Antitheft apparatus for equipment with prime mover

• US 8,302,725 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2010
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yamamura, Makoto, Yamashita, Kosei, Shinogi, Yoshihisa, Maekawa, Yoshinori, Takeda, Masato, Manita, Masashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ilan, Ruth
• Assistant Examiner(s): Frisby, Keith
• Application Number:
  US12/961,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20110132680A1
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• Field of Search: 180/287, 307/10.1, 307/10.2, 307/10.3, 307/10.4, 307/10.5, 307/9.1, 440/1
• US Class Current: 180/287
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2009 for braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/12 Bikes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/24 Personal mobility vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/34 Wheel chairs
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/36 of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0038 relating to sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/52 characterised by DC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 5/003 Cycles with four or more wheels, specially adapted for disabled riders, e.g. personal mobility type vehicles with four wheels wheelchairs A61G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 5/007 power-driven
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0858 wherein the data carrier is removable
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

In an apparatus for preventing theft of equipment (electric wheelchair) having a prime mover (electric motor), a prime mover controller, and an authenticator that acquires ID information from an electronic key when the key is brought close thereto by an operator, determines whether the acquired ID information corresponds with authentication ID information, and permits the controller to start the prime mover when the acquired ID information is determined to correspond with authentication ID information, the controller stores operating history of the equipment, and the authenticator acquires the history from the controller when the key is brought close thereto and transmits the acquired history to the key when the key is brought close thereto, thereby making it easy to acquire the operating history of the equipment.

Claims

1. An apparatus for preventing theft of equipment having a prime mover, a prime mover controller that controls operation of the prime mover, and an authenticator that acquires ID information from an electronic key when the key is brought close thereto by an operator, determines whether the acquired ID information corresponds with authentication ID information, and permits the prime mover controller to start the prime mover when the acquired ID information is determined to correspond with the authentication ID information,

characterized in that:

the prime mover controller stores operating history of the equipment; and

the authenticator acquires the operating history from the prime mover controller and transmits the acquired operating history to the key if the acquired ID information is determined to correspond with the authentication ID information when the key is brought close to the authenticator.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ID information is prepared separately for different operators, and the prime mover controller separately stores the operating history in association with the ID information.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the authenticator transmits the acquired operating history to the key only for the history in association with the ID information that is determined to correspond with the authentication ID information.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operating history includes operating time and failure information of the equipment.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, further including:

an indicator installed in the authenticator,

and the indicator is turned on when the failure information is newly stored in the prime mover controller.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ID information and the authentication ID information comprises a string of several characters.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the equipment comprises an electric vehicle.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the prime mover comprises an electric motor.

9. A method for preventing theft of equipment having a prime mover, a prime mover controller that controls operation of the prime mover, and an authentication comprising the steps of acquiring ID information from an electronic key when the key is brought close thereto by an operator, determining whether the acquired ID information corresponds with authentication ID information, and permitting the prime mover controller to start the prime mover when the acquired ID information is determined to correspond with the authentication ID information,

characterized by the steps of:

storing operating history of the equipment in the prime mover controller;

and

acquiring the operating history from the prime mover controller and transmitting the acquired operating history to the key if the acquired ID information is determined to correspond with the authentication ID information when the key is brought close thereto.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the ID information is prepared separately for different operators, and the step of storing separately stores the operating history in association with the ID information.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of transmitting transmits the acquired operating history to the key only for the history in association with the ID information that is determined to correspond with the authentication ID information.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the operating history includes operating time and failure information of the equipment.

13. The method according to claim 12, further including the step of:

turning on an indicator when the failure information is newly stored in the prime mover controller.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the ID information and the authentication ID information comprises a string of several characters.

15. The method according to any of claims 9 to 14, wherein the equipment comprises an electric vehicle.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the prime mover comprises an electric motor.