Abstract: A tracking system for tracking a portable or mobile phone unit utilizes an array of fixed wireless signal transceivers forming part of a wireless telephone system. The phone unit includes a processor for generating an emergency signal on detection of an emergency condition and transmitting the emergency signal to a remote monitoring station via the wireless telephone network. The emergency signal includes identifying information for identifying the phone unit, as well as identifying or control channel signals received by the phone unit from adjacent wireless signal transceivers which are retransmitted as part of the emergency signal to be used at the remote monitoring station to compute an approximate location of the phone unit.

Abstract: A vehicle tracking system makes use of a conventional cellular telephone network including a plurality of fixed cellular transmitter sites each covering a predetermined area. The system includes a plurality of cellular signal processing units for installation at hidden locations in vehicles to be monitored. Each unit is connected to one or more different sensors in the vehicle, at least one of the sensors being a break-in detector for detecting tampering with the vehicle, and to a cellular antenna, and includes a controller for monitoring the sensor outputs and initiating an emergency message transmission to a remote monitoring station in the event of actuation of a sensor.