VEHICLE DEVICE CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20120179306A1
• Filed: 01/05/2012
• Published: 07/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Saiki, Takashi, Ishikawa, Ryusuke, Kumazaki, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,008,861 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• 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: B60R 25/2072 with means for preventing jamming or interference of a remote switch control signal
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00365 in combination with a wake-up circuit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00388 code verification carried out according to the challenge/response method
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

A vehicle-side unit transmits a first request signal WAKE periodically toward a portable unit, and transmits a second request signal CHLG at every predetermined transmission interval specific to the vehicle-side unit upon reception of a firs response signal ACK from the portable unit in response to the transmitted WAKE. The portable unit is operable with power supplied from a battery. The portable unit transmits ACK upon reception of WAKE and becomes ready for reception of CHLG at a timing CHLG is transmitted in accordance with the transmission interval specific to the vehicle-side unit.

Claims

1. A vehicle device control system comprising:

a portable unit carried by a user; and

a vehicle-side unit mounted in a vehicle for performing bilateral communications with the portable unit,

in each of the bilateral communications, the vehicle-side unit transmitting a request signal in a predetermined area around the vehicle and the portable unit transmitting a response signal in response to the request signal of the vehicle-side unit,

the vehicle-side unit checking up an identification code included in the response signal received from the portable unit with a pre-stored registration code, and

the vehicle-side unit controlling a vehicle device mounted in the vehicle on condition that a checkup result indicates a successful checkup operation,

wherein the vehicle-side unit includes;

a vehicle-side transmission section for transmitting the request signal to the portable unit;

a vehicle-side reception section for receiving the response signal from the portable unit; and

a vehicle-side control section for instructing the vehicle-side transmission section to transmit the request signal at a predetermined transmission interval specific to the vehicle side unit, when the response signal is received from the portable unit by the vehicle-side reception section, and

wherein the portable unit is operable with power supply from a battery, and includes;

a portable-side reception section for receiving the request signal from the vehicle-side unit;

a portable-side transmission section for transmitting the response signal to the vehicle-side unit;

a portable-side memory section for storing the transmission interval in the vehicle-side unit; and

a portable-side control section for instructing the portable-side transmission section to transmit the response signal when the request signal is received by the portable-side reception section, and for instructing the portable-side reception section to take a reception state at a timing of next transmission of the request signal in correspondence to the transmission interval stored in the portable-side memory section.

2. The vehicle device control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle-side transmission section transmits an activation request signal as the request signal, which requests activation of the portable unit, at every predetermined interval;

the portable-side control section is in a sleep state, which is a low power consumption mode, while waiting for the activation request signal from the vehicle-side transmission unit, changes to an active state when the activation request signal is received by the portable-side control section, instructs the portable-side transmission section to transmit an activation response signal indicating activation as the response signal, and instructs the portable-side reception section to take the reception state at a timing of transmission of the request signal;

the vehicle-side control section instructs the vehicle-side transmission section to transmit an identification code request signal as the request signal requesting transmission of the response signal including the identification code at every predetermined transmission interval specific to the vehicle-side unit, when the activation response signal is received by the vehicle-side reception section; and

the portable-side transmission section transmits the response signal including the identification code to the vehicle-side unit in response to the identification code request signal received by the portable-side reception section at a timing of transmission of the identification request signal.

3. The vehicle device control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle-side unit includes a vehicle door lock control section for controlling a vehicle door lock section, which locks and unlocks the vehicle door, as the vehicle device; and

the vehicle door lock control section checks up the identification code included in the response signal received by the vehicle-side reception section with the pre-stored registration code, and controls the door lock section to perform an unlock operation on condition that the checkup result indicates the successful checkup operation.

4. The vehicle device control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle vehicle-side unit includes

an operation detection section for detecting a predetermined operation on the vehicle by the user;

an operation time acquisition section for acquiring an operation time, at which the predetermined operation on the vehicle is detected by the operation detection section; and

a setting section for setting the transmission interval in correspondence to the operation time acquired by the operation time acquisition section and transmitting a set transmission interval to the portable unit.

5. The vehicle device control system according to claim 4, wherein:

the setting section sets the transmission interval in correspondence to the operation time acquired by the operation time acquisition section and information specific to the vehicle mounted with the vehicle-side unit.

6. The vehicle device control system according to claim 4, wherein:

the vehicle-side unit includes

an exiting detection section for detecting an exiting of the user from the vehicle as the operation detection section; and

exiting time acquisition section for acquiring an exiting time, at which the exiting of the user from the vehicle is detected by the exiting detection section, as the operation time acquisition section,

the setting section setting the transmission interval in correspondence to the exiting time acquired by the exiting time acquisition section, and transmitting a set transmission interval to the portable unit.

7. The vehicle device control system according to claim 4, wherein:

the vehicle-side unit includes

a boarding detection section for detecting boarding of the vehicle into the vehicle as the operation detection section; and

a boarding time acquisition section for acquiring a boarding time, at which the boarding of the user into the vehicle is detected by the boarding detection section, as the operation time detection section;

the setting section setting the transmission interval in correspondence to the boarding time acquired by the boarding time acquisition section, and transmitting a set transmission interval to the portable unit.

8. The vehicle device control system according to claim 4, wherein:

the vehicle-side unit includes

a manipulation detection section for detecting a manipulation of the user on the vehicle device mounted on the vehicle as the operation detection section; and

a manipulation time acquisition section for acquiring a manipulation time, at which the manipulation of the user on the vehicle device is detected by the manipulation detection section, as the manipulation time detection section,

the setting section setting the transmission interval in correspondence to the manipulation time acquired by the manipulation time acquisition section, and transmitting a set transmission interval to the portable unit.

9. The vehicle device control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the transmission interval is preset in accordance with information specific to the vehicle, in which the vehicle-side unit is mounted, and stored in the portable-side memory section.

10. The vehicle device control system according to claim 2, wherein:

the vehicle-side unit includes a vehicle door lock control section for controlling a vehicle door lock section, which locks and unlocks the vehicle door, as the vehicle device; and

the vehicle door lock control section checks up the identification code included in the response signal received by the vehicle-side reception section with the pre-stored registration code, and controls the door lock section to perform an unlock operation on condition that the checkup result indicates the successful checkup operation.

11. A vehicle device control method, which is performed by bilateral communications between a portable unit carried by a user and a vehicle-side unit mounted in a vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting a predetermined manipulation of the user in the vehicle;

setting a transmission interval in correspondence to a time of detection of the predetermined manipulation of the user, the transmission interval being stored in the vehicle-side unit and transmitted to the portable unit to be stored in the portable unit;

transmitting a first request signal from the vehicle-side unit in a predetermined area around the vehicle to wake up the portable unit from a sleep state;

transmitting a first response signal from the portable unit upon reception of the first request signal of the vehicle-side unit;

setting the portable unit to a reception state for receiving a signal at a time, which is set in correspondence to the transmission interval stored in the portable unit so that the portable unit is ready for receiving signals at the set time;

transmitting a second request signal from the vehicle-side unit after the transmission interval from transmission of the first request signal to request an identification code of the portable unit;

transmitting a second response signal from the portable unit upon receipt of the second request signal at the set time, the second response signal including an identification code of the portable unit;

checking up, by the vehicle-side unit, the identification code included in the second response signal with a registration code pre-stored in the vehicle-side unit; and

driving a predetermined vehicle device mounted in the vehicle when a result of checkup by the vehicle-side unit indicates agreement of the identification code and the registration code, thereby starting the predetermined vehicle device to operate before the user actually operates.