Vehicle BLE Emergency Call Automation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for contacting emergency services in vehicles, especially in accident scenarios, are inadequate as they require a subscription or a connected phone, and may fail if the driver is impaired or in areas with limited visibility, where passersby cannot notice the vehicle.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) system that automatically detects emergencies and initiates a request to contact emergency services using personal communication devices (PCDs) without prior pairing, transmitting vehicle data like location and occupant status, and receiving acknowledgments when services are contacted.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a subscription or connected phone is required to contact emergency services, then the system can reliably contact emergency providers, but the system becomes less accessible and requires additional infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology as an intermediary communication method between the vehicle system and personal communication devices. This allows the vehicle to contact emergency services through the user's personal device without requiring a dedicated subscription or connected phone system, thus maintaining reliability while improving accessibility
Solution Approach 2:
The system leverages the user's existing personal communication device and its established emergency calling capabilities. Instead of requiring the vehicle system to provide its own emergency communication infrastructure, it allows the personal device to self-serve the emergency contact function, removing the need for additional subscriptions or infrastructure
2Loss of time
If the system automatically contacts emergency services without user input, then the response time is reduced, but the system may contact emergency services unnecessarily causing false alarms
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection and assessment of emergency conditions using various sensors before initiating the emergency contact sequence. This preliminary action ensures that automatic contact is only made when genuine emergencies are detected, reducing false alarms while maintaining rapid response times
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the personal communication device receives and acknowledges the emergency contact request. This feedback loop allows the system to verify the legitimacy of the emergency condition before completing the contact, reducing false alarms while maintaining rapid response
3Reliability
If the vehicle system uses traditional emergency notification methods, then the system can contact emergency services, but it requires a connected phone or subscription infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) as an intermediary communication protocol that enables the vehicle system to communicate with personal communication devices without requiring traditional connected phone infrastructure or subscriptions. This reduces device complexity while maintaining emergency contact capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes the personal communication device's existing emergency calling functionality rather than requiring a dedicated vehicle emergency system. This universal approach leverages the multi-functionality of personal devices to provide emergency contact capability without additional infrastructure
4Reliability
If the system repeatedly transmits emergency contact requests, then the probability of successful contact increases, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic transmission of emergency contact requests rather than continuous transmission. This allows the system to maintain a high probability of successful contact by repeating requests at intervals while reducing overall energy consumption compared to continuous transmission
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the personal communication device acknowledgment to determine when to stop transmitting requests. Once acknowledgment is received, transmission ceases, preventing unnecessary energy consumption while ensuring successful contact
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle system includes a controller configured to receive a vehicle state signal indicative of a vehicle being in an emergency state, repeatedly transmit a request, via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), to a personal communication device (PCD) to contact an emergency provider in response to receiving the vehicle state signal, and stop transmitting the request to contact the emergency provider in response to receiving an acknowledgement from the PCD that the emergency provider was contacted.