Bluetooth car control device with low battery notification function and method for notifying of low battery of such device

Abstract

FIELD: vehicle control devices.SUBSTANCE: when the Bluetooth vehicle control device is connected to the external device and the battery voltage of the Bluetooth vehicle control device is less than the first voltage threshold value and greater than the second voltage threshold value, the Bluetooth vehicle control device outputs an automatic unlock signal to unlock the vehicle door and outputs a low battery notification message to the external device. When the Bluetooth vehicle control device is connected to an external device and the battery voltage is less than the second voltage threshold, the Bluetooth vehicle control device outputs a low battery notification message to the external device and skips generating an automatic unlock signal.EFFECT: ability to automatically notify the user about a low power consumption situation when the battery is running low.9 cl, 8 dwg

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a Bluetooth vehicle control device, in particular to a Bluetooth vehicle control device with a low battery notification function and to a low battery notification method for such a device.

[0002] STATE OF THE ART

[0003] A prior art Bluetooth car control device typically consumes a small amount of power from its batteries, and thus, despite being powered by batteries, it typically operates for a long time. However, the batteries of the prior art Bluetooth car control device will eventually run out. When this happens, if the user of the prior art Bluetooth car control device forgets to replace the batteries or recharge them, the prior art Bluetooth car control device will cease to function. In fact, the prior art Bluetooth car control device often ceases to function because the user has become accustomed to batteries with sufficient power over a long period of time, and therefore the user often does not have new batteries ready to replace them when the old batteries run out.

[0004] In general, when the battery of a well-known Bluetooth car control device runs out, it simply stops performing its functions properly and causes great inconvenience to the user.

[0005] DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0006] To overcome the above-mentioned problem, the present invention provides a Bluetooth vehicle control device with a low-battery notification function and a low-battery notification method for such a device. The present invention automatically notifies the user of a low-power situation when the battery is running low.

[0007] A Bluetooth vehicle control device with a low-battery notification function according to the present invention is designed for installation in a vehicle. The Bluetooth vehicle control device with a low-battery notification function includes a processor module, a Bluetooth transceiver module, a door lock controller module, and a battery module.

[0008] The Bluetooth transceiver module is connected to the processor module and is configured to connect to an external device. The door lock controller module is connected to the processor module and is configured to output a lock signal to lock the vehicle door or an unlock signal to unlock the vehicle door. The battery module is connected to the processor module, and the processor module monitors the battery module voltage.

[0009] The CPU module detects whether the Bluetooth transceiver module is connected to an external device.

[0010] When the Bluetooth transceiver module is connected to an external device, the processor module determines whether the battery voltage is less than or equal to the first voltage threshold. When the Bluetooth transceiver module is connected to an external device and the battery voltage is less than or equal to the first voltage threshold, the processor module further determines whether the battery voltage is less than or equal to the second voltage threshold. When the Bluetooth transceiver module is connected to an external device and the battery voltage is greater than the second voltage threshold, the processor module generates an automatic unlock signal, and the processor module sends the automatic unlock signal to the door lock controller module, allowing the door lock controller module to output the unlock signal.Additionally, the processor module also generates a low-battery notification message and sends it to the external device via the Bluetooth transceiver module. When the Bluetooth transceiver module is connected to the external device and the battery voltage is less than or equal to the second voltage threshold, the processor module generates a low-battery notification message and sends it to the external device via the Bluetooth transceiver module. However, the processor module skips generating the automatic unlock signal.

[0011] The low-battery notification method according to the present invention is implemented by a processor module of a Bluetooth vehicle control device with a low-battery notification function. The low-battery notification method comprises the following steps:

[0012] monitoring the battery voltage in the battery module;

[0013] determine whether there is a connection with an external device;

[0014] When connection with an external device is established, determine whether the battery voltage is less than or equal to the first voltage threshold value;

[0015] When a connection with an external device is established and when the battery voltage is less than or equal to the first voltage threshold value, determine whether the battery voltage is less than or equal to the second voltage threshold value;

[0016] When the connection with the external device is established and the battery voltage is greater than the second voltage threshold, generate an automatic unlock signal, generate a low battery notification message, and send a low battery notification message to the external device;

[0017] When the connection with the external device is established and the battery voltage is less than or equal to the second voltage threshold, generate a low power notification message, send a low power notification message to the external device, and skip generating an automatic unlock signal.

[0018] Thus, when the Bluetooth car control device is connected to an external device, it can automatically send a low-battery notification message to the external device, allowing the user using the external device to read the low-battery notification message. Since the user is notified of the low-battery module, they can replace or recharge the battery module to a higher charge before the battery module runs out of power. In addition, the Bluetooth car control device is configured to automatically unlock the car door; however, when the Bluetooth car control device runs low on power, the Bluetooth car control device stops automatically unlocking the car door in order to conserve some power in the Bluetooth car control device and remind the user that the Bluetooth car control device is running low on power.This low battery notification function enables the present invention to notify the user of a low battery situation of the Bluetooth vehicle control device before the Bluetooth vehicle control device is completely discharged, thereby preventing the Bluetooth vehicle control device from being completely discharged and ceasing to operate.

[0019] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a system circuit used for a Bluetooth vehicle control device with a low battery notification function according to the present invention.

[0021] Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B are flow charts of the low battery notification method according to the present invention.

[0022] Fig. 3A is a perspective view of the Bluetooth vehicle control device connected to an external device.

[0023] Fig. 3B is a perspective view of the Bluetooth vehicle control device disconnected from the external device.

[0024] Fig. 4A and Fig. 4B are flow charts of the automatic recording function of the battery replacement time for the low battery notification method.

[0025] Fig. 5 shows the sequence diagram of the automatic restart function in the low battery notification method.

[0026] IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] The present invention provides a Bluetooth vehicle control device with a low battery notification function and a low battery notification method for such a device.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 1, in the embodiment, the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 with a low battery notification function is installed in the vehicle. The Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 includes a processor module 11, a Bluetooth transceiver module 12, a door lock controller module 13, and a battery module 14. The Bluetooth transceiver module 12 is connected to the processor module 11, and the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 is configured to be connected to an external device 20. The door lock controller module 13 is connected to the processor module 11, and the door lock controller module 13 is configured to output a lock signal for locking the vehicle door or output an unlock signal for unlocking the vehicle door. The battery module 14 is connected to the processor module 11, and the processor module 11 monitors the voltage of the battery module 14.In an embodiment of the present invention, the external device 20 is a user's mobile device, and this mobile device may be a smartphone, a smart bracelet, or a smart watch.

[0029] As further shown in Fig. 2A, the processor module 11 determines whether the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 is connected to the external device 20 (S201). When the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 is connected to the external device 20, the processor module 11 determines whether the battery voltage is less than the first threshold value V TH1 voltage, or equal to it (S202). When the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 is connected to the external device 20 and the battery voltage is less than the first threshold value V TH1 voltage, or equal to it, the processor module 11 additionally determines whether the battery voltage is less than the second threshold value V TH2voltage, or equal to it (S203). When the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 is connected to the external device 20, and the battery voltage is greater than the second threshold value V TH2 voltage, the processor module 11 generates an automatic unlock signal, sends the automatic unlock signal to the door lock controller module 13 to give the door lock controller module 13 permission to output the unlock signal, generates a low battery notification message, and sends the low battery notification message to the external device 20 via the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 (S204). When the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 is connected to the external device 20, and the battery voltage is less than the second threshold value V TH2voltage, or equal to it, the processor module 11 generates a low charge notification message and sends it to the external device 20 via the Bluetooth transceiver module 12, and the processor module 11 skips generating an automatic unlock signal (S205).

[0030] When the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 is connected to the external device 20, and the battery voltage is less than the first threshold value V TH1 voltage or second threshold value V TH2voltage, the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 can automatically send a low-battery notification message to the external device 20, allowing the user to read the low-battery notification message using the external device 20. Since the user is notified of the low-battery situation of the battery module 14, they can replace or recharge the battery module 14 to a higher charge before the battery module 14 of the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 runs out of power. In other words, the low-battery notification message serves as a warning message for the user about the need to replace or recharge the battery module 14 of the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10.

[0031] Furthermore, the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 is configured to automatically unlock the vehicle door. However, when the battery power of the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 is low, the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 stops automatically unlocking the vehicle door in order to conserve some power of the battery module 14 of the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10, while reminding the user that the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 is low. This low-power notification function for the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 makes it possible to notify the user of a low-power situation of the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 before the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 is completely discharged, thereby preventing the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 from being completely discharged and ceasing to operate.In other words, the present invention helps prevent a user who intends to use the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 to lock / unlock a vehicle from experiencing an inconvenient situation in which the battery of the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 is completely discharged.

[0032] In the present embodiment, the first threshold value V TH1 voltage is greater than the second threshold value V TH2 voltage, in other words V TH1 > V TH2 .

[0033] As mentioned earlier, when the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 is connected to the external device 20 and the battery voltage is less than the first threshold value V TH2 voltage, but greater than the second threshold value V TH2voltage, the processor module 11 generates an automatic unlock signal and sends it to the door lock controller module 13, allowing the door lock controller module 13 to unlock the vehicle. The processor module 11 also generates a low-battery notification message and sends it to the external device 20 to remind the user of the low-battery situation of the battery module 14. In addition, when the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 is connected to the external device 20, and the battery voltage is less than the second threshold value V TH1 voltage, the processor module 11 generates a low battery notification message and sends it to the external device 20, but does not generate an automatic unlock signal.

[0034] For example, when the processing module 11 determines whether the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 is connected to the external device 20 via the Bluetooth transceiver module 12, the processing module 11 determines whether the Bluetooth connection between the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 and the external device 20 is successfully established. More specifically, when the Bluetooth connection between the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 and the external device 20 is successfully established, the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 of the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 will output a signal indicating a successful connection. When the processing module 11 receives a signal indicating a successful connection from the Bluetooth transceiver module 12, the processing module 11 thus determines that the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 successfully establishes a Bluetooth connection with the external device 20.

[0035] For example, the external device 20 and the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 may first attempt to pair with each other. After the external device 20 and the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 are paired, the user can use the external device 20 by allowing the application of the external device 20 to send a connection request to the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10, or, alternatively, the user can control the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 by allowing the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 to send a connection request to the external device 20.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 3A, when the distance between the external device 20 and the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 is less than the default distance, wireless communication is established between the external device 20 and the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10. For example, when the user carries the external device 20 into the vehicle, since both the external device 20 and the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 are in the vehicle and in close proximity to each other, wireless communication is established between the external device 20 and the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10.

[0037] In another embodiment, the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 or the external device 20 can continuously and automatically send a connection request. When the distance between the external device 20 and the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 is less than the default distance, wireless communication is established between the external device 20 and the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10. For example, the wireless communication is a Bluetooth wireless communication established between the external device 20 and the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 of the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10.

[0038] In addition, when the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 is connected to the external device 20 and the battery voltage is greater than the first threshold value V TH1voltage, the processor module 11 generates an automatic signal to unlock, sends it to the door lock controller module 13 to give the controller module 13 permission to output a signal to unlock the vehicle, but skipping the generation of a message with a low battery notification (S206).

[0039] In this embodiment, the external device 20 is a user's smartphone with an application (APP) installed on it, and the external device 20 can check its pairing with the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 by running the application. Thus, after checking, the application allows the external device 20 and the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 to establish a wireless connection, which allows the external device 20 to wirelessly communicate with the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 via the Bluetooth transceiver module 12.

[0040] Since the Bluetooth wireless connection has a rather limited connection range, when a Bluetooth wireless connection is successfully established, the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 and the external device 20 must be in close proximity to each other. In other words, when a Bluetooth wireless connection is successfully established between the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 and the external device 20, the user carrying the external device 20 must be in close proximity to the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 located in the vehicle. Therefore, when the user carrying the external device 20 is close enough to the vehicle, the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 can automatically generate an automatic unlock signal, allowing the door lock controller module 13 to output an unlock signal to unlock the vehicle.As a result, when the user approaches the vehicle with the external device 20, the user does not need to manually unlock the vehicle, since the vehicle will be automatically unlocked for the user.

[0041] When the battery voltage is greater than the first voltage threshold V TH1 , the remaining charge of the battery module 14 is still sufficient, and thus the processor module 11 does not find it necessary to generate a low charge notification message to notify the user.

[0042] Additionally, as shown in Fig. 2B, when the connection between the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 and the external device 20 is unsuccessful, the processor module 11 determines whether the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 is disconnected from the external device 20 (S211). When the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 is disconnected from the external device 20, the processor module 11 determines whether the battery voltage is less than the first threshold value V TH1 voltage, or equal to it (S212). When the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 is disconnected from the external device 20 and the processor module 11 determines that the battery voltage is less than the first threshold value V TH1 voltage, or equal to it, the processor module 11 determines whether the battery voltage is less than the third threshold value V TH3voltage (S213). When the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 is disconnected from the external device 20 and the processor module 11 determines that the battery voltage is greater than the third threshold value V TH3 voltage, the processor module 11 generates an automatic lock signal, sends the automatic lock signal to the door lock controller module 13 to give the door lock controller module 13 permission to output the lock signal, generates a low battery notification message and sends it to the external device 20 via the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 (S214). When the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 is disconnected from the external device 20 and the processor module 11 determines that the battery voltage is less than the third value V TH3voltage, or equal to it, the processor module 11 generates a message with a low charge notification to the external device 20 via the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 and skips the generation of an automatic signal for unlocking (S215).

[0043] When the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 is disconnected from the external device 20 and the battery voltage is less than the first threshold value V TH1 voltage or third threshold value V TH3voltage, the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 can automatically send a low-battery notification message to the external device 20, allowing the user to read the low-battery notification message using the external device 20. Since the user is notified of the low-battery condition of the battery module 14, they can replace or recharge the battery module 14 to a higher charge before the battery module 14 of the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 runs out of power.

[0044] Furthermore, the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 is configured to automatically lock the vehicle door. However, when the battery voltage of the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 is less than the third threshold value V TH3When the voltage drops, the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 stops automatically locking the vehicle door to conserve some charge in the battery module 14 of the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10, while reminding the user that the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 is running low. This mechanism prevents automatic locking when the user is outside the vehicle and the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 is at a low battery level.

[0045] In the present embodiment, the first threshold value V TH1 voltage is greater than the third threshold voltage value Vrm, in other words V TH1 > V TH3 . In addition, the second threshold value V TH2 voltage is also greater than the third threshold voltage V TH3 , in other words V TH2 > V TH3. As a result, V TH1 > V TH1 > V TH3.This means that when the battery voltage is less than the third threshold value V TH3 voltage, the Bluetooth car control device 10 would control the power supply by skipping sending the automatic signal to unlock the car; therefore, preventing the user from automatically locking outside the car by skipping sending the automatic signal to lock the car is a useful function of the Bluetooth car control device 10.

[0046] As mentioned earlier, when the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 is disconnected from the external device 20 and the battery voltage is less than the first threshold value V TH1 voltage, but greater than the third threshold value V TH3voltage, the processor module 11 generates an automatic lock signal and sends it to the door lock controller module 13, allowing the door lock controller module 13 to lock the vehicle. The processor module 11 also generates a low-battery notification message and sends it to the external device 20 to remind the user of the low-battery situation of the battery module 14. In addition, when the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 is disconnected from the external device 20, and the battery voltage is less than the third threshold value V TH3 voltage, the processor module 11 generates a low battery notification message and sends it to the external device 20, but does not generate an automatic blocking signal.

[0047] For example, when the processor module 11 determines whether the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 is disconnected from the external device 20 via the Bluetooth transceiver module 12, the processor module 11 determines whether the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 has successfully disconnected the Bluetooth connection with the external device 20. More specifically, when the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 disconnects the Bluetooth connection with the external device 20, the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 of the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 outputs a connection disconnection signal. When the processor module 11 receives the connection disconnection signal from the Bluetooth transceiver module 12, the processor module 11 thus determines that the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 is disconnected from the external device 20.

[0048] As shown in Fig. 3B, when the user carries the external device 20 and leaves the vehicle, the connection signal strength between the external device 20 and the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 will decrease until the external device 20 and the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 cannot maintain a wireless connection. When the external device 20 and the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 cannot maintain a wireless connection, the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 of the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 will generate a communication disconnection signal.

[0049] In addition, when the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 is disconnected from the external device 20 and the battery voltage is greater than the first threshold value V TH1voltage, the processor module 11 generates an automatic lock signal, sends it to the controller module 13 to give the controller module 13 permission to output a signal to lock the vehicle to lock the vehicle and skip the generation of a low battery notification message (S216).

[0050] As mentioned earlier, when the battery voltage is greater than the first threshold value V TH1 voltage, the remaining charge of the battery module 14 is still sufficient, and thus the processor module 11 does not find it necessary to generate a low charge notification message to notify the user.

[0051] As shown in Fig. 1, the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 further comprises an audio notification module 15, and the audio notification module 15 is connected to the processor module 11. When the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 of the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 is connected to the external device 20 and the processor module 11 generates a low battery notification message and further generates an audio notification signal and sends it to the audio notification module 15, allowing the audio notification module 15 to play a notification sound in accordance with the audio notification signal.

[0052] For example, referring to steps S204 and S205, when the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 is connected to the external device 20, the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 and the user's external device 20 must be in close proximity to each other. Therefore, in addition to generating a low-battery notification message to notify the user, the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 further uses the sound notification module 15 to generate a sound notification to alert the user of the low-battery situation of the battery module 14.

[0053] As shown in Fig. 4A, the processor module 11 further determines whether the battery voltage increases by more than the voltage change threshold over a period of time (S401). When the battery voltage increases by more than the voltage change threshold over a period of time, the processor module 11 generates a battery replacement signal and sends it to the external device via the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 (S402). According to the present invention, the battery replacement signal includes battery voltage information.

[0054] As shown in Fig. 4B, the external device 20 determines whether a battery replacement signal is received from the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 (S411). When the external device 20 receives the battery replacement signal from the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10, the external device 20 records the time of receiving the battery replacement signal as the battery replacement time, records the battery voltage information contained in the battery replacement signal, and displays the battery replacement time and the battery voltage information (S412).

[0055] As a result, the user can search and obtain the battery replacement time whenever using the external device 20, allowing the user to easily understand how long the battery module 14 has been in use. This technical feature provides additional information that can assist the user in deciding whether to replace the battery module 14 of the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10.

[0056] As can be seen from Fig. 1, the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 further comprises a switch module 16, and the battery module 14 further comprises a battery unit 141 and a voltage indicator unit 142.

[0057] Battery unit 141 is connected to Bluetooth transceiver module 12 and processor module 11, and battery unit 141 supplies electric power to Bluetooth transceiver module 12 and processor module 11. Battery unit 141 is also connected to door lock controller module 13 via switch module 16. Battery unit 141, switch module 16, and door lock controller module 13 together form a power supply circuit.

[0058] The voltage indicator unit 142 is connected to the battery unit 141 and the processor module 11. The voltage indicator unit 142 monitors the battery voltage value of the battery unit 141 and sends this battery voltage value to the processor module 11.

[0059] As further shown in Fig. 5, the processor module 11 further determines whether a restart signal output from the external device 20 via the Bluetooth transceiver module 12 is received (S501). When the processor module 11 receives the restart signal, the processor module 11 generates a power-off signal and sends it to the switch module 16 to issue permission to the switch module 16 to turn off the power supply circuit between the battery module 14 and the door lock controller module 13 (S502). Then, the processor module 11 waits for a first period of time (S503). After waiting for the first period of time, the processor module 11 generates a power-on signal and sends it to the switch module 16 to issue permission to the switch module 16 to turn on the power supply circuit between the battery module 14 and the door lock controller module 13 (S504).

[0060] For example, door lock controller module 13 may be a car door lock controller capable of remotely locking / unlocking the car door. In rare cases, the car door controller may freeze or operate abnormally during use. In this case, if the car door controller fails to lock / unlock the car door as intended, the user must manually recharge the car door controller's battery to restart the car door controller and reset it to resolve the freezing or abnormal operation issue.

[0061] According to the present invention, the user only needs to control the external device 20 to enable the external device 20 to generate a restart signal. For example, the application of the external device 20 is configured to generate a restart signal to the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10.When the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 receives a restart signal, the processor module 11 of the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 will control the switch module 16 so as to disconnect the power supply circuit between the battery module 14 and the door lock controller module 13, then, after waiting for a first period of time, such as waiting from one to two seconds, the processor module 11 will control the switch module 16 so as to reconnect the power supply circuit between the battery module 14 and the door lock controller module 13, thus restarting the door lock controller module 13 to give the door lock controller module 13 permission to reset its settings to the default settings and operate in the intended manner.

[0062] With reference to Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B, flow charts of the low-battery notification method according to the present invention are shown. The low-battery notification method according to the present invention is performed by the processor module 11 of the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 with the low-battery notification function. The low-battery notification method includes the following steps:

[0063] S201: Detect whether there is a connection with external device 20;

[0064] S202: When the connection with the external device 20 is established, determine whether the battery voltage of the battery module 14 is less than the first threshold value V TH1 voltage, or equal to it;

[0065] S203: When the connection with external device 20 is established and when the battery voltage is less than the first threshold value V TH1 voltage, or equal to it, determining whether the battery voltage is less than the second threshold value VTH2 voltage, or equal to it;

[0066] S204: When the connection with external device 20 is established and when the battery voltage is greater than the second threshold value V TH2 voltage, generating an automatic signal for unlocking, sending an automatic signal for unlocking to the door lock controller module 13, generating a low battery notification message, sending a low battery notification message to the external device 20, generating an audio notification signal and sending the audio notification signal to the audio notification module 15;

[0067] S205: When the connection with external device 20 is established and when the battery voltage is less than the second threshold value V TH2 voltage, or equal to it, generating a low battery notification message, sending a low battery notification message to the external device 20 and skipping the generation of an automatic unlock signal;

[0068] S206: When the connection with external device 20 is established and when the battery voltage is greater than the first threshold value V TH1 voltage, generating an automatic signal to unlock and sending an automatic signal to unlock module 13 of the door lock controller;

[0069] S211: When the connection with the external device 20 is unsuccessful, it is determined whether it is disconnected from the external device 20;

[0070] S212: When disconnected from external device 20, determine whether the battery voltage is less than the first threshold value V TH1 voltage, or equal to it;

[0071] S213: When disconnected from external device 20 and when the battery voltage is less than the first threshold value V TH1 voltage, or equal to it, determining whether the battery voltage is less than the second third value V TH3 voltage, or equal to it;

[0072] S214: When disconnected from external device 20 and when the battery voltage is greater than the third threshold value V TH3 voltage, generating an automatic locking signal, sending the automatic locking signal to the door lock controller module 13, generating a low battery notification message, and sending the low battery notification message to the external device 20;

[0073] S215: When disconnected from external device 20 and when the battery voltage is less than the third threshold value V TH3 voltage, or equal to it, generating a low battery notification message, sending a low battery notification message to the external device 20 and skipping the generation of an automatic blocking signal;

[0074] S216: When disconnected from external device 20 and when the battery voltage is greater than the first threshold value V TH1voltage, generating an automatic locking signal and sending an automatic locking signal to module 13 of the door lock controller.

[0075] As shown in Fig. 4A, the low battery notification method further includes the following steps:

[0076] S401: Determine whether the battery voltage increases by more than the voltage change threshold over a period of time;

[0077] S402: When the battery voltage increases more than the voltage change threshold value within a specified period of time, generate a battery replacement signal and send a battery replacement signal to the external device 20.

[0078] As shown in Fig. 4B, the external device 20 performs the following steps:

[0079] S411: Determine whether the battery replacement signal is received from the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10;

[0080] S412: When the battery replacement signal from the Bluetooth vehicle control device 10 is received, record the time of receiving the battery replacement signal as the battery replacement time, record the battery voltage information contained in the battery replacement signal, and display the battery replacement time and battery voltage information.

[0081] As shown in Fig. 5, the low battery notification method further includes the following steps:

[0082] S501: determining whether the restart signal issued from the external device 20 is received; and

[0083] S502: When the restart signal is received, generate a power off signal and send it to the switch module 16 to authorize the switch module 16 to cut off the power circuit between the battery module 14 and the door lock controller module 13;

[0084] S503: Waiting for the first period of time;

[0085] S504: Generates a power cut-off signal to the switch module 16 to permit the switch module 16 to cut off the power supply circuit between the battery module 14 and the door lock controller module 13.

Claims

1. A Bluetooth vehicle control device with a low battery notification function, configured to be installed in a vehicle and comprising: processor module; a Bluetooth transceiver module connected to the processor module and configured to be connected to an external device; a door lock controller module connected to the processor module and configured to output a lock signal for locking a vehicle door or to output an unlock signal for unlocking a vehicle door; and a battery module coupled to the processor module; wherein the processor module monitors the battery voltage in the battery module; and determines whether the Bluetooth transceiver module is connected to an external device; in this case, When the Bluetooth transceiver module is connected to an external device, the processor module determines whether the battery voltage is less than or equal to the first voltage threshold value; when the Bluetooth transceiver module is connected to the external device and the battery voltage is less than or equal to the first voltage threshold value, the processor module also determines whether the battery voltage is less than or equal to the second voltage threshold value; When the Bluetooth transceiver module is connected to an external device and the battery voltage is greater than the second voltage threshold, the processor module generates an automatic unlock signal, and the processor module sends the automatic unlock signal to the door lock controller module, thereby allowing the door lock controller module to output the unlock signal; the processor module also generates a low battery notification message, and sends such message to the external device via the Bluetooth transceiver module; and, when the Bluetooth transceiver module is connected to the external device and the battery voltage is less than or equal to the second voltage threshold value, the processor module generates a low battery notification message and sends it to the external device via the Bluetooth transceiver module, and the processor module skips generating an automatic unlock signal; wherein the processor module further determines whether the battery voltage has increased by more than a voltage change threshold over a period of time; wherein, when the battery voltage increases by more than the voltage change threshold value over a period of time, the processor module generates a signal to replace the battery and sends it to the external device via the Bluetooth transceiver module.

2. The Bluetooth vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein when the connection of the Bluetooth vehicle control device with the external device is not established successfully, the processor module determines whether the Bluetooth transceiver module is disconnected from the external device; wherein, when the Bluetooth transceiver module is disconnected from the external device, the processor module determines whether the battery voltage is less than or equal to the first voltage threshold value; when the Bluetooth transceiver module is disconnected from the external device and the battery voltage is less than or equal to the first voltage threshold value, the processor module determines whether the battery voltage is less than or equal to the third voltage threshold value; when the Bluetooth transceiver module is disconnected from the external device and the battery voltage is greater than the third voltage threshold value, the processor module generates an automatic lock signal, sends the automatic lock signal to the door lock controller module to permit the door lock controller module to output a lock signal to lock the vehicle, generates a low battery notification message, and sends the message to the external device through the Bluetooth transceiver module; and when the Bluetooth transceiver module is disconnected from the external device and the battery voltage is less than or equal to the third voltage threshold value, the processor module generates a low battery notification message, sends the message to the external device via the Bluetooth transceiver module, and skips generating an automatic lock signal.

3. A Bluetooth vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising: an audio notification module connected to the processor module; wherein, when the Bluetooth transceiver module is connected to the external device and the processor module generates a low battery notification message, the processor module additionally generates an audio notification signal and sends such signal to the audio notification module, allowing the audio notification module to play a notification sound in accordance with the audio notification signal.

4. A Bluetooth vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the battery replacement signal contains information about the battery voltage; wherein, when the external device receives a battery replacement signal, the external device records the time of receiving the battery replacement signal as the battery replacement time, records the battery voltage information contained in the battery replacement signal, and displays the battery replacement time and the battery voltage information.

5. A Bluetooth vehicle control device according to any one of paragraphs 1-4, further comprising: switch module; the battery module contains: a battery pack connected to the Bluetooth transceiver module and the processor module, supplying electric power to the Bluetooth transceiver module and the processor module, connected to the door lock controller module via a switch module and forming a power supply circuit together with the switch module and the door lock controller module; a voltage indicator unit connected to the battery unit and the processor unit, monitoring the battery voltage value of the battery unit and sending the battery voltage value to the processor module; wherein the processor module also determines whether a restart signal issued by the external device via the Bluetooth transceiver module has been received; and upon receiving a restart signal, the processor module generates a power-off signal, sends a power-off signal to the switch module to permit the switch module to disconnect the power supply circuit between the battery module and the door lock controller module, waits for the first period of time, generates a power-on signal, and sends such a signal to the switch module to permit the switch module to connect the power supply circuit between the battery module and the door lock controller module.

6. A low battery notification method performed by a processor module of a Bluetooth vehicle control device with a low battery notification function, comprising the following steps: determining the presence of a connection with an external device; when a connection with an external device is established, determining whether the battery voltage is less than or equal to the first voltage threshold value; when a connection with an external device is established and when the battery voltage is less than or equal to a first voltage threshold value, determining whether the battery voltage is less than or equal to a second voltage threshold value; when a connection with the external device is established and when the battery voltage is greater than a second voltage threshold, generating an automatic unlock signal, generating a low battery notification message and sending such message to the external device; and, when a connection with an external device is established and the battery voltage is less than or equal to the second voltage threshold, generating a low battery notification message, sending such message to the external device and skipping the generation of an automatic unlock signal; wherein the method additionally includes the following steps: determining whether the battery voltage increases by more than a voltage change threshold over a period of time; and, when the battery voltage increases more than the voltage change threshold value for a specified period of time, generating a signal to replace the battery and sending such signal to an external device.

7. The method for notifying about a low charge according to paragraph 6, further comprising the following steps: When the connection with the external device is unsuccessful, it is determined whether the external device is disconnected; when disconnected from an external device, determining whether the battery voltage is less than or equal to the first voltage threshold value; when disconnected from the external device and when the battery voltage is less than or equal to a first voltage threshold value, determining whether the battery voltage is less than or equal to a third voltage threshold value; when disconnected from the external device and when the battery voltage is greater than the third voltage threshold value, generating an automatic lock signal, generating a low battery notification message and sending such message to the external device; and, when disconnected from the external device and when the battery voltage is less than or equal to the third voltage threshold value, generating a low battery notification message, sending such message to the external device, and skipping the generation of an automatic lock signal.

8. The method for notifying about low battery according to paragraph 6, further comprising the following step: When connected to an external device and a low battery notification message is generated, additional sound notification signal generation.

9. The method for notifying about low battery according to any of paragraphs 6-8, further comprising the following steps: determining whether a restart signal issued by an external device has been received; and, When the restart signal is received, generate a power-off signal, wait for the first period of time, and generate a power-on signal.

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