KEYLESS ENTRY DEVICE OF VEHICLE

• US 20100271171A1
• Filed: 04/20/2010
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sampei, Yoshio
• Granted Patent: US 8,400,262 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.600
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• 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 device of a vehicle includes: a transmission unit installed in the vehicle that transmits a search signal to a search range including an area inside the vehicle and a vicinity area outside the vehicle; a reply unit installed in a portable device carried by a user that transmits a reply signal when receiving the search signal at several locations within the search range; a determination unit that individually determines whether the portable device is present in the area inside the vehicle and the vicinity area outside the vehicle within the search range on the basis of the reply signal transmitted from the portable device; and a control unit that controls locking or unlocking of a door of the vehicle on the basis of the determination result of the determination unit.

Claims

1. A keyless entry device of a vehicle comprising:

transmission means installed in the vehicle for transmitting a search signal to a search range including an area inside the vehicle and a vicinity area outside the vehicle;

reply means installed in a portable device carried by a user for transmitting a reply signal when receiving the search signal at several locations within the search range;

determination means for individually determining whether the portable device is present in the area inside the vehicle and the vicinity area outside the vehicle within the search range on the basis of the reply signal transmitted from the portable device; and

control means for controlling locking or unlocking of a door of the vehicle on the basis of the determination result of the determination means,

wherein upon controlling the locking of the door, the control means changes a status of the door from an unlocked status to a locked status under a condition that the determination means determines that the portable device is present in the vicinity area outside the vehicle at least once.

2. The keyless entry device of the vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the determination means, as a first procedure, determines whether the portable device is present in the vicinity area outside the vehicle when the transmitting means transmits the search signal,

wherein the determination means, as a second procedure, determines whether the portable device is present inside the vehicle when the determination means determines that the portable device is not present in the vicinity area outside the vehicle,

wherein the determination means, as a third procedure, determines whether the portable device is present in the vicinity area outside the vehicle, when the determination means determines that the portable device is present in the vicinity area outside the vehicle in the first procedure,

wherein the determination means, as a fourth procedure, determines whether the portable device is present inside the vehicle, when the determination means determines that the portable device is not present in the vicinity area outside the vehicle, and

wherein the control means performs control to switch a status of the door from an unlocked status to a locked status, when the determination means determines that the portable device is not present inside the vehicle in the fourth procedure.

3. The keyless entry device of the vehicle according to claim 2,

wherein the determination means repeatedly performs the determination of the first procedure when the determination means determines that the portable device is present inside the vehicle in the second procedure, and the determination means alternatively terminates the determination when the determination means determines that the portable device is not present inside the vehicle in the second procedure, and

wherein the control means does not perform the control to switch the status of the door from the unlocked status to the locked status, when the determination means terminates the determination.

4. The keyless entry device of the vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the determination means, as the third procedure, continuously determines whether the portable device is present in the vicinity area outside the vehicle, when the determination means determines that the portable device is present inside the vehicle in the fourth procedure.

5. The keyless entry device of the vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the transmitting means includes transmitting antennas to transmit the search signal toward the area inside the vehicle and the vicinity area outside the vehicle, respectively,

wherein the determination means determines whether the portable device is present inside the vehicle, when the search signal is transmitted toward the inside of the vehicle via the transmitting antenna, and the determination means determines whether the portable device is present in the vicinity area outside the vehicle, when the search signal is transmitted toward the vicinity area outside the vehicle via the transmitting antenna.

6. A keyless entry device of a vehicle comprising:

a transmission unit installed in the vehicle that transmits a search signal to a search range including an area inside the vehicle and a vicinity area outside the vehicle;

a reply unit installed in a portable device carried by a user that transmits a reply signal when receiving the search signal at several locations within the search range;

a determination unit that individually determines whether the portable device is present in the area inside the vehicle and the vicinity area outside the vehicle within the search range on the basis of the reply signal transmitted from the portable device; and

a control unit that controls locking or unlocking of a door of the vehicle on the basis of the determination result of the determination unit,

wherein upon control of the locking of the door, the control unit changes a status of the door from an unlocked status to a locked status under a condition that the determination unit determines that the portable device is present in the vicinity area outside the vehicle at least once.