Electronic key system for vehicle

• US 6,876,292 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2001
• Issued: 04/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Onuma, Yoshiki, Nagano, Teppei
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nam V
• Application Number:
  US09/819,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20010026213A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,468 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.72, 340/5.6, 340/5.61, 340/5.62, 340/5.64, 340/5.65, 340/5.66, 340/5.27, 340/5.2, 340/5.21, 340/5.22, 340/5.24, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 307/10.5
• US Class Current: 340/5.62
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user

Abstract

An on-vehicle apparatus communicates with an electronic key by wireless communication. The one-vehicle apparatus decides to unlock a vehicular door according to an identification result between first ID of the electronic key and unlock-operation ID of the on-vehicle apparatus, and decides to start an engine of the vehicle according to an identification result between second ID of the electronic key and engine-starting ID of the on-vehicle apparatus. The on-vehicle apparatus commands the electronic key to output third ID shorter in data length than the second ID, when the first ID corresponds with the unlock-operation ID. The on-vehicle apparatus permits starting the engine when the third ID corresponds with compacted data of the engine-starting ID.

Claims

1. An electronic key system for a vehicle comprising:

an electronic key having first ID (identification data), second ID, and third ID which is shorter in data length than the second ID, said electronic key outputting the first ID, the second ID, and the third ID; and

an on-vehicle apparatus communicating with said electronic key by means of wireless communication, said on-vehicle apparatus having fourth ID, fifth ID, and sixth ID which is shorter in data length than the fifth ID, said on-vehicle apparatus permitting starting an engine of the vehicle when one of first and second conditions is achieved, the first condition including a condition that the second ID outputted from said electronic key corresponds with the fifth ID, the second condition including a condition that the first ID outputted from said electronic key corresponds with the fourth ID and the third ID outputted from said electronic key corresponds with the sixth ID, said on-vehicle apparatus requesting said electronic key to output the third ID when the first ID corresponds with the fourth ID and when an operator carrying said electronic key executes an operation for starting the engine.

2. The electronic key system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said on-vehicle apparatus permits unlocking a vehicle door when the first ID corresponds with the fourth ID.

3. The electronic key system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said on-vehicle apparatus requests said electronic key to output the first ID when an operator carrying said electronic key executes an operation for opening a vehicle door from an outside of the vehicle.

4. The electronic key system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said electronic key outputs the first ID only when said on-vehicle apparatus requests said electronic key to output ID for opening the vehicular door.

5. The electronic key system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said on-vehicle apparatus requests said electronic key to output the first ID when an operator carrying said electronic key approaches the vehicle to open the vehicular door.

6. The electronic key system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said on-vehicle apparatus requests said electronic key to output the second ID when an operator carrying said electronic key executes an operation for starting the engine.

7. The electronic key system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said electronic key outputs the second ID only when said on-vehicle apparatus requests said electronic key to output ID for starting the engine.

8. The electronic key system as claimed in claim 1, said electronic key outputs the third ID only when said on-vehicle apparatus requests said electronic key to output the third ID.

9. The electronic key system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicular door has a key cylinder and is unlocked by inserting a key into the key cylinder and by turning the key, said on-vehicle apparatus permitting starting the engine when the vehicle door is unlocked by turning the key inserted in the key cylinder and when the second ID outputted from said electronic key corresponds with the fifth ID.

10. The electronic key system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said on-vehicle apparatus comprises an antenna through which said on-vehicle apparatus communicates with said electronic key located within a predetermined area outside of the vehicle.

11. The electronic key system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the third ID is a part of the second ID, and the sixth ID is a part of the fifth ID.

12. A method for permitting starting an engine of a vehicle, said method comprising:

checking whether first ID (identification data) outputted from an electronic key corresponds with first apparatus ID registered in an on-vehicle apparatus;

permitting unlocking a vehicular door when the first ID corresponds with the first apparatus ID;

requesting the electronic key to output second ID when the first ID does not correspond with the first apparatus ID;

checking whether the second ID corresponds with second apparatus ID registered in the on-vehicle apparatus;

permitting starting the engine of the vehicle when the second ID corresponds with the second apparatus ID;

requesting the electronic key to output third ID, which is shorter in data length than the second ID, when the first ID corresponds with the first apparatus ID;

checking whether the third ID corresponds with a third apparatus ID registered in the on-vehicle apparatus; and

permitting starting the engine when the third ID corresponds with the apparatus third ID.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said requesting the electronic key to output the second ID is executed when an operation for starting the engine is executed without checking the first ID.

14. An electronic key system for a vehicle comprising:

an electronic key having first ID (identification data) and second ID, said electronic key outputting the first ID, the second ID and a part of the second ID according to a request; and

an on-vehicle apparatus communicating with said electronic key by means of wireless communication, said on-vehicle apparatus having third ID and fourth ID, said on-vehicle apparatus requesting the electronic key to output the second ID when the first ID does not correspond with the fourth ID, said on-vehicle apparatus permitting starting the engine of the vehicle when the second ID corresponds with the fourth ID, said on-vehicle apparatus requesting said electronic key to output the part of the second ID when the first ID outputted from said electronic key corresponds with the third ID, said on-vehicle apparatus permitting starting an engine of the vehicle when the part of the second ID outputted from said electronic key corresponds with a part of the fourth ID.

15. An electronic key system for a vehicle comprising:

an electronic key having first ID (identification data), second ID, and third ID which is shorter in data length that the second ID, said electronic key outputting the first ID, the second ID and the third ID; and

an on-vehicle apparatus communicated with said electronic key by means of wireless communication, said on-vehicle apparatus having fourth ID and fifth ID, said on-vehicle apparatus deciding to start an engine of the vehicle when the second ID corresponds to the fifth ID, said on-vehicle apparatus deciding to start the engine of the vehicle when the first ID outputted from said electronic key corresponds with the fourth ID and when the third ID outputted from said electronic key corresponds with a part of the fifth ID.