Vehicular electronic key system

• US 7,336,171 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2006
• Issued: 02/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Kishimoto, Yasuaki, Hata, Toshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Pope; Daryl C
• Application Number:
  US11/371,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20070069871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.32, 340/989, 340/991, 340/993, 340/426.13, 340/426.14, 340/426.16, 340/426.17, 340/426.35, 340/426.36
• US Class Current: 340/539.32
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user

Abstract

A vehicular electronic key system includes an on-board device that mutually communicates with a portable device, and operates control equipment installed on a vehicle when specific information from the portable device is authenticated. The on-board device includes a distance storage section for storing travel distances of the vehicle, and a warning section for warning that the portable device disappeared when communication was stopped between the on-board device and the portable device. The on-board device communicates with the portable device each time a predetermined distance is travelled, stores the travel distance at each communication time point into the distance storage section, and drives, upon detection that a signal transmitted from the portable device was disrupted, the warning section to warn an undetected region between the last travel distance stored immediately before the transmitted signal was disrupted and a travel distance at a time point at which the transmitted signal was disrupted.

Claims

1. A vehicular electronic key system comprising:

an on-board device installed on a vehicle; and

a portable device that is possessed by a user of said vehicle;

wherein said on-board device serves to operate control equipment installed on said vehicle when authenticated specific information from said portable device by mutually communicating with said portable device;

said on-board device includes;

a distance storage section that stores travel distances of said vehicle; and

a warning section that warns that said portable device did no longer exist when communication was stopped between said on-board device and said portable device;

wherein said on-board device communicates with said portable device each time a predetermined distance has been travelled during travel of said vehicle, stores the travel distance of said vehicle at the time point of each communication with said portable device into said distance storage section, and drives, upon detection that a signal transmitted from said portable device was disrupted, said warning section to warn an undetected region between the last travel distance stored in said distance storage section immediately before said transmitted signal was disrupted and a travel distance at a time point at which said transmitted signal was disrupted.

2. The vehicular electronic keyword system as set forth in claim 1, wherein when it is detected that the signal transmitted from said portable device was disrupted, said on-board device sets said predetermined distance to a value that is shorter than an ordinary value, repeatedly verifies an undetected state of said transmitted signal, and finally decides the start of warning by said warning section when the number of repetitions of said undetected state reaches a predetermined number of times.

3. The vehicular electronic key system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said predetermined distance is restored to the ordinary value after warning of said warning section.

4. The vehicular electronic key system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said on-board device and said portable device repeatedly perform mutual communication with each other over a period of time from the activation to the termination of the system.

5. A vehicular electronic key system comprising:

an on-board device installed on a vehicle; and

a portable device that is possessed by a user of said vehicle;

wherein said on-board device serves to operate control equipment installed on said vehicle when authenticated specific information from said portable device by mutually communicating with said portable device;

said on-board device includes;

a time point storage section that stores time points corresponding to elapsed times, respectively; and

a warning section that warns that said portable device did no longer exist when communication was stopped between said on-board device and said portable device;

wherein said on-board device communicates with said portable device each time a predetermined time has elapsed during standing still of said vehicle, stores the time point of each communication with said portable device into said time point storage section, and drives, upon detection that a signal transmitted from said portable device was disrupted, said warning section to warn an undetected period between the last time point stored in said time point storage section immediately before said transmitted signal was disrupted and a time point at which said transmitted signal was disrupted.

6. The vehicular electronic key system as set forth in claim 5, wherein when it is detected that the signal transmitted from said portable device was disrupted, said on-board device sets said predetermined time to a value that is shorter than an ordinary value, repeatedly verifies an undetected state of said transmitted signal, and finally decides the start of warning by said warning section when the number of repetitions of said undetected state reaches a predetermined number of times.

7. The vehicular electronic key system as set forth in claim 6, wherein said predetermined time is restored to the ordinary value after warning of said warning section.

8. The vehicular electronic key system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said on-board device and said portable device repeatedly perform mutual communication with each other over a period of time from the activation to the termination of the system.

9. A vehicular electronic key system comprising:

an on-board device installed on a vehicle; and

a portable device that is possessed by a user of said vehicle;

wherein said on-board device serves to operate control equipment installed on said vehicle when authenticated specific information from said portable device by mutually communicating with said portable device;

said on-board device includes;

a distance storage section that stores travel distances of said vehicle;

a time point storage section that stores time points corresponding to elapsed times, respectively;

a first portable device detection section related to said distance storage section;

a second portable device detection section related to said time point storage section;

a selection section that selectively activates said first or second portable device detection section based on speed information of said vehicle; and

a warning section that warns that said portable device did no longer exist when communication was stopped between said on-board device and said portable device as a result of detection of said first or second portable device detection section;

wherein said first portable device detection section communicates with said portable device each time a predetermined distance has been travelled during travel of said vehicle, stores the travel distance of said vehicle at the time point of each communication with said portable device into said distance storage section, and drives, upon detection that a signal transmitted from said portable device was disrupted, said warning section to warn an undetected region between the last travel distance stored in said distance storage section immediately before said transmitted signal was disrupted and a travel distance at a time point at which said transmitted signal was disrupted;

said second portable device detection section communicates with said portable device each time a predetermined time has elapsed during standing still of said vehicle, stores the time point of each communication with said portable device into said time point storage section, and drives, upon detection that the transmitted signal from said portable device was disrupted, said warning section to warn an undetected period between the last time point stored in said time point storage section immediately before said transmitted signal was disrupted and a time point at which said transmitted signal was disrupted.

10. The vehicular electronic key system as set forth in claim 9, wherein said selection section activates said first portable device detection section when said speed information indicates that said vehicle is traveling, and activates said second portable device detection section when said speed information indicates that said vehicle is standing still.

11. The vehicular electronic key system as set forth in claim 9, wherein said second portable device detection section warns the time point at which it was detected that the transmitted signal from said portable device was disrupted, together with the travel distance of said vehicle at the time point at which said transmitted signal was disrupted.