Position enhanced cellular telephone system

• US 5,630,206 A
• Filed: 08/11/1994
• Issued: 05/13/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Exelis Incorporated (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Stanford Telecommunications, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Schuchman, David, Urban, G. Daniel, Bruno, Ronald, McCarthy, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TO, DORIS HA
• Application Number:
  US08/288,764
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 455/33.1, 455/54.1, 455/74, 455/89, 379/58, 379/59, 379/88, 340/426, 340/988, 340/993, 340/989, 342/357, 342/450, 342/457
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile

Abstract

A position monitoring system having a position finder subsystem connected via a cellular telephone to a central monitoring station, a receive/transmit device carried with the position monitoring subsystem. A remote personal signalling subsystem comprising an RF coder modulator for transmitting a coded RF signal, and operating switch for activating the RF coder modulator. A receiver/transmit device is carried with a position monitoring subsystem for receiving the coded RF signal, decoding same and transmitting a coded RF acknowledgement signal. The remote personal signalling subsystem includes an RF decoder and demodulator for receiving and decoding the coded RF acknowledgement signal and a tactile signalling device is operated by the RF decoder and demodulator upon receipt of the coded RF acknowledgement signal and provides a tactile signal to a user that the RF coded signal had been properly received by the position finding subsystem. The transceiver is carried by the position finding subsystem is connected to the central monitoring station and the sending coded RF acknowledgement signal is controlled by central monitoring station.

Claims

1. In a position monitoring system having a position finder subsystem connected via a cellular telephone to a central monitoring station, a receive/transmit means carried with said position monitoring subsystem, the improvement comprising:

a remote personal signalling subsystem comprising an RF coder modulator for transmitting a coded RF signal, and operating switch means for activating said RF coder modulator,

a receiver/transmit means carried with said position finding subsystem for receiving said coded RF signal, decoding same and transmitting a coded RF acknowledgement signal,

said remote personal signalling subsystem including RF decoder and demodulator for receiving and decoding said coded RF acknowledgement signal and a tactile signalling means operated by said RF decoder and demodulator upon receipt of said coded RF acknowledgement signal and provide a tactile signal to a user that said RF coded signal had been properly received by said position finding subsystem.

2. The position monitoring system defined in claim 1 including receive/transmit means carried by said position finding subsystem is connected to said central monitoring station and sending said coded RF acknowledgement signal is controlled by said central monitoring station.

3. In a cellular telephone system having a mobile transceiver unit on a driver operated vehicle for receiving and transmitting cellular phone signals and a navigation position receiver for generating position information signals for transmission to a central monitoring station and means at said central monitoring station for transmitting navigation signals to said mobile transceiver unit, the improvement comprising, recorder means in said mobile transceiver unit, record and play switch means for controlling said recorder means to record and store navigation signals from said central monitoring station and playback of stored navigation signals, and a speaker means for transducing stored navigation signals to an audio form useful to the driver, and wherein said recorder means is digital and includes means to convert analog audio signals to digital signals, first switch means for coupling said digital signals for storage in said recorder means, a digital-to-analog converter, second switch means for selectively coupling digital signals from said analog-to-digital converter to (1) said digital-to-analog converter or (2) said recorder means.

4. In a cellular telephone system having a mobile transceiver unit on a driver operated vehicle for receiving and transmitting cellular phone signals and a navigation position receiver for generating position information signals for transmission to a central monitoring station and means at said central monitoring station for transmitting navigation signals to said mobile transceiver unit, the improvement comprising, recorder means in said mobile transceiver unit, record and play switch means for controlling said recorder means to record and store navigation signals from said central monitoring station and playback of stored navigation signals, and a transducer means for transducing stored navigation signals to a form useful to the driver, and wherein said recorder means is digital and includes means to convert analog audio signals to digital signals, first switch means for coupling said digital signals for storage in said recorder means, a digital-to-analog converter, second switch means for selectively coupling digital signals from said analog-to-digital converter to said digital-to-analog convert or said recorder means, and wherein said cellular phone signals include data signals, a digital notch filter connected between said analog-to-digital converter and said digital-to-analog converter and a data demodulating circuit connected to said analog-to-digital converter in advance of said notch filter to receive and demodulate data signals from said cellular telephone signals.

5. The cellular telephone system defined in claim 4 including means to by-pass said notch filter.

6. In a cellular telephone system having a mobile transceiver unit on a driver operated vehicle for receiving and transmitting cellular phone signals and a navigation position receiver for generating position information signals for transmission to a central monitoring station and means at said central monitoring station for transmitting navigation signals to said mobile transceiver unit, the improvement comprising, recorder means in said mobile transceiver unit, record and play switch means for controlling said recorder means to record and store navigation signals from said central monitoring station and playback of stored navigation signals, and a transducer means for transducing stored navigation signals to a form useful to the driver, and wherein said navigation position receiver is connected via said mobile transceiver unit to said central monitoring station, further including:

a remote personal signalling subsystem comprising an RF code modulator for transmitting a coded RF signal, and an operating switch means for activating said RF code modulator,

said transceiver unit including means for receiving said coded RF signal, decoding said coded RF signal and transmitting a coded RF acknowledgment signal to said remote personal signalling subsystem,

said remote personal signalling subsystem including RF decoder and demodulator for receiving and decoding said coded RF acknowledgment signal and a tactile signalling means operated by said RF decoder and demodulator upon receipt of said coded RF acknowledgment signal and provide a tactile signal to a user that said RF coded signal had been properly received by said central station.

7. The position monitoring system defined in claim 6, wherein the transceiver means is connected to said central monitoring station and the sending said coded RF acknowledgment signal is controlled by said central monitoring station.