Door control system and receiver

• US 6,980,094 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2003
• Issued: 12/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsubara, Manabu, Yoshimura, Minoru
• Primary Examiner(s): GOINS, DAVETTA WOODS
• Application Number:
  US10/384,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20040041693A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: 340/426.28, 340/426.13, 340/426.49, 340/5.25, 340/10.1, 340/825.72, 340/825.69, 340/426.17, 340/426.29, 340/5.31, 340/5.72, 493/60, 70/14, 702/37, 702/71, 702/66, 702/67
• US Class Current: 340/426.28
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00182 operated with unidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

A system for remotely controlling the doors of an automotive vehicle with a reduced number of transmitters to be held and a reduced number of buttons of the transmitters is disclosed. The transmitter has a lock button and an unlock button. Upon depression of the lock button or the unlock button, a corresponding demand signal is transmitted repeatedly. The demand signal includes an ID code, a button code and a time code. The button code indicates the identification of the lock button or the unlock button. The time code indicates whether a button has been kept depressed for at least a predetermined length of time or the number of times the button is depressed. The receiver controls the door lock/unlock operation and the door open/close operation based on the button code and the time code. The time code can be replaced with a number-of-times code indicating the number of times a button is depressed.

Claims

1. A door control system comprising:

a transmitter including a button operated to issue a door lock demand signal, a button operated to issue a door unlock demand signal and a transmission circuit for sending out selected one of a lock demand signal and an unlock demand signal in response to the operation of said buttons;

an open/close drive means for driving the doors of an automotive vehicle to open or close;

a lock/unlock control means for controlling the lock/unlock operation of the doors of the vehicle; and

a receiver for receiving a selected one of said lock demand signal and said unlock demand signal from said transmitter and making a determination as to whether said received one of said lock demand signal and said unlock demand signal is in a first mode or a second mode, said receiver outputting a signal for causing said lock/unlock control means to perform a selected one of the lock and unlock operations, respectively, of the doors in the case where said determination shows that said selected one of said lock demand signal and said unlock demand signal is in said first mode, said receiver outputting a signal for causing said door open/close drive means to perform a selected one of the operations for opening and closing the doors, respectively, in the case where said determination shows that said selected one of said lock demand signal and said unlock demand signal is in said second mode.

2. A receiver for a door control system, comprising:

a receiving unit for receiving a lock demand signal;

a determining unit for determining whether said received lock demand signal is in a first mode or a second mode; and

a control unit for outputting a signal for causing a lock control means to lock the doors of an automotive vehicle in the case where said lock demand signal is in said first mode, and outputting a signal for causing a door open/close drive means to perform an operation for closing the doors in the case where said lock demand signal is in said second mode, said control unit thereafter outputting a signal for causing said lock control means to lock the doors.

3. A receiver for a door control system according to claim 2, wherein a selected one of said first mode and said second mode is identified in accordance with a selected one of the lasting time of said received demand signal and the number of times demanded.

4. A receiver for a door control system according to claim 2, wherein said control unit stops the signal for causing said door closing operation in the case where said received demand signal stops.

5. A receiver for a door control system according to claim 2, wherein said control unit fails to stop said signal for causing said door closing operation even in the case where said received demand signal stops.

6. A receiver for a door control system according to claim 5, wherein said control unit forcibly stops said signal for causing said door closing operation in the case where a new signal is received during the output of said signal for causing said door closing operation.

7. A receiver for a door control system according to claim 6, wherein a signal for causing the door opening operation in reverse direction is output to said door open/close drive means in the case where said signal for causing said door closing operation is forcibly stopped.

8. A receiver for a door control system according to claim 2,

wherein said determining unit determines whether a selected one of said received lock demand signal and a received unlock demand signal is in said first mode, said second mode or a third mode, and

wherein said control unit outputs a signal for controlling a first door and a second door in the case where said selected demand signal is in said first mode, outputs a signal for controlling said first door in the case where said selected demand signal is in said second mode, and outputs a signal for controlling said second door in the case where said selected demand signal is in said third mode.

9. A receiver for a door control system according to claim 2, wherein said control unit outputs a signal, for indicating by voice, during the output of a signal for causing a selected one of a door opening operation and said door closing operation.

10. A receiver for a door control system according to claim 2, further comprising a receiving unit for receiving a signal indicating the inclination angle of an automotive vehicle,

wherein said control unit stops a signal for causing a selected one of a door opening operation and said door closing operation and outputs an alarm signal in the case where said received inclination angle exceeds a predetermined value.

11. A receiver for a door control system according to claim 2, wherein said determining unit further determines whether a selected one of said received lock demand signal and a received unlock demand signal is in a third mode or not, said determining unit outputting a control signal to the vehicle devices other than said lock control means and said door open/close drive means in the case where said selected one of said received lock demand signal and said received unlock demand signal, as the case may be, is in said third mode.

12. A receiver for a door control system, according to claim 2, wherein:

said receiving unit receives a signal indicating whether the doors are open or closed as detected by a door open/close detection means; and

said control unit outputs a signal for causing said door open/close drive means to perform the door closing operation in the case where said door open/close detection means detects that the doors are open upon receipt of said lock demand signal.

13. A receiver for a door control system according to claim 12, wherein said control unit stops the signal for causing said door closing operation in the case where said received demand signal is stopped.

14. A receiver for a door control system according to claim 12, wherein said control unit fails to stop said signal for causing said door closing operation even in the case where said received demand signal is stopped.

15. A receiver for a door control system according to claim 12, wherein said control unit outputs a signal, for indication by voice, during the output of a signal, for causing a selected one of a door opening operation and said door closing operation.

16. A receiver for a door control system according to claim 12, further comprising a receiving unit for receiving a signal indicating the inclination angle of an automotive vehicle,

wherein said control unit stops a signal for causing a selected one of a door opening operation and said door closing operation and outputs an alarm signal in the case where said received inclination angle exceeds a predetermined value.

17. A receiver for a door control system, comprising:

a receiving unit for receiving an unlock demand signal;

a determining unit for making a determination as to whether said received unlock demand signal is in a first mode or a second mode; and

a control unit for outputting a signal for causing an unlock control means to unlock the doors in the case where said determination shows that said unlock demand signal is in said first mode and outputting a signal for causing a door open/close drive means to perform the door opening operation in the case where said determination shows that said unlock demand signal is in said second mode.

18. A receiver for a door control system according to claim 17, wherein a selected one of said first mode and said second mode is determined in accordance with a selected one of the lasting time of said received demand signal and the number of times demanded.

19. A receiver for a door control system according to claim 17, wherein said control unit stops the signal for causing said door opening operation in the case where said received demand signal stops.

20. A receiver for a door control system according to claim 17, wherein said control unit fails to stop said signal for causing said door opening operation even in the case where said received demand signal stops.

21. A receiver for a door control system according to claim 20, wherein said control unit forcibly stops said signal for causing said door opening operation in the case where a new signal is received during the output of said signal for causing said door opening operation.

22. A receiver for a door control system according to claim 21, wherein a signal for causing the door closing operation in reverse direction is output to said door open/close drive means in the case where said signal for causing said door opening operation is forcibly stopped.

23. A receiver for a door control system according to claim 17,

wherein said determining unit further determines whether a selected one of a received lock demand signal and said received unlock demand signal is in a third mode or not, and

wherein, in the case where said selected one of said received lock demand signal and said received unlock demand signal, as the case may be, is in said third mode, said determining unit outputs a control signal to the vehicle devices other than said unlock control means and said door open/close drive means.