Denso International America, Inc.

Denso Corporation

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Nippon Soken, Inc.

Toshihiro Wakamatsu

Justin McBride

Michael Wiegand

Thomas J Keeling

Christopher M Kurpinski

Yoshihisa Sato

Minoru Sasaki

Stephen Holcomb

Akira Sakashita

Tomohisa Kishigami

Akira Takaoka

Hirohiko Yanagawa

Munenori Matsumoto

Masachika Kamiya

Ikuo Hayashi

Christian Arthur Trager

Masato Okuda

Kenji Tomita

Tanemichi Chiba

Kazunori Sakai

Masato Kume

Hiroto Uesaka

Hiroshi Honda

Mikito Yagyu

Lisa Marie Brown

Jeffrey Edward Angeliu

Tatsuya Wakamatsu Nagoya

A wireless communication system includes a mobile device carried by a user and an in-vehicle apparatus equipped to a vehicle and communicatively connected with the mobile device. The in-vehicle apparatus includes a transmission unit, a transmission control unit, a reception determination unit, and a position determination unit. The transmission unit transmits low-frequency band request signals generated by spread modulating transmission data with predetermined spreading factors. The transmission control unit controls the transmission unit to generate and transmit first and second request signals having first and second attainable ranges by spread modulation using first and second spreading factors, respectively. The reception determination unit performs reception determination to response signal transmitted from the mobile device in response to the request signal. The position determination unit specifies the first attainable range or the second attainable range as a mobile device position area in response to a reception determination result.

Wireless communication system

A system is provided that may mark and communicate a location to a navigation system via a portable device. The portable device may include a user interface, a first GPS device, a first memory device and a transmitter. The user interface may selectively allow the first GPS device to acquire geographical coordinates of a current location of the portable device and store the geographical coordinates in the first memory device. The navigation system may include a second GPS device, a second memory device, a receiver, and a display. The transmitter of the portable device may communicate the geographical coordinates to the receiver of the navigation system.

Navigation location mark by cell phone

A system for locating a vehicle may include a hand-held device and a communication device on-board the vehicle. The hand-held device may include a screen, and may be adapted to import a map and display a present location of the hand-held device on the map. The communication device on-board the vehicle may be adapted to communicate a present location of the vehicle to the hand-held device. The hand-held device may be capable of displaying the location of the vehicle and the location of the hand-held device on the map at the same time.

Car finder by cell phone

An apparatus for automatically initiating a plurality of vehicle functions is disclosed. The apparatus includes a mobile unit and a detection device operable to automatically detect whether the mobile unit is within a first zone. The detection device is further operable to automatically detect whether the mobile unit is within a second zone. The first zone and the second zone are outside the vehicle, and the first zone encompasses the second zone. The apparatus further includes a controller that is operable to initiate a first vehicle function when the detection device detects that the mobile unit is within the first zone. The controller is also operable to initiate a second vehicle function when the detection device detects that the mobile unit is within the second zone.

Apparatus for automatically initiating sequence of vehicle functions

A vehicle equipped with a passive key entry system may employ a method of controlling a vehicle power sliding door(s) or other door(s), to accomplish locking, unlocking, opening and closing of such doors. A switch on a door handle may be activated by a physical touch or touches of a user, after which, the method may proceed with inquiring and confirming if all vehicle doors are closed; inquiring and confirming if all vehicle doors are locked; inquiring and confirming if a valid passive entry key is exterior to and within range of the vehicle; unlocking a power sliding door with a lock motor; and opening the power sliding door with a door motor. Before actually performing a door opening, closing or locking, a passive entry key system on the vehicle may verify the presence of a passive entry key fob.

Vehicle power door control with passive entry

A system for assisting the alignment of a hitch pin mounted on the rear of a vehicle with a hitch socket mounted on the front of a trailer. The system includes a camera mounted to the vehicle and positioned to capture an image rearwardly of the vehicle. A video display is contained within the vehicle which displays the image captured by the camera. A processor is also contained in the vehicle which calculates a preferred path of travel of the vehicle to position the hitch pin in alignment with the hitch socket. The processor is programmed to provide instructions to an operator of the vehicle of the required steering to maintain the vehicle on the preferred path of travel. The processor recalculates the preferred path of travel whenever the vehicle veers from the preferred path of travel by a preset threshold.

System for assisting the attachment of a trailer to a vehicle

A method of unlocking a vehicle, which includes initiating an auto-lock command, searching an area surrounding the vehicle for a valid key fob, and sending a normal request from interior antenna if a valid key fob is not found. The method further includes sending a wide area request from an interior antenna if the valid key fob is not found from the normal request. The method includes locking the doors if the valid key fob is not found. The method provides a warning and does not lock the doors if the valid key fob is found.

Automatic locking failsafe for vehicles with passive keys

A vehicle remote control system can have a transmitter transmitting a signal, a receiver receiving the signal, and a control device in communication with the receiver and controlling at least one operation of the vehicle. A selected operation may be executable by the signal. The vehicle remote control system includes a microphone that can determine an ambient noise volume and an ambient noise frequency in an area around the vehicle and is in communication with the control device. Furthermore, the vehicle remote control system includes a speaker that is able to generate an answer signal to confirm that the selected operation was executed. The speaker is in communication with the control device which generates an answer signal as a function of ambient noise volume and the ambient noise frequency in the area surrounding the vehicle.

Ambient noise controlled buzzer answerback

A multiplex communication system having a data repeater, which can prevent data from being lost so as to improve reliability of data communication, when a data repeater of a multiplex communication system repeats data. A multiplex communication system is made up of a plurality of communication groups including a plurality of communication lines and a data repeater. The data repeater is made up of receiving buffers, sending buffers, a data controller and a transfer-address table. The data controller selects multiplex communication lines through which the received data is to be repeated and transfers the received data thereto. The data controller has a priority-reset means for increasing a priority of a received data before being sent. The priority-reset means prioritizes a sending of the data from the data repeater, even if the data sent from the data repeater collides with the other data on the multiplex communication lines through which the received data is to be repeated. In this way, the priority-reset means prevents the data waiting for being sent in the data repeater from being lost by being overwritten with newly received data.

Data repeater and multiplex communication system using the same

An in-vehicle key check system has a security ECU, a transmitter and a receiver for communication with a portable electronic key. The ECU communicates with the electronic key each time a key check condition is satisfied, and checks whether the electronic key is an authorized one based on response signals from the electronic key. The check result indicating that the electronic key is the authorized one is stored in a memory. This check result is erased when a predetermined time elapses or when the electronic key is likely to be taken out from the vehicle. When another check condition is satisfied, the ECU refers to the memory and skips the key check operation if the previous check result is stored in the memory.

In-vehicle key check system having check history memory

Growing community of inventors

West Bloomfield, MI, United States of America

Toshihiro Wakamatsu