JP2002339609A - Transmitter for keyless entry system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a keyless entry system capable of preventing a user from feeling uncomfortable by long pressing a switch, and reducing erroneous operation of the switch. SOLUTION: Whether a trunk open switch 3b indicating a trunk opening function is operated by the user or not is judged when a detection signal is outputted from a G sensor 4 (S101: YES), a transmission signal corresponding to the switch 3b is transmitted to an RF circuit 5 in step S108, in a case when the operation of the switch 3B is judged (S106: YES), and further the RF circuit 5 transmits an antenna signal through an antenna 6 to a receiver not shown in Fig. to unlock and open a car trunk of a vehicle.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a locking / unlocking device provided at a door or a trunk of a vehicle, for example, without using a key, or by operating a vehicle-mounted lamp or horn by remote control. The present invention relates to a transmitter for a keyless entry system for realizing an alarm for repelling persons and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a keyless entry system capable of locking / unlocking a door at a place away from a vehicle by operating a wireless remote controller for an actuator constituting a door lock mechanism of the vehicle, for example. I have. Further, such a keyless entry system includes a "trunk opening function" for unlocking and opening a trunk, and a lamp for blinking a suspicious person or the like by using a part of the function of the keyless entry system. New functions such as the "panic function" have been proposed, and the functions that can be realized are diverse. And
The operation of each of these functions can be realized by providing, for example, a plurality of types of switches in one transmitter and selecting and operating a switch corresponding to each function.

[0003] If the functions using the keyless entry system become more diverse as described above, it is considered that erroneous operations of the switches increase with this. So, conventionally,
In order to prevent such an erroneous operation, the shape and the like of the switch are changed for each function, and identification by visual sense and tactile feeling at the time of operation is performed, thereby preventing erroneous operation.

For a function such as a "trunk open function" which cannot be locked again by the wireless remote controller once it has been operated erroneously, the switch is operated by pressing and holding the switch for a long time. To prevent erroneous operations.

[0005]

However, in the operation by long-pressing the switch, it is not clear to the user how long the switch needs to be pressed. If the user performs a switch operation shorter than the setting for a switch that is set to be required, the trunk will not be vacant, and depending on the degree of long pressing, the user will feel uncomfortable There was a problem that there was.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a transmission for a keyless entry system capable of eliminating user discomfort due to long pressing of a switch and reducing erroneous operation of the switch. The purpose is to provide a machine.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a predetermined signal is detected by a signal detection sensor and an operation switch is operated by a user. In this case, a radio wave for operating the on-vehicle equipment targeted for keyless entry is transmitted to the receiver.

That is, when both conditions of signal detection by the signal detection sensor and operation of the operation switch are met, a radio wave for operating the vehicle-mounted equipment targeted for keyless entry is transmitted to the receiver.

[0009] As a result, since the operation by long pressing of the switch is not required unlike the related art, there is no discomfort that the trunk is not vacant depending on the degree of long pressing, for example. Since transmission requires both conditions of signal detection and operation of the operation switch, erroneous operation of the switch can be reduced.

[0010] Further, when the operation switch is operated within a predetermined period after a predetermined signal is detected by the signal detection sensor, the keyless entry target vehicle mounted on the receiver can be provided. Radio waves for operating the equipment may be transmitted.

That is, if the operation can be performed by the operation switch at any time after the signal is detected by the signal detection sensor, the operation switch may be erroneously operated when the user does not intend to operate the vehicle-mounted equipment targeted for keyless entry. Sometimes.

Therefore, when the user operates the operation switch within a predetermined time after the signal is detected by the signal detection sensor, the radio wave for activating the on-vehicle equipment is transmitted to the receiver. Discomfort due to long pressing can be eliminated, and erroneous operation of the switch can be further reduced.

Further, as in the invention according to claim 3,
At least one of the plurality of operation switches that operate the on-board equipment targeted for keyless entry is an operation switch that cannot return the in-vehicle equipment to the state before the operation by operating the operation switch after the on-board equipment is operated. It is.
Further, as an operation switch that cannot be returned to the state before the operation, a switch for instructing a trunk open function is provided as in the invention according to claim 4.

That is, the conventional operation by long-pressing the switch is used to prevent an erroneous operation when operating an operation switch which cannot be returned to a state before the operation, for example, a switch for instructing a trunk open function. By applying the present invention to a switch or the like that instructs such a trunk open function, there is no discomfort that, for example, the trunk is not empty depending on the degree of long press, and it is possible to reduce erroneous operation of the switch. It becomes possible.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the signal detection sensor includes an acceleration sensor for detecting a predetermined acceleration or a yaw rate sensor for detecting a predetermined angular velocity.

That is, when the user shakes the transmitter for the keyless entry system or the like to detect a predetermined acceleration or turns the transmitter or the like to detect a predetermined angular velocity, the receiver is instructed. This may be one of the conditions for transmitting a radio wave for operating the vehicle-mounted equipment targeted for keyless entry.

According to the invention described in claim 6 for achieving the above object, when a predetermined acceleration or a predetermined angular velocity is detected by an acceleration sensor or a yaw rate sensor, a receiver is provided. To transmit radio waves that activate the on-board equipment for keyless entry.

That is, the user can detect a predetermined acceleration by shaking the transmitter for the keyless entry system, or detect a predetermined angular velocity by turning the transmitter, for example, without the need for button operation as in the prior art. In this case, a radio wave is transmitted to the receiver to activate the in-vehicle equipment targeted for keyless entry.

As a result, unlike the conventional operation by long pressing of the switch, there is no discomfort that, for example, the trunk is not empty depending on the degree of long pressing, and it is possible to reduce erroneous operation of the switch. .

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a transmitter for a keyless entry system.

The transmitter 1 includes a CPU 2 and a door lock /
An operation switch 3 for operating unlocking and the like, an acceleration sensor (G sensor) 4 for detecting acceleration generated when the user shakes the transmitter 1, and the like, and a signal from the CPU 2 is modulated to a high frequency and transmitted to the antenna 6. High frequency circuit (RF circuit) 5
And an RF circuit power controller 7 for controlling power supply to the RF circuit 5 and a battery 8 for supplying power to the CPU 2 and the RF circuit 5.

The CPU 2 determines which function, which will be described later, is selected from the operation status of the operation switch 3, and indicates that the function code corresponding to the selected function is a code unique to the transmitter 1. The transmission signal to which the ID code is added is output to the RF circuit 5.

Further, when an output signal indicating that the acceleration has been detected is transmitted from the G sensor 4, the CPU 2 measures a predetermined time T with a timer 20 as shown in FIG. When a signal is output from switch 3, RF
The aforementioned transmission signal is transmitted to the circuit 5 (details will be described later).

The switch 3 is a door lock / unlock switch 3 for instructing a door lock / unlock function.
a, a trunk open switch 3b for instructing a trunk open function, and a panic function switch 3c for instructing a panic function for blinking a lamp for repelling a suspicious person or the like.

The G sensor 4 detects a predetermined acceleration generated when the user shakes the transmitter 1 or the like, and outputs a signal. The G sensor 4 is an electric type or a mechanical type. There may be. However, a predetermined threshold value is set so that a malfunction due to transportation or the like does not occur when the acceleration is detected and the signal is output. Therefore, when an acceleration exceeding this threshold value (corresponding to the predetermined acceleration of the present invention) is detected, a signal is output.

The threshold value is, for example, about 1.5 G because the acceleration generated by transportation or the like is about 1 G and the acceleration generated by shaking is considered to be about 2 G. A value may be set and a signal may be output when an acceleration exceeding 1.5 G is detected.

The RF circuit 5 modulates and amplifies the transmission signal transmitted from the CPU 2 into a high-frequency signal to generate a remote control signal, and transmits the remote control signal to a receiver (not shown) via the antenna 6.

The RF power supply circuit controller 7 includes a CPU 2
The power from the battery 8 is supplied to the RF circuit 5 when the voltage corresponding to the transmission signal is applied from the.

Next, an example of the appearance of the transmitter 1 of the present embodiment is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the transmitter 1 is provided with operation switches 3a, 3b, and 3c, and has a function of instructing each switch when each of the operation switches 3a, 3b, and 3c is pressed by a user. Is output. The transmitter 1 may be integrated with a so-called master key used by a user for starting the engine of a vehicle, opening and closing a door, and the like, or may be configured as a dedicated transmitter.

Next, control processing of the transmitter for the keyless entry system configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

This control process is performed intermittently by the CPU 2.

First, in the first step S100, it is determined whether a signal from the switch 3a or 3c has been received. That is, the user operates the door lock / unlock switch 3a for instructing the door lock / unlock function or the panic function switch 3c for instructing the panic function to blink the lamp to repel a suspicious person or the like. It is determined whether it has been performed.

If it is determined that the switch 3a or 3c has been operated (S100: YES), a transmission signal corresponding to the switch 3a or 3c is transmitted to the RF circuit 5 in step S112. Then, the RF circuit 5 generates an antenna signal corresponding to the transmission signal,
By transmitting the antenna signal to a receiver (not shown) via the antenna 6, the door of the vehicle is unlocked or a lamp or the like flashes.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S100 that no signal has been received from the switch 3a or 3c (S100: NO), step S101 is performed.
Then, it is determined whether an output signal has been received from the G sensor 4 or not. That is, the G sensor 4 allows the user to
The CPU detects an acceleration caused by, for example, shaking the camera, and transmits an output signal to the CPU 2 when the acceleration exceeds a threshold value (for example, 1.5 G). And G
If it is determined that the output signal has been received from the sensor 4 (S101: YES), the process proceeds to step S102, where the timer 20 starts measuring a predetermined time T, and then proceeds to step S104. Note that the predetermined period T is set in advance to a time that does not cause discomfort to the user in operation and prevents erroneous operation, for example, a time of about 3 seconds.

In the following step S104, it is determined whether or not the current time t is within a predetermined time T (for example, 3 seconds).
If it is within the predetermined time T (S104: YES), the process proceeds to step S106.

Next, in step S106, the switch 3
It is determined whether the signal from b has been received. That is, G
When the detection signal is output from the sensor 4 (S10
1: YES), it is determined whether or not the user has operated the trunk opening switch 3b for instructing the trunk opening function, and if it is determined that the switch 3b has been operated (S106: YES), step S10.
At 8, a transmission signal corresponding to the switch 3 b is transmitted to the RF circuit 5. Subsequently, at step S 110, the timer 20 is reset and the process ends. Here, in step S108, the transmission signal is transmitted to the RF circuit 5, thereby generating an antenna signal corresponding to the transmission signal, and transmitting the antenna signal to a receiver (not shown) via the antenna 6. As a result, the trunk of the vehicle is unlocked and opened.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S106 that the signal from the switch 3b has not been received (S106: NO), the process proceeds to step S104, and the above-described processing is repeated to set the current time t to a predetermined value. If the time is equal to or longer than the time T (S104: NO), the timer 20 is reset in step S105, and in step S100
And the above processing is performed again.

As described above, in this embodiment, the transmitter 1 operates the trunk open switch 3b for instructing the trunk open function within the predetermined time T after the predetermined acceleration is detected by the G sensor 4. In this case, a signal instructing the trunk open function is transmitted to a receiver (not shown).

As a result, unlike the conventional operation by long-pressing the switch, depending on the degree of long-pressing, there is no discomfort such as, for example, that the trunk is not empty, and it is possible to reduce erroneous operation of the switch. .

In this embodiment, the trunk opening switch 3b for instructing the trunk opening function within a predetermined time T after the predetermined acceleration is detected by the G sensor 4.
When the is operated, a signal for instructing a trunk open function to be transmitted to a receiver (not shown) has been described.However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a signal detection sensor for detecting other signals other than acceleration is used. When the trunk open switch 3b for instructing the trunk open function is operated within a predetermined time T after detecting the predetermined signal, the signal for instructing the trunk open function is transmitted to a receiver (not shown). Is also good.

For example, a yaw rate sensor may be provided as a signal detection sensor, and an operation of the trunk open switch 3b may be detected within a predetermined time T after a predetermined angular velocity is detected by the yaw rate sensor. A switch is separately provided, and within a predetermined time T after detecting the operation signal of the operation switch, the trunk opening switch 3
The operation b may be detected.

When a predetermined signal is detected by the signal detection sensor and the user operates the operation switch,
That is, a signal for instructing the trunk open function may be transmitted to a receiver (not shown) in response to detection of a predetermined signal and an AND operation of the operation switch by the user.

As a result, as in the case of the above-described embodiment, depending on the degree of the long press, the unpleasant feeling that the trunk is not empty, for example, is not given, and the erroneous operation of the switch can be reduced.

In addition to the operation of the trunk open switch 3b, a door lock / unlock switch 3a for instructing a door lock / unlock function or a panic for blinking a lamp to repel a suspicious person or the like. The present invention may be applied when the panic function switch 3c for instructing a function is operated.

Further, the present invention may be applied to an operation switch in which after operating the operation switch to operate the vehicle-mounted device, the vehicle-mounted device cannot be returned to the state before the operation by operating the operation switch again.

Further, even if the button operation is not required as in the prior art, the G sensor 4 detects a predetermined acceleration by shaking the transmitter 1 or the like, or the predetermined angular velocity by turning the transmitter 1 or the like. When the yaw rate sensor detects, the transmission radio wave may be transmitted.

As a result, unlike the conventional operation by long pressing of the switch, there is no discomfort that the trunk is not empty depending on the degree of long pressing, for example, and it is possible to reduce the erroneous operation of the switch. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a transmitter for a keyless entry system according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an appearance of a transmitter for the keyless entry system of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a control process in a CPU according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a time chart showing a G sensor output state and a switch output state of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 transmitter 2 CPU 3 switch 4 G sensor

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Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A transmitter for a keyless entry system for operating a vehicle-mounted device targeted for keyless entry by transmitting radio waves to a receiver mounted on a vehicle, wherein the signal detection sensor detects a predetermined signal. And an operation switch operated by a user to operate the in-vehicle equipment, wherein when the signal detection sensor detects a predetermined signal and the operation switch is operated by the user, the reception is performed. A transmitter for a keyless entry system, wherein the transmitter transmits radio waves for activating the on-vehicle equipment targeted for the keyless entry. 2. The transmitter for a keyless entry system according to claim 1, wherein the operation switch is operated within a predetermined time after a predetermined signal is detected by the signal detection sensor. A transmitter for a keyless entry system, which transmits a radio wave for operating the on-vehicle equipment targeted for the keyless entry to a receiver. 3. The transmitter for a keyless entry system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of operation switches operated by the user to operate the on-vehicle equipment are provided, and the plurality of operation switches are provided. At least one of the transmitters for a keyless entry system, wherein the transmitter is an operation switch that cannot return the vehicle-mounted device to a state before the operation by operating the operation switch after the vehicle-mounted device is operated. 4. The transmitter for a keyless entry system according to claim 3, wherein after activating the in-vehicle device, an operation of operating an operation switch does not return the in-vehicle device to a state before the operation. A transmitter for a keyless entry system, comprising, as a switch, an operation switch for instructing a trunk open function. 5. The transmitter for a keyless entry system according to claim 1, further comprising: an acceleration sensor or a yaw rate sensor as a signal detection sensor for detecting the predetermined signal. Transmitter for keyless entry system. 6. A transmitter for a keyless entry system that operates a vehicle-mounted device targeted for keyless entry by transmitting radio waves to a receiver mounted on a vehicle, wherein the transmitter is an acceleration sensor that detects a predetermined acceleration. A yaw rate sensor for detecting a predetermined angular velocity; when a predetermined acceleration or a predetermined angular velocity is detected by the acceleration detection sensor or the yaw rate sensor, the in-vehicle equipment targeted for the keyless entry is operated with respect to the receiver. A transmitter for a keyless entry system, which transmits radio waves.