Communications: electrical – Land vehicle alarms or indicators – Of burglary or unauthorized use
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-06
2004-03-02
Trieu, Van (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Land vehicle alarms or indicators
Of burglary or unauthorized use
C340S425500, C340S539190
Reexamination Certificate
active
06700479
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of vehicle security systems, and more particularly, to a security system capable of having its functions wirelessly programmed without removing any of its components from a vehicle.
2. Background Art
Security systems are widely deployed for passenger vehicles, and often represent very valuable possessions for ordinary families and small businesses. A typical vehicle security system is incorporated as part of the electronic system of a vehicle and provides a selection of security functions such as intrusion alarm arming and automatic door looking. It can also serve as a user convenience system to aid in the location of a vehicle located in a crowded parking lot or to remotely start the vehicle.
Vehicle security system are generally classified as being either active arming or passive arming systems. In the passive arming category, there are system with or without a door-loking function, systems with or without an arming/disarming chirp, and so on. Similar functional varieties can also be found for active arming systems. Whatever the category, it is desirable to construct the system in a way that allows the functions of the vehicle security system to be programmable by the user. A user of a vehicle security system living in an apartment or near a hospital, for example, may want to turn off the arming/disarming chirp.
As a self-contained electronic system, it is desirable for a vehicle security system to be configured to conform to user decisions about which of the provided security functions should be enabled or disabled. System configuration also includes setting adjustable features, such as the duration of the alarm alert cycle, which are set to suite the environment in which these systems operate or to comply with local ordinances. Thus, when attempting to set up, or program, the functions of a vehicle security system, the design of the interface between the security device and the user becomes important in providing a convenient, successful and efficient security device.
For the purpose of describing the invention, several prior-art vehicle security systems are briefly examined in the following paragraphs with reference to the accompanying drawings. Among the examined security systems,
FIG. 1
is a block diagram illustrating the circuit configuration of a conventional system that employs a dual in-line package (DIP) switch array for programming the security functions. The systems of
FIGS. 2 and 3
have basically the same circuit configuration, although they employ different function-programming methodologies.
FIG. 1
illustrates a conventional vehicle security system. It includes a microcontroller
30
that controls the security functions of a vehicle. In addition to the microcontroller, the depicted system optionally includes subsystems such as a power door-lock
31
, a starter interrupt
32
, a light emitting diode (LED)
33
, a siren
34
, a vehicle light signaling control
35
, and an auxiliary output
36
. All these subsystems are controlled by the microcontroller
30
for facilitating all the control and status, indicating purposes involved in the security functional operations of the system.
For example, the LED
33
is typically a subsystem installed on the dashboard to display different lighting patterns indicating to the user information concerning the security system status. Additionally, if a security violation event is triggered from outside the vehicle after the security system is armed, the siren control
34
and vehicle light signaling control
35
can be activated in different sounding schemes and head/signal light lighting patterns respectively. These sound and light signals warn about the attempted or achieved intrusion into the guarded vehicle. Further, the auxiliary output
36
can be used to initiate, for example, a radio transmitting device on board the vehicle which can send predefined signal patterns for use in determining the location of the vehicle.
The system outlined in the block diagram of
FIG. 1
further includes an ignition switch status indicator
21
, a valet/override switch
22
, a DIP switch array
23
and a radio receiver
10
. The ignition switch status relayed from the indicator
21
is used by the microcontroller
30
to determine the operating state of the entire security system. For example, if the ignition switch of the vehicle is in the normal ON position, and the vehicle is coasting along a road, the security system ignores some of its sensing inputs such as the vehicle body vibrating sensor input.
The radio receiver
10
is used as part of a wireless link, which carries vehicle operator instructions to the vehicle security system. On most occasions, the wireless link is established via electromagnetic signals transmitted from a radio transmitter
12
included in a remote control unit of the vehicle security system. The owner of the vehicle normally carries this remote control unit with, for example, a main ignition switch key of the vehicle.
The DIP switch array
23
in
FIG. 1
, serves to provide means to program the security functions for the vehicle. One of the conventional programming methods employed for setting up functions provided by a vehicle security system includes setting the ON/OFF states of switches in such a DIP switch array. This DIP switch array is normally installed on the electronic printed circuit board (PCB) of the security device. The block diagram of
FIG. 1
schematically illustrates one such system employing this programming scheme. Physical access to the system circuit module is necessary when the vehicle security is installed. Physical access to the DIP switch array is also necessary for each subsequent function adjustment or security device reprogramming. This commonly requires removing the security system module from the vehicle to gain physical access to the DIP switch array. The circuit module must also be opened to expose the DIP switches to a service technician, or the user, to perform the function adjustment and/or the reprogramming.
Since vehicle security systems are designed to provide ever more complicated functions, using DIP switches to set up some, if not all, of these security functions has become a task that cannot be considered easy or straightforward. Adjustment setting in a large array of DIP switches is not an easy task, because each individual switch has to be identified before a setting can be made. Such jobs normally have to be performed by trained service personnel.
If DIP switches are to be used for function setting in security systems with complicated functions, a large number of DIP switches must be used. As a result, system PCB's have to provide a significant amount of valuable board space for these DIP switches. The cost of this increased PCB size and the cost of the DIP switches increase the costs of the vehicle security system hardware.
The use of a remote programmer using electromagnetic transmission signals to overcome the requirement of physical access to the security system module to program functions or features of the system simplifies the process, while eliminating the additional cost associated with the DIP switches and the added PCB requirement. This method uses the remote control receiver of the security system to receive the electromagnetic transmission signals containing the function or feature programming information.
FIG. 2
illustrates a conventional vehicle security system in which a limited number of programming control switches and a wireless transmission are used for programming the security functions. This approach is used to employ the smallest possible number of electrical switches for security system function adjustment and/or reprogramming. It is used in conjunction with a step-by-step procedure. This method is designed to circumvent the necessity of using a large array of switches for the setting of every individual function provided by the vehicle security device.
Normally, by setting the vehicle security system of
FIG. 2
to its program mode by prope
Directed Electronics Inc.
KC Bean, Esq.
Trieu Van
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