Patent ID: 11891016
Assignee: VOXX INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  H  G  Y | IPC B  G  H

Claim 0:
1. A method of operating smartkey-enabled features of a vehicle by a vehicle control system (VCS) installed in the vehicle, the method comprising:
detecting an approach of an authorized mobile device to within a first predetermined distance of the vehicle, the authorized mobile device being authorized to access one or more of the smartkey-enabled features of the vehicle; and
in response to the approach of the authorized mobile device to within the first predetermined distance of the vehicle, configuring a smartkey power control module (SPCM) of the VCS from a first configuration in which the SPCM does not provide electrical power to a smartkey coupled to the SPCM, to a second configuration in which the SPCM provides electrical power to the smartkey, thereby enabling access to the one or more of the smartkey-enabled features of the vehicle;
wherein, when the SPCM is providing electrical power to the smartkey, operation of smartkey-enabled features of the vehicle is enabled and when the SPCM is not providing electrical power to the smartkey, operation of the smartkey-enabled features of the vehicle is not enabled.