Vehicle anti-theft matching system

• US 6,717,508 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2001
• Issued: 04/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Sashida, Tetsuaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dalencourt, Yves
• Application Number:
  US09/977,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20020050922A1
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.72, 340/426.1, 340/426.15, 340/426.19, 340/825.36, 340/825.49, 340/988, 340/989, 340/426.3, 340/992, 701/32, 701/36, 701/200, 701/201, 701/207, 701/213, 342/357.07, 342/357.17, 342/457, 307/10.2
• US Class Current: 340/5.72
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates

Abstract

In a vehicle anti-theft matching system, password matching is effected only when a mismatch between a current vehicle position acquired from a car navigation system 1 and an authorized storage area registered in a position registration section 11 beforehand has existed for a period of time exceeding a given period. When the vehicle is returned to the authorized storage area within a given period of time, the vehicle is deemed to remain unstolen. Thus, password matching is not performed. Labor imposed on an authorized owner when his/her vehicle is driven in a normal state can be mitigated as compared with the case of a related-art system which always performs matching for identifying an authorized owner.

Claims

1. A vehicle anti-theft matching system comprising:

a position registration section for registering an authorized storage area of a vehicle;

a current position detector that detects a current vehicle position;

a position comparison section for determining, through comparison, whether or not the current vehicle position detected by said current position detector matches the previously-registered authorized storage area;

a comparison/determination section which determines, on the basis of a result of comparison performed by the position comparison section, whether or not a mismatch between the current vehicle position and the authorized storage area has existed over a continuous period of time exceeding a predetermined period, and which authenticates the driver as the authorized owner of the vehicle when the mismatch has existed over the predetermined period of time; and

a vehicle travel controller for imposing predetermined limitations on travel of the vehicle when the driver cannot be authenticated as the authorized owner on the basis of a result of matching performed by the comparison/determination section.

2. The vehicle anti-theft matching system according to claim 1, wherein the authorized owner is ascertained by matching of a password entered by way of a predetermined control panel.

3. A vehicle anti-theft matching system comprising:

a vehicle travel controller for controlling travel of a vehicle;

a position registration section for registering an authorized storage area of a vehicle;

a current position detector that detects a current vehicle position;

a position comparison section for determining, through comparison, whether or not the current vehicle position detected by said current position detector matches the previously-registered authorized storage area;

a comparison/determination section which determines, on the basis of a result of comparison performed by the position comparison section, whether or not a mismatch between the current vehicle position and the authorized storage area has existed over a continuous period of time exceeding a predetermined period, which sends at least an identification code assigned uniquely to the vehicle and information about a current vehicle position to a predetermined security center by way of a predetermined radio communication section, and which sets the vehicle travel controller in a normal vehicle travel enable state when a predetermined signal is returned from the security center.