Power management system and method for vehicle locating unit
AssigneeLoJack Corporation
InventorsFabio Meacci, James Justice, Jesse Rhodes, Michael Goodwin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Improved power management for a vehicle locating unit is achieved by receiving a transmission from a communication source, each transmission including at least one message frame having a data field and at least one auxiliary field; entering a wake mode upon indexing the assigned message frame of the receiver in the transmission; matching the pattern of bits of at least one auxiliary field of the indexed frame with one or more stored patterns of bits expected for that auxiliary field; and returning to the sleep mode as soon as a mismatch is determined or processing the message if no mismatch occurs.
Claims11
A vehicle locating unit with improved power management, the vehicle locating unit comprising:
- a receiver for receiving an intermittent transmission from a communications source and having an assigned message frame, each transmission including at least one message frame having a data field and at least one auxiliary field;
- and
- a power management system responsive to said receiver and configured to perform the following sequential steps:
- (i) enter a wake mode corresponding to an expected start of the intermittent transmission,
- (ii) enter a sleep mode until a start of a next intermittent transmission if the expected start of the intermittent transmission is not detected;
- otherwise, after detecting the expected start of the intermittent transmission, re-enter sleep mode and index to the receiver's assigned message frame in the intermittent transmission,
- (iii) re-enter the wake mode after indexing,
- (iv) match a pattern of bits of the at least one auxiliary field of the indexed message frame with a plurality of stored patterns of bits, each pattern of bits corresponding to a command to the vehicle locating unit, and
- (v) return to the sleep mode if a mismatch is detected.
An improved method of power management for a vehicle locating unit having a receiver, the method comprising:
- assigning a message frame to the receiver;
- receiving an intermittent transmission from a communication source, each transmission including at least one message frame having a data field and at least one auxiliary field;
- entering a wake mode corresponding to an expected start of the intermittent transmission;
- entering a sleep mode until a start of a next intermittent transmission if the expected start of the intermittent transmission is not detected;
- otherwise, after detecting the expected start of the intermittent transmission, re-entering sleep mode and indexing to the receiver's assigned message frame in the intermittent transmission;
- reentering the wake mode after indexing to the assigned message frame in the intermittent transmission;
- matching a pattern of bits of the at least one auxiliary field of the indexed frame with a plurality of stored patterns of bits, each pattern corresponding to a command to the vehicle locating unit;
- and
- returning to the sleep mode if a mismatch is detected.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.