Electronic device to be incorporated into a motor vehicle in order to help retrieve the device following a theft

• US 8,138,898 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2006
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens VDO Automotive AG (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Jatschka, Thomas, Pohl, Alfred, Tschofen, Robert, Zimmermann, Gernot
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): POINT, RUFUS C
• Application Number:
  US11/885,207
• Publication Number:
  US 20080157941A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,943 Days
• Field of Search: 340/425.5, 340/426.1, 340/428, 340/430, 340/426.12, 340/426.13, 340/426.14, 340/426.24, 340/426.21, 340/426.3, 340/426.34, 340/426.35, 340/426.36, 340/531, 340/425
• US Class Current: 340/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

The invention relates to an electronic device (1) that is to be incorporated into a motor vehicle. Said device (1) comprises a radio module (18) for establishing a short-distance wireless connection to an authorized cellular telephone (2) which is identified based on an identification key for the authorized cellular telephone (2) stored in a memory element (28) of the electronic device (1). In order to make it easier to retrieve the electronic device after the same has been stolen, the electronic device (1) further comprises means for detecting dismounting of the electronic device (1) from a motor vehicle as well as means for automatically establishing a short-distance wireless connection to another cellular telephone and automatically initializing a mobile wireless connection to said other cellular telephone when an identification key for the other cellular telephone is to be or is stored for the first time in the memory element (28) after restarting the electronic device once dismounting has been detected.

Claims

1. An electronic device for installation in a motor vehicle, comprising:

a radio module configured to establish a short range radio connection to an authorized cell phone;

a memory element storing an identifier identifying the authorized cell phone;

a removal detecting module detecting removal of the electronic device from the motor vehicle, wherein the radio module is configured to establish a short range radio connection to a further cell phone when an identifier of the further cell phone is to be stored or is stored for the first time in the memory device after a reactivation of the electronic device subsequent to the detection of a removal by the removal detecting device; and

a mobile radio connection module configured to automatically initialize a mobile radio connection with the further cell phone when an identifier of the further cell phone is to be stored or is stored for the first time in the memory device after a reactivation of the electronic device subsequent to the detection of a removal by the removal detecting device;

wherein the memory element or a further memory device stores a telephone number that is dialed or connected to when the mobile radio connection is automatically initialized with the further cell phone such that a service center or owner of the electronic device is informed about re-activation of the electronic device.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the memory element or the further memory device is a protected memory element.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the identifier of the further cell phone is transmitted by the automatically initialized mobile radio connection.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the removal detecting module monitors a connection of the electronic device to a voltage supply such that an interruption of the voltage supply is determined to be a removal of the electronic device.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the removal detecting module is further configured to evaluate a time period between switching off an ignition of the motor vehicle and the interruption of the voltage supply.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the removal detecting module includes a mechanically activated switch.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a positioning determining module determining a position of the electronic device, the determined position being transmitted using the automatically initialized mobile radio connection.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the short range radio connection has a range of not more than 100 m.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the short range radio connection has a range of not more than 10 m.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the short range connection is a bidirectional short range radio connection.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the short range connection is a Bluetooth connection.

12. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is one of a car radio, navigation device, multimedia device, or a road toll device.

13. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is one of a hands free device or a component of a hands free device.

14. A method of operating an antitheft apparatus of an electronic device of a motor vehicle, the electronic device having a radio module for establishing a short range radio connection to an authorized cell phone and a memory element storing an identifier of the authorized cell phone, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting removal of the electronic device from the motor vehicle;

determining whether the electronic device is activated after detecting the removal of the electronic device;

determining whether an identifier of a further cell phone is to be stored or has been stored for the first time in the memory element after detecting the removal; and

if it is determined that the identifier of the further cell phone is to be stored or has been stored for the first time in the memory element after detecting the removal, then automatically establishing a short range radio connection to the further cell phone and automatically initializing a mobile radio connection with the further cell phone, said initializing the mobile radio connection with the further cell phone including automatically initializing the mobile radio connection to a predefined telephone number.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein an identifier of the further cell phone is transmitted using the automatically initialized mobile radio connection.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of determining a position of the electronic device and transmitting this position using the automatically initialized mobile radio connection.