Emergency Call System Using Central Text-to-Speech Conversion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing emergency call systems for vehicles involved in accidents face technical complexity and inefficiency due to the need for advanced equipment and data formatting, particularly in transmitting critical information to rescue control centers.

Innovation Solution

Relocating text-to-speech functionality to a central call unit simplifies the accident monitoring unit's role, allowing it to send geographic coordinates as text information, which is converted to voice and transmitted via conventional voice channels, reducing the need for complex equipment updates and maintaining reliable communication.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If text-to-speech functionality is implemented in the vehicle's accident monitoring unit, then voice communication with rescue control centers is enabled, but device complexity and technical burden on vehicle systems increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevoice communication capabilityVSAvoidtechnical burden on vehicle systems
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The text-to-speech functionality is extracted from the vehicle's accident monitoring unit and relocated to a central call unit. This allows the vehicle system to send only geographic coordinates as text information, while the central call unit handles the conversion to voice and transmission via conventional voice channels, significantly reducing the technical burden on vehicle systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

A central call unit is introduced as an intermediary between the vehicle's accident monitoring unit and the rescue control center. This intermediary performs the text-to-speech conversion and handles voice channel transmission, allowing the vehicle system to remain simple while still achieving voice communication capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If geographic coordinates are transmitted as text information and converted to voice centrally, then communication reliability is maintained through conventional voice channels, but additional central processing infrastructure is required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoidcentral processing infrastructure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The central call unit serves as a mediator that receives text information containing geographic coordinates from the vehicle, converts it to voice using text-to-speech functionality, and transmits it via conventional voice channels. This approach maintains communication reliability by using proven voice channel infrastructure while centralizing the processing burden.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP2220632B1Method and system for placing an emergency call
Publication Date: 2016.10.12 CONTINENTAL TEVES AG & CO OHG
  • EP2220632B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2

AI summary

The invention relates to a system and a method for placing an emergency call from an accident vehicle (1) to a rescue center (13) using the text-to-speech method, having an automatic accident monitoring unit (2) in the vehicle (1) for detecting an accident of the vehicle (1) via a sensor system (3), comprising a positioning system (4) for determining the current geographic accident coordinates (5) of the vehicle (1), wherein the accident monitoring unit (2) transmits the accident coordinates (5) to a central call unit (6) for allocating the same to a digital card (10) deposited at that location for the purpose of obtaining a cartographic accident position as text information, which the central call unit (6) converts into speech information (12) in order to transmit the speech information (12) from the central call unit (6) to the rescue center (13) via a speech channel (14).