In-vehicle device

• US 20060238316A1
• Filed: 04/18/2006
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Matsumura, Takeshi, Taki, Naoki, Watanabe, Atsushi, Otsuka, Mayumi, Kawaguchi, Keizoh
• Granted Patent: US 8,818,621 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/426.130
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2036 by using the door logic and door and engine unlock means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00174 Electronically operated locks; Circuits therefor; Nonmechanical keys therefor, e.g. passive or active electrical keys or other data carriers without mechanical keys mechanical locks with electric permutation E05B49/00; arrangements for sensing or reading record carriers G06K7/00; electronic switching H03K17/00

Abstract

In an in-vehicle device which is carried on an automotive vehicle, an operation unit causes the vehicle to execute a predetermined operation in response to a remote control request from a user. A detection unit detects existence of a moving object in a passenger compartment of the vehicle or in areas surrounding the vehicle. An operation inhibition unit inhibits execution of the predetermined operation by the operation unit when existence of the moving object is detected by the detection unit.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle device which is carried on an automotive vehicle, comprising:

a first operation unit causing the vehicle to execute a first predetermined operation in response to a remote control request from a user;

a detection unit detecting existence of a moving object in a passenger compartment of the vehicle or in areas surrounding the vehicle; and

an operation inhibition unit inhibiting execution of the first predetermined operation by the first operation unit when existence of the moving object is detected by the detection unit.

2. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1 further comprising an operation stop unit stopping, if the remote control request from the user indicates, as the first predetermined operation, a closing operation of the vehicle door to divide an open space region into two separate regions by moving a portion of the vehicle physically, execution of the closing operation when existence of the moving object is detected by the detection unit during execution of the closing operation.

3. The in-vehicle device according to claim 2 wherein the operation stop unit is provided to allow, if the vehicle has a function of driving movement of the portion of the vehicle in an opposite direction when it is detected that the portion of the vehicle contacts a foreign matter during execution of the closing operation, the execution of the closing operation without stopping the execution of the closing operation when existence of the moving object is detected by the detection unit during the execution of the closing operation.

4. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1 further comprising:

a second operation unit causing the vehicle to execute a second predetermined operation in response to the remote control request from the user, the second predetermined operation including a vehicle operation indicated by the remote control request from the user, and a vehicle state monitoring operation to check if predetermined conditions for execution of the vehicle operation are satisfied;

a second operation inhibition unit inhibiting execution of the vehicle operation indicated by the remote control request when existence of the moving object is detected by the detection unit; and

an operation permission unit permitting the execution of the vehicle operation when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

5. The in-vehicle device according to claim 4 wherein the operation permission unit is provided to permit, if the remote control request from the user indicates as the vehicle operation an operation of an air-conditioner, execution of the operation of the air-conditioner by setting the air-conditioner in a given mode.

6. The in-vehicle device according to claim 4 wherein the operation permission unit is provided to permit, if the remote control request from the user indicates as the vehicle operation an operation of lighting a hazard lamp, execution of the operation of lighting the hazard lamp.

7. The in-vehicle device according to claim 4 wherein the operation permission unit is provided to permit, if the remote control request from the user indicates as the vehicle operation a cancellation operation to cancel execution of a previously requested remote operation, execution of the cancellation operation.

8. The in-vehicle device according to claim 4 wherein the operation permission unit is provided to permit, if the remote control request from the user indicates as the vehicle operation an operation permitted by a passenger in a passenger compartment of the vehicle, execution of the operation permitted by the passenger.

9. The in-vehicle device according to claim 8 wherein the in-vehicle device comprises a switching unit for specifying the operation permitted by the passenger in the passenger compartment.

10. The in-vehicle device according to claim 8 further comprising:

a voice output unit outputting a voice message to check if execution of a predetermined remote operation is permitted, to the passenger in the passenger compartment; and

a determination unit determining whether the passenger in the passenger compartment has permitted the predetermined remote operation, by receiving and analyzing a reply voice of the passenger to the voice message outputted by the voice output unit.

11. The in-vehicle device according to claim 4 wherein the operation permission unit is provided to permit, if the remote control request is received from the user and it is detected that a passenger or animal in the passenger compartment is sleeping, execution of the vehicle operation.