JPH0777847B2 - Remote program of vehicle functions - Google Patents

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to remotely controlled locking devices for vehicles, and more particularly to programming electrically remotely controlled vehicle features using such devices. Technology. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Door and trunk lock / unlock (door lock) devices for electrically controlled vehicles are rapidly becoming popular. In order to improve the performance of such devices, many types of keyless input devices are provided in such door lock devices. In one widely used device of this type, a hardwired numeric keypad, usually with five input keys, is provided on the vehicle door. By operating a key, a safety code is entered, which locks / unlocks the vehicle door and / or the trunk. In order for this device to work, it is necessary to store the safety code and keep it confidential. An improvement over this type of keyless input device is a remote control, which emits an infrared beam to a vehicle-mounted receiver to lock and unlock doors and / or trunks. Using a morphological type transmitter (transmitter) to do. In such devices, safety codes are programmed into both the receiver and transmitter. This eliminates the need to store the security code, ie keep the security code secret. The applications of such devices are limited because they require a straight line (line of sight) between the transmitter and the receiver without obstruction. This type of remote control is described in Pinau US Pat. No. 4,573,046. An improvement to the remote control device is to use a form of transmitter that emits radio frequency signals to a vehicle equipped receiver to perform the lock / unlock function. For the transmitter to work, it need only be within range of the receiver. A drawback of this type of device is the need to match or harmonize the transmitter and receiver. An improved device to the above device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,148 to Lambropoulos et al. Assigned to the applicant. A feature of this device is that the safety code can be changed and added, which allows the receiver to be field programmed to work with any transmitter, and both the receiver and the transmitter. Has its own safety code. Keyless input devices have been developed to remotely control vehicle functions other than door lock / unlock. For example, the remote control device described in Kirkuch U.S. Pat. This can be done remotely by pressing a function key. A feature of the currently available keypad-type keyless input device is that after entering the master code, the key can be operated in a predetermined procedure to prevent the automatic door lock (ADL) function from operating. is there. This regular ADL automatically locks / unlocks the vehicle door when the ignition key is operated to the on / off position. In order to operate the keypad, it is necessary to remember the order of the other keys. It would be desirable to provide a remotely operated keyless input device that has expanded capabilities to allow control of other electrically operated vehicle functions. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one characteristic of the invention, the remote control device comprises a transmitter, said transmitter comprising means for emitting a signal of the binary part binary type, each said binary bit comprising: It has a safety code and a separate function code.
A receiver is provided on the support structure and serves to perform at least two basic functions and to generate control signals that affect the operation of at least one secondary function. The receiver compares the safety code of the received signal with a memory for storing a binary bit safety code, and when it detects that the safety code matches, And a comparator for generating a control signal for executing the designated basic function. Field program means are provided in the receiver to initiate the field program period.
The receiver is operable to generate control signals during a field program period and to perform a secondary function when a predetermined sequence of signals is received. According to another feature of the invention, a remote controlled vehicle door lock device comprises a transmitter, the transmitter comprising:
Means for transmitting a two-part binary bit signal each having a safety code and a separate function code.
The receiver is mounted on the vehicle and generates control signals for performing basic door lock and unlock functions and enabling or disabling at least one secondary function. The receiver is instructed when it compares the safety code of the received signal with the memory for storing the binary bit safety code and the stored safety code and detects that the safety code matches. And a comparator that generates a control signal to perform basic functions. A field program means for starting a field program period is provided in the receiver, and during the field program period, a secondary control signal is generated and when a signal in a predetermined order is received from the transmitter. , Disables secondary vehicle functionality. The secondary function is disabled upon receipt of the signal for the subsequent field program period. The receiver also comprises means for maintaining the inoperative state of the secondary function when the power to the receiver is restored after it has been depleted. The receiver preferably comprises means for maintaining the inoperative state of the secondary function when the power to the receiver is restored after it has been depleted. The above and other features of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an operator and a vehicle using a remote control device using the receiver of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a transmitter operated to perform the functions of a receiver in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side view of the transmitter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Herein, Lambo Paulus et al., U.S. Pat.
Reference is generally made to 881,148. Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle operator 10 is shown approaching a previously locked vehicle 20. The operator operates the modal transmitter 20 to communicate with the vehicle-mounted receiver 40 and, as will be described below, the vehicle door (only one is shown at 22) and / or the trunk lid (not shown). No.) is unlocked (unlocked). The transmitter and receiver preferably use radio frequency signals having a nominal frequency of 310 MHz, as described in the Lambo Paulus specification mentioned above. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 in conjunction with FIG. 1, the transmitter includes a door “unlock” button 32, a door “lock” button 34, and a trunk “unlock” button 36 provided in a plastic case 38. ing. Transmitter
30 preferably comprises a circuit as described in the Lambo Paulus U.S. patent specification, said circuit being a circuit for transmitting a two part signal, said signal comprising a safety code part, And a function code portion corresponding to the function to be executed. As described in the Lambopoulos patent, the signal preferably comprises a so-called "wake-up" part, but in any case it comprises a safety code part and a function code part. The receiver 40 includes a signal detector, a comparator and a memory (reference numerals 60, 80 and 100 in the Lambo Paulus patent specification, respectively).
Indicated by). Accordingly, actuation of button 32 causes receiver 40 to unlock door 22 of vehicle 20. Similarly, actuation of button 34 will effect door locking, and actuation of button 36 will effect vehicle trunk unlocking. The operation of receiver 40 to perform the functions described above is fully disclosed in the Lambopoulos US patent. The present invention uses transmitters 32-36 to perform not only the basic functions of the vehicle as described above, but also one or more secondary functions as described below. Referring again to FIG. 1, a vehicle 20 with a number of electrically controlled "secondary" features is schematically illustrated as follows. Function Reference door Auto-lock 50 Sounding horn Sounding horn 52 Ignition prohibited 54 Automatic seat position 56 Lighting input 58 Safety device 60 The above secondary functions are usually electronic devices of the vehicle. Programmed to work when certain conditions occur. This action is well known and does not form any part of the present invention. Door auto-locks (50) are usually provided after a certain set time after removal of the ignition key (eg 30
Seconds). A horn sound (52) can be made when the vehicle locks to indicate the above condition. The horn may be activated when the safety of the vehicle detected by the safety device 60 cannot be verified. The safety device may also include performing an ignition ban (54). Repositioning of the driver's seat (56) and automatic activation of the input lights (58) when the vehicle is unlocked can also occur upon unlocking the vehicle. While the features described above are convenient for some vehicle operators, some operators and certain situations make such effects undesirable or inconvenient. For example, automatic door locking can be a nuisance in parking lots, and it may be desirable to deactivate all or a portion of a safety device when servicing a vehicle. If the seat position is preset for a particular person, it is desirable to deactivate the automatic seat repositioning function for drivers other than that person. The operator may want to deactivate the effect of the automatic light input so that the light is activated at night without paying attention to its effect. Ringing a horn can be annoying for operators who do not want to wake up their neighbors. There are many other reasons for selectively disabling the operation of the above and other convenient functions. Once disabled, it is desirable that each function be reestablished or enabled. Of course, hardware changes can selectively disable and enable each of the above functions. However, such work exceeds the capabilities or desires of most vehicle operators. The present invention allows a vehicle operator to use a remote locking device to easily and selectively disable and enable the action of the convenient secondary functions of the vehicle. The inoperability / operation is performed during the field program of the receiver 30 as described in detail in the above-mentioned Lambo Paulus patent specification with reference to FIGS. 3, 3A, 3B and 3C. Be seen. As described in the Lambo Paulus U.S. patent specification, the ground switch 86 of the receiver is closed to initiate a field program period during which an additional transmitter from the separate transmitter to the receiver is added. Alternatively, another safety code can be programmed. The operation of the receiver circuit is described in the Lambopoulos U.S. patent specification with reference to Figure 2, which illustrates the use of multiple 24-bit registers. The present invention adds another register of, for example, 8 bits, and selectively performs the operation of the secondary convenient function in the inoperative and operable states in the following procedure. For example, if one wishes to disable the vehicle automatic door lock feature, the following steps need to be taken. (1) turn on the ignition, (2) close the ground switch of the receiver (indicated by reference numeral 86 in FIG. 2 of the Lambopoulos US patent) to start the field program period, and (3) then Activating any of buttons 32, 34, 36 to store the transmitter 30 safety code in the register of all receivers and the door lock as feedback, as fully described in the Lambo Paulus U.S. patent specification. (4) Next, operate the other transmitters in the same manner and store the safety code in the receiver 40.
Disable the automatic door lock function 50, and (5) activate one of the transmitters to activate each button, for example, in the predetermined order of 32-34-36, 32-34-36, 32-34-36. , Then generate a signal to the receiver that will disable the automatic door lock feature. The effects of other convenient secondary functions are similarly disabled during the field program period as follows. (6) Deactivate the alarm 52 and press the other buttons, for example 32
-36, 32-36, 32-36 in that order, (7) If necessary, for example, to disable the automatic seat position 56, for example, 32-34, 32-34, 32- 34
Operate each button in the order of. Of course, it is possible to deactivate the action of any selected function in any order, and to configure that order to deactivate each combination of functions in a manner apparent to those skilled in the art. Can be Any method can be used to enable or activate the action of the disabled function. In the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein, the method used simply repeats steps 1-3 above to enable the operation of all disabled functions. Of course, other methods can be used and are envisioned within the scope of the invention. An advantage of using the remote control disclosed in the Lambo Paulus U.S. patent is that the receiver "remembers" the safety code and the disabled feature when the vehicle battery is depleted. Thus, when vehicle power is restored, the receiver does not have to be reprogrammed to disable the desired functioning.

Claims (1)

Claim: What is claimed is: 1. A remote control device for a vehicle having at least two basic functions and at least one secondary function that is automatically activated by the occurrence of a predetermined condition. A transmitter having means for transmitting a binary bit signal consisting of two parts each having a safety code and a separate function code, and activating the basic functions,
A receiver mounted to a support structure to generate a control signal for enabling and disabling an automatic operation of the secondary function when the predetermined condition occurs, the receiver comprising: A memory for storing a safety code of a binary bit, and a control for comparing a safety code of a received signal with the stored safety code and activating a designated basic function when the safety code matches. A receiver comprising a comparator for generating a signal and field programming means provided in said receiver for initiating a field program period, said receiver being operable only during the field program period And in response to receiving a predetermined sequence of signals, enabling the automatic operation of the secondary function when the predetermined condition occurs and Remote control apparatus characterized by generating a control signal for moving disabled. 2. A remote controlled vehicle door lock device having the basic functions of door lock and unlock, and at least one secondary function that is automatically actuated when a certain condition occurs. A transmitter having means for emitting a binary bit signal consisting of two parts, each having a safety code and a separate function code, and controlling the basic door lock and unlock functions to cause the predetermined condition to occur. A receiver mounted on the vehicle for generating a control signal for enabling and disabling the operation of the secondary function, the memory storing a binary bit safety code; And a safety code of the received signal is compared with the stored safety code, and when the safety code matches, a control for controlling the designated basic function is performed. A receiver comprising a comparator for generating a signal and field programming means provided in said receiver for initiating a field program period, said receiver being operable only during the field program period And in response to receiving a signal in a predetermined sequence, generating a secondary control signal that disables the automatic operation of a secondary function when the predetermined condition occurs, and A remote control type characterized by enabling the automatic action of the secondary function in response to receiving a signal during a subsequent field program period when the predetermined condition occurs. Door lock device for vehicles. 4. A remote control for a vehicle having at least two basic functions and at least two secondary functions which are each automatically activated by the occurrence of a predetermined condition. A transmitter having means for transmitting a binary bit signal consisting of two parts each having a separate function code, and controlling the basic function and generating the predetermined state to cause the secondary function to A receiver mounted on the vehicle for generating a control signal for enabling and disabling an action, the memory for storing a binary bit safety code,
And a comparator that compares the safety code of the received signal with the stored safety code, and generates a control signal for activating the designated basic function when the safety code matches. Field programming means provided to the receiver for initiating a field program period, the receiver being operable only during the field program period,
A plurality of secondary control signals responsive to receiving a plurality of distinct signals in a predetermined sequence and disabling automatic operation of the plurality of secondary functions when the predetermined condition occurs. Occurs, and in response to receiving a signal during a subsequent field program period, activates the automatic action of all disabled secondary functions when the predetermined condition occurs. A remote control device that is enabled and is operable to maintain an operable and inoperable state of a secondary function throughout a period of loss of power. 6. A remote control device for a vehicle having at least two basic functions and at least one secondary function that is automatically activated by the occurrence of a predetermined condition. A transmitter having means for transmitting a binary bit signal consisting of two parts each having a function code, and controlling the basic function to automatically perform the secondary function by generating the predetermined state. A receiver mounted on the support structure for generating control signals for enabling and disabling a physical effect, a memory for storing a binary bit safety code, and a receiver for receiving the received signal. A comparator that compares a safety code with the stored safety code and, when the safety code matches, generates a control signal for controlling the designated basic function. A receiver, a field program means provided in the receiver to initiate a field program period, and a safety code of the signal received from the transmitter stored in the receiver memory only during the field program period. Means for replacing the stored safety code, said receiver being operable during a field program period and responsive to receiving a predetermined sequence of signals in response to said predetermined condition occurring. A remote control device, characterized in that it generates a secondary control signal for enabling and disabling the automatic functioning of the following functions. 7. A remote control device for a vehicle having at least two basic functions and a plurality of secondary functions, each of which is automatically activated by the occurrence of a predetermined condition. A transmitter having means for transmitting a binary bit signal consisting of two parts each having a respective function code, and enabling and disabling the automatic operation of the secondary function for controlling the basic function. A receiver mounted on the vehicle to generate a control signal for controlling the safety code of the binary bit, and comparing the safety code of the received signal with the stored safety code. And when the safety code matches,
A receiver having a comparator for generating a control signal for activating the indicated basic function;
During any field program period, the field program means provided in the receiver to start the program period, and during any field program period, the safety code stored in the memory of the receiver is used as the safety code of the signal received from the transmitter. Means for displacing, said receiver being operable only during a field program period, responsive to receiving a signal in a predetermined sequence and activating an automatic action of a secondary function. Generates a secondary control signal that enables and disables and is operable to maintain the enabled and disabled operational states of the secondary function for the period of loss of power. A remote control device characterized by the above. 8. The remote control device of claim 7, wherein the receiver is operable during the field program period and is responsive to receiving a plurality of discrete signals in a predetermined sequence. Occurs in response to receiving a signal during the subsequent field program period, which will generate multiple signals to deactivate the automatic operation of multiple secondary functions. However, when the predetermined condition occurs, it enables the automatic operation of all the disabled secondary functions and enables the secondary functions over the period of power loss. A remote control device which is operable to maintain an inoperative operating condition. 10. A safety code and a separate function code in a remote control device having at least two basic functions and at least one secondary function that is automatically activated when a predetermined condition occurs. A transmitter having means for generating a binary bit signal, each comprising two parts, for activating the basic function and enabling and disabling the automatic operation of the secondary function. A receiver mounted on the vehicle to generate the control signal of the memory for storing a binary bit safety code, and comparing the received signal safety code with the safety code stored in said memory. A receiver having a comparator for generating a control signal for activating a basic function when the safety codes match,
Field program means provided in said receiver for initiating a program period and a safety code stored in the memory of said receiver with a safety code of the signal received from the first transmitter in any field program period And adding the portion of the safety code of the signal received from another transmitter to the memory only during the same field program period, the receiver being operable only during the field program period. And in response to receiving the signals in the predetermined sequence, generating a control signal that enables and disables the automatic operation of the secondary function when the predetermined condition occurs, and powers Operates to maintain operational / inoperable state of secondary functions for the period of loss In the remote control unit of the remote control device 11. The method of claim 10, characterized in that the ability memory of the receiver includes a plurality of series of registers, said field programming means, the same field
Only during the program period can the safety code in the next and each subsequent register be replaced by the safety code part of the signal received from another transmitter,
This allows the plurality of registers to each hold a separate and unique safety code. 12. The remote controller of claim 11, wherein the receiver is operable during a field program period and is responsive to receiving a plurality of signals in a predetermined sequence and the predetermined state is Generate a plurality of secondary control signals that, when generated, deactivate the automatic operation of a plurality of secondary functions, and receive signals during the next field program period. In response to the predetermined condition, the remote control device enables the automatic operation of all the disabled secondary functions.