How Do Car Alarms Work? Car theft is a larger threat in some cities than it is in others,but it's a crime that can occur just about anywhere. According to LoJack,one car is stolen in the United States every 43 seconds. Other sources peg the annual cost of stolen vehicles in US at over $7 billion (USD) each year,and that figure only goes up when you take other countries into account. Since your car is probably one of the most expensive things you own,chances are good that you've given at least a passing thought to the subject of car alarms. The main purpose of a car alarm is to deter theft,either by scaring off would-be thieves or rendering the vehicle inoperable. Even the most complicated devices can be bypassed by intelligent criminals,but a car alarm can provide protection against less knowledgeable ne'er do wells. Anatomy of a Car Alarm At the most basic level,car alarms are relatively simple devices. They consist of at least three components,which include: sensors,siren,control unit. The sensors are connected to different parts of the vehicle,and they are designed to trip whenever a thief attempts to gain access. When one of the sensors is tripped,it sends a signal to the control unit. The control unit then activates the siren,which will call attention to the vehicle and may scare off the thief. In practice,car alarms can be incredibly complicated. Most of them include radio receivers built into the control units and transmitters that take the form of key fobs,and there are several different kinds of sensors. They can also be tied into a variety of vehicle systems,which can result in a number of effects. Types of Sensors Door The most common car alarm sensors are simple switches that are installed in the doors. When a door is opened,the switch sends a signal to the control unit. Variations on this theme are hooked up to the door handles so that the door doesn't even need to be opened up for the alarm to trip. Movement These sensors send a signal to the control unit if the vehicle is jostled in any way,and there are several different types of them. Some are mercury switches,and others are more complicated. Certain shock sensors are capable of communicating the severity of the movement to the control unit,which can then decide whether to set off the alarm or just issue a warning launch x431 v plus. Since these sensors can be tripped by just bumping against a vehicle,they are often set off accidentally. It's also possible for someone to trip this type of sensor on purpose for malicious reasons or their own amusement. Microphones and pressure sensors Both pressure sensors and microphones operate on the same principle,but they serve slightly different purposes. Microphones detect the ambient sound level,which allows the control unit to monitor for sounds like breaking glass that indicate a theft in process Car Diagnostic Tool. Pressure sensors work on the same basic principle that microphones do,but they are set off when the pressure in the vehicle changes. Since breaking a window or opening a door will trigger a pressure change,this type of sensor can be relatively effective.Additional Features Since car alarms are often tied into many different systems,some packages include a variety of useful features that aren't directly related to theft deterrence. Some common features include: remote starting,keyless entry,diagnostics (code reading),and remote vehicle status.
Related Links

Posted by: axcartool at 12:47 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 570 words, total size 4 kb.