Mobile unit

• US 20100245039A1
• Filed: 03/23/2010
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Tokunaga, Yuki
• Application Number:
  US12/661,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20100245039A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.610
• 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 mobile unit includes a LF antenna having a predetermined receiving frequency band and gain to receive a LF signal, a determination circuit for determining whether the LF signal received by the LF antenna is an authorized LF signal, a controller activated in response to a determination by the determination circuit that the LF signal received by the LF antenna is the authorized LF signal, a damping resistor connected to the LF antenna, a switch for enabling and disabling the damping resistor, and an antenna gain adjuster for reducing the gain of the LF antenna in response to a determination by the determination circuit that the LF signal received by the LF antenna is different from the authorized LF signal by controlling the switch in such a manner that the damping resistor is enabled.

Claims

1. A mobile unit comprising:

a LF antenna having a predetermined receiving frequency band and a predetermined gain to receive a LF signal;

a determination circuit configured to determine whether the LF signal received by the LF antenna is an authorized LF signal;

a controller configured to be activated in response to a determination by the determination circuit that the LF signal received by the LF antenna is the authorized LF signal;

a damping resistor connected to the LF antenna;

a switch configured to enable and disable the damping resistor; and

an antenna gain adjuster configured to reduce the gain of the LF antenna in response to a determination by the determination circuit that the LF signal received by the LF antenna is different from the authorized LF signal by controlling the switch in such a manner that the damping resistor is enabled.

2. The mobile unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

an antenna selector, wherein

the LF antenna comprises a plurality of antenna members,

the damping resistor comprises a plurality, of resistor members, each resistor member connected to a corresponding antenna member,

the switch comprises a plurality of switch members, each switch member configured to enable and disable a corresponding resistor member,

the antenna selector, selects one of the plurality of antenna members, the selected antenna member receiving the LF signal having the maximum signal level of all the LF signals received by the plurality of antenna members,

the determination circuit determines only whether the LF signal received by the selected antenna member is the authorized LF signal, and

the antenna gain adjuster reduces only the gain of the selected antenna in response to the determination by the determination circuit that the LF signal received by the selected antenna member is different from the authorized LF signal by controlling the corresponding switch member in such a manner that the corresponding damping resistor member is enabled.

3. The mobile unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

an antenna gain resetter configured to reset the reduced gain to the predetermined gain of the LF antenna by controlling the switch in such a manner that the damping resistor is disabled when a predetermined waiting period of time is elapsed after the damping resistor is enabled.

4. The mobile unit according to claim 3, further comprising:

a counter configured to count a number of switching between a first condition where the damping resistor is enabled and a second condition where the damping resistor is disabled for a predetermined count period of time, and

a waiting time adjuster configured to increase the waiting period of time when the counted number of switching exceeds a predetermined number of times.

5. The mobile unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

the damping resistor comprises a plurality of resistor members, each resistor member connected to the LF antenna,

the switch comprises a plurality of switch members, each switch member configured to enable and disable a corresponding resistor member, and

the antenna gain adjuster reduces the gain of the LF antenna step by step by controlling the plurality of switch members step by step in such a manner that the plurality of resistor members is enabled step by step.

6. The mobile unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a battery circuit configured to receive and store electrical power that is transmitted from a vehicle side antenna by wireless, the vehicle side antenna mounted on a vehicle to perform wireless communication with the mobile unit;

a charge sensor configured to determine whether the battery circuit is charged above a predetermined level; and

a transponder device configured to keep the damping resistor disabled in response to a determination by the charge sensor that the battery circuit is charged above the predetermined level.