For many people, the word immobilizer is the same as the hadron collider, i.e. something that you don't know about, and you don't need to know it at all... In fact, car immobilizer is a useful and very effective security device, which many of you face almost every day. In today's article, I want to talk about what an immobilizer is and how it works and what it is.
So, let's go...
Seeing or hearing an immobilizer is not destiny in some cases, because it is located far away from the bad eyes of intruders and curious drivers who constantly want to spin something... The owner of a car with an immobilizer does not see or hear this device, which guards the safety of his vehicle. Every day when you install the key in the ignition, you, or rather your "unusual key", communicate with the immobilizer by means of invisible and not audible impulses that disable the protection and allow you to start the engine. Once the key is removed, the "invisible" device turns the car back on again, like a loyal dog. In this case, it is one of the most popular and simple immobilizers, which involves installing the chip directly in the key itself. Today, there is a huge selection of these devices on sale, which know how to recognize the owner and already respond to his presence from afar. Next, I will tell you how immobilizers work and how they work. Immobilizer today is the most effective anti-theft device, car alarms have outlived themselves, as I wrote in the article: All about car anti-theft systems, but the immobilizer, according to many experts - the future of car safety.
What is an immobilizer?
An immobilizer is translated as "immobilizer". The device includes a whole electronic complex, the task of which is to exclude the possibility of starting the motor without the participation of the key owner, that is - the owner of the car. The immobilizer prevents the normal operation of one or more.
What does an immobilizer consist of?
The standard configuration of the immobilizer is as follows:
- control unit. As you understand it, the "brain" of the protection system, like the human one, processes the signals from the sensors and makes decisions and sends commands.
- an electromagnetic relay (microimmobilizer). This unit directly breaks the circuit.
- the keys to the car owner. This element serves as a password for the above-described system if the key is recognized - everything works, if not - the lock. The key is equipped with a chip or a label card that contains a coded signal or a cipher that recognizes or does not recognize the "brain".
Car immobilizers are divided into two types:
- Contact - for activation of which a contact key is required.
- Contactless - a transponder or card tag is used to activate it.
There are also code immobilizers, for their (de)activation it is necessary to type a certain combination on the special panel. One cannot help mentioning the super-fancy systems that work with the fingerprint of the owner. The principle of operation of the immobilizer is similar to that of the alarm system, but at the same time, it has many cardinal differences. As for the immobilizer, it is much easier and more modest, its main task - to prevent, to prevent the engine from starting and the movement of the car. The range of the immobilizer is small, only a few meters or even centimeters in some cases. A characteristic feature that I mentioned earlier - the location of the immobilizer, is as hidden as possible, and in order to find it will take more than one hour, and maybe a day ...
The transponder system has a contactless working principle. The owner of the car has a special keychain, or card, in which there is a coded code of high complexity. After the owner sits in the car, the key fob with the code gets into the range of the receiver, which produces a code reading. After successful authorization - the immobilizer is switched off, otherwise, the car remains blocked. As in the case of microimmobilizers or relays, the difficulty for intruders is that it is very difficult to find the receiver. It is disguised in such a way that it cannot be detected by a stranger. The location of the receiver can be anywhere, from the chairs and interior upholstery to the panel of a device, or in the body of the device itself. The receiver does not show itself at all, so it is almost impossible to detect or find it using technical devices.