Central locking installation for a motor vehicle

• US 5,508,692 A
• Filed: 07/29/1994
• Issued: 04/16/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Wolfram, Berthold
• Primary Examiner(s): Bowler, Alyssa H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H.
• Application Number:
  US08/282,214
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.31, 340/825.72, 340/825.69, 340/825.56, 380/23, 380/25, 380/46, 361/171, 361/172, 235/382.5, 235/382, 235/435, 235/439, 235/449, 235/451, 70/276, 70/277, 70/278
• US Class Current: 340/5.26
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00253 dynamically, e.g. variable code - rolling code
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00769 with data transmission performed by wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00182 operated with unidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

The invention relates to a central locking installation for a motor vehicle, having a transmitter (2), operating as a key, and a receiver (4), operating as a lock. When the transmitter (2) is actuated for the purpose of closing or opening the door locks, a signal (3) is transmitted to the receiver (4) and produces a control pulse (20) there. Each transmitter (2) has its own transmitter recognition signal and a stock of code words, from which the code words are taken in sequence and are transmitted. The receiver (4) carries out a transmitter allocation using the transmitter recognition signal. The invention is based on the object of the transmitter (2) seeking its transmitter recognition signal itself. This is achieved in that a transmitter recognition signal, which is stored in a transmitter store (12) and is transmitted together with a code word, is generated randomly in the transmitter (2). The receiver (4) has an evaluation circuit, by means of which the transmitter recognition signal is compared with transmitter recognition signals which are already stored and is stored as a legitimate transmitter recognition signal in a receiver store (18) if it is not already so stored.

Claims

1. A remote lock apparatus for a motor vehicle having at least one lock, comprising:

a controller mounted to the vehicle for receiving a control pulse and connected to said lock for causing locking or unlocking of the lock;

a receiver mounted to the vehicle;

a remote actuating device having a transmitter;

means for switching said receiver from an operating mode to an initializing mode;

said transmitter transmitting a code word and a transmitter recognition signal to said receiver upon actuation of said transmitter;

said receiver transmitting said control pulse to said controller which cause the locking or unlocking of the lock;

said transmitter containing a random number generator producing said transmitter recognition signal during said initializing mode, and a transmitter store in which said transmitter recognition signal is stored, and a means for producing a supply of code words using a randomly modified mathematical formation law;

said receiver containing a memory and a receiver control circuit for comparing said transmitter recognition signal, during said initializing mode with preexisting transmitter recognition signals that are already stored within the memory, said control circuit automatically storing said transmitter recognition signal received from the transmitter as a legitimate transmitter recognition signal in said receiver memory only if not already so stored, and upon storing said transmitter recognition signal, said control circuit generating a new supply of code words, corresponding to said supply of code words produced by said means for producing a supply of code words at said transmitter, said new supply of code words assigned to said legitimate transmitter recognition signal; and

during said operating mode said receiver control circuit receives said legitimate transmitter recognition signal and the code word from said transmitter and if said transmitter recognition signal is already stored as a legitimate transmitter recognition signal said receiver control circuit compares the code word to a next expected code word from said new supply of code words assigned to said legitimate transmitter recognition signal and if correspondence exists, said receiver transmits said control pulse.

2. The remote lock apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an indicating element and wherein the receiving control circuit is adapted to emit an acknowledgement signal to said indicating element if the transmitter recognition signal transmitted by the transmitter is not yet stored in the memory of the receiver.

3. The remote lock apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the legitimate transmitter recognition signal stored in the memory of the receiver differs in at least two bits from any preexisting transmitter recognition signal of another transmitter.

4. The remote lock apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein test bits are transmitted in the signal from the transmitter, using which the receiver can identify whether a transmission error has occurred.

5. The remote lock apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said means for producing contains a transmitter control circuit in which an origin code word is produced with the aid of at least one random word, during initialization, the random word being produced in the random number generator on actuation of a transmitter control element.

6. The remote lock apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein a predetermined formation law is modified by the transmitter control circuit during initialization with the aid of the origin code word, the origin code word determining initial conditions for a changing code of code words, and the thus modified formation law defining a sequence for the code words from a stock of words.

7. The remote lock apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the transmitter contains a clock generator, using which a time duration is measured and communicated by means of an indicating element for the actuation of the transmitter control element during initialization.

8. The remote lock apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmitter recognition signal and code word transmitted during initialization are transmitted at a reduced transmitting power compared to normal operating transmitting power for locking and unlocking the lock.

9. The remote lock apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a control pulse is produced by the receiver when the code word received by the receiver is compared to and found within a first number of code words which follow a starting word in sequence, said sequence of code words predetermined at said receiver.

10. The remote lock apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein a control pulse is produced in the receiver when the received code word is outside the first number of code words but within a relatively large number of code words which follow the starting word in said sequence, and at least one subsequently received code word is the direct successor according to the sequence of code words predetermined at said receiver.

11. The remote lock apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for producing contains a transmitter control circuit in which an origin code word is produced with the aid of at least one random word, during initialization, the random word being produced in the random number generator on actuation of a transmitter control element.

12. The remote lock apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein a predetermined formation law is modified by the transmitter control circuit during initialization with the aid of the origin code word, the origin code word determining initial conditions for a changing code of code words, and the thus modified formation law defining a sequence for the code words from a stock of words, the sequence defined identically at both the transmitter and the receiver.

13. The remote lock apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the transmitter contains a clock generator, using which a time duration is measured and communicated by means of an indicating element for the actuation of the transmitter control element during initialization.

14. The remote lock apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the signals transmitted during initialization are transmitted at a reduced transmitting power.

15. The central locking installation as claimed in claim 12, wherein a control pulse is produced by the receiver when the code word received by the receiver is compared and found within a first number of code words which follow a starting word in said sequence.

16. The central locking installation as claimed in claim 15, wherein a control pulse is produced in the receiver when the received code word is outside the first number of code words but within a relatively large number of code words which follow the starting word in said sequence, and at least one subsequently received code word is the direct successor according to said sequence.

17. A remote lock apparatus for a motor vehicle having at least one lock, comprising:

a controller means mounted to the vehicle for receiving a control pulse and causing locking or unlocking of the lock;

a receiver mounted to the vehicle;

a plurality of transmitters, separate from the vehicle each transmitter having transmitting means for transmitting a code word and a transmitter recognition signal to said receiver;

said receiver having means for sending said control pulse to said controller means for causing the locking or unlocking of the lock;

each said transmitter having means for randomly selecting a unique transmitter recognition signal during an initialization procedure, and a transmitter memory in which said transmitter recognition signal is stored;

each said transmitter having a means for creating a unique randomly modified formation law during the initialization procedure and means for generating a sequence of code words according to the randomly modified formation law, and means for transmitting said randomly modified formation law to said receiver to be stored in memory assigned to said transmitter recognition signal for the respective transmitter;

said receiver having means for recognizing a transmitter recognition signal transmitted by said transmitting means, and means for calculating an expected code word based on the modified formation law assigned to the respective transmitter recognition signal, and means for comparing the expected code word with a code word transmitted by the transmitter from the sequence of code words, whereby a correct correlation therebetween results in said means for sending said control pulse to issue said control pulse to said controller means.

18. The remote lock apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said means for calculating calculates a plurality of possible code words derived from said modified formation law and compares the transmitted code word to each of said plurality of code words.

19. The remote lock apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said means for calculating calculates a plurality of code words according to a sequence generated by the modified formation law and compares the transmitted code word to each of said plurality until a correct match is registered, but issues a control pulse to said controller only if the next transmitted code word received from the transmitter matches the next calculated code word calculated by said means for calculating according to the modified formation law.

20. The remote lock apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said receiver comprises a transmitter memory and recognition means, for comparing said transmitted transmitter recognition signal, during initialization, with transmitter recognition signals that are stored within said memory means, said recognition and memory means storing said transmitted transmitter recognition signal in said memory means only if said transmitted recognition signal is not already so stored.

21. A method of initializing a central locking system comprising the steps of:

given an authorized initialization, generating a new transmitter identifier by a random number generator, and storing this new transmitter identifier in a memory of the transmitter;

transmitting the new transmitter identifier and a random word from the transmitter to the receiver, forming a group of code words defined by a mathematical formation low modified the random word;

during the initialization, comparing the new transmitter identifier in the receiver to pre-existing transmitter identifiers already stored, and automatically storing the new transmitter identifier in a memory of the receiver when this new transmitter identifier has previously not been stored;

displaying a successfully implemented initialization to the user by a display element; and

generating the group code words also in the receiver by said mathematical formation law modified by the random word.