Moving body, and electronic key system for moving body

• US 7,626,494 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2006
• Issued: 12/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Masaki, Konno, Takeshi, Yamamoto, Takao, Yashiro, Tomohiko, Funayose, Yusuke, Yamamoto, Sho
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHANNON, MICHAEL T
• Application Number:
  US11/354,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20060181409A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,385 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.6, 340/532, 340/5.2, 340/5.1, 340/5.8, 340/5.7, 701 93-115, 701/56, 701/55, 701/2
• US Class Current: 340/441
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/241 whereby access privileges are related to the identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/04 Access control involving a hierarchy in access rights
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

An electronic key system 100 for a moving body, for example an all-terrain vehicle 10, includes an electronic key 11 and a control unit 50. The electronic key 11 transmits a control code Md stored in a ROM 76. The control unit 50 reads a speed limit Vs and a power limit Ws out of one of first to fourth control mode data Md1 to Md4, which corresponds to the received control code Md, and supplies the limits to a drive control performing section 104. The drive control performing section 104 controls an engine 22 in accordance with the speed limit Vs and the power limit Ws to limit a travel speed V and power W. This renders the driving performance appropriate to the driving condition and/or the driver.

Claims

1. A moving body, comprising:

a monitor, including;

a speed meter,

a speed limit meter that displays travel speed limiting values, and

a power limit meter that displays power limit values; and

a control unit that controls a driving mechanism,

wherein the control unit is configured to receive first identification signals transmitted from respective first and second portable transmitters,

wherein at least one of the portable transmitters includes;

a battery,

a memory that stores a plurality of first identification codes,

a transmitting circuit,

a power circuit that supplies electric power from the battery to the transmitting circuit, and

a switch configured to select a selected first identification code from the plurality of the first identification codes,

wherein each of the plurality of first identification codes correspond to a predetermined value for a parameter of the control unit,

wherein when one of the first identification codes is selected, the first identification signal transmitted from the portable transmitter corresponds to the selected first identification code,

wherein when said first identification signals are received by the control unit, the control unit controls the driving mechanism in accordance with the first identification signal which is associated with a lower travel speed limiting value and a lower power limit value;

wherein at least one of the portable transmitters transmits a second identification signal for authentication and the control unit is configured to receive the second identification signal,

wherein the control unit includes a stored authentication code , and when the control unit receives the second identification signal the control unit enables the moving body to be activated when the stored authentication code and the received second identification signal coincide, and

wherein the control unit allows the monitor to display the lower travel speed limiting value and the lower power limit value based on the received first identification signals.

2. The moving body according to claim 1,

wherein the driving mechanism includes a transmission, and wherein the control unit sets gear change characteristics of the transmission in the driving mechanism to different characteristics in accordance with the first identification signal.

3. The moving body according to claim 1,

wherein the driving mechanism includes a drive source, and wherein the control unit sets rotational frequency of the drive source, power thereof, or a limiting value of torque thereof, to a different value in accordance with the first identification signal.

4. The moving body according to claim 1, wherein the driving mechanism includes a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT),

when the control unit receives the first identification signal the control unit controls the CVT so a gear change timing of the transmission is set to one of a plurality of predetermined slopes in accordance with the first identification signal.

5. An electronic key system for a moving body having a driving mechanism, comprising:

a first portable transmitter configured to transmit a first identification signal;

a second portable transmitter configured to transmit a first identification signal, wherein the first identification signal transmitted from the second portable transmitter is different from the first identification signal transmitted from the first portable transmitter;

the first portable transmitter including;

a memory that stores a plurality of predetermined first identification signals, and

a DIP switch configured for changing the first identification signal to be transmitted from a plurality of predetermined first identification signals stored in the memory; and

a control unit mounted on the moving body and configured to receive the first identification signals transmitted from the first and the second portable transmitters,

wherein the control unit controls the driving mechanism of the moving body in accordance with the received first identification signals,

wherein when said first identification signals are received by the control unit, the control unit controls the driving mechanism in accordance with the first identification signal that is associated with a lower speed limit value and a lower power limit value; and

wherein the moving body includes a monitor, the monitor including a speed meter, a speed limit meter that displays the lower speed limiting value, and a power limit meter that displays the lower power limit value.

6. The electronic key system for a moving body according to claim 5,

wherein the portable transmitter is configured to transmit a second identification signal for authentication,

he control unit includes a stored authentication code and the control unit is configured to receive the second identification signal for authentication, and

the control unit is configured to enable the moving body to be activated when the stored authentication code and the received second identification signal coincide.