Communications: electrical – Selective – Intelligence comparison for controlling
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-12
2004-08-17
Horabik, Michael (Department: 2635)
Communications: electrical
Selective
Intelligence comparison for controlling
C340S005620
Reexamination Certificate
active
06778064
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication device and, particularly, to a communication device comprising a portable transmitter in which an ID (identification) code is registered by a user or the like after manufacturing, wherein a device to be controlled is controlled when an information signal containing an ID code is transmitted from the portable transmitter and the ID code contained in the information signal received by a receiver coincides with a registered reference code.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, a car keyless entry device has been known as a communication device which consists of a portable transmitter and a receiver and functions such that when the portable transmitter transmits an information signal containing an ID code, the receiver extracts the ID code from its received information signal, and a device to be controlled is controlled based on the received information signal when the ID code coincides with a reference code registered in the receiver.
This keyless entry device consists of more than one portable transmitter carried by each user who uses the keyless entry device and one receiver which is installed in a car and activated by the operation of these portable transmitters.
In this type of communication device, such as the above described keyless entry device, when an information signal is transmitted from the portable transmitter to the receiver, an ID code is also transmitted. This ID code is stored in the ID code storage unit of the portable transmitter and the same ID code is stored in the reference code storage unit of the receiver as a reference code.
The communication device using this ID code is available in a type (type 1) which stores respective codes in the ID code storage unit of the portable transmitter and the reference code storage unit of the receiver by inputting from a directly connected external line and a type (type 2) which stores an ID code in the ID code storage unit of the portable transmitter by inputting from a directly connected external line, transmits the ID code of the portable transmitter to the receiver and stores the received ID code in the reference (ID) code storage unit of the receiver as a reference code.
In the above already known keyless entry device, different ID codes must be prepared and written to the ID code storage units of the portable transmitter and the receiver of the type 1 and the portable transmitter of the type 2 in the production process, thereby complicating the production process. In the production process, an information transmission test is made on the portable transmitter and the receiver. For the type 1, the test must be made on each set of the transmitter and the receiver having the same ID code. For the type 2, the test must be made after the ID code of the portable transmitter is transmitted to the receiver and written to the receiver as a reference code.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above technical background, it is an object of the present invention to provide a communication device which can reduce the time and labor of the production process.
To attain the above object, the communication device of the present invention comprises a portable transmitter which comprises at least one operation switch, an ID code storage unit in which a ID code is registered, a first control unit and a transmission unit, and a receiver which comprises a receiving unit, a reference code storage unit in which at least one reference code is registered, a second control unit and a control signal generating unit capable of generating a plurality of control signals, the portable transmitter transmitting an information signal containing an ID code, the receiver comparing the ID code contained in the received information signal with the reference code, and the control signal generating unit supplying a control signal to a device to be controlled when they coincide with each other, wherein the portable transmitter comprises ID registration mode setting means, an ID code corresponding to the operation procedure of the operating switch is formed and registered in the ID code storage unit when the first control unit is set to an ID registration mode by the ID registration mode setting means and the operation switch is operated multiple times within a predetermined ID registration mode time, and a test ID code common to a plurality of portable transmitters is already registered in the ID code storage unit.
According to the above constitution, the ID code of the portable transmitter can be set by the operation of the operation switch of the portable transmitter after the communication device is manufactured and the test ID code is registered in advance. Therefore, an information transmission test can be made between portable transmitters and one receiver in the production process. Since the ID code can be set by the operation of the operation switch of the portable transmitter, the user of a keyless entry device can register an ID code by himself. Since the manufacturer may simply mass-produce exactly the same portable transmitters, the management of the products is easy.
To attain the above object, the communication device of the present invention supplies only a specific control signal when the above test ID code is used.
According to the above constitution, when the user does not register a new ID code in the portable transmitter and when the user cannot register a new ID code due to some improper operation though the user has registered the new ID code in the portable transmitter, information transmission is carried out using the test ID code. However, as the test ID code can supply only a specific control signal to a device to be controlled, the control of the entire device cannot be carried out using the test ID code. As a result, a new ID code is registered in the portable transmitter.
To attain the above object, the communication device of the present invention is constituted such that after an ID code is registered, the test ID code is invalidated.
According to the above constitution, when an ID code is registered, information transmission using the test ID code is not carried out. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the operation of a receiver in which the test ID code is registered other than the receiver of the user by the transmission of the test ID code when the user operates the portable transmitter.
The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when taken into conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Horabik Michael
Nguyen Nam
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