Vehicle tracking unit providing theft alert notifications and related methods

• US 6,693,563 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2002
• Issued: 02/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Omega Patents, L.L.C.
• Original Assignee: Omega Patents, L.L.C.
• Inventors: Flick, Kenneth E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, John
• Application Number:
  US10/105,667
• Publication Number:
  US 20020190873A1
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• Field of Search: 340/989, 340/990, 340/992, 340/825.49, 340/540, 342/457, 342/357.17, 342/357.07
• US Class Current: 340/989
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/202 Personal digital assistant [PDA]
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• 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 25/104 characterised by the type of theft warning signal, e.g. visual or audible signals with special characteristics
• 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: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle tracking unit for a vehicle of a type including a vehicle battery and a vehicle alarm indicator may include a vehicle position determining device, a wireless communications device, and a controller cooperating with the wireless communications device and the vehicle position determining device for sending vehicle position information to a monitoring station. Furthermore, the controller may also monitor the vehicle alarm indicator to determine triggering thereof, monitor a voltage of the vehicle battery relative to a threshold, and send at least one alert to the monitoring station in cooperation with the wireless communications device based upon both triggering of the vehicle alarm indicator and the voltage of the vehicle battery being below the threshold.

Claims

1. A vehicle tracking unit for a vehicle of a type comprising a vehicle alarm indicator, the vehicle tracking unit comprising:

a vehicle position determining device, a wireless communications device, and a controller cooperating with said wireless communications device and said vehicle position determining device for sending vehicle position information to a monitoring station;

said controller also

monitoring the vehicle alarm indicator to determine triggering thereof,

monitoring at least one power supply for a change therein, and

sending at least one alert to the monitoring station in cooperation with said wireless communications device based upon both triggering of the vehicle alarm indicator and a change in the at least one power supply.

2. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein the at least one power supply comprises a back-up battery for the vehicle tracking unit.

3. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein the at least one power supply comprises a vehicle battery.

4. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein the at least one alert comprises a first alert based upon the vehicle alarm indicator being triggered.

5. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 4 wherein the at least one alert further comprises a second alert based upon a voltage of the at least one power supply being below a threshold.

6. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 5 wherein the threshold is less than about 4 volts.

7. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein said controller monitors the alarm indicator to determine at least one of triggering continuously for greater than a predetermined time and triggering in a repetitive pattern before sending the at least one alert.

8. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle alarm indicator comprises at least one of a vehicle horn and a vehicle siren.

9. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein said vehicle position determining device comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) device.

10. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein said wireless communications device comprises a cellular telephone communications device.

11. A vehicle tracking unit for a vehicle of a type comprising a vehicle battery, at least one battery cable connected to the vehicle battery, and a vehicle alarm indicator, the vehicle tracking unit comprising:

a vehicle position determining device, a wireless communications device, and a controller cooperating with said wireless communications device and said vehicle position determining device for sending vehicle position information to a monitoring station;

said controller also

monitoring the vehicle alarm indicator to determine triggering thereof,

monitoring to determine a cut battery cable, and

sending at least one alert to the monitoring station in cooperation with said wireless communications device based upon both triggering of the vehicle alarm indicator and a determination of a cut battery cable.

12. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 11 wherein said controller monitors a voltage of the vehicle battery and compares the monitored voltage to a threshold to determine a cut battery cable.

13. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 11 further comprising a back-up battery for providing back-up power to said controller and said wireless communications device.

14. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 11 wherein the at least one alert comprises a first alert based upon the vehicle alarm indicator being triggered.

15. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 14 wherein the at least one alert further comprises a second alert based upon the voltage of the vehicle battery being below the threshold.

16. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 11 wherein the threshold is less than about 4 volts.

17. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 11 wherein said controller monitors the alarm indicator to determine at least one of triggering continuously for greater than a predetermined time and triggering in a repetitive pattern before sending the at least one alert.

18. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 11 wherein the vehicle alarm indicator comprises at least one of a vehicle horn and a vehicle siren.

19. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 11 wherein said vehicle position determining device comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) device.

20. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 11 wherein said wireless communications device comprises a cellular telephone communications device.

21. A vehicle tracking unit for a vehicle of a type comprising a vehicle battery and a vehicle alarm indicator, the vehicle tracking unit comprising:

a vehicle position determining device, a wireless communications device, and a controller cooperating with said wireless communications device and said vehicle position determining device for sending vehicle position information to a monitoring station;

said controller also

monitoring the vehicle alarm indicator to determine triggering thereof,

monitoring a voltage of the vehicle battery relative to a threshold,

sending a first alert to the monitoring station in cooperation with said wireless communications device based upon triggering of the vehicle alarm indicator, and

sending a second alert to the monitoring station based upon both the triggering of the vehicle alarm indicator and the voltage of the vehicle battery being below the threshold; and

a back-up battery for providing back-up power to said controller and said wireless communications device.

22. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 21 wherein the threshold is less than about 4 volts.

23. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 21 wherein said controller monitors the alarm indicator to determine at least one of triggering continuously for greater than a predetermined time and triggering in a repetitive pattern before sending the at least one alert.

24. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 21 wherein the vehicle alarm indicator comprises at least one of a vehicle horn and a vehicle siren.

25. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 21 wherein said vehicle position determining device comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) device.

26. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 21 wherein said wireless communications device comprises a cellular telephone communications device.

27. A method for using a vehicle tracking unit for a vehicle of a type comprising a vehicle alarm indicator, the method comprising:

monitoring the vehicle alarm indicator to determine triggering thereof using the vehicle tracking unit;

monitoring at least one power supply using the vehicle tracking unit to determine a change therein; and

sending at least one alert from the vehicle tracking unit to the monitoring station based upon both triggering of the vehicle alarm indicator and a change in the at least one power supply.

28. The method according to claim 27 wherein the at least one power supply comprises at least one of a back-up battery for the vehicle tracking unit and a vehicle battery.

29. The method according to claim 27 wherein sending the at least one alert comprises sending a first alert based upon the vehicle alarm indicator being triggered.

30. The method according to claim 28 wherein sending the at least one alert further comprises sending a second alert based upon the voltage of the at least one power supply being below a threshold.

31. The method according to claim 30 wherein the threshold is less than about 4 volts.

32. The method according to claim 27 wherein monitoring the vehicle alarm indicator comprises monitoring the vehicle alarm indicator to determine at least one of triggering continuously for greater than a predetermined time and triggering in a repetitive pattern before sending the at least one alert.

33. The method according to claim 27 wherein the vehicle alarm indicator comprises at least one of a vehicle horn and a vehicle siren.