System for controlling wireless communication between portable device and communication controller

• US 8,532,576 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2008
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Inventors: Kawamura, Daisuke, Mizuno, Yoshiyuki, Hanaki, Hidenobu, Iwashita, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): GONZALES, APRIL GUZMAN
• Application Number:
  US12/061,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20080287067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,987 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/521, 455/556.1, 455/67.11, 340/426.19, 340/5.61, 340/539.26, 340/576, 340/988, 701/2
• US Class Current: 455/63.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00373 whereby the wake-up circuit is situated in the lock
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/61 Signal comprising different frequencies, e.g. frequency hopping
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

A portable device for preventing communication errors caused by disturbance such as noise. The portable device receives a first request signal from a communication controller and transmits a first response signal corresponding to the first request signal. A transmitter transmits the first response signal with a selected one of a plurality of frequencies. A transmission control unit transmits the first response signal from the transmitter with the one of the plurality of frequencies. The portable device further receives a second request signal from the communication control unit, which receives the first response signal. When the second request signal cannot be received, the portable device retransmits the first response signal from the transmitter with a frequency that differs from the one of the plurality of frequencies.

Claims

1. A portable device for performing wireless communication with a communication controller to receive a first request signal from the communication controller, the portable device comprising:

a transmitter which transmits a first response signal with a selected one of a plurality of transmission radio frequencies that corresponds to the first request signal in response thereto; and

a transmission control unit which controls a transmission radio frequency of the transmitter and transmits the first response signal from the transmitter with one of the plurality of transmission radio frequencies, with the portable device being able to receive a second request signal from the communication controller that receives the first response signal;

wherein when the portable device does not receive the second request signal, the transmission control unit retransmits the first response signal from the transmitter with another one of the plurality of transmission radio frequencies without waiting for retransmission of the first request signal from the communication controller.

2. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein when the portable device receives the second request signal, the transmission control unit transmits a second response signal from the transmitter with a transmission radio frequency that is the same as the transmission radio frequency of the first response signal.

3. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein when the first request signal includes radio frequency data, the transmission control unit transmits the first response signal from the transmitter with a transmission radio frequency indicated by the radio frequency data.

4. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein:

the second request signal includes radio frequency data; and

when the portable device receives the second request signal, the transmission control unit transmits a second response signal from the transmitter with a transmission radio frequency indicated by the radio frequency data.

5. A portable device for performing wireless communication with a communication controller to receive a first request signal from the communication controller, the portable device comprising:

a transmitter which transmits a first response signal with a selected one of a plurality of transmission radio frequencies that corresponds to the first request signal in response thereto; and

a transmission control unit which controls a transmission radio frequency of the transmitter and sequentially transmits a plurality of first response signals, having different transmission radio frequencies and corresponding to the first request signal, from the transmitter to the communication controller without waiting for retransmission of the first request signal from the communication controller, with the communication controller transmitting to the portable device a second request signal including radio frequency data based on the plurality of first response signals;

wherein the transmission control unit transmits a second response signal from the transmitter with a transmission radio frequency indicated by the radio frequency data in response to the second request signal.

6. A communication controller for performing wireless communication with a portable device for receiving a first response signal therefrom, the communication controller comprising:

a transmitter which transmits a first request signal to the portable device, in which the portable device responds thereto with the first response signal corresponding to the first request signal;

a receiver which is able to receive a wireless signal with a selected one of a plurality of reception radio frequencies, with the wireless signal including the first response signal; and

a communication control unit which controls transmission of the first request signal, reception of the first response signal, and a reception radio frequency of the receiver;

wherein after transmitting the first request signal, based on a predetermined signal wait time, the communication control unit selectively executes a radio frequency changing control for changing the reception radio frequency of the receiver without performing retransmission of the first request signal and a second request signal transmission control for transmitting a second request signal to the portable device in response to the first response signal.

7. The communication controller according to claim 6, wherein:

the communication control unit when transmitting the first request signal enters a first wait state to wait for reception of the first response signal and when transmitting the second request signal in response to the first response signal in the first wait state enters a second wait state to wait for reception of a second response signal transmitted from the portable device; and

the communication control unit sets, in the second wait state, the reception radio frequency of the receiver at a radio frequency that is the same as the first response signal.

8. The communication controller according to claim 6, wherein when the receiver receives the first response signal, the communication control unit ends the radio frequency changing control and executes the second request signal transmission control.

9. The communication controller according to claim 6, wherein:

the communication control unit when transmitting the first request signal enters a first wait state to wait for reception of the first response signal and when transmitting the second request signal in response to the first response signal in the first wait state enters a second wait state to wait for reception of a second response signal transmitted from the portable device; and

when the receiver does not receive the second response signal in the second wait state, the communication control unit executes a second radio frequency changing control to change the reception radio frequency of the receiver to a radio frequency that differs from that of the first response signal.

10. The communication controller according to claim 6, wherein:

the receiver has a received signal intensity detection function for detecting reception intensity of the wireless signal; and

the communication control unit determines reception of the wireless signal based on the reception intensity, retransmits the first request signal without executing the radio frequency changing control when the wireless signal is not received, and executes the radio frequency changing control when the wireless signal is received but is not the first response signal.

11. The communication controller according to claim 6, further comprising:

a memory for recording the radio frequency of the first response signal when communication is satisfied between the portable device and the communication controller as communication history information;

wherein the communication control unit determines a priority order of the radio frequency of the first response signal and the reception radio frequency of the receiver based on the communication history information, includes in the first request signal radio frequency data indicating the priority order, and changes the reception radio frequency of the receiver in accordance with the priority order when executing the radio frequency changing control.

12. The communication controller according to claim 11, wherein:

the communication history information is associated with location information of the communication controller when communication is established between the portable device and the communication controller; and

the communication control unit determines the priority order based on the communication history information and the location information.

13. A communication controller for performing wireless communication with a portable device and receiving a first response signal therefrom, the communication controller comprising:

a transmitter which transmits a first request signal to the portable device, in which the portable device responds thereto with the first response signal corresponding to the first request signal;

a receiver which is able to receive a wireless signal with a selected one of a plurality of reception radio frequencies, with the wireless signal including the first response signal; and

a communication control unit which controls transmission of the first request signal, reception of the first response signal, and a reception radio frequency of the receiver, with the communication control unit being configured to sequentially receive a plurality of first response signals corresponding to the first request signal with different reception radio frequencies without performing retransmission of the first request signal and transmit a second request signal to the portable device;

wherein the communication control unit compares the reception radio frequencies of the plurality of first response signals to select an optimal radio frequency, and the communication control unit includes radio frequency data indicating the selected optimal radio frequency in the second request signal to receive a second response signal corresponding to the second request signal with the selected optimal radio frequency.

14. A communication control system comprising:

a communication controller which transmits a first request signal and a portable device which performs wireless communication with the communication controller and transmits a first response signal that corresponds to the first request signal;

a transmitter included in the portable device to transmit the first response signal with a selected one of a plurality of transmission radio frequencies;

a transmission control unit included in the portable device to control a transmission radio frequency of the transmitter and transmit the first response signal from the transmitter with the one of a plurality of transmission radio frequencies, with the portable device being able to receive a second request signal from the communication controller that receives the first response signal, wherein when the portable device does not receive the second request signal, the transmission control unit retransmits the first response signal from the transmitter with a transmission radio frequency that differs from the one of a plurality of transmission radio frequencies;

a receiver included in the communication controller and being able to receive a wireless signal with the selected one of a plurality of transmission radio frequencies, the wireless signal including the first response signal; and

a communication control unit included in the communication control unit to control transmission of the first request signal, reception of the first response signal, and a reception radio frequency of the receiver, wherein after transmitting the first request signal, based on a predetermined signal wait time, the communication control unit selectively executes a radio frequency changing control for changing the reception radio frequency of the receiver and a second request signal transmission control for transmitting the second request signal to the portable device in response to the first response signal;

wherein the transmission radio frequency of the transmitter in the portable device and the reception radio frequency of the receiver in the communication controller are synchronously changed to the same radio frequency.