System and Method for Detecting Use of a Wireless Device While Driving

• US 20130273866A1
• Filed: 06/04/2013
• Published: 10/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: inthinc, Inc. (ORBCOMM Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: inthinc, Inc. (ORBCOMM Incorporated)
• Inventors: Catten, Jonathan C., Lawrence, Stephen M.
• Application Number:
  US13/909,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20130273866A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/226.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A system for detecting the use of wireless devices such as a mobile phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), or pagers in a moving vehicle receives wireless signals inside a vehicle using a radio frequency (RF) sensor(s) and converts the RF signals into voltage signals. The voltage signals are then compared with known waveforms to determine if the wireless signals indicate a received call, if the received call is answered, a transmitted call, an SMS text message, data associated with internet browsing on a wireless device, or Bluetooth activity.

Claims

1. A device for detecting wireless signals in a vehicle, comprising:

a first antenna operable to receive a wireless signal;

a second antenna operable to receive the wireless signal;

a power detector, located in a vehicle, connected to the first antenna and the second antenna, the power detector operable to convert the wireless signal into a voltage waveform;

a motion sensor; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the power detector and the motion sensor, wherein the processor is operable to;

receive the voltage waveform;

compare the voltage waveform to at least one pre-determined pattern;

determine mobile device usage based at least in part on the comparison of the voltage waveform to the at least one pre-determined pattern; and

correlate the determined mobile device usage with motion data indicating that the vehicle is in motion received from the motion sensor.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the power detector is further operable to determine a magnitude of the wireless signal.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the power detector converts the wireless signal into the voltage waveform in response to determining that the magnitude of the wireless signal exceeds a power threshold.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the first antenna is omnidirectional.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the power detector is further operable to

determine a first magnitude of the wireless signal received at the first antenna;

and

determine a second magnitude of the wireless signal received at the second antenna.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the power detector is further operable to determine the wireless signal is associated with a mobile device in use inside of the vehicle based at least in part upon the difference between the first magnitude and the second magnitude.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the power detector is further operable to determine the wireless signal is associated with a mobile device in use by a driver of the vehicle based at least in part upon the difference between the first magnitude and the second magnitude.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to:

determine a combination pulse amplitude associated with the voltage waveform; and

determine the wireless signal is associated with a mobile device in use inside of the vehicle based at least in part upon the combination pulse amplitude.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising a seat belt sensor and wherein the processor is further operable to:

correlate seat belt sensor data received from the seat belt sensor with the determined mobile phone usage; and

determine a location of a user based at least in part upon the correlation of the seat belt sensor data with the determined mobile phone usage.

10. A method for detecting wireless signals in a vehicle, comprising:

receiving a wireless signal at a first antenna;

receiving the wireless signal at a second antenna;

converting, using a power detector located in a vehicle, the wireless signal into a voltage waveform, wherein the power detector is connected to the first antenna and the second antenna;

receiving, at a processor, the voltage waveform;

comparing the voltage waveform to at least one pre-determined pattern;

determining mobile device usage based at least in part on the comparison of the voltage waveform to the at least one pre-determined pattern; and

correlating the determined mobile device usage with motion data indicating that the vehicle is in motion received from a motion sensor.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining a magnitude of the wireless signal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein converting the wireless signal into the voltage waveform is in response to determining that the magnitude of the wireless signal exceeds a power threshold.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the first antenna is omnidirectional.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining a first magnitude of the wireless signal received at the first antenna; and

determining a second magnitude of the wireless signal received at the second antenna.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining the wireless signal is associated with a mobile device in use inside of the vehicle based at least in part upon the difference between the first magnitude and the second magnitude.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining the wireless signal is associated with a mobile device in use by a driver of the vehicle based at least in part upon the difference between the first magnitude and the second magnitude.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining a combination pulse amplitude associated with the voltage waveform; and

determining the wireless signal is associated with a mobile device in use inside of the vehicle based at least in part upon the combination pulse amplitude.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

correlating seat belt sensor data received from a seat belt sensor with the determined mobile phone usage; and

determining a location of a user based at least in part upon the correlation of the seat belt sensor data with the determined mobile phone usage.

19. A wireless signal detection system, comprising:

a first antenna operable to receive a wireless signal, wherein the first antenna is omnidirectional;

a second antenna operable to receive the wireless signal;

a power detector, located in a vehicle, connected to the first antenna and the second antenna, the power detector operable to;

determine a first magnitude of the wireless signal received at the first antenna;

convert the wireless signal into a voltage waveform in response to determining the first magnitude of the wireless signal exceeds a power threshold;

a motion sensor; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the power detector and the motion sensor, wherein the processor operable to;

receive the voltage waveform;

compare the voltage waveform to at least one pre-determined pattern;

determine mobile device usage based at least in part on the comparison of the voltage waveform to the at least one pre-determined pattern; and

correlate the determined mobile device usage with motion data indicating that the vehicle is in motion received from the motion sensor.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the power detector is further operable to determine a second magnitude of the wireless signal received at the second antenna.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the power detector is further operable to determine that the wireless signal is associated with a mobile device in use inside of the vehicle based at least in part upon the difference between the first magnitude and the second magnitude.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is further operable to:

determine a combination pulse amplitude associated with the voltage waveform; and

determine the wireless signal is associated with a mobile device in use inside of the vehicle based at least in part upon the combination pulse amplitude.

23. The system of claim 19, further comprising a seat belt sensor and wherein the processor is operable to:

correlate seat belt sensor data received from the seat belt sensor with the determined mobile phone usage; and

determine a location of a user based at least in part upon the correlation of the seat belt sensor data with the determined mobile phone usage.