Portable communication device

• US 20060103240A1
• Filed: 11/10/2005
• Published: 05/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Watabe, Nobuya, Naito, Hiromichi
• Application Number:
  US11/270,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20060103240A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/10.100
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0408 transmitting the signals by non-mechanical means from the wheel or tyre to a vehicle body mounted receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0479 Communicating with external units being not part of the vehicle, e.g. tools for diagnostic, mobile phones, electronic keys or service stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

A communication module is mounted in a user-carried portable telephone, so that the portable telephone and the communication module cooperate. When a user performs a vehicle wheel physical state request operation, a wheel physical state request signal is transmitted to a wheel physical state transmitter, so that wheel physical state data is received from the wheel physical state transmitter and displayed on a display device. Further, on receiving a probe signal from a smart entry vehicle unit, a lock/unlock signal is transmitted for automatically unlocking doors of the vehicle. When a user performs a lock/unlock operation, an unlock signal is transmitted for locking or unlocking doors of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A user-carried portable communication device comprising:

a display device;

a receiving circuit that wirelessly receives a detection signal indicating a physical state of the wheel wirelessly transmitted from a wheel physical state transmitter that is mounted in a wheel;

a transmitting circuit that wirelessly transmits a signal to a door locking device that locks or unlocks a door of a vehicle when wirelessly receiving a lock/unlock signal from outside the vehicle; and

a control circuit, characterized in that the control circuit includes;

a lock/unlock signal transmission control means that instructs the transmitting circuit to transmit the lock/unlock signal to the door locking device; and

a display control means that, when the receiving circuit wirelessly receives the detection signal transmitted from the wheel physical state transmitter, instructs the display device to display the physical state of the wheel.

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

an operation device that accepts user operations, wherein

the transmitting circuit wirelessly transmits to the wheel physical state transmitter a request signal indicating a request to transmit a physical state of a wheel,

the control circuit further includes;

a wheel physical state display operation detecting means that detects that an operation for displaying a physical state of a wheel has been performed on the operation device; and

a wheel physical state request signal transmission control means that instructs the transmitting circuit to transmit the request signal with first output power, based on detection of the wheel physical state display operation detecting means, and

the lock/unlock signal transmission control means instructs the transmitting circuit to transmit the lock/unlock signal with second output power larger than the first output power.

3. The portable communication device according to claim 1, wherein

the receiving circuit wirelessly receives also a signal wirelessly transmitted from the door locking device that wirelessly transmits a prescribed probe signal, and locks or unlocks vehicle doors when wirelessly receiving a lock/unlock signal, and

the lock/unlock signal transmission control means instructs the transmitting circuit to transmit the lock/unlock signal when the receiving circuit receives the prescribed probe signal.

4. The portable communication device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless telephone communication means, wherein

the receiving circuit wirelessly receives a signal from an on-vehicle wireless transmitter,

the control circuit further includes;

a telephone suppression means that suppresses an incoming-call or outgoing-call operation in the wireless telephone communication means when the receiving circuit wirelessly receives a signal from the on-vehicle wireless transmitter.

5. The portable communication device according to claim 4, wherein

the telephone suppression means suppresses the incoming-call or outgoing-call operation in the wireless telephone communication means when the receiving circuit wirelessly receives a signal indicating that the vehicle is in the middle of vehicle driving, from the on-vehicle wireless transmitter.

6. A communication device detachably mounted in portable electronic equipment, comprising:

an interface circuit for detachably connecting to the portable electronic equipment;

a transmitting circuit that wirelessly transmits a signal to a door locking device that locks or unlocks doors of a vehicle when wirelessly receiving a lock/unlock signal from outside the vehicle, the transmitting circuit operating under power supplied from the portable electronic equipment connected via the interface circuit; and

a mounting side control circuit that operates under power supplied from the portable electronic equipment connected via the interface circuit,

wherein the mounting side control circuit functions as a lock/unlock signal transmission control means that instructs the transmitting circuit to transmit the lock/unlock signal to the door locking device.

7. The communication device according to claim 6, wherein

the lock/unlock signal transmission control means instructs the transmitting circuit to transmit the lock/unlock signal to the door locking device when receiving via the interface circuit a signal outputted from the portable electronic equipment when a user performs a locking/unlocking operation on an operation device of the portable electronic equipment.

8. The communication device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a receiving circuit that wirelessly receives a signal wirelessly transmitted from a wheel physical state transmitter that is mounted in a wheel and wirelessly transmits a signal indicating a physical state of the wheel,

wherein the mounting side control circuit further functions as a wheel physical state display output means that, when the receiving circuit receives a signal indicating a physical state of a wheel wirelessly transmitted from the wheel physical state transmitter, outputs a signal for displaying a physical state of a wheel relating to the signal in the display device via the interface circuit, the display device being included in the portable electronic equipment connected via the interface circuit.

9. The communication device according to claim 6, wherein

the transmitting circuit also wirelessly transmits to the wheel physical state transmitter a request signal indicating a request to transmit a physical state of a wheel,

the control circuit further functions as a wheel physical state request signal transmission control means that instructs the transmitting circuit to transmit a signal indicating a request to transmit a physical state of a wheel with first output power when receiving via the interface circuit a signal outputted from the portable electronic equipment when a user performs an operation for displaying a physical state of a wheel on an operation device of the portable electronic equipment, and

the lock/unlock signal transmission control means instructs the transmitting circuit to transmit the lock/unlock signal with second output power higher than the first output power.

10. The communication device according to claim 6, wherein

the receiving circuit wirelessly receives a signal from an on-vehicle wireless transmitter, and

the mounting side control circuit further outputs, when the receiving circuit wirelessly receives a signal from the on-vehicle wireless transmitter, a signal for suppressing an incoming-call or outgoing-call operation in a portable telephone connected via the interface circuit to the portable telephone via the interface circuit.

11. The portable communication device according to claim 6, wherein

the receiving circuit wirelessly receives also a signal wirelessly transmitted from the door locking device that wirelessly transmits a prescribed probe signal, and locks or unlocks vehicle doors when wirelessly receiving a lock/unlock signal, and

the lock/unlock signal transmission control means instructs the transmitting circuit to transmit the lock/unlock signal when the receiving circuit receives the prescribed probe signal.