Vehicle security system

• US 7,245,204 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Issued: 07/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Temic Automotive of North America, Incorporated (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Mazur, Maria L., Ramos, Abigail Z., Fieldman, Cy M., Raisinghani, Vijay S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass; Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fan; Hongmin
• Application Number:
  US10/955,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20060071763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 340/436.12, 340/426.11, 340/426, 340/574, 340/5.84
• US Class Current: 340/426.12
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/042 operating on the fuel supply
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/045 by limiting or cutting the electrical supply to the propulsion unit
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 15/001 Concealed systems, e.g. disguised alarm systems to make covert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12

Abstract

A system and method is described for alerting authorities during a vehicle carjacking or carnapping. The method includes a first step of providing a vehicular radiotelephone communication system with speech recognition and a controller operable to monitor at least one vehicular system. A next step includes defining at least one predetermined sequence of operation of the at least one vehicular system for triggering a silent alert. The sequence can include spoken words or vehicle control operation. A next step includes monitoring the at least one vehicular system for the defined at least one predetermined sequence, such as a hidden switch activation for example. A next step includes activating a silent alert upon detection of the at least one predetermined sequence.

Claims

1. A method of covertly alerting authorities from within a vehicle, the method comprising:

a user of the vehicle defining and coding into a memory in the vehicle at least one sequence of operation of vehicle controls for triggering a silent alert;

monitoring an operation of a vehicular system for the at least one user-defined coded sequence of operation of the vehicle controls;

triggering the silent alert upon detecting that the vehicle controls are operated according to the at least one user-defined coded sequence; and

activating a radiotelephone communication between the vehicle and at least one authority upon triggering of the silent alert.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein triggering the silent alert includes:

displaying in the vehicle a false indication of a vehicle problem.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the radio communication between the vehicle and the at least one authority includes:

transmitting audio from within a cabin of the vehicle to the at least one authority.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing at least one hidden switch within the vehicle; and

actuating the at least one hidden switch in order to trigger monitoring the operation of the vehicular system for the at least one user-defined coded sequence of operation of the vehicle controls.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing for the user of the vehicle a silent indication in a cabin of the vehicle to indicate that the at least one authority is being contacted.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the radiotelephone communication between the vehicle and the at least one authority includes:

transmitting from the vehicle to the at least one authority a prerecorded message associated with the at least one user-defined coded sequence of operation of the vehicle controls.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at the vehicle a disable command from the at least one authority; and

disabling the vehicle in response to the disable command.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the user of the vehicle defining and coding into the memory in the vehicle at least one audio phrase;

monitoring audio from within a cabin of the vehicle for the at least one uses-defined coded audio phrase; and

triggering the silent alert further upon detecting that the audio from within the cabin of the vehicle matches the at least one user-defined coded audio phrase.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the user of the vehicle defining and coding into the memory in the vehicle the at least one audio phrase includes:

the user of the vehicle using a speech recognition system disposed in the vehicle to define and code into the memory in the vehicle the at least one audio phrase.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one user-defined coded audio phrase consists of a sequence of words spoken by the user.

11. A system disposed in a vehicle for covertly alerting authorities from within the vehicle, the system comprising:

a memory for storing at least one sequence of operation of vehicle controls for triggering a silent alert, the at least one sequence of operation of the vehicle controls defined and coded into the memory by a user of the vehicle;

a controller coupled with the memory, (i) for monitoring an operation of a vehicular system for the at least one user-defined coded sequence of operation of the vehicle controls that is stored in the memory, and (ii) for triggering the silent alert upon detecting that the vehicle controls are operated according to the at least one user-defined coded sequence; and

a network access device coupled to the controller, for activating a radiotelephone communication between the vehicle and at least one authority in response to the controller triggering the silent alert.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a microphone coupled to the controller, for detecting audio within a cabin of the vehicle, wherein, in response to the controller triggering the silent alert, the network access device transmits the audio from the microphone to the at least one authority.