Vehicle electronic key system

• US 7,205,884 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2003
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Shimomura, Toshio, Kumazaki, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): ZIMMERMAN, BRIAN A
• Application Number:
  US10/730,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20040119628A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.61, 340/5.72, 340/426.22, 340/426.23, 340/426.28
• US Class Current: 340/5.61
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2009 Antitheft state indicator
• 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 2209/62 Comprising means for indicating the status of the lock
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

An electronic key system has a mobile unit and a vehicle unit. Lamps are disposed in each door handles of doors. The lamps light in different modes in accordance with states of doors, which include a locked state, an unlock-standby state, and an unlocked state. Accordingly, a user having the mobile unit can easily recognize the states of the doors when the user approaches the doors.

Claims

1. An electronic key system comprising:

a transmitter that transmits the interrogational signal to a mobile unit;

a receiver that receives a code signal transmitted from the mobile unit in response to the interrogational signal;

a controller that checks a relation between the code signal and a memorized signal, and controls a state of a door of a vehicle based on a check result of the relation;

an indicator that is disposed on the vehicle to indicate the state of the door; and

a detection means for detecting an opening operation of the door that is operated by a user having the mobile unit,

wherein the controller sets the door of the vehicle in an unlock-standby state when the code signal transmitted from the mobile unit is authenticated when the user having the mobile unit approaches the vehicle, and unlocks the door when the opening operation of the door is detected by the detection means in the unlock-standby state, and

the indicator starts to indicate the unlock-standby state of the door in a certain indication mode when the door becomes in the unlock-standby state, and the indicator changes the indication mode when the door is unlocked.

2. The electronic key system according to claim 1, wherein the indicator changes an indication mode between a first condition that the door is locked and a second condition that the door is unlocked.

3. The electronic key system according to claim 1, wherein the indicator is turned off when a certain time elapses or an engine of the vehicle is started.

4. The electronic key system according to claim 1, wherein the indicator starts to indicate that the door is unlocked when the door is closed after a user having the mobile unit gets out of the vehicle, and

the indicator changes an indication mode to indicate that the door is locked in response to a lock of the door after the door is closed.

5. The electronic key system according to claim 4, wherein the indicator is turned off when a certain time elapses.

6. The electronic key system according to claim 1, wherein the indicator indicates the state of the door when the state of the door is changed.

7. An electrical key system for a vehicle that has a first door and a second door, comprising:

a transmitter that transmits an interrogational signal to a mobile unit;

a receiver that receives a code signal that is transmitted from the mobile unit in response to the interrogational signal;

verification means for verifying the code signal against a memorized signal;

determination means for determining whether the mobile unit exists near the first door or near the second door when verification means verifies the code signal;

control means for controlling states of the first door and the second door based on the verification of the verification means and the determination of the determination means;

a first indicator that indicates the state of the first door;

a second indicator that indicates the state of the second door; and

a detection means for detecting an opening operation of at least one of the first door and the second door that is operated by a user having the mobile unit,

wherein the control means sets the at least one of the first door and the second door in an unlock-standby state when the code signal transmitted from the mobile unit is authenticated when the user having the mobile unit approaches the vehicle, and unlocks the at least one of the first door and the second door when the opening operation of the at least one of the first door and the second door is detected by the detection means in the unlock-standby state,

wherein the indicator starts to indicate the unlock-standby state of the at least one of the first door and the second door in a certain indication mode when the at least one of the first door and the second door becomes in the unlock-standby state, and the indicator changes the indication mode when the at least one of the first door and the second door is unlocked,

wherein the control means controls the first indicator and the second indicator so that the first indicator and the second indicator indicate in different modes when the state of the first door is different from the state of the second door.

8. The electronic key system according to claim 7, wherein when the determination means determines that the mobile unit exists near the first door, the control means controls the first door so that the state of the first door is shifted from a locked state to an unlock-standby state and controls the second door so that the state of the second door is maintained in the locked state, the first indicator indicates the unlock-standby state of the first door in a first mode, and the second indicator indicates the locked state of the second door in a second mode.

9. The electronic key system according to claim 7, wherein when the determination means determines that the mobile unit exists near the first door, the control means controls the first door so that the state of the first door is shifted from an unlocked state to a lock-standby stale and controls the second door so that the state of the second door is maintained in the unlocked state, the first indicator indicates the lock-standby state of the first door in a first mode, and the second indicator indicates the unlocked state of the second door in a second mode.