JP2000266563A - Vehicle position confirming system and vehicle state confirming system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a vehicle position confirming system to easily find a vehicle by constituting an in-vehicle system in such a way that, when a user outputs an position expression requesting signal from a portable device, the signal is transmitted to the in-vehicle system and the system makes position expressing operations. SOLUTION: When a user operates the search key of a portable device, a command requesting position expression is transmitted to a vehicle side through the communication by means of a wireless transceiver (hereinafter, called transceivers). Upon receiving the command, the transceiver 16 of the vehicle supplies the command to an IFEl394 bus 7 as an asynchronous bucket. One or a plurality of equipment connected to the bus 7 respond to the command and make position expressing operations. The transceiver 16 executes communication for confirming the incoming call. On the portable device side, a CPU displays a picture or characters on a liquid crystal display. The position expression is performed by blinking a hazard lamp, operating a horn, or reproducing CD sounds.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle position confirmation system suitable for, for example, searching for the position of one's own car in a parking lot or the like, and for checking the state of one's own car at a place away from the car. The present invention relates to a vehicle state confirmation system suitable for the present invention.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a large outdoor parking lot such as an airport, a harbor, an event hall, or a theme park, or in a dark indoor parking lot such as a building or a hotel, the place where one's car stops is unknown. There are many things. For this reason,
Various techniques have been proposed that enable the user to find the position of his or her vehicle from a remote location.

[0003] For example, there is a system that allows a user to obtain an indication of the position of the vehicle from a remote position, and the vehicle flashes a hazard lamp in response to the request. Alternatively, there is a method of sounding a horn.

[0004]

However, in the case of notifying (positioning) with a hazard lamp, it is effective, for example, in a dim indoor parking lot, but is difficult to understand in a bright and wide outdoor parking lot. In addition, there was a situation that the horn could not be executed unnecessarily from the viewpoint of noise reduction.

[0005] Further, as means for allowing a user to execute these voice-recording operations in his / her vehicle, cellular or P
A trigger signal is transmitted to the car using a portable telephone system such as an HS. However, of course, the transmission of the trigger signal to the car is performed via a base station as a public telephone system, and in places where calls cannot be made such as underground parking lots or in areas outside the service area as a telephone system. Not available. That is, in such a place, the position indicating operation by the hazard or the horn cannot be executed.

It is also conceivable to prepare a device serving as a communication base station as a local system in a parking lot without using such a public telephone system so that a trigger signal from each user can be transmitted. In this case, for example, since a trigger signal from the user side is transmitted to the car via the base station in the parking lot, it can be used in a large parking lot or an underground parking lot where external radio waves cannot reach. However, in this case, a facility burden is imposed on the parking lot side, and of course, the service is provided only for the parking lot.

[0007] From these facts, it is possible to perform various position announcement operations according to the situation, to be able to operate regardless of location or region, and to eliminate the need for infrastructure such as base stations. There is a need to realize a vehicle position confirmation system that satisfies such conditions.

Further, when the user leaves the car in a parking lot or the like, it may be uncertain whether the door lock or the hand brake is applied, and the user may return to the car. For this reason, a system that allows the user to confirm the vehicle state while away from the vehicle is also desired.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the above-mentioned demands, the present invention makes it possible to perform various position indicating operations according to the situation, and to operate irrespective of place or region. It is an object of the present invention to realize a vehicle position confirmation system that satisfies conditions such as that no infrastructure such as a base station is required. Furthermore, a vehicle state confirmation system that can confirm the state of a vehicle from a remote position is realized. In the present invention, the vehicle position confirmation system and the vehicle state confirmation system are configured by an in-vehicle system and a portable device capable of performing two-way communication with each other.

In the vehicle position confirmation system according to the present invention, first, the in-vehicle system includes a communication means capable of performing two-way communication directly with the portable device, and a position expression request signal received by the communication means. Accordingly, a plurality of output means capable of executing a visual or audible notification output is provided. On the other hand, the portable device can directly perform two-way communication between at least an operation means capable of instructing a request for a position assertion of the vehicle and a system in the vehicle, and in accordance with an instruction operation of the request for a position assertion by the operation means. Communication means capable of transmitting a position request signal to the in-vehicle system. In other words, a system that does not require infrastructure such as a telephone base station and a parking lot system by performing two-way direct communication between the in-vehicle system and the portable device. In addition, various devices in the vehicle are systemized, and a plurality of output means can output a notification in various modes so that a selective or multiple position indicating operation can be performed.

As another vehicle position confirmation system of the present invention, a vehicle position determination means capable of determining the position of the vehicle and outputting image information indicating the position of the vehicle is provided in the system in the vehicle. A communication that can directly perform two-way communication with the device and that can transmit image information output from the vehicle position determination unit to the portable device in response to the received position information request signal. Means are provided. On the other hand, the portable device is provided with at least an operation unit capable of instructing a request for positional information of the vehicle, a display unit capable of displaying an image, and a communication unit. The communication means can directly perform two-way communication with the in-vehicle system, and transmits a position information request signal to the in-vehicle system in response to a position information request instruction operation by the operation means, Further, the image information transmitted from the in-vehicle system can be received and displayed on the display means. Also in this case, the system does not require infrastructure such as a telephone base station and a parking lot system by performing bidirectional direct communication between the in-vehicle system and the portable device. Further, an image (map image) by the own vehicle position determining means in the vehicle is displayed on the portable device side so that the user can confirm the vehicle position.

Still another vehicle position confirmation system according to the present invention includes an in-vehicle system, a vehicle position determining means capable of determining a vehicle position and outputting image information indicating the vehicle position, Bidirectional communication can be directly performed with the portable device, and image information output from the vehicle position determining means can be transmitted to the portable device according to the received position information request signal. Communication means;
One or a plurality of output units capable of executing a visual or audible notification output in response to a position announcement request signal received by the communication unit are provided. On the other hand, portable devices
An operation unit capable of instructing at least a request for indicating a position of the vehicle and a request for position information of the vehicle, a display unit for displaying an image, and a communication unit are provided. The communication means can directly perform two-way communication with the in-vehicle system, and can transmit a position assertion request signal to the in-vehicle system in response to a position assertion request instruction operation by the operation means. And transmitting a position information request signal to the in-vehicle system in response to a position information request instruction operation by the operation means, receiving image information transmitted from the in-vehicle system in response thereto, and displaying the received information. To be able to be displayed. That is, in this case, in order to confirm the vehicle position, both the operation of expressing the own vehicle position and the display of an image indicating the own vehicle position can be executed.

[0013] In the vehicle state confirmation system of the present invention, the in-vehicle system can directly perform two-way communication between the detection means for detecting the state of the vehicle and the portable device and receive the received state information. Communication means capable of transmitting detection information from the detection means to the portable device in response to a request signal is provided. On the other hand, the portable device can directly perform two-way communication with an operation unit capable of instructing at least a request for state information of the vehicle, an output unit capable of outputting state information, and a system in the vehicle. Transmitting a status information request signal to the in-vehicle system in response to a status information request instruction operation by the operating means, further receiving the status information transmitted from the in-vehicle system, and causing the output means to output the received status information. And communication means capable of performing such operations. That is, also in this case, an advantage is obtained by enabling the two-way direct communication as described above. Further, since the inside of the vehicle is systematized, various state information can be detected, and the vehicle state can be confirmed at a remote place by the user.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a communication system as an embodiment of a vehicle position confirmation system and a vehicle state confirmation system according to the present invention and its operation will be described. The description will be made in the following order. 1. 1. Configuration of in-vehicle system 2. Configuration of portable device 3. Vehicle position indicating operation 4. Vehicle position display operation Various operation modes of vehicle position confirmation operation 6. Vehicle state presentation operation Operations related to other key operations

1. Configuration of In-Vehicle System The configuration of the in-vehicle system of this example will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the case of this example, various devices are mounted in the user's automobile as schematically shown in FIG. 1, and these are systematized.

First, in the vehicle 1, front hazard lamps 2F, rear hazard lamps 2R, a drag lock mechanism 17, a horn (see FIG. 1), as shown in FIG. A horn 18 is provided. These are controlled by an ECU (Electronics Control Unit) 10 that controls various operations in the vehicle. Note that the ECU 10 is a control part that is usually provided in a vehicle, and is provided according to a control system such as an engine control system and a body control system, as is already known. I do.

The ECU 10 is connected to the gateway 11 by the vehicle bus 6. Various devices are system-connected from the gateway 11 via a control bus (in this example, the IEEE 1394 bus 7). In other words, the gateway 11 is an interface part for relaying various communications between the various devices connected to the IEEE 1394 bus 7 and the ECU 10 connected to the vehicle bus 6.

A navigation device 12, a CD changer 13, a monitor / head unit 14, and a DSP / amplifier 15 are connected to the IEEE 1394 bus 7. The navigation device 12 is a so-called GPS (Global Posit
It is a device that determines the position of the own vehicle using an ioning system, and captures current position information (latitude / longitude), speed information, and the like received by the GPS antenna 4. Then, an image is output as a guide display to the user based on the map data and the current position information recorded on a CD-ROM or the like, for example. As already known, as the navigation device 12, not only the guide display of the current position, but also the route guidance to the destination position, the map display, the traffic jam information display,
Various functions such as voice guide output are realized.

The CD changer 13 has a plurality of CDs.
(Compact disc) and can be selectively played back. In this example, the CD changer 13 is mounted as an acoustic source.
Of course, a CD player that can load and play a single CD, an MD player compatible with an MD (mini disc), M
A D changer, a cassette deck, a radio tuner, or the like may be mounted. In the position assertion operation of the present example described later, it is assumed that the reproduced sound from the CD changer 13 is output. However, it is needless to say that the reproduced sound from an MD or the like and the received sound from a radio tuner are output.

The monitor / head unit 14 is an interface part for a user, for example, a display screen such as a liquid crystal monitor, and a part on which various operation keys are arranged. The user (driver or the like) operates the navigation device 12 by operating the monitor / head unit 14.
And the operation of the CD changer 13 and the like. The map image and the like are displayed on the display screen of the monitor / head unit 14 by the navigation device 12, so that the user can receive the navigation.

The DSP / amplifier 15 is an audio processing unit, and performs various kinds of audio processing such as equalizing and reverb for a reproduced audio signal from the CD changer 13 and an amplification operation for outputting from a speaker (a so-called power amplifier function). Do. Then, reproduced music and the like are output into the vehicle interior by an internal speaker (not shown). The external speaker 3 shown in FIG. 1 is a speaker that is provided separately from a normal car audio speaker (speaker for a vehicle interior) and outputs sound to the outside of the vehicle. DSP / Amplifier 15
By causing the external speaker 3 to output the reproduction sound, the user can listen to the CD reproduction sound and the like outside the vehicle.

In this embodiment, a wireless transceiver (hereinafter, wireless transceiver) 16 is provided to realize various operations through communication with a portable device 50 described later. The wireless transceiver 16 is, for example, a DSSS having a bandwidth of 26 MHz in a 2.4 GHz band.
(Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum) Uses the wireless LAN standard of the communication method. The protocol is IEEE
The E802.11 wireless LAN standard. Then, it is possible to directly and bidirectionally communicate with a portable device 50 described later by the DSSS method. Therefore, the wireless transceiver 1
2.4 GHz helical antenna 5 for transmission and reception of 6
Is provided.

When considering the United States, Unlicensed US /
It is also conceivable to use the 902-928 MHz band, which is the ISM band. In this case, it is possible to further extend the communication distance and to increase the number of channels, but the antenna becomes longer like a rod antenna. In the case of the present example, the helical antenna 5 can be housed in, for example, the same housing as the GPS antenna 4 to be downsized, and the equipment attached to the vehicle 1 can be simplified.

FIG. 2 shows the system configuration of each of these devices. As shown, ECUs 10a to 10d for various control systems are connected to the vehicle bus 6. ECU
10a is a control unit of a body control system,
Drive control of the door lock mechanism 17, ON / OFF control of the hazard lamp 2 and other various light systems, drive control of the horn 18, and the like are performed. The ECU 10b is a control unit of an air conditioner in the vehicle compartment. The ECU 10c is a control unit for various sensors, and detects a state such as a handbrake, a light, and a door lock. The ECU 10d is a control unit of an engine control system, and controls start / stop of the engine, speed control during traveling (for example, a constant-speed traveling system), rotation speed, and the like, and performs display on a front panel.

The ECUs 10a to 10d are connected to a vehicle bus interface 21 of the gateway 11. On the other hand, from the gateway 20, the CD changer 13, the monitor / head unit 14, the navigation device 12, the wireless transceiver 16, and the DSP / amplifier 15 are connected to the IEEE 1394 interface 20 of each device by the IEEE 1394 bus 7, respectively.
Systematized. Each of these devices has a power line 19
To receive operation power from the battery.

With such a configuration, the gateway 11
And a system connected to the vehicle bus 6 via the
The systems connected to the EE1394 bus 7 can communicate with each other to perform a cooperative operation.

FIG. 3 shows the in-vehicle system of the present embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the inside of a wireless transceiver 16 in detail. The wireless transceiver 16 includes a switch 3
1, up / down converter 32, QUAD intermediate frequency modulator 33, baseband processor 34, dual synthesizer 35, CPU 36, ROM 37, RAM 3
8. It has a connecting portion 39.

The CPU 36 controls the wireless transceiver 16
, Which controls transmission / reception operations with the portable device 50 described later and communication operations with various devices connected via the IEEE 1394 interface 20 in the connection unit 39. The ROM 37 stores an operation program used by the CPU 36 and various constants. Also R
The AM 38 is used as a work area of the CPU 36 and a buffer area for transmission / reception data.

At the time of reception from portable device 50, switch 3
1 is the Rx side, and the radio wave received by the helical antenna 5 is supplied to the up / down converter 32. The up / down converter 32 amplifies a received radio wave and performs tuning / down conversion with a tuning frequency from the dual synthesizer 35 to supply a received signal to the QUAD intermediate frequency modulator / demodulator 33. Then, an intermediate frequency demodulation process is performed in the QUAD intermediate frequency modulator / demodulator 33, and despreading is further performed in the baseband processor 34, thereby obtaining a baseband signal. The CPU 36 executes a command interpreter of the baseband signal and outputs the command to the IEEE 139.
Asynchronous packet communication is performed with respect to a target device (a device corresponding to the content of received data) among the devices connected to the IEEE 1394 bus 7 via the 4 interface 20. For example, if the received data is for CD playback, asynchronous packet communication with the CD changer 13 is performed. When the in-vehicle system is in a standby state (main power off), the system wakes up (power on) in response to the wireless transceiver 16 receiving a command from the portable device 50.

When transmitting to portable device 50, C
The PU 36 supplies the transmission data fetched from the required device via the IEEE 1394 interface 20 to the baseband processor 34 to execute the spreading, and further performs the intermediate frequency modulation processing in the QUAD intermediate frequency modulator / demodulator 33 and the up / down converter 32 , An up-conversion process, a transmission amplification process, and the like are performed, and the signal is transmitted from the helical antenna 5 via the switch 31 on the Tx side. For example, when transmitting status information as described later, the CPU 36 captures status information transmitted as an asynchronous packet from the gateway 11, causes the baseband processor 34 to execute transmission processing, and transmits the status information to the portable device 50.

2. Configuration of Portable Device Next, the configuration of the portable device 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 shows an example of the external appearance of the portable device 50. The portable device 50 is a small device such as a key ring type device that can be carried at all times when the user is away from the car.

As shown in FIG. 4, the portable device 50 is provided with an antenna accommodating portion 60, in which 2.A.
The 4 GHz helical antenna 52 is housed. On the upper surface, a liquid crystal display 53 is formed as a display unit, and displays, for example, positional information (map image) of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 4A and status information of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 4B. You. Note that the display device is not limited to the liquid crystal display, and any display device may be used as long as it is a small display device. In this example, a display screen form is adopted in order to enable map image display. However, if it is only necessary to enable only the status display as shown in FIG. 4, for example, a display configuration using a light emitting element such as an LED. Can also be taken.

In the portable device 50, a search key 61, a status key 62, a door lock key 63,
Door unlock key 64, engine start key 65,
An engine stop key 66 and the like are formed. Needless to say, necessary operation keys and operation dials may be formed in addition to the above.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the portable device 50. In the portable device 50, a transceiver (hereinafter referred to as a transceiver) capable of performing two-way communication directly with the wireless transceiver 16 of the above-described in-vehicle system is provided. , Wireless transceiver)
51 are provided. Further, an LCD driver 54 for performing a display drive for the liquid crystal display 53 and a key scan unit 55 for detecting operation of the various operation keys (61 to 66) are provided.

The wireless transceiver 51 includes a switch 61, an up / down converter 62, a QUAD intermediate frequency modulator / demodulator 63, a baseband processor 64, a dual synthesizer 65, a CPU 66, a ROM 67, and a RAM.
68, and an interface unit 69 are provided.

The CPU 66 includes the wireless transceiver 51
Wireless transceiver 16 on the vehicle 1 described above
Control of transmission and reception operations with the
It controls the operation of supplying image data to the LCD driver 54 connected via the interface and the operation information from the key scan unit 55. The ROM 67 stores an operation program used by the CPU 66 and various constants. Also RAM
Reference numeral 68 is used as a work area of the CPU 66 or a buffer area for transmission / reception data.

At the time of reception from the wireless transceiver 16 of the vehicle 1, the switch 31 is set to the Rx side, and the radio wave received by the helical antenna 52 is supplied to the up / down converter 32. Then, like the wireless transceiver 16, the up / down converter 32 amplifies the received radio wave and tunes / downconverts the tuned frequency from the dual synthesizer 65, and supplies the received signal to the QUAD intermediate frequency modem 63. Then, an intermediate frequency demodulation process is performed by the QUAD intermediate frequency modulator / demodulator 63, and despreading is further performed by the baseband processor 64 to obtain a baseband signal.
The CPU 66 decodes data transmitted from the baseband signal and performs image display control according to the transmitted data. That is, image data for display as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B is supplied to the LCD driver 54, and a required display is executed on the liquid crystal display 53.

The wireless transceiver 1 on the vehicle 1 side
When transmitting to the key scan unit 5, the CPU 36
5 generates necessary transmission data in accordance with the operation information supplied from 5 and supplies the transmission data to the baseband processor 34 to execute the spreading. Further, the intermediate frequency modulation processing in the QUAD intermediate frequency modem 33 and the up / down converter Then, an up-conversion process, a transmission amplification process, and the like at 32 are executed, and transmission is performed from the helical antenna 5 via the switch 31 on the Tx side. For example, in response to the operation of the search key 61, a command related to the search key operation is transmitted to the vehicle 1
Send to the side.

3. Vehicle Position Representation Operation Various operations realized by the above-described system in the vehicle 1 and the portable device 50 will be described below. First, here, an operation for causing the vehicle 1 to execute a position announcement operation will be described as a suitable operation when, for example, the position where the user has parked his or her vehicle in a large parking lot or the like is lost.

In this vehicle position indicating operation, the vehicle 1 performs some kind of position indicating operation in response to the user operating the search key 61 of the portable device 50. The position indicating operation is, for example, an operation of blinking the hazard lamps 2F and 2R, smoothing out the horn 18, and outputting reproduced sound such as music by the CD changer 13 from the external speaker 3.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show communication and operation between the portable device 50 and the system in the vehicle 1 during the vehicle position indicating operation. When the user operates the search key 61, the wireless transceiver 51 transmits a command requesting a position announcement to the vehicle 1 as communication S1. Vehicle 1
When receiving the communication S1, the wireless transceiver 16 supplies the position assertion request command to the IEEE 1394 bus 7 as an asynchronous packet. On the other hand, while connected to the IEEE 1394 bus 7, one
Alternatively, a plurality of devices respond and perform the position indicating operation. In addition, the wireless transceiver 16 executes communication S2 for confirming the incoming call as the incoming call response. Portable device 50
When receiving the communication S2 (incoming call response), the CPU 6
Reference numeral 6 blinks an image or character indicating the incoming call on the liquid crystal display 53 in order to present to the user that the command has been received by the vehicle. This allows the user to
Side can confirm that the position assertion operation is performed.

The position assertion operation executed on the vehicle 1 side includes, for example, when the gateway 11 responds to the position assertion request command, the gateway 11
By transmitting a command to a, hazard lamps 2F and 2R
Can blink. Alternatively, the horn 18 can be leveled. When the CD changer 13 and the DSP / amplifier 15 respond to the position assertion request command, the CD changer 13 performs a reproduction operation on a required CD and outputs the CD reproduction sound from the external speaker 3. The operation described above becomes possible.

In this manner, the user can find his or her car by performing any one of the blinking of the hazard lamp, the horn sound, the CD reproduction sound, or the combined operation. Various examples of how these operations are actually performed can be considered, and examples of the operation modes will be described later.

By the way, the vehicle 1 may not be able to receive the position assertion request command from the portable device 50. Alternatively, the position indicating operation may not be executable for some reason. These cases are shown in FIG. That is, the portable device 50
If the incoming call response (S2) shown in FIG. 6 cannot be received after a predetermined time has elapsed after transmitting the location expression request command as communication S1 from the mobile device 50, the portable device 50 is in a communication disabled state for some reason. It is determined that there is. In this case, that is, when there is no incoming call response, the liquid crystal display 53 is presented to the user that the incoming call has not been received (communication is impossible). In the case where the communication is not possible in this way, by presenting it to the user, the user can recognize that the vehicle 1 does not perform the position indicating operation.

On the other hand, for example, when it is set so that only CD reproduction is performed as the position assertion operation (for example, when hazard blinking and horn output are set to be prohibited),
For example, when no CD is loaded in the CD changer 13, the in-vehicle system cannot perform the CD reproduction as the position indicating operation. In such a case, C
The D changer 13 issues a non-operational response to the location assertion request command, and sends this response to the wireless transceiver 1.
6 is transmitted as an inoperable response of the communication S3. When the portable device 50 receives the non-operation response, the non-operation is presented to the user on the liquid crystal display 53. Even in the case where the vehicle cannot be operated in this way, by presenting it to the user, the user can recognize that the vehicle 1 does not perform the position indicating operation.

4. Vehicle Position Display Operation Next, a vehicle position display operation will be described as an operation realized by the system in the vehicle 1 of this example and the mobile device 50. This is also a suitable operation when the position where the user has parked his or her car in, for example, a large parking lot is lost, and the map image indicating the position of the vehicle 1 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 53 of the portable device 50. Operation.

In this vehicle position display operation, when the user operates the search key 61 of the portable device 50, image data as a map indicating the vehicle position is transmitted from the vehicle 1 and the portable device 50 displays it. Is what you do. The vehicle position display operation is an operation having the same purpose as the above-described vehicle position expression operation, that is, an operation for the user to search for a vehicle. Therefore, in an actual system, one of the vehicle position displaying operation and the vehicle position indicating operation may be performed or both may be performed in response to the operation of the search key 61. Alternatively, an operation key for the vehicle position displaying operation and an operation key for the vehicle position indicating operation may be provided.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show the communication and operation between the portable device 50 and the system in the vehicle 1 during the vehicle position display operation. When the user operates the search key 61, the wireless transceiver 51 first issues a command to confirm whether or not there is a device capable of obtaining vehicle position information (whether or not the system is connected) as communication S11. Sent to one side. Upon receiving this communication S11, the wireless transceiver 16 of the vehicle 1 converts the presence confirmation command into an asynchronous packet as an IEEE packet.
Supply to E1394 bus 7 At this time, IEEE 139
If the navigation device 12 is connected to the four bus 7, the navigation device 12 responds to the existence confirmation. Then, a response signal from the navigation device 12 is transmitted to the portable device 50 by the wireless transceiver 16 as the communication 12.

When the portable device 50 receives the presence response of the communication S12, the portable device 50 transmits a command requesting position information to the vehicle 1 as a communication S13. When receiving the communication S13, the wireless transceiver 16 of the vehicle 1 converts the position information request command into an asynchronous packet as an IEEE packet.
Supply to E1394 bus 7 The navigation device 12 responds to this, that is, the navigation device 12 receives the latitude /
From the longitude data and the CD-ROM map information, a map image indicating the position of the vehicle in a parking lot or the like is generated and supplied to the wireless transceiver 16. The wireless transceiver 16 transmits the map image from the navigation device 12 to the portable device 50 as communication S14.

Upon receiving the communication S 14, the portable device 50 fetches the image data sent by the communication and displays it on the liquid crystal display 53. For example, the received image data is stored in the RAM 68 in the form of a bitmap of about 120 × 180 pixels, and the interface unit 69 sequentially scans the stored image data and transfers the image data to the LCD driver 54, so that the display is executed. . Thereby, for example, a map image is displayed as shown in FIG.

As described above, the map indicating the position of the car is displayed on the portable device 1 side, so that the user can accurately grasp the position of his / her car and easily find it. An example of the operation mode will be described later.

By the way, when the command from the portable device 50 cannot be received by the vehicle 1, or when the navigation device 12 is not mounted or not connected,
Alternatively, the transmission of the map image may not be executable due to circumstances such as GPS reception failure. These cases are as shown in FIG.
That is, even if a predetermined time or more elapses after transmitting the existence confirmation command as communication S11 from the portable device 50 side, FIG.
If any response such as the presence response (S12) shown in (1) cannot be received, it is determined that the portable device 50 is in a communication disabled state. And in that case, the liquid crystal display 5
3 is presented to the user that there is no incoming call (communication is impossible), and the user is made aware that the map cannot be displayed.

If there is no navigation device 12 connected to the system, the wireless transceiver 16 returns a response to the effect that the navigation device 12 is not connected to the portable device 50 as communication S15. In this case, the portable device 50 includes a liquid crystal display 53
Is displayed to indicate that the map cannot be displayed, and the user is made aware that the map cannot be displayed. Furthermore, even if the navigation device 12 is connected, the G
If the PS data cannot be received, the navigation device 12
May not be able to identify the position of the vehicle and generate a map image. In such a case, the navigation device 12 issues an inoperable response to the position information request command (S13), and the response is transmitted to the portable device 50 by the wireless transceiver 16 as communication S16. Also in this case, the portable device 50 displays on the liquid crystal display 53 that the operation is not possible, and causes the user to recognize that the map cannot be displayed.

5. Various Operation Modes of Vehicle Position Confirmation Operation As described above, the position assertion operation and the position display operation have been described as operation examples when the user operates the search key 61. As described above, the position assertion operation and the position Either one of the display operations may be performed, or both may be performed. Further, as the position indicating operation that can be executed by the system of the present embodiment, a plurality of types such as CD playback, hazard flashing, and horn generation are possible, and one of these can be executed or a combination thereof can be executed. can do.

First, regarding the position assertion operation and the position display operation, the system setting or the user's selection is performed as shown in FIG.
The operation modes (a), (b), and (c) can be considered. FIG.
(A) shows a case where only the position indicating operation is performed in response to the operation of the search key 61. FIG. 10B shows a case where only the position display operation is performed according to the operation of the search key 61. FIG. 10C shows a case where both the position assertion operation and the position display operation are executed in response to the operation of the search key 61.

The position assertion operation may be performed by performing only one operation, such as CD playback only, hazard flashing only, or horn generation, or by performing CD playback and hazard flashing. A composite operation example is conceivable in which horn generation and hazard blinking are performed. In addition, priorities are set and, for example, as a position announcement operation, CD playback is basically performed first, but when CD playback is not possible, hazard flashing or horn generation is performed. An operation example is also conceivable. Of course, the operation to be executed and the priority order may be arbitrarily set by the user. Furthermore, it is also possible to switch and execute the operations sequentially as a composite operation. For example, when a position assertion request is issued, the first predetermined time is sequentially played such as CD playback, followed by hazard flashing for a predetermined time, and then horn generation for a predetermined time.

As described above, the actual operation mode of the position assertion operation and the position display operation can be considered in various ways. However, the user's setting, the program setting in the system operation, the status of the connected device, the status of the place and area, It is conceivable that the selection is made according to the advantages of each operation.

For example, the operation to be executed in advance by the user
If it is possible to select from among map display, CD playback, hazard flashing, and horn generation, an operation for position confirmation suitable for the user is realized. For example, a person who is good at checking by map display will display the map,
People who are not good at maps may use CDs in advance, such as selecting CD playback in advance. Further portable device 50
An operator that can separately instruct these four operations may be prepared on the side, so that the user can use them properly according to the situation.

Since each operation has the following advantages, it is preferable to use the operations according to the advantages.

In the case of the map display, there is an advantage that the user can accurately confirm the position of his / her car on the displayed map. Also, it does not cause any trouble such as noise to the surrounding people as when a horn is generated. Where G
It cannot be executed in an underground parking lot where the PS radio wave does not reach.

In the case of playing back a CD, the user plays back a CD owned by the user, so that a song that the user knows is played, thereby making it easier to find the position of his car. In addition, it is less likely to make the surrounding people feel uncomfortable than when the horn is generated. Of course, it can be executed even in a position where external communication radio waves such as GPS radio waves do not reach, and it is easy to understand even in a dark place such as an indoor parking lot.

In the case of hazard flashing, it is easy to understand in a dimly lit indoor parking lot, but it may not be visible from the user's position due to obstacles such as walls and columns. Hazard blinking is difficult to see in outdoor parking lots on sunny days. However, it does not bother other people like a horn. Of course, it can be executed even in a place where GPS radio waves cannot reach. In addition, the operation is executable even without the equipment such as the CD changer 13 and the navigation device 12.

When a horn is generated, it may be annoying to surrounding people, but it is an effective means not only indoors and outdoors. This is also an operation that can be performed without equipment such as the CD changer 13 and the navigation device 12. Further, if an operation of lightening at regular intervals, such as an interval of about 5 seconds, is repeated, there is no significant problem from the viewpoint of noise prevention.

By taking these advantages and disadvantages into consideration, the most effective operation can be selected. For example, as a system operation, the map display by the navigation device 12 is given top priority, but when GPS reception is not possible, switching to CD playback by the CD changer 13 is performed, and
If reproduction is not possible, hazard blinking or horn generation is executed. In addition, for example, a sensor that detects the amount of light in the surroundings is provided, and when extremely bright outdoors etc., a horn is generated,
If not, the hazard may be blinking. Of course, as described above, if the operation to prepare and execute each of these four operations separately on the portable device 50 side can be selected each time, the user can select the operation according to the above advantages and disadvantages. A suitable operation can be selected.

6. Vehicle state presentation operation Next, a vehicle state presentation operation that can be realized in this example will be described. This vehicle state presentation operation is an operation that allows the user to confirm the state of the vehicle, for example, the state of the door lock or the handbrake, after leaving the vehicle.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show communication and operation between the portable device 50 and the system in the vehicle 1 during the vehicle state presentation operation. When the user operates the status ski 62, a command requesting status data is transmitted to the vehicle 1 by the wireless transceiver 51 as communication S21. The wireless transceiver 16 of the vehicle 1
When the communication S21 is received, the status request command is converted into an asynchronous packet as an IEEE 1394 packet.
Supply to bus 7. The gateway 11 connected to the IEEE 1394 bus 7 responds to this.

That is, the gateway 11 receives required status data from the ECU 10c via the vehicle bus 6, for example, and outputs it. The wireless transceiver 16 transmits the status data output from the gateway 11 to the portable device 50 as communication S22.
When the portable device 50 receives the communication S22 (status data), the CPU 66 generates image data corresponding to the received status data, displays the image data on the liquid crystal display 53, and presents it to the user.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, the status display includes a door lock status, a hand brake status,
The light on / off state, gear position, outdoor temperature (or indoor temperature), and license plate are displayed. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to display the status in more detail, such as the status of the engine, the status of each light such as the small light, the main light, and the interior light. That is, EC
Any status that can be detected by U10a to U10d can be presented.

By executing such a status display, the user can check the condition of the vehicle at a position away from the vehicle 1, and for example, it is not necessary to return to the position of the vehicle for confirmation. In this example, the status data is presented to the user by display output. However, for example, the portable device 50 may be provided with a voice synthesizing unit, a speaker, or an earphone connection unit, and various situations may be presented by voice. .

The status data request command from the portable device 50 may not be received by the vehicle 1 in some cases. That is, after the status data request command is transmitted as communication S21 from the mobile device 50 side, even if a predetermined time or more has passed, FIG.
When the transmission (S22) of the status data shown in (2) cannot be received, the portable device 50 determines that the communication is not possible for some reason. In this case, that is, when there is no incoming call response, the liquid crystal display 53 is presented to the user that the incoming call has not been received (communication is impossible). In this way, when communication is lost, it is presented to the user,
The user can recognize that status data cannot be received from the vehicle 1.

7. Operations Related to Other Key Operations As described above, the characteristic operations of the present example have been described. In the system of the present example, the door lock and the start / stop of the engine are performed at a remote position by an operation from the portable device 50. be able to.

That is, when the user operates the door lock key 63, a door lock command is transmitted from the portable device 1 to the wireless transceiver 16 of the vehicle 1. Then, the gateway 11 responds to the door lock command received by the wireless transceiver 16 as E in response to the door lock command.
An instruction is issued to the CU 10a, the door lock mechanism 17 is driven, and the door is locked. Therefore, when the user confirms that the door is not locked by the status display, the door can be locked from a remote position by pressing the door lock key 63.

For example, in the case of a conventionally known so-called keyless entry, a door lock or the like can be executed by an infrared signal, but in the case of an infrared signal, the reach is about 10 m at most. However, according to the wireless LAN communication system as in this example, control can be performed from a considerably distant position, which is very convenient.

Similarly, when the user operates the door unlock key 64, a door unlock command is transmitted from the portable device 1 to the wireless transceiver 16 of the vehicle 1, and the gateway 11 responds to the command by the ECU 10.
By issuing an instruction to “a” and driving the door lock mechanism 17, the door lock is released. That is, the door lock can be released from a remote position.

Further, when the engine start key 65 and the engine stop key 66 are operated, a command is transmitted in the same manner, and the gateway 11 issues an instruction to the ECU 10d to start or stop the engine. As a result, operations such as stopping the engine when the engine is forgotten to be turned off, and starting the engine before starting operation to execute idling can be performed.

Although various operations have been described above, the configurations and operations described above are merely examples. As the vehicle position confirmation system and the vehicle state confirmation system of the present invention, various examples can be considered as the system configuration and the operations to be executed.

[0077]

As can be seen from the above description, the vehicle position confirmation system and the vehicle state confirmation system according to the present invention can obtain the following various effects, respectively. it can.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the user performs an operation to output the position assertion request signal from the portable device, the position assertion request signal is transmitted to the in-vehicle system, and the in-vehicle system performs the position assertion operation. Will be done. Therefore, even if the location of the car is not known in a large parking lot or the like, the user can easily find the car. Further, the in-vehicle system and the portable device are systems that enable two-way direct communication, and do not use a local system such as a public communication line system or a parking lot. Therefore, it is not necessary to develop infrastructure including base stations for realizing the system.
Can be easily realized. In addition, since communication with the outside is unnecessary, it can be used, for example, in places or areas where radio waves of the mobile phone system do not reach. Further, since the system configuration is completed by the vehicle and the portable device owned by the user, the user can always use the system of the present invention anywhere. Further, since a plurality of output units are provided and the inside of the vehicle is systematized, various types of operations can be performed as the position indicating operation. For example, as described above, music or the like can be reproduced, a hazard lamp blinks, a horn sounds, and the like. Therefore,
By executing these position assertion operations in a combined manner or selectively, it is possible to perform an appropriate position assertion according to the situation. For example, it is possible to selectively use a visual operation such as flashing of a hazard lamp and an auditory operation such as music reproduction or horn sound generation.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the user performs an operation to output a position information request signal from the portable device, the position information request signal is transmitted to the in-vehicle system, and the in-vehicle system responds thereto. Image information as position information is transmitted. Then, the image information (such as a map image) is displayed on the display unit of the portable device. Therefore, even in this case, the user can easily find the car even if the location of the car is not known in a large parking lot or the like. In particular, because it is a position guide by image display,
Be an accurate guide. Also in this case, the in-vehicle system and the mobile device are systems capable of two-way direct communication, and the system configuration is completed by the vehicle and the mobile device owned by the user. This system is easy to use, and the system can be used regardless of the place or region where the operation can be realized, and also for the user at all times. Further, a vehicle-side device is used as the vehicle position determination means (a so-called navigation device), and the image display on the portable device only needs to display the transmitted image information. Therefore, it is easy to simplify and reduce the size of the portable device. For example, GPS, CD-RO like a portable navigation device
It is not necessary to adopt a relatively large-scale device configuration such as the M and the navigation controller. That is, in the present invention, the portable device can have a very small size that is convenient for carrying, despite having a function of displaying a navigation image.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the user performs an operation to output the position assertion request signal from the portable device, the position assertion request signal is transmitted to the in-vehicle system, and the in-vehicle system performs the position assertion operation. Will be done. Further, when the user performs an operation to output a position information request signal from the portable device, the position information request signal is transmitted to the in-vehicle system, and the in-vehicle system transmits image information as the position information. Will be. Then, the image information (such as a map image) is displayed on the display unit of the portable device. In other words, both the operation of the invention of claim 1 and the operation of the invention of claim 2 become possible, and the user can easily find the car even if the location of the car is not known in a large parking lot or the like. Of course, claim 1
Various effects described as effects of the invention of claim 2 and the invention of claim 2 can be obtained. Further, in this case, the position expression operation and the position information display operation can be performed in a combined or selective manner. The combined use makes it easier for the user to find the location of the car. In addition, by performing the selection selectively, the vehicle position can be confirmed according to the situation. For example, when the own-vehicle position determining means of the in-vehicle system can confirm the own-vehicle position, the image information is transmitted to the portable device and a map image is displayed, so that an accurate guide can be provided. If confirmation is not possible, it is possible to flexibly respond, for example, by performing a position announcement operation to inform the user of the position.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the user performs an operation to output a status information request signal from the portable device, the status information request signal is transmitted to the in-vehicle system, and the in-vehicle system responds thereto. The state information detected by the detecting means is transmitted. Then, the status information is output (displayed or audio output) on the portable device side.
This allows the user to stay in a position away from the car,
For example, the state of a door lock or a handbrake can be confirmed. Also in this case, the in-vehicle system and the mobile device are systems capable of two-way direct communication, and the system configuration is completed by the vehicle and the mobile device owned by the user. This system is easy to use, and the system can be used regardless of the place or region where the operation can be realized, and also for the user at all times. Furthermore, since the inside of the vehicle is systematized, various state information can be detected, and the user can know detailed contents as the state of the vehicle.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an outline of an in-vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an in-vehicle system configuration according to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a wireless transceiver having an in-vehicle system configuration according to the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the portable device according to the embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the portable device according to the embodiment;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of communication for a position announcement operation according to the embodiment;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of communication for a position announcement operation according to the embodiment;

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of communication for a position image display operation according to the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of communication for a position image display operation according to the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of communication for a state information display operation according to the embodiment;

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of communication for a state information display operation according to the embodiment;

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of various operation modes of a vehicle position confirmation operation according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 vehicle, 2F, 2R hazard lamp, 3 external speaker, 4 GPS antenna, 5 helical antenna, 6
Vehicle bus, 7 IEEE 1394 bus, 10, 1
0a, 10b, 10c, 10d ECU, 11 gateway, 12 navigation device, 13 CD changer, 14 monitor / head unit, 15 DSP / amplifier, 16 wireless transceiver, 17 door lock mechanism, 18 horn, 20 1394 interface, 21 vehicle interface , 50 portable device, 51 wireless transceiver, 52 helical antenna, 53 display, 54 LCD driver,
55 key scan section, 61 search key, 62 status key, 63 door lock key, 64 door unlock key, 65 engine start key, 66 engine stop key

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle position confirmation system comprising an in-vehicle system and a portable device, wherein the in-vehicle system includes a communication unit capable of performing direct two-way communication with the portable device; According to the position assertion request signal received by the communication means,
A plurality of output units capable of executing a visual or audible notification output; and the portable device includes: an operation unit capable of instructing at least a request for indicating a position of a vehicle; Communication means capable of performing directional communication and transmitting a position assertion request signal to the in-vehicle system in response to an instruction operation of a position assertion request by the operation means. A vehicle position confirmation system characterized by the following. 2. A vehicle position confirmation system comprising an in-vehicle system and a portable device, wherein the in-vehicle system can determine an own vehicle position and output image information indicating the own vehicle position. Own-vehicle-position determining means, which can directly perform two-way communication with the portable device, and, in response to a received position information request signal, output the image information output from the own-vehicle position determining means. A communication unit capable of transmitting to the portable device, wherein the portable device includes at least an operation unit capable of instructing a request for positional information of a vehicle, a display unit capable of displaying an image, Two-way communication can be directly performed with the in-vehicle system, and a position information request signal is transmitted to the in-vehicle system in response to a position information request instruction operation by the operation means. Sends, further receives the image information transmitted from the vehicle system, a vehicle location system, characterized in that a communication unit which can be displayed on the display means, is provided. 3. A vehicle position confirmation system comprising an in-vehicle system and a portable device, wherein the in-vehicle system can determine an own vehicle position and output image information indicating the own vehicle position. Own-vehicle-position determining means, which can directly perform two-way communication with the portable device, and, in response to a received position information request signal, output the image information output from the own-vehicle position determining means. Communication means that can be transmitted to the portable device; and, in response to a position assertion request signal received by the communication means,
One or a plurality of output means capable of executing a visual or audible notification output; and the portable device includes: an operation means capable of instructing at least a request for indicating a position of the vehicle and a request for position information of the vehicle; and an image display. And display means capable of performing a direct two-way communication between the in-vehicle system and a position assertion to the in-vehicle system in response to an instruction operation of a position assertion request by the operation means. A request signal can be transmitted, and further, in response to a position information request instruction operation by the operation means, a position information request signal is transmitted to the in-vehicle system, and transmitted therefrom by the in-vehicle system. Communication means capable of receiving the image information and displaying the image information on the display means. . 4. A vehicle state confirmation system comprising an in-vehicle system and a portable device, wherein the in-vehicle system includes: a detection unit for detecting a state of the own vehicle; Communication means capable of performing communication and transmitting detection information from the detection means to the portable device in response to the received state information request signal; and An operation means capable of instructing at least a state information request of the vehicle; an output means capable of outputting state information; and a bidirectional communication between the in-vehicle system and the operation means. A state information request signal is transmitted to the in-vehicle system in response to a state information request instruction operation, and further the state information transmitted from the in-vehicle system is received. To the vehicle status confirmation system for a communication unit, characterized in that it is provided that can be output by the output means.