Mischief preventive automatic door locking apparatus and method for use with keyless entry system in automotive vehicle
First Claim
1. An automatic door locking apparatus for an automotive for locking and unlocking vehicle doors, comprising:
- (a) a door lock actuator mounted in the vehicle for selectively locking and unlocking the vehicle doors;
(b) a transmitter carried by an authorized operator and, when operated, to transmit a coded unlock signal;
(c) a receiver, arranged in the vehicle, for receiving the signal from said transmitter, said receiver having a memory for storing a preset code;
(d) a comparator means for comparing the signal received with the preset code stored in the memory so as to determine whether the received code matches the preset code and, upon a match, to generate an unlock signal;
(e) a controller connected to said door lock actuator for outputting a door unlock command signal to said door lock actuator for unlocking the vehicle doors;
(f) a door switch for outputting a door-open signal when a door of the vehicle is opened;
(g) a first timer unit for starting a counting operation of a first set time period responsive to the unlock signal;
(h) means for automatically actuating said door lock actuator to lock the doors unless the door-open signal is outputted during the first set time period;
(i) a trunk unlatched state detector for determining whether a trunk lid is unlatched or not during said counting operation and, if sensed unlatched, for generating an unlatched signal; and
(j) means for extending the first set time period when the unlatched signal is detected.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
In automatic door locking apparatus and method for an automotive vehicle for locking and unlocking vehicle doors, a first timer unit in a controller starts a counting operation of a first set time period responsive to an unlock signal generated by a comparator so arranged as to compare a signal received by a receiver of a keyless entry system from a transmitter carried by an authorized operator operated to transmit a coded unlock signal with a preset code stored in a memory so as to determine whether the received code matches the preset code and, upon a match, to generate the unlock signal. When the first set time period is passed with no door of the vehicle opened, the automatic door locking is carried out via a door lock actuator to lock the vehicle doors. However, in the automatic door locking apparatus and method, the first set time period is extended so as to extend the automatic door locking when an unlatched signal indicating that a trunk lid of the vehicle is unlatched during the counting of the first set time period is detected.
60 Citations
14 Claims
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1. An automatic door locking apparatus for an automotive for locking and unlocking vehicle doors, comprising:
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(a) a door lock actuator mounted in the vehicle for selectively locking and unlocking the vehicle doors; (b) a transmitter carried by an authorized operator and, when operated, to transmit a coded unlock signal; (c) a receiver, arranged in the vehicle, for receiving the signal from said transmitter, said receiver having a memory for storing a preset code; (d) a comparator means for comparing the signal received with the preset code stored in the memory so as to determine whether the received code matches the preset code and, upon a match, to generate an unlock signal; (e) a controller connected to said door lock actuator for outputting a door unlock command signal to said door lock actuator for unlocking the vehicle doors; (f) a door switch for outputting a door-open signal when a door of the vehicle is opened; (g) a first timer unit for starting a counting operation of a first set time period responsive to the unlock signal; (h) means for automatically actuating said door lock actuator to lock the doors unless the door-open signal is outputted during the first set time period; (i) a trunk unlatched state detector for determining whether a trunk lid is unlatched or not during said counting operation and, if sensed unlatched, for generating an unlatched signal; and (j) means for extending the first set time period when the unlatched signal is detected. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An automatic door locking method for an automotive vehicle with a door locking apparatus comprising:
- (a) a door lock actuator mounted in the vehicle for selectively locking and unlocking vehicle doors;
(b) a transmitter carried by an authorized operator and, when operated, to transmit a coded unlock signal;
(c) a receiver, arranged in the vehicle, for receiving the signal from said transmitter, said receiver having a memory for storing a preset code;
(d) a comparator means for comparing the signal received with the preset code stored in the memory so as to determine whether the received code matches the preset code and, upon a match, to generate an unlock signal;
(e) a controller connected to said door lock actuator for outputting a door unlock command signal to said door lock actuator for unlocking the vehicle doors;
(f) a door switch for outputting a door-open signal when a door of the vehicle is opened; and
(g) a first timer unit for starting a counting operation of a first set time period responsive to the unlock signal, said automatic door locking method comprising the steps of;actuating said door lock actuator to lock the doors unless the door-open signal is outputted during the first set time period; determining whether a trunk lid is unlatched or not during said counting operation; generating an unlatched signal if sensed unlatched at the determining step; and extending the first set time period when the unlatched signal is generated.
- (a) a door lock actuator mounted in the vehicle for selectively locking and unlocking vehicle doors;
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14. An automatic door locking apparatus for an automotive vehicle for locking and unlocking vehicle doors, comprising:
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a door lock actuator mounted in the vehicle for selectively locking and unlocking the vehicle doors; a transmitter carried by an authorized operator and, when operated, to transmit a coded unlock signal; a receiver, arranged in the vehicle, for receiving the signal from said transmitter, said receiver having a memory for storing a preset code; a comparator for comparing the signal received with the preset code stored in the memory so as the determine whether the received code matches the preset code and, upon a match, to generate an unlock signal; a controller connected to said door lock actuator for outputting a door unlock command signal to said door lock actuator for unlocking the vehicle doors; a door switch for outputting a door-open signal when a door of the vehicle is opened; a first timer unit for starting a counting operation of a first set time period responsive to the unlock signal; an automatic actuator for automatically actuating said door lock actuator to lock the doors unless the door-open signal is outputted during the first set time period; a trunk unlatched state detector for determining whether a trunk lid is unlatched or not during said counting operation and, if sensed unlatched, for generating an unlatched signal; and an extender for extending the first set time period when the unlatched signal is detected.
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Specification