Apparatus and method for controlling moving vehicles

• US 20060208924A1
• Filed: 02/23/2006
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aron Matalon
• Original Assignee: Aron Matalon
• Inventors: Matalon, Aron
• Granted Patent: US 7,936,282 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/933
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence

Abstract

Apparatus for controlling vehicles, particularly for security purposes, law enforcement and fleet management, is disclosed. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a car unit (CU) permanently mounted in the vehicles, which transmits vehicle identification (ID) and a road unit (RU), which receives the identification and singles out suspect vehicles. The apparatus may include a portable personal unit (PU), which identifies the driver.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling vehicles, particularly for security purposes, law enforcement and fleet management, which comprises:

a) a car unit (CU) permanently mounted in said vehicles, configured to transmit vehicle identification (ID); and

b) a road unit (RU) configured to receive said identification and single out suspect vehicles.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the RU comprises a transmitting beacon and an RU processor.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the CU is mounted in the car in such a way that it will be extremely difficult to remove it or change it such that it would be irrevocably damaged and will not function.

8. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the transmitting beacon continually transmitting a signal which is temporarily blocked by any passing vehicle, and the processing unit is a RU processor which receives the beacon signal, and when this is blocked by a passing vehicle, receives the identifying signal transmitted by the CU of said vehicle.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the RU processor has a narrow angle antenna better to discriminate between signals from different vehicles.

10. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein vehicles are singled out whenever a CU signal is not received from a passing vehicle.

11. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein vehicles are singled out whenever a CU signal received by the RU does not include driver ID.

12. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the RU processor has a memory which contains a database received from and continuously updated by the competent vehicle registration authority and containing all the lawful combinations of vehicle ID and driver ID, and wherein vehicles are singled out whenever the driver and/or vehicle database base records indicate that they should be stopped for a check.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the RU is located at a checking station, further comprising a control station provided with a control processor adapted to receive the messages from the checking station

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising means for direct communication between the checking station and the control station and the relative processors.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for logging vehicles ID and/or driver ID.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicles ID and/or driver ID are transmitted and stored in a remote location for logging.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suspect vehicles are stopped for a check.

18. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the RU is mounted on a vehicle for controlling moving and/or parking vehicles.

19. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmissions of the CU are performed periodically for a short instance of time.

20. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmissions of the CU are used for the charging of parking vehicles and/or for the ticketing of unlawful parking.

21. The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising one or more additional RUs wherein the RUs which are located in predetermined distances transmits the ID information of each passing vehicle to the control station which computes the vehicles speed according to the time differences between the transmissions.

22. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the RU transmits to control station an indication whenever it identifies a passing vehicle, and wherein said indication includes the CU signals, if received from passing vehicle.

23. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a control station singles out suspicious vehicles.

24. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the CU is linked to an antitheft system of the vehicle and adapted to disable ignition, or disable proper operation of the engine or stop the operation of the engine.

25. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the CU further includes a memory for storing IDs of authorized drivers.

26. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the CU prevents engine ignition whenever the driver ID received from the PU does not match one of the authorized drivers IDs stored in the CU memory.

27. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the CU is used for stopping the engine of the vehicle or for disabling its proper operation whenever it receives an indication from a control center or from the RU that the vehicle should be stopped for a check.

28. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the signal transmitted by the beacon is a light signal, wherein a reflecting mirror is situated at one side of a lane and the beacon transmitter and receiver are situated at the other side of the lane, such that the transmitted signals are reflected by said mirror and received by said receiver whenever a vehicle is not passing between them.

29. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising photographic means for acquiring pictures of transiting vehicles and/or their license plates.

30. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control center for receiving the CU signals and other information form the RUs, and processing it.

31. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein CUs are installed in towable things for identifying their owners.

32. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein CU signals are transmitted by the CU whenever a transmission demanding transmittal of the CU signals is received by them.

33. The apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the RU periodically transmits demanding signals for activating transmittal of the CU signals.

34. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the CU signal is acquired when CU signals transmission reaches maximal magnitude.

43. The apparatus according to claim 29, further comprising:

a) an electromechanical car sensor for indicating that a transiting vehicle entered the photography zone of the photographic means;

b) a memory for storing acquired photographs of said transiting vehicle;

c) data communication means for forwarding the photograph of any suspected transiting vehicle for further processing; and

d) a controller for detecting suspected vehicles and for issuing a command to said photographic means which photographs to forward for further processing.

44. The apparatus according to claim 29, further comprising:

a) data communication means for forwarding images of any transiting vehicle for further processing; and

b) image processing means for processing the acquired images and for indicating that a transiting vehicle entered the photography zone of the photographic means.

45. The apparatus according to claim 44, wherein the image processing means uses video motion detection (VMD) techniques for processing the acquired images and identifying whether a transiting vehicle entered the photography zone of the photographic means.

2. An apparatus for controlling vehicles, for at least one of security purposes, law enforcement and fleet management, comprising:

a) a portable personal unit (PU) configured to identify a driver;

b) a car unit (CU) permanently mounted in said vehicles, configured to transmit vehicle identification (ID); and

c) a road unit (RU) configured to receive said identification and select suspect vehicles.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the PU is a small, periodically transmitting transceiver, the transmissions of which have a range sufficient for being received by the CU as long as the driver is in the vehicle, but too short to be received by the CU if the driver leaves the vehicle.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the PU stores the driver'"'"'s ID and emits it periodically, so that it is received by the CU.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the PU can receive and store at least one code, which will be entered when the driver wishes to activate the PU and drive a vehicle.

35. A personal unit for storing and periodically transmitting identifying details of the owner of said unit that can be received and processed for identifying the presence or the passage of said owner at certain locations.

36. A car unit for storing and transmitting identifying details of a car in which said unit is installed that can be received and processed for identifying the presence or the passage of said car at certain locations.

37. The car unit according to claim 36, wherein said unit is capable of receiving and transmitting signals transmitted from a personal unit of the driver of said car.

38. The car unit according to claim 36, wherein said unit is linked to an antitheft system of the car and adapted to disable ignition of the engine, or its proper operation, or stop the engine of said car.

39. An apparatus for preventing exit and/or entrance of vehicles from/to specific locations and/or facilities, comprising a plurality of car units (CUs) each of which is installed in a vehicle, and one or more road units (RUs) situated at the entrance and/or exit of said locations and/or facilities, wherein whenever a vehicle approaches an RU a CU signal transmitted from the CU installed in the vehicle is received by said RU, which extracts the identifying details contained is said signal and verify if according to the database records maintained by the RU if entrance or exit of said vehicle is allowed.

40. An apparatus for billing vehicles passing on a toll-road comprising a car unit (CU) installed in each vehicle, one or more road units (RUs) installed at the entrances and exits to said toll-road, and a control center for collecting and processing the information received by the RUs, wherein whenever one of said vehicles approached an RU the CU signal identifying the vehicle is received by said RU and forwarded to said control center for further processing and carrying out the billing.

41. An antitheft apparatus for producing alarm signal whenever a secured item is being moved from the vicinity of a guarding person or object, comprising installing a car unit (CU) in said secured item and equipping said guarding person or object with a road unit (RU), wherein said RU periodically transmits demanding signals which when received by said CU are responded by a CU signal transmitted by said CU, where said RU produces an alarm whenever a CU signal is not received by it after the transmittal of a predetermined number of demanding signals.

42. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the CU periodically transmits CU signals and wherein the RU produces the alarm signal whenever CU signals are not received within a predetermined period of time.

46. An apparatus for controlling vehicles, particularly for security purposes, law enforcement and fleet management, comprising:

means, permanently mounted in said vehicles, for transmitting vehicle identification (ID); and

means for receiving said identification and separating suspect vehicles.