The present invention refers to a verifying system of the idoneity for circulating of a vehicle .

It is known that there is a strong interest by institutions to develop efficient systems aimed to verify the idoneity for circulating of vehicles, since over 3.8 millions of illegal vehicles have been located, such as for example:

- a huge information data base which crosses vehicle data with insurance policy data, locating vehicles not suitable for circulating;

videocameras present next to areas with limited traffic and traffic "tutors", which allow, through a photographic proof, locating vehicles not authorised to circulate.

Legal remedies are being studied, related to the use of thousands of cameras present on a nation's territory (from those of various Tutors to those of areas with limited traffic, and those present in motorways) which will send data to the police, creating a data base of non-insured cars, and will manage in real time this enormous amount of data to get immediate fine.

An application for smartphones is also known, and allows managing one's own vehicle: in particular, a user, by entering information related to his own vehicle, exploits a service for managing deadlines and periodic checks of his own vehicle.

It is clear from analyzing the prior art that currently there are no devices which allow verifying the idoneity for circulating of vehicles, and simultaneously provide a system for managing data related to deadlines and periodic checks.

Object of the present invention is solving the above prior art problems by providing an innovative verifying system of the idoneity for circulating of a vehicle, which inhibits the operation of the vehicle when it is not suitable for circulating.

A further object of the present invention is providing a verifying system which allows warning the vehicle's owner about the absence of idoneity for circulating of his vehicle.

A further object of the present invention is providing a verifying system integrated inside the vehicle .

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention, as will appear from the following description, are obtained with a verifying system of the idoneity for circulating of a vehicle as claimed in claim 1. Preferred embodiments and non- trivial variations of the present invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

It is intended that all enclosed claims are an integral part of the present description.

It will be iinmediately obvious that numerous variations and modifications (for example related to shape, sizes, arrangements and parts with equivalent functionality) could be made to what is described, without departing from the scope of the invention as apjpears from the enclosed claims.

The presenjt invention will be better described by some preferred embodiments thereof, provided as a non-limitino| example, with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 ghows a view of a first embodiment of the verifying system of the idoneity for circulating of a vehicle according to the present invention; and

- Figure 2 phows a view of a second embodiment of the verifying system of the idoneity for circulating of a vehicle according to the present invention.

With reference to Figure 1, the verifying system of the idoneity for circulating of a vehicle such as, for example, a car, or a motorcycle, or a boat or other vehicle, according to the present invention, comprises:

at least one portable electronic device 2 adapted to prevent the operation of at least one electric unit 5 depending on data related to the idoneity for circulating of the vehicle, such as, for example, insurance, revision or circulation stamp expiry terms, or other type of datum suitable for the purpose; and

at least one communication device 3 adapted to enable the communication between electronic device 2 and electric unit 5.

In particular, the electronic device 2, with active functionality if equipped with an independent supply source or passive functionality otherwise, advantageously comprises:

at least one electronic component with memory adapted to manage the storage both of data related to owner and/or driver of the vehicle associated with the verifying system 1, and of technical data related to the vehicle, and of data related to the idoneity for circulating of the vehicle;

at least one communication port 4 such as, for example, a port of the high-speed serial and bidirectional (Universal Serial Bus) type, or a port of the infrared serial (Infrared Device Application) type, or a Bluetooth port, suitable for the remote connection of two or more devices; - at least one microprocessor, equipped with a microcontroller and of analogue and digital components with programmable logic, adapted both for managing data related to the idoneity for circulating of the vehicle, and for sending to the communication device 3 at least one signal derived from such data related to the idoneity for circulating of the vehicle;

at least one luminous and/or acoustic signaling means 6, such as for example luminous warning lights with fixed emission or intermittence adapted to signal the lack of idoneity for circulating of the vehicle;

at least one antenna adapted to send to such communication device 3 at least one signal derived from such data related to the idoneity for circulating of the vehicle.

The communication port 4 is adapted to enable the connection of the electronic device 2 with external peripheral units, allowing the owner to update data related to inside the electronic device 2. In particular, the vehicle's owner can perform the update of data related to insurance and/or circulation stamp expiry terms, performing payment operations on line, or in insurance agencies, or executing an application associated with the verifying system 1. Moreover, the vehicle's owner can perform the update of data related to vehicle revision expiry terms, by going to authorized workshops which, after having performed the vehicle revision, enter in the electronic device 2, through the communication port 4, data related to expiry terms of the following revision to which the vehicle will have to be afterwards subjected.

The electronic device 2, following the management by the electronic component with memory of data related to insurance, circulation stamp or vehicle revision expiry terms, allows signaling the owner the need of performing an update of such data by turning on such acoustic and luminous signaling means 6 which assume a distinct coloring, such as for example yellow, or red, depending on the time which the owner has to perform the update, before the device, through the communication means 3, prevents the operation of the vehicle's electric unit 5; such acoustic and luminous signaling allows, for a preset length of time, also after having prevented the operation of the electric unit 5, signaling the owner about the need of performing an update. Advantageously, such signaling can come to the owner also by receiving SMS, or e-mail.

The microprocessor of the electronic device 2 manages data related to the idoneity for circulating of the vehicle, by checking the expiry terms of vehicle insurance, revision and/or circulating stamp, in particular:

if the check result is negative, being the expiry terms expired, the electronic device 2 activates the luminous and acoustic means 6 for a previously preset time interval, and simultaneously sends to the communication device 3 a signal containing information about lack of idoneity for circulation of the vehicle; if, at the end of the time interval, the owner has not entered new expiry terms, the communication device 3 sends a signal to the electric unit 5 of the vehicle, preventing it from being turned on;

if the check result is positive, the vehicle is suitable for circulating, and the communication device 2 does not activate the luminous and acoustic means 6, and does not activate the transmission with the communication device 3.

The communication device 3 is equipped with: at least one logic control unit;

at least one electronic component adapted to be interfaced with the electric unit 5;

at least one antenna for receiving the signal sent from the electronic device 2, guaranteeing its reception without collision phenomena.

In particular, the communication device 3 is connected to the electronic device 2 through remote connections, such as for example WiFi, Bluetooth or other similar one, enabling the trasmission of data with the electric device 2; the communication device 3 is instead physically connected 7 to the electric unit 5 of the engine, allowing the possible interruption of the electric unit 5 itself. The electronic component of the communication device 3 receives a signal depending on the check of data related to the idoneity for circulating of the vehicle performed by the electronic component of the electronic device 2, and possibly sends the signal to the electric unit 5 preventing its operation.

The communication device 3 has its own univocal identifying code, which cannot be modified or deleted, assigned by the manufacturing company, preventing every type of counterfeit, being such communication device 3 advantageously fastened in the engine room next to the vehicle battery, enabling both the supply of the communication device 3 and a univocal identification of the verifying system 1.

Finally, the verifying system 1, as shown in Figure 2, can be integrated in the vehicle; in particular, the communication device 3 is integrated in the engine room of the vehicle, when manufacturing the vehicle itself; the electronic device 2 is integrated in at least one starting key 8 associated with the vehicle; finally, the luminous and acoustic signaling means 6 are integrated, for example, in the vehicle dashboard.

In both configurations, the verifying system of the idoneity for circulating of the vehicles enables the control of vehicles by the surveying organizations, which, equipped with a Bluetooth device, or with a USB interface, can verify the validity of data related to vehicles and those related to owners.

The invention has the following advantages: - avoiding the circulation of vehicles which are not authorized to circulate;

allowing the resposible organization to verify the idoneity for circulating of the vehicles;

reducing the number of accidents which cannot be paid due to the lack of idoneity for circulating of involved vehicles;

enabling the vehicle's owner to manage data related to expiries and periodic checks related to his vehicle.