Power and communication modes for digital license plate

• US 10,589,699 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2018
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ReviverMx, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ReviverMx, Inc.
• Inventors: Mason, Todd Christopher, Chen, John, Kopelman, Avi, Spall, John, Batten, Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu, Shirley
• Application Number:
  US15/863,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20180186311A1
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/56 for illuminating registrations or the like , e.g. for licence plates
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/105 Licence- or registration plates, provided with mounting means, e.g. frames, holders, retainers, brackets
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01 Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents electrical circuits for transmission of signals between steering wheel and the vehicle itself B60R16/027; for electrically actuating belt retractor locking means B60R22/343
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/00 Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A digital license plate system having various power and communication modes to improve performance and increase expected battery life is disclosed. In one embodiment, a response to a sensor triggered plate event requires determination of whether a vehicle is running, parked or in-motion. This determination involves waking the processor, establishing wireless connectivity, and determining if the vehicle is in motion based on local sensor data.

Claims

1. A power system for a digital license plate comprising:

a digital license plate attached to a vehicle and connected to receive data through a wireless connection, wherein the digital license plate has a SLEEP mode, an ON mode, and an In Motion mode; and

wherein

the digital license plate is configured to receive power from a battery of the vehicle at a voltage;

a trigger to move from a sleep mode to an ON mode, the trigger being programmed to move from the sleep mode to an ON mode in response to the voltage transitioning from a parked level to an operation level.

2. The power system of claim 1, wherein the parked level is 12.6 volts and the operation level is 13.7 volts.

3. The power system of claim 1, wherein the trigger is further programmed to convert the voltage to a digital value and evaluate whether the digital value indicates transitioning from the parked level to the operation level.

4. A power system for a digital license plate comprising:

a digital license plate attached to a vehicle and connected to receive data through a wireless connection, wherein the digital license plate has a SLEEP mode, an ON mode, and an In Motion mode; and

wherein

a trigger programmed to move the digital license plate from the SLEEP mode to the In Motion mode in response to a change in vehicle location meeting a threshold condition.

5. The power system of claim 4, wherein the trigger is further programmed to:

move the digital license plate from the In Motion Mode to the SLEEP mode in response to failing to detect a change in vehicle location meeting the threshold condition for more than a predetermined time.

6. A power system for a digital license plate comprising:

a digital license plate attached to a vehicle and connected to receive data through a wireless connection, wherein the digital license plate has a SLEEP mode, an ON mode, and an In Motion mode; and

wherein

a trigger programmed to move the digital license plate from the SLEEP mode to the ON mode in response to a detecting a wireless connection to a mobile phone.