Patent Application
20110313593
The disclosed technology relates generally to global navigation satellite system receivers and, more specifically, to global navigation satellite system receivers with wireless network adapter for in-vehicle use.
In-car GPS (global positioning system or other satellite navigation technology) is known in the art, as are GPS loggers. Based on a signal received from satellites revolving around the earth at known positions, the location of a receiver of such signals may be determined. Such location data may also be logged. GPS logging devices, such as those placed beneath a car, enable a user (or law enforcement agent) to track the location of a vehicle. In many such embodiments, the device has to be retrieved and the data downloaded. In other embodiments, the device has network connectivity and is a GPS tracker. GPS trackers enable offsite monitoring of the location of a vehicle in real time.
On-board diagnostic computers and ports are also known in the art. Generally, on-board diagnostics (herein, “OBD”) refers to a vehicle's self-diagnostic and reporting capability. The OBD system gathers information from a vehicle's engine control module (“ECM”) in order to provide diagnostic data. All modern vehicles are controlled by an ECM or on-board computer. Generally, an ECM ensures that the engine and transmission run efficiently, and that exhaust emissions are kept within the permitted ranges. The OBD system gives a vehicle owner or repair technician access to information regarding the status of various components of a vehicle. Originally, the OBD system simply illuminated a “check engine” light or similar when it detected a problem. More recently, vehicles have become equipped with a standardized fast digital communications port, not only to provide data from a vehicle's on-board computer, but to allow remedial data to be sent to the vehicle's on-board computer. The OBD systems have evolved and improved over the years. Currently, many different OBD interfaces are in existence; these include OBD-1, OBD-1.5, OBD-II, EOBD (Europe), EOBD2 (Enhanced), and JOBD (Japan). Most vehicles use the OBD-II interface which uses a standardized female 16-pin J1962 connector. Hand-held scanning devices are available ranging from simple consumer level tools to original equipment manufacturer (“OEM”) tools used by dealers and mechanics. The devices simply plug into the OBD port using a specialized male connector. The devices are capable of interacting with the vehicle's systems by way of its ECM.
While GPS loggers and GPS trackers have their uses, obvious downsides to each exist. GPS loggers do not provide real time data. Data can only be retrieved, such as by a third party, after the device itself is retrieved or accessed. This requires “manual labor” in that a person must take further action which may even involve getting beneath the vehicle again to retrieve the GPS logger. Needless to say, when tracking criminal activity, the least number of times one must access the vehicle, the better. Further, if data are required more frequently than it is possible or convenient to access the GPS logger device, it must be done by way of a GPS tracker.
GPS trackers, too, have their drawbacks. GPS trackers require network connectivity which is not always easy to come by and may be expensive. For example, a GPS tracker may need its own connection to a cellular data network or a special license to operate on another frequency. The cost of power consumption for handling GPS tracking, storage, and constant or near-constant long range radio transmission, may also be prohibitive. The cost of such devices is also much higher than that of GPS loggers.
Still another problem exists, namely that of detection when either a GPS logger or tracker is used. The device may be undesirably discovered and the purpose of its use compromised. A suspected criminal under surveillance may discover the device, disable it, and take new measures to avoid law enforcement. A parent attempting to track the driving habits of his minor child also may need to hide his or her activities in GPS logging. Further, a person may make use of GPS tracking to find the location of his or her car in case it is stolen or misused by someone who has borrowed the car. In all of these cases, detection would likely put an end to the legal owner's being able to retrieve the data sought.
Thus, the prior art leaves room for improvement upon current tracking technologies. What is needed is a way to track movements of a vehicle regardless of whether or not the driver is aware that the vehicle is being tracked. Another need in the art is to have a way to track a position of a vehicle cheaply, that is, without requiring expensive or obscure network connectivity solutions, and with power consumption as low as possible. A further requirement is to enable users to have control over the physical functions of the particular vehicle they are tracking.
Likewise, communication with a vehicle through its on-board computer has its shortcomings. The state of the current technology only allows a user to receive signals through a vehicle's OBD port using a local diagnostic device. Furthermore, applications of many of the existing devices are limited to those which toggle a malfunction indicator lamp (i.e., a check-engine light) or an emissions setting within the vehicle's engine control module (i.e., ignition timing or fuel injection settings).
Accordingly, there exists the need for new and useful methods and devices for tracking and manipulating a vehicle's movement and functions. It is, therefore, to the effective resolution of the aforementioned problems and shortcomings of the prior art that the disclosed technology is directed
The disclosed technology described herein addresses an unfulfilled need in the prior art by providing a device and method for tracking a vehicle's movement and manipulating a vehicle's functions.
It is therefore an object of the disclosed technology to provide a cost-effective GPS tracking method.
It is a further object of the disclosed technology to seek out available wireless networks to send GPS information to a remote location.
It is yet another object of the disclosed technology to manipulate a vehicle's functions from a remote location by way of an on-board diagnostic port.
A transceiver device of embodiments of the disclosed technology comprises an interface adapted for engagement with an on-board diagnostic port of a vehicle, a global navigation satellite system receiver, a data storage device for storing received global navigation system data from the global navigation satellite system receiver, and a wireless network adapter. The network adapter is capable of sending, receiving, and interpreting data signals transmitted wirelessly to a network, such as an at home network and/or 802.11 wireless network (e.g., 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, or 802.11n according to the standards drafted by the IEEE LAN/MAN standards committee and widely known in the art). Such a wireless network adapter may be configured to seek out available wireless networks and send data stored in the data storage device (e.g., coordinates mapped over time or video/audio data) to a remote server upon connection to the wireless network. Such networks may be either unsecured networks and/or networks pre-programmed into the device, such as via configuration before placement into the vehicle. Thus, in order to enable connection to a secure wireless local area network, authentication data may be stored on the device.
In another embodiment of the disclosed technology, the transceiver device may be used to manipulate a function of the vehicle through said on-board diagnostic port. The user sends command data to the device by way of the wireless local area network. The command data contain task information pertaining to specific make of the car. For instance, in an embodiment of the disclosed technology the user sends command data which toggles the functionality of the ignition system of the vehicle. In another embodiment of the disclosed technology the user sends command data which toggles the state of the door locks of the vehicle. The transceiver device translates these command data through the on-board diagnostic port to the vehicle's on-board computer.
In an embodiment of the disclosed technology the remote server is located on a wireless local area network. In another embodiment of the disclosed technology, the remote server is located on a wide area network. In this embodiment, data uploaded from the device is transmitted to the remote server through an open public packet switched network.
In yet another embodiment of the disclosed technology, the transceiver device may further have at least one sensory input device configured to record sensory information to the data storage device. That is, a microphone to record sound, a camera to record video, and/or a thermometer to record the temperature may be employed in the transceiver device, and such data may further be uploaded via a network to the server upon obtaining network connectivity.
A method of remotely communicating with a vehicle is also disclosed. The method is carried out by connecting a transceiver device to an on-board diagnostic port of a vehicle. The provided transceiver device is equipped with a global navigation satellite system receiver, a non-volatile storage device, a wireless network adapter, and a connector adapted for connection to an on-board diagnostic port of the vehicle. The transceiver device is instructed to receive global navigation system data using the global navigation satellite system receiver. The received global navigation system data is then stored on the storage device. Next, the device is configured to connect to any one of a plurality of wireless local area networks. Upon connection, the device uploads the data stored on the storage device to a remote server.
In a further embodiment of the aforementioned method, an additional step of manipulating a function of the vehicle using the transceiver device is disclosed. The function to be performed is sent to the device by way of the remote server. In one embodiment of the method of the disclosed technology, the function is the ignition system of the vehicle. In another embodiment of the method of the disclosed technology, the function is the door locks.
In the method of carrying out the disclosed technology, a step of receiving data from a sensory input device and storing the data on the data storage device may take place. Again, the sensory input device may be a microphone, camera, thermometer, or the like. In an embodiment in which the sensory device is a microphone, the sound data recorded from the microphone is stored on the provided storage device. Then, upon connection to wireless network, the sound data is uploaded to the remote server. Similarly, in an embodiment in which the sensory device is a camera, the video or image data recorded from the camera is stored on the provided storage device. Then, upon connection to the wireless network, the video or image data is uploaded to the remote server.
The transceiver device may further have a wireless network adapter and, in an additional step of the method, it may be configured to seek out an available wireless network and send data stored in the data storage device to a remote server upon connection to the wireless network. This may include seeking out unsecured (e.g., open, unencrypted, public access) 802.11 wireless networks, only wireless networks preprogrammed in the device, and the like. Should an 802.11 wireless network be a secure wireless network, authentication data for the given secure network may be stored on the device in order to enable connectivity.
In another embodiment of the disclosed technology, a transceiver device of embodiments of the disclosed technology comprises an interface adapted for engagement with an on-board diagnostic port of a vehicle, a global navigation satellite system receiver, a data storage device for storing received global navigation system data from the global navigation satellite system receiver, a sensory input device, and a wireless network adapter. The network adapter is capable of sending, receiving, and interpreting data signals transmitted wirelessly to a network. The sensory input device is configured to record to said data storage device sensory information from said vehicle. In this embodiment the type of sensory input information may include sound data, video data, temperature data, and vehicle diagnostic data.
Embodiments of the disclosed technology comprise a portable transceiver device (hereinafter, “device” or “transceiver”), adapted for engagement with an on-board diagnostic port found in a cabin or under the hood of a vehicle. A transceiver, in embodiments of the disclosed technology is defined as an apparatus which is made up of one or more components and is capable of sending and receiving data via radio signal. The transceiver device comprises a satellite receiver to receive data used to determine position (e.g., GPS) and logs such data. The data are stored within a storage medium contained within the device. The device further comprises a wireless network adapter capable of seeking out and connecting to a wireless local area network, such as an 802.11 wireless network, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, or the like network. Upon obtaining network connectivity through a network adapter in the device, such logged data are uploaded to a remote location. Video, audio, or other data may also be logged and uploaded. Furthermore, functions of the vehicle may be toggled using command data sent from a remote location to the device by way of the wireless local area network.
Embodiments of the disclosed technology are described below, with reference to the figures provided.
In the embodiment shown in
In yet another embodiment, the device may seek out a specific secured available wireless local area network or plurality thereof. In this embodiment, the authentication data necessary to connect to the secured network is stored on the device. Such authentication data typically is in the form of a security key or passphrase. This information may be configured on the device by a user while it is plugged into the vehicle's OBD port or before the device is connected to a vehicle. Such a pre-programming step may take place via wireless or wired data connection with a remote server, and may further include re-programming or configuring the transceiver device once it is in use within a vehicle.
Upon obtaining a wireless connection (negotiating a data connection between a wireless adapter within the device 120 and a wireless router 210), data stored in a storage medium within the device 120 is uploaded to a remote server via the data connection. In this manner, position data is logged, e.g., position data at specific times, and uploaded only as a connection becomes available. In addition, a camera, microphone, or thermometer may interface or form an integral part of the device, so as to allow the device to store video, audio, and thermal data as a function of time. Thus, any one, or a plurality, of position, video, audio, and temperature data as a function of time is uploaded to a remote server upon obtaining a wireless data connection between the device 120 and a network, such as the internet, via wireless router 210. Alternatively, the device may receive and store diagnostic information from the vehicle's on board computer by way of the on board diagnostic port. Such vehicle diagnostic data may include, but is not limited to, gas mileage, oil levels, engine malfunctions, and other measureable vehicle information.
In this manner, a consistent data connection is not necessary, the cost to track vehicle data is greatly reduced, and it is done in a manner which is convenient for the user without requiring protection from the elements and/or a separate power source when using exterior or other interior equipment, and so forth. Moreover, a subscription to a wide area network or cellular phone service is not required. The feeling of invasiveness is also decreased over prior art navigation logging devices and the device is harder to detect because, when a data connection is not active, the wireless data channel is also largely inactive, save attempts to seek out an available network. Still further, in an embodiment of the disclosed technology, the transceiver device may be instructed to only seek out a wireless network at certain hours or after a certain period of time has passed, in order to avoid detection.
Still further, in uses of the disclosed technology, such as after an auto theft, GPS receiver theft, handheld wireless device theft, or other theft, the thief is unlikely to realize that his position, and possibly picture, sound, and when a car door is opened/closed (due to perceivable temperature change or passage of data via the OBD port to the transceiver) is being recorded and sent to a remote server. Furthermore, in one embodiment of the disclosed technology, the device may comprise a backup battery, which will power the device in the event that it becomes disengaged from the vehicle's on-board diagnostic port or power from the OBD port becomes unavailable. Such a feature is beneficial in an instance in which a driver or operator discovers the device and unplugs it. This feature is also useful in the event of an accident in which the trauma from the collision cuts power to the OBD port. The backup battery will provide sufficient power to the device to acquire, store, and possibly transmit the GPS coordinates of the accident location.
In a further method of use of the devices of
Referring still to
Still referring to
In step 435, it is determined whether sensory devices are enabled. They may or may not be enabled due to configuration of a user (e.g., lower power and lower storage requirements without video), configuration of the device itself (e.g., the device may lack a camera so as to lower cost of procurement), power state of the device (e.g., when operating on battery power, the camera may be disabled), or for any other reason (e.g., malfunction of a sensory device). For each enabled sensory device, e.g., camera, microphone, or thermometer, in step 440, after the data is received, it is stored. Steps 400 to 440, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, occur substantially concurrently (whereby ‘substantially’ is defined as within five seconds of each other, or as fast as the device is able to process same under its current load).
Steps 445, 450, and 455 may occur in any order and may occur repeatedly and concurrently with any of the prior steps. In step 445, a connection to a wireless network, such as an 802.11 network, is sought, using, for example, a wireless network adapter built into the device itself. If a connection is made, then step 450 is carried out, whereby the data which has been stored is uploaded to a remote location, such as a computer of the owner on the internet or a server operated by the manufacturer of the device or third party, whereby law enforcement agencies or the owner of the device receive and can view the data. Uploading stored data is defined as a transfer or attempt to transfer at least some of the data stored on a storage device within the device via a network connection.
An illustrative example of a method of an embodiment of the disclosed technology, according to
In another example of same, a user may actually find his stolen car, connect to the transceiver device using a WiFi enabled (e.g., 802.11) device (steps 510 and 515), and disable the ignition (step 540) or toggle another feature of the car (step 530). In this manner, the car can be disabled, until the police can arrive, or the car is placed under surveillance in order that the thief or operator of the stolen vehicle can be identified and/or apprehended. In yet another (similar) embodiment, a user who finds his or her car, but had locked his or her keys in the car, can connect wirelessly to the remote transceiver device and unlock the car doors.
While the disclosed technology has been taught with specific reference to the above embodiments, a person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and the scope of the disclosed technology. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. Combinations of any of the methods, systems, and devices described hereinabove are also contemplated and within the scope of the disclosed technology.
