System and method for locating a vehicle

• US 8,392,118 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2008
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Harris Korn
• Inventors: Chaggares, Chris, KORN, Harris
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US12/665,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20100318288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,734 Days
• Field of Search: 701/19, 701/201, 701/206, 701/217, 701207-208, 701213-214, 701/431, 701/532, 701/440, 701/434, 701/533, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.13, 340988-993, 340/995.1, 340/932.2, 340/933, 340/993.2, 342/352, 342/357.3, 455/418, 455/557, 455/419
• US Class Current: 701/533
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator

Abstract

The invention comprises a method of locating a vehicle, comprising: a) connecting a removable locator device to the vehicle, said locator device automatically noting when it has been connected to the vehicle and then using locating technology to retrieve, at regular intervals, location coordinates for the current location of said locator device, said location coordinates approximating the location of the vehicle; b) sensing a loss of connection between the locator device and the vehicle; c) automatically storing, as a waypoint on the locator device, the last location coordinates retrieved prior to sensing said loss of connection; and, d) removing the locator device from the vehicle to enable use of the locator device to return to the stored waypoint, wherein the stored waypoint represents the approximate location of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A device for determining the location of a parked car comprising:

a means for locating the device relative to the car and a means for detecting a signal indicative of whether said means for locating is within the proximity of the car;

said means for detecting a signal indicating a first condition when said means for locating is within the proximity of the car and indicating a second condition when said means for locating is outside the proximity of the car;

wherein upon said first condition, said means for locating retrieves, at regular intervals, location coordinates for the current location of said device, said location coordinates approximating the location of the vehicle, and upon said second condition, said means for locating automatically storing the last retrieved location coordinates as a waypoint representing the approximate location of the parked vehicle.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said means for locating comprises a locator device having a GPS.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein said means for detecting a signal comprises a means for detecting a power signal;

said means for detecting a power signal indicating said first condition when a power signal from the car is received and said means for detecting a power signal indicating said second condition when said device is disconnected from said power signal from the car.

4. A device according to claim 2, wherein said means for detecting a signal comprises a means for detecting a beacon signal;

said means for detecting a beacon signal indicating said first condition when a beacon signal from a beacon in the car is received and said means for detecting a beacon signal indicating said second condition when said beacon signal is no longer received.

5. A system for locating a parked vehicle, comprising:

a beacon device that is placed in the vehicle, the beacon device broadcasting a consistently uniform wireless signal in a limited range within the proximity of the vehicle according to preset parameters;

a handheld locator device having a means for detecting a signal and a locator;

said locator determining location coordinates for said handheld locator device; and

said means for detecting a signal configured to detect the wireless signal of the beacon device, and to automatically condition said locator to establish current location coordinates for the handheld locator device upon detecting the wireless signal and to update the current location coordinates for the handheld locator device for as long as the means for detecting a signal detects the beacon device, and to automatically condition the locator to record the last collected location coordinates as a waypoint for an approximate location of the parked vehicle upon ceasing to detect the wireless signal, whereby when said handheld locator device is outside said limited range within the proximity of the vehicle, said handheld device identifies the vehicle as having been parked.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said locator uses GPS technology to determine the current location coordinates, said handheld locator device being one of:

a commercial GPS receiver, a cell phone, a smartphone or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).

7. The system of claim 5, wherein said locator uses one of cellular phone or WiMAX locating technology.

8. The system of claim 5, where a signal is emitted periodically by the beacon device.

9. The system of claim 8, where a signal is emitted every 60 or fewer seconds by the beacon device.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the handheld locator device includes an output device to provide one or more of the following to guide the user back to the stored waypoint representing the approximate location of the parked vehicle:

a map, a set of text instructions, and a set of audio instructions.

11. A system for locating a parked vehicle, comprising:

a handheld locator device having a locator and a means for detecting a signal;

said means for detecting a signal automatically detecting a first condition in which said locator device is in the presence of the vehicle and a second condition at all other times; and

upon said first condition, said locator initiating the process of retrieving, at regular intervals, location coordinates for the current location of said handheld locator device, said location coordinates approximating the location of the vehicle, and upon said second condition, said locator automatically storing the last retrieved location coordinates as a waypoint representing the approximate location of the parked vehicle.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said locator uses GPS technology to determine said location coordinates, and wherein said handheld locator device is one of:

a commercial GPS receiver, a cell phone, a smartphone or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said handheld locator device is one of:

a cellular phone, a smartphone or a PDA and said locator uses one of cellular phone or WiMAX locating technology to determine the location coordinates.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the handheld locator device includes an output device to provide one or more of the following to guide the user back to the stored waypoint representing the approximate location of the parked vehicle:

a map, a set of text instructions, and a set of audio instructions.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein said means for detecting identifies a loss of external power supplied by the vehicle to said locator device thereby indicating said second condition in which the vehicle is considered to be parked.