Real-time smart mobile device for location information processing

• US 7,065,446 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2001
• Issued: 06/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Geospatial Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Geospatial Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Chou, Yue-Hong
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thu V.
• Application Number:
  US10/027,390
• Publication Number:
  US 20020055817A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 700/200, 700/207, 700213-217, 700220-222, 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 342/357.12, 342/357.15, 342/357.03, 342/358, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/521
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• 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: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• 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 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A smart location information processor automatically detects the location of a moving object in real-time, using either a receiver from the satellites or from any terrestrial location detection network. The device processes the location information and activates responsive functions according to location and status. Messages are transmitted through one of multiple wireless communication networks to other units. At any time, the device may receive instructions wirelessly from other stationary or mobile objects. All the events of the installed moving object are stored in a history file which can be sent to a remote server and then cleared from the installed object, either regularly or instantaneously. The device in one object may automatically activate certain functions controlling the object in response to the location of another object installed with the same device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for communication to a network through a plurality of different external wireless data comprising:

a communication component for uninterrupted communication to the network, the communication component comprising a plurality of wireless modems, each modem communicating with different ones of the external wireless data networks;

a plurality of objects;

a location circuit installed in each object which detects variable location information of the corresponding object in real-time;

a processor with memory installed in each object coupled to the location circuit, which processor receives the variable location information and activates responsive functions according to the corresponding object'"'"'s current location and which processor stores a plurality of historical events of the corresponding object in a history file, of which at least some events are correlated with responsive functions automatically undertaken with respect to the corresponding object, the history file including events related solely to the location of the object without relationship to other ones of the plurality of objects, the history file being communicated to a network communication server connected to the network for processing the history file for data analysis or for selective intelligent action by the network communication server including communication by the network communication server outside the network; and

a communication circuit coupled to the communication component and installed in each object coupled to the processor in the same object to transmit without interruption by means of modem selection based on signal characteristics and to receive messages without interruption with the network communication server within the network and directly between other ones of the plurality of objects,

wherein the processor corresponding to a first object automatically activates selected functions controlling the first object in response to the variable location of a second object by means of communication without interruption through the network communication server or directly with the second object through one or more of the plurality of different external wireless data networks.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in further combination with a satellite of a global positioning system and where the location circuit comprises a GPS receiver communicating with the satellite of the global positioning system and communicating with a terrestrial location detection network to determine the position of the object from a combination of signals from the global positioning system and terrestrial location detection network.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 in further combination with a satellite of a global positioning system and wherein the location circuit comprises a GPS receiver communicating with the satellite of the global positioning system and an independent terrestrial location detection network in combination where the processor in each object controls the location circuit in the same object to first determine location of the corresponding object using the GPS receiver and then uses the independent terrestrial location detection network to determine location only if the GPS receiver fails to provide valid locational information.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the events of the history file stored by the processor in each object correlated to a contingent action includes location, time of day, speed, and direction of the corresponding object for each event.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the events of the history file stored by the processor in each object include the type of the event categorized according to its correlated contingent action.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the events of the history file stored by the processor in each object include sent and received messages.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 in further combination with a remote server communicated through the network with one of the first and second objects wherein an event of the history file stored by the processor in each object is sent to the remote server and then cleared by the processor in the corresponding object from the memory in the corresponding object.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein at least one of the objects is mobile, and wherein location information, and information relating to an event, are submitted from an object to the remote server or to other objects, and the information recorded in the mobile object are cleared by the processor in the corresponding object from the memory in the corresponding object on a periodic basis.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein at least one of the objects is mobile, and wherein location information, and information relating to an event, are submitted from an object to the remote server or to other objects, and the information recorded in the mobile object are cleared by the processor in the corresponding object from the memory in the corresponding object at the time that event of the history file stored by the processor in each object is sent to the remote server.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the communication circuit in each object comprises a plurality of two-way wireless modems providing at least one independent terrestrial location detection signal, a satellite modem providing at least one GPS signal and a frequency adjustable transceiver in each object coupled to the wireless modems and satellite modem in the corresponding object, wherein the processor in each object is coupled to and controls the frequency adjustable transceiver in the corresponding object to select a best quality signal from the wireless modems in the corresponding object, but if the best quality signal from the wireless modems in the corresponding object fails to satisfy a predetermined threshold, then the processor in each object controls the frequency adjustable transceiver in the corresponding object to select a quality signal from the satellite modem in the corresponding object.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the communication circuit comprises a two-way radio for communicating with each of the objects

wherein at least one object has locational information which is shared with the other objects,

wherein the processor in each object stores all valid location fixes and

wherein the location circuit in the corresponding object comprises a GPS engine board, a receiver for communication to the network coupled to the GPS engine board, and a position computation circuit coupled to the receiver, the GPS engine board, receiver and position computation circuit being coupled to the processor,

wherein the processor in each object controls the GPS engine board in the corresponding object to determine location of the corresponding object, but if the GPS engine board in the corresponding object fails to provide a valid location fix, the processor in the corresponding object then controls the position computation circuit in the corresponding object to provide a location by dead reckoning based on the last recorded valid location fix.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 where the position computation circuit in the each object comprises a gyro and a speed sensor to provide dead reckoning input data from which the processor in the corresponding object calculates a dead reckoning location.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of input/output ports in the corresponding object coupled in circuit to the processor in each object and a plurality of external devices in the corresponding object coupled in circuit to the plurality of input/output ports in the object.

14. A method comprising:

communicating without interruption with a plurality of objects to a network through a plurality of wireless modems, each modem communicating with different ones of a plurality of external wireless data networks;

detecting variable location information of a plurality of objects in real-time in a corresponding location circuit in each object;

inputting the variable location information into a processor in each object with memory in the corresponding object coupled to the location circuit in the corresponding object;

storing a plurality of historical events of each object in a history file in the memory in the corresponding object, including events related solely to the location of the object without relationship to other ones of the plurality of objects;

transmitting messages from an object without interruption by means of modem selection based on signal characteristics to a network communications server connected to the network and to other ones of the plurality of objects;

activating a responsive function in the object through a network according to the corresponding object'"'"'s variable location, wherein the processor corresponding to the corresponding object automatically activates a selected responsive function to control the same object in response to the variable location of the other one of the objects, and

communicating without interruption the history file from the object to the network communication server for processing the history file for data analysis or for selective intelligent action by the network communication server including communication by the network communication server outside the network.

15. The method of claim 14 in further combination with at least one satellite of a global positioning system and wherein detecting location information of at least one object in real-time comprises communicating a GPS receiver in the corresponding object with at least one satellite of the global positioning system, and

wherein detecting location information of at least one object in real-time comprises communicating the corresponding object with a terrestrial location detection network.

16. The method of claim 14 in further combination with a satellite of a global positioning system

wherein detecting location information of at least one object in real-time comprises communicating a GPS receiver in the corresponding object with the satellite of the global positioning system and an independent terrestrial location detection network in combination,

wherein communicating a GPS receiver in the corresponding object with at least one satellite of the global positioning system and the independent terrestrial location detection network in combination comprises

controlling the location circuit in the corresponding object to first determine location using the GPS receiver in the corresponding object and

then communicating the corresponding object with the independent terrestrial location detection network to determine location only if the GPS receiver in the corresponding object fails to provide valid locational information.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein storing events of the corresponding object in a history file comprises storing location, time of day, speed, and direction of the corresponding object for each event relating to the corresponding object.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein storing events of the corresponding object in a history file comprises storing the type of the event relating to the corresponding object.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein storing events of the corresponding object in a history file comprises storing sent and received messages relating to the corresponding object in the corresponding object.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising communicating with a remote server through the network with one object wherein an event of the history file stored by the processor in the corresponding object is sent to the remote server and then cleared by the processor in the corresponding object from memory in the corresponding object.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein clearing the event of the history file in the corresponding object is performed on a periodic basis.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein clearing the event of the history file in the corresponding object is performed at the time that event of the history file stored by the processor in the corresponding object is sent to the remote server.

23. The method of claim 14 wherein at least one of the objects is moving.

24. The method of claim 14 wherein transmitting messages from the object comprises transmitting through a plurality of wireless modems, a satellite modem and a frequency adjustable transceiver in the corresponding object coupled to the wireless modems and satellite modem in the corresponding object, wherein the processor in the corresponding object is coupled to and controls the frequency adjustable transceiver in the corresponding object to select a best quality signal from the wireless modems in the corresponding object, but if the best quality signal from the wireless modems in the corresponding object fails to satisfy a predetermined threshold, then the processor in the corresponding object controls the frequency adjustable transceiver in the corresponding object to select a quality signal from the satellite modem in the corresponding object.

25. The method of claim 14 further comprising

communicating with each of the objects by means of a two-way radio, wherein at least one of the objects has locational information stored therein which is communicated to another object, and

storing all valid location fixes in the corresponding object and

wherein detecting location information in the corresponding object comprises operating in each object a GPS engine board, a receiver for communication to the network coupled to the GPS engine board, and a position computation circuit coupled to the receiver in the corresponding object, the GPS engine board, receiver and position computation circuit being coupled in each object to the processor in the corresponding object, the processor in each object controlling the GPS engine board in the corresponding object to determine location of the corresponding object, but if the GPS engine board in the corresponding object fails to provide a valid location fix, the processor in the corresponding object then controlling the position computation circuit in the corresponding object to provide a location by dead reckoning based on the last recorded valid location fix.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein providing a location by dead reckoning in the corresponding object comprises:

using a gyro and a speed sensor in the corresponding object to provide dead reckoning input data and

calculating a dead reckoning location using the processor in the corresponding object.

27. The method of claim 14 further comprising communicating in each object through a plurality of input/output ports between the processor and a plurality of external devices coupled the plurality of input/output ports in the corresponding object.