Vehicle state monitoring device and vehicle state monitoring system

• US 10,227,058 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2015
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Masaki, Tatsuakira
• Primary Examiner(s): Flores, Leon
• Application Number:
  US15/528,527
• Publication Number:
  US 20180251097A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/20 Communication devices for vehicle anti-theft devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/40 Features of the power supply for the anti-theft system, e.g. anti-theft batteries, back-up power supply or means to save battery power
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/403 Power supply in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B62H 5/20 indicating unauthorised use, e.g. acting on signalling devices alarm locks in general E05B45/00, e.g. alarm cable or chain lock E05B45/005
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 43/30 for providing power to equipment other than for propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/02 Mechanical actuation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/00 Alarms responsive to a single specified undesired or abnormal condition and not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0297 Robbery alarms, e.g. hold-up alarms, bag snatching alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 1/08 with conductive charge carrier, i.e. capacitor machines

Abstract

One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle state monitoring device including: a transmission unit configured to wirelessly transmit a state signal providing a notification of a vehicle state; a power generator fixed to the vehicle body, and comprising a vibration power generation element configured to perform vibration power generation by vibration from the vehicle body; and a controller configured to start up the transmission unit when power generated by the vibration power generation is supplied from the power generator, and configured to wirelessly transmit the state signal to the transmission unit.

Claims

1. A vehicle state monitoring device comprising:

a transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting a state signal providing a notification of a vehicle state of a vehicle;

a power generator fixed to a vehicle body of the vehicle comprising a vibration power generation element that generates power by vibration from the vehicle body;

an acceleration sensor that measures acceleration of the vehicle; and

a controller configured to perform operations comprising;

starting up the transmitter when the power generated by the vibration power generation element is supplied from the power generator, and

causing the transmitter to wirelessly transmit the state signal, and

causing the transmitter to transmit the acceleration of the vehicle detected with the acceleration sensor by adding the acceleration of the vehicle to the state signal.

2. The vehicle state monitoring device according to claim 1,

wherein a vibration direction of the vibration power generation element aligns with a running direction of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle state monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein a resonance frequency of the vibration power generation element ranges from 3 Hz to 70 Hz.

4. The vehicle state monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising a secondary battery that drives the acceleration sensor.

5. The vehicle state monitoring device according to claim 4,

wherein the power generator comprises a storage battery that accumulates the power of the vibration power generation, and

the secondary battery is charged with the power accumulated in the storage battery.

6. A vehicle state monitoring system comprising:

a server;

the vehicle state monitoring device according to claim 1; and

a relay device, wherein

when receiving the state signal transmitted from the vehicle state monitoring device, the relay device transmits state information in which time information indicating time the state signal is received and positional information indicating a position of the relay device are added to the received state signal to the server, and

the server comprises a database in which the state information is stored, the server providing the state information stored in the database in response to a request from a terminal device.

7. The vehicle state monitoring system according to claim 6,

wherein the state signal comprises identification information that is uniquely assigned to each state monitoring device,

the server further comprises a contact address information holding unit storing the identification information and contact address information comprising a contact address of a user of the vehicle while associating the identification information and the contact address information with each other, and

when receiving the state information from the relay device, the server searches the contact address information holding unit with the identification information included in the state information as a key and notifies the contact address included in the contact address information associated with the identification information.