SERVER AND METHOD OF PROVIDING SERVER-BASED CAR SECURITY SERVICE, CAR DEVICE AND METHOD OF USING SERVER-BASED CAR SECURITY SERVICE, USER DEVICE AND METHOD OF USING SERVER-BASED CAR SECURITY SERVICE

• US 20120197488A1
• Filed: 01/30/2012
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Seung-soo, KIM, Hong-soo, KIM, Tae-jeoung
• Granted Patent: US 9,544,305 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

A server-based car security service provides for image and position information to be provided to the server. The server uses the image information to make an authorization determination with respect to the current user. When the user is determined by the server to be an unauthorized user, the server alerts the owner or primary user of the car by sending the alert to a remote user device. The user device displays the image of the current user, and the owner has the opportunity to indicate whether the user is actually an unauthorized user or whether the determination at the server was a misrecognition error. When the user is unauthorized, the owner can request real-time monitoring of the car'"'"'s position, and also the image inside the car, as well as an outside-of-the-car image.

Claims

1. A method of providing a server-based car security service for a car by using a server, the method comprising:

receiving, at the server, current user image information obtained by capturing an image of a current user of a car, from a car device;

making an authorization determination as to whether the current user is an authorized user based on the image of the current user and on previously stored authorized user information; and

transmitting current use information of the car, including the current user image information and the authorization determination;

wherein the transmitting step is carried out so that the current use information is transmitted externally to a destination associated with a user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the receiving of the current user image information comprises receiving position information including one or more of current GPS information and a current map image of the car, and

the current use information of the car further comprises position information of the car.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at least one of a satellite signal and GPS information about a current position of the car; and

generating position information including at least one of a current map image that is generated using at least one of the satellite signal and the GPS information and a current map image to which at least one of the satellite signal and the GPS information is linked;

wherein the current use information of the car further comprises the position information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a real-time request and responding by initiating one or more of real-time monitoring of the car and real-time position reporting of the car, from the user device;

requesting the car device to provide the real-time position information, and receiving real-time position information including one or more of real-time GPS information and a real-time map image of the car from the car device; and

transmitting the received real-time position information to the user device of the main user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a registration request from the user device to register the current user image information as authorized user information; and

responding to the registration request by adding the current user image information as authorized user information.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the receiving of the real-time request comprises receiving a request to execute a warning mode with respect to the current user, from the user device; and

the request to execute the warning mode is transmitted to the car device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the current use information comprises:

when the current user is determined to be an unauthorized user, transmitting to the car device a notification message indicating that the car is currently in use by the unauthorized user;

receiving a request to provide the current use information from the user device; and

transmitting the current use information to the user device in response to the request by the user device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the receiving of the current user image information also includes receiving outside-the-car image information, and

the current use information also includes the outside-the-car image information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the authorization determination is based also on whether the current user is using the car in accordance with one of a plurality of usage statuses included in the previously stored authorized user information.

32. A computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon a program for executing the method of claim 1.

10. A method of using a car security service of a car device receiving a server-based car security service, the method comprising:

generating current user image information of the car by using a camera of the car;

receiving a satellite signal indicating a current position of the car and generating position information about the current position of the car; and

transmitting at least one of the current user image information and the position information from the car device to the server,

wherein the current use information of the car including at least one of the current user image information and the position information is transmitted from the server to an external user device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

in response to the request from the server to initiate real-time monitoring of the car, generating real-time position information based on the satellite signal, and transmitting the real-time position information to the server,

wherein the real-time position information is transmitted from the server to the external user device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising responding to a request from the server to execute a warning mode, with respect to the current user, by executing the warning mode.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the server compares the current user image information with previously registered authorized user information, to determine whether the current user is an authorized user, and

when the current user is determined to be an unauthorized user, the current user image information is transmitted to the external user device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein when the server is requested by the external user device to additionally register the current user image information, the current user image information is added to the previously registered authorized user information.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

generating outside-of-the-car image information obtained by capturing an image from outside of the car; and

transmitting the outside-of-the-car image information to the server.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

obtaining a current driving speed of the car; and

adjusting a frame rate for capturing the outside-of-the-car image information based on the current driving speed of the car,

wherein the frame rate of the camera is set to change in proportion to the current driving speed of the car.

33. A computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon a program for executing the method of claim 10.

17. A method of using a car security service by a user device receiving a server-based car security service, the method comprising:

receiving current use information of the car, including current user image information of the car, from a server,

wherein the current use information of the car is transmitted by the server based on a result of comparing current user image information, obtained by capturing an image of a current user of the car, with authorized user information previously registered in the server.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the current use information further comprises position information of the car, received by the server from the car device.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the current use information further comprises outside-of-the-car image information obtained by capturing an image from outside of the car, received by the server from the car device.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

transmitting a request to initiate real-time monitoring of the car in response to a user input; and

displaying real-time position information received by the server from the car device,

wherein the real-time position information includes at least one of a real-time satellite signal received from the car device and a real-time map image.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising responding to a user input by transmitting to the server a registration request to register the current user image information as authorized user information.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising transmitting a warning request to the server requesting the car device to execute a warning mode with respect to the current user.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising outputting a map image indicating a current position of the car based on the position information, on a screen of the user device.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising receiving the outside-of-the-car image information from the server and outputting the outside-of-the-car image information on a screen of the user device.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein the receiving of the current use information of the car comprises:

when the current user is determined by the server to be an unauthorized user, receiving from the server a notification message that the current user is an unauthorized user;

transmitting a request to provide the current use information of the car to the server; and

receiving the current use information from the server.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein the user device of the main user comprises two or more devices.

34. A computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon a program for executing the method of claim 17.

27. A server providing a car security service, comprising:

a communication unit that communicates with a car device and a user device;

a current user image information receiving unit that receives current user image information from the car device;

an authorized user determining unit that makes a determination as to whether the current user of the car indicated in the current user image information is an authorized user based on previously registered authorized user information; and

a current use information transmitting unit that transmits the current use information of the car, including the current user image information of the car, to the user device based on the determination about the authorized user.

28. The server of claim 27, further comprising a position information receiving unit receiving position information from the car device, wherein the current use information transmitting unit also transmits the position information of the car to the user device.

29. A car device providing a server-based car security service, comprising:

a current user image information generating unit that generates current user image information of a car by using a camera;

a position information generating unit that generates position information of a current position of the car; and

a current use information transmitting unit that transmits current use information comprising at least one of the current user image information and the position information to the server,

wherein the current use information is transmitted from the server to an external user device.

30. The car device of claim 29, further comprising a camera controller that adjusts a frame rate of the camera in proportion to the current driving speed of the car.

31. A user device receiving a server-based car security service, the user device comprising:

a user input unit that receives a user request to transmit to the server a security request with respect to a car device;

a current car use information receiving unit that receives current use information including current user image information;

a screen outputting unit outputting an image received from the server on a screen; and

a car security request transmitting unit that transmits the security request based on the user input, to the server,

wherein the current use information is transmitted by the server based on a result of comparing the current user image information obtained by capturing an image of a current user of the car, with previously registered authorized user information at the server.

35. An electronic device of a vehicle, comprising:

a controller controlling a position information generating unit, an image information generating unit, and a current use information transmitting unit;

wherein, in response to an external request, the controller generates current use information using one or more of the position information generating unit and the image information generating unit; and

wherein the current use information transmitting unit outputs the current use information for transmission outside the vehicle.

36. The electronic device as set forth in claim 35, wherein, when the controller generates the current use information, the current use information includes information, provided by the position information generating unit, indicating a current position of the vehicle.

37. The electronic device as set forth in claim 35, wherein, when the controller generates the current use information, the current use information includes information, provided by the image information generating unit, conveying an image related to the vehicle.

38. The electronic device as set forth in claim 37, wherein, the image related to the vehicle is an image of the interior of the vehicle.

39. The electronic device as set forth in claim 37, wherein the image related to the vehicle is an image taken exterior to the vehicle.

40. The electronic device as set forth in claim 39, wherein the controller adjusts a capture frame rate of the image information generating unit based on a speed of movement of the vehicle.