In a recent filing with the European Patent Office, General Motors (GM) describes a new kind of security system that automatically detects where your car is parked. If the area is identified as a high-crime zone, the system can automatically arm the vehicle’s engine immobilizer.
How It Works
GM outlines a system that is linked to a vehicle’s GPS, so that it can determine with pinpoint accuracy where the vehicle is parked. This location is then compared to existing map data where high-crime zones have been listed in a database. If the current parking location falls within such an area, the system can send a signal to the vehicle to disable its engine, so it cannot be started by would-be thieves breaking into it. The owner is notified ahead of this action in order to give permission for it to be activated – presumably via a phone app. GM says this adds an extra layer of user control.
Our Take
GM’s patent sounds like an interesting variation on the common engine-immobilizer theme, and it’s unique in automatically detecting whether your car is parked in a high-crime area, but it would have to offer more USPs to be considered groundbreaking. In many countries where crime is a problem and almost all cars are fitted with engine immobilizers by default anyway, its appeal will be limited. The question also has to be asked why drivers wouldn’t want their engine immobilized after parking their car.
The patent doesn’t say whether a central database or data center sends this signal to the vehicle, or whether it relies on an in-car data set integrated with the GPS, nor does it mention whether the system is a fee-based subscription service. If the service can be fleshed out with additional USPs to make it truly unique and useful, it could be a handy expansion of existing car-security tech.
