EP0393444A2 - Method and device for the position-dependent operation of at least an element in a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The subject matter of the invention is a method and device for the position-dependent operation of at least one element (4) in a vehicle (1). With a detector (2) arranged in the vehicle (1), monitoring takes place in the respective vehicle position for the occurrence of a report which is typical of at least one determining position. When the report is detected, the element (4) is activated. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a method for actuating an organ in or on a vehicle when entering the effective range of an object, which emits signals for detection in the vehicle, and to an apparatus for carrying out the method.

A method and an apparatus of the type described above are known (DE-A-34 27 180). The well-known object is a police, fire service or emergency rescue vehicle that contains a high-frequency transmitter that emits a high-frequency signal with a limited range in the direction of travel. High-frequency receivers for the signal are arranged in the vehicles. The high-frequency receivers are followed by actuators for the activation of tone generators which generate warning tones which alert the vehicle occupants to the approach of an emergency vehicle even when the windows are closed and there is a high level of noise in the area surrounding the vehicles.

A dead reckoning navigation device for a land vehicle is also known. The dead reckoning device contains a Course reference device, such as an earth field probe or a course gyroscope, a displacement sensor and a height sensor. The contour profile of an area to be traveled is stored in a storage device. With the signals of the course reference device, the travel sensor and the height sensor, a coupling computer determines the actual vehicle position, which is fed to a comparator, to which the target position data and terrain height data are also predefined. The comparator outputs corrected position data (DE-A-34 39 000).

An orientation system for land vehicles is also known. An information source about position and / or direction of travel is provided on the respective lane or in the vicinity of the lane. Sensors are present in the vehicles, which record the information and determine the vehicle position and / or direction of travel therefrom (DE-A-33 07 123).

Furthermore, electrical door locks on vehicles are known which have drives for opening and closing the door lock. The door lock can be locked if lock switches accessible from the inside and outside of the door command locking the door (DE-B-36 36 828).

Finally, a navigation system for land vehicles is known, in which signals emitted by satellites as transmitters from a known location are detected and evaluated by a receiver in the land vehicle. A direction sensor and a distance meter generate signals which are fed to a computer which determines the vehicle position using the dead reckoning method (DE-A-33 10 111).

In freight transport, certain goods that are valuable, dangerous or toxic, for example, should or may only be loaded and unloaded at specially designated locations. For transporting these goods, special vehicles with lockable holds are generally used, which can only be opened, for example, by means of mechanical or electronic keys. The keys are carried by the driver. It is also It is possible that personnel working at the loading or unloading location have the keys for locking and opening these holds ready and thus unlocking or locking the holds.

The invention has for its object to further develop a method of the type described above in such a way that an operation of the organ can only take place at predetermined, fixed locations.

The object is achieved in that the object generates signals typical of at least one fixed destination, that the destination is determined by a coordinate system, and that when the signals are received by the actuation of the organ in or on the vehicle, the control assigned to the respective fixed destination and / or switching operations are carried out automatically.

The invention is based on the principle of automatically carrying out certain operations on a vehicle set up for this purpose only at selected locations. These processes are generally important for handling the cargo, which e.g. can be particularly valuable or dangerous. It is also possible that the processes for acquiring certain physical conditions prevailing at the respectively selected location are necessary without involving the vehicle personnel in the measurement and further processing of measured values. The object can be arranged at a greater or lesser distance from the respective destination, and its signals must be detectable at the destination.

It is particularly advantageous if the locking of the door or flap is released by actuation of the organ which is arranged as a locking element or as a control element for a locking element of a door or flap provided at a passage opening to a loading space of the vehicle. The organ is only actuated when the vehicle has reached the specified position. The operation is localized and independent of the driver or other people. The The cargo hold is therefore only unlocked at the destination. Destination is to be understood as a more or less large area, which is subject to special safety regulations or monitoring regulations, for example. The organ lifts the cargo lock at the destination. The door or flap to the loading space can then be opened by personnel, for example the driving personnel or by personnel present at the destination. Since the organ is not activated on the go, ie outside of the determination position or positions, the lock on the cargo space or the lock on the controls cannot be lifted on the move. This can be used to protect certain high-quality, expensive or dangerous goods from unauthorized misuse or unloading in unsuitable or undesirable places.

It is also advantageous if, by actuating the organ, which is designed as a control element for a measured value acquisition, measured values generated by sensors at fixed destinations are assigned to the destinations. The measured value acquisition at determination positions reached by the vehicle takes place without intervention by the driver. Therefore, no qualified personnel are required for the measurement. In addition, one driver is sufficient for data acquisition and assignment.

If a sensor arranged on or in the vehicle is influenced by the object, a transmitter arranged locally at the respective destination preferably actuates the organ when the vehicle enters its area of effect via the sensor. This process can be carried out with relatively little equipment.

If the destination is to be changed, an appropriate encoder must be attached to the respective location.

In a preferred embodiment, the respective position of the vehicle is continuously measured with at least one sensor and compared with the value of the determination position previously stored in the vehicle, with agreement the organ is activated within defined limit values of the value of the position determined by measurement and the value of the determination position. With this method, the destination can be changed easily and quickly by changing the stored destination. No encoders need to be replaced, removed or reinstalled.

The position of the vehicle is preferably determined by paddle navigation, radio navigation or a combination of both methods. A very precise position determination is possible with these methods.

To indicate the destination, it is first of all convenient to measure the field strengths of a transmitter. On the basis of the field strengths at a destination, response values are selected by which the destination or a selected local area is determined. When the vehicle is moving, the field strengths are measured continuously and compared with the stored response values to determine the correspondence.

A device with a receiver arranged in a vehicle for the reception of signals emanating from an object, and with a detector connected downstream of the receiver to which an organ in or on the vehicle is connected, for carrying out the method according to the invention is that Object generates at least one stationary determination position associated with these typical signals which trigger a control signal for the organ when the vehicle enters the determination position in the detector, with which control and / or switching processes arranged in or on the vehicle can be initiated or carried out locally. On the moving vehicle and traveling to a destination position, processes are only triggered at the destination position that should not occur on the way. This also relieves the strain on the driving personnel insofar as no special personnel are required to prevent or control the processes outside the location of the destination.

The organ is preferably a locking element or a control element for a locking element of a door or flap arranged at a passage opening to a loading space of the vehicle. The door or flap can only be opened at the respective destination. If money or valuables are being carried in the vehicle, there is no use in forcing the driver to open the door or flap on the way to access the contents of the locked cargo hold. A non-violent opening of the door or the hatch of the cargo hold is only possible at a designated position. A device of the type described above can also be retrofitted into existing vehicles.

In an expedient embodiment, the organ is a control element for a measured value recording device. Measured values which are assigned to the determination positions are obtained from the predetermined determination positions. Since the facility works automatically, errors are excluded. The staff can also concentrate on the route. The measurement can therefore be carried out more safely and quickly.

The object can be a radio transmitter with limited range and / or directional effect, a radio receiver being arranged in the respective vehicle. In particular, a detector designed as a threshold detector is connected downstream of the radio receiver. The threshold value detector is expediently designed for coded signals. This embodiment can be easily and quickly e.g. using a car radio to install an existing vehicle.

In a preferred embodiment, the detector contains a dead reckoning device, a radio navigation device or a combination of both with a computer which has an interface and which is followed by the organ. Commercial or standardized electronic components can largely be used.

A sensor for measuring a physical quantity is preferably also connected to the computer, and a transmitter with an antenna can be connected downstream of the computer. The computer assigns the measured values of the sensor to the respective position values by forming corresponding data records that are stored in the vehicle or output via the antenna and received by a remotely located evaluation unit.

It is also favorable if the computer is followed by a transmitter / receiver with an antenna, via which coded signals are sent as a function of the respective vehicle location. These signals activate transponders located in the vicinity of the vehicle location and cause them to transmit their identification and measured values, which are, for example, contents of counters of gas, water, heat or electricity meters. The computer stores these data records or sends this data to a remote evaluation unit. In this way, gas, water, heat or electricity meters can be monitored without reading by operating personnel.

It is advantageous if the organ is an electromagnetically actuated actuator. The actuator is e.g. arranged as a bolt on the door of an armored vehicle compartment. Money or other valuables that are stored in a secure location, e.g. in a building, to be unloaded or loaded.

Further details, advantages and features of the invention result not only from the claims, the features to be extracted from them - individually and / or in combination - but also from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawing.

• Fig. 1 ein Fahrzeug mit einem Detektor und einem Organ sowie einem Gebäude mit einem Positionsgeber im Schema,
• Fig. 2 ein Schaltbild einer in einem Fahrzeug angeordneten Positionsbestimmungseinrichtung, der ein Organ nachge­schaltet ist,
• Fig. 3 ein Schaltbild einer in einem Fahrzeug angeordneten Vorrichtung mit einem Sensor für die Meßwerterzeu­gung, einer Koppelnavigationseinrichtung und einem Organ und
• Fig. 4 ein Schaltbild einer in einem Fahrzeug angeordneten Vorrichtung zur Aktivierung von Transpondern.

Show it:

• Fig. 1 shows a vehicle with a detector and an organ as well a building with a position transmitter in the diagram,
• 2 shows a circuit diagram of a position determining device arranged in a vehicle, followed by an organ,
• Fig. 3 is a circuit diagram of a device arranged in a vehicle with a sensor for the measurement value generation, a dead reckoning device and an organ and
• Fig. 4 is a circuit diagram of a device arranged in a vehicle for activating transponders.

A vehicle (1) contains a detector (2) which is connected on the input side to an antenna (3) and on the output side to an organ (4). The organ (4) is, in particular, an electromagnetically operable bolt for the rear door (5) or flap of the vehicle (1). The organ can also be designed as a control element for the bolt, which is opened by hand after a lock is lifted. The door (5) is the only access to an armored vehicle space or loading space, which is not shown in more detail and can be intended for the transport of valuables. Even dangerous goods can be transported protected from unauthorized theft with such a vehicle. A position indicator (7) in the form of a transmitter or a transponder and an antenna (8) is fixed in place on a building (6). A determination position is determined by the position detector. The position detector (7) sends coded signals either continuously or after activation by coded signals from the vehicle, to which the detector (2) responds when the motor vehicle (1) is within the reception range of the position detector (7), which has a limited range and / or has directionality. When the detector (2) responds, it sends a control signal to the organ (4) which pulls back the bolt for the door (5). The door (5) can therefore only be opened in the transmission range of the position indicator (7), the transmission range of which is in the immediate vicinity of the building (6) is coordinated. This ensures that the armored vehicle compartment can only be opened on or in the building (6). On the way, ie from one building (6) to the other, the door cannot be opened so that objects in the armored vehicle compartment cannot be removed. A fixed coordinate system is thus defined by the position detector, in whose zero point the transmitter or transponder is arranged. Field strength values can be specified in the coordinate system and the detector responds when exceeded.

Fig. 2 shows a detector (10) in a vehicle (9) with which the position of the vehicle can be continuously determined while driving. The detector (10) contains a computer (13) which is connected on the input side to a location sensor (coordinate transmitter) (11). The location determination method can be a radio navigation method or a dead reckoning method. The computer also contains an interface (14) for the manual input of data (directly via a connectable keyboard or via a radio modem) and a memory (not shown in more detail). An organ (15), which is an actuator, is connected downstream of the computer (13) via an output module (not shown). Any number of determination positions can be entered into the computer (13) via the interface (14). The computer continuously compares the actual position with the entered determination positions. If the value of the actual position matches a value of the determination positions within a predeterminable tolerance, the computer (13) outputs a control signal to the organ (15). The organ (15) is preferably the coil of a door lock bolt which is arranged on the door of an armored vehicle compartment. This door can therefore only be opened at a point specified by the destination. In the device shown in FIG. 2, destinations can be re-entered quickly and easily via the interface (14). Software in the computer (13) can delete old determination positions and save new determination positions. It is Expedient if the new entry of determination positions is only possible by means of a special input unit by authorized persons who are not drivers of the vehicle and in connection with a code word. The destination can also be re-entered via coded radio commands while driving. Arbitrary changes to the destination, for example by the driver, are then not possible.

3 shows a detector in a vehicle which has a location sensor (17) for determining the respective actual position of the vehicle. The location sensor (17) is connected to a computer (18), which is an organ to be operated by the detector in a location-dependent manner and which continues to be input-side directly or via an analog / digital converter with a sensor (19) Connection is established. On the output side, the computer (18) is connected via a corresponding output module (not shown) to a transmitter (20) which is followed by an antenna (21) of the vehicle. The sensor (19) can e.g. be provided for the measurement of radioactivity, gas concentration or of electrical or magnetic fields. The arrangement shown in FIG. 3 represents a measured value detection device with the computer (18) as a control element. The computer (18) receives the actual position of the vehicle from the location sensor (17) and measured values from the sensor (19). The computer determines from the actual positions and predetermined determination positions whether measured values are to be recorded. If this is the case, then the computer (18) assigns the respective actual position of the vehicle from the input data to the measured values by forming corresponding data records which it stores in a mass storage device, e.g. feeds a diskette, the diskette station is not shown. It is also possible to record the data records in the form of telegrams, e.g. pulse code modulated to the transmitter (20), which transmits them to a remotely located evaluation unit.

FIG. 4 shows a device in a motor vehicle in which the electronic components connected on the input side to a computer (23) are identical to those in FIG. 2.

The computer (23) is followed by a transmitter / receiver (24) which is connected to an antenna (25). Depending on the respective vehicle location, i.e. when the vehicle (1) is within a destination position, the computer prompts the transmitter to transmit certain coded signal signals. The receiver for the transmission signals of the vehicle is a fixedly arranged transponder (26) which contains a sensor (27), which is e.g. is an electricity, gas, heat or water meter. The transponder (26) is activated by a signal from the transmitter (24) and outputs its identifier and its count, which is received by the antenna (25) and reaches the computer (23). This data is stored in a mass storage device by the computer (23).

The above-mentioned destination can be determined by transmitters not located at the destination by means of the field strength prevailing at the destination. If a fixed transmitter is available either at the destination or elsewhere, the course of the rock strength of the transmitter is measured in one measuring step.

The measured field strength values are entered in the coordinate system with reference to the determination position. Those field strength values can then be selected which are present at the limit of the determination position or an area provided as a determination position. The field strengths are measured during the journey and compared with the selected and stored field strength values in order to determine whether the determination position has been reached. If there is a match, a message is generated and / or the organ for unlocking the hold is actuated.

Claims (15)

1. A method for actuating an organ in or on a vehicle when it enters the effective range of an object, which emits signals for detection in the vehicle,
characterized by
that the object generates typical signals for at least one fixed determination position, that the determination position is determined by a coordinate system, and that when the signals are received by the actuation of the organ in or on the vehicle, control and / or switching operations associated with the respective fixed destination are carried out automatically . 2. The method according to claim 1,
characterized by
that the actuation of the organ, which is arranged as a locking element or as a control element for a locking element of a door or flap provided at a through opening to a loading space of the vehicle, the locking of the door or flap is lifted. 3. The method according to claim 1,
characterized by
that by actuating the organ, which is designed as a control element for a measured value acquisition, measured values output by sensors at fixed destinations are assigned to the destinations. 4. The method according to one or more of the preceding claims,
characterized by
that a transmitter arranged fixed at the respective destination actuates the organ when the vehicle enters its area of operation via the detector. 5. The method according to one or more of the preceding claims,
characterized by
that the respective position of the vehicle is continuously measured with at least one sensor and compared with the value of the determination position previously stored in the vehicle, and that the organ is activated when the value of the position determined by measurement and the value of the determination position match. 6. The method according to claim 5,
characterized by
that the position of the vehicle is determined by dead reckoning, radio navigation or a combination of these methods. 7. The method according to one or more of the preceding claims,
characterized by
that field strengths of a transmitter are measured first, that response values with respect to the detuning position are selected and stored from the measured field strengths, and that they are continuous as the vehicle moves detected field strengths are compared with the stored response values to determine the match. 8. Device with a receiver arranged in a vehicle for receiving signals originating from an object, and with a detector connected downstream of the receiver, to which an organ in or on the vehicle is connected, for carrying out the method according to one or more of the previous claims,
characterized by
that the object generates typical signals assigned to it at at least one fixed determination position which, when the vehicle enters the determination position in the detector (2, 10), trigger a control signal for the organ (4, 15) with which control elements arranged in or on the vehicle and / or switching operations can be initiated or carried out locally. 9. The device according to claim 8,
characterized by
that the organ (4, 15) is a locking element or a control element for a locking element of a door (5) or flap arranged at a through opening to a loading space of the vehicle (1). 10. The device according to claim 8,
characterized by
that the body is a control element for a measured value recording device. 11. The device according to one or more of claims 8 to 10,
characterized by
the detector (10) contains a coupling navigation device, a radio navigation device or a combination of both with a computer (13) which has an interface (14) and to which the organ is connected. 12. The device according to one or more of claims 8 to 10,
characterized by
that a sensor (19) for measuring a physical quantity is additionally connected to the computer (13) and that a transmitter (20) with an antenna (21) is connected downstream of the computer (13). 13. The device according to one or more of claims 8 to 10,
characterized by
that the computer (23) is followed by a transmitter / receiver (24) with an antenna (25) and that a transponder (26) is arranged at the destination, which can be activated by signals generated by the computer (23). 14. The device according to one or more of claims 8 to 10,
characterized by
that the organ is an electromagnetically actuated actuator. 15. The apparatus of claim 13 or 14,
characterized by
that the measured value transmitted to the computer (18) by the sensor (19) or by the transponder (26) is assigned to the respective position value in a data record.

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