(12) Ulllted States Patent (10) Patent N0.: US 8,258,948 B2 40W
Contents
1. 35 8 3193 30 380438 QUY S1 TIHA 00050 TALL RO 01 BE NDA 30 OL HOHA 90 381 NOAN 8576 IUIS 110038 01 LUTI 0155 GOIH TIE HORE V WINE rm ES pe 5 sib L LEON i PO 93 xw e BUND MND Sng Red 81 Sd SNOTROTNDWWO VIVO odit U S Patent Sep 4 2012 Sheet 5 of 12 US 8 258 948 B2 32 START A VEHICLES ENGINE BASED UPON REMOTE START HANDHELD UNIT AND CAUSE THE ENGINE TO RUN FOR A RUN TIME PERIOD 53 SEND AN ALERT THE START HANDHELD UNIT PRIOR E TO EXPIRATION OF THE RUN TIME PERIOD PROVIDE TACTILE INDICATION USER TO PERMIT TRE USER TO USE THE REMOTE START HANDHELD UNIT TO RESET THE RUN TIME PERIOD BY SENDING RESET RUN TIME PERIOD SIGNAL 54 59 RECEIVE RESET TIME NO PERIOD SIGNAL FROM REMOTE START HANDHELD UNIT CAUSE THE ENGINE TO RUN FOR AN ADDITIONAL RUN TIME PERIOD WHILE THE ENGINE 15 STILL RUNNING 57 SHUT OFF THE ENGINE 1 4 56 U S Patent Sep 4 2012 Sheet 6 of 12 US 8 258 948 B2 61 62 START VEHICLES ENGINE BASED UPON A REMOTE START HANDHELD UNIT AND CAUSE THE ENGINE TO RUN FOR RUN TIME PERIOD PROVIDE AN AUDIBLE INDICATION TO A USER PRIOR TO EXPIRATION OF THE2. yy eng g MON zona 93 831081802 JWWIDSIONSE NOLLVTLINGA Jii pa X US 8 258 948 B2 Sheet 10 of 12 Sep 4 2012 U S Patent 9H 01 01 30134 53801 30 0 39155307 3345 31VN35 3311345 uri RM a ONO SZL amaina _ _ S I NOAN Ho MOON 30058 ONY TIIS SI QOU MOONUA 1 OL INO aote HEL 30 OL 80184 ENN DIVI OVAN OL DEW CES WO N QORA LES NL ms ROT T E P s TT stt Iun imis W0SN3S 508 SNOLLVIINAWWOD VIVO lf NH ut i TAA LAW 93 508 20084 aum um ATED x t l U S Patent Sep 4 2012 Sheet 11 of 12 US 8 258 948 B2 H 151 START A VEHIGLES ELECTRICALLY POWERED CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM BASED UPON A REMOTE START HANDHELD UNIT AND CAUSE IT RUN FOR A RUN TIME PERIOD 153 SEND AN A
3. and more particularly to a remote vehicle control system such as to start an engine and related methods BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The passenger compartment of a vehicle parked outside during a cold day may become very cold with temperatures reaching that ofthe ambient air outside the vehicle Likewise the passenger compartment ofa vehicle parked outside during a hot day may become very hot very quickly with tempera tures that greatly exceed that of the ambient air outside the vehicle Some drivers start a vehicle activate the vehicle s climate control system then leave the vehicle until the climate control system begins to heat or cool the vehicle However this requires the driver to leave the comfort of the indoors momentarily enter the vehicle start the engine and operate the climate control system and leave the vehicle unattended with the engine running To avoid this remote starting systems have been developed which allow a driver to start a vehicle s engine without enter ing the vehicle Typical remote starting systems such as that disclosed in U S Pat No 6 828 901 to Birchfield et al include a remote start controller positioned at a vehicle that causes an engine starter to start an engine based upon a remote start handheld unit such as a key fob More advanced remote starting systems such as the Excalibur AL 2000 EDP produced and sold by Omega Research amp Development Douglasville Ga have been develope
4. 5 719 551 21998 Flick 340 426 the engine 6 011 460 A 1 2000 Flick 6 346 876 2 2002 Flick 21 Claims 12 Drawing Sheets PROCESSOR START ENGINE FOR RUN TIME PERIOD BASED UPON REMOTE START HANDHELD CAUSE ENGINE TO RUN FOR AN ADDITIONAL RUR WHILE ENGINE 19 RUNNING AND BEFORE HARDWIRE TIME PERIOD SHUTTING OFF ENGINE TACTILE INDICATOR GENERATE TACTILE INDICATION PRIOR EXPIRATION OF RUN TIME PERIOD AUDIBLE INDICAT gt GENERATE AUDIBLE INDICATION PRIOR TO EXPIRATION OF RUN US 8 258 948 B2 Page2 U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 2006 0080007 Al 2006 0087405 2008 0203815 1 2011 0073059 Al 4 2006 Gerard et al 4 2006 Koike et al 8 2008 Ozawa et al 3 2011 Flick 340 5 64 307 10 2 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Excalibur AL 2000 EDP Operation Manual Omega Research amp Development Inc Mar 2007 pp 1 43 cited by examiner US 8 258 948 B2 Sheet 1 of 12 Sep 4 2012 U S Patent Qon WIL wna NOLISOTONI 7181997 UVID vis 31033 HN CERORY SVE 3190 ONLLIAHS 300229 NV ST 34195 3872 TAODILCON NY ODER HN Y DNLS 5055004 DVHN JINAH _ BUIS p wi unm
5. pre set temperature Alterna tively the remote climate control handheld unit 140 may have buttons that enable a user to set the temperature to which the remote climate controller 122 is to heat the passenger com partment of the vehicle 121 Additionally or alternatively the US 8 258 948 B2 9 remote climate control handheld unit 140 may have buttons input device 148 that enable a user to select to which of a plurality of pre set temperatures the remote climate controller 122 is to heat the passenger compartment of the vehicle 121 To start the electrically powered climate control system 132 the remote climate controller 140 causes a climate con trol start signal to be generated on the data communications bus 127 for operating the electrically powered climate control system 132 It should be understood that the remote climate controller 122 itself may not generate the climate control start signal on the data communications bus 127 but instead may cause an intervening component to generate the climate con trol start signal on the data communications bus The communications from the remote climate control handheld unit 140 to the transceiver 126 at the vehicle 121 are typically a direct radio frequency link In other words there are no intervening communications links However in other embodiments the remote climate control handheld unit 140 may indirectly communicate with the transceiver 126 via other communications infrastructure
6. such a satellite the public switched telephone network PSTN and or over the World Wide Web or Internet as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art The remote climate control handheld unit 140 may also include one or more central station transmitters such as may be provided by a satellite transmitter for example Such a central station transmitter may also be connected to other communications infrastructures The remote climate control handheld unit 140 may be a common remote transmitter By common remote transmitter it is meant that the remote cli mate control handheld unit 140 may operate a plurality of vehicles 121 Such a feature may be desirable to a driver who owns multiple vehicles 121 or to a rental car company for example The remote climate controller 122 may be a multi vehicle compatible remote climate controller that cooperates with the transceiver 126 Those of skill in the art will understand that the transceiver 126 and the remote climate controller 122 may be associated together in a same housing In fact the trans ceiver 26 and the remote climate controller 122 may each be embodied on a same printed circuit board or even in a same integrated circuit The remote climate controller 122 bypasses the security circuit 30 to enable operation of the electrically powered climate control system 132 The remote climate controller 122 is coupled to the data communications bus 127 extending within the vehicle 121 via the
7. to expira tion of the run time period to permit a user to use the remote start handheld unit to reset the run time period and cause the engine to run for an additional run time period while the engine is still running and before shut ting off the engine 17 The method of claim 16 wherein the processor imple ments a timing function to operate the tactile indicator US 8 258 948 B2 15 18 The method of claim 16 wherein the remote start controller implements a timing function to send an alert to the remote start handheld unit prior to expiration of the run time period and wherein the processor of the remote start hand held unit provides the tactile indication based upon the alert 19 The method of claim 16 wherein the remote start controller has a settable run time period 20 The method of claim 16 wherein the vehicle further comprises a data communications bus extending throughout 16 the vehicle and wherein the remote start controller causes an engine start signal to be generated on the data communica tions bus for starting the engine 21 The method of claim 20 wherein the remote start controller causes an engine stop signal to be generated on the data communications bus for shutting off the engine UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PATENT NO 8 258 948 B2 Page 1 of 1 APPLICATION NO 12 571089 DATED September 4 2012 INVENTOR S Flick et al It is certified that er
8. 1 is in a position other than park and if so the remote climate con troller may not start the engine 129 Similarly the remote climate controller 122 may sense whether the hood of the vehicle 121 is open and may not start the engine 129 based thereupon In addition the remote climate controller 122 may shut down the engine 129 if the engine RPM exceeds a pre determined value Many other vehicle conditions such as the fuel level of the vehicle 121 either fossil fuel or a substance consumed by the rechargeable battery if it is a fuel cell may be taken into account by the remote climate controller 122 before or during operation of the engine 129 as will be appre ciated by those skilled in the art If the remote climate con troller 122 elects to not start or elects to shut down the engine 129 due to such a vehicle condition it may instead deactivate the electrically powered climate control system 132 The remote climate controller 122 may enable the electri cally powered climate control system 132 based upon the sensor 134 sensing the rechargeable battery 135 being coupled to an external power source 137 The external power source 137 may be an electrical socket a recharging station orother external power source as known to those skilled in the art In some applications the vehicle 121 may have a solar panel such as on the roof thereof coupled to the rechargeable battery 135 The remote climate controller 122 may also enable the el
9. 4 30 and the engine starter 29 may be on the data communica tions bus 27 Furthermore each of the security circuit 30 and the engine starter 29 may communicate unidirectionally via the data communications bus 27 or may communicate bidi rectionally via the data bus Each ofthe security circuit 30 and the engine starter 29 need not communicate in the same manner via the data communications bus 27 For example the security circuit 30 may communicate bidirectionally while the engine starter 28 communicates unidirectionally It should be understood that there may be intervening cir cuitry such as a body control module engine control module or powertrain control module for example between the data communications bus 27 the security circuit 30 and or the engine starter 29 The remote starting system 20 illustratively includes a remote start handheld unit 40 comprising a housing 29 The housing carries a processor 41 coupled to a transceiver 43 a memory 44 a vibration unit 45 a speaker 46 a display 47 and an input device 48 Further details of the functions of these components will be given below The remote starting system 20 also includes a transceiver 26 to be positioned at the vehicle 21 In addition the remote starting system 20 includes a remote start controller 22 to be positioned at the vehicle 21 for starting the engine 29 based upon the remote start handheld unit 40 thereby causing the engine to run for a run time period be
10. LERT TO THE REMOTE START HANDHELD UNIT PRIORI TO EXPIRATION OF THE RUN TIME PERIOD PROVIDE A TACTILE INDICATION TO USER TO PERMIT THE USER TO USE THE REMOTE START HANDHELD UNIT TO RESET THE RUN TIME PERIOD BY SENDING RESET RUN MEMO UMS TIME PERIOD SIGNAL ______________ Tees RECEIVE RESET RUN TINE NO PERIOD SIGNAL FROM REMOTE START HANDHELD UNI CAUSE THE ELECTRICALLY POWERED CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM wm FOR AN ADDITIONAL RUN TIME PERIOD WHILE IT IS STILL RU H6 1 U S Patent Sep 4 2012 Sheet 12 of 12 US 8 258 948 B2 160 Cx START START VEHICLES ELECTRICALLY POWERED CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM BASED UPON REMOTE START HANDHELD UNIT AND CAUSE IT TO RUN FOR A RUN TIME PERIOD 162 PROVIDE AN AUDIBLE INDICATION USER PRIOR EXPIRATION OF THE RUN TIME PERIOD TO PERMIT THE USER TO USE THE REMOTE START HANDHELD UNIT TO RESET THE RUN TIME PERIOD BY SENDING RESET RUN TIME PERIOD SIGNAL RECEIVE RESET RUN TIME NO PERIOD SIGNAL FROM REMOTE START HANDHELD UNIT CAUSE THE ELECTRICALLY POWERED CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM TO RUN FOR ADDITIONAL RUN TIME PERIOD WHILE IT 15 STILL RUNNING US 8 258 948 B2 1 REMOTE VEHICLE STARTING SYSTEM PROVIDING A TACTILE INDICATION RELATING TO REMOTE STARTING AND ASSOCIATED METHODS FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of remote vehicle control
11. ROS m c SEL 03578 31900 10 390438 CNY SNINNA TILES 309 TEHA 00004 KY 803 MDA 1517 CORB NTE OL 80189 NOd AVIS 3210031 OL QUOS GORI TE 31983 H reenn L eee 1 ey 20598990 I TOIGATDRW 93 sel E ol Pin US 8 258 948 B2 Sheet 9 of 12 Sep 4 2012 U S Patent SOS EMO 0108 Jp m i SEE Vaso EDU PER ee GOTE NNA 30 01 380184 WWL NOU 001434 661 JWL NNU 10 01 30134 SHOLLVUGIA 30 aiv 217232 ipu CHHOMH ggg IAC Udit porn 3 008 55 8 381918 380538 GRY TILLS 31301909 001134 NY 304 OL WED IIO SE 1715 OL DET 0835 sd 0184 WI TRIS DIG DS E wed Fassa ua ADAMS
12. RUN TIME PERIOD TO PERMIT THE USER TO USE THE REMOTE START HANDHELD UNIT TO RESET THE RUN TIME PERIOD BY SENDING RESET RUN 63 TIME PERIOD SIGNAL RECEIVE RESET RUN TIME NO PERIOD SIGNAL FROM REMOTE START HANDHELD UNIT CAUSE THE ENGINE RUN FOR AN ADDITIONAL RUN TIME PERIOD WHILE THE ENGINE 15 STILL RUNNING US 8 258 948 B2 Sheet 7 of 12 Sep 4 2012 U S Patent 1 91 GORGE WE 40 01 30184 NOLIN 3191079 sarl 1 191009 30DVI 1 _ ___ NEM pi I POS 7 310834 8040 03508 31900 HO SNILIAHS 340338 TILES SI 38190 01434 N LAND WIL NOW NY O4 NAY 01 01900 38010 Jis Y 30 DIS 305517034 961 yn mun EN NOSSTHAWOD B UE UND LOWE opm ID ALBOS c ra ag W US 8 258 948 B2 Sheet 8 of 12 Sep 4 2012 U S Patent ET 8 GOTHI NAM 30 30 80144 3801 10 40 1 39VSS3W HO334S 31 V83N39 JO 3345 LIND NOLIVHSIA An Tas DU
13. The remote starting system of the present invention addresses this draw back as well In some applications the tactile indicator may comprise a vibration unit In some embodiments the tactile indication may be a pattern of vibrations The processor may implement a timing function to operate the tactile indicator Additionally or alternatively the remote start controller may implement a timing function to send an alertto the remote start handheld unit priorto expiration ofthe run time period and the processor of the remote start hand held unit may provide the tactile indication based upon the alert The remote start controller may have a settable run time period The vehicle may further comprise a data communica tions bus extending throughout the vehicle and the remote start controller may cause an engine start signal to be gener ated on the data communications bus for starting the engine for example Also the remote start controller may cause an engine stop signal to be generated on the data communica tions bus for shutting off the engine The remote start handheld unit may further comprise display carried by the housing and cooperating with the pro cessor for providing a visual indication to the user prior to expiration of the run time period The remote start handheld unit may comprise a cellular telephone In some embodi ments the remote start controller may comprise a multi vehicle compatible remote start controller A m
14. US008258948B2 az United States Patent 10 Patent No US 8 258 948 B2 Flick et al 45 Date of Patent Sep 4 2012 54 REMOTE VEHICLE STARTING SYSTEM 6 529 124 B2 3 2003 Flick epos 340 426 PROVIDING A TACTILE INDICATION 6 756 885 Bl 6 2004 Flick 2 340 426 1 6 756 886 B2 6 2004 Flick 2 340 426 1 RELATING TO REMOTE STARTING AND 6 812 829 11 2004 340 426 13 ASSOCIATED METHODS 6 828 901 B2 12 2004 Birchfield et al 340 10 7 010 402 B2 3 2006 701 36 75 Inventors Kenneth E Flick Douglasville 7 031 826 4 2006 701 113 US Michael Stephen Thompson 7 046 126 B2 5 2006 Flick 340 426 36 7 068 153 B2 6 2006 Flick 340 426 36 Douglasville GA US 7 091 822 B2 8 2006 Flick etal 340 5 72 7 205 679 B2 4 2007 Flick 307 10 3 73 Assignee Omega Patents L L C Douglasville 7 224 083 B2 5 2007 B P 307 10 6 GA US 7 280 908 B2 10 2007 Maehara et a 701 113 7 369 936 B2 5 2008 Flick eq PRECOR 701 113 Notice Subject to any disclaimer the term of this 7 378 945 B2 5 2008 Flick 340 426 1 patent is extended or adjusted under 35 Continued U S C 154 b by 417 days aW EN OTHER PUBLICATIONS This patent is subject to a terminal dis claimer Excalibur 1800 ATV Gold Series Owners Manual Omega Re search amp Development I
15. art signal to be generated on the data communications bus for starting the engine 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 60 65 14 8 The remote starting system of claim 7 wherein said remote start controller causes an engine stop signal to be generated on the data communications bus for shutting offthe engine 9 The remote starting system of claim 1 wherein said remote start handheld unit further comprises a display carried by said housing and cooperating with said processor for pro viding a visual indication to the user prior to expiration ofthe run time period 10 The remote starting system of claim 1 wherein said remote start handheld unit comprises a cellular telephone 11 The remote starting system of claim 1 wherein said remote start controller comprises a multi vehicle compatible remote start controller 12 A remote starting system for a vehicle comprising an engine and having a data communications bus extending throughout the remote starting system comprising a remote start handheld unit comprising a housing and a processor carried thereby and a remote start controller to be positioned at the vehicle for causing an engine start signalto be generated on the data communications bus for starting the engine based upon the remote start handheld unit and causing the engine to run for a run time period before shutting off the vehicle engine said remote start controller also being resettable based upon the r
16. attery By electrically powered climate control system 135 it is means that the climate control system is not driven by mechanical power from the engine 129 and instead receives electrical power from the rechargeable battery 135 or an alternator generator not shown coupled to the engine 129 Alternatively the electrically powered climate control system 135 may receive mechanical power from a motor not shown coupled to the rechargeable battery 135 or an alter nator generator not shown coupled to the engine 129 but not from the engine itself The electrically powered climate control system 132 may include an electrical ventilation blower an electrical heater and or an electrically powered AC compressor A suitable electrical ventilation blower may be a conventional blower coupled to an electric motor via a belt or may be a blower having an internal electric motor It should be understood that such an electrical ventilation blower merely blows ambient outside air into the passenger compartment ofthe vehicle 121 and does not actively cool the air as would an electrically powered AC unit It may be advantageous to use an electrical ventilation blower to cool the passenger compartment of the vehicle 121 as opposed to an electrical AC unit because the electrical ventilation blower may consume less electricity than an electrical AC unit A suitable electrical heater may be a resistive heater or other suitable heater as known to those of skill i
17. bus interface 115 for communication thereover with the security circuit 130 and optional engine starter 128 The bus interface 115 includes circuitry for interfacing to the proper signal levels and formats on the data communications bus 127 as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art without further discussion herein Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there may be intervening components between the bus interface 125 and the data communications bus 127 such as a body control module engine control module or powertrain control mod ule Of course in some embodiments the remote climate controller 122 may communicate with the security circuit 130 and or optional engine starter 128 via a hardwired connection at the hardwire interface 124 In fact in some embodiments the vehicle 121 may not have a data bus 127 The run time period is resettable based upon the remote climate control handheld unit 140 to cause the electrically powered climate control system 132 to run for an additional run time period or other time period while the electrically powered climate control system is still running and before shutting off the electrically powered climate control system 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 10 132 That is the transceiver 143 of the remote climate control handheld unit 140 may transmit a signal to the remote climate controller 122 instructing it to reset or extend the run time period This adva
18. d The user s manual to this system explains that its remote start controller after having remotely started a vehi cle s engine shuts the engine off after a run time period By limiting the duration the engine may run when remotely started the drawbacks of less advanced remote starting sys tems are alleviated Systems such as the Excalibur AL 2000 EDP provide the user with a visual indication of the remaining run time period and that the run time period has expired and that the engine is shut off thereby allowing the user to once again remotely start the engine for another run time period if desired SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the foregoing background it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a remote starting system for a vehicle with greater user convenience This and other objects features and advantages in accor dance with the present invention are provided by a remote starting system that provides an indication for a user before the engine has been shut off The remote starting system may comprise a remote start handheld unit including a housing and a processor carried thereby In addition there may be a remote start controller to be positioned at the vehicle for starting the engine based upon the remote start handheld unit and causing the engine to run for a run time period before shutting off the vehicle engine The remote start controller may also be resettable based upon the remote start handh
19. d signal is received from the remote start handheld unit at Block 55 the engine is caused to run for an additional run time period at Block 56 At this point an alert is again sent to the remote start handheld unit prior to expiration of the run time period at Block 53 again The steps repeat until a reset run time period signal is not received from the remote start hand held unit at Block 55 At this point the engine is shut off at Block 57 Block 58 indicates the end of the method With reference to the flowchart 60 of FIG 6 another method of operating a remote starting system is now described After the start Block 61 at Block 62 the vehi cle s engine is started based upon a remote start handheld unit and caused to run for a run time period At Block 63 an audible indication is provided to a user prior to expiration of the rune time period to permit the user to use the remote start handheld unit to reset the run time period by sending a reset run time period signal Ifareset run time period signal is not received at Block 64 the engine is shut off at Block 66 If a reset run time period signalisreceived from the remote start handheld unit at Block 64 the engine is caused to run for an additional run time period at Block 65 At this point an audible indication is again provided to the user at Block 63 The steps repeat until a reset US 8 258 948 B2 7 run time period signal is not received from the remote start handheld u
20. e 148 The display 147 of the remote climate control handheld unit 140 may cooperate with the processor 141 for providing a visual indication to the user prior to expiration of the run time period The visual indication may be a countdown until the expiration of the run time period for example The processor 141 of the remote climate control handheld unit 139 includes a timer 49 executing a timing function to operate the vibration unit 145 and the speaker 146 The pat tern of vibrations may be settable based upon input received via the input device 148 Of course the speech message or pattern of tones may also be settable based upon input receives via the input device 148 As stated above the remote climate controller 122 selec tively operates the electrically powered climate control sys tem 132 responsive to the sensor 134 and the remote climate control handheld unit 140 For example the remote climate controller 122 may operate the electrically powered climate control system 132 for the run time period if it receives via the transceiver 126 a signal from the remote climate control handheld unit 140 instructing it to do so If during operation of the electrically powered climate control system 132 the sensor 134 senses that the voltage of the rechargeable battery 135 has fallen below a threshold voltage the remote climate controller 122 may disable the electrically powered climate control system to conserve the voltage of the recharg
21. e based upon the remote start handheld unit 40 to cause the engine 29 to run for an additional run time period or other time period while the engine is still running and before shutting offthe engine That is the transceiver 43 of remote start handheld unit 40 may be operated by a user to transmit a signal to the remote start controller 22 instructing it to reset or extend the run time period This advantageously allows a user to keep the engine 29 running for a greater period of time than the run time period without the engine being stopped Ifthe run time period expires before being reset the remote start controller 22 stops the engine To stop the engine the remote start controller 22 may cause an engine stop signal to be generated on the data communications bus 27 It should be understood that the remote start controller 22 itself may not generate the engine stop signal on the data communications bus 27 but instead may cause an intervening component to generate the engine stop signal on the data communications bus Of course in hardwired embodiments the engine may also be shut down The vibration unit 45 of the remote start handheld unit 40 cooperates with the processor 41 for providing a tactile indi cation to a user prior to expiration of the run time period Additionally or alternatively the speaker 46 may provide an audible indication to the user prior to the expiration ofthe run time period This permits the user to use the r
22. eable battery Similarly if the remote climate controller 122 receives an instruction to activate the electrically powered climate control system 132 but the sen sor 134 senses that voltage ofthe rechargeable battery 135 is below a threshold voltage the remote climate controller 122 may not activate the electrically powered climate control system This feature helps to prevent excessive discharging of the rechargeable battery 135 due to operation of the electri cally powered climate control system 132 that might leave a driver stranded and the vehicle 121 inoperable If during operation of the electrically powered climate control system 132 the sensor 134 senses that the voltage of the rechargeable battery 135 has fallen below a threshold US 8 258 948 B2 11 voltage the remote climate controller 122 may start the engine 129 if there is one This may be done to charge the rechargeable battery 135 and to help prevent excessive dis charging thereof Ifthe remote climate controller 122 receives an instruction to activate the electrically powered climate control system 132 butthe sensor 134 senses that the voltage ofthe recharge able battery 135 is below a threshold voltage the remote climate controller 122 may start the engine 129 if there is one prior to operating the electrically powered climate con trol system 132 In some applications the remote climate controller 122 may sense if the shift selector of the vehicle 12
23. eature may be desirable to a driver who owns multiple vehicles 21 or to a rental car com pany for example remote start controller 22 may be multi vehicle com patible remote start controller that cooperates with the trans ceiver 26 Those of skill in the art will understand that the transceiver 26 and the remote start controller 22 may be associated together in a same housing In fact the transceiver 26 and the remote start controller 22 may each be embodied on a same printed circuit board or even in a same integrated circuit The remote start controller 22 illustratively bypasses the security circuit 30 to enable operation ofthe engine starter 28 to thereby start the engine 29 remote start controller 22 is coupled to the data com munications bus 27 extending within the vehicle 21 via the bus interface 25 for communication thereover with the secu rity circuit 30 and engine starter 28 Those skilled in the art US 8 258 948 B2 5 will appreciate that there may be intervening components between the bus interface 25 and the data communications bus 27 such as a body control module engine control mod ule or powertrain control module Of course in some embodiments the remote start controller 22 may communi cate with the security circuit 30 and or engine starter 28 via a hardwired connection at the hardwire interface 24 In some embodiments the vehicle 21 may not have a data bus 27 The run time period is resettabl
24. ectrically powered climate control system 132 based upon the sensor 134 sensing the rechargeable battery 135 being recharged by the solar panel Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the sensor 134 may also measure the current flowing in of or out of the rechargeable battery 135 and that the remote climate control ler 122 may operate the electrically powered climate control system 132 based thereupon in the same manner as described above with reference to voltages of the rechargeable battery Similarly the sensor 134 may measure the temperature of the rechargeable battery 135 and the remote climate controller 122 may also operate the electrically powered climate control system 132 based thereupon in the same manner as described above with reference to the voltage of the rechargeable bat tery 135 In some applications the remote climate controller 122 may operate the window motor 133 while it runs the electri cally powered climate control system 132 This may advan tageously help cool the passenger compartment ofthe vehicle 121 more quickly With reference to FIG 8 an alternative embodiment of the remote climate controller 122 is now described In this embodiment the remote climate control handheld unit 140 comprises a cellular telephone In addition the run time period 15 settable for example based upon the cellular tele phone 140 The run time period may also be settable based upon a switch not shown connected to the rem
25. eld unit to cause the engine to run for an additional run time period while the engine is still 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 2 running and before shutting off the engine Furthermore the remote start handheld unit may also include a tactile indicator cooperating with the processor for providing the tactile indi cation to a user prior to expiration ofthe run time period This permits a userto use the remote start handheld unit to reset the run time period while the engine is still running and before shutting off the engine This remote starting system provides additional conve nience and addresses various drawbacks ofthe prior art Hav ing to restart the engine when the user desires the engine to run for another run time period as per the prior art may not be desirable for a variety of reasons significant percentage of engine wear occurs at startup and this remote starting system helps reduce engine wear due to unnecessary starting and restarting Moreover the remote starting system may help to reduce the amount of pollutants produced by the engine since it will not be started stopped then restarted unnecessarily During this starting stopping and restarting of the engine as per the prior art a vehicle s climate control system may immediately cease to function when the engine is shut off thereby allowing the passenger compartment ofthe vehicle to heat up or cool down contrary to the user s desire
26. emote start handheld unit 40 to reset the run time period while the engine is still running and before shutting offthe engine for example by entering a command into the input device 48 The display 47 of the remote start handheld unit 40 may cooperate with the processor 41 for providing a visual indi cation to the user prior to expiration of the run time period The visual indication may be a countdown until the expiration of the rune time period for example The processor 41 of the remote start handheld unit 39 includes a timer 49 executing a timing function to operate the vibration unit 45 and or the speaker 46 The pattern of vibra tions may be settable based upon input received via the input device 48 Of course the speech message or pattern of tones may also be settable based upon input receives via the input device 48 With reference to FIG 2 an alternative embodiment of the remote start controller 22 is now described In this embodi ment the remote start handheld unit 40 comprises a cellular telephone In addition the run time period is settable for example based upon the cellular telephone 40 The run time period may also be settable based upon a switch not shown connected to the remote start controller 22 or based upon a signal received over the data communications bus 27 from another component In addition in this embodiment the remote start controller 22 is multi vehicle compatible By multi vehicle compatible i
27. emote start handheld unit to cause the engine to run for an additional run time period while the engine is still running and before shutting off the engine said remote start handheld unit further comprising a vibra tion unit cooperating with said processor for providing a tactile indication to a user prior to expiration of the run time period to permit a user to use said remote start handheld unit to reset the run time period while the engine is still running and before shutting off the engine 13 The remote starting system of claim 12 wherein said processor implements a timing function to operate said tactile indicator 14 The remote starting system of claim 12 wherein said remote start controller implements a timing function to send an alert to said remote start handheld unit prior to expiration of the run time period and wherein said processor of said remote start handheld unit provides the tactile indication based upon the alert 15 The remote starting system of claim 12 wherein said remote start controller has a settable run time period 16 method of using a remote starting system in a vehicle comprising starting an engine of the vehicle using a remote start con troller at the vehicle based upon a remote start handheld unit to cause the engine to run for a run time period before shutting off the engine and generating a tactile indication using a tactile indicator of the remote start handheld unit to a user prior
28. ethod aspect 15 directed to a method of using a remote starting system in a vehicle The method may include starting an engine of the vehicle using a remote start controller at the vehicle based upon a remote start handheld unit to cause the engine to run for a run time period before shutting off the engine The method may also include generating a tactile indication using a tactile indicator of the remote start hand held unit to a user prior to expiration of the run time period This permits a user to use the remote start handheld unit to reset the run time period and cause the engine to run for an additional run time period while the engine is still running and before shutting off the engine BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG 1 is a schematic block diagram of a remote starting system for an engine of a vehicle in accordance with the present invention US 8 258 948 B2 3 FIG 2 is a schematic block diagram of a further embodi ment of a remote starting system for an engine of a vehicle in accordance with the present invention FIG 3 isa schematic block diagram ofyet another embodi ment of a remote starting system for an engine of a vehicle in accordance with the present invention FIG 4 is a schematic block diagram of still another embodiment of a remote starting system for an engine of a vehicle in accordance with the present invention FIG 5 is a flowchart of a method of operating a remote starting system in accordance
29. fore shutting off the engine 29 To start the engine 29 the remote start controller 40 causes an engine start signal to be generated on the data communications bus 27 for operating the engine starter 28 which then starts the engine It should be understood that the remote start controller 22 itself may not generate the engine start signal on the data communications bus 27 but instead may cause an intervening component to generate the engine start signal on the data communications bus Of course in some applications the remote start controller 22 may instead be coupled to the engine starter 28 via the hardwire interface 24 and may operate the engine starter to start the engine 29 via the hardwire interface instead of via the data bus The communications from the remote start handheld unit 40 to the transceiver 26 at the vehicle 21 is typically a direct radio frequency link In other words there are no intervening communications links However in other embodiments the remote start handheld unit 40 may indirectly communicate with the transceiver 26 via other communications infrastruc ture such a satellite the public switched telephone network PSTN and or over the World Wide Web or Internet as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art The remote start handheld unit 40 may be a common remote transmitter By common remote transmitter it is meant that the remote start handheld unit 40 may operate a plurality of vehicles 21 Such a f
30. gs and or speech messages may be stored in the memory 44 each to be used as a pattern of tones Other components of the remote starting system 20 are similar to those described above with reference to FIG 1 Those components therefore need no further discussion herein In some embodiments the remote starting system 20 FIG 3 may provide only a tactile indication through the vibration unit 45 and may not have a speaker In other embodiments the remote starting system 20 FIG 4 many only provide an audible indication through the speaker 46 and may not have a vibration unit Other components of the remote starting systems 20 20 are similar to those described above with reference to FIG 2 Those components therefore need no further discussion herein With reference to the flowchart 50 of FIG 5 a method of operating a remote starting system in a vehicle is described After the start Block 51 at Block 52 the vehicle s engine is started based upon a remote start handheld unit and caused to run for a run time period At Block 53 an alert is sent to the remote start handheld unit prior to expiration of the run time period At Block 54 a tactile indication is provided to a user to permit the user to use the remote start handheld unit to reset the run time period by sending a reset run time period signal Ifa reset run time period signal is not received at Block 55 the engine is shut off at Block 57 If a reset run time perio
31. munications bus 127 For example the electrically powered climate control system 132 may communicate bidi rectionally while the sensor 134 communicates unidirection ally It should be understood that there may be intervening cir cuitry such as a body control module engine control module or powertrain control module between the electrically pow ered climate control system 132 the sensor 134 the security circuit 130 and or the engine starter 128 remote climate control system 120 includes a remote start handheld unit 140 comprising a housing 129 The hous ing carries a processor 141 coupled to a transceiver 143 a memory 144 a vibration unit 145 a speaker 146 a display 147 and an input device 148 Further details ofthe functions of these components will be given below The remote climate control system 120 includes a trans ceiver 126 to be positioned at the vehicle 121 In addition the remote climate control system 120 includes a remote climate controller 122 to be positioned at the vehicle 121 for starting the electrically powered climate control system 132 based upon the remote climate control handheld unit 140 thereby causing the electrically powered climate control system 132 to run fora run time period before shutting offthe electrically powered climate control system 132 The remote climate control handheld unit 140 may cause the remote climate controller 122 to heat the passenger com partment of the vehicle 121 to a
32. n the art In addition a suitable electrical heater may be a combination heater for example a heater core with electrical heater coils which employs both resistive heating and the use of waste heat from the engine 129 to heat the passenger compartment of the vehicle 121 A suitable electrically powered AC unit may be a conven tional AC compressor coupled to an electric motor via a belt or may be an AC compressor having an internal electric motor In some embodiments the electrical AC unit may be a thermoelectric cooler or other suitable electric AC unit as known to those of skill in the art The vehicle 121 may also include a security circuit 130 connected to the electrically powered climate control system 132 The security circuit 130 selectively disables the electri 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 8 cally powered climate control system 132 Those of skill in the art will appreciate that in some applications the security circuit 130 may also be connected to the engine starter 128 to selectively disable the operation thereof and therefore the operation ofthe engine 129 Indeed in some applications the security circuit 130 may selectively disable operation of a plurality of or all of the devices and functions of the hybrid vehicle 121 The vehicle 121 has a data communications bus 127 extending throughout The data communications bus 127 may extend through the engine compartment the passenger compartmen
33. nc 1998 pp 3 50 21 Appl No 12 571 089 22 Filed Sep 30 2009 Primary Examiner Tai T Nguyen M 74 Attorney Agent or Firm Allen Dyer Doppelt 65 Prior Publication Data Milbrath amp Gilchrist P A US 2011 0074575 A1 Mar 31 2011 57 ABSTRACT 51 Int remote starting system for engine of a vehicle includes G08B 21 00 2006 01 a remote start handheld unit A remote start controller may be 52 US CL 340 540 340 541 340 539 11 positioned at the vehicle for starting the engine based upon 340 5 6 340 10 3 340 426 23 340 426 16 the remote start handheld unit and causing the engine to run 701 101 701 102 701 113 307 10 3 for a run time period before shutting off the vehicle engine 58 Field of Classification Search 340 540 The remote start controller is resettable based upon the 340 541 539 11 5 6 10 3 426 23 426 16 remote start handheld unit to cause the engine to run for an 701 101 102 113 additional run time period while the engine is still running and See application file for complete search history before shutting offthe engine The remote start handheld unit includes a tactile indicator for providing a tactile indication to 56 References Cited a user prior to expiration of the run time period to permit a user to use the remote start handheld unit to reset the run time U S PATENT DOCUMENTS period while the engine is still running and before shutting off
34. nit at Block 64 At this point the engine is shut off at Block 66 Block 67 indicates the end of the method Referring now to FIG 7 another embodiment of a remote climate control system 120 for a vehicle 121 15 now described The vehicle 121 has a rechargeable battery 135 although those of skill in the art will appreciate that the vehicle may have another rechargeable electrical power source The vehicle 121 has an electric motor 136 electrically powered by the rechargeable battery 135 Skilled artisans will appreciate that there may be more than one electric motor 136 and more than one rechargeable battery 135 In some embodi ments the vehicle 121 is a hybrid vehicle and has an engine 129 that operates a generator or alternator not shown to recharge the rechargeable battery 135 and or power the elec tric motor 136 An optional separate engine starter 128 starts the engine 129 Those of skill in the art will understand that the engine 129 may instead be started by the electric motor 136 It should be understood that the engine 129 may be an internal combustion engine that burns gasoline diesel etha nol or other fuels Rather than an internal combustion engine 129 the vehicle 121 may instead have an external heat engine such as a Stirling engine The vehicle 121 further comprises an electrically powered climate control system 132 selectively powered by the rechargeable battery 135 and a sensor 134 associated with the rechargeable b
35. ntageously allows a user to keep the electri cally powered climate control system 132 running for a greater period of time than the run time period without the electrically powered climate control system being stopped Iftherun time period expires before being reset the remote climate controller 122 stops the electrically powered climate control system 132 To stop the electrically powered climate control system 132 the remote climate controller 122 may cause a climate control stop signal to be generated on the data communications bus 127 It should be understood that the remote climate controller 122 itself may not generate the climate control stop signal on the data communications bus 127 but instead may cause an intervening component to generate the climate control stop signal on the data commu nications bus The vibration unit 145 of the remote climate control hand held unit 140 cooperates with the processor 141 for providing a tactile indication to a user prior to expiration ofthe run time period Additionally or alternatively the speaker 146 may provide an audible indication to the user prior to the expira tion of the rune time period This permits the user to use the remote climate control handheld unit 140 to reset the run time period while the electrically powered climate control system is still running and before shutting off the electrically pow ered climate control system for example by entering a com mand into the input devic
36. ote climate controller 122 or based upon a signal received over the data communications bus 127 from another component 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 12 In addition in this embodiment the remote climate con troller 122 is multi vehicle compatible That is the same remote climate controller 122 may be installed in a variety of vehicles In addition here remote climate controller 122 imple ments a timing function executed by a timer 131 of the processor 123 to send an alert to the cellular telephone 122 prior to expiration ofthe run time period The processor 141 of the cellular telephone 122 provides the tactile or audible indication based upon the alert In this embodiment the tac tile indication is a pattern of vibrations and the audible indi cation is a speech message or pattern of tones In some embodiments the remote climate control handheld unit 140 may include a microphone not shown for recording the speech message and a plurality of songs may be stored in the memory 144 each to be used as a pattern of tones Other components of the remote climate control system 120 are similar to those described above with reference to FIG 7 Those components therefore need no further discus sion herein In some embodiments the remote climate control system 120 FIG 9 may provide only a tactile indication through the vibration unit 145 and may not have a speaker In other embodiments
37. rically powered climate control system is shut off at Block 166 Block 167 indicates the end of the method Other details of such remote starting systems 20 may be found in co pending applications REMOTE VEHICLE STARTING SYSTEM PROVIDING AN AUDIBLE INDI CATION RELATING TO REMOTE STARTING AND ASSOCIATED METHODS Ser No 12 570 994 and REMOTE CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM PROVIDING AN INDICATION RELATING TO REMOTE CLIMATE CONTROL OPERATION AND ASSOCIATED METH ODS Ser No 12 571 050 the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference Many modifications and other embodiments of the inven tion will come to the mind skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descrip tions and the associated drawings Therefore it is understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodi ments disclosed and that modifications and embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims That which is claimed is 1 A remote starting system for an engine of a vehicle comprising a remote start handheld unit comprising a housing and a processor carried thereby and a remote start controller to be positioned at the vehicle for starting the engine based upon the remote start handheld unit and causing the engine to run for a run time period before shutting off the vehicle engine said remote start controller also being resettable based upon the remote s
38. ror appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent is hereby corrected as shown below Column 6 Line 59 Delete Insert run Column 7 Line 5 Delete isH Insert is Column 10 Line 24 Delete Insert run Column 12 Line 24 Delete 120 Insert 120 Column 12 Line 26 Delete 146 Insert 146 Column 12 Line 27 Delete 120 2nd occurrence Insert 120 Column 12 Line 63 Delete Insert run Signed and Sealed this David J Kappos Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
39. s 1 LOWE US 8 258 948 B2 Sheet 2 of 12 Sep 4 2012 U S Patent 1001434 IWI 40 NOLIVITdXT JWI 40 9140184 53001 30 Y0 8 PENN EAD 39859 7 M EN 280498 SHINNNY SI TUHM 001884 SL NY 10801 30 800 NN 40 MII 01 10004 IHL NOGA QESVE DNUS OL LET QIES NOW Y 104 NBI dE lee 7 DUM TUB TION 93 Mop NY umis l LAVIS LOWRY WOW UMS SHOLIDINNWWO VIVO US 8 258 948 B2 Sheet 3 of 12 Sep 4 2012 U S Patent x 1008 NNA HO 010144 SHOTIVISIA 30 HYSNI LIND 21 200438 CNY SHINATA ST TURA 002084 0 Nf 30 OL 304 IHE NOUO SYA 01 1831 CBS QOTSA 3WII 110135 INISI DNES 1 TAG 381948 LEW 93 871104180 OWE ubb KRMI ETA 3NIDN 4 86 w o US 8 258 948 B2 Sheet 4 of 12 Sep 4 2012 U S Patent H ir n E 801834 NI 30 0140144 1801 30 80 zu JOVSSIW HD33dS 313839 3345 CHRONYR LEVIS LOVEN
40. t and or the trunk of the vehicle 121 The sensor 134 is coupled to the rechargeable battery 135 and reads the voltage thereof The sensor 134 may addition ally or alternatively be able to detect whether the recharge able battery is connected to an external power source 137 The external power source 137 may be an electrical socket or recharging station for example The electrically powered climate control system 132 the sensor 134 the security circuit 130 and the engine starter 128 are each coupled to the data communications bus 127 for communication thereover Those of skill in the art will under stand that each of the electrically powered climate control system 132 the sensor 134 the security circuit 130 and the engine starter 128 need not be on the data communications bus 127 Indeed one of or a plurality of electrically powered climate control system 132 the sensor 134 the security cir cuit 130 and the engine starter 128 may be on the data communications bus 127 Furthermore each of the electri cally powered climate control system 132 the sensor 134 the security circuit 130 and the engine starter 128 may commu nicate unidirectionally via the data communications bus 127 or may communicate bidirectionally via the data bus In addi tion each of the electrically powered climate control system 132 the sensor 134 the security circuit 130 and the engine starter 128 need not communicate in the same manner via the data com
41. t Block 153 again The steps repeat until a reset run time period signal is not received from the remote climate control handheld unit at Block 155 At this point the electrically powered climate control system is shut off at Block 157 Block 158 indicates the end of the method With reference to the flowchart 160 of FIG 6 another method of operating a remote climate control system is now described After the start Block 161 at Block 162 the vehicle s electrically powered climate control system is started based remote climate control handheld unit and caused to run for a run time period At Block 163 an audible indication is provided to a user prior to expiration of the rune time period to permit the user to usethe remote climate control handheld unit to reset the run time period by sending a reset run time period signal Ifaresetruntime period signal is not received at Block 164 the electrically powered climate control system is shut off at US 8 258 948 B2 13 Block 166 If reset run time period signal is received from the remote climate control handheld unit at Block 164 the electrically powered climate control system is caused to run for an additional run time period at Block 165 At this point an audible indication is again provided to the user at Block 163 The steps repeat until a reset run time period signal is not received from the remote climate control handheld unit at Block 164 At this point the elect
42. t is meant that the remote start controller 22 may be able to communicate with other devices on the data bus 27 using a desired set of codes from among a plurality of different sets of codes for different vehicles or vehicle platforms In other words same remote start controller 22 may be installed in a variety of different vehicles More details of multi vehicle compatible devices and operation may be found 20 25 30 35 40 45 65 6 in the following references each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety and assigned to the assignee of the present invention U S Pat Nos 7 378 945 7 369 936 7 224 083 7 205 679 7 091 822 7 068 153 7 046 126 7 031 826 7 010 402 6 812 829 6 756 886 6 756 885 6 529 124 6 346 876 6 011 460 and 5 719 551 In some embodiments the remote start controller 22 implements a timing function executed by a timer 31 of the processor 23 to send an alert to the remote handheld unit 22 in the form of a cellular telephone prior to expiration of the run time period The processor 41 of the cellular telephone provides the tactile or audible indication based upon the alert In this embodiment the tactile indication is a pattern of vibra tions and the audible indication is a speech message or pat tern of tones In some embodiments the remote start hand held unit 40 may include a microphone not shown for recording the speech message and a plurality of son
43. tart handheld unit to cause the engine to run for an additional run time period while the engine 15 still running and before shutting off the engine said remote start handheld unit further comprising a tactile indicator cooperating with said processor for providing a tactile indication to a user prior to expiration ofthe run time period to permit a user to use said remote start handheld unit to reset the run time period while the engine is still running and before shutting offthe engine 2 The remote starting system of claim 1 wherein said tactile indicator comprises a vibration unit 3 The remote starting system of claim 2 wherein the tactile indication comprises a pattern of vibrations 4 The remote starting system of claim 1 wherein said processor implements a timing function to operate said tactile indicator 5 The remote starting system of claim 1 wherein said remote start controller implements a timing function to send an alert to said remote start handheld unit prior to expiration of the run time period and wherein said processor of said remote start handheld unit provides the tactile indication based upon the alert 6 The remote starting system of claim 1 wherein said remote start controller has a settable run time period 7 The remote starting system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle further comprises a data communications bus extend ing throughout the vehicle and wherein said remote start controller causes an engine st
44. the remote climate control system 120 FIG 10 many only provide an audible indication through the speaker 146 and may not have a vibration unit Other com ponents of the remote climate control systems 120 120 are similar to those described above with reference to FIG 2 Those components therefore need no further discussion herein With reference to the flowchart 150 of FIG 11 a method of operating a remote climate control system in a vehicle is described After the start Block 151 at Block 152 the vehicle s electrically powered climate control system is started based upon a remote climate control handheld unit and caused to run for a run time period At Block 153 an alert is sent to the remote climate control handheld unit prior to expiration of the run time period At Block 154 a tactile indication is provided to a user to permit the user to use the remote climate control handheld unit to reset the run time period by sending a reset run time period signal Ifareset runtime period signal is not received at Block 155 the electrically powered climate control system is shut off at Block 15 Ifa reset run time period signal is received from the remote climate control handheld unit at Block 155 the elec trically powered climate control system is caused to run for an additional run time period at Block 156 At this point an alert is again sent to the remote climate control handheld unit prior to expiration of the run time period a
45. ully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art Like numbers referto like elements through out and prime and multiple prime notation are used to indi cate similar elements in alternative embodiments Referring initially to FIG 1 a remote starting system 20 for an engine 29 of a vehicle 21 is now described The engine 29 may be an internal combustion engine that burns gasoline diesel ethanol or other fuels for example The vehicle 21 also includes an engine starter 28 for starting the engine 29 In addition the vehicle 21 includes a security circuit 30 con nected to the engine starter 28 to selectively disable the opera tion thereof and therefore the operation of the engine 29 Indeed in some applications the security circuit 30 may selectively disable operation of a plurality of or all of the devices and functions of the vehicle 21 The vehicle 21 has a data communications bus 27 extend ing throughout The data communications bus 27 may extend through the engine compartment the passenger compart ment and or the trunk of the vehicle 27 The security circuit 30 and the engine starter 28 are each coupled to the data communications bus 27 for communication thereover Those of skill in the art will understand that the security circuit 30 and or the engine starter 28 need not be on the data commu nications bus 27 Indeed one of or both ofthe security circuit 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 65
46. with the present invention FIG 6 is a flowchart of another method of operating a remote starting system in accordance with the present inven tion FIG 7 is a schematic block diagram of a remote climate control system for a vehicle in accordance with the present invention FIG 8 is a schematic block diagram of a further embodi ment of a remote climate control system for a vehicle in accordance with the present invention FIG 9 isa schematic block diagram ofyet another embodi ment of a remote climate control system for a vehicle in accordance with the present invention FIG 10 is a schematic block diagram of a further embodi ment of a remote climate control system for a vehicle in accordance with the present invention FIG 11 is a flowchart of a method of operating a remote climate control system in accordance with the present inven tion FIG 12 is a flowchart of another method of operating a remote climate control system in accordance with the present invention DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown This invention may however be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodi ments set forth herein Rather these embodiments are pro vided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will f
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