Vehicle remote control apparatus and system

• US 7,643,913 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Adachi, Akito, Mitsuhashi, Reiko, Kawaguchi, Keizoh, Natsume, Mitsuyoshi, Taki, Naoki, Kato, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US11/660,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20080065274A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/2, 701/29, 701/30, 455/423, 455/39, 340/426.16, 340/426.18, 340/901, 340/425.5, 340/438, 340/439
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2009 Antitheft state indicator
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2018 Central base unlocks or authorises unlocking
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00769 with data transmission performed by wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/62 Comprising means for indicating the status of the lock
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

A vehicle remote control apparatus for causing a vehicle to perform a requested operation in response to a remote operation request from a vehicle user includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire information about vehicle condition of the vehicle, and an operation instruction transmission controlling unit configured to compare a remote operation requested from the vehicle user with the information about the vehicle condition, to transmit an operation instruction corresponding to the requested remote operation to the vehicle if the requested remote operation has not been performed, and to refrain from transmitting an operation instruction corresponding to the requested remote operation to the vehicle if the requested remote operation has already been performed at the vehicle and is thus not performable.

Claims

1. A vehicle remote control apparatus for causing a vehicle to perform a requested operation in response to a remote operation request from a vehicle user, comprising:

an acquisition unit configured to acquire information about vehicle condition of the vehicle; and

an operation instruction transmission controlling unit configured to compare a remote operation requested from the vehicle user with the information about the vehicle condition, to transmit an operation instruction corresponding to the requested remote operation to the vehicle if the requested remote operation has not been performed, and to refrain from transmitting an operation instruction corresponding to the requested remote operation to the vehicle if the requested remote operation has already been performed at the vehicle.

2. The vehicle remote control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a presenting unit configured to present performable remote operations to the vehicle user based on the information about the vehicle condition in response to the acquisition by the acquisition unit of the information about the vehicle condition.

3. The vehicle remote control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the presenting unit is configured to present all possible remote operations to the vehicle user while making only the performable remote operations selectable among the possible remote operations based on the information about the vehicle condition.

4. The vehicle remote control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the presenting unit is configured to present only the performable remote operations to the vehicle user based on the information about the vehicle condition.

5. The vehicle remote control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the presenting unit is configured to ascertain a given remote operation as a non-performable remote operation if the given remote operation is not performed for a predetermined time period according to the information about the vehicle condition acquired by the acquisition unit.

6. A vehicle remote control system for causing a vehicle to perform a requested operation in response to a remote operation request from a vehicle user, comprising a vehicle having an on-vehicle device,

wherein the on-vehicle device is configured to perform an operation with respect to the vehicle according to an operation instruction from a vehicle remote control apparatus, and to detect vehicle condition of the vehicle for notification to the vehicle remote control apparatus,

and wherein the vehicle remote control apparatus is configured to compare a remote operation requested from the vehicle user with the information about the vehicle condition obtained from the on-vehicle device, to transmit an operation instruction corresponding to the requested remote operation to the vehicle if the requested remote operation has not been performed, and to refrain from transmitting an operation instruction corresponding to the requested remote operation to the vehicle if the requested remote operation has already been performed at the vehicle.

7. The vehicle control system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the vehicle remote control apparatus is configured to transmit information about performable remote operations to a communication terminal of the vehicle user based on the information about the vehicle condition in response to reception of the information about the vehicle condition from the on-vehicle device.

8. The vehicle control system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the vehicle remote control apparatus is configured to transmit information about all possible remote operations, with the performable remote operations made discernible, to the communication terminal based on the information about the vehicle condition in response to reception of the information about the vehicle condition from the on-vehicle device.

9. The vehicle remote control system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the vehicle remote control apparatus is configured to transmit only the information about the performable remote operations to the communication terminal based on the information about the vehicle condition in response to reception of the information about the vehicle condition from the on-vehicle device.

10. The vehicle remote control system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the vehicle remote control apparatus is configured to ascertain a given remote operation as a non-performable remote operation if the given remote operation is not performed for a predetermined time period according to the information about the vehicle condition obtained from the on-vehicle device.