GB2387622A

GB2387622A - Anti-theft control device

Info

Publication number: GB2387622A
Application number: GB0308136A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roy Sherlock
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-04-09
Filing date: 2003-04-09
Publication date: 2003-10-22
Also published as: GB0208231D0; GB0308136D0

Abstract

A control device, usable primarily in relation to the theft of a vehicle or other relatively easily visually tracked object. The device comprising a signal transmitter, such as a phone, adapted to be operated by a person remotely located from the vehicle, a receiving means adapted to receive one or more signals from the transmitter; and an operating means adapted to cause one or more of the vehicle's operating systems to function in a predetermined manner in response to the, or each, signal received by activating an alarm and/or eliminating the mobility of the vehicle and/or immobilising said vehicle. In the case of an alarm activation the driver will be unable to over-ride the alarm until the vehicle stops, the alarm automatically reoperating if the vehicle restarts unless a cancellation signal is received from the transmitter.

Description

ANTI-TEFT CONTROL DEVICE

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a control device usable primarily in relation to the theft of inherently valuable and relatively easily visually tracked objects such as a vehicle.

The term "vehicle" is intended to cover for example road-going vehicles, 5 watercraft and aircraft.

Review of Art Known to the Applicant Devices used to prevent or deter the theft of a vehicle or to assist in the vehicle recovery are well known and incorporated in most vehicles.

A car immobiliser is an example of such devices. Certain types of car 10 immobilisers comprise a control system which initiates a countdown period when the engine of the vehicle is idle for a predetermined period and which requires the entering of a PIN number on the onboard numerical keypad to allow the engine to be once again ignited.

Whilst these systems are a useful anti-theft mechanism, these can only be operated from within the vehicle. There are no provisions in these systems for them to be remotely controlled. Another drawback of car immobilisers is that they fail to prevent the theft of the car when the engine is running.

5 A global positioning system (GPS) is also commonly used in assisting with the vehicle's recovery during its theft. Global positioning systems present information on board and remotely about the position of the vehicle and its operating conditions (onboard temperature, door position, velocity of vehicle, fuel content, tables of the time spent in different locations). It is the information which is 10 provided remotely from the vehicle which can assist in the vehicle's recovery, particularly the information on the vehicle's position. During the operation of this system, the owner of the vehicle does not remotely control the actions of the vehicle. An object of the present invention is to provide a control device which is capable 15 of rapidly intervening during the theft of a vehicle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which is operated by a person remotely located from the vehicle.

The invention also aims at being safe for both the robber and the neighbouring marl fleers 20 The device should also be easily accessible. It should also not require the owner to carry expensive equipment which is specifically designed to operate with the control device.

Summary of the Invention

In its broadest aspect the invention is embodied in a control device used primarily in relation to the theft of inherently valuable and relatively easily visually tracked objects such as a vehicle and comprising a signal transmitter adapted to be 5 operated by a person remotely located from said vehicle; a receiving means adapted to receive one or more signals emitted from its transmitter; and an operating means adapted to cause one or more of the vehicle's operating systems to function in a predetermined manner in response to the or each signal received by activating an alarm and/or limiting the mobility of the vehicle and/or 10 immobilising said vehicle.

This combination of features is particularly advantageous because it facilitates the recovery of the vehicle by a person remotely located from the vehicle or other object. These features can also have the unforeseen aesthetic advantages of doing away 15 with onboard numerical keypads which are unsightly especially when taking into account the large number of operating buttons and levers on the vehicle's dashboard. In a subsidiary aspect in accordance with the first broad encapsulation of the present invention, the operating means is adapted to cause an audible and/or 20 visual alarm - for example, the vehicle's hazard warning lights where the vehicle is a road-going vehicle - to operate continuously without the driver being able to override that operation unless and until the vehicle stops; and to operate again, automatically, if and when the vehicle restarts without a cancellation signal having been received from the transmitter.

25 These additional features are particularly advantageous because they encourage the thief of the vehicle to rapidly and safely abandon the stolen vehicle, while not

specifically requiring the operating means to cause the driving and/or braking means to function in predetermined manner.

In an additional subsidiary aspect, the signal transmitter is a telephone handset.

A device of this kind has the advantage of operating with equipment which the 5 owner of the vehicle will usually process and which will be in any case easily accessible. In a further subsidiary aspect, the signal transmitter is a mobile telephone handset.

Selecting the signal transmitter to be a mobile telephone handset is advantageous because mobile telephone handsets are readily available and therefore the 10 operation of this type of control device will not require the purchase of an expensive specific remote control means. Using a mobile telephone handset is also advantageous because mobile telephone specific technologies such as wap and text messaging may be employed in relation to the emission of the signal to the device's receiving means.

15 In an additional subsidiary aspect of the present invention, the operating means is adapted to cause the vehicle's in-car speaker system to produce once or repeatedly one or more broadcasts - for example, instructions to the thief to stop, and/or to the outside world to apprehend him; and/or the playing of music or sounding of a tone so loud as to make it impossible for him to remain in the vehicle at least 20 without opening its windows - in response to a signal received by the receiving means from the transmitter.

Integrating this feab;c m flee invention's control device will be beneficial because it uses speaker systems which are available in all motor vehicles. This configuration will not therefore require expensive additional control means. The

effect of using the speaker system will encourage the thief to stop and may draw on him the attention of neighbouring individuals.

In a further subsidiary aspect the invention comprises a display means to activate once or repeatedly one or more warning indications in response to a signal received by the receiving means.

Using display means to activate warning indications is advantageous because the message of these warning indications is clear and will not be as shocking to the thief as the more intrusive sudden broadcasts through the car's speaker system.

In a further subsidiary aspect, the control device comprises means to monitor the 10 velocity of the vehicle and to compare it to a set of predetermined values, and after the production of one or more broadcasts and/or the display of one or more indications if the vehicle's velocity is outside a predetermined range of values for a predetermined period of time, the or each drive means and/or each braking means is instructed to carry out the deceleration of the vehicle in a predetermined 15 and legally acceptable manner.

Since the broadcasts and the indications may only be sufficient to encourage the thief to decelerate, this arrangement is advantageous because the deceleration of the vehicle is guaranteed by the intervention of the drive means and/or the braking means in a predetermined and legally acceptable manner.

20 Description of Preferred Embodiments of the Invention

The single Figure presents a block diagram of the control device.

The control device illustrated in the block diagram operates in conjunction with a mobile telephone handset. Communication between this handset and an onboard receiver is established via a satellite link by dialling a specific telephone number

corresponding to the receiver. Once the communication is established between the handset and the receiver, a predetermined message stored in the control device's memory is emitted to the handset. It is envisaged that this message would be an instructing message demanding the operator of the handset to dial a 4-digit pin 5 number. This measure would protect the control device of being accidentally activated by any individual dialling a wrong telephone number.

Once this security measure is overcome, the comparator instructs one of the predetermined operating systems to function in a predetermined manner. The comparator can instruct any of the dashboard's liquid crystal displays to activate a 10 warning indication. The indication can take the form of a phrase saying "This vehicle has been identified as a stolen vehicle". The indication may take the form of an appropriately-designed symbol which could be internationally understood and could communicate to the thief that the police are tracking the vehicle. In this present example, a liquid crystal display is preferred, however a similar effect 15 may be achieved by the switching on of a dashboard bulb or any other warning light of the vehicle.

The comparator is preferably adapted to monitor the vehicle's velocity during the succession of instructions which it distributes to the various operating systems of the vehicle. When the comparator is set to first instruct a warning indication to be 20 displayed on the liquid crystal device, the thief may respond by stopping the vehicle and abandoning it. In this scenario, the comparator will identify that the velocity of the vehicle is zero meter per second and would then refrain from controlling any other of the operating systems whose control would have been necessary had the thief ignored the first warning indication.

25 In the scenario of the thief ignoring the first warning indication, the comparator will instruct at a predetermined time interval the operation of a supplementary operating system. The second action of the comparator could be for example the instruction to the vehicle's sound system to broadcast a message which could

instruct the thief to stop. The continued monitoring of the vehicle's velocity will allow the comparator to identify which further action to take in order to sufficiently immobilise the vehicle to allow its recovery.

Since most thefts occur in built-up areas, the control device is ideally adapted to 5 function in such a way as to attract the attention of neighbouring individuals. This can be achieved in a variety of ways, such as sounding the car alarm, switching on the hazard warning lights and using the vehicle's sound system to emit a sound loud enough for the outside world to hear.

If all these visible and audible messages are not effective the comparator, taking 10 into account the vehicle's velocity, will instruct the safe operation of the drive means and/or the braking means to achieve the slowdown of the vehicle and its eventual immobilization. One safe way of controlling the drive means in order to achieve the deceleration of the vehicle is to limit the fuel intake to the engine.

The invention also envisages that the operator of the mobile telephone handset 15 can have effective control over the instructions given to the operating systems of his vehicle. The operator for example may be able to send a personalized text message to the receiver of the vehicle which could then be appropriately communicated to the thief either via the vehicle's sound system or on the liquid crystal display. The operator of the mobile telephone handset may also be able to 20 instruct the drive means or the braking means to operate immediately in a predetermined manner as long as the velocity of the vehicle is within a safe range.

This would allow the operator for example when seeing his car being stolen from his driveway to immediately immobilise the vehicle in the driveway without first having to display a warning message through a vehicle's sound system or a liquid 25 crystal display.

It is also envisaged that the control device is integrated in a global positioning system (GPS). This would provide information to the operator of the handset or to

the police as to the position of the stolen vehicle at any one time and would assist in the decision of what operating system to employ and in which manner. As most global positioning systems incorporate a liquid crystal display, the liquid crystal display of the global positioning system may be employed to display the warning 5 indication. In a further embodiment of the present invention, the mobile telephone handset would simply instruct the comparator to deactivate the drive means after the thief switches offthe engine.

In a further embodiment the comparator once activated by the mobile phone 10 would cause the braking means to operate in a certain manner to completely immobilise the vehicle when the vehicle's engine is switched off.

In the above description, the signal transminer has been chosen to be a mobile

telephone handset, the invention however envisages the use of other signal 15 transmitters such as infra-red transmitters of the type commonly used on remote central locking keys.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A control device usable primarily in relation to the theft of inherently valuable and relatively easily visually tracked objects such as a vehicle and comprising a signal transmitter adapted to be operated by a person remotely 5 located from said vehicle; a receiving means adapted to receive one or more signals emitted from said transmitter; and an operating means adapted to cause one or more of the vehicle's operating systems to function in a predetermined manner in response to the or each signal received by activating an alarm and/or limiting the mobility of the vehicle and/or immobilizing said vehicle.

10

2. A control device according to claim 1, wherein the operating means is adapted to cause an audible and/or visual alarm - for example, the vehicle's hazard warning lights where the vehicle is a road-going vehicle - to operate continuously without the driver being able to over-ride that operation unless and until the vehicle stops; and to operate again, automatically, if and when the 15 vehicle restarts without a cancellation signal having been received from the transmitter.

3. A control device according to either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the signal transmitter is a telephone handset.

4. A control device according to any preceding claim, wherein the signal 20 transmitter is a mobile telephone handset.

5. A control device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the operating means is adapted to cause the vehicle's in-car speaker system to produce once or repeatedly one or more broadcasts - for example, instructions to the thief to stop, and/or to the outside world to apprehend him; and/or the playing 25 of music or sounding of a tone so loud as to make it impossible for him to remain in the vehicle at least without opening its windows - in response to a signal received by the receiving means from the transmitter.

6. A control device according to any preceding claim, comprising a display means to activate once or repeatedly one or more warning indications in response to a signal received by the receiving means.

7. A control device according to either claim 5 or claim 6, comprising means 5 to monitor the velocity of the vehicle and to compare it to a set of predetermined values, and after the production of one or more broadcasts and/or the display of one or more indications if the vehicle's velocity is outside a predetermined range of values for a predetermined period of time, the or each drive means and/or the or each braking means is instructed to carry out the deceleration of the vehicle in a 10 predetermined and legally acceptable manner.

8. A control device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or illustrated in any appropriate combination of the accompanying text and drawings.

9. A vehicle, in particular a road-going vehicle, incorporating the features of 15 Claims 1 to 8.