method for a vehicle Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) system to cooperate with one or more personal communication devices (PCDs) located inside or outside the vehicle to contact emergency services. BACKGROUND

[0002] US Patent 8,467,933 discloses a system for controlling the process of executing an emergency notification in a vehicle. The system includes a controller configured to receive at least one driver status signal indicating whether the driver is either the primary driver or the secondary driver from a key ignition device disposed on at least one of a primary key and the secondary key. The controller is configured to determine, based on the at least one driver status signal, whether the driver of the vehicle is either the primary driver or the secondary driver. The controller is configured to selectively control the process of executing an emergency notification based on whether the driver of the vehicle is either the primary driver or the secondary driver.

[0003] US Patent 7,904,053 discloses a method and apparatus for providing an emergency notification by a wireless mobile device in response to the triggering of a sensor. A detection system, which may be located within a vehicle, includes one or more sensors configured to detect an emergency and transmit a message related to the emergency over a wireless connection. The wireless mobile device may be programmed to call a predetermined emergency number, such as E911, in response to the received message and to transmit data, including location and other information, from the mobile device to the emergency number.

[0004] Document CN 1 01 064 870 A describes a vehicle system comprising a control device configured to perform the following: receiving a vehicle status signal indicating that a vehicle is in an emergency status, further determining whether a previously connected PCD is within a predetermined signal range of the vehicle after receiving the vehicle status signal indicating that the vehicle is in the emergency status, and initializing a timer after determining whether the previously connected PCD is within the predetermined signal range of the vehicle and before sending the request to the PCD, wherein the PCD corresponds to a PCD not previously connected, further sending a request via Bluetooth to a personal communication device to contact an emergency call service in response to receiving a vehicle status signal,and receiving confirmation from the PCD that the emergency services have been contacted. Further relevant prior art relating to the background of the invention is provided by the documents CN 1 03 342 118 A and JP 2015-158 733 A. SUMMARY

[0005] A vehicle system includes a controller configured to perform the following: receiving a vehicle condition signal indicating that a vehicle is in an emergency condition, repeatedly sending a request via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to a personal communication device (PCD) to contact an emergency service in response to receiving the vehicle condition signal, and terminating the sending of the request to contact the emergency service in response to receiving an acknowledgment from the PCD that the emergency service has been contacted.

[0006] A personal communications device (PCD) comprises a controller configured to receive a request from a vehicle via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to contact an emergency service, and send an acknowledgment that the emergency service has been contacted to the vehicle via BLE in response to either: receiving a first input accepting the request and contacting the emergency service, or receiving a second input rejecting the request, sending the request to a service provider server (SPS), and receiving a signal from the SPS indicating that the emergency service has been contacted.

[0007] A method for a vehicle comprises: receiving, by a controller having a transceiver, a vehicle emergency condition signal; sending, via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), a request to a personal communication device (PCD) to contact emergency services in response to the emergency condition signal; receiving, at the controller via BLE, a PCD acknowledgment indicating that emergency services have been contacted; and ceasing to send the request in response to receipt of the acknowledgment at the controller. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0008] The embodiments of the present disclosure are particularly pointed out in the appended claims. However, other features of the various embodiments will become more apparent and will be best understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 an implementation that uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for wireless communication with one or more personal communication devices (PCDs), Fig. 2 shows a vehicle control device for contacting an emergency service provider using a PCD according to an embodiment, Fig. 3 shows a vehicle control device for contacting an emergency service provider using a PCD according to an embodiment, Fig. 4 a method for electronically initiating an emergency call using the vehicle control device of Fig. 3 according to one embodiment and the Fig. 5A - 5B Method for electronically initiating an emergency call also using the vehicle control device from Fig. 3 according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples of the invention, which may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale, and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching those skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.

[0010] The embodiments of the present disclosure generally provide a plurality of circuits or other electrical devices. All references to the circuits and other electrical devices, and the functionality provided by each, should not be construed as limited to only what is illustrated and described herein. While specific labels may be assigned to the various circuits or other electrical devices disclosed, these labels should not be construed as limiting the scope of operation of the circuits and other electrical devices. Such circuits and other electrical devices may be combined and / or separated from one another in any manner based on the particular type of electrical implementation desired.It is recognized that any circuit or other electrical device disclosed herein may include any number of microprocessors, integrated circuits, memory devices (e.g., FLASH, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or other suitable variations thereof), and software that cooperate to perform any operation(s) disclosed herein. In addition, one or more of the electrical devices may be configured to execute a computer program embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable medium that is programmed to perform any number of the disclosed functions.

[0011] In the event of an accident, a driver may be unable to contact emergency services, or may be slow to do so. This becomes a problem if the driver and passengers are in an emergency situation. Services currently exist to contact emergency personnel without assistance in the event of an accident, but these services require a subscription or a phone connected to the vehicle.

[0012] Without available wireless network service or a phone paired with the vehicle, a disabled driver could potentially be in danger. For example, a driver could lose control of a vehicle and fall into a ditch where visibility from the road is limited. Because the driver is disabled and because of the limited visibility of the crash, bystanders might not notice the vehicle. Accordingly, in light of the foregoing, a system and method for the vehicle to initiate an emergency call using one or more personal communication devices (PCDs) is provided herein.

[0013] The embodiments provided herein disclose an apparatus and method for automatically detecting an emergency, electronically initiating a request to contact emergency personnel, and notifying the driver when emergency personnel have been alerted. The apparatus and method utilize Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for wireless communication between a controller, including an announcement device, in the vehicle for detecting an emergency and a scanner located in a personal communications device (PCD) for electronically initiating an emergency call. An advantage of the announcement device / scanner relationship as set forth herein is that neither device needs to be electronically paired and connected to authorize communication between the devices.

[0014] The BLE advertiser / scanner interface described above can be applied to the automotive environment to facilitate the apparatus and method for electronically initiating a request to wirelessly and automatically contact emergency services in response to the detection of an emergency. A BLE-based transceiver can be incorporated into the vehicle control device and function in the role of the advertiser within the BLE environment. Such a transceiver can advertise a set of data, including, but not limited to, vehicle location, vehicle description, number of vehicle occupants, vehicle-unique identifier, seatbelt and airbag status, and other data that enables emergency response personnel to more effectively determine the vehicle's geographic location and assess the extent of the emergency.Similarly, another BLE-based transceiver can be located in a PCD and function in the scanner role within the BLE environment. This PCD transceiver can receive announcements from one or more transceivers located in the vehicle and process the received data. The vehicle can then electronically alert emergency personnel via the PCD in the event of an emergency and receive electronic confirmation from the PCD when contact with emergency services has been established. A vehicle control device can receive electronic notification of the occurrence of an emergency from other vehicle control devices. This aspect is discussed in further detail below with reference to [Figure 1]. Fig. 1 discussed.

[0015] Fig. 1 shows a vehicle 10 provided with a vehicle controller 12 for initiating an emergency call using a personal communications device (PCD) 14 on a wireless network 13 in response to detecting that an emergency has occurred and for receiving an acknowledgment when an emergency service provider (emergency call service) 16 has been contacted. The emergency call service 16 includes at least one emergency service server (emergency server) 17 to facilitate receiving a request for emergency assistance and sending the emergency assistance services to an end user, including, for example, police, fire departments, emergency medical services (EMS), or ambulances, etc. It will be appreciated that the emergency call service 16 may be used interchangeably with at least one emergency server 17 herein.

[0016] The vehicle control device 12 can contact the emergency server 17 via the PCD 14. The PCD 14 can be configured to function as a scanner and can be implemented as a mobile phone, a tablet, a laptop, a portable computer, etc. The PCD 14 includes an interactive display such as a touchscreen, a push-button dialer, etc., for receiving user input. The PCD 14 is configured to accept the request to contact the emergency service 16, such as 911, a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), or an emergency operator, and to send an electronic confirmation when contact with the emergency service 16 has been established.

[0017] The PCD 14 is further configured to reject the electronic request from the vehicle controller 12 to contact the emergency server 17 and to contact a service provider 18, thereby indicating that the vehicle 10 may be experiencing an emergency situation. The service provider 18 includes at least one service provider server (SPS) 19 to facilitate the provision of wireless communication services to the PCD 14 using the network infrastructure, network devices, and other elements necessary to sell and deliver services to an end user, including, for example, radio spectrum allocation, towing infrastructure, billing, customer service, computer system provisioning, and marketing and repair organizations. Examples of the service provider 18 may include, but are not limited to, Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, etc.It is recognized that the service provider 18 can be used here interchangeably with at least one PLC 19.

[0018] The SPS 19 is configured to electronically receive a notification from the PCD 14 that the vehicle 10 may be experiencing an emergency. The SPS 19 may further be configured to electronically contact the emergency server 17 to indicate that the vehicle 10 may be in an emergency situation, in response to confirmation that the vehicle 10 is indeed in distress. The SPS 19 may transmit an electronic acknowledgment to the PCD 14 when contact with the emergency server 17 has been established. The PCD 14 may, in response to receiving an electronic acknowledgment from the SPS 19, send a signal to the vehicle controller 12 indicating that contact with the emergency server 17 has been established.

[0019] Fig. 2 shows the vehicle controller 12 disposed in the vehicle 10 to instruct the PCD 14 to contact the emergency server 17. The vehicle controller 12 includes a BLE emergency notification controller (or controller) 20 configured, in response to determining that an emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10 (e.g., a vehicle impact, airbag deployment, vehicle rollover, etc.), to send a request to the PCD 14 to contact emergency personnel. A BLE-based transceiver 22 is electrically coupled to the controller 20. The controller 20 and transceiver 22 on the vehicle 10 can be defined as an announcement device in the BLE environment. It will be appreciated that the transceiver 22 can be disposed either internal to the controller 20 or external to the controller 20.

[0020] The controller 20 may receive an electronic notification that an emergency has occurred from one or more vehicle controllers 24a-24z (hereinafter, vehicle controllers 24) and / or from one or more sensors 25. In one example, the controller 20 may receive an electronic notification from one or more vehicle controllers 24 in response to a vehicle operating condition monitor or control, including a powertrain controller 24a, a braking system controller 24b, an anti-lock brake controller 24c, a restraint controller 24d, and an electronic stability controller 24z, including, for example, but not limited to, a traction controller (not shown), a yaw stability controller (not shown), and a rollover stability controller (not shown).

[0021] Alternatively, and in addition to electronic notification from the one or more vehicle control devices 24, the control device 20 may receive electronic input signals from one or more vehicle sensors 25, including, but not limited to, accelerometers, pressure sensors, airbag deployment sensors, vehicle impact sensors, instrument panel impact sensors, seat / passenger impact sensors, rollover sensors, temperature sensors, fuel flow cutoff switches, etc. Emergency signals from these and other vehicle control devices and sensors may be received wired, wirelessly, or over a vehicle network.

[0022] The controller 20 may further be connected to an auxiliary protocol interface controller 27, including, for example, the Ford Motor Company ® offered SVNC ®-System, a vehicle navigation system 29 provided with a global positioning system (GPS) 31 and a visual front-end interface (not shown) for user interaction, and a vehicle telematics controller (not shown) capable of establishing connectivity between a PCD of vehicle occupants and one or more remote wireless networks.

[0023] The PCD 14 includes a BLE emergency service contact controller 26 and a BLE-based transceiver 28 to enable communication with the transceiver 22 on the vehicle 10 (or enable communication with the vehicle 10). As mentioned above, the controller 20 and the transceiver 22 on the vehicle 10 may be defined as an advertising device in the BLE environment. The controller 26 and the transceiver 28 on each respective PCD 14 may be defined as a scanner in the BLE environment. The controller 20 is configured to actively broadcast an ADV signal (or advertising signal) in response to receiving an emergency notification from the one or more vehicle controllers 24 and / or from the one or more vehicle sensors 25.Generally, controller 26 is configured to actively monitor for an electronic request from controller 20 to contact emergency server 17. For example, controller 26 may monitor for the ADV signal from controller 20 of vehicle 10, which indicates that vehicle 10 is experiencing an emergency.

[0024] The ADV signal generally serves as an electronic request from the controller 20 for the PCD 14 to contact the emergency server 17, and may include information associated with the vehicle 10, such as vehicle location, description of the vehicle, number of occupants, seatbelt and / or airbag status, etc. The ADV signal may further include a unique vehicle identifier of the vehicle 10.

[0025] In one example, in response to receiving the ADV signal from the controller 20, the controller 26 determines whether the user of the PCD 14 has accepted the electronic request to contact the emergency server 17. For example, the controller 26 may determine whether the PCD user has chosen to accept or reject the electronic request using the interactive display. If the PCD user has accepted the request, the controller 26 may electronically contact the emergency server 17. The controller 26 may then send a SCAN_REQ signal to the controller 20 of the vehicle 10, electronically confirming that the emergency server 17 has been contacted.

[0026] Controller 20 may actively cease broadcasting the ADV signal in response to receiving the SCAN_REQ signal from controller 26. In one example, controller 20 may receive the SCAN_REQ signal from controller 26 within a predetermined period of time before ceasing active broadcasting of the ADV signal. In such an example, controller 20 may initialize a timer during a predetermined period of time before sending the ADV signal to PCD 14. In another example, controller 20 may check whether the SCAN_REQ signal includes the unique vehicle identifier of vehicle 10 before ceasing active broadcasting of the ADV signal.

[0027] In one example, if the user of PCD 14 has declined the electronic request to contact emergency server 17, controller 26 may send a signal to PLC 19 indicating a request to contact emergency server 17. Further, in response to receiving an electronic confirmation from PLC 19 that contact with emergency server 17 has been established, controller 26 may send a SCAN_REQ signal to controller 20 electronically confirming that emergency server 17 has been contacted. These aspects are discussed in further detail below.

[0028] As in Fig. 2 and generally described above, a system for contacting emergency services using the PCD 14 includes a controller 20 configured to receive a vehicle condition signal indicating that a vehicle 10 is in an emergency condition, in response to receiving the vehicle condition signal, repeatedly send a request to the PCD 14 to contact an emergency service 16 via BLE, and in response to receiving an acknowledgment from the PCD 14 that the emergency service 16 has been contacted, cease sending the request to contact the emergency service 16.

[0029] Fig. 3 shows the vehicle controller 12 for actively requesting the PCD 14 to contact the emergency server 17, according to one embodiment. The controller 26 of the PCD 14 may determine that the user of the PCD 14 has declined the electronic request to contact the emergency server 17, for example, that the user of the PCD 14 has chosen to decline the request using the interactive display. The controller 26 may then send a signal to the PLC 19 indicating that the emergency server 17 may need to be contacted. The PLC 19 may contact the emergency server 17 in response to receiving the signal from the controller 26 of the PCD 14 indicating that the emergency server 17 may need to be contacted.

[0030] In one example, in response to receiving the request to contact the emergency server 17 at the instigation of the vehicle 10, the SPS 19 may wait a predetermined period of time before contacting the emergency server 17. In another example, the SPS 19 may wait to receive a predetermined number of requests to contact the emergency server 17 from one or more PCDs 14 before contacting the emergency server 17.

[0031] Generally, controller 26 is configured to receive the electronic acknowledgment signal from PLC 19, thereby confirming that emergency server 17 has been contacted. Controller 26 sends the SCAN_REQ signal to controller 20 in response to receiving the electronic acknowledgment signal from PLC 19. In one example, controller 26 may receive the electronic acknowledgment signal from PLC 19 within a predetermined period of time before sending the SCAN_REQ signal to controller 20. In such an example, controller 26 may initialize a timer for a predetermined period of time in response to sending the electronic request to PLC 19 to contact emergency server 17.

[0032] The controller 20 may actively cease broadcasting the ADV signal in response to receiving the SCAN_REQ signal from the controller 26. In one example, the controller 20 may check whether the SCAN_REQ signal includes a unique vehicle identifier of the vehicle 10 before discontinuing the active broadcast of the ADV signal. These aspects will be discussed in further detail with reference to Fig. 4 discussed.

[0033] As in Fig. 3 and generally described above, a PCD 14 for contacting an emergency service includes a controller 26 having a transceiver 28, the controller 26 being configured to receive, via BLE, a request from the vehicle 10 to contact an emergency service 16 and, in response to either receiving a first input accepting the request and contacting the emergency service 16 or receiving a second input rejecting the request, to send, via BLE, an acknowledgment to the vehicle 10 that the emergency service 16 has been contacted, to send the request to a SPS 19, and to receive a signal from the SPS 19 indicating that the emergency service 16 has been contacted.

[0034] Fig. Figure 4 illustrates a process 32 for actively requesting a PCD 14 to contact the emergency server 17, according to one embodiment. The process 32 begins at block 33, where the controller 20 receives an electronic notification from one or more vehicle controllers 24 and / or one or more sensors 25 that an emergency has occurred.

[0035] As described above, the controller 20 may receive electronic notification from one or more vehicle controllers 24 in response to the vehicle operating condition, including, but not limited to, the powertrain controller 24a, the braking system controller 24b, the anti-lock brake controller 24c, the restraint controller 24d, the electronic stability controller 24z, etc., as well as from one or more vehicle sensors 25, including, but not limited to, accelerometers, pressure sensors, airbag deployment sensors, vehicle impact sensors, instrument panel impact sensors, seat / passenger impact sensors, rollover sensors, temperature sensors, a fuel flow cut-off switch, etc.

[0036] In block 34, the controller 20 of the vehicle 10 determines whether one or more PCDs 14 are currently connected to the vehicle 10. In block 40, if one or more PCDs 14 are currently connected to the vehicle 10, the controller 20 electronically contacts the emergency server 17 using the currently connected PCD 14. In block 36, if no PCD 14 is currently connected to the vehicle 10, the controller 20 determines whether a previously paired PCD 14 is within a predetermined signal range of the vehicle 10. In one example, the controller 20 determines whether at least one PCD 14 that is within a predetermined signal range of the vehicle 10 has previously been paired with the vehicle telematics controller.

[0037] At block 38, if at least one PCD 14 located within a predetermined signal range of the vehicle 10 was previously paired with the vehicle telematics controller, the controller 20 determines whether a connection with the previously paired PCD 14 was successful. For example, the controller 20 determines whether the vehicle telematics controller was successfully connected to the previously paired PCD 14 via a wireless network connection.

[0038] In block 40, in response to determining that the vehicle telematics controller has successfully connected to the previously paired PCD 14 located within a predetermined signal range of the vehicle 10, the controller 20 electronically contacts the emergency server 17 using the previously paired PCD 14. In block 42, if the vehicle telematics controller has not successfully connected to the previously paired PCD 14, the controller 20 initializes an announcement timer for a predetermined period of time.

[0039] In block 44, the controller 20 determines whether the announcement timer has expired. In one example, the controller 20 determines that the announcement timer has expired if a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the timer was started. In block 46, if the announcement timer has expired, the controller 20 determines that no emergency call was made before the announcement timer expired, for example, that a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the timer was started, and exits the process 32. In block 48, if the announcement timer has not expired, the controller 20 determines whether a manual request to end the announcement has been received. In one example, the manual request to end the announcement is a user input via the visual front-end interface of the vehicle 10.In block 46, if the manual request to terminate the announcement has been received, the controller 20 determines that no call has been made to the emergency server 17 and exits the process 32.

[0040] In block 50, the controller 20 begins actively broadcasting the ADV signal to one or more PCDs 14 in response to determining that the announcement timer has not expired and that the manual request to stop active broadcasting has not been received. As previously described with reference to Fig. 2, the ADV signal may include information associated with the vehicle 10, such as vehicle location, description of the vehicle, number of occupants, etc. The ADV signal may further include the unique vehicle identifier of the vehicle 10.

[0041] In block 52, the controller 20 determines whether it has received the SCAN_REQ signal from the PCD 14. The SCAN_REQ signal may generally indicate that the emergency server 17 has been contacted. In one example, the SCAN_REQ signal may indicate that at least one of the PCD 14 and the PLC 19 has contacted the emergency server 17. If the controller 20 determines that it has not received the SCAN_REQ signal, the controller 20 returns to block 44 where it determines whether the advertisement timer has expired.

[0042] In block 53, in response to determining that it has received the SCAN_REQ signal, the controller 20 determines whether the SCAN_REQ signal includes the unique vehicle identifier. If not, the controller 20 returns to block 44 where it determines whether the advertisement timer has expired. If the controller 20 determines that the received SCAN_REQ signal includes the unique vehicle identifier, the controller 20 exits the process 32. Thus, in response to receiving the SCAN_REQ signal including the unique vehicle identifier of the vehicle 10, the controller 20 actively discontinues the transmission of the ADV signal.

[0043] At this point, process 32 may end. According to some embodiments, process 32 may be repeated in response to controller 20 receiving an electronic notification from one or more vehicle controllers 24 and / or one or more sensors 25 that an emergency has occurred, or in response to another electronic notification.

[0044] As in Fig. 4 and generally described above, a method for actively requesting a PCD 14 to contact an emergency service 16 comprises: receiving, by the controller 20 in communication with the transceiver 22, a vehicle emergency condition signal; transmitting a request to the PCD 14 to contact the emergency service 16 via BLE in response to the emergency condition signal; receiving, at the controller 20, a PCD acknowledgment indicating that the emergency service 16 has been contacted via BLE; and terminating transmission of the request at the controller 20 in response to receiving the acknowledgment.

[0045] Fig. 5A illustrates a process 55 for actively requesting a PCD 14 to contact the emergency server 17, according to one embodiment. The process 55 begins at block 56, where the controller 26 of the PCD 14 receives an electronic request from the controller 20 to contact the emergency server 17. In one example, the controller 26 actively monitors for and receives the ADV signal from the controller 20 via the BLE transceiver 28.

[0046] In block 58, the controller 26 determines whether the PCD 14 user has accepted the electronic request to contact the emergency server 17. In one example, the PCD user may accept the electronic request via the interactive display of the PCD 14. In block 60, if the PCD user has accepted the request, the controller 26 electronically contacts the emergency server 17. In block 62, the controller 26 sends the SCAN_REQ signal to the controller 20 of the vehicle 10, electronically confirming that contact with the emergency server 17 has been established. In one example, the SCAN_REQ signal may include the unique vehicle identifier.

[0047] In block 64, if the PCD user has declined the electronic request to contact the emergency server 17, for example, the PCD user has chosen to decline the request via the interactive display of the PCD 14, the controller 26 sends a signal to the PLC 19 indicating that the emergency server 17 may need to be contacted by the vehicle 10. The signal to the PLC 19 may include information pertaining to the vehicle 10, such as the vehicle location, the description of the vehicle, the number of occupants, the seatbelt and / or airbag status, etc. The signal may further include a unique vehicle identifier for the vehicle 10.

[0048] In block 66, the controller 26 initializes a timer in response to the signal being sent to the PLC 19. In block 68, the controller 26 determines whether the timer has expired, for example, whether a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the timer was started. In block 70, if the timer has expired, the controller 26 determines that the emergency server 17 has not been contacted and exits the process 55 without sending a SCAN_REQ signal to the controller 20. In block 72, if the controller 26 determines in block 68 that the timer has not expired, it determines whether it has received electronic confirmation from the PLC 19 that the PLC 19 has contacted the emergency server 17. If this is the case, the control device 26 sends the signal SCAN_REQ to the control device 20 of the vehicle 10 in block 62, thereby electronically confirming that the emergency server 17 has been contacted.In one example, the SCAN_REQ signal may include the unique vehicle identifier. If the controller 26 determines that it has not received electronic confirmation from the PLC 19 that the PLC 19 has contacted the emergency server 17, the controller 26 returns to block 68, where it determines whether the timer has expired.

[0049] In block 74, the SPS 19 receives the electronic request to contact the emergency server 17 from the vehicle 10. In block 76, the SPS 19, in response to receiving the request, electronically contacts the emergency server 17. In one example, the SPS 19, in response to receiving the electronic request to contact the emergency server 17 from the vehicle 10, waits a predetermined period of time before contacting the emergency server 17. In another example, the SPS 19 waits to receive a predetermined number of electronic requests to contact the emergency server 17 from one or more PCDs 14 before contacting the emergency server 17. This aspect will be discussed in further detail with reference to Fig. 5B discussed.

[0050] In block 78, the PLC 19 sends confirmation to the control device 26 of the PCD 14 that contact with the emergency server 17 has been established. The confirmation signal from the PLC 19 includes the unique vehicle identification of the vehicle 10.

[0051] At this point, process 55 may end. According to some embodiments, process 55 may be repeated in response to controller 26 receiving an electronic request to contact emergency server 17 or in response to another electronic message or request.

[0052] Fig. 5B shows a process 55 for actively requesting a PCD 14 to contact the emergency server 17, according to one embodiment. In accordance with the method described with reference to Fig. 5A, the process 55 begins in block 56, where the controller 26 of the PCD 14 receives the electronic request to contact the emergency server 17. As described with reference to Fig. 5A, the process 55 continues from block 58 to block 74. In block 74, the PLC 19 receives an electronic request to contact the emergency server 17 from the vehicle 10.

[0053] In block 80, the PLC 19 increments a prompt count of received emergency contacts. In block 82, the PLC 19 determines whether the prompt count is greater than a predetermined value. In block 84, the PLC 19 waits for additional prompts in response to the determination in block 82 that the prompt count is less than a predetermined value. In one example, the PLC 19 may wait for additional prompts for a predetermined period of time.

[0054] In block 86, the PLC 19 determines whether a new request to contact the emergency server 17 has been received. In block 80, in response to the determination in block 86 that it has received a new request to contact the emergency server 17, the PLC 19 increments the received emergency contact request count. In one example, the PLC 19 determines, based on a unique vehicle identifier, whether the received new request is for the same vehicle 10 as the initial request before incrementing the received emergency contact request count.

[0055] The SPS 19 returns to block 84 in response to the determination in block 86 that it has not received a new request to contact the emergency server 17, for example, the SPS 19 has not received a new request with the same unique vehicle identifier as the initial request. In block 84, the SPS 19 waits for a predetermined period of time for additional requests to contact the emergency server 17.

[0056] In block 88, the PLC 19 contacts the emergency server 17 in response to the determination in block 82 that the request count of received emergency contacts is greater than a predetermined value. In block 90, the PLC 19 sends the acknowledgment to the controller 26 of the PCD 14 indicating that contact with the emergency server 17 has been established. The acknowledgment signal from the PLC 19 may include the unique vehicle identifier of the vehicle 10. At this point, the process 55 may end. According to some embodiments, the process described above with reference to Fig. 5B may be repeated in response to receipt of an electronic request to contact the emergency server 17 or other communication or request.

[0057] Although exemplary embodiments have been described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, the features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.

Claims

[1] Vehicle system comprising: a control device (20) designed to carry out the following: Receiving a vehicle status signal indicating that a vehicle (10) is in an emergency condition, Determining whether a previously connected personal communication device (PCD) (14) is within a predetermined signal range of the vehicle (10) after receiving the vehicle condition signal indicating that the vehicle (10) is in the emergency condition, and Initializing a timer that specifies a waiting period during which an emergency call is to be made after determining that the previously connected PCD (14) is within the predetermined signal range of the vehicle (10) and before sending a request to the PCD (14), wherein the PCD (14) corresponds to a PCD (14) that was not previously connected, repeatedly sending the request via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to the PCD (14) to contact an emergency service in response to the receipt of the vehicle status signal, and terminating the sending of the request to contact the emergency service in response to receipt of an acknowledgment from the PCD (14) that the emergency service has been contacted, characterized by , that the control device (20) is designed, in response to the determination that the timer has not expired and the previously connected PCD (14) is not within the predetermined signal range of the vehicle, to send the request to the PCD (14) to contact the emergency call service. [2] The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the PCD (14) was not previously electrically connected to the vehicle (10). [3] The vehicle system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the controller (20) is further configured to receive the acknowledgment from the PCD (14) via BLE in response to the PCD (14) receiving an input accepting the request to contact the emergency service. [4] A vehicle system according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the controller (20) is further configured to receive the confirmation via BLE from the PCD (14) in response to: (i) the PCD (14) receives an input rejecting the request, (ii) the PCD (14) sends the request to a service provider server (SPS) (19) and (iii) the PCD (14) receives a signal from the PLC (19) indicating that the emergency services have been contacted. [5] The vehicle system of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the controller (20) is further configured to stop sending the request to contact the emergency service in response to determining that the timer has expired. [6] The vehicle system of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the controller (20) is further configured to receive a first input indicating a user command at the vehicle (10) to stop sending the request to the PCD (14). [7] The vehicle system of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the prompt comprises at least one of a vehicle location, a vehicle description, a number of vehicle occupants, a seatbelt status, an airbag status, and a vehicle-specific identifier. [8] A method for a vehicle (10) comprising: Receiving a vehicle emergency condition signal by a control device (20), which has a transceiver (28), Sending a request including an identifier unique to the vehicle (10) via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to a personal Communication device (PCD) (14) to contact the emergency call service in response to the emergency condition signal and to the fact that at the control device (20) it is determined whether a previously connected PCD (14) is within a predetermined signal range of the vehicle (10) and a timer is initialized which specifies a waiting period in which an emergency call is to be made after it has been determined whether the previously connected PCD (14) is within the specified signal range of the vehicle (10), Receiving a PCD confirmation including an identifier unique to the vehicle (10) indicating that the emergency service has been contacted at the control device (20) via BLE and Terminating at the control device (20) the sending of the request in response to receipt of the confirmation, characterized by , that sending the request to the PCD (14) to contact the emergency call service is carried out in response to the control device (20) determining that the timer has not expired and the previously connected PCD (14) is not within the predetermined signal range of the vehicle (10). [9] The method of claim 8, wherein the PCD (14) was not previously electrically connected to the vehicle (10). [10] A method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein receiving the acknowledgment via BLE from the PCD (14) is in response to the PCD (14) receiving an input indicating that a user accepts the request to contact the emergency services. [11] A method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein receiving the acknowledgment from the PCD (14) is in response to: (i) the PCD (14) receiving an input indicating that a user rejects the request to contact the emergency services, (ii) the PCD (14) sending the request to a service provider server (SPS) (19), and (iii) the PCD (14) receiving a signal from the PLC (19) indicating that the emergency services have been contacted. [12] The method of claim 8, wherein terminating the sending of the request to contact the emergency service occurs in response to the controller (20) detecting that the timer has expired. [13] A method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein terminating the sending of the request to contact the emergency call service occurs in response to receiving at the controller (20) a first input indicating a user command at the vehicle (10) to terminate the sending of the request to the PCD (14). [14] The method of any one of claims 8 to 13, wherein the request to contact emergency services comprises at least one of a vehicle location, a vehicle description, a number of vehicle occupants, a seatbelt status, an airbag status, and a vehicle-specific identifier.

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