JP2001214840A - Vehicular remote starter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce electric power consumption of a portable transmitter, control an engine mounted on a vehicle and various electric equipment arranged outside the vehicle, and eliminate inconvenience of carrying plural portable transmitters. SOLUTION: This vehicular remote starter is provided with the portable transmitter T for transmitting an engine start/stop command and an electric equipment operating command and an installation type controller H mounted on the vehicle, arranged in a place connectable to a domestic power source separately from an on-vehicle controller R for starting and stopping the engine, capable of transmitting the engine start/stop command and capable of receiving the electric equipment operating command. The on-vehicle controller R starts and stops the vehicle engine on the basis of the command transmitted from the portable transmitter T or the installation type controller H. The installation type controller H receives the electric equipment operating command from the portable transmitter T to open and close a circuit by a switching relay to control the various electric equipment.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote starting device for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a remote starting device for a vehicle capable of starting a vehicle engine from a remote point.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a vehicle is parked for a long time in summer or winter, the temperature inside the vehicle has risen or dropped significantly, and the driver has been discomforted for a while after riding and starting the engine. Sometimes. Especially in cold regions with snow, the time required for warm-up driving increases,
The snow on the windshield and the like freezes, and the engine cannot be started for a while after the engine is started.

In order to solve such inconveniences, a device for starting a vehicle engine from a remote location using a portable transmitter, a so-called remote start device for a vehicle, is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7 (1999).
-77141. In such a case, the switch of the air conditioner of the vehicle is turned on in advance, and the engine of the vehicle is started from a remote point (about 1 km to 2 km) using the remote start device for the vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate discomfort when the user gets on the vehicle.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a basic remote starting device for a vehicle according to the prior art.

[0005] The remote starter for a vehicle includes a portable transmitter TE for engine start provided with operation buttons and the like (not shown) for inputting engine start, and a receiver (not shown).
For starting engine mounted on vehicle equipped with
E.

In the above-described vehicle remote starter, when the operator issues an instruction to start the engine using the operation button of the portable transmitter for starting the engine TE, the command signal is transmitted via the antenna 2 (on the side of the transmitter for starting the engine TE). Is transmitted. Next, the transmitted signal is received by the antenna 4 (on the side of the engine start controller RE) and is also input to the engine start controller RE to drive an engine start actuator (not shown) such as a self-motor. The vehicle remote starter operates as described above to start the vehicle engine from a remote location.

[0007] If the entrance lamp is not turned on when returning home at night, time may be wasted in searching for a keyhole. In order to solve this problem, a remote control type entrance light remote lighting device has been proposed.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram similar to FIG. 6, showing the overall configuration of a basic remote control for a front entrance light according to the prior art.

[0009] The entrance lamp remote lighting device includes an entrance lamp lighting transmitter TL having operation buttons and the like (not shown) for inputting the entrance lamp lighting, and an entrance lamp having a receiving unit (not shown). It is composed of a lighting controller RL.

[0010] In the above-mentioned entrance lamp remote lighting device, when the operator instructs to turn on or off the entrance lamp with the operation button of the entrance lamp lighting transmitter TL, the command signal is (the entrance lamp lighting transmitter TL side). It is transmitted via the antenna 6. Next, the transmitted signal is (the entrance lamp lighting controller R
L side) While being received by the antenna 8, it is input to the entrance light lighting controller RL. The entrance light lighting controller RL further includes an entrance light 90 and a home power supply (AC100).
V, etc.), and the switching relay 12 is operated according to the light-on or light-off command of the entrance light to turn on or off the entrance light 90.

When the garage is provided with a shutter, when the vehicle enters and exits the vehicle, it is necessary to step down from the vehicle and open and close the shutter. Has the disadvantage that it gets wet. Furthermore, with the garage shutter closed,
When the engine of a vehicle stored in a garage is started by the above-described remote starter for a vehicle or the like, the garage may be filled with exhaust gas, and it is therefore preferable that the shutter can be opened and closed from a remote location. In order to solve such a problem, a remote control type electric shutter remote opening / closing device has been proposed and widely used.

FIG. 8 shows the entire structure of a basic electric shutter remote opening / closing device according to the prior art.
FIG.

The electric shutter remote opening / closing device includes a shutter opening / closing transmitter TS provided with an operation button or the like (not shown) for inputting opening of a shutter, and a shutter opening / closing transmitter provided with a receiving section (not shown). It is composed of a controller RS.

In the above-mentioned electric shutter remote opening / closing device, when the operator instructs opening or closing of the shutter with the operation button of the shutter opening / closing transmitter TS, the command signal is transmitted to the antenna 14 (shutter opening / closing transmitter TS side).
Originated via Next, the transmitted signal is received by the antenna 16 (on the side of the shutter opening / closing controller RS) and is input to the shutter opening / closing controller RS. The shutter opening / closing controller RS further includes an electric shutter driving device 92 and a household power supply (AC10).
0 V), the switching relay 18 is operated in response to the shutter opening or closing command, and the electric shutter driving device 92 opens or closes the shutter 94.

[0015]

When the above-described remote start device for a vehicle, a remote lighting device for an entrance light, and a remote opening / closing device for an electric shutter are used together, it is necessary to separately prepare the devices shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8. Therefore, since there are a plurality of transmitters, it is sometimes troublesome to carry and store the transmitters. Particularly recently, the locking of vehicle door locks /
Since a keyless entry device or the like that unlocks wirelessly is also common, it may be inconvenient to carry a large number of transmitters even though it is small.

Further, since the transmitter of the command signal such as the remote starter for a vehicle is a portable type, it is necessary to worry about running out of the battery when frequently used.

In addition to turning on / off the entrance light and opening and closing the electric shutter, various operations such as turning on / off an air conditioner when the room temperature in a house is falling or rising, for example, in winter or summer. It is preferable that the electric device can operate.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to enable the engine of a vehicle and at least one electric device installed outside the vehicle to be operated by a single portable device, to improve the comfort of the user, and to further improve the comfort of the user. It is an object of the present invention to provide a remote starter for a vehicle that can reduce the battery consumption of a portable transmitter.

[0019]

To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a portable transmitter for transmitting at least an engine start signal for starting an engine of a vehicle; In a vehicle remote starter comprising a vehicle-mounted controller that starts an engine of a vehicle in response to a start signal transmitted from a transmitter, the portable transmitter and the vehicle-mounted controller are separately provided outside the vehicle. An electric device operation signal for operating the electric device connected to the stationary controller in addition to the engine start signal, further comprising an stationary controller connected to at least one installed electric device. And a first transmitting means for transmitting at least the air to the on-board controller and to the on-board controller. A second transmitting unit for transmitting a gin start signal, a receiving unit for receiving the electric device operation signal transmitted from the portable transmitter, and operating at least one of the electric devices according to the electric device operation signal. It is configured to provide electric device operating means for causing the electric device to operate.

The portable transmitter and the on-vehicle controller are separately provided with an on-board controller connected to at least one electric device installed outside the vehicle.
The portable transmitter has first transmission means for transmitting an electric device operation signal for operating an electric device connected to the stationary controller, in addition to the engine start signal, and further includes a stationary controller, a vehicle-mounted controller, At least a second transmitting unit for transmitting an engine start signal, a receiving unit for receiving an electric device operation signal transmitted from a portable transmitter, and an electric device operation for operating at least one electric device in response to the electric device operation signal Since the means is provided, not only the portable transmitter but also the stationary controller can issue the engine start command.
In addition, the operation command of various electric devices connected to the stationary controller can be issued from a remote location with one portable device, and the operation of various electric devices can be performed. Therefore, the inconvenience of having a plurality of portable devices is inconvenient. Can be eliminated, and the comfort of the user can be improved.

Further, in the present invention, the stationary controller is configured to operate with a home power supply.

Since the stationary controller is configured to be operated by a home power supply, the battery consumption of the portable transmitter can be reduced in addition to the effect of the first aspect, and the stable operation of the electric equipment can be achieved. It can be performed.

[0023]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a remote starting device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram schematically showing a remote starting device for a vehicle.

The vehicle remote starter shown in FIG. 1 is a portable transmitter (hereinafter referred to as "portable") for inputting a command for starting / stopping a vehicle engine and a command for operating various electric devices and transmitting the signals. T), a vehicle-mounted controller (hereinafter, referred to as an “in-vehicle unit”) that includes a control device that receives the engine start signal and starts / stops the engine, and is mounted at an appropriate position on a vehicle (not shown). R,
And an installation type controller (hereinafter referred to as a "home unit") H for inputting a command to start the engine and transmitting the signal, receiving a command to turn on the entrance light, and turning on the entrance light. You. The home section H is connected to a home power supply (power supply (AC
100V), which is installed in the home in the present embodiment, and has a function capable of remotely turning on / off a home power supply in addition to transmitting and receiving signals. Entrance light 9 connected at
A power supply such as an electric shutter driving device 92 having a drive circuit and a motor (not shown) and an appropriate drive circuit (not shown) for opening and closing the shutter 94 can be supplied / stopped, thereby enabling remote ON / OFF of various electric devices.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the structure of the portable unit T.

The portable unit T has a mode switch 20 for switching a mode to be described later, an engine switch 22 for confirming an intention of an operator (hereinafter referred to as an “operator”) of the portable unit T to start an engine, and an engine start. Switch 24 for instructing to stop the engine, a light switch 28 for instructing to turn on the entrance light, a light-off switch 30 for instructing to turn off the entrance light, opening of the electric shutter. And a close switch 34 for commanding the closing of the electric shutter. The mode switch 20 is used to make a selection from among these switch groups, and the others are used to issue a command.

These switch groups are connected to a portable switch switching section 42, and the portable switch switching section 42 is driven by a CPU (not shown) driven by a battery 44.
Is connected to the portable control unit 46 having The battery 4
For 4, a rechargeable battery or the like is used in addition to an alkaline button battery, a lithium battery, or the like.

The portable control unit 46 includes a portable control unit 46
For transmitting an output signal, more specifically, an engine start signal and an electric device operation signal.
Is connected, and the portable transmitting unit 48 is provided with a portable antenna 50 for transmitting an operation signal.

A signal input from the mode switch 20 or the like is input to the portable control section 46 via the portable switch switching section 42 and sent to the portable transmission section 48 via the portable control section 46. The command signal appropriately processed in the portable transmitting section 48 is transmitted to the portable antenna 50.
Is transmitted to the in-vehicle unit R or the home unit H via the. The operator can change the operation mode such as starting the engine of the vehicle by operating the mode switch 20 or turning on the entrance light.

Next, the configuration of the vehicle-mounted unit R will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of the vehicle-mounted unit R. The in-vehicle unit R is connected to control devices such as an engine start / stop mechanism 60 that starts / stops an engine (not shown) of the vehicle and a door lock solenoid (not shown).

These control devices are used for switching control devices.
The control device connection unit 64 is connected to a control device connection unit 64 that performs connection and the like.
Connected to. The vehicle-mounted control unit 68 is connected to a vehicle-mounted receiving unit 72 for receiving a signal detected by the vehicle-mounted antenna 70 and transmitting the signal to the vehicle-mounted control unit 68.

In the in-vehicle unit R, a signal received by the in-vehicle antenna 70 is input to the in-vehicle control unit 68 via the in-vehicle receiving unit 72. The control signal appropriately processed by the on-vehicle control unit 68 is transmitted to the control device connection unit 6.
4 to a control device such as the engine starter 60. The in-vehicle control unit 68 drives a control device based on an input signal in a control routine (not shown).

Next, the configuration of the home section H will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the structure of the home section H. The home section H has the same configuration as that of FIG.
The configuration is the same as that of the portable unit T shown in FIG.
Only the differences from the above will be described, and the same reference numerals will be given to the same components, with the same numeral followed by the letter “H”. Also, the description is omitted.

The home section H and the portable section T are different in the following points. 1) Various electric devices (for example, entrance lamp 90, electric shutter driving device 92) are connected. 2) Home receiver 80 connected to home controller 46H
And a home transmission / reception switching unit 82 connected to the home transmission unit 48H and the home reception unit 80. 3) The home control unit 46 is connected to a home power supply.
A switching relay 84 is provided for receiving a signal (electric device operation signal) for instructing the operation of the electric device from H and opening and closing the electric circuit. 4) In the portable unit T, the command signal for the switching relay 84 is output to the transmitting unit, but in the home unit H, it is output directly to the switching relay 84. 5) A circuit such as a CPU in the home control unit 46H is driven by a home power supply.

The home unit H can transmit a signal for starting the vehicle engine in the same manner as the operation of the portable unit T, and, due to the above-described differences, transmits the signal received by the antenna 50H to the home control unit 46H. Can be sent to Note that, in the present embodiment, the electric shutter driving device 92 that opens and closes the entrance light 90 and the shutter 94 is connected to the home portion H as described above.

Next, the operation of the apparatus of FIG. 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the flowchart of FIG. 5, "switch" is abbreviated as "SW" for convenience of illustration.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart for explaining the command transmission in the portable control section 46 shown in FIG. 2 and the home control section 46H shown in FIG. The program shown in the figure is operated by the operator using the mode switch 20 (2).
0H), a command operation is performed after selecting one of the input modes of starting / stopping the engine, turning on / off the entrance light 90, and opening / closing the electric shutter 92, and is executed only once when each command switch is turned on. Is done. In addition, description regarding the selection operation of the mode switch 20 (20H) is omitted.

In the following, when each command switch is turned on, the flow chart of FIG. 5 is started, and in S2, the initial state of the switch group input is confirmed.

Then, the program proceeds to S4, in which it is determined whether or not the entrance lamp lighting switch 28 (28H) is turned on. When the result is affirmative, the operator has instructed to turn on the entrance light 90, so the process proceeds to S6, where the transmission of the entrance light lighting command is performed.
In the case of the portable section T, the signal is outputted to the portable transmitting section 48, and in the case of the home section H, the signal is outputted to the switching relay 84, and the process is terminated. The switching relay 84 is energized by exciting a coil (not shown) to turn on the entrance lamp 90.

If the result in S4 is negative, the program proceeds to S8, in which it is determined whether or not the entrance light switch 30 (30H) is turned on. If the result is affirmative, the operator has instructed to turn off the entrance light 90, so the process proceeds to S10, and the transmission of the entrance light extinguishing command is transmitted to the portable transmission unit 48 in the portable unit T and to the home unit H in the portable unit T. Is output to the switching relay 84 and the process is terminated. Switching relay 84
In (2), energization is cut off by degaussing a coil (not shown), and the entrance lamp 90 is turned off.

If the result in S8 is negative, the program proceeds to S12, in which it is determined whether or not the shutter release switch 32 (32H) is turned on. When affirmative, since the operator has instructed to open the shutter 92, the process proceeds to S14, where the shutter release command is transmitted to the portable transmission unit 48 in the portable unit T and to the home unit H in the portable unit T. If there is, the signal is output to the switching relay 84 and the process is terminated. The switching relay 84 is energized by exciting a coil (not shown). The energized electric shutter driving device 92 opens the shutter 94 by an appropriate operation. Note that the operation of the electric shutter driving device 92 is a known technology, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

If the result in S12 is NO, the program proceeds to S16,
It is determined whether or not the shutter close switch 34 (34H) is turned on. If affirmative, the operator has instructed to close the shutter 92, so the process proceeds to S18,
The transmission of the shutter closing command is output to the mobile transmission section 48 in the portable section T and to the switching relay 84 in the home section H, and the process is terminated. The switching relay 84 is energized by exciting a coil (not shown). Energized electric shutter driving device 92
And the electric shutter driving device 92
Closes the shutter 94 by an appropriate operation.

If the result in S16 is negative, the program proceeds to S20,
It is determined whether or not the engine switch 22 (22H) is turned on. Note that, as described above, the engine switch 2
No. 2 (22H) is provided to confirm the operator's intention to start or stop the engine. The result in S20 is negative and the operator decides to start the engine (or stop the engine). If it is determined that the command does not have an instruction, it is determined that an engine start (or engine stop) instruction is erroneously input, and the subsequent processing is skipped.

If the result in S20 is affirmative and it is determined that the operator intends to start or stop the engine, the operation proceeds to S22, in which it is determined whether two seconds have elapsed since the engine switch 22 was turned on. This determination is made by measuring the time from the affirmative determination in S20 by a down counter or the like (not shown).

In S22, as described above, after affirmation in S20, negation for 2 seconds proceeds to S24, where it is determined whether or not the stop switch 26 is turned on.
If the determination in S24 is affirmative, the process proceeds to S26, where the portable transmitting unit 4
8 or the home transmission unit 48H. If the result in S24 is NO, the program proceeds to S28, in which it is determined whether or not the start switch 24 has been turned on. When the result in S28 is affirmative, the program proceeds to S30, in which a start command is transmitted to the portable transmitting unit 48 or the home transmitting unit 48H.

When the result in S28 is NO, the process returns to S22 (the portion "A" surrounded by a circle in FIG. 5). If the engine switch 22 is turned on due to a malfunction, S
Since the loop between 22-S24-S28-S22 continues for 2 seconds or more, the result is affirmative in S22, that is, it is determined that 2 seconds have elapsed after affirmative in S20, and the process ends.

The above flow chart is executed by the CPU in the portable control unit 46 shown in FIG. 2 and the CPU in the home control unit 46H shown in FIG.
The command transmissions (signals) output in steps S4, S18, S26, and S30 are appropriately processed in the portable transmitting unit 48 and the home transmitting unit 48H as described above, and are transmitted via the portable antenna 50 and the home antenna 50H. Sent to R. The transmitted signal is received by the in-vehicle antenna 70 (FIG. 3) and then input to the in-vehicle control unit 68 via the in-vehicle receiving unit 72. In-vehicle control unit 6
In the CPU in 8, a routine (not shown)
The output for operating each control device is the control device connection unit 64.
To the engine start / stop mechanism 60
Drive.

In the embodiment according to the present invention, as described above, the engine is started / stopped, the entrance lamp is turned on / off, and the electric shutter is opened / closed by only one portable unit T. Therefore, the inconvenience of having a plurality of portable devices can be eliminated.

The home section H is connected to a home power supply (A
C100V), the battery consumption of the portable unit T can be reduced, and various home electric appliances connected to the switching relay can operate stably.

As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, the portable transmitter (portable unit T, portable control unit 46, portable transmitting unit 48, S26, S30) and a vehicle-mounted controller (on-vehicle unit R, on-vehicle control unit 68, control device connection unit 64, engine starter 6) for starting the vehicle engine in response to a start signal transmitted from the portable transmitter.
0), the portable transmitter and the onboard controller are separately provided to at least one electric device (entrance light 90, electric shutter 92) installed outside the vehicle. A portable controller (home unit H) to be connected, and the portable transmitter transmits, in addition to the engine start signal, an electric device operation signal for operating an electric device connected to the stationary controller. A second transmission unit (home) for transmitting at least the engine start signal to the on-board controller to the on-board controller, the transmission unit having a first transmission unit (mobile control unit 46, mobile transmission unit 48, S14, S18). Control unit 46H, home transmission unit 48H, S26,
S30), receiving means for receiving the electric device operation signal transmitted from the portable transmitter (home control unit 46H,
A home receiving unit 80) and an electric device operating means (home control unit 46H, switching relay 84) for operating at least one of the electric devices according to the electric device operation signal are provided.

The stationary controller (home unit H) is configured to operate on a home power supply (100 VAC or the like).

In the embodiment of the present invention, the intention confirmation time for starting / stopping the engine is set to 2 seconds. However, it may be set to a longer time or shorter.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle is configured so that only the start / stop of the engine can be turned on / off and the electric shutter can be opened / closed. Lock / unlock device, an air conditioner, and other electrical devices may be connected and operated.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the switching relay 84 is a contact type electromagnetic relay having mechanical contacts, but is not limited thereto.
A non-contact relay using a semiconductor or the like may be used.

Further, although the transmission of the command signal to the switching relay 84 is configured to be performed by wire, it may be performed wirelessly by providing an appropriate signal transmission / reception function.

Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, the home section H is installed in the home. However, if the home section H can be supplied stably by a commercial power supply including home use or a private power generator, It may be installed in a place other than home.

In the configuration of the portable unit T, the in-vehicle unit R, and the home unit H, each unit has a transmission / reception function, and a monitor is added to the portable unit T and the home unit H to monitor the temperature in the vehicle compartment and at home. You may comprise so that display is possible.

[0060]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the engine start command can be issued not only by the portable transmitter but also by the stationary controller. In addition, the operation command of various electric devices connected to the stationary controller can be issued from a remote location with one portable device, and the operation of various electric devices can be performed. Therefore, the inconvenience of having a plurality of portable devices is inconvenient. Can be eliminated,
The comfort of the user can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first aspect of the present invention, the battery consumption of the portable transmitter can be suppressed and the operation of the electric equipment can be stabilized. It can be carried out.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram schematically showing a remote starting device for a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a portable unit T in the apparatus of FIG. 1 in detail.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing in detail a configuration of a vehicle-mounted unit R in the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a home unit H in the apparatus in FIG. 1 in detail.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing transmission of a command in the portable unit T shown in FIG. 2 and the home unit H shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the entire configuration of a basic remote start device for a vehicle according to the related art.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram similar to FIG. 6, showing the overall configuration of a basic entrance lamp remote lighting device according to the prior art.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram similar to FIGS. 6 and 7, showing the overall configuration of a basic electric shutter remote opening / closing device according to the prior art.

[Explanation of symbols]

 T Portable transmitter (portable unit) R On-board controller (vehicle unit) H Stationary controller (home unit) 44 Battery 46 Portable control unit 48 Portable transmitter 50 Portable antenna 60 Engine start / stop mechanism 66 Vehicle battery 68 Vehicle control Unit 70 In-vehicle antenna 72 In-vehicle receiving unit 80 Home receiving unit 82 Home transmission / reception switching unit 84 Switching relay 90 Entrance light 92 Electric shutter driving device

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle comprising: a portable transmitter for transmitting at least an engine start signal for starting an engine of a vehicle; and a vehicle-mounted controller for starting an engine of the vehicle in response to a start signal transmitted from the portable transmitter. A remote starter for: a. A portable controller connected to at least one electric device installed outside the vehicle separately from the portable transmitter and the on-vehicle controller; and the portable transmitter comprises: b. First transmission means for transmitting an electric device operation signal for operating an electric device connected to the stationary controller in addition to the engine start signal, further comprising: c. Second transmission means for transmitting at least the engine start signal to the on-vehicle controller; d. Receiving means for receiving the electric device operation signal transmitted from the portable transmitter; and e. An electric device operating means for operating at least one of the electric devices according to the electric device operation signal. 2. The remote starter for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the stationary controller operates with a household power supply.