VEHICLE CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20130116858A1
• Filed: 01/25/2011
• Published: 05/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atsr Limited
• Original Assignee: Atsr Limited
• Inventors: Gallagher, Bernie, Gallagher, Eric, O'Dwyer, Denis
• Granted Patent: US 9,239,815 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/042 for stopping the engine
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0814 comprising means for controlling automatic idle-start-stop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00

Abstract

The present invention provides a vehicle control system, for example for use with an emergency services vehicle such as an ambulance, fire engine, police car or the like, and which provides enhanced security, functionality and improved fuel consumption for such vehicles when at the scene of a situation such as a fire, accident, or the like, the system being operable to permit an engine of the vehicle to remaining running while simultaneously immobilising the vehicle. Furthermore when configurable parameters such as but not limited to battery levels and or internal vehicle temperatures are reached, such a control system, without any human interface, automatically shuts down the engine to reduce fuel burn, reduce emissions, reduce engine wear and maintenance and thereby promote a greener environment.

Claims

1. A vehicle control system adapted to permit an engine of the vehicle to remain operational while immobilising the vehicle.

2. A vehicle control system according to claim 1 in which the system is adapted to maintain operation of the engine after an ignition of the engine has been disabled.

3. A vehicle control system according to claim 1 or 2 in which the system is adapted to turn off the engine in response to one or more events.

4. A vehicle control system according to any of claims 1 to 3 in which the system is adapted to turn off the engine in response to an unauthorised attempt to operate and/or move the vehicle.

5. A vehicle control system according to any preceding claim in which the system is adapted to automatically turn off the engine when one or more vehicle batteries have reached a predefined upper charge level.

6. A vehicle control system according to any preceding claim in which the system is adapted to automatically turn on the engine when one or more vehicle batteries drop below a predefined lower charge level.

7. A vehicle control system according to any preceding claim in which the system is adapted to automatically activate an air conditioning/climate control system of the vehicle when a temperature within an area of the vehicle has reached a predefined upper or lower temperature level, and to automatically control the air conditioning/climate control system in order to achieve predefined environmental conditions within said area.

8. A vehicle control system according to any preceding claim in which the system is adapted to automatically deactivate an air conditioning/climate control system of the vehicle when predefined environmental conditions within an area of the vehicle have been achieved.

9. A vehicle control system according to any preceding claim in which the system comprises one or more sensors operable to provide feedback regarding one or more parameters of the vehicles state.

10. A vehicle control system according to claim 9 in which the one or more sensors are operable to enable closed loop control of one or more parameters of the vehicles state.

11. A vehicle control system according to any preceding claim in which the system is operable to automatically lock or unlock one or more doors of the vehicle.

12. A vehicle control system according to any preceding claim in which the system comprises a communication module operable to enable the remote operation of the control system.

13. A vehicle comprising a vehicle control system according to any preceding claim.