Personal rescue system

A personal rescue system in which the car driver can double-click the emergency button of a personal remote control secretly to send an emergency signal to an on-board movable alert device when extorted by evil fellows, causing the controller of the movable alert device to turn the audio/video output device of the movable alert device into a background mode and then to drive the wireless communication device of the movable alert device to send a rescuing message to a remote side wirelessly under the background mode without infuriating the evil fellows.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to personal rescue system and, more particularly, to such a personal rescue system, which is designed for use with a motor vehicle.

2. Description of Related Art

Conventional personal alarm devices are commonly operated to frighten evil fellows with a loud sharp sound. When held by evil fellows as hostage or when the personal alarm was damaged, other people cannot hear rescuing or alarm voice, or know the location of the victim been held by the evil fellows.

If the driver of a car is held as hostage by an evil fellow in the car, the car driver may use the mobile telephone of the car to dial up the telephone of a friend, relative, or police station for help. However, when dialing the mobile telephone, the communication-related audio/video message, such as hand-free device dialing beep, ringing sound, dialog voice . . . etc. may be heard, or dialing number may be seen on the display by the evil fellow. When infuriated, the evil fellow may threat to hurt the victim.

Further, when received an emergency call for rescue, the victim's friend or relative or the policeman can only be informed of the happenings in the car passively. Because the victim's friend or relative or the policeman cannot actively know the situation in the car, he (she) cannot judge what happened in the car and provide a proper help actively.

Further, the aforesaid car mobile telephone is operative only after the car started. When ACC OFF (ignition switch switched off), the car driver cannot use the car mobile telephone to ask for help. In this case, the car driver can only use one's primordially personal alarm device to frighten evil fellows.

Therefore, it is desirable to have a personal rescue system that eliminates the aforesaid problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the main object of the present invention to provide a personal rescue system, which asks for help from people at a remote side and informs the rescuer of the current position data secretly without infuriating the evil fellows when under a background mode.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a personal rescue system, which monitors surrounding sound secretly when under a background mode, so that a proper rescue service can be actively provided.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a personal rescue system, which guards the person within the communication range of the personal remote control when car engine is off.

To achieve these and other objects of the present invention, the personal rescue system is comprised of a remote control, and a movable alert device. The movable alert device is installed in a motor vehicle. The remote control comprises a wireless transmitter and an emergency button. When threatened, the motor vehicle driver can click the emergency button to drive the wireless transmitter of the remote control to send out an emergency signal corresponding to the emergency button. The movable alert device comprises a global positioning device, a wireless receiver, a wireless communication device, at least one audio/video output device, and a controller. The global positioning device is adapted to calculate the current position data of the movable alert device of the motor vehicle. The wireless receiver is adapted to receive the emergency signal from the wireless transmitter of the remote control. The wireless communication device is adapted to communicate with a remote control center wirelessly. The wireless communication device is defined with an identification code. The controller is electrically connected to the global positioning device, the wireless receiver, the wireless communication device, and the at least one audio/video output device.

When in an emergency case, for example, held by an evil fellow as hostage as ACC ON, the motor vehicle driver can click the emergency button of the remote control secretly, causing the wireless transmitter of the remote control to send out an emergency signal. When the wireless receiver received the emergency signal from the wireless transmitter of the remote control wirelessly, the controller turns the at least one audio/video output device into a background mode under which the controller keeps the at least one audio/video output device from outputting a communication-related message which produced by the wireless communication device when communicating with the remote control center, and then, under the background mode, the controller drives the wireless communication device to send to the remote control center a rescuing message which contains the identification code of the wireless communication device and the current position data of the movable alert device of the motor vehicle, for enabling the remote control center to know who is in the emergency status and where is the person in trouble, so that the urgently needed rescue can be followed.

As indicated above, the controller switches the at least one audio/video output device to the background mode, keeping the at least one audio/video output device from outputting the communication-related message of the wireless communication device during wireless communication action of the wireless communication device. Therefore, the evil fellow does not know that the motor vehicle driver has sent an emergency signal to ask for a rescue from a person at a remote place. When entered the background mode, the at least one audio/video output device keeps outputting regular data as usual without infuriating the evil fellow.

The movable alert device further comprises a microphone adapted to collect surrounding sound in the motor vehicle under the background mode, enabling the data of surrounding sound to be further transmitted to the remote control center wirelessly. Therefore, the remote control center can monitor the situation, and judge what kind of rescue is needed. The on-line monitoring work is achieved by means of the operation of the controller, which controls the wireless communication device to connect to the remote control center actively when entered the background mode. Alternatively, the remote control center may actively connect to the wireless communication device of the movable alert device in the motor vehicle.

The invention further comprises a spare power supply installed in the motor vehicle to provide necessary stand-by working electric power to the wireless receiver and the controller when ACC OFF. When the wireless receiver receives the emergency signal, the controller starts the global positioning device and the wireless communication device via the spare power supply, causing the wireless communication device to send an emergency signal wirelessly during the background mode. Therefore, when ACC OFF, the present invention can still effectively guard the motor vehicle driver when the motor vehicle driver is within the effective communication range of the remote control.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1is a system block diagram of a personal rescue system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated, the personal rescue system comprises a remote control1, and a movable alert device2. The movable alert device2is installed in a motor vehicle M. The remote control1is carried by the driver (owner) of the motor vehicle M to be anywhere.

The remote control1comprises a control circuit10, a RF transmitter11, and an emergency button121on the outside surface.

The movable alert device2comprises a controller20, a global positioning device such as GPS (Global Positioning System) module21, a wireless receiver such as RF receiver22, a wireless communication device such as GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) module23, two audio/video output devices24including a display241and a speaker242, a microphone25, and a spare power supply26.

Referring to FIG.3andFIG. 1again, when driving the motor vehicle M, the ACC (car battery power) is ON. If the motor vehicle driver is suddenly extorted by an intruder, the motor vehicle driver can secretly double-click the emergency button121of the remote control1(Step S101), causing the RF transmitter11to send out an emergency signal S1wirelessly (Step S102).

After the motor vehicle driver double-clicks the emergency button121, the control circuit10detects the double-click action and then drives the RF transmitter11to send the emergency signal S1out. This double-click actuation action prevents a false triggering due to a touch of the emergency button121accidentally.

Upon receipt of the aforesaid emergency signal S1by the RF receiver22(Step S103) on-board, the controller20turns the speaker242and display241of the audio/video output devices24each into a background mode (Step S104). Under the background mode, the controller20fetches the current GPS position data P of the motor vehicle M from the GPS module21, and controls the GSM module23to send a rescuing message RM corresponding to the emergency signal S1to a remote control center C by means of short message (Step S105). The rescuing message RM contains the current GPS position data P of the motor vehicle M and the ID (Identification) code of the GSM module23, for example, its telephone number or the corresponding license plate number of the motor vehicle M.

The aforesaid background mode means that the display241keeps on displaying regular display messages, for example, car speed scale31, fuel volume scale32, water tank temperature scale33, etc. as usual, seeFIG. 2, when the GSM module23sends the rescuing message RM out wirelessly; however the display241does not display any communication-related video messages of the GSM module23on the screen, for example, visible messages such as communication signal strength scale, battery power level, telecommunication domain name, dial display, caller ID, communication time, communication fee, wap browser, etc. Therefore, the dialing display zone34inFIG. 2does not show any visible dialing message.

In the same way, the speaker242keeps on broadcasting music as usual when the GSM module23sends the rescuing message RM out wirelessly, without broadcasting any communication-related audio message regarding the GSM module23of a wireless mobile phone, for example, audio messages such as power-on music, power-off music, dialing beep, call-in ringing, hand-free device communication voice, etc.

When entered the background mode, the controller20sends a disable flag to the display241/speaker242to disable the communication interface between the display241/speaker242and the GSM module23; or the controller20sends a mute flag to the hand-free device, driving the speaker242into mute mode; or any other equivalent measure may be employed.

When received the rescuing message RM, the remote control center C knows which motor vehicle driver (or motor vehicle) is in trouble, and can immediately send rescuers to the current GPS position data P of the motor vehicle M to rescue the motor vehicle driver, or notify the police department to give urgently needed help to the motor vehicle driver.

As indicated above, when the first embodiment of the present invention under the background mode, the GSM module23sends a rescuing message RM to the remote control center C secretly by means of short message; during wireless communication action of the GSM module23, the communication-related audio/video messages of dialing beep, dialog voice, dial number display, etc., are all hidden and not broadcasted/displayed; and the speaker242and display241of the movable alert device2keep on outputting their primordial audio/video program normally as usual. Therefore, the motor vehicle driver can ask for help from people at a remote side secretly without infuriating the evil fellows who may threat to hurt the motor vehicle driver.

According to this embodiment, the controller20further controls the GSM module23to further send a series of continued rescuing message CM wirelessly to the remote control center C (Step S106) by short message periodically at a predetermined time interval, for example, 3˜5 minutes, if the rescuers not coming yet. The continued rescuing message CM also contains the current GPS position data P of the motor vehicle M and the telephone number (ID code) of the GSM module23. Therefore, the remote control center C can receive the short message of the continued rescuing message CM periodically, and continuously trace the traveling route of the motor vehicle M subject to the series of different current GPS position data P of the motor vehicle M.

Under the background mode, the controller20can also controls the GSM module23to automatically dial up the remote control center C (Step S107) or to receive connection from the remote control center C (step S107′), enabling the microphone25to collect surrounding sounds such as conversation sounds inside the passenger room, fighting noises, etc., so that the serviceman of the remote control center C can start the monitoring work of listen (Step S108) so as to find out what really happened inside the motor vehicle, and to judge whether immediately dangerous or not, or to judge what kind of rescuing service should be taken immediately (Step S109′)?

When the emergency released and the released condition reported to the remote control center C, the remote control center C downloads a release command RC to the GSM module23wirelessly (Step S110). Subject to the release command RC, the controller20controls the speaker242and display241of the audio/video output devices24to change from the background mode back to the normal output status (Step S111). Alternatively, a release button may be provided at the remote control1or a panel of the movable alert device2for clicking by the motor vehicle driver to output the release command RC.

According to the present embodiment, the SIM card number, license plate number of the motor vehicle M, ID number of the motor vehicle driver, credit card number, or any ID indicative data may be used for the ID code of the GSM module23.

A display screen of the mobile telephone of the motor vehicle M or any of a variety of equivalent display devices may be used to substitute for the display241. A horn, buzzer, or any of a variety of equivalent audio output devices may be used to substitute for the speaker242. Further, other equivalent microwave, infrared, or radio transmitter/receiver may be used to substitute for the RF transmitter11/RF receiver22.

FIG. 4is a flow chart of the second embodiment of the present invention. The system block diagram of the second embodiment is same as that shown in FIG.1. However, this embodiment is to be used when ACC OFF (ignition switch of the motor vehicle switched off) and the motor vehicle driver is gone from the motor vehicle to a place outside the motor vehicle but still within the communication range of the remote control1.

If the motor vehicle driver is extorted by an evil fellow outside the motor vehicle, the motor vehicle driver can still secretly double-click the emergency button121of the remote control1(Step S101), causing the RF transmitter11to send an emergency signal S1wirelessly (Step S102). At this time, the battery of the motor vehicle M is off (ACC OFF), however the spare power supply26provides the necessary working electric power to the RF receiver22and the controller20under stand-by status. Therefore, the RF receiver22on-board can still receive the emergency signal S1(Step S103), causing the controller20to initiate the speaker242/display241and turns the same into the background mode (Step S104). The controller20also immediately starts the GPS module21and the GSM module23(Step S204) to send a rescuing message RM to a remote control center C by means of short message under power support of the spare power supplier26(Step S105). The following steps are similar to the aforesaid first embodiment of the present invention.

Further, when the emergency released and the released condition reported to the remote control center C, the remote control center C downloads a release command RC to the GSM module23wirelessly (Step S110). Thereafter, the controller20turns off the GPS module21and the GSM module23(Step S210) to save power supply of the spare power supplier26. Subject to the release command RC, the controller20also controls the speaker242and display241of the audio/video output devices24to resume from the background mode to the normal output status (Step S111), and then turns off the speaker242and display241.

Therefore, this second embodiment can still effectively guard the safety of the driver within the effective communication range of the remote control1when ACC (ignition switch) of the motor vehicle M is off.

A prototype of personal rescue system has been constructed with the features of FIGS.1˜4. The personal rescue system functions smoothly to provide all of the features discussed earlier.