Anti-theft battery system for vehicles

An anti-theft battery system for a vehicle having a battery and a starting circuit including a starter motor which is adapted to be connected to the battery of the vehicle to be energized by current from the battery for starting an engine of the vehicle, said system comprising:

• a solid state switching device connected in the starting circuit and operable to a conducting condition for connecting the starter motor to the battery and to a non-conducting condition for disconnecting the starter motor from the battery;
• control means including a current monitoring circuit operable between set and reset states, said control means being coupled to said switching device for operating said switching device to said conducting condition when said current monitoring circuit is operated from said set state to said reset state, and said control means operating said switching device to said non-conducting condition when said current monitoring circuit is operated from said reset state to said set state,
• said current monitoring circuit being coupled to the starting circuit for monitoring current flowing in the starting circuit and being operated from said reset state to said set state when current flowing in the starting circuit exceeds a set point value, and said current monitoring circuit being latched in said set state until reset;
• a reset circuit for operating said current monitoring circuit from said set state to said reset state, said reset circuit including an input stage and an output stage, said input stage being coupled to an output of said control means to permit said reset circuit to generate a reset signal in response to an enabling signal produced at said output of said control means when said current monitoring means is operated from said reset state to said set state, said output stage being coupled to a reset input of said control means to apply said reset signal to said reset input of said control means for operating said current monitoring circuit from said set state to said reset state, and said output stage of said reset circuit including a timer circuit for delaying the generation of said reset signal for a desired interval of time following the occurrence of said enabling signal, and
• override means manually operable by an operator of the vehicle to prevent said control means from responding to current flowing in the starting circuit and being operated to said set state, interrupting the starting circuit when the current flowing through the starting circuit exceeds said set point value, thereby permitting the vehicle engine to be started.