[0001] The present invention relates generally to systems and methods of tracking vehicles. More particularly, to a system and method for tracking vehicles by utilizing RFID tags.

BACKGROUND
[0002] Currently available car rental services are extremely beneficial to a user in multiple ways. For example, if a user has shifted base to a new city, either for work or as a student, how would he/she cope with local travel? In this case, the user may have the need to either depend on Uber or, the local transport, which will obviously take its own time. Despite being on-demand taxi app Uber requires the user to wait. To overcome this challenge a simple solution to such a complex need is car rental services. These services allow the user to hire a car for the day or by the hour, and get his/her work done on time. It works out more economical than an Uber and does save a lot of your time.
[0003] However it is often difficult to maintain a trust between the rental car agency and the user. If someone rents a self-driven car for a determined destination as a city A but drives the car to another destination as a city B, it may be a challenge to keep a track on the rented vehicle. Use of GPS is not a viable solution as GPS units can be easily switched off deliberately by the user.
[0004] There is therefore a need to provide an efficient mechanism for efficiently tracking the vehicle right from a starting location, while in transit until the vehicle reaches a final determined destination.

OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE
[0005] Some of the objects of the present disclosure aimed to ameliorate one or more problems of the prior art or to at least provide a useful alternative are listed herein below.
[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a method for tracking a rented vehicle in real time using RFID tags.
[0007] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a method for tracking a rented vehicle in real time using RFID tags equipped with RFID technology.
[0008] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a method for tracking a rented vehicle in real time using RFID tags that are connected to satellite based navigation services.
[0009] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a method for maintaining location of the tracked vehicle using a distributed ledger.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[00010] The present invention relates generally to systems and methods of tracking vehicles. More particularly, to a system and method for tracking vehicles by utilizing RFID tags.
[00011] According to an aspect of the present disclosure is provided, a system for real-time tracking of a vehicle, said system comprising: a set of RFID tags assigned to the vehicle to be tracked, the set of RFID tags being associated with a Global Positioning System (GPS) of the vehicle; a remote computing device comprising a processor coupled with a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to : record global position of the vehicle in real-time using the GPS associated with the set of RFID tags; store information related to the set of RFID tags and the global position in a distributed ledger; and dynamically update the stored information until the vehicle is in transit and reaches a predetermined destination for real-time tracking of the vehicle.
[00012] According to an embodiment, the set of RFID tags comprises a plurality of RFID tags for co-coordinating amongst each other and tracking a location of the vehicle.
[00013] According to an embodiment, each of the plurality of RFID tags connects with each other to create an instant mesh network and transfers the tracked location of the vehicle to the GPS.
[00014] According to an embodiment, the distributed ledger is a collection of connected independent computing devices, where each of the independent computing devices is associated an electronic ledger that records and stores information related to the set of RFID tags and the global position.
[00015] According to an embodiment, a distance travelled by the vehicle is determined based on a difference between a starting point and the predetermined destination of the vehicle.
[00016] According to an embodiment, the distributed ledger generates customized information based on the distance travelled by the vehicle.
[00017] According to an aspect of the present disclosure is provided a method for real-time tracking of a vehicle, said method comprising: assigning a set of RFID tags to the vehicle to be tracked; associating, at a processor of a remote computing device, the set of RFID tags with a Global Positioning System (GPS) of the vehicle; recording, at the processor of the remote computing device, global position of the vehicle in real-time using the GPS associated with the set of RFID tags; storing, at the processor of the remote computing device, information related to the set of RFID tags and the global position in a distributed ledger; and updating, at the processor of the remote computing device, dynamically the stored information until the vehicle is in transit and reaches a predetermined destination.
[00018] Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like features.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
[00019] In the figures, similar components and/or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label.
[00020] FIG. 1 illustrates a network implementation of a vehicle tracking system which facilitates real time tacking of a vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00021] FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary functional components of vehicle tracking system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00022] FIG. 3 is a high-level flow diagram illustrating working of the system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00023] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary computer system to implement the proposed system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[00024] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details.
[00025] The present invention relates generally to systems and methods of tracking vehicles. More particularly, to a system and method for tracking vehicles by utilizing RFID tags.
[00026] According to an aspect of the present disclosure is provided, a system for real-time tracking of a vehicle, said system comprising: a set of RFID tags assigned to the vehicle to be tracked, the set of RFID tags being associated with a Global Positioning System (GPS) of the vehicle; a remote computing device comprising a processor coupled with a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to : record global position of the vehicle in real-time using the GPS associated with the set of RFID tags; store information related to the set of RFID tags and the global position in a distributed ledger; and dynamically update the stored information until the vehicle is in transit and reaches a predetermined destination for real-time tracking of the vehicle.
[00027] According to an embodiment, the set of RFID tags comprises a plurality of RFID tags for co-ordinating amongst each other and tracking a location of the vehicle.
[00028] According to an embodiment, each of the plurality of RFID tags connects with each other to create an instant mesh network and transfers the tracked location of the vehicle to the GPS.
[00029] According to an embodiment, the distributed ledger is a collection of connected independent computing devices, where each of the independent computing devices is associated an electronic ledger that records and stores information related to the set of RFID tags and the global position.
[00030] According to an embodiment, a distance travelled by the vehicle is determined based on a difference between a starting point and the predetermined destination of the vehicle.
[00031] According to an embodiment, the distributed ledger generates customized information based on the distance travelled by the vehicle.
[00032] According to an aspect of the present disclosure is provided a method for real-time tracking of a vehicle, said method comprising: assigning a set of RFID tags to the vehicle to be tracked; associating, at a processor of a remote computing device, the set of RFID tags with a Global Positioning System (GPS) of the vehicle; recording, at the processor of the remote computing device, global position of the vehicle in real-time using the GPS associated with the set of RFID tags; storing, at the processor of the remote computing device, information related to the set of RFID tags and the global position in a distributed ledger; and updating, at the processor of the remote computing device, dynamically the stored information until the vehicle is in transit and reaches a predetermined destination.
[00033] As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the distributed ledger (such as blockchain) is essentially a shared database that is filled with entries that must be confirmed and encrypted. An easier method to understand this is to think of the distributed ledger as a highly secure and verified Office 365 document. Each document entry is dependent on a logical relationship to all its predecessors. The name blockchain refers to the “blocks” that get added to the chain of transaction records. Further, to facilitate the chain of transaction records, the technology uses cryptographic signatures called a hash.
[00034] Referring to the drawings, the invention will now be described in more detail.
[00035] FIG. 1 illustrates a network implementation 100 of a vehicle tracking system which facilitates real time tacking of a vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00036] According to an embodiment, a vehicle tracking system 102 (referred to herein as system 102) implemented in a computing device can be configured/operatively connected with a distributed leader 106 (e.g., block chain). The system 102 may connect to the distributed ledger via a network 104. Further, the network 104 can be a wireless network, a wired network or a combination thereof. The network 104 can be implemented as one of the different types of networks, such as intranet, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), the internet, Wi-Fi, LTE network, CDMA network, and the like. Further, the network 108 can either be a dedicated network or a shared network. The shared network represents an association of the different types of networks that use a variety of protocols, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), and the like, to communicate with one another. Further the network 104 can include a variety of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers, computing devices, storage devices, and the like.
[00037] Further, the system 102 may be connected to multiple users 108-1, 108-2…108-N (which are collectively referred to as users 108 and individually referred to as the user 108, hereinafter) can communicate with the system 102 through one or more computing devices 110-1, 110-2…110-N (which are collectively referred to as computing devices 110 and individually referred to as the computing device 110, hereinafter) that can be communicatively coupled to the system 102 through a network 104. The users 108 can be any person, who is a user, a vehicle driver, a vehicle rider, a vehicle owner, a vehicle rental spokesman and the like. The computing devices 110 can include a variety of computing systems, including but not limited to, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a notebook, a workstation, a portable computer, a personal digital assistant, a handheld device, a smartphone and a mobile device.
[00038] In an embodiment, the system 102 is provided for facilitating a real-time tracking of a vehicle. The vehicle may be equipped with a set of RFID tags assigned to the vehicle to be tracked, the set of RFID tags being associated with a Global Positioning System (GPS) of the vehicle. The set of RFID tags includes a plurality of RFID tags for co-ordinating amongst each other and tracking a location of the vehicle. The plurality of RFID tags connects with each other to create an instant mesh network and transfers the tracked location of the vehicle to the GPS.
[00039] The system may include a remote computing device comprising a processor coupled with a memory. The memory stores instructions executable by the processor. The instructions are executed to record global position of the vehicle in real-time using the GPS associated with the set of RFID tags. The information related to the set of RFID tags and the global position is stored in a distributed ledger. The distributed ledger is a collection of connected independent computing devices. Further, each of the independent computing devices is associated with an electronic ledger that records and stores information related to the set of RFID tags and the global position.
[00040] The stored information is dynamically updated until the vehicle is in transit and reaches a predetermined destination for real-time tracking of the vehicle. A distance travelled by the vehicle is determined based on a difference between a starting point and the predetermined destination of the vehicle. The distributed ledger generates customized information based on the distance travelled by the vehicle. Further, the distributed ledger gives control of all its information and transactions to the users and promotes transparency. Using the distributed ledger technology helps to minimize transaction time to minutes and the records are processed quickly and efficiently. Also, use of the distributed ledger facilitates increased back-office efficiency and automation.
[00041] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that blockchain technology offers a way to securely and efficiently create a tamper-proof log of sensitive records. This includes anything from international money transfers to shareholder records.
[00042] FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary functional components 200 of vehicle tracking system 102 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00043] In an aspect, the system 102 may comprise one or more processor(s) 204. The one or more processor(s) 204 may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate data based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, the one or more processor(s) 204 are configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory 206 of the system 102. The memory 206 may store one or more computer-readable instructions or routines, which may be fetched and executed to create or share the data units over a network service. The memory 206 may comprise any non-transitory storage device including, for example, volatile memory such as RAM, or non-volatile memory such as EPROM, flash memory, and the like.
[00044] The system 102 may also comprise an interface(s) 208. The interface(s) 208 may comprise a variety of interfaces, for example, interfaces for data input and output devices, referred to as I/O devices, storage devices, and the like. The interface(s) 208 may facilitate communication of system 102. The interface(s) 208 may also provide a communication pathway for one or more components of the processing engine 210. Examples of such components include, but are not limited to, processing engine(s) 210 and database 220.
[00045] The processing engine(s) 210 may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (for example, programmable instructions) to implement one or more functionalities of the processing engine(s) 210. The processing engine(s) 210 is stored on the memory 206 and runs on the processor(s) 204. In examples described herein, such combinations of hardware and programming may be implemented in several different ways. For example, the programming for the processing engine(s) 210 may be processor executable instructions stored on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and the hardware for the processing engine(s) 210 may comprise a processing resource (for example, one or more processors), to execute such instructions. In the present examples, the machine-readable storage medium may store instructions that, when executed by the processing resource, implement the processing engine(s) 210. In such examples, the system 102 may comprise the machine-readable storage medium storing the instructions and the processing resource to execute the instructions, or the machine-readable storage medium may be separate but accessible to system 102 and the processing resource. In other examples, the processing engine(s) 210 may be implemented by electronic circuitry.
[00046] The database 224 may comprise data that is either stored or generated as a result of functionalities implemented by any of the components of the processing engine(s) 210 or the system 102. In an embodiment, the processing engine(s) 210 may include a global position recording engine 212, an information storing engine 214, an information updating engine 216, and other engine (s) 218. Other engine(s) 122 can supplement the functionalities of the processing engine 210 or the system 102.
[00047] In an embodiment, a set of RFID tags are assigned to the vehicle to be tracked. Further, the set of RFID tags are associated with a Global Positioning System (GPS) of the vehicle. According to an embodiment, the global position recording engine 212, records global position of the vehicle in real-time using the GPS associated with the set of RFID tags. The set of RFID tags includes multiple RFID tags that coordinate amongst each other and track a location of the vehicle. The multiple RFID tags may connect with each other to create an instant mesh network and may transfer the tracked location of the vehicle to the GPS.
[00048] In an embodiment, an information storing engine 214, stores information related to the set of RFID tags and the global position in a distributed ledger. The distributed ledger may be a collection of connected independent computing devices. Each of the independent computing devices is associated with an electronic ledger that records and stores information related to the set of RFID tags and the global position.
[00049] In an embodiment, an information updating engine 216, dynamically updates the stored information until the vehicle is in transit and reaches a predetermined destination for real-time tracking of the vehicle. A distance travelled by the vehicle may be determined based on a difference between a starting point and the predetermined destination of the vehicle. Further, the distributed ledger may generate customized information based on the distance travelled by the vehicle.
[00050] In an embodiment, when the vehicle is started a power supply is provided to a microcontroller. The RFID tags may be used to track the location of the vehicle. The RFID tags may fetch the location through a satellite communication and send the location information on to a distributed ledger network (e.g., a block chain). A hyper-ledger permission block chain may be used to store the location information and/or route details of the vehicle. Further, car rental agencies may evaluate and analyze track details through a decentralized application running on a connected computing device. After trip completion by the vehicle a receipt may be shared that contains the trip route and relevant charges that may have been determined and calculated by a contract available at block chain.
[00051] As an example, when a user such as a person who hires a car from a service provider needs to provide the details of his journey , the route he would be taking up and stops and similar information. The service provider may track the user using RFID tags based mechanism as disclosed above that connects to the GPS and helps track the vehicle at all times. This mechanism may facilitate the service provider to track and keep an eye on the movement of the vehicle, thus being more accurate and correct in determination of bills generated for the journey covered by the user. The journey details may be stored on a distributed ledger and may be fetched by the service provider for generation of accurate bills for the user.
[00052] FIG. 3 is a high-level flow diagram illustrating working of the system 102 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00053] The process described with reference to FIG. 3 may be implemented in the form of executable instructions stored on a machine readable medium and executed by a processing resource (e.g., a microcontroller, a microprocessor, central processing unit core(s), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and the like) and/or in the form of other types of electronic circuitry. For example, this processing may be performed by one or more computer systems of various forms, such as the computer system 400 described with reference to FIG. 4 below.
[00054] In order to increase trust amongst car rental agencies and users, a vehicle tracking system based on amalgamation of block chain has been proposed. The system may include of an active RFID tag which may be connected to a microcontroller that may be used to track location of the vehicle. All the vehicle movement data, the system may transfer the information to the distributed ledger to maintain the route related information in the distributed ledger that is immutable in nature. This may facilitate the car agency authorities to track the location of the vehicle as the tracking information may be sent on to a decentralized application through the distributed ledger. The total rent for using the vehicle may be calculated through a predetermined smart contract, and at the end of the trip a receipt may be generated using the information stored at the distributed ledger and shared to the rental agency and the user. The receipt may include details about route taken by the vehicle and total rent calculated for the vehicle accordingly.
[00055] In an embodiment at block 302 a set of a set of RFID tags are assigned to the vehicle to be tracked. At block 304, the set of RFID tags are associated with a Global Positioning System (GPS) of the vehicle. Further, at block 306 a recording of a global position of the vehicle in real-time is done using the GPS associated with the set of RFID tags. At block 308, the information related to the set of RFID tags and the global position is stored in a distributed ledger. At block 310, the stored information is dynamically updated until the vehicle is in transit and reaches a predetermined destination for real-time tracking of the vehicle.
[00056] Technical advantage of using the RFID tags is that the RFID tags helps builds an ad-hoc networked tag (i.e. a self generating mesh network) that requires very little infrastructure. RFID tags offer a new way for tracking, monitoring and collecting data.
[00057] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary computer system to implement the proposed system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[00058] As shown in FIG. 4, computer system can include an external storage device 410, a bus 420, a main memory 430, a read only memory 440, a mass storage device 450, communication port 460, and a processor 470. A person skilled in the art will appreciate that computer system may include more than one processor and communication ports. Examples of processor 470 include, but are not limited to, an Intel® Itanium® or Itanium 2 processor(s), or AMD® Opteron® or Athlon MP® processor(s), Motorola® lines of processors, FortiSOC™ system on a chip processors or other future processors. Processor 470 may include various modules associated with embodiments of the present invention. Communication port 460 can be any of an RS-232 port for use with a modem based dialup connection, a 10/100 Ethernet port, a Gigabit or 10 Gigabit port using copper or fiber, a serial port, a parallel port, or other existing or future ports. Communication port 460 may be chosen depending on a network, such a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), or any network to which computer system connects.
[00059] Memory 430 can be Random Access Memory (RAM), or any other dynamic storage device commonly known in the art. Read only memory 440 can be any static storage device(s) e.g., but not limited to, a Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM) chips for storing static information e.g., start-up or BIOS instructions for processor 470. Mass storage 450 may be any current or future mass storage solution, which can be used to store information and/or instructions. Exemplary mass storage solutions include, but are not limited to, Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) hard disk drives or solid-state drives (internal or external, e.g., having Universal Serial Bus (USB) and/or Firewire interfaces), e.g. those available from Seagate (e.g., the Seagate Barracuda 7102 family) or Hitachi (e.g., the Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000), one or more optical discs, Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) storage, e.g. an array of disks (e.g., SATA arrays), available from various vendors including Dot Hill Systems Corp., LaCie, Nexsan Technologies, Inc. and Enhance Technology, Inc.
[00060] Bus 420 communicatively couples processor(s) 470 with the other memory, storage and communication blocks. Bus 420 can be, e.g. a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) / PCI Extended (PCI-X) bus, Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), USB or the like, for connecting expansion cards, drives and other subsystems as well as other buses, such a front side bus (FSB), which connects processor 470 to software system.
[00061] Optionally, operator and administrative interfaces, e.g. a display, keyboard, and a cursor control device, may also be coupled to bus 420 to support direct operator interaction with computer system. Other operator and administrative interfaces can be provided through network connections connected through communication port 460. External storage device 410 can be any kind of external hard-drives, floppy drives, IOMEGA® Zip Drives, Compact Disc - Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), Compact Disc - Re-Writable (CD-RW), Digital Video Disk - Read Only Memory (DVD-ROM). Components described above are meant only to exemplify various possibilities. In no way should the aforementioned exemplary computer system limit the scope of the present disclosure.
[00062] While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the invention is determined by the claims that follow. The invention is not limited to the described embodiments, versions or examples, which are included to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention when combined with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art.

ADVANTAGES OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE
[00063] The present disclosure provides a method for tracking a rented vehicle in real time using RFID tags.
[00064] The present disclosure provides a method for tracking a rented vehicle in real time using RFID tags having RFID based features.
[00065] The present disclosure provides a method for tracking a rented vehicle in real time using RFID tags that are connected to satellite based navigation services.
[00066] The present disclosure provides a method for maintaining location of the tracked vehicle using a distributed ledger.

Claims:1. A system for real-time tracking of a vehicle, said system comprising:
a set of Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags assigned to the vehicle to be tracked, the set of RFID tags being associated with a Global Positioning System (GPS) of the vehicle;
a remote computing device comprising a processor coupled with a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to :
record global position of the vehicle in real-time using the GPS associated with the set of RFID tags;
store information related to the set of RFID tags and the global position in a distributed ledger; and
dynamically update the stored information until the vehicle is in transit and reaches a predetermined destination for real-time tracking of the vehicle.
2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the set of RFID tags comprises a plurality of RFID tags for co-ordinating amongst each other and tracking a location of the vehicle.
3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of RFID tags connect with each other to create an instant mesh network and transfers the tracked location of the vehicle to the GPS.
4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the distributed ledger is a collection of connected independent computing devices, where each of the independent computing devices is associated an electronic ledger that records and stores information related to the set of RFID tags and the global position.
5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a distance travelled by the vehicle is determined based on a difference between a starting point and the predetermined destination of the vehicle.
6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the distributed ledger generates customized information based on the distance travelled by the vehicle.
7. A method for real-time tracking of a vehicle, said method comprising:
assigning a set of RFID tags to the vehicle to be tracked;
associating, at a processor of a remote computing device, the set of RFID tags with a Global Positioning System (GPS) of the vehicle;
recording, at the processor of the remote computing device, global position of the vehicle in real-time using the GPS associated with the set of RFID tags;
storing, at the processor of the remote computing device, information related to the set of RFID tags and the global position in a distributed ledger; and
updating, at the processor of the remote computing device, dynamically the stored information until the vehicle is in transit and reaches a predetermined destination.
8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein a distance travelled by the vehicle is determined based on a difference between a starting point and the predetermined destination of the vehicle.
9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the distributed ledger generates customized information based on the distance travelled by the vehicle.