IP Library Granted Patent US 10,534,819
Granted Patent B2
US 10,534,819 · App. 15/269,434 · Granted Jan 14, 2020

Vehicle intruder alert detection and indication

Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci (Saratoga, CA)
Assignee: IP Optimum Limited
G06F16/951A61B5/0077A61B5/4809A61B5/6808A61B5/742A61B5/7405A61B7/04B60C1/00B60H1/00742B60K35/00B60N2/0244B60Q9/00B60R25/00B60R25/01B60R25/102B60R25/1004B60R25/20B60R25/25B60W50/085B60W50/10B60W50/14G01C21/3484G01C21/365G01C21/3667G01C21/3691G01C21/3697G01S19/42G05D1/0016G05D1/0276G05D23/1917G06F3/013G06F3/017G06F3/0481G06F3/0482G06F3/04842G06F3/04886G06F3/0622G06F3/0637G06F3/0673G06F9/451G06F16/183G06F16/24575G06F16/25G06F16/252G06F16/583G06F21/00G06F21/31G06F21/32G06K9/00255G06K9/00268G06K9/00288G06K9/00335G06K9/00355G06K9/00832G06K9/00838G06Q10/00G06Q10/02G06Q10/20G06Q30/00G06Q30/012G06Q30/0265G06Q30/0266G06Q30/0633G06Q30/0639G06Q30/0641G06Q30/0645G06Q50/30G07C5/02G08B13/19647G08B21/0205G08B21/06G08B21/18G08B25/016G08B29/188G08G1/01G08G1/07G08G1/0968G08G1/096725G08G1/096741G08G1/096775G08G1/096805G08G1/096811G08G1/096844G08G1/164G08G1/207G09G5/37H04L51/02H04L63/0236H04L63/0428H04L63/102H04L67/10H04L67/12H04L67/26H04L67/306H04N21/2225H04N21/2265H04N21/2393H04N21/25816H04N21/43615H04N21/43637H04N21/454H04N21/6408H04N21/64322H04W4/021H04W4/12H04W4/21H04W4/30H04W4/40H04W4/48H04W4/60H04W4/70H04W4/80H04W12/08H04W36/0005H04W36/34H04W48/04H04W76/11H04W76/19H04W84/18H05K999/00H05K999/99A61B2503/04B60K2370/11B60K2370/146B60K2370/15B60K2370/193B60K2370/52B60Q1/52B60R11/04B60R25/2081B60R25/257B60W2050/0067B60W2050/0085G01C21/362G02B27/0093G05D1/021G06F3/0488G06F2203/04803G06K9/00221G06K2009/00939G09G2380/10H04L67/34H04N7/181H04W12/00508H04W12/06H04W84/005
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,534,819
App. No.
15/269,434
Granted
Jan 14, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods and systems for a detecting an intruder near or within a vehicle are disclosed. Specifically, a method to detect and identify a person near or within a vehicle as an authorized or an unauthorized user is provided. In the event an unauthorized user is detected within a vehicle, the system may take a number of actions. In one embodiment, the actions comprise providing notice to one or more authorized users of the vehicle, disabling the vehicle, notifying emergency personnel or police, and emitting a visual or audio alarm.

Claims (45)

1. A method for managing vehicle intrusions by a vehicle control system, the method comprising:

detecting, at a motion sensor communicably coupled to a vehicle, movement within a first threshold distance of the vehicle;

in response to detecting movement within the first threshold distance of the vehicle at the motion sensor, activating one or more electromagnetic sensors communicably coupled to the vehicle;

detecting, at the one or more electromagnetic sensors, that an entity has made contact with the vehicle;

in response to detecting that an entity has made contact with the vehicle at the one or more electromagnetic sensors, activating an image sensor mounted externally to the vehicle;

capturing an image at the image sensor mounted externally to the vehicle;

comparing the image to one or more images of authorized users of the vehicle stored within a profile database; and

in response to determining that the image does not match the one or more images of authorized users of the vehicle, providing a notice of unauthorized use of the vehicle to a device associated with an authorized user of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a notice of unauthorized use of the vehicle to an emergency responder in response to determining that the image does not match the one or more images of authorized users of the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising detecting a heat source within the first threshold distance of the vehicle at an infrared sensor communicably coupled to the vehicle and activating the one or more electromagnetic sensors communicably coupled to the vehicle in response to detecting the movement and the heat source within the first threshold distance of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

in response to detecting movement within the first threshold distance of the vehicle, activating an infrared sensor communicably coupled to the vehicle; and

detecting, at the infrared sensor communicably coupled to the vehicle, a heat source within a second threshold distance of the vehicle, wherein the second threshold distance of the vehicle is less than the first threshold distance of the vehicle, and wherein the one or more electromagnetic sensors are activated in response to detecting both the movement within the first threshold distance of the vehicle and the heat source within the second threshold distance of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting that an entity has made contact with the vehicle and the one or more electromagnetic sensors further comprises detecting that the entity has physically contacted a door handle of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising disabling the vehicle in response to determining that the image does not match the one or more images of authorized users of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising activating a visual alarm on the vehicle in response to determining that the image does not match the one or more images of authorized users of the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising activating an audio alarm on the vehicle in response to determining that the image does not match the one or more images of authorized users of the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the notice of unauthorized use of the vehicle is a phone call or text message.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a notice of unauthorized use of the vehicle to a monitoring service in response to determining that the image does not match the one or more images of authorized users of the vehicle.

11. A method for managing vehicle intrusions by a vehicle control system, the method comprising:

detecting, at a motion sensor communicably coupled to a vehicle, movement within a threshold distance of the vehicle;

in response to detecting movement within the threshold distance of the vehicle at the motion sensor, activating an image sensor mounted externally to the vehicle;

capturing an image at the image sensor mounted externally to the vehicle;

comparing the image to one or more images of authorized users of the vehicle stored within a profile database; and

in response to determining that the image does not match the one or more images of authorized users of the vehicle, providing a notice of unauthorized use of the vehicle to a device associated with an authorized user of the vehicle.

12. A system for managing vehicle intrusions, the system comprising:

a motion sensor communicably coupled to a vehicle;

one or more electromagnetic sensors communicably coupled to the vehicle;

an image sensor mounted externally to the vehicle; and

a vehicle control system installed in the vehicle and configured to:

detect, at the motion sensor, movement within a first threshold distance of the vehicle;

in response to detecting movement within the first threshold distance of the vehicle at the motion sensor, activate the one or more electromagnetic sensors communicably coupled to the vehicle;

detect, at the one or more electromagnetic sensors, that an entity has made contact with the vehicle;

in response to detecting that an entity has made contact with the vehicle at the one or more electromagnetic sensors, activate the image sensor mounted externally to the vehicle;

capture an image at the image sensor mounted externally to the vehicle;

compare the image to one or more images of authorized users of the vehicle stored within a profile database; and

in response to determining that the image does not match the one or more images of authorized users of the vehicle, provide a notice of unauthorized use of the vehicle to a device associated with an authorized user of the vehicle.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the vehicle control system is further configured to provide a notice of unauthorized use of the vehicle to an emergency responder in response to determining that the image does not match the one or more images of authorized users of the vehicle.

14. The system of claim 12 , further comprising an infrared sensor communicably coupled to the vehicle and wherein the vehicle control system is further configured to detect a heat source within the first threshold distance of the vehicle at the infrared sensor and activate the one or more electromagnetic sensors communicably coupled to the vehicle in response to detecting the movement and the heat source within the first threshold distance of the vehicle.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the vehicle control system is configured to detect that an entity has made contact with the vehicle and the one or more electromagnetic sensors by detecting that the entity has physically contacted a door handle of the vehicle.

16. The system of claim 12 , wherein the vehicle control system is further configured to disable the vehicle in response to determining that the image does not match the one or more images of authorized users of the vehicle.

17. The system of claim 12 , wherein the vehicle control system is further configured to activate a visual alarm on the vehicle in response to determining that the image does not match the one or more images of authorized users of the vehicle.

18. The system of claim 12 , wherein the vehicle control system is further configured to activate an audio alarm on the vehicle in response to determining that the image does not match the one or more images of authorized users of the vehicle.

19. The system of claim 12 , wherein the notice of unauthorized use of the vehicle is a phone call or text message.

20. The system of claim 12 , wherein the vehicle control system is further configured to provide a notice of unauthorized use of the vehicle to a monitoring service in response to determining that the image does not match the one or more images of authorized users of the vehicle.

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 7, 2024
From: IP OPTIMUM LIMITED
To: AUTOCONNECT HOLDINGS LLC
Reel/Frame 068206/0503 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 4, 2019
From: AUTOCONNECT HOLDINGS, LLC
To: IP OPTIMUM LIMITED
Reel/Frame 050634/0598 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 19, 2016
From: RICCI, CHRISTOPHER P.
To: FLEXTRONICS AP, LLC
Reel/Frame 040675/0210 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 19, 2016
From: FLEXTRONICS AP, LLC
To: AUTOCONNECT HOLDINGS LLC
Reel/Frame 040675/0253 →
Continuity (13)
Continuation 14253099 · Apr 15, 2014
Continuation 14253351 · Apr 15, 2014
Continuation 14253423 · Apr 15, 2014
Continuation 14958371 · Dec 3, 2015
Continuation 14253388 · Apr 15, 2014
Provisional Application 61811981 · Apr 15, 2013
Provisional Application 61865954 · Aug 14, 2013
Provisional Application 61870698 · Aug 27, 2013
Provisional Application 61891217 · Oct 15, 2013
Provisional Application 61904205 · Nov 14, 2013
Provisional Application 61924572 · Jan 7, 2014
Provisional Application 61926749 · Jan 13, 2014
Related Publication 20170066406A1 · Mar 9, 2017
Cited By (9)
US 12,206,560 US 12,208,769 US 12,344,193 US 12,394,241 US 12,403,896 US 12,437,630 US 12,476,369 US 12,489,841 US 12,667,314