In-vehicle protection system using multiple processing units and/or using mobile phone module to send positioning information

• US 9,120,445 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2010
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MediaTek Singapore Pte. Ltd. (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MediaTek Singapore Pte. Ltd. (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Inventors: Guo, Liang
• Primary Examiner(s): HOLLOWAY, JASON R
• Application Number:
  US13/002,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20120150391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,723 Days
• Field of Search: 701/34.3, 701/45, 340/426.1, 340/426.22
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• 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: 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 25/104 characterised by the type of theft warning signal, e.g. visual or audible signals with special characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0078 Security; Fraud detection; Fraud prevention

Abstract

An in-vehicle protection system includes a signal input interface and a vehicle protection circuit. The signal input interface is arranged to receive at least an indication signal indicative of a status of a vehicle. The vehicle protection circuit includes a first processing unit, a second processing unit, and a controller. Each of the first processing unit and the second processing unit is capable of performing vehicle protection upon the vehicle, where computing power of the first processing unit is different from computing power of the second processing unit. The controller is used for receiving the indication signal, outputting the received indication signal to the first processing unit for further processing when the in-vehicle protection system operates under a first operational state, and outputting the received indication signal to the second processing unit for further processing when the in-vehicle protection system operates under a second operational state.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle protection system, comprising:

a signal input interface, arranged to receive at least an indication signal indicative of a status of a vehicle;

a vehicle protection circuit, comprising;

a first processing unit, arranged to perform predetermined action in response to abnormality of the vehicle;

a second processing unit, arranged to perform predetermined action in response to abnormality of the vehicle, wherein computing power of the first processing unit is different from computing power of the second processing unit; and

a controller, coupled to the signal input interface, the first processing unit, and the second processing unit, for receiving the indication signal, outputting the received indication signal to the first processing unit for further processing when the in-vehicle protection system operates under a first operational state, and outputting the received indication signal to the second processing unit for further processing when the in-vehicle protection system operates under a second operational state different from the first operational state;

a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) module, arranged to obtain positioning information of the vehicle; and

a mobile phone module, arranged to communicate with a communication network;

wherein after the second processing unit detects an abnormal status of the vehicle, the first processing unit controls the mobile phone module to send at least one of the positioning information and vehicle alarm information indicative of the abnormal status through at least one predetermined phone number.

2. The in-vehicle protection system of claim 1, wherein when the in-vehicle protection system operates under the first operational state, the second processing unit is disabled while the first processing unit is enabled;

and when the in-vehicle protection system operates under the second operational state, the first processing unit is disabled while the second processing unit is enabled.

3. The in-vehicle protection system of claim 1, wherein the in-vehicle protection system enters the first operational state when an engine of the vehicle is started to be active.

4. The in-vehicle protection system of claim 3, wherein the computing power of the first processing unit is higher than the computing power of the second processing unit.

5. The in-vehicle protection system of claim 1, wherein the in-vehicle protection system enters the second operational state when an engine of the vehicle is turned off to be inactive.

6. The in-vehicle protection system of claim 5, wherein the computing power of the first processing unit is higher than the computing power of the second processing unit.

7. The in-vehicle protection system of claim 1, wherein when the second processing unit detects the abnormal status of the vehicle by processing the indication signal under a condition where the engine of the vehicle stays in an inactive state or has an abnormal transition from the inactive state to an active state, the in-vehicle protection system is switched from the second operational state to the first operational state such that the first processing unit is enabled to deal with the abnormal status of the vehicle.

8. The in-vehicle protection system of claim 1, wherein the signal input interface and the vehicle protection circuit are disposed in a system-on-a-chip (SOC) of an in-vehicle navigation system.

9. The in-vehicle protection system of claim 1, wherein each of the first processing unit and the second processing unit is arranged to generate an alarm message or a self-protection control signal in response to an abnormal status of the vehicle detected by processing the received indication signal.

10. The in-vehicle protection system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle protection circuit further comprises:

a switch unit, having a first input node coupled to the first processing unit, a second input node coupled to the second processing unit, and a output node;

wherein the switch unit has the output node coupled to the first input node when the in-vehicle protection system operates under the first operational state, and has the output node coupled to the second input node when the in-vehicle protection system operates under the second operational state.

11. The in-vehicle protection system of claim 1, wherein the signal input interface comprises an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) arranged to generate the indication signal by sampling an analog input associated with the status of the vehicle.

12. The in-vehicle protection system of claim 1, wherein the signal input interface comprises a general purpose input/output (GPIO) port arranged to receive the indication signal and directly transmit the indication signal to the controller.

13. An in-vehicle protection system, comprising:

a signal input interface, arranged to receive at least an indication signal indicative of a status of a vehicle;

a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) module, arranged to obtain positioning information of the vehicle;

a vehicle protection circuit, coupled to the signal input interface and arranged to perform predetermined action in response to abnormality of the vehicle; and

a mobile phone module, arranged to communicate with a communication network;

wherein when the vehicle protection circuit detects an abnormal status of the vehicle by processing the received indication signal, the vehicle protection circuit controls the mobile phone module to send at least one of the positioning information and vehicle alarm information indicative of the abnormal status through at least one predetermined phone number while an alarm message generated in response to the abnormal status is being played by an audio output device of the vehicle, wherein the alarm message is a driving assistance message or is generated due to temperature exceeding a predetermined threshold.

14. The in-vehicle protection system of claim 13, wherein the signal input interface and the vehicle protection circuit are disposed in a system-on-a-chip (SOC) of an in-vehicle navigation system.

15. The in-vehicle protection system of claim 13, wherein the abnormal status of the vehicle is detected by the vehicle protection circuit under a condition where the engine of the vehicle stays in an inactive state or has an abnormal transition from the inactive state to an active state.