Emergency call device, and how to use it and the program.

Abstract

This invention provides methods, programs, and portable devices for enabling rapid and appropriate reporting in emergencies such as mountain accidents. [Solution] The present invention provides a computer-based emergency notification method, which includes the steps of: activating an emergency notification computer program on a portable information device using short-range wireless communication means built into a portable device carried by the person to be rescued; and transmitting information about the person to be rescued from a storage means built into the portable device to the emergency notification computer program.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application broadly relates to a method, a program, and a portable device implementing the same for making a notification in an emergency such as a distress incident during mountain climbing, and more specifically relates to a notification method, a program, and a portable device implementing the same that are effective even when a rescue target person cannot operate their own portable information terminal.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, techniques for making notifications using portable information terminals such as smartphones in emergencies like mountain distress incidents are known. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that, when a user encounters a distress or accident, acquires position information using the GPS function of the portable information terminal, and sends a notification to an emergency contact preset by the user, or a rescue organization such as a local government or police, along with the position information.

[0003] However, such conventional techniques are premised on that the person who encountered the distress or accident is able to operate the portable information terminal they carry. But in actual distress scenarios, the portable information terminal may be unusable due to a dead battery (a common case since battery performance degrades in cold regions), or the distressed person may be in a confused state of consciousness and cannot properly operate their own portable information terminal. In addition, even when a rescuer or companion makes an emergency call using their own portable information terminal, if the person who encountered the distress or accident is in a confused state of consciousness, there is a problem that important information such as their identity and medical information cannot be properly communicated to the notification recipient.

[0004] The present invention of the present application was made in view of such problems.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0005]

Non-Patent Document 1

[0006] This invention provides methods, programs, and portable devices for enabling rapid and appropriate reporting in emergencies such as mountain accidents. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention solves the above problems by providing the following means. [1] The steps include: activating an emergency notification computer program on a portable information device using a short-range wireless communication means built into a portable device carried by the person being rescued; The step includes transmitting information about the person to be rescued from a storage means built into the portable device to the emergency notification computer program, A computer-based method for making emergency calls. [2] Furthermore, the step of obtaining the current location information of the mobile information device, The emergency notification method according to [1], further comprising the step of transmitting the location information to the emergency notification computer program. [3] Furthermore, the emergency call computer program makes a call to the emergency call destination, The emergency notification method according to [2], which includes the step of transmitting the information relating to the person to be rescued and the current location information of the portable information device to the emergency notification recipient by voice synthesis. [4] Furthermore, the steps include using the information relating to the person to be rescued and the current location information of the portable information device as prompts to input to a trained large-scale language model, The emergency notification method according to [3], comprising the step of having the emergency notification destination and the trained large-scale language model interact. [5] A set of commands to activate an emergency notification computer program on a portable information device, via a short-range wireless communication means built into a portable device carried by the person being rescued, A set of commands that transmits information about the person to be rescued from a storage means built into the portable device to the emergency notification computer program, An emergency notification program that is run on a computer. [6] Furthermore, a set of commands for acquiring the current location information of the portable information device, A set of commands that transmits the location information to the emergency notification computer program, An emergency notification program, as described in [5], to be executed by a computer. [7] Furthermore, the emergency call computer program includes a set of commands for making a call to the emergency call destination, The information concerning the person to be rescued, and the current location information of the portable information device, are transmitted to the emergency call recipient via voice synthesis. An emergency notification program, as described in [6], to be executed by a computer. [8] Furthermore, the command set takes the information relating to the person to be rescued and the current location information of the portable information device as prompts to input to a trained large-scale language model, The set of commands that causes the aforementioned emergency call destination and the aforementioned trained large-scale language model to interact, An emergency notification program, as described in [7], to be executed by a computer. A portable device configured to perform any one of the methods described in [9], [1] through [4]. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] Methods, programs, and portable devices for enabling rapid and appropriate reporting in emergencies such as mountain accidents are provided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1]This figure shows an overview of the environment in which the method according to the present invention is implemented. [Figure 2] This is an example of a screen for the notification application in the method according to the present invention. [Figure 3] This diagram shows the processing flow in the first embodiment of the method according to the present invention. [Figure 4] This figure shows the processing flow in a second embodiment of the method according to the present invention. [Figure 5] This figure shows the processing flow in a third embodiment of the method according to the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the figures.

[0011] Figure 1 shows an overview of the environment in which the method according to the present invention is implemented. The person to be rescued (101) is a person who is in distress, has been in an accident, is ill, or is otherwise in need of rescue. This may include a person who has been lost while mountain climbing, but it may also include a person who has suddenly fallen ill or been involved in an accident in an urban area. The rescuer (102) is a companion, discoverer, member of a rescue team, police officer, paramedic, etc., who is in a position to rescue the person to be rescued (101). The reporting device (103) is a portable device configured as a smart card, smart tag, or wearable device such as a smartwatch or wristband, carried or worn by the person to be rescued (101). Preferably, the reporting device (103) has a technical configuration that allows it to operate without a battery. The portable information terminal (104) is a portable information device with a built-in computer, such as a smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, or smart glasses.

[0012] Here, in most cases where the method according to the present invention is implemented, the portable information terminal (104) is not an item carried by the rescue subject (101), but an item carried by the rescuer (102). That is, the method according to the present invention is significant in that it can be implemented by the rescuer (102) using the portable information terminal (104) carried by the rescuer (102), even when the rescue subject (101) is in a state of unconsciousness, clouded consciousness, or serious injury and cannot use their own portable information terminal, or when their own portable information terminal cannot be used due to a dead battery, malfunction, or the like. However, the method according to the present invention may also be implemented using the portable information terminal (104) carried by the rescue subject (101) themselves. This is effective, for example, when the rescue subject (101) is conscious but in a situation of injury, frostbite, reduced physical strength, or the like, and cannot properly perform full operation of the portable information terminal (104) carried by themselves through normal operation methods such as fingerprint scanning or swiping.

[0013] The emergency reporting device (103) is equipped with means for communication with a personal information terminal (104). Preferably, this communication is based on NFC (Near Field Communication) protocols, but other communication technologies may be used to enable communication between the emergency reporting device (103) and the personal information terminal (104). Preferably, the emergency reporting device (103) has memory for pre-storing information about the person to be rescued (101) that is important in rescue operations, such as their identity, emergency contact information, and pre-existing medical conditions. Preferably, the memory is non-volatile memory that can maintain information for a long period without a battery. The memory may also allow the person to record information that will be useful in the event of an emergency later on (for example, "I haven't eaten for three days," "I've been separated from my companions," etc.) via their personal information terminal (while they are still able to act) or via input means such as a keyboard on the emergency reporting device (103). The recording may be done in text, or alternatively, by voice. As an alternative or additional means when NFC communication is not possible, information about the person to be rescued (101), such as their identity, emergency contact information, and pre-existing medical conditions, may be printed or displayed on the notification device (103) using a two-dimensional barcode or other means. It is preferable to print instructions on how to use the notification device (103) on its surface so that the rescuer (102) can use the notification device (103) appropriately (especially to properly launch the NFC application described later).

[0014] The notification application (105) is one or more programs for transmitting a rescue request from a rescue target person (101), together with information related to the rescue target person (101) such as identity, emergency contact information, and pre-existing medical conditions, to rescue organizations such as rescue teams, police, medical institutions, search headquarters, accompanying persons, and mountain huts. The notification application (105) may be a program (app) pre-installed on the portable information terminal (103), but is preferably a browser-based program that can operate without a pre-installation operation, and is configured such that the main program logic is executed on a server. This is because when a portable information terminal (104) that is not a carried item of the rescue target person (101) is used, it is assumed that a local app providing the functions of the notification application (105) is often not pre-installed on the portable information terminal (105).

[0015] The message notification destination (106) is a transmission destination of a rescue request, and is a rescue organization such as a rescue team, police, medical institution, search headquarters, accompanying person, or mountain hut. The notification application (105) is configured to be able to transmit the rescue request and the information related to the rescue target person (101) to the message notification destination (106) using messaging functions provided by mobile communication carriers and various messaging service providers. Here, it is preferable to also transmit related information (such as the location of distress, weather, and urgency level). The voice notification destination (107) is also a notification destination for rescue requests, but does not have a message communication function, and is a notification destination that only supports voice communication via a fixed telephone network or a mobile telephone network. Notification destinations that are equipped with fixed telephones or mobile telephones but have no means for receiving messages, such as local hospitals and ordinary private residences, correspond to this category.

[0016] Figure 2-a) shows an example screen of the mobile information terminal (103) side of the notification application (105), and Figure 2-b) shows an example screen of the message recipient (106) side of the notification application (105). Both are illustrative examples, and components may be added, deleted, or modified as needed. On the mobile information terminal (103) side screen, buttons are provided for message notification, telephone notification, display and voice conversion of location information, and display and voice conversion of medical information of the person being rescued (101). The voice conversion button allows text information to be synthesized into speech and transmitted to the recipient, increasing the likelihood of more accurate communication in situations such as bad weather than having the rescuer (102) read the text on the screen and speak it aloud. On the message recipient (106) side screen, the location information of the mobile information terminal (103) is displayed numerically and on a map. A video chat function may also be provided.

[0017] Figure 3 shows the processing flow in the first embodiment of the method according to the present invention. The person to be rescued (101) is assumed to be in a state where he is unable to operate his personal information terminal due to confusion or other reasons. Although the description of the embodiment assumes a mountain climbing accident, as mentioned above, the present invention is also effective in making an emergency call when the person to be rescued (101) loses consciousness due to illness or accident in a residential area such as an urban area, or when he is unable to properly use his personal information terminal due to injury or other reasons.

[0018] The rescuer (102) activates the emergency notification application (105) and makes it accessible from the emergency notification application (104) by holding the emergency notification device (103) (for example, a smart card in a wallet, or a smart tag embedded in a keychain or wristband) carried by the person being rescued (101) over their own personal information terminal (104) (typically a smartphone). Many smartphones today have communication capabilities based on the NFC (Near Field Communication) protocol, making it technically possible to activate specific applications or automatically access specific websites by holding an NFC tag over it. Depending on the smartphone settings, some additional operations may be required, so it is preferable that the surface of the emergency notification device (103) has clear instructions printed on it regarding any additional operations that may be required.

[0019] The activated reporting application (105) uses the smartphone's GPS function to obtain the current location information. In addition to the location information at the time of reporting from the mobile information terminal (104), it may also obtain a history of location information from a predetermined time prior to that. This is because it is conceivable that the rescuer (102) may move to a location with good radio wave reception after finding the person to be rescued (101) before making a report. At the same time, the reporting application (105) reads the information stored in the memory of the reporting portable device (103) (information stored in advance or information written by the person to be rescued at the time of the accident). When the rescuer clicks the reporting button in the reporting application (105), a message is sent to the designated message recipient (105), and the obtained location information and related information stored in the memory of the reporting portable device (103) are sent. Additional information such as local weather and temperature may also be obtained and sent at this point (for example, weather forecast information for the current location may be provided using a web service that provides weather forecasts worldwide based on latitude, longitude, and altitude (for example, provided by the Norwegian Meteorological Service)). The system may be configured to automatically send a notification to a designated message contact (106) after the notification application (105) is launched, without waiting for the notification button to be clicked. Multiple message contacts (106) may be sent simultaneously. The destination (106) to which the rescue request is sent may be determined based on the location information of the mobile information terminal (104) and a pre-prepared correspondence table. After the notification and necessary information have been sent, the rescuer (102) may communicate with the person in charge at the message contact (106) via the mobile information terminal (104). Communication may be conducted by any method, such as voice calls, video calls, chat, or email.

[0020] Figure 4 shows the processing flow in a second embodiment of the method according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the notification application (104) is equipped with a function to make a call to a general telephone network. The calling function may be via IP telephony. The notification application (104) screen is equipped with a button to request a call, and by clicking it, a rescue request message is transmitted to a predetermined telephone notification destination (107) using synthesized speech. Preferably, the synthesized speech rescue request message includes location information and information about the person to be rescued (101) that was stored in the memory of the notification device (103). The synthesized speech function may be an internal function of the notification application (104), but it may also be configured to use an external service such as ChatGPT. Furthermore, it may be configured so that the rescuer (102) can add information in their own voice and communicate with the telephone notification destination (107) that made the call.

[0021] Figure 5 shows the processing flow in a third embodiment of the method according to the present invention. In the third embodiment, in addition to the processing in the second embodiment, the notification application (105) is provided with a function to access speech synthesis and speech recognition functions using a trained machine learning model (for example, an LLM (Large-Scale Language Model) such as GPT). The notification application (105) itself may be equipped with speech synthesis and speech recognition functions, but it is preferable that it is configured to use a generally available advanced generative AI service such as ChatGPT. By providing appropriate prompts to the LLM, it is technically possible to automate part of the subsequent interaction with the telephone notification recipient (107). The notification application (105) is provided with a function to construct prompts for the LLM based on various information, including information previously stored in the memory of the notification device (103). This function may be implemented by the logic of a general program (script), but the prompt construction function itself may be implemented by a generally available LLM (for example, ChatGPT).

[0022] The third embodiment is effective, for example, when the person being rescued (101) makes a call using their own personal information terminal, but is unable to communicate properly with the fire and ambulance services due to injury or confusion, or when a rescuer (102), such as a companion or rescuer, makes a call using their own personal information terminal (104), but the companion or rescuer is also injured or confused and unable to communicate properly with emergency contacts or rescue organizations. The person being rescued (101) may also add information that is important for the rescue operation (for example, "I have a broken leg," "I haven't eaten for three days," "I was with someone but we got separated") that they have previously recorded in the memory of the portable reporting device (103) to the prompt to the LLM.

[0023] For example, based on location information acquired by a mobile information terminal (104) and information recorded in a reporting device (103), it is technically possible to generate prompts such as, "The latitude is xxx, the gradient is yyyy. The person in distress is Ichiro Oda from Wakayama Prefecture. He has injured his leg and cannot move. Please make an emergency call based on the above information. Please repeat the information as needed." By inputting these prompts into the LLM, it is possible to synthesize a voice message saying, "I request rescue. I am Ichiro Oda from Wakayama Prefecture. The latitude is xxx, the gradient is yyyy. I have injured my leg and cannot move," and transmit it to the telephone reporting destination (107). Now, suppose that the telephone operator, due to the telephone line conditions, is unable to hear the last name (Oda) and asks, "Is it Mr. Ota?" LLM is technically capable of appropriately answering "It's oda. The tail is the 'o' from 'tail' and the 'ta' from 'rice field'" without bothering the person being rescued (101) or the rescuer (102), thus accelerating rescue operations.

[0024] Various modifications are possible to the above embodiments. For example, as mentioned above, the person being rescued (101) may perform the operation himself instead of the rescuer (102). For example, in the second embodiment, a voice call with the rescuer (102) (or the person being rescued (101)) may be initiated first, and if necessary, information (for example, the current location or the medical information of the person being rescued (101)) may be transmitted to the message recipient (106) via speech synthesis. The above embodiments may be used in combination. For example, in the third embodiment, if necessary, the rescuer (102) (or the person being rescued (101)) may additionally engage in chat or voice communication.

Claims

1. The steps include: activating an emergency notification computer program on a portable information device using a short-range wireless communication means built into a portable device carried by the person being rescued; The step includes transmitting information about the person to be rescued from a storage means built into the portable device to the emergency notification computer program, A computer-based method for making emergency calls.

2. Furthermore, the step of obtaining the current location information of the mobile information device, The step of transmitting the location information to the emergency notification computer program, The emergency notification method according to claim 1.

3. Furthermore, the emergency call computer program makes a call to the emergency call recipient, The step includes transmitting the information relating to the person to be rescued and the current location information of the portable information device to the emergency call recipient using voice synthesis. The emergency notification method according to claim 2.

4. Furthermore, the steps include using the information concerning the person to be rescued and the current location information of the portable information device as prompts to input to a trained large-scale language model, The step includes having the emergency call destination and the trained large-scale language model interact, The emergency notification method according to claim 3.

5. A set of commands to activate an emergency notification computer program on a portable information device, via a short-range wireless communication means built into a portable device carried by the person being rescued, A set of commands that transmits information about the person to be rescued from a storage means built into the portable device to the emergency notification computer program, An emergency notification program that is run on a computer.

6. Furthermore, a set of commands for acquiring the current location information of the portable information device, A set of commands that transmits the location information to the emergency notification computer program, An emergency notification program according to claim 5, which is to be executed by a computer.

7. Furthermore, the emergency call computer program includes a set of commands to make a call to the emergency call destination, The information concerning the person to be rescued, and the current location information of the portable information device, are transmitted to the emergency call recipient via voice synthesis. An emergency notification program according to claim 6, which is to be executed by a computer.

8. Furthermore, the command set uses the information concerning the person to be rescued and the current location information of the portable information device as prompts to input to a trained large-scale language model, The set of commands that causes the aforementioned emergency call destination and the aforementioned trained large-scale language model to interact, An emergency notification program according to claim 7, which is to be executed by a computer.

9. A portable device configured to perform the method described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

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