Method for detecting when a person is experiencing a health emergency and first aid system

The system addresses the inadequacy of existing emergency systems by using sensors and communication tools to monitor vital signs and initiate rescue measures in vehicle occupants, particularly focusing on elderly drivers, thereby enhancing safety and response times.

JP2025512755AActive Publication Date: 2025-04-22MERCEDES BENZ GROUP AG
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2024555087
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2022-03-22
Filing Date
2023-03-06
Publication Date
2025-04-22
Estimated Expiration
2043-03-06

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing emergency systems for vehicles do not adequately address health emergencies in drivers or passengers, particularly for elderly individuals who may be at higher risk for cardiovascular events while driving.

Method used

A method and system that uses sensors to monitor vital signs, a computing unit to evaluate the data and initiate rescue measures, and communication tools to connect with rescuers outside the vehicle, allowing for real-time assessment and control of vehicle functions to assist in emergency situations.

Benefits of technology

Enables proactive and timely initiation of rescue measures, improving safety by allowing for early recognition and response to health emergencies, such as myocardial infarction, before they compromise vehicle operation.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for detecting a health emergency situation of a person (2) inside a vehicle (1) and providing rescue measures. The invention is characterized in that the computing unit (4) checks the vital data (5) for discrepancies with predefined reference values ​​and outputs an alarm (102) in the vehicle (1) if a discrepancy is recognized, the computing unit (4) establishes a communication connection (104) with a rescuer (8) outside the vehicle by means of a remote communication unit (7), the rescuer (8) being given access to at least a part of the vital data (5) and to the control of vehicle functions, the computing unit (4) activates a microphone and a speaker for establishing a two-way verbal communication connection (104) between the occupant (6) and the rescuer (8) and a camera detecting at least one area of ​​the vehicle interior space for transmitting a camera image to the rescuer (8) so that the rescuer (8) can talk to the occupant (6), visually inspect the person (2) and depending on the inspection result suggest appropriate measures to rescue the person (2), and the rescuer (8) controls at least one vehicle function to facilitate the inspection and / or to rescue the person (2).
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for detecting a health emergency situation of a person in a vehicle and providing rescue measures of the kind as defined in the preamble of claim 1, and to a first aid system of the kind as defined in the preamble of claim 9. [Background technology]

[0002] After a road accident, rapid action is required to provide assistance to the victims. For example, in the European Union, new vehicles approved after 31 March 2018 must be equipped with the so-called eCall system. This is an automatic emergency call system for motor vehicles, which can detect an accident and automatically inform rescue teams about it. This allows for particularly rapid dispatch of rescue teams to the accident scene, with a shortened rescue chain and a faster initiation of communication. An alarm can be activated automatically or manually via eCall. A data set is then transmitted from the vehicle to the emergency call centre, which data set contains at least the time of the accident, the geographic coordinates of the accident site and the driving direction. Optionally, data such as the severity of the accident event can also be transmitted from the on-board safety system. Furthermore, a voice channel to the emergency call centre is opened, so that verbal communication can take place with the rescue team if the occupants are still conscious.

[0003] Another emergency rescue system for car accidents is also known from DE 10 200 03 133 A1. This emergency rescue system can include a personal injury detection device and a first aid device. For this purpose, the personal injury detection device monitors the vital signs of the occupants and can determine the extent of the injuries of the accident victims after the accident. Depending on the severity of the injuries, information for carrying out appropriate first aid is output by an automatic system in the vehicle. Corresponding information can be output acoustically and, in addition, a robotic voice can be used to speak words of encouragement to the accident victims so that they do not lose consciousness. Furthermore, the emergency rescue system can operate the visual and acoustic devices of the vehicle to make people in the vicinity of the accident victim aware of the accident and to encourage them to carry out first aid.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a method and system for remote medical treatment in a vehicle. When a deterioration in the passenger's health condition is detected, the passenger is presented with a questionnaire to which the passenger must answer. The passenger can forward this questionnaire to a doctor, so that the doctor can more quickly assess the passenger's health condition. To this end, the passenger can manually initiate a remote medical examination at the doctor. The vehicle can also assess the passenger's health condition, and when an emergency is determined, it informs the doctor about the occurrence of the emergency situation, activates an automatic driving mode to a medical institution, and / or collects navigation data to head to the nearest medical institution and sets it in the navigation system.

[0005] Patent Document 3 discloses a system and method for monitoring the health status of a passenger. The system is capable of making a detailed assessment of the health status so as to contact rescuers when a health emergency is imminent but not yet imminent. The system automatically initiates a remote medical examination for this purpose. The system can also automatically control vehicle functions such as air conditioning, lighting or power windows. To assess the health status, the system compares the passenger's vital parameters with fixedly defined set values.

[0006] US Pat. No. 5,399,633 discloses a method for operating a vehicle, in which the health state of a driver is determined and, depending on the result, a safety program for operating the vehicle is activated.

[0007] Patent document 5 discloses a method and a device for treating passengers in emergency situations, where for various vital parameters, fixed value ranges specific to the vital parameters are defined, depending on which an escalation stage is determined. Depending on the characteristics of the escalation stage, various rescue measures are introduced, starting from issuing rescue instructions or an alarm, and escalating to automatic contacting of a doctor.

[0008] Patent document 6 discloses a method and device for occupant assistance for a vehicle. The device can change the environmental conditions in the vehicle interior space depending on the measured vital parameters. A doctor can also transmit treatment instructions to the vehicle, so that the seat heater of the occupant's seat is manually controlled from outside the vehicle to precisely treat the occupant with heat.

[0009] Patent document 7 discloses a method and a driver assistance system for activating a vehicle in the event of a health problem of the driver. When a health problem occurs, a communication connection to a clinic can be established. The vehicle can receive control commands from the clinic that control the vehicle's own equipment, for example the seat adjustment. This allows a doctor to perform remote treatment of the driver. Furthermore, US Pat. No. 5,399,633 discloses an emergency information system for a vehicle and a method for operating the same, which can automatically stop the vehicle in an emergency and output a graphical information display to potential rescuers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] DE19945147A1 [Patent Document 2] DE102019219498A1 [Patent Document 3] DE102015105581A1 [Patent Document 4] DE102012200189A1 [Patent Document 5] DE102019211588A1 [Patent Document 6] DE102016207447A1 [Patent Document 7] DE102012014717A1 [Patent Document 8] DE102019215351A1 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] Such emergency systems can improve the initiation of rescue measures for people involved in road accidents. However, vehicle-related emergency situations also occur without road accidents. As life expectancy increases in civilized and developed countries, the number of elderly people is also increasing. Accordingly, elderly people are increasingly operating vehicles. However, with increasing age comes a higher risk of diseases, in particular diseases of the cardiovascular system, which are one of the most common causes of death in Western countries. For example, a person operating a vehicle may suffer a myocardial infarction during the use of the vehicle, or may suffer circulatory failure due to other health reasons. Therefore, there is a need for a rescue system that proactively enables and / or simplifies first aid related to health emergency situations in order to further improve safety in general road traffic. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] According to the invention, this problem is solved by a method for detecting a health emergency situation of a person in a vehicle and providing rescue measures with the features of claim 1 and a first aid system with the features of claim 9. Advantageous embodiments and developments are evident from the dependent claims.

[0013] The method for detecting a situation in which a person in a vehicle is experiencing a health emergency and for providing rescue measures comprises detecting the vital signs of the person by means of at least one sensor, evaluating sensor data generated by the sensor by a calculation unit for determining vital data, and outputting in the vehicle, in dependence on the vital data, instructions adapted to the respective situation for carrying out rescue of the person. The method further comprises the calculation unit checking the vital data for a difference from a predefined reference value, defining an individual-specific reference value that the calculation unit takes into account when checking the vital data for a difference, and outputting an alarm in the vehicle when the calculation unit recognizes a difference. If this is not proactively prevented by the occupant, the calculation unit establishes a communication connection to a rescuer outside the vehicle by means of a remote communication unit, and the rescuer is given access to at least a part of the vital data and to a control of the vehicle functions, and the calculation unit activates a microphone and a speaker for establishing a two-way verbal communication connection between the occupant and the rescuer, and a camera for detecting at least one area of ​​the vehicle interior space for transmitting a camera image to the rescuer. The rescuer can then converse with the occupant, visually check the person, and depending on the check result suggest suitable measures for rescuing the person. The rescuer controls at least one vehicle function to facilitate the examination and / or to rescue the person.

[0014] The idea behind the method according to the invention is to monitor the health status of a vehicle occupant, at least the driver of the vehicle, during use of the vehicle, so as to recognize early the occurrence of a health emergency that at least adversely affects the safe operation of the vehicle, so that measures can be initiated before the driver's ability to operate the vehicle safely is significantly reduced and safe operation is no longer possible. Correspondingly, the health status of the other vehicle occupants can also be monitored, so that emergency situations, such as the occurrence of circulatory failure or myocardial infarction, can be recognized early and rescue measures can be initiated accordingly.

[0015] In this case, according to the invention, a communication connection is established with a rescuer outside the vehicle, e.g. a rescuer, a remote emergency physician or other suitable medical personnel, who can evaluate the transmitted vital data and can examine the person in a health emergency by two-way verbal communication as well as visual examination via the camera image generated by the camera. Such a human examination allows a particularly comprehensive and detailed evaluation of the health state of the person in an emergency compared to a purely sensor-based health analysis. This allows a more targeted and appropriate measure to initiate rescue to be determined. The rescuer can also control the vehicle functions by means of the computing unit, which further allows the rescuer to provide particularly rapid assistance to the person and to change the vehicle configuration, which makes it easier for the rescuer to carry out the examination.

[0016] A wide variety of vital signs of a person can be detected, such as blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, skin conductivity, skin surface temperature, breathing depth, etc. For the detected parameters and / or quantities derived therefrom, individual-specific reference values ​​or reference ranges are defined, from which a healthy person will not deviate. The individual-specific reference values ​​or reference ranges can be defined depending on age, sex, height, weight, medical history, etc. If at least one of the vital parameters deviates from the appropriate reference value or reference range, the calculation unit can make an evaluation on this and ascertain what kind of health emergency this is. Preferably, the calculation unit is then able to detect vital signs and determine vital data that allow an evaluation of the state of the person's cardiovascular system. This allows the premonition of a myocardial infarction to be recognized and appropriate rescue measures to be initiated before the myocardial infarction occurs.

[0017] Preferably, at this time the rescuer controls at least one of the following vehicle functions: - Seat position adjustment, - Turn interior lighting on or off, -Adjustment of vehicle air conditioning system, -Power window operation, and / or - Seat heater adjustment.

[0018] By adjusting the position of the seat, the rescuer can move the person experiencing a health emergency in the vehicle and thus into a position that positively influences the person's health. Furthermore, the person can be moved relative to the camera, which makes it easier for the rescuer to visually inspect the person. This is further supported by the rescuer being able to precisely activate or deactivate the interior lighting. For example, the rescuer can turn on lighting embedded in the vehicle roof lining, which allows a particularly comprehensive visual analysis of the person experiencing an emergency. By operating the power windows and / or the vehicle air conditioning system, the interior space climate in the vehicle can be influenced. For example, fresh air can be sent to the person experiencing a health emergency and / or the temperature of the vehicle interior space can be increased or decreased. The air mass flow rate delivered by the vehicle air conditioning system can also be adjusted. Similarly, the vehicle air conditioning system can adjust the air circulation, which prevents the inhalation of harmful fumes from the vehicle surroundings. If a person is at risk of hypothermia, the seat heater of the vehicle seat can be activated to warm the person.

[0019] To avoid false alarms, the output alarm can be manually deactivated by the vehicle occupant before a call to rescuers is sent, unless such deactivation occurs because of a real health emergency and / or because the person driving the vehicle is alone in the vehicle and is unable to operate the inputs through a corresponding human machine interface, in which case a call to rescuers is sent automatically by the computing unit.

[0020] In addition to the vital data, further data can be transmitted to the rescuer, including, for example, personal data of the person experiencing a health emergency, such as the name, address, age, sex, height, weight, blood type, medical history, allergies, transplants, diseases, days since transplantation, and / or vehicle data, including all information collected from the vehicle by means of sensors and / or processed by a computing unit, including, for example, the past or current vehicle travel speed, acceleration values, the force exerted by the person driving the vehicle on the accelerator or brake pedal, the devices currently activated by the vehicle, such as activated wipers, activated hazard lights, activated vehicle headlights, settings of the vehicle air conditioning system, etc. This allows the rescuer to perform a particularly comprehensive evaluation of the respective situation. From the operating behavior of the person experiencing a health emergency, such as a particularly violent shaking at the steering wheel of the vehicle, the occurrence of certain health disorders, such as epileptic shock, can be inferred.

[0021] Any sensor can be considered for monitoring the vital signs of a passenger, in particular the person driving the vehicle. According to another preferred embodiment of the method, at least one vehicle-integrated sensor and / or at least one mobile terminal of the vehicle-integrated sensor worn or carried by the person is used for detecting the vital signs. The vehicle-integrated sensor can be, for example, a capacitive sensor for measuring skin conductivity, a pressure sensor for measuring movement, heart rate, blood pressure, etc., a camera, in particular an infrared camera, for measuring body temperature, etc. The camera footage generated by the camera can also be evaluated, for example, to ascertain certain movement patterns that lead to the estimation of a health emergency. As a mobile terminal, the person having a health emergency can, for example, carry a smartphone and / or wear a wearable, such as a smartwatch or a smartband, on the body. Furthermore, a pulse oximeter can be used to check or determine the oxygen saturation in the blood.

[0022] The rescuer can verbally command the vehicle occupant to perform first aid. In this way, if only the driver of the vehicle is present in the vehicle, the person can rescue himself / herself. In the case of multiple vehicle occupants, these can provide assistance. If only the driver of the vehicle is present in the vehicle and the person is unconscious, the rescuer can perform rescue at least by operating the vehicle functions. In order to further expand the assistance for performing first aid, in a further preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, examination-relevant information and / or appropriate measures for rescuing the person can also be visually output in the vehicle. The examination-relevant information includes, for example, vital data collected by the vehicle. This can be further processed by the rescuer and, for example, visually reinforced. For example, the rescuer can mark the corresponding pulse rate or electrocardiogram plot, so that the corresponding information can be easily understood. When first aid, such as performing a cardiopulmonary massage or applying a defibrillator, is started, supplementary or instructional information can be visually output in the vehicle. For this purpose, any display device in the vehicle can be taken into consideration. The display device can be permanently integrated into the vehicle or into a mobile terminal that is communicatively connected to the vehicle. For example, visual information can be displayed on the head unit of the vehicle and / or on the display of a smartphone. This allows the passengers to interpret the information in a particularly fast and understandable way.

[0023] Furthermore, another preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention provides for at least a portion of the vital data to be transferred to a third party, whereby at least a portion of the vital data is transmitted from the vehicle to the rescuer and from the rescuer to a central computing unit external to the vehicle, through which the third party is given access to at least a portion of the vital data. By providing at least a portion of the vital data, an emergency situation occurring in the vehicle can be determined. The third party can be, for example, a rescue agency with an ambulance, an emergency doctor with an emergency doctor dispatch vehicle, a hospital, a clinic, a rehabilitation center, or any other actor involved in the rescue chain. The relevant data, which can also include personal data and / or vehicle data, can be made accessible to the third party in a particularly simple manner by being transmitted to the central computing unit external to the vehicle. The rescuer can then specify which of the relevant data should be transmitted to the central computing unit external to the vehicle and / or which of the third parties has access to which parts of the data. The central computing unit external to the vehicle can then be operated, for example, by the vehicle manufacturer or by the rescue operation agency. The relevant data can be transmitted via various routes, for example via the Internet. The transmission from the vehicle to the rescuer is typically carried out by means of mobile radio. However, other wired or wireless communication technologies, such as WIFI, Bluetooth, or NFC, are also contemplated, provided the relevant device is within range.

[0024] In another preferred embodiment of the method, the output of the alarm inside the vehicle is performed tactilely, visually and / or acoustically. This allows for a quick and easily understandable interpretation of the alarm, whereby the occupants and / or also people outside the vehicle are given an indication that a health emergency has occurred. For the tactile output of the alarm, actuators integrated in the vehicle seat or connected to the steering wheel come into consideration, for example. For example, the vehicle seat can vibrate and / or the steering wheel can rock. For the visual output of the alarm, activation of a hazard light device arranged inside the vehicle and / or display of a warning message on a vehicle indicator, such as an instrument cluster, a head unit and / or another display, can be performed. In another preferred embodiment of the method, for the visual output of the alarm outside the vehicle, any external vehicle lighting device can be activated, such as headlights, tail lights, brake lights, turn signals, etc. These can be modulated and controlled, which allows the generation of specific light patterns. In particular, light signs that are not output under other traffic situations are output. For example, a flashing frequency can be selected that is higher than the normal flashing frequency, and / or different lighting devices, such as hazard lights and brake lights, can be activated alternately. For the acoustic output of the alarm, a warning sound, such as a siren, a bell, a speaker, etc., can be output in the interior space of the vehicle, and / or a warning message can be output in a language. For the acoustic output of the alarm to the outside of the vehicle, for example, the horn of the vehicle can be operated. Additionally or alternatively, an external speaker or the like attached to the vehicle can be used for outputting the alarm. Such an external speaker is originally present in electric vehicles for generating running sounds.

[0025] Preferably, the vehicle is automatically stopped when an alarm is output. This allows the vehicle to be automatically and safely stopped if the driver of the vehicle is no longer able to safely operate the vehicle. For this purpose, the vehicle can monitor its surroundings with various surrounding sensors, such as cameras, lidar, radar sensors and / or ultrasonic sensors, and can output corresponding control commands for controlling the longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of the vehicle at least semi-automatically. The vehicle is then stopped in such a way that other traffic participants are not endangered. For example, the vehicle can not only stop, but also move towards a safe roadway area, such as the road shoulder, a parking or service area or an emergency parking strip. This further increases road traffic safety, especially if the driver of the vehicle loses consciousness. For parking and service areas as well as emergency parking strips, certain GPS coordinates are usually known. Furthermore, parking and service areas as well as emergency parking strips are safer for first aiders or third parties (emergency services) as they are not exposed to the dangers of the traffic flow.

[0026] It may be intended to determine the position of the vehicle by determining GPS coordinates, which can be determined by the vehicle itself and / or by a mobile terminal and can be transmitted by wireless data transmission to a computing unit outside the vehicle.

[0027] In a first aid system with a vehicle, a computing unit, a telecommunication unit, a sensor, a human-machine interface, a camera, according to the invention, the listed devices are installed for carrying out the method according to the invention. The vehicle can be any vehicle, such as a car, a truck, a transporter, a bus, etc. One or more sensors can be permanently integrated in the vehicle, with which the vital signs of the occupant, at least the person driving the vehicle, can be monitored. The occupant can also carry a mobile terminal, such as a smartphone, a smart watch, a smart band, a pulse oximeter, etc., which allows for an even more extensive detection and monitoring of the vital signs. The devices or sensors transmit information to the computing unit, which can also be permanently integrated in the vehicle. The computing unit generates vital data from the information transmitted by the sensors, which are checked for differences with reference values. In case of such differences, it is assumed that there is a future or current health emergency. In such a case, the computing unit starts to output a warning. The occupant can stop the execution of further measures in the event of an alarm being output via the human-machine interface, for example via a touch screen. This includes, for example, contacting a rescuer outside the vehicle by means of a telecommunication unit. A two-way verbal communication channel with the rescuer outside the vehicle is then established, in particular via mobile radio, by means of microphones and speakers integrated into the vehicle. The camera images generated by the camera are then transmitted, also via the telecommunication unit, to the rescuer, who can then assess the situation inside the vehicle. The vehicle may also be equipped with several cameras that allow a visual inspection of the occupants from several viewing directions. A particularly intuitive instruction for the occupants to perform first aid is possible through the visual output of the corresponding information in the vehicle. Any display device, in particular a central vehicle display such as a head unit, is suitable for this. Through a detailed inspection by the rescuer outside the vehicle, information adapted to the respective situation is then displayed, which allows a particularly effective treatment of the person experiencing a health emergency.

[0028] Further preferred embodiments of the method of the present invention for detecting a health emergency situation of a person in a vehicle and providing rescue measures as well as the first aid system of the present invention will become apparent from the examples described in detail below with reference to the drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the actors involved in carrying out the method according to the invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the apparatus involved in carrying out the method according to the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] The method of the invention allows a particularly fast and precise rescue of a person 2 who has a health emergency in a vehicle 1. For that purpose, the person 2 is monitored and his / her vital status is analyzed by means of at least one sensor 3 as shown in Fig. 2. The corresponding sensor 3 can be permanently integrated in the vehicle 1 or can be integrated in a mobile terminal 9. The mobile terminal 9 can be carried or worn on the body by the person 2. The vehicle 1 and / or the mobile terminal 9 collect the measurement data 101 accordingly.

[0031] The vehicle 1 and / or the mobile terminal 9 comprise a calculation unit 4 for evaluating the measurement data 101. The calculation unit 4 derives vital data 5 from the measurement data 101, which allows an estimation of the health state of the person 2. In case of at least one deviation of the vital data 5 with respect to predefined, person-specific reference values, the corresponding calculation unit 4 outputs an alarm 102 in the vehicle 1. The alarm 102 can then be output via means integrated in the mobile terminal 9 and / or the vehicle. A corresponding alarm 102 can also be output outside the vehicle, for example by operating the vehicle's turn signals or tail lights and / or the horn, in order to warn people nearby.

[0032] The method of the invention allows an alarm 102 to be output to the person 2 before he or she becomes aware of an impending health danger, such as an imminent myocardial infarction. If the alarm 102 is not proactively deactivated by the person 2 or another vehicle occupant 6, a rescuer 8 outside the vehicle is automatically informed about the impending health emergency. For this purpose, the vehicle 1 establishes a communication connection 104 with the rescuer 8 via a remote communication unit 7 as shown in FIG. 2. If the person 2 becomes aware of an impending health emergency, regardless of his or her vital signs monitoring, he or she can also activate the alarm notification to the rescuer 8 by inputting a manual operating action 103 via the human-machine interface 11, also as shown in FIG. 2.

[0033] When the rescuer 8 is notified of the alarm, at least a part of the vital data 5 is transmitted from the vehicle 1 to the rescuer 8. At this time, vehicle data 12 and / or personal data 13 can also be transmitted as a supplement to at least a part of the vital data 5. The vehicle data 12 includes vehicle-specific data such as steering angle, vehicle travel speed, acceleration force, and personal data 13 such as the name, sex, age, weight, height and / or blood type of the person 2. Furthermore, a two-way verbal communication is established between the rescuer 8 and the person 2 / passenger 6 via the communication connection 104. The rescuer 8 can thereby talk to the person 2 and / or passenger 6, evaluate the received vital data 5, vehicle data 12 and / or personal data 13 and analyze the current situation of the person 2 experiencing a health emergency.

[0034] The rescuer 8 thus performs an examination or treatment of the person 2 in step 105. The rescuer 8 can accordingly assess the health state of the person 2 and recommend appropriate measures to perform the rescue. Such measures can be performed directly by the person 2 and / or the passenger 6 on the one hand, and on the other hand the rescuer 8 can operate the vehicle functions himself in step 106. That is to say, the rescuer 8 can adjust the position of the vehicle seat, for example slide the vehicle seat forwards or backwards and / or tilt the backrest upright or backwards, turn on or off the interior lighting, adjust the vehicle air conditioning system to change the temperature of the vehicle interior space and / or blow fresh air to the person 2, operate the power windows and / or adjust the seat heater, etc. This allows the rescuer 8 to examine the person 2 more easily and reliably and also possibly perform rescue measures directly himself. To give instructions to the passenger 6, the rescuer 8 can output information 107 via the output means of the vehicle 1. Information 107 can be output acoustically, for example via a loudspeaker, and / or visually via a display device of the vehicle 1. The occupants 6 are thereby instructed to apply first aid measures 108 adapted to the current emergency situation. A human examination of the person 2 allows a particularly detailed, extensive and therefore tailored examination and treatment of the person 2, which increases the chances of survival of the person 2 in an emergency situation.

[0035] The data collected in connection with the method according to the invention, i.e. the vital data 5, the vehicle data 12 and / or the personal data 13, can be transmitted from the rescuer 8 to the central processing unit 10, for example to a cloud server, also called backend. From there, the corresponding information can be provided to third parties, for example a rescue command centre 14, an ambulance 15, a rescue doctor 16 and / or a clinic 17. The rescuer 8 can then also provide information about the emergency situation directly to the rescue command centre 14 in step 109, so that the rescue command centre 14 can arrange direct rescue measures, i.e. an emergency call to the ambulance 15 in step 110. This allows the execution of rescue in the vehicle 1 in a particularly short time.

[0036] Corresponding vital data 5, vehicle data 12 and / or personal data 13 can also be obtained by the clinic 17 via the emergency command center 14. This takes place in step 111. The emergency command center 14 can then arrange for the allocation of the person 2 to the target clinic in step 112. Advance notification 113 is given for this purpose. In step 114, the person 2 is transported by ambulance 15 to the clinic 17, possibly including an examination by a rescue doctor 16. A provisional medical certificate can then be created in step 115.

[0037] FIG. 2 shows in a schematic diagram the device involved in the implementation of the method according to the invention. The vehicle 1 comprises several computing units 4, of which a first computing unit 4.1 is responsible for data processing of the vital data 5 and a second computing unit 4.2 is responsible for providing a wide variety of driver assistance systems. Relevant data such as program code and / or control parameters can be stored on a physical storage medium 18, which may be part of the corresponding computing units 4.1 and 4.2. The already mentioned human-machine interface 11 is responsible for the interaction with the person 2 and / or passenger 6. The vehicle 1 also comprises at least one, in this example several sensors 3. The sensors 3 are integrated into a sensor device unit 19 together with the respective sensor modules, abbreviated as "SM", and a biosignal processing unit. As sensors 3, for example, electrical or electronic sensors 3 "el", mechanical sensors 3 "mech" and / or optical sensors 3 "opt" can be used.

[0038] It is the remote communication unit 7 which is responsible for communication with the mobile terminal 9, with a remote rescue system 20 which is contactable via the rescuer 8 and possibly with an electronic health record 21. As communication protocols all common technologies come into consideration, such as for example Bluetooth, WLAN, in particular WiFi, mobile radio, for example using LTE, and / or NFC.

[0039] At this time, the relevant devices in the vehicle 1 communicate via the data bus 22 .

[0040] The mobile terminal 9 likewise includes a human machine interface 11, a data bus 22, a corresponding sensor device unit 19 and means for wireless data transmission using the communication protocol "KOM.P" which is the basis for the above mentioned wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, WLAN, etc. The mobile terminal 9 likewise includes a processor 23 for executing the data processing "DV" and a physical storage medium 18 for storing program code.

[0041] The remote rescue system 20 likewise includes means for performing wireless communication, such as an LTE interface and corresponding underlying communication protocols. Data transfer within the remote rescue system 20 is carried out according to data transfer via a data bus 22. A physical storage medium 18 and a human-machine interface 11, which allows the rescuer 8 to interact with the person 2 and / or passenger 6, are also part of the remote rescue system 20.

[0042] The central idea here is to enable a two-way verbal communication connection between the rescuer 8 and at least the person 2, and for the rescuer 8 to carry out a visual inspection of the person 2 with the aid of camera footage produced by one or more cameras arranged in the vehicle 1. Furthermore, for this purpose the rescuer 8 can remotely control vehicle functions in order to facilitate the inspection and / or to directly start the first step of rescuing the person 2.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a situation in which a person (2) in a vehicle (1) is experiencing a health emergency and for providing rescue measures, comprising detecting vital signs of the person (2) by means of at least one sensor (3), evaluating sensor data generated by the sensor (3) by a calculation unit (4) for determining vital data (5), outputting in the vehicle (1) instructions adapted to the respective situation for carrying out rescue of the person (2) as a function of the vital data (5), the calculation unit (4) checking the vital data (5) for deviations from reference values ​​and outputting an alarm (102) in the vehicle (1) if deviations are recognized, the calculation unit (4) communicating remotely with the vehicle (1), a communication unit (7) for establishing a communication connection (104) with a rescuer (8) outside the vehicle, the rescuer (8) being given access to at least a part of the vital data (5), the computing unit (4) activating a microphone and a speaker for establishing a two-way verbal communication connection (104) between the occupant (6) and the rescuer (8) and a camera for detecting at least one area of ​​the vehicle interior space for transmitting a camera image to the rescuer (8), so that the rescuer (8) can converse with the occupant (6), visually inspect the person (2) and depending on the inspection result suggest appropriate measures to rescue the person (2), defining individual-specific reference values ​​which the calculation unit (4) takes into account when testing for discrepancies in the vital data (5); said computing unit (4) establishing a communication connection (104) with said rescuer (8) only when not proactively interrupted by said occupant (6); The method, characterized in that the computing unit (4) further provides the rescuer (8) with access to a control of vehicle functions, the rescuer (8) controlling at least one vehicle function to facilitate the examination and / or to rescue the person (2).

2. The rescuer (8) is responsible for the following vehicle functions: Adjusting the seat position, Interior lighting on or off, Adjustment of vehicle air conditioning equipment, Power window operation, and / or Seat heater adjustment, The method of claim 1 , further comprising controlling at least one of:

3. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the vital signs are detected and the vital data (5) are determined, allowing a determination of the state of the cardiocirculatory system of the person (2).

4. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one sensor (3) integrated in the vehicle and / or at least one sensor (3) integrated in a mobile terminal (9) worn or carried by the person (2) is used for detecting the vital signs (5).

5. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein inspection-related information and / or appropriate measures to rescue the person (2) are visually output in the vehicle (1).

6. 6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that at least a part of the vital data (5) is forwarded to a third party, and at least a part of the vital data (5) is transmitted from the vehicle (1) to the rescuer (8) and from the rescuer (8) to a central processing unit (10) external to the vehicle, through which a third party is given access to at least a part of the vital data (5).

7. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the output of the alarm (102) in the vehicle (1) is haptic, visual and / or acoustic.

8. 8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the alarm (102) is output visually and / or acoustically outside the vehicle and / or the vehicle (1) is automatically stopped when the alarm (102) is output.

9. A first aid system having a vehicle (1), a computing unit (4), a remote communication unit (7), a sensor (3), a human machine interface (11) and a camera, 9. The first aid system, characterized in that the vehicle (1), the computing unit (4), the telecommunication unit (7), the sensor (3), the human machine interface (11) and the camera are adapted to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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