Vehicle tracking unit providing direction deviation tracking and related methods

• US 6,798,356 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2002
• Issued: 09/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Omega Patents, L.L.C.
• Original Assignee: Omega Patents, L.L.C.
• Inventors: Flick, Kenneth E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, John
• Application Number:
  US10/105,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20020154035A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 340/988, 340/989, 340/990, 340/991, 340/992, 340/993, 342/357, 342/457
• US Class Current: 340/989
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/202 Personal digital assistant [PDA]
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• 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 25/104 characterised by the type of theft warning signal, e.g. visual or audible signals with special characteristics
• 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: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle tracking unit may include a vehicle position determining device, a wireless communications device, and a controller for cooperating with the vehicle position determining device to determine vehicle position information based upon the vehicle changing a direction of travel by greater than a threshold. Moreover, the controller may also cooperate with the wireless communications device to send the vehicle position information to a monitoring station based upon each occurrence of the vehicle changing the direction of travel by greater than the threshold.

Claims

1. A vehicle tracking unit comprising:

a vehicle position determining device;

a wireless communications device; and

a controller cooperating with said vehicle position determining device to determine vehicle position information based upon the vehicle changing a direction of travel by greater than a threshold and then continuing in the changed direction for greater than a predetermined period;

said controller also cooperating with said wireless communications device to send the vehicle position information to a monitoring station based upon each occurrence of the vehicle changing the direction of travel by greater than the threshold.

2. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein said controller comprises a memory for storing the vehicle position information therein.

3. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 2 wherein said controller downloads the vehicle position information from said memory to the monitoring station based upon at least one of a predetermined schedule, a predetermined event, and said memory reaching a predetermined capacity.

4. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein said controller does not send the vehicle position information to the monitoring station unless the vehicle changes the direction of travel by greater than the threshold.

5. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein the threshold is greater than about 45 degrees.

6. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein said vehicle position determining device comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) device.

7. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein said wireless communications device comprises a cellular telephone communications device.

8. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 7 wherein said cellular telephone communications device communicates over a cellular control channel.

9. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein the predetermined period is greater than about five seconds.

10. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 1 wherein said controller also determines a value of deviation.

11. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 10 wherein said controller determines the vehicle position information based upon the value of deviation.

12. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 10 wherein the value of deviation comprises an angular speed of the vehicle.

13. A vehicle tracking unit comprising:

a vehicle position determining device;

a wireless communications device; and

a controller cooperating with said vehicle position determining device to determine vehicle position information based upon the vehicle changing a direction of travel by greater than a threshold and then at least one of continuing in the changed direction for greater than a predetermined period and continuing in the changed direction at greater than a predetermined speed;

said controller also cooperating with said wireless communications device to send the vehicle position information to a monitoring station based upon each occurrence of the vehicle changing the direction of travel by greater than the threshold.

14. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 13 wherein said controller comprises a memory for storing the vehicle position information therein.

15. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 14 wherein said controller downloads the vehicle position information from said memory to the monitoring station based upon at least one of a predetermined schedule, a predetermined event, and said memory reaching a predetermined capacity.

16. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 13 wherein said controller does not download the vehicle position information to the monitoring station unless the vehicle changes the direction of travel by greater than the threshold.

17. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 13 wherein the threshold is greater than about 45 degrees.

18. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 13 wherein said vehicle position determining device comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) device.

19. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 13 wherein said wireless communications device comprises a cellular telephone communications device.

20. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 19 wherein said cellular telephone communications device communicates over a cellular control channel.

21. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 13 wherein the predetermined period is greater than about five seconds.

22. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 13 wherein the predetermined speed is greater than about five miles per hour (MPH).

23. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 13 wherein said controller also determines a value of deviation.

24. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 23 wherein said controller determines the vehicle position information based upon the value of deviation.

25. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 23 wherein the value of deviation comprises an angular speed.

26. A vehicle tracking unit comprising:

a vehicle position determining device;

a wireless communications device; and

a controller cooperating with said vehicle position determining device to determine vehicle position information based upon the vehicle changing a direction of travel by greater than a threshold and then at least one of continuing in the changed direction for greater than a predetermined period and continuing in the changed direction at greater than a predetermined speed;

said controller also storing the vehicle position information based upon each occurrence of the vehicle changing the direction of travel by greater than the threshold.

27. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 26 wherein said controller comprises a memory for storing the vehicle position information therein.

28. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 26 wherein said controller does not store the vehicle position information unless the vehicle changes the direction of travel by greater than the threshold.

29. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 26 wherein the threshold is greater than about 45 degrees.

30. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 26 wherein the predetermined period is greater than about five seconds.

31. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 26 wherein the predetermined speed is greater than about five miles per hour (MPH).

32. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 26 wherein said controller also determines a value of deviation.

33. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 32 wherein said controller determines the vehicle position information based upon the value of deviation.

34. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 32 wherein the value of deviation comprises an angular speed of the vehicle.

35. A vehicle tracking method comprising:

determining vehicle position information using a vehicle tracking unit carried by the vehicle based upon the vehicle changing a direction of travel by greater than a threshold and then at least one of continuing in the changed direction for greater than a predetermined period and continuing in the changed direction at greater than a predetermined speed; and

sending the vehicle position information from the vehicle tracking unit to a monitoring station based upon at least one occurrence of the vehicle changing the direction of travel by greater than the threshold.

36. The method according to claim 35 further comprising storing the vehicle position information in a memory of the vehicle tracking unit prior to sending.

37. The method according to claim 36 wherein sending comprises downloading the vehicle position information from the memory to the monitoring station based upon at least one of a predetermined schedule, a predetermined event, and the memory reaching a predetermined capacity.

38. The method according to claim 35 wherein sending comprises sending the vehicle position information to the monitoring station only if the vehicle changes the direction of travel by greater than the threshold.

39. The method according to claim 35 wherein the threshold is greater than about 45 degrees.

40. The method according to claim 35 wherein sending comprises sending the vehicle position information over a cellular control channel.

41. The method according to claim 35 wherein the predetermined period is greater than about five seconds.

42. The method according to claim 35 wherein the predetermined speed is greater than about five miles per hour (MPH).

43. The method according to claim 35 further comprising determining a value of deviation using the vehicle tracking unit.

44. The method according to claim 43 wherein determining the vehicle position information comprises determining the vehicle position information based upon the value of deviation.

45. A vehicle tracking unit comprising:

a vehicle position determining device;

a wireless communications device; and

a controller cooperating with said vehicle position determining device to determine vehicle position information based upon the vehicle changing a direction of travel by greater than a threshold and then continuing in the changed direction at greater than a predetermined speed;

said controller also cooperating with said wireless communications device to send the vehicle position information to a monitoring station based upon each occurrence of the vehicle changing the direction of travel by greater than the threshold.

46. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 45 wherein said controller comprises a memory for storing the vehicle position information therein.

47. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 46 wherein said controller downloads the vehicle position information from said memory to the monitoring station based upon at least one of a predetermined schedule, a predetermined event, and said memory reaching a predetermined capacity.

48. The vehicle tracking unit according to claim 45 wherein said controller does not download the vehicle position information to the monitoring station unless the vehicle changes the direction of travel by greater than the threshold.