Programmable sensor apparatus
First Claim
1. A user-programmable sensor system for detecting shock/vibration disturbance events to a vehicle, the system comprising:
- a shock/vibration transducer responsive to shock/vibration disturbance events to the vehicle and for generating electrical transducer signals indicative of the amplitude and frequency content of such shock/vibration;
program mode entry means for providing a program mode signal indicating that the sensor system is to be configured in a program mode;
memory means for storing a plurality of signal parameter limit values;
controller means responsive to said transducer signals and to said program mode signal, said controller means comprising;
means responsive to said transducer signals for calculating parameter values indicative of predetermined parameters of said transducer signal;
means for comparing said calculated parameter values with said stored limit values;
means responsive to said comparing means for triggering an alarm output signal when said calculated parameter values exceed corresponding ones of said stored limit values;
means responsive to said program mode signal for placing said system in a program mode, said means further responsive to said parameter values calculated as a result of shock/vibration disturbances occurring while the system is configured in the program mode for storing in said memory new parameter limit values,whereby the sensitivity of the system to shock/vibration disturbances may be programmed by the system user with the system configured in the programming mode by causing a shock/vibration disturbance to the vehicle desired to trigger an alarm output signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A user-programmable sensor system for generating an alarm signal upon detection of an alarm event is disclosed. The system is particularly suited for use in vehicle security systems. The system employs a three axes accelerometer as a shock/motion detector, and the transducer outputs are summed and the composite signal filtered to provide several channels, each covering a specific frequency or frequency band. The outputs of the channels are digitized and processed by a microprocessor. An event is characterized by seveal signal parameters with an alarm event triggered by the simultaneous occurrence of several predetermined conditions, and not just one condition. The limit values for the signal parameters which are required to qualify a shock/motion event as an alarm event may be readily programmed by the user at any time or place. The system further includes a glass breakage transducer and analyzes higher frequency components of the transducer signal to sense a glass breakage event when predetermined signal parameters are exceeded and when energy from the shock detector correlates with the glass breakage signal. The correlation with several parameters substantially reduces false alarm signals resulting from ambient high frequency noises, such as caused by passing siren-sounding vehicles or low-flying jets or helicopters.
91 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A user-programmable sensor system for detecting shock/vibration disturbance events to a vehicle, the system comprising:
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a shock/vibration transducer responsive to shock/vibration disturbance events to the vehicle and for generating electrical transducer signals indicative of the amplitude and frequency content of such shock/vibration; program mode entry means for providing a program mode signal indicating that the sensor system is to be configured in a program mode; memory means for storing a plurality of signal parameter limit values; controller means responsive to said transducer signals and to said program mode signal, said controller means comprising; means responsive to said transducer signals for calculating parameter values indicative of predetermined parameters of said transducer signal; means for comparing said calculated parameter values with said stored limit values; means responsive to said comparing means for triggering an alarm output signal when said calculated parameter values exceed corresponding ones of said stored limit values; means responsive to said program mode signal for placing said system in a program mode, said means further responsive to said parameter values calculated as a result of shock/vibration disturbances occurring while the system is configured in the program mode for storing in said memory new parameter limit values, whereby the sensitivity of the system to shock/vibration disturbances may be programmed by the system user with the system configured in the programming mode by causing a shock/vibration disturbance to the vehicle desired to trigger an alarm output signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A user-programmable sensor system for detecting shock/vibration disturbance events to a vehicle, the system comprising:
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a shock/vibration transducer responsive to shock/vibration disturbance events to the vehicle and for generating electrical transducer signals indicative of the amplitude and frequency content of such shock/vibration; means for processing said transducer signals to provide a plurality of electrical channel output signals, each indicative of the energy content of said transducer signals within a particular frequency band; program mode entry means for providing a program mode signal indicating that the sensor system is to be configured in a program mode; memory means for storing a plurality of signal parameter limit values; controller means responsive to said transducer signals and to said program mode signal, said controller means comprising; means responsive to at least one of said channel output signals for calculating parameter values indicative of predetermined parameters of said transducer signals; means for comparing said calculated parameter values with said stored limit values; means responsive to said comparing means for triggering an alarm output signal when said calculated parameter values equal or exceed corresponding ones of said stored limit values; and means responsive to said program mode signal for placing said system in a program mode, said means further responsive to parameter values calculated as a result of shock/vibration disturbances occurring while said system is configured in the program mode for storing in said memory new parameter limit values, whereby the sensitivity of the system to shock/vibration disturbances may be programmed by the user with the system configured in the programming mode by causing a shock/vibration disturbance to the vehicle of a level desired to trigger an alarm output signal. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A sensor for detecting glass tampering events in vehicles and the like, comprising:
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an acoustic energy transducer comprising means for generating electrical transducer signals indicative of a magnitude and frequency content of incident acoustic energy above a predetermined frequency; means for processing said transducer signals to provide processed transducer signals; means for storing predetermined parameter limit values representing predetermined parameters of said transducer signals generated as a result of excitation of said glass, said parameter limit values being characteristic of glass tampering sounds, said parameters comprising, for a given acoustic event, (i) the rise in magnitude of the processed transducer signal over a time interval of predetermined duration commencing upon rise in said magnitude from a quiescent level, (ii) the peak magnitude of the processed signal, and (iii) a predetermined period duration of the processed transducer signal; controller means responsive to said processed transducer signals comprising; (i) means for determining the rise in the magnitude of said processed transducer signal for a sensed acoustic event over said time interval; (ii) means for determining the peak magnitude and said period duration of said processed signal for said sensed acoustic event; (iii) means for comparing said rise in magnitude value, said peak magnitude value and said period duration value to corresponding predetermined limit values; and (iv) means responsive to said comparing means for providing a glass tampering event trigger signal based on an acoustic event when predetermined conditions are met, including the conditions that said rise in magnitude value and said peak magnitude values exceed predetermined limit values, and said period duration value is less than a predetermined limit value. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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21. A sensor system for detecting shock/vibration disturbance events to a vehicle, the system comprising:
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a shock/vibration transducer responsive to shock/vibration disturbance events to the vehicle and for generating electrical transducer signals indicative of an amplitude and frequency content of such shock/vibration; means for processing said transducer signals to provide a plurality of electrical channel output signals, each indicative of the energy content of said transducer signals within a particular frequency band, said processing means comprising a first channel comprising a very low frequency band pass filter for filtering said transducer signals and providing a first channel output signal indicative of the energy of said transducer signals, and a second channel comprising a high pass filter for filtering said transducer signal and providing a second channel output signal indicative of the energy content of said signal above the cutoff frequency of said high pass filter; memory means for storing a plurality of signal parameter limit values;
controller means responsive to said transducer signals, said controller means comprising;means responsive to at least one of said channel output signals for calculating parameter values indicative of predetermined parameters of said transducer signals, said parameters including the rise in values of said first and second output signals over a predetermined time interval, and the peak value of said second channel output signal; means for comparing said calculated parameter values with corresponding ones of said stored limit values; means responsive to said comparing means for triggering an alarm output signal when said calculated parameter values equal or exceed corresponding ones of said stored limit values. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification