JP2003205825A - Vehicle controller - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable proper control of an engine in a condition that an operator has an electronic key 1. <P>SOLUTION: When it is detected that the communication between a location antenna 24 and an electronic key 1 is interrupted in the state that an engine operating condition detecting means 27 is detecting the stop of an engine 30 and the electronic key 1 is not exist near a driving seat, that is, the driver does not have the electronic key 1, starting of engine 30 is disenabled. Thus, the condition that a driver and the electronic key l are separated decreases, and proper control of the engine in the condition that the driver has the electronic key 1 is enabled. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle control device for controlling a vehicle such as an automobile using an electronic key (electronic key member) such as a portable IC card.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Control of a vehicle that communicates with the vehicle side by an electronic key (electronic key member) such as a portable IC card to identify the driver and the like, and unlocks the vehicle and permits engine start. Various devices have been developed (eg,
See Japanese Patent No. 2970642). In this type of control device, the engine is started by allowing the engine to start and performing the starting operation when the communication between the electronic key and the vehicle is normally performed. Then, if the communication between the electronic key and the vehicle side is interrupted due to some reason such as deterioration of the communication state or the electronic key being separated from the driver's hand, the engine cannot be restarted, and the driver is alerted. It is designed to notify the electronic key communication failure.

However, during operation while the engine is operating, if an alarm is issued every time communication between the electronic key and the vehicle is interrupted, it will be very annoying and hinder driving. For this reason, the electronic key is communicated with the vehicle side at multiple points inside the vehicle, and on the premise that communication will not be interrupted inside the vehicle, when the engine is operating, the alarm should not be issued regardless of the state of communication. Also known is a vehicle control device.

[0004]

However, if the alarm is not issued while the engine is operating regardless of the communication status, the engine will not start if the communication between the electronic key and the vehicle side is interrupted. Since it is not possible to do so, if the communication between the electronic key and the vehicle side is interrupted due to some reason (for example, when a passenger leaves the car with the bag while keeping the electronic key in the bag) while the engine is operating, After stopping the engine, it will be impossible to restart the engine.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle control device that enables accurate engine control when a driver is carrying an electronic key member. To do.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, in a vehicle control device according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable electronic key member having a transmitter for wirelessly transmitting a predetermined unique signal, and a vehicle electronic key member. The engine operating state detecting means for detecting the operating state of the engine, the engine controlling means for controlling the operating state of the engine of the vehicle by receiving the unique signal wirelessly transmitted from the transmitting portion of the electronic key member, and the position of the electronic key member And a position detection means for detecting, by the engine control means,
If the position detecting means detects that the electronic key member does not exist near the driver's seat while the engine operating state detecting means detects that the engine has stopped, the engine is disabled from starting and the driver does not If you don't have a car, you can not start the engine, reduce the distance between the driver and the electronic key member, and enable accurate engine control while the driver is carrying the electronic key member. To do.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle control device according to the first aspect, further comprising an exit intention detecting means for detecting a driver's intention to exit the vehicle. When the position detecting means cannot detect the position of the electronic key member, a warning is given when the driver's intention to get off the vehicle is detected by the getting-off intention detecting means, and an alarm is given only when necessary to prevent frequent occurrence of the alarm.

As the dismounting intention detecting means, a door open / close detecting means for detecting the open / closed state of the driver's seat door or a seatbelt wearing detecting means for the driver's seat is applied to detect when the driver's door is opened or the seat It is preferable to detect that the belt is unfastened. Further, as the dismounting intention detecting means, if the vehicle is equipped with an automatic transmission, means for detecting that the shift lever is operated to the parking (P) range may be applied.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle control device according to the first or second aspect, wherein:
When the position of the electronic key member cannot be detected by the position detection means during the operation of the engine by the engine control means,
A warning should be given when the engine is stopped, a warning should be given only when necessary to prevent frequent warnings, and a situation where restarting is impossible when the engine is stopped should be avoided. Even when the electronic key member is taken outside the vehicle, the driver recognizes that the electronic key member is not present when the engine is stopped, and avoids a state where the engine cannot be restarted.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vehicle control device according to the third aspect, wherein the engine control means stops the engine after a predetermined time if the engine stop operation after the alarm is continued. The alarm is issued only when necessary, and frequent alarms are prevented.

[0011]

1 is a schematic plan view of a vehicle equipped with a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a control block configuration, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are flow charts of control processing. It is shown.

As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 21 is provided with an antenna 3 for wireless communication with a transmitter of an electronic key (for example, an IC card) 1 as a portable electronic key member. The driver's card 1 has a personal identification number (unique signal) and a user's (driver's) fingerprint registered in advance as security information, as well as a telephone number, an email memory, and a user's driving restrictions (diabetes, etc.). Personal information such as alarms (driving area, time) is registered. Alternatively, the driver's card 1 may be provided with a credit card function by registering credit information. The door lock of the antenna 3 is released when the password of the driver's card 1 is received in the specific area 22.

A position antenna 24 as a position detecting means is provided on the driver's seat 23 of the vehicle 21, and the position antenna 24 has a driving range 29 within the range of the driver's seat 23.
You can communicate with the electronic key 1 only by yourself. That is, it is determined that the electronic key 1 exists in the driving range 29 when the position antenna 24 and the electronic key 1 communicate with each other, that is, the driver holds the electronic key 1.

In the vicinity of the driver's seat of the vehicle 21, the card write-and-read device 4 into which the electronic key 1 is inserted and the fingerprint collation for collating the fingerprint of the specific user registered in the electronic key 1 with the actual fingerprint of the driver. A device 5 is provided. Further, a seating sensor 6 and a seat belt wearing sensor 7 are provided on the driver's seat 23, and the driver's seat side door 25 is provided.
Is provided with a door switch 26 as a dismounting intention detecting means for detecting opening / closing of the door 25 and detecting dismounting intention when the door 25 is opened. Then, signals from the antenna 3, the position antenna 24, the card write and read device 4, the fingerprint collation device 5, the seating sensor 6, the seat belt wearing sensor 7, and the door switch 26 are input to a controller (ECU) 2 as an engine control means. To be done.

As the dismounting intention detecting means, a seat belt wearing sensor 7 may be applied to detect that the seat belt is unfastened by a signal from the seat belt wearing sensor 7. If the vehicle 21 is equipped with an automatic transmission, a means for detecting that the shift lever has been operated to the parking (P) range may be applied as the exit intention detecting means.

As shown in FIG. 2, the engine 30 side is provided with an engine operating state detecting means 27 for detecting the operating state of the engine 30 (for example, means for detecting the power generation state and hydraulic pressure state of the alternator). Information of the operating state detecting means 27 is input to the ECU 2. The ECU 2 controls the controller 2 based on each input signal, an engine switch 8 provided near the driver's seat of the vehicle 21, a vehicle equipment control unit 9 and an individual equipment control unit 10 which will be described later, and a door 25 of the driver seat of the vehicle 21. And outputs control signals to the door lock actuator 11 and the door lock actuator 11. In addition, the ECU 2
When the reception from the electronic key 1 by the position antenna 24 is stopped under a predetermined condition (specific conditions will be described later),
An operation command is output to the alarm device 28.

The vehicle equipment control unit 9 optimizes vehicle conditions such as selection of a multimeter, seat and mirror position, power steering and AT mode, inter-vehicle distance setting, radio channel, navigation and information memory according to a specific user. Controlled by. In the personal equipment control unit 10,
According to personal information such as a telephone number and email memory and a warning (driving area, time, etc.) according to a user's driving restrictions (diabetes, etc.) via a navigation device, etc. provided near the driver's seat of the vehicle 21. Controlled by the condition of the car.

When the communication between the position antenna 24 and the electronic key 1 is interrupted while the engine operating state detecting means 27 detects the stop of the engine 30, the ECU 2 of the above-mentioned control device is notified (when the electronic key 1 is in the driver's seat). A function of disabling the starting of the engine 30 when it is detected that the vehicle does not exist near the seat 23) is provided. As a result, the engine 30 cannot be started unless the driver possesses the electronic key 1, and the state where the driver and the electronic key 1 are separated from each other is reduced so that the driver carries the electronic key 1. It is possible to accurately control the engine 30 in the state.

Further, when the communication between the position antenna 24 and the electronic key 1 is interrupted during the operation of the engine 30 (when the position of the electronic key 1 cannot be detected by the position antenna 24), the ECU 2 causes the door switch 26 to open the door. When it is detected that 25 is opened (when the driver's intention to get off the vehicle is detected), a function of outputting an operation command to the alarm device 28 is provided. As a result, an alarm can be issued only when necessary and frequent alarms can be prevented.

Further, the ECU 2 is instructed to stop the engine 30 when the communication between the position antenna 24 and the electronic key 1 is interrupted during the operation of the engine 30 (when the position of the electronic key 1 cannot be detected by the position antenna 24). A function of outputting an operation command to the alarm device 28 when provided is provided. As a result, the alarm can be issued only when necessary and the frequent occurrence of the alarm can be prevented. Also, the situation where the engine cannot be restarted in the future when it is stopped is avoided, and a person other than the driver holds the electronic key 1 outside the vehicle. Even in the case where the engine 30 is stopped, the driver can recognize that the electronic key 1 is not present when the engine 30 is stopped, and the state in which the engine 30 cannot be restarted can be avoided.

At this time, a function of stopping the engine 30 after a predetermined time (for example, about 30 seconds) is provided if the operation of stopping the engine 30 continues after the alarm device 28 is activated. As a result, an alarm can be issued only when necessary and frequent alarms can be prevented.

The control operation of the ECU 2 will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, after initialization is made in step S1, it is determined in step S2 whether or not the personal identification number of the electronic key 1 is received via the antenna 3. That is, it is determined whether or not the electronic key 1 exists in the specific area 22. The determination in step S2 is repeated until the electronic key 1 is present in the specific area 22, and if the electronic key 1 is received via the antenna 3, the door lock is released via the door lock actuator 11 in step S3. That is, the driver can get on the vehicle 21. still,
If the driver leaves the vehicle 21 without getting in,
Reception of the electronic key 1 is interrupted and the door is locked via the door lock actuator 11.

Next, in step S4, it is determined through the seat sensor 6 whether or not the driver is seated in the driver's seat. The judgment of whether or not the driver is seated is repeated until the driver is seated,
When it is determined that the user is seated, the fingerprint collation device 5 stands by in step S5, and voice guidance such as "Please collate fingerprint" and this type of display are displayed. After the fingerprint collation is performed, it is determined in step S6 whether the fingerprint collation is OK (matched). Fingerprint collation is OK until fingerprint collation matches
If it is determined that the fingerprints match, the vehicle equipment control unit 9 and the personal equipment control unit 10 are activated in step S7, and the vehicle state and the personal information recorded (registered) in the electronic key 1 are determined. Become a car.

Next, in step S8, it is determined via a timer or the like whether the seat position is OK (proper). The determination as to whether the seat position is OK is repeated until the seat position becomes appropriate, and when it is determined that the seat position is OK, the engine switch 8 becomes operable in step S9. In step S10, it is determined via the seat belt wearing sensor 7 whether or not the seat belt is OK (weared). The determination as to whether or not the seat belt is OK is repeated until the seat belt is worn. When it is determined that the seat belt is OK, the shift lever can be moved from the N range or the P range, and step S11 is performed. The door is locked via the door lock actuator 11.

In this way, in this embodiment, even if the electronic key 1 is stolen, the engine switch 8 cannot be operated unless the fingerprints match, and the vehicle 21
The vehicle 21 cannot be stolen, so that the vehicle 21 is not stolen. Further, since it is not necessary to register the fingerprint of the specific user in advance in the fingerprint matching device 5 provided in the vehicle 21, the commonality of the vehicle 21 is improved. Further, by storing personal information such as a telephone number and a mail memory in the electronic key 1, convenience is improved.

When the door is locked in step S11, it is determined in step S12 whether the engine 30 is in the non-operating state, and the engine operating state detecting means 27 determines that the engine 30 is in the non-operating state. In step S13, it is determined whether the driver holds the electronic key 1. That is, in step S13, the position antenna 2
It is determined whether or not the electronic key 1 has been received via 4. When it is determined that the driver has the electronic key 1 in step S13, the start of the engine 30 is permitted in step S14, and the engine ends.

If it is determined in step S13 that the driver does not have the electronic key 1, that is, the position antenna 24
If it is determined that the electronic key 1 has not been received via, the start of the engine 30 is prohibited in step S15 (a function of disabling the start of the engine 30). Then, in step S16, the warning of starting disapproval of the engine 30 is activated to end the process. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S12 that the engine 30 is operating, the process ends.

Therefore, if the driver does not have the electronic key 1, the engine 30 cannot be started, and the state where the driver and the electronic key 1 are separated from each other is reduced to bring the electronic key 1 to the driver. It is possible to accurately control the engine 30 while the vehicle is in the open state.

After the engine 30 is started, the interrupt process during engine operation shown in FIG. 4 is executed at any time.

As shown in FIG. 4, while the engine 30 is operating, the reception status of the electronic key 1 via the position antenna 24 is determined in step S21, and the reception of the electronic key 1 is determined to be defective. In this case, in step S22, it is determined whether the door 25 has been opened by detecting the door switch 26. If the door 25 is not opened in step S22, even if the reception of the electronic key 1 is poor, the driver has no intention of getting off the vehicle and determines that the communication is simply interrupted due to some temporary cause. The alarm is not activated and ends.

When it is determined in step S22 that the door 25 has been opened, it is determined that the driver has the intention of getting off the vehicle, and in step S23, an alarm that the reception of the electronic key 1 is defective is activated. The alarm at this time is issued both inside and outside the vehicle. As a result, the alarm can be issued only when the reception of the electronic key 1 is poor and the driver has the intention of getting off the vehicle, that is, when necessary, and the frequent occurrence of the alarm can be prevented.

Next, in step S24, it is determined whether or not the engine 30 is stopped, that is, whether or not the engine switch 8 is turned off. If it is determined that the engine 30 is stopped, There is a possibility that the driver has not brought the electronic key 1 due to poor reception of the electronic key 1, and if the engine 30 is stopped as it is, the engine cannot be restarted next. Therefore, the engine 30 cannot be restarted in step S25. Activate an alarm. For example, an audible warning such as "The electronic key cannot be confirmed, the engine cannot be restarted. If you are in trouble, please turn the engine switch back on."

After the alarm that the engine 30 cannot be restarted is activated in step S25, it is determined in step S26 whether or not the stopping operation of the engine 30 has been interrupted, and it is determined that the stopping operation of the engine 30 has been interrupted. If it is determined, the engine 30 continues to operate, and the engine is terminated. When it is determined in step S26 that the stopping operation of the engine 30 has not been interrupted, the engine 30 is stopped after a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) has elapsed in step S27, and the process ends.

That is, when the operation of stopping the engine 30 is performed while the reception of the electronic key 1 is defective,
Immediately, the engine 30 is not stopped but the alarm is activated, and then the engine 30 is stopped after a while.

Therefore, the alarm can be issued only when necessary and the frequent occurrence of the alarm can be prevented, and the situation where the engine 30 cannot be restarted in the future when the engine 30 is stopped is avoided, and a person other than the driver can use the electronic signal. Even when the key 1 is brought out of the vehicle, the driver can recognize that the electronic key 1 is not present when the engine 30 is stopped, and the engine 30 cannot be restarted.

[0037]

In the vehicle control device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the position detecting means detects that the electronic key member is not present near the driver's seat while the engine operating state detecting means detects the stop of the engine. In this case, since the engine cannot be started, the engine cannot be started unless the driver has the electronic key member. As a result, the state in which the driver and the electronic key member are separated from each other is reduced, and the engine can be accurately controlled while the driver is carrying the electronic key member.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle control device according to the first aspect, further comprising a dismounting intention detecting means for detecting a dismounting intention of the driver. When the position detecting means cannot detect the position of the electronic key member, an alarm is issued when the driver's intention to get off the vehicle is detected by the intention to get off the vehicle. Therefore, an alarm is issued only when necessary to prevent frequent occurrence of the alarm. be able to.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vehicle control device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the engine control means cannot detect the position of the electronic key member by the position detection means while the engine is operating. In this case, since an alarm is issued when the engine is stopped, an alarm is issued only when necessary to prevent frequent alarms and to avoid a situation where restarting is impossible when the engine is stopped. Even when a person other than the driver takes the electronic key member outside the vehicle, the driver recognizes that the electronic key member is not present when the engine is stopped, and avoids a state where the engine cannot be restarted.

A vehicle control device according to a fourth aspect is the vehicle control device according to the third aspect, wherein the engine control means stops the engine after a predetermined time if the engine stop operation after the alarm is continued. Therefore, the alarm can be issued only when necessary and the frequent occurrence of the alarm can be prevented.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a vehicle including a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a control block configuration diagram.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of control processing.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of control processing.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 electronic key 2 Controller (ECU) 3 antennas 4 Card write and read device 5 Fingerprint matching device 6 seating sensor 7 Seat belt wearing sensor 8 engine switch 9 Vehicle equipment control section 10 Personal equipment control unit 11 Door lock actuator 21 vehicles 22 Specific area 23 Driver's seat 24 position antenna 25 doors 26 door switch 27 Engine operating state detecting means 28 Alarm device 29 Operating range 30 engine

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) B60R 25/10 619 B60R 25/10 619 E05B 49/00 E05B 49/00 K F term (reference) 2E250 AA21 BB05 BB08 BB09 BB10 BB65 BB67 CC16 CC20 CC28 DD06 DD09 FF08 FF23 FF27 FF36 FF44 HH02 JJ00 LL00 LL01 SS01 SS02 SS04 SS06 SS11 TT04

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A portable electronic key member having a transmitter for wirelessly transmitting a predetermined unique signal, engine operating state detecting means for detecting an operating state of an engine of a vehicle, and a wireless transmitter for transmitting electronic key members. The engine control means receives the transmitted unique signal and controls the operating state of the engine of the vehicle, and the position detection means for detecting the position of the electronic key member. The engine control means includes the engine operating state detection means. Has a function of disabling the starting of the engine when the position detecting means detects that the electronic key member does not exist in the vicinity of the driver's seat in a state where the engine is stopped. Characteristic vehicle control device. 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising dismounting intention detecting means for detecting a dismounting intention of the driver, wherein the engine control means detects the position of the electronic key member by the position detecting means during operation of the engine. A vehicle control device having a function of issuing an alarm when the driver's intention to get off the vehicle is detected by the means for detecting the intention to get off when the vehicle is unable to do so. 3. The engine control unit according to claim 1 or 2, when the engine control operation is performed when the position of the electronic key member cannot be detected by the position detection unit during operation of the engine. A vehicle control device having a function of issuing an alarm. 4. The control device for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the engine control means has a function of stopping the engine after a predetermined time if the engine stop operation after the alarm is continued.