US 11,142,164 B2Granted

Vehicle inhibitor

OwnerReinhold Mueller, Juan Carlos Vazquezinventors

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Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure generally pertain to a vehicle inhibitor with an enhanced user interface and a system and method for overriding a vehicle inhibitor. This disclosure may be useful for providing an emergency override function for vehicle loan repayment enforcement systems that have wireless user interface modules, and that have become lost or inoperable when needed to generate an emergency override signal. Further, the present disclosure addresses this problem while mitigating additional system cost and additional components. This disclosure includes a method of providing an emergency override function for vehicle loan repayment enforcement systems that have wireless user interface modules, and that have become lost or inoperable when needed to generate an emergency override signal. Further this disclosure includes a method of providing a disablement override function for vehicle loan repayment enforcement systems, wired or wireless, that allows vehicle operation past the grace period in those locations where complete disablement may be limited.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A vehicle inhibitor for a vehicle, the vehicle including a vehicle battery, the vehicle inhibitor comprising:

a power supply configured to power the vehicle inhibitor;
a controller module configured to inhibit normal operation of the vehicle by a driver upon the occurrence of a predetermined event, and further configured to resume the inhibited normal operation of the vehicle by the driver upon receiving an enable-command;
a user interface communicably coupled to the controller module, the user interface including a user-input and a user-output,
the user-input configured receive an enable communication from the driver and to transmit the enable-command to the controller module in response to the enable communication received from the driver, and
the user-output configured to visually or aurally indicate a status of the vehicle inhibitor to the driver;
a vehicle signaling interface configured to communicably couple to the vehicle and to receive an override communication sent by the driver to the vehicle signaling interface via the vehicle;
and
an override module communicably coupled to the vehicle signaling interface and the controller module, the override module configured to issue an override-command in response to the override communication sent by the driver to the vehicle signaling interface;
and
wherein the controller module is further configured to resume the inhibited normal operation of the vehicle by the driver upon receiving the override-command;
wherein the power supply includes a vehicle power interface configured to electrically couple to the vehicle battery, and to power the vehicle inhibitor from the vehicle battery;
and
wherein the user-output is further configured to indicate the status of the vehicle inhibitor to the driver prior to the occurrence of the predetermined event.

10 more elements

A vehicle inhibitor for a vehicle, the vehicle including a vehicle battery, the vehicle inhibitor comprising:

a power supply configured to power the vehicle inhibitor the power supply includes a vehicle power interface configured to electrically couple to the vehicle battery, and to power the vehicle inhibitor from the vehicle battery;
a controller module configured to inhibit normal operation of the vehicle by a driver upon the occurrence of a predetermined event, and further configured to resume the inhibited normal operation of the vehicle by the driver upon receiving at least one of an enable-command or an override-command;
a vehicle signaling interface configured to communicably couple to the vehicle and to receive an override communication sent by the driver to the vehicle signaling interface via the vehicle;
an override module communicably coupled to the vehicle signaling interface and the controller module, the override module configured to issue an override-command in response to the override communication received by the driver to the vehicle signaling interface;
and
a user interface communicably coupled to the controller module, the user interface including a user-input and a user-output,
the user-input configured to receive an enable communication from the driver and to transmit the enable-command to the controller module in response to the enable communication received from the driver,
the user-output configured to visually or aurally indicate a status of the vehicle inhibitor to the driver.

5 more elements

A vehicle inhibitor for a vehicle, the vehicle including a vehicle battery, the vehicle inhibitor comprising:

a power supply configured to power the vehicle inhibitor the power supply includes a vehicle power interface configured to electrically couple to the vehicle battery, and to power the vehicle inhibitor from the vehicle battery;
a controller module configured to inhibit a normal operation of the vehicle upon the occurrence of a predetermined event, and further configured to resume the inhibited normal operation of the vehicle upon receiving at least one of an enable-command or an override-command;
a vehicle signaling interface configured to communicably couple to the vehicle and to receive an override communication sent by a driver to the vehicle signaling interface via the vehicle;
an override module communicably coupled to the vehicle signaling interface and the controller module, the override module configured to issue an override-command in response to the override communication received by the driver to the vehicle signaling interface;
and
a user interface communicably coupled to the controller module, the user interface including a means for aurally or visually communicating a status of the vehicle inhibitor to the driver, the status having at least a first and a second portion, the first portion of the status of the vehicle inhibitor being whether or not the normal operation of the vehicle is inhibited, and the second portion of the status of the vehicle inhibitor being a duration of the resumption of the inhibited normal operation of the vehicle where the override-command has been received by the override module.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/988,561Filed 7 Aug 2020 · continuation in part
Priority: 11 Oct 2017
Published: US 2020/0369239 A126 Nov 2020
Granted: 12 Oct 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification19 codes

B60R 25/045
Operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor: by limiting or cutting the electrical supply to the propulsion unit
B60K 28/00
Safety devices for propulsion-unit control, specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles
B60K 28/02
Safety devices for propulsion-unit control, specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles, e.g. preventing fuel supply or ignition in the…
B60K 35/10
Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles: input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle,…

Family

Application62/571,048Us provisional application · filed 11 Oct 2017
Application16/158,291Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 11 Oct 2018
US 2020/0369239 A1Pre-grant publication · published 26 Nov 2020
US 10,766,457 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2019/0193679 A1Published application
US 11,142,164 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.