VEHICLE POWER INHIBITER

• US 20080223646A1
• Filed: 04/04/2007
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Roger F. Wells, Steven C. White
• Original Assignee: Roger F. Wells, Steven C. White
• Inventors: White, Steven C., Wells, Roger F.
• Application Number:
  US11/696,685
• Publication Number:
  US 20080223646A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/287
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/063 preventing starting of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/304 Boats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/241 whereby access privileges are related to the identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/25 using biometry
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/252 Fingerprint recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/255 Eye recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/257 Voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/302 using recording means, e.g. black box
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/24 Drug level, e.g. alcohol
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00563 using personal physical data of the operator, e.g. finger prints, retinal images, voicepatterns
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3231 Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3268 using certificate validation, registration, distribution or revocation, e.g. certificate revocation list [CRL]

Abstract

A method and system for inhibiting power of a vehicle given to a third party. The system includes a mode-indicating, an authenticator coupled to the mode-indicating device, and a power inhibiting device coupled to the mode-indicating device and adapted to selectively inhibit the power of the vehicle. Here, the mode-indicating device is adapted to communicate a power restriction signal to the power inhibiting device to inhibit the power of the vehicle upon an activation of the mode-indicating device by an authenticated driver and until a deactivation of the mode-indicating device by the authenticated driver, and the authenticator is adapted to restrict the activation and the deactivation of the mode-indicating device unless the driver has been authenticated by the authenticator.

Claims

1. A system for inhibiting power of a vehicle given to a third party, the system comprising:

a mode-indicating device;

an authenticator coupled to the mode-indicating device; and

a power inhibiting device coupled to the mode-indicating device and adapted to selectively inhibit the power of the vehicle,

wherein the mode-indicating device is adapted to communicate a power restriction signal to the power inhibiting device to electronically inhibit the power of the vehicle upon an activation of the mode-indicating device by an authenticated driver and until a deactivation of the mode-indicating device by the authenticated driver, and

wherein the authenticator is adapted to restrict the activation and the deactivation of the mode-indicating device unless the driver has been authenticated by the authenticator.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the power inhibiting device comprises:

a voltage control circuit adapted to switch between a first part of the voltage control circuit adapted to supply an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle with a voltage to increase the power of the vehicle when the voltage is less than a set voltage and with the set voltage when the transducer voltage is greater than or equal to the set voltage and a second part of the voltage control circuit adapted to supply the ECU of the vehicle with the voltage to increase the power of the vehicle.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the voltage control circuit is electrically coupled between the ECU of the vehicle and a transducer of an accelerator of the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first part of the voltage control circuit comprises a first voltage limiter to limit a voltage to a first voltage limit and a second voltage limiter to limit a voltage to a second voltage limit.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first voltage limit is adapted to limit the vehicle to be in an idle mode, and wherein the second voltage limit is adapted to limit the vehicle to be in a valet mode.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the first part of the voltage control circuit comprises a first power limiter to limit the power of the vehicle to a first power level and a second power limiter to limit the power of the vehicle to a second power level.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the second power level is higher in power than the first power level and lower in power than a full power level.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the authenticator comprises a biometric authenticator selected from the group consisting of a fingerprint authenticator, a face recognition authenticator, a hand-geometry authenticator, a voice authenticator, and combinations thereof.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the authenticator comprises a fingerprint sensor.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a substance detecting device coupled to the system controller and adapted to provide a substance level in the third party to the system controller.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the third party is a valet.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the power inhibiting device is adapted to limit a demand to increase the power of the vehicle.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a system controller coupled to the mode-indicating device, the authenticator, and the power inhibiting device, wherein the mode-indicating device is adapted to communicate the power restriction signal to the power inhibiting device via the system controller, and wherein the authenticator is adapted to restrict the activation and the deactivation of the mode-indicating device unless the driver has been authenticated by the authenticator via the system controller.

14. A method of limiting power of a vehicle having a drive-by-wire system, the method comprising:

allowing a user to control a first mode of operation of the drive-by-wire system and a second mode of operation of the drive-by-wire system;

supplying an electronic circuit with a transducer voltage in the first mode of operation; and

supplying the electronic circuit with the transducer voltage when the transducer voltage is less than a set voltage and with the set voltage when the transducer voltage is greater than or equal to the set voltage in the second mode of operation.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

allowing the user to control a third mode of operation of the drive-by-wire system; and

supplying the electronic circuit with an idle voltage in the third mode of operation.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the electronic circuit is an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle.

17. A system for inhibiting power of a vehicle given to a third party, the system comprising:

a mode-indicating device; and

a power inhibiting device coupled to the mode-indicating device and adapted to selectively inhibit the power of the vehicle, the power inhibiting device comprising a voltage control circuit adapted to switch between a first part of the voltage control circuit adapted to supply an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle with a voltage to increase the power of the vehicle when the voltage is less than a set voltage and with the set voltage when the transducer voltage is greater than or equal to the set voltage and a second part of the voltage control circuit adapted to supply the ECU of the vehicle with the voltage to increase the power of the vehicle,

wherein the mode-indicating device is adapted to communicate a power restriction signal to the power inhibiting device to inhibit the power of the vehicle upon an activation of the mode-indicating device by a driver and until a deactivation of the mode-indicating device by the driver.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the voltage control circuit is electrically coupled between the ECU of the vehicle and a transducer of an accelerator of the vehicle.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the first part of the voltage control circuit comprises a first voltage limiter to limit a voltage to a first voltage limit and a second voltage limiter to limit a voltage to a second voltage limit.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first voltage limit is adapted to limit the vehicle to be in an idle mode, and wherein the second voltage limit is adapted to limit the vehicle to be in a valet mode.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the first part of the voltage control circuit comprises a first power limiter to limit the power of the vehicle to a first power level and a second power limiter to limit the power of the vehicle to a second power level.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the second power level is higher in power than the first power level and lower in power than a full power level.