GPS gate system

• US 9,482,761 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2008
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Pisz, James T., Inouye, Brian H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A
• Application Number:
  US12/342,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20100156712A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,870 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00771 the input being a vehicle position or surrounding, e.g. GPS-based position or tunnel
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/52 Determining velocity
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/065 by counting the vehicles in a section of the road or in a parking area, i.e. comparing incoming count with outgoing count
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries

Abstract

A GPS gate system is described for triggering transmission of a message. The system may include a GPS receiver determining a location of the GPS receiver based upon signals received from a GPS satellite system. The GPS receiver determines if the GPS receiver has passed through a GPS gate based upon the received signals. The GPS system may further include a communications system to connect the GPS receiver with a GPS gate communications system to receiver a message generated by the GPS receiver based upon the crossed GPS gate.

Claims

1. A GPS gate system comprising:

an in-vehicle system comprising;

a GPS receiver communicatively connected to a GPS system to identify a location of the GPS receiver,

a communication interface to transmit and receive messages via a communication network, and

a memory to store at least one set of GPS location coordinates corresponding to a GPS gate;

a monitor server communicatively connected to the in-vehicle system via the communication network; and

a service system associated with the GPS gate and communicatively connected to the monitor server,

wherein the monitor server includes a memory to store information associating the GPS gate to the service system;

wherein when the GPS receiver passes through the GPS gate, the in-vehicle system generates a first message and transmits the first message to the monitor server through the communication network, the first message including vehicle diagnostic information, and

wherein, the monitor server receives the first message and

determines that the GPS receiver passed through the GPS gate in a predetermined direction and within a predetermined speed range, the monitor server matches the service system as the passed GPS gate associated service system based on the stored information in the monitor server, generates a second message based on the first message, and transmits the second message to the matched service system.

2. The GPS gate system according to claim 1, wherein the monitor server is a call center.

3. The GPS gate system according to claim 1, wherein the GPS gate is a virtual line across a pathway.

4. The GPS gate system according to claim 1, wherein the GPS gate is a virtual line surrounding a property.

5. The GPS gate system according to claim 1, wherein the GPS gate is located within proximity of a service location.

6. The GPS gate system according to claim 1, wherein passing through the GPS gate in a single direction triggers the in-vehicle system to transmit the first message to the monitor server.

7. The GPS gate system according to claim 1, wherein passing through the GPS gate in either direction triggers the in-vehicle system to transmit the first message to the monitor server.

8. The GPS gate system according to claim 1, wherein the GPS receiver uses the communication network to identify a location of the GPS receiver.

9. A method of communicating with a service station, comprising:

determining a location of a vehicle with a GPS receiver;

determining if the GPS receiver has crossed through a GPS gate based on the determined location and a stored GPS coordinates corresponding to the GPS gate;

upon determining that the GPS receiver has crossed through the GPS gate, automatically generating a first message including an identity of the GPS gate and vehicle diagnostic information; and

transmitting the generated message to a monitor server through a communications system,

wherein the monitor server matches the GPS gate with the service station based on stored associations of GPS gate coordinates and service systems, and upon determining that the GPS receiver passed through the GPS gate in a predetermined direction and within a predetermined speed range, generates and transmits a second message to the service station, which is associated with the GPS gate, based on the first message.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the GPS gate is a virtual line across a pathway.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the GPS gate is a virtual line surrounding a property.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the GPS gate is located within proximity of a service location.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein passing through the GPS gate in a single direction triggers generating the first message.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein passing through the GPS gate in either direction triggers generating the first message.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein the GPS receiver uses the communications system to identify a location of the GPS receiver.

17. The GPS gate system according to claim 15, wherein the monitor determines a direction the GPS receiver is heading when crossing the GPS gate and transmits the message if the GPS receiver is heading in a predetermined direction.

18. The GPS gate system according to claim 15, wherein the monitor receives a list of vehicles scheduled to receive maintenance and an identity of a GPS receiver associated with each vehicle, and the monitor determines if a vehicle on the received list has crossed a GPS gate associated with a service location.

19. The GPS gate system according to claim 15, wherein data identifying a vehicle associated with a GPS receiver, data identifying an owner of the vehicle, data identifying a maintenance history of the vehicle and vehicle diagnostic information are stored with at least one of the in-vehicle system, the monitor and the service system.

16. A GPS gate system comprising:

an in-vehicle system comprising;

a GPS receiver communicatively connected to a GPS system to identify a location of the GPS receiver, and

a communication interface to transmit and receive messages via a communication network and to transmit the location, and

a monitor, comprising a server and a memory to store information associating the GPS gate to the service system, communicatively connected to the in-vehicle system via the communication network, to receive the location from the in-vehicle system and to determine if the GPS receiver passed through a GPS gate;

a service system associated with the GPS gate communicatively connected to the monitor,

wherein when the GPS receiver passes through the GPS gate associated with the service system in a predetermined direction and within a predetermined speed range, the monitor to match the GPS gate with the service station based on stored associations of GPS gate coordinates and service systems, to generate a message, and to transmit the message to the service system, the message including vehicle diagnostic information.

20. A vehicle communication system comprising:

a GPS receiver;

a memory to store GPS coordinates corresponding to a GPS gate;

a processor, upon determining that the GPS receiver has crossed the GPS gate, to automatically generate a first message including an identity of the GPS gate and vehicle diagnostic information; and

a communication interface to transmit the first message to a monitor server,

wherein the monitor server to match the GPS gate with a service station associated with the GPS gate based on stored associations of GPS gate coordinates and service systems, and upon determining that the GPS receiver crossed the GPS gate in a predetermined direction and within a predetermined speed range, to generate and transmit a second message to the service system associated with the GPS gate based on the first message.

21. The vehicle communication system according to claim 20, wherein the monitor server is a call center.

22. The vehicle communication system according to claim 20, wherein the GPS gate is a virtual line across a pathway.

23. The vehicle communication system according to claim 20, wherein the GPS gate is a virtual line surrounding a property.

24. The vehicle communication system according to claim 20, wherein the GPS gate is located within proximity of a service location.

25. The vehicle communication system according to claim 20, wherein passing through the GPS gate in a single direction triggers the in-vehicle system to transmit the first message to the monitor server.

26. The vehicle communication system according to claim 20, wherein passing through the GPS gate in either direction triggers the in-vehicle system to transmit the first message to the monitor server.