Method for initiating an emergency or assistance call from a motor vehicle

Abstract

A method implemented by a motor vehicle emergency or assistance call processor includes the steps of: detecting (201) an event from a predetermined list of events that could trigger an emergency or assistance call; displaying (205) an actionable button on a touchscreen in the motor vehicle cockpit; detecting (207) that the actionable button has been pressed; and activating (211) the call initiation function. A motor vehicle emergency or assistance call system and a motor vehicle comprising the system are also described. Figure to be published with the abbreviation: Fig 2

Description

Title of the invention: Method for initiating an emergency or assistance call from a motor vehicle. Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for launching an emergency or assistance call from a motor vehicle, a computer program product, a system for launching an emergency or assistance call from a motor vehicle and a motor vehicle comprising such a system. State of the art

[0002] The emergency call or assistance function is increasingly implemented in motor vehicles which have a connection to a telephone and data transmission network of the type of 4G / 5G networks.

[0003] It allows the user, using a physical button, to make a telephone call to emergency or assistance services. Emergency services include, in particular, the police, fire department, and emergency medical services. These services can be contacted in Europe by dialing 112. Assistance services are managed by car manufacturers, insurance companies, or motorists' associations, and one of their main functions is to dispatch a breakdown service when the vehicle malfunctions.

[0004] These services can be accessed via mobile or landline phones. However, for both marketing reasons (offering new services) and technical reasons (vehicle maintenance), car manufacturers integrate a long-range communication module, such as a 4G / 5G connection, into the vehicle's control system. Since this module already exists, it is then possible to integrate one or more buttons into the dashboard to use the module to initiate an emergency and / or assistance call.

[0005] One drawback of current embodiments of this function is that the physical button becomes indistinguishable from a set of other physical buttons in the cockpit. However, this function is often used in stressful situations or when rapid execution is required.

[0006] However, in these situations, the button is often too small and difficult to find, which can cause a feeling of insecurity or frustration.

[0007] There is therefore a real need for a method and system for launching an emergency or assistance call from a motor vehicle which resolves all or part of the aforementioned drawbacks. Description of the invention

[0008] To overcome one or more of the aforementioned drawbacks, according to a first embodiment, a method implemented by a processor for initiating an emergency or assistance call for a motor vehicle comprises the steps of: • detection of an event from a predetermined list of events that could trigger an emergency or assistance call; • display on a touch screen in the cockpit of the motor vehicle of an actionable button; • detection of a press on the actionable button; • activation of the call function launch function.

[0009] Thus, the user has access to a highly visible button to launch an emergency or assistance call, even if he is in a stressful or emergency situation.

[0010] Specific features or embodiments, usable alone or in combination, are: • the actionable button has a surface area greater than 25% of the surface area of ​​the touch screen; • the process further includes a preliminary step of manually adjusting the surface of the actuable button; • the detection of an event includes the detection of the activation of the vehicle's hazard lights; • the predetermined list includes a vehicle technical failure event; • The predetermined list includes a first sublist of events that can trigger an emergency call and a second sublist of events that can trigger a support call; and / or • depending on the sublist to which the detected event belongs, the call function launches an emergency call, or assistance call respectively.

[0011] In a second embodiment, a computer program product includes program code instructions for implementing the above process when the program product is executed on a computer.

[0012] In a third embodiment, a system for initiating an emergency or assistance call from a motor vehicle comprises: • at least one suitable sensor to detect an event from a predetermined list of events that could trigger an emergency or assistance call; connected to • a touchscreen human-machine interface adapted to display an actionable button and detect when it is pressed; connected to • a suitable actuator to activate the call function.

[0013] In a fourth embodiment, a motor vehicle includes a system according to the third embodiment. Brief description of the figures

[0014] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description, given solely by way of example, and with reference to the figures in the appendix in which: • [Fig. 1] represents a front view of a vehicle dashboard comprising a system for initiating an emergency or assistance call according to one embodiment; and • [Fig.2] represents a flowchart of a process for launching a call emergency or assistance according to a method of implementation. Methods of implementation

[0015] The embodiments presented below refer to a motor vehicle, to a car. However, a person skilled in the art understands that these are also usable with other types of vehicles, such as pickup trucks, vans, etc.

[0016] The terms "front", "rear", "top", "bottom", "transverse" are understood in relation to the vehicle.

[0017] With reference to [Fig. 1], a motor vehicle 101 includes an emergency or assistance call system comprising a touchscreen 103. This touchscreen 103 is, for example, a touchscreen located in the center of the dashboard so as to be accessible to the driver and front passenger and which integrates the human-machine interfaces of a number of functions, such as comfort functions (heating, air conditioning, etc.), entertainment functions (sound system management, interface with mobile phones, etc.) and navigation. In particular, the touchscreen 103 may display an actuable button 104, that is to say, a graphic representing an area of ​​the screen such that, when the user touches the button area, an action is triggered.

[0018] The system also includes an actuator 105 for initiating an emergency or assistance call. Such an actuator 105 is, for example, a controller programmed to operate a 4G / 5G communication module 106.

[0019] The system further includes one or more sensors 107 adapted to detect an event likely to require the initiation of an emergency or assistance call.

[0020] An event likely to necessitate initiating an emergency or assistance call is understood to mean an event that is perceived by the driver or front passenger as requiring such action. These situations are to be distinguished, within the framework of this system, from situations in which the emergency call is initiated without user action, for example, when a violent impact is detected followed by the detection of rollovers by the vehicle.

[0021] A envisaged situation may correspond, for emergency calls, to: • A light or moderate collision; • One of the vehicle's multifunction cameras detects a vehicle on fire or overturned near vehicle 101; • The user of vehicle 101 emits a loud cry or utters words such as "help", "help" or "help me"; • Information about a nearby accident was reported by other users, for example via sharing applications.

[0022] For support calls, the situations envisaged are, for example: • The vehicle is stopped with the engine off and the hazard lights on; • The vehicle is moving slowly in the slow vehicle lane or emergency stopping lane with the hazard lights on; • A fault message is issued with the illumination of a “Service” light.

[0023] These few examples of situations are not limiting and other use cases can be developed.

[0024] The system components are connected to each other and to a controller 109 which coordinates and controls the system.

[0025] The controller 109 can, for example, be integrated into the vehicle control system 101 as an advanced driver-assistance system, commonly called ADAS (for "Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems"), which makes all driving decisions based on the environment and the programmed destination. The motor vehicle is then described as an autonomous vehicle. But it can also be a centralized vehicle management system that may or may not include driver assistance features.

[0026] Data transfer between the different elements is preferably carried out by a CAN (for "Controller Area Network" in English, i.e. "controller area network") or LIN (for "Local Interconnect Network" in English, i.e. "Local interconnect network" in French) type data bus.

[0027] The operation of the call initiation system is as follows, [Fig.2].

[0028] In step 201, an event likely to require the launch of an emergency / assistance call from among a predetermined list of events is detected by sensor 107, for example, one of the events listed above.

[0029] Controller 109 then decides, in step 203, to offer the user a call launch.

[0030] To do this, it orders the touch screen 103 to display, step 205, the actionable button 104.

[0031] The touch screen enters, step 207, the mode for detecting a press on button 104.

[0032] If the user does not press button 104, then, after a delay predetermined, the actionable button 104 disappears, step 209, and the touch screen displays other information, for example, a function selection menu.

[0033] If the user presses button 104, then controller 109 sends, step 211, a call launch order to actuator 105.

[0034] Figure 1 illustrates a system according to certain embodiments. The breakdown presented is for pedagogical purposes to highlight the different functions. However, it is understood that each block can be implemented using different means or combinations thereof, such as hardware components, software, one or more computers, and / or electronic circuits. Each component may include at least one computer or a control unit. At least one memory may be included in each component. The memory may include computer program instructions or software code.

[0035] The computers can be implemented by any type of data processing device, such as a central processing unit, a signal processing unit, a specific application integrated circuit, a programmable gate network, etc. The computers can be implemented in the form of a single controller, or a plurality of controllers or computers.

[0036] The different modules are connected to each other by data links adapted to the environment. These can be wired or wireless.

[0037] For the software, the implementation may comprise modules or units distributed in the form of procedures, functions, etc. The memories may be any type of storage circuit. They may be part of the processor circuit, or separate from it and connected via electrical data links. These may be non-volatile memories, hard drives, RAM, flash memory, etc.

[0038] The software product can be downloaded from a communication network and / or stored on a computer-readable medium. It can be directly executable by a processor or be in the form of a high-level language requiring one or more intermediate operations to be executable.

[0039] Thus, the program instructions stored in memory and processed by the computers can be any type of program code, for example, a compiled or interpreted program written in a suitable programming language.

[0040] The computer program instructions stored in memory are such that, when executed by the computer, the latter carries out one or more of the steps of the processes described above.

[0041] The invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and the preceding description. This description is to be considered illustrative and given by way of example and not as limiting the invention to this single description. Numerous embodiments are possible.

[0042] In a first embodiment, the size of the actionable button 104 is chosen so that it is clearly visible to the user. For this reason, its surface area is preferably greater than 25% of the touchscreen area. In other words, the actionable button covers at least a quarter of the touchscreen area.

[0043] In a second variant, this surface and the positioning of the actionable button are set by the user in a preliminary step, for example at the beginning of the use of the vehicle.

[0044] In a third variant, the predetermined event list comprises two sublists. A first sublist of events associated with an emergency call and a second sublist associated with a support call. The event examples described above can be grouped into these two sublists.

[0045] Depending on whether the detected event belongs to one of the two sublists, an emergency call is launched for the first sublist and an assistance call for the second sublist.

[0046] In this last variant, the actionable button can have a shape, for example, a color or text, different depending on the type of call to be launched.

Claims

Demands

1. A method implemented by a processor for initiating an emergency or assistance call from a motor vehicle comprising the steps of: • detecting (201) an event from a predetermined list of events that can trigger an emergency or assistance call; • displaying (205) on a touch screen in the cockpit of the motor vehicle an actionable button; • detecting (207) a press on the actionable button; • activating (211) the call initiation function.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the actuable button has a surface area greater than 25% of the surface area of ​​the touch screen.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a preliminary step of manually adjusting the surface of the actuable button.

4. A method according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the detection of an event includes the detection of the ignition of the vehicle's hazard warning lights.

5. A method according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the predetermined list includes a vehicle technical failure event.

6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the predetermined list includes a first sublist of events that can trigger an emergency call and a second sublist of events that can trigger an assistance call.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein, depending on the sublist to which the detected event belongs, the call function initiates an emergency call, respectively, for assistance.

8. Computer program product characterized in that it includes program code instructions for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 when the program product is executed on a computer.

9. System for initiating an emergency or assistance call from a motor vehicle comprising:

10. • at least one sensor (107) adapted to detect an event from a predetermined list of events that could trigger an emergency or assistance call; connected to • a touchscreen (103) human-machine interface adapted to display an actuable button (104) and detect when it is pressed; connected to • an actuator (105) adapted to trigger the call function. Motor vehicle comprising a system according to claim 9.

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