Alarm apparatus and alarm method

• US 20070046444A1
• Filed: 07/25/2006
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kamiya, Masachika, Endo, Takeo, Tanaka, Masahiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,525,428 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/426.250
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/1004 Alarm systems characterised by the type of sensor, e.g. current sensing means using door lock sensors B60R25/1001
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/04 by breaking of glass

Abstract

An alarm apparatus includes an electric conductor disposed at a window pane, a voltage supply device that supplies a voltage to the electric conductor, a voltage detection device that detects the voltage of the electric conductor, a disconnection determination device that makes a determination regarding a disconnected state of the electric conductor based on the detected voltage of the electric conductor, an alarm determination device that determines whether or not to perform alarming based on a result of determination of the disconnection determination device; and an alarm device that performs the alarming based on the determination by the alarm determination device. The alarm determination device has an alert mode of performing if the electric conductor is in the disconnected state, and a pre-alert mode of refraining from performing the alarming if the electric conductor is in the disconnected state.

Claims

1. An alarm apparatus comprising:

an electric conductor disposed at a window pane;

a voltage supply device that supplies a voltage to the electric conductor;

a voltage detection device that detects the voltage of the electric conductor;

a disconnection determination device that makes a determination regarding a disconnected state of the electric conductor based on the voltage of the electric conductor detected by the voltage detection device;

an alarm determination device that determines whether or not to perform alarming based on a result of determination regarding the disconnected state of the electric conductor by the disconnection determination device; and

an alarm device that performs the alarming based on the determination by the alarm determination device,

wherein the alarm determination device has an alert mode of performing the alarming if the disconnection determination device determines that the electric conductor is in the disconnected state, and a pre-alert mode of refraining from performing the alarming if the disconnection determination device determines that the electric conductor is in the disconnected state.

2. The alarm apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the voltage detection device is a buffer containing a comparator that detects a partial voltage value of a voltage obtained by dividing the voltage supplied from the voltage supply device to the electric conductor, and that compares the partial voltage value with a predetermined voltage value.

3. The alarm apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the alarm device further comprises a transceiver, and sends an alarm signal to a mobile terminal via the transceiver, thereby causing the mobile terminal to perform the alarming.

4. The alarm apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the mobile terminal is a cell phone that performs the alarming based on the alarm signal from the alarm device.

5. The alarm apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the voltage supply device supplies the voltage to the electric conductor on a predetermined cycle.

6. The alarm apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the alarm determination device sets the pre-alert mode for a predetermined time before setting the alert mode.

7. The alarm apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the alarm determination device further has a non-alert mode of refraining from determining whether or not to perform the alarming, and causes shifting among the non-alert mode, the pre-alert mode, and the alert mode.

8. The alarm apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electric conductor is formed from a material that has a transparency to light.

9. The alarm apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the alarm determination device further has a normality determination flag for storing a value that indicates whether or not the electric conductor has assumed the disconnected state during the pre-alert mode, and wherein the alarm determination device performs the alarming using the alarm device when the disconnection determination device determines that the electric conductor is in the disconnected state during the alert mode and the normality determination flag shows a value indicating that the electric conductor has not assumed the disconnected state.

10. The alarm apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the disconnection determination device determines that the electric conductor is in the disconnected state if the voltage of the electric conductor detected by the voltage detection device is less than or equal to a predetermined voltage.

11. The alarm apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the alarm apparatus is applied to a vehicle, and the electric conductor is disposed at a window pane of the vehicle.

12. The alarm apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the alarm determination device determines setting of the pre-alert mode during a predetermined time after all doors of the vehicle are brought into a locked state while an ignition switch mounted in the vehicle is in an off state, and the alarm determination device determines setting of the alert mode following the elapse of the predetermined time after all the doors are brought into the locked state while the ignition switch is in the off state.

13. The alarm apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the alarm device produces an alarm sound via a horn mounted in the vehicle.

14. The alarm apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the window pane includes a rear side pane, and a rear pane, and

wherein the electric conductor is disposed at each of the rear side pane and the rear pane, and the electric conductor disposed at the rear side pane and the electric conductor disposed at the rear pane are connected in series.

15. The alarm apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the electric conductor disposed at the rear pane is a resistor of a defogger device which generates heat upon supply of voltage from the voltage supply device so as to remove condensed moisture or frost formed on the rear pane.

16. An alarm method comprising:

detecting a voltage of an electric conductor disposed at a window pane,

making a determination regarding a disconnected state of the electric conductor based on the detected voltage, and

determining whether or not to perform alarming based on a result of determination regarding the disconnected state of the electric conductor,

wherein a pre-alert mode and an alert mode are provided for determination as to whether or not to perform the alarming, and during the pre-alert mode, the alarming is not performed even if it is determined that the electric conductor is in the disconnected state, and during the alert mode, the alarming is performed if it is determined that the electric conductor is in the disconnected state.

17. An alarm apparatus comprising:

an electric conductor disposed at a window pane;

voltage supply means for supplying a voltage to the electric conductor;

voltage detection means for detecting the voltage of the electric conductor;

disconnection determination means for making a determination regarding a disconnected state of the electric conductor based on the voltage of the electric conductor detected by the voltage detection means;

alarm determination means for determining whether or not to perform alarming based on a result of determination regarding the disconnected state of the electric conductor by the disconnection determination means; and

alarm means for performing the alarming based on the result of determination by the alarm determination means,

wherein the alarm determination means has an alert mode of performing the alarming if it is determined by the disconnection determination means that the electric conductor is in the disconnected state, and a pre-alert mode of refraining from performing the alarming if it is determined by the disconnection determination means that the electric conductor is in the disconnected state.