JP2009031210A - Vehicle position informing system, and vehicle side device used for system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle position informing system that can specify the presence azimuth of a vehicle accurately regardless of the ambient environment of the vehicle and inform a user of the azimuth information. <P>SOLUTION: This vehicle position informing system includes a vehicle side device mounted on the vehicle, and a portable machine side device mounted on a portable machine which the user can carry. The portable machine side device has a transmitting section for transmitting a vehicle retrieval signal to the vehicle side device. The vehicle side device comprises at least three receiving antennas that are positioned mutually separately and receive the vehicle retrieval signal transmitted from the portable machine side device, an arithmetic section for calculating the vehicle presence azimuth to the portable machine based on the difference between times when respective receiving antennas receive the vehicle retrieval signal, and a transmitting section for transmitting an azimuth signal showing the presence azimuth to the portable machine side device. The portable machine side device further has a receiving section for receiving the azimuth signal transmitted from the vehicle side device, and an informing section for informing the user of the presence azimuth based on the azimuth signal received by the receiving section. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle position notification system and a vehicle-side device used in the system, and more specifically, to a vehicle position notification system capable of accurately reporting a vehicle position regardless of the surrounding environment of the vehicle and the system. The present invention relates to a vehicle side device.

  Conventionally, for example, the following has been proposed as a vehicle position notification system for notifying a user away from a parked vehicle of the vehicle position.

  The vehicle position notification system disclosed in Patent Literature 1 includes a vehicle-side device and a portable device that can be carried by a user.

  Each of the vehicle-side device and the portable device includes a geomagnetic sensor that detects an absolute direction. The vehicle side device transmits a direction identification signal in a plurality of directions in accordance with the absolute direction. Specifically, the vehicle-side device includes a plurality of directional transmission antennas, and transmits east, west, south, and north direction identification signals from the respective antennas.

  The portable device identifies the vehicle presence direction based on the received direction identification signal, and notifies the user of the direction. Specifically, the portable device specifies the vehicle presence direction based on the reception strength of the direction identification signal. For example, if an east direction identification signal and a north direction identification signal are received and the reception strength is the same, the portable device determines that the vehicle is located in the southwest direction with respect to the own device, and the direction Is displayed on the display with an arrow.

According to this system, the user can acquire the vehicle presence direction information from the portable device.
JP 2006-125983 A

However, the technique of Patent Document 1 has the following problems.
The portable device specifies the vehicle presence direction based on the reception strength of the direction identification signal. When there is an obstacle that easily absorbs or reflects radio waves around the vehicle, the direction identification signal is absorbed or reflected by the obstacle. In this case, the portable device cannot receive the direction identification signal with the intensity that should be received, and as a result, there is a possibility that the presence direction of the vehicle cannot be accurately specified.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a vehicle position notification system capable of accurately specifying the vehicle's existing direction regardless of the surrounding environment of the vehicle and notifying the user of the direction information, and this It aims at providing the vehicle side apparatus used for a system.

The vehicle position notification system according to the present invention includes:
A system for informing a user away from a vehicle of the position of the vehicle,
A vehicle-side device mounted on the vehicle;
A portable device mounted on a portable device that can be carried by a user,
The portable device side device is
Including a transmitter that transmits a vehicle search signal to the vehicle-side device,
The vehicle side device is
At least three receiving antennas that are located away from each other and that receive the vehicle search signal transmitted from the portable device side device;
A calculation unit that calculates the presence direction of the vehicle relative to the portable device based on a difference in time at which each of the reception antennas receives the vehicle search signal;
A transmitter that transmits an orientation signal indicating the presence orientation to the portable device side device,
The portable device side device further includes a receiving unit that receives the azimuth signal transmitted from the vehicle side device;
A notification unit that notifies the user of the presence direction based on the direction signal received by the reception unit.

As described above, the vehicle-side device is located at a distance between the at least three reception antennas that receive the vehicle search signal transmitted from the portable device-side device, and the difference in time at which each reception antenna receives the vehicle search signal. And a calculation unit that calculates the vehicle orientation relative to the portable device.
That is, the calculation unit calculates the vehicle presence direction based on the difference in signal transmission time to each receiving antenna of the vehicle side device. The signal transmission time is not easily affected by the surrounding environment of the vehicle.
Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to accurately specify the direction of presence of the vehicle and notify the user of the direction regardless of the surrounding environment of the vehicle.

In the present invention,
The computing unit is
Further, a distance between the vehicle and the portable device is calculated based on a difference in time at which each of the reception antennas receives the vehicle search signal, and the transmission unit transmits a distance signal indicating the calculated distance to the portable device. To
The portable device is
It is preferable that the reception unit receives the distance signal, and the notification unit notifies the distance based on the received distance signal.

  In this case, since the vehicle-side device calculates the distance between the portable device and the vehicle, both the distance and the vehicle presence direction can be notified to the user.

In the present invention,
The arithmetic unit is
Means for calculating each interval between a reception time of a reception antenna that first receives the vehicle search signal and a time at which another reception antenna receives the vehicle search signal among the reception antennas of the vehicle-side device;
Means for calculating the product of radio wave velocity for each of the above intervals;
The position of the portable device is set to the center of a circle passing through the position of the receiving antenna that is in contact with the circle whose center is the position of each of the other receiving antennas and whose radius is each corresponding product. Means for calculating as
It is preferable to have a means for calculating the presence direction of the vehicle relative to the portable device based on the calculated position.

  In this case, the reception time of the reception antenna that first receives the vehicle search signal among the reception antennas of the vehicle-side device is used as a reference, and each of the reference time and the time when the other reception antennas receive the vehicle search signal. The presence direction of the vehicle is calculated based on the interval. Therefore, even when the transmission time of the signal from the portable device is unknown in the vehicle-side device, the vehicle-side device can calculate the vehicle presence direction. Moreover, since the vehicle side apparatus specifies the position of the portable device with respect to the vehicle, the distance between the vehicle and the portable device can also be calculated.

In the present invention,
The arithmetic unit is
Means for calculating the distance between each receiving antenna and the portable device based on the time when each receiving antenna of the vehicle-side device receives the vehicle search signal and the time when the portable device transmits the vehicle search signal;
Means for calculating, as the position of the portable device, an intersection of circles centered on the position of each receiving antenna and having the corresponding distance as a radius;
It is preferable to have a means for calculating the presence direction of the vehicle relative to the portable device based on the calculated position.

  In this case, the distance between each receiving antenna and the portable device is calculated based on the time at which each receiving antenna of the vehicle-side device receives the vehicle search signal and the time at which the portable device transmits the vehicle search signal. Calculate the vehicle orientation. Therefore, when the transmission time of the signal from the portable device is known in the vehicle side device, the vehicle side device can calculate the vehicle presence direction. Moreover, since the vehicle side apparatus specifies the position of the portable device with respect to the vehicle, the distance between the vehicle and the portable device can also be calculated.

In the present invention,
Each of the reception antennas of the vehicle-side device is preferably shared with a reception antenna of another system mounted on the vehicle.

  In this case, the vehicle-side device can receive the vehicle search signal and calculate the vehicle presence direction with respect to the portable device without providing a dedicated reception antenna for the vehicle-side device.

In the present invention,
When the vehicle search signal is transmitted from the portable device, it is preferable that the vehicle search signal first received by each of the reception antennas of the vehicle side device is used for the azimuth calculation.

  In this case, when a vehicle search signal is transmitted from the portable device to the vehicle-side device, even if a multipath of signals occurs between them, the vehicle-side device is not affected by the vehicle-side direction relative to the portable device. Can be calculated accurately.

Moreover, the vehicle position notification system according to the present invention includes:
A system for informing a user away from a vehicle of the position of the vehicle,
A vehicle-side device mounted on the vehicle;
A portable device mounted on a portable device that can be carried by a user,
The portable device side device is
Including a transmitter that transmits a vehicle search signal to the vehicle-side device,
The vehicle side device is
At least three receiving antennas that are located away from each other and that receive the vehicle search signal transmitted from the portable device side device;
A calculation unit that calculates the presence direction of the portable device with respect to the vehicle based on a difference in time at which each of the reception antennas receives the vehicle search signal;
A transmitter that transmits an orientation signal indicating the presence orientation to the portable device side device,
The portable device side device further includes a receiving unit that receives the azimuth signal transmitted from the vehicle side device;
A calculation unit that calculates the vehicle presence direction relative to the portable device based on the direction signal;
And a notifying unit for notifying the user of the calculated orientation of the vehicle.

As described above, the vehicle-side device is located at a distance from each other, and the difference between at least three reception antennas that receive the vehicle search signal transmitted from the portable device-side device and the time at which each reception antenna receives the vehicle search signal. And a calculation unit that calculates the presence direction of the portable device with respect to the vehicle.
That is, the calculation unit calculates the presence direction of the portable device with respect to the vehicle based on the difference in signal transmission time to the plurality of receiving antennas of the vehicle side device. The signal transmission time is not easily affected by the surrounding environment of the vehicle. The portable device calculates the presence direction of the vehicle relative to the portable device based on the presence direction of the portable device relative to the vehicle.
Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to accurately specify the direction of presence of the vehicle and notify the user of the direction regardless of the surrounding environment of the vehicle.

The vehicle side device according to the present invention is
A vehicle-side device in a system for notifying a user away from a vehicle of the position of the vehicle,
At least three receiving antennas for receiving vehicle search signals transmitted from portable devices that the user can carry;
A calculation unit that calculates the presence direction of the vehicle relative to the portable device based on a difference in time at which each of the reception antennas receives the vehicle search signal;
A transmission unit that transmits an azimuth signal indicating the presence direction of the vehicle to the portable device side device.

As described above, the vehicle-side device is located at a distance between the at least three reception antennas that receive the vehicle search signal transmitted from the portable device-side device, and the difference in time at which each reception antenna receives the vehicle search signal. And a calculation unit that calculates the vehicle orientation relative to the portable device.
That is, the calculation unit calculates the vehicle presence direction based on the difference in signal transmission time to each receiving antenna of the vehicle side device. The signal transmission time is not easily affected by the surrounding environment of the vehicle.
Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to accurately specify the vehicle presence direction regardless of the surrounding environment of the vehicle.

Moreover, the vehicle side device according to the present invention is:
A vehicle-side device in a system for notifying a user away from a vehicle of the position of the vehicle,
At least three receiving antennas for receiving vehicle search signals transmitted from portable devices that the user can carry;
A calculation unit that calculates the presence direction of the portable device with respect to the vehicle based on a difference in time at which each of the reception antennas receives the vehicle search signal;
A transmission unit that transmits an azimuth signal indicating the presence direction of the portable device to the portable device side device.

As described above, the vehicle-side device is located at a distance between the at least three reception antennas that receive the vehicle search signal transmitted from the portable device-side device, and the difference in time at which each reception antenna receives the vehicle search signal. And a calculation unit that calculates the presence direction of the portable device with respect to the vehicle.
That is, the calculation unit calculates the presence direction of the portable device with respect to the vehicle based on the difference in signal transmission time to each receiving antenna of the vehicle side device. The signal transmission time is not easily affected by the surrounding environment of the vehicle.
Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to accurately specify the presence direction of the portable device relative to the vehicle regardless of the surrounding environment of the vehicle.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the presence direction of the vehicle with respect to a portable machine can be pinpointed correctly irrespective of the surrounding environment of a vehicle, and the direction can be alert | reported to a user.

(First embodiment)
A vehicle position notification system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a vehicle position notification system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the portable device side device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of the portable device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the vehicle side device in the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle position notification system 1 according to the first embodiment is a system for notifying a user away from the vehicle 2 of the direction of the vehicle 2 with an arrow 25 or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle position notification system 1 includes a vehicle-side device 3 mounted on a vehicle 2 and a portable device-side device 5 mounted on a portable device 4 that can be carried by a user.

The portable device side device 5 includes a transmission unit 7 (see FIG. 2) that transmits the vehicle search signal 6 to the vehicle side device 3. The vehicle search signal 6 is a signal that requests the vehicle side device 3 for position information of the vehicle 2.
The portable device 4 on which the portable device side device 5 is mounted can be an engine key as shown in FIG. 3, for example. In this case, the keyhole insertion part 23 of the engine key can be used as a transmission / reception antenna.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle side device 3 includes at least three receiving antennas 8, an absolute azimuth detecting unit 24, a calculating unit 9, and a transmitting unit 10.

  At least three receiving antennas 8 are located at positions away from each other, and each receive the vehicle search signal 6 transmitted from the portable device side device 5. The number of receiving antennas 8 is not particularly limited as long as it is three or more, but may be three, for example, or may be four or more. The positional relationship is not particularly limited as long as at least three receiving antennas 8 are located away from each other. However, when the number of receiving antennas 8 is three, as shown in FIG. Can be provided at the left end and the right end of the front end of the vehicle 2, and the other can be provided at the rear end of the vehicle 2.

  The absolute azimuth detecting unit 24 detects an absolute azimuth such as east, west, south, north, and the like. For example, a conventionally known one can be adopted, and a specific configuration thereof is not particularly limited.

  The calculation unit 9 is carried on the basis of the difference in time when each reception antenna 8 (three reception antennas 8 in the example shown in FIG. 4) receives the vehicle search signal 6 and the absolute direction detected by the absolute direction detection unit 24. The presence direction of the vehicle 2 with respect to the machine 4 is calculated. The specific calculation means will be described later.

  The transmission unit 10 transmits the azimuth signal 11 indicating the azimuth calculated by the calculation unit 9, that is, the azimuth of the vehicle 2 with respect to the portable device 4, to the portable device 5. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the transmission unit 10 and the reception unit are provided separately, and the transmission antenna and the reception antenna 8 are also provided separately. However, the transmission unit 10 and the reception unit are combined into a single transmission / reception unit. The antenna of the transmission unit 7 may be shared with the reception antenna 8.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the portable device 5 further includes a receiving unit 12, an absolute azimuth detecting unit 26, a calculating unit 27, and a notification unit 13.

  The receiving unit 12 receives the azimuth signal 11 transmitted from the vehicle side device 3.

  The absolute azimuth detecting unit 26 detects an absolute azimuth such as east, west, south, north, and the like. For example, a conventionally known one can be adopted, and a specific configuration thereof is not particularly limited.

  Based on the azimuth signal 11 received by the receiving unit 12 and the absolute azimuth detected by the absolute azimuth detecting unit 26, the calculation unit 27 is in which direction the azimuth of the vehicle 2 is directed with respect to the reference azimuth of the portable device 4. Etc. are calculated. For example, when the portable device 4 is an engine key and the direction (absolute azimuth) of the keyhole insertion unit 23 is a reference azimuth, the calculation unit 27 receives the azimuth signal 11 as a signal indicating the absolute azimuth, The relative azimuth of the vehicle 2 with respect to the absolute azimuth can be calculated.

  The notification unit 13 notifies the user of the relative orientation of the vehicle 2 with respect to the portable device 4 calculated by the calculation unit 27. Although the specific structure of the alerting | reporting part 13 is not specifically limited, For example, as FIG. 3 shows, it can be set as the display part 21 and the audio | voice output part 22. FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the display unit 21 can display the relative orientation of the vehicle 2 with an arrow or the like, for example. The voice output unit 22 can notify the relative direction or the absolute direction of the vehicle 2 by voice.

Note that the calculation unit 9 of the portable device side device 3 may further calculate the distance between the vehicle 2 and the portable device 4 based on the difference in time at which each receiving antenna 8 receives the vehicle search signal 6. .
In this case, the transmission unit 7 transmits a distance signal indicating the calculated distance to the portable device 4. In the portable device 4, the receiving unit 12 receives the distance signal, and the notification unit 13 notifies the distance between the vehicle 2 and the portable device 4 based on the received distance signal.

The configuration of the calculation unit 9 and the flow of processing will be described. In the following description, a case where three receiving antennas 8 are provided will be described.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the calculation unit 9 of the vehicle side device 3 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram geometrically showing the concept of processing performed by the calculation unit 9.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, the calculation unit 9 includes a first calculation unit 14, a second calculation unit 15, a third calculation unit 16, and a fourth calculation unit 17.

  First, as shown in FIG. 6, the first calculation means 14 receives the reception time of the reception antenna 8 a that has received the vehicle search signal 6 first among the reception antennas 8 a, 8 b, 8 c of the vehicle-side device 3 and others. The respective intervals with respect to the time when the receiving antennas 8b and 8c receive the vehicle search signal 6, that is, the times Δt1 and Δt2, are calculated.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the second calculation means 15 calculates a product v × Δt1, v × Δt2 with the radio wave velocity v for each interval Δt1, Δt2 calculated by the first calculation means 14. .

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the third calculating means 16 is a circle B centered at the position of each of the other receiving antennas 8b and 8c and having a corresponding product v × Δt1, v × Δt2 as a radius, The center of a circle A that is in contact with C and passes through the position of the receiving antenna 8 a that first receives the vehicle search signal 6 is calculated as the position of the portable device 4.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the fourth calculation means 17, based on the position of the portable device 4 calculated by the third calculation means 16, the orientation of the vehicle 2 relative to the portable device 4 (in FIG. 6). ). Specifically, the fourth calculation unit 17 sets the direction of the vector from the position of the portable device 4 toward the center of the vehicle 2 as the presence direction of the vehicle 2. The fourth calculation means 17 superimposes the calculated direction of existence of the vehicle 2 on the absolute direction detected by the absolute direction detection unit 24. Thereby, the absolute azimuth | direction of the vehicle 2 with respect to the portable device 4 is computable.

  As described above, the calculation unit 9 uses the reception time of the reception antenna 8a that first receives the vehicle search signal 6 among the reception antennas 8a, 8b, and 8c of the vehicle-side device 3 as a reference, the time based on the reference, and the like. The receiving direction of the vehicle 2 is calculated based on the intervals Δt1 and Δt2 with respect to the time when the receiving antennas 8b and 8c receive the vehicle search signal 6. Therefore, even when the transmission time of the signal 6 transmitted from the portable device 4 in the vehicle side device 3 is unknown, the vehicle side device 3 can calculate the presence direction of the vehicle 2. Moreover, since the vehicle side apparatus 3 pinpoints the position of the portable device 4 with respect to the vehicle 2, the distance between the vehicle 2 and the portable device 4 can also be calculated.

  Next, the operation of the vehicle position notification system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle position notification system 1.

  First, a user away from the vehicle 2 performs a position information request operation for the vehicle 2 with respect to the portable device 4. Then, the portable device side device 5 transmits a vehicle search signal 6 for requesting position information of the vehicle 4 to the vehicle side device 3 (step S1).

  Next, the vehicle-side device 3 receives the vehicle search signal 6 with at least three antennas 8a, 8b, and 8c. Here, when the vehicle search signal 6 cannot be received by the at least three antennas 8a, 8b, and 8c, the direction signal 11 is not transmitted from the vehicle side device 3 to the portable device 4. In this case, after confirming that there is no response from the vehicle-side device 3 within a predetermined time (step S2), the portable device-side device 5 displays a communication error message on the display unit 21 (step S3), and performs processing. finish.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle search signal 6 can be received by the at least three antennas 8a, 8b, and 8c, the process proceeds to step S4. The vehicle-side device 3 is based on the difference in time when each of the receiving antennas 8a, 8b, 8c receives the vehicle search signal 6, the position information of each of the receiving antennas 8a, 8b, 8c, and the absolute direction information. The existence direction of the vehicle 2 with respect to is calculated (step S5). The process of step S5 is performed by the calculation unit 9.

  Next, the vehicle side device 3 transmits an azimuth signal 11 indicating the presence azimuth (absolute direction) of the vehicle 2 with respect to the portable device 4 to the portable device side device 5 (step S6).

  Next, the portable device 4 receives the azimuth signal 11 transmitted from the vehicle side device 3 (step S7).

  Next, the portable device 4 notifies the user of the presence azimuth (relative azimuth or absolute azimuth) of the vehicle 2 with respect to the portable device 4 based on the received azimuth signal 11 and the absolute azimuth of the portable device 4 (step S8). The method of notifying the presence direction is not particularly limited, and may be displayed on the display unit 21 with an arrow or the like, or may be notified by voice from the voice output unit 22.

  As described above, in the vehicle position notification system 1 according to the first embodiment, the calculation unit 9 is based on the difference in signal transmission time between the reception antennas 8a, 8b, and 8c of the vehicle side device 3. Is calculated. The signal transmission time is not easily affected by the surrounding environment of the vehicle 2. Therefore, the vehicle position notification system 1 can accurately specify the existence direction of the vehicle 2 regardless of the surrounding environment of the vehicle 2 and notify the user of the direction.

  In the first embodiment, each receiving antenna 8 of the vehicle-side device 3 may be shared with a receiving antenna (for example, a TPMS antenna) of another system mounted on the vehicle 2.

  In this case, the vehicle-side device 3 can receive the vehicle search signal 6 and calculate the presence direction of the vehicle 2 with respect to the portable device 4 without providing a dedicated reception antenna for the vehicle-side device 3.

  In the first embodiment mobile phone, when the vehicle search signal 6 is transmitted from the mobile device 4, the vehicle search signal 6 received first by each of the receiving antennas 8 a, 8 b, 8 c of the vehicle side device 3 is stored in the mobile device 4. It is preferable to use it for calculating the azimuth of the vehicle 2 with respect to.

  In this case, even when the vehicle search signal 6 is transmitted from the portable device 4 to the vehicle-side device 3, even if a multipath of the signal 6 occurs between them, the vehicle-side device 3 is not affected by the portable device 3. The existence direction of the vehicle 2 with respect to 4 can be accurately calculated.

(Second Embodiment)
A vehicle position notification system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a calculation unit of the vehicle side device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram geometrically showing the concept of processing performed by the calculation unit.

  The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the calculation unit 9 is replaced with a calculation unit 90, and other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. In the following description, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.

  The configuration of the calculation unit 90 and the flow of processing will be described. In the following description, a case where three receiving antennas 8 are provided will be described.

  As illustrated in FIG. 7, the calculation unit 90 includes a first calculation unit 18, a second calculation unit 19, and a third calculation unit 20.

  First, as shown in FIG. 9, the first calculation means 18 includes the time when the receiving antennas 8 a, 8 b, 8 c of the vehicle side device 3 receive the vehicle search signal 6 and the portable device 4 determines the vehicle search signal 6. Based on the time of transmission, the distance between each receiving antenna 8a, 8b, 8c and the portable device 4 is calculated. Specifically, the product v × t1, v × t2, v of the radio wave velocity v for each interval between the reception time of each reception antenna 8a, 8b, 8c and the transmission time of the portable device 4, that is, each time t1, t2, t3. X t3 is calculated. The products v × t1, v × t2, and v × t3 are the above distances.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the second calculating means 19 is centered on the position of each of the receiving antennas 8a, 8b, 8c and has a corresponding distance v × t1, v × t2, v × t3 as a radius. The intersection of the circles A, B, and C is calculated as the position of the portable device 4.

  Based on the position of the portable device 4 calculated by the second calculation unit 19, the third calculation unit 20 calculates the presence direction (arrow in FIG. 9) of the vehicle 2 with respect to the portable device 4. Specifically, the third calculation unit 20 sets the direction of the vector from the position of the portable device 4 toward the center of the vehicle 2 as the presence direction of the vehicle 2. The third calculating means 20 superimposes the calculated orientation of the vehicle 2 on the absolute orientation detected by the absolute orientation detector 26. Thereby, the absolute azimuth | direction of the vehicle 2 with respect to the portable device 4 is computable.

  As described above, the calculation unit 90 is configured so that each reception antenna 8a, 8b, 8c of the vehicle-side device 30 receives each vehicle antenna based on the time when the vehicle search signal 6 is received and the time when the portable device 4 transmits the vehicle search signal 6. The distance between 8a, 8b, 8c and the portable device 4 is calculated, and the presence direction of the vehicle 2 is calculated based on the calculated distance. Therefore, when the transmission time of the signal from the portable device 4 is known in the vehicle side device 30, the vehicle side device 30 can calculate the existence direction of the vehicle 2. Moreover, since the vehicle side apparatus 30 specifies the position of the portable device 4 with respect to the vehicle 2, the distance between the vehicle 2 and the portable device 4 can also be calculated.

(Third embodiment)
A vehicle position notification system according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a vehicle position notification system according to the third embodiment. FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the vehicle-side device in the third embodiment. FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the portable device side device according to the third embodiment.

  The vehicle position notification system 11 according to the third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the calculation unit 9 is replaced with a calculation unit 91 in the vehicle-side device 31, and the calculation unit 27 is in the portable device-side device 51. This is a point that is replaced by the calculation unit 28. In the following description, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.

  The calculation unit 91 of the vehicle-side device 31 (see FIG. 11) is portable with respect to the vehicle 2 based on the difference in time at which each receiving antenna 8 receives the vehicle search signal 6 and the absolute direction detected by the absolute direction detection unit 24. The existence direction of the machine 4 is calculated as an absolute direction. An azimuth signal 111 indicating the presence azimuth of the portable device 4 with respect to the vehicle 2 is transmitted to the portable device side device 51 via the transmission unit 7.

  The portable device 51 (see FIG. 12) receives the azimuth signal 111 via the receiving unit 12. In the portable device 51, the calculation unit 28 determines the presence azimuth (relative azimuth) of the vehicle 2 with respect to the portable device 4 based on the azimuth signal 111 received by the reception unit 12 and the absolute azimuth detected by the absolute azimuth detection unit 26. calculate. For example, when the portable device 4 is an engine key and the absolute azimuth of the keyhole insertion unit 23 is a reference azimuth, when the arithmetic unit 28 receives the azimuth signal 111 as a signal indicating the absolute azimuth, the direction of the keyhole insertion unit 23 (absolute The relative azimuth of the vehicle 2 with respect to (azimuth) can be calculated.

  The presence direction (relative direction or absolute direction) of the vehicle 2 with respect to the portable device 4 is notified to the user via the notification unit 13.

  In the vehicle position notification system 11 according to the third embodiment, the calculation unit 91 calculates the presence direction of the portable device 4 with respect to the vehicle 2 based on the difference in signal transmission time to each receiving antenna 8 of the vehicle side device 3. . The signal transmission time is not easily affected by the surrounding environment of the vehicle 2. Therefore, the vehicle position notification system 11 can accurately specify the existence direction of the vehicle 2 regardless of the surrounding environment of the vehicle 2 and can notify the user of the direction.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The vehicle position notification system according to the present invention and the vehicle side device used in this system are useful as a system for allowing a user who has left the vehicle to easily grasp the position of the vehicle, a vehicle side device used in this system, and the like. is there.

The figure which shows the whole structure of the vehicle position alerting | reporting system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structure of the portable device side apparatus in 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the external appearance of the portable device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle side apparatus in 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structure of the calculating part of the vehicle side apparatus in 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows geometrically the concept of the process performed by the calculating part of the vehicle side apparatus in 1st Embodiment. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the vehicle position alerting | reporting system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structure of the calculating part of the vehicle side apparatus in 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows geometrically the concept of the process performed by the calculating part of the vehicle side apparatus in 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the whole structure of the vehicle position alerting | reporting system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structure of the calculating part of the vehicle side apparatus in 3rd Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structure of the calculating part of the portable device side apparatus in 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,11 Vehicle position alert system 2 Vehicle 3, 31 Vehicle side device 4 Portable device 5, 51 Portable device side device 6 Vehicle search signal 7 Transmitter of portable device side device 8 Receiving antenna 9, 90, 91 Calculation of vehicle side device Unit 10 Transmitting Unit of Vehicle-side Device 11 Direction Signal Showing Vehicle Existing Direction with respect to Portable Device 12 Reception Unit of Portable Device-Side Device 13 Notification Unit 14 First Calculation Unit of Calculation Unit (First Embodiment)
15 Second calculation means of calculation unit (first embodiment)
16 Third calculation means of the calculation unit (first embodiment)
17 Fourth calculation means of calculation unit (first embodiment)
18 First calculation means of calculation unit (second embodiment)
19 Second calculation means of calculation unit (second embodiment)
20 Third calculation means of calculation unit (second embodiment)
21 Display unit 22 Audio output unit 25 Arrow (vehicle orientation)

Claims (9)

A system for notifying a user away from a vehicle of the position of the vehicle,
A vehicle-side device mounted on the vehicle;
A portable device mounted on a portable device that can be carried by a user,
The portable device side device is:
A transmission unit that transmits a vehicle search signal to the vehicle-side device;
The vehicle side device
At least three receiving antennas that are located away from each other and that receive the vehicle search signal transmitted from the portable device side device;
A calculation unit that calculates the presence direction of the vehicle with respect to the portable device based on a difference in time at which each of the reception antennas receives the vehicle search signal;
A transmission unit that transmits an orientation signal indicating the presence orientation to the portable device side device,
The portable device side device further includes a receiving unit that receives the azimuth signal transmitted from the vehicle side device;
A vehicle position notification system including a notification unit that notifies the user of the presence direction based on the direction signal received by the reception unit. The computing unit is
Further, a distance between the vehicle and the portable device is calculated based on a difference in time at which each of the reception antennas receives the vehicle search signal, and the transmission unit transmits a distance signal indicating the calculated distance to the portable device. To
The portable device is
The vehicle position notification system according to claim 1, wherein the reception unit receives the distance signal, and the notification unit notifies the distance based on the received distance signal. The computing unit is
Means for calculating each interval between the reception time of the reception antenna that first receives the vehicle search signal among the reception antennas of the vehicle-side device and the time when the other reception antenna receives the vehicle search signal;
Means for calculating the product of radio wave velocity for each said interval;
The position of the portable device is the center of a circle passing through the position of the receiving antenna that is in contact with the circles each having the position of the other receiving antenna as a center and each corresponding product as a radius and receiving the vehicle search signal first. Means for calculating as
The vehicle position notification system according to claim 1, further comprising: a unit that calculates an existence direction of the vehicle with respect to the portable device based on the calculated position. The computing unit is
Means for calculating a distance between each receiving antenna and the portable device based on a time when each receiving antenna of the vehicle-side device receives the vehicle search signal and a time when the portable device transmits the vehicle search signal;
Means for calculating an intersection of circles centered on the position of each of the receiving antennas and having the corresponding distance as a radius as the position of the portable device;
The vehicle position notification system according to claim 1, further comprising: a unit that calculates an existence direction of the vehicle with respect to the portable device based on the calculated position.   5. The vehicle position notification according to claim 1, wherein each of the reception antennas of the vehicle side device is shared with a reception antenna of another system mounted on the vehicle. system.   6. The vehicle search signal received first by each of the receiving antennas of the vehicle-side device when the vehicle search signal is transmitted from the portable device, the vehicle search signal is used for the direction calculation. The vehicle position notification system according to claim 1. A system for notifying a user away from a vehicle of the position of the vehicle,
A vehicle-side device mounted on the vehicle;
A portable device mounted on a portable device that can be carried by a user,
The portable device side device is:
A transmission unit that transmits a vehicle search signal to the vehicle-side device;
The vehicle side device
At least three receiving antennas that are located away from each other and that receive the vehicle search signal transmitted from the portable device side device;
A calculation unit that calculates the presence direction of the portable device with respect to the vehicle based on a difference in time at which each of the reception antennas receives the vehicle search signal;
A transmission unit that transmits an orientation signal indicating the presence orientation to the portable device side device,
The portable device side device further includes a receiving unit that receives the azimuth signal transmitted from the vehicle side device;
An arithmetic unit that calculates the presence direction of the vehicle with respect to the portable device based on the direction signal;
A vehicle position notification system including a notification unit that notifies the user of the calculated vehicle orientation. A vehicle-side device in a system for notifying a user away from a vehicle of the position of the vehicle,
At least three receiving antennas for receiving vehicle search signals transmitted from portable devices that the user can carry;
A calculation unit that calculates the presence direction of the vehicle with respect to the portable device based on a difference in time at which each of the reception antennas receives the vehicle search signal;
A vehicle-side device, comprising: a transmission unit that transmits an azimuth signal indicating the presence direction of the vehicle to the portable device-side device. A vehicle-side device in a system for notifying a user away from a vehicle of the position of the vehicle,
At least three receiving antennas for receiving vehicle search signals transmitted from portable devices that the user can carry;
A calculation unit that calculates the presence direction of the portable device with respect to the vehicle based on a difference in time at which each of the reception antennas receives the vehicle search signal;
A vehicle-side device, comprising: a transmission unit that transmits an orientation signal indicating the presence orientation of the portable device to the portable device-side device.

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