Method for actuating a function of a vehicle from a large distance

• US 8,884,740 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2012
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Kuebler, Heiko, Donner, Eckart
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): AKKI, MUNEAR T
• Application Number:
  US14/113,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20140055236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 955 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.61, 340/5.72, 340/426.36, 307/10.5, 123/179.2
• US Class Current: 340/5.72
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/037 for occupant comfort , e.g. for automatic adjustment of appliances according to personal settings, e.g. seats, mirrors, steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• 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

Abstract

A method for activating a function of a vehicle, which is associated with a key which wirelessly interchanges data with the vehicle, is carried out with the aid of a telecommunications device which is different from the key. However, the telecommunications device attempts to communicate with the key in order to make the method safe. During communication with the key, an item of information is obtained and is compared with an item of comparative information.

Claims

1. A method for activating a first function of a vehicle using an associated proximate key, which wirelessly interchanges data with the vehicle, and a telecommunications device which is different from the proximate key, comprising:

connecting the telecommunications device to the proximate key to establish communication;

receiving, at the telecommunications device, an item of information from the proximate key;

comparing the item of information with comparative information, the comparative information relating to an identity of a last used key, which was last used to activate a second function of the vehicle; and

remotely activating the first function of the vehicle via a mobile radio network, using the telecommunications device, the first function being activated only if the comparing indicates the item of information corresponds to the comparative information,

wherein the telecommunications device is disposed remotely from the vehicle.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the telecommunications device obtains the comparative information from the vehicle, and

after receiving the item of information, the telecommunications device transmits an activation signal to the vehicle if the item of information corresponds to the comparative information.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the telecommunications device forwards the item of information together with an activation signal, to the vehicle,

the comparative information is stored in a memory of the vehicle, and

the vehicle compares the item of information with the comparative information and automatically activates the first function if the item of information corresponds with the comparative information.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein

there are a plurality of vehicle keys,

the proximate key is one of the plurality of keys, and

the item of information identifies the proximate key, which has established communication with the telecommunications device.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the item of information received at the telecommunications device, was transmitted from the vehicle to the proximate key when the proximate key last interchanged data with the vehicle, and

after being transmitted from the vehicle, the item of information was stored on the proximate key.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the telecommunications device is a mobile telephone.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the proximate key wirelessly interchanges data with the vehicle when the proximate key is within communication range of the vehicle.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the proximate key wirelessly interchanges data with the telecommunications device when the proximate key is within communication range of the telecommunication device.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the proximate key wirelessly interchanges data with the vehicle when the proximate key is within communication range of the vehicle, and

the telecommunications device receives a user input to activate the first function when the proximate key is not within communication range of the vehicle.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the telecommunications device receives a user input to activate the first function.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein after the telecommunications device receives the user input, the telecommunications device requests the comparative information from the vehicle.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein after the telecommunications device receives the user input, the telecommunications device searches for keys in communication range with the telecommunications device.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the item of information identifies when the proximate key last activated the second function, and

the comparative information identifies when the second function was last activated in the vehicle.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the item of information corresponds to the comparative information when the proximate key is the same as the last used key.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the first function is the same as the second function.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the second function corresponds to a function which was most recently activated on the vehicle and the first function corresponds to a different function than the first function.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the telecommunications device is a mobile telephone and the comparing the item of information with the comparative information is performed by the mobile telephone.