Electronic closure system, in particular a vehicle closure system

• US 6,700,475 B1
• Filed: 03/20/2000
• Issued: 03/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Corporation (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Geber, Michael, Ohle, Joern-Marten, Pohlmann, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHIMIZU, MATSUICHIRO
• Application Number:
  US09/531,762
• Time in Patent Office: 1,443 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.61, 340/5.7, 340/5.72, 340/825.49, 340/825.71, 340/825.72, 307/10.1, 307/10.5, 307/10.2, 455/343
• US Class Current: 340/5.61
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/63 Comprising locating means for detecting the position of the data carrier, i.e. within the vehicle or within a certain distance from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

An electronic closure system has one or more lockable and unlockable closure units, each arranged on an opening element of an object to be secured, at least one authorizing authentication element and a closure control unit with at least one authentication element identification sensor. The at least one authentication element identification sensor has a predetermined detection area, which covers an external detection zone outside the object. The closure control unit produces different closure control commands, related to locking and/or unlocking, based on whether and in what external detection zone authorizing authentication element is detected. The closure control unit contains a sensor system for determining the range of an identified authentication element from the object and, on identification of an authorizing authentication element, automatically produces different closure control commands for the respective closure unit, as a function of the range between the identified authentication element and the object.

Claims

1. An electronic closure system, comprising:

a plurality of lockable and unlockable closure control units each associated with a different opening element of an object to be secured; and

at least one authentication element which can be carried by a user;

wherein;

each respective closure control unit has at least one authentication element identification sensor which is arranged on the object and has a predetermined detection area outside the object, for producing differing closure control commands related to locking and/or unlocking of the said respective closure control unit, based on an external detection range of said detection area in which an authentication element is detected;

external detection zones of said closure control units do not overlap, being separated by areas that are insensitive to any authentication element located there;

each closure control unit includes an authentication element range sensor system for determining whether an authentication element identified in a particular external detection area is located in a range of the particular external detection area relatively closer to the object, or in a range relatively farther away from the object;

each closure control unit automatically produces differing closure control commands for the closure unit upon identification of an authorizing authentication element, based on whether the identified authentication element is located in the range relatively closer to the object or relatively farther away from the object;

in a particular detection area, the range relatively farther away from the object overlaps the range relatively closer to the object in a transitional area whereby hysteresis of the closure control command production process is provided; and

each closure control unit produces a closure control command only when an authorizing authentication element has crossed into the inner range or the outer range from the overlap area, and does not produce a closure control command when the authorizing identification element enters the inner range or the outer range other than from the overlap area.

2. The electronic closure system according to claim 1, wherein the closure control unit has at least two selectable modes in which, on identifying an authorizing authentication element in an external detection zone, the closure control unit produces closure control commands for different sets of closure units which are influenced by said commands.

3. The electronic closure system, according to claim 1, wherein on identification of an authorizing authentication element in a range zone relatively closer to the object, the closure control unit produces a closure control command related to unlocking, and on identification of an authorizing authentication element in a range zone relatively farther away from the object, the closure control unit produces a closure control command related to locking.

4. The electronic closure system, according to claim 2, wherein:

on identification of an authorizing authentication element in a range zone relatively closer to the object, the closure control unit produces a closure control command related to unlocking, and on identification of an authorizing authentication element in a range zone relatively farther away from the object, the closure control unit produces a closure control command related to locking.

5. The electronic closure system, according to claim 1, wherein the closure control commands related to locking and unlocking represent locking and unlocking commands which change the respective closure unit to its locked or unlocked state.

6. The electronic closure system, according to claim 2, wherein the closure control commands related to locking and unlocking represent locking and unlocking commands which change the respective closure unit to its locked or unlocked state.

7. The electronic closure system, according to claim 3, wherein the closure control commands related to locking and unlocking represent locking and unlocking commands which change the respective closure unit to its locked or unlocked state.

8. The electronic closure system, according to claim 4, wherein the closure control commands related to locking and unlocking represent locking and unlocking commands which change the respective closure unit to its locked or unlocked state.

9. The electronic closure system, according to claim 1, wherein the closure control unit comprises automatic relocking means which, following production of a closure control command related to unlocking, has passed, automatically produces a closure control command related to locking if, following expiration of a predeterminable waiting time, the access element which contains the relevant closure unit of the object has not carried out an opening process, and no authorizing authentication element is any longer located in the relevant external detection zone.

10. The electronic closure system, according to claim 5, wherein the closure control unit comprises automatic relocking means which, following production of a closure control command related to unlocking, has passed, automatically produces a closure control command related to locking if, following expiration of a predeterminable waiting time, the access element which contains the relevant closure unit of the object has not carried out an opening process, and no authorizing authentication element is any longer located in the relevant external detection zone.

11. The electronic closure system, according to claim 6, wherein the closure control unit comprises automatic relocking means which, following production of a closure control command related to unlocking, has passed, automatically produces a closure control command related to locking if, following expiration of a predeterminable waiting time, the access element which contains the relevant closure unit of the object has not carried out an opening process, and no authorizing authentication element is any longer located in the relevant external detection zone.

12. The electronic closure system, according to claim 7, wherein the closure control unit comprises automatic relocking means which, following production of a closure control command related to unlocking, has passed, automatically produces a closure control command related to locking if, following expiration of a predeterminable waiting time, the access element which contains the relevant closure unit of the object has not carried out an opening process, and no authorizing authentication element is any longer located in the relevant external detection zone.

13. The electronic closure system, according to claim 8, wherein the closure control unit comprises automatic relocking means which, following production of a closure control command related to unlocking, has passed, automatically produces a closure control command related to locking if, following expiration of a predeterminable waiting time, the access element which contains the relevant closure unit of the object has not carried out an opening process, and no authorizing authentication element is any longer located in the relevant external detection zone.

14. Apparatus for controlling a closure system for an object having a plurality of lockable and unlockable closure members, comprising:

a plurality of proximity sensors arranged on the object and each having a preset detection area;

at least one authentication element which can be carried by a vehicle user; and

a plurality closure control units for controlling locking and unlocking of each of said closure members in response to detection of said at least one authentication element within a detection area of a proximity sensors associated therewith, detection areas of each of said closure control units being separated from one another by areas that are insensitive to any authentication element situated therein;

wherein

said proximity sensors include means for determining a range to said at least one authentication element;

a closure control unit generates a first control signal for controlling at least one of said closure members in a first mode in response to detection of said authentication element within a first, relatively closer detection range by at least one proximity sensor, and generates a second control signal, for controlling at least one of said closure members in a second control mode, different from said first control mode, in response to detection of said authentication element within a second, relatively more distant detection range;

said first detection range overlaps said second detection range in a transitional area; and

each closure control unit generates a control signal only when said authentication element has crossed into the first range or the second range from the transitional area, and does not generate a control signal when said authentication element enters the first range or the second range other than from the transitional area.

15. A method for controlling a closure system for an object having a plurality of lockable and unlockable closure members, a plurality of proximity sensors arranged on the object and each having a preset detection area, at least one authentication element which can be carried by a vehicle user, and a plurality of closure control units for controlling locking and unlocking of respective closure members in response to detection of said at least one authentication element within respective detection areas of said proximity sensors;

said method comprising;

said proximity sensors determining a range to said at least one authentication element;

a particular closure control unit generating a first control signal for controlling at least one of said closure members in a first mode in response to detection of said authentication element within a first, relatively closer detection range by at least one proximity sensor; and

said particular closure control unit generating a second control signal, for controlling at least one of said closure members in a second control mode, different from said first control mode, in response to detection of said authentication element within a second, relatively more distant detection range;

wherein

said first detection range overlaps said second detection range in a transition area; and

said particular closure control unit generates a control signal only when said authentication element has crossed into the first range or the second range from the transitional area, and does not generate a control signal when said authentication element enters the first range or the second range other than from the transitional area.

16. A method for operating an electronic closure system that includes a plurality of lockable and unlockable closure control units, each associated with a different opening element of an object that is to be secured, and at least one authentication element that can be carried by a user of the object, said method comprising:

providing each respective closure control unit with at least one authentication element identification sensor which is arranged on the object and has a predetermined detection area outside the object, for producing differing closure control commands relating to locking and/or unlocking of the said respective closure control unit, based on an external detection range of said detection area in which an authentication element is detected;

wherein,

external detection zones of said closure control unites do not overlap, being separated by areas that are insensitive to any authentication element located there;

each closure control unit includes an authentication element range sensor system for determining whether an authentication element identified in a particular external detection area is located in a range of the particular external detection area relatively closer to the object, or in a range relatively farther away from the object;

each closure control unit automatically produces differing closure control commands for the closure unit upon identification of an authorizing authentication element, based on whether the identified authentication element is located in the range relatively closer to the object or relatively farther away from the object;

in a particular detection area, the range relatively farther away from the object overlaps the range relatively closer to the object in a transitional area whereby hysteresis of the closure control command production process is provided; and

each closure control unit produces a closure control command only when an authorizing authentication element has crossed into the inner range or the outer range from the overlap area, and does not produce a closure control command when the authorizing identification element enters the inner range or the outer range other than from the overlap area.