Vehicle tracker with power saving features and related methods
First Claim
1. A vehicle tracking system comprising:
- a vehicle tracking unit for a vehicle of a type comprising a vehicle battery, said vehicle tracking unit comprising a vehicle position determining device, a wireless communications device, a controller connected to said wireless communications device and said vehicle position determining device, and a back-up battery;
said vehicle position determining device, said wireless communications device and said controller defining a power load of said vehicle tracking unit;
said controller isolating said back-up battery from the power load as a voltage of the vehicle battery drops until reaching a threshold after which said controller causes said back-up battery to selectively power only a first portion of the power load while a second portion of the power load remains powered by the vehicle battery; and
a monitoring station communicating with said vehicle tracking unit.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle tracking unit preferably includes a vehicle position determining device, a wireless communications device, a back-up battery, and a controller connected to the wireless communications device and the vehicle position determining device. The vehicle position determining device, wireless communications device and controller may define a power load of the vehicle tracking unit. The controller may isolate the back-up battery from the power load as a voltage of the vehicle battery drops until reaching a threshold. After the threshold, the controller may cause the back-up battery to selectively power only a first portion of the power load while a second portion of the power load remains powered by the vehicle battery. The selectively powered portion from the back-up battery may be the wireless communications device, for example, which may have a higher operating voltage.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1. A vehicle tracking system comprising:
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a vehicle tracking unit for a vehicle of a type comprising a vehicle battery, said vehicle tracking unit comprising a vehicle position determining device, a wireless communications device, a controller connected to said wireless communications device and said vehicle position determining device, and a back-up battery;
said vehicle position determining device, said wireless communications device and said controller defining a power load of said vehicle tracking unit;
said controller isolating said back-up battery from the power load as a voltage of the vehicle battery drops until reaching a threshold after which said controller causes said back-up battery to selectively power only a first portion of the power load while a second portion of the power load remains powered by the vehicle battery; and
a monitoring station communicating with said vehicle tracking unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A vehicle tracking unit for use with a vehicle comprising a vehicle battery, the vehicle tracking unit comprising:
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a vehicle position determining device;
a wireless communications device;
a back-up battery; and
a controller connected to said wireless communications device and said vehicle position determining device;
said vehicle position determining device, said wireless communications device and said controller defining a power load of said vehicle tracking unit;
said controller isolating said back-up battery from the power load as a voltage of the vehicle battery drops until reaching a threshold after which said controller causes said back-up battery to selectively power only a first portion of the power load while a second portion of the power load remains powered by the vehicle battery. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A vehicle tracking unit for use with a vehicle comprising a vehicle battery, the vehicle tracking unit comprising:
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a vehicle position determining device;
a wireless communications device;
a back-up battery; and
a controller connected to said wireless communications device and said vehicle position determining device;
said vehicle position determining device, said wireless communications device and said controller defining a power load of said vehicle tracking unit;
said wireless communications device having a relatively higher operating voltage than said vehicle position determining device and said controller;
said controller isolating said back-up battery from the power load as a voltage of the vehicle battery drops until reaching a threshold after which said controller causes said back-up battery to selectively power only said wireless communications device while said vehicle position determining device and said controller remain powered by the vehicle battery. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A method for operating a vehicle tracking unit in a vehicle comprising a vehicle battery, the vehicle tracking unit comprising a vehicle position determining device, a wireless communications device, and a back-up battery, the method comprising:
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isolating the back-up battery from powering the vehicle position determining device and the wireless communications device as a voltage of the vehicle battery drops until reaching a threshold; and
after reaching the threshold, selectively powering the wireless communications device with the back-up battery while the vehicle position determining device remains powered by the vehicle battery. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification