Vehicle end-of-day vehicle check and lock down

Abstract

A connected vehicle fleet security network system includes a vehicle system of a vehicle with a lock down system. The vehicle system includes a memory and an electronic control unit. The vehicle system is in communication with a satellite positioning system of the vehicle. A cloud system is in communication with the vehicle system. The system includes a control center has a user interface with access to a database, a computer programming unit and memory. At least one of the cloud system and the control center establishes an inventory of a fleet of vehicles in the database. The inventory including profile data of the vehicle, wherein the fleet of vehicles includes the vehicle, and wherein the control center selectively activates the lock down system of the vehicle.

Description

VEHICLE END-OF-DAY VEHICLE CHECK AND LOCK DOWNCROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 515,188, filed on July 23, 2023. The entire disclosure of the above application is hereby incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This disclosure relates to vehicle security and, more particularly, incorporating security into a fleet of vehicles.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] As known, car dealerships own and manage large fleets of new and used vehicles in their inventory or on their lot. The car dealerships will typically manage the inventory of these vehicles during a management period. The management period is classified as a period between the time the car dealerships purchases the new or used vehicles from a first selling party such as a car manufacturer or previous owner and the time it is sold to a second buying party and removed from the lot and inventory. During this management period, vehicles may be driven or transferred on or off lot, require maintenance or repair on or off lot, and / or be transferred between multiple persons or entities. As a result, during the management period, the vehicles can be undesirably at risk of theft, misplacement, or unauthorized use. Therefore, there is a need to manage location, inventory, and security of each vehicle of a large fleet of new and used vehicles. Though many solutions exist to partially manage these conditions and situations for individual vehicles, none of the solutions is able to provide confirmation of the location, inventory, and security of a large scale fleet of vehicles such that that each vehicle accounted for and secure.

[0004] Accordingly, it would be desirable to develop a vehicle fleet security control system for incorporating fleet inventory management and security into a fleet of vehicles, not just in vehicles individually, to ensure the protection and accounting of a vehicle fleet.SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0005] In accordance and attuned with the present disclosure, a vehicle fleet security control system for incorporating fleet inventory management and security into a fleet of vehicles, not just in vehicles individually, has surprisingly been discoverd.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a connected vehicle security network system is disclosed. The connected vehicle fleet security network system includes a vehicle system of a vehicle with a lock down system. The vehicle system includes a memory and an electronic control unit. The vehicle system is in communication with a satellite positioning system of the vehicle. A cloud system is in communication with the vehicle system. The system includes a control center has a user interface with access to a database, a computer programming unit and memory. At least one of the cloud system and the control center establishes an inventory of a fleet of vehicles in the database. The inventory including profde data of the vehicle, wherein the fleet of vehicles includes the vehicle, and wherein the control center selectively activates the lock down system of the vehicle.

[0007] According to another embodiment of the disclosure, a method of monitoring and securing vehicles in a fleet of vehicles comprising the steps of: inventorying a plurality of vehicles through a database of inventoried vehicles, each of the vehicles including a vehicle system with a memory and an electronic processing unit, the vehicle system of each of the vehicles in communication with a lock down system of the vehicle and a satellite positioning system if the vehicle; providing a control center with a memory, computer processing unit, and a user interface; connecting the control center with a connected vehicle cloud, wherein the connected vehicle cloud is in communication with the vehicle system of each of the plurality of vehicles; establishing an authorized geofenced area through a geofencing system in communication with the satellite positioning system of each of the vehicles through the vehicle system; and determining, through the database, whether each of the vehicles in the vehicle fleet are positioned within the geofenced area.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] FIG. l is a schematic illustrating the architecture of a connected vehicle security control network system of the present disclosure; and

[0009] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram representing steps of a method of securing vehicles according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0010] The above, as well as other advantages of the present invention, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered in the light of the accompanying drawings.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The following detailed description and appended drawings describe and illustrate various exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description and drawings serve to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner. In respect of the methods disclosed, the steps presented are exemplary in nature, and thus, the order of the steps is not necessary or critical unless otherwise indicated or where the importance or criticality of an order of steps if expressly addressed.

[0012] The phrases “at least one,” “one or more,” and “and / or” are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C,” “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, or C” and “A, B, and / or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.

[0013] The term “a” or “an” entity refers to one or more of that entity. As such, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more,” and “at least one” can be used interchangeably herein. It is also to be noted that the terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” can be used interchangeably.

[0014] Except where otherwise expressly indicated, all numerical quantities in this description are to be understood as modified by the word “about” and all geometric and spatial descriptors are to be understood as modified by the word “substantially” in describing the broadest scope of the technology. “About” when applied to numerical values indicates that the calculation or the measurement allows some slight imprecision in the value (with some approach to exactness in the value; approximately or reasonably close to the value; nearly). If, for some reason, the imprecision provided by “about” and / or “substantially” is not otherwise understood in the art with this ordinary meaning, then “about” and / or “substantially” as used herein indicates at least variations that may arise from ordinary methods of measuring or using such parameters.

[0015] As used herein, “substantially” means “to a considerable degree,” “largely,” or “proximately” as a person skilled in the art in view of the instant disclosure would understand the term. Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and / or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and / or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.

[0016] It shall be understood that the term “means,” as used herein, shall be given its broadest possible interpretation in accordance with 35 U.S.C., Section 112, Paragraph 6 or other applicable law. Accordingly, a claim incorporating the term “means” shall cover all structures, materials, or acts set forth herein, and all of the equivalents thereof. Further, the structures, materials or acts and the equivalents thereof shall include all those described in the summary of the invention, brief description of the drawings, detailed description, abstract, and claims themselves.

[0017] The terms “vehicle,” “car,” “automotive,” “automobile,” and variations thereof may be used interchangeably herein and can refer to a device or structure for transporting animate and / or inanimate or tangible objects (e.g., persons and / or things), such as a self-propelled conveyance. A vehicle as used herein can include any conveyance or model of a conveyance, where the conveyance was originally designed for the purpose of moving one or more tangible objects, such as people, animals, cargo, and the like. The term “vehicle” does not require that a conveyance moves or is capable of movement Typical vehicles may include but are in no way limited to cars, trucks, motorcycles, busses, automobiles, trains, railed conveyances, boats, ships, marine conveyances, submarine conveyances, airplanes, space craft, flying machines, human- powered conveyances, and the like. For example, the vehicle can be of the passenger vehicle type categorized into one of a vehicle body styles such one of a coupe, a compact car, a mid-size car, a large car, sedan, a van, an SUV, a truck, a hybrid, an electric car, hatchback, a luxury SUVor car, a convertible, a sports car, or a combination thereof that are commonly found a car dealership.

[0018] The term “dealership,” “car dealership,” “car dealers,” and variations thereof may be used interchangeably herein to refer a business entity in the business of selling new or used vehicles and sometimes spare parts and automotive maintenance services to customers. Car dealerships typically act as a middleman between a vehicle manufacturer and car buyers, and often have a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. The term car dealership includes the owners of the entity, the real property, the personal property such as the assets including a fleet of vehicles, all services provided through the entity, and the intellectual property thereof.

[0019] The term “automatic” and variations thereof, as used herein, refer to any process or operation done without material human input when the process or operation is performed. However, a process or operation can be automatic, even though performance of the process or operation uses material or immaterial human input, if the input is received before the performance of the process or operation. Human input is deemed to be material if such input influences how the process or operation will be performed. Human input that consents to the performance of the process or operation is not deemed to be “material.”

[0020] The term “satellite positioning system receiver” can refer to a wireless receiver or transceiver to receive and / or send location signals from and / or to a satellite positioning system (SPS), such as the Global Positioning System (“GPS”) (US), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo positioning system (EU), Compass navigation system (China), and Regional Navigational Satellite System (India). The term “automotive navigation system” can refer to a satellite navigation system designed for use in vehicles. It typically uses the satellite positioning receiver such as the GPS to acquire position data to locate the vehicle on a road or physical location of the vehicle in the unit's map database. Using the road database, the unit can give directions to other locations along roads also in its database.

[0021] As used herein, the term database is used broadly to include any known or convenient means for storing data, whether centralized or distributed, relational or otherwise.

[0022] As used herein, the term “Internet” is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite (TCP / IP) to serve billions of users worldwide. It is a network of networks that consists of millions of private, public, academic,business, and government networks, of local to global scope, that are linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless and optical networking technologies. The Internet carries an extensive range of information resources and services, such as the inter-linked hypertext documents of the World Wide Web (WWW) and the infrastructure to support email. The communications infrastructure of the Internet consists of its hardware components and a system of software layers that control various aspects of the architecture, and can also include a mobile device network, e.g., a cellular network.

[0023] The terms “communication device,” “computer,” “smartphone,” and “mobile device,” and variations thereof, as used herein, are a general purpose device that can be programmed to carry out a finite set of arithmetic or logical operations. Since a sequence of operations can be readily changed, the computer can solve more than one kind of problem. A computer can include of at least one processing element, typically a central processing unit (CPU) and some form of memory. The processing element carries out arithmetic and logic operations, and a sequencing and control unit that can change the order of operations based on stored information. Peripheral devices allow information to be retrieved from an external source, and the result of operations saved and retrieved. These devices can be used interchangeably and may include any type of device capable of communicating with one or more of another device and / or across a communications network, via a communications protocol, and the like. Exemplary communication devices may include but are not limited to smartphones, handheld computers, laptops, netbooks, notebook computers, subnotebooks, tablet computers, scanners, portable gaming devices, phones, pagers, GPS modules, portable music players, and other Internet- enabled and / or network-connected devices. As used herein a mobile device includes, but is not limited to, a cell phone, such as Apple's iPhone®, other portable electronic devices, such as Apple's iPod Touches®, Apple's iPads®, and mobile devices based on Google's Android® operating system, and any other portable electronic device that includes software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof that is capable of at least receiving the signal, decoding if needed, exchanging information with a server to verify information. Typical components of mobile device may include but are not limited to persistent memories like flash ROM, random access memory like SRAM, a camera, a battery, LCD driver, a display, a cellular antenna, a speaker, a Bluetooth® circuit, and WIFI circuitry, where the persistent memory may contain programs, applications, and / or an operating system for the mobile device. A mobile device canbe a key fob. A key fob which can be a type of security token which is a small hardware device with built in authentication mechanisms. It is used to manage and secure access to network services, data, provides access, communicates with door systems to open and close doors and the like.

[0024] A “communication modality” can refer to any protocol- or standard defined or specific communication session or interaction, such as Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol (“VoIP), cellular communications (e.g., IS-95, 1G, 2G, 3G, 3.5G, 4G, 4G / IMT-Advanced standards, 3GPP, WIMAX™, GSM, CDMA, CDMA2000, EDGE, 1 *EVDO, iDEN, GPRS, HSPDA, TDMA, UMA, UMTS, ITU-R, and 5G), Bluetooth™, text or instant messaging (e.g., AIM, Blauk, eBuddy, Gadu-Gadu, IBM Lotus Sametime, ICQ, iMessage, IMVU, Lyne, MXit, Paltalk, Skype, Tencent QQ, Windows Live Messenger™ or MSN Messenger™, Wireclub, Xfire, and Yahoo! Messenger™) email, Twitter (e.g., tweeting), Digital Service Protocol (DSP), and the like.

[0025] The term “communication system” or “communication network” and variations thereof, as used herein, can refer to a collection of communication components capable of one or more of transmission, relay, interconnect, control, or otherwise manipulate information or data from at least one transmitter to at least one receiver. As such, the communication may include a range of systems supporting point-to-point or broadcasting of the information or data. A communication system may refer to the collection individual communication hardware as well as the interconnects associated with and connecting the individual communication hardware. Communication hardware may refer to dedicated communication hardware or may refer a processor coupled with a communication means (i.e., an antenna) and running software capable of using the communication means to send and / or receive a signal within the communication system. Interconnect refers some type of wired or wireless communication link that connects various components, such as communication hardware, within a communication system. A communication network may refer to a specific setup of a communication system with the collection of individual communication hardware and interconnects having some definable network topography. A communication network may include wired and / or wireless network having a pre-set to an ad hoc network structure.

[0026] The term “computer-readable medium,” as used herein refers to any tangible storage and / or transmission medium that participates in providing instructions to a processor for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatilemedia, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, nonvolatile random access memory (NVRAM), or magnetic or optical disks. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, magneto-optical medium, a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a random access memory (RAM), a programmable read only memory (PROM), and erasable programmable read only memory EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, a solid state medium like a memory card, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any other medium from which a computer can read. A digital file attachment to an e-mail or other self-contained information archive or set of archives is considered a distribution medium equivalent to a tangible storage medium. When the computer-readable media is configured as a database, it is to be understood that the database may be any type of database, such as relational, hierarchical, object-oriented, and / or the like. Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include a tangible storage medium or distribution medium and prior art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which the software implementations of the present disclosure are stored. It should be noted that any computer readable medium that is not a signal transmission may be considered non-transitory.

[0027] The terms dash and dashboard and variations thereof, as used herein, may be used interchangeably and can be any panel and / or area of a vehicle disposed adjacent to an operator, user, and / or passenger. Dashboards may include, but are not limited to, one or more control panel(s), instrument housing(s), head unit(s), indicator(s), gauge(s), meter(s), light(s), audio equipment, computer(s), screen(s), display(s), HUD unit(s), and graphical user interface(s).

[0028] The term “cloud” refers to a a network of remote servers. These servers store and manage data, run applications, and deliver content and services like streaming videos, web mail, and office productivity software over the internet.

[0029] The term “gesture” refers to a user action that expresses an intended idea, action, meaning, result, and / or outcome. The user action can include manipulating a device (e.g., opening or closing a device, changing a device orientation, moving a trackball or wheel, etc.), movement of a body part in relation to the device, movement of an implement or tool in relationto the device, audio inputs, etc. A gesture may be made on a device (such as on the screen) or with the device to interact with the device.

[0030] The terms “online community,” “e-community,” or “virtual community” can mean a group of people that interact via a computer network, for social, professional, educational, and / or other purposes. The interaction can use a variety of media formats, including wikis, blogs, chat rooms, Internet forums, instant messaging, email, and other forms of electronic media. Many media formats may be used in social software separately and / or in combination, including textbased chat rooms and forums that use voice, video text or avatars.

[0031] The term “social network service” may include a service provider that builds online communities of people, who share interests and / or activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and / or activities of others. Social network services can be network-based and may provide a variety of ways for users to interact, such as e-mail and instant messaging services. The term “social network” can refer to a network-based social network.

[0032] The term “screen,” “touch screen,” “touchscreen,” or “touch-sensitive display” refers to a physical structure that enables the user to interact with the computer by touching areas on the screen and provides information to a user through a display. The touch screen may sense user contact in a number of different ways, such as by a change in an electrical parameter (e.g., resistance or capacitance), acoustic wave variations, infrared radiation proximity detection, light variation detection, and the like. In a resistive touch screen, for example, normally separated conductive and resistive metallic layers in the screen pass an electrical current. When a user touches the screen, the two layers make contact in the contacted location, whereby a change in electrical field is noted and the coordinates of the contacted location calculated. In a capacitive touch screen, a capacitive layer stores electrical charge, which is discharged to the user upon contact with the touch screen, causing a decrease in the charge of the capacitive layer. The decrease is measured, and the contacted location coordinates determined. In a surface acoustic wave touch screen, an acoustic wave is transmitted through the screen, and the acoustic wave is disturbed by user contact. A receiving transducer detects the user contact instance and determines the contacted location coordinates.

[0033] The terms “determine,” “calculate,” and “compute,” and variations thereof, as used herein, are used interchangeably and include any type of methodology, process, mathematical operation, or technique.

[0034] The term “profile,” as used herein, can refer to any data structure, data store, and / or database that includes one or more items of information associated with a vehicle, a vehicle system, a device (e.g., a mobile device, laptop, mobile phone, etc.), or a person.

[0035] The term “in communication with,” as used herein, refers to any coupling, connection, or interaction using electrical signals to exchange information or data, using any system, hardware, software, protocol, or format, regardless of whether the exchange occurs wirelessly or over a wired connection.

[0036] The preceding is a simplified summary of the disclosure to provide an understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is neither an extensive nor exhaustive overview of the disclosure and its various aspects, embodiments, and / or configurations. It is intended neither to identify key or critical elements of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of the disclosure but to present selected concepts of the disclosure in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detailed description presented below. As will be appreciated, other aspects, embodiments, and / or configurations of the disclosure are possible utilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forth above or described in detail below.

[0037] As used herein, the term engine refers to software, firmware, hardware, or other component that can be used to effectuate a purpose. The engine will typically include software instructions that are stored in non-volatile memory (also referred to as secondary memory). When the software instructions are executed, at least a subset of the software instructions can be loaded into memory (also referred to as primary memory) by a processor. The processor then executes the software instructions in memory. The processor may be a shared processor, a dedicated processor, or a combination of shared or dedicated processors. A typical program will include calls to hardware components (such as I / O devices), which typically requires the execution of drivers. The drivers may or may not be considered part of the engine,

[0038] As used herein, the term “extranet” is a computer network that allows controlled access from the outside. An extranet can be an extension of an organization's intranet that is extended to users outside the organization that can be partners, vendors, and suppliers, in isolation from all other Internet users. An extranet can be an intranet mapped onto the public Internet or some other transmission system not accessible to the general public, but managed by more than one company's administrator(s). Examples of extranet-style networks include but are not limited to: (1) LANs or WANs belonging to multiple organizations and interconnected and accessed usingremote dial-up, (2) LANs or WANs belonging to multiple organizations and interconnected and accessed using dedicated lines, (3) Virtual private network (VPN) that is comprised of LANs or WANs belonging to multiple organizations, and that extends usage to remote users using special “tunneling” software that creates a secure, usually encrypted network connection over public lines, sometimes via an ISP.

[0039] As used herein, the term “Intranet” is a network that is owned by a single organization that controls its security policies and network management. Examples of intranets include but are not limited to: (1) a LAN, (2) a Wide-area network (WAN) that is comprised of a LAN that extends usage to remote employees with dial-up access, (3) a WAN that is comprised of interconnected LANs using dedicated communication lines, (4) a Virtual private network (VPN) that is comprised of a LAN or WAN that extends usage to remote employees or networks using special “tunneling” software that creates a secure, usually encrypted connection over public lines, sometimes via an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

[0040] For purposes of the present invention, the Internet, extranets and intranets collectively are referred to as (“Network Systems”).

[0041] The present technology relates to a connected vehicle network system configured for communication with a plurality of vehicles in a managed inventory of vehicles. As used herein “inventory” refers to a complete list, catalog, accounting, and monitoring of property or goods in stock, in particular, a list of vehicles owned by a vehicle dealership after purchase by the dealership and before selling to a customer, referred to as a management period. When referring to the inventory of vehicles, the term “fleet” may be used to refer to the plurality of vehicles.

[0042] FIG. 1 illustrates a connected vehicle fleet security network system 10 including a plurality of vehicles 20 of a dealership during the management period or collectively referred to as a vehicle fleet, a connected vehicle cloud 30, and a control center 40. The connected vehicle security network system 10 is configured to locate and remotely and / or automatically secure each individual one of the plurality of vehicles 20. The vehicle security network system 10 manages and effectuates a lock down or security of vehicles in inventory of the dealership, under particular situations as described herein below.

[0043] Each of the plurality of vehicles 20 are connected to a vehicle system 22. The system 22 may include hardware and / or software, a computer-readable medium or memory, and a communication system that conduct various operations for or with the respective vehicle 20.The operations can include but are not limited to providing information or output 23 to a user of the vehicle 20 through a dashboard, screen, window, or any other interface as desired, such as status of vehicle fluids, components, and maintenance, receiving input 24 from a user of the vehicle, and controlling functions or operation 25 of the vehicle 20. For example, the operations can include starting and stopping the vehicle 20, initiating a climate control system of the vehicle 20, actuating other mechanical or electrical components of the vehicle, or in particular for the purposes of this disclosure, securing the vehicle 26.

[0044] In an example, in accordance with the present disclosure, the vehicle system 22 communicates with a lock down system 28 of the vehicle 20. The lock down system 28 may include one or more of a door lock system, a wheel lock system, a starter inhibitor, a kill switch system for electrical components, a steering wheel lock system, an anti-theft or alarm system, or any other lock down system means as desired. These systems may include mechanical components, sensors, lasers, etc. that work together to enable or disable a function of the vehicle. For example, the door lock system is configured to be coupled to a structure door of the vehicle 20 which can include all passenger doors, front hoods, trunk doors, storage compartments closures, and similar. The door lock system may include a lock, latch, magnetic system, cylinder, or bolt, a positioning sensing device, a wireless communication device or system, or any other component now known or later developed to indicate the locked or unlocked status of the door and either lock or unlock the door from a remote location. As used herein, “lock” or “lock down” refers to means or operation of preventing a particular function or group of functions of the vehicle 20 from functioning and / or, in particular, a means of preventing theft of the vehicle 20 and objects or components thereof

[0045] The vehicle system 22 is also in communication with a satellite positioning system receiver or Global Positioning System (GPS) 29 configured to determine location of the vehicle 20 and can include a memory that stores data needed for the vehicle system to effectively control the vehicle 20. The data can be represented or manipulated byand through any database or other storage system. The vehicle system 22 can be in communication with other vehicle systems other than the ones described hereinabove such as connected vehicle systems, other electronic control units (ECUs), air conditioning systems, alternate navigation systems, on board computers, in-car entertainment, windscreen wiper, touchscreen panels, lighting systems, or any system of a vehicle known. Any of these systems can include any number of indicators 21 suchas sensors, gauges, devices, alarms, lights, etc. to notify, warn, or alert an end user or system of safety and maintenance status of dynamic, pneumatic, hydraulic, mechanical, electric components, or environmental aspects of the vehicles.

[0046] The vehicle system 22 may have access to profile data 19 of the vehicle 11 which may include a vehicle identification number (VIN) unique to each vehicle 20, make and model of the vehicle 20, a list or identification of components, systems, or packages included with the vehicle 20, mileage of the vehicle, other codes or identification, vehicle user or owner preferences, etc.

[0047] The vehicle system 22 communicates, with wired communication or wireless communication through a network system, with the control center 40 or computer including a CPU and memory, which, as shown, is configured with a user interface such as a mobile device. However, it is understood the control center 40 can be configured as any one or more computers, communication devices, or mobile devices as desired and described herein. The vehicle system 22 can be directly in communication with the control center 40 or in communication with the control center 40 via the connected vehicle cloud 40. The cloud 40 can be any virtual or remote network (not in proximity to the vehicle 20) permitting users or systems to access and use computing resources, such as servers, storage, databases, networking, software, and more, over network systems such as the internet or any local area communication or wide area communication capability.

[0048] The control center 40 with the user interface can receive input and provide end-user information. The control center 40 may be operable to receive through a screen either through touch input, on one or more buttons, via voice command, via image sensors, a gesture caption, or through information provided by the vehicle system 22. It is understood the control center 40 can be connected to or separate from the vehicle 20. The control center 40 includes a database 42 for storing an inventory of the vehicles 42 of the fleet. The database 42 can also be separate from the control center 40 and stored in the cloud 30 but in communication with the control center 40 and vehicle system 22. The inventory of the vehicles 42 can be obtained and received from the profile data 19 of the vehicle system 22. For example, the vehicle system 22 can communicate the VIN, make, model, and color of each individual vehicle stored or owned by the dealership to the control center 40 which can be automatically or manually entered into the database 42 once dealership purchases or acquires the vehicle 20. Each vehicle 20 can be in a parking lot or warehouse of the dealership whether offsite or onsite of a facility of the dealership.It should be known that the control center 40 can establish an authorized geofenced area or virtual bounday where the vehicles 22 are desired or required to be stored. Therefore, the satellite positioning system 29 of the vehicle 20 can alert the control center 40, via the vehicle system 22, when the vehicle 20 is within its designated geofenced area and when the vehicle 20 is outside of the geofenced area. In one example of an embodiment of the disclosure, the vehicle system 22 automatically sends data, such as the profile data 19, to the database 42 of the control center 40 once the vehicles 22 enter the geofenced area. The control center 40 compares the profile data 19 of each vehicle with the data in the inventory of vehicles 42 to determine if the respective vehicle within the geofenced area is listed in the inventory of vehicles 42 and if not, should be newly added to the inventory of vehicles 42. The data can be stored in the cloud 30 and viewable or downloadable to the control center 40 and / or directly at the control center 40.

[0049] A method 100 of securing vehicles in a vehicle security network system 10 is shown in FIG. 2. In a first step 110 and a second step 120, vehicle location is ascertained wherein each of the vehicles 20 in the fleet are determined to be within the geofenced area or outside of the geofenced area. The satellite positioning system 29 of each of the vehicle systems 22 of each of the vehicles 20 contained in the inventory of vehicles 42 is compared to the authorized geofenced area, and the cloud 30 and / or control center 40 determines which of the vehicles 22 are outside of the geofenced area. This step can occur manually by a user through the user interface of the control center 40 or automatically at a given time of day such as the end of the business day, for example.

[0050] In a third step 130, if the vehicle 20 is within the authorized geofenced area 120, the system 10 then determines if the vehicle is on, which means the ignition is on or the vehicle is in motion. This can be determined though the vehicle system 22 connected to the indicators 21 related to the ignition / transmission system of the vehicle 20 for example or the satellite positioning system 29 which may indicate motion of the vehicle 20, for example. In a fourth step 140, if any one of the vehicles 22 are not on, then a signal is sent to the secure the vehicle 26 control function 25 to activate the lock down system 28 of the vehicle, such as locking the doors for example. In a fifth step 150, if the vehicle 20 is on, then the vehicle 20 should not be locked down and an alert should be provided to the control center 40. The alert can be an email, SMS text message, a pr-erecorded phone message, other types of messaging, an alarm, or any other means of alerting a user or authorized person of the dealership.

[0051] In a sixth step 160, if the system 10 determines the vehicle 20 is not within the authorized geofenced area, an alert is sent to the control center 40 to alert a authorized person of the dealership, such as a manager. The alert can be an email, SMS text message, a prerecorded phone message, other types of messaging, an alarm, or any other means of alerting a user or authorized person of the dealership. In a seventh step 170, the system 10 determines if the vehicle 20 is on. In an eighth step 180, the user can then input into the control center 40 a command to lock down the vehicle 20, if the vehicle 20 is not on or the step can be done automatically by the system 10. If the vehicle 20 is on, in a ninth step 190 the authorized person of the dealership can then alert further authorities, such as police officers, that it is believed to be stolen or proceed with other lock down means. In an exemplary embodiment, the system 10 can be in communication with authorities and their systems to automatically alert the authorities if the vehicle 20 is offsite or outside of the geofenced area and is on.

[0052] In certain situations, it may be determined that the vehicle 20 was authorized to be taken outside of the geofenced area in order to obtain maintenance, to be driven, or for other varying circumstances. In such a scenario, a user can indicate through the control center 40 the scheduled time interval the vehicle 20 will be outside of the geofenced area to verify authorization or to disable alerts.

[0053] In a tenth step 200, for each vehicle 20 in the inventory of vehicles 42, the system 10 alerts the vehicle system 10 to provide data on or an analysis of the vehicle components and system through the indicators 21. For example, the indicators 21 may provide fault codes of components failing, indication of fluid levels of the vehicle 20, efficiency of components and systems, maintenance suggested or required, etc. Once the data is collected from each of the vehicles 20 in the inventory of vehicles 42, the system 10 produces a summary report through the database of the condition of each vehicle 20 The report can be generated through the cloud 30 and / or the control center 40, sent via text, email, or any other online communication means or social networks. It is understood, the database can be controlled through a database application or web based page or any other software that permits user interfacing.

[0001] Advantageously, the present disclosure permits location monitoring, security, and data acquisition of a large quantity of vehicles in a dealership.

[0002] From the foregoing description, one ordinarily skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention and, without departing from the spirit and scopethereof, can make various changes and modifications to the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions.

Claims

CLAIMS AIM:

1. A connected vehicle fleet security network system comprising: a vehicle system of a vehicle with a lock down system, the vehicle system including a memory and an electronic control unit, the vehicle system in communication with a satellite positioning system of the vehicle; a cloud system in communication with the vehicle system; and a control center having a user interface with access to a database, a computer programming unit and memory, wherein at least one of the cloud system and the control center establishes an inventory of a fleet of vehicles in the database, the inventory including profile data of the vehicle, wherein the fleet of vehicles includes the vehicle, wherein the control center selectively activates the lock down system of the vehicle.

2. The system of Claim 1, wherein the vehicle system includes an input, an output, and a control function, wherein the control function is configured as a secure the vehicle control function and activates the lock down system of the vehicle.

3. The system of Claim 1, further comprising a geofencing system creating an authorized virtual boundary for the vehicles, the geofencing system communicating with the satellite positioning system of the vehicle.

4. The system of Claim 3, wherein the lock down system is activated when the geofencing system determines if the vehicle is within the virtual boundary and an ignition of the vehicle is off.

5. The system of Claim 1 , wherein the lock down system is at least one of a door lock system, and an anti-theft system, a6. The system of Claim 1, wherein the control center is a communication device.

7. The system of Claim 1, wherein the control center is a plurality of mobile devices.

8. The system of Claim 1, further comprising a plurality of vehicle systems each of a plurality of vehicles with lock down systems.

9. The system of Claim 1, wherein the profile data is one of a vehicle identification number, a make of the vehicle, and a model of the vehicle.

10. The system of Claim 1, wherein when the vehicle system collects data from indicators of the vehicle and communicates the data from the indicators to the database to provide a summary to an end user.

11. The system of Claim 1, further comprising a computer system associated with authorities.

12. A method of monitoring and securing vehicles in a fleet of vehicles comprising the steps of: inventorying a plurality of vehicles through a database of inventoried vehicles, each of the vehicles including a vehicle system with a memory and an electronic processing unit, the vehicle system of each of the vehicles in communication with a lock down system of the vehicle and a satellite positioning system if the vehicle; providing a control center with a memory, computer processing unit, and a user interface; connecting the control center with a connected vehicle cloud, wherein the connected vehicle cloud is in communication with the vehicle system of each of the plurality of vehicles; establishing an authorized geofenced area through a geofencing system in communication with the satellite positioning system of each of the vehicles through the vehicle system; and determining, through the database, whether each of the vehicles in the vehicle fleet are positioned within the geofenced area.

13. The system of Claim 12, further comprising the step of determining if an ignition of each of the vehicles is on.

14. The system of Claim 13, further comprising the step of sending a signal from the connected vehicle cloud to the vehicle system to selectively activate the lock down system of the vehicle if the ignition of the vehicle is not on and if the vehicle is within the geofenced area.

15. The system of Claim 12, further comprising the step of sending a signal from the connected vehicle cloud to the vehicle system to selectively activate the lock down system if the vehicle is outside of the geofenced area.

16. The system of Claim 12, wherein the control center is a plurality of communication devices.

17. The system of Claim 12, wherein the control center is at least one mobile device.

18. The system of Claim 12, wherein the geofenced area is a virtual area defining the boundaries of authorized storage areas for the fleet of vehicles.

19. The system of Claim 12, further comprising the step of collecting vehicle information from the vehicle system and conveying the information to the connected vehicle cloud to communicate a summary of the vehicle information to an end user.

20. The system of Claim 12, wherein the inventory of vehicles includes one of a vehicle information number of each of the vehicles in the inventory of vehicles and a model and make indentification of each of the vehicles in the inventory of vehicles.

Images