Abstract:
Methods and systems provide for controlling a vehicle in conjunction with geospatial awareness. Vehicle locations are tracked and analyzed for compliance with rule sets corresponding to maintaining minimum or maximum distances from specific geographic locations or routes. A speed control command is issued to a vehicle upon violation of a rule. Speed control commands include speed reduction commands, vehicle shutdown commands, and combinations of speed reduction and vehicle shutdown commands.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/735,416, entitled “Vehicle Security,” filed Nov. 9, 2005, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates generally to vehicle security, and more specifically, to remote vehicle control informed by geospatial awareness.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     For individual vehicle owners and fleet owners alike, vehicle security is a rapidly growing concern. Fleet owners have even greater sensitivity to this issue, stemming from homeland security concerns, especially for trucks that carry hazardous materials and/or very valuable goods. One concern for vehicle owners is hijacking, alone, or in conjunction with threats to various structures, e.g., government buildings or landmarks. In addition, owners of vehicles that follow an authorized route, e.g., for product deliveries, require a level of security to ensure that the vehicle drivers do not substantially divert from their planned routes. A vehicle in motion presents dual concerns: how to safely bring the vehicle under control and how to prevent rogue vehicles from being used to cause intentional damage or harm to people and/or property.  
         [0006]     Therefore, there is a need for a system and method that provides vehicle security combined with geographical awareness.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0007]     In various embodiments, the present invention provides methods and systems for controlling a vehicle in conjunction with geospatial awareness. According to the methods, vehicle locations are tracked and analyzed for compliance with rule sets corresponding to specific geographic locations. Some rules state that a vehicle maintain a minimum distance from a location, e.g., a national monument, and other rules state that a vehicle not exceed a maximum distance from a location, e.g., a point on an approved route. If one or more rules is violated, a speed control command is issued to the vehicle in violation. Speed control commands include speed reduction commands, vehicle shutdown commands, and combinations of speed reduction and vehicle shutdown commands.  
         [0008]     The description in the specification is not all inclusive and, in particular, many additional features will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the drawings, specification, and claims. Moreover, it should be noted that the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating the relationship between various entities involved in a geospatially aware security system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a vehicle that violates a rule corresponding to a geographically-sensitive location according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart illustrating a method of implementing a speed control command according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0012]      FIGS. 4A and 4B  illustrate examples of geo-fence regions according to various embodiments of the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram illustrating geospatially aware security provider software according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
       [0014]     One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the invention described herein.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS  
       [0015]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating the relationship between various entities involved in a geospatially aware security system  100  in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0016]     The geospatially aware security system  100  includes at least a geospatially aware security provider  105  and at least one vehicle  110 , which communicate via a network  115 , e.g. a wireless network. The system  100  may include more than one vehicle  100 , however,  FIG. 1  shows only one vehicle  110  for clarity of explanation. The geospatially aware security provider  105  exchanges messages with the vehicle  110  and provides sophisticated data-driven message processing capabilities. The processing capabilities are utilized to provide monitoring, managing, reporting, and notifying functionality, e.g., to one or more clients  125 . For example, in one embodiment the geospatially aware security provider  105  provides functionality for monitoring and managing a fleet of trucks  110  on delivery routes. The geospatially aware security provider  105  processes messages from the trucks  110  to perform functions such as determining whether trucks  110  are on schedule, whether trucks  110  have deviated from assigned routes, whether the trucks  110  are speeding, etc.  
         [0017]     The one or more vehicles  110  exchange messages with the geospatially aware security provider  105  as described above. The vehicles  110  may be any known type of mobile transportation device. The vehicle  110  includes components to support the messaging capability, for example, a location management unit (LMU), as described in greater detail below.  
         [0018]     The network  115  may be any type of network, including wireless networks. The network  115  may be the Internet, or other network embodiments, such as a LAN, a WAN, a MAN, a wired or wireless network, a private network, a virtual private network, or other systems allowing for data communication between two or more computing systems. The network  115  enables communication between the geospatially aware security provider  105  and the vehicle  110 .  
         [0019]     In conjunction with the various network types, the connections  120  between the entities and the network  115  may take various configurations. In one embodiment, the vehicle  110  uses conventional cellular wireless communication technologies to exchange messages with the geospatially aware security provider  105 , including cellular telephone technologies using the cell control channel, code division multiple access (CDMA), general packet radio service (GPRS), satellite-based communication technologies, etc. The vehicle  110  can also use conventional wireless computer networking technologies, such as 802.11, to communicate with the geospatially aware security provider  105 . In other embodiments, the vehicle  110  utilizes satellite-based communication technologies, non-cellular based radio communication technologies, and/or other technologies. Communication between the vehicle  110  and the geospatially aware security provider  105  is preferably bi-directional and the vehicle  110  and geospatially aware security provider  105  can utilize different technologies for different directions of communication.  
         [0020]     In addition to the geospatially aware security provider  105  and vehicle(s)  110 , one or more clients  125  may be included in the geospatially aware security system  100 . The client  125  may be a person, computer system, application, or other entity that communicates with the geospatially aware security provider  105  to access and/or participate in the monitoring, managing, reporting, and/or notifying functionalities. The geospatially aware security provider  105  and client  125  can communicate via a variety of technologies and interfaces. For example, the client  125  can communicate with the geospatially aware security provider  105  using a telephone-based interactive voice response (IVR) interface, a web page-based interface, an email interface, data exchanged via a network connection utilizing the TCP/IP, and/or a dedicated application interface. The client  125  can utilize a variety of devices to access these interfaces, including a telephone, computer system, pager, etc. These communications can utilize conventional wired and/or wireless data and/or voice communications links. Although only one client  125  is shown in  FIG. 1 , embodiments of the system  100  have many clients  125 .  
         [0021]     Another optional aspect of the system  100  includes law enforcement  130 . As described herein, law enforcement involvement may include the geospatially aware security provider  105  and/or client  125  notifying law enforcement of the location of the target vehicle, visual confirmation of a vehicle by law enforcement, e.g., for confirming a vehicle speed control command.  
         [0022]     The vehicle  110  further includes a location management unit (LMU)  135 , a component control module  140 , and optionally a mobile data terminal  145 .  
         [0023]     The LMU  135  acts as a tracking device for the vehicle  110  according to one embodiment. The LMU  135  is a device that is physically attached to the vehicle  110 , and thus the LMU  135  and the vehicle  110  are assumed to be at the same location at any given point in time, so that the location of the LMU  135  is a proxy for the location of the mobile asset itself. For this reason, this description sometimes treats the LMU  135  and the vehicle  110  as the same entity.  
         [0024]     In general, the LMU  135  supports position determination and position reporting. In one embodiment, the LMU  135  provides position determination by having a conventional sensor adapted to use the satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine the LMU&#39;s  135  current longitude, latitude, altitude, heading, velocity, etc. In other embodiments, an LMU  135  uses other position determination systems, such as an inertia-based tracking system, the Galileo satellite navigation system, a cellular telephone tower or television signal triangulation system, and/or an assisted GPS system such as the wide area augmentation system (WAAS). Different LMUs  135  in the system  100  can use different position determination systems.  
         [0025]     One embodiment of the LMU  135  includes a processor and memory and is adapted to execute program code modules for generating messages. The LMU  135  is responsible for implementation of a speed control command received at the target vehicle  110 .  
         [0026]     The vehicle  110  also includes at least one component control module (CCM)  140  according to one embodiment. The CCM  140  receives the vehicle component command from the LMU  135 , and is responsible for implementing the command. The CCM  140  can include any number of various vehicle controls and components.  
         [0027]     According to one embodiment, the CCM  140  is a three-phase signal interrupt for turbo diesel engine vehicles, and the vehicle component command includes a first instruction to disrupt a turbo boost signal, a second instruction to disrupt a throttle signal, and a third instruction to disrupt the ignition.  
         [0028]     In another embodiment, the CCM  140  is a vehicle bus, e.g., using the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1708 standard, and the vehicle component command comprises an instruction to limit target vehicle speed. In yet another embodiment, the component control module is an electronically/digitally actuated fuel valve, and the vehicle component command includes an instruction to restrict fuel flow. In this example, the electronically/digitally actuated fuel valve is electronically actuated and controlled by the LMU  135 , as described herein. The process uses an RS232/485 or TTL interface to restrict the flow of fuel according to these examples.  
         [0029]     In yet another embodiment, the CCM  140  also includes a braking system.  
         [0030]     According to one embodiment, the CCM  140  provides for easy installation, for example, by use of a pre-made wiring harness that goes inline with the various vehicle component lines (throttle line, brake line, etc.).  
         [0031]     The vehicle  110  optionally includes a mobile data terminal (MDT)  145  according to one embodiment. The MDT  145  is a device that allows display and input capabilities inside the vehicle  110 , e.g., by the vehicle driver. The MDT  145  may have basic or advanced computing capabilities. For example, the messages received by the LMU  135 , including alerts may display on the MDT  145  in some embodiments. In one embodiment, the MDT  145  requires the vehicle driver to login to the vehicle  110  before the vehicle  110  will start.  
         [0032]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram illustrating geospatially aware security provider software  500  according to one embodiment of the present invention. The geospatially aware security provider software  500  includes a location module  510 , an analysis module  520 , and a command module  530 .  
         [0033]     The location module  510  enables determination of the location of a target vehicle according to one embodiment. In one embodiment, this includes receiving messages about a target vehicle.  
         [0034]     The analysis module  520  enables analysis of the location of the target vehicle against a set of rules corresponding to allowed distances between the target vehicle and one or more geographically-sensitive locations. For example, rules may include minimum distances that a vehicle must be from locations, or may include maximum distances that a vehicle is allowed to deviate from its scheduled route/path.  
         [0035]     The command module  530  enables issuance of a speed control command is issued to the target vehicle, responsive to a determination that a rule corresponding to a selected geographically-sensitive location has been violated by the target vehicle. The command module  530  further enables additional safeguard steps according to various embodiments, for example to confirm a vehicle for the speed control command. In one embodiment, a secured request is first initiated. The command module  530  further enables issuing a speed control command as a series of steps and/or alert levels according to one embodiment. The command module  530  further enables issuing a speed control command that is a speed reduction command, which includes a set of instructions for reducing the speed of the target vehicle, and/or a vehicle shutdown command, which includes instructions for gradually bringing the target vehicle to a complete stop.  
         [0036]      FIG. 2  is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a vehicle, e.g.  110 , that violates a rule corresponding to a geographically-sensitive location according to one embodiment of the present invention. As described in greater detail below, a rule is violated when the condition corresponding to the rule evaluates false.  
         [0037]     The method begins by determining  210  a location of a target vehicle  110  according to one embodiment. In one embodiment, this step includes receiving messages about a target vehicle  110 . The target vehicle may be selected, for example, from a plurality of monitored vehicles. In one embodiment, the target vehicle  110  is a rogue vehicle, e.g., a vehicle that has been hijacked or otherwise has left control of its owner.  
         [0038]     The target vehicle is tracked in conjunction with a location management unit (LMU)  135  installed in or otherwise attached to the target vehicle according to one embodiment. The LMU  135  and the target vehicle  110  are assumed to be at the same location at any given point in time, so that the location of the LMU  135  is a proxy for the location of the target vehicle  110  itself. The LMU  135  provides for position determination and position reporting to the provider  105 , using GPS or other position determination systems, as described herein. In one embodiment, the LMU  135  provides position reporting using functionality for sending electronic messages reporting the LMU&#39;s position. For example, the LMU  135  may be configured to send messages at certain intervals, such as every 5 minutes or every day. In another embodiment, the LMU  135  is configured to send the messages upon the occurrence of one or more events, such as when the LMU&#39;s rate of acceleration exceeds a predetermined limit, when the LMU  135  moves a certain distance, when a vehicle  110  door is unlocked, and/or when the LMU  115  has moved within a certain distance of a predetermined or geographically-sensitive location. According to one embodiment, the LMU  135  is responsible for receiving the speed control command, translating the speed control command into a vehicle component command, transmitting the vehicle component command to a component control module  140 , and monitoring the component control module for implementation of the vehicle component command, as described in greater detail below. According to another embodiment, the LMU  135  includes component control module functionality, such that it directly controls vehicle components.  
         [0039]     The messages generated by the LMU  115  preferably contain data describing aspects of the associated target vehicle, such as location information describing the current location of the vehicle, whether it has deviated from its assigned route, whether the vehicle is speeding, etc. The LMU  135  may be used in conjunction with the MDT  145  in some embodiments, e.g., to display messages and alerts, and/or to allow the vehicle driver to login to the vehicle  110  before it will start.  
         [0040]     Next, the location of the target vehicle  110  is analyzed  220  against a set of rules corresponding to allowed distances between the target vehicle  110  and one or more geographically-sensitive locations. The set of rules may include rules specific to the target vehicle  110 , and/or may include rules generic to all monitored vehicles or monitored vehicles of the same type as the target vehicle  110 . For example, rules may include minimum distances that a vehicle must be from locations such as national landmarks, government buildings, bridges, events centers, tunnels, etc., e.g., for vehicles containing hazardous materials. Also, rules may include maximum distances that a vehicle is allowed to deviate from its scheduled route/path, e.g., for vehicles transporting high-value contents. An exemplary rule is that a vehicle stay within 10 miles of its authorized path. Thus, when the corresponding condition—is the vehicle within 10 miles of its authorized path—evaluates true, i.e., the vehicle is within 10 miles of its authorized path, the rule is satisfied; when the condition evaluates false, i.e., the vehicle is more than 10 miles outside of its authorized path, the rule is violated.  
         [0041]     Selected geographically-sensitive locations may be contained within geo-fences that define allowed distances between vehicles  110  and the various selected geographically-sensitive locations. A geo-fence is defined as a geographic region. For example, a list of geo-fences may be maintained, e.g., by the geospatially aware security provider  105 . A geo-fence is preferably defined by one or more geometric constructs, such as points, lines, arcs, polygons, circles, etc. Each construct is preferably associated with a geographic location, such as a latitude and longitude, thereby establishing a geo-fence region. If a geo-fence is defined as a circle, for example, the geo-fence region preferably identifies the latitude and longitude of the center, and the distance of the radius. Similarly, if a geo-fence is defined by a polygon, the geo-fence region preferably identifies the latitudes and longitudes of the end points of each side of the polygon. A geo-fence region can be three-dimensional. If, for example, a geo-fence is defined by a sphere, the geo-fence region preferably identifies a center of the sphere at a latitude, longitude, and altitude and a radius of a given distance from the center of the sphere.  
         [0042]     Thus, using the location information received in step  210 , that location can be analyzed against the rules, including the region information, to see if any rule has been violated. In addition, the location information may be used for additional reasons over the rule analysis described below, e.g., for notifying law enforcement, e.g.,  130 , of the location of the target vehicle  110 .  
         [0043]     Various rules may apply, as described above, which may be satisfied or violated. For example, in one embodiment, a rule is violated by a target vehicle exceeding a maximum allowed distance from a selected geographically-sensitive location. In another embodiment, a rule violated by a target vehicle getting closer than a minimum allowed distance from a selected geographically-sensitive location.  
         [0044]     Responsive to a determination that a rule corresponding to a selected geographically-sensitive location has been violated by the target vehicle  110 , a speed control command is issued  230  to the target vehicle.  
         [0045]     Issuing a speed control command may include additional safeguard steps, for example to confirm a vehicle for the speed control command. In one embodiment, a secured request is first initiated. The initiation process is enabled by the geospatially aware vehicle security provider  105  according to one embodiment, and the process may be controlled by the client alone or in conjunction with the provider  105 . For example, the request may be secured by requiring an authenticated login by the client  125 , or a user associated with the provider  105 , before allowing the request to proceed. Then, the execution of the secured request may be confirmed. Various methods exist for confirming the request, e.g., to prevent unauthorized use of the system. In one embodiment, law enforcement is involved. For example, the confirmation may include visual identification by law enforcement, e.g., by a police officer following the target vehicle. In this example, the police officer provides his identification information, e.g., name and badger number, and the target vehicle identification information, e.g., license plate number or company vehicle identifier to the client  125  and/or provider  105 . The information may be provided electronically via an interface in the police vehicle, via telephone, or by any other transmission means. Once the law enforcement visual is processed, the request can be executed.  
         [0046]     According to another embodiment, the confirmation is via a manual override. For example, the manual override may be used when officer identification is not available for various reasons or is not necessary. In this example, the authorized user confirms the manual override so that the speed control command can be transmitted.  
         [0047]     Issuing a speed control command may include a series of steps and/or alert levels according to one embodiment. For example, if a vehicle  110  is approaching a minimum allowed distance from a geographically-sensitive location, a first level alert may be issued. The alert may issue to the vehicle  110  directly, or may issue to the entity monitoring the vehicle according to various embodiments. For example, a message may issue to a client  125  according to various methods, such as email, SMS, IVR, webpage or web display, or other alert mechanism. In addition, the first level alert may include adjusting the minimum allowed distance from the geographically-sensitive location.  
         [0048]     For example, when a rule corresponding to a geographically-sensitive location has been violated by a vehicle  110 , e.g., a geo-fence boundary has been crossed, an action is triggered. Actions may be triggered by moving from inside a geo-fence region to outside a geo-fence region, or from outside a geo-fence region to inside a geo-fence region. Geo-fences may be hard geo-fences or soft geo-fences. A hard geo-fence is set and recognized by a moving device, e.g., by an LMU  135  on a vehicle  110 . In this example, hard geo-fences are crossed, and an action triggered, when the device moves into or out of the geo-fence region. A soft is set and recognized on a server, e.g., at the geospatially aware security provider  105 . In this example, soft geo-fences are crossed, and an action triggered, when data arrives at the server that demonstrates that the status of a device, or vehicle, has changed. Data may arrive at the server at scheduled intervals, for example, as part of the messaging of the LMU  105  as described herein. Thus, adjusting the minimum allowed distance from the geographically-sensitive location may include adjusting a geo-fence region, e.g., making the geo-fence region smaller or larger.  
         [0049]     Diagrams showing examples of geo-fence regions are shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B . In  FIG. 4A , a geographically-sensitive location  405 , in this example a government building, is shown. Initially, a geo-fence region  410  corresponding to a boundary  415  is exists surrounding the geographically-sensitive location  405 , as shown by a solid circle. In this example the geo-fence region is circular; however, geo-fences may take various other configurations as described herein. If a vehicle  420  (not shown to scale) crosses the perimeter or boundary  415  of the geo-fence  410 , an alert may be issued. Also, the geo-fence boundary  415  may be adjusted according to some embodiments. For example, the boundary  415  of the geo-fence  410  may be tightened to a smaller geo-fence  425 , surrounded by an adjusted boundary  430 , shown by a dashed circle. If the vehicle  420  later crosses the adjusted geo-fence boundary  430 , a second alert may be triggered, as described below. For example, the first geo-fence boundary  415  may have been a few miles from the geographically-sensitive location  405 , and the adjusted boundary  430  may be less than one mile from the geographically-sensitive location  405 , to allow for time to slow or stop the vehicle before it reaches the geographically-sensitive location  405 , depending on vehicle speed.  
         [0050]     A second example shows a geographically-sensitive location  450  that corresponds to an approved route  455  for a vehicle  460  as shown in  FIG. 4B . In this example, each point  465  along the route  455  is a geographically-sensitive location at various times during the truck&#39;s journey along the route  455 . As the geographically-sensitive location  450  moves along the route  455  in conjunction with vehicle movement, a geo-fence  470  bound by a geo-fence boundary  475  accompanies it, a shown by the solid circle. In this example, if the vehicle  460  leaves the geo-fence region  470 , an alert may be triggered, and/or a wider geo-fence  480  and accompanying boundary  485  may be established, as shown by the dashed line.  
         [0051]     After the first level alert is issued, if the vehicle continues on an unauthorized route, an additional alert level may apply. For example, if a vehicle is approaching an adjusted minimum allowed distance from a geographically-sensitive location, a second level alert may issue. In this example, the second level alert may include issuing the speed control command. These steps and alerts are only examples, other variations on the number and types of alerts that may be used are within the scope of the present invention.  
         [0052]     The speed control command may be any one of various types. According to one embodiment, the speed control command is a speed reduction command, which includes a set of instructions for reducing the speed of the target vehicle  110 . For example, the speed reduction command may include a maximum speed threshold. In this example, the speed of the target vehicle is reduced until the maximum speed threshold is reached, at which time the threshold speed is maintained. In addition, the instructions may include more than one threshold speed, for gradual stepwise speed reduction of the target vehicle  110 , if desired. Used alone, the speed reduction command may allow for increased safety, e.g., if the vehicle is moving at excessive speed relative to its location, provide for gradual reduction of speeds in high-speed areas, e.g., on a highways, or may assist law enforcement in apprehension of the vehicle  110 .  
         [0053]     According to another embodiment, the speed control command is a vehicle shutdown command. The command includes instructions for gradually bringing the target vehicle to a complete stop. In some embodiments, the speed control command may include both speed reduction and vehicle shutdown elements, with instructions for reducing the speed of the target vehicle  110  before bringing it to a complete stop.  
         [0054]     In yet another embodiment, the speed control command includes an instruction to shutdown the target vehicle  110  if it comes to a stop, e.g., at an intersection. This instruction may be used in combination with the speed reduction and vehicle shutdown commands, as described above for a vehicle  110  in motion.  
         [0055]     The speed control command can be implemented in various ways by the vehicle controls and components. A general method of implementing the speed control command is shown in the  FIG. 3 .  
         [0056]     The implementation method begins when a speed control command is received  310  at a target vehicle  110 . For example, the speed control command may be received  310  at the LMU  135  for the target vehicle  110  via wireless protocol from the geospatially aware security provider  105  or client  125  over a wireless network, e.g.,  115 .  
         [0057]     Next, the speed control command is translated  320  into a vehicle component command. This aspect of the present invention allows for the message received, which may be in one format, to be processed by one or more vehicle components, which may process messages of a different format. The translation takes into consideration the nature of the component control module, and provides the necessary message translation. In one embodiment, the LMU  135  provides the translation functionality.  
         [0058]     Once translated  320 , the vehicle component command is transmitted  330  from the LMU  135  to a CCM  140  for implementation. The component control module  140  can be any number of various vehicle controls and components.  
         [0059]     According to one embodiment, the CCM  140  is a three-phase signal interrupt for turbo diesel engine vehicles, and the vehicle component command includes a first instruction to disrupt a turbo boost signal, a second instruction to disrupt a throttle signal, and a third instruction to disrupt the ignition. In this example, the turbo boost signal first is disrupted, causing less horsepower to be generated by the engine, thus reducing the maximum speed of the vehicle. Then, the throttle input signal is disrupted, the electronic control of the turbo diesel engine will return automatically, or with an added idle switch, to an idle state. Although the vehicle will eventually come to a stop using this method, steering and braking mechanisms remain intact. Finally, the ignition is disrupted, causing the engine to turn off.  
         [0060]     In another embodiment, the component control module  140  is a vehicle bus, e.g., using the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1708 standard, and the vehicle component command comprises an instruction to limit target vehicle speed. In yet another embodiment, the component control module  140  is electronically/digitally controlled fuel valve, and the vehicle component command includes an instruction to restrict fuel flow. In this example, the electronically/digitally controlled fuel valve is electronically actuated and controlled by a Location Management Unit (LMU), as described herein. The process uses an RS232/485 or TTL interface to restrict the flow of fuel according to two examples.  
         [0061]     In yet another embodiment, the component control module  140  also includes a braking system, and the vehicle component command further comprises an instruction to apply the braking system.  
         [0062]     Finally, the component control module  140  is monitored  340  for implementation of the vehicle component command. The monitoring may take place as part of the vehicle system, may be eternal to the vehicle  110 , e.g., law enforcement monitoring, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the monitoring includes monitoring target vehicle  110  speed to confirm the target vehicle  110  has reached a maximum speed threshold.  
         [0063]     The present invention has been described in particular detail with respect to one possible embodiment. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the invention may be practiced in other embodiments. First, the particular naming of the components, capitalization of terms, the attributes, data structures, or any other programming or structural aspect is not mandatory or significant, and the mechanisms that implement the invention or its features may have different names, formats, or protocols. Further, the system may be implemented via a combination of hardware and software, as described, or entirely in hardware elements. Also, the particular division of functionality between the various system components described herein is merely exemplary, and not mandatory; functions performed by a single system component may instead be performed by multiple components, and functions performed by multiple components may instead performed by a single component.  
         [0064]     Some portions of above description present the features of the present invention in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on information. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. These operations, while described functionally or logically, are understood to be implemented by computer programs. Furthermore, it has also proven convenient at times, to refer to these arrangements of operations as modules or by functional names, without loss of generality.  
         [0065]     Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the above discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as “determining” or “displaying” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.  
         [0066]     Certain aspects of the present invention include process steps and instructions described herein in the form of an algorithm. It should be noted that the process steps and instructions of the present invention could be embodied in software, firmware or hardware, and when embodied in software, could be downloaded to reside on and be operated from different platforms used by real time network operating systems.  
         [0067]     The present invention also relates to an apparatus for performing the operations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes, or it may comprise a general-purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored on a computer readable medium that can be accessed by the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as, but is not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, and each coupled to a computer system bus. Furthermore, the computers referred to in the specification may include a single processor or may be architectures employing multiple processor designs for increased computing capability.  
         [0068]     The algorithms and operations presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general-purpose systems may also be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specialized apparatus to perform the required method steps. The required structure for a variety of these systems will be apparent to those of skill in the, along with equivalent variations. In addition, the present invention is not described with reference to any particular programming language. It is appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the present invention as described herein, and any references to specific languages are provided for invention of enablement and best mode of the present invention.  
         [0069]     The present invention is well suited to a wide variety of computer network systems over numerous topologies. Within this field, the configuration and management of large networks comprise storage devices and computers that are communicatively coupled to dissimilar computers and storage devices over a network, such as the Internet.  
         [0070]     Finally, it should be noted that the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. Accordingly, the disclosure of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.