Vehicle tracking unit with fault condition diagnosis and related methods

• US 6,803,861 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2002
• Issued: 10/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• 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:
  US10/105,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20020105442A1
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• Field of Search: 340/988, 340/989, 340/3.43, 701/29, 701/34, 701/35, 701/213
• 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: G01S 19/16 Anti-theft; Abduction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• 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 may include a vehicle position determining device, a wireless communications device, and a controller. The controller may cooperate with the wireless communications device and the vehicle position determining device for sending vehicle position information to a monitoring station. The controller may also monitor operation of the vehicle, determine a fault condition of at least one of the vehicle position determining device and the wireless communications device based upon a failure thereof over a predetermined pattern of vehicle operation, store the fault condition, and permit retrieval of the stored fault condition.

Claims

1. A 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 for

monitoring operation of the vehicle,

determining a fault condition of at least one of said vehicle position determining device and said wireless communications device based upon a failure thereof over a predetermined pattern of vehicle operation,

storing the fault condition, and

permitting retrieval of the stored fault condition.

2. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle comprises an ignition;

and wherein said controller monitors the ignition for operation of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 2 wherein the predetermined pattern of vehicle operation comprises a series of successive operations of the ignition, with each operation of the ignition being for greater than a time threshold.

4. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 3 wherein the series of successive operations of the ignition is greater than two.

5. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 3 wherein the time threshold is about 15 minutes.

6. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle comprises an ignition switch;

and wherein said controller permits user retrieval of the stored fault condition based upon selective operation of the ignition switch.

7. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein said controller permits remote retrieval of the stored fault condition from the monitoring station.

8. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 further comprising an indicator connected to said controller to provide a local fault indication based upon retrieval of the stored fault condition.

9. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 8 wherein said indicator comprises at least one of an audible and a visual indicator.

10. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein said controller determines and stores fault conditions of both said vehicle position determining device and said wireless communications device;

and wherein the local fault indication corresponds to either said vehicle position determining device, said wireless communications device, or both.

11. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein said vehicle position determining device comprises a wireless vehicle position determining device.

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

13. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 11 wherein the fault condition is based upon a received signal strength.

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

15. A vehicle tracking unit for a vehicle of a type comprising an ignition, 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 for

monitoring the ignition to determine operation of the vehicle,

determining a fault condition of at least one of said vehicle position determining device and said wireless communications device based upon a failure thereof over a predetermined pattern of vehicle operation,

storing the fault condition, and

permitting retrieval of the stored fault condition based upon selective operation of the ignition.

16. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 15 wherein the predetermined pattern of vehicle operation comprises a series of successive operations of the ignition, with each operation of the ignition being for greater than a time threshold.

17. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 16 wherein the series of successive operations of the ignition is greater than two.

18. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 16 wherein the time threshold is about 15 minutes.

19. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 15 wherein the vehicle comprises an ignition switch;

and wherein said controller permits user retrieval of the stored fault condition.

20. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 15 wherein said controller permits remote retrieval of the stored fault condition from the monitoring station.

21. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 15 further comprising an indicator connected to said controller to provide a local fault indication based upon retrieval of the stored fault condition.

22. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 21 wherein said indicator comprises at least one of an audible and a visual indicator.

23. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 15 wherein said controller determines and stores fault conditions of both said vehicle position determining device and said wireless communications device;

and wherein the local fault indication corresponds to either said vehicle position determining device, said wireless communications device, or both.

24. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 15 wherein said vehicle position determining device comprises a wireless vehicle position determining device.

25. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 24 wherein said wireless vehicle position determining device comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) device.

26. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 24 wherein the fault condition is based upon a received signal strength.

27. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 15 wherein said wireless communications device comprises a cellular telephone communications device.

28. A method for diagnosing fault conditions in a vehicle tracking unit in a vehicle and comprising a vehicle position determining device and a wireless communications device, the method comprising:

monitoring operation of the vehicle;

determining a fault condition of at least one of the vehicle position determining device and the wireless communications device based upon a failure thereof over a predetermined pattern of vehicle operation;

storing the fault condition; and

permitting retrieval of the stored fault condition.

29. The method according to claim 28 wherein the vehicle comprises an ignition;

and wherein monitoring comprises monitoring the ignition for operation of the vehicle.

30. The method according to claim 29 wherein the predetermined pattern of vehicle operation comprises a series of successive operations of the ignition, with each operation of the ignition being for greater than a time threshold.

31. The method according to claim 30 wherein the series of successive operations of the ignition is greater than two.

32. The method according to claim 30 wherein the time threshold is about 15 minutes.

33. The method according to claim 28 wherein the vehicle comprises an ignition switch;

and wherein permitting comprises permitting user retrieval of the stored fault condition based upon selective operation of the ignition switch.

34. The method according to claim 28 wherein permitting comprises permitting remote retrieval of the stored fault condition from a monitoring station.

35. The method according to claim 28 further comprising providing a local fault indication based upon retrieval of the stored fault condition.

36. The method according to claim 35 wherein providing the local fault indication comprises providing at least one of an audible and a visual indication.

37. The method according to claim 28 wherein determining and storing comprise determining and storing fault conditions of both the vehicle position determining device and the wireless communications device;

and wherein the local fault indication corresponds to either the vehicle position determining device, the wireless communications device, or both.

38. The method according to claim 28 wherein the vehicle position determining device comprises a wireless vehicle position determining device.

39. The method according to claim 38 wherein the wireless vehicle position determining device comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) device.

40. The method according to claim 38 wherein the fault condition is based upon a received signal strength.

41. The method according to claim 28 wherein the wireless communications device comprises a cellular telephone communications device.