Tracking system and method for tracking a movable object carrying a cellular phone unit, and integrated personal protection system incorporating the tracking system

A method of locating a wireless phone unit within a network of wireless units for receiving and transmitting wireless signals, comprising the steps of:

• transmitting wireless control signals from each of said wireless units for reception by any wireless phone unit in the vicinity of said wireless unit, the control signal of each wireless unit including unit identifying information;
• detecting an emergency input at said phone unit;
• generating and transmitting an emergency signal from said phone unit at periodic intervals on detection of said emergency input, each emergency signal including phone unit identifying information and wireless unit identifying information received by said phone unit from any wireless units in the vicinity of said phone unit;
• receiving said emergency signal at a signal processing station;
• and
• processing the information at said signal processing station to determine an approximate location of said wireless phone unit using said wireless unit identifying information.

An integrated personal protection system, comprising:

• a portable, wireless phone unit for carrying by a user, the unit including transceiver means for transmitting and receiving wireless communication signals via a wireless telephone network having an array of wireless signal receiving and transmitting sites, each wireless site transmitting control channel signals, an alarm input for activating by the user in the event of an emergency, and processor means for generating a first type of emergency signal for transmission by said transceiver means on activation of said alarm input, said emergency signal including phone unit identifying information and control channel signals received from adjacent wireless sites forming part of said telephone network, said portable phone unit operating to transmit said emergency signals in an emergency mode on activation of said alarm input and being operable when not in said emergency mode as a conventional portable phone in a communication mode;
• a wireless phone unit for installation in a vehicle, the unit having sensor inputs for connection to sensors in said vehicle for detecting an emergency condition, transceiver means for transmitting and receiving wireless communication signals via said wireless telephone network, and processor means for monitoring said sensor inputs and generating a second type of emergency signal on detection of an emergency condition in said vehicle, said second emergency signal including vehicle identifying information and control channel signals received by said transceiver means from adjacent wireless sites, said wireless phone unit operating to transmit said emergency signal in an emergency mode on detection of said emergency condition and otherwise being operable in a communication mode for voice communications as a conventional wireless phone unit;
• a building alarm unit for installation in a building, the unit having sensor inputs for linking to a plurality of sensors for detecting different types of emergencies in the building, transceiver means for transmitting and receiving wireless communication signals via said wireless telephone network, and processor means for monitoring said sensor inputs and generating a third type of emergency signal on detection of an emergency condition in said building, the third type of emergency condition including data on the location of the building and the type of alarm, said transceiver further comprising means for transmitting said emergency signal to a remote monitoring station;
• said vehicle and building alarm units each having receptacle means for receiving said wireless phone unit as a dumb handset when the user is in the vehicle or building, the alarm mode of said wireless phone unit being disabled while it is inserted in either of said receptacle means, and reactivated on removal from said receptacle means;
• a central monitoring station for receiving said emergency signals and computing an approximate phone unit location from said control channel signals if a first or second type of emergency signal is received.

A tracking system for tracking a cellular phone unit, comprising:

• an array of cell sites each covering a predetermined area, each cell site having a transmitter for transmitting cellular control signals;
• a cellular phone unit having a cellular transceiver for receiving cellular control signals from any adjacent cell site and for transmitting cellular phone signals via said adjacent cell site, said signals including data and an assigned digital color code at an assigned voice channel frequency for that call;
• and
• direction finder means for homing in on said cellular phone signals transmitted by said cellular phone unit to locate said unit, the direction finder means having an adjustable target frequency for setting at a selected voice channel frequency, receiver means for receiving any radio signals in the vicinity and determining whether the frequency of said signals correspond to the target frequency, means for extracting the digital color code from any received signal at the target frequency, and means for displaying the digital color code.