Vehicle surveillance and communication system

• US 8,040,226 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2008
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DataChassi DC AB
• Original Assignee: DataChassi DC AB
• Inventors: Birging, Torbjörn, Hilliges, Werner
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Hung T.
• Application Number:
  US12/029,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20080238636A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,345 Days
• Field of Search: 340/435, 340/436, 340/426.1, 340/539.1, 340/541, 340/933, 340/539.23
• US Class Current: 340/436
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• 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: B60R 25/1045 Signal comming from the exhaust
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates

Abstract

A vehicle surveillance system has a plurality of side-light units mounted on opposite sides of a truck, bus, train or a similar long vehicle. The side-light units form an RF communication network on the vehicle. Each side-light unit comprises a day-running light source, a sensor for defining a surveillance zone on the side of said vehicle, said the sensor being arranged to detect an object or a movement of an object within the surveillance zone, and an RF transmitter which is controlled by said sensor and arranged to transmit an RF detection signal from said side-light unit. Existing day-running side-light units of a vehicle may be replaced with the inventive vehicle day-running side-light units.

Claims

1. A vehicle day-running side-light unit for use in a vehicle surveillance system comprising a plurality of vehicle day-running side-light units mounted on opposite sides of a vehicle, the side-light unit comprising:

a day-running light source;

a sensor configured to define a surveillance zone on a side of the vehicle, the sensor further configured to detect an object or a movement of an object within the surveillance zone;

a radio frequency (RF) transmitter controlled by the sensor and configured to transmit an RF detection signal from the side-light unit; and

an RF receiver configured to receive an incoming RF signal from a second side-light unit in the system, wherein the RF transmitter is further configured to transmit an RF signal in response to the received incoming RF signal.

2. The side-light unit of claim 1, wherein the RF transmitter is configured to transmit an RF signal in response to the RF receiver receiving an incoming RF signal from a central unit of the system.

3. The side-light unit of claim 1, wherein the RF receiver is configured to receive an incoming RFID signal.

4. The side-light unit of claim 1, wherein the day-running light source is configured to operate in response to the RF receiver receiving an RF alarm signal.

5. The side-light unit of claim 1, further comprising:

an audible alarm configured to operate in response to the RF receiver receiving an RF alarm signal.

6. The side-light unit of claim 1, wherein the day-running light source is configured to illuminate when the day-running side-light unit is powered.

7. A vehicle surveillance system comprising a plurality of side-light units mounted on opposite sides of a vehicle, wherein each side-light unit comprises:

a day-running light source;

a sensor configured to define a surveillance zone on a side of the vehicle, the sensor further configured to detect an object or a movement of an object within the surveillance zone; and

an RF transmitter controlled by the sensor and arranged configured to transmit an RF detection signal from the side-light unit;

wherein at least one of the side-light units in the system further comprises an RF receiver configured to receive an incoming RF signal from a second side-light unit in the system and wherein the RF transmitter is further configured to transmit an RF signal in response to the received incoming RF signal; and

wherein the plurality of side-light units form an RF communication network on the vehicle.

8. The vehicle surveillance system of claim 7, wherein each side-light unit further comprises:

an RF receiver.

9. The vehicle surveillance system of claim 8, wherein each RF transmitter is further configured to transmit an RF signal in response to a respective RF receiver receiving an incoming RF signal from a second side-light unit in the system.

10. The vehicle surveillance system of claim 8, wherein each RF transmitter is further configured to transmit an RF signal in response to the respective RF receiver receiving an incoming RF signal from a central unit of the system.

11. The vehicle surveillance system of claim 8, wherein each RF receiver is configured to receive an incoming RFID signal.

12. The vehicle surveillance system of claim 8, wherein each day-running light source is configured to operate in response to a received RF alarm signal.

13. The vehicle surveillance system of claim 8, wherein each side-light unit further comprises:

an audible alarm configured to operate in response to a received RF alarm signal.

14. The vehicle surveillance system of claim 7, wherein at least two of the surveillance zones of the plurality of side-light units overlap.

15. The vehicle surveillance system of claim 7, further comprising:

a central unit arranged on the vehicle comprising;

a central RF transmitter configured to transmit central RF signals to at least one of the side-light units of the system; and

a central RF receiver configured to receive RF signals from at least one of the side-light units of the system.

16. The vehicle surveillance system of claim 15, wherein the central unit is configured to transmit a central RF alarm signal to the plurality of side-light units of the system in response to an RF detection signal received from one or more side-light units of the system.

17. The vehicle surveillance system of claim 16, wherein the central unit is configured to transmit the central RF alarm signal only if one or more criteria have been met.

18. The vehicle surveillance system of claim 17, wherein the criteria comprises a criterion that the central unit has received RF detection signals from at least two adjacent side-light units of the system.

19. The vehicle surveillance system of claim 17, wherein the criteria comprises a criterion that the central unit has received at least two consecutive RF detection signals from a side-light unit during a predetermined time interval.

20. The vehicle surveillance system of claim 17, wherein the criteria comprises a criterion that the central unit has received at least two consecutive RF detection signals from at least two side-light units located on a same side of the vehicle during a predetermined time interval.

21. The vehicle surveillance system of claim 17, wherein the criteria comprises a criterion that a blinker of the vehicle is being activated on a same side of the vehicle on which an object or movement of an object has been detected.

22. The vehicle surveillance system of claim 16, wherein each side-light unit of the system is configured to operate its respective day-running light source in response to the side-light unit receiving the central RF alarm signal from the central unit.

23. The vehicle surveillance system of claim 16, wherein each side-light unit of the system is configured to generate an audible alarm in response to the side-light unit receiving the central RF alarm signal from the central unit.

24. The vehicle surveillance system according to claim 16, wherein each side-light unit is configured to relay the received central RF alarm signal to a second side-light unit of the system in response to the side-light unit receiving the central RF alarm signal.

25. The vehicle surveillance system of claim 7, wherein the system is further configured to communicate with a second surveillance system arranged on a second vehicle.

26. The surveillance system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of side-light units form a wireless mesh network.

27. A wireless communication system comprising a plurality of vehicle day-running side-light units mounted on opposite sides of a vehicle, wherein each side-light unit comprises:

a day-running light source;

an RF transmitter configured to transmit RF signals; and

an RF receiver configured to receive RF signals;

wherein at least one of the side-light units is configured to transmit an RF signal in response to receiving an incoming RF signal from another side-light unit in the system; and

wherein the plurality of side-light units form a wireless RF communication network on the vehicle.

28. The communication system of claim 27, further comprising:

a central unit arranged on the vehicle comprising;

a central RF transmitter configured to transmit central RF signals to at least one of the side-light units of the system; and

a central RF receiver configured to receive RF signals from at least one of the side-light units of the system.

29. The communication system of claim 28, wherein each side-light unit is configured to relay RF signals from an originating side-light unit in the system to the central unit.

30. The communication system of claim 28, wherein the side-light units are configured to relay RF signals from the central unit to other side-light units in the system.

31. The communication system of claim 28, wherein the wireless RF communication network is a mesh network.

32. A method of using vehicle day-running side-light units for providing a wireless communication network on a vehicle, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of day-running side-light units on opposite sides of the vehicle, each side-light unit comprising;

a light source;

an RF receiver configured to receive an incoming RF signal from a second side-light unit in the network; and

an RF transmitter configured to transmit an RF signal in response to a received incoming RF signal from the second side-light unit in the network.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

providing a central unit arranged to operate as a node in the wireless communication network and to communicate with a side-light unit in the network.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

receiving data at a first side-light unit from an originating side-light unit; and

transmitting the received data from the first side-light unit to the central unit.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

receiving data at a first side-light unit from a central unit; and

transmitting the received data from the first side-light unit to a second side-light unit of the network.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the central unit is configured to communicate with a remote network.

37. A method of providing a vehicle having a plurality of existing day-running side-lights with a surveillance system, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of surveillance day-running side-light units, each surveillance day-running side-light unit comprising;

a day-running light source;

a sensor configured to define a surveillance zone on a side of the vehicle, the sensor further configured to detect an object or a movement of an object within the surveillance zone; and

an RF transmitter controlled by the sensor and configured to transmit an RF detection signal from the surveillance side-light unit; and

replacing the plurality of existing day-running side-light units of the vehicle with the plurality of surveillance day-running side-light units.