Anti-theft system for automotive vehicles

Claim 1

In combination with an electrical control apparatus adapted for controlling the prime mover of an automotive vehicle, said electrical control apparatus having control means for controlling the operation of said prime mover in accordance with changes of a condition of said prime mover, switch means for selectively connecting or disconnecting said apparatus to and from a source of electricity, a first electrical circuit for generating an electrical binary signal indicative of a condition of said prime mover at a selected instant in time during the operation of said prime mover, a digital computer for calculating a value corresponding to a setting of said control means by receiving therein said electrical binary signal, said computer being programmed to calculate said value from a function describing a desired relationship between the condition of said prime mover and the setting of said control means, and a second electrical circuit coupled between said digital computer and said control means for converting said value into the setting of said control means, an anti-theft system comprising: an electrical control circuit associated with said switch means for generating a control signal therefrom only when said switch means is operated in an authorized manner to connect said apparatus to said source of electricity, and said computer is arranged to be activated even when said apparatus is connected to said source of electricity in an unauthorized manner, and wherein said computer is further programmed to discriminate whether the control signal is produced or not and to halt calculation of said value upon discriminating lack of the control signal to make said second electrical circuit inoperative.