Control apparatus and methods for vehicles

What is claimed is:

1. A control apparatus for a vehicle, which comprises:

a first control device, wherein said first control device one of generates and transmits a first signal for one of activating, deactivating, enabling, and disabling, one of a vehicle component, a vehicle device, a vehicle system, and a vehicle subsystem, wherein said first control device is located at the vehicle;

wherein said first control device is responsive to a second signal, wherein the second signal is one of generated by and transmitted from a second control device, wherein the second control device is located at a location which is remote from the vehicle, and further wherein the second control device is responsive to a third signal, wherein the third signal is one of generated by and transmitted from a third control device, therein the third control device is located at a location which is remote from the vehicle and remote from the second control device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, which further comprises:

a monitoring device for monitoring at least one of the vehicle, vehicle operational status, vehicle operation, said one of a vehicle component, a vehicle device, a vehicle system, and a vehicle subsystem, a vehicle one of fuel supply, water supply, and coolant supply, one of electrical generator and alternator operation, battery charge level, engine temperature level, one of an electrical circuit and an electrical device, activity inside the vehicle, and activity outside the vehicle.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, which further comprises:

a positioning device for determining location of the vehicle, wherein said positioning device is located at the vehicle.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, which further comprises:

one of a camera and a video recording device for obtaining video information at the vehicle.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first control device detects at least one of a vehicle use, an unauthorized use of the vehicle, and a theft of the vehicle.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the third control device is one of a stationary device, a hand-held device, a mobile device, a telephone, a digital telephone, a cordless telephone, a cellular telephone, a wireless telephone, a computer, a personal computer, a personal digital assistant, a television, an interactive television, a digital television, a personal communications device, a personal communications services device, a display telephone, a video telephone, a watch, a beeper, and pager.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said one of a vehicle component, a vehicle device, a vehicle system, and a vehicle subsystem, is at least one of a vehicle ignition system, a vehicle fuel system, a vehicle exhaust system, a vehicle one of electrical, mechanical, and electro-mechanical, one of system and component, a vehicle light system, a vehicle alarm system, a vehicle anti-theft system, a vehicle recovery system, a vehicle door lock system, a vehicle hood lock system, a horn, a vehicle surveillance system, a video device, a video recording device, an audio device, and an audio recording device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operation of one of said apparatus and said first control device is at least one of programmed, automatically activated, and self-activating.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is one of a motor vehicle, an automobile, a truck, a tractor trailer, a marine vehicle, a marine vessel, a boat, an aircraft, a jet, a plane, construction equipment, farm equipment, a commercial vehicle, a recreational vehicle, a motorcycle, a snowmobile, a motor home, a mobile home, a water submersible vehicle, and an unmanned one of vehicle and equipment.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, which further comprises:

a device for one of arming and activating apparatus operation, wherein said one of arming and activating device is located at the vehicle.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, which further comprises:

a voice synthesizing device for generating a voice message indicative of one of operation of the apparatus, statue of the apparatus, operation of said first control device, and operation of the vehicle.

12. A control apparatus for a vehicle, which comprises:

a first control device, wherein said first control device one of generates and transmits a first signal for one of activating, deactivating, enabling, and disabling, one of a vehicle component, a vehicle device, a vehicle system, and a vehicle subsystem, therein said first control device is located at a location remote from the vehicle;

wherein said first control device is responsive to a second signal, wherein the second signal is one of generated by and transmitted from a second control device, wherein the second control device is located at a location which is remote from said first control device and remote from the vehicle,

wherein said first signal controls a third control device, wherein the third control device is located at the vehicle, and further wherein the third control device one of generates and transmits a third signal for one of activating, deactivating, enabling, and disabling, said one of a vehicle component, a vehicle device, a vehicle system, and a vehicle subsystem, in response to said first signal.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said first control device is a server computer.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said one of a vehicle component, a vehicle device, a vehicle system, and a vehicle subsystem, is at least one of a vehicle ignition system, a vehicle fuel system, a vehicle exhaust system, a vehicle one of electrical, mechanical, and electro-mechanical, one of system and component, a vehicle light system, a vehicle alarm system, a vehicle anti-theft system, a vehicle recovery system, a vehicle door lock system, a vehicle hood lock system, a horn, a vehicle surveillance system, a video device, a video recording device, an audio device, and an audio recording device.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said apparatus operates over at least one of the Internet and the World Wide Web.

16. A method for control for a vehicle, which comprises:

transmitting a first signal from a first control device to a second control device, wherein the first control device is located at a location remote from the vehicle and remote from the second control device;

transmitting a second signal from the second control device to a third control device, wherein the third control device is located at the vehicle, and further wherein the second control device is located at a location remote from the vehicle;

generating a third signal at the third control device in response to said second signal,

one of activating, deactivating, enabling, and disabling, one of a vehicle component, a vehicle device, a vehicle system, and a vehicle a subsystem, in response to said third signal.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of:

determining an operational status of at least one of the vehicle component, vehicle device, vehicle system, and vehicle subsystem.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of:

obtaining a video image at the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said one of a vehicle component, a vehicle device, a vehicle system, a and vehicle subsystem, is at least one of a vehicle ignition system, a vehicle fuel system, a vehicle exhaust system, a vehicle one of electrical, mechanical, and electro-mechanical, one of system and component, a vehicle light system, a vehicle alarm system, a vehicle anti-theft system, a vehicle recovery system, a vehicle door lock system, a vehicle hood lock system, a horn, a vehicle surveillance system, a video device, a video recording device, an audio device, and an audio recording device.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the first control device is one of a stationary device, a hand-held device, a mobile device, a telephone, a digital telephone, a cordless telephone, a cellular telephone, a wireless telephone, a computer, a personal computer, a personal digital assistant, a television, an interactive television, a digital television, a personal communications device, a personal communications services device, a display telephone, a video telephone, a watch, a beeper, and a pager.

Description Submit all comments and votes

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to a remote-controlled control, monitoring and/or security apparatus and method for vehicles, motor vehicles, marine vessels and vehicles, aircraft, recreational vehicles, residential premises and/or commercial premises and, in particular, to a remote-controlled control, monitoring and/or security apparatus and method for exercising and/or providing remote-controlled immediate, as well as deferred, control, monitoring, security, anti-theft and/or theft deterrent functions for vehicles, motor vehicles, marine vessels and vehicles, aircraft, recreational vehicles, residential premises and/or commercial premises.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Anti-theft devices for vehicles and premises are known in the prior art for preventing and/or thwarting the theft of a vehicle and/or of a premises. Vehicle recovery devices or systems are also known for recovering a motor vehicle. These known anti-theft and/or vehicle recovery devices may be of the active or passive variety and are typically available in many forms (i.e. steering wheel locks, hood locks, ignition system cut-off devices, alarms, vehicle homing devices with associated receiving devices, etc.). In some cases, these devices may be of a very simple design, while in other cases, they may be of a more sophisticated design. However, as is well known, these known anti-theft and/or vehicle recovery devices or systems may be easily defeated by thieves, and especially, by professional thieves and/or have other disadvantages associated with their use. Experience has shown that even the most sophisticated of anti-theft devices may be defeated by an experienced, and determined, thief, and that vehicle recovery systems also have drawbacks associated with their use.

In the case of some vehicle recovery devices, their use may be limited by the availability, or lack thereof, of the corresponding tracker or receiver device(s) in the particular locality, or the lack of same by the law enforcement department in a particular area.

In recent times, an even more disturbing criminal practice, involving the theft of motor vehicles, has rendered most anti-theft devices virtually useless. This criminal practice, known as car-jacking, has gained widespread attention. Car-jacking usually occurs when a thief or thieves confront a motorist or motor vehicle operator, when the motor vehicle engine is running, or when the car thief obtains easy access to the motor vehicle ignition keys and to the motor vehicle, either by force or by the threat of force, thereby bypassing, and rendering useless, any of the widely known anti-theft and/or theft-deterrent devices, thereby gaining control and/or possession of the motor vehicle. In these instances, the motorist or motor vehicle operator is well advised to surrender the motor vehicle. However, once surrendered, the motor vehicle is virtually lost to the car thief.

Anti-theft and/or theft-deterrent devices which attempt to defeat the ultimate vehicle theft, such as caused by car-jacking, by disabling the motor vehicle during the "getaway", such as by shutting off power to the motor vehicle engine, have major disadvantages and drawbacks in that they could shut-off the vehicle engine at an inopportune instant in time, thereby causing a dangerous condition to exist which could lead to an accident and resulting injuries to individuals as well as damage to property. These accidents may arise when the motor vehicle power is suddenly shut-off while the vehicle is in motion, which condition could cause the vehicle to suddenly, or even gradually, lose power on a roadway or highway, while traveling at a moderate or at a high rate of speed and/or when a power steering and/or a power braking system, which derives its power from the vehicle engine, suddenly loses power upon the loss of the engine power. As noted above, accidents such as these may result in injuries to people, both inside and outside the vehicle, as well as property damage caused by, and to, the vehicle.

The above described disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art devices may also pose accident liability concerns to those manufacturers and/or sellers of these devices, as well as to the owner or operator of the motor vehicle, as these entities and/or individuals may be held liable for the injuries and/or the damages sustained as a result of the above described accidents.

Vehicle recovery systems are known which include a vehicle homing device, which is activated and which emits homing signals which are used to home in on, or to locate, the vehicle. These vehicle recovery systems usually require that the law enforcement agency have corresponding homing signal receivers and/or equipment and that they be kept in operating condition, in order to effectively home in on, or locate, the vehicle. Unless the local police or law enforcement authorities have such equipment, the homing signal recovery device serves little purpose in recovering the vehicle in that locale. Other vehicle recovery systems require that a police report be made prior to an activation of the homing and/or recovery equipment, which practice could result in the loss of valuable time in the vehicle recovery process. The above problems concerning vehicle security are equally applicable to and present an equal or even greater problem in providing security for marine vessels and vehicles, aircraft and/or recreational vehicles.

Providing security for residential premises and/or commercial premises is also of great concern, especially when such premises are left vacant for hours and/or days at a time. These concerns may arise while residential premises are left unoccupied during the working day, when second homes and/or vacation homes are left unoccupied for days, weeks and months at a time, and in commercial premises which may also be left unoccupied for long periods of time such as after working hours or during weekends or other prolonged periods of time when these premises may be closed and/or unoccupied. While anti-theft and/or security systems exist for residential and/or commercial premises, such systems fail to enable the owner or occupant and/or other authorized individual to conveniently and effectively exercise and/or perform control, monitoring and/or security functions with regards to these premises. The ability to conveniently and effectively enable one to exercise and/or to perform control, monitoring and/or security functions would prove to be invaluable in allowing owners, occupants and/or other authorized individuals to exercise and/or to provide control, monitoring and/or security functions over these premises, from a remote location and at any time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for overcoming the disadvantages and drawbacks which are associated with the known prior art anti-theft and/or theft deterrent systems and, in particular, anti-theft and/or theft-deterrent systems for vehicles, marine vessels and vehicles, aircraft and recreational vehicles as well as for residential premises and/or for commercial premises.

The apparatus of the present invention comprises a transmitter system for transmitting an electrical, an electronic, an electromagnetic or other suitable signal, transmittable over a communication system and/or medium, upon an activation by the owner or authorized user or operator of the vehicle, motor vehicle, marine vessel, aircraft, recreational vehicle, and/or the owner, occupant and/or authorized individual of and for the residential premises and/or the commercial premises. The transmitter should also consist of a user interface device and a transmitting device. The transmitter should also have a receiver associated therewith for receiving signals. In this regard, the transmitter/receiver combination may be replaced and/or implemented with and/or by a transceiver. The transmitter transmits a signal, in response to an authorized user or operator accessing and/or activating the apparatus.

The transmitter system is a remote system, which may or may not be physically connected to the remainder of the apparatus. Further, the transmitter system is not located in the vehicle, motor vehicle, marine vessel or vehicle, aircraft, recreational vehicle, residential premises and/or commercial premises, but rather, is located external from, and/or separate and apart from, the vehicle.

The apparatus also comprises a receiver for receiving the signals which are transmitted by the transmitter or transceiver system. The receiver receives the signal(s) which is transmitted by the transmitter or transceiver and provides an indication, in the form of a signal transmission, back to the transmitter or transceiver and, in particular, the transmitter receiver, which signifies that a signal has been received by the apparatus. The receiver also generates data which is indicative of the signal, or a portion thereof, which has been received. The receiver should also be provided with its own transmitter. In this regard, this receiver/transmitter combination may also be replaced and/or implemented with and/or by a transceiver.

The transmitter/receiver combination should provide for the transmission and for the reception of a multitude of remote electrical, electronic, electromagnetic, and/or other suitable signals, over long distances and/or in a mobile and/or a wireless communications environment. Telephone signals and telephone communication devices can be utilized in the present invention as well as personal computers which can be utilized with telecommunications and/or other suitable communication systems and/or mediums.

Upon receiving the signal, the receiver generates a distinct signal which is indicative of the signal transmitted from the transmitter. At least a portion of the transmitted signal may include a valid access code, which accesses the receiver and the apparatus. The access code serves to provide for security measures which may be taken in conjunction with the use of the apparatus.

The apparatus also comprises a controller or a central processing unit (CPU), which is electrically connected with the receiver and which receives, or reads, whichever the case may be, the signal or signals, or portions thereof, which are generated by the receiver. The CPU also has associated therewith a read only memory device(s) and random access memory device(s). The data which is received by the receiver is processed by the apparatus.

The CPU may also have a transmitter associated therewith for transmitting signals to the transmitter receiver or transceiver. In this manner, the CPU of the apparatus may respond to a user data transmission, command, or inquiry with a transmitted signal.

In the case of vehicles, motor vehicles, marine vessels and vehicles, aircraft and recreational vehicles (hereinafter referred to collectively as "vehicles"), the CPU is electrically connected and/or linked to the vehicle ignition system, which is located externally from the apparatus. The CPU may or may not be connected with and/or linked to the vehicle ignition system through an ignition system interface. The CPU may transmit signals to, as well as receive signals from, the vehicle ignition system. In this manner, the CPU and the vehicle ignition system may exchange information between each other.

The CPU, upon receiving an appropriate signal from the receiver, and upon the completion of a data processing routine, may issue a suitable signal, to the vehicle ignition system. This signal may be one which will disable, re-enable and/or reset the vehicle ignition system. The CPU may also interrogate the ignition system and/or receive data from the ignition system which is indicative of ignition system status.

The CPU may also be electrically connected and/or linked to the vehicle fuel system which is also located externally from the apparatus. The CPU may or may not be connected with and/or linked to the vehicle fuel system through a fuel system interface. The CPU is capable of issuing a signal, to disable, re-enable and/or reset the vehicle fuel system. The CPU may also interrogate and/or receive data from the fuel system which is indicative of fuel system status. The CPU may also provide control over the vehicle exhaust system in a similar fashion or in an analogous manner.

The CPU may also be electrically connected and/or linked to at least one or more of a variety of vehicle equipment systems. The vehicle equipment system or systems are located externally from the apparatus and may or may not be connected and/or linked to the CPU via a respective and/or associated vehicle equipment system or systems interface. The vehicle equipment system or systems, which varies for each type of vehicle (i.e., vehicle, motor vehicle, marine vessel or vehicle, aircraft and/or recreation vehicle) may include, but is not limited to, an exterior and/or an interior siren or alarm, a horn, a vehicle exterior light system(s), a power door lock or other locking system or device, a hood locking system, a video recording device and/or a camera, and/or an audio recording device, for providing surveillance of the vehicle interior and/or exterior, an intercom system, for providing communications between vehicle users and/or occupants and the owner, operator and/or authorized individual, cellular or mobile phones and/or any one or more of the widely known vehicle anti-theft systems, alarm systems and/or stolen vehicle and/or other type of vehicle recovery systems and/or devices.

Each of the vehicle equipment systems, if utilized in conjunction with the apparatus, may be activated, de-activated, reset or in some other way controlled and/or monitored by the apparatus of the present invention. The use of any one or more of the vehicle equipment system or systems is optional.

The vehicle equipment system or systems receives signals from the CPU, which signals serve to activate, de-activate, or vice versa, whichever the case may be, the respective vehicle equipment system(s).

The apparatus may also comprise a vehicle position and locating device which can be utilized in order to determine the position and/or the location of the vehicle. The vehicle position and locating device can be utilized so as to determine the position of the vehicle anywhere in the world and provide for the transmission of vehicle position and/or location data, via an associated transmitter, to an appropriate system receiver so that vehicle position would be available to the owner, user and/or authorized individual and/or so that the vehicle may be located and/or tracked and recovered.

The apparatus may also comprise a vehicle position and locating system receiver, which is employed for receiving and/or processing the data which is transmitted from the vehicle position and locating device.

The vehicle position and locating device may comprise a positioning system computer and a global positioning device with associated global positioning system receiver. The vehicle position and locating device may also comprise a position data transmitter for transmitting the vehicle position and/or location data to the vehicle position system receiver. The vehicle position and locating device may also comprise a data base which contains digital and/or digitized map data, which can be utilized in order to determine the geographical position of the vehicle from the calculated "raw" position data obtained from the global positioning device. In this manner, vehicle position and/or location on a map may be obtained.

Vehicle position and/or location data can be transmitted to the vehicle position system receiver which may be located at, or accessible to, the authorized user or operator and/or authorized individual at any location and/or at the location of an authorized office or agency, such as at a central security office or agency or local or regional law enforcement office or agency, which is duly authorized to receive the vehicle position and/or location data for the vehicle.

The vehicle position and locating device may also perform updated global positioning calculations so as to provide for a tracking of a vehicle movement. The apparatus may also ascertain vehicle movement by monitoring and/or tracking vehicle position data as it is updated.

The vehicle position system receiver may be equipped with an appropriate computer system and a receiver for receiving the data transmitted by the transmitter of the vehicle position and locating device.

The vehicle position system receiver may comprise a CPU for controlling the operation of the system receiver which CPU is connected and/or linked to the receiver for receiving and/or for reading the vehicle position and/or location data. The system receiver may also comprise a user interface device, a display device, an output device and a database containing digital map data for use in determining geographical position of a vehicle. The system receiver may also comprise a transmitter for sending data and/or signals to the vehicle position and locating device and/or for transmitting signals to the CPU and/or to the transmitter receiver.

The system receiver may also be utilized in conjunction with a home and/or a personal computer and/or other personal communications device and/or apparatus which may be utilized with an associated receiver or equivalent peripheral device(s).

A home and/or personal computer, and/or other personal communications device and/or apparatus may also be utilized for performing the functions of the transmitter and the vehicle position and locating system receiver. The apparatus may also be utilized in conjunction with a compute