Position monitoring system and method
First Claim
1. A vehicle monitoring unit for a vehicle comprising:
- a position detector for detecting a current position of the vehicle;
a controller circuit connected to said position detector for determining a range of movement of the vehicle based on said current position of the vehicle and for generating position signals indicative of the position of the vehicle if said range of movement is not within a range limit; and
a transmitter connected to said controller circuit for transmitting said position signals.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A monitoring system and method, particularly applicable to vehicle monitoring, detects theft of a vehicle or other object and automatically transmits its current position to the proper authorities. For vehicle monitoring, a vehicle monitoring unit mounted on the vehicle determines the initial position of the vehicle and thereafter periodically determines the current position of the vehicle via a position detector. Preferably, the position detector consists of a satellite receiver, such as a GPS receiver, for receiving satellite signals from a plurality of satellites. A controller circuit determines the position of the vehicle from the satellite signals. A range of movement of the vehicle is then determined by comparing the initial position and the current position. When the detected range equals or exceeds a selected range limit, the controller circuit activates a transmitter which transmits position signals representative of the current position of the vehicle. The range limit may be permanently set during manufacture of the unit or may be selectable by an operator. The position signals are received by a remote dispatch center which relays the position of the vehicle to appropriate law enforcement officials or a security service.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A vehicle monitoring unit for a vehicle comprising:
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a position detector for detecting a current position of the vehicle; a controller circuit connected to said position detector for determining a range of movement of the vehicle based on said current position of the vehicle and for generating position signals indicative of the position of the vehicle if said range of movement is not within a range limit; and a transmitter connected to said controller circuit for transmitting said position signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A monitoring system comprising:
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a remote dispatch center for communicating with law enforcement personnel; and an object monitoring unit positioned on an object for determining a current position of said object, for monitoring movement of said object based on the position of said object and for transmitting position signals indicative of the position of said object in response to specified movement of said object beyond a movement range limit. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for activating a vehicle monitoring system comprising the steps of:
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determining a current position of a vehicle; determining a range of movement of said vehicle based on said current position; comparing said range of movement of said vehicle to a range limit; and transmitting position signals representative of the position of said vehicle based on said comparison. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for activating an object monitoring system comprising the steps of:
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determining a current position of an object to be monitored; determining a range of movement of said object based on said current position; comparing said range of movement of said object to a range limit; and transmitting position signals representative of the position of said object based on said comparison.
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22. A vehicle monitoring unit for a vehicle comprising:
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a position detector for detecting a current position of the vehicle; a controller circuit connected to said position detector for determining an allowable range of movement of the vehicle based on an initial position of the vehicle and for generating position signals indicative of the position of the vehicle when said current position of the vehicle is not within said allowable range; and a transmitter connected to said controller circuit for transmitting said position signals.
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23. A monitoring system comprising:
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a remote dispatch center for communicating with law enforcement personnel; and an object monitoring unit positioned on an object for determining a current position of said object, for monitoring movement of said object based on an initial position of said object and for transmitting position signals indicative of the current position of said object in response to specified movement of said object beyond an allowable range of movement. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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Specification