Remote monitoring method

Abstract

A smart key carried with a user is provided with switches for monitoring a vehicle in remote places, such as a departure-time monitor switch, a return-time monitor switch and an all item monitor switch. The switches are associated with monitor information indicating various vehicle states. When the departure-time monitor switch is operated, the cellular phone receives monitor information such as parking position, rainfall state, etc. useful to the user at departure time from the vehicle. Similarly, when the return-time monitor switch is operated, the cellular phone receives monitor information useful at return time such as door open / closed state and lock state. When the all item monitor switch is operated, the cellular phone receives monitor information of all monitor items.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is based on and incorporates herein by reference Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-168778 filed on Jun. 7, 2004. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to a remote monitoring system and method for monitoring a monitor object such as a vehicle by remote operations in remote places. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] In recent years, vehicles are required to enhance security performance for preventing vehicle theft and dragging. [0004] As a system for enhancing security performance, a vehicle remote monitoring system is proposed to monitor a present position and states of a vehicle, locks and unlocks doors, starts up an engine and performs other operations in remote places by using a cellular phone (e.g., a car communication system by use of portable mail function (i-mobisses), [online], updated: Apr. 16, 2004, Apex Communications Co., Ltd., (searched May 10, 2004), Internet<URL:http: / / www.apexc,...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010] The present invention has an object to enhance user's convenience in a remote monitoring system and method.

[0013] As an example of associating plural pieces of vehicle information with one switch unit, when one switch unit is to be used as a departure-time switch unit, that is, a switch unit for obtaining necessary vehicle information when a user is going out in the vehicle, by associating a parking position and room temperature of various vehicle information with the switch unit, the user can obtain the two pieces of vehicle information at the same time by operating the switch unit.

[0019] Accordingly, the switch units may be those constructed by mechanical switches. According to this construction, since the user has only to operate a switch unit (e.g., presses a push-button switch) constructed as a mechanical switch to transmit a request signal so that corresponding vehicle information can be obtained, user's convenience can be further enhanced.

[0021] Accordingly, the correspondence between the switch units and vehicle information may be freely set by the user for each of the switch units. By doing so, since individual users can obtain vehicle information necessary and useful to the users, user's convenience can be further enhanced.

[0027] According to the vehicle remote monitoring system thus constructed, since the user can obtain vehicle information without fail at a preset time by evocation from the relay device, a more convenient vehicle remote monitoring system can be provided.

Problems solved by technology

Therefore, the monitor method in the above vehicle remote monitoring system lacks user's operability and is very difficult to use particularly to aged or other users unfamiliar with cellular phones.

The above system has been difficult for application to a wide range of users.

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