System for harmonizing a motor vehicle's status information between at least two ID transmitters

• US 7,679,490 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2006
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Hammes, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland; Donnie L
• Application Number:
  US11/538,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20070152801A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,259 Days
• Field of Search: 340/426.15, 340/426.35, 340/426.36
• US Class Current: 340/426.15
• 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 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

In a system for harmonizing a motor vehicle'"'"'s status information (S1) between at least two ID transmitters (5, 6, . . . ) of a vehicle-accessing device, the vehicle status (S1), together with a reference time (t1), corresponding to the vehicle status (S1), of a reference timing element of a vehicle-side control unit (2) can be sent by the unit via at least one transceiver unit (3) to at least one first mobile ID transmitter (5) over a first radio transmission (4) and stored; and the vehicle status (S1) can be sent over a second radio transmission (7) from the first ID transmitter (5) to at least one second ID transmitter (6, . . . ) and stored. This is advantageous in that an ID transmitter (6) can obtain information about the vehicle status S1 not only via the vehicle (1) itself but also via another ID transmitter (5). The invention is especially suitable for accessing and locking systems for motor vehicles.

Claims

1. A method for harmonizing a motor vehicle'"'"'s status information between at least two ID transmitters of a vehicle-accessing device, comprising:

transmitting the current vehicle stains, together with a current reference time, corresponding to the current vehicle status, of a reference timing element of a vehicle-side control unit by said control unit via at least one radio transceiver unit for receipt by any of a plurality of mobile ID transmitters within radio range of the transceiver unit;

a first mobile ID transmitter capable of receiving transmissions from the radio transceiver unit and within range of the radio transceiver unit receiving and storing the current vehicle status and current reference time;

a second mobile ID transmitter capable of receiving transmissions from the radio transceiver unit but not within range of the radio transceiver unit not receiving the current vehicle status and current reference time, the second mobile ID transmitter storing a previous vehicle status and a previous reference time; and

the first and second mobile ID transmitters subsequently synchronizing vehicle status data by radio transmissions, including;

the first mobile ID transmitter sending the current vehicle status and current reference time to the second mobile ID transmitter by radio transmission;

the second mobile ID transmitter comparing the received current reference time with its stored previous reference time, determining that the current reference time is more recent than the stored previous reference time, and in response, updating its stored previous vehicle status with the received current vehicle status.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein transmitting of the vehicle status between the ID transmitters is activated by an external low-frequency signal source.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein activating takes place by means of a key actuation performed on at least one of the two ID transmitters.

4. The system method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle'"'"'s locked/unlocked condition is transmitted simultaneously with the vehicle status.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the number of ID transmitters trained to the control unit is transmitted with the vehicle status.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second mobile ID transmitters subsequently synchronizing vehicle status data by radio transmissions further includes:

the second mobile ID transmitter sending the previous vehicle status and previous reference time to the first mobile ID transmitter by radio transmission;

the first mobile ID transmitter comparing the received previous reference time with its stored current reference time, determining that the previous reference time is more recent than the stored current reference time, and in response, not updating its stored current vehicle status.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ID transmitters have an internal timing element that is synchronized with the reference timing element of the control unit.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle status is conveyed between the ID transmitters at a definable instant.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein a recognition signal is sent by the first ID transmitter to further ID transmitters before the status information is transmitted.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein a request signal of the first ID transmitter is sent to the further ID transmitters before the vehicle status is conveyed between the ID transmitters.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information is conveyed between the ID transmitters encrypted.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein data is transmitted between the ID transmitters on a plurality of frequency channels.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein changing over between the frequency channels adheres to a previously established scheme.

14. A system for harmonizing a motor vehicle'"'"'s status information between at least two ID transmitters of a vehicle-accessing device, comprising:

a vehicle side control unit comprising a reference timing element, the control unit being designed to send the current vehicle status, together with a current reference time of the reference timing element, corresponding to the current vehicle status;

at least one radio transceiver unit for sending said current vehicle status and said current reference time for receipt by any of a plurality of mobile ID transmitters within radio range of the transceiver unit;

a first mobile ID transmitter within range such that it receives and stores the transmitted current vehicle status and current reference time,

a second mobile ID transmitter out of range such that it does not receive the transmitted current vehicle status and current reference time, the second mobile ID transmitter storing a previous vehicle status and a previous reference time;

the first and second mobile ID transmitters configured to subsequently synchronize vehicle status data by radio transmissions, including;

the first mobile ID transmitter configured to send the current vehicle status and current reference time to the second mobile ID transmitter by radio transmission, such that the second mobile ID transmitter compares the current reference time with its stored previous reference time, and in response, updates its stored previous vehicle status with the received current vehicle status.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein transmitting of the vehicle status between the ID transmitters is activated by an external low-frequency signal source.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein activating takes place by means of a key actuation performed on at least one of the two ID transmitters.

17. The system method according to claim 14, wherein the vehicle'"'"'s locked/unlocked condition is transmitted simultaneously with the vehicle status.

18. The system according to claim 14, wherein the number of ID transmitters trained to the control unit is transmitted with the vehicle status.

19. The system according to claim 14, wherein the first and second mobile ID transmitters configured to subsequently synchronize vehicle status data by radio transmissions further includes:

the first mobile ID transmitter configured to send the current vehicle status and current reference time to the second mobile ID transmitter by radio transmission, such that the second mobile ID transmitter compares the current reference time with its stored previous reference time, and in response, updates its stored previous vehicle status with the received current vehicle status; and

the second mobile ID transmitter configured to send the previous vehicle status and previous reference time to the first mobile ID transmitter by radio transmission, such that the first mobile ID transmitter compares the previous reference time with its stored current reference time, and in response, does not update its stored current vehicle status.

20. The system according to claim 14, wherein the ID transmitters have an internal timing element that is synchronized with the reference timing element of the control unit.

21. The system according to claim 14, wherein the vehicle status is conveyed between the ID transmitters at a definable instant.

22. The system according to claim 14, wherein a recognition signal is sent by the first ID transmitter to further ID transmitters before the status information is transmitted.

23. The system according to claim 14, wherein a request signal of the first ID transmitter is sent to the further ID transmitters before the vehicle status is conveyed between the ID transmitters.

24. The system according to claim 14, wherein the information is conveyed between the ID transmitters encrypted.

25. The system according to claim 14, wherein data can be transmitted between the ID transmitters on a plurality of frequency channels.

26. The system according to claim 25, wherein changing over between the frequency channels adheres to a previously established scheme.