Vehicle anti-theft device

• US 7,274,979 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2005
• Issued: 09/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujioka, Norihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US10/552,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20060206249A1
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/2, 701/36, 340/988, 340/426.14, 340/426.16, 340/426.28, 340/426.11, 340/426.13, 342/457
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/105 Radio frequency identification data [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/066 Locking of hand actuated control actuating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user

Abstract

To prevent a vehicle from being stolen or improperly utilized when the registered user is not in the vicinity of the vehicle under the condition that its engine is in an idling state, an anti-theft apparatus according to the present invention comprises an immobilizer provided in the vehicle, and designed to control a gear shifter not to allow the gear shifter to be shifted from a neutral state or a parking state when the person is identified as the unregistered user under the condition that the vehicle is in the stopped state.

Claims

1. An anti-theft apparatus, comprising:

memory media to be carried by a person demanding permission to utilize a vehicle; and

an immobilizer provided in said vehicle, wherein

said memory media includes;

a memory unit storing user identification data being indicative of said person demanding permission to utilize said vehicle; and

a communication unit for wirelessly transmitting said user identification data to said immobilizer, and

said immobilizer includes;

communication means for receiving said user identification data from said memory media;

user identification data storing means for storing user identification data being indicative of a registered user having permission to utilize said vehicle;

identifying means for judging whether or not said person is identical to said registered user on the basis of the comparison between said user identification data received from said memory media and said user identification data stored in said user identification data storing means;

driving state detecting means for detecting whether said vehicle is in a traveling state, or in a stopped state; and

locking and unlocking means for controlling a gear shifter provided in said vehicle on the basis of the judgment of said identifying means, said locking and unlocking means being adapted to assume two different operation states including a locking state to lock said gear shifter to prevent said gear shifter from being shifted from a neutral state or a parking state when the judgment is made that said person is identified as said unregistered user under the condition that said vehicle is in said stopped state, and an unlocking state to unlock said gear shifter to allow said gear shifter to be shifted from a neutral state or a parking state when the judgment is made that said person is identified as said registered user under the condition that said vehicle is in said stopped state.

2. An anti-theft apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which

said identifying means is adapted to assume two different operation states including an active state to be operative to judge whether or not said person is identical to said registered user, and an inactive state to be inoperative to judge whether or not said person is identical to said registered user, in which

said immobilizer further includes operation state setting means for having said identifying means selectively assume said active and inactive states, and in which

said locking and unlocking means is adapted to selectively assume said locking and unlocking states on the basis of the judgment of said identifying means when said operation state setting means sets said identifying means to said active state.

3. An anti-theft apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which

said locking and unlocking means is adapted to control a parking brake lever provided in said vehicle on the basis of the judgment of said identifying means, said locking and unlocking means is adapted to lock said parking brake lever to prevent said parking brake lever from being changed from a braking state when the judgment is made that said person is identified as said unregistered user under the condition that said vehicle is in said stopped state, and to unlock said parking brake lever to allow said parking brake lever to be changed from said braking state when the judgment is made that said person is identified as said registered user under the condition that said vehicle is in said stopped state.

4. An anti-theft apparatus as set forth in claim 3, in which

said identifying means is adapted to assume two different operation states including an active state to be operative to judge whether or not said person is identical to said registered user, and an inactive state to be inoperative to judge whether or not said person is identical to said registered user, in which

said immobilizer further includes operation state setting means for having said identifying means selectively assume said active and inactive states, and in which

said locking and unlocking means is adapted to selectively assume said locking and unlocking states on the basis of the judgment of said identifying means when said operation state setting means sets said identifying means to said active state.

5. An anti-theft apparatus as set forth in claim 1 or claim 3, in which

said locking and unlocking means is adapted to prevent an ignition key from being taken out from a slot of a key cylinder provided in said vehicle when the judgment is made that said person is identified as said unregistered user under the condition that said vehicle is in said stopped state, and to prevent said ignition key inserted in a slot of said key cylinder from being pivotally moved with respect to said key cylinder when the judgment is made that said person is identified as said unregistered user under the condition that said vehicle is in said stopped state, and in which

said locking and unlocking means is adapted to allow said ignition key to be taken out from said slot of said key cylinder when the judgment is made that said person is identified as said registered user under the condition that said vehicle is in said stopped state, to allow said ignition key inserted in said slot of said key cylinder to be pivotally moved with respect to said key cylinder when the judgment is made that said person is identified as said registered user under the condition that said vehicle is in said stopped state.

6. An anti-theft apparatus as set forth in claim 1 or claim 3, in which

said identifying means is adapted to assume two different operation states including an active state to be operative to judge whether or not said person is identical to said registered user, and an inactive state to be inoperative to judge whether or not said person is identical to said registered user, in which

said immobilizer further includes operation state setting means for having said identifying means selectively assume said active and inactive states, and in which

said locking and unlocking means is adapted to selectively assume said locking and unlocking states on the basis of the judgment of said identifying means when said operation state setting means sets said identifying means to said active state.