Remote vehicle monitoring system and vehicle-mounted device therefor

• US 6,608,553 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2001
• Issued: 08/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Isobe, Norihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US09/945,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20020036566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 340/426, 340/539, 340/5.8, 340/988, 342/457, 455/422, 455/550, 455/99
• US Class Current: 340/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• 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: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data

Abstract

A stolen-vehicle monitoring system monitors a present position of a stolen-vehicle via radio communication between a monitor station and a vehicle-mounted device. When the vehicle-mounted device detects a vehicle theft, it automatically interrupts on-going communication between a car phone of the stolen-vehicle and an external phone if the car phone is being used for other than the monitor station and for low priority processing, and then dials to the monitor station to transmit present position information of the stolen-vehicle. When the monitor station calls the vehicle-mounted device, it interrupts on-going communication of the car phone and switches the communication to the monitor station to transmit the present position information to the monitor station.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted device for a remote vehicle monitoring system having an external monitor station, the device comprising:

position specifying means for specifying a present position of a vehicle;

communication means for radio-communicating with the external monitor station by using a car phone; and

control means for controlling radio communication of the present position between the communication means and the monitor station,

wherein the control means is constructed to check an opponent of communication when receiving a call in the course of communication of the communication means, and

wherein the control means is constructed to interrupt communication between the communication means and the opponent when the opponent is other than the monitor station and connect the communication means to the monitor station in response to a call from the monitor station, even when the communication means is in the course of communication with the opponent other than the monitor station.

2. The vehicle-mounted device as in claim 1, wherein the control means is constructed to reject manual operations on the communication means which impedes continuation of the communication between the communication means and the monitor station, when the communication means and the monitor station is in communication operation.

3. The vehicle-mounted device as in claim 1, wherein control means is constructed to reject manual operation on the communication means for sending an outgoing call until a vehicle monitor mode is cancelled, once the vehicle monitor mode is set in response to an instruction from the monitor station.

4. A vehicle-mounted device for a remote vehicle monitoring system having an external stolen-vehicle monitor station, the device comprising:

position specifying means for specifying a present position of a vehicle;

communication means for radio-communicating with the external monitor station by using a car phone; and

control means for controlling radio communication of the present position between the communication means and the stolen-vehicle monitor station,

wherein the control means is constructed to automatically set an operation mode thereof to a stolen-vehicle monitoring mode in response to an occurrence of a vehicle theft, interrupt communication between the communication means and an opponent when the opponent is other than the stolen-vehicle monitor station even when the communication means is in the course of communication with the opponent other than the monitor station, reject an instruction for generating a call to an external side until the stolen-vehicle monitoring mode is cancelled, and connect the communication means to the stolen-vehicle monitor station to transmit the present position of the stolen-vehicle to the stolen-vehicle monitor station.

5. The vehicle-mounted device as in claim 4, wherein the control means is constructed to transmit the present position of the stolen-vehicle to the stolen-vehicle monitor station in response to a call from the stolen-vehicle monitor station.

6. The vehicle-mounted device as in claim 4, further comprising:

emergency instruction means for generating an emergency instruction,

wherein the control means is constructed to transmit an emergency rescue signal to the stolen-vehicle monitor station in response to the emergency instruction from the emergency instruction means even in the stolen-vehicle monitoring mode.

7. The vehicle-mounted device as in claim 4, wherein the control means is constructed to repeat transmitting the present position at predetermined intervals until the stolen-vehicle monitoring mode is cancelled, when the communication between the communication means and the stolen-vehicle monitor station is interrupted in the stolen-vehicle monitoring mode.

8. The vehicle-mounted device as in claim 4, wherein the control means is constructed to reject the instruction of generating the call to the external side and retry transmitting the present position until the stolen-vehicle monitoring mode is cancelled, when the communication between the communication means and the stolen-vehicle monitor station is unsuccessful in the stolen-vehicle monitoring condition due to poor radio communication condition.

9. The vehicle-mounted device as in claim 4, further comprising:

a storage battery for supplying electric power in a vehicle,

wherein the communication means and the control means is held operable with the electric power of the storage battery for at least a predetermined period after a supply of the electric power of the storage battery to the vehicle is interrupted, and

wherein the control means is constructed to transmit the present position during the predetermined period.

10. The vehicle-mounted device as in claim 4, further comprising:

a storage battery for supplying electric power in a vehicle,

wherein the communication means is held operable with the electric power of the storage battery to receive a call from the stolen-vehicle monitor station after a supply of the electric power of the storage battery to the vehicle is interrupted, and

wherein the communication means is constructed to transmit the present position in response to the call from the stolen-vehicle monitor station.

11. A vehicle monitoring system comprising:

a monitor station for radio communication; and

a vehicle-mounted device mounted in a vehicle for radio communication with external phones one of which is provided in the monitor station,

wherein the vehicle-mounted device has position specifying means for specifying a present position of the vehicle, communication means for communicating with the external phones, and control means for controlling communication between the communication means and the monitor station,

wherein the control means is constructed to check an opponent of communication when receiving a call in the course of communication of the communication means, and

wherein the control means is constructed to interrupt communication between the communication means and the opponent when the opponent is other than the monitor station and connect the communication means to the monitor station in response to a call from the monitor station, even when the communication means is in the course of communication with the opponent other than the monitor station.

12. The vehicle monitoring system as in claim 11, wherein:

the vehicle-mounted device further has theft detecting means for detecting a vehicle theft; and

the control means transmits the present position of the vehicle to the monitor station upon detection of the vehicle theft.

13. The vehicle monitoring system as in claim 12, wherein:

the vehicle-mounted device further has a storage battery; and

the theft detecting means is held operable by the storage battery even after a supply of electric power of the storage battery is interrupted to stop operation of the vehicle.