1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable communication terminal and a communication method, an antitheft apparatus and an antitheft method, and an antitheft system, and particularly to a portable communication terminal and a communication method, an antitheft apparatus and an antitheft method, and an antitheft system, in which it is possible to more certainly prevent a vehicle from being stolen.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, because of the frequent theft of vehicles, it is demanded by society to prevent the theft of vehicles. Such a vehicle antitheft system is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-52932. The antitheft system proposed in the publication is constructed, for example, as shown in FIG. 1.
A vehicle 1 includes a security device 11 and an emergency communication service device 12. In the case where the security device 11 detects, for example, the opening of a door of the vehicle 1, that is notified to the emergency communication service device 12.
When receiving an abnormality detection signal like this from the security device 11, the emergency communication service device 12 communicates that to a response center 2 by wireless.
When receiving, from the emergency communication service device 12, notification that abnormality is detected, the response center 2 notifies that to a portable telephone 3 of a user of the vehicle 1 or a business pager 4. By this, the user of the vehicle 1 can know that the abnormality occurs in the vehicle 1, and the user confirms safety by, for example, going to a place where the vehicle 1 is parked.
However, in such an antitheft system, when abnormality is detected, the security device 11 detects this and notifies the portable telephone 3 or the business pager 4 through the response center 2 that the abnormality is detected, so that there has been a problem that for example, in the case where a thief cancels a security mode of the security device 11, it becomes impossible to prevent the vehicle 1 from being stolen.
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to more certainly prevent a vehicle from being stolen.
A portable communication terminal of the present invention comprises access means for accessing a center apparatus for taking charge of a vehicle against theft, and instruction means for instructing the center apparatus to register a mode of taking charge of the vehicle against theft.
The portable communication terminal may further comprise reception means for receiving notification of abnormality from the center apparatus.
For example, this portable communication terminal is constructed by a portable telephone 32 of FIG. 2, and in addition, it is constructed by a PHS (Personal Handyphone), a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants) or the like. The center apparatus is constructed by a center apparatus 33. Further, the vehicle is constructed by an automobile 31 of FIG. 2, and this vehicle also includes a passenger car, a truck, a bus, a motorcycle, a bicycle, and the like.
The access means is constructed by a control portion 92 of FIG. 5 which executes, for example, a processing of step S1 of FIG. 6. The instruction means is constructed by the control portion 92 of FIG. 5 which executes, for example, a processing of step S3 of FIG. 6.
The reception means is constructed by the control portion 92 of FIG. 5 which executes, for example, a processing of step S61 of FIG. 11.
A communication method of the present invention comprises an access step of accessing a center apparatus for taking charge of a vehicle against theft, and an instruction step of instructing the center apparatus to register a mode of taking charge of the vehicle against theft.
The access step is constructed by, for example, step S1 of FIG. 6, and the instruction step is constructed by step S3.
In the portable communication terminal and the communication method of the present invention, the center apparatus is instructed to register the mode of taking charge of the vehicle against theft. Accordingly, it becomes possible to certainly prevent the vehicle from being stolen.
An antitheft apparatus of the present invention comprises first reception means for receiving a request for registration of a mode of taking charge of a vehicle against theft, registration means for registering the mode on the basis of the request received by the first reception means, second reception means for receiving an abnormality detection signal from the vehicle, judgement means for judging the mode registered in the registration means when the second reception means receives the abnormality detection signal, and notification means for notifying a user of abnormality on the basis of a judgement result by the judgement means.
The antitheft apparatus may further comprise detection means which communicates with a communication device installed in the vehicle at a predetermined period and detects a state of the vehicle.
This antitheft apparatus is constructed by, for example, a center apparatus 33 of FIG. 2.
For example, the first reception means is constructed by a center control device 51 of FIG. 4 which executes a processing of step S11 of FIG. 7, the registration means is constructed by a storage device 83 of FIG. 4, the second reception means is constructed by the center control device 51 of FIG. 4 which executes a processing of step S41 of FIG. 10, the judgement means is constructed by the center control device 51 of FIG. 4 which executes a processing of step S42 of FIG. 10, and the notification means is constructed by the center control device 51 of FIG. 4 which executes a processing of step S43 of FIG. 10.
The detection means is constructed by the center control device 51 of FIG. 4 which executes, for example, processings of steps S48, S49 and S50 of FIG. 10.
An antitheft method of the present invention comprises a first reception step of receiving a request for registration of a mode of taking charge of a vehicle against theft, a registration step of registering the mode on the basis of the request received by a processing of the first reception step, a second reception step of receiving an abnormality detection signal from the vehicle, a judgement step of judging the mode registered by a processing of the registration step when the abnormality detection signal is received by a processing of the second reception step, and a notification step of notifying a user of abnormality on the basis of a judgement result by a processing of the judgement step.
For example, the first reception step is constructed by step S11 of FIG. 7, the registration step is constructed by step S17 of FIG. 7, the second reception step is constructed by step S41 of FIG. 10, the judgement step is constructed by step S42 of FIG. 10, and the notification step is constructed by step S43 of FIG. 10.
In the antitheft apparatus and the antitheft method of the present invention, the mode of taking charge of the vehicle against theft is registered on the basis of the request from the user. When the abnormality detection signal is received, the user is notified of the abnormality on the basis of the mode.
Accordingly, it becomes hard for a person other than the user to cancel the mode of taking charge of the vehicle against theft, and it is possible to provide the user with a service which can certainly prevent the vehicle from being stolen.
An antitheft system of the present invention is characterized in that a portable communication terminal comprises access means for accessing a center apparatus, and instruction means for instructing the center apparatus to register a mode of taking charge of a vehicle against theft, and the center apparatus comprises first reception means for receiving an instruction to register the mode from the instruction means, registration means for registering the mode on the basis of the instruction received by the first reception means, second reception means for receiving an abnormality detection signal from the vehicle, judgement means for judging the mode registered in the registration means when the second reception means receives the abnormality detection signal, and notification means for notifying the portable communication terminal of abnormality on the basis of a judgement result by the judgement means.
An antitheft method of the present invention is characterized in that an antitheft method of a portable communication terminal comprises an access step of accessing a center apparatus, and an instruction step of instructing the center apparatus to register a mode of taking charge of a vehicle against theft, and an antitheft method of the center apparatus comprises a first reception step of receiving an instruction to register the mode on the basis of a processing of the instruction step, a registration step of registering the mode on the basis of the instruction received at the first reception step, a second reception step of receiving an abnormality detection signal from the vehicle, a judgement step of judging the mode registered at the registration step when the abnormality detection signal is received at the second reception step, and a notification step of notifying the portable communication terminal of abnormality on the basis of a judgement result at the judgement step.
For example, the portable communication terminal is constructed by a portable telephone 32 of FIG. 2, and the center apparatus is constructed by a center apparatus 33 of FIG. 2.
For example, the access means is constructed by a control portion 92 of FIG. 5 which executes, for example, a processing of step S1 of FIG. 6, and the instruction means is constructed by the control portion 92 which executes, for example, a processing of step S3 of FIG. 6.
For example, the first reception means is constructed by a center control device 51 of FIG. 4 which executes a processing of step S11 of FIG. 7, the registration means is constructed by a storage device 83 of FIG. 4, the second reception means is constructed by the center control device 51 of FIG. 4 which executes a processing of step S41 of FIG. 10, the judgement means is constructed by the center control device 51 of FIG. 4 which executes a processing of step S42 of FIG. 10, and the notification means is constructed by the center control device 51 which executes a processing of step S43.
For example, the access step is constructed by, for example, step S1 of FIG. 6, and the instruction step is constructed by step S3 of FIG. 6.
For example, the first reception step is constructed by step S11 of FIG. 7, the registration step is constructed by step S17 of FIG. 7, the second reception step is constructed by step S41 of FIG. 10, the judgement step is constructed by step S42 of FIG. 10, and the notification step is constructed by step S43 of FIG. 10.
In the antitheft system and the antitheft method of the present invention, the center apparatus registers the mode of taking charge of the vehicle against theft on the basis of the request from the portable communication terminal. When the abnormality detection signal from the vehicle is received, the center apparatus notifies the portable communication terminal of the abnormality on the basis of the registered mode.
It becomes impossible for a person other than the user to cancel the mode, and it is possible to more certainly prevent the vehicle from being stolen. Besides, cost required for the user to that end can be made low.