Car control system and vehicle remote control system

• US 6,937,141 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2003
• Issued: 08/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Muramatsu, Toshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEHMOOD, JENNIFER
• Application Number:
  US10/411,614
• Publication Number:
  US 20030193390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• Field of Search: 340/426.25, 340/426.23, 340/426.2, 340/426.13
• US Class Current: 340/426.13
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/304 Boats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/209 Remote starting of engine
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/305 using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates

Abstract

Sensor data of respective controlled objects of a vehicle are collected by calling a vehicle remote-control system provided to the vehicle via a mobile phone, and then these data are displayed on an LCD display panel 11c of the mobile phone. In this state, the controlled object to be remotely controlled is selected by operating a cursor (30) and an ON/OFF setting button (31), and then its ON or OFF state is set. At this time, the remote-control command data are transmitted to the vehicle remote-control system from the mobile phone to set the corresponding controlled object. The condition is transmitted once again to the mobile phone as the sensor data, and is displayed on the LCD display panel (11c).

Claims

1. A vehicle control system comprising:

a communication module which communicates with a mobile phone in response to a call issued from the mobile phone;

an image sensor control portion which includes an image sensor for capturing a peripheral image of the vehicle and detects image information captured by the image sensor, wherein a capturing direction of the image sensor is controlled by a first command received through the communication module based on an operation of an operating device provided at the mobile phone;

an electric compass that determines azimuth angle data showing the direction along which the vehicle is directed;

a storage that obtains positional data showing a current position of the vehicle from a vehicle navigation system that is connected to the vehicle control system, measures the current position of the vehicle, and stores the positional data and the azimuth angle data detected by the electronic compass; and

a controller which controls the communication module to transmit the positional data and the azimuth angle data that are stored in the storage through the communication module to the mobile phone according to a second command received through the communication module from the mobile phone,

wherein, the controller controls the communication module to transmit the image information detected by the image sensor control portion through the communication module to the mobile phone according to a third command received through the communication module from the mobile phone.

2. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the second command from the mobile phone is a command for instructing to display a periphery map on a display of the mobile phone.

3. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the third command from the mobile phone is a command for instructing to switch a screen showing a peripheral map on a display of the mobile phone to a screen showing the peripheral image.

4. The vehicle control system according to claim 1,

including a security sensor for detecting an abnormal state of the vehicle,

wherein the controller automatically transmits, to the mobile phone, the information representing the detected abnormal state and the peripheral image captured by the image sensor when the security sensor detects the abnormal state of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle control system according to claim 4, wherein the storage stores the image information detected by the image sensor control portion.

6. A remote-control system for vehicle including a vehicle control system and a mobile phone, the vehicle remote control system comprising:

the vehicle control system including;

a communication module which communicates with the mobile phone in response to a call issued from the mobile phone,

an image portion control portion which includes an image sensor for capturing a peripheral image of the vehicle and, detects image information captured by the image sensor, wherein a capturing direction of the image sensor is controlled by a first command received through the communication module based on an operation of an operating device provided at the mobile phone;

an electric compass that determines azimuth angle data showing the direction along which the vehicle is directed;

a storage that obtains positional data showing a current position of the vehicle from a vehicle navigation system that is connected to the vehicle control system and measures the current position of the vehicle, and stores the positional data and the azimuth angle data detected by the electronic compass, and

a controller which controls the communication module to transmit the positional data and the azimuth angle data that are stored in the storage through the communication module to the mobile phone according to a second command received through the communication module from the mobile phone, wherein the controller controls the communication module to transmit the image information detected by the image sensor control portion through the communication module to the mobile phone according to a third command received through the communication module from a mobile phone; and

the mobile phone including;

a input portion which inputs the second or third command, and

a display portion which displays an image based on the image information detected by the image sensor control portion.

7. A method of controlling a vehicle control system which includes a communication module for communicating with a mobile phone, an image sensor control portion which includes an image sensor for capturing a peripheral image of the vehicle and detects image information captured by the image sensor in which a capturing direction of the image sensor is controlled by a first command received through the communication module based on an operation of an operating device provided at the mobile phone, an electric compass that determines azimuth angle data showing the direction along which the vehicle is directed, a storage that obtains positional data showing a current position of a vehicle from a vehicle navigation system that is connected to the vehicle control system and measures a current position of the vehicle, and stores the positional data and the azimuth angle data detected by the electric compass and a controller that controls the communication module to transmit the positional data and the azimuth angle data to the mobile phone, the method comprising the steps of:

communicating with the mobile phone when the communication module receives a call issued from the mobile phone;

transmitting the positional data and the azimuth angle data that are stored in the storage according to a second command received through the communication module from the mobile phone; and

transmitting, to the mobile phone, the image information detected by the image sensor control portion through the communication module to the mobile phone according to a third command received through the communication module from the mobile phone.