JP2007321342A - Keyless device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a keyless device for a vehicle capable of increasing the life of the power supply of a mobile device such as a battery. <P>SOLUTION: In this keyless device 1 for a vehicle, an on-vehicle machine 3 installed on the vehicle transmits signals to the mobile device 2. When receiving signals from the on-vehicle machine 3, the mobile device 2 sends signals to be returned to the on-vehicle machine 3 for authenticating an ID through communication to lock and unlock the door of the vehicle without operating a key. The mobile device 2 comprises a stop re-start treatment performed by a control part 21 for stopping the return when it receives signals from the on-vehicle machine 3 and re-starting the return after the stoppage. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a keyless device for a vehicle in which a portable device held by a person using the vehicle and an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle authenticate by communication, and mainly lock and unlock the vehicle door without key operation. It belongs to the technical field.

Conventionally, a stimulation sequence (challenge signal) consists of a first telegram part and a second telegram part having an identifier of the protection device, and the protection device is located in a predetermined range of the transmitter of the transmission device by the first telegram part. A radio key suitable for each is activated at different times during the transmission of the second telegram part due to the mutually offset transmission of the response signals (response signals), and the control device determines the appropriate radio based on the response signals. A key is selected from a wireless key and a selection signal is transmitted. This selection signal causes the selected wireless key to transmit an enable signal (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2000-320212 A (page 2-7, full view)

  In the case where this conventional method for the operation of the protection device is adopted in a keyless device for a vehicle, a challenge signal and a response signal, and a selection signal and an enable signal are exchanged between the portable device and the in-vehicle device. Become.

  A portable device is carried by a person using the vehicle by putting it in clothes, a bag, or the like, and therefore carries a power source such as a battery.

  However, in the conventional communication method, there are many situations in which communication is performed relatively frequently. In such a case, the power supply is consumed quickly, which is a problem.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle keyless device capable of extending the life of a power source such as a battery of a portable device.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, an in-vehicle device provided in a vehicle transmits to a portable device, and when the portable device receives a transmission from the in-vehicle device, a reply signal is sent to the in-vehicle device, and ID authentication is performed by communication. In a vehicular keyless device that locks and unlocks a vehicle door without performing a key operation, the portable device stops a reply when receiving a signal from the in-vehicle device and resumes a reply after the stop. It has a restarting means.

In addition, in claim 2, the “set time” in “when the received intensity change of the received transmission signal from the in-vehicle device is within the set range within the set time, the reply from the portable device is stopped”. Is the time set to divide the time when the user holds the portable device, stops and works, and the case where the portable device is placed in a place, and “within the setting range” This is a range in which it can be determined that the constant reception intensity received by a portable device placed in a certain place is considered constant in consideration of variations such as noise with respect to the change in reception intensity when the user moves. .
In addition, the “setting range” in “restart reply from the portable device when the received signal strength change of the transmission signal received from the in-vehicle device exceeds the setting range after stopping” also has the portable device. This is a range in which it is possible to determine that a constant reception intensity received by a portable device placed in a certain place is constant in consideration of variations such as noise with respect to a change in reception intensity when the user moves.

  The stop / resume means clearly determines whether the portable device can be determined to be at a certain position based on the boundary between the “set time” and the “set range”, or whether it should be determined that the mobile device is moved in consideration of variations such as noise. It is divided.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the life of a power source such as a battery of a portable device can be extended.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment for realizing a keyless device for a vehicle according to the present invention will be described based on Example 1 corresponding to the invention according to claims 1 and 2 and Example 2 corresponding to the invention according to claims 1 and 3. explain.

First, the configuration will be described.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle keyless device according to a first embodiment.
The keyless device 1 for a vehicle according to the first embodiment mainly includes a portable device 2 and an in-vehicle device 3.
The portable device 2 includes a control unit 21, an RF transmission unit 22, a transmission antenna 23, an LF reception unit 24, and a reception coil 25 as main components.

  The control unit 21 stores an ID code that is identified for each vehicle, and determines that the signal by the search radio wave processed by the LF receiving unit 24 corresponds to the ID code of the own device, or the user When a request operation is performed on the vehicle or portable device 2 and a search radio wave is transmitted from the vehicle side and received, it is determined that the signal from the search radio wave corresponds to the ID code of the device itself. Is output to the RF transmitter 22. In addition, reception strength determination processing is performed as necessary.

The RF transmission unit 22 converts the signal indicating the ID code from the control unit 21 into a radio signal to be transmitted and outputs the radio signal to the antenna 23.
The antenna 23 transmits a radio wave signal from the RF transmission unit 22.
The LF receiving unit 24 converts the search radio wave from the receiving coil 25 into a signal that can be processed by the control unit 21 and outputs the signal to the control unit 21.
The receiving coil 25 receives the search radio wave from the in-vehicle device 3 and sends the received radio wave signal to the LF receiver 24.

  The in-vehicle device 3 includes a control unit 31, an LF transmission unit 32, an RF reception unit 33, door opening / closing input units 34, a lock state input unit 35, a lock output unit 36, an unlock output unit 37, and outdoor antenna output units 38 to 40. The indoor antenna output units 41 to 43, the reception antenna 44, the outdoor antennas 45 to 47, the indoor antennas 48 to 50, and the request input unit 51 are the main components.

  The control unit 31 processes input information from each door opening / closing input unit 34 and the lock state input unit 35 and information from the portable device 2 input from the RF receiving unit 33 for transmission to the portable device 2. The output to the LF transmitter 32, the output to the lock output unit 36, and the unlock output unit 37 are controlled.

  The LF transmitting unit 32 converts the search signal from the control unit 31 to search for a specific portable device 2 corresponding to the vehicle into a radio signal that can be transmitted, and outputs the outdoor antenna output units 38 to 40 and the indoor antenna output units 41 to 41. Output to 43.

The RF reception unit 33 receives a radio signal indicating the ID code of the portable device 2 from the reception antenna 44, converts it into a signal that can be processed by the control unit 31, and outputs the signal.
Each door open / close input unit 34 inputs information on the open / closed state of each door from the vehicle and outputs the information to the control unit 31.
The lock state input unit 35 inputs information on the door lock / unlock state of the vehicle from the vehicle and outputs the information to the control unit 31.

The lock output unit 36 outputs a command signal for locking the door to a vehicle locking device (not shown) according to a command from the control unit 31.
The unlock output unit 37 outputs a command signal for releasing the door lock to a vehicle locking device (not shown) according to a command from the control unit 31.

The outdoor antenna output units 38 to 40 output radio signals to the outdoor antennas 45 to 47.
The indoor antenna output units 41 to 43 output radio signals to the indoor antennas 48 to 50.
The outdoor antennas 45 to 47 transmit radio signals to the outside of the vehicle.
The indoor antennas 48 to 50 transmit radio signals to the vehicle interior.
The request input unit 51 receives an input of a request switch provided in the vehicle from the vehicle and outputs the request switch to the control unit 31.

Next, the operation will be described.
[Early consumption of portable device power]
Here, the early consumption of the power source such as the battery of the portable device will be described.
In recent vehicles, a function associated with a keyless device is increasingly provided.
For example, when a portable device is approached to the vehicle, a proof installed in the vehicle is turned on to illuminate the user's feet, and so on.
In order to satisfactorily establish such a function, the communication distance between the in-vehicle device and the portable device of the vehicle must be increased.

However, the expansion of the communication distance generates a case where communication is desired even in a place where communication is desired or communication is not necessary.
This is a problem because the power consumption of the battery of the portable device is accelerated. Moreover, depending on the case, a door lock / unlock operation may be performed by another person, which is a problem. For example, the distance between the garage and the room where the portable device is placed is within the communication range.
The keyless device for a vehicle according to the first embodiment solves these problems.

[Transmission / resumption processing for mobile devices]
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of a transmission stop / restart process executed by the control unit 21 of the portable device of the vehicle keyless device according to the first embodiment. Each step will be described below.

  In step S1, it is determined whether or not a transmission signal from the vehicle has been received. If received, the process proceeds to step S2, and if not received, the process ends.

  In step S2, it is determined whether transmission is permitted. If transmission is permitted, the process proceeds to step S3. If transmission is not permitted, the process proceeds to step S6.

  In step S3, the absolute value of the value obtained by subtracting the reception intensity of the current reception from the reception intensity of the previous reception is compared with a preset value Vx. If the value is smaller than Vx, the process proceeds to step S4. .

  In step S4, it is determined whether or not the change in the reception level is smaller than the absolute value of Vx for a preset time Tx (sec). If satisfied, the process proceeds to step S5. If not satisfied, the process is terminated.

  In step S5, transmission is not permitted.

  In step S6, the absolute value of the value obtained by subtracting the reception strength of the current reception from the reception strength of the previous reception is compared with a preset value Vy. If it is greater than Vy, the process proceeds to step S7. .

  In step S7, transmission is permitted.

[Transmission stop / restart action of portable device]
A state in which the vehicle keyless device according to the first embodiment is used will be described below.
For example, after the user stops the engine of the vehicle, the user removes the portable device 2 from the vehicle, and presses and locks a request switch provided on the vehicle.
When the vehicle is locked, the search signal of the portable device 2 is transmitted from the in-vehicle device 3 of the vehicle at a constant cycle T1 sec.

  In addition, when a request switch provided in the vehicle is pressed, the portable device 2 returns to the vehicle when a signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device 3 is received, and the vehicle receives a response from the portable device 2. Upon authentication, control processing such as door lock and unlock is performed. In the case of this request request, the same search signal or another signal may be used.

  At this time, when the portable device 2 receives a signal from the vehicle, the portable device 2 calculates the reception intensity, and further calculates the change level of the reception intensity within a predetermined time (step S3). When the calculated change in received intensity is within the predetermined range Vx for the predetermined time Txsec (step S4), the portable device 2 stops transmission to the in-vehicle device 3 (step S5).

  That is, if the change in the reception intensity of the signal from the in-vehicle device 3 is within a predetermined range, the transmission is stopped. For example, the distance between the garage and the room where the portable device 2 is placed is short, and the search signal can be received. Even in such a case, if there is no change in the reception intensity, the portable device 2 does not transmit, so that it is not authenticated and power consumption of the portable device 2 is prevented.

  In addition, when the portable device 2 receives a signal from the vehicle, calculates the reception intensity, and further calculates the change level of the reception intensity within a predetermined time, it is within a predetermined range for a predetermined time Txsec. When the change exceeds Vx, the portable device 2 does not stop transmission to the in-vehicle device 3 (processing flow from steps S3 and S4 to return). For this reason, when the user is working near the vehicle, authentication is always performed by communication, and there is no inconvenience that the user does not open the door when the user wants to open it.

If the change in the reception sensitivity once exceeds the predetermined range Vy after the reply is stopped, the portable device 2 resumes transmission from the portable device 2 to the in-vehicle device 3 (steps S6 and S7).
Thereby, the transmission of the portable device 2 is stopped, so that there is no problem that the user does not open when the user wants to open the door.

In other words, further explanation will be given.
FIG. 3 is a time chart illustrating a state of transmission / reception of the portable device of the vehicle keyless device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing an operation state of a conventional vehicle keyless device. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation state of the vehicle keyless device according to the first embodiment.

  When the portable device 2 is positioned long enough to reach the search signal radio wave from the in-vehicle device 3, as shown in FIG. 3A, the search signal radio wave from the in-vehicle device 3 continues to be output at a constant period. Therefore, in the conventional vehicle keyless device, communication continues to be established as shown in FIG. This leads to early power consumption.

  In the vehicle keyless device according to the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), when the change in the reception intensity at the portable device 2 is smaller than Vx and the period exceeds Tx, the transmission of the portable device 2 is stopped. (See FIG. 5 and FIG. 3 (c)).

Then, after that, when the change in the reception intensity at the portable device 2 exceeds Vy (see FIG. 3B), transmission is resumed (see FIG. 3C).
As a result, power consumption can be prevented without deteriorating the convenience of the keyless device.

  Next, the effect will be described.

  In the vehicle keyless device according to the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  (1) The in-vehicle device 3 provided in the vehicle transmits to the portable device 2, and when the portable device 2 receives the transmission from the in-vehicle device 3, the portable device 2 sends a reply signal to the in-vehicle device 3, and performs ID authentication by communication to perform key authentication. In the vehicle keyless device 1 that locks and unlocks the vehicle door without operation, the portable device 2 stops the reply when receiving a signal from the in-vehicle device 3 and resumes the reply after the stop. Since the stop / restart process executed by the control unit 21 is provided, the power source of the battery of the portable device can be extended.

  (2) The control unit 21 of the portable device 2 stops the reply from the portable device 2 when the received intensity change of the transmission signal from the in-vehicle device 3 is within the set range Vx at the set time. After that, when the received signal strength change of the transmission signal from the vehicle-mounted device 3 exceeds the set range Vy, the reply from the portable device 2 is resumed, so that the portable device 2 does not move depending on the degree of the change in the received strength. In this case, the response is stopped, and if there is movement, the normal keyless function and the extension of the power source of the battery of the portable device etc. are made compatible by immediately returning to the normal communication state. Can do.

The vehicle keyless device according to the second embodiment is an example in which transmission of the portable device 2 is stopped by a user's switch operation.
The configuration will be described.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the vehicle keyless device according to the first embodiment.
The display device 26 shows information and status to the user as necessary. Specifically, liquid crystal display and VFD display.
The reply control switch 27 is a switch for performing an input for operating reply stop and restart.
Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

[Transmission / resumption processing for mobile devices]
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of a transmission stop / restart process executed by the control unit 21 of the portable device of the vehicle keyless device according to the first embodiment. Each step will be described below.

  In step S11, it is determined whether or not a transmission signal from the vehicle has been received. If received, the process proceeds to step S12, and if not received, the process is terminated.

  In step S12, the display 26 displays that the transmission signal from the vehicle has been received.

  In step S13, it is determined whether transmission is permitted. If transmission is permitted, the process proceeds to step S14, and if transmission is not permitted, the process proceeds to step S16.

  In step S14, it is determined whether or not there has been an operation input to the reply control switch 27. If there is an input, the process proceeds to step S15, and if there is no input, the process ends.

  In step S15, transmission is not permitted.

  In step S16, it is determined whether or not there is an operation input on the reply control switch 27. If there is an input, the process proceeds to step S17, and if there is no input, the process proceeds to step S18.

  In step S17, transmission is permitted.

  In step S18, it is determined whether or not the reception intensity is E1 or more. If it is E1 or more, the process proceeds to step S17, and if it is less than E1, the process is terminated.

[Transmission stop / restart action of portable device]
In the second embodiment, when the portable device 2 receives a signal from the in-vehicle device 3, the portable device 2 displays the signal on the display 26 (step S12). This display may be a simple lighting or blinking in addition to a liquid crystal display.
The user confirms the state with the display 26 of the portable device 2 and, if he / she does not want to reply, operates the reply control switch 27 to stop the reply (steps S14 and S15).
In this manner, the reply of the portable device 2 can be stopped based on the judgment of the user, and useless replies can be reduced.

Next, the effect will be described.
In the vehicle keyless device according to the second embodiment, the following effect can be obtained in addition to the effect (1) of the first embodiment.
(3) The portable device 2 includes a reply control switch 27 for inputting operations for stopping and resuming transmission, and a display 26 for displaying that the transmission from the in-vehicle device 3 has been received. 3 is displayed on the display 26, and when there is an input from the reply control switch 27, the reply from the portable device 2 is stopped. After the stop, there is an input from the reply control switch 27 In order to resume the reply from the portable device 2, the power of the portable device battery or the like is extended by stopping the transmission according to the user's intention, and the normal communication processing is resumed for the convenience of the user. In addition, it is possible to extend the life of the power source of the battery of the portable device while reflecting the intention of the user.

As mentioned above, although the keyless apparatus for vehicles of the present invention has been described based on the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and each claim of the claims Design changes and additions are permitted without departing from the spirit of the invention.
For example, each input / output unit is separately provided in the in-vehicle device, but when using in-vehicle communication, a communication unit may be provided.
In the second embodiment, a display device is used as a transmission means to the user. However, a buzzer or the like that transmits sound may be provided.

It is a block diagram of the keyless device for vehicles of Example 1. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the transmission stop and restart process performed in the control part of the portable machine of the keyless apparatus for vehicles of Example 1. FIG. It is a time chart which shows the state of transmission / reception of the portable machine of the vehicle keyless apparatus of Example 1. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation state of the conventional vehicle keyless apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation state of the keyless apparatus for vehicles of Example 1. FIG. It is a block diagram of the keyless device for vehicles of Example 1. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the transmission stop and restart process performed in the control part of the portable machine of the keyless apparatus for vehicles of Example 1. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle keyless apparatus 2 Portable machine 21 Control part 22 RF transmission part 23 Transmission antenna 24 LF reception part 25 Reception coil 26 Indicator 27 Reply control switch 3 Onboard equipment 31 Control part 32 LF transmission part 33 RF reception part 34 Each door opening and closing Input unit 35 Lock state input unit 36 Lock output unit 37 Unlock output unit 38-40 Outdoor antenna output unit 41-43 Indoor antenna output unit 44 Reception antenna 45-47 Outdoor antenna 48-50 Indoor antenna 51 Request input unit

Claims (3)

The in-vehicle device installed in the vehicle transmits to the portable device, and when the portable device receives the transmission from the in-vehicle device, it sends a reply signal to the in-vehicle device, performs ID authentication by communication, and locks the vehicle door without key operation. In the vehicle keyless device for unlocking,
The portable device includes a stop / resume means for stopping a reply when receiving a signal from the in-vehicle device and restarting the reply after the stop.
A keyless device for a vehicle. The keyless device for a vehicle according to claim 1,
The stop / resume means
When the received signal strength change of the transmitted signal from the in-vehicle device is within the set range at the set time, the reply from the portable device is stopped,
After stopping, when the received intensity change of the transmitted signal from the in-vehicle device exceeds the set range, the reply from the portable device is resumed.
A keyless device for a vehicle. The keyless device for a vehicle according to claim 1,
The portable device is
An operation input means for inputting an operation for stopping and restarting transmission;
A transmission means for transmitting to the user that the transmission from the in-vehicle device has been received;
With
The stop / resume means
Display on the transmission means that there was a reception from the in-vehicle device, and when there is an input from the operation input means, stop the reply from the portable device,
After the stop, when there is an input from the operation input means, the reply from the portable device is resumed.
A keyless device for a vehicle.

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