POWER CONSUMPTION SUPPRESSION SYSTEM FOR ELECTRONIC KEY TERMINAL AND POWER CONSUMPTION SUPPRESSION METHOD FOR ELECTRONIC KEY TERMINAL

• US 20160001743A1
• Filed: 05/27/2013
• Published: 01/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: OKADA, Hiroki
• Granted Patent: US 9,598,051 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2018 Central base unlocks or authorises unlocking
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/403 Power supply in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/406 Power supply in the remote key

Abstract

A power consumption suppression system enables effective reduction of power consumption of an electronic key terminal. A position information acquisition section (210) provided on an electronic key terminal (200) acquires locking location information concerning the locking position of a vehicle (100) and terminal location information concerning the position of the electronic key terminal (200). A power consumption suppression section (220) provided on the electronic key terminal (200) reduces the power consumption when the distance between the locking location of the vehicle (100) indicated by the locking location information and the location of the electronic key terminal (200) indicated by the terminal location information is equal to or longer than a prescribed distance.

Claims

1. A power consumption suppression system for an electronic key terminal that suppresses power consumption in an electronic key terminal that communicates with an on-vehicle device in a vehicle, the system comprising:

a location information acquisition section configured to acquire locking location information as information on a location where the vehicle has been locked with the electronic key terminal and terminal location information as information on a location of the electronic key terminal; and

a power consumption suppression section configured to suppress power consumption in the electronic key terminal when a relative distance between the location where the vehicle has been locked indicated by the locking location information acquired by the location information acquisition section and the location of the electronic key terminal indicated by the terminal location information is equal to or longer than a prescribed distance.

2. The power consumption suppression system according to claim 1, further comprising a center that manages the locking location information, wherein

the vehicle is used by a plurality of users,

the on-vehicle device communicates with a plurality of electronic key terminals possessed by the users, and

when the vehicle is locked with a first electronic key terminal, which is one of the electronic key terminals, the center acquires the locking location information from the first electronic key terminal and delivers the acquired locking location information to a second electronic key terminal, which is different from the first electronic key terminal.

3. The power consumption suppression system according to claim 2, wherein a location information acquisition section provided in the second electronic key terminal updates acquired information on the location where the vehicle, which is used by the plurality of users, has been locked with the locking location information delivered from the center.

4. The power consumption suppression system according to claim 2, wherein

the center holds a management table in which identification information on users sharing the vehicle or identification information on the electronic key terminals possessed by the users is registered for each vehicle, and

the center refers to the management table to determine the second electronic key terminal to which the locking location information is to be delivered.

5. The power consumption suppression system according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic key terminal includes an authentication section that authenticates the on-vehicle device through execution of an application program for authentication, and

the power consumption suppression section sets an area of execution of the application program by the authentication section within a range of the prescribed distance, thereby suppressing the power consumption in the electronic key terminal.

6. The power consumption suppression system according to claim 1, wherein the power consumption suppression section changes intervals between executions of communications for authentication between the electronic key terminal and the on-vehicle device, thereby suppressing the power consumption in the electronic key terminal.

7. The power consumption suppression system according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic key terminal is a mobile terminal with a telephone function and a telecommunication function, and

the power consumption suppression section turns off at least one of the telephone function and the telecommunication function of the mobile terminal, thereby suppressing the power consumption.

8. A power consumption suppression method for an electronic key terminal by which power consumption in an electronic key terminal that communicates with an on-vehicle device in a vehicle is suppressed, the method comprising:

acquiring locking location information as information on a location where the vehicle has been locked with the electronic key terminal and terminal location information as information on a location of the electronic key terminal; and

suppressing the power consumption in the electronic key terminal when a relative distance between the location where the vehicle has been locked indicated by the acquired locking location information and the location of the electronic key terminal indicated by the terminal location information is equal to or longer than a prescribed distance.

9. An electronic key terminal adapted for communicating with an on-vehicle device in a vehicle, the electronic key comprising:

a location information acquisition section configured to acquire locking location information as information on a location where the vehicle has been locked with the electronic key terminal and terminal location information as information on a location of the electronic key terminal; and

a power consumption suppression section configured to suppress power consumption in the electronic key terminal when a relative distance between the location where the vehicle has been locked indicated by the locking location information acquired by the location information acquisition section and the location of the electronic key terminal indicated by the terminal location information is equal to or longer than a prescribed distance.