Vehicular remote control system and tire pressure monitoring system

• US 7,181,189 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Omron Automotive Electronics Company Limited (Nidec Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Hotta, Shinji, Yoshimura, Toshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): MEHRPOUR, NAGHMEH
• Application Number:
  US11/021,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20050162259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 455/343.3, 455/352, 455/345, 455/297.1, 455/95, 455/410, 455/411, 455/418, 455/142, 455/143, 455/343.2, 455/343.4, 4554561-4566, 455/68, 455/574, 455/354, 340/445, 340/447, 340/442, 340/449, 340/10.33, 340/825.72, 340/448, 340/10.3, 731/462, 731/465, 731/464, 731/463
• US Class Current: 455/343.3
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0433 Radio signals
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0462 Structure of transmission protocol
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/246 characterised by the challenge triggering
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• 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

A vehicular remote control system has a mobile unit, a vehicle unit for establishing bidirectional wireless communication with the mobile unit, wherein the vehicle unit is able to transmit a wireless signal to the mobile unit through transmission antennas provided at a plurality of positions of a vehicle, and operational intention detector, provided at the plurality of positions of the vehicle corresponding to the transmission antennas, for detecting operational intention of a user approaching the positions. When a user'"'"'s operational intention is detected, a predetermined request signal is transmitted from the vehicle unit to the mobile unit through a first transmission antenna, and the vehicle unit transmits an interrupt signal for preventing reception of the request signal, through a second transmission antenna.

Claims

1. A vehicular remote control system comprising

a mobile unit portable by a user,

a vehicle unit for establishing bidirectional wireless communication with the mobile unit, wherein the vehicle unit is able to transmit a wireless signal to the mobile unit through transmission antennas provided at a plurality of positions of a vehicle, and

operational intention detection means, provided at the plurality of positions of the vehicle corresponding to the transmission antennas, for detecting operational intention of a user approaching the positions, wherein

when a user'"'"'s operational intention is detected by the operational intention detecting means, the detected operational intention works as a trigger, and a predetermined request signal is transmitted from the vehicle unit to the mobile unit through a first transmission antenna arranged at a position of the vehicle corresponding to a triggered position, and the vehicle unit performs a predetermined processing operation according to a received result of an answer signal transmitted from the mobile unit in reply to the request signal, and

at the same time when the request signal is transmitted through the first transmission antenna at the triggered position, the vehicle unit transmits an interrupt signal for preventing reception of the request signal through a second transmission antenna arranged at a non-triggered position, at least while the request signal is being transmitted.

2. The vehicular remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the interrupt signal is transmitted from the respective transmission antennas arranged at the non-triggered position, with time difference.

3. The vehicular remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the request signal is a signal of digital wireless method to be transmitted after modulation of carrier wave with a pulse string of digital data, and the interrupt signal is an inverse signal with the pulse string at the modulation inverted with respect to the request signal.

4. The vehicular remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the processing operation is control processing for locking/unlocking or opening/closing a door or a trunk of the vehicle, the transmission antennas and the operational intention detecting means are provided on both sides of a vehicle having doors or on a rear side of a vehicle having the trunk, and the operational intention is for locking/unlocking or opening/closing the door or the trunk of the vehicle.

5. A tire air pressure monitoring system comprising

a controller on a vehicle side able to transmit a wireless signal through each transmission antenna on the vehicle side provided for every specified tire of the vehicle in the vicinity of each corresponding tire, and

a sensor unit, provided in each tire of the vehicle, able to measure air pressure of each tire and transmit the measurement result as wireless signal, wherein

the controller on the vehicle side transmits a request signal to the sensor unit of the corresponding tire through a first transmission antenna on the vehicle side at a predetermined position at a predetermined timing, and upon receipt of the request signal, the sensor unit transmits an answer signal including the measurement result to the controller on the vehicle side, and

at the same time when transmitting the request signal through the first transmission antenna on the vehicle side at the predetermined position, the controller on the vehicle side transmits an interrupt signal for preventing reception of the request signal through a second transmission antenna on the vehicle side arranged at a position other than the predetermined position, at least while the request signal is being transmitted.

6. The tire air pressure monitoring system according to claim 5, wherein the interrupt signal is transmitted from each of the transmission antennas arranged at a position other than the predetermined position, with time difference.

7. The tire air pressure monitoring system according to claim 5, wherein the request signal is a signal of digital wireless type to be transmitted after modulation of carrier wave with a pulse string of digital data, and the interrupt signal is an inverse signal with the pulse string at the modulation inverted with respect to the request signal.