WO2012111005A1

WO2012111005A1 - Device for emulating remote control for a vehicle and method of use

Info

Publication number: WO2012111005A1
Application number: PCT/IL2012/000082
Authority: WO
Inventors: Boaz FEMSON
Original assignee: Femson Boaz
Priority date: 2011-02-20
Filing date: 2012-02-16
Publication date: 2012-08-23
Also published as: IL211322A; IL211322A0

Abstract

Device (10, 40) and method for relaying codes from a custom remote control device (11) having at least one pushbutton (12, 13) to an apparatus controlled by the custom remote control device. The device includes a support (14, 48) having a mounting surface (15, 55) for fixedly supporting the custom remote control device. In respect of each pushbutton, a respective electromechanical actuator (16, 17, 46, 47) is mounted in spatial relationship with the support and is operable by a remote control unit for depressing the pushbutton.

Description

Device for Emulating Remote Control for a Vehicle and Method of Use

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to remote control devices for controlling various functions of a motor vehicle from a hand-held transmitter. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Vehicles are commonly accessed by means of remote control devices that allow the doors of the vehicle to be opened and closed remotely in a trusted manner. In order to ensure that only an authorized user can access the vehicle in this manner, the remote control device for each vehicle is unique and has its own code, so that operating the remote control device controls only its associated vehicle and not another vehicle within broadcast range of the remote control device. Such remote control devices are short range transmitters that transmit a unique code to a receiver mounted in the vehicle and to which a control system is responsively coupled for opening or closing the doors depending on a code received by the receiver. The transmitter typically has two buttons that are manually operated and which transmit different codes, depending on whether the door is to be opened or closed.

It is common for the remote control device to be integrated within the handle of a key and for up to two such integrated key devices to be supplied with the vehicle. When a vehicle is commonly driven by more than two motorists as may well be the case in a fleet of vehicles or a family having multiple motorists, each authorized motorist may require his or her own integrated key and remote control device. Currently this requirement is met by duplicating the remote control device, which typically requires that the vehicle manufacturer duplicates the remote control device. Since the vehicle manufacturer has a monopoly, doing this is expensive - particularly when multiple copies are required. US Patent No. 4,881,148 discloses a remote control system for vehicle door locks in which during vehicle manufacture all transmitting and receiving units have the same universal code for a given automobile manufacturer. The dealer, upon receiving delivery of the vehicle, receives or provides a transmitting unit having a unique code. Upon delivery to the ultimate purchaser, the dealer uses a transmitting unit randomly selected by the manufacturer or dealer, but having a unique code, to shift the universal binary code loaded into the receiver at the factory to the unique code of the randomly selected transmitter provided to the purchaser by the dealer. This avoids the need to match receivers and transmitters and allows easy replacement of transmitter by merely changing a receiver unit identification or security code to match the unique binary code of the replacement transmitter. However, since the replacement transmitter must still be provided by the manufacturer or dealer, there is still no incentive to lower the cost of additional transmitters.

US 2001/0011953 discloses a hand-held control device for communicating with and controlling the operation of a remotely located electronic apparatus such as a television, VCR or other device. A programmable memory stores control and other format information for a particular electronic apparatus to be operated and is removably attached to the control unit. In such a device it is still necessary to know or otherwise determine the operating controls of the apparatus to be controlled and to store these codes in the programmable memory.

US Patent No. 7,145,495 discloses a system and process for duplicating or replicating remote control units for automobile locks and other common purposes. The system comprises a device that reads the remote control signal codes in an existing keyfob device, analyzes the code for type, stores the code, then transfers the code into a replacement remote control device. Thus, here also it is still necessary to determine the operating controls of the apparatus to be controlled and to store these codes in the programmable memory of the replacement remote control device.

It would therefore be desirable to provide a less expensive solution to the need for multiple remote control devices without requiring any knowledge of the operating codes. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides an inexpensive solution for providing multiple remote control devices that, on the one hand, meet the security criteria of current devices while, on the other hand, allowing for use of transmitters from independent suppliers so that multiple transmitters can be provided at significantly reduced cost compared with OEM devices.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a device for relaying codes from a custom remote control device having at least one pushbutton to an apparatus controlled by the custom remote control device, said device comprising:

a support having a mounting surface for fixedly supporting the custom remote control device, and

in respect of each pushbutton, a respective electromechanical actuator mounted in spatial relationship with the support and being operable by a remote control unit for depressing the pushbutton.

Such a device may be securely mounted in a vehicle so as not to be easily accessible and can then allow remote control via a low cost remote control unit provided by an independent supplier.

The invention further provides a method using such a device for allowing at least two users to control an apparatus that is remotely controllable by a custom remote control device without requiring that said users have access to the custom remote control device, said method comprising:

mounting the device in association with the apparatus; and

providing each user with a respective remote control unit adapted for remote control of the device so that each user can independently operate each of the electro- mechanical actuators in the device by operating a respective pushbutton of the remote control unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to understand the invention and to see how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figs. 1 to 3 are pictorial representations showing schematically details of a device according to a first embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing functionality of the device;

Figs. 5 to 13 are pictorial representations showing details of a device according to a second embodiment the invention;

Fig. 14 is a sectional view taken through line A-A in Fig. 9; and

Fig. 15 is an isometric plan view seen from the direction of arrows B in Figs. 9 and 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Figs. 1 to 3 show pictorially details of a device 10 for relaying codes from a custom remote control device 11 (shown in Fig. 10) having at least one pushbutton 12 and 13 to an apparatus (not shown) controlled by the custom remote control device 11. A support shown generally as 14 has a base 15 (constituting a mounting surface) for fixedly supporting the custom remote control device 11. In respect of each pushbutton 12 and 13, a respective electromechanical actuator 16 and 17 is mounted in spatial relationship with the support 14 and is operable by a remote control unit (shown as 30 in Fig. 4) for depressing the respective pushbutton.

The support 14 comprises a first support plate 18 adapted for bearing down on the custom remote control device 11 when mounted on the base 15. The support 14 may further comprise a second support plate 19 mounted on top of the base. Preferably, the second support plate 19 is resiliently mounted to the base 15, for example, via springs 20 so as to exert an upward pressure on the second support plate 19 for urging it toward the first support plate 18 and preventing movement of the custom remote control device 11 mounted between the two support plates.

In use a layer of resilient material (not shown) such as foam may be disposed between the custom remote control device 11 and the base 15 so as to further inhibit slippage of the custom remote control device thereby ensuring proper alignment between the pushbuttons thereof and the respective actuators. Thus, for example, a first layer of resilient material may be disposed between the custom remote control device 11 and the first support plate 18. Likewise, a second layer of resilient material may be disposed between the custom remote control device 11 and the second support plate 19. Each of the actuators 16 and 17 comprises an actuator pin 23 having a first end aligned with the respective pushbutton, a hammer 24 adapted for applying pressure to a second end of the actuator pin for depressing the pushbutton, and a driver 25 for moving the hammer. The driver 25 is typically an electrical motor or a solenoid and is shown schematically in the figures as a unit for supporting an electrical motor or solenoid in proper spatial relationship with the hammers 24. In avoid to avoid the need for direct vertical alignment of the hammer 24 and the actuator pin 23, a pressure plate 26 may be disposed between the hammer 24 and the actuator pin for applying force to the actuator pin when acted on by the hammer.

In order to accommodate different custom remote control devices 11 having slightly different mechanical layouts, each of the actuator pins 23 is adapted for vertical alignment with the respective pushbutton. In some embodiments, the first support plate 18 is provided with an arcuate slot 27 at least part of which is adapted to overlay the pushbutton and the actuator pin is moveable within to the arcuate slot so as be vertically aligned with the pushbutton. In the case where a layer of resilient material is disposed between the custom remote control device 11 and the first support plate 18 this too must then be provided with corresponding arcuate slots.

The embodiment as described is particularly adapted for remotely opening and closing doors of a vehicle, each of the two actuators 16 and 17 independently operating a respective one of a pair of pushbuttons of the custom remote control device. In such case, the custom remote control device is specific to the vehicle and is usually supplied only by the vehicle manufacturer so that duplicates are expensive. However, the remote control unit may be supplied by an independent supplier and may be configurable so that many identical remote control units can be supplied. One example of such a control unit is that sold under Model Numbers JJ-RC-G3 and JJ-RC-F5 by Giant Alarm System Co. Ltd. of Quanzhou, Fujian, China. Such independent devices can be configured at a point of sale in a similar manner to the way that hotels encode multiple electronic keys. It is therefore simple for an independent supplier to configure as many control units as required without requiring knowledge of the codes of the custom remote control device 11 as required in hitherto-proposed approaches.

The invention thus allows for at least two users to control an apparatus that is remotely controllable by the custom remote control device 11 without requiring that the users have access to the custom remote control device. This is done by mounting the device 10 in the apparatus and providing a respective remote control unit for each user so that each can independently operate each of the electromechanical actuators in the device by operating a respective pushbutton of the remote control unit.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the main functionality of a control circuit 28 for operating the device 10. The control circuit 28 comprises a receiver 31 that receives respective actuation signals from the remote control unit 30 when the pushbuttons thereof are depressed and conveys suitable control signals to a microcontroller 32 for providing suitable actuation signals to the electromechanical actuators 16, 17. The actuators 16, 17, the receiver 31 and the microcontroller 32 are powered by a power source 33, which in the embodiment as described is most typically the vehicle battery.

Figs. 5 to 12 show pictorially a second embodiment, which employs the same principles as described above but allows for easier alignment by the user of the custom remote control devices 11 with the actuators. Thus, Fig. 5 is an exploded view of a device 40 comprising a support 41 (constituting a bottom section) having a base 42 and a side wall 43, which is screw threaded for engagement with a locking ring 44 having a complementary internal screw thread 45. The base 42 fixedly supports a custom remote control device 11 having pushbuttons 12 and 13 in respect of each of which a respective solenoid 46, 47 (constituting an electromechanical actuator) is mounted on a support plate 48 and is operable by the remote control unit 30 (Fig. 4) for depressing the respective pushbutton.

As best seen in Figs. 6 and 11, the solenoids 46 and 47 are mounted on an upper surface 49 of the support plate 48, which is integrally molded with a pair of hollow solenoid housings 50 that accommodate the solenoids therein. As shown in Fig. 10, an internal wall of the solenoid housings 50 is provided with ridges 51 that engage corresponding recesses in a side wall of the solenoids, which can be slid into the solenoid housings 50. Before doing so, a few drops of adhesive can be inserted into the solenoid housings 50 in order to prevent movement of the solenoids. Also mounted on the upper surface 49 of the support plate 48 is a control module 52 housing the control circuit 28 shown in Fig. 4 and which may be secured using any suitable means, such as adhesive or screws. Once the solenoids 46 and 47 and the control module 52 are securely fixed to the support plate 48, the support plate 48 is secured by screws 53 to a cover 54 as shown in Figs. 6 to 8.

In this embodiment, the distance between the actuators of the solenoids 46 and 47 is fixed at 16mm, which has been found to equal the distance between the respective centers of the pushbuttons of most remote control devices. This avoids the need for adjustment as provided in the first embodiment by means of the arcuate slots 27 shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and allows the solenoids to act directly on the pushbuttons 12 and 13.

In order to align the solenoids 46 and 47 with the pushbuttons 12 and 13, a strip of transparent, double-sided adhesive tape may be adhered to a lower surface 55 (constituting a mounting surface) of the support plate 48 over the solenoids 46 and 47 and the remote control device 11 can then be carefully placed against the lower surface 55 so that the pushbuttons 12 and 13 are aligned with the respective solenoids. This is done visually, but can be verified by sending the appropriate control signals to the control module 52 while maintaining finger pressure on the remote control device 11 in order to actuate the solenoids and check that the appropriate pushbuttons of the remote control device 11 are actuated. Once this is done, the support plate 48 with the attached remote control device 11 is placed inside the support 41 so that the remote control device 11 is disposed between the base 42 and the support plate 48. The locking ring 44 is then screwed on to the support 41 and tightened so as to exert pressure on an upper periphery 56 of the cover 54. This urges the rim of the cover 54 against the periphery of the support plate 48, thereby applying pressure against the remote control device 11 and preventing movement thereof and ensuring that alignment between the solenoids 46, 47 and the pushbuttons 12, 13 is maintained. Additional security can be achieved by disposing a layer of resilient material such as foam on the base 42 prior to inserting the support plate 48 with the attached remote control device 11 so as to further inhibit slippage of the custom remote control device thereby ensuring proper alignment between the pushbuttons thereof and the respective solenoids.

If desired, yet more security can be provided by a pair of sockets 57 shown in Fig. 6 that may be integrally molded with the support plate 48 and accommodate rods 58, seen in Fig. 14 being a cross-sectional view through the line A-A in Fig. 9. The rods 58 are acted on by respective screws 59 shown in Fig. 15 that engage a threaded internal wall of the sockets 57 and whose heads are accessible via corresponding apertures 60 in the cover 54. It is seen from Fig. 14 that the rods 58 bear down on the remote control device 11 and may be tightened via the screws 59 through the apertures 60 so as to exert pressure on the remote control device 11 and prevent movement thereof.

The control module 52 is energized by the vehicle battery or any other suitable power source to which the control module 52 may be connected by wires (not shown) that emerge from the device 40 via a cutout 61 formed in the periphery of the cover 54 as shown in Figs. 5 and 7. If desired, the wires may be coupled to a suitable socket fixed to the support plate 48 and accessible from a sidewall of the cover 54, so as to allow the vehicle battery to be connected via a complementary plug. Although preferably the control module 52 is mounted on the support 48 so as to be enclosed by the split casing constituted by the bottom section 41 and the cover 54, it could conceivably be connected externally to the device, in which case the solenoids 46, 47 would be connected by wires to the control module 52 either directly or via a socket and plug arrangement as described above. The control module 52 would then be connected to the power source such as the vehicle battery.

The device 40 is suitable for use for with most common remote control devices having two pushbuttons whose centers are spaced apart by a known distance. While typically this is 16mm, it will be appreciated that this is by way of example only and the principle of the device is applicable to other remote control devices. Likewise, although the device 40 has been described for use with a remote control device having two pushbuttons, it is clear that the same principles may be employed for a remote control device having one or more pushbuttons.

It should also be noted that while in the embodiment as described above the solenoids 46, 47 are mounted via suitable housings 50 to the support 41, they can alternatively be mounted directly to the inside of the cover 54 via suitable housings that are molded as part of the cover 54.

In this embodiment, the remote control device 11 is fixed between the opposing surfaces of the support 41 and the support plate 48. However, it will be appreciated that the remote control device 11 could be affixed directly to the support plate 48, in which case the support 41 would serve only a cosmetic purpose and could possibly be dispensed with. For example, the remote control device 11 could be fixed to the support plate 48 by a bracket placed over the remote control device 11 and attached at its ends to the lower surface of the support plate 48, the resulting frictional grip possibly being enhanced using a layer of resilient material such as foam. In this case, the bracket would be tightened after verifying proper alignment of the solenoids with the pushbuttons. In either case, the support plate 48 supports the custom remote control device either on its own or in combination with the support 41, and the electromechanical actuators constituted by the solenoids 46 and 47 are mounted in spatial relationship with the support plate 48.

While the invention has been described with particular regard to a vehicle remote control unit having at least two pushbuttons for respectively opening and closing the doors of the vehicle, it will be understood that the principles of the invention allow simple and inexpensive duplication of any kind of remote control device having one or more actuation buttons.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A device (10, 40) for relaying codes from a custom remote control device (11) having at least one pushbutton (12, 13) to an apparatus controlled by the custom remote control device, said device comprising:

a support (14, 48) having a mounting surface (15, 55) for fixedly supporting the custom remote control device, and

in respect of each pushbutton, a respective electromechanical actuator (16, 17, 46, 47) mounted in spatial relationship with the support and being operable by a remote control unit for depressing the pushbutton.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the support comprises a first support plate (18, 48) adapted for bearing down on the custom remote control device when mounted on the mounting surface (15, 42).

3. The device (40) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each electromechanical actuator (46, 47) is disposed proximate a surface (49) of the support (48) opposite the mounting surface so as to be aligned with the respective pushbutton of the custom remote control device when supported on the mounting surface.

4. The device (40) according to claim 3, wherein the support (48) and attached custom remote control device are mounted within a split casing comprising a bottom section (41) and a cover (54) that is removably attachable to the bottom section.

5. The device (40) according to claim 4, wherein the bottom section (41) has a side wall (43), which is screw threaded for engagement with a locking ring (44) having a complementary internal screw thread (45).

6. The device (40) according to claim 5, wherein the locking ring (44) is adapted to urge the cover (54) toward the support (48), thereby applying pressure against the remote control device (11) and preventing movement thereof.

7. The device (40) according to any one of claims 3 to 6, including at least one socket (57) mounted on the surface (49) of the support plate (48) and accommodating a respective rod (58) adapted to exert pressure on the remote control device (11).

8. The device (40) according to claim 7, wherein at least part of the socket (57) has a threaded internal wall for engaging screws (56) whose heads are accessible via corresponding apertures (60) in the cover (54) and which may be tightened so as to push the rods against the remote control device (11).

9. The device according to any one of the preceding claims further comprising a control module (52) mounted on the support (14, 48).

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the control module (52) comprises a receiver (31) that receives respective actuation signals from a remote control unit (30) and conveys control signals to a microcontroller (32) for providing suitable actuation signals to the electromechanical actuator (16, 17, 46, 47).

11. The device according to claim 2, wherein the support comprises a second support plate (19) mounted on top of the mounting surface (15).

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the second support plate is resiliently mounted to the mounting surface.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the second support plate is supported by the mounting surface via springs (20) that exert an upward pressure on the second support plate.

14. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein in use at least one layer of resilient material is disposed between the custom remote control device and the support.

15. The device according to any one of claims 2 to 13, wherein in use a first layer of resilient material is disposed between the custom remote control device and the first support plate.

16. The device according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein in use a second layer of resilient material is disposed between the custom remote control device and the second support plate.

17. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the actuator comprises:

an actuator pin (23) having a first end aligned with the respective pushbutton; a hammer (24) adapted for applying pressure to a second end of the actuator pin 5 for depressing the pushbutton; and

a driver (25) for moving the hammer.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein the driver includes an electrical motor.

19. The device according to claim 17, wherein the driver includes a solenoid.

10 20. The device according to claim 17, further including a pressure plate (26) between the hammer and the second end of the actuator pin for applying force to the actuator pin without requiring direct vertical alignment of the hammer and the actuator pin.

21. The device according to any one of claims 17 to 20, wherein the actuator pin is 15 adapted for vertical alignment with the pushbutton.

22. The device according to any one of claims 17 to 21 when dependent on claim 2, wherein the first support plate (18) is provided with an arcuate slot (27) at least part of which is adapted to overlay the pushbutton and the actuator pin is moveable within to the arcuate slot so as be vertically aligned with the pushbutton.

20 23. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 22, including two actuators each for independently operating a respective one of a pair of pushbuttons of the custom remote control device.

24. The device according to claim 23, wherein the pushbuttons of the custom remote control device are respectively adapted to open and close a door of a vehicle.

25 25. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 24, wherein the remote control unit is configurable.

26. A method for allowing at least two users to control an apparatus that is remotely controllable by a custom remote control device without requiring that said users have access to the custom remote control device, said method comprising:

mounting in association with the apparatus a device (10, 40) according to any one of claims 1 to 25; and

providing each user with a respective remote control unit adapted for remote control of the device so that each user can independently operate each of the electromechanical actuators (16, 17, 46, 47) in the device by operating a respective pushbutton of the remote control unit.