Cellular phone entry techniques

• US 8,299,895 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2011
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Harris Technology LLC
• Original Assignee: Harris Technology LLC
• Inventors: Harris, Scott C.
• Primary Examiner(s): SYED, NABIL H
• Application Number:
  US13/219,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20110312273A1
• Time in Patent Office: 430 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.1, 340/5.2, 340/5.21, 340/5.22, 340/5.23, 340/5.6, 340/5.61, 340/5.63, 340/5.64, 340/5.72, 340/5.73, 340/5.8, 340/545.6, 340/541, 340/542, 340/991, 455/552.1, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/507
• US Class Current: 340/5.72
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop

Abstract

A cell phone is mated with the vehicle system and thereafter used to obtain access to the vehicle. A user who has a cell phone automatically can obtain access to the vehicle. An embodiment describes a USB key that provides access to the vehicle, and in an emergency, either a complete or partial version of the key can be downloaded from a server.

Claims

1. A vehicle with wireless entry capability, comprising:

a communication system, which communicates with a first key in a vehicle, by communicating with the first key in the vehicle and allowing access to the vehicle including entry into the vehicle and operating the vehicle based on said communicating with the first key in the vehicle, said communication system also including a wireless module that wirelessly communicates with at least one cellular phone, only while said communication system is communicating with the first key in the vehicle, allowing a user to pair a cellular phone with the vehicle, where said cellular phone is paired to the vehicle only while said vehicle is communicating with the first key in the vehicle and where said cellular phone cannot be paired to the vehicle while the vehicle is not communicating with the first key in the vehicle;

said communication system storing information indicative of said cellular phone that has been properly paired to the vehicle and subsequently detecting a proximity of said cellular phone and allowing said access to the vehicle based on detecting said cellular phone within range of said vehicle without communicating with said first key,

wherein said communication system carries out said pairing by transferring information that represents a time of a request for access that was indicated by said cellular phone, using a clock running in the vehicle to determine whether the time indicated by said cellular phone matches to the time indicated by the clock in the vehicle, and allowing access only when the cellular phone has been previously paired to the vehicle, and the clock in the vehicle indicates the same time as the information from the request for access from the cellular phone.

2. A vehicle as in claim 1 wherein said first key is a full function key, and wherein said communication system further communicates with a second key which is not a full function key, where said communicating with said second key allows said access to the vehicle, but does not allow pairing a said cellular phone to the vehicle.

3. A vehicle as in claim 1, wherein a communication format of the cellular phone is Bluetooth.

4. A vehicle as in claim 1, wherein said pairing is carried out over a wire connection, and cannot be carried out wirelessly, and subsequent to said pairing, said access is allowed via a wireless connection.

5. A vehicle as in claim 1, wherein said vehicle includes a location detecting part that determines location, and automatically sends a communication to a remote computer indicative of said location, each time the vehicle is accessed using said cellular phone.

6. A vehicle as in claim 1, wherein said wireless module also carries out communication pairing said cellular phone to said vehicle in a way that allows users to communicate by speaking in said vehicle using hardware in said vehicle, over said cellular phone, wherein said communication pairing is done separately from said access operations that allows said access to said vehicle.

17. A vehicle as in claim 1, wherein said vehicle includes a location detecting part that determines location, and automatically sends a communication to a remote computer indicative of said location, each time the vehicle is accessed using said cellular phone.

7. A method of obtaining access to a vehicle with wireless entry capability, comprising:

communicating with a first key in a vehicle from a vehicle system;

responsive to communicating with the first key in the vehicle, allowing access to the vehicle including entry into the vehicle and operating the vehicle based on said communicating with the first key in the vehicle, wirelessly communicating with at least one cellular phone from the vehicle, only while communicating with the first key in the vehicle, allowing a user to pair a cellular phone with the vehicle, where said cellular phone is paired to the vehicle only while said vehicle is communicating with the first key in the vehicle and where said cellular phone cannot be paired to the vehicle and the key while the vehicle is not communicating with the first key in the vehicle;

storing information indicative of said cellular phone that has been properly paired to the vehicle;

subsequently detecting a proximity of said cellular phone and allowing said access to the vehicle based on detecting said cellular phone within range of said vehicle without communicating with said first key,

wherein said allowing the user to pair comprises transferring information that represents a time of a request for access that was indicated by said cellular phone, using a clock running in the vehicle to determine whether the time indicated by said cellular phone matches to the time indicated by the clock in the vehicle, and allowing access only when the cellular phone has been previously paired to the vehicle, and the clock in the vehicle indicated the same time as the information from the request for access from the cellular phone.

8. A method as in claim 7 wherein said first key is a full function key, and further second communicating with a second key which is not a full function key, where said second communicating with said second key allows said access to the vehicle, but does not allow pairing a cellular phone to the vehicle.

9. A method as in claim 7, wherein a communication format of the cellular phone is Bluetooth.

10. A method as in claim 7, wherein said pairing with said cellular phone is carried out over a wire connection, and cannot be carried out wirelessly, and subsequent to said pairing, said access is allowed via a wireless connection.

11. A method as in claim 7, wherein said vehicle includes a location detecting part that determines location, and automatically sends a communication to a remote computer indicative of said location, each time the vehicle is accessed using said cellular phone.

12. A method as in claim 7, further comprising communication pairing said cellular phone to said vehicle in a way that allows users to communicate by speaking in said vehicle using hardware in said vehicle, over said cellular phone, wherein said communication pairing is done separately from said access operation that allows said access to said vehicle.

13. A vehicle with wireless entry capability, comprising:

a communication system, which pairs with and allows access to the vehicle including entry into the vehicle and operating the vehicle based on wireless communication with a cellular phone which has been previously paired to the vehicle, said vehicle and allowing said access by receiving a request for access, obtaining information from said request for access that represents a time of the request for access that was indicated by said cellular phone, using a clock running in the vehicle to determine whether the time indicated by said cellular phone matches to the time indicated by the clock in the vehicle, and allowing access only when the cellular phone has been previously paired to the vehicle, and the clock in the vehicle indicates the same time as the information from the request for access from the cellular phone, wherein said communication system also carries out pairing with the vehicle, and communicating with a first key in the vehicle, and allows said pairing between the cellular phone only while said communication system is communicating with the first key in the vehicle, and where said cellular phone cannot be paired to the vehicle while the vehicle is not communicating with the first key in the vehicle; and

after pairing, said communication system storing information indicative of said cellular phone that has been properly paired to the vehicle and subsequently detecting a proximity of said cellular phone and allowing said access to the vehicle based on detecting said cellular phone within range of said vehicle without communicating with said first key.

14. A vehicle as in claim 13, wherein said communication system also carries out communication pairing said cellular phone to said vehicle in a way that allows users to communicate by speaking in said vehicle using hardware in said vehicle, over said cellular phone, wherein said communication pairing is done separately from access operations that allows said access to said vehicle.

15. A vehicle as in claim 13 wherein said first key is a full function key, and wherein said communication system further communicates with a second key which is not a full function key, where said communicating with said second key allows said access to the vehicle, but does not allow pairing said cellular phone to the vehicle for access to the vehicle.

16. A vehicle as in claim 13, wherein said pairing is carried out over a wire connection, and cannot be carried out wirelessly, and subsequent to said pairing, said access is allowed via a wireless connection.