Vehicle positioning apparatus, device, and method

• US 6,606,555 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2001
• Issued: 08/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Toyoda Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsunoda, Seiichi, Sasaki, Makoto, Shinada, Akira, Nunokawa, Katsuhiko, Okajima, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc-Coleman, Marthe Y.
• Application Number:
  US10/021,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20020091484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 701/207, 701/211, 701/216, 180/287, 340/425.5, 340/988, 340/989, 340/996, 455/92, 455/95
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/252 Fingerprint recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/257 Voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A car positioning system that permits a user to easily position a car with security. Information necessary for locating the car is sent from the car by authentication of the user at a terminal unit, and received by a terminal unit which sends positional information about the car to the user. Also, in response to an access made by the terminal unit having a unique identification code via a public telephone network, positional information about the car is sent from a main unit installed in the car to the terminal unit.

Claims

1. A vehicle positioning apparatus that is carried by a user, the apparatus comprising:

authentication means for authenticating the user and for providing a result of authentication;

remote controlling means for requesting a predetermined main unit included in the vehicle to send a radio guide wave necessary for finding the vehicle of the user in response to the result of authentification;

receiving means for receiving the radio guide wave necessary for finding the vehicle; and

display means for displaying positional information about the vehicle to the user in response to the radio guide wave received by the receiving means, wherein the positional information displayed by the display means includes a direction of emission of the radio guide wave and an intensity level of the radio guide wave.

2. The vehicle positioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the authentication means provides the result of authentication based on a unique physical feature of the user.

3. The vehicle Positioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the authentication means comprises:

a fingerprint sensor to enter fingerprint data of the user; and

processing means for processing the fingerprint data.

4. The vehicle positioning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising door unlocking means for instructing the main unit to unlock a door of the vehicle of the user based on a result of reception by the receiving means.

5. A vehicle positioning method, comprising the steps of:

authenticating a user by a terminal unit carried by the user and providing a result of authentification;

requesting a predetermined main unit included in the vehicle to send a radio guide wave necessary for positioning the vehicle of the user in response to the result of authentification;

receiving the radio guide wave necessary for positioning the vehicle; and

displaying positional information about the vehicle to the user in response to the received radio guide wave, wherein the displayed positional information includes a direction of emission of the radio guide wave and an intensity level of the radio guide wave.