WIRELESS LOCATING AND MONITORING SYSTEM

• US 20120078441A1
• Filed: 09/26/2011
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monterey Research, LLC (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Woodings, Ryan W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,171,470 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/002 for traffic control, mobile tracking, guidance, surveillance or anti-collision
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A wireless tracking device including a positioning system for determining a location of the device and a processor connected to the positioning system. The wireless tracking device further including a wireless radio connected to the processor for transmitting the location of the device across a wireless area network.

A vehicle monitoring system including a sensor, a microcontroller configured to receive a sensor input from the sensor and determine a vehicle condition data, and a wireless transmitter in communication with the microcontroller. The wireless transmitter is configured to transmit the vehicle condition data to a remote data network access point.

A method of monitoring a vehicle including determining a status of the vehicle, locating an available wireless data network access point, and transmitting the status of the vehicle though the access point.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method, comprising:

locating, by an object, a network connection available to the object; and

transmitting, using the network connection, information about the location of the object to a receiver.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising determining, by the receiver, the location of the object using the information.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the information about the location of the object is determined according to a global positioning system (GPS) signal.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

determining that the object is being used by an unauthorized operator; and

transmitting an alert message.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising shutting down operation of the object in response to determining that the object is being used by an unauthorized operator.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the transmitting of the information comprises transmitting at least one of location data and object data.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the transmitting the information about the location of the object comprises transmitting logged object data corresponding to a path of the movement of the object over a period of time.

28. A wireless tracking device locatable in an object, the wireless tracking device comprising:

a positioning system configured to periodically determine a location of the device;

a processor coupled with the positioning system and configured to provide information about the location of the device and determine a network connection available to access by the device; and

a transmitter coupled with the processor, the transmitter configured to transmit, using the network connection, the information about the location of the object to a receiver.

29. A system comprising the device of claim 28, the system further comprising a receiver configured to determine the location of the object using the information.

30. The device of claim 28, wherein the information about the location of the object is determined according to a global positioning system (GPS) signal.

31. The device of claim 28, where in the processor is further configured to determine that the object is being used by an unauthorized operator and transmit an alert message.

32. The device of claim 31, wherein the processor is further configured to shut down operation of the object in response to determining that the object is being used by an unauthorized operator.

33. The device of claim 28, wherein to transmit the information, the processor is configured to transmit at least one of location data and object data.

34. The device of claim 28, wherein to transmit the information, the processor is configured to transmit logged object data corresponding to a path of the movement of the object over a period of time.