Car electronic control system and method for controlling the same

• US 6,037,675 A
• Filed: 03/06/1998
• Issued: 03/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1995
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Car Engineering Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.), Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Car Engineering Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.), Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kon'i, Mitsuru, Yoshida, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): PALADINI, ALBERT WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US09/035,863
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 307/10.1, 307/9.1, 307/10.2-10.8, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/539, 340/425.5, 340/426, 340/428, 340/408, 180/287, 701/2, 701/36, 701/49
• US Class Current: 307/10.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0315 using multiplexing techniques multiplexing for transmission of signals G08C15/00; multiplexing for electrical communication in general H04J
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2016/0322 Temporary code for documents to be reclassified to G08C, H04L or H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00261 the keyless data carrier having more than one function
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/92 Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles

Abstract

A car remote control system utilizing a signal in the form of electromagnetic wave or infrared ray called `keyless entry`. When receiving a predetermined wake-up signal, an MPU is once operated even when the received input signal is a noise signal to perform only judging operation of whether or not the input signal is normal. Only when judging that the input signal is a normal wake-up signal, the MPU controllably causes an electronic circuit to be shifted to a usual operation mode. When judging that the input signal is the noise signal prior to full input of the tuner signal, the MPU immediately shifts to a sleep mode. Thereby current consumption of an electronic control circuit can be suppressed.

Claims

1. An electronic control apparatus for a car having a tuner receiving a signal from a remote controller and a microcomputer which activates at least one device when said tuner receives the signal from said remote controller, comprising

means for intermittently supplying electric power to said tuner when a control system of the car is not activated;

the microcomputer being provided with means for changing the power supply to said tuner into a normal supply state and activating a function for monitoring an output signal of the tuner when the microcomputer receives a wake-up signal; and

the microcomputer being provided with means for outputting a wake-up request signal for waking a predetermined device when the microcomputer has decided that the received signal is the normal signal from the remote controller.

2. An electronic control apparatus for a car, comprising a tuner which receives a signal from a remote controller and outputs a predetermined signal to a microcomputer of an onboard controller,

means for the microcomputer to decide, when the microcomputer is woken up by generation of a wake-up signal, whether the wake-up signal is supplied from the tuner;

means for the microcomputer to execute, when the wake-up signal is supplied from the tuner, a function for determining whether the wake-up signal is generated due to noise; and

means for activating, when the generated wake-up signal is determined not to be due to noise, a predetermined device by the microcomputer.

3. An electronic control apparatus for a car, comprising a tuner which receives a signal from a remote controller and transmits a signal to a microcomputer of an onboard controller, wherein an output terminal of said timer is connected to an input terminal of said microcomputer, to a wake-us signal line of an output system and to an input terminal of a gate circuit, and an output terminal of said gate circuit is connected to a wake-up terminal of said microcomputer.

4. An electronic control apparatus for a car having a tuner which receives a signal from a remote controller, said microcomputer controlling and activating a device provided in the car, comprising

means for eliminating a high frequency noise contained in an output signal of said tuner via a software program executed by the microcomputer,

the microcomputer being configured to periodically sample a signal inputted to the microcomputer from the tuner;

means for checking the signal inputted to the microcomputer and again checking the signal inputted to the microcomputer after a set time shorter than the sampling period and longer than a period of the high frequency noise; and

means for determining the existence or absence of a noise on the basis of a state of signal obtained by the periodic sampling and checking of the microcomputer.

5. An electronic control method for a car having a tuner receiving a signal from a remote controller and a microcomputer which activates one or more devices provided in the car when said tuner receives the signal from said remote controller, comprising the steps of

intermittently supplying electrical power to the tuner when a control system of the car is not activated;

changing the power supply, when said microcomputer receives a wake-up signal, to the tuner into a normal supply state and activating a function for monitoring an output signal of the tuner, and

outputting a wake-up request signal when the microcomputer decides that the received signal is the normal signal from the remote controller, for waking up a predetermined device.

6. An electronic control method for a car having a tuner which receives a signal from a remote controller and outputs a predetermined signal to a microcomputer of an onboard controller, comprising the steps of

generating a wake-up signal;

deciding whether the wake-up signal is supplied from a particular device;

executing a function, when said wake-up signal is supplied from the tuner, for determining whether the wake-up signal is generated due to noise; and

activating a predetermined device by the microcomputer when it is determined that the generated wake-up signal is not due to noise.

7. An electronic control method for a car having a tuner which receives a signal from a remote controller, a microcomputer controlling and activating a device provided in the car, and a noise eliminating means for eliminating a high frequency noise contained in an output signal of said tuner, implemented by a software program executed via the microcomputer, comprising the steps of:

periodically sampling a signal inputted to the microcomputer from said tuner;

checking the signal inputted to the microcomputer and again checking the signal inputted to the microcomputer after a set time shorter than the periodic sampling period and longer than a period of the high frequency noise; and

determining existence or absence of a noise on the basis of a state of signal obtained by the preceding steps.

8. An electronic control apparatus for a car, comprising a microcomputer configured to have low power consumption mode and to receive a plurality of signals including a signal from a remote controller at a wake-up terminal of said microcomputer,

said microcomputer being further configured to perform function checking as to whether, when a signal is inputted at said wake-up terminal of said microcomputer, the signal is from other than said remote controller,

said microcomputer also being further configured to perform function checking as to whether a signal inputted at a digital input terminal of said microcomputer is the correct signal from said remote controller, only when the signal inputted at said wake-up terminal was not the signal from other than said remote controller, and

as a result of the check, when the signal has been decided as a correct signal from said controller, said microcomputer being still further configured to output the signal for waking up a selected control device at an output terminal of said microcomputer.

9. An electronic control apparatus for a car, comprising a microcomputer configured to have low power consumption mode and to receive a plurality of signals including a signal from a remote controller at a wake-up terminal of said microcomputer,

said microcomputer being further configured to perform function checking as to whether when a signal is inputted at said wake-up terminal of said microcomputer, the signal is from other than said controller, and

when the signal inputted at said wake-up terminal was the signal from one except said controller, said microcomputer being still further configured to output the signal for waking up a selected control device at an output terminal of said microcomputer.

10. An electronic control apparatus for a car, comprising a microcomputer configured to have low power consumption mode and to receive a plurality of signals including a signal from a remote controller at a wake-up terminal of said microcomputer,

said microcomputer being further configured to perform function checking as to whether, when a signal is inputted at said wake-up terminal of said microcomputer, the signal is or is not from one except said controller,

said microcomputer being further configured to perform function checking as to whether a signal inputted at a digital input terminal of said microcomputer is or is not the correct signal from said remote controller, only when the signal inputted at said wake-up terminal was not the signal from once except said controller, and

said microcomputer being still further configured to be restored to a low power consumption mode as a result of the check, when the signal has been decided as not being the correct signal form said controller.

11. An electronic control for a car, comprising a microcomputer configured to have a low power consumption mode and a wake-up terminal and a digital signal terminal, a tuner for receiving the signal from a remote controller, and a power supply switchable between said low power consumption mode in which the power is intermittently supplied to said tuner and a normal power supplying mode in which the power is continuously supplied, wherein said microcomputer is further configured to receive a plurality of signals including a signal from a remote controller at said wake-up terminal,

said microcomputer being further configured to perform function checking as to whether, when a signal is inputted at the wake-up terminal of said microcomputer, the signal is or is not from said tuner so that, only when the signal inputted at said wake-up terminal is determined to be the signal from said tuner, a function for switching said power supply from said low power consumption mode to said normal power supplying mode, and a function for checking as to whether the signal from said tuner inputted at the digital input terminal of said microcomputer is or is not normal are executable, and

said microcomputer being further configured to output the signal for waking up a selected control device at the output terminal of said microcomputer when the signal from said tuner inputted at the digital input terminal of said microcomputer is determined to be normal.

12. An electronic control for a car, comprising a microcomputer configured to have a low power consumption mode and a wake-up terminal and a digital signal terminal, a tuner for receiving the signal from a remote controller, and a power supply switchable between said low power consumption mode in which the power is intermittently supplied to said tuner and a normal power supplying mode in which the power is continuously supplied, said microcomputer being further configured to receive a plurality of signals including the signal from a remote controller at said wake-up terminal of said microcomputer,

said microcomputer being further configured to perform function checking as to whether, when a signal is inputted at said wake-up terminal of said microcomputer, the signal is or is not from said tuner, and

only when the signal inputted at said wake-up terminal has been the signal from said tuner, a function for switching said power supply from said low power consumption mode to said normal power supplying mode, and a function for checking as to whether the signal from said tuner inputted at the digital input terminal of said microcomputer is or is not normal are executable, and

said microcomputer being still further configured to restore said power supply to said low power consumption mode and to be shifted to said low power consumption mode when the signal from said tuner inputted at the digital input terminal of said microcomputer has been determined as normal.