Remote identification device associated with a vehicle including means for remotely communicating battery state-of-charge information with the associated vehicle

• US 8,912,912 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2010
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valeo Securite Habitacle (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Valeo Securite Habitacle (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Menard, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): HOFSASS, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US13/255,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20120068856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,741 Days
• Field of Search: 340/438, 340/455, 340/636.1, 340/5.72
• US Class Current: 340/636.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00642 by battery
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/62 Comprising means for indicating the status of the lock
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (1) for remotely identifying a motor vehicle (2), including means (3) for remotely communicating with the associated vehicle (2). The device comprises means (4) for querying the state of charge of at least one vehicle battery and means (6) for receiving said state of charge.

Claims

1. A remote identification device, comprising:

means for remotely communicating with communication means of a vehicle associated with the remote identification device, the remote communication means comprising interrogation means for interrogating a state-of-charge of at least one battery of the vehicle by being configured to emit at a time interval a state-of-charge interrogation signal to the vehicle, the time interval corresponding to a time between two successive interrogating signals,

wherein the remote communication means comprise means for receiving the state-of-charge information concerning the at least one battery of the vehicle, and

wherein the time interval between the two successive interrogating signals depends on a comparison between the state-of-charge of the at least one battery of the vehicle with the state-of-charge of the at least one battery of the vehicle on a preceding interrogation.

2. The remote identification device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for controlling the locking/unlocking of the vehicle and means for activating said interrogation and/or emission means which are configured to activate the interrogation and/or emission means when a vehicle locking command is sent.

3. The remote identification device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the activating means are configured to stop the interrogation means of the remote identification device when a vehicle unlocking command is sent.

4. The remote identification device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the time interval between the two successive interrogating signals is extended when the two compared states-of-charge of the at least one battery of the vehicle are substantially equal.

5. The remote identification device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication means of the vehicle comprise emission means that are configured to emit at a time interval, the time interval corresponding to a time between two successive emissions, a state-of-charge information signal concerning the at least one battery of the vehicle, the time interval between the two successive emissions depending on the comparison between the state-of-charge of the at least one battery of the vehicle with the state-of-charge of the at least one battery of the vehicle on a preceding emission.

6. The remote identification device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising display means capable of displaying the state-of-charge of said at least one battery received by the reception means.

7. The remote identification device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for transferring state-of-charge information concerning said at least one battery to a telecommunication device separate from the remote identification device.

8. The remote identification device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the means for transferring the state-of-charge of said at least one battery to the telecommunication device use Bluetooth™

technology.

9. The remote identification device as claimed claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a vehicle with at least partial electrical propulsion, wherein said at least one battery is used for the partial electrical propulsion.