EP1551677A1 - Alarme anti-effraction de vehicule - Google Patents

Alarme anti-effraction de vehicule

Info

Publication number
EP1551677A1
EP1551677A1 EP03756552A EP03756552A EP1551677A1 EP 1551677 A1 EP1551677 A1 EP 1551677A1 EP 03756552 A EP03756552 A EP 03756552A EP 03756552 A EP03756552 A EP 03756552A EP 1551677 A1 EP1551677 A1 EP 1551677A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
alarm
vehicle
alarm system
intruder
sensor
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP03756552A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Ian Robert Thomson
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of EP1551677A1 publication Critical patent/EP1551677A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R25/00—Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles
    • B60R25/10—Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles actuating a signalling device
    • B60R25/1004—Alarm systems characterised by the type of sensor, e.g. current sensing means
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
    • G08B13/00—Burglar, theft or intruder alarms
    • G08B13/02—Mechanical actuation
    • G08B13/10—Mechanical actuation by pressure on floors, floor coverings, stair treads, counters, or tills

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an intruder alarm for a vehicle, which invention is applicable with particular advantage to detection of intruders in trucks and lorries.
  • the term 'driver's cab' will be used to encompass the area of any vehicle in the immediate vicinity of the driver's seat. In a truck, this is literally a cab, but in a coach or bus this also encompasses the driver's seat and its surrounding area.
  • the term 'concealment zone' is used to encompass any area of a vehicle, not readily visible to a driver while in his cab while offering enough space to accommodate a stowaway.
  • the concealment zone for a truck or lorry will be in the cargo holding area which will be checked on loading and unloading the vehicle but cannot be checked each time a driver has to stop.
  • the volume of vehicles entering a border is much too high for Customs and Immigration of that country to be able to search each vehicle. As an example, around 86,000 vehicles arrive through the UK ports in one week. In order to transport a cargo across borders there are many papers and formalities which need to be fulfilled by the driver, especially at Customs and the driver may have to leave his vehicle for long periods to complete such formalities. Whilst away from the vehicle it is possible for illegal immigrants to enter the vehicle and hide himself or themselves in a concealment zone of the truck. On return to the vehicle the driver will have no indication that there has been any entry of unauthorised personnel into his vehicle.
  • a vehicle intruder alarm system for providing an alarm in the event of unauthorised entry into a concealment zone of a vehicle, comprising a system activator to activate the system, at least one sensor arranged to detect force applied in a substantially vertical direction within the concealment zone, the or each sensor being coupled to an alarm generator, arranged such that detection of a force above a threshold value by the sensor when the system is activated switches the alarm generator to intruder detected mode to generate an alarm for indicating the presence of an intruder in the concealment zone.
  • Such an alarm system preferably only operates when the vehicle is stationary, although there may be circumstances when the alarm system is operable when the vehicle is moving at low speeds.
  • the activator may include a switch which allows the driver to switch on his alarm when leaving the vehicle and switch it back off on returning to the vehicle. Alternatively, the activator may automatically activate the system when the vehicle is stationary. This would then have the advantage that if the driver were to have to stop his vehicle in a long line of traffic his alarm system would automatically be activated.
  • the alarm system may include a detector for detecting when the driver has left the vehicle or where the alarm system is built into the vehicle it may be coupled to the onboard computer of the vehicle and thus be activated when the vehicle is stationary. The system may operate by only switching on the sensors when the alarm system is activated or may be arranged such that the sensors continuously monitor the forces applied within the concealment zone but the alarm generator only operates to generate an alarm when the system is activated.
  • the alarm for indicating the presence of an intruder in the concealment zone may be an audible alarm mounted within the vehicle.
  • the alarm since a primary purpose of the alarm is to detect an intruder when the driver is away from his vehicle, preferably the alarm provides an indication of the presence of an intruder at a remote location.
  • trucks they are likely to be part of a larger fleet where the fleet is managed and in communication via a telematics system to a control station.
  • the alarm condition is communicated to the control station, the control station then communicating with the mobile phone or a dedicated paging device with the driver to alert him that the system is in intruder detected mode.
  • the intruder detected signal may of course also be transmitted directly from the vehicle to a mobile device carried by the driver.
  • the vehicle may be a truck, lorry, coach, bus or train.
  • the alarm system may also be utilised in an aeroplane. However, the system is particularly useful for trucks and lorries.
  • the concealment zone is the space in and around the vehicle, which could be entered by an intruder and in which the driver of the vehicle may not be aware of their presence.
  • this concealment zone is typically the cargo carrying space.
  • an intruder may climb on top of the container or tanker - prior to finding an entry into the cargo carrying space.
  • the concealment zone extends to the space above the load carrying space of the vehicle.
  • any substantially downward force applied by an intruder will be applied to the floor of the concealment zone - either directly onto the floor of a flatbed or indirectly upon the load within. However the force would be applied to the roof of the cargo carrying space where the intruder approaches from the top of the container or tanker.
  • the sensors will be positioned within the concealment zone dependant upon the particular shape of the concealment zone.
  • the sensors are arranged such that force applied in a non-vertical direction is not detected by the sensor.
  • the sensor may be any sensor, which directly or indirectly senses the application of force, and may include a load cell or load sensor, or pressure sensitive pad, comprising one or more transducers.
  • An example of an indirect sensor is one which detects the movement of the floor of the concealment zone due to the application of downward force, such as an infrared detector. The choice of further sensors will be apparent to the skilled addressee of the specification.
  • the threshold value is chosen to be equivalent to a mass of between lOKg and 50 Kg entering the concealment zone - thus less than the weight of a small adult. It is extremely unlikely that a small child would enter a vehicle unaccompanied.
  • the system may include a time delay to allow for inadvertent activation of the system. This is especially important when the alarm signal is transmitted to a remote station.
  • the alarm signal is transmitted first to the driver's unit so that he can check the situation before an alarm is activated at a remote location - or with the police.
  • the sensors may be coupled to the alarm generator by a hard, wired connection but may equally be connected by wireless communication. Examples could be by infrared waves. Such an arrangement would be useful in an articulated lorry or for use with a container lorry.
  • the sensor may be mounted upon the flatbed floor of the concealment zone.
  • the alarm system preferably comprises a series of sensors.
  • sensors are mounted centrally with the cargo carrying area.
  • the sensors do not have to be within the concealment zone.
  • the sensor may also be mounted upon the tractor unit/trailer coupling (also known as the fifth wheel) .
  • a downwards force applied upon the floor of the trailer can be sensed at the tractor unit.
  • a tractor unit could be arranged to have an intruder alarm system fitted which would continue to operate irrespective of the type of trailer hitched to the tractor unit.
  • no wiring of the alarm system has to be reconnected, but the trailer is still alarmed against unauthorised intrusion.
  • the sensors may be mounted within the air suspension unit of the trailer or within the chassis of the tractor unit or trailer unit.
  • Many tractor and trailer units of lorries and trucks have within them an airbag suspension system for weighing the cargo. It is possible for sensors to be incorporated within the airbag system to provide an output indicating downward force within the concealment zone to the alarm system.
  • Such sensors may typically comprise pressure transducers coupled by air lines to the tractors air bags.
  • Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a first alarm system mounted upon a rigid truck
  • Figure 4 is a schematic section through a trailer including a third example of an alarm system
  • Figure 5 is a schematic block circuit diagram of the third alarm system
  • Figure 6 is a circuit diagram of the power supply part of the circuit shown in figure 5;
  • Figure 7 is a circuit diagram of the Bridge Amplifier part of the circuit shown in figure 5;
  • Figure 8 is a circuit diagram of the Filter and Amplifier part of the circuit shown in figure 5;
  • Figure 9 is a circuit diagram of the Detection and Alarm part of the circuit shown in figure 5.
  • a first vehicle intruder alarm system for providing an alarm in the event of unauthorised entry into a concealment zone 1 of a vehicle 3, comprises an activator 5 to activate the system when the vehicle 3 is stationary, at least one sensor 7 arranged to detect force applied in a substantially vertical direction to the floor 9 of the concealment zone 1, the or each sensor 7 being coupled to alarm generator 11 arranged such that detection of a force above a threshold value by the sensor when the system is activated switches the alarm generator 11 to intruder detected mode to generate an alarm for indicating the presence of an intruder in the concealment zone 1.
  • the vehicle 3 is a rigid truck where the driver sits in a cab 13 remote from the cargo carrying flatbed, which forms the floor 9 of the concealment zone 1. If an intruder were to enter the concealment zone 1 , the driver in the cab 13 would not be able to see him.
  • the alarm system is activated by an on/off button 21 manually operated by the driver (not shown) .
  • the second vehicle intruder alarm system 23 is arranged for providing an alarm in the event of unauthorised entry into a concealment zone within a load carried upon trailer 25. It comprises an activator (not shown) for activating the system when the vehicle is either stationary or slow moving on request of the driver - typically by a push button.
  • the vehicle is an articulated lorry comprising a tractor unit 27 carrying driver's cab 29 supported by a pair of wheels (not shown) and a rear pair of wheels 31. These are connected by chassis 33.
  • chassis 33 Mounted upon chassis 33 is the 'fifth wheel' 35, shaped to receive mating pin 37 of trailer 25.
  • load cell 39 Mounted upon fifth wheel 33 is load cell 39 such that weight applied upon trailer 25 in direction A as shown in figure 3 would be detected at the fifth wheel 33 and thus by load cell 39.
  • Auxiliary protection is provided by sensors 41 mounted upon air suspension units 43 of the trailer 25.
  • the sensors 41 may be coupled to a control station (not shown) in the cab 29 by wireless connections. Alternatively, they may be hard wired through the standard wiring connector (or Suzy) to the tractor unit.
  • FIG. 4 A third example of an intruder alarm is illustrated in figures 4 to 9.
  • the alarm system 43 is for use upon a vehicle 45 having an air bag suspension system.
  • the drive axle 47 of the tractor unit 49 is illustrated, in which a pair of air bags 51 are mounted between the axle 47 and the mounting supports 53 which are mounted upon the load carrying area of the tractor.
  • the concealment zone (not shown) is above this area.
  • the air in the air bags 51 is replenished via air lines 55 which are coupled to a pressurized air supply (not shown) . Also coupled to the air line is pressure transducer 57.
  • pressure transducer 57 is also coupled to the air line.
  • the choice of a suitable pressure transducer will be readily apparent to the skilled addressee of the specification. In this case it is a strain gauge based transducer.
  • the signal from the transducer 57 is passed through a bridge amplifier circuit 59 to amplify the signal.
  • the amplified signal is then passed through a l sl stage gain 61 and High Pass filter 63 which removes the DC gain.
  • the signal is then passed through a 2 nd stage gain 65 to a low pass filter 67 which removes noise.
  • the signal is then fed through a 3 rd stage gain 69 to the detect and alarm circuit 71.
  • the power is passed through a DC/DC converter 81 to give 12V with the relay 79 being used to prevent power being drained by the DC/DC converter when battery power is not being used.
  • a second DC/DC converter 83 is used to take in either the external or internal power and turn it into + 15 v and -15v.
  • Bridge Amplifier 59 comprises amplifier chip 93 into which signals from the sensor are fed. It is powered by power supply voltage 95. An offset voltage is provided by offset voltage adjustment circuit 97.
  • the detection and alarm circuit 71 comprises threshold detector 99 which is set to be between + 5 Volts and - 5 Volts. The signal is then converted into logic level signals using converter circuit 101.
  • a delay is required before the circuit 'arms' itself, for instance to allow the driver time to get out of the cab.
  • the delay is achieved by a resistor -capacitor circuit 105 includes a variable resistor 107 which allows the delay to be adjusted. This signal is then fed through to LED 109 which indicates when the system is armed. This shows in the dashboard box.
  • the delay signal and threshold breech signals are fed into a latch loop 103. Once the circuit has become armed, even the shortest of signals on the threshold breech line will cause the latch to turn on and stay locked on even after the threshold breech has gone.
  • the threshold breech is indicated by a red light 111 , on the dashboard box.
  • the latch 103 may be reset either by pressing a reset button 113 on the dashboard box or by turning the unit off and on again.
  • the latch loop 103 is not directly used to trigger the audible alarm sounder 113. This is in order to allow the driver to have time to turn the alarm off before the alarm starts sounding. This is achieved by using a second adjustable delay circuit 115. The output from the delay circuit 115 passes to output stage drive circuitry 117. One transistor 119 turns on the audible alarm 113. A second transistor 121 turns on a relay 123, which is coupled to an external device (for example a remote alarm for the driver) .
  • an external device for example a remote alarm for the driver

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Burglar Alarm Systems (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un système d'alarme anti-effraction de véhicule déclenchant une alarme lors d'une entrée non autorisée dans la zone de dissimulation (1) d'un véhicule (3). Ce système comprend un activateur (5) permettant d'activer le système, au moins un détecteur (7) agencé de manière à détecter une force appliquée dans une direction sensiblement verticale dans ladite zone de dissimulation (1). Le ou les détecteurs (7) sont couplés à un générateur d'alarme (11) agencé de sorte que la détection d'une force au-dessus d'une valeur seuil par le détecteur (7) lorsque le système est activé commute le générateur d'alarme (11) en mode d'intrus détecté. Une alarme est alors déclenchée pour indiquer la présence d'un intrus dans la zone de dissimulation (1).
EP03756552A 2002-10-04 2003-10-03 Alarme anti-effraction de vehicule Withdrawn EP1551677A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0222966A GB0222966D0 (en) 2002-10-04 2002-10-04 Vehicle intruder alarm
GB0222966 2002-10-04
PCT/GB2003/004259 WO2004031006A1 (fr) 2002-10-04 2003-10-03 Alarme anti-effraction de vehicule

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1551677A1 true EP1551677A1 (fr) 2005-07-13

Family

ID=9945252

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP03756552A Withdrawn EP1551677A1 (fr) 2002-10-04 2003-10-03 Alarme anti-effraction de vehicule

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1551677A1 (fr)
AU (1) AU2003299130A1 (fr)
GB (1) GB0222966D0 (fr)
WO (1) WO2004031006A1 (fr)
ZA (1) ZA200503538B (fr)

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102005018487B4 (de) * 2005-04-21 2008-09-25 Daimler Ag Verfahren zum Betreiben einer Überwachungs- und Alarmvorrichtung bei parkenden Fahrzeugen sowie Überwachungs- und Alarmvorrichtung
FR2900490B1 (fr) * 2006-04-28 2008-08-01 Cogema Logistics Sa Systeme de surveillance d'un moyen de transport
DE102018133381A1 (de) * 2018-12-21 2020-06-25 Man Truck & Bus Se Verfahren zum Überwachen eines vollautonomen oder teilautonomen Kraftfahrzeugs
DE102022125026A1 (de) * 2022-09-28 2024-03-28 Knorr-Bremse Systeme für Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH Neue Verwendung eines Ist-Niveausignals und/oder eines Ist-Drucksignals einer automatischen Niveauregelung eines Fahrzeugs

Family Cites Families (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE19728619A1 (de) * 1997-07-04 1998-05-20 Detlev Borgan Alarm und Sicherungsystem für Fortbewegungsmittel und Transportmittel

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See references of WO2004031006A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ZA200503538B (en) 2006-02-22
AU2003299130A1 (en) 2004-04-23
WO2004031006A1 (fr) 2004-04-15
GB0222966D0 (en) 2002-11-13

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US20050219042A1 (en) Vehicle intruder alarm
US7535346B2 (en) Trailer alarm
US11364885B2 (en) Smart trailer controller
US4952908A (en) Trailer stability monitor
US6998988B1 (en) Infant alarm system for an automobile
US6397133B1 (en) Vehicle rollover safety system
US7170401B1 (en) System to detect the presence of an unattended child in a vehicle
US8031061B2 (en) Trailer alarm
US7151441B2 (en) Vehicle burglar alarm system with GPS recognition
US20100079267A1 (en) Automobile Anti-Collision Early-Warning Device
US7391311B2 (en) Carrying cargo reminder and method of reminding about transportation of external cargo
US20060250501A1 (en) Vehicle security monitor system and method
US7637556B2 (en) Truck security system
US20070285218A1 (en) Occupant abandonment sensor for automotive vehicles
EP1826107A2 (fr) Système de manoeuvre de remorque
US6727806B1 (en) Truck tailgate position indicator
US8988220B2 (en) Apparatus and method for detecting an intruder inside a vehicle
ZA200503538B (en) Vehicle intruder alarm.
US7486200B2 (en) Recreational vehicle passing warning device
CN108216115B (zh) 用于控制车辆门锁系统的系统和方法
CN217994372U (zh) 车辆车轮防盗装置、系统及车辆
CN216268968U (zh) 一种半挂自卸车的安全装置
CA2224671C (fr) Systeme de detection d'intrusion pour vehicule
GB2458188A (en) Vehicle cargo door alarm using driver proximity sensing
JP2594502B2 (ja) 車下物体検知装置付き自動車

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

17P Request for examination filed

Effective date: 20050405

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IT LI LU MC NL PT RO SE SI SK TR

AX Request for extension of the european patent

Extension state: AL LT LV MK

DAX Request for extension of the european patent (deleted)
17Q First examination report despatched

Effective date: 20071010

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN

18D Application deemed to be withdrawn

Effective date: 20071221