Providing emergency communication services using a vehicle telematics unit and a mobile device

1. A method for providing a communication about a potential vehicular crash via a vehicle telematics unit and a personal mobile device, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a notification of a potential vehicular crash from a personal mobile device located at the vehicle;

(b) confirming the occurrence of the crash by the vehicle telematics unit using the received notification and data gathered at the vehicle; and

(c) providing a wireless communication about the crash to one or more parties when both the notification from personal mobile device and the vehicle telematics unit detect the crash.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the personal mobile device is a mobile phone equipped with one or more accelerometers.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (a) further comprises the step of detecting a potential vehicular crash via the personal mobile device located at the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (a) further comprises the steps of establishing short range wireless communication between the mobile device and the vehicle telematics unit and sending a communication about the potential crash from the mobile device to the vehicle telematics unit via the short range wireless communication.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the short range wireless communication is a bluetooth communication.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (b) is carried out in response to the detection of the potential vehicular crash by the personal mobile device located at the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (b) further comprises the step of obtaining crash related data from a vehicle crash module, a safety module, and/or other suitable module by the telematics unit via a vehicle bus network.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the vehicle crash module is an advanced automatic collision notification (AACN) module.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication of step (c) comprises data related to the crash and the vehicle including at least one of the following: vehicle speed, number of occupants, rollover data, and location of the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the party contacted comprises an emergency authority, a call center, a contact person related to an occupant of the vehicle, and/or any other parties previously selected by a user of the vehicle.

11. A method for providing a communication about a potential vehicular crash via a vehicle telematics unit and a personal mobile device, comprising the steps of:

(a) monitoring for any vehicular crash via a personal mobile device located at the vehicle;

(b) detecting a shock event by the mobile device;

(c) determining that a potential vehicular crash has occurred based on the detected event;

(d) establishing short range wireless communication between the mobile device and the vehicle telematics unit;

(e) sending a notification about the potential vehicular crash from the mobile device to the vehicle telematics unit via the established short range wireless communication;

(f) accessing data from one or more vehicle system modules concerning the potential vehicular crash;

(g) confirming the vehicular crash using the accessed data;

(h) obtaining vehicular crash data by the vehicle telematics unit;

(i) providing the vehicular crash data to the mobile device from the vehicle telematics unit via the established short range wireless communication; and

(j) performing an emergency wireless communication to one or more parties.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the mobile device is a mobile phone equipped with one or more accelerometers.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the short range wireless communication is a bluetooth communication.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein step (f) is performed in response to receiving the notification about the potential vehicular crash.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the vehicle system of step (g) is an advanced automatic crash notification system.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the vehicle module of step (g) is a safety module from a list of modules that includes an antilock brake module and a body control module.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the wireless communication of step (j) comprises data related to the crash and the vehicle including at least one of the following: vehicle speed, number of occupants, rollover data, and location of the vehicle.

18. A telematics unit for using with a personal mobile device to provide a communication about a potential vehicular crash, wherein the vehicle telematics unit includes a processor and computer readable memory that contains instructions that are executed by the processor to carry out the following steps:

(a) receiving a notification of a potential vehicular crash from a personal mobile device located at the vehicle;

(b) confirming the occurrence of the crash by the vehicle telematics unit using the received notification and data gathered at the vehicle and

(c) providing a wireless communication about the crash to one or more parties when both the notification from personal mobile device and the vehicle telematics unit detect the crash.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the vehicle telematics unit includes a wireless cellular chipset for wireless communication to and from the vehicle, and includes circuitry that establishes a short range wireless communication with the personal mobile device such that the notification is received via the short range wireless communication.