Information distribution system and information distribution method for a vehicle

Abstract

Information distribution system (100) for a vehicle, the information distribution system (100) comprising: an emergency call system (130) installed in the vehicle and operable to determine whether an accident involving the vehicle occurs; a navigation system (140) installed in the vehicle and operable to determine a travel route for a user of the vehicle; a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal receiving unit (110) which receives a GNSS signal transmitted from a GNSS satellite; and a GNSS signal distribution unit (120) which sends the received GNSS signal to the emergency call system (130) and the navigation system (140), wherein the emergency call system (130) comprises: a first position information generation unit (133) that receives the GNSS signal transmitted from the GNSS signal distribution unit (120) and generates first position information of the vehicle based on the received GNSS signal; and a first vehicle information transmission / reception unit (134) that transmits the generated first position information to the navigation system (140), wherein the navigation system (140) comprises: a second position information generation unit (141) which receives the GNSS signal transmitted by the GNSS signal distribution unit (120) and generates second position information of the vehicle based on the received GNSS signal, and a second vehicle information transmission / reception unit (143) which transmits the generated second position information to the emergency call system (130), wherein the navigation system (140) outputs the travel route and a current position of the vehicle based on the position information received from the emergency call system (130) when booting of the navigation system (140) is delayed.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE(a) Technical Area

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to an information sharing system for a vehicle, and more specifically, it relates to an information sharing system that transmits vehicle information collected by an emergency system to a navigation system, and that transmits vehicle information collected via the navigation system to an emergency call system for the vehicle. (b) Description of the prior art

[0002] Recently, emergency call systems (hereinafter referred to as an "emergency call system") have been installed in vehicles to assist rescue operations in the event of a traffic accident. Certain regulations require the installation of an emergency call system in all types of vehicles, including those within the European Union (EU).

[0003] When the emergency call system is installed, it provides an emergency call to the vehicle in which the system is installed, being able to automatically initiate rescue when a traffic accident occurs. In detail, when a traffic accident is detected, e.g., due to airbag deployment, etc., the emergency call system automatically reports the occurrence of the accident and sends traffic accident information, including the location of the accident, vehicle type, traveling direction, fuel type, etc., to a rescue center via a subscriber identification module (SIM) card mounted in the vehicle. The emergency call system receives the positioning information via a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antenna and is powered by a built-in battery.

[0004] When using the emergency call system, high reliability is required quickly after an accident to ensure rescue is possible. However, it can be difficult to report the location of the accident to the rescue center if the GNSS antenna is malfunctioning or destroyed, preventing it from functioning properly, or if the built-in battery has been discharged.

[0005] From US 2008 / 0 203 814 A1 an information distribution system for a vehicle is known, the system comprising: an emergency call system installed in the vehicle and operable to determine whether an accident involving the vehicle occurs; a navigation system installed in the vehicle and operable to determine a travel route for a user of the vehicle; a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal receiving unit that receives a GNSS signal transmitted from a GNSS satellite; and a GNSS signal distribution unit that transmits the received GNSS signal to the emergency call system and the navigation system.

[0006] JP 2001-116556 A discloses a system for automatically reporting vehicle emergency information to an emergency call center from a vehicle emergency information reporting device mounted on a vehicle via a wireless line when an accident, such as a vehicle collision, occurs. The automatic report when an accident occurs is automatically reported to the emergency call center at the time of the vehicle collision or the occurrence of an accident and further reported to the public assistance facility.

[0007] In addition, US 2012 / 0 149 356 A1 shows a method for operating a vehicle telematics unit, in which the location of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle telematics unit is determined; it is determined whether the telematics dialing software operated by the vehicle telematics unit contains a verbal dialing protocol used at the determined vehicle location; if not, one or more verbal dialing protocols used at the determined location of the vehicle are identified; telematics dialing software is requested which contains the one or more identified verbal dialing protocols; the requested telematics dialing software is received by a central facility; and the received telematics dialing software is stored in the vehicle.

[0008] The above information disclosed in this Background section is provided only to facilitate understanding of the background of the disclosure and may therefore contain information that does not constitute prior art already known to a person skilled in the art in this country. OVERVIEW OF REVELATION

[0009] It is therefore the object of the present disclosure to provide a system in which an emergency system and a navigation system for a vehicle share or jointly use the vehicle information.

[0010] The problem is solved by an information division system having the features of claim 1 and an information division method having the features of claim 5. Advantageous further developments can be found in the subclaims.

[0011] An information distribution system for a vehicle according to the embodiments of the present disclosure includes: an emergency call system installed in the vehicle and operable to determine whether an accident involving the vehicle occurs; a navigation system installed in the vehicle and operable to determine a travel route for a user of the vehicle; a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal receiving unit that receives a GNSS signal transmitted from a GNSS satellite; and a GNSS signal distribution unit that transmits the received GNSS signal to the emergency call system and the navigation system, wherein the emergency call system comprises: a first position information generation unit,which receives the GNSS signal transmitted by the GNSS signal distribution unit and generates first position information of the vehicle based on the received GNSS signal, and a first vehicle information transmission / reception unit that transmits the generated first position information to the navigation system. The navigation system comprises: a second position information generation unit that receives the GNSS signal transmitted by the GNSS signal distribution unit and generates second position information of the vehicle based on the received GNSS signal, and a second vehicle information transmission / reception unit that transmits the generated second position information to the emergency call system. The navigation system outputs the travel route and a current position of the vehicle based on the position information received from the emergency call system when booting of the navigation system is delayed.

[0012] The emergency call system and the navigation system can be connected to each other via the vehicle's network.

[0013] The emergency call system may further include: a first accident information collection unit that collects the first accident information of the vehicle; an accident occurrence determination unit that determines whether the accident occurs based on the first accident information; a rescue requirement unit that sends the first accident information and the first position information to an accident handling organization; and a battery unit that supplies power to the emergency call system.

[0014] The navigation system may further include a second accident information collecting unit that collects the second accident information of the vehicle, wherein the second vehicle information transmitting / receiving unit transmits the second position information and the second accident information to the emergency call system.

[0015] Furthermore, an information distribution system method for a vehicle according to embodiments of the present disclosure includes: receiving, at a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal receiving unit, a GNSS signal transmitted from a GNSS satellite; and transmitting, by a GNSS signal distribution unit, the received GNSS signal to an emergency call system installed in the vehicle and to a navigation system installed in the vehicle.The emergency call system is operable to determine whether an accident involving the vehicle occurs, and the navigation system is operable to determine a travel route for a user of the vehicle, wherein the emergency call system generates first position information of the vehicle based on the GNSS signal received from the GNSS signal distribution unit and sends the generated first position information to the navigation system, and the navigation system generates second position information of the vehicle based on the GNSS signal received from the GNSS signal distribution unit and sends the generated second position information to the emergency call system, and wherein the navigation system outputs the travel route and a current position of the vehicle based on the position information received from the emergency call system when booting of the navigation system is delayed.

[0016] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the emergency call system and the navigation system for the vehicle may share the position information of the vehicle and may share the accident information when an accident involving the vehicle occurs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a view showing a configuration of an information distribution system according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is a view showing a stability testing method of an information distribution system according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Description of the symbols 100 Information Distribution System 110 GNSS signal receiving unit 120 GNSS signal distribution unit 130 emergency call system 131 first accident information collection unit 132 Accident Occurrence Determination Unit 133 first position information generation unit 134 first vehicle information transmitting / receiving unit 135 Rescue Request Unit 136 Battery unit 140 Navigation system 141 second position information generation unit 142 second accident information collection unit 143 second vehicle information transmitting / receiving unit 144 Route guidance unit DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0017] In the following detailed description, only certain embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described simply by way of illustration. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the various embodiments may be modified in various different ways without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. The drawings and description are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in nature, and like reference numerals designate like or similar elements throughout the description. Also, in cases of well-known technology, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0018] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the disclosure. Throughout this specification and the following claims, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "having," is intended to include the listed elements but not to exclude any other elements. Also, the terms unit, device, and module in this specification represent a unit for performing a predetermined function or operation, which may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0019] As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It is further understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of the listed features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed terms.

[0020] It is understood that the term “vehicle” or “vehicle-like” or any other similar term as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicles in general, such as passenger automobiles, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft, a variety of boats and ships, aircraft and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, internal combustion engines, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen powered vehicles, and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., fuels derived from resources other than oil).

[0021] Additionally, it is contemplated that one or more of the following methods or aspects thereof may be performed by at least one control unit. The term "control unit" may refer to a hardware device including a memory and a processor. The memory is configured to store program instructions, and the processor is specifically programmed to execute the program instructions to perform one or more processes described further below. Furthermore, it is contemplated that the following methods may be performed by a device having a control unit in conjunction with one or more components, as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art.

[0022] Fig. 1 is a view showing a configuration of an information sharing system according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, an information distribution system 100 includes a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal receiving unit 110, a GNSS signal distribution unit 120, an emergency call system 130, and a navigation system 140. In this case, the emergency call system 130 and the navigation system 140 may be connected to each other via a vehicle network. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the emergency call system 130 and the navigation system 140 are connected via a controller area network (CAN), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0024] The GNSS signal receiving unit 110 receives a GNSS signal transmitted or sent from a GNSS satellite via an antenna.

[0025] The GNSS signal distribution unit 120 transmits the GNSS signal received by the GNSS signal receiving unit 110 to the emergency call system 130 and the navigation system 140.

[0026] The emergency call system 130 is installed in the vehicle, reports the occurrence of an accident to an accident handling organization, and transmits the accident information when it is determined that an accident has occurred. In this case, the accident handling organization may include any organization to which a vehicle accident can be reported, such as a police station, a fire station, a hospital, an insurance company, a towing company, etc.

[0027] The emergency call system 130 includes a first accident information collection unit 131, an accident occurrence determination unit 132, a first position information generation unit 133, a first vehicle information transmission / reception unit 134, a rescue request unit 135, and a battery unit 136.

[0028] The first accident information collection unit 131 includes at least one sensor and collects first accident information. In this case, the first accident information includes information indicating at least one of the following: airbag expansion, impact magnitude, impact noise, and rapid deceleration.

[0029] The accident occurrence determination unit 132 determines whether the accident has occurred based on the first accident information generated by the first accident information collection unit 131. Specifically, a measured value included in the first accident information and a predetermined threshold are compared, and it is determined that the accident has occurred if the measured value included in the first accident information is greater than the threshold. The accident occurrence determination unit 132 also determines whether the accident has occurred based on the second accident information transmitted from the navigation system 140.

[0030] The first position information generation unit 133 generates first position information of the vehicle based on the GNSS signal transmitted from the GNSS signal distribution unit 120.

[0031] The first vehicle information transmitting / receiving unit 134 transmits the first position information generated by the first position information generating unit 133 and the first accident information connected to the first accident information collecting unit 131 to the navigation system 140. The first vehicle information transmitting / receiving unit 134 also receives the second position information and the second accident information transmitted from the navigation system 140. The first vehicle information transmitting / receiving unit 134 transmits together the first time information corresponding to the first position information and the first accident information to the navigation system 140. Also, reliability of the second position information and the second accident information can be determined based on second time information corresponding to the received second position information and the second accident information.

[0032] The rescue request unit 135 transmits the first position information and the first accident information to the accident handling organization via a cellular network when the accident occurrence determination unit 132 determines that the accident has occurred. The rescue request unit 135 may also transmit the second position information and the second accident information.

[0033] The battery unit 136 provides the power source for the emergency call system 130.

[0034] The navigation system 140 is installed in the vehicle and provides a travel route for a user (e.g., a driver, passenger, etc.) of the vehicle based on the current position information of the vehicle and the destination information set by the driver.

[0035] The navigation system 140 includes a second position information generation unit 141, a second accident information collection unit 142, a vehicle information transmission / reception unit 143, and a travel route guidance unit 144.

[0036] The second position information generation unit 141 generates the second position information of the vehicle based on the GNSS signal transmitted from the GNSS signal distribution unit 120.

[0037] The second accident information collection unit 142 includes a camera for collecting the second accident information. The second accident information is also sent from a telematics device, an event data recorder (DER), or at least one sensor connected via the vehicle network. In this case, the second accident information includes information indicating at least one of the following: airbag deployment, impact magnitude, impact noise, rapid deceleration, vehicle speed, direction of travel, an image in or around the vehicle, and video in or around the vehicle.

[0038] The second vehicle information transmitting / receiving unit 143 transmits the second position information generated by the second position information generating unit 141 and the second accident information collected by the second accident information collecting unit 142 to the emergency call system 130. The first position information and the first accident information transmitted from the emergency call system 130 are also received. The second vehicle information transmitting / receiving unit 143 jointly transmits the second time information corresponding to the second position information and the second accident information to the emergency call system 130. The reliability of the first position information and the first accident information can also be determined based on the first time information included in the received first position information and the first accident information.

[0039] The travel route guidance unit 144 receives the destination information input by the vehicle driver and outputs the travel route based on the second position information and the received destination information.

[0040] Fig. 2 is a view showing a stability check method of an information distribution system according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0041] As in Fig.As shown in Figure 2, by measuring the current and voltage of intervals A, B, and C, it can be determined whether a fault of the information distribution system 100 is occurring. For example, if the measured values ​​of the current and voltage of interval B are outside an error range of a predetermined threshold, it can be determined that the emergency call system 130 is not operating normally. Also, if the measured values ​​of the current and voltage of interval C are outside the error range of the predetermined threshold, it can be determined that the navigation system 140 is not operating normally. Also, if the measured values ​​of the currents and voltages of interval A or interval B and interval C are outside the error range of the predetermined threshold, it can be determined that the entire emergency call system 130 and the navigation system 140 are not operating normally.Accordingly, if the error occurrence interval is accurately checked to correct the error, the device reliability of the emergency call system 130 and the navigation system 140 can be improved.

[0042] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, since the emergency call system 130 is driven by the power supplied via the battery unit 136, even if the vehicle power is not supplied normally, so that the navigation system 140 is not booted normally, the first position information can be generated normally and transmitted to the vehicle network. Also, by transmitting the first accident information collected via the sensor included in the emergency call system 130 and the second accident information received from the navigation system 140 to the accident handling organization, objective information on the situation before and after the accident can be provided to the accident handling organization.

[0043] Further, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, even when the vehicle power is not normally supplied to the navigation system 140 and booting is delayed, the travel route and the current position information may be output based on the first position information sent from the emergency call system 130.

[0044] Furthermore, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, the emergency call system 130 and the navigation system 140 even share a GNSS signal receiving unit 110, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Claims

[1] An information distribution system (100) for a vehicle, the information distribution system (100) comprising: an emergency call system (130) installed in the vehicle and operable to determine whether an accident involving the vehicle occurs; a navigation system (140) installed in the vehicle and operable to determine a travel route for a user of the vehicle; a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal receiving unit (110) which receives a GNSS signal transmitted from a GNSS satellite; and a GNSS signal distribution unit (120) which sends the received GNSS signal to the emergency call system (130) and the navigation system (140), wherein the emergency call system (130) comprises: a first position information generation unit (133) that receives the GNSS signal transmitted from the GNSS signal distribution unit (120) and generates first position information of the vehicle based on the received GNSS signal; and a first vehicle information transmission / reception unit (134) that transmits the generated first position information to the navigation system (140), wherein the navigation system (140) comprises: a second position information generation unit (141) which receives the GNSS signal transmitted by the GNSS signal distribution unit (120) and generates second position information of the vehicle based on the received GNSS signal, and a second vehicle information transmission / reception unit (143) which transmits the generated second position information to the emergency call system (130), wherein the navigation system (140) outputs the travel route and a current position of the vehicle based on the position information received from the emergency call system (130) when booting of the navigation system (140) is delayed. [2] The information sharing system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the emergency call system (130) and the navigation system (140) are connected to each other via a vehicle network of the vehicle. [3] The information sharing system (100) of claim 1, wherein the emergency call system (130) further includes: a first accident information collecting unit (131) which collects first accident information of the vehicle; an accident occurrence determination unit (132) which determines whether the accident occurs based on the collected first accident information; a rescue request unit (135) which sends the first accident information and the first position information to an accident processing organization; and a battery unit (136) which supplies power to the emergency call system (130). [4] The information distribution system (100) of claim 1, wherein the navigation system (140) further includes: a second accident information collecting unit (142) which collects second accident information of the vehicle, wherein the second vehicle information transmitting / receiving unit (143) transmits the second position information and the second accident information to the emergency call system (130). [5] An information division method for a vehicle, the information division method comprising: Receiving, at a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal receiving unit (110), a GNSS signal transmitted from a GNSS satellite; and transmitting, by a GNSS signal distribution unit (120), the received GNSS signal to an emergency call system (130) installed in the vehicle and to a navigation system (140) installed in the vehicle, wherein the emergency call system (130) is operable to determine whether an accident involving the vehicle occurs, and the navigation system (140) is operable to determine a route for a user of the vehicle, wherein the emergency call system (130) generates first position information of the vehicle based on the GNSS signal received from the GNSS signal distribution unit (120) and sends the generated first position information to the navigation system (140), and the navigation system (140) generates second position information of the vehicle based on the GNSS signal received from the GNSS signal distribution unit (120) and sends the generated second position information to the emergency call system (130), and wherein the navigation system (140) outputs the travel route and a current position of the vehicle based on the position information received from the emergency call system (130) when booting of the navigation system (140) is delayed.

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