Vehicle antitheft system and vehicle antitheft method

• US 8,031,048 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2007
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Hata, Toshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown; Vernal
• Application Number:
  US11/783,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20080100417A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.2, 340/5.6, 340/5.65, 340/5.61, 340/426.13, 340/426.16, 713/168, 713/169, 307/10.1
• US Class Current: 340/5.72
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/306 Motorcycles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/246 characterised by the challenge triggering

Abstract

During traveling a vehicle, an on-vehicle unit control circuit 22 transmits regularly a mobile unit verification encryption code stored in a storage part 23 of an on-vehicle unit 2 to a mobile unit 1; a transmission circuit 10 of the mobile unit 1 replies a response signal to the on-vehicle unit 2 every time the verification code is received; and the control circuit 22 of the on-vehicle unit 2 updates and stores vehicle environmental information in the storage part 23 upon receiving the response signal, and if the on-vehicle unit 2 cannot receive any response signal from the mobile unit 1, a driver is notified with display lamp 53, hazard lamp 54, or alarm buzzer 55 that the response signal has not been received.

Claims

1. A vehicle antitheft system in which verification of encryption codes is made between a mobile unit that a driver carries and an on-vehicle unit that is mounted on a vehicle, and when the encryption codes for verification are coincident, said on-vehicle unit permits the vehicle to move, the vehicle antitheft system comprising:

mobile unit verification encryption code transmission means for causing a mobile unit verification encryption code having preliminarily been stored in a storage part of said on-vehicle unit to be transmitted to said mobile unit by operation of said driver;

determination means of said mobile unit for determining whether or not said mobile unit verification encryption code having been received is the one that is transmitted from his own vehicle;

reply means of said mobile unit for replying a response signal corresponding to said mobile unit verification encryption code to said on-vehicle unit when the mobile unit verification encryption code that said determination means has received is determined to be transmitted from his own vehicle; and

on-vehicle unit control means for outputting a control signal permitting the vehicle to move in the case where said response signal having been replied corresponds to said mobile unit verification encryption code;

wherein during traveling of the vehicle, said on-vehicle unit control means transmits at regular intervals said mobile unit verification encryption code that is stored in the storage part of said on-vehicle unit to said mobile unit;

said reply means of said mobile unit replies said response signal to said on-vehicle unit every time when said mobile unit verification encryption code is received; and

said control means of said on-vehicle unit updates and stores vehicle environmental information in the storage part of said on-vehicle unit every time when said on-vehicle unit receives said response signal, and, in the case where said on-vehicle unit cannot receive said response signal from said mobile unit, the notification means notifies the driver that the response signal has not been received.

2. The vehicle antitheft system according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle environmental information is a mileage of the vehicle, time, or positional information of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle antitheft system according to claim 1, wherein in the case where said on-vehicle unit cannot receive a response signal from said mobile unit, said control means of the on-vehicle unit notifies the driver with said notification means that any response signal has not been received, and stores vehicle environmental information having been updated and stored last time and vehicle environmental information stored at the present time in the storage part of said on-vehicle unit.

4. The vehicle antitheft system according to claim 2, wherein in the case where said on-vehicle unit cannot receive a response signal from said mobile unit, said control means of the on-vehicle unit notifies the driver with said notification means that any response signal has not been received, and stores vehicle environmental information having been updated and stored last time and vehicle environmental information stored at the present time in the storage part of said on-vehicle unit.

5. The vehicle antitheft system according to claim 3, wherein in the case where said on-vehicle unit cannot receive said response signal from said mobile unit, said notification means notifies a driver that it cannot be received, as well as notifies said driver that the mobile unit is missed.

6. The vehicle antitheft system according to claim 4, wherein in the case where said on-vehicle unit cannot receive said response signal from said mobile unit, said notification means notifies a driver that it cannot be received, as well as notifies said driver that the mobile unit is missed.

7. The vehicle antitheft system according to claim 3, wherein said notification means is the combination of a luminous body, letter display, buzzer, sound and the like.

8. The vehicle antitheft system according to claim 4, wherein said notification means is the combination of a luminous body, letter display, buzzer, sound and the like.

9. A vehicle antitheft method in which verification of encryption codes is made between a mobile unit a driver carries and an on-vehicle unit mounted on a vehicle, and when encryption codes for verification are coincident, said on-vehicle unit permits the vehicle to move, the vehicle antitheft system comprising:

a mobile unit verification encryption code transmission step for causing a mobile unit verification encryption code having preliminarily been stored in a storage part of said on-vehicle unit to be transmitted to said mobile unit by operation of said driver;

a determination step of said mobile unit for determining whether or not said mobile unit verification encryption code having been received is the one that is transmitted from his own vehicle;

a reply step of said mobile unit for replying a response signal corresponding to said mobile unit verification encryption code to said on-vehicle unit when a mobile unit verification encryption code received in said determination step is determined to be transmitted from his own vehicle; and

an on-vehicle unit control step for outputting a control signal permitting a vehicle to move in the case where said response signal having been replied corresponds to said mobile unit verification encryption code;

wherein during traveling of the vehicle, said mobile unit verification encryption code that is stored in a storage part of said on-vehicle unit is transmitted to said mobile unit at regular intervals;

in the reply step of said mobile unit, said response signal is replied to said on-vehicle unit every time when said mobile unit verification encryption code is received;

the vehicle environmental information is updated and stored in the storage part of said on-vehicle unit every time when said on-vehicle unit receives said response signal; and

in the case where said on-vehicle unit cannot receive said response signal from said mobile unit, the driver is notified that the response signal has not been received.