Recovery system with repeating communication capabilities

• US 20070066218A1
• Filed: 09/19/2005
• Published: 03/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Calamp Wireless Networks Inc. (CalAmp Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LoJack Corporation (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Liu, George, Justice, James, Krishna, Sampath, Cohen, Ira
• Granted Patent: US 8,787,823 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/7
• 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 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A recovery system and method with repeating communication functionality includes a station configured to send a first message and at least a first remote transmitting unit responsive to the central station and configured to transmit a second message to a locating unit. At least a second remote transmitting unit includes a receiver which receives the second message, a controller configured to process the second message, and a transmitter for transmitting a third message to the locating unit.

Claims

1. A recovery system with repeating communication capabilities, the system comprising:

a station configured to send a first message;

at least a first remote transmitting unit responsive to the central station and configured to transmit a second message to a locating unit; and

at least a second remote transmitting unit including;

a receiver which receives said second message,

a controller configured to process said second message, and

a transmitter for transmitting a third message to the locating unit.

2. The system of claim 1 in which said first remote transmitting unit includes a land line connection to the station for receiving the first message.

3. The system of claim 2 in which the first remote transmitting unit includes an RF transmitter for sending the second message to the locating unit and to the receiver of the second remote transmitting unit.

4. The system of claim 1 in which the first message, the second message, and the third message include the same information.

5. The system of claim 1 in which the controller is programmed to transmit said third message only upon receipt of two or more instances of said second message.

6. The system of claim 1 in which the controller is programmed to transmit said third message only for a predetermined time period.

7. The system of claim 1 in which the controller is programmed to ignore a second message received by the receiver below a predetermined signal strength.

8. The system of claim 1 in which there are N second remote transmitting units each including:

a receiver which receives said second message, a controller which processes said second message, and a transmitter which transmits said third message.

9. The system of claim 8 in which there are M first remote transmitting units.

10. The system of claim 9 in which M is less than N.

11. The system of claim 1 in which said first message includes a first code representing a locating unit identifier and a second code which activates the locating unit to transmit a signal.

12. The system of claim 11 in which the first remote transmitting unit is configured to repeat the transmission of the second message which includes the first and second codes.

13. The system of claim 12 in which the second remote transmitting unit is configured to repeat the transmission of the third message which includes the first and second codes.

14. The system of claim 1 in which the first message includes a first code representing a locating unit identifier and a third code which adjusts the transmission schedule of the locating unit.

15. The system of claim 1 in which said first message includes a first code representing a locating unit identifier and fourth code which deactivates the vehicle locating unit.

16. A system including a station which sends a first message to a plurality of remote transmitting units which, in turn, transmit a second message to a locating unit, said remote transmitting units comprising:

selected remote transmitting units connected to the station via at least one land line for receipt of the first message, said selected remote transmitting units including a wireless transmitter for transmitting a second message to the locating unit; and

selected remote transmitting units including;

a receiver for receiving said second message, and

a controller configured to process said second message and to transmit a third message to the locating unit.

17. A system with repeating communication capabilities, said system comprising:

a station configured to send a first message;

at least a first remote transmitting unit connected to the central station via a first data link and configured to transmit a second message to a locating unit via a second data link; and

at least a second remote transmitting unit including;

a receiver which receives said second message via said second data link,

a controller configured to process said second message, and

a transmitter for transmitting a third message to the locating unit via the second data link.

18. The system of claim 17 in which the first data link is a land line and the second data link is wireless.

19. A recovery method comprising:

transmitting a first message to at least a first remote transmitting unit;

the first remote transmitting unit transmitting a second message to a locating unit in response to the first message; and

a second remote transmitting unit receiving the second message from the first remote transmitting unit and, in response, transmitting a third message to the locating unit.

20. The method of claim 19 in which said first remote transmitting unit includes a land line connection to a station for receiving the first message.

21. The method of claim 19 in which the first remote transmitting unit includes an RF transmitter for sending the second message to the locating unit and to a receiver of the second remote transmitting unit.

22. The method of claim 19 in which the first message, the second message, and the third message include the same information.

23. The method of claim 19 in which the second remote transmitting unit transmits said third message only upon receipt of two or more instances of said second message.

24. The method of claim 19 in which the second remote transmitting unit transmits said third message only for a predetermined time period.

25. The method of claim 19 in which the second remote transmitting unit ignores a second message below a predetermined signal strength.

26. The method of claim 19 in which there are N second remote transmitting units.

27. The method of claim 26 in which there are M first remote transmitting units.

28. The method of claim 27 in which M is less than N.

29. The method of claim 19 in which said first message includes a first code representing a locating unit identifier and a second code which activates the locating unit to transmit a signal and said second and third messages include said first and second codes.

30. The method of claim 19 in which the first remote transmitting unit repeats the transmission of the second message.

31. The method of claim 19 in which the second remote transmitting unit repeats the transmission of the third message.

32. The method of claim 19 in which the first, second, and third messages include a code which adjusts the transmission schedule of a locating unit.

33. The method of claim 19 in which said first, second, and third messages include a code which deactivates the locating unit.