Vehicle locating method and system using a mobile device

• US 7,817,033 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2007
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Motoyama, Tetsuro
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu; Julie
• Application Number:
  US11/861,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20090079591A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/539.32
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A system to transmit a location of a vehicle, including: a transmission system including, a first system unit configured to determine a current location using radio signals, a first memory unit storing a database that includes a list of one or more mobile devices, a processor configured to select one of the mobile devices from the database, and a first transmission unit configured to transmit the current location to the selected one of the mobile devices in response to an engine of the vehicle being shut off.

Claims

1. A system to transmit a location of a vehicle, comprising:

a transmission unit including,

a first system unit configured to determine a current location of the vehicle using radio signals,

a first memory unit storing a database that includes a list of one or more mobile devices,

a processor configured to select one of the mobile devices from the database,

a transmitter configured to transmit the current location to the selected one of the mobile devices in response to an engine of the vehicle being shut off, and

a detection unit configured to determine which mobile device was a predetermined distance from an engine shut off mechanism, wherein

the selected one of the mobile devices is the mobile device determined to be the predetermined distance from the engine shut off mechanism, and

the transmitter is configured to transmit the current location to the selected one of the mobile devices determined to be the predetermined distance from the engine shut off mechanism.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the radio signals comprise Global Positional System (GPS) orbiting space satellite signals.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit further comprises:

a reception unit configured to receive a signal from one of the mobile devices, said signal causing the first processor to send a command that causes a horn of the vehicle to sound or a light of the vehicle to flash.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the database stores an identifier for each of the one or more mobile devices, information used to contact the one or more mobile devices, and information used to determine which of the one or more mobile device is to receive the current location.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to process the information used to determine which of the one or more mobile devices is to receive the current location to determine the selected one or more mobile devices.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

the selected one of the mobile communication devices, wherein the selected one of the mobile communication devices includes,

a second system unit configured to determine a location of the mobile communication device using radio signals,

a user interface having a display and a button,

a second memory unit configured to store the location of the mobile communication device,

a reception unit configured to receive the current location sent by the first transmission unit,

a second processor configured to store the location received by the reception unit in the second memory unit, and

a computational unit configured to interact with the button, wherein the computational unit retrieves the current location of the mobile communication device from the second system unit and calculates a relative three-dimensional direction from the current location of the mobile communication device to the current location sent by the first transmission unit,

wherein the relative three-dimensional direction is graphically represented on the display area of the user interface.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the mobile communication device further comprises:

a second transmitter configured to transmit a signal causing the first processor to blew sound a horn of the vehicle or flash a light of the vehicle.

8. A method of transmitting location information, comprising:

determining a current location of a vehicle using radio signals;

storing a database that includes a list of one or more mobile devices;

determining which mobile device was a predetermined distance from an engine shut off mechanism;

selecting one of the mobile devices from the database determined to be the predetermined distance from the engine shut off mechanism; and

transmitting the current location to the mobile device determined to be the predetermined distance from the engine shut off mechanism in response to an engine of the vehicle being shut off.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the determining includes using Global Positional System (GPS) orbiting space satellite signals.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a signal from one of the mobile devices, said signal including a command to cause a horn of the vehicle to sound or a light of the vehicle to flash.

11. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

storing, in the database, an identifier for each of the one or more mobile devices, information used to contact the one or more mobile devices, and information used to determine which of the one or more mobile devices is to receive the current location.

12. The method according to 11, wherein the selecting comprises:

accessing the database to obtain the information used to determine which of the one or more mobile devices is to receive the current location; and

selecting the one of the mobile devices from the database in accordance with the information used to determine which of the one or more mobile devices is to receive the current location.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining a location of the mobile communication device using radio signals, receiving the current location sent by the transmitting step;

storing the current location;

calculating a relative three-dimensional direction from the location of the mobile communication device to the current location sent by the transmitting step; and

graphically representing the relative three-dimensional direction on a display.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting, by the mobile communication device, a signal including a command to cause a horn of the vehicle to sound or a light of the vehicle to flash.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, encoded with instructions which when executed by a computer causes the computer to implement a method for transmitting a location, comprising:

determining a current location using radio signals;

storing a database that includes a list of one or more mobile devices;

determining which mobile device was a predetermined distance from an engine shut off mechanism;

selecting one of the mobile devices from the database determined to be the predetermined distance from the engine shut off mechanism; and

transmitting the current location to the mobile device determined to be the predetermined distance from the engine shut off mechanism in response to an engine of the vehicle being shut off.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

storing, in the database, an identifier for each of the one or more mobile devices, information used to contact the one or more mobile devices, and information used to determine which of the one or more mobile devices is to receive the current location.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

accessing the database to obtain the information used to determine which of the one or more mobile devices is to receive the current location; and

selecting the one of the mobile devices from the database in accordance with the information used to determine which of the one or more mobile devices is to receive the current location.