Keyless entry system

• US 20080048827A1
• Filed: 08/02/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nakasato, Mitsuharu, Kikuchi, Yuya
• Granted Patent: US 8,044,768 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.61
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2027 with data signals passing through the human body
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00809 with data transmission through the human body
• 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

Abstract

A keyless entry system that performs communication between a vehicle-side device provided in a vehicle and a portable device, wherein the vehicle includes a detector that detects a person'"'"'s action of getting off the vehicle, wherein the portable device has a portable device controller that performs communication of a signal for authentication, and a portable device electrode that makes an electric field induced in a human body by the signal, wherein the vehicle-side device has a vehicle-side electrode that detects the electric field induced in the human body by the portable device electrode, and a vehicle-side controller that has a signal input thereto by an electric field detected by the vehicle-side electrode, and authenticates the signal, and wherein the vehicle-side controller determines that the portable device has been left in the vehicle if the vehicle-side controller has no history of authentication of the portable device when the person'"'"'s action of getting off a vehicle has been detected by the detector, or if the vehicle-side controller cannot perform authentication of the portable device therewith immediately after the detection, and then makes the device provided in the vehicle perform a predetermined operation.

Claims

1. A keyless entry system that performs communication between a vehicle-side device provided in a vehicle and a portable device,

wherein the vehicle includes a detector that detects a person'"'"'s action of getting off the vehicle,

wherein the portable device has a portable device controller that performs communication of a signal for authentication, and a portable device electrode that makes an electric field induced in a human body by the signal,

wherein the vehicle-side device has a vehicle-side electrode that detects the electric field induced in the human body by the portable device electrode, and a vehicle-side controller that has a signal input thereto by an electric field detected by the vehicle-side electrode, and authenticates the signal, and

wherein the vehicle-side controller determines that the portable device has been left in the vehicle if the vehicle-side controller has no history of authentication of the portable device when the person'"'"'s action of getting off a vehicle has been detected by the detector, or if the vehicle-side controller cannot perform authentication of the portable device therewith immediately after the detection, and then makes the device provided in the vehicle perform a predetermined operation.

2. The keyless entry system according to claim 1,

wherein the vehicle-side electrode is disposed in a position where the electrode is communicable with the portable device via a human body at the time of the person'"'"'s preliminary action of getting off the vehicle.

3. The keyless entry system according to claim 2,

wherein the vehicle includes a door handle received in a recess provided in an inner surface of a door, and

wherein the vehicle-side electrode is provided in a side wall of the recess so as be communicable with the portable device via the human body at the time of the person'"'"'s preliminary action of getting off the vehicle.

4. The keyless entry system according to claim 2,

wherein the vehicle includes a door handle received in a recess provided in an inner surface of a door, and

wherein the vehicle-side electrode is provided in the door handle so as be communicable with the portable device via the human body at the time of the person'"'"'s preliminary action of getting off the vehicle.

5. The keyless entry system according to claim 1,

wherein the device provided in the vehicle is a notification means, and the vehicle-side controller makes the notification means operate to make a notification if the controller has determined that the portable device is left in the vehicle.

6. The keyless entry system according to claim 1,

wherein the detector is a switch that detects the opening/closing state of the vehicle door.