Mobile communication apparatus, monitoring apparatus, monitoring system, monitoring method, monitoring program, and computer-readable recording medium containing the monitoring program

• US 7,102,535 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2002
• Issued: 09/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Oyagi, Masayuki, Fukushima, Yoshihiko, Otsuki, Yoshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US10/486,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20040235516A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,495 Days
• Field of Search: 34042625-42634, 340/426.21, 340/426.2, 340/539.14, 340/539.16, 340/546, 340/565, 340/3.1, 340/3.2, 340/286.06, 340/426.36, 340/426.1, 455/569.2
• US Class Current: 340/902
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/101 Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/1004 Alarm systems characterised by the type of sensor, e.g. current sensing means using door lock sensors B60R25/1001
• 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: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes

Abstract

A mobile communication device (3) can be disconnected form a vehicle monitoring apparatus (1) arranged on vehicle for sensing the state of the vehicle as a monitoring object and transmitting sensing data representing the sensing result. The mobile communication device (3) can also be connected via a communication network (4) to a report destination. The mobile communication device (3) includes a judgment unit (41a) for judging the state of the vehicle according to the sensing data, a decision unit (41b) for deciding a report destination to be connected according to the judgment result of the judgment unit (41a), and a communication unit (42) for receiving the sensing data and establishing a connection with the report destination decided by the decision unit (41b). Thus, it is possible to report the abnormal state of the vehicle sensed to an appropriate report destination in a short time.

Claims

1. A mobile communication apparatus which is:

detachable from a monitoring apparatus that senses a state of a monitoring object, transmits sensing data indicating a sensing result, and is provided in the monitoring object; and

connectable to a report destination via a communication network, the mobile communication apparatus comprising;

a receiving unit for receiving the sensing data from the monitoring apparatus over the communication network;

a judgment unit for judging the state of the monitoring object, in accordance with the sensing data;

a decision unit for determining a report destination to which connection is to be made, in accordance with a judgment result produced by the judgment unit; and

a communication unit for establishing connection to the report destination determined by the decision unit.

2. The mobile communication apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising a data acquisition unit for acquiring judgment process data defining a judgment process carried out by the judgment unit, from a data distribution apparatus provided independently of the mobile communication apparatus,

the judgment unit carrying out the judgment process, in accordance with the judgment process data.

3. The mobile communication apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising a data acquisition unit for acquiring determination process data defining a determination process carried out by the decision unit, from a data distribution apparatus provided independently of the mobile communication apparatus,

the decision unit carrying out the determination process, in accordance with the determination process data.

4. The mobile communication apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a transmitting unit for transmitting an operating signal which causes an alarm unit provided in the monitoring object to operate, in order to issue a warning to a person causing abnormality of the monitoring object;

an inputting unit for inputting an operating code for operating the alarm unit; and

a warning unit for generating the operating signal in accordance with the operating code, and transmitting the operating signal to the transmitting unit.

5. A monitoring system, comprising the mobile communication apparatus and the monitoring apparatus which are defined in claim 1.

6. A monitoring system comprising the mobile communication apparatus, the monitoring apparatus, and the data distribution apparatus which are defined in claim 2,

the data distribution apparatus including:

a storage unit for storing the judgment process data; and

a transmitting unit for transmitting the judgment process data.

7. A monitoring system, comprising the mobile communication apparatus, the monitoring apparatus, and the data distribution apparatus which are defined in claim 3,

the data distribution apparatus including:

a storage unit for storing the determination process data; and

a transmitting unit for transmitting the determination process data.

14. A monitoring program for operating the mobile communication apparatus defined in claim 1, the monitoring program causing a computer to function as the units defined in claim 1.

16. A computer-readable recording medium, recording the monitoring program defined in claim 14.

17. The mobile communication apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the decision unit selects one report destination from a plurality of report destinations.

18. The mobile communication apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the mobile communication apparatus receives sensing data from the monitoring apparatus when attached to the monitoring apparatus and when detached from the monitoring apparatus.

19. The mobile communication apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the judgment result produced by the judgment unit includes an abnormality level, selected from a plurality of at least three abnormality levels.

8. A monitoring apparatus which is provided in a monitoring object and can carry out data transmission with a mobile communication apparatus which is provided independently of the monitoring object,

the monitoring apparatus comprising:

a sensing unit for sensing a state of the monitoring object;

a judgment unit for judging the state of the monitoring object, in accordance with a sensing result produced by the sensing unit;

a generating unit for generating, in accordance with a judgment result produced by the judgment unit, report destination data which specifies a report destination to which a report is to be made by the mobile communication apparatus; and

a transmitting unit for transmitting the report destination data to the mobile communication apparatus via a communication network.

9. The monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 8, further comprising a data acquisition unit for acquiring judgment process data defining a judgment process carried out by the judgment unit, from a data distribution apparatus provided independently of the mobile communication apparatus,

the judgment unit carrying out the judgment process in accordance with the judgment process data.

10. The monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 8, further comprising a data acquisition unit for acquiring generating process data defining a generating process carried out by the generating unit, from a data distribution apparatus provided independently of the mobile communication apparatus,

the generating unit carrying out the generating process in accordance with the generating process data.

11. A monitoring system comprising the monitoring apparatus and the data distribution apparatus which are defined in claim 10,

the data distribution apparatus including:

a storage unit for storing the judgment process data; and

a transmitting unit for transmitting the judgment process data.

12. A monitoring system comprising the monitoring apparatus and the data distribution apparatus which are defined in claim 10,

the data distribution apparatus including:

a storage unit or storing the generating process data; and

a transmitting unit for transmitting the generating process data.

15. A monitoring program for operating the mobile communication apparatus defined in claim 8, the monitoring program causing a computer to function as the units defined in claim 8.

13. A monitoring method practiced by a monitoring system including a monitoring apparatus provided in a monitoring object and a mobile communication apparatus provided independently of the monitoring apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

(i) receiving via a communication network from the monitoring apparatus, sensing data which indicates a sensing result of a state of the monitoring object;

(ii) judging the state of the monitoring object, in accordance with the sensing data received in step (i);

(iii) determining a report destination to which connection is to be made, in accordance with a judgment result produced in the step (ii); and

(iv) establishing connection with the report destination which has been determined in the step (iii).

20. A mobile communication apparatus which is:

detachable from a monitoring apparatus that senses a state of a monitoring object, transmits sensing data indicating a sensing result, and is provided in the monitoring object; and

connectable to a report destination via a communication network, the mobile communication apparatus comprising;

a receiving means for receiving the sensing data from the monitoring apparatus via the communication network;

a judgment means for judging the state of the monitoring object, in accordance with the sensing data;

a decision means for determining a report destination to which connection is to be made, in accordance with a judgment result produced by the judgment means; and

a communication means for establishing connection to the report destination determined by the decision means.

21. A monitoring apparatus which is provided in a monitoring object and can carry out data transmission with a mobile communication apparatus which is provided independently of the monitoring object,

the monitoring apparatus comprising:

a sensing means for sensing a state of the monitoring object;

a judgment means for judging the state of the monitoring object, in accordance with a sensing result produced by the sensing means;

a generating means for generating, in accordance with a judgment result produced by the judgment means, report destination data which specifies a report destination to which a report is to be made by the mobile communication apparatus; and

a transmitting means for transmitting the report destination data to the mobile communication apparatus via a communication network.