Vehicle position tracking system via satellite and method thereof

• US 7,603,232 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2006
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Sin, Cheon-Sik, Lee, Seong-Pal
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby; Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US11/636,320
• Publication Number:
  US 20070150193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: 701207-215, 342/357.06, 342/357.07, 342/357.08, 342/357.09, 342/357.12, 342/357.13, 342/357.14, 342/357.15
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system

Abstract

A vehicle position information transmitter via satellite, a method thereof, a vehicle position tracking system using the same and a method thereof are provided. The transmitter transmits vehicle position information and vehicle ID to the vehicle position information management center through the vehicle position information relay satellite if a satellite network communication state is good as the result of comparing a satellite signal intensity with a mobile communication signal intensity, or transmits vehicle position information and vehicle ID to the vehicle position information management center through the terrestrial network if a terrestrial network communication state is good as the result of comparing a satellite signal intensity with a mobile communication signal intensity.

Claims

1. A vehicle position information transmitter via a satellite comprising:

a satellite network signal transceiver for transmitting and receiving a satellite signal to/from a vehicle position information relay satellite through a satellite network antenna;

a terrestrial network signal transceiver for transmitting and receiving a mobile communication signal to/from a base station through a terrestrial network antenna;

a receiving signal comparator for comparing an intensity of the received satellite signal with an intensity of the received mobile communication signal;

a communication network determiner for determining a signal transmission network based on the result of comparison the signal intensities from the receiving signal comparator;

a communication link setup unit for establishing a satellite network link through the satellite network signal transceiver or a terrestrial network link through the terrestrial network signal transceiver according to the determined communication network from the communication network determiner; and

a transmission signal generator for generating a signal to transmit through the setup communication link at the communication link setup unit,

wherein vehicle position information and vehicle ID are transmitted through the satellite network if a satellite network communication state is good as the result of comparing the signal intensities, or vehicle position information and vehicle ID are transmitted through the terrestrial network if a terrestrial network communication state is good as the result of comparing the signal intensities, in response to a vehicle position information upload instruction, to provide a vehicle position tracking service to a corresponding subscriber based on the vehicle position information and vehicle ID communicated from the vehicle position information transmitter through the satellite network and/or the terrestrial network.

2. The vehicle position information transmitter via a satellite as recited in claim 1, wherein when the vehicle position information transmitter receives a vehicle position information upload instruction through the satellite network signal transceiver, or when the vehicle position information transmitter receives a vehicle position information upload instruction through the terrestrial network through the terrestrial network signal transceiver, the vehicle position information transmitter transmits vehicle position information and vehicle ID through a predetermined communication network.

3. The vehicle position information transmitter via a satellite as recited in claim 1, wherein the vehicle position information transmitter regularly transmits vehicle position information and vehicle ID at a previously setup time period through a predetermined communication network.

4. The vehicle position information transmitter via a satellite as recited in claim 1, wherein the vehicle position information transmitter transmits vehicle position information and vehicle ID through a terrestrial network if a satellite communication state is equal to a terrestrial communication state as the result of comparing the intensities of the satellite network and the terrestrial network.

5. A method of transmitting vehicle position information via a satellite network comprising the steps of:

a) comparing an intensity of a satellite signal received from a vehicle position information relay satellite with an intensity of a mobile communication signal received from a near base station when receiving a vehicle position information upload instruction through a satellite network or a terrestrial network, or at a pre-set time period; and

b) transmitting vehicle position information and vehicle ID to the vehicle position information relay satellite if the intensity of the satellite signal is greater than the intensity of the mobile communication signal, and transmitting vehicle position information and vehicle ID to the near base station if the intensity of the mobile communication signal is greater than the intensity of the satellite signal, to provide a vehicle position tracking service to a corresponding subscriber based on the vehicle position information and the vehicle ID communicated through the relay satellite and/or the near base station.

6. A vehicle position tracking system comprising:

a vehicle position information management center for transmitting a vehicle position information upload instruction to a vehicle position information transmitter through a satellite network and a terrestrial network, and providing a vehicle position tracking service to a corresponding subscriber based on vehicle position information and vehicle ID received from a vehicle position information transmitter through a satellite network and/or a terrestrial network;

a mobile communication system of a terrestrial network for transmitting and receiving signals between the vehicle position information management center and the vehicle position information transmitter;

a vehicle position information relay satellite of a satellite network for transmitting and receiving signals between the vehicle position information management center and the vehicle position information transmitter;

a satellite network control station for transmitting and receiving a signal between the vehicle position information relay satellite and the vehicle position information management center; and

a vehicle position information transmitter for transmitting vehicle position information and vehicle ID to the vehicle position information management center through the vehicle position information relay satellite if a satellite network communication state is good as the result of comparing a satellite signal intensity with a mobile communication signal intensity, or transmitting vehicle position information and vehicle ID to the vehicle position information management center through the terrestrial network if a terrestrial network communication state is good as the result of comparing a satellite signal intensity with a mobile communication signal intensity.

7. The vehicle position tracking system as recited in claim 6, wherein the satellite network control station provides position correcting information obtained through cooperating with a global positioning system GPS to the vehicle position information transmitter through the vehicle position information relay satellite, or corrects vehicle position information received from the vehicle position information transmitter through the vehicle position information relay satellite by cooperating with a GPS and provides the corrected vehicle position information to a vehicle position information management center.

8. A method of tracking a vehicle position comprising the steps of:

a) inquiring vehicle information corresponding to a subscriber if a request of tracking a vehicle position from a subscriber is received through a predetermined terminal in response to a vehicle position information upload instruction to provide a vehicle position tracking service to the corresponding subscriber through a satellite network and/or terrestrial network;

b) creating a vehicle position information upload instruction to transmit to the inquired vehicle;

c) transmitting the created vehicle position information upload instruction to the inquired vehicle through a satellite network and a terrestrial network;

d) receiving vehicle position information and vehicle ID from a corresponding vehicle position information transmitter through a satellite network and/or a terrestrial network as a result of transmitting the vehicle position information upload instruction; and

e) providing vehicle position tracking information to the subscriber based on the received vehicle position information to provide a vehicle position tracking service to the corresponding subscriber through a satellite network and/or a terrestrial network.