Apparatus And Method For Detecting Communication Interference

• US 20110151799A1
• Filed: 12/21/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: D'Avello, Robert F., Snider, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,611,847 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/67.13
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2072 with means for preventing jamming or interference of a remote switch control signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/16 for telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/22 for communication related to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/226 Selection of non-jammed channel for communication spectrum sharing arrangements H04W16/14; selection of wireless resources by user or terminal H04W72/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/68 using passive jamming, e.g. by shielding or reflection shielding of apparatus or components against electric or magnetic field H05K9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/90 related to allowing or preventing navigation or positioning, e.g. GPS

Abstract

Location determination signals are received and a location of interest is determined from the location determination signals. A communication service is established and synchronized with a known, valid base station via a first communication channel. A value of a signal strength indicator associated with the first communication channel is monitored. When the value of the signal strength indicator falls below a threshold level, a warning message is transmitted to the known, valid base station before synchronization of the communication service is lost with the known, valid base station.

Claims

1. A method of detecting an attempt at interfering with communications between a user and an emergency reporting system comprising:

receiving location determination signals and determining a location of interest from the location determination signals;

establishing and synchronizing a communication service with a known, valid base station via a first communication channel;

monitoring a value of a signal strength indicator associated with the first communication channel;

when the value of the signal strength indicator falls below a threshold level, transmitting a warning message to the known, valid base station before synchronization of the communication service is lost with the known, valid base station.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring the value of the signal strength indicator associated with the first communication channel further comprises monitoring whether the value of the signal strength indicator falls to the threshold level in a substantially step-wise manner.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the warning message is transmitted over the first communication channel.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the warning message is transmitted to the base station over a second communication channel, the second communication channel being different than the first communication channel.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising forwarding the warning message to an emergency reporting system that is configured to send assistance to the location of interest after receiving the warning message at the emergency reporting system.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the location determination signals are received from a satellite.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the warning message includes the location of interest.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising issuing an audible alarm.

3. The method of claim wherein the signal strength indicator comprises an average of a plurality of signal strength measurements.

10. A computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method of detecting an attempt at interfering with communications between a vehicle and an emergency reporting system comprising:

receiving location determination signals and determining a location of the vehicle from the location determination signals;

establishing and synchronizing a communication service with a known, valid base station via a first communication channel;

monitoring a value of a signal strength indicator associated with the first communication channel;

when the value of the signal strength indicator falls below a threshold level, transmitting a warning message from the vehicle to the known, valid base station before synchronization of the communication service is lost with the known, valid base station.

11. The computer usable medium of claim 10 wherein the warning message is transmitted over the first communication channel.

12. The computer usable medium of claim 10 wherein the warning message is transmitted to the base station over a second communication channel, the second communication channel being different than the first communication channel.

13. The computer usable medium of claim 10 further comprising forwarding the warning message to an emergency reporting system that is configured to send assistance to the location of the vehicle after receiving the warning message at the emergency reporting system.

14. The computer usable medium of claim 10 wherein the location determination signals are received from a satellite.

15. The computer usable medium of claim 10 wherein the warning message includes the location of the vehicle.

16. The computer usable medium of claim 10 further comprising issuing an audible alarm at the vehicle.

17. A device for detecting attempted interference with communications between a user and an emergency reporting system comprising:

an interface with an input and an output, the input configured to receive location determination signals;

a controller coupled to the interface, the controller configured to establish and synchronize a communication service with a known, valid base station via a first communication channel established with the base station at the output of the interface, the controller further configured to monitor a value of a signal strength indicator associated with the first communication channel received at the input of the interface, the controller further configured to, when the value of the signal strength indicator falls below a threshold level, transmit a warning message to the known, valid base station at the output of the interface before synchronization of the communication service is lost with the known, valid base station.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the warning message is transmitted over the first communication channel.

19. The device of claim 17 wherein the warning message is transmitted to the base station over a second communication channel, the second communication channel being different than the first communication channel.

20. The device of claim 17 further comprising an alarm indicator and wherein the controller is further configured to issue an audible alarm upon the transmission of the warning message.