Cellphone controllable car intrusion recording and monitoring reaction system

• US 8,855,621 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2012
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innova Electronics Corporation (Innova Telematics Solutions)
• Original Assignee: Innova Electronics Corporation (Innova Telematics Solutions)
• Inventors: Chen, Ieon
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHAI MINH
• Application Number:
  US13/688,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20130295912A1
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 455/420, 455/414.1, 455/412.1, 455/418, 455/419
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/00 Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers subscriber services or facilities provided at exchanges H04M3/00; prepayment telephone coin boxes H04M17/00; current supply arrangements H04M19/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/121 Wireless intrusion detection systems [WIDS]; Wireless intrusion prevention systems [WIPS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

A cellphone controllable car intrusion system is provided. This system includes a vehicle OEM system, including an electronic control unit (ECU), a diagnostic port, a plurality of OEM cameras, a plurality of OEM sensors, an OEM satellite communication system, and an OEM local communication system. The diagnostic port, OEM cameras, OEM sensors, OEM satellite communication system, and the OEM local communication system being in electric communication with the ECU. A cellphone is provided having a local communication system disposed therein. The cellphone is in wireless communication with the ECU. The cellphone is adapted to configure the ECU to enable operation of the OEM cameras in response to receipt by the cellphone of an alert signal from the OEM sensors, indicating that an intrusion is in process. The alert signals are representative of detection of a monitor event by one or more of the OEM sensors.

Claims

1. A cellphone controllable vehicle monitoring system for use with a vehicle having a vehicle ECU, a vehicle interior, and vehicle exterior, the system comprising:

an electrical monitoring system including a plurality of cameras and a plurality of sensors, the plurality of cameras being configured to capture images within a zone including the vehicle interior, the vehicle exterior, and an area surrounding the vehicle, the plurality of sensors being able to detect a monitoring event and generate a monitoring signal in response thereto;

a storage device in communication with the plurality of cameras and configured to store the images captured by the plurality of cameras wherein the data storage unit includes a short term memory module and a long term memory module, the data storage unit being configured to buffer data in the short term memory module for a prescribed buffering period and to transition the buffered data to the long term memory module in response to receipt of a storage signal indicative of a triggering event or command;

a local monitoring communication system in communication with the plurality of cameras and sensors and configured to transmit an alert signal in response to receipt of the monitoring signal; and

a cellphone in wireless communication with the local monitoring communication system, the cellphone having;

a local cellphone communication system disposed therein; and

a control unit configured to generate a startup signal when the alert signal matches operating criteria stored on the cellphone;

the startup signal being communicated to the plurality of cameras via the local monitoring communication system to initiate operation of the plurality of cameras.

2. The monitoring system as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors includes at least one from the group comprising:

motion sensors, sound sensors, brightness sensors, and vibration sensors.

3. The monitoring system as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of cameras are configured to capture images at programmable time intervals.

4. The monitoring system as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of cameras and plurality of sensors are OEM devices.

5. The monitoring system as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of cameras and plurality of sensors are aftermarket devices.

6. The monitoring system as recited in claim 1, wherein the storage device is in wired communication with the plurality of cameras.

7. The monitoring system as recited in claim 1, wherein the storage device is in wireless communication with the plurality of cameras.

8. The monitoring system as recited in claim 1, wherein the local monitoring communication system is in communication with the storage device to facilitate communication between the storage device and the cellphone.

9. The monitoring system as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensors are programmable by the cellphone to generate the monitoring signal in response to user defined triggering criteria.

10. The monitoring system as recited in claim 1, wherein the storage device is connectable to the vehicle ECU to receive power and data therefrom, the storage device being configured to correlate the monitoring event with real-time data from the vehicle ECU.

11. The monitoring system as recited in claim 1, wherein the short term module is configured to automatically delete data therefrom after the data resides thereon for a period of time equal to the buffering period.

12. The monitoring system as recited in claim 1, wherein establishing buffered data in the short term memory module is transitioned to the long term memory module when the vehicle is involved in an accident, to establish a record to mitigate a driver'"'"'s liability in the accident.