Communications: electrical – Selective – Intelligence comparison for controlling
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-21
2004-10-05
Horabik, Michael (Department: 2635)
Communications: electrical
Selective
Intelligence comparison for controlling
C343S713000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06801120
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a control apparatus, such as an entry system of a vehicle, for checking an authentication code for validity (so-called ID authentication), etc., for example, based on radio communications between a portable machine and a main unit machine, and for controlling machines, units, systems, etc., installed in the vehicle without requiring cumbersome operation of the operator.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a system containing this kind of control apparatus, for example, a keyless entry system of a vehicle coming into wide spread use in recent years has been available. This keyless entry system comprises a portable machine that can be carried by the user and a main unit machine (in this case, vehicle-installed machine) installed in a controlled object (in this case, vehicle). In keyless entry system, authentication code is checked for validity by radio communications between them and predetermined operation (unlocking or locking operation) of the controlled object (in this case, vehicle door locking) is accomplished under the control of the main unit machine provided that the authentication code is valid.
An early-type and general system of such a system has a configuration wherein the user operates a specific button, etc., placed on a portable machine, thereby radio-transmitting a specific operation signal containing an authentication code (for example, vehicle door unlocking command) from the portable machine, and a main unit machine receives the signal and checks that the authentication code contained in the received signal corresponds to the authentication code preset in the main unit machine, then performs predetermined output for controlling a predetermined controlled object (for example, control signal output for unlocking vehicle doors). Namely, the system provides a one-way communication system of conducting only one-way communications from the portable machine (in this case, transmitter) to the main unit machine (in this case, receiver)
However, in such a one-way communication system, the portable machine needs to be driven only with an installed battery, and it is impossible to output a signal containing the authentication code all the time because of consumption of the battery. Thus, as described above, a signal must always be transmitted with some operation of the user as a trigger (namely, it always becomes necessary for the user to perform some intentional operation); the system involves a limit to enhance the convenience of the user.
Then, in recent years, a more advanced system for conducting two-way communications containing electric power transmission between a portable machine and a main unit machine has been proposed and partially has been put to use. The system executes necessary check for validity while suppressing consumption of the power of the portable machine and then operating a controlled object.
For example, as a keyless entry system of a vehicle, a two-way communication system comes along, wherein a portable machine, which enters a communication-possible range, receives electric power transmission in non-contact from a main unit machine, thereby being started with the electric power transmission as a start signal, and transmits a signal containing an authentication code to the main unit machine while electric power required after the portable machine is started is also provided by the electric power transmission depending on the situation.
The two-way communication system makes it possible to automatically transmit the signal containing the authentication code to the main unit machine with the start caused by the power transmission as a trigger, so that predetermined operation of the controlled target can be accomplished without performing any operation of the user depending on the situation. For example, with an entry system of a vehicle, if the user carrying a portable machine simply approaches a door of a specific vehicle installing a main unit machine corresponding to the portable machine, the above-mentioned two-way communications can be established and an unlocking command can be automatically output to the lock of the locked door for automatically unlocking the vehicle doors. The more convenient entry system for enabling the vehicle doors to be unlocked or locked basically without requiring intentional operation of the user is called a smart entry system (or a hand-free entry system), etc., as a development model of a general keyless entry system. The market needs for such a smart entry system, etc., grow as an entry system enhancing the commodity product value of the vehicle installing the entry system.
By the way, antennas described in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 9-310548 and Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 10-53071 have been known as an antenna of a main unit machine in such a system. That is, a rod antenna is built in a column part of a sun visor of an automobile or a room mirror attachment part for the purpose of maintaining a good directivity of the antenna.
However, the antennas of the main unit machines as described above involve the following problems:
It is difficult to provide a properly wide communication-possible range thoroughly (with no partial blind region) while transmission output is reduced to a minimum. Thus, there is a high possibility of occurrence of the following problem: Although the user carrying a portable machine lies in the same degree of the distance range from a vehicle (or exists in the vehicle), radio communications become impossible and predetermined control processing cannot be carried out depending on the existence position of the portable machine (particularly, position in the floor direction of the vehicle).
For example, advanced processing for determining where the portable machine exists based on whether or not radio communications are established cannot precisely be performed.
Particularly to put an advanced system such as the above-described smart entry system to use, the range in which radio communications (particularly, transmission and reception of power transmission as a start signal) are possible between the main unit machine and the portable machine (namely, the communication-possible range) needs to be set with good accuracy (or it may be preferred that the communication-possible range can be set with good accuracy). If a determination as to whether the portable machine (or the user carrying the portable machine) exists inside or outside a position a predetermined distance from the surroundings of the vehicle or whether or not the portable machine exists in the vehicle (namely, a portable machine search function of determining where the portable machine exists) can be accurately made based on whether or not radio communications are established, for example, the operation of automatically locking unlocked doors if the user carrying the portable machine simply leaves the vehicle a predetermined distance or more, the operation of enabling engine start if the user carrying the portable machine simply rides in the vehicle, or the like is made possible precisely without installing any separate expensive sensor, etc.
However, with the antennas in the related arts as described above, it would become difficult to, for example, set a communication-possible range for in-vehicle communications (particularly, transmission/reception-possible range of start signal) thoroughly in a sufficient wide range in the vehicle and set a communication-possible range for out-of-vehicle communications (particularly, transmission/reception-possible range of start signal) precisely in a predetermined range surrounding the vehicle (at least it would become difficult to set the range with one or several antennas). For example, as for the communication-possible range for in-vehicle communications, if only one antenna in the related art is placed in a vehicle, a communication-impossible region (blind region) of at least a start signal occurs in most portions in the vehicle. For example, if transmission output o
Bangachon William
Foley & Lardner LLP
Horabik Michael
Omron Corporation
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