JP2003049568A - Transmitter attached key in keyless entry system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a transmitter attached key in a keyless entry system capable of ensuring dependability of locking or unlocking operation of a door as well as the elimination of a buttery replacement. SOLUTION: An ignition key 1 includes a key body 2, a transmitter 3 incorporated into a grip part 2a of the key body 2 and a battery 4 for supplying electric power to the transmitter 3 incorporated into the grip part 2a. When the key body 2 of the ignition key 1 is inserted into a key groove 5 on the side of a vehicle, a charging terminal 6 on a negative side of the ignition key 1 side is connected to the charging terminal on a charging device side provided to the inside of the key groove 5 and, at the same time, a charging terminal 7 on a positive side thereof is connected to a charging terminal 8 on the charging device side.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a key with a transmitter used in a keyless entry system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, remote control devices called keyless entry systems have been widely used in automobiles. This keyless entry
The system emits radio waves (including infrared rays) from a transmitter incorporated in the key body of the ignition key, and the radio waves are received by a receiver mounted on the vehicle side to lock or lock the door from a location remote from the vehicle. It is designed to automatically unlock.

[0003]

By the way, such a keyless. The ignition key used in the entry system incorporates a commercially available button-type battery to supply the transmitter power to the key body. As described above, in the conventional ignition key, since the button type battery is used as the power supply source of the transmitter, there is a disadvantage that the battery needs to be replaced. In addition, since the energy stored in the battery decreases with the use of the ignition key, there is also a disadvantage that the reliability of the door locking and unlocking operations decreases.

Therefore, in view of the above points, a first object of the present invention is a keyless entry system which does not require replacement of a battery and ensures the reliability of door locking and unlocking operations. -To provide a key with a transmitter in the system. Further, in view of the above points, a second object of the present invention is to provide a transmission in a keyless entry system capable of ensuring a reliable operation of locking and unlocking a door in addition to extending the battery life. It is to provide a key with a machine.

[0005]

In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object of the present invention, the inventions described in claims 1 to 4 are configured as follows. That is, claim 1
The invention described in (1) is a keyless entry system in which a transmitter for wirelessly transmitting data for locking and unlocking a car door to a receiver provided on the car side is incorporated in a key body. In the key with a transmitter in, the key body is provided with a storage battery for supplying power to the transmitter,
The storage device is characterized in that the storage battery is charged by a charging device provided in the vehicle in a state where the key body is inserted into a keyway of the vehicle.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the key with transmitter in the keyless entry system according to the first aspect, when the key body is inserted into the keyway of the vehicle, the key body is inserted into the keyway of the vehicle. , The first provided on the keyway side
The second charging terminal to be electrically connected to the charging terminal is provided, and the second charging terminal is electrically connected to the storage battery.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the key with a transmitter in the keyless entry system according to the first or second aspect, in the charging of the storage battery, the key body is a keyway of the vehicle. It is characterized in that it is started at a stage when the engine of the vehicle is started or a stage when the engine of the vehicle is started. According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the key with the transmitter in the keyless entry system according to any one of the first to third aspects, a battery is provided in the key body instead of the storage battery. It is characterized by that.

As described above, according to each of the first to fourth aspects of the invention, a storage battery for supplying electric power to the transmitter is provided on the key body side, and the key body is inserted into the keyway of the vehicle. Then, the storage battery is charged by the charging device provided on the vehicle side. Therefore, according to each of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, it is not necessary to replace the battery, and the transmitter can operate stably, so that the vehicle door can be locked or unlocked. The certainty of operation can be secured.

On the other hand, in order to achieve the second object of the present invention, the invention described in claim 5 is configured as follows.
That is, the invention according to claim 5 is a vehicle door lock,
A keyless / keyless system in which a transmitter for wirelessly transmitting unlocking data to a receiver provided on the vehicle side and a primary battery for supplying power to the transmitter are incorporated in a key body.
A key with transmission in an entry system, wherein the key body is provided with a secondary battery or a capacitor that complements the discharge of the primary battery, and the key body is inserted into a keyway of the vehicle, The secondary battery or the storage battery is charged by a charging device provided in the vehicle.

As described above, according to the invention of claim 5,
A charging device provided with a secondary battery or a power storage device that complements the discharge of the primary battery on the key body side, and with the key body inserted into the keyway of the car I decided to do it. Therefore, according to the invention described in claim 5, the primary battery can have a long life and the transmitter can operate stably, so that the reliability of the locking and unlocking operation of the car door can be ensured. Can be secured.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A case in which an embodiment of a key with a transmitter in a keyless entry system of the present invention is applied to an ignition key (engine key) will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. . The ignition key 1 according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, when the ignition switch of the vehicle is closed and the engine is started,
It is designed to be used by inserting it into the keyway 5 provided on the vehicle side.

Further, the ignition key 1 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the key body 2, the transmitter 3 incorporated in the grip portion 2 a of the key body 2, and the grip portion 2
At least a storage battery (secondary battery) 4 incorporated in a and supplying electric power to the transmitter 3 is provided. Here, as the storage battery 4, for example, a miniaturized nickel cadmium battery, a nickel hydride storage battery, a lithium ion secondary battery, or the like is used.

Further, the ignition key 1 can wirelessly emit data for locking or unlocking a car door from the transmitter 3 by an operation button (not shown). The launched data is received by the receiver mounted on the vehicle side, and the vehicle door is automatically locked or unlocked based on this reception. The key body 2 is, for example, entirely made of metal, and the rear end side thereof is the storage battery 4 described above.
It is configured to be electrically connected to, and its tip end side functions as the charging terminal 6 on the negative side. The charging terminal 6 on the negative side is electrically connected to a charging terminal (not shown) provided in the keyway 5 when the key body 2 is inserted into the keyway 5. It is like this. The charging terminal is electrically connected to a charging device (for example, an engine battery) mounted on the vehicle.

On the other hand, the grip portion 2a is provided with, for example, a positive charging terminal 7 formed of a convex portion, and the charging terminal 7 is electrically connected to the storage battery 4 described above. When the key body 2 is inserted into the key groove 5, the charging terminal 7 on the positive side is fitted to the charging terminal 8 formed of a recess provided around the entrance of the key groove 5. It is designed to be electrically connected. The charging terminal 8 is electrically connected to a charging device mounted on the vehicle side.

Next, a usage example of the ignition key according to the embodiment configured as described above will be described. For example, when starting the engine, the key body 2 of the ignition key 1 is inserted into the keyway 5 on the vehicle side. As a result, the charging terminal 6 on the negative side of the ignition key 1 side is connected to the charging terminal on the charging device side provided in the keyway 5, and the charging terminal 7 on the positive side thereof is connected to the charging device side. It is connected to the charging terminal 8.

Therefore, the vehicle side charging device can charge the storage battery 4 on the ignition key 1 side. Therefore, when the key body 2 of the ignition key 1 is inserted into the keyway 5 on the vehicle side or when the engine is started by operating the ignition key 1, the charging device on the vehicle side starts charging the storage battery 4. I decided to do it. In this way, the storage battery 4 is charged every time the ignition key 1 is inserted into the keyway 5 of the vehicle, so that the storage battery 4 can always be kept fully charged.

Further, even if the vehicle is not used for a long period of time, the ignition key 1 is inserted into the keyway 5 and the storage battery 4 is charged every time the vehicle is used, so that the maintenance thereof is easy. . As described above, according to this embodiment, the storage battery 4 for supplying electric power to the transmitter 3 is provided on the key body 2 side, and the storage battery 4 is inserted in the keyway 5 of the vehicle. The charging of No. 4 is performed by the charging device provided on the vehicle side.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is not necessary to replace the battery, and the transmitter 3 can be operated in a stable manner, so that the vehicle door can be locked and unlocked reliably. Can be secured. In the above embodiment, the storage battery 4 is used as a power supply source for the transmitter 3. However, the storage battery 4 is replaced with a storage battery (capacitor), and this storage battery is charged in the same manner as the storage battery 4 described above. It may be configured to. In this case, the electric storage device is of a type in which the electric charge is gradually discharged as the transmitter 3 is used once it is charged.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the negative charging terminal 6 is formed on the tip side of the key body 2, while the positive charging terminal 7 is provided on the grip portion 2a.
However, each charging terminal may be configured as shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of concave portions are provided on both side surfaces on the tip side of the key body 2, each of the concave portions is formed as a charging terminal 17 on the positive side, and both sides on the tip side of the key body 2 are formed. The side surface of the portion other than the surface is used as the charging terminal 16 on the negative side. The charging terminals 16 and 17 are respectively connected to the corresponding charging terminals on the charging device side mounted on the vehicle when the key body 2 is inserted into the keyway.

Next, a case where another embodiment of the key with transmitter in the keyless entry system of the present invention is applied to an ignition key will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, an ignition key 21 according to another embodiment includes a key body 2, a transmitter 3 incorporated in a grip portion 2a of the key body 2, and a transmitter 3 incorporated in the grip portion 2a. Primary battery 2 that supplies power to
2 and a secondary battery 23 that is incorporated in the grip portion 2a and complements the discharge of the primary battery 22.

Further, with the ignition key 21,
Like the storage battery 4 of the above-described embodiment, the secondary battery 23 is charged when the key body 2 is inserted into the keyway 5 on the vehicle side. It is also possible to use a storage battery (capacitor) instead of the secondary battery 23 and to charge the storage battery.

According to another embodiment having such a configuration, the life of the primary battery can be extended and the transmitter can be operated stably, so that the door can be locked or unlocked. The certainty of can be secured.

[0023]

As described above, according to each of the inventions according to claims 1 to 4, it is not necessary to replace the battery, and the transmitter can operate stably. It is possible to secure the certainty of locking and unlocking the door. Further, according to the invention of claim 5, the primary battery can have a long life and the transmitter can operate stably, so that the reliability of the locking and unlocking operation of the car door can be ensured. it can.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an outline when an embodiment of the present invention is applied to an ignition key.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a specific configuration example of the ignition key.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another configuration example of the charging terminal of the ignition key.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another configuration example of the ignition key.

[Explanation of symbols]

1,21 ignition key 2 key body 3 transmitter 4 storage battery 5 keyways 6, 7 Charging terminal 16, 17 Charging terminal 22 Primary battery 23 secondary battery

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Yo Yamaguchi             1-2, Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo             Godo Engineering Co., Ltd.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A keyless entry system in which a transmitter for wirelessly transmitting data for locking and unlocking a car door to a receiver provided on the car side is incorporated in a key body. A key with a transmitter, wherein the key body is provided with a storage battery that supplies electric power to the transmitter, and the vehicle is charged with the storage battery when the key body is inserted into a keyway of the car. A key with a transmitter in a keyless entry system, which is characterized by being operated by a charging device. 2. A second charging terminal, which is to be electrically connected to a first charging terminal provided on the keyway side when the key body is inserted into the keyway of the vehicle. The key with a transmitter in the keyless entry system according to claim 1, wherein a charging terminal is provided, and the second charging terminal is electrically connected to the storage battery. 3. The charging of the storage battery is started when the key body is inserted into a keyway of the car or when the engine of the car starts to start. Keyless according to claim 1 or claim 2
Key with transmitter in entry system. 4. The key with a transmitter in the keyless entry system according to claim 1, wherein a battery is provided in the key body instead of the storage battery. 5. A transmitter for wirelessly transmitting data for locking and unlocking a car door to a receiver provided on the car side, and a primary battery for supplying electric power to the transmitter. And
A key with a transmission in a keyless entry system incorporated in a key body, wherein the key body is provided with a secondary battery or a storage battery that complements discharge of the primary battery, and the key body is provided in a keyway of the car. A key with a transmitter in a keyless entry system, wherein the rechargeable battery or the electric storage device is charged by a charging device provided in the vehicle in a state where the key is attached to the transmitter.