Car theft tracking system and method

• US 9,889,820 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2014
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Yap, Kung Leng
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Hirdepal
• Application Number:
  US15/300,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20170015278A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,413 Days
• Field of Search: 340993
• 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 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

The current specification discloses a method, system and devices for detecting a theft of a car. A use of the car and a current location of the car are detected. A car identifier and location information indicative of a location of the car is sent to a network server over a wireless connection. A token device is determined that is associated with the car identifier and a location request is sent from the network server to the token device. Location information indicative of a current location of the token device is derived and the received location of the car is compared with the derived location of the token device. If a position mismatch between the location of the car and the location of the token device is detected, a warning message is sent to a pre-determined device.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a theft of a car comprising:

detecting a use of the car,

detecting a current location of the car,

sending a car identifier and location information indicative of a location of the car to a network server over a first wireless connection,

the network server determining a token device that is associated with the car identifier,

the network server sending a location request to the token device,

the network server receiving a location message from the token device in response to the location request, the location message specifying a location of the token device, and

the network server comparing the received location of the car with the location of the token device,

wherein, if a position mismatch between the location of the car and the location of the token device is detected a warning message is sent to a pre-determined device.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

deriving a time of a location information of the token device, determining a time difference between the time of the location information of the token device with a current time and, if the time difference is smaller than a pre-determined time, deriving a location of the token device from the location information,

or

deriving a time of a location information of the token device, determining a time difference between the time of the location information of the token device with a time of the location information of the car and, if the time difference is smaller than a pre-determined time, deriving a location of the token device from the received location information of the token device,

or,

in case a response to the location request is not received or not received within a pre-determined time or the time difference is larger than a pre-determined time, setting the location of the token device to a pre-determined value.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising determining the current location of the car by a satellite positioning system, a cellular network or by using a previously stored location and information about velocity and steering angle of the car, and determining the current location of the token by a global positioning system or a position server.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the token device is selected from a mobile phone, a car key, a PDA, a watch, a tablet computer and a laptop.

5. The method according to claim 1, comprising sending a message from a tracking equipment of the car to the token device to check availability of the token device in the car.

6. A method for detecting a car theft comprising

detecting a use and a current location of the car,

sending a message to a token device,

deriving a location of the token device by deriving a time of a location information of the token device, determining a time difference between the time of the location information of the token device with a current time and, if the time difference is smaller than a pre-determined time, deriving a location of the token device from the location information, or deriving a time of a location information of the token device, determining a time difference between the time of the location information of the token device with a time of the location information of the car and, if the time difference is smaller than a pre-determined time, deriving a location of the token device from the received location information of the token device, and

comparing the detected location of the car with the derived location of the token device,

wherein, if a position mismatch between the location of the car and the location of the token device is detected, a warning message is sent to a pre-determined device.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein deriving the location of the token device further comprises

receiving a location message of the token device in response to the location request and deriving a location of the token device from the location message,

or

in case a response to the location request is not received or not received within a pre-determined time or the time difference is larger than a pre-determined time, setting the location of the token device to a pre-determined value.

8. The method according to claim 6, comprising

determining the current location of the car by a satellite navigation system, by using a signal of a location server or by using a previously stored location and information about velocity and steering angle of the car, and

determining the current location of the token by a global positioning system or by using a signal of a position server.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the token device is selected from a mobile phone, a PDA, a watch, a car key, a tablet computer and a laptop.

10. The method according to claim 6, comprising sending a message from a tracking equipment of the car to the token device to check availability of the token device in the car.