Security system with succession of codes

• US 5,760,700 A
• Filed: 09/04/1996
• Issued: 06/02/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Electronics Research and Design UK Limited
• Original Assignee: Electronics Research and Design UK Limited
• Inventors: Ellis, Antony Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): ZIMMERMAN, BRIAN A
• Application Number:
  US08/711,672
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.44, 340/825.52, 340/825.31, 340/825.34, 340/825.3, 379/95, 380/20, 380/23
• US Class Current: 340/5.26
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/1003 Alarm systems characterised by arm or disarm features

Abstract

The security system involved in the arming and disarming of a car alarm, includes a transmitter and a receiver. Both transmitter and receiver includes oscillators incorporating a highly accurate and stable quartz time base. Each oscillator drives a respective encoder to develop a pseudo random succession of codes. Reset switches are provided for both transmitter and receiver to synchronize the two oscillators and therefore to synchronize the succession of codes. The receiver includes a decoder for decoding the received signals and a comparator for comparing the decoded signal with the signal generated by the encoder. When equality is detected an arm/disarm circuit is triggered. Because the codes of the transmitter and receiver are continually changing, it makes it very difficult for a thief to produce a coded signal which will trigger the arm/disarm circuit.

Claims

1. A security system for generating a pseudo random code comprising a clock pulse generator for generating pulses at regular intervals, a counter for counting the clock pulses generated, and an encryption device for encrypting the count of the counter, the counter being divided into a first plurality of locations each containing a predetermined number of nibbles, and the encryption device having a first register divided into a second plurality of locations and a second register divided into a third plurality of locations with each location of said first and second registers having said predetermined number of nibbles, a look-up table for converting the contents of at least one location selected from said first, second and third plurality of locations from one value to another, means for sampling at least selected ones of the locations of the counter and converting the contents therein using the look-up table according to a first predetermined formula and inserting the converted values into selected locations in the first register, and means for combining the contents of selected locations in the counter and first register in accordance with a second predetermined formula and inserting the results into pre-selected locations in the second register.

2. A system according to claim 1 including first code generating means for generating a first code from the contents of one of the selected locations in the first counter by combining those contents with the contents of one of the selected locations in the first register using an Exclusive OR gate.

3. A system according to claim 2 wherein said first code produced at the output of the Exclusive OR gate is processed in accordance with instructions of a first predetermined instruction table and the results are inserted in a selected location in the second register.

4. A system according to claims 1, 2, or 3 including second code generating means for generating a second code by encrypting the contents of a selected location of the counter using the look-up table to produce a first value, encryption means for encrypting the first value using the look-up table to produce a second value, a cyclic counter to cumulatively sum the second values following each increment in the count of the cyclical counter and using the look-up table to produce said second code from the count of the cyclical counter.

5. A system according to claim 4 comprising an Exclusive OR gate for combining the second code with the contents of a selected location of the second Register and processing the result in accordance with instructions of a second predetermined instruction table and inserting the processed result into a selected location in the second register.

6. A system according to claim 1 comprising an Exclusive OR gate for combining the contents of a selected location in the first register with the contents of a selected location of the second register and inserting the result in another selected location in the second register.