Security and remote access for vehicular safety and convenience systems

• US 20070013494A1
• Filed: 09/08/2006
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VOXX International Corporation
• Original Assignee: DEI Headquarters Inc (DEI Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rutledge, Mark, Ochs, Franklin
• Granted Patent: US 7,646,285 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/426.130
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor

Abstract

A security system in a vehicle extends its protection to installed equipment of the vehicle, such as audio components and navigation systems. The installed equipment is armed and disarmed by the security system remote control, preventing the equipment from normal functioning after unauthorized removal. The security system further enables programming, monitoring, and diagnosing of the installed equipment through the security system remote control.

Claims

1. An installed equipment item for a vehicle, the item performing a function in the vehicle, the installed equipment item comprising:

an installed equipment digital state machine controlling the function; and

an interface capable of connecting the installed equipment digital state machine to a vehicle security system remote control via a communication link to provide information flow between the installed equipment digital state machine and the security system remote control;

wherein the installed equipment digital state machine prevents the installed equipment item from performing the function normally after receiving an arm command from the security system remote control via the bus.

2. The installed equipment item of claim 1, wherein the installed equipment digital state machine causes the installed equipment item to perform the function normally after receiving a disarm command from the security system remote control via the communication link.

3. The installed equipment item of claim 2 further comprising an operational memory storing program code, wherein the installed equipment digital state machine comprises a processor executing the program code.

4. The installed equipment item of claim 3, wherein an interruption of power between successive arm and disarm commands causes the processor to prevent the item from performing the function normally until the item is connected to a configuration and maintenance tool and reset by the tool.

5. The installed equipment item of claim 3, wherein an interruption of power to the installed equipment item between successive arm and disarm commands causes the processor to prevent the item from performing the function normally until the item is reset by receiving an installer code via the communication link, the installer code not being available to general public.

6. The installed equipment item of claim 3 further comprising a non-volatile memory for the purpose of storing configuration parameters of the installed equipment item, the configuration parameters affecting operation of the installed equipment item.

7. The installed equipment item of claim 6, wherein the program code causes the processor to store maintenance and diagnostic data of the installed equipment item in the non-volatile memory.

8. The installed equipment item of claim 7, wherein the program code causes the processor to send to the security system remote control, via the communication link, the maintenance and diagnostic data in response to commands requesting the maintenance and diagnostic data received by the processor from the security system remote control via the communication link.

9. The installed equipment item of claim 7 further comprising an ESP port capable of coupling the installed equipment item to a configuration and maintenance tool, wherein the program code causes the processor to send to the ESP port the maintenance and diagnostic data.

10. The installed equipment item of claim 7 further comprising an ESP port capable of coupling the installed equipment item to a configuration and maintenance tool, wherein the program code causes the processor to send to the ESP port the maintenance and diagnostic data in response to commands requesting the data received from the security system.

11. The installed equipment item of claim 7 further comprising an ESP port capable of coupling the installed equipment item to a configuration and maintenance tool, wherein the program code causes the processor to send to the ESP port the maintenance and diagnostic data in response to commands received through the ESP port.

12. The installed equipment item of claim 7, further comprising at least one light emitter coupled to the processor, wherein the program code causes the processor to flash codes corresponding to the maintenance and diagnostic data on the at least one light emitter.

13. The installed equipment item of claim 7, further comprising at least one light emitter coupled to the processor, wherein the program code causes the processor to flash codes corresponding to the maintenance and diagnostic data on the at least one light emitter in response to commands received from the security system remote control.

14. The installed equipment item of claim 7, wherein the security system remote control comprises a display and an input device for enabling a person to enter instructions, the instructions comprising at least one instruction to send a command requesting the installed equipment item to send data to the remote control.

15. The installed equipment item of claim 14, wherein the installed equipment item further comprises an audio amplifier.

16. The installed equipment item of claim 15, wherein the data comprises a trip event data of the audio amplifier.

17. The installed equipment item of claim 3, wherein:

the security system remote control comprises a display and an input device for enabling a person to enter instructions, the instructions comprising at least one instruction to send configuration parameters to the installed equipment item.

18. The installed equipment item of claim 17, wherein the installed equipment item further comprises an audio amplifier.

19. The installed equipment item of claim 18, wherein the configuration parameters include a turn-on delay of the audio amplifier.

20. The installed equipment item of claim 18, wherein:

the audio amplifier comprises a fan; and

the configuration parameters include a mode of operation of a fan variable that determines the mode of operation of the fan.

21. The installed equipment item of claim 18, wherein the configuration parameters include an output impedance of the audio amplifier.

22. The installed equipment item of claim 18, wherein the configuration parameters include a load protection mode variable that determines whether the audio amplifier will drive a load with impedance lower than output impedance of the audio amplifier.

23. The installed equipment item of claim 18 further comprising at least one light emitter coupled to the processor, wherein the configuration parameters include a display mode variable, and the program code causes the processor to flash a code associated with a trip event of the audio amplifier if the display mode variable is set to a first value.

24. The installed equipment item of claim 18, wherein the configuration parameters include an input signal range adjustment variable that sets maximum signal input power for the audio amplifier.

25. The installed equipment item of claim 18 further comprising a selector for manual adjustment of gain of the audio amplifier, wherein the configuration parameters include a gain adjustment variable that determines gain adjustment range of the selector.

26. The installed equipment item of claim 7 further comprising a navigation system performing the function.

27. The installed equipment item of claim 7 further comprising a stereo system performing the function.

28. The installed equipment item of claim 7 further comprising a rear-seat entertainment system performing the function.

29. The installed equipment item of claim 7 further comprising an audio amplifier performing the function.

30. The installed equipment item of claim 1, wherein the communication link is a wireless communication link.

31. An installed equipment item for a vehicle, the item performing a function in the vehicle, the installed equipment item comprising:

an operational memory storing program code;

a processor executing the program code; and

an interface capable of connecting the processor to a vehicle security system remote control via a communication link to provide information flow between the processor and the security system remote control;

wherein the processor, in response to a query command received from the security system remote control via the communication link, sends to the security system remote control, via the communication link, data relating to operation of the installed equipment item.

32. An installed equipment item according to claim 31, wherein the processor receives configuration parameters for the installed equipment item from the security system remote control via the communication link and configures the installed equipment item based on the received configuration parameters.

33. An installed equipment item according to claim 32, wherein the data relating to operation of the installed equipment item comprises maintenance and diagnostic data.

34. An installed equipment item according to claim 32, further comprising a non-volatile memory storing the received configuration parameters.

35. An installed equipment item of claim 32, wherein the installed equipment item is an audio amplifier.

36. An installed equipment item of claim 35, wherein the requested data comprises trip event data of the audio amplifier.

37. An installed equipment item according to claim 31, further comprising a non-volatile memory storing the data relating to operation of the installed equipment item.

38. The installed equipment item of claim 31, wherein the communication link is a wireless communication link.

39. An installed equipment item for a vehicle, the item performing a function in the vehicle, the installed equipment item comprising:

an operational memory storing program code;

a processor executing the program code; and

an interface capable of connecting the processor to a vehicle security system remote control via a communication link to provide information flow between the processor and the security system remote control;

wherein the processor receives configuration parameters for the installed equipment item from the security system remote control via the communication link and configures the installed equipment item of the received configuration parameters.

40. The installed equipment item according to claim 39, further comprising a non-volatile memory storing the received configuration parameters.

41. The installed equipment item of claim 39, further comprising an audio amplifier, wherein the function comprises audio amplification.

42. The installed equipment item of claim 41, wherein the configuration parameters comprise audio performance parameters of the audio amplifier.

43. A vehicular system, comprising:

a security system base controller installed in a vehicle;

a security system base transceiver installed in the vehicle and coupled to the base controller;

a base controller bus and a remote control communication link;

an installed equipment item for performing a function, the installed equipment item being installed in the vehicle and coupled to the base controller via the base controller bus, the installed equipment item comprising an operational memory storing program code, an installed equipment processor executing the code, and an interface port coupling the installed equipment processor to the base controller bus and the remote control communication link; and

a security system remote control comprising a human input device, a display device, and a remote control transceiver communicating with the installed equipment item via the remote control communication link, the remote control being capable of sending instructions and data inputted through the human input device to the installed equipment device via the remote control transceiver, the remote control being connected to the remote control communication link

wherein the installed equipment processor prevents the installed equipment item from performing the function normally after receiving an arm command from the remote control via the remote control communication link.

44. The vehicular system of claim 43, wherein the installed equipment processor causes the installed equipment item to perform the function normally after receiving a disarm command from the remote control via the remote control communication link.

45. The vehicular system of claim 44, wherein an interruption of power to the installed equipment item between successive arm and disarm commands prevents the item from performing the function normally until the item is connected to a configuration and maintenance tool.

46. The vehicular system of claim 44, wherein an interruption of power to the installed equipment item between successive arm and disarm commands prevents the item from performing the function normally until the item is reset by receiving an installer code from the remote control via the remote control communication link, the installer code not being available to general public.

47. The vehicular system of claim 44, wherein the installed equipment item further comprises a non-volatile memory for storing configuration parameters of the installed equipment item, the configuration parameters affecting operation of the installed equipment item.

48. The vehicular system of claim 44 further comprising a non-volatile memory, wherein the program code causes the installed equipment processor to store maintenance and diagnostic data of the installed equipment item in the non-volatile memory.

49. A system, comprising:

a base controller bus and a remote control communication link;

a security system base controller installed in a vehicle and coupled to the base controller bus;

a security system base transceiver installed in the vehicle and coupled to the base controller;

an installed equipment item for performing a function, the installed equipment item being installed in the vehicle and coupled to the base controller via the base controller bus, the installed equipment item comprising an operational memory storing program code, an installed equipment processor executing the code, and an interface port coupling the installed equipment processor to the base controller bus and the remote control communication link, the installed equipment processor configuring the installed equipment item for performing the function based on values of configuration parameters; and

a security system remote control comprising a human input device, a display device, and a remote control transceiver communicating with the installed equipment item, the security system remote control being capable of sending instructions and data inputted through the first human input device to the installed equipment item

wherein the security system remote control is capable of receiving the configuration parameters through the human input device and sending the configuration parameters to the installed equipment item processor via the remote control communication link.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein the installed equipment item further comprises an audio amplifier, the function comprises audio amplification, and the configuration parameters comprise audio performance parameters of the audio amplifier.

51. A process for securing an installed equipment item in a vehicle protected by a security system including a remote control, the process comprising the steps of:

sending arm signals from the remote control to the installed equipment item when the security system is disarmed;

reducing functionality of the installed equipment item in response to the arm signals to prevent normal functionality of the installed equipment item; and

returning functionality of the installed equipment item to normal in response to receiving disarm signals from the remote control.

52. A process for configuring an installed equipment item in a vehicle protected by a security system including a remote control, the process comprising the steps of:

receiving installed equipment item configuration data at the remote control;

sending the configuration data from the remote control to the installed equipment item;

receiving the configuration data at the installed equipment item; and

configuring the installed equipment item based on the configuration data.

53. A process of obtaining maintenance and diagnostic data from an equipment item installed in a vehicle protected by a security system including a remote control, the process comprising the steps of:

sending from the remote control to the installed equipment item an instruction to request the data from the installed equipment item;

receiving the instruction at the installed equipment item;

sending, in response to the command, the data from the installed equipment item to the remote control;

receiving the data at the remote control; and

displaying the data at the remote control.