Anti-vehicle-thief apparatus

• US 5,684,454 A
• Filed: 12/27/1995
• Issued: 11/04/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Kitaki, Yoshimasa, Nishioka, Futoshi, Hosokai, Tetsushi, Okamitsu, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOINS, DAVETTA WOODS
• Application Number:
  US08/579,178
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• Field of Search: 340/426, 340/425.5, 340/825.3, 340/825.31, 340/825.34, 340/825.54, 307/10.2, 307/10.4, 307/10.5, 364/431.03, 361/171, 123/179.2
• US Class Current: 340/426.12
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor

Abstract

An anti-vehicle-thief apparatus having an immobilizer unit for comparing a specific first code received from a transponder to a stored code just after an engine is started, and when these codes are identical, outputting a second code to an EGI unit, the EGI unit for comparing the second code to a stored code, and when these codes are identical, permitting the engine to continue operation, a CPU for counting the number of times that an ignition switch power supply is turned ON and OFF during a code comparison time period, and backup RAM capable of storing the counted number of times that the ignition switch power supply is turned ON and OFF for a predetermined time period. When the ignition switch power supply is turned ON and OFF repeatedly more than a predetermined number of times, the EGI unit causes the engine to stop.

Claims

1. An anti-vehicle-thief apparatus comprising:

code comparison means for comparing a first code received from a sending unit with a code stored in a receiving unit after an engine is started and, when the first code and the code stored in the receiving unit are identical, outputting a second code to an engine control means;

said engine control means for comparing the second code to a code stored in said engine control means and, when the second code and the code stored in said engine control means are identical, permitting the engine to continue to operate;

code comparison operation verification means, provided in said engine control means, for verifying whether or not it is possible to perform the code comparison by said engine control means after the engine is started; and

engine stopping means for causing the engine to stop when a code comparison by the code comparison means or the engine control means determines that the codes are not identical, or a verification by the code comparison operation verification means verifies that it is not possible to perform code comparison.

2. The anti-vehicle-thief apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said engine stopping means causes the engine to stop when said code comparison can not be performed for a predetermined time period.

3. The anti-vehicle-thief apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said code comparison means is provided independently from said engine control means and is connected to said engine control means via a communication line.

4. The anti-vehicle-thief apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said code comparison operation verification means detects a state of a voltage of a power supply for a CPU of said engine control means.

5. The anti-vehicle-thief apparatus according to claim 4, wherein ON and OFF of a voltage of an ignition switch power supply for the CPU of said engine control means is coupled to ON and OFF of an ignition switch of a vehicle.

6. The anti-vehicle-thief apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said code comparison operation verification means detects that a CPU resetting operation performed by repeating momentarily turning ON and OFF the voltage of the power supply for the CPU of said engine control means is continued for more than a predetermined time period.

7. The anti-vehicle-thief apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said code comparison operation verification means detects that the CPU resetting operation to momentarily turn ON and OFF the voltage of the power supply for the CPU of said engine control means is performed more than a predetermined number of times.

8. The anti-vehicle-thief apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising storage means for storing a number of times that the voltage of the power supply for the CPU of said engine control means is turned ON and OFF.

9. The anti-vehicle-thief apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said storage means includes a backup RAM which is always connected to a battery, and stores a trouble code indicating whether any sensor connected to said engine control means has had any trouble or not.

10. The anti-vehicle-thief apparatus according to claim 8, wherein, when a temperature of a radiator is less than a predetermined value, said engine stopping means sets a value representing a predetermined number of times larger than a value set when the temperature of the radiator is greater or equal to the predetermined value.

11. The anti-vehicle-thief apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said code comparison operation verification means detects the state of a voltage of a communication line of the CPU of said engine control means and judges whether the communication with said code verification means is established or not.

12. The anti-vehicle-thief apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said code comparison operation verification means keeps said engine control means waiting for starting the code comparison when the communication with said code comparison means is not established, and judges whether the waiting time has passed a predetermined time period or not.

13. The anti-vehicle-thief apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said engine stopping means issues a first transmission request of the second code to said code comparison means so as to compare the second code to the code stored in said engine control unit, and, if the code comparison is not completed within a predetermined time period, then causes the engine to stop.

14. The anti-vehicle-thief apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said engine stopping means causes the engine to stop if said engine stopping means issues a transmission request of the second code to said code comparison means so as the compare the second code to the code stored in said engine control means, and if the code comparison is not completed after the transmission request is issued for more than a predetermined number of time.

15. The anti-vehicle-thief apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said code comparison means is provided independently from said engine control means and is connected to said engine control means via a communication line.

16. An anti-vehicle-thief apparatus comprising:

code comparison means for comparing a code received from a sending unit with a code stored in a receiving unit after an engine is started and, when the code received from the sending unit and the code stored in the receiving unit are identical, permitting the engine to continue to operate;

code comparison operation verification means, provided in said code comparison means, for verifying whether or not it is possible to perform the code comparison by said code comparison means after the engine is started; and

engine stopping means for causing the engine to stop when a code comparison by the code comparison means determines that the compared codes are not identical or when a verification by the code comparison operation verification means verifies that it is not possible to perform code comparison.

17. The anti-vehicle-thief apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said engine stopping means causes the engine to stop when said code comparison can not be performed for a predetermined time period.

18. The anti-vehicle-thief apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said code comparison operation verification means detects a state of a voltage of a power supply for a CPU of said code comparison means.

19. The anti-vehicle-thief apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said code comparison operation verification means detects that a CPU resetting operation performed by repeating momentarily turning ON and OFF a voltage of a power supply for the CPU is continued for more than a predetermined time period.

20. The anti-vehicle-thief apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said code comparison operation verification means detects that the operation to momentarily turn ON and OFF the voltage of the power supply for the CPU is performed more than predetermined number of times.