System and Method of Locating Vehicles with Keylock Signals

• US 20080165033A1
• Filed: 01/05/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kumaran, Santhosh, Mok, Lawrence S., Chieu, Trieu C., Cohn, David L., Fu, Shiwa S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,570,179 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/990
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00174 Electronically operated locks; Circuits therefor; Nonmechanical keys therefor, e.g. passive or active electrical keys or other data carriers without mechanical keys mechanical locks with electric permutation E05B49/00; arrangements for sensing or reading record carriers G06K7/00; electronic switching H03K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A wireless key is signal, having a key-specific identifier, is received, the key-specific identifier detected, and the signal transmission location is calculated. The signal transmission location is stored based on the detected key-specific identifier. Another instance of the same wireless key signal is received, its key-specific identifier is detected, and the stored signal transmission location is retrieved based on the detected key-specific identifier. Optionally, a wireless key signal is received at a user and repeated at a plurality of locations in a parking facility. A vehicle response is detected, and associated with one of the repeatings of the wireless key signal. A location of the vehicle response is detected based on the repeating with which it is associated.

Claims

1. A method for locating a vehicle parking location in response to a wireless key signal having a key-specific identifier code, comprising:

receiving an instance of said wireless key signal;

generating a key code based on the key-specific identifier code in said received wireless key signal;

calculating a location from which said received instance of said wireless key signal was transmitted;

retrievably storing said location in a storage, said storing such that said location is retrievable based on said key code;

receiving another instance of the wireless key signal;

generating another key code based on the key-specific identifier code in said received another instance of the wireless key signal; and

retrieving said location from said storage, based on said another key code.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at least one of a vehicle light and a vehicle sound;

generating a vehicle characterizing data based on said received at least one of a vehicle light and a vehicle sound; and

correlating said vehicle characterizing data with received wireless key signal,

wherein said retrievably storing said location is contingent on said correlating.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said generating a vehicle characterizing data includes providing a database having a given vehicle sound pattern data and, in response to receiving a vehicle sound at said receiving at least one of a vehicle light and a vehicle sound, detecting a match relation between said received vehicle sound and said given vehicle sound pattern data.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said generating a vehicle characterizing data includes providing a database having a given vehicle light pattern data and, in response to receiving a vehicle light at said receiving at least one of a vehicle light and a vehicle sound, detecting a match relation between said received vehicle light and said given vehicle light pattern data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving an instance of the wireless signal includes:

providing a plurality of key signal receivers, arranged with respect to a given plurality of spatial areas, such that each of said receivers associated with a corresponding one of said spatial areas;

transmitting the instance of the wireless signal from a location within one of said spatial areas; and

receiving the transmitted instance of the wireless signal at the key signal receiver associated with said one of said spatial areas.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said receiving another instance of the wireless signal includes:

providing a terminal key signal receiver at a user location remote from all of said spatial areas;

transmitting the another instance of the wireless signal from location proximal to said user location; and

receiving the transmitted another instance of the wireless signal at the terminal key signal receiver.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said transmitting repeats includes transmitting a sequence of said repeats, each of said sequence being from a corresponding one of said repeaters.

7. A method for locating a vehicle parking location in response to a wireless key signal, comprising:

providing a plurality of key signal repeaters, arranged with respect to a given plurality of spatial areas, such that each of said repeaters is associated with a corresponding at least one of said spatial areas;

receiving said wireless key signal;

transmitting repeats of said received wireless key signal from said key signal repeaters;

detecting an instance of at least one of a response signal and a response sound;

associating said detected instance with at least one of said key signal repeaters; and

generating a vehicle parking location data based on said associating.

9. A system for locating a vehicle parking location in response to a wireless key signal, comprising:

a computer-readable medium encoded with instructions capable of being executed by a computer, the instructions including;

instructions for receiving an instance of said wireless key signal;

instructions for generating a key code based on the key-specific identifier code in said received wireless key signal;

instructions for calculating a location from which said received instance of said wireless key signal was transmitted;

instructions for retrievably storing said location in a storage, said storing such that said location is retrievable based on said key code;

instructions for receiving another instance of the wireless key signal;

instructions for generating another key code based on the key-specific identifier code in said received another instance of the wireless key signal; and

instructions for retrieving said location from said storage, based on said another key code.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said instructions further include:

instructions for receiving at least one of a vehicle light and a vehicle sound;

instructions for generating a vehicle characterizing data based on said received at least one of a vehicle light and a vehicle sound; and

instructions for correlating said vehicle characterizing data with received wireless key signal,

wherein said instructions for retrievably storing said location instruct sand retrievable storing as contingent on said correlating.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said instructions for generating a vehicle characterizing data include instructions for providing a database having a given vehicle sound pattern data and instructions for detecting, in response to receiving a vehicle sound at said receiving at least one of a vehicle light and a vehicle sound, a match relation between said received vehicle sound and said given vehicle sound pattern data.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein said instructions for generating a vehicle characterizing data include instructions for providing a database having a given vehicle light pattern data and instructions for detecting, in response to receiving a vehicle light at said receiving at least one of a vehicle light and a vehicle sound, a match relation between said received vehicle light and said given vehicle light pattern data.

13. A system for locating a vehicle parking location, comprising:

a plurality of key signal repeaters, arranged with respect to a given plurality of spatial areas, such that each of said repeaters is associated with a corresponding at least one of said spatial areas;

a computer-readable medium encoded with instructions capable of being executed by a computer, the instructions including;

instructions for receiving said wireless key signal;

instructions for transmitting repeats of said received wireless key signal from said key signal repeaters;

instructions for detecting an instance of at least one of a response signal and a response sound;

instructions for associating said detected instance with at least one of said key signal repeaters; and

instructions for generating a vehicle parking location data based on said associating.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said instructions for transmitting repeats include instructions transmitting a sequence of said repeats, each of said sequence being from a corresponding one of said repeaters.