EP1181425B1 - Electronic key for motor vehicle - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic key for a vehicle automobile. More particularly, it is a smart key called "smart key "does not require a bit to control the locking / unlocking opening of a vehicle.

The opening of a vehicle consists of all parts movable allowing access to the interior of the vehicle or under its hood. So, he may as well be the doors of a vehicle, the trunk, the roof opening, hood, windows etc., ...

It is already known to provide a vehicle with a remote control device of its opening. It can be devices (electronic key) emitting infra red or waves of any kind to give an order of opening or remote closure.

Such electronic keys do not require any cooperation between a bit and a lock to work. The vehicle could even. to be free from any mechanical lock. However, for safety reasons of operation, it is necessary to provide a means of mechanical access to use in case the electronic key is defective.

For this purpose, it is known to provide the electronic keys with an insert of relief constituted by a classic mechanical bit. In case of failure of the electronic card, this spare bit can be used to allow the opening of an opening.

It is already known to slip this spare insert into the key electronics itself and make it extractable by making indentations in this key. Thus, simply remove the spare insert from the electronic card to open his vehicle. Nevertheless, to allow a good grip of the insert, it is realized to date overmoulding of the part of this insert intended to be held by the user so that the user can hold it easily in hand and can rotate it around its longitudinal axis for open a door (for example).

The realization of these overmouldings is expensive and increases the volume of the insert.

This insert is usually made of metal (but not exclusively) and has a small width. For some users, this width is insufficient to be able to correctly apply a torque of rotational force and driving the insert around its longitudinal axis.

This is the case, for example, in document DE 44 44 913 concerning an emergency insert for electronic key. This insert is housed inside the electronic key when not in use. It is kept inside this key by the cooperation of a lug and recesses. When the insert is removed from its housing, it can be used as a key substitute. The dimension of head of this insert is however insufficient to allow the correct application a torque of rotational force. Some users could thus have bad to drive the insert in rotation.

The object of the present invention is to use an insert without overmolding (to reduce the manufacturing cost and the bulk), while providing the user with a sufficient support surface so that he can apply a force torque to drive the insert in rotation around its longitudinal axis.

For this purpose, the present invention relates to an electronic key for Motor vehicle according to claim 1.

Advantageously, the insert compartment is provided within or edge of the electronic housing so that the electronic housing constitutes a support surface for the fingers of a user able to allow the application of a force torque to the insert so as to drive it easily into rotation about its longitudinal axis when the insert is in the active position.

This provides a simple means of rotating the insert which does not increase the size of it and does not require the realization of an overmoulding, using cleverly the electronic key itself to rotate the insert.

• La figure 1 est une vue schématique, partiellement en coupe, d'une clef électronique selon la présente invention, montrant un insert en position de repos, et
• La figure 2 est une vue semblable à la figure 1 présentant l'insert en position active.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

• FIG. 1 is a schematic view, partly in section, of an electronic key according to the present invention, showing an insert in the rest position, and
• Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the insert in the active position.

According to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a key electronics 10 according to the present invention is generally under the shape of a parallelepiped flattened rectangle (credit card format for example).

• un logement 12 pour une carte électronique, la dite carte étant adaptée pour commander électroniquement un dispositif (non représenté) de verrouillage / déverrouillage embarqué dans le véhicule et permettant le verrouillage / déverrouillage des ouvrants du véhicule, et
• un compartiment 11 d'insert logeant un insert 13 de secours adapté pour verrouiller / déverrouiller mécaniquement les ouvrants d'un véhicule en cas de défaillance de la carte électronique,

The electronic key includes:

• a housing 12 for an electronic card, said card being adapted to electronically control a device (not shown) for locking / unlocking on board the vehicle and allowing the locking / unlocking of the opening of the vehicle, and
• an insert compartment 11 housing an emergency insert 13 adapted to mechanically lock / unlock the opening of a vehicle in the event of failure of the electronic card,

In the rest position, the insert 13 is housed inside its housing 11 and does not exceed the electronic key 10 (Figure 1). When the map electronics works properly and that it is not necessary to use the insert, it is in this rest position.

Recesses 16 are made conventionally on the insert 13 and are adapted to cooperate with holding means 15 provided on the compartment 11. The cooperation of these two elements makes it possible firmly insert the insert inside the compartment 11.

When the user needs to use the insert 13, he catches this one by its gripping zone 18. This zone is still accessible because indentations 17 are provided in the electronic card for this purpose. For facilitate the extraction of the insert, the user can also act on it by through the lateral recess 14.

Once out of the electronic key, you can use the insert directly by placing it in a lock and exerting on his zone of gripping 18 a torque of torsion force so as to drive it in rotation around its longitudinal axis L (Figure 2). However the grip zone 18 being of small width, it can be difficult to drive the insert in rotation.

In this case, the user inserts bit 13 into the compartment 11 by turning 180 degrees this bit. The same retaining means 15 then cooperate with the same recesses 16 to ensure firm hold of the gripping zone 18 of the insert in the compartment 11. To be more exact, in active position, the recess 16 used is that which is the opposite of the one used in the rest position since the bit (insert) has been turned from 180 °.

Advantageously, this makes it possible to take advantage of the realization of both recesses 16, which traditionally are made symmetrically from and other of the insert.

When the insert 13 is thus locked in the active position, the user insert it into the appropriate lock.

Advantageously, the embodiment of the insert compartment on the side key (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) makes it possible to constitute for the fingers of the user a support area no longer limited to the only width of the insert but spread over the entire surface of the key. Thus, housing electronic device is a sufficient support surface for the user allow to easily exert on this surface a torque of force (of force type torsion) adapted to rotate the insert along its longitudinal axis L.

In a variant (not shown), the insert compartment 11 is made within the electronic housing so that it constitutes a pair of bearing surfaces on either side of the insert compartment to apply a torque of force to rotate the insert 13 around its longitudinal axis L. In a way, the pair of bearing surfaces plays the role fins in a wing nut.

Advantageously, it will be noted that the insert compartment 11 and the 12 of the electronic card are made by molding in a single room.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the mode of described embodiment and encompasses any variant within the reach of those skilled in the art. In particular, the means for holding the insert in the compartment 11 can be elastic deformation or not.

Claims (5)

1. Electronic key (10) for an automotive vehicle, said.key being of generally flat parallelepipedal shape and comprising:

   a housing (12) for an electronic card, said card being adapted to control electronically a locking/unlocking device onboard the vehicle and permitting the locking/unlocking of the opening parts of the vehicle, and

   an insert compartment (11) housing an emergency insert (13) adapted to lock/unlock mechanically the opening parts of a vehicle in the event of a malfunction of the electronic card,

   said electronic key being characterised in that the insert (13) is embodied solely as a key blade and is provided with recesses (16) adapted to interwork with retaining means (15) disposed in the insert compartment to hold the insert (13) firmly both in a rest position when the insert is located inside its housing and in an active position when the blade is turned through 180° to enable it to be inserted into a corresponding lock.
2. Key according to claim 1, characterised in that the insert compartment (11) is provided with indentations (17) adapted to facilitate the withdrawal of the insert from its compartment.
3. Key according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the insert compartment (11) and the housing (12) of the electronic card are made by moulding as a single piece.
4. Key according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the insert compartment (11) is positioned along one of the sides of the key in such a way that when the insert is in the active position the electronic housing (12) constitutes a supporting surface for the fingers of a user permitting a torque to be applied in order to rotate the insert about a longitudinal axis (L).
5. Key according to any one of the claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the insert compartment (11) is disposed within the electronic housing (12) such that the electronic housing constitutes a pair of supporting surfaces on opposite sides of the insert compartment, permitting a torque to be applied in order to rotate the insert about a longitudinal axis (L).

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