Portable electronic device for controlling and managing functions and/or data of a vehicle

• US 8,159,324 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2005
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Swatch Group Research And Development Ltd (The Swatch Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Asulab SA (The Swatch Group AG)
• Inventors: Zellweger, Emil, Bajahr, Frank, Urban, Volker, Etienne, Jean-Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): OBINIYI, PAULSON IDOWU
• Application Number:
  US12/091,019
• Publication Number:
  US 20080309451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,371 Days
• Field of Search: 340/3.32, 340/3.7, 340/3.71, 340/4.11, 340/12.28, 340/13.24, 340/438, 340/426.35, 340/426.36, 340/426.1
• US Class Current: 340/3.32
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 11/325 Spare-key holders
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 19/0082 Keys or shanks being removably stored in a larger object, e.g. a remote control or a key fob general constructional details of electronic keys G07C9/00944
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

The portable electronic device (1) allows functions and/or data of a vehicle to be controlled and managed. In order to do this, the portable device comprises, in a casing having an upper part (10) fixed, for example, in a removable manner on a lower part (11), means for wirelessly transmitting and receiving signals for short range personalised communication with the vehicle. It further comprises a microprocessor unit for processing functions and/or data of the device and of the vehicle, at least one display screen (3) having a portion which is visible from outside the casing for displaying different menus or data of the device or of the vehicle, and manual control means (5, 6) for controlling the execution of functions of the microprocessor unit. A power source, such as a battery, is provided in the casing for supplying electric power to all the electronic components of the device. The manual control means comprise control keys (5) each having a touch-sensitive pad arranged on an inner face of the upper part (10) of the casing. Each control key may be individually activated by a finger of a user placed on the casing in a specified region of the touch-sensitive pad to be activated. The control means further comprise at least one control button (6) which can be pressed, in particular to make the control keys (5) and the display screen (3) switch from an idle mode to an operating mode.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device for controlling and managing functions of a vehicle, or data of a vehicle, or functions and data of a vehicle, wherein the device comprises, in a casing having an upper part fixed on a lower part:

(a)—

a first means for wirelessly transmitting and receiving signals for personalised communication with a second means for transmitting and receiving signals of the vehicle in a communication area surrounding the vehicle;

(b)—

a microprocessor unit operably connected to process functions of the device and of the vehicle, or to process the data of the device and of the vehicle, or to process the functions and data of the device and of the vehicle, and wherein the microprocessor unit checks transmission and reception of signals from the first means for transmitting and receiving signals of the device;

(c)—

at least one display screen having a portion that is visible from outside the casing, wherein the at least one display screen is controlled by the microprocessor unit so that the at least one display screen displays different menus or data of the device, or data relating to the vehicle, or different menus or data of the device and data relating to the vehicle;

(d)—

a manual control means for controlling the execution of functions of the microprocessor unit, wherein the manual control means comprise at least one control key having a touch-sensitive pad, arranged on an inner face of the upper part of the casing in a vicinity of the visible portion of the display screen so as to be activated in a capacitive manner in an operating mode by a finger of a user placed in a specified region of the touch-sensitive pad, while also allowing data displayed on the at least one display screen to be viewed when the finger is placed on the at least one control key, wherein the upper part is made of insulating material, and wherein a manual control button is arranged in the upper part of the casing, a manual pressure exerted on said manual control button allowing the at least one control key and the at least one display screen to switch from an idle mode to an operating mode; and

(e)—

a power source operably connected to supply electric power to all electronic components of the device,

wherein the manual control button is configured by the microprocessor unit so that when the manual control button is continuously pressed for longer than a first time limit, the display screen lights up, and when the manual control button is continuously pressed for longer than a second time limit that is greater than the first time limit, a control signal is sent to the vehicle to activate an audible alarm or a horn, or lights of the vehicle, or to activate the audible alarm or the horn and the lights of the vehicle.

2. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the manual control means further comprises a plurality of manual control keys that each have a touch-sensitive pad arranged on the inner face of the upper part of the casing in the vicinity of the visible portion of the display screen, wherein the touch-sensitive pads are of such a size and set apart from one another so that the plurality of manual control keys may be activated separately when a finger of a user is placed in a specified region of a sensitive pad of one of the keys to be activated.

3. The portable device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of manual control keys are arranged on an inner face of an insulation plate of the upper part of the casing, and wherein the plurality of manual control keys are surrounded by a bevelled edge of the upper part so that the finger is supportingly guided on the bevelled edge in a direction of one of the plurality of manual control keys to be activated.

4. The portable device according to claim 2, wherein there are six control keys, wherein, in an operating mode, first and second control keys may be manually activated in an editing or amending mode of a specific menu selected by other control keys so as to set date and time data by increasing or decreasing or entering data viewed on the display screen, wherein a third control key may be manually activated for selecting a parking menu to be viewed on the display screen and/or for setting a vehicle parking time in a parking area, wherein a fourth control key may be manually activated for selecting a time menu to be viewed on the display screen and/or for setting the time and the date provided by a time base of the device and for setting an alarm clock, wherein a fifth control key may be manually activated for receiving data or measurements to be viewed on the screen which are sent by the vehicle, the data or measurements relating, in particular, to vehicle defects and being stored in a memory of the device, and wherein a sixth control key may be manually activated for receiving, viewing and/or storing vehicle data relating to mileage, daily mileage, fuel level, the number of miles possible to cover with the remaining fuel, the number of journeys made within a specified time frame, whether the doors are unlocked or locked, whether the windows are open or closed or whether the vehicle lights are on or off.

5. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the portable device further comprises:

(f) a first element for generating vibrations or a second element for generating acoustic sounds, or a third element for generating vibrations and for generating acoustic sounds, in order to signal that vehicle data or measurements have been received by the portable device, or to signal a status of the vehicle or other data or measurements, or to signal that a vehicle parking time programmed into the portable electronic device has expired, or for signalling an alarm time.

6. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the manual control means further comprises two first control buttons arranged in the lower part of the casing and that, when manually pressed, control unlocking and locking of doors of the vehicle doors, or opening and closing of windows of the vehicle, or the unlocking and locking of the doors of the vehicle doors and the opening and closing of the windows of the vehicle, or activation of an air-conditioning unit of the vehicle.

7. The portable device according to claim 2, wherein the portable device further comprises

(f) a time base that is connected to the microprocessor unit so as to allow time data to be displayed on the display screen, and wherein the plurality of manual control keys are configured by the microprocessor unit so that, in an operating mode, different stored menus or data of the portable device are selectable or viewable.

8. The portable device according to claim 7, wherein, in a menu selected by one of the plurality of manual control keys and displayed on the display screen, a second control button of the manual control means is configured by the microprocessor unit so that data entered in a mode for editing or amending measurements or data of the portable device is validatable, and activation of specific control keys allows viewed measurements or data to be edited or amended.

9. The portable device according to claim 2, wherein the at least one display screen is a matrix liquid crystal display or is a two-line segment display, wherein different icons relating to a type of data or measurements viewed appear selectively on the at least one display screen, and wherein symbols are arranged on an outer face of the upper part of the casing on each corresponding sensitive pad of the plurality of manual control keys to represent one or more functions of each manual control key.

10. The portable device according to claim 5, wherein the signal is a silent alarm.

11. The portable device according to claim 5, wherein the time data comprises time and date.

12. A portable electronic device for controlling and managing functions of a vehicle, or data of a vehicle, or functions and data of a vehicle, wherein the device comprises, in a casing having an upper part fixed on a lower part:

(a) a first means for wirelessly transmitting and receiving signals for personalised communication with a second means for transmitting and receiving signals of the vehicle in a communication area surrounding the vehicle;

(b) a microprocessor unit operably connected to process functions of the device and of the vehicle, or to process the data of the device and of the vehicle, or to process the functions and data of the device and of the vehicle, and wherein the microprocessor unit checks transmission and reception of signals from a third means for transmitting and receiving signals of the device;

(c) at least one display screen having a portion that is visible from outside the casing, wherein the at least one display screen is controlled by the microprocessor unit so that the at least one display screen displays different menus or data of the device, or data relating to the vehicle, or different menus or data of the device and data relating to the vehicle;

(d) manual control means for controlling the execution of functions of the microprocessor unit; and

(e) a power source operably connected to supply electric power to all electronic components of the device,

wherein the manual control means comprises a plurality of manual control keys that each have a touch-sensitive pad arranged on an inner face of the upper part of the casing in the vicinity of the visible portion of the display screen so as to be activated in a capacitive manner in an operating mode by a finger of a user placed in a specified region of each touch-sensitive pad, respectively, while also allowing data displayed on the at least one display screen to be viewed when the finger is placed on the plurality of manual control keys, and wherein the upper part is made of insulating material, and

wherein the touch-sensitive pads are of such a size and set apart from one another so that the plurality of manual control keys may be activated separately when a finger of a user is placed in a specified region of a sensitive pad of one of the plurality of manual control keys to be activated,

wherein the plurality of manual control keys include six control keys, wherein, in an operating mode, first and second control keys are manually activatable in an editing or amending mode of a specific menu selected by other control keys so as to set date and time data by increasing or decreasing or entering data viewed on the display screen, wherein a third control key is manually activatable for selecting a parking menu to be viewed on the display screen or for setting a vehicle parking time in a parking area, for selecting the parking menu to be viewed on the display screen and for setting the vehicle parking time in the parking area, wherein a fourth control key is manually activatable for selecting a time menu to be viewed on the display screen or for setting the time and the date provided by a time base of the device and for setting an alarm clock, or for selecting the time menu to be viewed on the display screen and for setting the time and the date provided by the time base of the device and for setting the alarm clock, wherein a fifth control key is manually activatable for receiving data or measurements to be viewed on the screen that are sent by the vehicle, wherein the data or measurements relate to vehicle defects and are stored in a memory of the portable electronic device, and wherein a sixth control key is manually activatable for receiving, viewing or storing, or for receiving, viewing and storing, vehicle data relating to mileage, daily mileage, fuel level, the number of miles possible to cover with remaining fuel, the number of journeys made within a specified time frame, whether doors are unlocked or locked, whether windows are open or closed, or whether lights of the vehicle are on or off.