Granted Patent B2

US 12,593,375 · App. 18/366,261 · Granted Mar 31, 2026

Inventor: Edgar Knight (Lafayette, IN)

Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION

H04W76/50H04W64/003

Abstract

Claims (50)

1 . A method of detecting a status of a user outside a vehicle, the method comprising:

establishing a wireless connection between a user and a vehicle;

determining a status of the user away from the vehicle via the wireless connection; and

if the status includes an emergency of the user, causing the vehicle to transmit an emergency signal,

wherein the determining of the status of the user away from the vehicle via the wireless connection includes:

designating a time in which the user is expected to return to the vehicle; and

if the user has not returned to the vehicle by or at the designated time, determining the status as an emergency of the user, and

wherein the designating of the time includes designating the time by the user.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

communicating with a portable communication device of the user; and

acquiring the status of the user.

3 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the status of the user to be acquired includes whether the communication can be established between the user and the vehicle.

4 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the status of the user to be acquired includes at least one of a location of the user and a health condition of the user.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising guiding the user to input a plan of an activity to be done by the user.

6 . The method according to claim 5 , further comprising recording the plan of the activity of the user.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising providing a recipient of the emergency signal,

wherein the transmitting of the emergency signal includes transmitting the emergency signal to the recipient.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitting of the emergency signal includes searching a usable communication network.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitting of the emergency signal includes: if no usable communication network is found, causing the vehicle to autonomously move from an initial position to a location where a usable communication network exists.

10 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein causing the vehicle to autonomously move from the initial position to a location where a usable communication network exists includes leaving a device to be left behind at the initial position.

11 . The method according to claim 10 ,

wherein the device to be left behind is capable of communicating with the user, and/or

wherein the device to be left behind is capable of communicating with the vehicle.

12 . A method of detecting a status of a user outside a vehicle, the method comprising:

establishing a wireless connection between a portable communication device of a user and a vehicle;

communicating with the portable communication device of the user;

acquiring the status of the user;

determining a status of the user away from the vehicle via the wireless connection; and

if the status includes an emergency of the user, causing the vehicle to transmit an emergency signal,

wherein the determining of the status of the user away from the vehicle via the wireless connection includes:

designating a time in which the user is expected to return to the vehicle; and

if the user has not returned to the vehicle by or at the designated time, determining the status as an emergency of the user, and

wherein the status of the user to be acquired includes at least one of a location of the user and a health condition of the user.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , further comprising starting to count the designated time when the user has gone outside of a communication range of a base station of the vehicle or when wireless communication between the user and the vehicle has been lost.

14 . The method according to claim 12 , further comprising acquiring the status of the user at a plurality of timings.

15 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein acquiring the status of the user includes acquiring the status of the user constantly or periodically.

16 . A method of detecting a status of a user outside a vehicle, the method comprising:

establishing a wireless connection between a portable communication device of a user and a vehicle;

communicating with the portable communication device of the user;

acquiring the status of the user;

determining a status of the user away from the vehicle via the wireless connection; and

if the status includes an emergency of the user, causing the vehicle to transmit an emergency signal,

wherein the determining of the status of the user away from the vehicle via the wireless connection includes:

designating a time in which the user is expected to return to the vehicle; and

if the user has not returned to the vehicle by or at the designated time, determining the status as an emergency of the user,

wherein the status of the user to be acquired includes whether the communication can be established between the user and the vehicle,

wherein the communicating with the user includes communicating with the user via a wireless repeater, the wireless repeater being capable of communicating both with the users and the vehicle, and

wherein the wireless repeater is or built in a self-propelled device or a drone.

17 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the wireless repeater is configured to go back and forth between the user and the vehicle to relay the status of the user to the vehicle.

18 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the wireless repeater is configured to fly to a location where a communication network is available and transmit the status of the user to the communication network.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (21)