The present invention relates to a control device for controlling an operation of a movable electronic apparatus installed in a certain space, such as a vehicle, a house, or an office.
A car navigation system as a movable electronic apparatus which can be removed easily may be installed in a vehicle. This car navigation system can be used in another vehicle. This car navigation system may be used in vehicles and, if desired, may be used outside the vehicles. However, being the car navigation system, being taken out, may be stolen. Upon being stolen, the car navigation system can be used immediately by a person who has stolen the system.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-220108 discloses a method for performing an authentication to prevent a car navigation system qualified as being stolen from staring. The method will be described below.
A vehicle includes a number plate having a communication device mounted therein. The communication device stores and transmits dedicated data to identify the vehicle. Upon being turned on, the car navigation system starts communicating with the communication device in the number plate in order to receive the dedicated data. If the received data matches with data stored in the car navigation system, the car navigation system starts operating. If the received data does not match with the data stored in the car navigation system, or if the dedicated data is not received, the car navigation system judges that the system is not installed in a predetermined vehicle, and requires the inputting of a password. An appropriate owner knows the password, and inputs the password to starts the car navigation system outside the vehicle or in another vehicle.
In this method, however, the appropriate owner has to remember the password, and has to perform processes to input the password to use the car navigation system outside the vehicle or in another vehicle.
A control device controls a movable electronic apparatus, and is arranged to be used with an enclosure. The enclosure includes a housing and an opening/closing member for opening and closing the housing. The housing encloses a certain space. The movable apparatus is arranged to be installed in the certain space. The control device includes a lock device for locking and unlocking the opening/closing member, a controller for controlling the lock device and the movable electronic apparatus, a first antenna connected with the controller and installed in the certain space, a second antenna connected with the controller and installed outside the certain space, and a portable device for communicating with the first antenna and the second antenna. The controller is operable to perform communication with the portable device via at least one of the first antenna and the second antenna, and control the movable electronic apparatus according to the communication with the portable device via said at least one of the first antenna and the second antenna.
The control device prevents the electronic apparatus from operating unrightfully by a third person.
A procedure by which the control section 106 detects the portable device 109 will be described below. The controller 201 of the control section 106 reads the identification data from data memory 203. The wireless communication unit 202 of the control section 106 receives the identification data from the portable device 109 through the external communication performed at Step S301. The controller 201 then compares the identification data read from the memory with the received identification data. When the two of data match with each other, the controller 201 judges that the portable device 109 is registered, and detects the registered portable device 109.
If the control section 106 judges at Step S302 that the portable device 109 is registered, the control section 106 directs the door lock device 104 to unlock the door 103 (Step S303). If the control section 106 judges at Step S302 that the portable device 109 is not registered, the control section 106 performs the periodic external communication in Step S301. After the door 103 is unlocked at Step S303, the control section 106 sends a signal indicating operation-permission to the control device 220 via the external antenna 107 (Step S304). If the car navigation system 105 is installed in the inside space 102, the signal indicating operation-permission is received by the car navigation system 105. Then, the control section 106 examines whether the door 13 is closed or not (Step S305). If judging that the door 13 is not closed, the control section 106 again examines whether the door 13 is closed or not (Step S305). When judging that the door 13 is closed, the control section 106 performs internal communication with the internal antenna 107 (Step S306), performs external communication with the external antenna 108 (Step S307), and then detects the portable device 109 which is registered (Step S308). If the control section 106 does not detect the portable device 109 in Step S308, the control section 106 directs the door lock device 104 to lock the door 103 (Step S309). If the control section 106 detects the registered portable device 109 in Step S308, the control section 106 examines whether the door 103 is closed or not (Step S305). The control section 106 directs the door lock device 104 to lock the door 103 in Step S309, and then, sends a signal indicating operation-prohibition to the control device 220 via the internal antenna 107 (Step 310). When the car navigation system 105 is located in the inside space 102, the signal indicating operation-permission is received by the car navigation system 105. The internal communication via the internal antenna 107 between the car navigation system 105 and the control section 106 is synchronized with the external communication via the external antenna 108 between the control section 106 and the portable device 109.
An actual operation of the car navigation system 105 will be described below referring to
At first, an operation of the system 105 installed at the predetermined position in the case that an operator holding the registered portable device 109 gets in the vehicle 2001 with the door 103 locked will be described.
The car navigation system 105 is initially turned off, and the nonvolatile memory 222 initially stores the data indicating operation-prohibition.
As the operator holding the portable device 109 approaches the vehicle body 101, the control section 106 detects the portable device 109 by the external communication (Steps S301 and S302 shown in
After the operator holding the portable device 109 rides in the vehicle and turns on the car navigation system 105 (Step S501 shown in
Then, the operator holding the portable device 109 turns off the car navigation system 105, gets off from the vehicle 2001, and closes the door 103. If the control section 106 detects in Step S305 shown in
Then, an operation of the car navigation system 105 in the case that an operator holding the registered portable device 109 gets in the vehicle 2001 with the door 103 being locked and takes out the car navigation system 105 from the vehicle for using the system 105 at the outside of the vehicle or in another vehicle.
The car navigation system 105 is initially turned off, and the nonvolatile memory 222 initially stores the data indicating operation-prohibition.
As the operator holding the registered portable device 109 approaches the vehicle body 101, the control section 106 detects the portable device 109 through the external communication (Steps S301 and S302). The control section 106 then directs the door lock device 104 to unlock the door 103 (Step S303), and transmits a signal indicating operation-permission to the control device 220 through the internal communication (Step S304). Upon receiving the signal indicating operation-permission (Step S401), the control device 220 located in the internal space 102 judges that the signal indicates operation-permission (Step S402), and stores data indicating operation-permission in the nonvolatile memory 222 (Step S403). Then, the operator holding the portable device 109 gets in the vehicle and removes the car navigation system 105. The removal of the car navigation system 105 is detected by the install sensor 225 (Step S405). Since the nonvolatile memory 222 stores the data indicating operation-permission (Step S406), the alarm buzzer 224 does not generate an alarm sound. The control section 106 detects that the operator having the car navigation system 105 with him/her get off the vehicle, closes the door 103, and leave away from the vehicle body 101 (Steps S305 to S308). Then, the control section 106 directs the door lock device 104 to lock the doors 103 (Step S309), and transmits the signal indicating operation-prohibition to the control device 220 through the internal communication (Step S310). However, at the moment, the operator holding the portable device 109 takes the car navigation system 105 out of the accessible area 110 where the external communication cannot be performed, and thereby, prevents the control device 220 from receiving the signal indicating operation-prohibition while the nonvolatile memory 222 continuously stores the data indicating operation-permission. When the car navigation system 105 is turned on at a destination, such as another vehicle, (Step S501), the controller 226 directs the controller 221 of the control device 220 to read the data stored in nonvolatile memory 222 (Step S502). Since the read data indicates operation-permission, the operator can start operating and use the car navigation system 105 (Step S504).
According to this embodiment, the vehicle 2001 having the car navigation system 105 installed in the certain space, i.e., inside space 102. The vehicle 2001 may be a house or office which has such a certain space instead of the vehicle 2001, providing the same effects. Particularly in such a house or office, a person unrightfully entering into the house or office may try to start a personal computer as a movable electronic apparatus or take out the computer as to sneakingly look at data. Since this person do not unlock a door of the house or office with a door lock device using the registered portable device 109, a nonvolatile memory in the computer continuously stores data indicating operation-prohibition, thereby inhibiting the computer from starting operating. If the persons take out the personal computer from the house or office, the nonvolatile memory continuously stores the data indicating operation-prohibition, thereby inhibiting the computer from starting operating. The movable electronic apparatus may be a video system.
According to this embodiment, the controller 221 of the control device 220 reads the data stored in the nonvolatile memory 222 by when the car navigation system 105 is turned on. Alternatively, the controller 226 of the car navigation system 105 directly reads the data stored in the nonvolatile memory 222.
According to this embodiment, the fact that the nonvolatile memory 222 stores the data indicating operation-permission or operation-prohibition defines whether the car navigation system 105 can start operating or not. According to this embodiment, the car navigation system 105 may start operating regardless of the data indicating operation-permission or operation-prohibition, but it may be determined whether or not the system 105 performs a predetermined function according to the data.
According to this embodiment, the control section 106 detects the portable device 109 through the external communication when the operator holding the portable device 109 approaches the vehicle body 101 with the door 103 being locked. Upon directing the door lock device 104 to unlock the doors 103, the control section 106 sends the signal indicating operation-permission to the control device 220 through the internal communication. According to this embodiment, after the operator holding the portable device 109 unlocks the door 103 with the door lock device 104 and gets in the vehicle, the control section 106 may transmit the signal indicating operation-permission to the control device 220 upon detecting the portable device 109 through the internal communication.
The movable electronic apparatus according to the embodiment is the car navigation system, however, may be a car audio system.
A control device according to the present invention prevents the electronic apparatus from operating unrightfully by a third person, thus being useful as a controller for controlling the movable electronic apparatus in a certain space.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2005-243852 | Aug 2005 | JP | national |
This application is a U.S. National Phase Application of PCT International Application PCT/JP2006/316583.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/JP2006/316583 | 8/24/2006 | WO | 00 | 12/12/2007 |