In-vehicle equipment remote control system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An in-vehicle equipment remote control system comprising:
- a portable unit which receives a request signal and transmits a response signal in response to the request signal; and
a controlling means mounted in a vehicle for periodically transmitting the request signal in a predetermined area around the vehicle, and controlling an operation of in-vehicle equipment, when triggered by reception of the response signal from the portable unit,wherein the controlling means includesa request signal generation circuit for generating the request signal,a modulation and transmission circuit for modulating and transmitting the request signal generated by the request signal generation circuit,a clock signal generation circuit for generating clock signals used to modulate the request signal in the modulation and transmission circuit, anda microcomputer for instructing at least the request signal generation circuit to generate the request signal,wherein the microcomputer has a normal operation mode and a low-power consumption mode, instructs the request signal generation circuit to generate the request signal in the normal operation mode, and thereafter shifts from the normal operation mode to the low-power consumption mode, andwherein the request signal generation circuit utilizes the clock signals generated by the clock signal generation circuit and continues operation thereof with the clock signals even after the microcomputer shifts to the low-power consumption mode.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In a security ECU, a CPU instructs a request generation circuit to generate a request signal in the normal operation mode. Thereafter, the CPU shifts from the normal operation mode to the low-power consumption mode. The request generation circuit utilizes clock signals generated by a clock signal generation circuit and continues operation even after the CPU shifts to the low-power consumption mode. Thus, the time for which the CPU operates in the normal operation mode can be reduced, and the power consumption of the entire system is thereby reduced.
-
Citations
24 Claims
-
1. An in-vehicle equipment remote control system comprising:
-
a portable unit which receives a request signal and transmits a response signal in response to the request signal; and a controlling means mounted in a vehicle for periodically transmitting the request signal in a predetermined area around the vehicle, and controlling an operation of in-vehicle equipment, when triggered by reception of the response signal from the portable unit, wherein the controlling means includes a request signal generation circuit for generating the request signal, a modulation and transmission circuit for modulating and transmitting the request signal generated by the request signal generation circuit, a clock signal generation circuit for generating clock signals used to modulate the request signal in the modulation and transmission circuit, and a microcomputer for instructing at least the request signal generation circuit to generate the request signal, wherein the microcomputer has a normal operation mode and a low-power consumption mode, instructs the request signal generation circuit to generate the request signal in the normal operation mode, and thereafter shifts from the normal operation mode to the low-power consumption mode, and wherein the request signal generation circuit utilizes the clock signals generated by the clock signal generation circuit and continues operation thereof with the clock signals even after the microcomputer shifts to the low-power consumption mode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
-
-
8. An in-vehicle equipment remote control system comprising:
-
a portable unit which receives a request signal and transmits a response signal in response to the request signal; and a controlling means mounted in a vehicle for periodically transmitting the request signal in a predetermined area around the vehicle, and controlling operation of in-vehicle equipment, when triggered by reception of the response signal from the portable unit, wherein the controlling means includes, a modulation and transmission circuit for modulating and transmitting the request signal, a clock signal generation circuit for generating clock signals used to modulate the request signal in the modulation and transmission circuit, a receiver circuit for receiving the response signal from the portable unit, a determination circuit for determining whether the response signal received by the receiver circuit corresponds to a predetermined response signal, and a microcomputer for generating a control signal for controlling the operation of at least the in-vehicle equipment, wherein the microcomputer has a normal operation mode and low-power consumption mode, and wherein the determination circuit operates based on the clock signals generated by the clock signal generation circuit, and outputs a start signal to the microcomputer to change the operation mode of the microcomputer from the low-power consumption mode to the normal operation mode when the response signal received by the receiver circuit corresponds to the predetermined response signal under a condition that the response signal is received when the microcomputer is in the low-power consumption mode. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. An in-vehicle equipment remote control system comprising:
-
a portable unit for receiving a request signal arid transmitting response signal in response to the request signal; and a controlling means mounted in a vehicle for periodically transmitting the request signal in a predetermined area around the vehicle, and controlling the operation of in-vehicle equipment, when triggered by reception of the response signal from the portable unit, wherein the controlling means includes a request signal generation circuit for generating the request signal, a modulation and transmission circuit for modulating and transmitting the request signal generated by the request signal generation circuit, a clock signal generation circuit for generating clock signals used to modulate the request signal in the modulation and transmission circuit, a receiver circuit for receiving the response signal from the portable unit, a determination circuit for determining whether the response signal received by the receiver circuit corresponds to a predetermined response signal, and a microcomputer for instructing at least the request si generation circuit to generate the request signal, and generating a control signal for controlling the operation of the in-vehicle equipment, wherein the microcomputer has a normal operation mode and low-power consumption mode, and instructs the request signal generation circuit to generate the request signal in the normal operation mode, and thereafter shifts from the normal operation mode to the low-power consumption mode, wherein the request signal generation circuit and the determination circuit operate based on the clock signals generated by the clock signal generation circuit, wherein the receiver circuit receives the response signal generated by the request signal generation circuit according to the request signal, and wherein the determination circuit outputs a start signal to the microcomputer to change an operation mode of the microcomputer from the low-power consumption mode to the normal operation mode when the determination circuit determines that the response signal corresponds to the predetermined response signal. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
-
21. A method of controlling an in-vehicle equipment control system, the control system including a portable unit carried by a vehicle user and a control unit provided in a vehicle to control in-vehicle equipment through communication with the portable unit, the control unit including a microcomputer, a clock circuit, a request circuit and a determination circuit, the method comprising:
-
switching the microcomputer from a low-power mode to a normal mode to start the request circuit to generate a request signal so that the portable unit generates a response signal, upon receipt of the request signal; switching the microcomputer from the normal mode to the low-power mode after starting the request circuit; operating the request circuit to continue generation of the request signal by the clock signals of the clock circuit after the microcomputer is switched to the low-power mode; stopping generation of the clock signals of the clock circuit a predetermined period from generation of the request signal; and switching the microcomputer to the normal mode to start the request circuit again after another predetermined period from a previous switching to the norm mode. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
-
-
24. A method of controlling an in-vehicle equipment control system, the control system including a portable unit carried by a vehicle user and a control unit provided in a vehicle to control in-vehicle equipment through communication with the portable unit, the control unit including a microcomputer, a clock circuit, a receiver circuit and a determination circuit, the method comprising:
-
switching the microcomputer from a low-power mode to a normal mode to start generation of a request signal from the control unit each time a predetermined period elapses, so that the portable unit generates a response signal upon receipt of the request signal; switching the microcomputer from the normal mode to the low-power mode after starting the generation of the request signal; operating, by the clock signals of the clock circuit after the microcomputer is switched to the low-power mode, the receiver circuit to receive the response signal and the determination circuit to determine whether the response signal received from the portable unit corresponds to a predetermined signal; and switching the microcomputer to the normal mode when the response signal is determined to be in correspondence to the predetermined signal irrespective of the predetermined period.
-
Specification