Door approach communication apparatus and door lock control apparatus

• US 6,304,168 B1
• Filed: 04/21/1998
• Issued: 10/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Oka, Toshimitsu, Murakami, Yuichi, Hatano, Rikuo, Ieda, Kiyokazu, Ohta, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHIMIZU, MATSUICHIRO
• Application Number:
  US09/063,408
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.31, 340/825.72, 340/5.72, 343/718, 343/711, 343/712, 343/713, 343/766, 343/767
• US Class Current: 340/5.72
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/246 characterised by the challenge triggering
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/78 as part of a hands-free locking or unlocking operation
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 85/01 Mechanical arrangements specially adapted for hands-free locking or unlocking handles with means for initiation of a hands-free locking or unlocking process E05B81/78
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 85/10 Handles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/65 using means for sensing the user's hand
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3241 particular used in keyless entry systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3283 side-mounted antennas, e.g. bumper-mounted, door-mounted mounted on windscreens H01Q1/1271
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/10 Resonant slot antennas

Abstract

A door approach transmission apparatus comprises an outside door handle 20 having a conductor with a slit 23 disposed in the door handle surface. A slot antenna 21, 23, 24, 25 is disposed at the slit 23, and includes feeding points 24, 25 installed on the conductor. The apparatus also includes a transmitter 26 for applying voltage for radio wave oscillation to the feeding points 24, 25. The above-described door approach transmission and reception apparatus can be used in a door lock control apparatus where a search radio wave is emitted from a vehicle, a portable wireless device 10 receives the search radio wave, and returns an ID signal. An electrically driven door lock apparatus 40 is driven to unlock the door when the returned ID signal coincides with a registered ID signal. The search radio wave is irradiated from the slot antenna. Either of a transmitter 26 and a receiver 33 is selectively connected to the feeding points 24, 25. By virtue of the above-described features, the emission and reception of radio waves is realized, and in the case of a door handle made of a metal, the number of parts for emission and reception of the radio waves are reduced.

Claims

1. A door approach communication apparatus, comprising:

an outside door handle functioning as a slot antenna, at least the surface of the outside door handle being made of a conductor, the outside door handle including a slit opening in the surface and feeding points; and

at least one of;

a transmitter for applying a radio wave to the feeding points; and

a receiver connected to the feeding points for receiving radio waves.

2. The door approach communication of claim 1, further including resin embedded in said slit opening.

3. The door approach communication apparatus of claim 1, further including a dielectric plate covering said slit opening.

4. The door approach communication apparatus of claim 3, wherein said dielectric plate includes at least one claw which is press-fit into said slit opening.

5. The door approach communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein said feeding points include at least two feeding points located at two respective points disposed along the length of said slit opening.

6. The door approach communication apparatus of claim 5, wherein said feeding points are laterally separated from, with respect to the length of said slit opening, a center of said slit opening.

7. The door approach communication apparatus of claim 5, wherein said feeding points include first and second laterally disposed screws, wherein said slit opening passes between said first and second laterally disposed screws.

8. The door approach communication apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a means for selecting whether said transmitter is connected to said slot antenna, or whether said receiver is connected to said slot antenna.

9. A door lock control system, comprising:

a portable wireless device including an antenna for receiving a search radio wave, a receiver connected to the antenna for decoding a request signal carried by the search radio wave, a controller for generating a return signal in response to the request signal and a transmitter and a transmitting antenna for transmitting a return radio wave produced by modulating a carrier wave using the return signal;

an outside door handle functioning as a slot antenna, at least the surface of the outside door handle being made of a conductor, the outside door handle including a slit opening in the surface and feeding points;

a transmitter disposed on the vehicle for generating the search radio wave for emission by the slot antenna, said search radio wave being produced by modulating a carrier wave by the request signal to the slot antenna;

a receiver disposed on the vehicle for decoding a return signal carried by the return radio wave, which is irradiated by the transmitting antenna of the portable wireless device; and

a controller on the vehicle for transmitting the request signal to the transmitter on the vehicle and transmitting a lock control signal to an electrically driven door lock device on the vehicle in response to the return signal when the receiver on the vehicle decodes the return signal.

10. The door lock control system according to claim 9, wherein said slot antenna is disposed on a door handle of said vehicle.

11. The door lock control system according to claim 9, further including a receiving antenna, which is separate from said slot antenna, disposed on the vehicle, for receiving the return radio wave irradiated by the transmitting antenna of the portable wireless device.

12. The door lock control system according to claim 9, wherein said slot antenna also serves as a receiving antenna, and wherein said system further includes:

selectively connecting means for selectively connecting either of the transmitter and the receiver on the vehicle to the slot antenna.

13. The door lock control system according to claim 9, wherein said receiver disposed on said vehicle is able to detect signals from said transmitter located on said portable wireless device over a greater distance than said receiver disposed on said wireless device is able to detect signals from said transmitter disposed on said vehicle.

14. The door lock control system according to claim 9, wherein the controller on the vehicle transmits the request signal to the transmitter on the vehicle at intervals determined by a predetermined period.

15. The door lock control system according to claim 9, wherein said transmitter of said portable wireless device also includes means for transmitting lock control signals independently of request signals transmitted by said transmitter disposed on said vehicle.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein said controller of said vehicle also includes means for discriminating whether signals received by said vehicle receiver were transmitted by said portable wireless device in response to a request signal, or independently of said request signal.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein signals which are generated in response to a request signal include response indicia, and are discriminated from signals which are generated independently of said request signal on the basis of said indicia.

18. A method for remotely controlling a door lock mechanism of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

generating and transmitting, by a transmitter located on the vehicle, a search radio wave from an outside door handle that includes a slit opening and feeding points so that the outside door handle functions as a slot antenna;

receiving said search radio wave at a portable wireless device;

responding to said search radio wave, at said portable wireless device, by generating and transmitting a return radio wave;

receiving said return radio wave at a receiver located on the vehicle; and

controlling said door lock mechanism of the vehicle on the basis of information extracted from said return radio wave.

19. The method of claim 18, further including the steps of:

generating and transmitting, by said portable wireless device, a lock control signal independently of a search radio wave generated by said transmitter at said vehicle;

receiving, by said receiver located on the vehicle, the lock control signal transmitted by said portable wireless device; and

discriminating, at said vehicle, said lock control signal from said return radio wave.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said lock control signal includes an ID code associated with said portable wireless transmitter, while said return radio wave includes both said ID code associated with said portable wireless transmitter and a response signal indicating that said portable wireless transmitter is responding to a search radio wave, wherein said vehicle discriminates between said lock control signal and said return radio wave depending on whether said response signal is present in the received signal.