JP2010165067A - Vehicle mounted electronic key system, vehicle, and electronic key - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a vehicle mounted electronic key system which uses wireless communication. <P>SOLUTION: A vehicle 1 includes a vehicle mounted communication device 11 for intermittently transmits a wake-up signal to a mobile electronic key 2, and for performing transmission and reception of information with the mobile electronic key 2 therebetween when the mobile electronic key 2 is receiving the wake-up signal, and a vehicle mounted device 12 capable of importing information acquired by the vehicle mounted communication device 11. The mobile electronic key 2 includes an inter-vehicle communication device 21 for performing transmission and reception with the vehicle 1 therebetween when receiving the wake-up signal from the vehicle 1, a communication device 22 between external devices for performing transmission and reception of information with a cellular phone 3 therebetween after notifying that it is receivable when a transmission request is received from the cellular phone 3, and a control unit 23 for controlling transmission and reception of information performed by the inter-vehicle communication device 21 and the communication device 22 between external devices. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle electronic key system using wireless communication.

  Conventionally, as a system using a portable electronic key that locks / unlocks a vehicle door using wireless communication, when the lock button provided in the portable electronic key is pressed, the unlock button is pressed There is known a system that unlocks automatically, or a system that automatically unlocks when a driver with a portable electronic key approaches the vehicle and automatically locks when the driver leaves the vehicle. In addition, with recent computerization of vehicles, systems having functions other than the original lock / unlock have been developed. For example, in the following Patent Document 1, a portable electronic key is applied as a transmission device that transmits desired information to an information device mounted on a vehicle, and various information is transmitted to the vehicle using a remote control signal from the portable electronic key as a trigger. A keyless entry system for transmission is disclosed.

JP 2004-301582 A

  However, according to the above-described conventional technology, the portable electronic key captures information from a personal computer or a cellular phone into a built-in memory or the like, and transmits the captured information to the vehicle using a remote control signal of the portable electronic key as a trigger. Therefore, in order to transmit information to the vehicle, there is a problem that the user needs to press the button of the portable electronic key after determining that the user has entered the area where communication with the vehicle is possible.

  In addition, according to the above-described conventional technology, there are map information, image information, moving image information, and audio information as information to be transmitted to the vehicle. These pieces of information are those of a communication device generally mounted on a portable electronic key. From the viewpoint of communication speed (performance), the amount of information is very large and the transmission time becomes long. Therefore, in a system that requires a user to operate a button, there is a problem that it is not easy to use because it takes a long time until the data can be used after the button is pressed.

  Further, according to the conventional technology, for example, in a taxi dispatch system, when a third party sends map information to a car navigation system, it is expected that the driver receives the map information while driving. At this time, there is a problem that it is difficult for the driver to perform the button operation even if the map information is received due to a safety problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to obtain an in-vehicle electronic key system in which information can be transmitted to a vehicle and used by the user without performing a predetermined operation. To do.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides an in-vehicle electronic key system in which a vehicle and an external device communicate with each other via an electronic key, and the vehicle intermittently wakes up signals. To the electronic key, and when the electronic key is receiving a wake-up signal, the in-vehicle communication device that transmits / receives information to / from the electronic key, and the information acquired by the in-vehicle communication device An in-vehicle device capable of capturing, and the electronic key inter-vehicle communication device for transmitting and receiving information to and from the vehicle when the electronic key is receiving a wake-up signal from the vehicle; In a case where a transmission request is received from an external device other than the vehicle, a communication device between external devices in the electronic key that transmits / receives information to / from the external device after notifying that reception is possible, and the electronic key A control unit that controls transmission / reception of information by the inter-vehicle communication device and the inter-external device communication device in the electronic key, and when the external device acquires information to be transmitted to the vehicle, a transmission request to the electronic key In the electronic key that has received the transmission request, when the inter-vehicle communication device in the electronic key has received a wake-up signal from the vehicle, the electronic key notifies the control unit to that effect, The internal / external device communication apparatus transmits notification information indicating that reception is possible to the external device based on the control of the control unit, and the external device, after receiving the notification information, The information to be transmitted is transmitted to an electronic key, and when the electronic key internal-device communication device receives information from the external device, the electronic key notifies the control unit to that effect, and the electronic key Ki The internal / external device communication device and the electronic key internal vehicle communication device perform processing for transmitting information from the external device to the vehicle based on the control of the control unit. The communication device transfers the received information to the in-vehicle device, and the in-vehicle device takes in the transferred information.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that the waiting time of the user during the communication operation is reduced even if the information to be transmitted / received is large. In addition, there is an effect that it is possible to avoid danger during the driving of the user.

  Embodiments of an in-vehicle electronic key system according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an in-vehicle electronic key system that locks and unlocks a vehicle according to the present embodiment. This system includes a vehicle 1, a mobile electronic key 2, and a mobile phone 3. The vehicle 1 includes an in-vehicle communication device 11 and an in-vehicle device 12. The in-vehicle communication device 11 transmits / receives information to / from the inter-vehicle communication device 21 of the portable electronic key 2. Further, a signal (intermittent wakeup signal) for detecting the presence of the portable electronic key 2 in the vicinity is intermittently transmitted at regular intervals. The in-vehicle device 12 is a device that captures information received by the in-vehicle communication device 11 (for example, car navigation (car navigation system), car audio, ECU (Electronic Control Unit), etc.).

  The portable electronic key 2 includes an inter-vehicle communication device 21, an external device communication device 22, and a control unit 23. The inter-vehicle communication device 21 transmits / receives information to / from the in-vehicle communication device 11 of the vehicle 1. Moreover, the intermittent wakeup signal from the vehicle-mounted communication apparatus 11 is received. The external device communication apparatus 22 transmits and receives information to and from an external device (in this embodiment, the mobile phone 3). Further, the mobile phone 3 receives a transmission request from the mobile phone 3 and notifies whether transmission is possible. The communication with the mobile phone 3 is assumed to be Bluetooth (registered trademark), but is not limited to this. The control unit 23 transmits the information from the mobile phone 3 received by the inter-apparatus communication device 22 to the vehicle 1 from the inter-vehicle communication device 21, and the information from the vehicle 1 received by the inter-vehicle communication device 21 is externally transmitted. Control to transmit from the inter-device communication device 22 to the mobile phone 3 is performed. In response to a transmission request from the mobile phone 3, whether or not transmission is possible is determined based on the reception status of the intermittent wake-up signal from the vehicle 1 in the inter-vehicle communication device 21.

  The mobile phone 3 transmits and receives information to and from the external device communication device 22 of the mobile electronic key 2. Further, when information to be transmitted to the vehicle 1 is acquired, a transmission request is transmitted to the portable electronic key 2. In the present embodiment, an authentication code similar to that performed between the vehicle 1 and the portable electronic key 2 is confirmed between the cellular phone 3 and the portable electronic key 2, and a predetermined specific code is set. Communication is possible only between devices.

  Next, an example of the operation in the system of the present embodiment will be described. Specifically, it is assumed that the vehicle 1 is near the home and the vehicle 1 and the portable electronic key 2 can communicate in a situation where the user is at home. It is assumed that the mobile electronic key 2 and the mobile phone 3 are always at a communicable distance.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing information transmission processing according to the present embodiment. The inter-vehicle communication device 21 of the portable electronic key 2 receives the intermittent wake-up signal from the in-vehicle communication device 11 of the vehicle 1 and is in a state where the portable electronic key 2 and the vehicle 1 can communicate. Here, the user downloads and acquires the map information of the destination on the vehicle 1 using the mobile phone 3 (step S1). In this case, since the mobile phone 3 has acquired information (map information) to be transmitted to the vehicle 1, the mobile phone 3 transmits a transmission request to the external device communication device 22 of the mobile electronic key 2 (step S2). The control unit 23 of the portable electronic key 2 confirms the state of the inter-vehicle communication device 21 and confirms whether transmission to the vehicle 1 is possible (step S3). Here, since transmission is possible (step S3: Yes), the control unit 23 notifies the mobile phone 3 of transmission permission via the external device communication device 22. The mobile phone 3 receives the transmission permission and transmits the acquired map information to the mobile electronic key 2 (step S4). The control part 23 performs control which transmits the information which the communication apparatus 22 between external apparatuses received from the communication apparatus 21 between vehicles to the vehicle 1 (step S4). In the vehicle 1, the in-vehicle communication device 11 receives the information and transfers the information to a target in-vehicle device 12 (here, the information is map information because the information is map information). The in-vehicle device 12 receives the information acquired by the user and takes it into its own device (step S5). For the captured map information, the in-vehicle device 12 may automatically set the destination at the start of traveling and start the guidance.

  In the above operation, the user has only downloaded the map information using the mobile phone 3. In this system, the mobile phone 3 automatically transmits the acquired map information to the vehicle 1 regardless of the user's operation.

  When the vehicle 1 is away and transmission to the portable electronic key 2 is impossible (step S3: No), the portable electronic key 2 notifies the transmission request from the portable telephone 3 that transmission is impossible. . In this case, the mobile phone 3 waits for transmission of information to the vehicle 1 (step S6). The user approaches the vehicle 1 (the portable electronic key 2 approaches the vehicle 1), and the inter-vehicle communication device 21 of the portable electronic key 2 receives the intermittent wake-up signal from the in-vehicle communication device 11 of the vehicle 1 and can communicate. In this case, the mobile electronic key 2 notifies the mobile phone 3 of transmission permission. The mobile phone 3 transmits the held map information to the vehicle 1 via the mobile electronic key 2 as described above (step S4). Also in this case, the mobile phone 3 automatically transmits the acquired map information to the vehicle 1 without performing a button operation to transmit data to the vehicle 1.

  As described above, since information is automatically transmitted to the vehicle 1 regardless of the user's operation, even if the map information is enormous and the communication time becomes long, the user can not use the map information without being aware of the communication time. Can be used.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the mobile phone acquires information used by the vehicle, the mobile phone automatically sends a transmission request to the mobile electronic key, and the mobile electronic key can communicate with the vehicle. Sometimes, information is transmitted from the mobile phone to the vehicle via the mobile electronic key. Thus, even when the amount of information transmitted from the mobile phone to the vehicle is large, the user can immediately use the information in the vehicle without being aware of the communication time.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In this embodiment, as a specific example of use, a case where the present invention is used for a taxi dispatch system will be described. A different part from Embodiment 1 is demonstrated.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the in-vehicle electronic key system according to the present embodiment. This system includes a vehicle 1 a, a portable electronic key 2, a mobile phone 3 a, and a vehicle dispatch command center 4. The vehicle 1 a includes an in-vehicle communication device 11, an in-vehicle device 12, and a distance measuring device 13. The distance measuring device 13 is a device that measures the location of the portable electronic key 2. In the present embodiment, specifically, it is used to determine whether the portable electronic key 2 is in the vehicle 1a (whether the user is in the vehicle 1a). The mobile phone 3 a transmits and receives information to and from the external device communication device 22 of the mobile electronic key 2. Further, when information to be transmitted to the vehicle 1 a is acquired, a transmission request is transmitted to the portable electronic key 2. In addition, communication with the dispatch command center 4 is performed. The dispatch command station 4 issues a dispatch command to the vehicle 1a via the mobile phone 3a and the portable electronic key 2.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a distance measuring method of the distance measuring device 13. The distance measuring device 13 includes antennas 14-1, 14-2, and 14-3. For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the portable electronic key 2 includes an antenna 24 for communicating with the vehicle 1a at the position shown in the figure. In general, a ranging system using spread spectrum communication is known, but in this embodiment, three antennas are mounted in order to improve accuracy. For example, the portable electronic key 2 transmits a spectrum-spread radio wave from the antenna 24, and the distance measuring device 13 receives it using three antennas (14-1, 14-2, 14-3). Since each antenna has a different installation position, reception times for receiving radio waves also differ. The distance measuring device 13 can accurately calculate the position of the portable electronic key 2 based on the difference in reception time. Note that the antennas 14-1, 14-2, and 14-3 are not limited to distance measuring devices, but may be used together as antennas that the in-vehicle communication device 11 uses for normal communication.

  Next, an example of the operation in the system of the present embodiment will be described. Specifically, it is assumed that a vehicle dispatch command is issued from the vehicle dispatch command center 4 to the vehicle 1a. It is assumed that the mobile electronic key 2 and the mobile phone 3a are always at a communicable distance.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a dispatching command transmission process according to the present embodiment. First, the user's mobile phone 3a receives a dispatch command mail to a certain destination from the dispatch command center 4 (step S11). For example, GPS (Global Positioning System) information for a destination is attached to the dispatch command mail. The mobile phone 3a that has received the mail automatically transmits a transmission request to the mobile electronic key 2 for transmission to the vehicle 1a (step S12). When the mobile electronic key 2 receives a transmission request from the mobile phone 3a, it checks whether transmission to the vehicle 1a is possible (step S13). When transmission is possible (step S13: Yes), the portable electronic key 2 inquires the location of the portable electronic key 2 to the vehicle 1a. The vehicle 1a checks whether the portable electronic key 2 is in the vehicle 1a (the user is in the vehicle 1a) (step S14). When the user is in the vehicle 1a (step S14: Yes), the vehicle 1a notifies the mobile phone 3a to that effect via the mobile electronic key 2. Specifically, notification is performed from the in-vehicle communication device 11 of the vehicle 1 a to the inter-vehicle communication device 21 of the portable electronic key 2. The control unit 23 of the portable electronic key 2 performs control to notify the notification received by the inter-vehicle communication device 21 from the external device communication device 22 to the mobile phone 3a.

  After receiving the notification, the mobile phone 3a transmits a dispatch command mail to the vehicle 1a via the mobile electronic key 2 (step S15). The in-vehicle communication device 11 of the vehicle 1a transfers the received dispatch command mail to the in-vehicle device 12 (specifically, here, car navigation). The car navigation system displays the contents of the dispatch command on the display unit of the own device (step S16). Here, the user confirms the displayed dispatch instruction and confirms whether or not the dispatch is possible (step S17). When the vehicle can be dispatched (step S17: Yes), the user operates the car navigation system to respond that the vehicle can be dispatched. In this case, the in-vehicle communication device 11 receives a response from the car navigation, and the in-vehicle communication device 11 transmits a response indicating that the vehicle can be allocated to the mobile phone 3a via the mobile electronic key 2. The cellular phone 3a transmits a response indicating that the vehicle can be dispatched to the dispatching command center 4 through mail or data transmission to the installed homepage (step S18). Thereafter, the car navigation system sets a destination based on the GPS information of the destination attached to the dispatch command mail, and starts guidance to the user (step S19).

  If the vehicle cannot be allocated (step S17: No), the user operates the car navigation system and makes a response indicating that the vehicle cannot be allocated (step S20). The communication method from the car navigation system to the vehicle dispatch command station 4 is the same as that in the above step S18 when the vehicle dispatch response is made.

  Next, although transmission is possible (step S13: Yes), for example, when the user is not in the vehicle 1a due to a meal or the like (step S14: No), the vehicle 1a notifies that via the portable electronic key 2. Notify the mobile phone 3a. The cellular phone 3a does not transmit the dispatch command mail to the vehicle 1a but puts it on hold, and displays the contents of the dispatch command on its own device (step S21). In this case, the mobile phone 3a notifies the user that the dispatch command mail has arrived by sound or vibration. Here, the user confirms the displayed dispatch command and confirms whether or not the dispatch is possible (step S22). When the vehicle can be dispatched (step S22: Yes), the user operates the mobile phone 3a to respond that the vehicle can be dispatched. In this case, the mobile phone 3a transmits a response indicating that the vehicle can be dispatched to the dispatch command station 4 through mail or data transmission to the installed homepage (step S23). Next, the cellular phone 3a receives transmission permission from the portable electronic key 2, and transmits a dispatch command mail to the vehicle 1a via the portable electronic key 2 (step S24). Thereafter, the in-vehicle device 12 (car navigation system) of the vehicle 1a sets the destination based on the GPS information of the destination attached to the dispatch command mail, and starts guidance to the user (step S25). Thereby, the user can go to the destination immediately after getting on the vehicle 1a.

  When the vehicle cannot be allocated (step S22: No), the user operates the mobile phone 3a to make a response indicating that the vehicle cannot be allocated (step S26). At this time, the communication method from the cellular phone 3a to the vehicle dispatch command station 4 is the same as in step S23.

  Next, when transmission is impossible (step S13: No), the mobile phone 3a displays the contents of the dispatch command on its own device (step S27). In this case, the mobile phone 3a notifies the user that a vehicle dispatch command has arrived by sound or vibration. Here, the user confirms the displayed dispatch instruction and confirms whether or not the dispatch is possible (step S28). When the vehicle can be dispatched (step S28: Yes), the user operates the mobile phone 3a and makes a response indicating that the vehicle can be dispatched (step S29). At this time, the communication method from the cellular phone 3a to the vehicle dispatch command station 4 is the same as in step S23. Next, the mobile phone 3a waits for transmission of information from the mobile phone 3a to the vehicle 1a until the mobile electronic key 2 can communicate with the vehicle 1a (step S30). When the user approaches the vehicle 1a (the mobile electronic key 2 approaches the vehicle 1a) and communication with the vehicle 1a becomes possible, the mobile electronic key 2 notifies the mobile phone 3a of transmission permission. The mobile phone 3a transmits the dispatch command mail that has been held to the vehicle 1a via the mobile electronic key 2 (step S31). Thereafter, the in-vehicle device 12 (car navigation system) of the vehicle 1a sets the destination based on the GPS information of the destination attached to the dispatch command mail, and starts guidance to the user (step S32). Thereby, the user can go to the destination immediately after getting on the vehicle 1a.

  If the vehicle cannot be allocated (step S28: No), the user operates the mobile phone 3a to make a response indicating that the vehicle cannot be allocated (step S33). At this time, the communication method from the mobile phone 3a to the vehicle dispatch command station 4 is the same as that in step S26.

  Note that, for example, if the distance between the user and the vehicle 1a is very large due to the vehicle allocation condition setting, even if the vehicle 1a and the portable electronic key 2 can communicate with each other, the cellular phone 3a cannot be automatically allocated. You may reply. As a result, the vehicle dispatch command station 4 can perform vehicle dispatch without waiting for a response from each user who cannot respond immediately to the vehicle dispatch command.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when a dispatch command is transmitted from the dispatch command station to the user's (driver) mobile phone in a taxi dispatch system or the like, the display method of the dispatch command is changed depending on the current position of the user. Therefore, it was decided whether or not the vehicle could be dispatched immediately by an in-vehicle device or a mobile phone. Accordingly, when the vehicle can be dispatched, the user can immediately use the map information of the destination in the vehicle without being aware of the communication time even when the amount of information transmitted from the mobile phone to the vehicle is large. Also, by changing the response method inside and outside the vehicle, the response time by the user can be shortened and danger can be avoided.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In the present embodiment, as a specific example of use, a system in which an automobile manufacturer automatically updates a program of an in-vehicle device will be described. A different part from Embodiment 1 is demonstrated.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the in-vehicle electronic key system according to the present embodiment. This system includes a vehicle 1a, a portable electronic key 2, a mobile phone 3b, and an automobile manufacturer 5. The mobile phone 3 b transmits and receives information to and from the external device communication device 22 of the mobile electronic key 2. Further, when information to be transmitted to the vehicle 1 a is acquired, a transmission request is transmitted to the portable electronic key 2. In addition, communication with the automobile manufacturer 5 is performed. The automobile manufacturer 5 updates the computer program (firmware) of the in-vehicle device 12 of the vehicle 1 a via the mobile phone 3 b and the mobile electronic key 2.

  Next, an example of the operation in the system of the present embodiment will be described. Specifically, it is assumed that the automobile manufacturer 5 updates the computer program of the in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle 1a. It is assumed that the portable electronic key 2 and the cellular phone 3b are always at a communicable distance.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing transmission processing of the update program according to this embodiment. For example, when the automobile manufacturer 5 finds a problem in the computer program of the in-vehicle device 12 mounted on the vehicle 1a, the mobile manufacturer 3b pre-registers a mobile phone 3b registered by the user of the vehicle 1a with an update program for trouble countermeasures such as the Internet. Download through the network (step S41). In this case, since the mobile phone 3b has acquired information (update program) to be transmitted to the vehicle 1a, the mobile phone 3b transmits a transmission request to the external device communication device 22 of the mobile electronic key 2 (step S42). The control unit 23 of the portable electronic key 2 confirms the state of the inter-vehicle communication device 21 and confirms whether transmission to the vehicle 1a is possible (step S43). If transmission is possible (step S43: Yes), the mobile phone 3b transmits an update program to the vehicle 1a via the mobile electronic key 2 (step S44). In the vehicle 1a, the in-vehicle communication device 11 receives the update program and transfers the update program to the target in-vehicle device 12. The in-vehicle device 12 receives the update program acquired by the user, fetches it into its own device, and updates the program (step S45). Note that the in-vehicle device 12 updates the computer program that has a problem at a time when there is no problem in the operation of the vehicle system.

  If transmission is impossible (step S43: No), the portable electronic key 2 notifies the transmission request from the cellular phone 3b that transmission is impossible. In this case, the mobile phone 3b waits for transmission of the update program to the vehicle 1a (step S46). The user approaches the vehicle 1a (the portable electronic key 2 approaches the vehicle 1a), and the inter-vehicle communication device 21 of the portable electronic key 2 receives the intermittent wake-up signal from the in-vehicle communication device 11 of the vehicle 1a and can communicate. In this case, the mobile electronic key 2 notifies the mobile phone 3b of transmission permission. The mobile phone 3 transmits the stored update program to the vehicle 1a via the mobile electronic key 2 as described above (step S44).

  When the in-vehicle device 12 updates the program, it may start and end automatically without the user's knowledge. For example, the user may be notified by light such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) lamp, vibration, or sound. Also good.

  Further, after the in-vehicle device 12 updates the program, the vehicle 1a notifies the automobile manufacturer 5 via the mobile electronic key 2 and the mobile phone 3b that the program has been updated. As a result, the automobile manufacturer 5 can grasp the unupdated user and can make a notification requesting the update through the mail or the service center.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the mobile phone acquires an update program for the in-vehicle device of the vehicle, the mobile phone automatically sends a transmission request to the mobile electronic key, and the mobile electronic key communicates with the vehicle. When possible, the update program is transmitted from the mobile phone to the vehicle via the portable electronic key, and the target in-vehicle device updates the program in the vehicle. Thereby, even when the amount of information of the update program transmitted from the mobile phone to the vehicle is large, the user can use the vehicle in a state where the program of the in-vehicle device is updated without being aware of the communication time. In addition, the automobile manufacturer can accurately grasp users who have not updated the program.

  As described above, the in-vehicle electronic key system according to the present invention is useful for a keyless entry system in wireless communication, and is particularly suitable for information transmission to in-vehicle devices.

It is a figure which shows the vehicle-mounted electronic key system in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the transmission process of information. It is a figure which shows the vehicle-mounted electronic key system in Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows the distance measuring method of a distance measuring device. It is a flowchart which shows the transmission process of a dispatch command. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an in-vehicle electronic key system in a third embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the transmission process of an update program.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1a Vehicle 2 Portable electronic key 3,3a, 3b Mobile phone 4 Vehicle dispatch command place 5 Car manufacturer 11 In-vehicle communication device 12 In-vehicle device 13 Distance measuring device 14-1, 14-2, 14-3 Antenna 21 Inter-vehicle communication device 22 External Device Communication Device 23 Control Unit 24 Antenna

Claims (11)

An in-vehicle electronic key system in which a vehicle and an external device communicate with each other via an electronic key,
The vehicle
An in-vehicle communication device that intermittently transmits a wake-up signal to the electronic key, and transmits and receives information to and from the electronic key when the electronic key receives the wake-up signal;
An in-vehicle device capable of capturing information acquired by the in-vehicle communication device; and
With
The electronic key is
An inter-vehicle communication device in an electronic key that transmits / receives information to / from the vehicle when receiving a wake-up signal from the vehicle;
When a transmission request is received from an external device other than the vehicle, a communication device between external devices in the electronic key that transmits and receives information to and from the external device after notifying that reception is possible,
A control unit for controlling transmission and reception of information by the inter-vehicle communication device in the electronic key and the external device communication device in the electronic key;
With
When the external device acquires information to be transmitted to the vehicle, it transmits a transmission request to the electronic key.
In the electronic key that has received the transmission request, when the inter-vehicle communication device in the electronic key receives a wake-up signal from the vehicle, the electronic key notifies the control unit to that effect and Based on the control of the control unit, the communication device transmits notification information indicating that reception is possible with respect to the external device,
The external device, after receiving the notification information, transmits the information to be transmitted to the electronic key,
In the electronic key, when the communication device between external devices in the electronic key receives information from the external device, it notifies the control unit to that effect, and the communication device between external devices in the electronic key and the electronic key The inter-vehicle communication device performs processing for transmitting information from the external device to the vehicle based on the control of the control unit,
In the vehicle, the in-vehicle communication device transfers the received information to the in-vehicle device, and the in-vehicle device takes in the transferred information.
An in-vehicle electronic key system characterized by the above. The electronic key and the external device are:
2. The in-vehicle electronic key system according to claim 1, wherein the authentication code is confirmed, and information is transmitted and received when it is recognized that the combination is a predetermined electronic key and an external device.   3. The in-vehicle electronic key system according to claim 1, wherein when the information to be transmitted is map information, the car navigation system that operates as the in-vehicle device captures the map information in the vehicle. The vehicle is
Further, distance measuring means for measuring the location of the electronic key,
With
When the distance measuring unit recognizes that the electronic key is inside the host vehicle, the ranging unit notifies the in-vehicle device to that effect, and the in-vehicle device receives the electronic key and the in-vehicle communication of the host vehicle from the external device. 4. The vehicle-mounted electronic key system according to claim 1, wherein information acquired via the device is displayed on its own display unit.   When the information acquired by the in-vehicle device is displayed and the user operates the in-vehicle device and performs a response to the information, the in-vehicle device outputs the response to the information to the in-vehicle communication device, and the in-vehicle communication The in-vehicle electronic key system according to claim 4, wherein the device transmits a response to the information to the external device via the electronic key. The vehicle is
When the in-vehicle communication device receives data for updating the software of the in-vehicle device from the external device via the electronic key, the data is transferred to the in-vehicle device, and the in-vehicle device is based on the data The in-vehicle electronic key system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein software of the device itself is updated.   The in-vehicle electronic key system according to claim 6, wherein the in-vehicle device notifies the user of completion of the software update.   The in-vehicle device notifies completion of software update to the in-vehicle communication device, and the in-vehicle communication device notifies completion of software update to the external device via the electronic key. Or an in-vehicle electronic key system according to 7; In a vehicle electronic key system, a vehicle communicates with an external device via an electronic key,
An in-vehicle communication device that intermittently transmits a wake-up signal to the electronic key, and transmits and receives information to and from the electronic key when the electronic key receives the wake-up signal;
An in-vehicle device capable of capturing information acquired by the in-vehicle communication device; and
A vehicle comprising: further,
Ranging means for measuring the location of the electronic key,
With
When the ranging means recognizes that the electronic key is inside the host vehicle, it notifies the in-vehicle device to that effect,
The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the in-vehicle device displays information acquired from the external device via the electronic key and the in-vehicle communication device of the own vehicle on its display unit. The electronic key in the in-vehicle electronic key system in which the vehicle and the external device communicate via the electronic key,
An inter-vehicle communication device that transmits and receives information to and from the vehicle when receiving a wake-up signal from the vehicle;
When a transmission request is received from an external device other than the vehicle, a communication device between external devices that transmits and receives information to and from the external device after notifying that reception is possible,
A control unit that controls transmission and reception of information by the inter-vehicle communication device and the external device communication device;
With
The control unit receives a notification from the external device communication apparatus that it has received a transmission request from the external device, and simultaneously receives a wakeup signal from the vehicle from the vehicle communication apparatus. If you receive a notification
When the inter-external device communication apparatus transmits notification information indicating that reception is possible to the external device based on the control of the control unit, and then receives information from the external device, the fact is received. To the control unit,
The electronic key, wherein the external device communication device and the vehicle communication device perform processing for transmitting information from the external device to the vehicle based on control of the control unit.

Images