Method and System for Interacting with A Vehicle Over a Mobile Radiotelephone Network

• US 20120289295A1
• Filed: 07/30/2012
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rolling Wireless SA RL
• Original Assignee: Numerex Corporation (Sierra Wireless Incorporated)
• Inventors: Murray, Tomás, Jansson, Edward R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,547,212 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/573
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/304 Boats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• 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 25/302 using recording means, e.g. black box
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/403 Power supply in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A telemetry system coupled to a vehicle can communicate with a remote site using the overhead control channels of a wireless network, such as a cellular mobile radiotelephone network. The telemetry system can monitor or control aspects of the vehicle'"'"'s operations based on remote user input. The telemetry system can receive a command from a data processing center and, based on the command, perform an action at the vehicle such that a user can remotely interact with the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for conserving power consumption of a cellular mobile radiotelephone transceiver connected to a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

responsive to a determination that the vehicle has been off for a predetermined period of time, disconnecting power from the cellular mobile radiotelephone transceiver;

monitoring the vehicle for security threats while power is disconnected; and

responsive to detecting a security threat while power is disconnected, reconnecting power to the cellular mobile radiotelephone transceiver.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein disconnecting power from the cellular mobile radiotelephone transceiver comprises turning the cellular mobile radiotelephone transceiver off.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination that the vehicle has been turned off for the predetermined period of time is made by starting a timer based on a change in a state of an ignition switch of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an automobile.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a circuit connected to the cellular mobile radiotelephone transceiver comprises a setting defining the predetermined period of time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the security threat comprises a window of the vehicle breaking.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of reconnecting power to the cellular mobile radiotelephone transceiver when the vehicle is turned from off to on.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellular mobile radiotelephone transceiver and an associated microprocessor system are elements of a telemetry system that receives sensor inputs from a security system of the vehicle, and

wherein the microprocessor system executes the reconnecting step based on sensor input from the security system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellular mobile radiotelephone transceiver communicates via pages.

10. A method for managing power consumption of a wireless transceiver connected to a security system of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

if sleep mode is in a first setting and the vehicle is turned from on to off, powering the wireless transceiver and a microprocessor that controls the wireless transceiver until a first time period has elapsed and then disconnecting power from the wireless transceiver while continuing to power the microprocessor; and

if sleep mode is in a second setting and the vehicle is turned from on to off, powering the wireless transceiver and the microprocessor for a second time period that is substantially longer than the first time period.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein powering the wireless transceiver and the microprocessor for the second time period comprises powering the wireless transceiver and the microprocessor indefinitely.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of

after the first time period has elapsed with the sleep mode in the first setting, reconnecting power to the wireless transceiver when a sensor input indicates occurrence of a security threat to the microprocessor.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the wireless transceiver communicates via pages.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the wireless transceiver sends and receives data over a cellular network.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein duration of the first time period is configurable and stored in one or more switches of an electrical circuit connected to the microprocessor.

16. A method for managing power consumption for a transmitter-receiver pair that sends and receives information over a cellular network, that is attached to a vehicle, and that is powered by an electrical system of the vehicle, the electrical system comprising a battery that is recharged by running the vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

powering the transmitter-receiver pair while the vehicle is recharging the battery;

disconnecting power from a transmitter of the transmitter-receiver pair after the vehicle has stopped recharging the battery;

monitoring the vehicle for an occurrence of a security event while power is disconnected from the transmitter; and

upon detecting the occurrence of the security event, restoring power to the transmitter.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of disconnecting power from the transmitter comprises disconnecting power from the transmitter-receiver pair, and

wherein the step of restoring power to the transmitter comprises restoring power to the transmitter-receiver pair.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of disconnecting power from the transmitter of the transmitter-receiver pair after the vehicle has stopped recharging the battery comprises disconnecting power when a timer of an electrical circuit has determined that a predetermined period of time has passed since the vehicle has stopped recharging the battery.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the transmitter-receiver pair communicates via pages, and

wherein the transmitter-receiver pair is a CMR transceiver.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the transmitter-receiver pair practices overhead control channel communication.