Motor vehicle security sensor system

• US 5,510,765 A
• Filed: 01/07/1993
• Issued: 04/23/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies Incorporated (Visteon Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Inventors: Madau, Adrian
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US08/001,598
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 340/565, 340/566, 340/522, 340/527, 340/541, 340/544, 340/550, 340/426, 340/429, 340/552-554, 367/93-94, 367/906, 381/159, 381/86
• US Class Current: 340/541
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/1004 Alarm systems characterised by the type of sensor, e.g. current sensing means using door lock sensors B60R25/1001
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/1009 Sonic sensors; Signal treatment therefor

Abstract

Sound, vibration and motion are sensed within a motor vehicle to detect glass breakage and unauthorized intrusion into the interior or passenger compartment of the vehicle. Sound and vibration sensing are used to detect glass breakage with motion detection by means of radar or microwaves being utilized for intrusion detection to provide reliable recurring entry detection. The system may be operated to activate the motion sensing only after glass breakage is detected to permit persons and pets to occupy a motor vehicle having a security sensor system which is fully armed. Numerical values are assigned to specific physical sounds and vibrations with the resulting totals being compared to a threshold to determine whether glass breakage has occurred.

Claims

1. A security sensor for a motor vehicle comprising:

accelerometer means for monitoring vibrations within said vehicle and for generating force signals in response to said vibrations;

microphone means for monitoring acoustic energy within an interior passenger compartment of said vehicle and generating acoustic signals representative of said acoustic energy;

first acoustic circuit means coupled to said microphone means for sensing acoustic signals representative of acoustic energy within a first narrow low frequency band and generating low frequency acoustic energy present signals in response thereto;

second acoustic circuit means coupled to said microphone means for sensing acoustic signals representative of acoustic energy within a second high frequency band and generating high frequency acoustic energy present signals in response thereto; and

processor means coupled to said accelerometer means, said microphone means, said first acoustic circuit means and said second acoustic circuit means for receiving and processing said force signals, said acoustic signals, said low frequency acoustic energy present signals and said high frequency acoustic energy present signals to detect glass breakage within said vehicle and generate an alarm signal in response to detected glass breakage, said low frequency acoustic energy present signals and said high frequency acoustic energy present signals being sampled in response to force signals exceeding a defined noise level or acoustic signals exceeding a defined sound level.

2. A security sensor for a motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1 further comprising microwave sensing means for detecting motion within said vehicle, said processor means being coupled to said microwave sensing means for generating an alarm signal in response to sensed motion within said vehicle.

3. A motor vehicle security sensor as claimed in claim 2 wherein said first acoustic circuit means comprises a narrow bandpass filter having a center frequency of approximately 500 hertz and said second acoustic circuit means comprises a broad bandpass filter passing frequencies between approximately 10 kilohertz and 15 kilohertz.

4. A method of operating a motor vehicle security system comprising the steps of:

(a) generating force signals in response to vibrations within said vehicle;

(b) generating low frequency acoustic energy signals in response to low frequency acoustic energy within said vehicle;

(c) generating high frequency acoustic energy signals in response to high frequency acoustic energy within said vehicle;

(d) sampling said low frequency acoustic energy signals and said high frequency acoustic energy signals in response to one of said force signals exceeding a predetermined noise level to determine a low frequency acoustic energy sample and a high frequency acoustic energy sample;

(e) assigning preset analysis values to said force signals;

(f) assigning preset analysis values to said low frequency acoustic energy sample;

(g) assigning preset analysis values to said high frequency acoustic energy sample;

(h) summing said preset analysis values assigned to said force signals, to said low frequency acoustic energy sample and to said high frequency acoustic energy sample to arrive at a sum; and

(i) utilizing the sum of said preset analysis values to determine whether to activate an alarm signal indicating glass breakage within said vehicle.

5. A method of operating a motor vehicle security system as claimed in claim 4 further comprising the step of generating broadband acoustic energy signals in response to acoustic energy within said vehicle and wherein said steps (d) through (i) are also performed in response to one of said broadband acoustic energy signals exceeding a defined sound level.

6. A method of operating a motor vehicle security system as claimed in claim 5 further comprising the steps of:

activating a microwave sensor to detect motion within said vehicle after detection of glass breakage within said vehicle; and

generating additional alarm activating signals in response to said microwave sensor detecting motion within said vehicle after glass breakage within said vehicle.

7. A method of operating a motor vehicle security system as claimed in claim 6 further comprising the step of storing a first series of said force signals in response to one of said force signals exceeding said predetermined noise level and wherein the step of (e) assigning preset analysis values to said force signals comprises the steps of:

assigning a preset analysis value to a force signal of said first series of said force signals which exceeds a maximum force signal level; and

assigning a preset analysis value to a force signal of said first series of said force signals which falls below a minimum force signal level.

8. A method of operating a motor vehicle security system as claimed in claim 7 further comprising the steps of:

determining the time between the occurrence of a force signal of said first series of force signals exceeding said maximum force signal level and the occurrence of a force signal of said first series of force signals falling below said minimum force signal level;

comparing said time to a first time period;

assigning a first preset analysis value to said time if said time is less than said first time period; and

adding the first preset analysis value of said time to the preset analysis values of said force signals, said low frequency acoustic energy sample and said high frequency acoustic energy sample to arrive at a sum.

9. A method of operating a motor vehicle security system as claimed in claim 8 further comprising the steps of:

comparing said time to a second time period which is less than said first time period;

assigning a second preset analysis value to said time if said time is less than said second time period; and

adding the second preset analysis value of said time to the first preset analysis value of said time, and the preset analysis values of said force signals, said low frequency acoustic energy sample and said high frequency acoustic energy sample to arrive at a sum.

10. A method of operating a motor vehicle security system as claimed in claim 9 further comprising the steps of:

storing a second series of said force signals substantially immediately following said first series of said force signals;

processing said second series of said force signals in response to one of said force signals exceeding said noise level;

determining whether first defined number of force signals of said second series of said force signals exceeds a second defined magnitude;

assigning a first preset analysis value to said second series of said force signals if said first defined number of force signals of said second series of said force signals exceeds said second defined magnitude; and

adding the first preset analysis value assigned to said second series of said force signals to the first and second preset analysis values of said time and the preset analysis values of said first series of said force signals, said low frequency acoustic energy sample and said high frequency acoustic energy sample to arrive at a sum.

11. A method of operating a motor vehicle security system as claimed in claim 10 further comprising the steps of:

determining whether a second defined number of force signals of said second series of said force signals exceeds a third defined magnitude greater than said second defined magnitude;

assigning a second preset analysis value to said second series of said force signals if said second defined number of force signals of said second series of said force signals exceeds said third defined magnitude; and

adding the second preset analysis value assigned to said second series of said force signals to the first preset analysis value assigned to said second series of said force signals, the first and second present analysis values of said time and the preset analysis values of said force signals, said low frequency acoustic energy sample and said high frequency acoustic energy sample to arrive at a sum.

12. A method of sensing intrusion into a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting vibrations within said vehicle;

(b) sampling acoustic energy within a first narrow low frequency band within said vehicle if detected vibrations exceed a noise level to determine a low frequency band acoustic energy sample;

(c) sampling acoustic energy within a second high frequency band within said vehicle if detecting vibrations exceed said noise level to determine a high frequency band acoustic energy sample;

(d) recording detected vibrations within said vehicle over a first selected time period after detecting vibrations within said vehicle exceeding said noise level;

(e) comparing vibrations recorded within said first selected time period to a band defined by a maximum vibration signal level and a minimum vibration signal level;

(f) sampling vibrations within said vehicle over a second selected time period if at least one of said vibrations recorded within said first selected time period is above said band or at least one of said vibrations recorded within said first selected time period is below said band; and

(g) evaluating said low and high frequency band acoustic energy samples, said recorded vibrations and said sampled vibrations to determine whether glass has been broken within said vehicle.

13. A method of sensing intrusion into a motor vehicle as claimed in claim 12 further comprising the step of monitoring motion within said vehicle using microwave sensing means.

14. A method of sensing intrusion into a motor vehicle as claimed in claim 13 wherein said step of monitoring motion within said vehicle is performed only after glass breakage within said vehicle has been determined.

15. A method of operating a motor vehicle security system as claimed in claim 14 further comprising the step of detecting broadband acoustic energy within said vehicle and wherein said steps (b) through (g) are also performed in response to broadband acoustic energy exceeding a defined sound level.