Wireless device detection using multiple antennas separated by an RF shield

• US 9,172,477 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2014
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inthinc Technology Solutions Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Inthinc Technology Solutions Incorporated
• Inventors: Lawrence, Stephen M.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THANH C
• Application Number:
  US14/181,007
• Publication Number:
  US 20150118985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 455/11.1, 455/422.1, 455/456.1, 455/67.11, 455/67.14, 455/550.1, 455/575.1, 455/226.1, 455/226.2, 455/235, 455/347, 343/702, 343/713
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength

Abstract

A system comprising one or more interior antenna(s) positioned within an at least partially enclosed operator area of a human operated machine and one or more exterior antenna(s) positioned on an external portion of the human operated machine, with a radio frequency shield positioned between the interior antenna(s) and the exterior antenna(s), is usable with a processing module electrically connected with the antennas for analyzing signals received from the antennas to determine whether a radio frequency generating device is active within the at least partially enclosed operator area.

Claims

1. An apparatus used for determining whether a mobile device is transmitting from within a human operated machine, the apparatus comprising:

a first antenna positioned within an at least partially enclosed operator area of a human operated machine;

a second antenna positioned external to the operator area of the human operated machine;

a radio frequency shield positioned between the first antenna and the second antenna; and

a processing module that is in electrical communication with the first antenna and the second antenna, wherein the processing module is configured to;

receive a first signal received from the first antenna and a second signal received from the second antenna, and

determine, based upon an analysis of the first signal and the second signal, whether a radio frequency generating device is active within the at least partially enclosed operator area.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the human operated machine is an automobile and the operator area is a cab of the vehicle.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the human operated machine is a piece of industrial equipment.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the radio frequency shield comprises a component of the human operated machine.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the first and second signals are the same transmission signal at different signal strengths.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the processing module comprises a remote server.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the second antenna is positioned on a roof of the human operated machinery.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the first signal and the second signal both originate from a signal source at a same moment in time.

9. A system installed in a human operated machine configured to detect transmission of a radio frequency generating device within the human operated machine, the system comprising:

a first antenna positioned within an at least partially enclosed operator area of a human operated machine;

a second antenna positioned external to the at least partially enclosed operator area of the human operated machine;

a radio frequency shield positioned between the first antenna and the second antenna; and

a processing module that receives information generated by the first antenna and the second antenna, wherein the processing module is configured to;

receive a first signal received from the first antenna and a second signal received from the second antenna, and

determine, based upon an analysis of the first signal and the second signal, whether a radio frequency generating device is active within the at least partially enclosed operator area.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the processing module comprises a remote server.

11. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the first signal and the second signal are correlated as being a same signal transmitted from a single radio frequency generating device and wherein the first signal has a greater signal strength, as detected by the first antenna, than a signal strength detected by the second signal, as detected by the second antenna, and wherein it is determined based on relative signal strength of the first and second signals that the single radio frequency generating device is transmitting from within the at least partially enclosed operator area.

12. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein if it is determined that a radio frequency generating device is active within the at least partially enclosed operator area, the processing module is further configured to access a mobile phone account management system and determine whether a radio frequency generating device that is associated with a specific account holder is active.

13. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the processing module is further configured to:

subtract at least a portion of the second signal from at least a portion of the first signal; and

identify at least a portion of the first signal that is a threshold amount greater than a corresponding portion of the second signal.

14. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the processing module comprises one or more band pass filters configured to filter the first signal and the second signal.

15. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the processing module comprises a network analyzer.

16. A method for detecting the transmission of a radio frequency generating device that is located within an operator area of a human operated machine, the method comprising:

receiving, at a processing module, a first signal from a first antenna positioned within an at least partially enclosed operator area of a human operated machine;

receiving, at the processing module, a second signal from a second antenna positioned exterior to the at least partially enclosed operator area of the human operated machine, wherein a radio frequency attenuator is positioned between the first antenna and the second antenna relative to a signal originating from within the operator area;

receiving the first signal received from the first antenna and the second signal received from the second antenna; and

determining, based upon an analysis of the first signal and the second signal, whether a radio frequency generating device is active within the at least partially enclosed operator area.

17. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein analyzing the first signal and the second signal comprises:

filtering the first signal and the second signal with one or more band pass filters; and

comparing one or more signal pulses within the filtered first signal to one or more signal pulses within the filtered second signal.

18. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein analyzing the first signal and the second signal comprises subtracting at least a portion of the second signal from at least a portion of the first signal.

19. A method as recited in claim 18, wherein determining whether a radio frequency generating device is active within the at least partially enclosed operator area comprises identifying at least a portion of the first signal that is a threshold amount greater than a corresponding portion of the second signal.

20. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the method further includes correlating the first signal and the second signal as corresponding to a single signal transmission or a single radio frequency generating device and wherein the first signal has a greater signal strength, as detected by the first antenna, than a signal strength of the second signal as detected by the second antenna, and wherein it is determined based on relative signal strength of the first and second signals that the single radio frequency generating device is transmitting from within the at least partially enclosed operator area.

21. A method as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

extracting frequency information from the first signal and the second signal; and

identifying, based upon the extracted frequency information, data relating to one or more communications that are being received by the first antenna and the second antenna.

22. A computer storage device having stored computer-executable instructions which, when executed by at least one hardware processor, implement a method for detecting the use of a radio frequency generating device by within an operator area of a human operated machine, wherein the method includes:

receiving, at a processing module, a first signal from a first antenna positioned within an at least partially enclosed operator area of a human operated machine;

receiving, at the processing module, a second signal from a second antenna positioned exterior to the at least partially enclosed operator area of the human operated machine, wherein a radio frequency attenuator is positioned between the first antenna and the second antenna relative to a signal originating from within the operator area;

comparing the first signal received from the first antenna and the second signal received from the second antenna to correlate the first and second signals as being a same signal at different strengths; and

determining, based upon the comparison of the first signal and the second signal and relative strengths of the first and second signal, whether a radio frequency generating device corresponding to the first and second signals is active within the at least partially enclosed operator area.