Trailer theft detection and alarm
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsRonald Patrick Brombach, Douglas George Rosner, Timothy John Zuraw
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electronic control unit used in, e.g., a towing vehicle includes a processing device configured to determine an initial electrical load of a trailer system, detect changes in the electrical load, and generate an alarm signal if the electrical load is substantially different from the initial electrical load. A method includes determining an electrical load of a trailer system prior to arming a vehicle alarm system, detecting changes in the electrical load after arming the vehicle alarm system, and triggering the alarm system if the electrical load is substantially different from the electrical load determined prior to arming the vehicle alarm system.
Claims20
An electronic control unit comprising:
- a processing device configured to:
- determine an initial electrical load of a trailer system,
- detect changes in the electrical load, and
- generate an alarm signal if the electrical load is substantially different from the initial electrical load.
A method comprising:
- determining an electrical load of a trailer system prior to arming a vehicle alarm system;
- detecting changes in the electrical load after arming the vehicle alarm system;
- and
- triggering the alarm system if the electrical load is substantially different from the electrical load determined prior to arming the vehicle alarm system.
The method of claim 18, further comprising sampling the electrical load of the trailer system after the generating the alarm signal.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium tangibly embodying computer-executable instructions comprising:
- determining whether the trailer system is present and attached to a vehicle prior to arming a vehicle alarm system;
- determining an electrical load of a trailer system prior to arming the vehicle alarm system;
- determining at least one of a minimum threshold value and a maximum threshold value based at least in part on the electrical load determined;
- arming the vehicle alarm system;
- periodically monitoring the electrical load;
- comparing the monitored electrical load to at least one of the minimum threshold value and the maximum threshold value to detect changes in the electrical load after the vehicle alarm system has become armed;
- and
- triggering the alarm system if the monitored electrical load is exceeds the maximum threshold value or is below the minimum threshold value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.