Vehicle-to-Vehicle Emergency Data Relay System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle telematics systems face challenges in automatically contacting emergency services when the in-vehicle communication device is damaged or disabled in an accident, leaving occupants unable to seek assistance due to potential injuries.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle-to-vehicle communication system that detects a primary vehicle's emergency state and, if on-board communication is unavailable, searches for and establishes communication with a secondary vehicle to relay emergency data and request services on behalf of the primary vehicle, utilizing short-range communication protocols like Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to ensure emergency services can be contacted.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the vehicle relies on an in-vehicle system to contact emergency services, then automatic emergency contact is enabled, but the system becomes vulnerable to device damage or disability in accidents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a secondary vehicle as an intermediary mediator to relay emergency communications when the primary vehicle's communication device is damaged. The secondary vehicle receives emergency data from the primary vehicle and forwards it to emergency services, enabling indirect communication through a third party that resolves the vulnerability of direct communication device failure
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of communication device status before accidents occur and establishes backup communication pathways in advance. By detecting emergency states and identifying alternative communication routes beforehand, the system cushions against the impact of device failure and ensures continuous emergency contact capability
2Reliability
If the vehicle uses vehicle-to-vehicle communication to relay emergency data, then emergency service contact reliability is improved, but communication complexity and data management burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the emergency communication function into distinct modules: primary vehicle emergency detection, secondary vehicle communication relay, and emergency service contact. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high reliability through specialized functional divisions
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a copy of the emergency communication pathway through the secondary vehicle. Instead of requiring the primary vehicle's damaged device to directly contact emergency services, a duplicate communication route is established through the secondary vehicle, which receives and forwards emergency data, thereby simplifying the actual communication mechanism while improving reliability
3Reliability
If multiple vehicles relay emergency communications, then communication reliability is enhanced, but duplicate emergency communications may overwhelm emergency services
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where secondary vehicles that relay emergency communications provide status information back to the system. This feedback allows the system to track which emergency communications have been successfully relayed and prevents duplicate transmissions of the same emergency data, thereby maintaining information quality while enhancing communication reliability through multiple potential relays
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes parameters of emergency communications based on the relay vehicle's status and the emergency situation. By adjusting communication parameters such as data priority, transmission frequency, and relay selection criteria, the system optimizes the balance between using multiple relay vehicles for reliability and preventing duplicate communications from overwhelming emergency services
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a processor configured to detect a primary vehicle emergency-state. The processor is also configured to determine that emergency-services communication through an on-board device is not possible. Further, the processor is configured to search for a secondary vehicle having vehicle-to-vehicle communication capabilities. The processor is additionally configured to send an emergency-services request to the secondary vehicle to establish communication with the secondary vehicle and send prioritized emergency data to the secondary vehicle.