Hand held car locator

• US 6,694,258 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2001
• Issued: 02/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens VDO Automotive Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Desai, Tejas, Johnson, Susan
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US09/953,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20020008660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200-215, 701/216, 701/1, 340/10.6, 340/505, 340/995.28, 340/989, 340/10.51, 340/988, 340/932.2, 455/517, 455/456.1, 342/357.07, 342/357.13, 342/357.09
• US Class Current: 701/213
• 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 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A car locator system includes a hand held locator which receives information with regard to the location of a vehicle and then stores that information for display on the hand held locator. The hand held locator could be a key fob having buttons to command operation to the vehicle. When a command signal is transmitted to the vehicle, the vehicle then transmits its position location to the hand held location for storage. In this way, an operator will be able to have an indication of the location of the vehicle. The vehicle can communicate with GPS satellites to determine its location, or may communicate with ground based local transmitters. The ground based local transmitters can be programmed to provide an indication of the location of the vehicle within a parking lot.

Claims

1. A method of providing an indication of a location of a vehicle when parked comprising the steps of:

(1) determining the location of a vehicle;

(2) transmitting the location information to a hand held locator; and

(3) storing said information in said hand held locator for later retrieval; and

(4) displaying said actual location information on said hand held locator,

wherein the hand held locator is a key fob for sending commands to the vehicle, and the transmission of the vehicle location to the hand held locator occurs when a signal is sent from the key fob to the vehicle.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein a GPS satellite provides information to the vehicle of its location which is then transmitted to the hand held locator.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein a local ground based transmitter provides vehicle location information of the vehicle, and the vehicle then transmits that information to the hand held locator.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the local transmitter transmits a location directly to the hand held locator.

5. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said signal is a command to the vehicle from the key fob.

6. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the transmitting of step 2 occurs passively when an event occurs at the vehicle.

7. A method as set forth in claim 6, wherein said event is the locking of the vehicle doors.

8. A hand held locator comprising:

a receiver for receiving location information with regard to the actual location of a vehicle; and

a memory for storing said received actual location information, and a display for displaying said stored received actual location information,

wherein said key fob includes a door lock button, and actuation of said button initiates the transmission of a vehicle location information to said key fob for storage.

9. A locator as set forth in claim 8, wherein said hand held locator is a key fob including buttons for commanding instruction to the vehicle.

10. A system for identifying the location of a vehicle comprising:

a position transmitter for transmitting actual location information to a hand held locator with regard to the actual location of a vehicle; and

a hand held locator for receiving said actual information, storing said actual location information, and for displaying said stored actual location information, wherein said position transmitter transmitting location to a hand held locator passively when an event occurs at said vehicle, wherein said event is the locking of the vehicle doors.

11. A system as set forth in claim 10, wherein a GPS satellite transmits vehicle location to said vehicle.

12. A system as set forth in claim 11, wherein said position transmitter is a ground based local transmitter transmitting information to said hand held locator.

13. A system as set forth in claim 12, wherein said local transmitter includes information with regard to a position in a large parking lot.

14. A system as set forth in claim 10, wherein a local transmitter transmits a location signal to a vehicle, said vehicle including a receiver for receiving said location signal, and further including a transmitter for transmitting said information to said hand held locator.

15. A system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said hand held locator is a key fob having buttons for commanding action of said vehicle.