Data carrier system

• US 6,212,450 B1
• Filed: 06/14/1999
• Issued: 04/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Inventors: Mizuno, Takashi, Aoki, Hisashi, Koga, Shinichi, Kokubu, Sadao
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US09/331,082
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• Field of Search: 701/35, 701/22, 340/425.5, 340/458, 307/9.1, 307/10.7, 307/48, 320/103, 320/104, 320/109, 320/106, 320/128
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0858 wherein the data carrier is removable

Abstract

When an engine is started with a key 19A inserted in an ignition key cylinder of a vehicle 11, a vehicle-side controller 12 transmits operational data to the key 19A and stores in the key 19A. Further, when a personal computer 30 is operated with the key 19A inserted in an R/W device 31, the R/W device 31 reads the operational data from the key 19A and transfers to the personal computer 30. In this structure, when a storage capacity of the key 19A becomes full, the vehicle-side controller 12 stores the operational data in a storage portion of its own, and when the key 19A is initialized, the stored operational data is written in the key 19A. For this reason, even when initialization of the key 19A is difficult, deletion of the operational data is prevented.

Claims

1. A data carrier system characterized by comprising:

a vehicle-side control device installed in a vehicle and transmitting operational data of the vehicle; and

a receiving device for receiving operational data transmitted from the vehicle-side control device,

wherein the receiving device includes a receiving-device-side storage portion which stores received operational data, and said vehicle-side control device includes;

a storage capacity detecting portion for detecting the amount of operational data stored in said receiving-device-side storage portion and an initialization detecting portion for detecting that said receiving-device-side storage portion is initialized such that the amount of operational data stored in said receiving-device-side storage portion is zero, and

a vehicle-side-control-device-side storage portion which stores the operational data, and

when said storage capacity detecting portion detects that the amount of operational data stored in said receiving-device-side storage portion is in a full state, the vehicle-side control device writes operational data in said vehicle-side-control-device-side storage portion, and

when said storage capacity detecting portion detects that said receiving-device-side storage portion is initialized, the vehicle-side control device writes the operational data stored in said vehicle-side-control-device-side storage portion in said receiving-device-side storage portion of the receiving device.

2. A data carrier system according to claim 1, characterized in that the vehicle-side control device further includes a notifying portion which indicates that operational data is written in said vehicle-side-control-device-side storage portion of the vehicle-side control device.

3. A data carrier system according to claim 1, characterized in that the vehicle-side control device further includes a notifying portion which indicates that operational data stored in said vehicle-side-control-device-side storage portion is being written in said receiving-device-side storage portion of the receiving device.

8. A data carrier system according to claim 1, characterized in that the receiving device is incorporated in a vehicle key of the vehicle.

9. A data carrier system according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising a reading device which is provided separately from the vehicle and which can initialize said receiving-device-side storage portion and/or can read-out, accumulate and store the operational data stored in said receiving-device-side storage portion.

10. A data carrier system according to claim 8, characterized by further comprising a reading device which is provided separately from the vehicle and which can initialize said receiving-device-side storage portion and/or can read-out, accumulate and store the operational data stored in said receiving-device-side storage portion.

11. A data carrier system according to claim 1, characterized in that said vehicle-side control device further comprises:

a remaining storage capacity detecting portion which detects remaining storage capacity of said receiving-device-side storage portion; and

a notifying portion which notifies a result of detection of the remaining storage capacity.

12. A data carrier system according to claim 11, characterized in that when the result of detection of the remaining storage capacity is lower than a predetermined value, the vehicle-side control device indicates the result of detection.

13. A data carrier system according to claim 11, characterized in that the notifying portion is comprised of a light source whose lighted state changes in accordance with the remaining storage capacity.

14. A data carrier system according to claim 11, characterized in that the notifying portion is comprised of a display portion which displays the remaining storage capacity in a numeric or graphic display.

4. A data carrier system characterized by comprising:

a vehicle-side control device installed in a vehicle and transmitting operational data of the vehicle; and

a receiving device for receiving operational data transmitted from the vehicle-side control device,

wherein the receiving device includes a storage portion which stores received operational data, and

said vehicle-side control device includes;

a remaining storage capacity detecting portion which detects the remaining storage capacity of said storage portion; and

a notifying portion which indicates a result of detection of the remaining storage capacity.

5. A data carrier system according to claim 4, characterized in that when the result of detection of the remaining storage capacity is lower than a predetermined value, the vehicle-side control device indicates the result of detection.

6. A data carrier system according to claim 4, characterized in that the notifying portion is comprised of a light source whose lighted state changes in accordance with the remaining storage capacity.

7. A data carrier system according to claim 4, characterized in that the notifying portion is comprised of a display portion which displays the remaining storage capacity in a numeric or graphic display.