AUTHENTICATION APPARATUS

• US 20090066477A1
• Filed: 08/28/2006
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaihori, Hiroki, Okada, Hiroyasu
• Application Number:
  US11/911,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20090066477A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.720
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2072 with means for preventing jamming or interference of a remote switch control signal
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00388 code verification carried out according to the challenge/response method
• 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

The authentication apparatus disclosed here is formed of a unit to be controlled and a plurality of portable devices having communication with the unit via radio waves. The unit has a first controller, a first transmitter controlled by the first controller and a first receiver. Each of the portable devices has a second controller, a storage section that stores the replying order of the portable devices and is controlled by the second controller, a second transmitter and a second receiver. In response to communication signals sent from the first transmitter of the unit to each of the second receivers, each portable device replies with a first communication signal according to the replying order stored in the storage section. The first communication signal is sent back to the unit from each device with a predetermined time difference so as not to produce an overlapped period in the replying time.

Claims

1. Authentication apparatus comprising:

a unit to be controlled; and

a plurality of portable devices communicating with the unit via radio waves, the unit to be controlled further including;

a first controller;

a first transmitter controlled by the first controller;

a first receiver, and

a storage section for storing the portable devices,

the plurality of portable devices, each of which further including;

a second controlled;

a storage section that stores a replying order of the portable devices and is controlled by the second controller;

a second transmitter; and

a second receiver,

wherein, in response to communication signals sent from the first transmitter of the unit to the second receiver, the portable devices send a first communication signal according to the replying order stored in the storage section, the first communication signal is sent back to the unit from each portable device with a predetermined time difference so as not to produce an overlapped period in replying time, when the first receiver of the unit receives the first communication signal having a predetermined data from a portable device in a communication with a predetermined time difference with the portable devices, the first controller of the unit stores the portable device in the storage section and carries out authentication with a firstly replied portable device.

2. The authentication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first communication signal is successively sent back to the unit from each portable device with a predetermined time difference so as not to produce an overlapped period in replying time.

3. The authentication apparatus of claim 1, wherein numbers representing the replying order stored in the storage section of the portable devices do not take an identical number with one another but take sequential numbers, starting with a predetermined number.

4. The authentication apparatus of claim 1, wherein a maximum value of the numbers representing the replying orders stored in the storage section of the portable devices is determined to be equal to a maximum number of the portable devices the communicate with the unit.

5. The authentication apparatus of claim 1, wherein all the portable devices reply to the unit with the first communication signal formed of a predetermined same data.

6. The authentication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the portable devices do not have a uniform first communication signal;

a portable device placed earlier in the replying order has a shorter form of the first communication signal.

7. The authentication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first controller of the unit carries out authentication with a firstly replied portable device when the first communication signals are sent back with a predetermined time difference from the portable devices.

8. The authentication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the unit has a storage section for storing a portable device, when the first receiver of the unit receives the first communication signal having a receiving electric-field intensity within a predetermined range in a communication with a predetermined time difference with the portable devices, the first controller of the unit stores the device in the storage section and carries out authentication with a firstly replied portable device.

10. The authentication apparatus of claim 1, wherein a time for waiting the first communication signal from the portable devices is changed according to the number of the portable devices that communicate with the unit.

11. The authentication apparatus of claim 1, wherein authentication of the portable devices is carried out with the use of a device-specific number that is given separately from the numbers representing the replying order of the devices.

12. The authentication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first communication signal includes a plurality of parity bits in a device-specific number every predetermined bits, when the first receiver of the unit receives the first communication signal having complete agreement in parity every predetermined bits of the device-specific number in a communication with a predetermined time difference with the portable devices, the first controller of the unit stores the device in storage section and carries out authentication with a firstly replied portable device.

13. The authentication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the unit is employed for a locking system of a car.

14. The authentication apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first receiver controlled by the first controller effects door-locking/unlocking control with the use of a second communication signal sent from a portable device, the first communication signal contains a synchronizing signal different from a signal and data included in the second communication signal.

15. The authentication apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first communication signal has data that is different from a preamble signal included in the second communication signal.

9. (canceled)