Location system for locating a parked vehicle, a method for providing a location of a parked vehicle and a personal wireless device incorporating the system or method

• US 20060111835A1
• Filed: 11/23/2004
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Baker, Richard M., Estevez, Leonardo W., Panasik, Carl
• Application Number:
  US10/997,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20060111835A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas

Abstract

A location system for locating a parked vehicle, a method for providing a location of a parked vehicle and a personal wireless device including the location system or method. In one embodiment, the personal wireless device includes (1) a positioning system, (2) a user interface and (3) a parked vehicle location system coupled to the positioning system and the user interface. The parked vehicle location system includes (3A) a parking determiner configured to automatically ascertain and store at least one parking event of a vehicle associated with the personal wireless device and (3B) a parking event retriever, coupled to the parking determiner, configured to present the at least one stored parking event.

Claims

1. A location system for locating a parked vehicle, comprising:

a parking determiner configured to automatically ascertain and store at least one parking event of said vehicle; and

a parking event retriever, coupled to said parking determiner, configured to present said at least one stored parking event.

2. The location system as recited in claim 1 wherein said parking determiner ascertains said at least one parking event based on entries of a positioning system.

3. The location system as recited in claim 2 wherein said entries are employed to determine a change of a motion attribute of a personal wireless device associated with said vehicle, said motion attribute selected from the list consisting of:

a direction,

an acceleration, and

a velocity.

4. The location system as recited in claim 1 wherein said parking determiner ascertains said at least one parking event based on a sensor of a personal wireless device associated with said vehicle.

5. The location system as recited in claim 4 wherein said sensor is a Radio Frequency Identification receiver.

6. The location system as recited in claim 1 wherein said parking determiner ascertains said at least one parking event based on a disconnect signal of a personal wireless device associated with said vehicle.

7. The location system as recited in claim 1 wherein said parking event retriever is configured to present said at least one stored parking event employing a user interface of a personal wireless device associated with said vehicle.

8. The location system as recited in claim 1 wherein said parking event retriever is configured to present said at least one stored parking event employing a calendar of a personal wireless device associated with said vehicle.

9. The location system as recited in claim 1 wherein said parking determiner is configured to adaptively ascertain said at least one parking event.

10. A method for providing a location of a parked vehicle, comprising:

automatically ascertaining at least one parking event of said vehicle;

automatically storing said at least one parking event; and

presenting said at least one stored parking event.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein said automatically ascertaining said at least one parking event is based on entries of a positioning system.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 further comprising employing said entries to determine a change in a motion attribute of a personal wireless device associated with said vehicle, said motion attribute selected from the list consisting of:

a direction,

an acceleration, and

a velocity.

13. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein said automatically ascertaining is based on a sensor of a personal wireless device associated with said vehicle.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein said sensor is a Radio Frequency Identification receiver.

15. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein said automatically ascertaining is based on a disconnect signal of a personal wireless device associated with said vehicle.

16. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein said presenting includes employing a user interface of a personal wireless device associated with said vehicle.

17. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein said presenting includes employing a calendar of a personal wireless device associated with said vehicle.

18. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein said automatically ascertaining includes adaptively ascertaining.

19. A personal wireless device, comprising:

a positioning system,

a user interface,

a parked vehicle location system coupled to said user interface and said positioning system, including;

a parking determiner configured to automatically ascertain and store at least one parking event of a vehicle associated with said personal wireless device; and

a parking event retriever, coupled to said parking determiner, configured to present said at least one stored parking event.

20. The personal wireless device as recited in claim 19 wherein said parking determiner ascertains said at least one parking event based on entries of said positioning system.

21. The personal wireless device as recited in claim 20 wherein said entries are employed to determine changes in a motion attribute of said personal wireless device, said motion attribute selected from the list consisting of:

a direction,

an acceleration, and

a velocity.

22. The personal wireless device as recited in claim 19 wherein said parking determiner ascertains said at least one parking event based on a sensor of said personal wireless device.

23. The personal wireless device as recited in claim 22 wherein said sensor is a Radio Frequency Identification receiver.

24. The personal wireless device as recited in claim 19 wherein said parking determiner ascertains said at least one parking event based on a disconnect signal of said personal wireless device.

25. The personal wireless device as recited in claim 19 wherein said parking event retriever is configured to present said at least one stored parking event employing said user interface.

26. The personal wireless device as recited in claim 19 wherein said parking event retriever is configured to present said at least one stored parking event employing a calendar associated with said personal wireless device.

27. The personal wireless device as recited in claim 19 further configured to send said at least one parking event to an other device configured to present said at least one parking event.

28. The personal wireless device as recited in claim 19 wherein said parking determiner is configured to adaptively ascertain.