WO2009056265A1

WO2009056265A1 - Control system and method for controlling a centralized motor vehicle lock

Info

Publication number: WO2009056265A1
Application number: PCT/EP2008/009061
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pietro Bona
Original assignee: Pietro Bona
Priority date: 2007-10-29
Filing date: 2008-10-27
Publication date: 2009-05-07
Also published as: ITCO20070036A1

Abstract

A control system and related method for controlling centralized locks for opening and closing motor vehicle doors comprises a first opening/closing telecontrol (2) and a central unit receiver block (5), therebetween unidirectional opening/closing radio signals (6) can be transmitted, a central unit transmitter block (9) and a second user enquiry telecontrol (10) for displaying the current opening or closing condition of the central lock, unidirectional signals (7) having a direction opposite to that (6) of the opening/closing signals being transmitted between the central unit (9) transmitter block and second telecontrol (10), thereby providing a bidirectional transmission method.

Description

BONA, Pietro

"Control system and method for controlling a centralized motor vehicle lock"

Description of the Invention

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a control system and method for controlling a door centralized lock of motor vehicles, such as cars, campers and the like, according to the preambles of claims 1 and 5, respectively.

Background of the invention

Conventional control systems for controlling motor vehicle centralized locks, generally comprise two components and, more specifically, a movable transmitter, made as an opening/closing telecontrol, allowing an user to radiotransmit opening and closing signals or commands, and a receiver, housed in a central unit or actuating station, installed on the motor vehicle and performing the opening/closing operations of the centralized lock, through associated electromechanical servo-mechanisms.

Figure 1 schematically shows prior control systems for controlling centralized motor vehicle locks, and in this figure the dashed arrow shows the transmission unidirectional direction, which transmission is carried out by sophisticated radiocommunication methods. To prevent the radio codes from being fraudulently used, the transmitters send each time a secret and cryptographic code, the so called "rolling-code", according to codified mathematic formulas. Prior centralized control systems, while providing efficient and reliable opening and closing commands, are very complex and have some disadvantages.

In particular, their operating method is of a unidirectional type, i.e. they can send command signals only from the transmitter to the receiver and, more specifically, in general they comprise in the telecontrol device two discrete push-buttons, one for sending the opening command and one for sending the closing command and accordingly in operation a user can accidentally erroneously press a push-button instead of the other.

In some prior approaches, a single push-button, for alternately sending a closing command and an opening command has been provided.

In both cases, prior control systems and methods for controlling motor vehicle centralized locks, do not allow the user to verify which signal, or command, has been lastly sent by the telecontrol device, and, moreover, they do not permit to verify if the sent command has been actually executed. Accordingly, it would be necessary to safely know if the last command actually sent by current motor vehicle door opening/closing centralized lock control systems and methods has been efficiently implemented, or also know the current opening or closing condition of the centralized lock.

Summary of the invention

Accordingly, the aim of the present invention is to provide such a motor vehicle centralized lock control system and method suitable to provide the user, upon requirement, and upon sending an opening or closing command, with a proper indication of the actual opening or closing condition of the vehicle centralized lock.

According to the present invention, the above aim is achieved by a centralized lock control system and method according to claims 1 and 5, respectively.

Further preferred embodiments of the invention are defined in the depending system and method claims.

The centralized lock control system and method according to the invention provide several advantages, as follows. At first, a user can always receive, upon requirement, and after having sent an opening or closing command, a confirmation of the actual opening or closing condition of a motor vehicle centralized lock, independently from fact whether the motor vehicle is visible or not. Such an indication of the actual opening or closing condition of the centralized lock provided on the motor vehicle door opening/closing telecontrol device allows to practically remove any doubt of the user related to the last sent command, respectively to an effective implementation of the latter, which cannot be always safely detected, for example because of a nearly exhausted condition of the telecontrol device battery, or because of a comparatively large distance of the vehicle, as well as due to obstacles, or a doubt related to an actually pressed push-button of the telecontrol device, and so on.

Yet another advantage of the centralized control system and method according to the invention is that the implementation means for confirming the current opening or closing condition may be easily built-in both in the telecontrol device and in the central unit or station of the vehicle, without remarkably increasing their size or occupied space. In fact, the telecontrol device can comprise, for example, three push-buttons, two whereof for performing a conventional opening and closing function, and the other for performing an interrogation function, to be carried out by the user, related to the current condition of the centralized lock, and preferably two differently colored LED's, for example a red LED and a green LED, to provide display functions related to the respective closing or opening condition. Moreover, is herein advantageously possible to implement the inventive system even on existing systems, the device for indicating the current opening or closing condition being in this case made as an independent auxiliary telecontrol device, to be for example supported by a key holder, together with the opening/closing telecontrol device, while being physically separated from the latter.

Brief description of the drawings

Further advantages, details and characteristics of the motor vehicle centralized lock control system and method according to the invention, will become more apparent hereinafter from the following disclosure of some preferred embodiments thereof which are schematically illustrated, in a block form, in the accompanying drawings, where: Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a prior motor vehicle door centralized lock opening and closing control system carrying out an unidirectional transmission method and substantially comprising a movable transmitter block or telecontrol device, and a receiver block mounted in a central unit or station installed in the motor vehicle and operatively coupled to servomechanisms mechanically performing the closing and opening operations of the centralized lock;

Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of a motor vehicle centralized lock opening and closing control system according to the invention, comprising a known type of centralized lock control system, implemented by a central unit transmitting block operatively coupled, on a side, to a central unit receiving block and, on the other side, to a movable receiving block, or a block operating based on a bidirectional method according to the invention;

Figure 3 is a further detailed view showing the central unit transmitter block of figure 2;

Figure 4 is shows, in a further detailed manner, the movable receiver block of figure 2; and

Figure 5 shows an exemplary embodiment of a transmitter or telecontrol block with a built-in movable receiver block according to the invention.

Description of the preferred embodiments

Figure 1 schematically shows a prior control system 1 designed for controlling centralized locks, as hereinabove disclosed, and substantially comprising a radio mobile opening/closing transmitter or telecontrol block 2 comprising, in the shown embodiment, respectively two push-buttons 3, 4 for transmitting opening and closing signals or commands to a radio receiver block 5, included in a non-shown central unit or station, mounted on a motor vehicle, also not shown, and being operatively associated with non shown electromechanical servomechanism, for mechanically carrying out the opening and closing operations on a centralized lock, also non shown, of a non shown motor vehicle. The dashed arrow 6 shows the radio communication unidirectional direction, for sending opening/closing commands from the telecontrol block 2 to the receiver block 5 in the control central unit, said control system 1 operating based on an unidirectional transmission method and having the above mentioned drawbacks.

For overcoming said drawbacks the present invention provides to include, in a motor vehicle centralized lock control system and method, a control system 8 comprising a prior control system 1 , for example as shown in figure 1 , built-in as hereinbelow disclosed by a disclosure simultaneously illustrating the individual components of the herein proposed blocks, with their function and related bidirectional operating method, as schematically shown by the two directional arrows 6 and 7. As is shown in figure 2, the prior control system 1 is herein associated with a radio transmitter block 9 of the central unit or station, said radio transmitter block 9 being coupled by a coupling line 11 to the central unit receiver block 5 and to a mobile receiver or telecontrol block 10, for interrogating and indicating the actual condition of the centralized lock, which mobile or movable receiver block 10 is designed for receiving radio signals or commands sent by the central unit transmitter block 9, as shown by the dashed arrow 7, wherein, according to the invention, a bidirectional transmission method is herein exploited. More specifically, as shown in figure 3, the central unit transmitter block 9 comprises the following components, as operatively interconnected with one another as shown on the drawing: a trigger 12, a timer 13, a coder 14 and a radio transmitter 15 proper, said central unit transmitter block 9 being physically arranged where the central unit receiver block 5 is arranged and operating to detect the opening/closing operations of the centralized lock, carried out by the central unit electromechanical servomechanism through the line 11 coupling said central unit receiver block 5 with said trigger 12. Said trigger 12, accordingly, provides the input of the central unit transmitter block 9 and triggers an operation sequence to be carried out by the central unit transmitter block 9. In fact, as is known, a trigger is, in general, a logic element adapted to detect an implementation of an opening or closing command as carried out by the central unit receiver block 5 and, from a physical standpoint, it can be implemented in different manners. For example, it may comprise a pair of magnetic contacts, not shown, arranged both on the fixed and movable part of the actuator servomechanisms, or it can comprise a transistor coupled to a signaling output through a LED diode of the central unit receiver block 5, or it can be implemented according to any other desired configurations, depending on the built-in implementation of the system, which will be discussed in further details hereinbelow.

In actual practice, any logic status (or transition from an opened status to a closed status or vice versa) as detected by the trigger 12 will trigger a starting of a following functional element, i.e. of the timer 13. Said timer, in particular, operates to limit, in a defined time, the operation of the central unit transmitter block 9, and, upon enabling by the trigger 12, the timer 13 will start to count an operating period of the following components, that is the coder 14 and radio transmitter 15. The duration of this time period will depend on the implemented radio transmission method and the redundancy, or number of signaling repetitions, selected to assure that the transmission is properly performed and received even in the presence of a temporary noise. Upon expiring the timing interval, the central unit transmitter block 9 will be deactuated and put in a standby status waiting for a reception of a novel even or command from said trigger 12.

The codifying element, or the message sent by the central unit transmission block 9, cannot be constituted by a simple binary datum, but the information should advantageously be constituted according to information packet transmission methods, or it must include at least:

- a synchronization preamble allowing the receiver to synchronize with the start of the information,

- a system flag element, allowing a receiver to recognize and distinguish the message coming from its associated transmitter, while neglecting messages from other transmitters,

- the informative element to be transmitted, i.e. the opening or closing condition or status, optionally in a codified and cryptographic form, and

- a control code allowing to verify whether the information packet has been altered or not during the receiving-transmitting operation. The information structured packetizing method, as hereinabove mentioned, is performed by the coder 14, which carries out all the message presetting and managing logic operations, and uses the following radio transmitter 15 proper for sending said messages. The transmitter 15, in particular, is formed by a RF modulated oscillator, which transmit the information in the form of electromagnetic waves, or by the most efficient and reliable wireless communication system. This transmitter 15 provides a function analogous to that performed by the movable transmitter or telecontrol device 2 of the centralized access control system, but with the difference that, in this case, the unidirectional information shown by the arrow 7 is directed in an opposite direction, that is from the central unit transmitter block 9 to the mobile receiver block 10. The information related to an actual performing of the opening or closing command sent to the user of the system 8 through the push button 3 or 4 of the telecontrol device 2, and either carried out or not by the control central unit, is retransmitted to the user from this transmitter 15 of the central unit block 9 and received by the interrogating mobile receiver block or telecontrol device 10, which will be disclosed in a more detailed manner hereinafter.

As it has been already partially above disclosed, and with reference to figure 4, the movable or mobile receiver block 10 operates to close the information loop, by providing the user with a feedback related to the result of the opening or closing operations, actuated by the last signal sent by the mobile transmitter or telecontrol device 2. In operation, the mobile receiver block 10 receives, from the central unit transmitter block 15, as schematically shown by the directional arrow 7, the information related to the outcome of the opening or closing command required by the user, as it will be thereinbelow further discussed and manages it as is schematically shown in figure 4. It should be apparent that the term "mobile" used for this logic receiver block 10, as implemented separately by the telecontrol device 2, is used for the same reason as that of the mobile transmitter block or telecontrol device 2, and would be indicative of the fact that, in its physical implementation, the mobile receiver block 10 has been designed as a small and transportable article or interrogating and indicating telecontrol device, to be stored, together with the telecontrol or mobile transmitter block 2, typically in a key holder. Likewise the telecontrol 2, the mobile receiver block 10 too must operate for a very short time periods, and it should drain a very low power amount, to preferably use prior small button batteries, not herein shown.

In particular, the mobile receiver block 10 will comprise the following components: - a radio receiver 19 picking up electromagnetic radiations emitted by the central unit transmitter 15 and transforming then into electric signals, for example in some types of short range system, the receiver 19 comprising a given number of conductive coil turns, operating as an "antenna" and transforming the picked up radio waves into a weak electric current power supplying the other functional blocks or components which will be further discussed hereinafter. Advantageously, such a circuit does not include a standalone power supply system and merely operates based on signals sent by the transmitter 15. Thus, its operating range will be a short one, and the receiver must be arranged very near the transmitter in order to properly operate. For this reason, the receiver block 19, after having picked up a minimum amount of emissions suitable for starting the system, will be temporarily power supplied by the power supply circuit 27 allowing it to amplify the signal and transmit said signal to the decoding circuit or decoder 20 through the line 21.

The decoder 20, or decoding circuit, will perform an operation opposite to that of the coder 14 of the central unit transmitter block 9, that is:

- synchronizes the starting of each new message;

- verifies that the identifying flag of the transmitting party corresponds to its associated transmitter, and eliminates the messages coming from unknown transmitters, including that coming from the mobile transmitter 2,

- processes the messages coming from its associated transmitter, and takes the information transmitted by the central unit transmitter block 9, - verifies the control code to control whether the message is a valid one, and has been altered or not during the transmission.

The logic display block 23 returns to the user the information related to the outcome of the last controlled opening or closing operation. Advantageously, this information is returned through an optical way or path, by light emitting devices constituted, for example, by LED diodes 24 and 25, where a short duration flashing of a green LED 24 may signal that an opening command has been carried out, whereas a short flashing of a red LED 25 may indicate a centralized closing operation of the vehicle doors. The opening/opening logic status is moreover preferably saved in a permanent store.

The display logic 23 is actuated as the radio receiver 19 picks up a valid signal or command, as the user desires to interrogate the control system 8 to verify whether the last operation has been properly carried out, which operation may be required by the user for example to verify that he/she would not have forgot to perform the centralized closure of the vehicle. In this case, as the centralized control system 8 is interrogated, for example, by pressing a suitable trigger element or push-button 26, the logic display block 23 recovers the stored information and re-sends it, for example optically, by the LED's 24 or 25, by short flashings for example of a green and red color, as therein above stated.

- The push-button or trigger 26, accordingly, constitutes the logic input element of the interrogation section of the mobile receiver block 10, and is physically and electrically constituted, as thereinabove stated, by the push-button 26 which, upon actuating the power supply section block 27 will provide operating current to the display logic 23.

- A timer 28, constituting the control and limiting element for controlling and limiting the actuation period of the functional blocks included in the mobile transmission block 2; for example the power supply circuit, power supplies the display logic 23, for a set time as controlled by the timer 28; as a pulse arrives at the receiver block 19, the timer 28 will drive the antenna amplifier block 29 for the duration of the received message.

- In particular, the antenna amplifier block 29 amplifies the weak received signal and transforms it into a signal which can be easily detected by the decoder section 20.

- The power supply block 27 is advantageously constituted by a simple battery circuit, provided for supplying with a current the several blocks or components of the mobile transmission block 2, said power supply block or section 27 being controlled by the timer 28 to reduce to a minimum the current drain by limiting it only to those intervals which are strictly necessary to perform the desired functions.

For a better understanding, the invention has been hereinabove disclosed as an integrating additional part of a prior control system 1 and, accordingly, with the provision of a standalone mobile receiver block 10 including the mentioned interrogating push-button trigger 26 and the two LED's 24 and 25.

For making the novel control systems 8, it should be on the other hand obvious to "merge" the mobile transmitter block (the opening/closing telecontrol device) 2 and the mobile receiver block (the interrogating and signaling telecontrol) 10 to provide a single multifunctional telecontrol 30, figure 5 comprising the two opening and closing push-buttons 3, 4, the interrogating push-button 26 and the two signaling LED's 24 and 25. Likewise, the central unit receiver block 5 and transmitter block 9 can also be made as a single device, for example in the form of a card.

From the above constructional and functional disclosure of the control system 8 according to the present invention, it should be apparent that in the inventive bidirectional method, from a mechanical opening/closing movement of the centralized lock, a signal is derived which provides, in a transmitter block or assembly, a suitably managed transmission of response or feedback signals which are received and properly managed and stored, by a receiver block or assembly, designed to derive said user response or feedback and to signal, preferably visually, the actual or current opening or closing condition of the centralized lock.

Moreover, from the above constructional and functional disclosure of the control system for controlling the opening and closing operations of centralized locks of motor vehicle doors according to the invention, and of the related operating method, it should be also apparent that they efficiently achieve the above indicated aim and consequent advantages.

In cars, trucks, campers and the like, the central unit receiver block 5 and transmitter block 9 may be easily made as a single central unit, in which the trigger 12 of the central unit transmitter block 9 is directly controlled from a dedicated output of the central unit or of the central unit receiver block 5.

With respect to the movable transmitter device 2, on the other hand, it would be advantageously to respectively choose a non invasive method for taking the trigger signal, where, by way of an example, if the centralized lock central unit comprises a status or condition signaling LED, then it could be operated as a triggering element for the central transmitter block 9, and, alternately, a pair of magnetic contacts may be arranged on two movable mechanical parts of the closing/opening servomechanism, to operate as a trigger.

Several modifications and variations related, for example, to a replacement of the individual circuits or components of the transmitting or receiving blocks or complex with other functionally equivalent circuits of components, or to a replacement of the two different colors display LED's with a single LED emitting different signals for indicating the opening status and closing status of the centralized lock, for example by a single flashing for the opening position and two or shorter flashings for the closing position, or vice versa, or a replacement of the visual signaling with an acoustic signaling or mixed signaling, that is a visual-acoustic signaling, or a provision of another procedure for wireless transmitting signals and so on, could be carried out by those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A control system for motor vehicle door opening and closing centralized locks, comprising a wireless control system (1), for example a radio control system, including a mobile transmitter block (2), such as an opening/closing telecontrol, designed for transmitting opening and closing commands, and a central unit receiver block (5), forming a central unit receiving the opening and closing signals and designed for carrying out the opening and closing operations of said vehicle centralized lock through associated electromechanical servomechanisms, characterized in that said control system is so implemented as to provide a bidirectional control system (8), further comprising a central unit transmitter block (9) and an interrogating and signaling mobile receiver block or telecontrol (10), said central unit transmitter block (9) being adapted to detect opening and closing movements performed by said central unit receiver block (5) and transform said opening and closing movements into corresponding signals, to manage said signals and transmit said signals to said mobile receiver block (10) which is adapted to manage and store the received signals and, as required by a user, to request and visually indicate a respective last opening or closing position of said centralized lock.

2. A control system according to claim 1, characterized in that said central unit receiver block (9) is connected by a coupling connection or line (11) to said central unit receiver block (5) and comprises the following components, respectively circuits, as operatively interconnected to one another: - a trigger (12), a timer (13), a coder (14) and a transmitter (15), and said mobile receiver block (10) comprises the following components, respectively circuits, as operatively interconnected to one another:

- a receiver (19) receiving the signals of the transmitter (15), a timer (28), a decoder (20) coupled by a coupling line (21) to said receiver (21), an antenna amplifier (29), a power supply (27), an interrogating trigger (26) and a display logic (23).

3. A control system according to claim 2, characterized in that: in said central unit transmitter (9), said trigger block (12), upon changing its logical status, is adapted to start said timer (13), which in turn is adapted to time out the operating time of said decoder (14) and radio transmitter (15), and wherein said coder block (14) is adapted to respectively provide codified information packets, to be transmitted by said central unit transmitter (15) in the form of electromagnetic waves to be received by said receiver (19) of said mobile receiver block (10) to transform said electromagnetic waves into electric signals to be sent to said decoder (20) (connection line (21), wherein said decoder is adapted to provide a decoding of the received signals and then send said signals to said display logic (23), adapted to optically return a light signal indicating the current opening status or a different light signal indicating the current closing status of said centralized lock, or vice versa, wherein said current opening or closing logic status is moreover saved in a permanent store to be interrogated by the user, wherein, moreover, said trigger (26), comprising, for example, a push-button, constitutes the interrogating logic element for said mobile receiver block (10) and is adapted to actuate a power supply (27) to provide an electric current to said display logic (23), wherein said timer (28) is adapted to control and limit an actuation period of said power supply (27) providing an electric current to said receiver (19) and antenna amplifier (29) for a duration of a pulse receiver by said receiver (19), and wherein said antenna amplifier (29) is adapted to amplify the received signal and transform it into a signal susceptible to be easily interpreted by said decoder (20). 4. A control system according to one or more of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said mobile transmitter block or opening/closing telecontrol (2) and said mobile receiver block or interrogating and signaling telecontrol (10) are so merged as to provide a single telecontrol (30) for performing opening/closing (3,

4) and interrogating (26) and signaling (24); 25) operations related to the current opening or closing status of said centralized lock.

5. A method for controlling motor vehicle opening and closing centralized locks, in a wireless control system (1), for example a radio control system, in a first unidirectional mode of operation, formed by a module transmitter block (2), such as an opening/closing telecontrol, adapted to transmit opening and closing commands, and a central unit receiver block (5) forming a central unit receiving the opening and closing signals and adapted to perform opening and closing operations of said motor vehicle centralized lock through associated electromechanical servomechanisms, characterized in that from mechanical opening/closing movements of said centralized lock are derived signals which provide, in a central unit transmitter block (9), an unidirectional transmission of a transmission direction opposite to said first unidirectional mode of operation, as suitably managed, of response or feedback signals, which signals are received and suitably managed and stored by mobile receiver block (10) adapted to derive, from a user, said response or feedback and signal, preferably visually, a current opening and closing status of said centralized lock, wherein said method operates according to a bidirectional mode of operation.

6. A method according to claim 5, characterized in that said signals in said central unit transmitter block are managed or controlled by an input trigger (12), and following timer (13), coder (14) and transmitter (15), whereas in said mobile receiver block (10), including an interrogating push-button (26), said signals are managed by a receiver (19), a timer (28), a decoder (20), an antenna amplifier (29), a power supply (27) and a display logic (23) as operatively interconnected to one another.