IP Library Granted Patent US 11,945,404
Granted Patent B2
US 11,945,404 · App. 16/856,532 · Granted Apr 2, 2024

Tracking and video information for detecting vehicle break-in

Inventor: Alex T. Pham (San Jose, CA)
Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
B60R25/31B60R25/102B60R25/305G01S17/66G01S17/88G06F16/9537G08B13/19645G08B13/19647H04L67/1097B60R2325/205
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,945,404
App. No.
16/856,532
Granted
Apr 2, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present specification relates to systems and methods capable of detecting and tracking a perpetrator of the vehicle break-in. In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method of tracking a perpetrator of a break-in in a vehicle is disclosed. The method includes detecting, using one or more sensors, that the vehicle has been broken in and monitoring the perpetrator during the break-in using in-vehicle data from the one or more sensors. The method further includes receiving the crowdsourced data on the perpetrator and combining the in-vehicle data and the crowdsourced data to form an integrated data set. Finally, the method tracks the perpetrator using the integrated data set.

Claims (52)

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

detecting, using one or more sensors, that a vehicle has been broken in;

monitoring a perpetrator during the break-in using in-vehicle data from the one or more sensors;

receiving crowdsourced data on the perpetrator; and

reconstructing a three-dimensional tracking image of a path taken by the perpetrator based on a combination of the in-vehicle data and the crowdsourced data on the perpetrator;

wherein reconstructing the three-dimensional tracking image of the path taken by the perpetrator further comprises processing the in-vehicle data and the crowdsourced data on the perpetrator using an image processing algorithm to generate processed images of the perpetrator and synchronizing the processed images with a universal clock time.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the step of monitoring the perpetrator during the break-in comprises the steps of:

accumulating the in-vehicle data during the break-in; and

tracking the perpetrator, using the in-vehicle data.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the crowdsourced data comprises: information on the path taken by the perpetrator before and after the break-in.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the crowdsourced data is received from at least one of a plurality of data sources located within a threshold radius of the vehicle, the plurality of data sources comprising: vehicles, infrastructural entities, edge servers, and local servers.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the infrastructural entities comprise one or more of: a traffic light, a street light, a home security camera, a roadside camera, and a mobile phone of a user.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the step of receiving crowdsourced data on the perpetrator further comprises the step of:

providing time of the break-in, location of the vehicle, and one or more of the following: make of the vehicle, model of the vehicle, and color of the vehicle; and

requesting the crowdsourced data on the perpetrator.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

providing law enforcement with the time of the break-in, the location of the vehicle, and one or more of the following: make of the vehicle, model of the vehicle, and color of the vehicle, one or more images of the perpetrator, and last-known location of the perpetrator.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

providing a registered user of the vehicle with the time of the break-in, the location of the vehicle, and one or more of the following: one or more images of the perpetrator, and last-known location of the perpetrator.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the crowdsourced data is shared on a cloud server by vehicles of same make.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the three-dimensional tracking image of the path taken by the perpetrator is built using GPS information associated with the one or more sensors, the in-vehicle data, the crowdsourced data, or a combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising detecting a detected location and a direction of movement of the perpetrator based on the three-dimensional tracking image and transmitting the detected location and the direction of movement of the perpetrator to the vehicle.

12. A system of tracking a perpetrator of a break-in in a vehicle, the system comprising:

a vehicle comprising:

one or more sensors configured to detect the break-in; and

a computing device comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory computer readable memory; and

a machine-readable instruction set stored in the non-transitory computer-readable memory that, when executed by the processor, causes the system to perform at least the following steps:

detecting, using one or more sensors, that the vehicle has been broken in;

monitoring the perpetrator during the break-in using in-vehicle data from the one or more sensors;

receiving crowdsourced data on the perpetrator; and

reconstructing a three-dimensional tracking image of a path taken by the perpetrator based on a combination of the in-vehicle data and the crowdsourced data on the perpetrator;

wherein reconstructing the three-dimensional tracking image of the path taken by the perpetrator further comprises processing the in-vehicle data and the crowdsourced data on the perpetrator using an image processing algorithm to generate processed images of the perpetrator and synchronizing the processed images with a universal clock time.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising:

a plurality of data sources located within a threshold radius of the vehicle and configured to provide the crowdsourced data, the plurality of data sources comprising:

vehicles, infrastructural entities, edge servers, and local servers.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the infrastructural entities comprise one or more of: a traffic light, a street light, a home security camera, a roadside camera, and a mobile phone of a user.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the three-dimensional tracking image of the path taken by the perpetrator is built using GPS information associated with the one or more sensors and the plurality of data sources.

16. The system of claim 12 , wherein the machine-readable instruction set when executed by the processor, causes the system to monitor the perpetrator during the break-in by:

accumulating the in-vehicle data during the break-in; and

tracking the perpetrator, using the in-vehicle data.

17. The system of claim 12 , wherein the crowdsourced data comprises: information on the path taken by the perpetrator before and after the break-in.

18. The system of claim 12 , wherein the machine-readable instruction set when executed by the processor, causes the system to receive crowdsourced data on the perpetrator by:

providing time of the break-in, location of the vehicle, and one or more of the following: make of the vehicle, model of the vehicle, and color of the vehicle; and

requesting the crowdsourced data on the perpetrator.

19. The system of claim 12 , wherein the machine-readable instruction set when executed by the processor, further causes the system to perform the step of:

providing law enforcement with the time of the break-in, the location of the vehicle, and one or more of the following: make of the vehicle, model of the vehicle, and color of the vehicle, one or more images of the perpetrator, and last-known location of the perpetrator.

20. The system of claim 12 , wherein the machine-readable instruction set when executed by the processor, further causes the system to perform the step of:

providing a registered user of the vehicle with the time of the break-in, the location of the vehicle, and one or more of the following: one or more images of the perpetrator, and last-known location of the perpetrator.

21. The system of claim 12 further comprising:

a cloud server communicatively coupled to the computing device, the cloud server configured to share the crowdsourced data from vehicles of same make.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 17, 2024
From: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
To: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 067444/0425 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 23, 2020
From: PHAM, ALEX T.
To: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Reel/Frame 052478/0659 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210331648A1 · Oct 28, 2021
Cited By (2)
US 12,499,761 US 12,559,061