Vehicle intrusion detector

• US 5,376,919 A
• Filed: 07/01/1992
• Issued: 12/27/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: C & K Systems, Inc. (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: C & K Systems, Inc. (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Rickman, Stephen A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Peng, John K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US07/908,186
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 340/544, 340/566, 340/521-522, 340/426, 340/429, 340/565
• US Class Current: 340/544
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/04 by breaking of glass
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1681 using infrasonic detecting means, e.g. a microphone operating below the audible frequency range

Abstract

A vehicle detector is disclosed wherein either a glass breakage signal or a door opening signal causes an alarm. The glass breakage signal is caused by the detection of high audio frequency simultaneously accompanied by the detection of a positive pressure change. The door opening signal is generated by the detection of a negative pressure change, which is not preceded by a positive pressure change.

Claims

1. A detector for generating an alarm signal in response to the detection of an intrusion in the perimeter of a space substantially enclosed and having a glass portion, said detector comprising:

means for detecting a positive air compression wave in said space and for generating an enable signal in response thereto;

means for detecting the breakage of said glass portion and for generating a breakage signal;

means for detecting a negative air compression wave in said space and for generating a negative pressure signal in response thereto;

comparator means for receiving said enable signal and for generating a threshold signal and for receiving said negative pressure signal and for comparing said negative pressure signal to said threshold signal and for generating an instantaneous negative pressure signal in response thereto; and

means for generating an alarm signal in response to the generation of either said instantaneous negative pressure signal or said breakage signal.

2. The detector of claim 1 wherein said means for generating said breakage signal receives said enable signal and generates said breakage signal in response to the presence of said enable signal and to the breakage of said glass portion.

3. The detector of claim 1 wherein said enclosed space is a vehicle.

4. The detector of claim 1 wherein said means for detecting the breakage of said glass portion comprises:

second means for detecting a positive air compression wave in said space and for generating an enable signal in response thereto;

means for detecting an audio sound in said space and for generating an audio signal in response thereto;

means for receiving said audio signal and said enable signal and for generating said breakage signal in response to presence of both of said audio signal and said enable signal.

5. The detector of claim 4 wherein said second means for detecting a positive air compression wave generates said enable signal in response to a signal exceeding a preset threshold.

6. The detector of claim 4 wherein said receiving means generates said breakage signal in response to said audio signal exceeding a preset threshold and in the presence of said enable signal.

7. A detector for generating an alarm signal in response to the detection of an intrusion in the perimeter of a space substantially enclosed and having a glass portion, said detector comprising:

means for detecting a positive air compression wave in said space and for generating an inhibit signal in response thereto;

means for detecting the breakage of said glass portion and for generating a breakage signal;

means for detecting a negative air compression wave in said space and for generating a negative pressure threshold signal in response thereto;

means for receiving said negative pressure threshold signal and said inhibit signal and for generating an instantaneous negative pressure signal in response to said negative pressure threshold signal in the absence of said inhibit signal; and

,

means for generating an alarm signal in response to the generation of either said instantaneous negative pressure signal or said breakage signal.

8. The detector of claim 7 wherein said means for detecting a positive air compression wave generates said inhibit signal in response to a signal exceeding a preset threshold.

9. The detector of claim 7 wherein said means for detecting a negative air compression wave generates said negative pressure threshold signal in response to a signal exceeding a preset threshold.

10. The detector of claim 7 wherein said space is a vehicle.

11. An intrusion detector for generating an alarm in response to the detection of an intrusion in the perimeter of a vehicle substantially enclosed and having a glass portion, said detector comprising:

means for detecting a positive air compression wave in said vehicle and for generating an enable signal in response thereto;

means for detecting the breakage of said glass portion and for receiving said enable signal and for generating a breakage signal in response to said breakage of said glass portion and the presence of said enable signal;

means for detecting a negative air compression wave in said vehicle and for generating an initial negative pressure signal in response to the absence of said enable signal and the detection of said negative air compression wave; and

means for generating an alarm signal in response to the generation of either said initial negative pressure signal or said breakage signal.

12. A detector for generating an alarm in response to the detection of an intrusion in the perimeter of a space substantially enclosed, said detector comprising:

microphone means for generating a first signal in response to the detection of acoustic waves in said space, said acoustic waves representative of change in air pressure or presence of audio sound in said space;

first circuit means for receiving said first signal and for generating a breakage signal, said breakage signal representative of the detection of audio sound by said microphone means;

low frequency filter means for receiving said first signal and for producing a low frequency signal in response thereto;

positive threshold detection circuit means for receiving said low frequency signal and for generating an enable signal in response to said low frequency signal exceeding a positive threshold;

negative threshold detection circuit means for receiving said low frequency signal and said enable signal and for generating an instantaneous negative pressure signal in response to said low frequency signal exceeding a negative threshold signal;

wherein said negative threshold detection circuit means increases said negative threshold signal in response to the presence of said enable signal; and

means for generating an alarm signal in response to the generation of either said initial negative pressure signal or said breakage signal.

13. The detector of claim 12 wherein said first circuit means also receives said enable signal and generates said breakage signal in response to the presence of said enable signal and said first signal.

14. A intrusion detector for generating an alarm in response to the detection of an intrusion in the perimeter of a vehicle substantially enclosed and having a glass portion and an ambient air pressure, said detector comprising:

means for detecting the breakage of said glass portion and for generating a breakage signal;

means for detecting an air pressure in said vehicle greater than said ambient air pressure and for generating an inhibit signal in response thereto;

means for receiving said inhibit signal, and for detecting an air pressure in said vehicle less than said ambient air pressure and for generating a negative pressure signal in response to the absence of said inhibit signal and the detection of air pressure less than said ambient air pressure; and

means for generating an alarm signal in response to either said negative pressure signal or said breakage signal.

15. The detector of claim 14 wherein said means for detecting an air pressure greater than said ambient air pressure generates said inhibit signal in response to a signal exceeding a preset threshold.

16. The detector of claim 14 wherein said means for detecting an air pressure less than said ambient air pressure generates said negative pressure signal in response to a signal exceeding a preset threshold.

17. The detector of claim 14 wherein said means for detecting the breakage of said glass portion comprises:

second means for detecting an air pressure in said vehicle greater than said ambient air pressure and for generating an enable signal in response thereto;

means for detecting an audio sound in said vehicle and for generating an audio signal in response thereto;

means for receiving said audio signal and said enable signal and for generating said breakage signal in response to presence of both of said audio signal and said enable signal.

18. The detector of claim 17 wherein said second means for detecting an air pressure greater than said ambient air pressure generates said enable signal in response to a signal exceeding a preset threshold.

19. The detector of claim 17 wherein said receiving means generates said breakage signal in response to said audio signal exceeding a preset threshold and in the presence of said enable signal.