`United States Patent
`5,311,197
`[11] Patent Number:
`[45] Date of Patent: May 10, 1994
`Sorden et al.
`
`lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
`Usoo5311t97A
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`[54] EVENT-AC1"IVATED REPORTING OF
`VEHICLE LOCATION
`
`[75]
`
`Inventors:
`
`James L. Sorden, Saratoga; Terry J.
`Smith, Campbell; Eric Klein,
`Mountain View, all of Calif.
`
`[73] Assignee:
`
`Trirnble Navigation Limited,
`Sunnyvale, Calif.
`
`[21] App]. No.: 11,989
`[22] Filed:
`Feb. I, 1993
`
`Int. Cl.5 .............................................. .. G015 3/02
`{5}}
`
`[52] U.S. Cl. ............
`342/457; 342/35?
`................... .. 342/457, 50, 357
`[58] Field of Search
`
`[56]
`
`References Cited
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`342/475
`4,140,792 4/ 1988 Sagey er al.
`5,119,102 6/ I992 Baniard .......................... 342/45'! X
`
`Primary Examiner-—Mark I-Iellner
`Attorney. Agent. or Firm—John Schipper
`
`[57]
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`Apparatus that is carried on a land vehicle, a marine
`vehicle or vessel, or an airborne vehicle or vessel for
`notifying others that a vehicle accident or other abnor-
`mal situation has occurred and for notifying others of
`the location of the vehicle at the time of the accident.
`The vehicle carries an distance measuring system
`(DMS) signal antenna and receiver/processor that re-
`ceives DMS-type signals from one or more DMS signal
`broadcasters and determines the present position of the
`vehicle, plus an activatable transmitter. The vehicle also
`
`carries an abnormality sensing means that senses the
`occurrence of an accident or other abnormal situation
`
`involving the vehicle or a vehicle occupant. When an
`abnormal situation is sensed, the abnonnality sensing
`means automatically activates the transmitter, which
`then communicates the fact that an abnormal situation
`has occurred and the location of the vehicle at the time
`
`the event occurred. Alternatively, the abnormality sens-
`ing means can activate the transmitter only after a vehi-
`cle operator has taken affirmative action indicating that
`the transmitter should be activated. Optionally,
`the
`‘transmitter can also communicate the time the event
`occurred. If the abnormal situation is (1) a vehicle acci-
`dent, (2) inoperability of the vehicle, (3) inability of the
`vehicle operator or other vehicle occupant to continue
`(e.g.. because of a rapid change in a present health con-
`dition of the occupant), the transmitter can also commu-
`nicate information on (I) the severity of the accident,
`(2) the type or cause of vehicle inoperability, (3) the
`reason the operator or other occupant is unable to con-
`tinue. Optionally, the system can also transmit, or hold
`for future analysis. the values of one or more vehicle
`operating parameters sensed at a sequence of times pre-
`ceding occurrence of the abnormal situation. The DMS
`may be a Satellite Positioning System, such as the
`Global Positioning System (GPS) or the Global Orbit-
`ing Navigation System (GLONASS). or a ground-
`based radionavigation system, such as LORAN, Sho-
`ran, Decca or TACAN.
`
`32 Claims, 2 Drawing Sheets
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`/5)!
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`OWNER Ex. 2013, pagel
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`U.S. Patent
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`May 10, 1994
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`OWNER Ex. 2013, page'2
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`U.S. Patent
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`May 10, 1994
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`Sheet 2 of 2
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`5,311,197
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`4&1
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`IS VEHICL
`OPERATING
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`YES 43
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`ACIVATE SP5
`RECEIVER I PROCESSOR
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`45
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`IS ABNORMALITY
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`SENSOR SENDING ABNORMAL
`SITUATION SIGNAL ?
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`47
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`DETERMINE TIME ABNORMAL
`SITUATION OCCURRED
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`49
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`DETERMINE TYPE {CAUSE OF
`ABNORMAL SITUATION
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`51
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`DETERMINE SEVERITY OF
`ABNORMAL SITUATION
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`53
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`COLLECT VEHICLE OPER.
`PARAMETER INFORMATION
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`55
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`COLLECT MANUALLY
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`ENTERED INFORMATION
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`TRANSM IT {STORE VEHICLE
`LOCATION AND OTHER
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`AVAILABLE RELEVANT INFORMATIO
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`OWNER Ex. 2013, page 3
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`5,311,197
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`EVENT-ACTIVATED REPORTING OF VEHICLE
`LOCATION
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`This invention relates to determination of location of
`1 vehicle upon occurrence of an event, and more partic-
`ularly to determination of vehicle location by a satellite-
`based or ground-based radiowave navigation system.
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`When a land vehicle, such as an automobile, bus or
`truck, or a marine or airborne vessel encounters an
`abnormal situation, such as a collision. loss of vehicle
`control or abrupt inoperability of the vehicle, a safety
`device attached to the vehicle is activated to minimize
`injury or damage to the vehicle occupants or to the
`vehicle itself. The safety device may be an air bag or
`other vehicle or passenger safety mechanism, activated
`in response to an imminent or extant vehicle collision,
`or may be a redundant or parallel power supply or
`mechanical control device for the vehicle. Normally,
`such device is activated automatically by a signal issued
`by a vehicle sensor that senses and responds quickly to
`occurrence of any one of a predetermined group of
`abnormal vehicle conditions. If this abnormal condition
`threatens the health or safety of a vehicle occupant, it
`might be preferable to issue a distress signal automati-
`cally and at once, without waiting for a volitional act by
`a vehicle occupant.
`Several workers have attempted to provide for
`broadcasting of distress signals when a vehicle experi-
`ences a collision or some other disabling condition.
`Graham, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,441,858, discloses an elec-
`tronic calling and reply system that may be activated.
`either automatically or manually, to broadcast one of a
`selected group ofdistress signals after a vehicle accident
`occurs. The vehicle carries one transceiver unit. A cen-
`tral aid station has a second transceiver unit that re-
`sponds to receipt of the distress signal by broadcasting
`a unique coded signal indicating that assistance is being
`sent to the vehicle. The distress signal may indicate that
`(1) a vehicle tow truck is needed, (2) an ambulance is
`needed, or (3) both a tow truck and an ambulance are
`needed. The distress signal is automatically sent by the
`vehicle-mounted transceiver when vehicle impact of
`sufficient magnitude occurs, as in a collision.
`A vehicle distress tone generator that produces a
`selected one of three different tones is disclosed in U.S.
`Pat. No. 3,461,423,
`issued to Trumble. The distress
`signal can be automatically broadcast in response to
`occurrence of a vehicle accident or can be manually
`initiated by a vehicle occupant. The three tones broad-
`cast correspond to three predetermined levels of sever-
`ity of the accident.
`In U.S. Pat. No. 3,646,583, Scuderi discloses auto-
`matic vehicle accident signalling apparatus, including a
`sensor that senses that a vehicle collision of a predeter-
`mined severity level (or more) has occurred. The acci-
`dent signal is, presumably, received and answered by a
`central assistance station or by another vehicle. This
`patent is concerned primarily with the mechanics and
`electronics of collision sensing and signal broadcasting.
`None of the patents discussed thus far discusses means
`for determining where the vehicle in distress is located.
`Angeloni discloses a highway distress signal broad-
`cast system, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,328,306, in which the
`vehicle is located by triangulation by three or more
`
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`nearby radio direction finding devices (RDFs), such as
`the old Mariner MR-18 marketed by Heathkit. Each
`RDF receives the vehicle distress signal and determines
`the direction of the signal source. A central station
`receives this information from the RDFs, determines
`the location of the vehicle in distress, and dispatches
`assistance for the vehicle. The RDFs must be located
`within 15 miles of the accident scene., the vehicle trans-
`mitter has low power (P: 10 Watts), and the contem-
`plated broadcast frequency is about 450 MHz.
`Gleitz et al disclose apparatus having a vehicle im-
`pact sensor and a vehicle deformation sensor attached
`to a vehicle in U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,040. The apparatus
`broadcasts a first distress signal if vehicle impact
`is
`sensed and broadcasts a second distress signal if vehicle
`deformation is sensed, and the transmitter continues to
`broadcast after activation. Broadcast of vehicle location
`by the transmitter is not discussed.
`Edelbock discloses a low technology solution in U.S.
`Pat. No. 4,091,369, a collision-responsive alarm that is
`attached at the top ofa vehicle. If the vehicle collides
`with another object, a light source, rotating reflector
`and warning light is activated. Light from the source is
`reflected in a circular pattern by the rotating reflector,
`thus advising other persons nearby that a vehicle colli-
`sion has occurred. No electromagnetic distress signal is
`broadcast by this apparatus.
`A vehicle emergency signal system using Citizens
`Band (CB) radio channels is disclosed by Flickshu et al
`in U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,545. When a vehicle accident
`occurs, an emergency switch (manual or automatic)
`activates a CB radio transceiver carried in the vehicle,
`and the transceiver broadcasts 2 distress signal in each
`of a sequence of CB radio bands and then is set to Chan-
`nel 9, the only CB emergency channel, to receive in-
`quiries or other information from nearby CB radio us-
`ers. By sequentially broadcasting the vehicle distress
`signal in each CB channel, the inventor contemplates
`that some CB users will hear and respond to the distress
`signal. However, this requires that at least one occupant
`of the vehicle in distress be in condition to receive the
`CB inquiries and be able to provide the location of that
`vehicle.
`
`In U.S. Pat. No. 4,229,725, issued to Marcus, vehicle
`location indicator apparatus provides a visual readout
`of the last mile marker the vehicle has passed and of the
`distance (fraction of a mile) traveled by the vehicle
`since that last marker was passed. The apparatus is
`operable only for travel on a road or highway on which
`mile marker sensors are located at regular spatial inter-
`vals. A counter in the vehicle is initially set equal to
`zero and then is incremented as successive mile markers
`are passed. Particular events that may occur at particu-
`lar mile markers c .n be stored in the apparatus and then
`displayed to the vehicle occupants as the vehicle ap-
`proaches the stored event mile marker. An optional
`keyboard allows a vehicle occupant to enter relevant
`information as the vehicle proceeds.
`Juhasz et al disclose a vehicle monitoring and record-
`ing system in which a plurality of sensors provide con-
`tinuous or intermittent measurements of vehicle and
`engine operating parameters, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,258.42l.
`These measurements are stored in a computer, which
`may be carried on the vehicle or may be spaced apart
`from the vehicle and connected to the sensors by a
`portable data link. The operating parameters provided
`by the sensors may be compared with fixed parameter
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`OWNER Ex. 2013, page 4
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`3
`limits to assess the present operating performance of the
`vehicle.
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`5,311,197
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`4
`and provide corrective adjustments of locations of the
`other vehicle transmitters. The satellites or signal relay
`towers receive location-determining signals from the
`vehicle, which is the inverse of the situation in the sub-
`S ject invention.
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`Takai discloses, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,743,913, a hybrid
`navigation system in which vehicle location and veloc-
`ity vector are determined by an on-board geomagnetic
`sensor that senses the local geomagnetic field direction.
`The system also uses location information derived from
`GPS. However, it appears that the system is intended to
`operate only on a predetermined system of straight
`roads.
`
`A vehicle emergency or distress signal broadcasting
`system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,426, issued to
`Merkel. in which the distress signal also indicates the
`vehicle location. Distress signal
`transmission is acti-
`vated by sensors that sense occurrence of a vehicle
`collision, or some other
`recognizable, non-normal
`event. These sensors may have different activation
`thresholds that correspond to the severity of the colli-
`sion and may thereby cause transmission of different
`distress signals. Vehicle location is determined (proba-
`bly by triangulation) by a plurality of geographically
`distributed stations that are electronically connected
`with a central data processing station. Information re-
`ceived by the central station may indicate the severity
`of the collision and whether certain safety equipment,
`such as seat belts or air bags, was operable when the
`collision occurred.
`Zottnik, in U.S. Pat. No. 4.638.289, discloses use of a
`short
`time data recordation and storage system that
`continuously records and temporarily saves measure-
`ments of vehicle operating parameters as the vehicle
`moves. The recorded data are stored in a modest size
`buffer that is overwritten by new data after a fixed time
`interval (At:l—30 sec). If a vehicle accident occurs,
`operating data in the buffer at that time are "frozen"
`and not subsequently overwritten. Data preserved in
`the buffer are then available to provide a perspective on
`what happened in a time interval immediately preced-
`ing the vehicle accident.
`Muraltami positions a plurality of transmitting anten-
`nae at various locations and orientations on a vehicle in
`U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,904. An emergency or distress sig-
`nal is transmitted by a transmitter connected to these
`antennae whenever a serious abnormality is sensed in
`vehicle operation. This abnormality may be vehicle
`acceleration/deceleration (as in a vehicle collision),
`sharp change in vehicle inclination (as when a vehicle
`abruptly moves over the edge of an incline) or the unex-
`pected presence of water within the vehicle (as when a
`vehicle abruptly encounters a river or other large body
`of water). The distress signal is broadcast sequentially
`from each of the antennae so that inoperability of one or
`a few antennae will not permanently preclude broadcast
`of the vehicle distress signal.
`A vehicle location system activated by vehicle mo-
`tion. vehicle collision, vehicle theft or other abnormal
`event
`is disclosed by Sagey et al
`in U.S. Pat. No.
`4,740,792. Each vehicle has a transmitter attached
`thereto that has a unique transmission signal signature,
`and a signal broadcast by such a vehicle is received and
`relayed by each of three or more satellites or signal
`relay towers that communicate directly with one or
`more central data processing stations distributed
`throughout the U.S. A central station receives a relayed
`signal and identifies the transmitter, and thus the associ-
`ated vehicle, by the signature. The transmitter can
`broadcast a signal with first frequency if the vehicle is
`stationary, a signal with a second frequency if the vehi-
`cle is in motion. a signal with a third frequency if the
`vehicle is being tampered with or stolen, and a signal
`with a fourth frequency if a vehicle collision is immi-
`nent or has already occurred. Optionally, a stationary
`transmitter with known position broadcasts a signal that
`is also received by the central station. The known and
`computed positions of this stationary transmitter are
`compared at the central station to calibrate the system
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`In U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,840, Benayad-Cherif et al dis-
`close a position locating system for a robot vehicle that
`uses a plurality of elevated towers that each emit a
`guidance beacon. The beacons are received by sensors
`in, and provide individually coded guidance signals for,
`the vehicle, using triangulation or phase shift tech-
`niques. The location of the robot vehicle may be deter-
`mined on board, but this location is not communicated
`to another entity.
`Manion discloses a burst collision avoidance system
`for aircraft ground-based, aircraft-servicing vehicles
`and structures that provides warnings and avoidance
`maneuvers, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,835,537. The system pro-
`vides telemetry equipment and a computer aboard each
`such vehicle and structure to determine and broadcast
`the present location and intended direction of move-
`ment for each such vehicle and structure. Information
`thus broadcast is received by each vehicle and structure
`in the local region and used to determine if a collision is
`imminent. A Global Positioning System or other means
`for location determination provides each vehicle with
`its current location information. This system requires
`constant transmission and receipt of location signals and
`substantial computer power to receive and process all
`incoming location signals.
`A locator system for a movable vehicle is disclosed in
`U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,208, issued to Marinelli et al. Each
`of a plurality of fixed location transceivers communi-
`cates with a satellite through a first antenna and re-
`ceives signals emitted by nearby vehicles individually
`through a second antenna. ‘The strength of the signal
`received by the second antenna from a nearby vehicle
`determines its distance from the transmitter and second
`antenna. The transceivers receive and relay the vehicle
`signals to the satellite, which serves as a master data
`processing station and determines these vehicle-second
`antenna distances. Each transceiver serves as a local
`object locator station but has a relatively small effective
`diameter (:20 miles}.
`Scribner et al disclose a vehicle tracking system that
`transmits the location of a vehicle whenever one or
`more predetermined events oct .:rs, in U.S. Pat. No.
`5,014,206. The vehicle carries sensors that respond to
`occurrence of a predetermined event and carries a
`Global Positioning System or LORAN navigational
`system that receives vehicle location information, such
`as longitude and latitude. This vehicle location informa-
`tion is stored in a memory on board the vehicle only
`when one or more of the predetermined events occurs.
`The vehicle location information is assumed to be read
`out when the vehicle returns to a home base.
`Barnard, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,102, discloses a vehi-
`cle location system that uses provides a Global Position-
`ing System signal receiver, temporary signal storage
`and signal retransmitter aboard each vehicle whose
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`location is to be monitored. The signals received by the
`receiver are rebroadcast at fixed times and received by
`a base station, which also receives the GPS signals
`directly from the GPS satellites. The base station deter-
`mines the location of each vehicle, using time delays
`calculated for GPS signals received from that vehicle.
`The system provides no indication of occurrence of an
`unusual event, such as a collision or imminent collision.
`Vehicle location apparatus, carried on each vehicle
`that communicates with a base station, is disclosed in
`U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,231, issued to Park. Each vehicle
`determines its current location and, upon receipt of a
`command signal from the base station,
`transmits its
`current location to the base station. No special message
`is included by a transmitting vehicle indicating the pres-
`ence of an unusual condition or event affecting that
`vehicle.
`
`What is needed is a system that automatically broad-
`casts a vehicle distress signal,
`including the present
`location of the vehicle in distress and the time of first
`broadcast, whenever and wherever the vehicle encoun-
`ters or experiences any one of a group of predetermined
`abnormal events or conditions. The system should pref-
`erably allow broadcast of the type of abnormality en-
`countered, an assessment of the level of severity of the
`abnormality and information on the condition of the
`vehicle prior to and at the time the abnormality oc-
`curred. Preferably, the system should not be limited to
`operation in a geographically restricted region and
`should not require that the vehicle be confined to a
`predetermined road system.
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`These needs are met by the invention, which provides
`apparatus for broadcasting the present
`location of a
`vehicle in distress, this location being determined by a
`signal transceiver and processor attached to the vehicle
`and controlled by a ground-based radionavigation sys-
`tem, such as LORAN, Shoran, Decca or TACAN, or
`by a satellite-based radionavigation system, such as a
`Satellite Positioning System (SP5). The SPS may be a
`Global Positioning System (GPS), a Global Orbiting
`Navigational System (GLONASS), or any other satel-
`lite—based system for determination of location and/or
`observation time for a point on or adjacent to the Earth.
`These radionavigation systems are referred to collec-
`tively herein as distance measuring systems (“DMSs"}.
`Where satellite-based signals are used, an SPS an-
`tenna and receiver/processor carried on a vehicle re-
`ceives different coded signals from each of two or more
`SP5 satellites, placed in non-geosynchronous orbits
`around the Earth. The SPS continuously or intermit-
`tently determines the present location of the SPS an-
`tenna, based upon the relative and absolute times each
`coded signal is received and any frequency shifts that
`occur for each such signal.
`Where ground-based signals are used, a vehicle-
`mounted antenna and receiver/processor receive two
`or more timed DMS signals from fixed, ground-based
`transmitters and determines, from the timing differences
`or other signal characteristics, the vehicle location rela-
`tive to the lmown positions of the transmitters.
`A Long Range Navigation (LORAN) antenna and
`transceiver/processor receives timed pulses from a mas-
`ter station and pulses from two or more spaced apart
`secondary stations that are synchronized to the master
`station pulses. The time difference between receipt of
`the distinguishable master station pulse sequence and
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`6
`each of the secondary station pulse sequences is used to
`determine the position of the LORAN antenna by trian-
`gulation. Shoran and Decca are similar to LORAN.
`A TACAN antenna and receiver/'processor system is
`ground-based and combines features of a distance mea-
`suring system with direction-fuiding features, using a
`single transmitting station. A TACAN system uses a
`rotating non-uniform antenna pattern, superimposed on
`a fixed non-uniform antenna pattern. to provide accu-
`rate bearing information.
`The DMS-determined present location of the vehicle
`is only broadcast in response to (imminent or extant)
`occurrence of an abnormal vehicle event or condition,
`as determined by one or more vehicle operating sensors
`attached to the vehicle. Optionally, the system can also
`broadcast previously-sensed and temporarily-stored
`information on vehicle operating parameters present
`just before or at the time the abnormality occurred.
`The invention communicates the present location of
`the vehicle automatically or, optionally, only after affir-
`mative action is taken by an occupant of the vehicle.
`The vehicle may be located anywhere on the Earth’s
`surface. Communication may be by broadcast on one or
`more vehicle emergency frequencies, such as CB Chan-
`nel 9, marine channel l6 or the corresponding aviation
`channels, or the invention may include a cellular tele-
`phone that communicates the vehicle event or condi-
`tion information to an emergency reporting facility,
`such as the 911 telephone number of a local telephone
`company. Optionally, the invention can communicate
`other information as well, such as the nature and/or
`severity of the abnormal event or condition and the time
`this event or condition occurred.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`FIG. I is a schematic view of an embodiment of the
`invention in use where a vehicle abnormal event or
`condition has occurred, where a satellite-based ra-
`dionavigation system is used.
`FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating the signal pro-
`cessing logic for one embodiment of the invention car-
`ried on a vehicle.
`FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an embodiment of the
`invention in use, where a ground-based radionavigation
`system is used to report occurrence of a marine vessel
`abnormal event or condition.
`
`DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
`EMBODIMENT
`
`FIG. 1, which is not drawn to scale, illustrates the
`invention in use. where a monitored vehicle 13 or vehi-
`cle operator or occupant 15 encounters an abnormal
`event or condition (abnormal “situation"), using a satel-
`lite-based radionavigation system. The abnormal situa-
`tion may be collision or crash of the vehicle 31, “roll-
`ing" or side-over-side rotation or tumbling of the vehi-
`cle, sudden immersion of the vehicle in water or an-
`other liquid, unexpected inoperability of the vehicle,
`unexpected inability of the vehicle operator to continue
`to operate the vehicle (e.g., because ofa sudden change
`in the present health condition of the operator or an-
`other vehicle occupant). or any other abnormal situa-
`tion that can be distinguished by one or more sensors
`carried on the vehicle or on a vehicle occupant. The
`vehicle 13 carries a DMS antenna 20 and an activatable
`DMS (here, SP5) signal receiver/processor 21 that
`receives DMS-type signals 23A. 23B and 23C from two
`or more DMS signal broadcasters 25A, 2513 and 25C
`
`(cid:50)(cid:58)(cid:49)(cid:40)(cid:53)(cid:3)(cid:40)(cid:91)(cid:17)(cid:3)(cid:21)(cid:19)(cid:20)(cid:22)(cid:15)(cid:3)(cid:83)(cid:68)(cid:74)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:25)
`OWNER Ex. 2013, page 6
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`5,311,197
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`(here, satellites). These DMS signals are processed by
`the receiver.’processor 21 to detennine the present loca-
`tion of the DMS antenna 20 and, therefore, of the vehi-
`cle 13 on which the antenna is carried. This present
`location information is transmitted, at an appropriate
`time, by a signal transmitter 22 connected to the recei-
`ver/processor 2]. Present vehicle information can be
`presented in longitude and latitude coordinates, and
`optionally includes an elevation coordinate indicating
`the height of the vehicle above or below a reference
`horizontal plane. The vehicle 13 may be a land vehicle,
`a marine vessel or vehicle or an airborne vessel or vehi-
`cle, although only a land vehicle is shown in FIG. 1.
`The transmitter 22 is activated by receipt of an abnor-
`mal situation signal from an abnormal event sensor 31
`that is carried on the vehicle, or on an occupant of the
`vehicle, such as the vehicle operator, and that is elec-
`tronically connected to the receiver/processor 21. The
`abnormal event sensor 31 might be connected to an
`on-board, collision-activated air bag or other device
`that is activated when a specified abnormal event or
`class of events occurs. When the abnormal event sensor
`31 senses occurrence of one or more of a selected group
`of abnormal situations involving the vehicle 13 or vehi-
`cle operator/occupant 15, this sensor issues a transmit-
`ter activation signal, and the transmitter 22 is activated
`and begins transmitting a vehicle “distress" signal 27.
`The distress signal 2‘.-' communicates the fact that an
`abnormal situation has occurred and the location of the
`vehicle at the time the abnormal situation first occurred.
`Optionally, the transmitter 22 can also communicate
`the time the abnonnal situation first occurred and/or
`information concerning (1) the type or cause of the
`situation, (2) the severity of the situation, (3) the condi-
`tion of the vehicle operator/occupant (if related to
`inability of the operator/occupant to continue), (4) the
`orientation of the vehicle relative to a reference orienta-
`tion., and/or (5) the present location of the vehicle.
`Vehicle location and other relevant information at the
`time the abnormal situation occurred may be transmit-
`ted once or periodically. Alternatively. present vehicle
`location and other relevant information may be trans-
`mitted as vehicle location changes, after occurrence of
`the abnormal situation. This alternative would be ap-
`propriate where the location of the vehicle may con-
`tinue to change after the abnormal situation occurs, for
`example, where a marine vessel drifts with the current.
`Optionally. the vehicle 13 can also carry one or more
`vehicle operating parameter sensors 33, and one or
`more registers or memories 35 for temporary storage.
`connected to the sensors 33, for continuously sensing
`and storing parameter values such as vehicle speed,
`vehicle heading, engine temperature, etc. Information
`sensed by the sensors 33 could be stored in first in-first
`out registers 35 that store parameter values sensed dur-
`ing the a preceding time interval of length Ats, such as
`the preceding five seconds. When an abnormal situation
`occurs, the sensors 33 are immediately disabled _so that
`the vehicle operating parameter values sensed and
`stored in the time interval of length At; immediately
`preceding occurrence of the abnormality are available
`for subsequent read-out. The infonnation now stored in
`a register 35 can be read out "at the scene", analogous
`to read-out of "black box“ information after crash of an
`aircraft. Alternatively, some or all of the information
`held by the registers 35 can be automatically or discre-
`tionarily transmitted by the transmitter 22 when an
`abnormal situation occurs. A sensor 33 can be one or
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`25
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`35
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`more accelerometers oriented in one or more directions
`relative to a vehicle axis. Alternatively, a sensor 33 can
`be a local magnetic field sensor that senses the direction
`of a vehicle axis relative to a local coordinate system
`defined by the local magnetic field.
`Communication of vehicle location and other rele-
`vant infonnation may be through broadcasting by the
`transmitter 22 of such information on one or more des-
`ignated Emergency Radiowave Bands that are allo-
`cated for such use. For land vehicles, these Emergency
`Radiowave Bands include the Citizens Band frequen-
`cies f:27.U65 MI-Iz. For marine vessels or vehicles,
`these Emergency Radiowave Bands include the fre-
`quencies fr: 156.3 MHz. For airborne vessels or vehi-
`cles, these Emergency Radiowave Bands include the
`frequencies f:-.: 121.5 and 243.0 MHz. This vehicle loca-
`tion and other transmitted information is intended to he
`received and acted upon by an abnormal event report-
`ing facility (AERF) 29. Alternatively, the vehicle may
`also carry a cellular telephone 37, associated with and
`connected to the transmitter 22, that contacts a local
`AERF 29, such as the well known emergency tele-
`phone number 911 of a local telephone company, and
`reports the abnormal situation and location of the vehi-
`cle.
`
`For purposes of definiteness, FIG. 1 illustrates the
`abnormal situation as collision of a land vehicle 13 with
`a tree or other structure 30, including another vehicle.
`If the vehicle 13 carries at least one collision-activated
`air bag, the abnormality sensor 31 may activate the
`transmitter 22 whenever the air bag release mechanism
`is activated. However, the invention is not limited to
`this situation or to this sensor activation means. One or
`more abnormality sensors 31 may be carried on the
`vehicle 13 or on a vehicle operator or occupant 15 to
`detect occurrence of any abnormal situation, including
`but not limited to the following situations: activation of
`a vehicle safety device, such as an air bag or other vehi-
`cle operator/occupant restraint mechanism; collision of
`the vehicle with another object (vehicle, tree, structure,
`person, a submerged structure, a portion of the shore-
`line, the Earth, etc.); unexpected immersion of part or
`all of the vehicle in water or other liquid, such as an
`ocean, river, lake or water-filled ditch or canal; unex-
`pected inoperability of the vehicle; and unexpected
`inability of a vehicle occupant or operator to continue,
`because of a sudden change in that person’s present
`health condition (heart attack, stroke, heat exhaustion,
`convulsion, etc.). Although FIG. 1 illustrates a situation
`in which the monitored vehicle 13 is a land vehicle,
`such as an auto, a bus or a truck, the invention also
`applies to monitoring of marine vessels and vehicles and
`of airborne vehicles, such as aircraft. hot air balloons
`and dirigibles.
`The system may cause the transmitter 22 to communi-
`cate the chosen information once or to communicate
`the chosen information two or mor