Clandestine missing vehicle location reporting using cellular channels

• US 6,166,626 A
• Filed: 07/26/1999
• Issued: 12/26/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Schipper, John F., Janky, James M., Najafi, Hamid
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/361,350
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• Field of Search: 340/426, 340/539, 340/988, 340/989, 340/991, 340/993, 340/990, 342/357.01, 342/457, 342/357.07, 180/287, 307/10.1, 307/10.2, 379/58, 379/59, 379/106, 379/107, 455/445, 455/456, 455/458, 455/422
• US Class Current: 340/426.19
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/304 Boats
• 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 2205/002 for traffic control, mobile tracking, guidance, surveillance or anti-collision
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/008 using a mobile telephone network
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems

Abstract

Apparatus and method for a location determination and reporting (LDR) system for clandestinely determining and reporting a missing vehicle present location. The vehicle is equipped with a handheld cellular phone unit and controller that are accepted and held by a cellular phone cradle that can include electrical poster and/or a location determination (LD) unit to determines the LD unit present location. The cellular phone unit can operate on one cellular channel or on two distinct cellular channels. When the vehicle is reported missing, the central station interrogates the vehicle LDR system to determine the vehicle present location. A location interrogation signal is transmitted, commanding the LD unit to transmit its present location. The cellular phone does not signal receipt of an incoming call for an initial time period of selected length Δtd, awaiting possible receipt of a location interrogation signal on the first cellular channel. If the incoming call includes a location interrogation signal, the cellular phone does not "ring" but transmits information on the vehicle'"'"'s present location to the central station. If the incoming call does not include a location interrogation signal, the cellular phone "rings" audibly or visually, after the initial time delay, and behaves as a normal cellular phone for that call on the second cellular channel. The cellular phone functions normally if a vehicle occupant attempts to use the phone. An unauthorized user of the vehicle receives no indication that the innocuous cellular phone is used to track the vehicle present location.

Claims

1. Apparatus for determining and reporting the present location of a missing vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a location determination (LD) unit, including an LD signal antenna and LD receiver/processor, positioned on a vehicle to receive LD signals and to process these LD signals;

a cellular phone unit positioned on the vehicle and comprising;

a cellular phone transceiver and antenna that receive incoming cellular signals at a signal port on an incoming cellular channel and that transmit outgoing cellular signals from the signal port on an outgoing cellular channel at a selected frequency to a central station that is spaced apart from the cellular phone transceiver, that receive incoming cellular signals from the central station and that issue these signals as electronic signals at the signal port, and that can generate and issue a perceptible incoming call signal that indicates when the transceiver and antenna are receiving an incoming cellular signal intended for that transceiver, where the cellular phone transceiver and antenna are capable of receiving and responding to an LD interrogation signal from the central station that requests information on the present location of the LD antenna; and

a cellular phone handset that receives electronic signals from the cellular phone signal port and delivers electronic signals to the cellular signal port; and

a controller, positioned on the vehicle, connected to and selectively controlling and acting as an interface between the LD unit and the cellular phone unit, for passing signals between the LD unit and the cellular phone unit, wherein (i) when the cellular phone unit receives an incoming cellular call, the controller causes the cellular phone unit to delay issuance of an incoming call signal for a selected initial time interval of length Δ

td;

(ii) when the cellular phone unit receives an LD interrogation signal during an initial time interval of length Δ

td as part of the incoming cellular call, the controller causes the cellular phone unit not to issue an incoming cellular phone call signal indicating receipt of an incoming phone call, causes the LD unit to provide the cellular phone unit with information on the present location of the LD antenna, and causes the cellular phone transceiver and antenna to transmit this LD unit present location information to the central station; and

(iii) when the cellular phone unit does not receive an LD interrogation signal during an initial time interval of length Δ

td as part of the incoming cellular call, the controller causes the cellular phone unit to operate as a normal cellular phone and to issue an incoming cellular phone call signal that is perceptible by an occupant of the vehicle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said incoming cellular channel and said outgoing channel are part of a first cellular channel.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said transceiver and antenna receive said LD interrogation signal on said first cellular channel.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said transceiver and antenna receive said LD interrogation signal on a second cellular channel.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said transceiver on said first cellular channel and on said second cellular channel operate independently of each other so that a vehicle occupant within said vehicle can use said transceiver on said second cellular channel to communicate with another person or facility at another location, at the same time said transceiver is responding to said LD interrogation signal on said first cellular channel.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when said incoming cellular phone unit does not receive an LD interrogation signal during an initial time interval of length Δ

td as part of said incoming cellular phone call, said controller causes said cellular phone unit to issue an incoming call signal for said vehicle occupant, indicating receipt of an incoming cellular phone call by said cellular phone unit, until said cellular handset goes off-hook or the calling party disconnects or the incoming cellular phone call signal is issued a selected number of times.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a cellular unit cradle, positioned on said vehicle and including a microprocessor, that accepts and holds said cellular unit and said controller, wherein said cellular unit is optionally detachable from the cellular unit cradle and can receive said incoming cellular calls and said LD interrogation signals and can transmit said outgoing cellular calls while said cellular unit is detached from the cellular unit cradle and while said cellular unit is attached to the cellular unit cradle.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said cellular unit cradle does not hold said LD unit and said LD unit and said controller are electrically connected when said cellular phone unit is accepted by and attached to said cellular unit cradle.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said cellular cradle unit further accepts and holds said LD unit.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of said LD unit and said controller is hidden from view on said vehicle.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when a vehicle occupant within the vehicle uses said cellular phone unit to communicate with an other person or facility at another location, said cellular phone unit operates as a normal cellular phone and allows the vehicle occupant to communicate with that other person or facility, if said cellular phone unit is not responding to said LD interrogation signal at the time the vehicle occupant uses said cellular phone unit.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising activatable recording means and a recording switch that activates and deactivates the recording means, connected to said transceiver, for recording and storing at least one of (i) a contact phone number for an incoming call or outgoing call using said transceiver and (ii) a voice communication, which uses said transceiver, between said vehicle occupant and said other person or facility, when the recording means is activated.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said recording means in an activated state causes said transceiver to transmit a recording advisory signal to said central station, indicating that said transceiver has been used for an incoming call or outgoing call, if at least one voice communication or phone number has been recorded by said recording means.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said transceiver is capable of receiving from said central station a recording interrogation signal, in response to receipt by said central station of said recording advisory signal, the apparatus further comprising stored message transmission means, connected to said recording means and to said transceiver, for obtaining information on at least one of (i) said contact phone number and (ii) said voice communication, stored in said recording means, and for transmitting this information to said central station when said transceiver receives a recording response command signal from said central station.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a message storage memory, connected to said controller, wherein, when a vehicle occupant uses said transceiver to communicate with an other person or facility at another location on said second cellular channel while said apparatus is receiving or is responding to said LD interrogation signal on said first cellular channel, said transceiver will abort its response to said LD interrogation signal, will store said LD unit present location information in the message storage memory, will operate as a normal cellular phone on said second cellular channel and will allow the vehicle occupant to contact the called person or facility.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said controller further comprises stored message transmission means, for retrieving said LD unit present location information from said message storage memory and for causing said transceiver to transmit said LD antenna present location information to said central station, after said cellular phone handset has returned to an on-hook condition.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said transceiver transmits an abort signal to said central station, if said transceiver'"'"'s response to said LD interrogation signal is aborted before this response is completed.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when an occupant of the vehicle uses said transceiver to communicate with an other person or facility at another location on said second cellular channel while said transceiver is receiving or is responding to said LD interrogation signal on said first cellular channel, said transceiver will abort its response to said LD interrogation signal, will operate as a normal cellular phone on said second cellular channel and will allow the vehicle occupant to communicate with the other person or facility.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when an occupant of the vehicle uses said transceiver to communicate with an other person or facility at another location on said second cellular channel while said transceiver is receiving or is responding to said LD interrogation signal on said first cellular channel, said transceiver will complete the transmission of its response to said LD interrogation signal, will then operate as a normal cellular phone and will allow the vehicle occupant to communicate with the other person or facility.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein , when an occupant of the vehicle uses said transceiver to communicate with an other person or facility at another location on said second cellular channel while said transceiver is receiving or is responding to said LD interrogation signal on said first cellular channel, said transceiver will behave as if it is disabled so that the vehicle occupant will be unable to complete a phone call connection using said transceiver.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said time interval length Δ

td lies in the range of about 0.2-30 sec.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said time interval length Δ

td lies in the range of about 1-5 sec.