Chandigarh University Researcher Gets Patent for Innovative 'Vehicle Security System' to Combat Rising Vehicle Theft Cases

Researcher Develops Intelligent Anti-Theft Vehicle Security System Combining Sensors, Cameras, GPS & Intruder Detection

CHANDIGARH, India, July 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Chandigarh University Researcher, Prof Ashish Sharma, has been granted design patent for his innovative smart vehicle security system that detects intruders, captures their photos and videos, tracks the vehicle's location, and instantly alerts the owner through a mobile phone.

A faculty member from Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Prof Sharma's invention, a vehicle security system for vehicles, helps protect a car from theft and unauthorized access. The patented innovation, titled 'Vehicle Security System' was developed by Prof Sharma who filed the patent in 2019. The patent has been officially granted by the Union government's Patent Office in 2026.

Prof Sharma said, "The 'Smart Vehicle Security System' is designed to use motion sensors to detect when a person comes near the vehicle using the 'Smart Vehicle Security System', the Motion sensors detect the person's presence. If the person touches or tries to force open the vehicle, force sensors detect it. Cameras automatically capture photos and videos of the concerned person. The system also has a GPS tracker that continuously monitors the vehicle's location. The system sends an alert, images, videos, and location to the owner's mobile phone."

"Motor vehicle theft in India has become a common phenomenon in India with over 2.33 lakh vehicle theft cases getting reported in India during 2024, as per the 'Crime in India 2024' report recently released by the National Crime Records Bureau. Over 5600 cases of theft from vehicles were also reported in 2024. Over 70 % of stolen vehicles are never recovered and never return to their owners as the overall recovery rates for stolen vehicles in India ranged between 25 to 30%. For two‑wheelers, detection rate remains below 27%.  According to a report by insurance firm Acko, in Delhi-NCR, one vehicle was stolen every 14 minutes in 2023. This trend has been there for many years and whenever I used to hear or read about a car theft case, I used to think if it was possible to prevent such incidents with a protection device which could warn or alert the concerned owner whenever an attempt was being made to lift a car or vehicle.   And I since am in the field of electronics, we have so many sensors that can automate various functions. With such sensors, we can transmit direct GPS signals to a pre-decided person or even public authorities like police. The sensor itself can trigger these messages. So I thought of designing a device which will send a signal whenever someone tries to make forced entry into a car," Prof Sharma said, who has filed 11 patents out of which two have been granted.

"As Chandigarh University has a robust research ecosystem which encourages faulty members and students to undertake research in any field of their interest, I conducted research to see what's possible to solve this problem done by utilising sensors. So, I worked on this concept of one camera with sensor for preventing car theft cases. That's the core idea. This Vehicle Security System sends all information, including the intruder's images, videos, and the vehicle's location, directly to the owner's mobile phone. This allows the owner to take quick action and share evidence with authorities if required. The system can also store images and videos on cloud storage and may be powered by solar panels for continuous operation," said Prof Sharma.

"Modern cameras come in various ranges and can even provide 360-degree rotation. In my design, the camera with a sensor takes a photo and transmits it to the owner, along with a signal via the GPS sensor. That's the primary function of our product. Certain sensors might also trigger an alert beep—that's the kind of idea involved. The difference here is that we've integrated a GPS system in this camera which will remain connected to the owner through Internet. This device can be assembled for somewhere between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000. If we opt for more advanced features, the cost might go up by another Rs 5,000. This is just the minimum cost. We could build a really good device for anywhere between 5,000 and 10,000 rupees," he added.

Congratulating Prof Sharma for getting the design patent, Deepinder Singh Sandhu, Senior Managing Director, Chandigarh University said, "This achievement reflects the strong research and innovation eco-system at Chandigarh University to support research excellence and intellectual property generation for advancement of technology. Chandigarh University's students and faculty members have filed more than 6,000 patents out of which 5800 patents have been published and 260 patents have been granted. Chandigarh University is ranked number one as a single institution in India for filing highest number of patents. CU's 44 faculty members featured in Stanford University–Elsevier list of the world's top 2% scientists."

"Chandigarh University allocates Rs 15 Crore annually for research-intensive learning and houses 60 Research Centers, 30 Industry-sponsored Advanced Research Labs like AI LAB, Addictive Manufacturing Lab, Molecular Biology Lab, Genetics Lab, SEM Lab, XRD Lab for its researchers. Besides a dedicated University Centre for Research & Development, 32 Centers of Excellence (COEs) have been established in CU by leading MNCs such as Microsoft, Cisco, Hyundai, Tech Mahindra, Capgemini and IBM. Chandigarh University is having 56 government funded research projects and 12 research projects involving international collaboration. CU received Rs 90 Crore for research and innovation projects from Union Ministry of Science and Technology in last five years," he added.

About Chandigarh University

Chandigarh University is a NAAC A+ Grade University and QS World Ranked University. This autonomous educational institution is approved by UGC and is located near Chandigarh in the state of Punjab. It is the youngest university in India and the only private university in Punjab to be honoured with A+ Grade by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council). CU offers more than 109 UG and PG programs in the field of engineering, management, pharmacy, law, architecture, journalism, animation, hotel management, commerce, and others. It has been awarded as The University with Best Placements by WCRC.

Website address: https://www.cuchd.in/