In-vehicle instrument control device

• US 8,600,616 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2012
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Automotive Electronics Company Limited (Nidec Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Omron Automotive Electronics Company Limited (Nidec Corporation)
• Inventors: Ukai, Yusuke, Miyazaki, Hirohito, Aragai, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): WONG, YUEN H
• Application Number:
  US13/420,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20120239249A1
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 307/10.1
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/92 Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles

Abstract

An in-vehicle instrument control device, that controls a power source of a plurality of in-vehicle instruments operated by power from the power source provided in a vehicle, includes a plurality of operation units to operate the respective in-vehicle instruments; and a plurality of power source control units that are each provided between the operation unit and the power source, and the in-vehicle instrument, and each supply the power from the power source to the in-vehicle instrument when a predetermined operation signal is inputted from the operation unit.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle instrument control device that is provided for each of a plurality of in-vehicle instruments operated by power from a power source provided in a vehicle, and that controls supply of the power to the corresponding in-vehicle instrument, the device comprising:

an operation unit that operates the in-vehicle instrument;

a communication unit that communicates with a user authentication unit to obtain a user authentication result;

an in-vehicle instrument control unit that determines whether or not power supply from the power source to the in-vehicle instrument is permitted, based on activation state information of the vehicle and the user authentication result obtained through the communication unit; and

a power source control unit that is provided between the operation unit and the power source control unit,

wherein the power source control unit comprises;

a power source supply circuit that starts the supply of the power from the power source to the in-vehicle instrument control unit when a predetermined operation signal is inputted from the operation unit; and

an activation self-holding circuit that continues the supply of the power to the in-vehicle instrument control unit by the power source supply circuit even when operation of the operation unit causing the predetermined operation is completed,

wherein when the power source control unit starts the supply of the power from the power source to the in-vehicle instrument control unit, the in-vehicle instrument control unit determines whether or not the power supply is permitted,

wherein when the vehicle is activated, the in-vehicle instrument control unit permits the supply of the power, thereby supply the power from the power source to the in-vehicle instrument,

wherein when the vehicle is not activated and the user authentication result indicates that the user authentication has succeeded, the in-vehicle instrument control unit permits the supply of the power, thereby supplying the power from the power source to the in-vehicle instrument, and

wherein when the vehicle is not activated and the user authentication result indicates that the user authentication has not succeeded, the in-vehicle instrument control unit does not permit the supply of the power.

2. The in-vehicle instrument control device according to claim 1, wherein after the supply of the power to the in-vehicle instrument is started, the power source control unit stops the supply of the power to the in-vehicle instrument, based on the control of the in-vehicle instrument.