JP2004293162A - Keyless operating apparatus for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a keyless operating apparatus for a vehicle enabling a check for the residual capacity of a battery only by the apparatus without disassembling at an arbitrary time when a check request is made. <P>SOLUTION: This keyless operating apparatus for the vehicle comprises: a radio transmitter 42 which enables locking/unlocking operations of a vehicle door etc. to be performed by remote control using radio transmission; the battery 47 which operates as an operating power source for the radio transmitter 42; a residual-capacity-of-battery detecting device 48 for detecting the residual capacity of the battery 47 by operating locking and unlocking operation buttons 43 and 44 provided in the radio transmitter 42; and a light-emitting diode 45 for providing the notification of the residual capacity of the battery which is detected by the device 48. The notification of the residual capacity of the battery is provided by the number of blinks of the diode 45. In the device 48, when an electrostatic voltage of the battery 47 satisfies a first prescribed value, an electric current is passed under a pulse load at a constant duty ratio, and the residual capacity of the battery is determined, for example, by comparing a voltage measurement value Vp in this case with second and third prescribed values. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a keyless operation device for a vehicle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art A vehicular keyless operation device is capable of remotely controlling operations such as locking and unlocking of an opening / closing member such as a door of a vehicle (automobile) and a trunk lid by wireless communication using a wireless transmitter. As a conventional example of such a keyless operation device for a vehicle, for example, there is one disclosed in Patent Document 1 below.
[0003]
FIG. 7 shows the configuration of the vehicular keyless operation device disclosed in Patent Document 1. The remote control system for a vehicle shown in FIG. 7 is a remote control device 10 that is a keyless operation device for a vehicle, an in-vehicle device 20 mounted on the vehicle, a control device 30 for the vehicle, and a display provided on the vehicle to inform a user of information. And an alarm 31.
[0004]
The remote controller 10 receives a battery 11, battery remaining capacity detecting means 12 for detecting and outputting the remaining capacity of the battery 11, a switch 13, a switch I / F circuit 14, battery remaining capacity information and a switch signal. The remote control unit 15 outputs a result of conversion into switch correspondence information and remaining battery capacity information, and a transmission circuit 17 transmits this information to the on-vehicle device 20 via the remote control antenna 17. The remaining battery capacity detecting means 12 detects the remaining battery capacity based on the measured value of the battery voltage.
[0005]
The in-vehicle device 20 decodes the information of the antenna 21 and the receiving circuit 22 that receive the signal SG transmitted from the remote control device 10, the signal received by the receiving circuit 22, and outputs a command to control the control device 30 of the vehicle. An in-vehicle device control unit 23 that outputs a signal for operating a display / alarm 31 that informs a user of a remaining battery capacity or the like by a lamp, a buzzer, or the like; and a second unit that controls the control device 30 in accordance with an output signal of the control unit 23. One input / output I / F circuit 24 and a second input / output I / F circuit 25 for operating the display / alarm device 31 are provided.
[0006]
That is, in this vehicle remote control stem, the notification of the remaining battery capacity detected by the remaining battery capacity detection means 12 of the remote control device 10 is performed by the display / alarm 31 on the vehicle side.
[0007]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-11-30064 [0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, in the conventional keyless operation device for a vehicle, the keyless operation device does not have a function of notifying the remaining capacity of the internal battery of the keyless operation device for the vehicle at the time of an arbitrary request for investigation. It is not possible to estimate the remaining life of the battery at the time of the request for arbitrary investigation, and it is not easy to investigate the remaining battery capacity, which is one of the major causes of the inoperability of the keyless operation device. Becomes).
[0009]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a keyless operation device for a vehicle that can investigate the remaining battery capacity at an arbitrary investigation request time by itself without disassembling the keyless operation device.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A keyless operation device for a vehicle according to a first invention for solving the above-mentioned problems, a wireless transmitter capable of operating a lock or unlock of an opening / closing member of a vehicle by remote control by wireless transmission,
A battery that operates as an operating power supply for the wireless transmitter;
By operating an operation member provided in the wireless transmitter, a battery remaining capacity detection unit that detects a remaining capacity of the battery,
Battery remaining capacity notifying means for notifying the remaining battery capacity detected by the remaining battery capacity detecting means,
It is characterized by having.
[0011]
Further, the vehicle keyless operation device of the second invention is the vehicle keyless operation device of the first invention,
The battery remaining capacity notifying means notifies the battery remaining capacity based on the number of times the light emitting diode blinks.
[0012]
Further, the vehicle keyless operation device of the third invention is the vehicle keyless operation device of the first or second invention,
In the battery remaining capacity detecting means, the battery is energized by applying a load when the static voltage of the battery satisfies a predetermined value, and the battery remaining capacity is determined by a differential value of the battery remaining capacity with respect to the energizing time at this time. It is characterized by doing.
[0013]
The keyless operating device for a vehicle according to the fourth invention is the keyless operating device for a vehicle according to the first or second invention,
In the battery residual capacity detecting means, when the static voltage of the battery satisfies a predetermined value, the battery is energized by applying a pulse load having a constant duty ratio, and the voltage measurement value at this time is compared with another predetermined value. Are compared to determine the remaining battery capacity.
[0014]
The keyless operating device for a vehicle according to a fifth invention is the keyless operating device for a vehicle according to the first or second invention,
In the battery remaining capacity detecting means, when the static voltage of the battery satisfies a predetermined value, the battery is energized by changing the duty ratio and applying a pulse load, and the voltage measurement value at this time is changed to another predetermined value. The battery remaining capacity is determined based on the duty ratio when the battery capacity is not reached.
[0015]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0016]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a keyless operation device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the keyless operation device for a vehicle. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing an operation method for detecting the remaining battery capacity in the keyless operation device for a vehicle, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for detecting the remaining battery capacity, and FIGS. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method of detecting a capacity.
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 1, a keyless operation device 41 for a vehicle according to the present embodiment is a card type having a card-shaped case 42 serving as an apparatus main body, and a lock operation button as an operation member is provided on the surface of the case 42. 43, an unlock operation button 44, and a light emitting diode 45 as a battery remaining capacity informing means and the like are provided.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 2, a wireless transmitter 46, a battery 47 operating as an operating power source of the wireless transmitter 46, and a battery residual capacity detecting device 48 as battery residual capacity detecting means are provided in the case 42. Built-in.
[0019]
The wireless transmitter 46 is capable of remotely controlling the locking and unlocking of an opening / closing member such as a door of a vehicle (automobile) and a truck lid by wireless transmission. More specifically, the wireless transmitter 4 includes a control unit 49 including a microcomputer or the like and a wireless transmission unit 50, and operates by power supply from the battery 47.
[0020]
When the user (operator) presses the lock operation button 43 or the unlock operation button 44, the control unit 49 outputs a lock signal or an unlock signal transmission command to the wireless transmission unit 50 in response to the press, and outputs By supplying power to the light emitting diode 45 from 47 and blinking the light emitting diode 45, the user (operator) is notified that the lock signal or the unlock signal has been transmitted. That is, the user can confirm the operation by blinking the light emitting diode 45. In the wireless transmission unit 50, based on the transmission command from the control unit 49, a lock signal or an unlock signal is wirelessly transmitted to a lock device such as an opening / closing member such as a vehicle door or a trunk lid, thereby locking the lock device. (Lock) operation or unlock (unlock) operation.
[0021]
Further, the control unit 49 transmits the battery 47 with a built-in keyless operation device to the battery remaining capacity detection device 48 in response to the specific input of the lock operation button 43 and the unlock operation button 44 at the time of a request to investigate the remaining battery capacity of the user or the like. Outputs the residual capacity detection command. In this case, as a specific input for detecting the remaining battery capacity, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, the lock operation button 43 and the unlock operation button 44 are sequentially pressed shortly (turned on), and then the lock operation button 43 is pressed. Press and hold. When another customization input such as raising and lowering of the power window is set, it is sufficient to appropriately set the specific input so as not to interfere with the other customization input.
[0022]
The battery remaining capacity detection device 48 detects the battery remaining capacity according to the procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 based on the battery remaining capacity detection command from the control unit 49. As shown in FIG. 4, the battery remaining capacity detecting device 48 first measures the static operation voltage Vb of the battery 47 (step S1). That is, the voltage of the battery 47 is measured in a state where no load is applied to the battery 47 and almost no current flows. Then, the battery static voltage Vb is compared with a first predetermined value (for example, 2.5 V) (step S2).
[0023]
As a result, when the battery static voltage Vb does not satisfy the first predetermined value, a command is transmitted to the control unit 49 so as to blink the light emitting diode 45 once (step S6). On the other hand, when the battery static voltage Vb satisfies the first predetermined value, subsequently, the voltage Vp of the battery 47 when the battery 47 is energized by applying a pulse load (instantaneous load) is measured (step S3).
[0024]
In order to know the remaining capacity (remaining amount of electricity) Q of the battery 47, a differential value (dQ / dt) of the remaining battery capacity Q with respect to the energization time t may be measured. On the other hand, assuming that the load current is i and the load resistance is R, the battery voltage Vp under a pulse load is Vp = iR, and i = dQ / dt. Therefore, it is obvious that the differential value (dQ / dt) of the battery residual capacity Q can be measured by measuring the voltage Vp under pulse load. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the rising voltage Vp of the battery 47 when a pulse load is applied to the battery 47 and the battery 47 is energized is measured.
[0025]
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5A, the battery 47 is energized by applying a pulse load at a constant duty ratio. At this time, when the remaining battery capacity Q is relatively large as shown in FIG. 5B, the battery voltage Vp (rising voltage) measured by the remaining battery capacity detection device 48 has a relatively high voltage rising rate. Is a large value. On the other hand, when the remaining battery capacity Q is relatively small as shown in FIG. 5C, the battery voltage Vp measured by the remaining battery capacity detection device 48 has a relatively low voltage increase rate and a small value. .
[0026]
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, in the remaining battery capacity detection device 48, a battery voltage Vp measured as an average voltage value by applying a load to the battery 47 at a constant duty ratio, and a second predetermined value (for example, 2 .4V) (step S4). As a result, when the battery voltage Vp is less than the second predetermined value, a command is transmitted to the control unit 49 so as to blink the light emitting diode 45 twice (step S6). On the other hand, when the battery voltage Vp satisfies the second predetermined value, subsequently, the battery voltage Vp is compared with a third predetermined value (for example, 2.8 V). As a result, when the battery voltage Vp is less than the third predetermined value, a command is transmitted to the control unit 49 so as to blink the light emitting diode 45 three times (step S6). On the other hand, when the battery voltage Vp satisfies the third predetermined value, a command is transmitted to the control unit 49 so as to blink the light emitting diode 45 four times (step S6).
[0027]
Then, the control unit 49 flashes the light emitting diode 45 once, twice, three or four times based on the command from the battery remaining capacity detecting device 48 to notify the user (operator) of the battery remaining capacity. . The evaluation levels of these light emitting diode blinking times are set as follows.
[0028]
Flashing 4 times: Level with sufficient remaining battery capacity Flashing 3 times: Flashing twice with no problem, although there is some reduction in battery remaining capacity: Flashing once at level when spare battery needs to be prepared : Level requiring battery replacement (battery exhaustion display) level
By the way, in the above, when the battery static voltage satisfies a predetermined value, the battery 47 is energized by applying a pulse load with a constant duty ratio, and the voltage measurement value at this time is compared with a predetermined value to determine the remaining battery capacity. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and when the battery static operation voltage satisfies a predetermined value, the battery 47 is energized by changing the duty ratio and applying a pulse load, and the voltage measurement value at this time is different. The remaining battery capacity may be determined based on the duty ratio at which the predetermined value is not reached.
[0030]
That is, when a pulse load is applied to the battery 47 by changing the duty ratio as illustrated in FIG. 6A, the remaining battery capacity is relatively large as illustrated in FIGS. 6B and 6C. In both cases, the battery voltage Vp is smaller when the pulse load ON time is shorter than when the pulse load ON time is relatively longer. However, when the pulse load ON time is relatively longer or shorter, the battery residual capacity is lower. When Q is relatively large, battery voltage Vp has a relatively high voltage increase rate and has a large value, while when battery residual capacity Q is relatively small, battery voltage Vp has a relatively low voltage increase rate and is small. Value. Therefore, the duty ratio of the pulse load is changed, and the remaining battery capacity can be determined based on the duty ratio at which the battery voltage Vp measured by the remaining battery capacity detection device 48 does not reach the predetermined value.
[0031]
As described above, according to the vehicle keyless operation device 41 of the present embodiment, the wireless transmitter 42 that can remotely control the locking or unlocking of the opening / closing member of the vehicle by wireless transmission, and the wireless transmitter 42 By operating a battery 47 operating as an operating power source of the transmitter 42 and a lock operation button 43 and an unlock operation button 44 provided on the wireless transmitter 42 (by performing a specific input as illustrated in FIG. 3). A lock operation button for detecting the remaining capacity of the battery 47 and a light emitting diode 45 for notifying the remaining battery capacity detected by the remaining battery capacity detection device 48. When the user operates the unlock button 43 and the unlock operation button 44 (when a specific input is made), that is, at the time of an arbitrary investigation request, the vehicle key Investigation of the residual capacity of the easily battery 47 without and device degradation in the scan operation device 41 itself becomes possible.
[0032]
For this reason, the remaining battery capacity check, which was the most common cause of the inoperability of the keyless operation device for a vehicle and which has been required to be investigated in the past, can be easily performed by the keyless operation device 41 alone, and the serviceability is improved. In addition, since the user can easily check the remaining battery capacity by himself / herself, it is possible to give the user a sense of security regarding the battery life, thereby contributing to an improvement in customer satisfaction. In addition, in the vehicle keyless operation device 41 of the present embodiment, the light emitting diode 45 for operation confirmation is also used for notifying the remaining battery capacity, so that a new light emitting diode 45 is required to notify the remaining battery capacity. There is no need to add.
[0033]
Further, in the vehicle keyless operation device 41 of the present embodiment, the battery remaining capacity is notified by the number of blinks of the light emitting diode 45, so that the user can easily grasp the evaluation level of the battery remaining capacity and prepare the spare battery. The timing of battery replacement can be determined accurately.
[0034]
Further, according to the vehicle keyless operation device 41 of the present embodiment, the battery residual capacity detection device 48 applies a pulse load having a constant duty ratio when the static voltage of the battery 47 satisfies the first predetermined value. And the second and third predetermined values are compared to determine the state of charge of the battery. Therefore, the number of times of operation of the switch (pulse meter It is possible to easily and surely detect the remaining battery capacity as compared with a method of obtaining a numerical value) or a method of simply measuring the static voltage of the battery.
[0035]
Similarly, when the battery 47 is energized by changing the duty ratio and applying a pulse load, and the remaining battery capacity is determined based on the duty ratio when the voltage measurement value at this time does not reach another predetermined value, The remaining battery capacity can be easily and reliably detected as compared with a conventional method of calculating the number of times of operation of the switch (pulse count value) or a method of simply measuring the static voltage of the battery.
[0036]
The present invention is not limited to the card-type keyless operation device as described above, and can be applied to various forms of vehicle keyless operation devices.
[0037]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail with the embodiments of the invention, according to the keyless operation device for a vehicle of the first invention, the locking or unlocking of the opening / closing member of the vehicle or the like is remotely controlled by wireless transmission. A possible wireless transmitter, a battery that operates as an operating power source of the wireless transmitter, and a battery remaining capacity detecting unit that detects a remaining capacity of the battery by operating an operation member provided in the wireless transmitter. When the user or the like operates the operating member, i.e., at the time of any investigation request, it is characterized by having a battery remaining capacity notifying means for notifying the battery remaining capacity detected by the battery remaining capacity detecting means. It is possible to easily check the remaining capacity of the battery without using the keyless operation device for the vehicle alone and without disassembling the device.
[0038]
For this reason, the remaining battery capacity check, which was conventionally the most common cause of inoperability of the keyless operation device for a vehicle and had a high necessity for investigation, can be easily performed by the keyless operation device for the vehicle alone, and the serviceability has been improved. In addition, since the user can easily check the remaining battery capacity by himself / herself, it is possible to give a sense of security to the user regarding the battery life, thereby contributing to an improvement in customer satisfaction.
[0039]
Further, according to the keyless operation device for a vehicle of the second invention, in the keyless operation device for a vehicle of the first invention, the battery remaining capacity notifying unit notifies the battery remaining capacity by the number of times of blinking of the light emitting diode. Therefore, the user can easily grasp the evaluation level of the remaining battery capacity, and can appropriately determine, for example, the preparation of a spare battery and the timing of battery replacement.
[0040]
Further, according to the keyless operating device for a vehicle of the third invention, in the keyless operating device for a vehicle of the first or second invention, the battery residual capacity detection means may be configured to operate when the static voltage of the battery satisfies a predetermined value. The battery is energized by applying a load to the battery, and the remaining capacity of the battery is determined by the differential value of the remaining capacity of the battery with respect to the energization time at this time. Can be easily and reliably detected as compared with the method of determining the static voltage or the method of simply measuring the static voltage of the battery.
[0041]
Further, according to the keyless operation device of the fourth invention, in the keyless operation device for a vehicle of the first or second invention, the battery residual capacity detecting means may be configured such that when the static voltage of the battery satisfies a predetermined value, The battery is energized by applying a pulse load with a fixed duty ratio to the battery, and the voltage measurement value at this time is compared with another predetermined value to determine the remaining battery capacity. Compared to a method of calculating the number of operations (pulse count value) or a method of simply measuring the static voltage of the battery, the remaining battery capacity can be detected easily and reliably.
[0042]
According to the keyless operation device for a vehicle of the fifth invention, in the keyless operation device for a vehicle according to the first or second invention, in the battery remaining capacity detection means, the static voltage of the battery satisfies a predetermined value. When the battery is energized by changing the duty ratio and applying a pulse load to the battery, the remaining battery capacity is determined based on the duty ratio when the voltage measurement value at this time does not reach another predetermined value. Therefore, the remaining battery capacity can be detected more easily and more reliably than the conventional method of calculating the number of times of operation of the switch (pulse count value) or simply measuring the static voltage of the battery. it can.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a vehicular keyless operation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the keyless operation device for a vehicle.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation method for detecting a remaining battery charge in the keyless operation device for a vehicle.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for detecting the remaining battery charge.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific method of detecting the remaining battery capacity.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific method of detecting the remaining battery capacity.
FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a conventional keyless operation device for a vehicle.
[Explanation of symbols]
41 Keyless operation device for vehicle 42 Case 43 Lock operation button 44 Unlock operation button 45 Light emitting diode 46 Wireless transmitter 47 Battery 48 Battery residual capacity detecting device 49 Control unit 50 Wireless transmission unit

Claims (5)

A wireless transmitter operable by remote control by wireless transmission, such as locking or unlocking of a vehicle opening / closing member,
A battery that operates as an operating power supply for the wireless transmitter;
By operating an operation member provided in the wireless transmitter, a battery remaining capacity detecting unit that detects a remaining capacity of the battery,
Battery remaining capacity notifying means for notifying the remaining battery capacity detected by the remaining battery capacity detecting means,
A keyless operation device for a vehicle, comprising: The keyless operating device for a vehicle according to claim 1,
The keyless operating device for a vehicle, wherein the battery remaining capacity notifying unit notifies the battery remaining capacity based on the number of times the light emitting diode blinks. The keyless operating device for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2,
In the battery remaining capacity detecting means, the battery is energized by applying a load when the static voltage of the battery satisfies a predetermined value, and the battery remaining capacity is determined by a differential value of the battery remaining capacity with respect to the energizing time at this time. A keyless operation device for a vehicle. The keyless operating device for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2,
In the battery residual capacity detecting means, when the static voltage of the battery satisfies a predetermined value, the battery is energized by applying a pulse load having a constant duty ratio, and the measured voltage value at this time is compared with another predetermined value. A keyless operation device for a vehicle, characterized in that the remaining battery capacity is determined by comparing the two. The keyless operating device for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2,
In the battery residual capacity detection means, when the static voltage of the battery satisfies a predetermined value, the battery is energized by changing the duty ratio and applying a pulse load, and the voltage measurement value at this time becomes another predetermined value. A keyless operating device for a vehicle, wherein the remaining battery capacity is determined based on the duty ratio when the battery power is no longer reached.

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