Vehicle Intelligent Key Device, Remote Control System, and Method for Driving a Passenger Vehicle

• US 20130268143A1
• Filed: 04/05/2013
• Published: 10/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: BYD Company Limited, Shenzhen BYD Auto R&D Company Limited
• Original Assignee: BYD Company Limited, Shenzhen BYD Auto R&D Company Limited
• Inventors: DU, Xiaowen, ZHANG, Yongzeng, ZHONG, Yilin, FAN, Bo
• Application Number:
  US13/857,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20130268143A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0033 by having the operator tracking the vehicle either by direct line of sight or via one or more cameras located remotely from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00

Abstract

A remote control system comprises: a vehicle intelligent key device, configured to send a starting signal and a control signal; a passenger vehicle, configured to receive the starting signal or the control signal, to start a remote control mode according to the starting signal, and to control an operational state of the passenger vehicle according to the control signal and to quit the remote control mode when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

Claims

1. A remote control system for driving a passenger vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle intelligent key device configured to send a starting signal and a control signal;

a passenger vehicle configured to receive the starting signal and the control signal, to start a remote control mode according to the starting signal and to control an operational state of the passenger vehicle according to the control signal, and to quit the remote control mode when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

2. The remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the passenger vehicle comprises:

a key controller, configured to receive the starting signal and the control signal and to generate a remote starting signal and a remote control signal according to the starting signal and the control signal, respectively;

a body control module, configured to receive the remote starting signal and the remote control signal, to control the passenger vehicle to power on and to start the remote control mode according to the remote starting signal and to generate an unlocking signal;

an electric steering column lock, configured to receive the unlocking signal sent from the body control module and to unlock a steering wheel of the passenger vehicle according to the unlocking signal;

a gateway, configured to communicate with the key controller, the body control module and the electric steering column lock;

an engine control module, configured to communicate with the gateway and to control an engine of the passenger vehicle to start according to the remote starting signal transmitted by the gateway;

an automatic transmission, configured to communicate with the gateway, and to control a gear of a gearbox of the passenger vehicle to switch and to generate a parking control signal according to the remote control signal transmitted by the gateway; and

an electrical parking brake, configured to communicate with the gateway and to control the passenger vehicle to park according to the parking control signal transmitted by the gateway.

3. The remote control system according to claim 2, wherein the automatic transmission includes a dual clutch transmission.

4. The remote control system according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined condition comprises any one of:

no remote control signal is detected by the body control module during a first predetermined time period;

no remote control mode signal indicating the passenger vehicle is in the remote control mode is detected by the body control module during a second predetermined time period;

a quitting remote control mode signal is detected by the body control module;

a vehicle door is detected to be open by the body control module;

a brake pedal or an accelerator pedal is detected to be pressed down by the body control module;

a vehicle speed is detected to be higher than a predetermined vehicle speed threshold or the vehicle speed is not detected by the body control module; and

a remote unlocking signal or a micro switch unlocking signal sent by the key controller is received by the body control module.

5. The remote control system according to claim 2, wherein the starting signal includes a high-frequency starting signal and the control signal includes a high-frequency control signal.

6. The remote control system according to claim 5, wherein the passenger vehicle further comprises a receiving device configured to receive the high-frequency starting signal and the high-frequency control signal, to demodulate the high-frequency starting signal and the high-frequency control signal so as to obtain the starting signal and the control signal, and to send the starting signal and the control signal to the key controller.

7. The remote control system according to claim 2, wherein the key controller is further configured to detect whether the vehicle intelligent key device is outside the passenger vehicle after receiving the starting signal and the control signal, and to send the remote starting signal and the remote control signal to the body control module when the vehicle intelligent key device is outside the passenger vehicle.

8. The remote control system according to claim 2, wherein the body control module is further configured to detect a state of the electrical parking brake and a gear of a gearbox of the passenger vehicle.

9. The remote control system according to claim 8, wherein when the state of the electrical parking brake is “

normal” and

the gear of the gearbox of the passenger vehicle is “

Park,”

the engine control module and the key controller perform a pairing operation and if the engine control module and the key controller are paired, the engine control module controls the engine to start.

10. The remote control system according to claim 8, wherein the automatic transmission is configured to send an engaging signal for engaging a parking cable of the electrical parking brake and to set the gearbox to a “

Park”

state when the passenger vehicle quits the remote control mode.

11. A passenger vehicle intelligent key device, comprising:

a starting key;

a direction control key;

a wireless communication module, configured to communicate with a passenger vehicle wirelessly; and

a controlling module, connected to the starting key, the direction control key and the wireless communication module and configured to send a starting signal or a control signal to the passenger vehicle when the starting key or the direction control key is activated.

12. The passenger vehicle intelligent key device according to claim 11, wherein the direction control key comprises at least one of a left turning key, a right turning key, a forward key, and a backward key.

13. The passenger vehicle intelligent key device according to claim 11, further comprising a locking key and an unlocking key electronically connected to the control module,

wherein the control module is configured to control the wireless communication module to send a locking signal to the passenger vehicle when the locking key is activated and to send an unlocking signal to the passenger vehicle when the unlocking key is activated.

14. The passenger vehicle intelligent key device according to claim 11, further comprising a transponder configured to communicate with the passenger vehicle.

15. A remote control method for driving a passenger vehicle, comprising:

generating a starting signal and a control signal by a vehicle intelligent key device;

sending the starting signal and the control signal to a passenger vehicle;

starting a remote control mode of the passenger vehicle according to the starting signal;

controlling operational state of the passenger vehicle according to the control signal; and

quitting the remote control mode when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

16. The remote control method according to claim 15, wherein the predetermined condition comprises any one of:

no remote control signal is detected by a body control module during a first predetermined time period;

no remote control mode signal indicating that the passenger vehicle is in the remote control mode is detected by the body control module during a second predetermined time period;

a quitting remote control mode signal is detected by the body control module;

a vehicle door is detected to be open by the body control module;

a brake pedal or an accelerator pedal is detected to be pressed down by the body control module;

a vehicle speed is detected to be higher than a predetermined threshold speed or the vehicle speed is not detected by the body control module;

a remote unlocking signal or a micro switch unlocking signal sent from the key controller is received by the body control module.

17. The remote control method according to claim 15, further comprising:

sending an engaging signal for engaging a parking cable of an electrical parking brake; and

setting a gearbox to a “

Park”

state when quitting the remote control mode.

18. The remote control method according to claim 15, wherein the starting signal includes a high-frequency starting signal and the control signal includes a high-frequency control signal.

19. The remote control method according to claim 18, further comprising:

receiving the high-frequency starting signal and the high-frequency control signal from the vehicle intelligent key device by a high-frequency receiving device of the passenger vehicle;

demodulating the high-frequency starting signal and the high-frequency control signal by the high-frequency receiving device so as to obtain the starting signal and the control signal;

sending the starting signal and the control signal from the high-frequency receiving device to the key controller; and

generating a remote starting signal and a remote control signal according to the starting signal and the control signal by the key controller.

20. The remote control method according to claim 19, further comprising:

detecting whether the vehicle intelligent key device is outside the passenger vehicle after the key controller receives the starting signal or the control signal; and

if the vehicle intelligent key device is outside the passenger vehicle after the key controller receives the starting signal or the control signal, sending the remote starting signal or the remote control signal to a body control module of the passenger vehicle.