Vehicle tracking system using smart-phone as active transponder

• US 10,134,210 B1
• Filed: 05/17/2017
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amtech Systems LLC (Roper Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amtech Systems LLC (Roper Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gravelle, Kelly, Elson, John Todd, Lantz, Greg, Melville, Michael, Hamel, Paul, Kamal, Yousuf
• Primary Examiner(s): Holloway, III, Edwin
• Application Number:
  US15/597,778
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: 340 57, 340 571, 340928
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/765 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/767 Responders; Transponders teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying using reflecting targets or active targets F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• 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

Abstract

A system is described for tracking vehicle position using a smart phone or similar device as an active transponder that communicates with roadside equipment. The system may uses existing RF transceivers on the smart-phone, such as Bluetooth® LE or WiFi to periodically transmit an identifying message. Road-based equipment detects and locates the smart phone. In a further aspect, the smart phone is alerted by roadside beacons and responds with identification information. Transaction processing may be performed either on the smart phone or by roadside or back office equipment. The system may be used for automated roadway tolling and monitoring and also for access control. A coded card may be scanned by the smart card to enter identification for access control.

Claims

1. A vehicle access control system comprising:

an access control server;

a smart phone;

an access card comprising identification data; and

a gate controller comprising a signal receiver;

wherein;

said smart phone is configured to read said identification data on said access card and to transmit said identification data to said access control server;

said access control server is configured to associate said smart phone with said gate controller based on said identification data; and

said smart phone is further configured to periodically transmit an identification signal and said gate controller is configured to receive said identification signal via said signal receiver and to open a vehicle barrier based on said identification data.

2. The vehicle access control system of claim 1, wherein said signal receiver is a WiFi receiver and wherein said periodic identification signal is a WiFi signal.

3. The vehicle access control system of claim 1, wherein said signal receiver is a Bluetooth®

LE (BLE) receiver and wherein said periodic identification signal is a BLE signal.

4. The vehicle access control system of claim 1, wherein said smart phone transmits said identification data to said access control server via a cellular network.

5. The vehicle access control system of claim 1, said smart phone transmits said identification data to said access control server via the internet.

6. The vehicle access control system of claim 1, wherein said access card comprises an encrypted identification number, and an unencrypted serial number.

7. The vehicle access control system of claim 6, wherein said encrypted identification number is one of a set of non-sequential identification numbers assigned to other access cards and wherein said unencrypted serial number is one of a set of sequential numbers assigned to other access cards.

8. The vehicle access control system of claim 6, wherein said encrypted identification number and said unencrypted serial number are represented in a graphic information medium.

9. The vehicle access control system of claim 8, wherein said graphic information medium is either a bar code or a QR code.

10. The vehicle access control system of claim 1, wherein said gate controller further comprises a legacy transponder reader and wherein said signal receiver is further configured to transmit to said legacy transponder reader said identification data in a format compatible with said legacy transponder reader.

11. The vehicle access control system of claim 1 wherein said smart phone comprises a smart watch and wherein said smart watch is configured to perform at least one of:

said reading of said identification data on said access card;

said transmitting of said identification data to said access control server; and

said transmitting of a periodic identification signal.

16. The vehicle access control system of claim 10, wherein said access card comprises an encrypted identification number, and an unencrypted serial number.

17. The vehicle access control system of claim 16, wherein said encrypted identification number is one of a set of non-sequential identification numbers assigned to other access cards and wherein said unencrypted serial number is one of a set of sequential numbers assigned to other access cards.

18. The vehicle access control system of claim 17, wherein said encrypted identification number and said unencrypted serial number are represented in a graphic information medium.

19. The vehicle access control system of claim 18, wherein said graphic information medium is either a bar code or a QR code.

12. A vehicle access control system comprising:

an access control server comprising a cellular network connection;

a vehicle-based smart phone;

an access card comprising identification data; and

a gate controller comprising a signal transmitter and a connection to said access control server;

wherein;

said smart phone is configured to read said identification data on said access card and to perform a first transmission of said identification data to said access control server;

said access control server is configured to associate said smart phone with said gate controller based on said identification data;

said smart phone is configured to receive a periodic signal transmitted by said signal transmitter and to perform a second transmission of said identification data to said access control server via said cellular network; and

said access control server is configured to command said gate controller to open a vehicle barrier based on said second transmission of said identification data.

13. The vehicle access control system of claim 12, wherein said periodic signal is a Bluetooth®

LE (BLE) signal.

14. The vehicle access control system of claim 13, wherein said BLE signal is a BLE advertisement.

15. The vehicle access control system of claim 12 wherein said periodic signal is a WiFi probe signal.

20. The vehicle access control system of claim 12 wherein said smart phone comprises a smart watch and wherein said smart watch is configured to perform at least one of:

said reading of said identification data on said access card;

said first transmitting of said identification data to said access control server;

said receiving of a periodic identification signal; and

said second transmitting of said identification data to said access control server.