Vehicle identification code storing device and method for storing vehicle identification code

• US 20040233077A1
• Filed: 04/30/2004
• Published: 11/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Mizusawa, Kazuya
• Granted Patent: US 7,145,485 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/87
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user

Abstract

A device stores a vehicle identification code that includes a character string of a plurality of digits. The device includes a writing request detection section that detects a request for writing the vehicle identification code. An encoding section compresses and encodes the vehicle identification code that corresponds to the detected writing request to generate a storage code. A storage code storing section stores the storage code. Therefore, the device efficiently stores the vehicle identification codes in a nonvolatile memory.

Claims

1. A device for storing a vehicle identification code that includes a character string of a plurality of digits, the device comprising:

a writing request detection section that detects a request for writing the vehicle identification code;

an encoding section that compresses and encodes the vehicle identification code that corresponds to the detected writing request, thereby generating a storage code; and

a storage code storing section that stores the storage code.

2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a reading request detection section that detects a request for reading the vehicle identification code;

a decoding section that decodes the stored storage code into the original vehicle identification code in response to the reading request; and

a sending section that sends the decoded vehicle identification code.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein each character in the vehicle identification code is inputted as proper data to the encoding section, the proper data contains code data representing the character and overhead bit data appended to the code data, wherein the encoding section deletes at least part of the overhead bit data, thereby compressing the vehicle identification code into the storage code.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the proper data includes a string of a multiple bits, and wherein the encoding section deletes the most significant bit of the string.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the string includes bits corresponding to an ASCII code and a bit that is appended as the most significant bit to the bits corresponding to the ASCII code.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein each character in the vehicle identification code is expressed by a binary code that corresponds to a hexadecimal number equal to or greater than a predetermined value, wherein the encoding section subtracts a hexadecimal number equal to or less than the predetermined value from a hexadecimal number corresponding to the inputted binary code, and wherein the encoding section expresses the resultant of the subtraction with a binary code the number of bits of which is less than that of the inputted binary code, thereby compressing the vehicle identification code into the storage code.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined value of hexadecimal number is 30.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein some characters in the vehicle identification code are numeric values each of which is expressed by a binary code, wherein the encoding section extracts the binary code that expresses the numeric value from the inputted vehicle identification code, wherein the encoding section interprets a string containing the numeric values expressed by the extracted binary codes as a single decimal number, and expresses the decimal number with a binary code to generate the storage code.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the encoding section extracts digits that represent numeric values from a string in the vehicle identification code, wherein the encoding section puts the extracted digits into an order to obtain a sequence, and interprets the sequence as a single number, and wherein, based on the single number, the encoding section generates the storage code.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein each character in the vehicle identification code is selected from thirty-three characters, wherein the encoding section assigns a different one of decimal numbers from 0 to 32 as a storage code to each of the thirty three characters in advance.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein each character in the vehicle identification code is expressed by a binary code corresponding to an ASCII code and is inputted to the encoding section, wherein a different storage code is assigned to each character in advance, and wherein the encoding section expresses the inputted binary code by one of the storage codes such that the inputted binary code is converted into a binary code the number of bits of which is less than that of the inputted binary code.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein six-bit storage codes that are different from the ASCII codes are created, and wherein the encoding section assigns a different one of the six-bit codes to each character in the vehicle identification code.

13. A device for storing a vehicle identification code that includes a character string of a plurality of digits, the device comprising:

an input interface that inputs a vehicle identification code;

a computer that compresses and encodes the inputted vehicle identification code, thereby generating a storage code; and

a storage code storing section that stores the storage code.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein each character in the vehicle identification code is inputted as proper data to the computer, the proper data contains code data representing the character and overhead bit data appended to the code data, wherein the computer deletes at least part of the overhead bit data, thereby compressing the vehicle identification code into the storage code.

15. A method for storing a vehicle identification code that includes a character string of a plurality of digits, the method comprising:

detecting a request for writing the vehicle identification code;

compressing and encoding a vehicle identification code that corresponds to the detected the writing request, thereby generating a storage code; and

storing the encoded storage code in a storage medium.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein each character in the vehicle identification code is expressed by code data representing the character and overhead bit data appended to the code data, wherein, when the vehicle identification code is compressed into the storage code, at least part of the overhead bit data is deleted.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein each character in the vehicle identification code is expressed by a inputted binary code that corresponds to a hexadecimal number equal to or greater than a predetermined value, wherein, when the vehicle identification code is compressed into the storage code, a hexadecimal number equal to or less than the predetermined value is subtracted from a hexadecimal number corresponding to the inputted binary code, and wherein the resultant of the subtraction is expressed by a storage binary code the number of bits of which is less than that of the inputted binary code.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein some characters in the vehicle identification code are numeric values each of which is expressed by a binary code, wherein the binary code that expresses the numeric value is extracted from the inputted vehicle identification code, wherein a string containing the numeric values expressed by the extracted binary codes is interpreted as a single decimal number, and the decimal number is expressed by a binary code and used for the storage code.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein each character in the vehicle identification code is selected from thirty-three characters, wherein a different one of decimal numbers from 0 to 32 is assigned as a storage code to each of the thirty three characters in advance.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein each character in the vehicle identification code is expressed by a binary code corresponding to an ASCII code, wherein a different storage code is assigned to each character in advance, wherein the binary code is expressed by one of the storage codes, and wherein each storage code has a number of bits that is less than that of the binary code.