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Description  |
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of preventing auto theft, and
more particularly, to a method of preventing the theft of an automobile
which is equipped with a mobile telephone system and an anti-theft system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Anti-theft devices which prevent auto theft are conventionally known. When
a thief attempts to steal a car incorporating such an anti-theft system by
opening a door of the car, applying considerable force to the car, or
opening the trunk, the anti-theft system is actuated to cause a siren to
blow or the headlamps to be turned on and off, thereby obstructing the
attempted theft.
However, the alarm sounded by the siren or flashing of the headlamps is
only effective if there are people nearby, and does not exhibit sufficient
deterrent in deserted locations or at night.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method
of preventing auto theft which effectively prevents theft even when the
driver is at some distance from the car or at night.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of
preventing auto theft which enables the occurrence of something unusual to
be noticed even when the driver is at some distance from the car.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method of
preventing auto theft which enables the actual state of the anti-theft
system to be ascertained by utilizing an external telephone when something
unusual occurs relating to possible theft.
To achieve this aim, a method of preventing auto theft according to the
present invention introduces the following improvements in the
conventional anti-theft system and mobile telephone system.
Referring to FIG. 1, which is a block diagram of a system to which a method
of preventing auto theft according to the present invention is applied,
the symbol MTS denotes a mobile telephone system and MSP an anti-theft
system.
The mobile telephone system MTS includes a control unit 101, a transceiver
unit 102, a T-connector 103 and an antenna 104.
The anti-theft system MSP includes a sensor portion 201 for detecting
abnormality relating to possible theft, an operation portion 202 provided
with numeral keys and function keys, a control portion 203 having a micro
computer structure, a timer 204, a transmission/reception portion 205, and
a remote control unit 206, known as a "pager", which externally turns on
and off the anti-theft function and outputs an alarm indicating the
occurrence of something unusual.
The control unit 101 and the transceiver unit 102 are connected such as to
allow communication between the two by power source control lines, digital
data transmission/reception lines, sound lines and the like. Several
necessary lines are selected from them and are connected to the control
portion 203 of the anti-theft system MSP through the T-connector 103.
When the driver leaves the car, the anti-theft system MSP is actuated by
operating the operation portion 202 or the remote control unit 206, and
the power of the mobile telephone system MTS is turned off.
If the anti-theft system MSP detects something unusual indicative of
possible theft in this state, the control portion 203 of the anti-theft
system transmits that fact to the remote control unit 206 through the
transmission portion 205 and at the same time turns on the power of the
mobile telephone system MTS such as to render it capable of receiving
calls from an external telephone.
The remote control unit 206 receives the information as to the occurrence
of something unusual and sounds the alarm by means of a buzzer or the
like, whereby the owner of the car is made aware of the fact that
something unusual has occurred with his car.
Even when the car is not actually being stolen, the remote control unit
sometimes sounds the alarm because the shock sensor is actuated by force
applied from the outside, or because a noise sensor is actuated by
excessive external noise. If the owner wants to ascertain the state of the
anti-theft system before running to the car in such a case, it is possible
to call the mobile telephone system from an external telephone, and
ascertain the state of the anti-theft system by inputting a predetermined
ID code and thereafter inputting a code selected from codes which have
been predetermined in accordance with various kinds of circumstances.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present
invention will become clear from the following description of the
preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system to which a method of preventing auto
theft according to the present invention is applied;:
FIG. 2 is an external view of a control unit;
FIG. 3 is a view of the surface of a handset; and
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the process of the method according to the present
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system to which a method of preventing auto
theft according to the present invention is applied.
The symbol MTS denotes a cellular mobile telephone system and the symbol
MSP an anti-theft system. The cellular system is a method of communicating
with receivers at various stations by dividing a service area into a
plurality of cells of about 6.4 Km in radius, in each of which a wireless
telephone station (base station) is provided, and subsequently changing
the station from which electric waves are received by the telephone
provided within a car as the car travels to different areas.
The mobile telephone system MTS includes a control unit 101, a transceiver
unit 102, a T-connector 103 and an antenna 104.
The control unit 101 has, electrically, a control portion 101a having a
computer structure, a microphone 101b, a speaker 101c, and an operation
and display portion 101d. The control unit 101 is, mechanically, composed
of a handset HDS and a base unit BSU, as shown in FIG. 2. The microphone
101b and the speaker 101c are provided on the reverse side of the handset
HDS, and on the upper side thereof, are provided, as shown in FIG. 3, a
ten-key portion 101d- 1 for inputting a telephone number or the like, a
function key portion 101d- 2 having a send key SND and an end key END,
etc., and a display portion 101d- 3 which displays a dialled number.
The base unit BSU has, as shown in FIG. 2, a panel portion 101d- 4, a
speaker receiving portion SRS and a microphone receiving portion MRS. The
panel portion 101d- 4 is provided with an on/off power switch PW, an
auxiliary switch AUX, an alert volume control portion ALV for controlling
the speaker level of a ringing tone, a handset volume control portion HSV
for controlling the volume of the receiving tone of the handset HDS and a
display portion for displaying various values. The ten-key portion 101d-
1, the function key portion 101d- 2, the display portion DSP 101d- 3 of
the handset HDS together with the panel portion 101d- 4 of the base unit
BSU constitute the operation and display portion 101d shown in FIG. 1.
The transceiver unit 102 includes a reception portion 102a, a transmission
portion 102b, a switching portion 102c for connecting the antenna 104 to
the reception portion or the transmission portion by appropriate
change-over, a synthesizer 102d for producing a predetermined frequency
signal, a control portion 102e, a normal state identification sound
generator 102f which produces a sound indicating that nothing unusual is
occurring which would be suggestive of theft, e.g., peep, peep. . . and an
abnormal state identification sound generator 102g which produces a sound
indicating that something unusual suggestive of theft is occurring, e.g.,
beep, beep. . . . The normal state identification sound generator 102f and
the abnormal state identification sound generator 102g may be united as
one sound synthesizer which outputs suitable words or the above-described
sounds depending on whether the state is normal or abnormal.
The anti-theft system MSP includes a sensor portion 201 for detecting
something unusual indicative of possible theft, the operation portion 202
having a keyboard structure, the control portion 203 having a micro
computer structure, the timer 204, the transmission/reception portion 205
and the remote control unit 206, known as a "pager", which turns on and
off the anti-theft function and outputs an alarm indicating the occurrence
of something unusual.
The sensor portion 201 includes a door sensor DS for detecting the opening
and closing of a door, a shock sensor SS for detecting any shock exceeding
a predetermined value, a noise sensor NS for detecting any noise within
the car exceeding a predetermined value, a sensor for detecting the
opening and closing of a trunk, etc.
The operation portion 202 which has a ten-key portion and function keys is
operated (a) when setting an ID code (registered number) in the memory MEM
of the control portion 203, (b) when setting in the memory MEM of the
control portion 203 the period during which the power of the mobile
telephone system MTS is to be kept on when something unusual is detected
or (c) when actuating the anti-theft function of the anti-theft system or
releasing the actuated state of the anti-theft function. The ID code is
input in order to ascertain the state of the anti-theft system MSP by
means of a push-button telephone, or when the alarm state which the
anti-theft system has assumed at the time of the occurrence of abnormality
is released.
The timer 204 starts timing under an instruction from the control portion
203, which makes inquiry as to the elapsed time t as occasion demands.
The transmission/reception portion 205 includes a transmission portion
205a, a reception portion 205b, a switching portion 205c for connecting
the antenna AT to the transmission portion 205a or the reception portion
205b by appropriate change-over, a modulation portion 205d for modulating
the digital data which is output by the control portion 203 at a
predetermined frequency signal, and a demodulation portion 205e for
demodulating the signal which is input from the reception portion 205b and
inputting it to the control portion 203.
The remote control unit 206 includes a transmission portion 206a, a
reception portion 206b, a switching portion 206c for connecting an antenna
AT' to the transmission portion 206a or the reception portion 206b by
appropriate change-over, a modulation portion 206d, a demodulation portion
206e, a control portion 206f, a key portion 206g having a key AK (which is
called an arming key) for actuating the anti-theft function of the
anti-theft system MSP and a key DAK (which is called a disarming key) for
releasing the actuated state of the anti-theft function, and a buzzer 206h
for outputting the alarm indicating the fact that something unusual has
occurred.
The control unit 101 of the mobile telephone system MTS and the transceiver
unit 102 are connected with each other by a plurality of power control
lines, digital data transmission/reception lines, sound lines, etc, from
which necessary lines are selected and connected to the control portion
203 of the anti-theft system MSP by the T-connector 103. In other words,
the power control line, the data transmitting line, and the data receiving
line, namely three lines in total, are connected to the control portion
203 of the anti-theft system MSP through the T-connector 103.
A method of preventing auto theft according to the present invention will
now be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4.
The operation portion 202 of the anti-theft system MSP is operated in
advance to set the power-on keeping time T.sub.p (the period during which
the power of the mobile telephone system MTS is to be kept on) and store
it in the memory MEM of the controller 203. Similarly, the ID code is set
by operation portion 202 and stored in the memory MEM.
When the driver leaves the car, the power of the anti-theft system MSP is
turned on, while the mobile telephone system is turned off by operating
the power on/off switch of the mobile telephone system MTS (FIG. 2).
In this state, the following steps are executed.
(1) Constant monitoring is performed by the processor of the control
portion 203 of the anti-theft system MSP to establish whether or not the
sensor portion 201 has detected any abnormality.
(2) Other processing is executed if there is no abnormality.
(3) If abnormality has occurred and the predetermined sensor is turned on,
the control portion 203 of the anti-theft system MSP immediately
identifies this fact and inputs a predetermined code signal indicating the
occurrence of abnormality to the remote control unit 206 through the
transmission/reception portion 205.
(4) Immediately after the remote control unit 206 receives the code
indicating the occurrence of abnormality, the control portion 206f outputs
an alarm by actuating the buzzer 206h. The buzzer 206h is automatically
turned off after a predetermined time, or is turned off by pressing a stop
key (not shown) provided on the key portion 206g.
(5) If abnormality has occurred, the control portion 203 outputs a power
enable signal (a signal of a high level) to the power control line
simultaneously with the execution of the steps (3) and (4), thereby
turning on the power of the mobile telephone system MTS and instructing
the timer 204 to start timing.
(6) The processor of the control portion 203 reads the elapsed time t from
the timer 204 as occasion demands, and judgement is made as to whether the
elapsed time t exceeds the power-on duration time T.sub.p.
(7) If t>T.sub.p, the control portion 203 turns off the power of the mobile
telephone system MTS.
(8) On the other hand, if t.ltoreq.T.sub.p, judgement is made by the
control portion 203 as to whether or not a calling command has been input
from the transceiver unit 102 until the elapsed time t exceeds the
power-on duration time T.sub.p.
(9) When the control portion 102b of the transceiver unit 102 of the mobile
telephone system MTS is called, it executes an ordinary call-reception
processing, and at the same time inputs the calling command to the control
portion 203 of the anti-theft system MSP, whereby the control portion 203
keeps the mobile telephone system in the engaged state. When the owner of
the car hears the buzzer (alarm) of the remote control unit 206, he calls
the mobile telephone system MTS from an external telephone. In other
words, when the alarm is sounded by the remote control unit, the owner is
made aware of the fact that something unusual has happened with the car,
but the owner will want to ascertain the actual state of the anti-theft
system MSP before running to the car himself in the following cases:
(a) The car is not actually being stolen but the remote control unit 206
has sounded the alarm because the shock sensor has been actuated by force
applied from the outside, because the noise sensor has been actuated due
to excessive external noise, or for other reasons;
(b) A thief is stealing the car but it is dangerous for the owner to run to
the car alone. In such cases, the owner calls the mobile telephone system.
(10) The control portion 203 waits for the ID code of the anti-theft system
MSP to be delivered. It is necessary to use a push-button telephone when
inquiring as to the state of the anti-theft system, because the ID code
must be delivered.
(11) While the ID code remains un-delivered, judgement is made as to
whether or not t>T.sub.p at suitable moments until the ID code is
transmitted. If t>T.sub.p, the step (7) is executed.
(12) When the ID code is delivered, the control portion 102e of the
transceiver unit 102 inputs the ID code to the control portion 203 of the
anti-theft system MSP.
(13) The processor of the control portion 203 judges whether or not the ID
code delivered from the transceiver unit agrees with the ID code stored in
the memory MEM. If NO, the process returns to the step (7).
(14) If the ID code delivered agrees with the ID code stored, the control
portion 203 transmits that fact to the transceiver unit 102.
(15) Thereafter, the control portion 203 waits for some of the
predetermined circumstance codes to be delivered, these being set in
advance in accordance with various kinds of circumstances. For example,
(a) #1 is a code for inquiring as to whether or not the anti-theft system
is in the actuated state;
(b) #2 is a code for inquiring as to whether or not the anti-theft system
is in the non-actuated state;
(c) #3 is a code for inquiring as to whether the door sensor is on or off;
and
(d) #4 is a code for inquiring as to whether the shock sensor is on or off.
(16) If no circumstance code is delivered, the control portion 203 reads
the elapsed time t from the timer 204 as occasion demands, and judgement
is made as to whether the elapsed time t exceeds the power-on duration
time T.sub.p, and if YES, the step (7) is executed.
(17) If a circumstance code is delivered, the control portion 203 decodes
it, and informs the control portion 102e of the transceiver unit 102 of
the state of the anti-theft system corresponding to the code. For example,
if the circumstance code #3 is delivered, the control portion 203 checks
the on/off state of the door sensor DS which detects the opened or closed
state of a door, and outputs a code signal corresponding to the on/off
state.
(18) The control portion 102e of the transceiver unit 102 actuates either
of the normal state identification sound generator 102f or the abnormal
state identification sound generator 102g depending on whether the door
sensor DS is on or off, and produces the sound having a tone which
corresponds thereto. If the door sensor is on, it indicates the abnormal
state and, the sound, e.g., peep, peep. . . is produced, whereas if the
door sensor is off, it indicates the normal state and, the sound, e.g.,
beep, beep. . . is produced. The owner at the other end is thereby able to
confirm whether the door is closed or open.
(19) Judgement is made as to whether or not the anti-theft system MSP is in
the END state by the control portion 203.
(20) The control portion 203 judges whether or not t T.sub.p, and if
t>T.sub.p, the process returns to the step (7), whereas if
t.ltoreq.T.sub.p, the steps (15) to (20) are repeated until an ensuing
circumstance code is delivered. In this way, the owner ascertains the
state of the anti-theft system MSP by repeating the steps (15) to (20).
(21) If YES in the step (19), the control portion 203 of the anti-theft
system inputs an on-hook signal, whereby the mobile telephone system MTS
is immediately restored to its original state for being ready for calls.
Thereafter the process returns to the step (7), and the power of the
mobile telephone system is turned off.
According to the present invention, as described above, when something
unusual occurs indicative of possible auto theft, that fact is transmitted
to the remote control unit which turns on/off the power of the anti-theft
system MSP, the power of the mobile telephone system is turned on so as to
be capable of receiving external calls, and the remote control unit sounds
an alarm. As a result, the owner of the car is made aware of the fact that
something unusual has occurred with the car even at night, and even when
he is at some distance from the car, so that the theft of the car is
effectively prevented.
Furthermore, the present invention enables the power of the mobile
telephone system to be turned on when abnormality is detected so as to be
capable of receiving external calls, and the state of the anti-theft
system is made known to the caller under at least one condition that a
predetermined ID code is input from an external telephone to the mobile
telephone system. Accordingly, it is possible to ascertain the state of
the anti-theft system correctly and to take appropriate measures before
running to the car.
While there has been described what is at present considered to be a
preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that various
modifications may be made thereto, and it is intended that the appended
claims cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and
scope of the invention.
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