Vehicle remote-operation apparatus

• US 20060186996A1
• Filed: 02/21/2006
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Shinichiro
• Application Number:
  US11/357,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20060186996A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.200
• 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 vehicle remote-operation apparatus is provided which is capable of heightening the speed of a response. In this apparatus, with a plurality of portable units for a vehicle located within their communicable range with a vehicle-side transmitter and a vehicle-side receiver, when one of the plurality of portable units is specified as a communication target and a transmission request signal is transmitted from the vehicle-side transmitter, a portable unit is specified in order of the greatness of a counter value corresponding to each portable unit.

Claims

1. A vehicle remote-operation apparatus, comprising:

a vehicle-side communication unit; and

a plurality of radio portable units which are allocated an identification code unique to a vehicle,

wherein the vehicle-side communication unit includes;

a vehicle-side transmitter which transmits a transmission request signal to each of the plurality of portable units;

a vehicle-side receiver which receives a reply signal from each of the plurality of portable units;

a plurality of counters which are provided for each of the plurality of portable units, and count a value on a communication state between the vehicle-side transmitter and the vehicle-side receiver and each of the plurality of portable units; and

a controller which, with the plurality of portable units located within a communicable range with the vehicle-side transmitter and the vehicle-side receiver, when specifying one portable unit of the plurality of portable units as a communication target and transmitting a transmission request signal from the vehicle-side transmitter, specifies a portable unit in order of the greatness of the values of the plurality of counters, and controls the vehicle-side transmitter so that it transmits a transmission request signal for this portable unit.

2. The vehicle remote-operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if communication is established between the vehicle-side transmitter and the vehicle-side receiver and one portable unit of the plurality of portable units, the controller increases the value of the counter which corresponds to the portable unit as this communication target.

3. The vehicle remote-operation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein among the plurality of counters, the controller clears a counter whose value is not increased for a specific period.

4. The vehicle remote-operation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller clears the counters if the number of times at which communication is established between the vehicle-side transmitter and the vehicle-side receiver and the plurality of portable units exceeds a specific value.

5. The vehicle remote-operation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller:

transmits a transmission request signal for all the plurality of portable units as communication targets from the vehicle-side transmitter;

if a reply signal to this transmission request signal which is transmitted from each portable unit is not decoded, specifies a portable unit in order of the greatness of the values of the plurality of counters; and

controls the vehicle-side transmitter so that it transmits a transmission request signal for this portable unit.

6. The vehicle remote-operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of counters include,

a plurality of first counters which are provided for each of the plurality of portable units, and count the number of times at which communication is established between the vehicle-side transmitter and the vehicle-side receiver and the portable units corresponding to the first counters themselves, and

a plurality of second counters which are provided for each of the plurality of portable units, and count the number of times at which communication is established between the vehicle-side transmitter and the vehicle-side receiver and other portable units than the portable units corresponding to the second counters themselves; and

with the plurality of portable units located within the communicable range with the vehicle-side transmitter and the vehicle-side receiver, when specifying one portable unit of the plurality of portable units as the communication target and transmitting a transmission request signal from the vehicle-side transmitter, the controller specifies a portable unit in order of the greatness of the values of the plurality of first counters, and controls the vehicle-side transmitter so that it transmits a transmission request signal for this portable unit.

7. The vehicle remote-operation apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the controller clears a second counter whose value exceeds a specific value among the plurality of second counters and the first counter which corresponds to the portable unit corresponding to this second counter.

8. The vehicle remote-operation apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the controller:

transmits a transmission request signal for all the plurality of portable units as communication targets from the vehicle-side transmitter;

if a reply signal to this transmission request signal which is transmitted from each portable unit is not decoded, specifies a portable unit in order of the greatness of the values of the plurality of first counters; and

controls the vehicle-side transmitter so that it transmits a transmission request signal for this portable unit.

9. The vehicle remote-operation apparatus according to claim 6, wherein among the plurality of first counters, the controller clears a first counter whose value is not increased for a specific period and the second counter which corresponds to the portable unit corresponding to this first counter.

10. A vehicle-side communication unit which communicates by radio with a plurality of portable unit allocated an identification code unique to a vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle-side transmitter which transmits a transmission request signal to each of the plurality of portable units;

a vehicle-side receiver which receives a reply signal from each of the plurality of portable units;

a plurality of counters which are provided for each of the plurality of portable units, and count a value on a communication state between the vehicle-side transmitter and the vehicle-side receiver and each of the plurality of portable units; and

a controller which, with the plurality of portable units located within a communicable range with the vehicle-side transmitter and the vehicle-side receiver, when specifying one portable unit of the plurality of portable units as a communication target and transmitting a transmission request signal from the vehicle-side transmitter, specifies a portable unit in order of the greatness of the values of the plurality of counters, and controls the vehicle-side transmitter so that it transmits a transmission request signal for this portable unit.