Anti-theft system for vehicle

• US 7,532,107 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2005
• Issued: 05/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Hara, Tetsuya, Kameyama, Shogo, Ozaki, Masaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NWUGO, OJIAKO K
• Application Number:
  US11/218,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20060049921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 340/435, 340/426.1, 340/425.5, 340/572.1, 701/45, 307 102- 105
• US Class Current: 340/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00

Abstract

An anti-theft system for a vehicle includes schedule taking means for taking a usage schedule of the vehicle, wherein the usage schedule of the vehicle includes a future time for the vehicle to be used next, interval calculating means for calculating an interval between a present time and the future time, and security level setting means for setting a security level of the anti-theft system based on the interval between the present time and the future time.

Claims

1. An anti-theft system for a vehicle comprising:

schedule taking means for taking a usage schedule of the vehicle, wherein the usage schedule of the vehicle includes a future time for the vehicle to be used next;

interval calculating means for calculating an interval between a present time and the future time;

security level setting means for setting a security level of the anti-theft system based on the interval between the present time and the future time;

a data storage that includes vehicle theft information, wherein the vehicle theft information includes at least a location, where a vehicle theft happened in a past; and

theft risk calculating means for calculating a risk level of a theft based on a parking condition of the vehicle and the vehicle theft information, which is stored in the data storage, wherein;

the risk level of the theft indicates a probability of the theft happening to the vehicle; and

the parking condition includes at least a present parking location of the vehicle, wherein the security level setting means sets the security level of the anti-theft system also based on the risk level of the theft.

2. The anti-theft system according to claim 1, further comprising:

cancellation condition setting means for setting a cancellation condition for canceling the set security level of the anti-theft system according to the set security level;

status sensing means for sensing a status of the vehicle;

cancellation determining means for determining that the cancellation condition is satisfied when the sensed status of the vehicle coincides with the cancellation condition; and

security level canceling means for canceling the set security level of the anti-theft system, when it is determined that the cancellation condition is satisfied.

3. The anti-theft system according to claim 1, further comprising:

status sensing means for sensing a status of the vehicle;

intrusion sensing condition setting means for setting an intrusion sensing condition for sensing an intrusion into the vehicle according to the set security level; and

intrusion determining means for determining that the vehicle is intruded when the sensed status of the vehicle coincides with the intrusion sensing condition.

4. The anti-theft system according to claim 3, further comprising alarming means for alarming a user of the vehicle about the intrusion into the vehicle when it is determined that the vehicle is intruded.

5. The anti-theft system according to claim 2, further comprising user identifying means for identifying a user of the vehicle, wherein the cancellation condition further includes that a person who tries to cancel the security level is the user of the vehicle.

6. The anti-theft system according to claim 3, further comprising user identifying means for identifying a user of the vehicle, wherein the intrusion sensing condition further includes that an intruder into the vehicle is not the user of the vehicle.

7. The anti-theft system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a vehicle-mounted device, which is installed in the vehicle; and

a control center, which includes the data storage.

8. The anti-theft system according to claim 1, wherein:

each of the plurality of security levels corresponds to a different state of a security of a lock of the vehicle.

9. The anti-theft system according to claim 1, wherein:

each of the plurality of security levels corresponds to a different method for canceling a lock of the vehicle.

10. The anti-theft system according to claim 1, wherein:

each of the plurality of security levels corresponds to a different method for warning.

11. The anti-theft system according to claim 1, wherein:

each of the plurality of security levels corresponds to a different method for detecting theft.

12. The anti-theft system according to claim 1, wherein:

as the interval between the present time and the future time increases, the security level setting means sets the security level by selecting a higher security level from the plurality of security levels.

13. The anti-theft system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of security units, each of which corresponds to a corresponding one of the plurality of security levels.