Vehicle operator security system

• US 4,143,368 A
• Filed: 12/05/1977
• Issued: 03/06/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Rogers, Wesley A., Auman, John T., Route, William D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitts, Harold I.
• Application Number:
  US05/857,093
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: 343/225, 340/63, 340/543, 340/147 MD
• US Class Current: 340/543
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/1001 Alarm systems associated with another car fitting or mechanism, e.g. door lock or knob, pedals features related to the general power supply B60R25/1018
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00261 the keyless data carrier having more than one function
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00785 by light
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00182 operated with unidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/22 Electrical actuation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/041 using special codes as synchronising signal

Abstract

A portable infrared signal generator is actuatable by a motor vehicle operator at a distance from the vehicle to generate digitally coded infrared signal pulses in accordance with either a first or a second predetermined digital code. A receiver on the motor vehicle is effective to receive the infrared signal pulses, decode them and actuate apparatus responsive to the first digital code to unlock a power door lock and power a light effective to illuminate at least a part of the vehicle or responsive to the second digital code to actuate an alarm. Both the first and second digital codes contain a common identifying portion substantially unique to the particular motor vehicle, which portion may be permanently stored in the generator and receiver by the connections of the input/output terminals of a microprocessor chip mounted on a printed circuit board to one of two voltage sources on the printed circuit board. The receiver includes a photodiode connected in a circuit to operate in the photovoltaic mode so that the infrared pulses can be distinguished from strong background illumination for operation in daylight as well as at night. The receiver further includes a lens and reflector for receiving the infrared pulses over a wide incoming angle. The apparatus may include a sleep mode in which the reception of a predetermined number of signals not containing the code unique to the motor vehicle actuates apparatus to prevent unlocking of the doors and to actuate the alarm.

Claims

1. An operator-actuated security system for a motor vehicle having a door with lock means, power means to unlock the lock, a light effective to illuminate at least a part of the vehicle, and an alarm effective when energized to produce a sensible effect outside the vehicle, comprising, in combination:

a portable infrared rediation generator effective on one manual actuation to generate a series of pulses of infrared radiation in accordance with a first predetermined digital code and on another manual actuation to generate a series of pulses of infrared radiation in accordance with a second predetermined digital code; and

means on the vehicle effective to receive the radiation from said generator and including elements responsive to the first code effective to unlock the door and energize the interior light, whereby an operator external to the vehicle and at a distance therefrom can unlock the door and energize the light, and including further elements responsive to the second code to actuate the alarm should the vehicle operator perceive a reason for so doing.

2. An operator actuated security system for a motor vehicle having a door with lock means, power means to unlock the lock, a light effective to illuminate at least a part of the vehicle and an alarm effective when energized to produce a sensible effect outside the vehicle, comprising, in combination:

a portable infrared radiation generator including means actuatable to generate a directed series of infrared radiation pulses comprising a first digital code and means separately actuatable to generate a directed series of infrared radiation pulses comprising a second digital code, the first and second digital codes having a series of identity bits comprising a predetermined identity code substantially unique to the vehicle and common to each of the first and second digital codes and one or more operation bits comprising an operation code being different in each of the first and second digital codes;

means on the vehicle effective to store the predetermined identity code and receive the radiation from the generator and including means effective to decode the series of identity bits of the received pulses, compare them, bit by bit, with the stored predetermined identity code and signal identity therebetween; and

means on the vehicle responsive to said signal of identity to decode the operation bits and effective to unlock the door and energize the light in response to the operation bits of the first digital code and to actuate the alarm in response to the operation bits of the second digital code.

3. An operator actuated security system for a motor vehicle having a door with lock means and power unlock means, power means to unlock the lock, a light effective to illuminate at least part of the vehicle and an alarm effective when energized to produce a sensible effect outside the vehicle, comprising in combination:

a portable infrared radiation generator effective on one manual actuation to generate a series of pulses of infrared radiation in accordance with a first predetermined digital code and on another manual actuation to generate a series of pulses of infrared radiation in accordance with a second predetermined digital code;

means on the vehicle effective to receive the radiation from said generator, said means including a photodiode connected in parallel with an inductor and in series with a capacitor across the inputs of an amplifier, said photodiode being thus connected for operation in the photovoltaic mode for reception of the radiation in the strong background radiation of daylight as well as in darkness; and

means responsive to the received first digital code to actuate the power door unlock means and light and further responsive to the received second digital code to actuate the alarm.