Apparatus and method for controlling moving vehicles

• US 7,936,282 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2006
• Issued: 05/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aron Matalon
• Original Assignee: Aron Matalon
• Inventors: Matalon, Aron
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang; Sigmund
• Application Number:
  US11/362,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20060208924A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,895 Days
• Field of Search: 340/933, 340/573.4, 340/572.1, 340/539.11, 340/5.8, 340/901, 235/382
• US Class Current: 340/901
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence

Abstract

Apparatus for controlling vehicles, particularly for security purposes, law enforcement and fleet management, is disclosed. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a car unit (CU) permanently mounted in the vehicles, which transmits vehicle identification (ID) and a road unit (RU), which receives the identification and singles out suspect vehicles. The apparatus may include a portable personal unit (PU), which identifies the driver.

Claims

1. A system for controlling vehicles, for at least one of security purposes, law enforcement and fleet management, comprising:

a car unit (CU) permanently mounted in each of said vehicles, for transmitting a vehicle identifying signal;

a portable personal unit (PU) carried by a driver, comprising a memory device in which is stored driver identifying data (ID), and a transceiver for periodically transmitting said ID to said CU without any driver initiated operations so that said vehicle identifying signal will also include said ID, transmissions of said PU transceiver having a range sufficient for being received by said CU as long as the driver is in the vehicle, but too short to be received by said CU if the driver leaves the vehicle; and

a road unit (RU), comprising a transmitting beacon for continually transmitting a beacon signal, a RU processor for receiving said beacon signal, and a vehicle indicator for indicating passage of a vehicle between said beacon and said processor,

wherein said RU processor is operable to receive said vehicle identifying signal when said beacon signal is temporarily blocked by a passing vehicle and to process said vehicle identifying signal, whereby to single out suspect vehicles.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the PU is operable to receive and store at least one code which is indicative of the driver ID.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the CU is mounted in the vehicle in such a way that would irrevocably damaged and non-functional if removed or changed.

4. The apparatus system according to claim 1, wherein the RU processor has a narrow angle antenna to discriminate between signals from different vehicles.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein vehicles are singled out whenever the CU signal is not received from a passing vehicle.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein vehicles are singled out whenever a CU signal received by the RU does not include the driver ID.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the RU processor has a memory which contains a database received from and continuously updated by a competent vehicle registration authority and containing all lawful combinations of vehicle identifying data and driver ID, and wherein vehicles are singled out whenever driver and/or vehicle database base records indicate that they should be stopped for a check.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the RU is located at a checking station, further comprising a control station provided with a control processor adapted to receive messages from the checking station.

9. The system according to claim 8, further comprising means for direct communication between the checking station and the control station and corresponding processors.

10. The system according to claim 1, further comprising means for logging vehicles identifying data and/or driver ID.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicles identifying data and/or driver ID is transmitted and stored in a remote location for logging.

12. The system according to claim 5, wherein the RU processor is adapted to generate an alarm signal to indicate that the passing vehicle is under suspicion and needs to be stopped for a check.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the RU processor is mounted on a vehicle for controlling moving and/or parking vehicles.

14. The system according to claim 1-2, wherein the CU is operable to periodically transmit the vehicle identifying signal predetermined period of time.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle identifying signals transmitted by the CU are used for the charging of parking vehicles and/or for the ticketing of unlawfully parked vehicles.

16. The system according to claim 8, further comprising one or more additional RUs separated by a predetermined distance transmitting the vehicle identifying signal of each passing vehicle to the control station to computes a vehicular speed in response to a time differences between vehicle identifying signal transmissions.

17. The system according to claim 8, wherein the RU transmits to the control station an indication whenever it identifies a passing vehicle, and wherein said indication includes the CU signals, if received from the passing vehicle.

18. The system according to claim 5, wherein a control station is operable to single out suspicious vehicles.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the CU is linked to an antitheft system of the vehicle and is adapted to disable an ignition, disable proper operation of a vehicular engine, or stop operation of the vehicular engine if a driver ID signal is not received.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein the CU further includes a memory for storing IDs of authorized drivers.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein the CU prevents vehicular engine ignition whenever the driver ID received from the PU does not match one of the authorized drivers IDs stored in the CU memory.

22. The system according to claim 19, wherein the CU is used for stopping the engine of the vehicle or for disabling its proper operation after receiving an indication from a control center or from the RU that the vehicle should be stopped for a check.

23. The system according to claim 1, wherein the signal transmitted by the beacon is a light signal, wherein a reflecting mirror is situated at one side of a lane and the beacon and RU processor are situated at the other side of said lane, such that the transmitted signals are reflected by said mirror and received by said processor whenever a vehicle is not passing between the beacon and said minor.

24. The system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle indicator comprises photographic means for acquiring pictures of passing vehicles or pictures of license plates of passing vehicles.

25. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a control center for receiving and processing CU signals and other information from the RU.

26. The system according to claim 1, wherein CUs is installed in a towable thing for identifying its owner.

27. The system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle indicator comprises means for measuring a magnitude of a received signal and for enabling processing of said received vehicle identifying signal only if it reaches a maximal magnitude.

28. The system according to claim 1, which is also adapted to bill vehicles traveling on a toll-road, further comprising:

a) one or more of said road units (RU), each of which is installed at a selected location associated with said toll-road; and

b) a control center for collecting and processing information received by said one or more RUs,

wherein the vehicle identifying signal is transmitted to a RU by the CU of a vehicle passing between the beacon and processor of said RU following temporary blockage of the beacon signal transmitted by said RU, said vehicle identifying signal being received by said RU and forwarded to said control center for further processing and for carrying out the billing.

29. The system according to claim 24, further comprising:

an electro-mechanical car sensor for indicating that a transiting vehicle entered a photography zone of the photographic means;

a memory for storing acquired photographs of said transiting vehicle;

data communication means for forwarding the photograph of any suspected transiting vehicle for further processing; and

a controller for detecting suspected vehicles and for issuing a command to said photographic means which photographs to forward for further processing.

30. The system according to claim 24, further comprising:

data communication means for forwarding images of any transiting vehicle for further processing; and

image processing means for processing acquired images and for indicating that a transiting vehicle entered a photography zone of the photographic means.

31. The system according to claim 30, wherein the image processing means uses video motion detection (VMD) techniques for processing the acquired images and identifying whether a transiting vehicle entered the photography zone of the photographic means.

32. The system according to claim 6, wherein the RU processor is adapted to generate an alarm signal to indicate that the passing vehicle is under suspicion and needs to be stopped for a check.