JP4184375B2 - Vehicle communication device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular communication device that performs mutual communication between an in-vehicle device and a portable device, and more particularly, a passive device that allows a user to simply operate a door lock or unlock of a vehicle simply by holding the portable device. It relates to a technique suitable for entry.

Conventionally, in a vehicular communication device for an automobile, the user only has a portable device, and the door of the vehicle is unlocked when the user approaches the vehicle, and the door is locked when the user leaves the vehicle. A system with the functions to be used has been developed.
In this type of vehicle communication device, the vehicle-mounted device authenticates only a portable device existing in a predetermined outside area from the vehicle door, and permits the door to be locked or unlocked when the authentication result is OK. Thus, it is necessary to correctly recognize where the portable device is located outside the vehicle.

  In order to recognize where the portable device is located outside the vehicle, for example, an antenna (hereinafter referred to as “LF band antenna”) that emits an LF charging wave (frequency is about 120 KHz to 135 KHz) is provided for each vehicle window. An installed system has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In the portable device position recognition system using the LF band antenna in the conventional device described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of LF band antennas arranged at predetermined locations outside the vehicle are wire-coupled to a control unit in the vehicle-mounted device. In addition, it is configured to exchange signals between the control unit and the vehicle-mounted device located in the responsive area of each LF band antenna.

  Moreover, the portable device is designed to respond only within a predetermined level of the radio wave radiated from the LF band antenna, and the control unit in the vehicle-mounted device responds to the radio wave emitted from which LF band antenna by the portable device. By determining whether or not a response has been made, the location of the portable device is recognized.

  In this type of vehicle communication device, the necessary authentication communication is performed between the vehicle-mounted device and the portable device until the vehicle door is locked or unlocked. A transmission / reception circuit including an oscillation circuit and a modulation / demodulation circuit, a microcomputer, a memory, and a power source and a power source circuit for driving each circuit element are provided.

In addition, although a battery is generally used as the power source in the portable device, in a vehicle communication device in which communication with the vehicle side is frequently performed, since the power consumption is large, the battery life is shortened and the battery is replaced. There is a problem that the frequency of
Therefore, it has been proposed to reduce battery consumption by providing a power generation circuit in a portable device and using DC power generated in response to radio waves received from the vehicle-mounted device.
Furthermore, a configuration of a portable device in which an internal oscillation circuit and a battery are not incorporated has been proposed.

JP 2003-221954 A

  In the conventional vehicle communication device, in order to detect and recognize the position of the portable device on the vehicle-mounted device side, it is necessary to install many LF band antennas at predetermined locations outside the vehicle. In order to adjust the communicable area of the band antenna, a large number of work steps are required, and the cost of the entire system is increased.

  In addition, if a low-directivity antenna is used as a vehicle-mounted antenna to realize communication with a portable device using a single vehicle-mounted antenna, the transmission power from the vehicle-mounted device to the portable device existing outside the vehicle is reduced. Therefore, there is a problem that the power generation circuit in the portable device does not function sufficiently and it is difficult to reduce battery consumption of the portable device.

  The present invention was made to solve the above-described problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle communication device that improves power transmission efficiency to a portable device without requiring many antennas on the vehicle-mounted device side. To do.

A vehicle communication device according to the present invention includes a vehicle-mounted device mounted on a vehicle and a portable device owned by a user of the vehicle, and is a vehicle communication device that performs mutual communication between the vehicle-mounted device and the portable device. The portable device transmits a unique code to the vehicle-mounted device when transmitting / receiving signals to / from the vehicle-mounted device, and the vehicle-mounted device exists at a predetermined position of the vehicle, with a transmission / reception antenna having a directivity and an arbitrarily set beam direction Based on a unique code acquired by signal transmission / reception to / from a portable device, including an approaching person detection means for determining a detection direction of an approaching person and an antenna adjustment means for directing the beam direction of the transmission / reception antenna in the detection direction of the approaching person Only when the authentication of the portable device is confirmed, the permission signal for locking or unlocking the door of the vehicle is generated.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
Hereinafter, a vehicle communication device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a vehicle communication device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and shows functional configurations of an on-vehicle device 10 and a portable device 20 that communicate with each other.

  In FIG. 1, the vehicle-mounted device 10 mounted on the vehicle includes a control unit 11 composed of a microcomputer, a transmission / reception module 12 connected to the control unit 11, and a transmission / reception antenna 13 connected to the control unit 11 and the transmission / reception module 12. And an approaching person detecting means 14 connected to the control unit 11.

The control unit 11 includes a vehicle-mounted device memory 15 and an antenna adjustment means 16.
The in-vehicle device memory 15 includes various control programs for executing operation control and determination processing in the on-vehicle device 10, and an encryption key (unique code) required when the control unit 11 authenticates the portable device 20. Is stored.

The transmission / reception module 12 generates and modulates transmission radio waves to the portable device 20 under the control of the control unit 11.
The transmission / reception antenna 13 is configured to have directivity in a direction according to the purpose and arbitrarily set a beam direction, and radiates radio waves generated by the transmission / reception module 12 to space.
The transmission / reception antenna 13 is desirably installed, for example, on a ceiling portion in the vehicle so as to be able to radiate radio waves uniformly in each direction outside the vehicle.

Further, the thinner the transmission / reception antenna 13 is, the better. A specific example of the transmission / reception antenna 13 having a thin shape is a microstrip antenna.
Furthermore, in order to give directivity to the radiation pattern of the transmission / reception antenna 13, it is desirable to configure the transmission / reception antenna 13 by an array.
The antenna adjustment means 16 in the control unit 11 directs the beam direction of the transmission / reception antenna 13 in the detection direction of an approaching person who is trying to unlock or lock the door of the vehicle.

  The approaching person detection means 14 includes a switch or a sensor (not shown) installed in an outer handle portion of each door of the vehicle, and an approaching person present at a predetermined position of the vehicle based on a detection signal from the switch or sensor. Is detected, and the vehicle user (user and owner) informs the vehicle-mounted device 10 of the intention to unlock or lock the door.

The control unit 11 is a case where an approaching person exists at a predetermined position in the vicinity of the vehicle and the authentication of the portable device 20 is confirmed based on a unique code acquired by signal transmission / reception with the portable device 20 Only the permission signal G for locking or unlocking the door of the vehicle to the door locking / unlocking unit 30 is generated.
In response to the permission signal G from the control unit 11, the door locking / unlocking unit 30 locks or unlocks all doors including the luggage door of the vehicle.

On the other hand, the portable device 20 owned by the user of the vehicle includes a microcomputer 21, a portable device memory 22 belonging to the microcomputer 21, a modulation / demodulation circuit 23 that processes an authentication transmission / reception signal for the vehicle-mounted device 10, and the vehicle-mounted device 10. A detection / power generation circuit 24 for processing a reception signal for generating power from power, a transmitting / receiving antenna 25 for authentication, and a reception antenna 26 for generating power.
The portable device 20 transmits its own unique code to the vehicle-mounted device 10 via the transmission / reception antenna 25 at the time of signal transmission / reception with the vehicle-mounted device 10.

The microcomputer 21 in the portable device 20 executes operation control and determination processing in the vehicle-mounted device 10.
The transmitting / receiving antenna 25 transmits an authentication radio wave (a signal including a unique code) to the vehicle-mounted device 10 and receives an authentication radio wave from the vehicle-mounted device 10.
The modem circuit 23 modulates the transmission radio wave to the vehicle-mounted device 10 and demodulates the radio wave received from the vehicle-mounted device 10.

The portable device memory 22 stores an encryption key necessary for creating an authentication response code to be transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 10.
The receiving antenna 26 receives the power supply radio wave transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 10.
The detection / power generation circuit 24 detects the power supply radio wave, extracts DC power, and supplies the extracted power to each circuit element in the portable device 20.

In this case, since the portable device 20 does not have a power source as in the case of passive RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), the radio wave transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 10 using the reception antenna 26 and the detection / power generation circuit 24. Is converted into DC power in the portable device 20 and supplied as power necessary for the operation of the portable device 20.
In the portable device 20, the transmitting / receiving antenna 25 for transmitting / receiving an authentication signal (such as a question signal and a response signal described later) and the receiving antenna 26 for receiving a power supply radio wave are configured by individual antennas. You may comprise with the antenna of.

2-4 is explanatory drawing which shows the directivity conditions given to the transmission / reception antenna 13 in the onboard equipment 10, and each directivity of each radiation pattern P1, P2, P3 (refer to a broken-line frame) in the case of a different use is each shown. Show.
2 to 4, the radiation pattern with respect to the horizontal plane composed of the plan view (a) and the radiation pattern with respect to the vertical plane composed of the front view (b) can be seen in the positional relationship with respect to the vehicle 40 and the window 40a. It is shown.

The radiation pattern P1 (see FIG. 2) has no directivity with respect to both the horizontal plane (a) and the vertical plane (b) of the vehicle 40, and is positive with respect to the outside of the vehicle 40. Since the radio wave is not emitted, the present invention is applied to the case where the portable device 20 existing only in the vehicle 40 is detected.
On the other hand, the radiation pattern P2 (see FIG. 3) does not have directivity with respect to the horizontal plane (a), and has directivity with respect to the vertical plane (b) so that the beam is directed toward the outside of the vehicle. And since it will be in the state which radiates | emits a radio wave actively with respect to the exterior of a vehicle, it applies when detecting the portable device 20 which exists out of the vehicle 40. FIG.

  Furthermore, the radiation pattern P3 (see FIG. 4) has directivity so that the radio wave beam is directed in the vehicle exterior direction (the direction in which the portable device 20 is present) with respect to both the horizontal plane (a) and the vertical plane (b). In addition, since radio waves are actively emitted to the outside of the vehicle, it is possible to communicate with the portable device 20 existing at a predetermined location outside the vehicle using the single transmission / reception antenna 13. Moreover, the power transmission efficiency with respect to the portable device 20 outside the vehicle can be improved.

In the case of the radiation pattern P3 (see FIG. 4), it is desirable to direct the beam toward the windows 40a of the vehicle 40 in order to direct the beam toward the outside of the vehicle where the portable device 20 exists on the horizontal plane (a).
Hereinafter, the radiation pattern P3 of the transmission / reception antenna 13 (vehicle-mounted antenna) in each embodiment will be described by taking as an example a case where the beam direction is controlled to face the direction of each window 40a of the vehicle 40 unless otherwise specified. .

Next, an operation sequence according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5 together with FIGS.
In FIG. 5, a sequence until the door of the vehicle 40 is unlocked (unlocked) without performing a special operation when the driver or the owner carrying the portable device 20 approaches the vehicle 40. Are shown in parallel as processing of the vehicle-mounted device 10 and the portable device 20.

  5, first, the approaching person detection means 14 in the vehicle-mounted device 10 waits for detection of an approaching person to the vehicle 40 (step S101), and the approaching person is brought to a predetermined position based on the detection signal of the switch or sensor. By determining whether or not it exists, it is determined whether or not there is a willingness to lock and unlock the vehicle door (step S102).

If it is determined in step S102 that no approaching person is present at the predetermined position (that is, NO), the process returns to the start of the processing routine of FIG. 5 and waits for detection of the approaching person.
If it is determined in step S102 that an approaching person is present at a predetermined position (that is, YES), the power supply radio wave generated by the transmission / reception module 12 in the vehicle-mounted device 10 is transmitted from the transmission / reception antenna 13 to the portable device 20. (Step S103).

Here, as the approaching person detection means 14, a contact switch (a touch sensor, a mechanical switch or the like) or a non-contact switch (a capacitance sensor or the like) is used.
In step S102, the “door locking / unlocking will” by an approaching person to the vehicle 40 is determined by the presence of an approaching person at a predetermined position, but the approaching person touches a switch installed on a door handle for each vehicle door. (Or close proximity).
At this time, the direction in which the approaching person is approaching (or approaching) (the position of the door or the window 40a) can be recognized depending on which door is used to detect the approaching person.

In this case, the portable device 20 does not have a power source, and it is necessary to store necessary power in the portable device 20 before starting communication with the vehicle-mounted device 10. A power supply radio wave is transmitted in S103.
At this time, the main beam direction due to the radiation directivity from the transmission / reception antenna 13 of the vehicle-mounted device 10 is appropriately adjusted by the antenna adjustment means 16 in the control unit 11.
That is, the main beam direction of the transmission / reception antenna 13 is controlled to face the direction of the window 40a (or door) approaching (or approaching) the approaching person who can be known in step S102.

Therefore, the transmission / reception process of the power supply radio wave from the vehicle-mounted device 10 to the portable device 20 (located in the detection direction (window direction) of the approaching person) is more efficient than the case where the radiation directivity of the transmission / reception antenna 13 is not controlled. Will be realized.
Thereafter, the radiation directivity of the transmission / reception antenna 13 remains fixed until a “door unlocking (or locking) intention” by an approaching person from another window direction is detected.
As a method for controlling the main beam direction based on the radiation directivity of the transmission / reception antenna 13, it may be realized electronically using a known “phased array antenna technology”, “ESPAR antenna technology”, or the like. It may be realized mechanically by rotating itself.

Subsequently, the power generation receiving antenna 26 in the portable device 20 receives the power supply radio wave transmitted by the vehicle-mounted device 10 (step S104).
The power received in this way is detected by the detection / power generation circuit 24 and then converted into DC power, which is supplied to the circuit elements in the portable device 20 (the microcomputer 21, the portable device memory 22, and the modem circuit 23). Supplied and enables the mobile device 20 to operate.

Next, the vehicle-mounted device 10 radiates the interrogation signal generated and modulated by the transmission / reception module 12 to the space through the transmission / reception antenna 13 and transmits it to the portable device 20 (step S105).
At this time, as in the case of step S103, the signal transfer process from the vehicle-mounted device 10 to the portable device 20 is efficiently realized.
When a reply from the portable device 20 is required, a reply carrier wave required for the portable device 20 to reply to the vehicle-mounted device 10 is transmitted simultaneously with the transmission of the inquiry signal.

Subsequently, the portable device 20 receives the question signal transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 10 via the transmitting / receiving antenna 25 for authentication (step S106).
The interrogation signal received in this way is demodulated by the modem circuit 23 and then supplied to the microcomputer 21 in the portable device 20.

The microcomputer 21 converts the question code in the question signal acquired by the demodulation processing of the modem circuit 23 into a response code using an encryption key stored in the portable device memory 22 in advance.
When the return signal is included in the transmission signal from the in-vehicle device 10, the portable device 20 receives the return carrier wave required for the return to the in-vehicle device 10 via the transmission / reception antenna 25.

Next, the modulation / demodulation circuit 23 in the portable device 20 modulates the reply carrier wave received from the vehicle-mounted device 10 with the response code, and then transmits the response carrier signal to the vehicle-mounted device 10 from the transmission / reception antenna 25 (step S107).
Subsequently, the vehicle-mounted device 10 receives the response signal transmitted by the portable device 20 via the vehicle-mounted transmitting / receiving antenna 14 (step S108).
Also in the transmission / reception processing (steps S107 and S108) at this time, as in step S103, the signal transmission / reception processing between the vehicle-mounted device 10 and the portable device 20 controls the radiation directivity of the transmission / reception antenna 13. Compared to the case where it is not, it will be realized more efficiently.

Next, the transmission / reception module 12 in the vehicle-mounted device 10 demodulates the response signal received from the portable device 20 and inputs it to the control unit 11.
Subsequently, the control unit 11 collates the response code converted using the encryption key stored in the vehicle-mounted device memory 15 with the question code transmitted this time and the response code received from the portable device 20 to confirm the authentication. Is OK (the portable device 20 is a regular registration device) (step S109).

In step S109, if it is determined that the authentication confirmation result is NG and the portable device 20 is not a regular registration device (that is, NO), the process returns to the start of the processing routine of FIG. 5 and waits for detection of an approaching person.
In step S109, if the authentication confirmation result is OK and it is determined that the portable device 20 is a regular registration device (that is, YES), the control unit 11 instructs the door locking / unlocking unit 30 to “door unlocking”. A permission signal G for instructing (or permitting) “lock” is output, all doors of the vehicle 40 are unlocked (step S110), and the processing routine of FIG. 5 is terminated.

The operation sequence until the vehicle door is unlocked has been described above, but the operation sequence until the door is locked is executed in the same manner.
That is, in a state where the door is unlocked, when the approaching person detection means 14 detects “door locking / unlocking will (an approaching person is in a predetermined position)” in step S102, the control unit 11 determines in step S109. After determining that the portable device 20 is a regular registration device, a permission signal G for instructing (or permitting) “door locking” to the door locking / unlocking unit 30 is output, and all doors of the vehicle 40 are opened. The processing routine of FIG. 5 is terminated after locking.

  As described above, the transmitting / receiving antenna 13 having directivity capable of arbitrarily setting the beam direction and the approaching direction (detecting the intention to lock and unlock the vehicle door) of the approaching person existing at a predetermined position of the vehicle are determined. The vehicle detection device 14 and the antenna adjustment device 16 that directs the beam direction of the transmission / reception antenna 13 in the detection direction of the approaching person are provided in the vehicle-mounted device 10, and the portable device 20 owned by the user of the vehicle 40 is configured to have no power supply.

As a result, in response to the detection result of the approaching person detection means 14 (detection direction of the approaching person's door locking / unlocking intention), the vehicle-mounted device 10 makes the beam direction of the transmission / reception antenna 13 in the vehicle-mounted device 10 unpowered. In addition, control is performed so as to automatically face the detection direction of the approaching person who holds the portable device 20 (detection direction of the door locking / unlocking intention).
Further, the vehicle-mounted device 10 locks or locks the vehicle door with respect to the door locking / unlocking unit 30 only when the authentication of the portable device 20 is confirmed based on the unique code acquired by signal transmission / reception with the portable device 20. A permission signal G for unlocking is generated.

Thereby, the communication apparatus for vehicles which improved the transmission efficiency of the electric power transmitted to the portable device 20 from the onboard equipment 10 is realizable, without requiring many onboard antennas (transmission-and-reception antenna).
In addition, the vehicle-mounted device 10 improves the signal transmission / reception efficiency with the portable device 20 and, after confirming the authentication from the signal transmission / reception with the portable device 20, permission to lock and unlock the door. The signal G can be output.

  The transmission / reception antenna 13 has directivity with respect to at least one of the vertical plane and the horizontal plane of the vehicle 40 according to the application (see FIGS. 2 to 4), and the antenna adjustment unit 16 is within the vertical plane and the horizontal plane. Since the beam direction of the transmission / reception antenna 13 is variably set in at least one of them, optimal communication can be realized according to the position of the portable device 20 to be communicated.

That is, when the transmission / reception antenna 13 has directivity in the vertical plane, the power can be efficiently transmitted to the portable device 20 existing outside the vehicle by changing the beam direction in the vertical plane.
When the transmitting / receiving antenna 13 has directivity in the horizontal plane (or in the horizontal plane and the vertical plane), the beam direction is changed in the predetermined direction by changing the beam direction in the horizontal plane (or in the horizontal plane and the vertical plane). Electric power can be efficiently transmitted to the existing portable device 20.

In addition, the antenna adjustment means 16 changes the beam direction of the transmission / reception antenna 13 with respect to the direction of each window 40a corresponding to the detection direction of an approaching person to the vehicle 40, so that the portable device existing in each window direction outside the vehicle Power can be efficiently transmitted to 20.
Furthermore, the approaching person detection means 14 determines the approaching direction of the approaching person based on detection signals from switches or sensors installed at a plurality of locations of the vehicle 40, so that the communication circuit configuration in the vehicle-mounted device 10 is particularly complicated. Therefore, it is possible to easily detect the position of the approaching person (the direction in which the door is intended to be locked and unlocked) and efficiently transmit power to the portable device existing in a predetermined direction outside the vehicle.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the first embodiment (see FIG. 1), the approaching person detecting means 14 based on a detection signal such as a switch is used to determine the “door willing / unlocking will” of the approaching person, but as shown in FIG. The approaching person position estimation means 17 may be used to determine the approaching person's “door locking / unlocking will”.
6 is a block diagram showing a vehicular communication apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Components similar to those described above (see FIG. 1) are denoted by the same reference numerals as those described above, or after the reference numerals. A detailed description is omitted with “A”. Further, the portable device 20 (not shown) has a non-power supply configuration as described above (see FIG. 1).

In FIG. 6, the vehicle-mounted device 10 </ b> A includes an approacher position estimating unit 17 together with the control unit 11 </ b> A, the transmission / reception module 12, and the transmission / reception antenna 13 </ b> A.
The approaching person position estimation means 17 has a circuit necessary for detecting the position of an approaching person (driver and owner) with respect to the vehicle 40 (see FIGS. 2 to 4), and is transmitted and received by the transmitting / receiving antenna 13A. By processing the radio wave, the direction and distance (the position of the approaching person) where the approaching person exists is estimated.

  Note that the radiation directivity of the transmission / reception antenna 13A is not only configured so that the main beam direction can be scanned with respect to each necessary direction as described above, but also all necessary under the control of the antenna adjustment unit 16A. It is configured to be switchable to directivity having a plurality of beams having the same gain with respect to the direction.

Next, an operation sequence according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 6 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 7 together with FIGS.
FIG. 7 shows the processing sequence of the vehicle-mounted device 10A and the portable device 20 in parallel as described above (see FIG. 5). Steps S205, S206, and S210 to S215 in FIG. The process similar to -S110 is shown.

In FIG. 7, the vehicle-mounted device 10 </ b> A first detects a direction of an approaching person to the vehicle 40, and uses a transmission / reception antenna 13 </ b> A to search for a direction (hereinafter, referred to as a “direction search signal”). Is transmitted (step S201).
At this time, as described above, the transmission / reception antenna 13A has a plurality of beams having the same antenna gain with respect to all beam directions (including the beam direction with respect to each window), and in all beam directions including each window direction. On the other hand, it is comprised so that equal electric power can be radiated | emitted.

The direction searching radio waves radiated in the respective window directions are reflected by an approaching person to the vehicle 40 and returned to the transmission / reception antenna 13A (see the broken line arrow in FIG. 7).
Subsequently, the antenna adjustment unit 16A in the control unit 11A switches the directivity of the transmission / reception antenna 13A to a single beam, scans the beam direction sequentially in a plurality of directions including each window direction, and transmits / receives the transmission / reception antenna 13A. Then, incoming radio waves from each direction are received in order (step S202).

Next, the control unit 11A in the vehicle-mounted device 10A determines whether or not there is an approaching person based on whether or not the transmission / reception antenna 13A has received the incoming radio wave (step S203), and does not receive the incoming radio wave and has no approaching person ( That is, if it is determined NO), the process returns to the start of the processing routine of FIG.
As a result, the direction search radio wave for estimating the approaching direction is transmitted again via the transmission / reception antenna 13A switched to the antenna directivity having a plurality of beams having the same antenna gain for all beam directions including each window direction. To do.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S203 that an incoming radio wave is received and there is an approaching person (that is, YES), the approaching person position estimation means 17 in the vehicle-mounted device 10A estimates the direction of the approaching person (step S204). .
At this time, the approaching person position estimating means 17 extracts the beam direction that received the highest power by comparing the received power in each beam direction, and determines the beam direction of the maximum power as the direction of the approaching person to the vehicle 40. Can be estimated as

Next, 10 A of onboard equipment transmits the electric power required for operation | movement of the portable device 20 as an electric wave for electric power supply with respect to the approaching person estimated direction where it is estimated that an approaching person exists (step S205).
At this time, the directivity of the transmitting / receiving antenna 13A is adjusted by the antenna adjusting unit 16A, and the main beam direction is directed only to the approaching person estimated direction.
Thereby, high electric power can be radiated | emitted with respect to an approaching person estimation direction, and the power supply process from the onboard equipment 10A to the portable device 20 (it exists in a specific window direction) controls the radiation directivity of the transmission / reception antenna 13A. Compared with the case where it does not, it is implement | achieved efficiently.

Subsequently, the portable device 20 receives the power supply radio wave transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 10A via the reception antenna 26 (see FIG. 1) (step S206), and uses the detection / power generation circuit 24 to generate DC power. Convert to
The DC power converted from the power supply radio wave is supplied to circuits (such as the microcomputer 21, the portable device memory 22, and the modulation / demodulation circuit 23) constituting the portable device 20, and enables the portable device 20 to operate.

Next, the vehicle-mounted device 10A receives the reflected wave (see the broken line arrow in FIG. 7) that is reflected by the approaching person and is returned through the transmitting / receiving antenna 13A. (Step S207).
At this time, the main beam direction of the transmission / reception antenna 13A is fixed to the direction at the time of execution of step S205, and indicates the approaching person estimated direction in which the presence of an approaching person to the vehicle 40 is estimated. The reception processing of the reflected wave returned from the portable device 20 to the vehicle-mounted device 10A is more efficiently realized as compared with the case where the radiation directivity of the transmission / reception antenna 13A is not controlled.

Next, the approaching person position estimation means 17 in the vehicle-mounted device 10A measures the distance to the approaching person based on a known radar principle by using the reflected wave of the power supply radio wave received in step S209 by the estimation calculation. (Step S208).
Note that it is preferable to use a pulse radar system as a radar system at the time of transmission / reception of power supply radio waves in steps S205 to S207.
In this case, in step S208, the distance to the approaching person can be calculated by measuring the time during which the power supply radio wave divided in pulses is reflected by the approaching person and reciprocates.
Moreover, you may measure the distance to an approaching person using other radar systems, such as FM-CW system.

Further, the approaching person position estimation means 17 estimates the position where the approaching person exists using the direction in which the approaching person exists estimated in step S204 and the distance from the vehicle to the approaching person estimated in step S208, The estimated position of the approaching person is input to the control unit 11A.
Subsequently, the control unit 11A determines, based on the approaching person's estimated position, whether or not the approaching person has the intention to unlock the vehicle door and enter the vehicle. (Step S209).

  For example, if the direction of the estimated position of the approaching person is the direction of the front window of the driver's seat, the approaching person can get into the vehicle 40 from the front bonnet even if the approaching distance can be determined to be the door unlocking intention. Since the property is extremely low, it is determined that there is no will to unlock the door.

If it is determined in step S209 that no approaching person is present at the predetermined position and therefore there is no intention to unlock the door (that is, NO), the process returns to the start of the processing routine of FIG. The direction search radio wave is transmitted again in all beam directions including the direction of each window.
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S209 that the approaching person is present at the predetermined position and therefore has the intention to unlock the door (that is, YES), as in steps S105 to S108 described above (see FIG. 5), the question signal Then, the response signal is exchanged (steps S210 to S213).

  In step S214, if it is determined that the authentication confirmation result of the portable device 20 is OK and the device is an authorized registration device (that is, YES), the control unit 11A controls the door locking / unlocking unit 30 with respect to the door. A permission signal G for instructing (or permitting) locking is output (step S215), and the processing routine of FIG. 7 is terminated.

The operation sequence until the vehicle door is unlocked has been described above, but the operation sequence until the door is locked is similarly executed.
That is, in the state where the door is unlocked, no approaching person is detected in step S102, or even if an approaching person is detected, the estimated position by the approaching person position estimating means 17 deviates from the predetermined area, If it is determined that the approaching person does not have the intention to unlock the door, the door unlocking unit 30 does not generate the unlocking permission signal G and locks all the doors. The permission signal G for instructing is output.

As described above, a radio wave is radiated from the vehicle-mounted device 10A via the transmission / reception antenna 13A, and a reflected wave (radiated radio wave reflected by a person approaching the vehicle 40) is received and processed, thereby approaching. The person position estimation means 17 (functioning as an approaching person detection means) can estimate the position of the approaching person (determine the detection direction of the door locking / unlocking intention) based on the reception direction of the reflected wave.
Therefore, it is not necessary to install a touch sensor or a mechanical switch on the door knob or the like, and the position of the approaching person to the vehicle 40 can be recognized without using the approaching person detection means 14 (see FIG. 1). .
Moreover, the efficiency of the transmission power from the vehicle-mounted device 10A to the non-powered portable device 20 existing in a predetermined direction outside the vehicle can be improved.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In the first and second embodiments, the portable device 20 realizing no power supply is a communication target. However, as shown in FIG. 8, a portable device 20B having a power source may be a communication target.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a vehicular communication apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. The same parts as those described above (see FIGS. 1 and 6) are denoted by the same reference numerals as described above, or A “B” is appended to the reference numeral and the detailed description is omitted.

In FIG. 8, the vehicle-mounted device 10B includes a control unit 11B including the vehicle-mounted device memory 15B and the antenna adjustment unit 16B, a transmission / reception module 12 and a transmission / reception antenna 13B, and a portable device position estimation unit 18 that estimates the location of the portable device 20B. I have.
The portable device position estimating means 18 includes a circuit necessary for detecting the position of the portable device 20B owned by persons approaching the vehicle 40 (driver and owner).

In addition to the microcomputer 21B, the portable device memory 22B, the modulation / demodulation circuit 23, the detection / power generation circuit 24B, the transmission / reception antenna 25 and the reception antenna 26, the portable device 20B includes a power supply circuit 27 including a power source such as a battery. ing.
The power supply circuit 27 is in a sleep state when saving power, and supplies power to each circuit element in the portable device 20B when waked up. Thereby, a part of the electric power necessary for the operation of the portable device 20B is supplied from the power supply circuit 27.

Next, an operation sequence according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
FIG. 9 shows the processing sequence of the vehicle-mounted device 10B and the portable device 20B in parallel as described above (see FIG. 5). Steps S307 to S314 in FIG. 9 are the same as steps S103 to S110 described above, respectively. Shows the processing.

In FIG. 9, the portable device 20B is assumed to be in a sleep state (power saving state in which power consumption and various functions are suppressed) as an initial state.
First, the vehicle-mounted device 10B intermittently transmits a wakeup trigger signal for causing the portable device 20B to transition from the sleep state to the normal operation state via the transmission / reception antenna 13B (step S301).
Note that, similarly to the transmission / reception antenna 13A described above (see FIG. 6), the transmission / reception antenna 13B has a plurality of beams having the same antenna gain with respect to all beam directions including each window direction. It is assumed that the same power can be radiated in the beam direction.

Subsequently, the wake-up trigger signal radiated in each window direction is received by the portable device 20B owned by the person approaching the vehicle 40, and is input from the authentication antenna 25 to the microcomputer 21 via the modem circuit 23. .
As a result, the microcomputer 21 that has received the wakeup trigger signal is woken up from the sleep state and transitions to a normal operation state that consumes power necessary to execute the normal function (step S302).

  Subsequently, the portable device 20B that has transitioned to the normal operation state transmits to the in-vehicle device 10B a wake-up completion signal for transmitting that the portable device 20B has transitioned to the normal operation state and the location of the portable device 20B ( Step S303).

  Next, the control unit 11B in the vehicle-mounted device 10B switches the directivity of the transmission / reception antenna 13B to a single beam, and sequentially scans the beam direction with respect to a plurality of directions including each window direction, thereby transmitting / receiving antennas. The incoming radio waves from each direction are sequentially received via 13B (step S304).

Subsequently, the portable device position estimating means 18 extracts the beam direction when the wake-up completion signal from the portable device 20B is received, and the portable device owned by the person approaching the vehicle 40 based on the extracted beam direction. The existence position and direction of 20B are estimated (step S305).
Here, an example of the principle for measuring the distance from the vehicle-mounted device 10B to the portable device 20B will be described.

That is, in step S305, first, using the transmission / reception time Ta from the transmission of the wakeup trigger signal to the reception of the wakeup completion signal, and the internal processing time Tb spent on the internal processing of the portable device 20B, A signal propagation time Tc in which the wakeup trigger signal and the wakeup completion signal propagate in space is calculated.
The signal propagation time Tc is calculated by subtracting the known internal processing time Tb from the measurable transmission / reception time Ta.

Hereinafter, the distance from the vehicle-mounted device 10B to the portable device 20B can be estimated using the signal propagation time Tc (= Ta−Tb) and the propagation velocity of the radio wave (light velocity c).
Therefore, the portable device position estimating means 18 can estimate the signal propagation time Tc by measuring the transmission / reception time Ta, and can estimate the distance (= Tc × c) from the vehicle-mounted device 10B to the portable device 20B. .
Thus, the portable device position estimating means 18 estimates the position of the portable device 20B from the direction and distance of the portable device 20B.

Next, the control unit 11B in the vehicle-mounted device 10B unlocks the vehicle door based on whether or not the portable device exists at a predetermined position based on the estimated position of the portable device 20B owned by the approacher. It is determined whether or not there is an intention to get into the vehicle (step S306).
In step S306, if it is determined that the portable device 20B does not exist at the predetermined position and therefore the approaching person does not have the intention to unlock the door (that is, NO), the process routine returns to the start of FIG.

  If it is determined in step S306 that the portable device 20B is present at the predetermined position and the approaching person has the intention to unlock the door (that is, YES), the process proceeds to steps S307 to S312 similar to those described above. The power supply radio wave, the inquiry signal, and the response signal are exchanged between the vehicle-mounted device 10B and the portable device 20B.

  Further, the control unit 11B in the vehicle-mounted device 10B checks whether or not the ID signal included in the response signal from the portable device 20B matches the ID signal stored in the vehicle-mounted device memory 15B in advance (step S313). ) When it is determined that the portable device 20B is a regular registration device, a permission signal G for instructing (or permitting) door unlocking to the door locking / unlocking unit 30 is output (step S314), and the process of FIG. End the routine.

  On the other hand, after transmitting the response signal including the authentication ID (step S311), the portable device 20B returns to the sleep state in order to suppress power consumption in the portable device 20B (step S315), and the processing routine of FIG. Exit.

As described above, the vehicle-mounted device 10B receives the transmitted radio wave (a signal having a higher level than the reflected wave in the second embodiment) transmitted from the portable device 20B when the portable device 20B is woken up, so that the position of the portable device The estimation means 18 (functioning as an approaching person detection means) determines the position of the portable device 20B owned by the approaching person to the vehicle 40 (direction of door locking / unlocking will) based on the receiving direction of the transmission radio wave from the portable device. It can be estimated with high accuracy.
Moreover, by detecting the location of the portable device 20B with high accuracy, power from the vehicle-mounted device 10B to the portable device 20B can be reliably transmitted, and transmission efficiency can be further improved.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
In the first to third embodiments, the warning means for generating a warning for an unauthorized person is not mentioned. However, as shown in FIG. 10, the warning means 19 is provided in the vehicle-mounted device 10C. Also good.
10 is a block diagram showing a vehicle-mounted device 10C of a vehicle communication device according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention, and shows a case where an alarm means 19 is added to the vehicle-mounted device described above (see FIG. 1). Yes.

In FIG. 10, the same components as those described above (see FIG. 1) are denoted by the same reference numerals as those described above, or “C” is appended to the reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted. Further, the portable device 20 (not shown) has the same configuration as described above (see FIG. 1).
In this case, the alarm unit 19 such as an alarm buzzer, a warning lamp, or a sound generation unit is connected to the control unit 11C in the vehicle-mounted device 10C.
The warning means 19 gives an illegal mischief to the vehicle 40 to a person other than the user (owner or driver) of the vehicle 40 among those approaching the vehicle 40 (see FIGS. 2 to 4), or the vehicle 40. It has an alarm function to prevent theft itself.

Next, an operation sequence according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 11 together with FIGS.
In FIG. 11, the process from the start to the process of exchanging question signals and response signals between the vehicle-mounted device 10C and the portable device 20 (steps S101 to S108) is the same as in the first embodiment (see FIG. 5). is there.

Therefore, here, the authentication processing and alarm processing (steps S401 to S404) after the response signal reception processing (step S108) will be described. Note that steps S402 and S403 in FIG. 11 show the same processes as steps S109 and S110 described above, respectively.
Following step S108, first, the control unit 11C in the vehicle-mounted device 10C determines whether or not a response signal from the portable device 20 (see FIG. 1) has been received via the transmission / reception antenna 13 (step S401).

If it is determined in step S401 that a response signal is not received (that is, NO), the alarm means 19 is driven (step S404), and the process routine returns to the start of FIG.
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S401 that a response signal has been received (that is, YES), it is subsequently determined whether or not the portable device 20 is a regular registration device, as in step S109 described above ( Step S402).

  If it is determined in step S402 that the portable device 20 is a regular registration device (ie, YES), the control unit 11C instructs the door locking / unlocking unit 30 to unlock (or permit) the door unlocking. G is output, the door is unlocked (step S403), and the processing routine of FIG. 11 is terminated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S402 that the portable device 20 is not a regular registration device (that is, NO), it is assumed that the person approaching the vehicle 40 is a suspicious person other than the user (owner or driver), and an alarm is issued. Proceeding to the process (step S404), an alarm output (warning information) is generated from the alarm means 19.

  As described above, in the in-vehicle device 10C, when the detection direction of the approaching person (will to lock / unlock the door) is determined and the authentication of the portable device 20 is not confirmed, the alarm unit 19 is driven to output an alarm. By generating, illegal mischief to the vehicle 40 and theft of the vehicle 40 itself can be prevented.

At this time, if the warning output direction from the warning means 19 is limited only to the detection direction of the approaching person (willing to lock / unlock the door), the more effective warning can be realized.
That is, by outputting a limited warning to the approaching person's position (estimated direction), illegal approaching persons are effectively excluded, and mischief to the vehicle 40 and theft of the vehicle 40 itself are effectively prevented. be able to.

The alarm means 19 is preferably realized by optical means such as lighting equipment or acoustic means such as a speaker or a siren.
In this case, in order to avoid a false alarm being generated due to malfunction of the approaching person detection means 14 (detecting the door unlocking intention in error), the level of the alarm level or the like is It is preferable that the user (owner or user) can arbitrarily adjust it according to the vehicle traffic volume or the like.

Embodiment 5 FIG.
In the fourth embodiment, the alarm unit 19 is added to the vehicle-mounted device of the first embodiment (FIG. 1). However, as shown in FIG. 12, the vehicle-mounted device of the second embodiment (FIG. 6). Alarm means 19 may be added to the device.
12 is a block diagram showing an in-vehicle device 10D of a vehicle communication device according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

In FIG. 12, the same components as those described above (see FIG. 6) are denoted with the same reference numerals as those described above, or with “D” after the reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.
Further, the portable device 20 (not shown) has the same configuration as described above (see FIG. 1).

In this case, the alarm unit 19 is connected to the control unit 11D in the vehicle-mounted device 10D, and the suspicious person other than the user (owner or driver) among the approachers to the vehicle 40 (see FIGS. 2 to 4). On the other hand, a function for preventing unauthorized mischief to the vehicle 40 and theft of the vehicle 40 itself is added.
The transmission / reception antenna 13D has a plurality of beams having the same antenna gain with respect to all beam directions including the window directions of the vehicle 40, and has the same power for all beam directions under the control of the antenna adjustment means 16D. It can be radiated.

The operation sequence according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention is realized by combining FIG. 7 and FIG.
That is, from the start to the process of exchanging the question signal and the response signal between the vehicle-mounted device 10D and the portable device 20, the same as steps S201 to S213 in the second embodiment (see FIG. 7), and The operation sequence following step S213 is the same as steps S401 to S404 in the above-described fourth embodiment (see FIG. 11).

  That is, the control unit 11D determines that it has not received a response signal in step S401, or determines that the portable device 20 is not a regular registration device in step S402, as described above (FIG. 11). In this case, it is assumed that the person approaching the vehicle 40 is a suspicious person other than the user (owner or driver), the alarm process (step S404) is executed, and an alarm output (warning information) is generated from the alarm means 19. .

Further, as described above, the alarm output from the alarm unit 19 is limited to the direction of the presence position (estimated position) of the approaching person estimated by the approaching person position estimation unit 17, thereby realizing a more effective alarm. can do.
In this way, by outputting a warning only in the direction of the estimated position of the approaching person, it is possible to effectively prevent unauthorized mischief to the vehicle 40 and theft of the vehicle 40 itself.

Embodiment 6 FIG.
In the fifth embodiment (FIG. 12), the alarm unit 19 is added to the vehicle-mounted device of the second embodiment (FIG. 6), so that mutual communication is performed with the portable device 20 having a non-power supply configuration. However, the alarm unit 19 may be added to the vehicle-mounted device configured to be communicable with the portable device 20B having the power supply circuit 27 (see FIG. 8).
FIG. 13: is a block diagram which shows the onboard equipment 10E of the communication apparatus for vehicles which concerns on Embodiment 6 of this invention.

In FIG. 13, the same components as those described above (see FIG. 12) are denoted with the same reference numerals as those described above, or with “E” after the reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.
Further, the portable device 20B (not shown) has a power supply circuit 27 as described above (see FIG. 8).

  In this case, the alarm unit 19 is connected to the control unit 11E in the vehicle-mounted device 10E, and the suspicious person other than the user (owner or driver) among the approachers to the vehicle 40 (see FIGS. 2 to 4). A function for preventing an unauthorized mischief to the vehicle 40 and theft of the vehicle 40 itself is added to the person.

The portable device position estimating means 18 in the vehicle-mounted device 10B in the third embodiment described above (FIG. 8) detects the wake-up completion signal from the portable device 20B having the power circuit 27 and estimates the position of the portable device 20B. ing.
On the other hand, the approaching person position estimating means 17E in the vehicle-mounted device 10E according to the sixth embodiment (FIG. 13) of the present invention reflects the reflected wave of the wake-up signal transmitted to the portable device 20B (approach to the vehicle 40). The position of the approaching person to the vehicle 40 is detected.

Next, the operation sequence according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 13 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 14 together with FIG.
In FIG. 14, steps S401 to S404 are the same as the processing in the above-described fourth embodiment (see FIG. 11).
Steps S501, S502, and S506 to S512 indicate the same processes as steps S301, S302, S307 to S312, and S315 described above (FIG. 9), respectively.

  First, the vehicle-mounted device 10E intermittently transmits a wakeup trigger signal to the portable device 20B via the transmission / reception antenna 13E (step S501), and the portable device 20B that has received the wakeup trigger signal, Wake up from the sleep state and transition to the normal operation state (step S502).

  At this time, the transmission / reception antenna 13E has a plurality of beams having the same antenna gain with respect to all beam directions including each window direction, and radiates equal power in all beam directions. Thereby, the onboard equipment 10E can radiate | emit electric power with respect to the approaching person (including a suspicious person) to the vehicle 40 from each beam direction.

Subsequently, the control unit 11E in the vehicle-mounted device 10E switches the directivity of the transmission / reception antenna 13E to a single beam via the antenna adjustment unit 16E, and sequentially changes the beam direction with respect to a plurality of directions including each window direction. Scan.
Thereby, the transmitting / receiving antenna 13E sequentially receives incoming radio waves (including the reflected wave of the wake-up trigger signal) from each direction (step S503).

Next, the approaching person position estimation means 17E extracts the beam direction in which the reflected signal is received, and estimates the presence direction of the approaching person to the vehicle 40 based on the beam receiving direction of the reflected signal (step S504).
The approaching person position estimation unit 17E measures the distance from the vehicle-mounted device 10E to the portable device 20B based on the same radar principle and operation as the approaching person position estimation unit 17 described above (see FIG. 6).
Thereby, the approaching person position estimation means 17E can estimate the position of the approaching person from the direction and distance of the portable device 20B.

Subsequently, based on the estimated position of the portable device 20B owned by the approaching person, the control unit 11E determines whether the approaching person unlocks the vehicle door and enters the vehicle depending on whether the approaching person exists at a predetermined position. It is determined whether it has (step S505).
If it is determined in step S505 that the approaching person does not exist at the predetermined position and therefore the approaching person does not have the vehicle door unlocking intention (that is, NO), the process returns to the start of the processing routine of FIG.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S505 that the approaching person is present at the predetermined position and therefore the approaching person has the intention to unlock the vehicle door (that is, YES), step S307 described above (FIG. 9). To S312 and S315 (steps S506 to S511) are executed, and the process proceeds to step S401.

  Hereinafter, if it is determined in step S401 that the control unit 11E has not received a response signal, or if it is determined in step S402 that the portable device 20 is not a regular registration device, the control unit 11E The approaching person to the vehicle 40 is regarded as a suspicious person other than the user (owner or driver), and the alarm unit 19 is driven to generate an alarm output (warning information) (step S404).

Here, as described above, by limiting the alarm output from the alarm unit 19 to the direction of the approaching person's presence position (estimated position) estimated by the approaching person position estimating unit 17E, a more effective alarm can be performed. Can be realized.
In this way, by outputting an alarm limited to the direction of the estimated position of the approaching person, it is possible to effectively prevent unauthorized mischief to the vehicle 40 and theft of the vehicle 40 itself. An alarm can be realized.

Here, a specific method for limiting the direction of alarm output will be described.
First, as a visual warning output, for example, a method of emitting light from a light emitting means (display such as an LED or a strobe light) installed inside or outside the vehicle is limited to a direction in which the presence of an approaching person is estimated. .
Further, as an alarm output for hearing, for example, there is a method of propagating an alarm sound limited to a specific area by creating a beam-like sound field using ultrasonic waves.
In this way, by generating a limited warning output in the direction in which the position of the approaching person is estimated, illegal mischief to the vehicle 40 and theft of the vehicle 40 itself can be effectively prevented. .

It is a block diagram which shows the vehicle communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention, and has shown the case where the portable machine of a non-power supply structure is used. It is the schematic which shows the radiation pattern of the vehicle-mounted transmission / reception antenna of the vehicle communication apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention, and has shown the case where it has no directivity with respect to both a horizontal surface and a perpendicular surface. It is the schematic which shows the radiation pattern of the vehicle-mounted transmission / reception antenna of the vehicle communication apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention, and has a case where it has directivity with respect to a vertical surface. It is the schematic which shows the radiation pattern of the vehicle-mounted transmission / reception antenna of the vehicle communication apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention, and has a case where it has directivity with respect to a horizontal surface and a vertical surface. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement sequence by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the onboard equipment of the vehicle communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement sequence by Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the communication apparatus for vehicles which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention, and has shown the case where the portable machine which has a power supply is used. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement sequence by Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the onboard equipment of the communication apparatus for vehicles in Embodiment 4 of this invention, and has shown the case where it applies to the structure of Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement sequence by Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the onboard equipment of the vehicle communication apparatus in Embodiment 5 of this invention, and has shown the case where it applies to the structure of Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the onboard equipment of the communication apparatus for vehicles in Embodiment 6 of this invention, and the case where it applies to the structure of Embodiment 3 is shown. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement sequence by Embodiment 6 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E On-board unit, 11, 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E Control unit, 12 Transmission / reception module, 13, 13A, 13B, 13D, 13E Transmission / reception antenna, 14 Approaching means, 15, 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D, 15E Onboard device memory, 16, 16A, 16B, 16D, 16E Antenna adjustment means, 17, 17E Approaching person position estimation means, 18 Portable device position estimation means, 19 Alarm means, 20, 20B portable device, 21, 21B microcomputer, 22, 22B memory for portable device, 23 modulation / demodulation circuit, 24, 24B detection / power generation circuit, 25 transmission / reception antenna, 26 reception antenna, 27 power supply circuit, 30 door locking / unlocking unit, 40 vehicle , 40a window, G permission signal, P1, P2 P3 radiation pattern.

Claims (10)

A vehicle communication device comprising an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle and a portable device owned by a user of the vehicle, and performing mutual communication between the on-vehicle device and the portable device,
The portable device transmits a unique code to the in-vehicle device during signal transmission / reception with the in-vehicle device,
The in-vehicle device is
A transmitting / receiving antenna having directivity and an arbitrary beam direction;
An approaching person detection means for determining a detection direction of an approaching person present at a predetermined position of the vehicle;
Antenna adjustment means for directing the beam direction of the transmission / reception antenna in the detection direction of the approaching person,
A permission signal for locking or unlocking the door of the vehicle is generated only when the authentication of the portable device is confirmed based on the unique code acquired by signal transmission / reception with the portable device. A vehicle communication device. The transmission / reception antenna has directivity with respect to a vertical plane,
The vehicle communication device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna adjustment unit variably sets a beam direction of the transmission / reception antenna in the vertical plane. The transmission / reception antenna has directivity with respect to a horizontal plane,
The vehicle communication device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna adjustment unit variably sets a beam direction of the transmission / reception antenna in the horizontal plane. The transmitting / receiving antenna has directivity in a horizontal plane and a vertical plane,
The vehicle communication device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna adjustment unit variably sets a beam direction of the transmission / reception antenna in the horizontal plane and the vertical plane.   The vehicle communication device according to claim 4, wherein the antenna adjustment unit variably sets a beam direction of the transmission / reception antenna with respect to a direction of each window of the vehicle. Comprising switches or sensors installed in a plurality of locations of the vehicle,
The said approaching person detection means determines the detection direction of the said approaching person based on the detection signal from the said switch or the said sensor, The any one of Claim 1-5 characterized by the above-mentioned. Vehicle communication device. The on-vehicle device receives a reflected wave of a radio wave radiated from the on-vehicle device via the transmission / reception antenna,
The vehicular communication according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the approaching person detection means estimates a detection direction of the approaching person based on a reception direction of the reflected wave. apparatus. The on-vehicle device receives an outgoing radio wave from the portable device via the transmission / reception antenna,
The said approaching person detection means determines the detection direction of the said approaching person based on the receiving direction of the transmission radio wave from the said portable machine, The any one of Claim 1-5 characterized by the above-mentioned. Vehicle communication device. The in-vehicle device is
Including alarm means,
9. When the detection direction of the approaching person is determined and the authentication of the portable device is not confirmed, the alarm unit is driven to generate an alarm output. The vehicle communication device according to any one of the above.   The vehicle communication device according to claim 9, wherein the warning unit generates the warning output only in a detection direction of the approaching person.

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