Remote control system and method for vehicle

• US 20060030268A1
• Filed: 07/12/2005
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Teshima, Kentaro, Tsuzuki, Haruyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,305,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/63.100
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/245 where the antenna reception area plays a role
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/63 Comprising locating means for detecting the position of the data carrier, i.e. within the vehicle or within a certain distance from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/50 at the moment of starting communication in a multiple access environment

Abstract

A vehicle has a reference receiver installed at an outer edge position of a desired detection area in a compartment to receive a signal transmitted from a transmitter in the compartment. The level of signal transmission output of the transmitter is adjusted based on the reception result of the reference receiver. It becomes possible to adjust the signal transmission output of the transmitter in the compartment so as to obtain a desired detection area at all times irrespective of change of the detection area reached by the request signal from the transmitter determined by the compartment or irrespective of variation in the electromagnetic wave environment in which the vehicle is placed.

Claims

1. A remote control system for vehicle-mounted equipment comprising:

a portable device which receives a request signal and transmits a response signal in response to the request signal;

a vehicle-side unit mounted on a vehicle and including a transmitter for transmitting the response signal into a compartment of the vehicle, a receiver for receiving the predetermined signal from the portable device, and control means for controlling operation of vehicle-mounted equipment when the response signal is received;

a reference receiver mounted in the vehicle and receiving a signal transmitted from the transmitter; and

output adjusting means for adjusting a signal transmission output of the transmitter based upon a result of reception of the signal by the reference receiver.

2. The remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the reference receiver is mounted at a position near an outer edge of a desired detection area established by the transmitter.

3. The remote control system according to claim 2, wherein the output adjusting means varies stepwise the signal transmission output of the transmitter, and determines the signal transmission output of the transmitter based on the signal transmission output at the time of a signal reception state change between a reception impossible state and a reception possible state.

4. A remote control system for vehicle-mounted equipment comprising:

a portable device which receives a request signal and transmits a response signal in response to the request signal;

a vehicle-side unit mounted on a vehicle and including a transmitter for transmitting the request signal into a compartment of the vehicle, a receiver for receiving a response signal from the portable device, and control means for controlling the operation of the vehicle-mounted equipment when the response signal is received;

a reference transmitter-receiver mounted in the vehicle, receives a signal transmitted from the transmitter and transmits a predetermined return signal when the signal is received; and

output adjusting means for adjusting a signal transmission output of the transmitter based upon the return signal from the reference transmitter-receiver.

5. The remote control system according to claim 4, wherein the reference transmitter-receiver is installed at a position near an outer edge of a desired detection area in the compartment.

6. The remote control system according to claim 5, wherein the output adjusting means recognizes the signal transmission output at the time of a signal reception state change between a reception impossible state and a reception possible state upon a presence of the return signal from the reference transmitter-receiver when the signal transmission output of the transmitter-transmitter is varied stepwise, and determines the signal transmission output of the transmitter based upon a recognized signal transmission output.

7. A remote control method for a vehicle comprising:

transmitting a request signal from a transmitter provided in a vehicle into a compartment of the vehicle to be received by a portable device carried by a user;

allowing the user to operate the vehicle when a response signal is received from the portable device in response to the request signal;

transmitting a predetermined signal from the transmitter into the compartment to be received by a reference receiver provided in the vehicle; and

changing a signal output level of the transmitter based on a state of reception of the predetermined signal by the reference receiver so that the signal output level of the transmitter is adjusted to generally correspond to a compartment of the vehicle.

8. The remote control method according to claim 7, wherein the transmitting of the predetermined signal and the changing of the signal output level are performed after the user stopped operating the vehicle.

9. The remote control method according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined signal is received by the reference receiver at generally an outermost position of the compartment.

10. The remote control method according to claim 8, wherein the transmitting of the predetermined signal is started from one of a maximum output level and a minimum output level.