JP2007062644A - Vehicle theft detecting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle theft detecting device capable of effectively detecting a theft by suspension of a vehicle with a simple constitution. <P>SOLUTION: This vehicle theft detecting device determines that the theft is cased by suspending the vehicle 20 when a variation in the length of a suspension device 23 exceeds a predetermined threshold value. Since a length measuring sensor 3 detecting the length of the suspension device 23 and a control part 1 determining the suspension of the vehicle 20 can be connected by a cable via an electric cable 5, there is no need to adopt a complicated constitution such as a radio-communication apparatus. Thus, the theft of the vehicle 20 can be effectively detected by a relatively simple constitution. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle theft detection device that detects vehicle theft.

  Conventionally, various antitheft devices have been put into practical use in order to prevent theft of vehicles such as automobiles. For example, the immobilizer prevents the engine from starting illegally by not starting the engine when the authentication number on the key side does not match the number registered in advance.

  By the way, the immobilizer can effectively prevent theft by allowing the vehicle to self-propel, but it cannot cope with a large-scale theft in which the entire vehicle is suspended by a crane or the like without the engine being started.

  For this reason, a vehicle theft detection device that detects suspension of the vehicle by monitoring the air pressure of the tire has been proposed. However, since the tire rotates independently of the vehicle body, the air pressure sensor disposed on the tire side and the control unit that is disposed on the vehicle body side and determines whether the vehicle is suspended cannot be connected by wire. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a wireless communication device in order to transmit the information of the tire side air pressure sensor to the vehicle body side control unit. Employing such a wireless communication device is not preferable because the device configuration becomes complicated and the cost of the device increases. In addition, when wireless communication is used, a carrier signal can cause radio noise.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle theft detection device that can effectively detect a theft caused by hanging a vehicle with a simple configuration.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention of claim 1 is a vehicle theft detection device for detecting theft of a vehicle, the detection means for detecting a physical quantity related to a suspension device for reducing the impact transmitted from the tire to the vehicle body, Determining means for determining whether or not the amount of change in the physical quantity exceeds a predetermined threshold in the parking state of the vehicle; and an informing means for notifying the occurrence of theft when the amount of change in the physical quantity exceeds the threshold; It has.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle theft detection device according to the first aspect, the physical quantity includes a length of the suspension device.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle theft detection device according to the first aspect, the physical quantity includes a load applied to the suspension device.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle theft detection device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the notification unit includes a sound generation unit that outputs an alarm sound.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the vehicle theft detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the notification means includes a lighting means for blinking display.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle theft detection device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the notification means transmits information indicating the occurrence of theft to a predetermined portable communication terminal. A transmission means.

  According to the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, since the suspension of the vehicle is detected based on the amount of change in the physical quantity related to the suspension device, it is possible to effectively detect the vehicle theft with a relatively simple configuration.

  In particular, according to the invention of claim 2, suspension of the vehicle can be detected effectively based on the length of the suspension device.

  In particular, according to the invention of claim 3, suspension of the vehicle can be detected effectively based on the load applied to the suspension device.

  In particular, according to the invention of claim 4, since the alarm is output from the sound generation means to notify the theft occurrence, the device configuration can be simplified.

  In particular, according to the invention of claim 5, since the theft occurrence is notified by blinking the lighting means, the device configuration can be simplified.

  In particular, according to the invention of claim 6, it is possible to promptly notify the owner of the communication terminal located at a remote location of the occurrence of theft of the vehicle.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<1. Configuration>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle theft detection device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state of a vehicle 20 in which the vehicle theft detection device 10 is arranged. The vehicle 20 on which the vehicle theft detection device 10 is arranged is an automobile that travels by rotationally driving four tires 22. The vehicle theft detection device 10 is mounted as one of the electrical system in the vehicle 20, and in order to prevent the vehicle 20 from being stolen, when the vehicle 20 is suspended by a crane or the like when the vehicle 20 is parked. , Has a function to detect that.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle theft detection device 10 mainly includes a control unit 1 that comprehensively controls the entire device, and a length measurement sensor 3 for detecting the length of the suspension device 23.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the vehicle 20, the suspension device 23 is provided in each of the four tires 22, front, rear, left, and right, and functions to mitigate road impact transmitted from the tire 22 to the vehicle body 21. Each of these suspension devices 23 is a general strut suspension, and includes a coil spring and a shock absorber.

  The length measuring sensor 3 is disposed in each of the four suspension devices 23 and detects the length thereof. As the length measuring sensor 3, a light projecting part and a light receiving part as photosensors are arranged on the piston and cylinder of the shock absorber, respectively, and the length of the suspension device 23 is determined from the relative positional relationship between the piston and the cylinder. What detects substantially can be adopted.

  Each of these length measuring sensors 3 is wired to the control unit 1 via an electric cable 5 as shown in FIG. The length of the suspension device 23 obtained by the length measuring sensor 3 is input to the control unit 1 via the electric cable 5. In the present embodiment, the average value of the length of the suspension device 23 obtained by each of the four length measuring sensors 3 is used as the “suspension length” for the processing of the vehicle theft detection device 10.

  The control unit 1 includes a microcomputer, and comprehensively controls each unit of the vehicle theft detection device 10 by software. More specifically, the control unit 1 includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like, and various control functions and data processing functions of the control unit 1 are performed by the CPU performing arithmetic processing according to a program stored in advance in the ROM. Realized. The vehicle state management unit 11, the theft determination unit 12, the alarm output unit 13, and the theft notification unit 14 shown in FIG. 1 schematically show functions realized by arithmetic processing of the CPU according to a program. Details of these functions will be described later.

  Further, various “vehicle state signals” indicating the state of the vehicle 20 are input to the control unit 1 via the input terminals, and the control unit 1 can perform processing according to the “vehicle state signal”. ing. The “vehicle state signal” includes an “engine signal” indicating whether or not the engine is operating, a “key signal” indicating the state of a key cylinder as an ignition switch, and a “locking signal” indicating a door lock state. Is included.

  Further, a room lamp 61 as an indoor lamp, a hazard lamp 62 as an emergency flashing indicator lamp, a horn 63 as a sound alarm, and a mobile phone unit 7 are electrically connected to the control unit 1. Operates under the control of the control unit 1. The mobile phone unit 7 is a module having a communication function similar to that of a general mobile phone, and sends an e-mail to a mobile phone 91 that is a portable communication terminal via the mobile phone network 9. A predetermined voice can be transmitted.

<2. Operation>
Next, the operation of the vehicle theft detection device 10 will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a flow of operations of the vehicle theft detection device 10.

  The vehicle theft detection device 10 starts the theft detection, that is, the detection of the suspension of the vehicle 20 in response to the vehicle 20 being parked. In the present embodiment, the “parking state” of the vehicle 20 indicates a state that satisfies the condition that the engine is stopped, the key is removed from the key cylinder, and all the doors are locked. Whether or not the vehicle 20 is in the parking state is determined by the vehicle state management unit 11 based on the engine signal, the key signal, and the locking signal input to the control unit 1 (step S11).

  When the vehicle 20 is parked (Yes in step S11), the suspension length detected at that time is then recorded in the RAM of the control unit 1. This suspension length is the suspension length at the time when the vehicle 20 shifts to the parking state, and is used as a reference length for deriving the amount of change in suspension length in the subsequent processing. (Step S12).

  Thereafter, while the vehicle 20 is maintained in the parking state (Yes in step S15), the suspension length is constantly monitored, and the theft determination process is repeated based on the suspension length. Specifically, first, the suspension length is detected using the four length measuring sensors 3 (step S13). Then, a difference value between the suspension length and the reference length is derived as a change amount of the suspension length, and the theft determination unit 12 determines whether or not the change amount of the suspension length exceeds a predetermined threshold (step S14). .

  In general, when the vehicle 20 is suspended by a crane or the like, the suspension length becomes longer than before the vehicle 20 is suspended. For this reason, if the amount of change in suspension length exceeds a predetermined threshold, it can be determined that the vehicle 20 is suspended by a crane or the like. The threshold used for this determination is determined in advance by measurement or the like so that a minute change in suspension length due to a natural phenomenon such as wind is not determined as suspension of the vehicle 20, and is stored in advance in the ROM of the control unit 1.

  If the vehicle 20 is no longer parked (No in Step S15) while maintaining the state in which the change in suspension length does not exceed the predetermined threshold (No in Step S14), the vehicle 20 is stolen. Since it did not occur, the operation of the vehicle theft detection device 10 is normally terminated.

  On the other hand, when the change amount of the suspension length exceeds a predetermined threshold (Yes in step S14), it is determined that the vehicle 20 has been stolen, and thereafter, processing for notifying the theft occurrence is performed.

  That is, first, an alarm is output under the control of the alarm output unit 13. Specifically, the room lamp 61 is turned on, the hazard lamp 62 is blinked, and an alarm sound is generated from the horn 63 (step S16).

  Next, under the control of the theft notification unit 14, the vehicle 20 is suspended as information indicating the occurrence of the theft via the mobile phone unit 7 to the mobile phone with the mail address registered in advance in the ROM of the control unit 1. An e-mail indicating that it has been sent is sent. This e-mail address is for a mobile phone possessed by the owner of the vehicle 20, and is previously input into the vehicle theft detection device 10 by the owner of the vehicle 20. Thereby, it is possible to promptly notify the owner at a position away from the vehicle 20 that the vehicle 20 has been stolen. In addition, even if the telephone number of the mobile phone is registered instead of the e-mail address, and voice information indicating that the vehicle 20 is suspended is transmitted to the mobile phone having the telephone number as information indicating theft. Good (step S17).

  As described above, in the vehicle theft detection device 10 of the present embodiment, the suspension of the vehicle 20 is detected based on the amount of change in the length of the suspension device 23. Since the length measuring sensor 3 for detecting the length of the suspension device 23 and the control unit 1 can be connected by wire, it is not necessary to employ a complicated configuration such as a wireless communication device. For this reason, the vehicle theft detection device 10 can effectively detect the theft of the vehicle 20 with a relatively simple configuration.

  Further, since the alarm is output using the room lamp 61, the hazard lamp 62, and the horn 63 that are generally provided in an automobile, the vehicle is stolen without requiring a special configuration to output the alarm. The detection device 10 can be further simplified.

<3. Other embodiments>
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments (hereinafter referred to as “representative embodiments”), and various modifications are possible.

  For example, in the representative embodiment, the theft is detected based on the amount of change in the length of the suspension device 23, but the theft may be detected based on the amount of change in another physical quantity related to the suspension device 23. For example, when the vehicle 20 is suspended by a crane or the like, the load applied to the suspension device 23 (stress of the suspension device 23) changes compared to before the vehicle 20 is suspended. For this reason, it is possible to effectively detect the suspension of the vehicle 20 based on the amount of change in the load applied to the suspension device 23. The load applied to the suspension device 23 can be detected by arranging, for example, a piezoelectric element (piezo) having a piezoelectric effect as a load sensor inside the shock absorber. Since such a load sensor can also be wired to the control unit via an electric cable, even in this case, it is not necessary to employ a complicated configuration such as a wireless communication device, and the vehicle theft detection device may have a simple configuration. it can.

  Further, in the representative embodiment, the theft detection is performed using the average value of the lengths of the suspension devices 23 obtained by the four length measuring sensors 3, but it is obtained by each of the four length measuring sensors 3. Theft detection may be performed based on the amount of change in the length of the suspension device 23.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of a vehicle theft detection apparatus. It is a figure which shows the mode of the vehicle by which a vehicle theft detection apparatus is arrange | positioned. It is a figure which shows the flow of operation | movement of a vehicle theft detection apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Control part 3 Length measuring sensor 5 Electric cable 20 Vehicle 21 Car body 22 Tire 23 Suspension apparatus

Claims (6)

A vehicle theft detection device for detecting vehicle theft,
A detecting means for detecting a physical quantity related to a suspension device for reducing an impact transmitted from a tire to a vehicle body;
A determination means for determining whether or not a change amount of the physical quantity exceeds a predetermined threshold in the parking state of the vehicle;
An informing means for informing the occurrence of theft when the amount of change in the physical quantity exceeds the threshold;
A vehicle theft detection device comprising: In the vehicle theft detection device according to claim 1,
The physical quantity is the length of the suspension device,
A vehicle theft detection device comprising: In the vehicle theft detection device according to claim 1,
The physical quantity is a load applied to the suspension device,
A vehicle theft detection device comprising: In the vehicle theft detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The informing means is a sounding means for outputting an alarm sound,
A vehicle theft detection device comprising: In the vehicle theft detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The informing means is a lighting means for blinking display,
A vehicle theft detection device comprising: The vehicle theft detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The notification means is a transmission means for transmitting information indicating theft occurrence to a predetermined portable communication terminal;
The vehicle theft detection device further comprising:

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