MOTORCAR

• US 20090160608A1
• Filed: 04/20/2006
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Inoue, Makoto
• Application Number:
  US11/568,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20090160608A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.640
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/245 where the antenna reception area plays a role
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/78 as part of a hands-free locking or unlocking operation
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

A motorcar contains a metallic door for opening and closing an entry space to the inside of the car body; a door handle by which the door is opened and closed; a door-lock system for the locking/unlocking door; a radio-wave-permeable lid that covers an opening formed so as to correspond to the position of the door handle; an antenna disposed on a lid inside the door; a controller that is connected to an antenna and controls the locking and unlocking operations of the door-lock system; and a portable key for establishing radio communications with the antenna.

Claims

1. A motorcar comprising:

a car body;

a metallic door for opening and closing an entry space to an inside of the car body;

a door handle by which the door is opened and closed;

a door-lock system for locking/unlocking the door;

a radio-wave-permeable lid for covering an opening that is formed so as to correspond to a position to which the door handle is fixed;

an antenna disposed on the lid inside the door;

a controller that is connected to the antenna and controls locking and unlocking operations of the door-lock system;

a portable key for establishing radio communications with the antenna;

an external recognition-starting switch for operating recognition of the portable key when a user carrying the portable key opens the door from an outside and gets in the inside of the car body; and

an internal recognition-starting switch for operating recognition of the portable key after entry of the user,

wherein, the controller changes a communication range of the radio communications so as to provide a narrower range for door-unlocked condition, and provide a broader range for door-locked condition.

2. The motorcar of claim 1, wherein the antenna is contained in the opening.

3. The motorcar of claim 2, wherein the antenna is contained in the opening in a way that ends of the antenna make no contact with perimeter of the opening.

5. The motorcar of claim 1, wherein the antenna, as proximity two-way communication, can be used as a part of a device for carrying out recognition of the portable key that operates without battery power.

6. The motorcar of claim 1, wherein the portable key has no need of battery power when it operates for proximity two-way communication, while the portable key needs battery power when it operates for remote two-way communication or remote one-way transmission.

7. The motorcar of claim 1, wherein the controller unlocks the door in the door-locked condition, or locks the door in the door-unlocked condition when detecting a match in the recognition by the external recognition-starting switch.

8. The motorcar of claim 1, wherein the controller prohibits door-unlocking operation on the door in the door-locked condition when detecting that the user is in the car body after the door is closed and a match is obtained in the recognition by the external recognition-starting switch.

9. The motorcar of claim 8, wherein a seat weighted sensor is employed for detecting the user.

10. The motorcar of claim 1, wherein the controller prohibits door-locking operation on the door in the door-unlocked condition when the motorcar contains a plurality of portable keys and they have a match in the recognition by the external recognition-starting switch.

12. The motorcar of claim 1, wherein the communication range is controlled according to communication speed for the recognition.

13. The motorcar of claim 1, wherein the controller issues warning for a predetermined number of time and switches communication control to proximity recognition or keyless operation when the portable key shows low battery power.

4. (canceled)

11. (canceled)