EP0559930A1 - Method of current supply for a motor vehicle locking system receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

Method for the pulsed (Q) operation of the operating switch (A), which switches the power supply (B) ON and OFF, of the battery-fed receiver (E), which is mounted in a motor vehicle (K) and can be remotely controlled with coded control signals (C) by a hand-held transmitter (H), of an electronic vehicle locking system, in which the operating switch (A) after a first waiting time in which the receiver (E) did not receive any control signals (C) is operated pulsed (Q-Q-Q) during a subsequent second waiting time with such interpulse gaps (P) between the switching-ON operations (Q) of the power supply (B) which interpulse gaps (P) are longer than during the first waiting time. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention is based on the method defined in the preamble of claim 1. The invention is therefore based on the fact that it is known to clock the power supply of the receiver of a motor vehicle locking system in order to save electricity during parking, that is to say during waiting times, and thus to conserve the energy stored in the motor vehicle's battery.

A main problem of such methods is the avoidance of deep discharges of the battery if the vehicle is parked for a long time and the locking system is not operated. During this waiting period, the receiver may receive many different control signals, but none that the locking system has to operate. It may happen that the receiver receives many control signals during this waiting time, but these are intended for other motor vehicles, whereas the control signal intended for this motor vehicle is sometimes only received after a week and even later.

• eine Tiefentladung während der Wartezeit möglichst zu vermeiden,

wird erfindungsgemäß durch das im Patentanspruch 1 definierte Verfahren gelöst. Durch das Takten der Stromversorgung wird der Energieverbrauch des Empfängers erheblich reduziert. Die Erfindung begnügt sich also auch nicht damit, möglichst stromsparende Bauelemente zu verwenden, so sehr auch dies bei der Erfindung günstig ist.The task,

• avoid deep discharge during the waiting time if possible,

is achieved according to the invention by the method defined in claim 1. By clocking the power supply, the energy consumption of the receiver is significantly reduced. The invention is therefore not satisfied with the use of components that are as energy-efficient as possible, however much this is advantageous with the invention.

• 2, in der ersten Wartezeit, welche z.B. einen Tag lang oder wenige Tage lange dauert, Verzögerungen der Betätigungen des Schließsystemes vermeiden zu können,
• 3, während aller Wartezeiten besonders viel in der Batterie gespeicherte Energie sparen zu können,
• 4, besonders lange Wartezeiten sparsam überbrücken zu können,
• 5, den Benutzer des Kfz möglichst wenig zu irritieren, sein Schließsystem könne defekt geworden sein,
• 6, trotz längerer Pausendauern den Handsender nur wenige Mal, z.B. nur ein einziges Mal, bedienen zu müssen, um das Schließsystem zu betätigen,
• 7, den stromsparenden getakteten Betrieb ungestört fortsetzen zu können, auch wenn der Empfänger des parkenden Kfz Steuersignale empfängt, welche eigentlich nur für andere Kfz bestimmt sind, also die Schließsysteme anderer Kfz betätigen sollen,
• 8, die erste Wartezeit wieder rechtzeitig beginnen lassen zu können,
• 9, die erste Wartezeit erst dann wieder beginnen zu lassen, wenn die Batterie des Kfz nachgeladen wird,
• 10, die erste Wartezeit erst dann wieder beginnen zu lassen, wenn die Batterie des Kfz ausreichend nachgeladen wurde,
• 11, mit wenig Aufwand das erfindungsgemäße Verfahren durchführen zu können,
• 12, ein wenig Aufwand erforderndes Beispiel zu bieten,
• 13, statt die Frequenz des Taktgebers ändern zu müssen, eine weitere Möglichkeit zur Änderung der Pausendauern zu bieten, sowie
• 14, mit wenig Aufwand eine zuverlässige, von der Taktung der Stromversorgung des Empfängers unbeeinträchtigte Stromversorgung des Taktgebers zu bieten.

The objects defined in the subclaims allow additional advantages to be achieved. Among other things, they allow additional measures according to the claim

• 2, to be able to avoid delays in the actuation of the locking system in the first waiting time, which lasts, for example, for a day or a few days,
• 3, to be able to save a lot of energy stored in the battery during all waiting times,
• 4 to be able to bridge particularly long waiting times economically,
• 5, to irritate the user of the vehicle as little as possible, his locking system may have become defective,
• 6, despite having to take longer breaks to operate the handheld transmitter only a few times, e.g. only once, to operate the locking system,
• 7 to be able to continue the energy-saving clocked operation undisturbed, even if the receiver of the parked motor vehicle receives control signals which are actually only intended for other motor vehicles, that is to say actuate the locking systems of other motor vehicles,
• 8 to be able to start the first waiting time again in time,
• 9, not to let the first waiting period begin again until the car's battery is recharged,
• 10, not to let the first waiting period start again until the vehicle's battery has been sufficiently recharged,
• 11 to be able to carry out the method according to the invention with little effort,
• 12 to provide an example requiring little effort,
• 13, instead of having to change the frequency of the clock, offer another possibility for changing the pause times, as well
• 14, to offer a reliable, undisturbed by the timing of the power supply of the receiver power supply of the clock with little effort.

1

eine Person, welche mit dem Handsender Steuersignale aussendet, um das im Kfz angebrachte Schließsystem zu betätigen, und

2

ein vereinfachtes Prinzipschema für den Aufbau einer im Kfz angebrachten Anordnung zur Durchführung des erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens.

The invention and further developments of the same are further explained on the basis of the diagrams of exemplary embodiments of the invention shown in the figures, which for the sake of clarity were represented as simply as possible. The figure shows

1

a person who sends control signals with the hand transmitter to operate the locking system installed in the motor vehicle, and

2nd

a simplified schematic diagram for the construction of an arrangement mounted in the motor vehicle to carry out the method according to the invention.

FIG. 1 thus shows a person who sends out control signals C coded with the hand transmitter H in order to actuate the locking system installed in the motor vehicle K. The handheld transmitter H sends e.g. Infrared light control signals C or radio control signals C off.

The locking system contains the receiver E, also shown in FIG. 2, which receives the control signals C via its antenna (here symbolically indicated by D) and evaluates whether the code of the control signal C indicates that the sending person is authorized to operate the locking system is or not. Depending on the receiver E then emits an actuation signal G which actuates the closures of the motor vehicle K or not.

The power supply, cf. the battery B of the motor vehicle K is continuously used by the receiver E when the motor vehicle is parked, especially if the waiting times are very long, perhaps weeks. A main problem of such power supplies is then the avoidance of deep discharges of the battery B, which not only has to supply the receiver E with power during the waiting times and finally when entering the vehicle, i.e. opening the doors, but above all when the next start Motors has to supply the starter with electricity.

In particular, deep discharge of battery B should be avoided if motor vehicle K is parked for a long time and the locking system is not actuated. But may receive moreover, the receiver E has many different control signals C during these waiting times, but none which has to operate the locking system. It may happen that the receiver E receives many control signals C during these waiting times, which are only intended for other motor vehicles, whereas the control signal C, which is intended for the motor vehicle K under consideration here, is sometimes only received after a week or even later . The receiver E therefore also consumes more or less electricity in the waiting times to check whether control signals C received in the meantime come from the authorized person or from the authorized handheld transmitter H, or from unauthorized persons.

The invention at least largely avoids deep discharge during the waiting times by clocking the power supply of the receiver E in a special way. By clocking the power supply B, the energy consumption of the receiver E is considerably reduced.

FIG. 2 shows the operating switch A, which is clocked for this purpose during waiting times and switches the power supply B alternately ON and OFF, of the receiver E which can be remotely controlled by a hand transmitter H with the control signals C clocked, the clock pulses Q are separated by more or less long clock pauses P.

A number of successive waiting times are distinguished in the invention. In the first waiting period, which lasts, for example, only hours or one or two days, the power consumption of the receiver E may be relatively high, as a result of which the receiver E is then always quickly ready to actuate the locking system immediately when it receives authorized control signals C. If, however, the receiver E did not receive any authorized control signals C during this first waiting period, the operating switch A with a comparatively long cycle pauses P between the ON circuits is activated during a subsequent second waiting period Q of the power supply B operated clocked. The clock pauses P are longer during the second waiting time than during the first waiting time. During the second waiting time, they are, for example, 100 msec or 2 seconds each. As a result, the receiver E is only supplied with current for a short time, namely with the time after increased pauses P.

The invention thus largely avoids deep discharges of the battery B by noticeably reducing the power consumption of the receiver from the second waiting time.

In the first waiting period, e.g. takes only a few hours or a day or a few days to be able to avoid delays in the actuation of the locking system, the cycle pauses P in the first waiting time can be made negligible. Then you operate the operating switch A so that it constantly supplies the receiver E with power during the first waiting time, but in the subsequent second waiting time with finely long clock pauses P between the switch-on phases Q. In this case, the operating switch A is only from the operated second clocked cycle, whereby the receiver E is always immediately ready to evaluate received control signals C during the first waiting period and accordingly to immediately operate the locking system.

However, in order to save considerable electricity even during the first waiting time, in order to be able to save a lot of the energy stored in the battery B during all waiting times, one can finally make the clock pauses P large in the first waiting time, so that the operating switch A in the first waiting time with a higher clock frequency, cf. Q-Q-Q, is operated as during the second waiting period. From the second waiting time, savings are particularly strong.

In order to be able to bridge particularly long waiting times economically, the length of the clock pauses P can be even longer than during the second during further waiting times after the second waiting time Waiting time can be selected. Then the pauses P continue to increase over time and thus the power consumption continues to decrease over time. You can, for example, make the pause duration 5 seconds and even longer. One can therefore accept certain impairments of the motor vehicle user for such late waiting times in order to avoid deep discharges as far as possible, but with the operation according to the invention initially practically no impairment of the motor vehicle user occurs in the first waiting time.

In any case, some motor vehicle users may be somewhat irritated at first when sometimes the locking system responded immediately when the handheld transmitter H was pressed, but sometimes with a significant delay. This user may not initially understand that this is related to the total length of waiting time. In order to irritate the user of the motor vehicle as little as possible that his locking system may have become defective, the length of the cycle breaks P can increase more or less uniformly over time, instead of increasing the breaks P significantly in stages.

In order to use the hand-held transmitter H only a few times, e.g. only once, in order to operate the locking system, the coded control signals C can be repeatedly emitted from the hand transmitter H repeatedly, even if the trigger on the hand transmitter H is actuated only once, over a longer transmission period. It is then advantageous to make the duration of the clock pauses P shorter than the duration of the transmission. If the receiver E receives signal fractions during its short ON phase Q, the receiver E is temporarily connected to the battery B via the operating switch A at least for the entire duration of the reception of a complete code, so that the receiver E can now check the authorization of the received code .

Another development of the invention allows the power-saving clocked operation to be able to continue undisturbed, even if the receiver E of the parked motor vehicle K has control signals C. receives, which each contain only an unauthorized code, because they are actually only intended for other vehicles, i.e. should operate the locking systems of other vehicles. For this purpose, after the receipt of such control signals C, which do not contain the code that authorizes the actuation of the locking system, the clock frequency QQQ of the actuation of the operating switch A can be made at least approximately the same size as it would have been without the reception of this control signal C. It is then avoided that the receipt of an unauthorized code immediately triggers the beginning of the first waiting time and thus again a period with high power consumption.

In order to be able to start the first waiting time in good time again after using the motor vehicle again, after receiving such control signals C which contain the code which authorizes the actuation of the locking system, the clock frequency QQQ of the operation switch A again during the subsequent first waiting time correspond to the usual power supply method.

In order to avoid a deep discharge of the battery B with increased certainty, after using the motor vehicle K again, the first waiting time can only be started again when the motor vehicle battery is recharged. For this purpose, after receiving such control signals C, which contain the code that authorizes the actuation of the locking system, the clock frequency QQQ of the actuation of the operating switch A can only correspond to the clock frequency QQQ of such actuations occurring during the first waiting time if the motor of the Vehicle was started.

A deep discharge of battery B can be avoided with even greater reliability by not letting the first waiting period begin again until the battery of the motor vehicle has been sufficiently recharged. During waiting times, eg from the second waiting time, the voltage can at least occasionally of the battery B can be measured, the pause time P being determined as a function of the measured voltage of the battery B. In this development, the clock frequency QQQ of the actuation of the operating switch A is not always the same during the first waiting time, that is to say immediately when parking begins. Instead, this clock frequency also depends on the current state of charge of the battery B, for example by using a power supply mode immediately after parking that corresponds to the second or an even later waiting time - the clock frequency QQQ then possibly reducing even further in later waiting times can be.

In order to be able to carry out the method according to the invention with little effort, the locking system installed in the motor vehicle K - e.g. also directly in the housing of the receiver E - contain a clock F, which should operate the operating switch A clocked during the relevant waiting times.

To give an example of the construction of such a clock F which requires little effort, it should be pointed out that the clock F e.g. can contain or represent a flip-flop. The clock can, e.g. also an electronic counter, a clock or the like. be.

In order not to have to change the frequency of the clock generator F in later waiting times, the subsequent reduction in the clock frequency Q-Q-Q, that is to say the subsequent extension of the pauses P, can also be achieved in that the clock generator F contains an electronic frequency reducer.

In order to provide a reliable power supply for the clock generator F, which is unaffected by the timing of the power supply B of the receiver E, with little effort, the clock generator F can contain a storage capacitor which, at least until the next actuation of the operating switch A, requires operating energy to operate the clock generator F saves. So you can have your own permanent direct power supply I of the clock F avoid, cf. the direct power supply I of the clock generator F indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 2. Instead, the power supply of the clock generator F can then also take place via the operating switch A.

Claims (14)

Process for the clocked (Q) actuation of the operating switch (A) which switches the power supply (B) ON and OFF of the battery-powered receiver (E) of an electronic device, which is remotely controllable by a hand transmitter (H) with coded control signals (C) and is installed in the vehicle (K) Vehicle locking system,
for example a receiver (E) which can be remotely controlled with infrared light control signals (C) or radio control signals (C),
characterized in that - That the operating switch (A) after a first waiting time in which the receiver (E) received no control signals (C), during a subsequent second waiting time with such clock pauses (P) clocked between the ON circuits (Q) of the power supply (B) ( QQQ), which are (P) longer than during the first waiting period. Method according to claim 1,
characterized, - That the clock pauses (P) in the first waiting time are vanishingly small, so that the operating switch (A) °° constantly supplying the receiver (E) with power during the first waiting period, °° but in a subsequent second waiting period with finally long clock pauses (P) between the switch-on phases (Q) clocked (QQQ) is operated. Method according to claim 1,
characterized, - That the clock pauses (P) are finally large in the first waiting time, so that the operating switch (A) is operated in the first waiting time with a higher clock frequency (QQQ) than during the second waiting time. Method according to claim 2 or 3,
characterized, - That the length of the clock pauses (P) continues to increase during further waiting times after the second waiting time. Method according to one of claims 2, 3 or 4,
characterized, - That the length of the pauses (P) increases more or less evenly with time. Method with coded control signals (C), which are repeatedly emitted repeatedly by the hand transmitter (H) in succession during a transmission duration when a trigger of the hand transmitter (H) is actuated,
according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized, - That the clock pauses (P) are shorter than the transmission time, and - That when receiving signal fractions of the receiver (E) is temporarily supplied with power at least for the entire duration of the reception of a complete code via the operating switch (A). Method according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized, - That after the receipt of such control signals (C), which do not contain the code that authorizes the actuation of the locking system, the clock frequency (QQQ) of the actuation of the operating switch (A) is at least approximately the same as that (QQQ) without reception this control signal would have been (C). Method according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized, - That after the receipt of such control signals (C), which contain the code that authorizes the actuation of the locking system, the clock frequency (QQQ) corresponds to the actuation of the operating switch (A) of the clock frequency occurring during the first waiting time (QQQ) of such actuations. Method according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized, - That after the receipt of such control signals (C), contain that code which is used to operate the locking system authorized to change the clock frequency (QQQ) of the actuation of the operating switch (A) to the clock frequency (QQQ) of such actuations occurring during the first waiting time only after the motor of the motor vehicle has been started. Method according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized, - that during waiting times,
eg from the second waiting time,
at least from time to time the voltage of the battery (B) is measured, and - That the pause duration (P) is determined depending on the measured voltage of the battery (B). Arrangement for carrying out the method according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized, - That it contains a clock generator (F) which should operate the operating switch (A) clocked (QQQ). Arrangement according to claim 11,
characterized, - That the clock (F) contains a flip-flop. Arrangement according to claim 11 or 12,
characterized, - That the clock generator (F) contains a frequency reducer for reducing the clock frequency (QQQ) of the clock generator (F). Arrangement according to one of the claims 11 to 13,
characterized, - That the clock generator (F) contains a storage capacitor which, at least until the next actuation of the operating switch (A), stores the operating energy required to operate the clock generator (F).

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