System and method for two-way remote activation with adaptive protocol

• US 7,944,340 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2006
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: Luo, Yi, Nantz, John S., Ghabra, Riad, King, Ronald O., Tang, Tom Q.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman; Brian A
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAMSON, SARA B
• Application Number:
  US11/536,187
• Time in Patent Office: 1,692 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/12.22
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00341 keyless data carrier having more than one limited data transmission ranges
• 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 9/00174 Electronically operated locks; Circuits therefor; Nonmechanical keys therefor, e.g. passive or active electrical keys or other data carriers without mechanical keys mechanical locks with electric permutation E05B49/00; arrangements for sensing or reading record carriers G06K7/00; electronic switching H03K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link

Abstract

A system and method for remote activation of a device includes, in one embodiment, receiving a signal indicative of a range from the device, comparing the range to a threshold, selecting a first transmission protocol when the range exceeds the threshold, selecting a second transmission protocol when the range fails to exceed the threshold, and transmitting a command signal according to the selected first or second transmission protocol.

Claims

1. A system for remote activation of a device, the system comprising:

a remote unit comprising

a transceiver for

transmitting a pilot signal for use in determining a range of the remote unit from the device, wherein the pilot signal lacks a command for activation of the device,

receiving a signal indicative of a range from the device, and

transmitting a command signal according to one of a first transmission protocol and a second transmission protocol, wherein the first transmission protocol comprises a first data rate and the second transmission protocol comprises a second data rate different from the first data rate, and

a controller for

comparing the range to a threshold,

selecting the first transmission protocol for use in transmitting a command signal when the range exceeds the threshold, and

selecting the second transmission protocol for use in transmitting a command signal when the range fails to exceed the threshold,

wherein the controller compares the range to a threshold and selects one of the first and second transmission protocols for an initial command signal transmission following a user input to the remote unit.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the received range signal comprises data representing the range from the device.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a device unit, the device unit comprising:

a transceiver for receiving the pilot signal transmitted by the remote unit transceiver, and transmitting the range signal; and

a controller for determining the range from the device based on the pilot signal.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the first transmission protocol comprises a first data rate and partition of the command signal, and wherein the second transmission protocol comprises a second data rate greater than the first data rate.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the first transmission protocol comprises a first modulation scheme and the second transmission protocol comprises a second modulation scheme different than the first modulation scheme.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein partition of the command signal comprises dividing the command signal into a plurality of packets, each packet for transmission by the transceiver.

7. The system of claim 6 further comprising a device unit, the device unit comprising:

a transceiver for receiving the plurality of packets transmitted by the remote unit transceiver when the first transmission protocol is selected, and receiving the command signal transmitted by the remote unit transceiver when the second transmission protocol is selected; and

a controller for assembling the plurality of packets into the command signal when the first transmission protocol is selected.

8. A system for remote activation of a device, the system comprising:

a device unit comprising

a transceiver for

receiving a pilot signal transmitted by a remote unit, wherein the pilot signal lacks a command for activation of the device,

transmitting a signal comprising data representing a range of the remote unit from the device, and

receiving a command signal transmitted by the remote unit according to one of a first transmission protocol and a second transmission protocol, wherein the first transmission protocol comprises a first data rate and the second transmission protocol comprises a second data rate different from the first data rate, and

a controller for determining the range from the device based on the pilot signal.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the first transmission protocol comprises a first data rate and partition of the command signal, and wherein the second transmission protocol comprises a second data rate greater than the first data rate.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein partition of the command signal comprises dividing the command signal into a plurality of packets, each packet for transmission by the remote unit transceiver.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the device unit transceiver receives the plurality of packets transmitted according to the first transmission protocol and the controller assembles the plurality of packets into the command signal.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the first transmission protocol comprises a first modulation scheme and the second transmission protocol comprises a second modulation scheme different than the first modulation scheme.

13. The system of claim 8 further comprising a remote unit, the remote unit comprising:

a transceiver for

transmitting the pilot signal,

receiving the range signal, and

transmitting a command signal according to one of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol; and

a controller for

comparing the range to a threshold,

selecting the first transmission protocol for use in transmitting a command signal when the range exceeds the threshold, and

selecting the second transmission protocol for use in transmitting a command signal when the range fails to exceed the threshold,

wherein the controller compares the range to a threshold and selects one of the first and second transmission protocols for an initial command signal transmission following a user input to the remote unit.

14. A method for remote activation of a device, the method comprising:

receiving a signal comprising data representing a range from the device;

comparing the range to a threshold;

selecting a first transmission protocol when the range exceeds the threshold;

selecting a second transmission protocol when the range fails to exceed the threshold; and

transmitting a command signal according to the selected one of the first transmission protocol and the second transmission protocol, wherein an initial command signal transmission following a user input is based on the comparison of the range to a threshold and the selection of one of the first and second transmission protocols, and wherein the first transmission protocol comprises a first data rate and the second transmission protocol comprises a second data rate different from the first data rate.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the first transmission protocol comprises a first data rate and partition of the command signal, and wherein the second transmission protocol comprises a second data rate greater than the first data rate.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the first transmission protocol comprises a first modulation scheme and the second transmission protocol comprises a second modulation scheme different than the first modulation scheme.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising transmitting a pilot signal for use in determining the range from the device, the pilot signal lacking a command for activation of the device.