GB2240863A - Motor vehicle theft prevention - Google Patents

Abstract

When the identity of a stolen vehicle, transmitted by radio, is recognised by a circuit in the vehicle, alarm lights flash, an alarm claxon or horn sounds, the doors lock and, after a delay (for safety) the engine's electrical supply cuts out to remove motive power.

Description

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT *-* PREVENTION, DETECTION AND ARREST- RADIO-CONTROL DEVICE.

This invention relates to a radio-control system, to be used by the police-service for the purpose of prevention, detection, and arrest of persons illegally using motor vehicles where, they would normally have a power of arrest over such a person, and the lawfull right to stop a vehicle, in which such a person was driving, or being carried.

Motor-vehicles, are every increasingly being, either, stolen, taken illegally for the purpose of joy-riding, or, being used in the commission of crime.

The police have no easy way of detecting such vehicles, or, when so detected, no easy way of stopping them whilst they are in motion. The police at present, have to rely upon the drivers of such vehicles stopping when ordered to do so, or, by stopping them by collision tactics. Such methods are ineffective, and dangerous, as can be seen by the ever increasing news reports, of deaths and injuries, caused to people, in such pursuits.

By means of my invention, Police radio-control over the electronics governing the engine of a vehicle, which, the police wish to stop, or, detect could be operated. Such radio-control would give the Police the ability to stop any vehicle so fitted, provided that they had the right in law to do so. That is to say that they could arrest the movement of any vehicle, fitted with my invention, by remote radio-control, over the motor vehicles engine-ignition system.

A DESCRIPTION OF MY INVENTION AND IT'S COMPONENT -PARTS FOLLOWS.

MY DEVICE WOULD COMPRISE.

1. A 'Very High Frequency' radio-receiver, locked in it's radio-frequency reception area, to an assigned frequency, or, set of frequencies, relevant to either, A. A National Police Radio Frequency.

B. Band of Radio Frequencies used by -City and County Police Forces.

C. B.B.C. assigned Radio Frequency.

A A specially assigned Radio Frequency.

2. A radio-receiver aeriel, fitted integral to the motor vehicle during construction of the vehicle, for example, as part of the wind-screen seal, or, as part of the bumper-system. This would not be essential because an ordinary car-aeriel would suffice, but, the aeriel system I have described, would prevent ease of destruction of the system as a whole by a would-be thief.

3. Each radio-receiver would be fitted with an individually coded-'Computor code Detector', and 'Switching Device'. The detector device, would be coded to switch 'ON' upon reception within the tuned aeriel section of the Radio-Receiver, of a triggering signal, which would be it's own individual code-number, this code-number could be the computor-code equivalent to its registration-number or an assigned number, which, could be logged in either the Police national Computor, or, the Motor Vehicle Licencing Authorities Computor in Cardiff.

4. Upon receipt of the transmitted switching-code, via the permanently-live tuned radio-frequency stage of the radio-receiver. The Computor-Coded switching device, would be activated bringing electrical circits tied to it, into electrically live activity.

5. The elrctrical circuits tied to the switching-device referred to in 5. could take a variety of forms, but the sytem, I see as most effective would be as follows.

The motor vehicle ignition coil,and electronically screened radio-receiver, together with the motor-vehicles electrical fuse-box, could be brought together as a single lock-sealed unit, which could only be opened by either a normal key, or, an electronic lock which could only be opened by a hand held electronic trigger device which would also have the ability to neutralise the alarm-system when ,or if operated, and return it to its normal latent alarm mode. The triggering code of this device, would be the reverse of the trigger-code of the 'computor code detector' in 3. above, and could be designed with the device in 3. as a single electronic chip, or integrated circuit.

The motor-vehicles ignition coil ( either as part of the sealed unit mentioned above, or as a seperate unit would be fitted internally, with a micro-switch tied to the radio-receiver, which would be tripped, when the activating-signal was received by the radio-receiver and would open-circuit either the electrical input, or output from the ignition-coil, thereby rendering the engine dead, and causing the vehicle to stop. The triggered stopping of the engine could be time-delayed by the inclusion of an appropriate electronic component in the ignition-coil switch system. This would be a safety factor in the stopping of the vehicle as, the driver would have fore-knowledge that the vehicle was about to stop, after further electrical circuits, like-wise to the ignition-coil switch, operated by the coded receiver switch, had come into operation.These additional circuits would comprise an audible alarm, which could be publicly heard, a publicly visible flashing light system, and an electroically operated dead-locking of doors of the vehicle.

The above are the precepts of my invention in regard to the operation inside the vehicle to which fitted.

THE OPERATION OF MY INVENTION To operate my invention, in other than a test situation, will I believe, although I am not certain, require Parliamentary permission, however, once granted and accepted, and brought into factual being, the following is in my opinion the way in which I can see it operating.

In the event of a motor-vehicle being stolen, or other such circumstance, in which it's detection was required, The person requiring such detection, would contact the police in the normal way , but proof would be required relative to their request,. The Police, according to how it is decided as to where and how the code-numbers where stored, would obtain same from the said store ( In all probability a computor). and in all probability, by computor, feed said code-number, into the approved radio-transmitter, to be electronically synchronized alongside normal trasmissions.

The electronic signal once transmitted, would be picked up by the aeriel of the offending vehicle, conveyed to the tuned radio frequency detectors stage, the coded signal would be de-sycchronized from the main signal and fed to the coded detector-switch, which in the case of the offending vehicle, would operate, whilst in the case of all other vehicles it would be electroically ignored. The operation of the the triggered switch, would bring the dormant alarm system to positive electrical life, the fitted alarm lights would flash, an alarm claxon, or horn, would sound, the doors would lock and after apre-determined time the engines electrical supply would cut out, and the car without motive power, would stop.

The equivalent to the above, could be carried by the police in respect of any vehicle, which they wished to stop, be they in pursuit of same, or, simply trying to trace.

Claims (7)

1. A motor-vehicle electronic control system, which by the use of individually computor-coded, radio-controlled switches, fitted within a radio-receiver, and integrated into the motor-vehicles electrical control system, would have the ability when triggered by it's individual code, synchronized electronically onto an assigned radio-transmission, to bring dormant electrical-systems within the motor-vehicles main electrical-system to active life. The said system having been designed to over-ride the normal control-system of the vehicles engine, by open-circuiting the wiring within the ignition-coil, and thereby preventing the flow of electrical-current, to the spark-plugs, in the combustion chambers of the engine, preventing the action of combustion within the engine. The resultant loss of power, causing the vehicle to stop.

2. An audible public warning device, wired into the normally dormant electrical-system mentioned in CLAIM 1. which, would become operable at the same time, in the same way, as the control in CLAIM 1.

3. A system of flashing public warning-lights, wired into the normally dormant electrical-system mentioned in CLAIM 1. which, would become operable as in CLAIM 2.

4. An electronically controlled dead-locking device, for the doors of a vehicle, wired into the normally dormant electrical-system mentioned in CLAIM 1. which, would only become operable as in CLAIM 2.

5. An electronic time-delay device, fitted into the wiring-system of CLAIM 1. to control the stopping of the vehicles engine, untill a pre-set time after the operations carried out in CLAIMS 2. 3 & 4. have commenced.

6. A hand-held radio signalling device battery-operated, finger tip controlled, which would trasmit over a short-distance only, a neutralizeing signal, individually coded, to reset the switching control governing CLAIMS 1 TO 5. thereby resetting the alarm system to its normal dormant state.

7. A device as in CLAIM 6. but upon which any code required could be computed, and finger-tip control transmitted over a short- distance, to neutralize as in CLAIM 6. any vehicle, where the neutralizing-code number was known. For Police-use only.