ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOBILES

SYSTEME ANTIVOL POUR AUTOMOBILES

English Abstract

An anti-theft device for a motor vehicle whereby the seat and seat back
are mechanically and/or electronically moved and locked in the car forward
position thus preventing a person from sitting in the driver's seat. The
movement of the seat to this theft deterrent position and its reversion to a
usable position may be arranged in many different ways.

Claims

CLAIMS:
1. An anti-theft deterrent for an automotive vehicle which includes a
steering wheel and a driver's seat mounted for fore and aft movement in
relation to the steering wheel comprises means for locking the seat in a
forward position.

Description

CA 02232882 1998-03-20
ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOBILES
Background of the Invention
The problem with many anti-theft mechanisms, however sophisticated,
is that a potential theft can enter the vehicle and sit inconspicuously in the
driver's seat, working to bypass or rernove the anti-theft device. However) if
the driver's seat is moved forwardly to a position wherein it is adjacent to
the
steering wheel and locked in this position, a wood-be thief would have to
attempt to move the seat to a usable position when either standing outside of
the vehicle with the driver's door open, or when sitting in the passenger
seat,
and in either instance this would be likely to arouse suspicion. This anti-
theft
device can also work in tandem with other devices to improve their
effectiveness. The fact that the seat i:; left in an un-usable condition is
likely
to provide a visual deterrent to a would-be thief, making it less probable
that
the vehicle would be broken into.
Brief Summary of the Invention
In accordance with the invention, an anti-theft deterrent for an
automotive vehicle which includes a steering wheel and a driver's seat
mounted for fore and aft movement in relation to the steering wheel
comprises means for locking the seat in a forward position. The locking
means may be operable with a key, a keypad or by remote control, for
example. The adjustment of the seat to its forward position may be manually
controlled, or it may be automatically positioned upon activation of the
deterrent.
Preferably, particularly where the movement of the seat is automated)
an interlock will be provided so as to disable the seat movement when a load
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CA 02232882 1998-03-20
is detected on the seat.
The foregoing seats will normally comprise a squab portion and a back
portion, typically, the back portion will be hinged to the squab portion in a
manner to permit the rake of the sE~at-back to be adjusted. The forward
movement of the seat to an anti-theft position may comprise a movement of
the squab portion, or of the back portion, or preferably both, i.e. wherein
the
squab portion will move forwardly in a more-or-less linear manner, while the
back portion undergoes a rotary movement.
Brief Description of the Drawings
In the Drawings:
Fig. 1 shows in side elevation in schematic form a car seat adjusted to
its normal position relative to the steering wheel of a vehicle;
Fig. 2 shows the car seat of Fig. 1 when adjusted to its forward
position;
Fig. 3 shows a portion of the seat of Fig. 2 on enlarged scale, partially
broken away to reveal interior detail of a manually actuated anti-theft seat;
Fig. 4 is similar to Fig. 3 bui: shows an electrically operated seat
adjustment mechanism and a switch panel for the operation of the anti-theft
mechanism;
Fig. 5 shows the electric schematic for the seat of Fig. 4;
Fig. 6 is similar to Fig. 5, but shows a more automated form of the
invention;
Fig. 7 is an electric schematic for the seat of Fig. 6; and
Figs. 8-10 are logic flow diagrams associated with the seats of Figs.
3, 4 and 6 respectively.
Description of the Preferred Embodiments of the Invention
Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a seat for an automotive vehicle is
identified generally therein by the numeral 10. Seat 10 comprises a squab
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portion 12 including a seat frame 14 and rails 16 which are fixed in relation
to the automotive vehicle (not illustratE:d) within which the seat 10 is
disposed,
and along which the seat is movable to permit the position of the seat to be
adjusted in relation to a steering wheel S of the vehicle. Seat 10 further
includes a back portion 20 supported from frame 14 by means of a hinge 22
to permit the rake of the back portion to be adjusted. In Fig. 1, seat 110 is
illustrated in a normal or driving position, relative to steering wheel S,
while
in Fig. 2 the seat is shown in a forwardly adjusted position in which it
effectively blocks access to the steering wheel and precludes the seating of
a person in the driver's seat of the vehicle.
In the first embodiment of thE~ invention, the position of seat 10 is
adjusted manually, and several mechanisms for permitting such adjustment
are known in the art, with that illustrated in Fig. 3 being a composite,
schematic form; in accordance with the invention a latch handle 30 is
provided which will latch seat 10 in its forwardly adjusted position, and a
lock
32 is provided for locking latch handle 300 in position. It will be apparent
that
two separate handles such as handle 30 may be provided to permit the
adjustment of the sq2uab portion 12 and the adjustment of the back portion
20 to be latched and locked separately. The operation of the invention of the
first embodiment is summarized in Fic~. 8.
Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5, in a second embodiment of the
invention, a seat 110 is movable on r;~ils 116 under the influence of a motor
118, while the rake of the back portion 120 is adjusted by motor 128. A
switch 130 actuated by a keyed lock 132 selectively connects motors 118,
128 to the battery B of the vehicle. The operation of the invention of this
second embodiment is summarized in Fig. 9.
It will be appreciated that v~ithin the concept of the invention,
electrically adjustable seats such as~ seat 10 may be controlled in many
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different manners with varying decrees of automation. In one semi-
automated form exemplified in Figs. 6 and 7, it is assumed that the vehicle is
equipped with a keyless remote entry system, including a switch 230. In this
embodiment seat 210 is provided with a load sensor comprising a pad 240
including a normally closed switch 242 which opens when a load is placed on
a seat squab portion 212 in the vicinity of pad 240. A normally open self
latching switch 232 is provided which is settable to the ON position by an
operator depressing switch control button 234 when it is desired to deploy the
anti-theft system of the invention. Upon actuation of the remote system to
lock the doors of the vehicle, switch 230 closes to provide power to seat
adjustment motors 218, 228, causing 'the seat to move to its forward position.
In the event that a load is detected on pad 240, switch 242 will open to
prevent the movement of seat 210. As seat 210 moves into its forward
position, a seat position sensor switch 250 or a load sensor senses that the
seat has moved fully to the theft detf~rrent position. Activation of the seat
position sensor 250 opens switch 230 thus cutting all power to the seat.
activation of the keyless remote entry system will close switch 230 and allow
the seat to return to its original position.

Representative Drawing