Method for protecting hire vehicles against unauthorized use
AssigneeDaimlerChrysler AG
InventorsThomas Rick, Peter Wagner, Siegleif Lenart
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a method of protecting against unauthorized use of a vehicle having a communication structure for exchange of data between a receiving unit, a use protection and control unit and at least one operationally essential system control, a master station broadcasts a signal defining use restrictions applicable to the vehicle, and the use protection and control unit aboard the vehicle checks for violation of the use restrictions, and disables the at least one operationally essential system control if a violation is detected.
Claims24
A method for protecting against unauthorized use of a vehicle having a receiving device, a communication structure for exchange of data between at least the receiving device, a use protection control unit and at least one operationally necessary control unit, the receiving device receiving data broadcast by a stationary master station which is situated at a fixed location, said method comprising the steps of:
- use restrictions applicable to the vehicle are established by a controlling authority, prior to operation of the vehicle;
- data which contain said use restrictions applicable to the vehicle are stored in the master station in a file assigned to the vehicle;
- the master station broadcasts a coded data signal containing coded information identifying said use restrictions applicable to the vehicle;
- the receiving device receives said coded data signal, including said coded information identifying said use restrictions;
- the use protection control unit checks for the transgression of a use restriction contained in said data signal received by said receiving device;
- and
- if the violation of a use restriction occurs, at the least one operationally necessary control unit is deactivated.
A method for protecting against unauthorized use of a vehicle having a transmitting and receiving device, a communication structure for exchange of data between at least the transmitting and receiving device, a use protection control unit and at least one operationally necessary control unit, the transmitting and receiving device transmitting data to, and receiving data broadcast by, a master station situated at a fixed location remote from the vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:
- use restrictions applicable to the vehicle are established by a controlling authority prior to operation of the vehicle;
- data which contain said use restrictions are stored in the master station in station in a file assigned to the vehicle;
- in accordance with set reporting criteria, the use protection control unit broadcasts a status signal via the transmitting and receiving device, said status signal including current values of vehicle operation variables which are subject to at least one of said use restrictions;
- after reception of the status signal, the master station checks at least the vehicle operating variables based on the current values transmitted from the vehicle to determine if a violation of a use restriction has occurred;
- and
- the master station broadcasts data which contain an enabling signal only if a violation of a use restriction has not occurred.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.