Vehicle Security And Monitoring System

• US 20090309709A1
• Filed: 02/25/2009
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Recovery Systems Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Recovery Systems Holdings LLC
• Inventors: Bevacqua, Kurt, Dixon, Steven C., Osman, Mark A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,115,656 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/426.180
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2025/1016 Remote signals alerting owner or authorities, e.g. radio signals
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• 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: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data

Abstract

A vehicle monitoring system includes a communication subsystem configured to provide two-way wireless communication, and a controller mounted in a vehicle and configured to receive data indicative of a location of the vehicle and to control the communication subsystem to transmit the data indicative of the vehicle location toward a remote communication center and receive operational information transmitted from the remote communication center. The controller receives a mode change command included in the operational information and in response changes operating mode between an authorization mode, in which the controller transmits an alert signal to the remote communication center, and a tracking mode, in which the controller transmits the data indicative of vehicle location continuously at predetermined intervals regardless of the authorization signal.

Claims

1. A vehicle monitoring system comprising:

a communication subsystem configured to provide two-way wireless communication; and

a controller mounted in a vehicle and configured to receive data indicative of a location of the vehicle and to control the communication subsystem to transmit the data indicative of the vehicle location toward a communication center and receive operational information transmitted from the communication center;

wherein the controller receives a mode change command included in the operational information and in response changes operating mode between an authorization mode in which the controller transmits an alert signal to the remote communication center, the alert signal comprising the data indicative of the vehicle location and data indicating that the vehicle location change is unauthorized, in response to determining that vehicle location has changed without detecting an authorization signal within a predetermined time interval after determining that the vehicle location has changed, and a tracking mode, in which the controller transmits the data indicative of vehicle location continuously at predetermined intervals regardless of the authorization signal.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein the authorization signal is received from a portable key device.

3. The system as in claim 2, wherein the authorization signal comprises identification data that is wirelessly read from the portable key device.

4. The system as in claim 2, wherein the portable key device comprises an RFID device.

5. The system as in claim 1, wherein the controller continues to transmit the alert signal with updated data indicative of vehicle location at predetermined intervals after sending the alert signal.

6. The system as in claim 5, wherein the controller receives an alert cancel signal from the communication center and in response halts sending the alert signal.

7. The system as in claim 1, wherein the mode change command is transmitted from the communication center in response to a request from an authorized person associated with the vehicle monitoring system.

8. The system as in claim 1, wherein the mode change command includes a mode change command to which the controller responds by changing operating mode to a custody mode in which vehicle identification information is associated with controller identification information and the data indicative of vehicle location is provided to a custodian by the communication center regardless of the authorization signal.

9. The system as in claim 8, wherein the controller transmits the data indicative of vehicle location to the communication center at a predetermined interval for delivery to the custodian.

10. The system as in claim 8, wherein the controller transmits an alert signal to the communication center in response to determining that vehicle location has changed to a location beyond a predetermined location.

11. The system as in claim 1, wherein the controller operates in a delivery mode, prior to receiving the mode change command, in which the controller transmits the data indicative of vehicle location continuously at predetermined intervals in response to determining that vehicle location has changed to a location beyond a predetermined location.

12. The system as in claim 11, wherein the controller transmits the data indicative of vehicle location to the communication center at a predetermined interval for delivery to a custodian.

13. The system as in claim 11, wherein the controller transmits an alert signal to the communication center in response to determining that vehicle location has changed to a location beyond the predetermined location.

14. The system as in claim 11, wherein the controller changes operating mode from the delivery mode to the authorization mode upon receipt of an activation signal.

15. The system as in claim 14, wherein the activation signal is received from a portable key device.

16. The system as in claim 1, wherein the controller determines that the vehicle has arrived at a location associated with a certified custodian and transmits information identifying an identity of the certified custodian and/or the location associated with the certified custodian to the communication center.

17. A method of monitoring a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving data indicative of a location of a vehicle having a monitoring system mounted in the vehicle;

transmitting the data indicative of the vehicle location from the monitoring system toward a communication center;

receiving operational information transmitted from the communication center, the operational information including a mode change command; and

in response to receiving the mode change command, changing operating mode of the monitoring system between an authorization mode and a tracking mode, the authorization mode comprising;

determining that vehicle location has changed, and

transmitting an alert signal to the communication center, the alert signal comprising the data indicative of the vehicle location and data indicating that the vehicle location change is unauthorized, in response to not detecting an authorization signal within a predetermined time interval after determining that the vehicle location has changed;

wherein the tracking mode comprises transmitting the data indicative of vehicle location continuously at predetermined intervals regardless of the authorization signal.

18. The method as in claim 17, further comprising receiving the authorization signal from a portable key device.

19. The method as in claim 18, wherein receiving the authorization signal comprises wirelessly reading identification data from the portable key device.

20. The method as in claim 18, wherein the portable key device comprises an RFID device.

21. The method as in claim 17, further comprising:

in response to receiving the mode change command, changing operating mode to a custody mode in which vehicle identification information is associated with monitoring system identification information; and

transmitting the data indicative of vehicle location to the communication center regardless of the authorization signal, wherein the communication center provides the data indicative of vehicle location to a custodian.

22. The method as in claim 17, wherein, prior to receiving the mode change command, operating in a delivery mode, the delivery mode comprising:

transmitting the data indicative of vehicle location continuously at predetermined intervals in response to determining that vehicle location has changed to a location beyond a predetermined location.

23. The method as in claim 17, further comprising:

determining that the vehicle has arrived at a location associated with a certified custodian; and

transmitting information identifying an identity of the certified custodian and/or the location of the certified custodian to the communication center.

24. A system for operating a vehicle monitoring system, the system comprising:

a communication subsystem configured to communicate wirelessly with a monitoring system;

a processor coupled to the communication subsystem and a network, the processor configured to receive a first mode change request from an end user via the network, the mode change request requesting to change the monitoring system between an authorization mode and a tracking mode, control the communication subsystem to receive data indicative of a location of a vehicle from a monitoring system mounted in the vehicle, wherein the data indicative of vehicle location is received continuously at predetermined intervals while the monitoring system is operating in the tracking mode, upon receiving the mode change request, control the communication subsystem to transmit a mode change command to the monitoring system and, subsequent to transmitting the mode change command, control the communication subsystem to receive an alert signal from the monitoring system, the alert signal comprising the data indicative of the vehicle location and data indicating that the vehicle has changed location and the location change is unauthorized.

25. The system as in claim 24, wherein the processor is configured to communicate data representing user interface screens to a computer system of the end user via the network.

26. The system as in claim 24, wherein the processor controls the communication subsystem to receive updated data indicative of an updated location of the vehicle at predetermined intervals subsequent to receiving the alert signal.

27. The system as in claim 25, wherein the processor controls the communication subsystem to transmit an alert cancel message to the monitoring system, wherein the monitoring system halts transmission of the updated location data in response to the alert cancel message.

28. The system as in claim 24, wherein the processor transmits the data indicative of the vehicle location to the end user via the network.

29. The system as in claim 24, wherein the mode change request requests to change the operating mode of the monitoring system to a custody mode in which vehicle identification information is associated with monitoring system identification information of the monitoring system, transmit a

transmitting the data indicative of vehicle location to the communication center regardless of the authorization signal, wherein the communication center provides the data indicative of vehicle location to a custodian.

30. The system as in claim 24, wherein the processor controls the communication subsystem to receive information identifying an identity of a certified custodian and/or a location of the certified custodian from the monitoring system, wherein the monitoring system transmitted the information identifying the identity of the certified custodian and/or the location of the certified custodian upon arriving at the location of the certified custodian, and the processor transmits data indicative of pertinent information regarding an owner of the vehicle and/or the vehicle to the certified custodian.

31. A system for operating a vehicle monitoring system, the system comprising:

a communication subsystem configured to communicate with a communication center via a network;

a processor coupled to the communication subsystem and the network, the processor configured to control the communication subsystem to communicate a mode change request to the communication center via the network, the mode change request requesting to change a monitoring system between an authorization mode and a tracking mode, control the communication subsystem to receive data indicative of a location of a vehicle containing the monitoring system from the communication center, wherein the data indicative of vehicle location is received continuously at predetermined intervals while the monitoring system is operating in the tracking mode, and, subsequent to transmitting the mode change request, control the communication subsystem to receive an alert signal from the communication center, the alert signal comprising the data indicative of the vehicle location and data indicating that the vehicle has changed location and the location change is unauthorized.

32. The system as in claim 31, wherein the processor controls the communication subsystem to receive updated data indicative of the vehicle location at predetermined intervals from the communication center after receiving the alert signal.

33. The system as in claim 32, wherein the processor controls the communication subsystem to transmit an alert cancel signal to the communication center to request that the monitoring system halt transmitting the updated location data.

34. The system as in claim 31, wherein the mode change request includes a mode change request requesting to change the monitoring system to a custody mode in which vehicle identification information is associated with the monitoring system and the processor controls the communication subsystem to receive the data indicative of vehicle location regardless of whether the location change is unauthorized.