Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02290274 1999-11-22
Method and Apparatus for Remote Location, Identification and/or Control of
Motor Vehicles
Field of the Invention
The present invention is primarily designed to remotely terminate the
operation of
a selected motor vehicle by law enforcement officers during high speed chases.
Secondary functions will be to apprehend stolen vehicles, control and monitor
traffic
flow, enforce speed laws, and conduct surveillance of suspect vehicles.
Background of the Invention
Since the invention of the automobile, high speed chases have been a fact of
life.
Many police officers, criminal suspects and innocent motoristslpedestrians are
killed or
injured annually when criminals attempt to avoid arrest by trying to outrun
police
vehicles. In the past police officers have discharged firearms at fleeing
vehicles, used
spike belts to flatten the tires, rammed suspect vehicles to force them off
the road, and
used other desperate measures. These have met with little success, and most
methods
attempted have been extremely dangerous to those involved.
The dilemma faced by authorities is that they have no way to effectively
apprehend the motoring criminal without endangering the general public, yet
they have a
sworn duty to stop dangerous drivers and remove them from the road. Many
devices
have been tried over the years, but with minimal success. The most popular was
the spike
belt, a rubber mat containing a number of sharp spikes which, when stretched
across the
road, would deflate some or all the tires on a suspect vehicle. The only
problem was that
CA 02290274 1999-11-22
2
the police seldom managed to get ahead of the suspect as their vehicles were
not fast
enough and the suspect's direction of travel was seldom predictable. They
could lay out
spike belts where it appeared the suspect might go, only to have the target
vehicle take
another route. This method, although still in use, is not effective. The
difficulty is that
there is nothing else on the market which will do the job. The police have a
serious
problem. They have to stop speeding vehicles which are endangering the public,
but they
have no effective way of doing it.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,528 issued to Gene Buck describes an RF means for
terminating the normal operation of a selected motor vehicle by curtailing the
vehicle's
fuel supply or removing ignition voltage to the engine. Identification of the
vehicle is by
license plate number, which is very unreliable when one is dealing with stolen
vehicles
bearing stolen license plates. As well, police officers pursuing vehicles at
high speeds
often are unable to visually obtain a license number.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,580,353 issued to Kermith Thomson describes a fuel cutoff
device
activated by remote radio transmission. The radio transmission is not vehicle
specific,
thereby causing all vehicles within radio range to be immobilized if they are
equipped
with the cutoff mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,728 issued to Pagliaroli et al outlines a system for
disabling or
enabling an automobile via signals transmitted over mobile telephone networks.
There remains an acute need for a device which police can use to effectively
curtail high speed chases. None of the foregoing, nor any other patents
identified to date,
describe a remote method of selecting one specific vehicle in heavy freeway
traffic,
positively identifying it by its serial number and complete physical
description, then
causing it to slow down and stop safely without affecting or endangering
nearby vehicles.
CA 02290274 1999-11-22
Summary of the Invention
This invention enables police officers to select a single vehicle from freeway
traffic and immobilize it almost immediately, thereby avoiding high speed
chases and
their inherent dangers. The invention enables police to do so even if they
have had little
or no visual contact with the target vehicle.
This invention is based on the premise that certain jurisdictions will in due
course
require by law that all motor vehicles operating within that jurisdiction be
equipped with
PCEL technology.
All motor vehicles will be equipped with an electronic (PCEL) module which is
integrated with the vehicle's ignition and four-way flashers. Police vehicles
have an on-
board computer system capable of communicating with all PCEL modules within a
predetermined radius such as 500 feet via secure communications such as RF
radio
signals. These polling signals, when received by the PCEL modules in vehicles,
will
cause each module polled to emit an RF signal on the same frequency,
transmitting the
host vehicle's identity such as the serial number and complete physical
description. The
computer will collate all such responses, then do another poll and compare the
second set
of responses received with those of the first poll. This polling action will
be repeated
until the computer identifies one particular vehicle which has responded to
the first two
polls as well as each subsequent poll and continues to do so, while all others
from the
initial group have entered and departed radio range. When that single vehicle
is
identified, the police officer can then choose to keep the vehicle under
surveillance, cause
it to slow down, or stop its engine as circumstances dictate.
In accordance with other aspects of the invention, the PCEL can be used to
enable
police to locate and conduct surveillance on suspect vehicles from a safe
distance without
CA 02290274 1999-11-22
4
risking detection; to immobilize and intercept stolen vehicles by constantly
broadcasting
serial numbers of such vehicles over selected RF media, thereby rendering
stolen vehicles
inoperable wherever they may be; to monitor traffic on any roadway, regardless
of the
number of traffic lanes, volume of traffic or direction of travel, to alert
them when a
particular vehicle passes by; or to more easily detect vehicles which may be
stolen by
comparing the serial numbers and physical descriptors of vehicles shown on the
PCEL
screen with those actually displayed by the suspect vehicle.
In accordance with further aspects of this invention, the PCEL can be used to
enable authorities to slow down vehicular traffic in areas where posted
highway speed is
dangerous due to road, atmospheric or other conditions; or to monitor and
calculate the
speed of highway traffic, identifying each and every vehicle by serial number
and
physical descriptors.
In accordance with yet other aspects of this invention, the PCEL can be used
to
positively identify all vehicular traffic for the purposes of assessing tolls,
counting
vehicles, monitoring traffic movement, determining traffic patterns, and
enforcing speed
laws; to positively identify all motor vehicles entering restricted areas,
either permitting
them access or stopping them immediately upon attempting unauthorized entry;
to enable
tracking of vehicles via Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite tracking,
or other
technical means; or to provide a strong deterrent against vehicle theft,
making vehicles
difficult to steal, and much more difficult to operate after they are stolen.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention, as well as the structure and
operation of various embodiments of the invention, will become apparent to
those
ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of the
invention in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
CA 02290274 1999-11-22
Brief Description of the Drawings
The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings,
wherein:
Figure 1 is an internal view of one embodiment of the PCEL module which will
be installed in each motor vehicle.
Figure 2 shows an example of the external appearance of the PCEL computer
which will be installed in each police vehicle.
Detailed Description of the Invention
The operation of the PCEL system comprises a vehicle module and a remote
computer. The vehicle module is a small electronic device (Fig. l ) which is
installed in
each new vehicle at the factory, or on a retrofit basis in the case of
existing vehicles. It
receives and emits RF signals on a set frequency, then controls certain
functions of the
host vehicle as instructed by the police computer. The vehicle modules would
be
programmed either in new vehicles at the factory or in used vehicles on a
retrofit basis,
with each vehicle's identity which could include its serial number and
physical
characteristics.
The remote computer which could include a small keyboard and screen (Fig.2)
emits RF radio signals calling for responses from specific vehicles types
(cars, trucks,
minivans, etc.) within radio range (approximately 500 ft.). It collates these
responses
and, through repeating the polling process as many times as necessary,
isolates a
particular vehicle and displays particulars of that vehicle on the computer
screen. The
police officer can then keep the target vehicle under surveillance, cause it
to slow down,
CA 02290274 1999-11-22
6
or stop it at will.
The module is programmed on a one-time only basis with the host vehicle's
serial
number (VIN) which is normally 17 digits and is as unique as a fingerprint.
The module
also contains the vehicle's descriptors such as color, type, make, model,
number of doors
and body style. It is powered by the vehicle's battery, and is hard wired to
the vehicle's
ignition and four-way flashers in such a way that it is always operable even
if the engine
is not running. When the module receives a secure, encrypted RF radio signal
from a
PCEL computer, it responds by emitting its VIN and physical descriptors if it
falls within
the category of vehicle being sought by the computer. For instance, if the
computer polls
all white trucks, only those modules in vehicles fitting that description will
respond.
There is only one denominator that is common to all motor vehicles produced
worldwide, and that is the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), commonly
referred as
the Serial Number. In this document we will refer to it as the VIN. In North
America,
each VIN contains 17 characters as follows:
15' Digit - Country of Manufacture 1= U.S. 2=Canada
2"d Digit - Manufacturer B=AMC Canada J=Jeep
3'd Digit - Type C=MPV T=Truck
4t" Digit - Engine type and size C=6-258 N=V8-360
St" Digit - Transmission/Transfer Case A=3-Speed Auto Column Shift - Full
Time
6t'' & T" Digits - Nameplate/Body Style 26=J-10 Truck - 109" Wheelbase
8t" Digit - GVWR (Gross Weight) C=6200
9'" Digit - Check Digit - number or letter used to verify accuracy of
transcription of VIN
l Ot" Digit - Model Year G=1986
11'" Digit - Plant Code B=Brampton T=Toledo
12'" thru 17'" Digits - Sequential Serial Number - Starts with 000,001
CA 02290274 1999-11-22
If the computer isolates the host vehicle as its target, it issues another
encrypted
signal which contains that vehicle's VIN and a special "Stop" code, which
causes the
module to engage the host vehicle's four-way flashers and cut the ignition
power. The
vehicle is then disabled until the module receives another encrypted signal
which contains
that vehicle's VIN and a special "Reset" code. This causes the module to
disengage the
four-way flashers and re-engage the ignition, making the vehicle fully
operational once
again. There is no other way to reactivate the vehicle.
The PCEL computer is run by a very specialized software program which enables
the computer to transmit secure, encrypted RF radio signals causing any PCEL
modules
within radio range to respond in certain ways. The computer will also receive
RF radio
responses from PCEL modules and collate those responses, then issue further
transmissions as required to accomplish the task at hand.
Figure 2 depicts the computer's keyboard and screen. The upper left row of
keys
display the various vehicle colors, and the next row displays nine vehicle
types and three
number-of door keys. The only mandatory field is the " vehicle type" category.
All
other descriptors are optional and are there to help narrow the field when the
computer is
attempting to find a particular vehicle. Each color key bears no words, but is
the color
that it represents. From dark on the left graduating to light on the right,
each key will
enable the operator to indicate which color most closely matches the color of
the vehicle
he sees. The vehicle type keys also bear no written language, but each depicts
an outline
of the type and shape of vehicle it represents. The operator will press the
key which has
the picture most closely resembling the shape and design of the vehicle he
sees.
When a police officer begins pursuing a vehicle, he sometimes does not have
even
a basic description of the vehicle. The default setting on the computer in the
mandatory
CA 02290274 1999-11-22
g
field is "car" as it is most often a car that is being chased. If the officer
determines that he
is chasing a minivan, he will press the "Minivan" key and the computer will
then search
for only that type of vehicle. As the chase progresses, the officer should
input any other
vehicle descriptors as he confirms them, thereby constantly helping the
computer to
narrow the field of target vehicles. If he discovers that one of his
parameters is incorrect,
he needs only to press the right one and the computer will continue its search
using the
new information.
The "Color" parameter is one that should be used with the full awareness that
it is
often unreliable. Many commercial vehicles, i.e. trucks, buses, etc. are
repainted with
company colors after they leave the factory, and many stolen vehicles are
quickly
repainted to prevent detection. It is therefore important that the police
officer recognize
this possibility and proceed accordingly. The PCEL computer will not discard a
vehicle
if the color parameter is the only feature that does not match with the target
vehicle, but
will display a message on its screen alerting the officer to the color
discrepancy. The
computer will only slow down or stop a vehicle automatically if it matches in
every detail
the parameters it has been given. If the color parameter does not match with
the target
vehicle once all other vehicles have been eliminated, the computer will
display a message
to this effect on its screen, alerting the operator to the fact that something
is amiss. The
police officer can manually override the computer's objection and issue a
"Stop" order,
but the computer will not do so automatically. This prevents the inadvertent
apprehension of the wrong vehicle, and forces the operator to make a conscious
decision
before slowing down or stopping the vehicle.
In addition to the color and vehicle type buttons on the control panel, the
officer
can also enter the Make, Model and Style of the vehicle by typing them in
manually using
the keyboard. The screen will display three lines, the first being the name of
the
manufacturer (Chev), the second the model (Beretta) and the third the style or
sub-model
(LE). The officer need not enter all that information, in fact he will seldom
have the
CA 02290274 1999-11-22
9
opportunity to do so as he will be too intent on his driving and observing the
suspect
vehicle. He may enter only the letter "C" on the first line and the letter "B"
on the second
line. While this seems like scant information, it will help the computer
immensely by
instantly eliminating most other cars. The letter "C" alone will narrow the
field to little
more than Chevrolet and Chrysler products. The letter "B" on the second line
will
narrow it much further, eliminating most Chevrolet and all Chrysler products.
The
likelihood of two or more cars answering these minimal descriptors being
within 500 ft.
of a police vehicle at a particular point in time is remote, which makes it
highly probably
that the computer's search will result in an immediate apprehension.
In the case of a high speed chase where the only known vehicle descriptor is
"car", the officer should press the "Find" button and attempt to keep within
500 ft. of the
car he is chasing. That is all he has to do, as the computer will do the rest.
The computer
will emit a radio signal calling for responses from all cars. Each PCEL module
installed
in a car, upon receiving this signal, will respond with a signal giving its
VIN and
complete description. In order to limit the amount of information it has to
digest, the
computer will record only the last three digits of the VIN responses it
receives, then do a
second polling and record all responses again, comparing the responses to
determine
which vehicles have responded to both polls. This polling activity continues
uninterrupted, with the computer polling, receiving and recording responses
and
comparing polling results until it isolates a single 3-digit number which has
responded to
each and every poll and continues to respond while all others enter and exit
radio range.
At this point the computer will record the complete response received from the
target
vehicle and display its full VIN and physical description on the screen,
simultaneously
activating the green light on the panel to indicate that it has isolated the
target vehicle.. In
cases where the chase is proceeding much faster than surrounding traffic, the
computer
will be able to isolate the constant "repeater" fairly quickly, approximately
as long as it
takes to gain 1,000 ft. of distance on all other traffic within radio range.
This means that
the faster and more dangerous the speed, the quicker the apprehension.
CA 02290274 1999-11-22
Few high speed chases should last more than one minute. Failure of PCEL to
stop the vehicle quickly is likely an indicator that there is a malfunction or
that the fleeing
vehicle is not equipped with a PCEL module; the chase should be abandoned, or
else
continued without the expectation that PCEL will be of assistance.
5
In cases where the suspect vehicle is traveling at or near the speed of
surrounding
traffic, PCEL can not be effective unless the police officer enters as many
descriptors of
the vehicle as he is aware of. In this situation the polling activities of the
computer may
take a much longer time to isolate a particular vehicle, as many surrounding
vehicles
10 remain within radio range for a longer period of time and therefore prevent
the computer
from identifying a lone repeater. It is imperative that the officer obtain and
enter as many
identifying features as he can. If he enters "Red", "Dark", "2-door", "Chev",
"Lamina",
etc. the computer will likely narrow the field instantly. The more information
he
provides, the quicker the apprehension.
As soon as the computer has isolated a particular vehicle, it will do the
following:
display a green light on the panel and the VIN and full description of the
target vehicle on
the screen. The officer can then do one of the following:
(a) Follow the vehicle and stop it at a more opportune time or in a safer
location.
The computer will continue polling and the green light will remain on as long
as
the target vehicle is within range.
(b) Press the "Stop" button once to slow the vehicle down. The computer will
emit a
series of commands to the PCEL module which will cause the target vehicle's
four-way flashers to engage, and the engine to steadily lose power. This
provides
the driver an opportunity to pull over to the shoulder of the road without
unnecessarily endangering himself or surrounding traffic. The engine will
continue to run at steadily reducing RPMs so that the power steering and
brakes
CA 02290274 1999-11-22
11
continue to function normally, but will have insufficient power to accelerate
or
even maintain its speed. The engine speed will be reduced to an idle, and some
engines may eventually stop if they are not properly tuned.
(c) Press the "Stop" button a second time to immediately stop the vehicle's
engine.
The officer can do this once the vehicle has slowed sufficiently so that
stopping
the engine will not cause danger to any of the participants or nearby traffic.
In
cases of extreme emergency where the continued operation of the suspect
vehicle
presents a clear and present danger, he may choose to press the "Stop" button
twice to immediately stop the engine, thereby bypassing the "slow-down" phase
and bringing a quick end to the chase.
(d) When the officer is finished dealing with the target vehicle, he can
restore it to
operating mode by pressing the "Reset" button on the PCEL control panel. This
is the only way the vehicle can be re-started.
The "slow-down" phase is accomplished by the PCEL computer by issuing a
rapidly repeating cycle of "Stop" and "Reset" signals. The module will cut the
ignition
power for approximately one second, then reactivate it for a fraction of a
second, then
repeat the cycle. This stop, start cycle will be repeated so quickly that the
engine will
slow down without noticeable jerking or backfiring. This will cause the engine
to lose
power but not stop completely, thereby enabling the driver to negotiate the
vehicle safely
to the side of the road before stopping.
The PCEL computer panel has a "Link" button which, when pressed, will
automatically export a target vehicle's VIN to the regular police computer
system to be
checked against national and international stolen vehicle data banks. This
will be the
only link between the PCEL computer and the regular police computer system.
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The PCEL computer can be provided the following security features:
(a) Each police officer will be issued a small computer data disc at the
beginning of
each day. This disc will contain the following:
(a) A secure access code which the computer must load into its memory
before it can perform any functions.
(b) A file containing the VINs of all vehicles reported stolen or suspect
vehicles of interest to police within that geographical area or police
jurisdiction.
(c) A file containing the VINs of all police vehicles operated by the police
department.
(d) A file which will record all PCEL activities occurring during the police
officer's tour of duty.
(e) A file which allows the operator to input any information he wishes to
retain for future reference. He may enter vehicle descriptions, suspect
names, etc. or simply use it as a daily log.
(2) In addition to the secure access code provided by the data disc, each
police officer
will have to enter his personal identifier code each time he starts his car
during the
shift. As well, he will have to re-enter his personal code at least every four
hours.
If he fails to do so, the computer will still continue to poll for stolen and
suspect
vehicles, but will not perform "Find", "Slow Down" or "Stop" functions. This
prevents unauthorized use, which is particularly important if the computer or
the
police car are stolen during the officer's shift while the data disc is in the
computer. If the theft occurs after the shift, the thief will be missing both
the data
disc access code and the officer's personal identifier code.
(3) Each officer will be issued a new data disc at the beginning of each
shift. At the
CA 02290274 1999-11-22
13
end of the shift he will be required to remove the data disc from the computer
and
place it in safe storage for future reference or to be used as evidence in
legal
proceedings.
(4) All PCEL computer and module RF radio transmissions will be securely
encrypted and encoded to prevent unauthorized use of either device.
While not being used in pursuit mode, the PCEL computer will continuously
broadcast the VINs contained in the stolen/suspect vehicle file on the data
disc. Any
stolen vehicle entering PCEL's radio range will immediately be immobilized;
its four-
way flashers will engage and the engine will stop without going through the
"Slow
down" cycle. If the police officer notices the vehicle's immobilization, he
can take the
necessary action to apprehend the occupants. If the immobilization takes place
out of his
view (perhaps behind him or on an adjacent street), the vehicle will probably
be
abandoned by its occupants. When the stolen vehicle receives the "Stop" code
from the
PCEL computer, the module will emit its VIN and full description to indicate a
"hit".
The PCEL computer, upon receiving this communication, will instantly show a
red light
on the panel and display the VIN and complete description of the disabled
vehicle on the
screen. The police officer can then search the immediate area until he finds
the parked
vehicle.
Vehicles in the suspect vehicle file will respond to PCEL when their VIN is
broadcast, however the computer will not issue an intercept order. A red light
will show
on the panel, and a description of the suspect vehicle will show on the screen
along with a
file number and the reason for police interest. The driver of the suspect
vehicle will
receive no indication that his vehicle is being monitored.
While polling, the computer will compare all responses with the VINs contained
in the "Police VIN" file on its data disc and block out all such responses,
thereby
CA 02290274 1999-11-22
14
preventing the immobilization or monitoring of police vehicles which may
resemble the
suspect vehicle. This also enables the computer to narrow the field to one
vehicle.
If a police vehicle is stolen, police must manually input the VIN on the
stolen
vehicle file. Once that is done, the computer will no longer block out that
VIN when
polling.
While the invention has been described according to what is presently
considered
to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it must be understood that
the
invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Those ordinarily
skilled in the art
will understand that various modifications and equivalent structures and
functions may be
made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined
in the
claims. Therefore, the invention as defined in the claims must be accorded the
broadest
possible interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and
equivalent
structures and functions.
