Vehicle door control system

• US 20060244312A1
• Filed: 03/28/2006
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Yoshida, Koji, Nakamura, Kazunari, Teshima, Kentaro, Ogino, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,439,632 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/9.100
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/257 Voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/305 using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/63 Comprising locating means for detecting the position of the data carrier, i.e. within the vehicle or within a certain distance from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00563 using personal physical data of the operator, e.g. finger prints, retinal images, voicepatterns

Abstract

A vehicle door control system provides increased usability convenience to users by a function for automatically opening and closing vehicle doors. When a response signal has been continuously received over a predetermined period from a portable device in response to a request signal periodically transmitted from a vehicle unit, it can be inferred that the holder of the portable device has not merely passed by the vehicle but stays in the vicinity of the vehicle with the will to ride in the vehicle. Therefore, vehicle doors having the automatic opening/closing function are unlocked and automatically opened. This eliminates a need for the holder of the portable device to command the operations of unlocking and automatically opening the vehicle doors.

Claims

1. A vehicle door control system comprising:

a portable device for receiving a request signal and transmitting a response signal including an ID code thereof in response to the request signal; and

a vehicle unit mounted in a vehicle for transmitting the request signal, receiving the response signal from the portable device through intercommunications, checking the ID code included in the response signal and controlling conditions of vehicle doors according to a check result of the ID code,

wherein the vehicle unit includes

a lock condition control unit that controls lock and unlock conditions of the vehicle doors;

an automatic opening/closing unit that automatically opens and closes the vehicle doors;

an inferring means that infers whether a holder of the portable device is going to ride in the vehicle; and

a riding-time control means that unlocks the vehicle doors by the lock condition control unit and automatically opens the vehicle doors by the automatic opening/closing unit when the check result of the ID code included in the response signal responding to the request signal transmitted to an exterior of the vehicle with the vehicle doors locked is determined as OK, and it is inferred by the inferring means that the holder of the portable device is going to ride in the vehicle.

2. The vehicle door control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle unit periodically transmits the request signal to the exterior of the vehicle; and

the inferring means infers that the holder of the portable device is going to ride in the vehicle when the response signal has been continuously returned from the portable device for more than a predetermined period or more than a predetermined number of times in response to the request signal periodically transmitted.

3. The vehicle door control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle unit and the portable device communicate initially with each other in a first vehicle exterior communication area set outside a periphery of the vehicle;

the vehicle unit includes an area switching means that switches the communication area to a second vehicle exterior communication area narrower than the first vehicle exterior communication area, when intercommunications between the vehicle unit and the portable device have been performed in the first vehicle exterior communication area; and

the inferring means infers that the holder of the portable device is going to ride in the vehicle when intercommunications between the vehicle unit and the portable device have been performed in the second vehicle exterior communication area.

4. The vehicle door control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle unit includes a detection sensor that has a detection range in the vicinity of the vehicle doors and outputs a detection signal when the holder of the portable device enters the detection range; and

the inferring means infers that the holder of the portable device is going to ride in the vehicle when it is determined from the detection signal of the detection sensor that the holder of the portable device stops in the vicinity of the vehicle door.

5. The vehicle door control system according to claim 4, wherein the detection sensor is an infrared sensor.

6. The vehicle door control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the portable device includes a motion detection sensor for detecting a related value of motion of the portable device;

the vehicle unit acquires the related value of the motion of the portable device detected by the motion detection sensor in intercommunications with the portable device; and

the inferring means infers that the holder of the portable device is going to ride in the vehicle when it is determined from the related value that the motion of the portable device is smaller than a predetermined reference value.

7. The vehicle door control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle unit repeatedly performs intercommunications with the portable device and acquires information on receiving levels of plural request signals in the portable device through the intercommunications repeatedly performed; and

the inferring means infers that the holder of the portable device is going to ride in the vehicle when the plural receiving levels are larger than a predetermined threshold value and a fluctuation range of the receiving levels is within a predetermined range.

8. The vehicle door control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle unit repeatedly performs intercommunications with the portable device and acquires plural response signals from the portable device through the intercommunications repeatedly performed; and

the inferring means infers that the holder of the portable device is going to ride in the vehicle when receiving levels of the plural response signals are larger than a predetermined threshold value and a fluctuation range of the receiving levels is within a predetermined range.

9. The vehicle door control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle unit includes a shooting means that shoots images of vicinity of a vehicle door; and

the inferring means infers that the holder of the portable device is going to ride in the vehicle when it is determined from the images shot by the shooting means that the holder of the portable device stops in the vicinity of the vehicle door.

10. The vehicle door control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle unit includes a shooting means that shoots images of vicinity of a vehicle door; and

the inferring means infers that the holder of the portable device is going to ride in the vehicle when it is determined from the images shot by the shooting means that the holder of the portable device has performed a predetermined operation.

11. The vehicle door control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle unit includes a voice input means that inputs voice uttered by the holder of the portable device; and

the inferring means infers that the holder of the portable device is going to ride in the vehicle when it is determined from voice inputted to the voice input means that a predetermined keyword has been inputted.

12. The vehicle door control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle unit includes a voice input means that inputs voice uttered by the holder of the portable device; and

the inferring means infers that the holder of the portable device is going to ride in the vehicle when it is determined from voice inputted to the voice input means that voice of same voiceprint as that of pre-registered voice has been inputted.

13. The vehicle door control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle unit includes a notifying means that, when the vehicle doors are automatically opened by the automatic opening/closing unit, notifies a user of the fact.

14. The vehicle door control system according to claim 13, wherein:

the notifying means makes a first notification when the check result of the ID code is determined as OK when the vehicle doors are locked; and

the notifying means makes a second notification different from the first notification when the inferring means infers the holder of the portable device is going to ride in the vehicle.

15. The vehicle door control system according to claim 14, wherein the notifying means includes an indicator that is blinked as the first notification, and lighted as the second notification.

16. The vehicle door control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the riding-time control means transmits a door open notice signal to the portable device when the vehicle doors are automatically opened by the automatic opening/closing unit; and

the portable device includes a door open notice means on the portable device side that, when receiving the door open notice signal, indicates that the vehicle doors are automatically opened.

17. The vehicle door control system according to claim 1, wherein the riding-time control means unlocks the vehicle doors by the lock condition control unit when the check result of the ID code is determined as OK, and then locks the vehicle doors by the lock condition control unit when the response signal from the portable device has not been received.

23. The vehicle door control system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle unit further includes a prohibiting means that prohibits the vehicle doors from being opened and closed by the automatic opening/closing unit according to commands from the holder of the portable device.

24. The vehicle door control system according to claim 23, wherein the prohibiting means includes a switch operable by the holder of the portable device and mounted at at least one of an outer side of the vehicle and within an interior of the vehicle in a vicinity of the vehicle doors, thereby to prohibit the vehicle doors from being opened and closed by the automatic opening/closing unit when the switch is operated.

18. A vehicle door control system comprising:

a portable device for receiving a request signal and transmitting a response signal including an ID code thereof in response to the request signal; and

a vehicle unit mounted in a vehicle for transmitting the request signal, receiving the response signal from the portable device through intercommunications, checking the ID code included in the response signal and controlling conditions of vehicle doors according to a check result of the ID code,

wherein the vehicle unit includes

a vehicle interior communication means that uses an interior of the vehicle as an area for communications with the portable device,

a vehicle exterior communication means that uses an exterior of the vehicle as an area for communications with the portable device;

a lock condition control unit that controls lock and unlock conditions of the vehicle doors,

an automatic opening/closing unit that can automatically open and close the vehicle doors, and

an opening/closing control means that closes the vehicle doors by the automatic opening/closing unit and locks the vehicle doors by the lock condition control unit when intercommunications with the portable device by the vehicle exterior communication means are disabled, after it is determined that the portable device is outside the vehicle because the intercommunications with the portable device by the vehicle exterior communication means are possible with the vehicle doors opened and intercommunications with the portable device by the vehicle interior communication means are impossible.

21. The vehicle door control system according to claim 18, wherein the vehicle unit includes a notifying means that, when the vehicle doors are automatically closed by the automatic opening/closing unit, notifies a user of the fact.

22. The vehicle door control system according to claim 18, wherein:

the vehicle unit transmits a door close notice signal to the portable device when the vehicle doors are automatically closed by the automatic opening/closing unit; and

the portable device includes a door close notice means on the portable device side that, when receiving the door close notice signal, indicates that the vehicle doors are automatically closed.

19. A vehicle door control system comprising:

a portable device for receiving a request signal and transmitting a response signal including an ID code thereof in response to the request signal; and

a vehicle unit mounted in a vehicle for transmitting the request signal, receiving the response signal from the portable device through intercommunications, checking the ID code included in the response signal and controlling conditions of vehicle doors according to a check result of the ID code,

wherein the vehicle unit includes

a vehicle interior communication means that uses an interior of the vehicle as an area for communications with the portable device,

a vehicle exterior communication means that uses an exterior of the vehicle as an area for communications with the portable device, an automatic opening/closing unit that can automatically open and close the vehicle doors,

a detection unit that detects either of an operation and voice of a holder of the portable device, and

a door closing control means that closes the vehicle doors by the automatic opening/closing unit when either of the operation and voice of the holder of the portable device that is indicative of the closing of the vehicle doors is detected by the detection unit, after it is determined that the portable device is outside the vehicle because intercommunications with the portable device by the vehicle exterior communication means are possible with the vehicle doors opened and intercommunications with the portable device by the vehicle interior communication means are impossible.

20. The vehicle door control system according to claim 19, wherein the vehicle unit includes:

a lock condition control unit that controls lock and unlock conditions of the vehicle doors; and

a lock control means that locks the vehicle doors by the lock condition control unit when the vehicle doors are closed.