Methods and apparatus for intercepting and analyzing signals emitted from vehicles

• US 10,098,027 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2017
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Anatrope, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Anatrope, Inc.
• Inventors: Rad, Tiffany Strauchs, Newman, Drew James, Newman, Teague James
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Phong
• Application Number:
  US15/610,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20170353879A1
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0894 Packet rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a memory, a processor operatively coupled to the memory and a sensor. The sensor is configured to intercept a wireless signal associated with a vehicle. The processor configured to identify from the wireless signal (1) a bit rate of the wireless signal, (2) an encoding type associated with the wireless signal, and (3) data associated with the wireless signal. The processor configured to generate an identifier associated with the vehicle based on the bit rate, the encoding type and the data. The processor configured to correlate within the memory the identifier with additional data associated with a user of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory;

a processor operatively coupled to the memory; and

a sensor operatively coupled to the processor, the sensor configured to intercept a wireless signal associated with a vehicle,

the processor configured to identify from the wireless signal (1) a bit rate of the wireless signal, (2) an encoding type associated with the wireless signal, and (3) data associated with the wireless signal,

the processor configured to calculate an identifier for the vehicle based on the bit rate, the encoding type and the data,

the processor configured to correlate within the memory the identifier with additional data associated with a user of the vehicle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless signal is generated by at least one of a device used to monitor operational data for the vehicle, a device to provide wireless data connections for the vehicle, a device to provide vehicle-to-vehicle communication, a device to provide vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, or a device to provide toll information.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless signal is generated by a tire pressure monitoring system sensor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to calculate the identifier using a hash function with the bit rate, the encoding type and the data as inputs to the hash function.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the encoding type is phase encoding (PE).

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a moving vehicle.

7. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a processor, an indication of a wireless signal intercepted from a vehicle using a sensor;

identifying, using the processor and from the indication of the wireless signal, (1) a bit rate of the wireless signal, (2) an encoding type associated with the wireless signal, and (3) data encoded within the wireless signal;

calculating, using the bit rate, the encoding type and the data as inputs to a hash function, an identifier for the vehicle; and

correlating, within a memory operatively coupled to the processor, the identifier with previously stored data associated with the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the correlating includes determining an identity of a user associated with the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the previously stored data associated with the vehicle includes at least one of:

an identification of an account associated with the vehicle;

or

a vehicle identification number.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the wireless signal is associated with a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) on the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the wireless signal is generated using at least one of:

a device used to monitor operational data for the vehicle;

a device to provide wireless data connections for the vehicle;

a device to provide vehicle-to-vehicle communication;

a device to provide vehicle-to-infrastructure communication;

or

a device to provide toll information.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the vehicle is a moving vehicle.

13. A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to be executed by a processor, the code comprising code to cause the processor to:

intercept a wireless signal from a vehicle;

determine, from the wireless signal, (1) a bit rate of the wireless signal, (2) an encoding type associated with the wireless signal, and (3) data associated with the wireless signal;

calculate an identifier for the vehicle associated with the bit rate, the encoding type and the data; and

store the identifier in a memory storing additional data associated with the vehicle.

14. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the wireless signal is generated using at least one of a device used to monitor operational data for the vehicle, a device to provide wireless data connections for the vehicle, a device to provide vehicle-to-vehicle communication, a device to provide vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, or a device to provide toll information.

15. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

send a targeted advertisement to a user associated with the vehicle in response to identifying the user based on the identifier for the vehicle.

16. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

identify, using the identifier, an identity of a user associated with the vehicle.

17. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

determine an access authorization of the vehicle at a location.

18. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

determine an access authorization of the vehicle at a location, the location includes at least one of a border crossing, a parking garage, or a gated community.

19. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

send a signal to a user associated with the vehicle in response to identifying the user based on the identifier for the vehicle.