Pairing based detection of a car theft

Abstract

A method for monitoring a vehicle, the method comprising: determining, by a computer, whether a pairing between a vehicle and a mobile device associated with the vehicle succeeded; applying, by the computer, a first monitoring process when the pairing succeeded; and applying, by the computer, a second monitoring process that differs from the first monitoring process when the pairing failed.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method for monitoring a vehicle, the method comprising:
 determining, by a computer, whether a pairing between a vehicle and a mobile device associated with the vehicle succeeded;   applying, by the computer, a first monitoring process when the pairing succeeded; and   applying, by the computer, a second monitoring process that differs from the first monitoring process when the pairing failed.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1  comprising associating the mobile device with the vehicle before the determining whether the pairing succeeded. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2  wherein the associating comprising maintaining a data structure that stores vehicle identification information and identification information of one or more mobile device associated with the vehicle. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the mobile device is a mobile phone of a driver that is associated with the vehicle. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1  comprising receiving, by the computer, information about a location of the vehicle, wherein the information about the location of the vehicle is generated by a vehicle monitor installed in the vehicle; and receiving, by the computer, information about a location of the mobile device associated with the vehicle. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 5  wherein the determining whether the pairing succeeded is responsive to a relationship between the location of the vehicle and the location of the mobile device associated with the vehicle of the vehicle. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6  wherein the determining whether the pairing succeeded comprising determining that the pairing failed when a distance between the location of the vehicle and the location of the mobile device associated with the vehicle of the vehicle exceeds a distance threshold. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 6  wherein the information about a location of the vehicle comprises an identity of cellular network cells sensed by the vehicle monitor. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1  comprising determining that the pairing failed when the computer failed to receive a pairing success confirmation within a predefined period after a reception of a vehicle ignition notification. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1  comprising determining, by the computer, that the pairing failed upon a reception of a pairing failure notification from at least one of the mobile device associated with the vehicle of the vehicle and a vehicle monitor installed in the vehicle. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the applying of the second monitoring process comprises validating an identity of a driver of the vehicle. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the applying of the second monitoring process comprises sending, by the computer to a control center, an alert. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the applying of the second monitoring process comprises disabling the vehicle. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the applying of the second monitoring process comprises checking whether the vehicle exited a predefined geographical region. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 14  comprising generating an alert when the vehicle exited the predefined geographical region. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the applying of the second monitoring process comprises notifying a person associated with the vehicle about a failure of the pairing. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 1  comprising: receiving, by the computer, information about a location of the vehicle, wherein the information about the location of the vehicle is generated by an activity sensor located outside the vehicle; and receiving, by the computer, information about a location of the mobile device associated with the vehicle. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 1  comprising receiving an activity indication about an activity related to the vehicle and triggering the determining of whether the pairing succeeded in response to the activity indication. 
     
     
         19 . A non-transitory computer readable medium that stores instructions that once executed by a computer cause the computer to execute the steps of:
 determining, by a computer, whether a pairing between a vehicle and a mobile device associated with the vehicle succeeded;   applying, by the computer, a first monitoring process when the pairing succeeded; and   applying, by the computer, a second monitoring process that differs from the first monitoring process when the pairing failed.   
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 19  that stores instructions for associating the mobile device with the vehicle before the determining whether the pairing succeeded. 
     
     
         21 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 20  wherein the associating comprising maintaining a data structure that stores vehicle identification information and identification information of one or more mobile device associated with the vehicle. 
     
     
         22 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 19  wherein the mobile device is a mobile phone of a driver that is associated with the vehicle. 
     
     
         23 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 19  that stores instructions for receiving, by the computer, information about a location of the vehicle, wherein the information about the location of the vehicle is generated by a vehicle monitor installed in the vehicle; and receiving, by the computer, information about a location of the mobile device associated with the vehicle. 
     
     
         24 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 23  wherein the determining whether the pairing succeeded is responsive to a relationship between the location of the vehicle and the location of the mobile device associated with the vehicle of the vehicle. 
     
     
         25 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 24  wherein the determining whether the pairing succeeded comprising determining that the pairing failed when a distance between the location of the vehicle and the location of the mobile device associated with the vehicle of the vehicle exceeds a distance threshold. 
     
     
         26 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 24  wherein the information about a location of the vehicle comprises an identity of cellular network cells sensed by the vehicle monitor. 
     
     
         27 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 19  that stores instructions for determining that the pairing failed when the computer failed to receive a pairing success confirmation within a predefined period after a reception of a vehicle ignition notification. 
     
     
         28 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 19  that stores instructions for determining, by the computer, that the pairing failed upon a reception of a pairing failure notification from at least one of the mobile device associated with the vehicle of the vehicle and a vehicle monitor installed in the vehicle. 
     
     
         29 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 19  wherein the applying of the second monitoring process comprises validating an identity of a driver of the vehicle. 
     
     
         30 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 19  wherein the applying of the second monitoring process comprises sending, by the computer to a control center, an alert. 
     
     
         31 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 19  wherein the applying of the second monitoring process comprises disabling the vehicle. 
     
     
         32 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 19  wherein the applying of the second monitoring process comprises checking whether the vehicle exited a predefined geographical region. 
     
     
         33 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 32  that stores instructions for generating an alert when the vehicle exited the predefined geographical region. 
     
     
         34 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 19  wherein the applying of the second monitoring process comprises notifying a person associated with the vehicle about a failure of the pairing. 
     
     
         35 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 19  that stores instructions for receiving, by the computer, information about a location of the vehicle, wherein the information about the location of the vehicle is generated by an activity sensor located outside the vehicle; and receiving, by the computer, information about a location of the mobile device associated with the vehicle. 
     
     
         36 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 19  that stores instructions for receiving an activity indication about an activity related to the vehicle and triggering the determining of whether the pairing succeeded in response to the activity indication. 
     
     
         37 . A vehicle monitor, comprising a controller and a transceiver; wherein the vehicle monitor is configured to receive or generate an activity indication about an activity related to the vehicle; to participate, in response to the activity indication, in an attempt to pair the vehicle monitor with a mobile device associated with the vehicle; and wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit an indication upon a failure of the attempt to pair. 
     
     
         38 . The vehicle monitor according to  claim 37  wherein the activity indication is an ignition indication.