JP7684155B2 - Vehicle anti-theft devices - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle anti-theft device.

In recent years, a system has been known that permits engine start when an immobilizer authenticates a portable device as being genuine.
In this type of system, if the user leaves the vehicle with the engine running and the vehicle doors unlocked while carrying the portable device, there is a risk that the vehicle may be stolen by a third party.
Therefore, in order to prevent theft of the vehicle by a third party, when the user leaves the vehicle while carrying the portable device, the user needs to turn off the engine switch to stop the engine.

On the other hand, if the engine was turned off when leaving the vehicle for even a short time, such as to stop by a convenience store, the user would have to operate the engine switch to restart the engine when returning to the vehicle, which was cumbersome.

In response to this, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which, when the SBW (shift-by-wire) ECU does not receive a smart key ID from the immobilizer ECU while the engine is running, or the received ID does not match the stored verification ID, the SBW ECU determines that a user carrying a legitimate smart key has left the vehicle while the engine is running, and executes an anti-theft process to prevent the vehicle from being stolen.

Patent Publication 2015-000627

However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 does not take into account the spread of different types of keys, such as digital keys that send and receive information via an Internet line, in addition to the above-mentioned smart keys.
In addition, in cases where there are multiple different types of portable devices, such as smart keys and digital keys, if, for example, the genuine smart key is left inside the vehicle and the door is locked with the genuine digital key and the vehicle is left, it is possible that the anti-theft function will not be activated and the shift will be released, as it will not be determined that the user possessing the genuine smart key has left the vehicle, posing the problem that it is not necessarily possible to prevent vehicle theft.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a vehicle theft prevention device that prevents vehicle theft even when the user leaves one of the smart key and digital key portable devices in the vehicle while the engine is running and temporarily leaves the vehicle while holding the other portable device.

Form 1: One or more embodiments of the present invention propose a vehicle theft prevention device that includes an authentication information acquisition unit that acquires the first authentication information or the second authentication information from a first key having an ECU in which first authentication information is written or a second key that acquires second authentication information via an Internet line, an authentication information storage unit that stores the authentication information of the key operated when the door is locked, an authentication information determination unit that determines whether the authentication information of the key operated when the door is unlocked is the same as the authentication information stored in the authentication information storage unit, and a travel restriction unit that restricts the travel of the vehicle, and when the door is locked with the first key or the second key, the travel restriction unit executes control to restrict the travel of the vehicle, and when the authentication information determination unit determines that the authentication information of the key operated when the door is unlocked is the same as the authentication information stored in the authentication information storage unit, the travel restriction unit releases the control to restrict the travel of the vehicle.

Mode 2: One or more embodiments of the present invention propose a vehicle anti-theft device characterized in that the driving restriction unit restricts the shift lever from being moved to the driving range when the door lock is operated by the first key or the second key.

Form 3: One or more embodiments of the present invention propose a vehicle theft prevention device that includes a display unit that displays a screen prompting the user to input information, an information input unit that accepts the information input by the user, and an input information determination unit that determines whether the accepted input information matches pre-stored information, and the authentication information determination unit determines that the authentication information of the key operated to unlock the door is not the same as the authentication information stored in the authentication information storage unit, and when the input information determination unit determines that the accepted input information matches the pre-stored information, the travel restriction unit releases the control that restricts the travel of the vehicle.

Form 4: One or more embodiments of the present invention propose a vehicle anti-theft device that includes an operation control unit that controls the operation of an engine, and a message sending unit that sends an alarm message to a pre-registered mobile device, and when the input information determination unit determines that none of the input information received a predetermined number of times matches the pre-stored information, the operation control unit stops the engine, and the message sending unit sends the alarm message to the pre-registered mobile device.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to prevent vehicle theft even if the user leaves one of the portable smart key and digital key devices in the vehicle while the engine is running and temporarily leaves the vehicle while holding the other portable device.

1 is a block diagram showing a vehicle anti-theft device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an information input screen according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mobile terminal on which a warning message is displayed according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a process flow of a display control unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a process flow of a display control unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5.

First Embodiment
A vehicle anti-theft device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

<Configuration of vehicle anti-theft device 100>
As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle anti-theft device 100 of this embodiment is configured to include a first key 110, a second key 120, an authentication information acquisition unit 130, an authentication information storage unit 140, an authentication information judgment unit 150, a driving restriction unit 160, a display unit 170, an information input unit 180, an input information judgment unit 190, an operation control unit 200, and a message sending unit 210.
The entire vehicle anti-theft device 100 is controlled by a control unit (e.g., ECU) (not shown) in accordance with a control program.

The first key 110 is a portable device having an ECU in which authentication information is written in advance.
Specifically, the first key 110 can be, for example, a smart key equipped with an ECU as a portable device.

The second key 120 is a portable device that obtains authentication information via an Internet line.
Specifically, the second key 120 is, for example, a digital key, and an example of the second key 120 is a portable device such as a smartphone.

The authentication information acquisition unit 130 acquires the first authentication information written in advance in the first key 110, or the second authentication information acquired from the second key 120 via the Internet line.
Specifically, for example, an authentication ID is obtained from a smart key as the first authentication information, or an authentication ID is obtained from a digital key as the second authentication information.

The authentication information storage unit 140 stores the authentication information of the first key 110 and the second key 120 .
Furthermore, the authentication information storage unit 140 stores therein, in an identifiable manner, the authentication information of the first key or the authentication information of the second key when the door lock is operated.

The authentication information determination unit 150 determines whether the authentication information of the key operated when unlocking the vehicle door is the same as the authentication information of the key operated when locking the vehicle door stored in the authentication information storage unit 140.

The travel restriction unit 160 restricts the travel of the vehicle.
Specifically, for example, the driving restriction unit 160 executes control to restrict driving of the vehicle when a door lock operation is performed with the first key or the second key.
More specifically, for example, when the door lock operation is performed with the first key or the second key, the driving restriction unit 160 executes control to restrict the shift lever from being moved to the driving range. Also, if the vehicle's shift lever is of a button type, control is executed to restrict the depression of a driving mode button, and if the shift lever is of a dial (rotary) type, control is executed to restrict the operation of turning the dial to the driving mode.
On the other hand, when the authentication information determination unit 150 determines that the authentication information of the key used to unlock the door is identical to the authentication information stored in the authentication information storage unit 140, the driving restriction unit 160 executes control to release the control that restricts the driving of the vehicle (specifically, the control that restricts the shift lever from being moved into the driving range).
Furthermore, when the authentication information determination unit 150 determines that the authentication information of the key used to unlock the door is not identical to the authentication information stored in the authentication information storage unit 140, and the input information determination unit 190 (described later) determines that the received input information matches information stored in advance, the driving restriction unit 160 releases the control that restricts the driving of the vehicle.

The display unit 170 displays a screen that prompts the user to input information.
Specifically, the display unit 170 is configured, for example, with an LCD (liquid crystal display device) or the like, and when the authentication information determination unit 150 determines that the authentication information of the key operated to unlock the vehicle door is not identical to the authentication information stored in the authentication information storage unit 140 when the key was operated to lock the door, the display unit 170 displays a screen that prompts the user to input information.
In this embodiment, the display unit 170 can be, for example, a display unit of a navigation device provided in a vehicle.

The information input unit 180 accepts information input by the user.
Specifically, a password is input as input information into information input unit 180 by the user using voice or touch panel input, for example.

The input information determination unit 190 determines whether or not the input information received from the user matches information previously stored in the memory 220 .
If the input information determination unit 190 determines that the received input information matches the information stored in advance in the memory 220 , it outputs information to that effect to the travel restriction unit 160 .
On the other hand, if the input information determination unit 190 determines that, for example, none of the input information received a predetermined number of times matches the information previously stored in the memory 220, it outputs information to that effect to the operation control unit 200.
The predetermined number of times may be determined arbitrarily based on security requirements.

The operation control unit 200 controls the operation of the engine.
Specifically, if the input information determination unit 190 determines that none of the input information received a predetermined number of times by the information input unit 180 matches the information previously stored in the memory 220, the operation control unit 200 executes control to stop the vehicle engine.

The message transmitting unit 210 transmits, for example, a warning message to a pre-registered portable device.
Specifically, when the input information determination unit 190 determines that none of the input information received a predetermined number of times by the information input unit 180 matches the information previously stored in the memory 220, for example, a warning message is sent to the portable device to inform the user that there is a risk of vehicle theft.

<Processing of the Vehicle Anti-Theft Device 100>
The processing of the vehicle anti-theft device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

The user leaves the vehicle for only a short time, for example to stop by a convenience store, and stops the vehicle with the engine running (step S101).

At that time, the user operates the door lock using, for example, a smart key as the first key 110 or a digital key as the second key 120 to prevent theft (step S102).

The control unit (ECU) determines whether the engine is running or not (step S103), and if the engine is running, determines whether there is an occupant in the driver's seat or not (step S104), for example, by using an imaging device installed in the vehicle.
If the control unit (ECU) determines that the engine is not in operation ("NO" in step S103), this process ends.

When the control unit (ECU) determines that the engine is running and no passenger is in the driver's seat ("YES" in step S104), the authentication information acquisition unit 130 acquires authentication information for the smart key as the first key 110 or the digital key as the second key 120 that was used to operate the door lock (step S105).

The driving restriction unit 160 executes control to restrict the driving of the vehicle, for example, by transitioning to a full shift lock mode in which the shift lever cannot be moved to the driving range (step S106).

On the other hand, if the control unit (ECU) determines that the engine is running and that there is a passenger in the driver's seat ("NO" in step S104), this process ends.

Then, when the user returns to the vehicle from which he/she left temporarily and unlocks the vehicle door using the smart key as the first key 110 or the digital key as the second key 120 (step S107), the authentication information determination unit 150 compares the authentication information of the key identifiably stored in the authentication information storage unit 140 with the authentication information of the key used to unlock the vehicle door, and determines whether the authentication information is the same (step S108).

If the authentication information determination unit 150 determines that the authentication information of the key used to lock the vehicle door is the same as the authentication information of the key used to unlock the vehicle door ("YES" in step S108), the driving restriction unit 160 releases the full shift lock mode (step S109) and ends this process.

On the other hand, if the authentication information determination unit 150 determines that the authentication information of the key used to lock the vehicle door is not the same as the authentication information of the key used to unlock the vehicle door ("NO" in step S108), the control unit (ECU) transitions the process to step S201 in FIG. 5.

The control unit (ECU) displays an identity verification screen on the display of a car navigation device in the vehicle, serving as the display unit 170, requesting the user to enter a password to verify that he or she is the owner of the vehicle (step S201).

The user inputs a password as input information, for example, via a touch panel of a car navigation device serving as the information input unit 180 (step S202).

The input information determination unit 190 determines whether the password entered by the user matches the password information stored in advance (step S203).

If the input information determination unit 190 determines that the password information received by the information input unit 180 matches the pre-stored password information ("YES" in step S203), the driving restriction unit 160 releases the full shift lock mode (step S204), and the control unit (ECU) ends this process.

On the other hand, if the input information judgment unit 190 determines that the password information received by the information input unit 180 does not match the pre-stored password information ("NO" in step S203), the input information judgment unit 190 determines whether any of the password information received a predetermined number of times by the information input unit 180 matches the pre-stored password information (step S205).
If the input information determination unit 190 determines that the number of times the password information has been received by the information input unit 180 does not reach the predetermined number of times ("NO" in step S205), the process proceeds to step S202.

On the other hand, if the input information determination unit 190 determines that the number of times the password information has been input by the information input unit 180 has reached the predetermined number of times ("YES" in step S205), the input information determination unit 190 notifies the operation control unit 200 of this fact, and the operation control unit 200 stops the vehicle engine (step S206).

When the operation control unit 200 stops the vehicle engine, the message sending unit 210 notifies the driver of the abnormality by, for example, sending a warning message to a smartphone, which is a pre-registered mobile terminal, indicating that there is a risk of vehicle theft (step S207).
In this case, the user can use the first key or the second key stored in the authentication information storage unit 140, or enter the password again, and if the information matches the information stored in the input information judgment unit 190, the user can restart the stopped engine as usual.

<Action and Effects>
As described above, in the vehicle anti-theft device 100 of this embodiment, when the door lock operation is performed with the first key or the second key, the driving restriction unit 160 executes control to restrict the driving of the vehicle and restricts the shift lever from being moved into the driving range.
In other words, for example, if a user leaves the engine running, leaves the genuine smart key in the vehicle, locks the vehicle doors using a genuine digital key, and then leaves the vehicle, the vehicle's anti-theft function will still be activated.
This effectively prevents the vehicle from being stolen by a third party.
Furthermore, in the vehicle anti-theft device 100 according to this embodiment, when the authentication information determination unit 150 determines that the authentication information of the key used for the door unlock operation is identical to the authentication information stored in the authentication information storage unit 140, the driving restriction unit 160 executes control to release the control restricting the driving of the vehicle.
In other words, even if a user leaves the engine running, leaves the genuine smart key in the vehicle, locks the vehicle doors using a genuine digital key, and then leaves the vehicle, the control that restricts driving will be released if the user unlocks the vehicle doors using the genuine digital key.
Therefore, if a user locks and unlocks the doors using a genuine digital key, they do not have to take the troublesome step of always turning off the engine when leaving the vehicle in order to prevent the vehicle from being stolen by a third party, thereby improving user convenience.

Furthermore, in the vehicle anti-theft device 100 according to this embodiment, if the authentication information determination unit 150 determines that the authentication information of the key operated to unlock the vehicle doors is not the same as the authentication information used to lock the doors, a screen is displayed prompting the user to input a password, and if the input information determination unit 190 determines that the received password matches a password stored in advance, it outputs information to that effect to the driving restriction unit 160, and the driving restriction unit 160 executes control to release the control restricting the driving of the vehicle.
In other words, for example, when the vehicle door is locked with a genuine smart key and unlocked with a genuine digital key, a screen is displayed prompting the user to enter a password, and if the input information determination unit 190 determines that the received password matches a password stored in advance, it outputs information to that effect to the driving restriction unit 160, and the driving restriction unit 160 releases the control that restricts the driving of the vehicle.
Therefore, even if the key used to lock the vehicle door is different from the key used to unlock it, for example, the user who is the owner of the vehicle can release the control that restricts driving by entering a password or the like that the user has set in advance, thereby effectively preventing vehicle theft without causing undue inconvenience to the user.
Furthermore, in the vehicle anti-theft device 100 according to this embodiment, if the input information determination unit 190 determines that none of the passwords received a predetermined number of times match the password stored in advance, the operation control unit 200 stops the engine.
Therefore, by stopping the engine for a third party who does not know the password, an even greater deterrent effect can be achieved against vehicle theft.
Furthermore, in the vehicle anti-theft device 100 of this embodiment, if the input information determination unit 190 determines that none of the passwords received a predetermined number of times matches the password stored in advance, the message sending unit 210 sends an alarm message to a pre-registered mobile terminal.
Therefore, it is possible to effectively notify the user that an abnormal condition has occurred in the vehicle.

<Modification>
As a modified example different from the above embodiment, when the vehicle door is locked, authentication information may be determined using specific information unique to a mobile terminal such as a smartphone serving as the digital key, instead of the authentication ID of the digital key.
Furthermore, if the smartphone serving as the digital key has a function for acquiring biometric information, the authentication information may be determined based on the user's biometric information.
In such a case, the vehicle anti-theft device can uniquely identify the user based on specific information inherent to the mobile terminal such as a smartphone or the user's biometric information, without having to prepare authentication information in advance.

The above describes an embodiment of the present invention in detail with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment and includes designs that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Vehicle anti-theft device 110 Smart key 120 Digital key 130 Authentication information acquisition unit 140 Authentication information storage unit 150 Authentication information determination unit 160 Travel restriction unit 170 Display unit 180 Information input unit 190 Input information determination unit 200 Operation control unit 210 Message transmission unit

Claims (4)

an authentication information acquiring unit that acquires the first authentication information or the second authentication information from a first key having an ECU in which the first authentication information is written or from a second key that acquires the second authentication information via an internet line;
an authentication information storage unit that stores the authentication information of the key operated when the door is locked;
an authentication information determination unit that determines whether the authentication information of the key operated when unlocking the door is the same as the authentication information stored in the authentication information storage unit;
A travel limiting unit that limits travel of the vehicle;
Equipped with
When the door lock operation is performed by the first key or the second key, the travel restriction unit executes control to restrict travel of the vehicle,
A vehicle theft prevention device characterized in that, when the authentication information determination unit determines that the authentication information of the key operated to unlock the door is identical to the authentication information stored in the authentication information storage unit, the driving restriction unit releases the control that restricts the driving of the vehicle. The vehicle anti-theft device according to claim 1, characterized in that the driving restriction unit restricts the shift lever from being moved to the driving range when the door lock is operated by the first key or the second key. a display unit that displays a screen that prompts the user to input information;
an information input unit that accepts the information input by a user;
an input information determination unit that determines whether or not the received input information matches information stored in advance;
Equipped with
3. The vehicle theft prevention device according to claim 2, wherein when the authentication information determination unit determines that the authentication information of the key operated to unlock the door is not identical to the authentication information stored in the authentication information storage unit, and when the input information determination unit determines that the received input information matches the pre-stored information, the driving restriction unit releases the control that restricts the driving of the vehicle. an operation control unit that controls the operation of the engine;
a message sending unit that sends an alarm message to a preregistered mobile terminal;
Equipped with
The vehicle theft prevention device described in claim 3, characterized in that when the input information determination unit determines that none of the input information received a predetermined number of times matches the pre-stored information, the operation control unit stops the engine, and the message sending unit sends the alarm message to the pre-registered mobile terminal.

Images