A remotely activated vehicle anti-theft device 10 and system 50 for preventing vehicle theft is provided. The device 10 is moved between unlocked, locked and priority locked states using either a wireless vehicle remote 51 or a mobile phone 52. The mobile phone 52 enjoys priority over the remote control 51 and overrides it when the device is in its priority locked state. It includes a pivotal locking member 17 which is movable between an open position (unlocked state) in which the member is spaced away from a gear 12, permitting it to rotate freely, and a locked position (locked and priority locked states), in which the member 17 engages the gear 12 and prevents rotation thereof, thereby immobilising a vehicle. The device 10 includes an ECU 22, wireless communication module 34, actuator 23, GPS 6 and speed sensor 7 housed in a tamper-proof casing 27.

According to an electronic key device capable of wirelessly controlling a lock system and transmitting control authentication of a lock system, a system therefor, and a method therefor, which are presented in the present invention, an operation of the lock system is controlled by communicating with the lock system, and an electronic key can be simply transmitted and rented, at a long distance through a communication network, by communicating with another electronic key device and granting operation control authority of the lock system to the other electronic key device.

Because an information processing apparatus includes an analyzing unit that analyzes, when a control instruction operated from a terminal device satisfies a first condition, whether the control instruction is the content that includes therein an additional condition that is related to the first condition; an additional condition determination unit that determines, when it is analyzed that the control instruction is the content that includes therein the additional condition related to the first condition, whether the control instruction satisfies the additional condition; a second determination unit that determines, when it is determined that the control instruction satisfies the additional condition, whether the control instruction satisfies a second condition; and processing units that perform a process in accordance with the determination performed by the second determination unit, it is possible to improve the reliability of execution related to the control instruction sent from outside.

A Bluetooth enabled Smartphone may be used for both access control and start authorization in a secure and safe way, and embodiments are backward-compatible with conventional vehicle access and start systems. A smart phone acts as an intermediary authorization device to a code generator which effectively resembles a car key that is installed in a vehicle. A Bluetooth transceiver and the code generator—and, optionally, for the retrofit solution, an RF/LF transceiver—are added to the vehicle. The Bluetooth transceiver communicates with the smart phone. The code generator communicates with electronic control units in the vehicle that control access, immobilization, and engine start. The communication may happen via a wired connection or, in the case of the retrofit solution, via an RF/LF transceiver that mimics an additional car key programmed to the vehicle.

Proximity sensors, e.g., Bluetooth® sensors, are installed in a vehicle. Each sensor determines estimates approximate distance from itself to a user mobile device. In response to the distance increasing above a predetermined distance departure limit, as the sensors communicate to a vehicle control system (VCS) through Bluetooth® or similar links, the VCS causes predetermined departure actions to be performed, such as locking the doors, turning off headlights, activating the vehicle's security system, and/or others. In response to the distance decreasing below a predetermined distance arrival limit, as the sensors communicate to the VCS through the link(s), the VCS causes predetermined arrival actions to be performed, such as unlocking the doors, flashing the headlights, beeping the horn, deactivating the security system, and/or others. Hysteresis may be applied to the decisions whether to perform the departure/arrival actions.

A vehicle control system includes a vehicle control apparatus that controls in-vehicle devices; and an electronic key and a portable device (smartphone) which are carried by a user. The portable device stores an in-vehicle device to be activated before the user gets in a vehicle among the in-vehicle devices, as personal setting data set by the user. When the portable device performs communication with the electronic key and establishes the communication, the portable device transmits the personal setting data to the electronic key. The electronic key transmits the personal setting data received from the portable device, to the vehicle control apparatus. Based on the personal setting data transmitted from the electronic key, the vehicle control apparatus activates the in-vehicle device set in the personal setting data, before the user gets in the vehicle.

An ultra-high frequency-based method for activating a function of a vehicle with a portable item of user equipment having an accelerometer. The method including the following steps: Comparing signals from the accelerometer with a predetermined signature; Detecting a characteristic movement of the portable item of equipment, associated with a command to activate a function of the vehicle, performed by the user on the basis of the result of the comparison; Checking the establishment of ultra-high frequency communication between the portable item of equipment and the vehicle, i) If communication is established, then transmitting a command to activate the function of the vehicle to the vehicle in order to activate said function, ii) If not, if communication is not established within a predetermined time interval following detection of the characteristic movement, then the method is stopped.

A vehicle lock includes a locking mechanism with a rotary latch and a pawl for latching the rotary latch when the vehicle lock is in a closed state, a receiver for receiving a reference code, a code transfer interface for obtaining an access code and a control unit which is configured such that the vehicle lock assumes an unlocked state when the obtained access code matches the reference code. The locking mechanism is used in a method for access-controlled loading and/or unloading of a vehicle. A high degree of automation of an access-controlled process for loading and/or unloading a vehicle can thus be achieved substantially with the aid of the vehicle lock.

An authentication system is provided with: a first input unit and a second input unit into which authentication information can be input; a first computing unit which performs computation on the basis of the authentication information input into the first input unit and a communication counterpart-side authentication parameter registered in a communication counterpart; a second computing unit which performs computation on the basis of the authentication information input into the second input unit and a portable terminal-side authentication parameter registered in a portable terminal; and authentication units which, if the authentication information has been input into the first or the second input unit, perform authentication on the basis of the result of computation by corresponding computing unit and the portable terminal-side authentication parameter.

A vehicle wireless communication system includes: a vehicle including an output circuit; and first and second communication devices configured to wirelessly communicate with the vehicle. In a case in which the first communication device is positioned in a first area including one point located inside the vehicle, the use of the vehicle is permitted. In a case in which the first communication device is positioned in a second area including the one point and the second communication device is not positioned in a third area including the one point, the output circuit outputs a notification that there is a possibility of failure to carry the second communication device. In a case in which the first communication device is positioned in the second area and the second communication device is positioned in the third area, the output circuit of the vehicle does not output the notification.