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Title:
SIGNAL JAMMING
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2017/152242
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
A system for interfering with communication signals in a vehicle. The system comprises a jammer that is configured to interfere with at least one communications signal within said vehicle. The system also comprises a controller in communication with the jammer and said vehicle. Said controller is adapted to activate said jammer when the engine of the vehicle is on and deactivate said jammer when the engine of the vehicle is off.

Inventors:
LEMMING KIM (AU)
LEMMING CHAD (AU)
Application Number:
PCT/AU2017/050221
Publication Date:
September 14, 2017
Filing Date:
March 10, 2017
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
LEMMING KIM (AU)
LEMMING CHAD (AU)
International Classes:
H04K3/00; G07C5/00
Domestic Patent References:
WO2004019646A12004-03-04
Foreign References:
US20060212195A12006-09-21
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
GRIFFITH HACK (AU)
Download PDF:
Claims:
CLAIMS

1. A system for jamming a communication signal in a vehicle, comprising :

(i) at least one jammer that is configured to interfere with at least one communications signal within said vehicle, and

(ii) a controller in communication with the at least one jammer and said vehicle, the controller adapted to activate the at least one jammer when an engine of the vehicle is on and to deactivate the at least one jammer when the engine of the vehicle is off.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to detect that the engine is on by determining whether an ignition has been activated.

3. The system of any one claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the controller is configured to detect that the engine is on by determining whether a signal is being sent from the engine to a tachometer .

4. The system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising a data logger in communication with the controller, wherein the data logger is configured to store data generated by the system.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein data stored on the data logger is downloadable to a device external to the system.

6. The system as claimed in any one of claim 4 or claim 5 wherein data stored on the data logger is downloadable over a communication network.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the system is further configured to download data from the data logger over a cellular communications network when the jammer is deactivated.

8. The system as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 7 wherein system data includes date, time, engine start and stop times. 9. The system as claimed in claim 8 wherein system data further includes data indicative of electrical bypassing of the jammer, electrical loss to the system, and unauthorized manipulation of the system. 10. The system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the data logger is housed jointly with the controller.

11. The system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the at least one jammer is configured to interfere one or more radio frequencies.

12. The system as claimed m any one of the preceding claims wherein the at 1east one jammer comprises one or more jamming devices .

13. The system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the system further comprises a plurality of aerials associated with the jammer for transmitting signals that interfere with said at least one communications signal within said vehicle.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13 wherein the aerials are located at different positions around said vehicle.

15. The system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein interference of said at least one communications signal by said jammer is retained within an interior of the vehicle.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein an operator seat of the vehicle is located within a jamming radius of said jammer over which said jammer interferes with said at least one

communications signal includes.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16 wherein other occupant seats of the vehicle are not located within jamming radius.

18. The system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the system is configured to jam at least one

communications signal from a mobile phone signal located in a car .

19. An apparatus for jamming a communication signal in a vehicle, the apparatus comprising the system of any one of claims 1 to 18.

20. The apparatus as according to claim 19, wherein the system is provided as a single device configured to be fitted to a vehicle .

21. A vehicle fitted with the system of any one of the preceding claims .

22. A method of jamming a communication signal in a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

i) monitoring an engine of said vehicle and detecting whether said engine is operating or deactivated; and

ii) interfering with the communication signal in the vehicle when an engine of the vehicle is activated.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein the vehicle further comprises a data logger in communication with at least the controller, and wherein the data logger is configured to store system data; the method further comprising the step of:

iii) recording data on the data logger associated with operation of the jamming system.

24. The method of claim 21 or 22, wherein step ii) is provided by use the jamming system of any one of claims 1 to 18.

Description:
Signal Jamming

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the safe operation mobile electronic devices.

Background

Operating a vehicle, for example a car, a truck, a boat or a plane, requires complete concentration by the person operating the vehicle. A lapse in concentration can result in a loss of control of the vehicle. The loss of control can result in an accident, which could injure the vehicle operator and others that are within the pathway of the uncontrolled vehicle. Mobile phones, sometimes referred to as cell phones, are ubiquitous in modern society. In some jurisdictions, it is illegal to hold and use a mobile phone at any time while operating a vehicle. The mobile phone must only be used when the vehicle is parked out of the line of traffic. Double demerit points are incurred by people that are caught by the police using their mobile phone while operating the vehicle.

Nevertheless, many vehicle operators hold and use their mobile phone while operating the vehicle. This behaviour persists despite law, education and punishment.

Summary

Disclosed herein is a system for jamming a communication signal in a vehicle. The system comprises a jammer that is configured to interfere with at least one communications signal within said vehicle. The system also comprises a controller in communication with the jammer and said vehicle. Said controller is adapted to activate said jammer when the engine of the vehicle is on and deactivate said jammer when the engine of the vehicle is off.

A reference to "interfere with at least one communication signal" is to be interpreted to include blocking, distorting or otherwise interfering with the at least one communication signal such that it is not recognised by, or cannot be used by, the device the signal is being transmitted to and/or to include blocking, distorting or otherwise interfering with the at least one communication signal that is being transmitted from the device. In this way, "interfere with at least one communication signal" is to mean blocking, distorting or otherwise interfering with any communication signal being received and/or transmitted by the device.

The controller may be configured to detect that the engine is on by determining whether an ignition has been activated. The controller may be configured to detect that the engine is on by determining whether a signal is being sent from the engine to a tachometer . The system may further comprise a data logger in

communication with the controller. The data logger may be configured to store data generated by the system.

The communications signals may be in communication with a device within said vehicle, such as a mobile phone or a cell phone, a tablet or laptop that operates over frequencies associated with communication devices, for example 1G, 2G, 3G, AG, 5G, GSM, Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth frequencies. In an

embodiment, the communication device may be a mobile phone.

The vehicle may include a motorbike, car, bus, truck, boat, plane, earth moving equipment and/or heavy machinery such as those used on mine sites. The jammer may be activated when an engine of the vehicle is on and deactivated when the engine of the vehicle is off. The controller may receive information from the vehicle and determine whether the engine is on or off. Alternately, the controller may receive information on engine status directly from the vehicle. The information that the controller receives from the engine may be information received from the engine, including an engine control unit (ECU) . If the controller determines, detects or receives information that the engine is on, it can instruct the jammer to activate. The controller may determine detect that the engine is on using a variety of signals that are generated when the engine is on. For example, the controller may determine that the engine is on by monitoring one or more signals, such as engine temperature, activity of fuel pump ( s ) , a current being drawn from batteries for an electric motor, a crank position sensor, a distributor, an alternator, a timing belt, a radiator fan, hydraulic fluid pressure, pressure sensors in the seat and/or an engine computer. In an embodiment, the controller may detect that the engine is on by determining whether an ignition switch has been activated. In an embodiment, the controller may detect that the engine is on by determining whether a signal is being sent from the engine to a tachometer. In an embodiment, the controller may detect that the engine is on by receiving input signals from an engine computer, such as an ECU. Determining whether an engine is on by receiving input signals from an engine computer may be advantageous for electric and hybrid cars, and cars with cylinder and engine deactivation, since the electric motor or engine may not be running, i.e. off, when the vehicle is stopped even though the vehicle is still in use. When the controller no longer detects signals that indicated the engine is on, the controller can instruct the jammer to deactivate.

Since the activity of the jammer is linked to the

operating status of the engine, any use of the communication device requires the operator of the vehicle to turn the engine off. Accordingly, embodiments of the system may be advantageous over other systems that block communication signals, for example, systems that are installed on the user's communication device, or systems that use speed monitoring to determine whether to jam a signal or not. For systems installed as an application on a user' s communication device, the user may simply disable or delete the application, preventing the application from jamming communication signals. For systems that rely on monitoring the speed of a vehicle by having a threshold speed, a user of the vehicle may simply slow down below the threshold speed to stop the system jamming the communication signals. For example, blocking or distorting communication signals may only commence once a vehicle is travelling more than 20 km/h. However, even driving at speeds below 20 km/h, a driver that is distracted by a communication device still has the potential to cause harm, for example by hitting a child.

Accordingly, an embodiment of the system may provide a

significant deterrent and/or safety improvement compared to other systems that block communication device signals.

The jammer may be configured to interfere with one or more communication signals e.g. frequencies. For example, if an operator of a vehicle has a communication device that operates on a specific frequency, then the jammer may be configured to block or distort this frequency. This may be advantageous where passengers of the vehicle have communication devices that operate at different frequencies. If, on the other hand, the operator has a communication device that operates over a range of frequencies, e.g. where an up link and a down link between a mobile device and a cellular base station operate at different frequencies, then the jammer may interfere with just the up link or just the down link. Alternately, the jammer may interfere with one or more of the frequencies that form the range of frequencies used by a dual or multi-SIM (subscriber identity module) mobile device.

The jammer may interfere with communications signals within a defined radius extending from the jammer, such that communication signals intended for a communication device placed within this radius may be jammed. The radius may extend to only block or distort communication signals relevant to a

communication device in close proximity to a driver's seat. For example, if a jammer is placed near the steering wheel of a vehicle, the radius may only extend approximately 50cm from the jammer to provide a coverage that extends from the steering wheel to around the back of the driver's seat. The radius may extend to cover all occupants within a vehicle. However, to ensure communication devices outside the vehicle are not interfered with, in some embodiments, the jamming radius provided by the jammer may be located within an interior of the vehicle. An operator seat of the vehicle may be located within a jamming radius of said jammer over which said jammer interferes with said at least one communications signal includes. Other occupant seats of the vehicle may not located within jamming radius .

The jammer may be comprised of more than one jammer. For example, in larger vehicles, two jammers may be required to interfere with communication signals communicating with a communication device located near an operator of the vehicle. A number of jammers may be placed throughout an interior of the vehicle. Alternately, a number of aerials from one or more jammers may be located throughout an interior of a vehicle. For example, a jammer and/or an aerial may be placed in each corner of the interior of the vehicle and may be attached to any convenient location within the vehicle. The number of aerials may be located on an exterior of a car. The jammer may be designed to be as unobtrusive as possible. For example, in a car, the jammer may be attached to the inside of the dash or underneath the steering wheel. The aerials may be associated with the jammer.

Regardless of the number and location (s) of jammers and/or aerials used, the area covered by the jammer may be controlled by the controller. The area covered by the jammer may be controlled directly by the controller and/or the controller may instruct the jammer what area coverage is required and the jammer may then adjust itself accordingly. For example, the controller may adjust the amount of the power the jammer receives and/or uses. In this instance, increasing the power supplied to the jammer may increase the area covered by the jammer, while decreasing the power supplied to, and/or used by, the jammer may decrease the area of interference around the jammer. When more than one jammer and/or aerial is used, the controller may control the power delivered to, or used by, each jammer and/or aerial. Each jammer and/or aerial may receive the same power. Each jammer and/or aerial may receive a different amount of power.

The data logger can be configured to store data generated by the system. The data generated by the system may include date, time, engine start and stop times, electrical bypassing of the jammer, and electrical loss to the system. The data logger may also store data associated with unauthorized manipulation of the system, such as unauthorised modification, deletion, insertion or disclosure of the data. From a law enforcement view, it may be desirable to know when and if the operator of the vehicle attempts to disable the jammer, the controller or the jamming system generally. To this end, the controller may be integrated into, or configured to operate in conjunction with, the engine so as to prevent the engine from being turned on when there is unauthorized manipulation of the system.

The data stored on the data logger may be downloaded and/or uploaded to a third party to monitor the use of the system. The data may be downloaded directly through the data logger, through the controller, or a combination of the data logger and controller. Depending on the relevant regulatory requirement, the third party may need to view the data on a regular interval, for example once a month. The data may be downloaded using wired or wireless communication. For example, the data may be downloaded using USB, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. If wireless communication is used to download the data, it may also be done over a cellular network. In these circumstances, the data logger and/or the controller may receive a dedicated subscriber identity module (SIM) card. The data may then be directly downloaded to a third party irrespective of the vehicle location. This may be desirable when, for example, the system is used in remote areas, in situations when not having to have scheduled appointments to retrieve the data from the data logger is convenient, and for allowing real-time monitoring of the data. For real-time monitoring, the data may be continually uploaded and/or downloaded and a third party is only alerted once there is an abnormality. For example if the data logger has lost power which may indicate an incident of unauthorized manipulation, due to power from a battery of the vehicle being disconnected, the data associate with this event can alert the third party. The third party may then take necessary action. Real-time monitoring may help to improve compliance with the system. Since the jammers are active when the engine of the vehicle is on, any attempt to upload and/or download the data whilst the engine is on, particularly via a cellular network, may be prevented by the at least one jammer blocking or distorting the relevant communication signals that report the data. Therefore, where real-time monitoring is used, data may only be sent once the controller detects that the engine is turned off and has instructed the jammers to deactivate. Since the data may only be sent using real-time monitoring when the engine is off, the data logger may be configured to always remain active so that the data may be uploaded and/or downloaded without worry of power shortages. Accordingly, the data logger may be powered using a dedicated power source or using a battery associated with operation of the vehicle. Having the data logger configured to always remain active may help to ensure the data logger records data associated with unauthorized manipulation of the system when the engine is off. In an embodiment where the data logger always remains active, the controller may also always remain active. In these embodiments, the controller may have its own dedicated power source. Alternatively, the controller may share the power source from the data logger.

The data logger may be separate from the controller. The data logger may be directly associated with the controller. When the data logger and controller are separate from one another, they may be housed in separate enclosures. When the data logger and controller are associated with each other, they may be housed in the same enclosure. Even if the data logger and controller and separate from one another, they may still be housed in the same enclosure. Regardless of the arrangement of enclosures, the enclosure may be tamper-proof to prevent unauthorized access to the data logger and controller housed within the enclosure. The enclosure may also have a tamper proof arrangement, such as a seal, to indicate if there has been physical unauthorized access.

The system may be configured to jam at least one

communications signal that is from a mobile phone signal located in a car.

Disclosed herein is an apparatus for jamming a

communication signal in a vehicle. The apparatus comprises the system as set forth above. The system may be provided as a single device configured to be fitted to a vehicle. For example, the jammer and controller and optionally the data logger may be provided as a single unit that is fittable to the vehicle. Disclosed herein is a vehicle fitted with the system as set forth above.

Also disclosed herein is a method of jamming a

communication signal in a vehicle. The method comprises monitoring an engine of said vehicle and detecting whether said engine is operating or deactivated. The method also comprises interfering with the communication signal in the vehicle when an engine of the vehicle is activated.

The jamming system may further comprise a data logger in communication with the at least the controller. The data logge may be configured to store system data. The method may further comprise the step of recording data on the data logger associated with operation of the jamming system.

In an embodiment, step ii) may be provided by use the jamming system as set forth above.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments will now be described by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :

Figure 1 shows an embodiment of the system installed to an interior of a car.

Figure 2 shows an embodiment of a blocking or distorting area relative to a car. Figure 3 shows a first embodiment of a controller control flow diagram.

Figure 4 shows a second embodiment of a controller control flow diagram.

Detailed Description

Figure la shows a system 10 for jamming communication signals in a car 11. A jammer 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d is located within an interior of the car 11. A controller 16 is in communication with the jammer 12a-d and the vehicle 11, through an engine control unit (ECU) (not shown) and/or the ignition switch 14.

Figure lb shows an alternate embodiment with four aerials 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d which are in communication with at least one jammer 12. In this embodiment, aerials 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d receive jamming signals from the jammer 12 and transmit these signals within the interior of the car 11. In this embodiment, controller 16 is in communication with jammer 12 and the vehicle 11. Communication between the controller 16 and the vehicle is via the ECU (not shown) but may also be, or may alternately be, via the engine ignition switch 14.

In the embodiments of Figure la and lb, data logger 18, which is also housed within the controller 16, is in

communication with the controller 16. Although the embodiment shown in Figures la and lb have four jammers (or alternately aerials) (12a-d), the system may have any number of jammers (or aerials) depending on the vehicle type and location (s) require for jamming the communication signals.

In the embodiment in Figure lc, a blocking or distorting region 22 is provided around the steering wheel 20 and driver's seat of car 11.

The jammer is activated by the controller. To determine whether or not the jammer needs to be activated, the controller determines if the engine is on or off.

The controller receives an input signal from the engine. If the signal indicates that the engine is off, the controller continues waiting until it receives a signal that the engine is on. Once an engine on signal is received, the controller activates the jammer with an activating signal. When the jammer is on, the controller continues to receive an engine on signal. Once the engine on signal is no longer being received, the controller determines that the engine is off and deactivates the jammer by signal. Once the engine has been turned off and the controller has deactivated the jammer, the controller then waits to receives input signal and the system control is repeated.

The system also includes a data logger that records data associated with the system. The data stored on the data logger can be downloaded using either wired or wireless communication methods. For wireless communication methods, it can be important to ensure data is only transmitted when the jammers are deactivated, otherwise the data may not be received by a third party. To ensure this does not occur, the controller can control when the data is transmitted. In this embodiment, the controller determines if it is time to transmit the recorded data to a third party at step. If it is not time to transmit the data, the controller prevents transmission of the data. Once the

controller determines it is time to transmit the recorded data, it will then determine at step if the jammer is on. If the jammer is off, the controller will transmit the recorded data at step. If the jammer is on, the controller will wait until it determines that the jammer is off, where it will then transmit the recorded data at step.

The above description of the operation of the jamming system is further detailed in the following description of Figures 2, 3 and 4.

Figure 2 is a flow control diagram showing control of the jammer 12 by controller 16.

At step 205 the controller 16 monitors the engine of vehicle 11 to determine whether or not the engine is active. This may be done by the controller 16 monitoring one or more signals from the vehicle's ECU and /or other equipment within the vehicle 11, such as ignition switch 14.

At step 205, if the controller determines that the engine is active then the controller 16 moves to step 210 where it instructs jammer 12 to transmit a jamming signal. If at step 205 the controller 16 determines that the engine is not active, then the controller 16 loops back to the beginning of step 205 where it repeats the test for whether or not the engine is active. As detailed above, at step 210, the controller 16

instructs jammer 16 to transmit a jamming signal in response to detecting that the engine of vehicle 11 is active. Once the jammer 12 has commenced transmitting its jamming signal, the controller 16 moves to step 215 where it monitors whether or not the engine is active. If at step 215 the controller 16 determines that the engine is active, the controller 16 returns to step 210 and instructs the jammer to continue transmitting the jamming signal. If at step 215 the controller 16 determines that the engine is no longer active, then it moves to step 220 where it instructs the jammer 12 to cease transmission of the jamming signal in response to the engine being deactivated. After step 220, the controller 16 returns to beginning of step 205 where it monitors whether or not the engine of vehicle 11 is active.

Figure 3 is a flow control diagram showing control of data logger 18. This control of the data may be effected for purposes of ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and to detect attempts to by-pass or tamper with the jammer 12, or the jammer system. At step 305, the jammer system is initialized. This occurs when the jammer 12 is first installed and powered up. In some embodiments, the power to the controller 16 and data logger 18 is supplied by the vehicle's 11 battery power supply. As such, the data logger 18 and controller 16 should receive power continuously after they have been installed (unless the vehicle's battery needs to be re-charged or the battery changed out ) .

At step 310, the data recorder 18 records information about the initialization of the jammer system. This may be a time stamp in the data that identifies when the controller and / or data recorder and / or jammer 12 are first installed and powered up.

After step 310, the data logger 18 (or alternately controller 16) moves to step 315 where it is determined whether or not the data logger 18 is scheduled to record data as to the status of the system. The data logger 18 is may be scheduled to periodically record data as to the status of the jamming system as this may be used in conjunction with the time stamp of the initialization data at step 310 to determine whether or not power has been disconnected from the jamming system after it was installed .

If at step 315 it is time for the data logger 18 to store data on the status of the jamming system, then the data logger (or alternately controller 16) moves to step 320 where data on the status of the jamming system is stored in the data logger 18.

If at step 315 it is not a scheduled time for the data logger to store data on the status of the jamming system, then the data logger 18 (or alternately controller 16) moves to step 325 where it is determined whether there has been a change of status in the engine since the last loop. The change of status may be that the engine has been activated or it may be that the engine has been deactivated. Either way, if at step 325 there has been a change to the status of the engine, the system moves to step 320 and this change of status is recorded in the data logger 18.

If at step 325 it is determined that there has been no change of status to the engine, then the data logger (or alternately controller 16) moves to step 330 where it determines whether or not there has been a change to system status since the last loop. This test aims to determine whether or not there has been any attempt to tamper with the jamming system and may, for example, look for open circuit signals which may indicate an attempt to disconnect, by-pass or otherwise tamper with any of the jammer 12, controller 16 or data logger 18.

After step 325 the system moves to step 320 and records whether or not there was a change to system status at step 320. If there has been no change, then system status is recorded as being normal. If there has been a change to system status, then this change is recorded by data logger 18 for subsequent analysis to determine whether or not there has been any disconnection, by-passing or tampering with the jammer 12, controller 16 or data logger 18.

After step 320, the data logger 18 (or alternately controller 16) returns to step 315.

Figure 4 is a flow diagram showing steps for controlling transmission of data recorded by data logger 18 to a monitoring system that monitors the jamming system for any attempt to disconnect, by-pass, tamper with or otherwise not comply with regulatory requirements associated with operation of the jammer system. This transmission of data may occur at periodic intervals via a cellular phone network. To ensure that the transmission is not interfered with by the jammer 12, the jamming system needs to determine that the engine is off before it transmits the data. Alternately, the controller 16 needs to suppress transmission of a jamming signal by the jammer 12 when compliance data is transmitted by the jamming system.

At step 405 the controller 16 determines that it is scheduled to transmit compliance data recorded by data logger 18. If the jamming system is not scheduled to transmit compliance data, then the controller 16 loops back to the beginning of step 405.

If at step 405 the jamming system is scheduled to transmit compliance data then it moves to step 410 where the controller 16 determines whether or not the jammer 12 is transmitting a jamming signal. If the jammer is transmitting a jamming signal, then the controller loops back to the start of step 410 by the wait step at 415. This allows the controller 16 to monitor the jammer and determine when it can transmit data to a monitoring station via a cellular phone network without the data

transmission being interfered with by the jammer 12.

Alternately, if at step 410 the jammer is transmitting a jamming signal, then the controller 16 may force the jammer 12 to cease transmitting the jamming signal for the period that the controller 12 is transmitting compliance data via a cellular phone network. This is to avoid jamming of the compliance data transmission by the jammer.

After step 410, the controller moves to step 420 where it transmits compliance data recorded by data logger 18 to a monitoring station via a cellular phone network.

After step 420, the controller returns to the start of step 405. In an alternate embodiment to Figure 4, any data recorded by the data logger 18 may be simply downloaded using a physical connect, such as USB, by an authorized third party.

In the claims which follow and in the preceding

description of the system and method, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as

"comprises" or "comprising" is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the system and method.

It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country