Vehicle tracker including battery monitoring feature and related methods

• US 20020105443A1
• Filed: 03/25/2002
• Published: 08/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omega Patents, L.L.C.
• Original Assignee: Omega Patents, L.L.C.
• Inventors: Flick, Kenneth E.
• Granted Patent: US 6,819,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/988
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/202 Personal digital assistant [PDA]
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• 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 25/104 characterised by the type of theft warning signal, e.g. visual or audible signals with special characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A vehicle tracking unit for a vehicle of a type including a vehicle battery and at least one vehicle security device may include a vehicle position determining device, a wireless communications device for communicating with a monitoring station and including a receiver and a transmitter, a back-up battery, and a battery sensing circuit for sensing a voltage of at least one of the back-up battery and the vehicle battery. Furthermore, the vehicle tracking unit may also include a security device detector circuit for the at least one vehicle security device, a controller cooperating with the wireless communications device, the security device detector circuit, and the vehicle position determining device for sending position and security signals to the monitoring station. In addition, the controller may also be connected to the battery sensing circuit for disabling operation of the receiver based upon the sensed battery voltage being below a threshold.

Claims

1. A vehicle tracking unit for a vehicle of a type comprising a vehicle battery and at least one vehicle security device, the vehicle tracking unit comprising:

a vehicle position determining device;

a wireless communications device for communicating with a monitoring station and comprising a receiver and a transmitter;

a battery sensing circuit connected to the vehicle battery for sensing a voltage thereof;

a security device detection circuit for the at least one vehicle security device; and

a controller cooperating with said wireless communications device, said security device detection circuit, and said vehicle position determining device for sending position and security signals to the monitoring station;

said controller also connected to said battery sensing circuit

for enabling operation of said receiver based upon the sensed battery voltage being above a threshold,

for disabling operation of said receiver based upon the sensed battery voltage being below the threshold, and

for enabling operation of said transmitter irrespective of the sensed battery voltage.

2. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein said receiver when enabled operates substantially continuously.

3. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein said transmitter when enabled operates substantially intermittently based upon said security device detection circuit.

4. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein said controller enables operation of said receiver based upon the sensed battery voltage being above the threshold for a predetermined duration.

5. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein the threshold is greater than about 11.5 Volts.

6. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein said controller is also for enabling operation of said vehicle position determining device based upon the sensed battery voltage being above the threshold, and for disabling operation of said position determining device based upon the sensed battery voltage being below the threshold.

7. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 6 wherein said controller enables operation of said vehicle position determining device based upon the sensed battery voltage being above the threshold for a predetermined duration.

8. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein said controller cooperates with said wireless communications device to send a low power message to the monitoring station based upon the sensed battery voltage being below the threshold.

9. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein said vehicle position determining device comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) device.

10. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein said wireless communications device comprises a cellular telephone communications device.

11. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 10 wherein said cellular telephone communications device communicates over a cellular control channel.

13. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 12 wherein said receiver when enabled operates substantially continuously.

14. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 12 wherein said transmitter when enabled operates substantially intermittently based upon said security device detection circuit.

15. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 12 wherein said controller enables operation of said receiver based upon the sensed battery voltage being above the threshold for a predetermined duration.

16. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 12 wherein the threshold is greater than about 11.5 Volts.

17. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 12 wherein said controller is also for enabling operation of said vehicle position determining device based upon the sensed battery voltage being above the threshold, and for disabling operation of said position determining device based upon the sensed battery voltage being below the threshold.

18. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 17 wherein said controller enables operation of said vehicle position determining device based upon the sensed battery voltage being above the threshold for a predetermined duration.

19. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 12 wherein said controller cooperates with said wireless communications device to send a low power message to the monitoring station based upon the sensed battery voltage being below the threshold.

20. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 12 wherein said vehicle position determining device comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) device.

21. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 12 wherein said wireless communications device comprises a cellular telephone communications device.

22. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 21 wherein said cellular telephone communications device communicates over a cellular control channel.

24. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 23 wherein said receiver when enabled operates substantially continuously.

25. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 23 wherein said transmitter when enabled operates substantially intermittently based upon said security device detection circuit.

26. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 23 wherein said controller enables operation of said receiver based upon the sensed battery voltage being above the threshold for a predetermined duration.

27. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 23 wherein the threshold is greater than about 11.5 Volts.

28. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 23 wherein said controller is also for enabling operation of said vehicle position determining device based upon the sensed battery voltage being above the threshold, and for disabling operation of said position determining device based upon the sensed battery voltage being below the threshold.

29. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 28 wherein said controller enables operation of said vehicle position determining device based upon the sensed battery voltage being above the threshold for a predetermined duration.

30. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 23 wherein said controller cooperates with said wireless communications device to send a low power message to the monitoring station based upon the sensed battery voltage being below the threshold.

12. A vehicle tracking unit for a vehicle of a type comprising at least one vehicle security device, the vehicle tracking unit comprising:

a vehicle position determining device;

a wireless communications device for communicating with a monitoring station and comprising a receiver and a transmitter;

a back-up battery;

a battery sensing circuit connected to said back-up battery for sensing a voltage thereof;

a security device detection circuit for the at least one vehicle security device; and

a controller cooperating with said wireless communications device, said security device detection circuit, and said vehicle position determining device for sending position and security signals to the monitoring station;

said controller also connected to said battery sensing circuit

for enabling operation of said receiver based upon the sensed battery voltage being above a threshold,

for disabling operation of said receiver based upon the sensed battery voltage being below the threshold, and

for enabling operation of said transmitter irrespective of the sensed battery voltage.

23. A vehicle tracking unit for a vehicle of a type comprising a vehicle battery and at least one vehicle security device, the vehicle tracking unit comprising:

a vehicle position determining device;

a wireless communications device for communicating with a monitoring station and comprising a receiver and a transmitter;

a back-up battery;

a battery sensing circuit for sensing a voltage of at least one of said back-up battery and said vehicle battery;

a security device detection circuit for the at least one vehicle security device; and

a controller cooperating with said wireless communications device, said security device detection circuit, and said vehicle position determining device for sending position and security signals to the monitoring station;

said controller also connected to said battery sensing circuit

for enabling operation of said receiver based upon the sensed battery voltage being above a threshold,

for disabling operation of said receiver based upon the sensed battery voltage being below-the threshold, and

for enabling operation of said transmitter irrespective of the sensed battery voltage.

31. A vehicle tracking method for a vehicle of a type comprising a vehicle battery, at least one vehicle security device, and a vehicle tracking unit comprising a transmitter and a receiver, the method comprising:

sensing a voltage of the vehicle battery using the vehicle tracking unit;

enabling operation of the receiver based upon the sensed battery voltage being above a threshold;

disabling operation of the receiver based upon the sensed battery voltage being below the threshold; and

enabling operation of the transmitter irrespective of the sensed battery voltage to allow sending of position and security signals to a monitoring station.

32. The method according to claim 31 wherein the receiver when enabled operates substantially continuously.

33. The method according to claim 31 wherein the transmitter when enabled operates substantially intermittently based upon the security device detector circuit.

34. The method according to claim 31 wherein enabling operation of the receiver comprises enabling operation of the receiver based upon the sensed battery voltage being above the threshold for a predetermined duration.

35. The method according to claim 31 wherein the threshold is greater than about 11.5 Volts.

36. The method according to claim 31 wherein the vehicle tracking unit further comprises a vehicle position determining device;

and further comprising enabling operation of the vehicle position determining device based upon the sensed battery voltage being above the threshold, and disabling operation of the position determining device based upon the sensed battery voltage being below the threshold.

37. The method according to claim 36 wherein enabling operation of the vehicle position determining device comprises enabling operation of the vehicle position determining device based upon the sensed battery voltage being above the threshold for a predetermined duration.

38. The method according to claim 31 further comprising sending a low power message from the vehicle tracking unit to the monitoring station based upon the sensed battery voltage being below the threshold.

40. The method according to claim 39 wherein the receiver when enabled operates substantially continuously.

41. The method according to claim 39 wherein the transmitter when enabled operates substantially intermittently based upon the security device detector circuit.

42. The method according to claim 39 wherein enabling operation of the receiver comprises enabling operation of the receiver based upon the sensed battery voltage being above the threshold for a predetermined duration.

43. The method according to claim 39 wherein the threshold is greater than about 11.5 Volts.

44. The method according to claim 39 wherein the vehicle tracking unit further comprises a vehicle position determining device;

and further comprising enabling operation of the vehicle position determining device based upon the sensed battery voltage being above the threshold, and disabling operation of the position determining device based upon the sensed battery voltage being below the threshold.

45. The method according to claim 44 wherein enabling operation of the vehicle position determining device comprises enabling operation of the vehicle position determining device based upon the sensed battery voltage being above the threshold for a predetermined duration.

46. The method according to claim 39 further comprising sending a low power message from the vehicle tracking unit to the monitoring station based upon the sensed battery voltage being below the threshold.

39. A vehicle tracking method for a vehicle of a type comprising at least one vehicle security device and a vehicle tracking unit comprising a back-up battery, a transmitter, and a receiver, the method comprising:

sensing a voltage of the back-up battery using the vehicle tracking unit;

enabling operation of the receiver based upon the sensed battery voltage being above a threshold;

disabling operation of the receiver based upon the sensed battery voltage being below the threshold; and

enabling operation of the transmitter irrespective of the sensed battery voltage to allow sending of position and security signals to a monitoring station.