ES1304864U - ELECTRONIC MODULE FOR ACK INDICATOR FOR EMERGENCY BEACONS AND CORRESPONDING EMERGENCY BEACON (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Electronic module (200) acknowledgment indicator that comprises means (210) for receiving and detecting an acknowledgment signal, ACK, corresponding to a geolocation signal emitted from a geolocation system of a beacon (100). pre-signaling emergency, indicative means (220) to indicate the reception of said acknowledgment signal, ACK, and control means (230) connected to the reception and detection means (210) and to the indicative means (220) to control the latter depending on the reception of the acknowledgment signal, ACK. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

DESCRIPTION

ELECTRONIC MODULE FOR ACK INDICATOR FOR EMERGENCY BEACONS AND

CORRESPONDING EMERGENCY BEACON

Technical field of the invention

The present invention refers to the technical sector of road signaling devices and accessories. More specifically, the invention relates to an electronic module for the automatic verification of acknowledgments of receipt (ACK) in relation to pre-signaling emergency beacons and also refers to an emergency beacon incorporating said electronic module.

Background of the invention

Pre-signaling beacons or emergency lights are useful light devices to signal a dangerous or emergency situation on the road; In Spain they are known as V16 beacons. It is anticipated that these devices will replace the widely known reflective pre-signaling triangles, which are mandatory in accident situations that may represent a risk to vehicles that must pass through that location. In relation to this, Royal Decree 1030/2022, of December 20 (which modifies Royal Decree 159/2021, of March 16, which regulates emergency services on public roads) establishes a series of operational and structural requirements of these beacons in order to guarantee minimum usefulness and service of said devices.

The purpose of these requirements is good visibility of the beacon for vehicles approaching the place of the accident or incident, an external structure that provides it with positional stability and protection against common atmospheric agents (such as rain), homogeneity in regarding their colors, intensity and frequency of the lighting flash so that they can be easily associated, by the different users, with a dangerous or emergency situation and a minimum capacity to communicate their geographical position to the pertinent traffic management center. The idea is that the user or users involved in the incident can press an activation button for said beacon, with which the lighting pattern established by law would be launched and, at the same time, a geopositioning signal would be communicated to the center. of corresponding control, having previously placed said beacon in a place with adequate visibility.

This geolocation signal is expected to be sent to the traffic management center every 100 seconds and will stop being sent once the beacon has been deactivated. Although the law provides that the device includes all the elements necessary for its operation - including communications - and that it does not have to depend on external elements, such as mobile phone applications and the like, it may be the case that the communications from the accident site to the national traffic and mobility access point are temporarily interrupted or that specific location does not have adequate coverage. In a situation of this type, the injured user, after activating his beacon, will mistakenly assume that the management center is receiving his geolocation signal, and he may not worry about this circumstance and go on to attend to other collateral aspects, such as customer service. of possible injuries or the collection of belongings or pieces scattered by a possible accident, waiting for the emergency services to arrive.

This situation can be critical, especially in the case of injured people, so it would be advisable to provide a mechanism with the capacity to confirm that the geopositioning signal of an activated beacon has been received by the corresponding management center; In this way, in the event that such confirmation is not obtained, the user can make the optional decision to use other means of communication, such as a mobile phone, or ask for help in another way. Therefore, the present invention refers to a module intended for a beacon of the type described in the previous paragraphs (which therefore complies with the legal requirements set out) and which achieves improvements in said beacon in terms of its performance. end user service; The technical characteristics that give rise to improved performance can also be applied to a V16 type light or beacon, although not only to those of this type. In addition, the module is also applicable to other devices.

Explanation of the invention

For this purpose, the object of the present invention is an electronic module that comprises means arranged to receive and detect an acknowledgment of receipt signal, ACK. This acknowledgment signal, ACK, is the response that confirms that a geolocation or geopositioning signal previously issued by an emergency beacon activated manually or automatically after an accident or incident on the road has been received at the intended destination. The electronic module also includes indicative means to show - in a manner perceptible to the user who has said module - the reception of the acknowledgment of receipt, ACK, so that said user is sure that his distress signal has reached the center responsible for managing the emergency. The electronic module further comprises control means connected to the detection and reception means to, after detecting the acknowledgment of receipt, ACK, activate, correspondingly, the indicative means, to which said control means are also connected.

According to a characteristic of the invention, the aforementioned indicative means can signal the reception of the acknowledgment of receipt by means of visual, acoustic or vibration signals, that is, they comprise means capable of outputting signals of this type, suitable for being perceived by a user.

According to another characteristic of the invention directly related to the previous one, the means that can emit visual signals specifically comprise one or more lights and the means capable of emitting acoustic or sound signals comprise one or more speakers and/or buzzers.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the electronic module can be contained within its own casing, separate from the casing of the emergency beacon that emits the geopositioning signal. That is, the electronic module can be contained in a device independent of the emergency beacon, although associated with the latter in terms of operation.

According to another technical characteristic, the housing itself mentioned in the previous paragraph (independent of the beacon housing) may contain or include components or parts arranged, in mutual connection when necessary, to provide other functions in addition to indicating the acknowledgment signal. receipt of the emergency signal. For example, that casing may then contain components to constitute a keychain, a pendant, a bracelet, a bracelet, a watch, a mobile computing device, a mobile phone, a tablet, a laptop, a vehicle accessory, a accessory or accessory for clothing, a personal aesthetic accessory, a sports accessory. Those components that provide the additional function may be dedicated exclusively to said function or, in part, may be at least some of the aforementioned components that materialize the acknowledgment indication function (the control means, the detection means and reception and the indicative means cited above).

It should be noted here that, throughout this document, with the expression "electronic module", it is intended to refer to an operational module to perform the functions established both in the description and in the claims, and that said "electronic module ” may include only hardware elements, only software elements, or both hardware and software elements.

In accordance with another technical characteristic, the emergency beacon that emits the geolocation signal is type V16, as established by current Spanish legislation.

According to another aspect of the invention, it also refers to an emergency beacon of the type that is connected to an emergency management system, with a geolocation system and with an emergency signaling light; This beacon comprises an electronic module that includes one or more of the technical characteristics set out in the previous paragraphs.

According to a feature of this second aspect of the invention, the electronic module is inside the beacon housing, in the form of a single device.

Finally, according to another characteristic of this second aspect, the beacon is of type V16.

These and other characteristics and advantages of the invention will be evident from the description of the preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments, which are illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings.

Brief description of the drawings

To complement the description that is being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, some drawings are attached in which, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, the following has been represented:

Figure 1 shows a block diagram of an electronic acknowledgment indicator module, ACK, of the present invention.

Figure 2 shows a representation of the beacon of the present invention, with an electronic acknowledgment module incorporated.

Detailed description of the invention

In the following detailed description, with reference to the attached drawings, details of the electronic module (200) for indicating acknowledgment signals, ACK, of emergency beacons (100) and also details of an emergency beacon (100) are set out. which includes said module (200) according to the invention. It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the present teachings can be put into practice without such details or with a modification thereof that does not affect the essence of the invention disclosed in the claims.

Figure 1 represents a block diagram of an electronic module (200) according to the invention. This electronic module (200), as stated above, has the purpose of receiving an acknowledgment of receipt signal, ACK, which will have been generated in a communications platform responsible for the intermediation between the end user and the center or entity of traffic emergency management (DGT); This ACK signal will have been generated in said communications platform after receiving a response from the traffic management entity in relation to an emergency signal previously issued to the traffic management entity from an emergency beacon (100). That is, the communication process will be as follows: the traffic management center receives an emergency signal from a beacon (100); The latter then issues a response communication to that emergency signal, which is received by the intermediary communications platform (which markets said beacon (100) and is assigned that function, among others); Next, the communications platform, based on the response received from the traffic center, obtains an acknowledgment signal which may indicate different reception conditions of the first emergency signal emitted (for example, received correctly, not received , connection timeout, server failure, etc.); Finally, the communications platform sends that acknowledgment signal to the electronic module (200). The electronic module (200), through the reception and detection means (210), will detect that acknowledgment signal, ACK, and then, with the help of indicative means (220) will display a signal perceptible by the user of the beacon (100) to indicate to the latter that his emergency signal has been received or not by the responsible entity.

To activate these indicative means (220), control means (230) are also available which, depending on a signal generated by the detection means (210), will consequently activate the corresponding signaling elements included in these indicative means. (220). The indicative means (220) may then emit visual and/or sound and/or vibration signals to notify the user of the correct reception of the emergency signal in the traffic center.

In Figure 1, some illustrative icons have been included to facilitate the quick identification of each of the blocks (210, 220, 230), without limitation; That is, the processor icon, for example, in block 230, is simply exemplary, and the control means (230) can be any that fulfill the function expressed in the claims, as is known in the art.

The electronic module (200) can be implemented both in an independent object with respect to the beacon (100) that has issued the corresponding geolocation signal and in the transmitting beacon (100) itself; That is, it may be installed or incorporated at the same time in the beacon (100) and in one or more separate objects, to facilitate the perception of the indication indicating the acknowledgment of receipt, ACK. It may also be installed only in the beacon (100) or only in a separate housing (240) (object, device, ...). Figure 1 represents the housing (240) by means of an exterior block that groups the rest of the functional blocks (210, 220, 230). Figure 2 represents a beacon (100) that incorporates, within its casing, an electronic module (200) for acknowledgments of receipt, ACK; In this case, the means (210) for receiving and detecting the acknowledgment of receipt, ACK, and the control means (230) are hidden within said beacon housing (100), and the indicative means (220) have been materialized, for example, in the form of three lights (222) and a speaker (224). The number of lights (222) (and speakers (224)) could be different from that shown in Figure 2, as established in the claims; Furthermore, in this sense, the beacon (100) (or the electronic module (200), when this is materialized in an independent housing (240)) could include a buzzer-type device or some vibrating device in an alternative or complementary manner with respect to to the lights (222) and the speaker (224).

Furthermore, the lighting pattern emitted by the indicative means (220) when they are visually materialized (specifically the three lights (222) or a different number of them) may change in each embodiment and does not affect the essence of the invention. ; For example, a flashing yellow light could be emitted when the beacon (100) has issued the geolocation signal; Two yellow lights could be flashing when the ACK signal has been received, without position; and two green lights could be flashing when the ACK signal has been received, with position.

Both the reception and detection means (210) and the control means (230) (in the case of Figure 2) could be integrated into the electronics of the beacon (100) intended, in principle, for the operation of its basic components, such as the emergency light characteristic of these beacons (100) or the circuitry/software for controlling said emergency light and emitting the geolocation signal. That is, the components that provide the functionality of both the reception and detection means (210) and the control means (230) can be shared, totally or partially, by other functional means of the beacon (100) dedicated to providing other technical characteristics; It is understood that this sharing of resources falls within the already known scope of circuitry/software design (in terms of economy and simplification of these resources) and does not constitute an essential differentiating or novel aspect.

When the electronic module (200) is included in a device, object or accessory independent of the beacon (100) (that is, in a housing (240)), said device, object or accessory may be or have the additional functions (in addition to the ACK signaling function) of: a keychain, a pendant, a watch, a bracelet, a bracelet, a mobile phone, an accessory for a road vehicle and the like. For example, the casing (240) could be that of a wearable device or accessory (such as the aforementioned pendant) or portable (such as the aforementioned mobile phone) or that can be carried in the vehicle that includes the beacon (100) of corresponding emergency, without the need to be transported personally by the user. In this way, the advantage is achieved that in situations in which the injured user does not have access - neither visual nor auditory - to the emergency beacon (100), he can still obtain information - through the device or accessory. wearable or portable that includes the module (200) - that its emergency signal has been answered.

In the event that the module (200) is included in a mobile phone or similar (tablet, laptop, smart watch, etc.), the latter may also include an application that will contain, in the form of software, for example, the means (230). ) control and the detection and reception means (210), and the indicative means (220) may include or be the screen, lights or speakers of said portable or mobile computing device. In the specific case of the screen as visual means that constitute an embodiment of the indicative means (220), the indication that the ACK signal has been received may be presented in the form of messages that would open automatically on said screen or at least a notice so that the user can access those messages. To do this, for example, push notifications or notices may be used, and a history or record of the notifications may also be generated.

In an exemplary embodiment, the acknowledgment signal, ACK, can be or can be generated, by the intermediary communications platform, based on one or more HTTP codes common in this type of communication, such as, for example For example, the HTTP code 200 or the HTTP code 201. Thus, in one of the embodiments, as an example, the indicative means (220) could emit three signaling patterns (light, acoustic, vibration or any combination of the above). ) corresponding to three different situations:

1. - A first signaling pattern that indicates a positive ACK from the DGT management center (HTTP code 200/201).

2. - A second signaling pattern that indicates a DGT response different to HTTP code 200/201.

3. - A third signaling pattern that indicates a connection error or timeout of the TCP connection. For example, an error when obtaining a token or a server error that prevents the DGT from sending the acknowledgment message.

The above is just an example of the way in which the indicative means (220) can communicate to the user the situation of reception of the emergency signal by the DGT. In addition, the intermediary communications platform may send the ACK signal obtained by it to third parties so that they can make appropriate use of it.

Claims (10)

1. Electronic module (200) acknowledgment indicator that comprises means (210) for receiving and detecting an acknowledgment signal, ACK, corresponding to a geolocation signal emitted from a geolocation system of a beacon (100). pre-signaling emergency, indicative means (220) to indicate the reception of said acknowledgment signal, ACK, and control means (230) connected to the reception and detection means (210) and to the indicative means (220) to control the latter depending on the reception of the acknowledgment signal, ACK. 2. Electronic module (200) according to claim 1, wherein the indicative means (220) comprise visual means and/or acoustic means and/or a vibrating device to indicate reception of the acknowledgment signal, ACK. 3. Electronic module (200) according to claim 2, wherein the visual means comprise at least one light (222) and/or the acoustic means comprise at least one speaker (224) and/or at least one buzzer . 4. Electronic module (200) according to any of the preceding claims, comprising an outer casing (240) independent of the casing of the emergency beacon (100). 5. Electronic module (200) according to the preceding claim, wherein the outer casing (240) comprises components connected together suitably to provide at least one additional function with respect to the acknowledgment indication function. 6. Electronic module (200) according to the preceding claim, wherein said additional function comprises at least one of: keychain, pendant, bracelet, bracelet, watch, mobile computing device, mobile phone, tablet, laptop, accessory for vehicles, accessory or accessory for clothing, personal aesthetic accessory, sports accessory. 7. Electronic module (200) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the emergency beacon (100) is of type V16. 8. Connected emergency beacon (100), with built-in geolocation system and emergency signaling light, comprising an electronic module (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 7. 9. Emergency beacon (100) according to the preceding claim, in which the electronic module (200) is contained within the housing of said beacon (100) itself. 10. Emergency beacon (100) according to any one of claims 8 to 9, wherein the beacon (100) is of type V16.