FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (See section 10, rule 13)
“IMPROVED ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK SYSTEM”
MINDA CORPORATION LIMITED of Spark Minda Technical Centre, Minda Corporation Limited, E-5/2, Chakan Industrial Area, Phase- III M.I.D.C. Nanekarwadi, Tal: Khed, Dist., Pune, Maharashtra, 410-501, India
The following specification particularly describes the invention.

FIELD OF INVENTION
The present disclosure generally relates to an electronic steering lock system. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and a system for performing lock and unlock operations on a two-wheeler vehicle to ensure safety to a driver/rider while carrying out handle locking/unlocking operation using the electronic steering lock system in the vehicle.
BACKGROUND
Electronic steering lock systems have been widely used in vehicles for locking and unlocking the vehicles. Figure 1 shows block schematic for one such conventional electronic steering lock system 110. As shown in Figure 1, the electronic steering lock system 110 comprises an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) 112, a motorized lock mechanism 114, a hall-sensor based magnetic sensing assembly 120, and an electronic steering lock mounted on the vehicle handle 122.
The electronic control unit 112 operates the motorized lock mechanism 114 to lock/unlock the handle lock based on inputs/commands received from a vehicle system 150. When an authorized driver is sensed through an authentication protocol, the ECU 112 receives external command for unlocking the handle lock. Similarly, when the driver finishes the journey and parks and leaves the vehicle, the vehicle system 150 directs the ECU 112 to lock the handle lock.
The electronic steering lock system 110 generally employs a hall-sensor based magnetic sensing assembly to sense respective position of the lock/unlock of the vehicle handle 122. The hall-sensor based sensing assembly 120 comprises two hall effect sensors 116, 118 and a magnet (not shown) moving between the sensors in clockwise and anticlockwise directions. One of the two sensors is a lock sensor 116 and the other one is an unlock sensor 118. The magnet moves between the lock and unlock sensors to indicate the lock/unlock state of the handle lock. The rotation of the magnet between the sensors is controlled by the motorized lock mechanism 114.
When the magnet moves between the sensors, the output voltages of the sensors vary based on the position of the magnet. The output voltages of the lock and unlock sensors are continuously measured. A DC motor controlled by the motorized lock mechanism 114 is used to rotate the magnet between the lock and unlock sensors. Additionally, the rotational motion of the motor is mechanically converted into a linear motion and a metal bar is moved between its own housing and a hole/cavity in the vehicle handle rod. The vehicle is said to be in fully unlock state when the magnet is close to the unlock sensor and when the metal bar is completely inside the housing and

the handle rod is free to rotate. Similarly, the vehicle is said to be lock state, when the magnet is close to the lock sensor, the metal bar is inside the handle cavity and the handle rod cannot rotate. Conventionally, this lock and unlock state of the handle is detected based on the voltage values of the lock and unlock sensors. However, sometimes the bar may not be completely outside the cavity but still the sensors may indicate that vehicle is in unlock state.
To ensure that the vehicle handle is fully and reliably locked/unlocked, the successful/accurate sensing of the locking and unlocking position of the motorized lock mechanism is necessary. Failure to do so may lead to safety issues. A half locked/unlocked handle may lead to accidents during driving or other vehicle operation.
To further understand the problem, let us consider the real-world scenario. When the vehicle handle is unlocked by the electronic steering lock system, the rider may start moving the handle for vehicle operation. However, sometimes undue pressure may be exerted on the motorized lock mechanism and the handle movement may get stuck midway between lock and unlock position. The electronic steering lock system may sense this position as “unlock” position and may allow the ignition start of the vehicle engine, which may lead to accidents. Specifically, during a midway of the travel of the magnet when the sensor voltages saturate (i.e. lock sensor output voltage and unlock sensor output voltages become equal), determining the stuck of the lock mechanism based on the sensing mechanism used in the conventional lock system is almost impossible. To make this viable and practically possible, a larger magnet and more precise sensors are required to cover the entire journey of the motorized lock mechanism. However, the large magnet needs larger space and the precise sensors are very costly.
Thus, in the given cost and space constraints, it is difficult to accurately sense the lock and unlock state of the vehicle handle through sensors when it is trapped in midway between the lock and unlock position. Additionally, determining the stuck of the lock mechanism based on the sensing mechanism used in the conventional lock systems is almost impossible.
Moreover, both the sensors used in the conventional systems are either digital sensors or analog sensors thus, either the accuracy of the mechanism will be low or the cost will be high. Particularly, when both sensors are digital sensors, the accuracy of the lock mechanism will be low and when both the sensors are analog sensors, the cost will be high because analog sensors are costly compared to digital sensors.

Thus, it is necessary to have an improved a technique for providing lock and/or unlock operation. Particularly, it is necessary to provide a technique which is simple and cost effective in nature and which would successfully sense the valid lock/unlock of the vehicle handle by accurately sensing the movement of the motorized lock mechanism of the electronic steering lock system during its unlock to lock operation or vice versa.
The information disclosed in this background of the disclosure section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.
SUMMARY
One or more shortcomings discussed above are overcome, and additional advantages are provided by the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the disclosure.
According to an aspect, the present disclosure relates to a method and a system for performing lock and unlock operations of a hall sensor based electronic steering lock system of a two-wheeler vehicle.
In a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the present disclosure discloses a method (600) of performing lock or unlock operation of a hall sensor based electronic steering lock system (110) of a two wheeler vehicle, the hall sensor based electronic steering system (110) comprising a lock sensor (116), an unlock sensor (118), a rotatable magnet (206) mounted in between the lock and unlock sensors, and a rotating means (208) for rotating the rotatable magnet (206) in between the lock and unlock sensors in both clockwise and anticlockwise directions. The method (600) comprises receiving (610) a lock or unlock command, at the hall sensor based electronic steering system (110), from a vehicle system (150). The method further comprises measuring (620) an initial voltage value of the lock sensor (116), an initial voltage value of the unlock sensor (118), and an initial current value of the rotating means (208) and determining (630) whether the initial voltage values and the initial current value satisfy a first set of conditions. In response to determining that the initial voltage values the initial current value satisfy the first set of conditions,

the method comprises starting (640) a timer and starting measurement of a voltage value of the lock sensor (116), a voltage value of the unlock sensor (118), and a current value of the rotating means (208) upon simultaneously initiating rotation of the magnet (206), where the voltage values of the lock and unlock sensors, and the current value of the rotating means (208) vary over time based on a degree of rotation of the magnet (206) between the lock and unlock sensors. The method further comprises continuously measuring (650) the voltage values of the lock and unlock sensors, and the current value of the rotating means (208) for a predefined time duration and determining (660) whether the measured voltage values and the measured current value satisfy a second set of conditions on or before the predefined time duration. In response to determining that the measured voltage values and the measured current value satisfy the second set of conditions on or before the predefined time duration, the method comprises transmitting (670) an indication to the vehicle system (150) indicating that the lock or unlock operation is successful. In the present embodiment the lock sensor (116) is a digital sensor and the unlock sensor (118) is an analog sensor.
In another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the present disclosure discloses a hall sensor based electronic steering lock system (110) for performing lock or unlock operation of a two-wheeler vehicle, the hall sensor based electronic steering lock system (110) comprising a lock sensor (116), an unlock sensor (118), and a rotatable magnet (206) mounted in between the lock and unlock sensors. The system (110) further comprising a rotating unit (208) configured to rotate the rotatable magnet (206) in between the lock and unlock sensors in both clockwise and anticlockwise directions; voltage measuring units (216) configured to measure voltages of the lock and unlock sensors; a current measuring unit (218) configured to measure current of the rotating unit (208); a time measuring unit (214) configured to measure time; a receiving unit (210) configured to receive a lock or unlock command from a vehicle system (150); a transmitting unit (214); and a processing unit (220) coupled to the transmitting unit, receiving unit, voltage, current, and time measuring units and configured to receive measured initial voltage values of the lock and unlock sensors, and an initial current value of the rotating unit (208). The processing unit may further be configured to determine whether the initial voltage values and the initial current value satisfy a first set of conditions. In response to determining that the initial voltage values and the initial current value satisfy the first set of conditions, the processing unit may be configured to start the time measuring unit (214) and receive the measured voltage values of the lock and unlock sensors, and the measured current value of the rotating unit (208) upon simultaneously initiating rotation of the magnet (206), where the voltage values of the lock and unlock sensors, and the

current value of the rotating unit (208) vary over time based on a degree of rotation of the magnet (206) between the lock and unlock sensors. The processing unit may be configured to determine whether the measured voltage values and the measured current value satisfy a second set of conditions on or before a predefined time duration. The transmitting unit (214) coupled to the processing unit (220) may be configured to transmit an indication to the vehicle system (150) indicating that the lock or unlock operation is successful, in response to the determination by the processing unit (220) that the measured voltage values and the measured current value satisfy the second set of conditions on or before the predefined time duration. In the proposed system, the lock sensor (116) is a digital sensor and the unlock sensor (118) is an analog sensor.
According to another aspect, the present disclosure relates to a method and a system for determining a stuck in a motorized lock mechanism of a hall sensor based electronic steering lock system while performing lock or unlock operation of a two wheeler vehicle.
In a further non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the present disclosure discloses a method (700) of determining a stuck in a motorized lock mechanism of a hall sensor based electronic steering lock system (110) while performing lock or unlock operation of a two wheeler vehicle, the hall sensor based electronic steering system (110) comprising a lock sensor (116), an unlock sensor (118), a rotatable magnet (206) mounted in between the lock and unlock sensors, and a rotating means (208) for rotating the rotatable magnet (206) in between the lock and unlock sensors in both clockwise and anticlockwise directions. The method further comprising receiving (710) a lock or unlock command from a vehicle system (150) and starting (720) a timer and starting measurement of at least a current value of the rotating means (208) upon simultaneously initiating rotation of the magnet (206). The method further comprises determining (740) that the motorized lock mechanism is stuck between a lock and unlock position in response to determining (730) at least one of: the value of timer exceeds a predefined time duration, and the value of the current of the rotating means (208) exceeds a predefined threshold current value on or before the value of timer exceeds the predefined time duration. In response to determining that the motorized lock mechanism is stuck between the lock and unlock positions, transmitting (750) an indication to the vehicle system (150) preventing ignition start of vehicle engine, wherein the lock sensor (116) is digital sensor and the unlock sensor (118) is an analog sensor.
In another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the present disclosure discloses a hall sensor based electronic steering lock system (110) for determining a stuck in a motorized lock

mechanism of the hall sensor based electronic steering lock system (110), comprising: a lock sensor (116), an unlock sensor (118), a rotatable magnet (206) mounted in between the lock and unlock sensors; a rotating unit (208) configured to rotate the rotatable magnet (206) in between the lock and unlock sensors in both clockwise and anticlockwise directions; voltage measuring units (216) configured to measure voltages of the lock and unlock sensors; a current measuring unit (218) configured to measure current of the rotating unit (208); and a time measuring unit (214) configured to measure time. The system (110) further comprises a receiving unit (210) configured to receive a lock or unlock command from a vehicle system (150) and a processing unit (220) coupled to the voltage, current, and time measuring units and configured to start the time measuring unit (214) and continuously receive the measured current value of the rotating unit (208) upon simultaneously initiating rotation of the magnet (206). The system (110) determine that the motorized lock mechanism is stuck between a lock and unlock position in response to determining at least one of: the value of time measured by the time measuring unit (214) exceeds a predefined time duration, and the value of the current of the rotating means (208) exceeds a predefined threshold current value on or before the predefined time duration. The system further comprises a transmitting unit (212) configured to transmits an indication to the vehicle system (150) preventing ignition start of vehicle engine, in response to determining by the processing unit (220) that the motorized lock mechanism is stuck between the lock and unlock positions, wherein the lock sensor (116) is digital sensor and the unlock sensor (118) is an analog sensor.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION:
The main object of the present invention is to provide an improved technique for performing lock and/or unlock operation. Particularly, to provide an improved technique which is a simple and cost effective technique in nature and which would successfully sense the valid lock/unlock of the vehicle handle by accurately sensing the movement of the motorized lock mechanism of the electronic steering lock system.
Another main object of the present invention is to ensures safety to the driver/rider while carrying out vehicle handle or steering lock or unlock operation.

Another main object of the present invention is to allow the ignition engine to start only when the lock/unlock operation is successful.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS:
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system and/or methods in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
Figure 1 shows a block schematic for one such conventional electronic steering system used in
vehicles.
Figure 2 shows a block diagram illustrating an electronic steering lock system for performing
vehicle lock or unlock operation, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
Figure 3 shows a graph of a hall sensor output voltage of lock and unlock sensors vs angle of
travel of the lock mechanism;
Figure 4 shows the flowchart of how lock to unlock operation is performed and a stuck can be
detected while performing the lock to unlock operation;
Figure 5 shows the flowchart of how unlock to lock operation is performed and a stuck can be
detected while performing the unlock to lock operation; and
Figure 6 depicts a flowchart of a method for performing lock or unlock operation, in accordance
with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
Figure 7 depicts a flowchart of a method for determining a stuck in a motorized lock mechanism
of a hall sensor based electronic steering lock system, in accordance with some embodiments of
the present disclosure.
It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present subject matter. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudo code, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer readable medium and executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such

computer or processor is explicitly shown.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the present document, the word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.
The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a setup, device or method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or method.
According to an aspect, the present disclosure provides techniques for performing lock or unlock operation of a hall sensor based electronic steering lock system of a two-wheeler vehicle.
In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
The terms like “rotating means”, “rotating unit”, and “motor” may be used interchangeably or in combination throughout the description. Further, the terms like “timer”, “time measuring unit” may be used interchangeably or in combination throughout the description. Further, the terms like “electronic steering lock system”, “electronic lock system” may be used interchangeably or in combination throughout the description. Furthermore, the terms like “motorized mechanism”, “motorized lock mechanism” may be used interchangeably or in combination throughout the description and drawings.

To alleviate the problems outlined above, a system and a method are disclosed herein for performing lock or unlock operations on a two-wheeler vehicle.
As depicted in Figure 2, the electronic steering lock system 110 is in communication with the vehicle system 150. The vehicle system 150 transmits locking/unlocking commands to the electronic steering lock system 110. The electronic steering lock system 110 comprises a memory 204 and an input output interface 202 for communicating with various entities such as the vehicle system 150. The electronic steering lock system 110 further comprises the lock sensor 116, the unlock sensor 118, a rotatable magnet 206, and rotating means/unit or motor 218. The motorized lock mechanism 114 of Figure 1 controls at least the rotating unit 208, the magnet 206, and a handle lock assembly. Particularly, the motorized lock mechanism controls movements of the metal bar, the rotations of the magnet 206 and the rotating means 208. The system 110 further comprises different units such as a receiving unit 210, a transmitting unit 212, a time measuring unit or a timer 214, voltage measuring units 216 for measuring output voltages of the lock and unlock sensors, a current measuring unit 218 for measuring a current of the rotating unit 208, and a processing unit 220 in communication with above described units 210, 212, 214, 216, 218. The voltage measuring units 216 provides the voltage per degree of travel of the magnet 206 of the motorized lock mechanism.
As described in background section, the sensors used in the electronic steering lock system 110 are hall effect sensors. A hall effect sensor is a device that is used to measure the magnitude of a magnetic field. Output voltage of a hall effect sensor is directly proportional to the magnetic field strength through it. Thus, when a magnet moves near a hall effect sensor, the output voltage of the sensor increases. In the proposed system, an inverting circuit (not shown) is used to invert the hall effect of the lock sensor 116 i.e. the output voltage of the lock sensor 116 decreases when a magnet moves towards the lock sensor 116. The voltage of unlock sensor 118 is set to a saturation level and this voltage increases unto a maximum voltage level when a magnet moves towards the unlock sensor 118.
The variation of the output voltages of the lock and unlock sensors vs the angle of travel of the magnet is shown in the graph depicted in Figure 3. For the sake of explanation, it is assumed here that the magnet is moving by an angle of 90 degrees from the lock sensor 116 towards the unlock sensor 118 in anticlockwise direction and vice versa. As the magnet 206 moves between the

sensors, the variations of the voltages of the lock and unlock sensors is captured by the voltage measuring units 216. A DC motor of the motorized lock mechanism is used to rotate the magnet 206 between the lock and unlock sensors and correspondingly the metal bar moves between the handle hole/cavity and its own housing.
Figure 3 shows that initially the magnet 206 is close to the lock sensor 116 i.e., the output voltage value of the lock sensor is zero volts and the output voltage value of the unlock sensor is Y volts, here Y is considered as the saturation voltage. It should be noted here that the lock sensor 116 is a digital sensor and the unlock sensor 118 is an analog sensor. The output voltage of the digital lock sensor 116 remains as 0V when the magnet is within proximity of the lock sensor 116. As the magnet 206 goes away from the lock sensor 116, the output voltage of the lock sensor 116 changes to saturation voltage (Y volts). Since the magnet is still not close to the unlock sensor 118, the unlock sensor voltage does not change and remains Y volts for some time. As the magnet 206 moves closer to the unlock sensor 118, the voltage of the analog unlock sensor 118 starts increasing from the saturation voltage (Y) and reaches to a maximum unlock voltage (X volts) when the magnet gets close to the unlock sensor 118 while the voltage of lock sensor 116 remains as saturated voltage (Y). The handle of the vehicle is free to move when the voltage of the unlock sensor becomes equal to or greater than a predefined threshold voltage (Vth) set for the unlock operation. However, complete unlock operation takes place when the voltage of unlock sensor 118 becomes X volts.
The graph shown in Figure 3 is mainly divided into three regions: left side of the graph (throughout the region ‘a’) belongs to the lock sensor voltage output; the right side ramp (throughout the region ‘c’) belongs to the unlock sensor voltage output; and the flattened region (throughout the region ‘b’), away from both the regions ‘a’ and ‘c’ at the midway, belongs to a saturated voltage output. In the saturation region, ‘b’ the output voltages of the lock and unlock sensors are equal i.e., Y volts each. By checking the output voltage values of the lock and unlock sensors, the lock and unlock state of the vehicle can be determined. For example, the vehicle is in lock state when the lock sensor voltage is 0 and unlock sensor voltage is Y. Similarly, the vehicle is in unlock state when the lock sensor voltage is Y and unlock sensor voltage is greater than or equal to the threshold voltage (Vth). However, when the metal bar gets stuck in between the lock and unlock positions and due to some error the unlock sensor senses it as unlock position, it may cause safety issues. A half locked/unlocked handle may lead to accidents during driving/vehicle operation.

As described in background section, in conventional systems, the sensors used are either both analog sensors or both digital sensors. However, if both sensors are analog the overall cost of the electronic system is high because the analog sensors are costly. And if both sensors are digital then the accuracy of the system will be low because the digital sensors are less accurate. Considering an example in which both sensors are digital sensors, then the unlock sensor 118 may get activated after sensing small amount of magnetic field even when the metal bar is still inside the handle. Thus, the electronic lock system will sense that vehicle has been unlocked but actually it has not been unlocked, which again may cause safety issues.
In the illustrated embodiments, to save the cost and without compromising the accuracy, in the proposed system the lock sensor 116 used is a digital sensor and the unlock sensor 118 used is an analog sensor. Further, to check if the handle gets stuck in between the lock and unlock positions, a current measuring unit 218 and a time measuring unit or timer 214 are used. The current measuring unit 218 continuously measures the current of the rotating unit 208 that rotates the metal bar and the magnet. The timer 214 measures the time taken in the lock/unlock operation. The current of the motor may vary from 0 A up to a maximum predefined threshold current value. This predefined threshold current value is named as stall current. The stall current is the maximum current drawn when the rotating unit 208 is applying its maximum torque, either because it is being prevented from moving entirely or because it can no longer accelerate given the load it is under. Thus, it can be concluded that the rotating unit is stuck between lock and unlock positions when the current value of the rotating unit 208 as measured by the current measuring unit 218 reaches the predefined threshold current value. Further, based on experimental data, a maximum amount of time is set that the locking/unlocking operating may take. This maximum amount of time is referred herein as a predefined time value. If the timer expires i.e. the value of time exceeds the predefined time value, it can be concluded that the handle is stuck in between the lock and unlock positions. Thus, at any point during the movement of the motorized lock mechanism or the magnet from lock to unlock position, if the value of current of rotating unit 208 exceeds the predefined threshold current value or the time exceeds the predefined time value, it may be concluded that the motorized lock mechanism is stuck in between lock and unlock operation. However, the system final indication of the stuck is indicated after retrying to unlock/lock vehicle a fixed number of times. The motorized lock mechanism is stuck when either of the rotating unit 208, the magnet 206, or the metal bar is stuck. Accordingly, an indication may be transmitted to the vehicle system 150 to not allow the ignition start of the vehicle engine.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the detailed operation of performing unlock operation on a vehicle and determining any stuck during the unlock operation is explained using the flow chart described in Figure 4.
As illustrated in Figure 4, first the user presses a switch provided on the vehicle for unlocking the vehicle. The vehicle system 150 detects the switch press and transmits the corresponding command to the electronic steering lock system 110. If the switch press is not detected, the vehicle system waits till a switch press is detected. The electronic steering lock system 110 then measures initial voltage values of the lock and unlock sensors using the voltage measuring units 216 and further measures an initial current value of the rotating means 208 using the current measuring unit 218. The processing unit 220 of the electronic steering lock system 110 sets a value of a counter as zero. The processing unit 220 then performs a first determination procedure to check if the vehicle is in lock state or not. The processing unit 220 determines whether the voltage value of lock sensor 116 is zero, the voltage value of the unlock sensor 118 is equal to a saturation voltage (Y), and the current of the rotating unit 208 is less than the predefined threshold current value. If all these conditions are satisfied, it means that the vehicle is in lock state and the user is allowed to unlock the vehicle and the processing unit 220 resets the value of counter to zero. Otherwise the processing unit 220 increments the value of counter by 1.
After checking that the vehicle is in lock state, the processing unit 220 starts the time measurement using the timer 214. The voltage measuring units 216 continuously measure the voltages of the lock and unlock sensors and the current measuring unit 218 continuously measures the current of the rotating means 208. The processing unit 220 then performs a second determination. If at any point either timer expires (i.e., the value of time exceeds the predefined threshold time value) or if the current value exceeds the predefined threshold current value, the processing unit 220 determines that the magnet or lock mechanism is stuck in between the lock and unlock position and increments the counter by one. Otherwise the processing unit 220 resets the counter value to zero and the voltage and current measurement units continue measuring the voltage values of the lock and unlock sensors and current value of the rotating means 208. In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the predefined threshold time value may be considered as one second. It means that the locking/unlocking operation may take a maximum time of 1 second. However, the value of the predefined threshold time may be different for different types and configurations of the electronic steering lock system 110.

The processing unit 220 then performs a third determination. The processing unit 220 determines whether the voltage value of lock sensor 116 is equal to the saturation voltage (Y), the voltage value of unlock sensor 118 is equal to or greater than a threshold voltage value (Vth) set for the unlock operation, and the current value of rotating unit 208 is less than the predefined threshold current value. If all these conditions are satisfied before the timer expires, the processing unit 220 determines that the unlock operation is successful. Thereafter, if the unlock operation is successful, transmitting unit 212 coupled to the processing unit 220 transmits an indication to a safety logic of the vehicle system 150 to allow the ignition start of the vehicle engine. Otherwise, if any of the conditions is not satisfied or if the timer expires, the processing unit 220 increments the value of counter by 1.
The processing unit 220 keeps on checking the value of the counter in parallel to above described procedure. When the value of counter is incremented in any of the first, second, or third determinations, the processing unit 220 compares the value of the counter with a threshold counter value (Tc). The threshold counter value (Tc) may be configured/changed time to time based on various factors such as, but not limited to, speed of rotating means 208, length of metal bar, voltage of vehicle battery, types and configurations of the electronic steering lock etc.
In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, based on experimental data the threshold counter value (Tc) may be taken as three. If the counter value is less than or equal to the threshold counter value (Tc), the processing unit 220 reverses the direction of the rotating unit 208 and places the magnet 206 and the metal bar back into the lock position. After placing the vehicle back into lock position, the processing unit 220 directs the voltage and current measurement units to restart the measurement of the initial current and voltage values and repeats the above described process of Figure 3.
If the processing unit 220 determines that the value of counter is more than the threshold counter value (Tc), it concludes that a stuck has occurred and the vehicle unlock operation is unsuccessful. Thereafter, the processing unit 220 transmits an indication to the safety logic of the vehicle system 150 to prohibit the ignition start of the vehicle engine.
In one non-limiting additional embodiment of the present disclosure, the present invention also enables the determination of the region (i.e. lock, unlock, or saturation region shown in Figure 2)

in which the stuck occurred. This determination is based in the values of voltages of the lock and unlock sensors. For example, if the output voltage of the lock sensor 116 is zero and unlock sensor 118 is saturated voltage (Y), then stuck is in lock region; if the output voltages of the lock and unlock sensor are equal to the saturated voltage (Y), then the stuck is in saturation region; and if the output voltage of the lock sensor 116 is equal to the saturation voltage (Y) and the unlock sensor 118 is greater than the saturated voltage (Y), then the stuck is in the unlock region.
Figure 5 shows a flow chart in accordance with another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure for performing lock operation on a vehicle and identifying the stuck condition while performing the lock operation on the vehicle. The flow chart of Figure 5 is the same as the flow chart of Figure 4, except that the first determination got exchanged with the second determination and vice versa.
Thus, the disclosed system is a simple and cost effective system that successfully senses the valid lock/unlock of the vehicle handle & also identifies the stuck position of the motorized lock mechanism of the lock system during its unlock to lock operation or vice versa.
Figure 6 depicts a flowchart illustrating a method for performing lock or unlock operation of a hall sensor based electronic steering lock system of a two-wheeler vehicle, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
As illustrated in Figure 6, the method 600 includes one or more blocks illustrating a method to perform lock or unlock operation of a two-wheeler vehicle. The method 600 may be described in the general context of computer executable instructions. Generally, computer executable instructions can include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, and functions, which perform specific functions or implement specific abstract data types.
The order in which the method 600 is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement the method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.

At block 610, the receiving unit 218, receives a lock or unlock command from a vehicle system 150 for performing lock or unlock operation of a two-wheeler vehicle.
After receiving the command, at block 620, voltage measuring units 216 measures an initial voltage value of the lock sensor 116 and an initial voltage value of the unlock sensor 118. Further, the current measuring unit 218 measures an initial current value of the rotating means 208.
At block 630, the processing unit 220 determines whether the initial voltage values of the lock and unlock sensors and the initial current value of the rotating means 208 satisfy a first set of conditions.
At block 640, in response to determining that the initial voltage values the initial current value satisfy the first set of conditions, the processing unit starts a timer and the voltage and current measuring units start measurement of a voltage value of the lock sensor 116, a voltage value of the unlock sensor 118, and a current value of the rotating means 208 upon simultaneously initiating rotation of the magnet 206. The voltage values of the lock and unlock sensors, and the current value of the rotating means 208 vary over time based on a degree of rotation of the magnet 206 between the lock and unlock sensors. For example, when the magnet is moving from lock sensor 116 towards unlock sensor 118 in anticlockwise direction, the voltage value of the lock sensor 116 increases and the voltage value of the unlock sensor 118 also increases.
At block 650, the voltage and current measuring units continuously measure the voltage values of the lock and unlock sensors, and the current value of the rotating means 206 for a predefined time duration. In an embodiment, this predefined time duration is equal to 1 second. It is assumed that the lock or unlock operation is completed within the predefined time duration.
At block 660, the processing unit 220 determines whether the measured voltage values and the measured current value satisfy a second set of conditions on or before the predefined time duration.
At block 670, in response to determining by the processing unit 220 that the measured voltage values and the measured current value satisfy the second set of conditions on or before the predefined time duration, the transmitting unit 214 transmits an indication to the vehicle system 150 indicating that the lock or unlock operation is successful.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, to save the cost without compromising the accuracy, the lock sensor 116 used is a digital sensor and the unlock sensor 118 is an analog sensor.
In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the processing unit 220 sets a value of counter to zero after block 620 and increments the value of counter by one in response to determining one of: that the initial voltage values and the initial current value do not satisfy the first set of conditions; or the measured voltage values and the measured current value do not satisfy the second set of conditions on or before the predefined time duration. When the value of counter is non-zero, the method proceeds to block A of figures 4 or 5. Further, the processing unit 220 resets the value of counter to zero in blocks 640 and 670.
In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the processing unit 220 reverses the direction of the rotating means 208 and places it back into original position (lock or unlock position). The method then again goes to block 620 and the measurement units start measuring the voltage and current values. The processing unit 220 retries the vehicle lock or unlock operation, when the value of counter is less than or equal to a configurable threshold counter value (Tc). However, even after the threshold number of retries, the processing unit 220 determines that the lock or unlock operation is not successful, the processing unit 220 determines that a stuck has occurred and the transmitting unit 214 transmits an indication to the vehicle system 150 to prohibit the ignition start of the vehicle engine.
In an additional non-limiting embodiment, the processing unit 220 may also determine the region (lock, unlock, or saturation) in which the motorized lock mechanism is stuck based on the values of the voltages of the lock sensor and the unlock sensor 118. For example, if the output voltage of the lock sensor 116 is zero and unlock sensor 118 is saturated voltage (Y), then stuck is in lock region; if the output voltages of the lock and unlock sensors are equal to the saturated voltage (Y), then stuck is in saturation region; and if the output voltage of the lock sensor 116 is equal to the saturation voltage (Y) and the unlock sensor 118 is greater than the saturated voltage (Y), then stuck is in unlock region.
It may be noted that the first and second sets of conditions are different for lock to unlock and for unlock to lock operations. For example, if operation is of lock to unlock then the first set of

conditions may comprises: the voltage value of the lock sensor 116 is equal to zero, the voltage value of the unlock sensor 118 is equal to a predefined saturation voltage value (Y), and the current value of the rotating means 208 is less than a predefined threshold current value; and the second set of conditions comprises: the voltage value of the lock sensor 116 is equal to the predefined saturation voltage value (Y), the voltage value of the unlock sensor 118 is greater than or equal to a threshold voltage value set for the unlock operation, and the current value of the rotating means 208 is less than the predefined threshold current value. When the lock to unlock operation is successful, the transmitting unit 214 transmits the indication to the vehicle system 150 to allow ignition start of vehicle engine and the indication comprises information that the unlock operation is successful.
In an additional or alternative embodiment, when the operation is unlock to lock operation then the first set of conditions may comprises: the voltage value of the lock sensor 116 is equal to a predefined saturation voltage value (Y), the voltage value of the unlock sensor 118 is greater than or equal to a threshold voltage value (Vth) set for the unlock operation, and the current value of the rotating means 208 is less than a predefined threshold current value; and the second set of conditions comprises: the voltage value of the lock sensor 116 is equal to zero, the voltage value of the unlock sensor 118 is equal to the predefined saturation voltage value (Y), and the current value of the rotating means 206 is less than the predefined current value. When the lock operation is successful, the transmitting unit transmits the indication to the vehicle system 150 that the lock operation is successful. In a preferred embodiment, the predefined threshold current value is equal to the stall current for the rotating means 208.
Figure 7 depicts a flowchart illustrating a method for determining a stuck in a motorized lock mechanism of a hall sensor based electronic steering lock system (110) while performing lock or unlock operation of a two wheeler vehicle, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
At block 710, the receiving unit 218, receives a lock or unlock command from a vehicle system 150 for performing lock or unlock operation of a two-wheeler vehicle. After receiving the command, at block 720, the processing unit 220 starts a timer and the current measuring unit 218 continuously measures at least a current value of the rotating means 208 upon simultaneously initiating rotation of the magnet 206.

At block 740, the processing unit 220 determines that the motorized lock mechanism is stuck between a lock and unlock position in response to determining at block 730 at least one of: the value of timer exceeds a predefined time duration, and the value of the current of the rotating means 208 exceeds a predefined threshold current value on or before the value of timer exceeds the predefined time duration. In one embodiment, the electronic steering lock system mat retry to lock/unlock the vehicle a fixed number of times to confirm that there is stuck in the motorized lock mechanism.
At block 740, in response to determining by the processing unit 220 that the motorized lock mechanism is stuck between the lock and unlock positions, a transmitting unit 212 transmits an indication to the vehicle system 150 preventing ignition start of vehicle engine. The motorized lock mechanism controls at least the rotating unit 208, the magnet 206, and a handle lock assembly. Particularly, the motorized mechanism controls movements of the metal bar, the rotations of the magnet 206 and the rotating means 208. Thus, the motorized lock mechanism may be stuck when any of the metal bar, the rotating means 208, the magnet 206, or any other component of the motorized lock mechanism is stuck.
In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, as described earlier, the lock sensor 116 is a digital sensor and the unlock sensor 118 is an analog sensor. In another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the voltage measuring units 212 are configured to measure a voltage value of the lock sensor 116 and a voltage value of the unlock sensor 118, in response to determining that the motorized lock mechanism is stuck between the lock and unlock positions.
In another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the processing unit 220 is further configured to determining a region in which the motorized lock mechanism is stuck between the lock and unlock positions based on the values of the voltages of the lock and unlock sensors. Particularly, the processing unit 220 determines that the motorized lock mechanism is stuck in a lock region when the measured voltage value of the lock sensor 116 is zero and the measured voltage value of the unlock sensor 118 is equal to a predefined saturation voltage value. Further, the processing unit 220 determines that the motorized lock mechanism is stuck in an unlock region when the measured voltage value of the lock sensor 116 is equal to the predefined saturation voltage value and the measured voltage value of the unlock sensor 118 is greater than the predefined saturation voltage value. Furthermore, the processing unit 220 determines that the motorized lock mechanism is stuck in a saturation region when the measured voltage values of the

lock and unlock sensors are both equal to the predefined saturation voltage value.
Accordingly, from the above disclosure, it may be worth noting that the present disclosure provides a method and system for performing lock and unlock operation of a vehicle using an electronic steering lock system.
Accordingly, from the above disclosure, it may be worth noting that the present disclosure provides an easy, convenient cost effective, and accurate technique for performing lock and unlock operation of a vehicle. The proposed disclosure allows the detecting of stuck of the vehicle handle/motor and thereby prevents the engine start of the vehicle. Thus, the proposed technique ensures safety to the driver/rider while carrying out vehicle handle or steering lock or unlock operation. The present invention further prevents wear and tear of the vehicle by preventing the start of the engine when the lock/unlock operation is unsuccessful.
The proposed invention is advantageous over the conventional steering lock systems as it effectively diminishes the cost without making use of a larger magnet and more precise sensors to cover the entire journey of the locking mechanism of a steering lock system. Further, the technique described does not require costly sensors and large magnets.
The present disclosure is described with reference to the figures and specific embodiments; this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. The foregoing description of the various embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to limit the embodiments shown herein, and instead the embodiments should be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

WE CLAIM:
1. A method (600) of performing lock or unlock operation of a hall sensor based electronic
steering lock system (110) of a two wheeler vehicle, the hall sensor based electronic steering system (110) comprising a lock sensor (116), an unlock sensor (118), a rotatable magnet (206) mounted in between the lock and unlock sensors, and a rotating means (208) for rotating the rotatable magnet (206) in between the lock and unlock sensors in both clockwise and anticlockwise directions, the method (600) comprising:
receiving (610) a lock or unlock command, at the hall sensor based electronic steering system (110), from a vehicle system (150);
measuring (620) an initial voltage value of the lock sensor (116), an initial voltage value of the unlock sensor (118), and an initial current value of the rotating means (208);
determining (630) whether the initial voltage values and the initial current value satisfy a first set of conditions;
in response to determining that the initial voltage values the initial current value satisfy the first set of conditions:
starting (640) a timer and starting measurement of a voltage value of the lock sensor (116), a voltage value of the unlock sensor (118), and a current value of the rotating means (208) upon simultaneously initiating rotation of the magnet (206), wherein the voltage values of the lock and unlock sensors, and the current value of the rotating means (208) vary over time based on a degree of rotation of the magnet (206) between the lock and unlock sensors;
continuously measuring (650) the voltage values of the lock and unlock sensors, and the current value of the rotating means (208) for a predefined time duration;
determining (660) whether the measured voltage values and the measured current value satisfy a second set of conditions on or before the predefined time duration; and
in response to determining that the measured voltage values and the measured current value satisfy the second set of conditions on or before the predefined time duration: transmitting (670) an indication to the vehicle system (150) indicating that the lock or unlock operation is successful,

wherein the lock sensor (116) is a digital sensor and the unlock sensor (118) is an analog sensor.
2. The method (600) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
setting a value of a counter as zero;
incrementing the value of the counter by one, in response to determining that:
the initial voltage values and the initial current value do not satisfy the first set of
conditions, or
the measured voltage values and the measured current value do not satisfy the
second set of conditions on or before the predefined time duration;
retrying the vehicle lock or unlock operation, when the value of counter is less than or equal to a threshold counter value;
determining that the magnet (206) is stuck in between lock and unlock positions when the value of counter is more than the threshold counter value;
in response to determining that the magnet is stuck between the lock and unlock positions, transmitting an indication to the vehicle system (150) preventing ignition start of vehicle engine; and
determining a region in which the magnet (206) is stuck between lock and unlock positions based on the values of the voltages of the lock and unlock sensors.
3. The method (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein:
the first set of conditions comprises:
the voltage value of the lock sensor (116) is equal to zero,
the voltage value of the unlock sensor (118) is equal to a predefined saturation voltage value, and
the current value of the rotating means (208) is less than a predefined threshold current value; and the second set of conditions comprises:
the voltage value of the lock sensor (116) is equal to the predefined saturation voltage value,

the voltage value of the unlock sensor (118) is greater than or equal to a threshold voltage value set for the unlock operation, and
the current value of the rotating means (208) is less than the predefined threshold current value, and
wherein transmitting (670) the indication comprises transmitting the indication to the vehicle system (150) to allow ignition start of vehicle engine, and wherein the indication comprises information that the unlock operation is successful.
4. The method (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein:
the first set of conditions comprises:
the voltage value of the lock sensor (116) is equal to a predefined saturation voltage value,
the voltage value of the unlock sensor (118) is greater than or equal to a threshold voltage value set for the unlock operation, and
the current value of the rotating means (208) is less than a predefined threshold current value; and the second set of conditions comprises:
the voltage value of the lock sensor (116) is equal to zero,
the voltage value of the unlock sensor (118) is equal to the predefined saturation voltage value, and
the current value of the rotating means (208) is less than the predefined threshold current; and
wherein transmitting (670) the indication comprises transmitting the indication to the vehicle system (150) that the lock operation is successful.
5. A hall sensor based electronic steering lock system (110) for performing lock or unlock
operation of a two-wheeler vehicle, the hall sensor based electronic steering lock system (110)
comprising:
a lock sensor (116), an unlock sensor (118), a rotatable magnet (206) mounted in between the lock and unlock sensors;

a rotating unit (208) configured to rotate the rotatable magnet (206) in between the lock and unlock sensors in both clockwise and anticlockwise directions;
voltage measuring units (216) configured to measure voltages of the lock and unlock sensors;
a current measuring unit (218) configured to measure current of the rotating unit (208); a time measuring unit (214) configured to measure time;
a receiving unit (210) configured to receive a lock or unlock command from a vehicle system (150);
a processing unit (220) coupled to the voltage, current, and time measuring units and configured to:
receive measured initial voltage values of the lock and unlock sensors, and an initial current value of the rotating unit (208);
determine whether the initial voltage values and the initial current value satisfy a first set of conditions;
in response to determining that the initial voltage values and the initial current value satisfy the first set of conditions:
start the time measuring unit (214) and receive the measured voltage values of the lock and unlock sensors, and the measured current value of the rotating unit (208) upon simultaneously initiating rotation of the magnet (206), wherein the voltage values of the lock and unlock sensors, and the current value of the rotating unit (208) vary over time based on a degree of rotation of the magnet (206) between the lock and unlock sensors; and
determine whether the measured voltage values and the measured current value satisfy a second set of conditions on or before a predefined time duration; and a transmitting unit (212) coupled to the processing unit (220) and configured to transmit an indication to the vehicle system (150) indicating that the lock or unlock operation is successful, in response to the determination by the processing unit (220) that the measured voltage values and the measured current value satisfy the second set of conditions on or before the predefined time duration,
wherein the lock sensor (116) is a digital sensor and the unlock sensor (118) is an analog sensor.

6. The hall sensor based electronic steering lock system (110) as claimed in claim 5, wherein
the processing unit (220) is further configured to:
set a value of a counter as zero;
increment the value of the counter by one, in response to determining that:
the initial voltage values and the initial current value do not satisfy the first set of
conditions, or
the measured voltage values and the measured current value do not satisfy the
second set of conditions on or before the predefined time duration;
retry the vehicle lock or unlock operation, when the value of counter is less than or equal to a threshold counter value; and
determine that the magnet (206) is stuck in between lock and unlock positions when the value of counter is more than the threshold counter value; and
in response to determining by the processing unit (220) that the magnet (206) is stuck between the lock and unlock positions, the transmitting unit (212) is configured to transmit an indication to the vehicle system (150) preventing ignition start of vehicle engine.
7. The hall sensor based electronic steering lock system (110) as claimed in claim 5,
wherein the first set of conditions comprises:
the voltage value of the lock sensor (116) is equal to zero,
the voltage value of the unlock sensor (118) is equal to a predefined saturation voltage value, and
the current value of the rotating unit (208) is less than a predefined threshold current value; and the second set of conditions comprises:
the voltage value of the lock sensor (116) is equal to the predefined saturation voltage value,
the voltage value of the unlock sensor (118) is greater than or equal to a threshold voltage value set for the unlock operation, and
the current value of the rotating unit (208) is less than the predefined threshold current value, and

wherein transmitting unit (212) is configured to transmit the indication to the vehicle system (150) to allow ignition start of vehicle engine, and wherein the indication comprises information that the unlock operation is successful.
8. The hall sensor based electronic steering lock system (110) as claimed in claim 5, wherein:
the first set of conditions comprises:
the voltage value of the lock sensor (116) is equal to a predefined saturation voltage value,
the voltage value of the unlock sensor (118) is greater than or equal to a threshold voltage value set for the unlock operation, and
the current value of the rotating unit (208) is less than a predefined threshold current value; and the second set of conditions comprise:
the voltage value of the lock sensor (116) is equal to zero,
the voltage value of the unlock sensor (118) is equal to the predefined saturation voltage value, and
the current value of the rotating unit (208) is less than the predefined threshold current value; and
wherein the transmitting unit (212) is configured to transmit the indication to the vehicle system (150) that the lock operation is successful.
9. A method (700) of determining a stuck in a motorized lock mechanism of a hall sensor
based electronic steering lock system (110) while performing lock or unlock operation of a two
wheeler vehicle, the hall sensor based electronic steering system (110) comprising a lock sensor
(116), an unlock sensor (118), a rotatable magnet (206) mounted in between the lock and unlock
sensors, and a rotating means (208) for rotating the rotatable magnet (206) in between the lock and
unlock sensors in both clockwise and anticlockwise directions, the method comprising:
receiving (710) a lock or unlock command from a vehicle system (150); starting (720) a timer and starting measurement of at least a current value of the rotating means (208) upon simultaneously initiating rotation of the magnet (206);

determining (740) that the motorized lock mechanism is stuck between a lock and unlock position in response to determining (730) at least one of:
the value of timer exceeds a predefined time duration, and
the value of the current of the rotating means (208) exceeds a predefined threshold
current value on or before the value of timer exceeds the predefined time duration; and
in response to determining that the motorized lock mechanism is stuck between the lock and unlock positions, transmitting (750) an indication to the vehicle system (150) preventing ignition start of vehicle engine,
wherein the lock sensor (116) is a digital sensor and the unlock sensor (118) is an analog sensor.
10. The method (700) as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:
in response to determining that the motorized lock mechanism is stuck between the lock and unlock positions, measuring a voltage value of the lock sensor (116) and a voltage value of the unlock sensor (118); and
determining a region in which the motorized lock mechanism is stuck between the lock and unlock positions based on the values of the voltages of the lock and unlock sensors, wherein determining the region comprises:
determining that the motorized lock mechanism is stuck in a lock region when the
measured voltage value of the lock sensor (116) is zero and the measured voltage value of
the unlock sensor (118) is equal to a predefined saturation voltage value;
determining that the motorized lock mechanism is stuck in an unlock region when
the measured voltage value of the lock sensor (116) is equal to the predefined saturation
voltage value and the measured voltage value of the unlock sensor (118) is greater than the
predefined saturation voltage value; and
determining that the motorized lock mechanism is stuck in a saturation region when
the measured voltage values of the lock and unlock sensors are both equal to the predefined
saturation voltage value.

11. A hall sensor based electronic steering lock system (110) for determining a stuck in a motorized lock mechanism of the hall sensor based electronic steering lock system (110), comprising:
a lock sensor (116), an unlock sensor (118), a rotatable magnet (206) mounted in between the lock and unlock sensors;
a rotating unit (208) configured to rotate the rotatable magnet (206) in between the lock and unlock sensors in both clockwise and anticlockwise directions;
voltage measuring units (216) configured to measure voltages of the lock and unlock sensors;
a current measuring unit (218) configured to measure current of the rotating unit (208); a time measuring unit (214) configured to measure time;
a receiving unit (210) configured to receive a lock or unlock command from a vehicle system (150);
a processing unit (220) coupled to the voltage, current, and time measuring units and configured to:
start the time measuring unit (214) and continuously receive at least the measured current value of the rotating unit (208) upon simultaneously initiating rotation of the magnet (206); and
determine that the motorized lock mechanism is stuck between a lock and unlock position in response to determining at least one of:
the value of time measured by the time measuring unit (214) exceeds a predefined time duration, and
the value of the current of the rotating means (208) exceeds a predefined threshold current value on or before the predefined time duration; and a transmitting unit (212) configured to transmits an indication to the vehicle system (150) preventing ignition start of vehicle engine, in response to determining by the processing unit (220) that the motorized lock mechanism is stuck between the lock and unlock positions,
wherein the lock sensor (116) is a digital sensor and the unlock sensor (118) is an analog sensor.