Method for Operating an Access System for a Vehicle, and Vehicle

Abstract

A method and apparatus for operating an access system for a vehicle, in particular of an electric motor-powered motor vehicle, provides for an external feeding device of the vehicle to be is unlocked when a predetermined voltage value of an energy accumulator of the vehicle is reached or fallen below. The external feeding device connected to at least one vehicle access part of a control device of the vehicle, and is configured to be connected to an external electrical energy supply device to supplied electrical energy to the vehicle access part of the control device. When the externally-supplied electrical energy is received, the vehicle access part of the control device is configured to allow access to the vehicle.

Claims

1-11. (canceled)

12. A method for operating an access system for a vehicle, comprising the acts of: determining whether a voltage of an energy store of the vehicle is at or below a predetermined voltage value; if the energy store voltage is at or below the predetermined voltage value, unlocking a an extraneous feed device of the vehicle; supplying electrical energy via the extraneous feed device to at least a vehicle access portion of a control unit of the vehicle; and releasing the vehicle from a locked state such that access to the vehicle is enabled in response to the vehicle access portion of the control unit receiving an unlocking command.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the vehicle access portion is electrically connected to an on-board electrical system of the vehicle in such a manner that only the vehicle access portion is supplied with electrical energy via the extraneous feed device.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the entire control unit is supplied with electrical energy via the extraneous feed device (10).

15. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the act of: connecting an extraneous electrical energy supply device to the extraneous feed device, wherein the extraneous electrical energy supply device and the extraneous feed device have mutually compatible connectors

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the mutually compatible connectors conform to the USB Power Delivery Standard such that the extraneous electrical energy supply device is able to supply electrical energy via the extraneous feed device to at least the vehicle access portion of the control unit.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein in addition to the vehicle access portion of the control unit, at least one radio receiver for a central locking system of the vehicle is also supplied with electrical energy by the extraneous electrical energy supply device.

18. The method according to claim 12, wherein during the act of releasing the vehicle from the locked state, only one door lock of the vehicle is unlocked by the vehicle access portion of the control unit.

19. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the acts of: when the vehicle access portion of the control unit is supplied with electrical energy from the extraneous feed device forming a wireless data connection between a key of the vehicle and the vehicle access portion.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the key is a digital key, and the digital key is authenticated in order to enable the unlocking of the vehicle.

21. A vehicle, comprising: at least one energy store; a control unit having a vehicle access portion; and an extraneous feed device configured to be unlocked depending on a voltage value of the energy store, wherein the extraneous feed device is configured to supply at least the vehicle access portion of the control unit with electrical energy received from an extraneous electrical energy supply device, and the vehicle access portion of the control unit is configured such that when supplied with electrical energy received from an extraneous electrical energy supply device, the vehicle access portion of the control unit is capable of enabling access to the vehicle.

22. The vehicle according to claim 21, wherein the extraneous feed device is electrically connected to the vehicle access portion of the control unit independently of an on-board electrical system of the vehicle.

23. The vehicle according to claim 21, wherein the extraneous feed device and the extraneous electrical energy supply device have mutually compatible connectors, and the mutually compatible connectors conform to the USB Power Delivery Standard such that the extraneous electrical energy supply device is able to supply electrical energy via the extraneous feed device to at least the vehicle access portion of the control unit.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a vehicle designed to carry out the method according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The vehicle 2 shown in FIG. 1 is designed to carry out a method according to the invention for operating an access system. The vehicle 2 in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1 is in the form of a motor vehicle driven by an electric motor. This means that the vehicle 2 has an electric motor (not shown) as a drive motor. In addition, the vehicle 2 has an energy store 4, which specifically supplies all the components of the vehicle 2 that are not responsible for propulsion with electrical energy. Such components are usually supplied with electrical energy via a 12 V on-board electrical system, for which reason the energy store 4 in the exemplary embodiment is in the form of a battery with a target voltage level of 12 V.

[0033] Alternatively, the energy store is in the form of a 24 V battery, but this does not have any effect on the method according to the invention.

[0034] Furthermore, the vehicle 2 has a control unit 6, which has a vehicle access portion 8. The vehicle access portion 8 serves to actuate at least one door lock 20, in particular all the door locks 20 of the vehicle 2, and thus enables the vehicle 2 to be locked or unlocked.

[0035] In addition, the vehicle has an extraneous feed device 10, which is unlocked and thus released according to the method according to the invention when a predetermined voltage value of the energy store 4 is fallen below. For this purpose, the extraneous feed device 10 is covered for example with a flap (not shown), which, when the predetermined voltage value of the energy store 4 is reached or fallen below as mentioned above, is unlocked and can be opened. In this case, the extraneous feed device 10 serves for an external (emergency) supply of electrical energy to the vehicle access portion 8. For this purpose, use is specifically made of an extraneous supply means 12, which is preferably connected in a wired manner to the vehicle 2 and specifically to the vehicle access portion 8 via the extraneous feed device 10. For this purpose, both the external extraneous supply means 12 and the extraneous feed device 10 have mutually corresponding connectors 14, which are preferably designed in accordance with the USB Power Delivery Standard. The external extraneous supply means 12 is, for example, a smartphone, a power bank, a laptop or another, in particular portable, energy store, which can either habitually or easily be carried by the driver of the vehicle 2.

[0036] In order to enable access to the vehicle 2 specifically in the case of a discharged energy store 4, the extraneous feed device 10 is unlocked and thus released according to the method according to the invention as mentioned above.

[0037] It is then made possible to supply at least the vehicle access portion 8 of the control unit 6, and alternatively the entire control unit 6, with electrical energy by means of the external extraneous supply means 12 via the extraneous feed device 10 so as to release a door lock. In other words, at least the vehicle access portion 8 is provided with an “emergency supply” of electric power via the extraneous supply means 12, with the result that the vehicle 2 is able to be unlocked by means of an unlocking command. The access to the vehicle 2 that has been ensured in this way then allows, for example, the hood 16 of the vehicle 2 to be unlocked from the passenger compartment and to be opened, such that the energy store 4 can be fully charged again via charging connectors (not shown) located under the hood 16.

[0038] The background of the method according to the invention is thus specifically ensuring and enabling access to the vehicle when no mechanical key is present or provided. Specifically in the field of electromobility, but also in the context of digitization and in the field of autonomous driving, the issuing of a mechanical key is increasingly dispensed with.

[0039] Alternatively or additionally, in addition to the supply of electric power to the vehicle access portion 8, electric power is also supplied to at least one radio receiver 18, which serves to receive a signal transmitted by a central locking system in the form of a key, for example the unlocking command.

[0040] According to an alternative or supplementary configuration, only one door lock 20 of the vehicle 2 is unlocked by the vehicle access portion 8 supplied with electrical energy. In this case, the electrical energy which has to be supplied to ensure access can be reduced to a minimum, which has a positive effect on an energy consumption of the extraneous supply means 12 and a reduction in the charging time.

[0041] Furthermore alternatively or additionally, provision is made for a wireless data connection 22 (represented schematically in FIG. 1 by a double-headed arrow) to be formed between a key 24 of the vehicle 2 and the vehicle access portion 8 of the control unit 6. The key 24 may be either a key 24 (shown in FIG. 1) embodied separately from the external extraneous supply means 12, or alternatively the extraneous supply means 12 itself. Alternatively or additionally, the key 24 may also be a radio remote control of known type, which merely lacks any mechanical components for unlocking the vehicle 2 and is thus also in the form of a digital key 24. In this case, the unlocking command is preferably given in a known manner by pressing a button.

[0042] In this case, the key 24 is thus activated subsequent to, or in parallel with, the supply of electrical energy to the vehicle access portion 8, i.e. for example paired with a signature of the vehicle 2. This configuration is based on the idea that access to the vehicle 2 is thus also enabled if the energy store 4 is discharged as described above and, for example, only a (spare) key 24, which has never before been used to unlock or lock the vehicle 2, is available. The activation of the key 24 by means of the wireless data connection 22 means that the key 24 is thus subsequently available for use with the vehicle 2.

[0043] The invention is not restricted to the exemplary embodiment described above. Instead, other variants of the invention can also be derived therefrom by a person skilled in the art without departing from the subject matter of the invention. In particular, all of the individual features described in connection with the exemplary embodiment can additionally also be combined with one another in other ways without departing from the subject matter of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0044] 2 Vehicle [0045] 4 Energy store [0046] 6 Control unit [0047] 8 Vehicle access portion [0048] 10 Extraneous feed device [0049] 12 Extraneous supply unit [0050] 14 Connectors [0051] 16 Hood [0052] 18 Radio receiver [0053] 20 Door lock [0054] 22 Wireless data connection [0055] 24 Key