Monitoring vehicle activity

• US 8,330,593 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2009
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Denso Products And Services Americas, Inc. (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: EASE Diagnostics
• Inventors: Golenski, Stephen S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T
• Application Number:
  US12/422,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20090256690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,338 Days
• Field of Search: 340/438, 340/439, 340/442, 340/444, 340/447, 340/505, 340/988, 340/989, 701/35, 701/45
• US Class Current: 340/438
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A method of monitoring a vehicle. The method includes the steps of establishing a first wireless connection between a first portable wireless device and a vehicle communications system thereby creating a data transfer network between the first portable wireless device and the vehicle communications system, monitoring, by the vehicle communications system, at least one sensor for a specific vehicle activity, and if the specific vehicle activity occurs, sending a notification via the wireless connection from the vehicle communications system to the first portable wireless device via the data transfer network.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring a vehicle, the method comprising:

establishing a first wireless connection between a first portable wireless device and a first vehicle communications system of a first vehicle thereby creating a data transfer network between the first portable wireless device and the first vehicle communications system;

monitoring, by the first vehicle communications system, at least one sensor for a specific first vehicle activity;

if the specific first vehicle activity occurs, sending a first sensor data via the wireless connection from the first vehicle communications system to the first portable wireless device via the data transfer network;

storing the first sensor data in a monitor database; and

providing a user report based at least in part on the first sensor data,

wherein the user report is further based on a second sensor data from a second vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the specific first vehicle activity includes at least one of a crash alert, a vehicle performance alert, a vehicle maintenance alert, or a traffic condition alert.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the specific first vehicle activity includes a first vehicle performance alert that includes at least one of vehicle speed, engine temperature, distance traveled, or geographic location.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the specific first vehicle activity includes a vehicle maintenance alert that includes at least one of fuel remaining, tire pressure, oil quality, emissions test results, or brake conditions.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the specific first vehicle activity includes a traffic condition alert that includes at least one of road conditions, traffic speed, or traffic volume.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the traffic condition alert is transmitted by the first wireless device to a traffic network monitoring system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the user report comprises comparing the first sensor data with the second sensor data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first vehicle has a characterization and the second vehicle has the characterization.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the characterization comprises one or more of the following:

a make, a model, a year of manufacture, an owner, and a total mileage.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first vehicle has a first location and the second vehicle has a second location, and a distance between the first location and the second location is less than a required distance.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the user report comprises a report of traffic conditions within a neighborhood of less than the required distance around the first vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the report of traffic conditions is available to a user of a central reporting agency having access to the monitor database.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the first sensor data and the second sensor data comprise one or more of an exterior temperature, an exterior barometric pressure, and a wind chill; and

the user report comprises a report of weather conditions within a neighborhood of less than the required distance around the first vehicle.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the report of weather conditions is available to a user of a central reporting agency having access to the monitor database.