APPARATUS, METHOD AND ARTICLE FOR SECURITY OF VEHICLES

• US 20130116892A1
• Filed: 11/07/2012
• Published: 05/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gogoro Inc.
• Original Assignee: Gogoro Inc.
• Inventors: Wu, Yi-Tsung, Luke, Hok-Sum Horace, Hung, Huang-Cheng, Taylor, Matthew Whiting
• Granted Patent: US 9,248,806 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/12 Bikes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/306 Motorcycles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/09 by restraining wheel rotation, e.g. wheel clamps
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle has a security and anti-theft system that senses movement of the vehicle in a forward or backward direction when the vehicle is in a locked state, such as by detecting wheel rotation. Upon this detection, the security system signals the motor to counteract the wheel movement by rotating one or more wheels in the opposite direction of the direction of wheel rotation detected until the wheel rotation is no longer detected. The security and anti-theft system may determine whether the vehicle is in a locked state by detecting whether a key is present and/or by one or more communications received by an external wireless device.

Claims

11-1. The vehicle security system of claim 1 wherein the at least one controller is coupled to a motor of the vehicle.

15. A method of operating a vehicle security system for a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving information indicating whether the vehicle is in a state to allow operation of the vehicle; and

preventing one or more wheels of the vehicle from rotating if the received information indicating whether the vehicle is in a state to allow operation of the vehicle indicates the vehicle is not in a state to allow operation of the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the state to allow operation of the vehicle is a state in which a key is present in an ignition of the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the state to allow operation of the vehicle is a state in which an authorized external device has been wirelessly authenticated by the vehicle security system.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the preventing the one or more wheels of the vehicle from rolling includes:

detecting rotation of the one or more wheels in a first direction; and

sending a signal to a motor of the vehicle to rotate at least one of the one or more wheels in a second direction opposite of the first direction until the at least one controller no longer detects the rotation of the one or more wheels in the first direction.

19. A vehicle, comprising:

a motor;

at least two wheels operably coupled to the motor;

a motor controller operably coupled to the motor;

one or more driver controls operably coupled to the motor controller, and wherein the motor controller includes a vehicle security system configured to;

receive information indicating whether the vehicle is in a state to allow operation of the vehicle; and

in response to receiving the information whether the vehicle is in a state to allow operation of the vehicle, make a determination of whether to allow one or more wheels of the vehicle to roll based on the received information indicating whether the vehicle is in a state to allow operation of the vehicle.

20. The vehicle of claim 19 wherein the vehicle security system is configured to prevent the one or more wheels from rolling by being configured to:

detect rotation of one or more of the at least two wheels in a first direction; and

send a signal to a motor of the vehicle to rotate at least one of the at least two wheels in a second direction opposite of the first direction until the vehicle security system no longer detects the rotation of the one or more of the at least two wheels in the first direction.

21. The vehicle of claim 20 wherein the vehicle security system is configured to detect rotation of one or more of the at least two wheels in a first direction by being configured to:

detect rotation or phase change of the motor caused by the rotation of the one or more of the at least two wheels.