MULTI-VEHICLE SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM

• US 20140225719A1
• Filed: 12/28/2011
• Published: 08/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Kesavan, Vijay Sarathi, Lortz, Victor, Guo, Xingang, Rangarajan, Anand, Rathi, Somya
• Granted Patent: US 9,162,606 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/425.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/00 Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor for lighting vehicle interior B60Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/10 actuating a signalling device
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/1012 Zone surveillance means, e.g. parking lots, truck depots
• 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 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A multi-vehicle surveillance system includes vehicles that sense alarm-triggering events and activate various surveillance devices that can best capture data relating to the alarm-triggering events. The surveillance devices are activated based on the location and other information relating to the vehicle where the alarm-triggering event is sensed.

Claims

1. A method of vehicle surveillance, comprising:

receiving data from a sensor monitoring a vehicle that indicates an alarm-triggering event;

activating a surveillance device based on the data that indicates the alarm-triggering event;

collecting information about the vehicle by the surveillance device; and

receiving the information collected by the surveillance device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data from the sensor monitoring the vehicle and the information collected by the surveillance device is received at a central server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the data from the sensor monitoring the vehicle and the information collected by the surveillance device is received by a second vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor is secured to the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data sensed by the sensor is received by an in-vehicle computing system located within the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating an alarm message based at least in part on the information collected by the surveillance device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the surveillance device is secured to the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the surveillance device is secured to a second vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the surveillance device includes a camera that is included in a non-vehicle security system.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising activating a second surveillance device based on the data that indicates the alarm-triggering event, wherein the surveillance device is secured to the vehicle and the second surveillance device is secured to a second vehicle that is proximate to the first vehicle.

2. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

15. A surveillance method, comprising:

receiving data from a sensor secured to a first vehicle, the data indicating an alarm-triggering event;

activating a first surveillance device;

collecting data about the first vehicle by the first surveillance device;

determining a location of the first vehicle based on data collected by the first surveillance device;

sending an instruction to activate a second surveillance device, wherein the second surveillance device is selected based at least in part on the location of the first vehicle;

collecting data about at least one of the first vehicle and the area around the first vehicle by the second surveillance device; and

receiving data about the first vehicle collected by the first surveillance device and the second surveillance device.

17. The surveillance method of claim 15, wherein at least one of the data from the sensor and the data collected by the first surveillance device and the second surveillance device are received by a second vehicle.

18. The surveillance method of claim 15, further comprising permitting the data to be shared with authorized users.

19. The surveillance method of claim 15, wherein the first surveillance device is secured to the first vehicle.

21. The surveillance method of claim 15, wherein the second surveillance device is secured to at least one of the vehicle and a second vehicle that is proximate the first vehicle.

22. The surveillance method of claim 15, wherein the second surveillance device is included in a non-vehicle security system.

16. (canceled)

20. (canceled)

23. A surveillance system, comprising:

a first sensor secured to a first vehicle;

a first surveillance device;

a central server electrically coupled to the first sensor and the first surveillance device, the central server including;

a processor configured to;

receive data from the first sensor and determine that the data indicates an alarm-triggering event;

send an instruction to activate the first surveillance device and to collect data about the first vehicle by the first surveillance device;

determine a location of the first vehicle based on the data collected by the first surveillance device;

send an instruction to activate a second surveillance device that is remote from the first surveillance device based at least in part on the location of the first vehicle, and send an instruction to collect data about at least one of the first vehicle and an area around the first vehicle by the second surveillance device; and

a memory for storing the data collected by the first surveillance device and the second surveillance device.

24. The surveillance system of claim 23, wherein the first surveillance device is secured to the first vehicle.

25. The surveillance system of claim 23, wherein the second surveillance device is secured to a second vehicle selected from a plurality of vehicles based at least in part on the location of the first vehicle.

26. The surveillance system of claim 23, wherein the second surveillance device is included in a non-vehicle security system selected based at least in part on the location of the first vehicle.

28. The surveillance system of claim 23, wherein the data stored in the memory is accessible by authorized users that include at least one of law enforcement and other vehicles positioned near the first vehicle.

27. (canceled)

29. A vehicle surveillance device, comprising:

a sensor monitoring a first vehicle;

a first surveillance device secured to the first vehicle;

a transceiver electrically coupled to the sensor and the first surveillance device and configured to;

receive data from the sensor indicating that an alarm-triggering event occurred;

send the data sensed by the sensor to a central server;

receive an instruction from the central server to activate the first surveillance device; and

send data collected by the first surveillance device to the central server, at least a portion of the data collected by the first surveillance device to be shared with a second surveillance device proximate the first vehicle.

30. The vehicle surveillance device of claim 29, wherein the sensor is secured to the first vehicle.

32. The vehicle surveillance device of claim 29, wherein the transceiver is further configured to send an instruction to trigger an alarm based at least in part on the alarm-triggering event.

31. (canceled)

33. (canceled)

34. (canceled)

35. A vehicle surveillance device, comprising:

a surveillance device secured to a first vehicle;

a transceiver electrically coupled to the surveillance device and configured to;

receive data that indicates that an alarm-triggering event occurred in a second vehicle;

receive an instruction to activate the surveillance device secured to the first vehicle and collect information about the first vehicle with the first surveillance device; and

send a data message that includes the information collected by the first surveillance device to a central server.

36. (canceled)

37. (canceled)