Wireless locating and monitoring system

• US 9,171,470 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2011
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monterey Research, LLC (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Woodings, Ryan W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US13/245,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20120078441A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,492 Days
• Field of Search: 701/400, 701484-486, 701/32.4, 701/32.5, 701/32.6, 701408-410, 701468-470, 701/412, 701/1, 340/988, 340/539.13
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/002 for traffic control, mobile tracking, guidance, surveillance or anti-collision
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A wireless tracking device including a positioning system for determining a location of the device and a processor connected to the positioning system. The wireless tracking device further including a wireless radio connected to the processor for transmitting the location of the device across a wireless area network.

A vehicle monitoring system including a sensor, a microcontroller configured to receive a sensor input from the sensor and determine a vehicle condition data, and a wireless transmitter in communication with the microcontroller. The wireless transmitter is configured to transmit the vehicle condition data to a remote data network access point.

A method of monitoring a vehicle including determining a status of the vehicle, locating an available wireless data network access point, and transmitting the status of the vehicle though the access point.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

locating, by an object, a network connection to a wireless data network node available to the object, wherein the wireless data network node is a terrestrial node; and

transmitting, from the object and using the network connection, information about the location of the object to the terrestrial node as a first node to receive the information about the location of the object and to a receiver node, wherein the transmitting the information about the location of the object comprises transmitting logged object data corresponding to a path of the movement of the object over a period of time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the receiver node, the location of the object using the information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information about the location of the object is determined according to a global positioning system (GPS) signal.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining that the object is being used by an unauthorized operator; and

transmitting an alert message.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising shutting down operation of the object in response to determining that the object is being used by an unauthorized operator.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the information comprises transmitting at least one of location data and object data.

7. A wireless tracking device locatable in an object, the wireless tracking device comprising:

a positioning system configured to periodically determine a location of the device;

a processor coupled with the positioning system and configured to provide information about the location of the device and determine a network connection available to access by the device; and

a transmitter coupled with the processor, the transmitter configured to transmit, using the network connection to a terrestrial wireless data network node, the information about the location of the object to the terrestrial node as a first node to receive the information about the location of the object and a receiver node, wherein to transmit the information, the processor is configured to transmit logged object data corresponding to a path of the movement of the object over a period of time.

8. A system comprising the device of claim 7, the system further comprising the receiver node configured to determine the location of the object using the information.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the information about the location of the object is determined according to a global positioning system (GPS) signal.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the object is being used by an unauthorized operator and transmit an alert message.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to shut down operation of the object in response to determining that the object is being used by an unauthorized operator.

12. The device of claim 7, wherein to transmit the information, the processor is configured to transmit at least one of location data and object data.