Monitoring vehicle usage

• US 10,055,988 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2016
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vivint Incorporated (NRG Energy, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Vivint Incorporated (NRG Energy, Inc.)
• Inventors: Warren, Jeremy B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US15/162,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20160343255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 820 Days
• Field of Search: 701 314, 701412, 701 315, 707769, 455 412, 455345, 455405, 4555692
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0809 Driver authorisation; Driver identity check
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/043 Identity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/30 Auxiliary equipments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A method for monitoring vehicle usage is described. In one embodiment, the method includes detecting a vehicle event and detecting a query from a mobile device. The query includes a Wi-Fi probe request or Bluetooth inquiry. The method includes identifying a mobile device identifier from the query and associating the mobile device identifier with the vehicle event.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring an event associated with a vehicle, comprising:

detecting, using a processor, a vehicle event at a first time;

detecting a query from a first mobile device;

identifying a first mobile device identifier based at least in part on the query;

associating the first mobile device identifier with a first occupant at the vehicle event based at least in part on identifying the first mobile device identifier;

detecting a second occupant at the vehicle event;

associating the first occupant and the second occupant with the vehicle event; and

initiating an alteration of an operation of the vehicle based at least in part on associating the first occupant and the second occupant with the vehicle event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the query comprises a Wi-Fi probe request, or a Bluetooth inquiry, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether the first occupant and the second occupant are located in the vehicle during the first time.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining whether the first mobile device is located within the vehicle,

wherein determining whether the first occupant and the second occupant are located in the vehicle at the first time is based at least in part on determining whether the first mobile device is located within the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining whether the first mobile device is located within the vehicle is based at least in part on satisfying a quantity of queries threshold, or satisfying a query timing threshold, or satisfying a signal strength threshold, or a combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating a first vehicle location with the vehicle event; and

determining whether the first occupant and the second occupant are in the vehicle at the first vehicle location,

wherein associating the first occupant and the second occupant with the vehicle event is based at least in part on the determining whether the first occupant and the second occupant are in the vehicle at the first vehicle location.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting an alert notification to a device associated with a predetermined user based at least in part on the vehicle event, or the first occupant, or the second occupant, or a combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a response from the device based at least in part on the alert notification.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

initiating the alteration of the operation of the vehicle based at least in part on the receiving the response.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the second occupant based at least in part on a second mobile device identifier of a second mobile device, or captured audio data, or captured visual data, or a location at the first time, or a data entry, or a combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying the second occupant based at least in part on captured audio data associated with the vehicle or captured visual data associated with the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating, to a remote server, data associated with the vehicle event, or behavior identified based at least in part on the vehicle event, or the query, or the first mobile device identifier, or the first occupant, or the second occupant, or a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the alteration of the operation of the vehicle comprises immobilizing the vehicle, or limiting a speed of the vehicle, or changing a locked state of a vehicle door of the vehicle, or changing an alarm state of the vehicle, or a combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 1, furthering comprising:

determining that the vehicle satisfies a condition during a predetermined time period after initiating the alteration of the operation of the vehicle; and

initiating a second alteration of the operation of the vehicle based at least in part on determining that the vehicle satisfies the condition.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the condition comprises fastening a seatbelt, or an occupant exiting the vehicle, or an occupant entering the vehicle, or receiving authorization of the predetermined user.

16. A computing device configured for monitoring an event associated with a vehicle, comprising:

a processor;

memory in electronic communication with the processor, wherein the memory stores computer executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the device to perform the steps of;

detecting a vehicle event at a first time;

detecting a query from a first mobile device;

identifying a first mobile device identifier based at least in part on the query;

associating the first mobile device identifier with a first occupant at the vehicle event based at least in part on identifying the first mobile device identifier;

detecting a second occupant at the vehicle event;

associating the first occupant and the second occupant with the vehicle event; and

initiating an alternation of an operation of the vehicle based at least in part on associating the first occupant and the second occupant with the vehicle event.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the query comprises a Wi-Fi probe request, or a Bluetooth inquiry, or a combination thereof.

18. The computing device of claim 16, further comprising:

determining whether the first occupant and the second occupant are located in the vehicle during the first time.

19. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the alteration of the operation of the vehicle comprises immobilizing the vehicle, or limiting a speed of the vehicle, or changing a locked state of a vehicle door of the vehicle, or changing an alarm state of the vehicle, or a combination thereof.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform the steps of:

detecting a vehicle event at a first time;

detecting a query from a first mobile device;

identifying a first mobile device identifier based at least in part on the query;

associating the first mobile device identifier with a first occupant at the vehicle event based at least in part on identifying the first mobile device identifier;

detecting a second occupant at the vehicle event;

associating the first occupant and the second occupant with the vehicle event; and

initiating an alteration of an operation of the vehicle based at least in part on associating the first occupant and the second occupant with the vehicle event.