Vehicle tracking system

• US 5,898,391 A
• Filed: 11/14/1997
• Issued: 04/27/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Satronics Corporation, VOXX Electronics Corporation (VOXX International Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Christie D. Scott, James Jefferies
• Inventors: Christie, D. Scott, Jefferies, James
• Primary Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US08/970,590
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 340/426, 340/988, 342/457, 342/357, 180/287, 307/10.2
• US Class Current: 340/988
• 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: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A vehicle alarm system includes a receiver transmitter subsystem, a G.P.S. subsystem for locating a position and a control CPU. The CPU performs a log and locate function in which it logs a first position of the vehicle once during an armed state of an alarm system and then, in response to the passage of a certain time interval, locates the position again. If the position of the vehicle has changed during the alarm of the alarm system, the vehicle'"'"'s position is transmitted via the receiver/transmitter subsystem to a security response center that can then receive tracking information and locate the vehicle.

Claims

1. A security system for a vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle subsystem including an on-board receiver/transmitter capable of receiving data encoding messages and control commands via a two-way paging system;

a CPU including means for implementing control functions according to said control commands or alternatively outputting messages;

said CPU including a status register;

a G.P.S, subsystem for indicating a position of said vehicle when said security system is armed prior to sensing alarm situation;

a non-volatile memory containing a program executable by said CPU for logging said position as determined by said G.P.S. subsystem and comparing said logged location of said vehicle with a current location of said vehicle as determined by said G.P.S subsystem at predetermined time intervals; and

said CPU having means for updating said status register to indicate said alarm situation based on said comparing; and

said G.P.S. subsystem transmitting said current position of said vehicle only in response to one of said alarm situation and a user command to indicate said position, whereby an onboard power source powering said security system is conserved.

2. A security system according to claim 1, wherein:

said CPU includes means for conveying a location of said vehicle from said G.P.S. subsystem to said receiver/transmitter to a user located remote from said vehicle.

3. A security system according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for arming said security system which causes said CPU to execute said program to perform said comparing.

4. A security system according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for addressing multiple receiver/transmitters in addition to said on-board receiver/transmitter using a single umbrella cap code;

means for addressing said on-board receiver/transmitter using a single portion of a message transmitted under said umbrella cap code such that only said on-board receiver/transmitter copies and responds to said message.

5. A security method for a vehicle, comprising:

logging a position of a vehicle;

storing said logged position in a memory at a beginning of an armed state of a security system;

locating a current position of said vehicle during said armed state prior to sensing an alarm condition at predetermined intervals, using a G.P.S. system;

initiating said alarm condition of said security system upon a comparison of said logged position with said current position as determined by said G.P.S. system indicating a positional change exceeding a certain distance; and

transmitting an alarm status of said vehicle and said current position only in response to said alarm condition, via a two-way paging system, whereby an onboard power source powering said security system is conserved.