JP2010254262A - Locking/unlocking operation detecting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a locking/unlocking operation detecting device capable of simplifying its structure without requiring a structure for, for example, waterproofing countermeasures. <P>SOLUTION: A sensor unit 20 as a door trigger sensor for determining the presence or absence of unlocking operation is arranged in a vehicle interior. The sensor unit 20 is constituted by, for example, an electrostatic capacity sensor, a reflection type photoelectric sensor, a vibration detection sensor or the like. When the sensor unit 20 detects a human body approaching window glass 22 from the outside of vehicle or knocking of the window glass 22 with a hand, this locking/unlocking operation detecting device processes this as unlocking operation and unlocks a door lock. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a locking / unlocking operation detection device that detects at least one of a vehicle door unlocking operation and a locking operation.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electronic key system (see, for example, Patent Document 1) that uses an electronic key that transmits a key code to a vehicle by wireless communication as a vehicle key is widely used as a vehicle key system. The electronic key system executes ID verification when the vehicle receives an ID code wirelessly transmitted as a key code from the electronic key, and permits or executes door lock locking / unlocking of the vehicle door and engine start when the ID verification is established. . This electronic key system includes a key operation-free system (smart function) that automatically transmits an ID code to a vehicle in response to a request from the vehicle and performs ID verification on the vehicle, and a remote that operates various buttons of the electronic key. There is a wireless key system (wireless function) that operates a vehicle by operation.

  In the case of the key operation free system, a touch sensor is embedded in a door handle outside the vehicle door as a part for detecting a door lock unlocking operation. The touch sensor detects an operation in which the user touches the door handle knob. Therefore, when the touch operation of the door handle outside the vehicle is detected by the touch sensor when the door lock is locked, the door lock is unlocked on condition that the ID verification is established. Further, a lock button for detecting a lock operation of the door lock is provided in the vicinity of the door handle outside the vehicle. Therefore, when it is detected that the lock button has been pressed when the door lock is unlocked by the user, the door lock is locked on condition that ID verification is established.

JP 2001-254549 A

  By the way, these touch sensors and lock buttons, that is, this type of door trigger sensor that checks whether the door lock is unlocked or unlocked, are located outside the vehicle, called the door handle outside the vehicle, so if it rains, There is a current situation that parts are likely to be immersed in rain. Therefore, the door trigger sensor requires a structure and wiring arrangement in consideration of waterproofness (weather resistance) so as not to cause a problem even if it is immersed in rain. However, if the door trigger sensor is designed to have this type of waterproofing structure, a special structure or wiring arrangement is required, which causes certain restrictions on the structure, which increases the cost. There's a problem. Therefore, there has been a demand for making this type of door trigger sensor simple without any structural restrictions.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a locking / unlocking operation detection device that can have a simple structure that does not require a structure such as a waterproof measure.

  In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, the presence or absence of at least one of the unlocking operation and the locking operation of the vehicle door is monitored by the detection means, and when the operation is detected by the detection means, the vehicle and its electronic In the locking / unlocking operation detection device that executes the operation on the operated side on the condition that the verification of the ID verification via the two-way wireless communication with the key is performed, the detection means is disposed in the vehicle, The gist is that the unlocking operation and the locking operation performed outside the vehicle can be detected from inside the vehicle through a window.

  According to this configuration, the detection means for checking the presence / absence of the unlocking operation and the locking operation of the vehicle door is arranged in the vehicle, and the unlocking operation and the locking operation performed outside the vehicle can be detected also in the vehicle. did. Therefore, if the detection means is arranged in the vehicle in this way, even if it rains, the detection means is not exposed to water droplets. For this reason, since this kind of detection means does not need to have a special structure with waterproofness, for example, it becomes possible to have a simple configuration without any structural restrictions.

The gist of the present invention is that the detection means is disposed at a position near the window in the vehicle.
According to this configuration, since the detection unit is disposed near the window, it is possible to easily cause the detection unit to detect the unlocking operation and the locking operation performed through the window.

The gist of the present invention is that the detection means is attached to a window-side vehicle interior part that is continuous with the window in the vehicle.
According to this configuration, since the detection means is attached to the window-side in-vehicle component that is connected to the window, the detection means can be disposed in the vicinity of the window. For this reason, it is possible to transmit the unlocking operation and the locking operation to the detection unit with more certainty, and thus it is possible to make it difficult to cause a situation in which the user is required to redo these operations.

The gist of the present invention is that the detection means is disposed at a position within 30 cm from the window.
According to this configuration, since the detecting means is in a state of being attached very close to the window, it is possible to transmit the unlocking operation and the locking operation to the detecting means with more certainty, and thus, the user is required to perform these operations again. It becomes possible to make the situation more difficult to occur.

The gist of the present invention is that a notification means capable of notifying the position of the detection means is provided in the vicinity of the detection means.
According to this configuration, since the position of the detection means is immediately known by the notification of the notification means, the unlocking operation and the locking operation are performed toward the detection means. Therefore, the unlocking operation and the locking operation can be easily detected by the detection means, and the frequency of re-execution of these operations can be suppressed to a low level.

The gist of the present invention is that the detection means is a capacitance sensor.
According to this configuration, for example, the vehicle door can be unlocked or locked by a simple operation of bringing a hand close to the capacitance sensor through a window.

The gist of the present invention is that the detection means is a reflective photoelectric sensor.
According to this structure, it becomes possible to comprise a detection means with an easily available sensor called a reflective photoelectric sensor.

The gist of the present invention is that the detection means is a vibration detection sensor.
According to this configuration, for example, an operation accompanied by the user's will, such as hitting a window several times, can be set as an operation of locking and unlocking.

  The gist of the present invention is that at least two of the detection means, the vehicle-side radio device for ID verification, and the notification means capable of visual notification are integrated into a unit.

  According to this structure, it was set as the unit which consists of at least 2 among a detection means, a vehicle side radio | wireless machine, and an alerting | reporting means. Therefore, the wiring connecting the unitized parts can be shortened as much as possible, and the cost related to the wiring can be reduced.

  In the present invention, an informing means capable of notifying the position of the detecting means is provided in the vicinity of the detecting means, the detecting means is a reflective photoelectric sensor, and the informing means is provided in the reflective photoelectric sensor. The gist is that it is also used as a light source.

  According to this configuration, one notification unit can be shared by both the unit for notifying the position of the detection unit and the light source of the reflective photoelectric sensor. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare components for each function, and the number of components can be reduced.

The gist of the present invention is that the detection means is a capacitance sensor, and the capacitance sensor shares the oscillation circuit of the vehicle radio for ID verification.
According to this configuration, since one resonance circuit of the vehicle-side transmitting antenna for ID verification can be shared by the antenna and the capacitance sensor, the number of components can be reduced. .

  According to the present invention, for example, a simple structure that does not need to have a structure such as a waterproof measure can be provided.

The block diagram which shows schematic structure of the electronic key system in 1st Embodiment. The perspective view which shows the attachment state of a sensor unit. The side view which shows the attachment state of the sensor unit seen from the vehicle outside. The circuit diagram which shows the electrical constitution of a sensor unit. FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view showing the internal configuration of the sensor unit. The schematic diagram which shows the operation example when holding a human body on the sensor unit from the outside of a vehicle, and unlocking a door lock. The wave form diagram which shows the change of the sensor signal output from an electrostatic capacitance sensor. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of operation when locking a door lock. The side view which shows the structural example of the sensor unit in 2nd Embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows the operation example when holding a human body on the sensor unit from the outside of a vehicle, and unlocking a door lock. The side view which shows the structural example of the sensor unit in 3rd Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the operation example when knocking a window glass and locking a door lock. The wave form diagram which shows the change of the sensor signal output from a vibration detection sensor. The wave form diagram which shows the change of the sensor signal output from a vibration detection sensor. The wave form diagram which shows the change of the sensor signal output from a vibration detection sensor.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a locking / unlocking operation detection device embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 performs key verification by wireless communication with an electronic key 2 used as a vehicle key, and locks and unlocks the door lock and starts the engine on the condition that the key verification is established. An electronic key system 3 that permits or executes the above is provided. Further, the electronic key 2 is capable of narrow-range wireless communication with the vehicle 1, and the key code is transmitted to the vehicle 1 by wireless communication using the ID code that the electronic key 2 has as a key code. It is a key that can be made to perform.

  The electronic key system 3 includes a key operation free system that does not require individual key operations when an ID code is transmitted from the electronic key 2 as a key code. In this key operation free system, there is a smart entry system as a function that does not require a key operation when the door is locked and unlocked. In this case, the vehicle 1 is provided with a verification ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 4 that performs key verification (ID verification) with the electronic key 2 and a main body ECU 5 that manages the power supply system of the vehicle 1. The ECUs 4 and 5 are connected via a LIN (Local Interconnect Network) 6 that is one network in the vehicle. The verification ECU 4 includes an in-vehicle transmitter 7 capable of transmitting LF (Low Frequency) band radio waves (approximately 134 KHz) outside the vehicle, an in-vehicle transmitter 8 capable of transmitting similar LF radio waves into the vehicle, and UHF (Ultra High Frequency). ) A vehicle tuner 9 capable of receiving radio waves of RF (Radio Frequency: about 312 MHz), which is a kind of band, is connected. Further, the door lock motor 10 is connected to the main body ECU 5 as a drive source when the door lock is locked and unlocked. The outside transmitter 7 corresponds to a vehicle-side radio.

  When the vehicle 1 enters the parked state (door lock locked, engine stopped), the verification ECU 4 intermittently sends a request signal Srq for the LF band as an ID code reply request from the outside transmitter 7 to request the vehicle periphery. An out-of-vehicle communication area for the signal Srq is formed, and establishment of narrow area wireless communication (hereinafter referred to as smart communication) is attempted. When the electronic key 2 enters the outside communication area and receives the request signal Srq, the electronic key 2 responds to the request signal Srq and sends the ID signal Sid carrying the ID code registered in its own memory 11 to the RF radio wave. Reply with. When the vehicle tuner 9 receives the ID signal Sid and smart communication (external communication) is established, the verification ECU 4 compares the ID code registered in its own memory 12 with the ID code of the electronic key 2, So-called smart verification (external vehicle verification) is performed. When the verification ECU 4 confirms that this outside verification is established, the verification lock operation is permitted by the main body ECU 5.

  The key operation-free system has a one-push engine start system as a function capable of performing start / stop operation of the engine 13 with only simple switch operation without requiring actual vehicle key operation during engine start / stop operation. There is. In this case, an engine ECU 14 that manages ignition control and fuel injection control of the engine 13 is connected to the main body ECU 5 via a CAN (Controller Area Network) 15 that is one network in the vehicle. In the vehicle, a push momentary engine switch 16 is provided as an operation system of the system, and the switch 16 is connected to the main body ECU 5. In addition to the engine start / stop function, a power supply transition function is also assigned to the operation function of the engine switch 16. Also connected to the main body ECU 5 are an ACC (Accessory) relay 17 connected to an in-vehicle accessory, an IG (Ignition) relay 18 connected to various electrical components of the traveling system, and a starter relay 19 connected to an engine starter (not shown). Has been.

  When the collation ECU 4 confirms that the driver gets into the vehicle by, for example, a courtesy switch (not shown), this time, the in-vehicle transmitter 8 transmits a request signal Srq to form an in-vehicle communication area throughout the vehicle. When the vehicle tuner 9 receives the ID signal Sid returned from the electronic key 2 entering the in-vehicle communication area and the smart communication (in-vehicle communication) is established, the verification ECU 4 establishes the ID code and the electronic key 2 registered in itself. ID collation, so-called smart collation (in-vehicle collation) is performed by comparing the ID code. When the verification ECU 4 confirms that this in-vehicle verification has been established, the verification ECU 4 permits switching of the power supply state by a push operation of the engine switch 16.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, a sensor unit 20 that detects the presence / absence of an unlocking operation of the door lock is provided in the vehicle. The sensor unit 20 is a type of door trigger sensor that detects a locking operation performed outside the vehicle from the inside of the vehicle. When the unlocking operation is detected in the door lock locked state, the door lock is unlocked on the condition that the vehicle outside verification is established. Switch to the locked state. In the case of this example, the door lock is automatically performed when the electronic key 2 exits the vehicle outside communication area and the vehicle outside communication is not established. That is, when the driver gets off and the vehicle door is closed, communication outside the vehicle is automatically started, and when the user holding the electronic key 2 exits the communication area outside the vehicle and communication outside the vehicle is not established, the door lock is locked. Automatically switch to.

  The sensor unit 20 is attached to the upper part of the vehicle interior side wall 21 a of the vehicle door (driver seat door) 21. The sensor unit 20 of this example is arranged at a position where the distance L from the window glass 22 (see FIG. 6) is within 30 cm, for example. The distance L is determined according to the sensitivity of the sensor unit 20. If the sensitivity of the sensor unit 20 is high, the distance length can be set large. Further, the distance L is more preferably within 5 cm. The vehicle interior side wall 21a corresponds to a window side vehicle interior part, and the window glass 22 corresponds to a window.

  The sensor unit 20 adopts a capacitance type that detects the presence or absence of an unlocking operation by a change in capacitance due to the approach of the human body. For this reason, the sensor unit 20 is provided with a capacitance sensor 23 as a sensor of the sensor unit 20. As shown in FIG. 4, the capacitance sensor 23 includes an LC resonance circuit 26 including, for example, an electrode (capacitance) 24 and an inductor 25, and a detection unit 27 that detects a frequency generated from the LC resonance circuit 26. It has been. Further, the capacitance sensor 23 outputs a difference between the detection frequency fx output from the detection unit 27 and the reference frequency fk serving as a detection reference value as a sensor signal Sa of the capacitance sensor 23. Is provided. The capacitance sensor 23 constitutes a detection unit.

  For example, when a human body (for example, a hand) is brought close to the electrode 24 through the window glass 22 from the outside of the vehicle, the capacitance generated between the electrode 24 and the human body changes, and the frequency of the LC resonance circuit 26 shifts and is detected. The difference between the frequency fx and the reference frequency fk changes greatly. For example, the detection frequency fx changes to a higher value as the human body approaches the electrode 24, and the difference between the two increases according to this change. A sensor signal Sa having a value corresponding to the approach distance of the human body is output from the comparator 28 to the verification ECU 4 as the sensor signal Sa of the capacitance sensor 23.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the sensor unit 20 is provided with a housing 29 as an outer frame case of the unit 20. A substrate 30 is housed in the housing 29 as a mounting destination of the electronic component group of the sensor unit 20. A group of components (the LC resonance circuit 26, the detection unit 27, the comparator 28, etc.) related to the capacitance sensor 23 is mounted on the surface 30a (the left surface in FIG. 5) of the substrate 30. The electrode 24 is disposed so as to be exposed to the window glass 22 side from the opening 29 a of the housing 29. The electrostatic capacity sensor 23 monitors whether or not the human body is approaching with the electrode 24 exposed from the opening 29a, and when the human body approaches, the capacitance value that changes in accordance with the approach distance is detected as a sensor signal. Output as Sa.

  In addition, the sensor unit 20 accommodates not only the capacitance sensor 23 in the housing 29 but also the above-described transmitter 7 outside the vehicle and an indicator 31 that notifies the surroundings of the position of the sensor unit 20. It is unitized as one part. Therefore, the outside transmitter 7 and the indicator 31 are in an attached state arranged in the vehicle together with a door trigger sensor that detects the presence or absence of the unlocking operation, that is, the capacitance sensor 23. Further, these three parties are manufactured as a unit housed in the same casing 29, thereby becoming a device that can be manufactured and sold as one component. In addition, the indicator 31 comprises an alerting | reporting means.

  The out-of-vehicle transmitter 7 is provided with a transmission circuit 32 that converts, modulates, and amplifies transmission data, and a transmission antenna 33 that emits transmission data obtained from the transmission circuit 32 to the space as a transmission radio wave. The transmission circuit 32 and the transmission antenna 33 are mounted on the back surface 30 b (the right surface in FIG. 5) of the substrate 30 inside the housing 29. Since the outside transmitter 7 is for forming the communication area of the request signal Srq outside the vehicle, that is, the outside communication area, the request signal Srq can be transmitted with a strength that can reach the outside of the vehicle.

  The indicator 31 is mounted on the surface 30 a of the substrate 30 inside the housing 29 and is exposed from the opening 29 b of the housing 29. As the indicator 31, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) is used. The indicator 31 is connected to the verification ECU 4 via electrical wiring, and lighting is managed by the verification ECU 4. For example, when the door lock is switched to the locked state, the indicator 31 is lit once, for example, to notify the switching of the state, and thereafter the flashing state (lighted state) is taken and the position of the sensor unit 20 is moved to the surroundings. The operation to notify is entered. On the other hand, when the door lock is switched to the unlocked state, the indicator 31 notifies the switching of the state by blinking twice, for example, and thereafter enters the light-off state.

  Further, the indicator 31 can notify that the vehicle 1 is in the security set state. That is, the indicator 31 can also operate as a security indicator. The security set state refers to a state where the engine 13 cannot be illegally started in conjunction with the immobilizer system, a state where an alarm is notified when the unlocking operation is performed illegally, and the like. The immobilizer system is a type of authentication that permits engine start if a transponder is embedded in the electronic key 2 and ID verification is performed between the transponder and the vehicle 1 by short-range wireless communication.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the capacitance sensor 23 shares an oscillation circuit (oscillator) 34 of the vehicle-mounted transmitter 7 as a transmission source for obtaining the reference frequency fk. The transmission circuit 32 supplies a local transmission frequency to the transmission circuit 32. Therefore, in this example, one input terminal of the comparator 28 is connected to the antenna line of the transmitting antenna 33. As a result, the frequency output as the local transmission frequency of the transmission radio wave from the transmission circuit 32 of the outside transmitter 7 is also supplied to the comparator 28, and one transmission circuit 32 is provided between the outside transmitter 7 and the capacitance sensor 23. Shared by.

  First, when unlocking the door lock in the locked state, as shown in FIG. 6, a human body such as a hand is held over the electrode 24 through the window glass 22 from outside the vehicle. In the case of this example, when the door lock is locked, the indicator 31 is blinking. However, since the capacitance sensor 23 and the indicator 31 are unitized and are located at a close distance from each other, When the hand is held over 24, the lighting light of the indicator 31 becomes a mark of the hand holding point. When a hand is held over the electrode 24, the capacitance between the electrode 24 and the human body changes, and the sensor signal Sa output from the capacitance sensor 23 changes. This sensor signal Sa is output to the verification ECU 4.

  By the way, when the hand is positioned near the electrode 24, the sensor signal Sa of the capacitance sensor 23 swings to the higher side as the capacitance of the electrode 24 changes. As shown in FIG. 7, when the verification ECU 4 confirms that the sensor signal Sa of the capacitance sensor 23 has exceeded the threshold value Sak, the verification ECU 4 recognizes that the unlocking operation has been performed by the user, and conforms to the electronic key system 3. A door lock unlocking request is output to the main body ECU 5 on the condition that the vehicle exterior verification is established. Even if it is confirmed that the sensor signal Sa has exceeded the threshold value Sak, the verification ECU 4 ends the process at that time if the verification outside the vehicle is not established.

  When the main body ECU 5 receives the door lock unlocking request from the verification ECU 4, the main body ECU 5 drives the door lock motor 10 to switch the door lock from the previous locked state to the unlocked state. When the main body ECU 5 confirms that the unlocking operation of the door lock is completed, the main body ECU 5 outputs an unlocking completion notification to the verification ECU 4. When the verification ECU 4 receives the unlocking completion notification, the verification ECU 4 blinks the indicator 31 twice to notify the user of the unlocking completion, and then switches to the off state.

  On the other hand, when the door lock in the unlocked state is locked, the user leaves the vehicle 1 as shown in FIG. By the way, when the verification ECU 4 confirms that the driver is not in the vehicle when the door lock is in the unlocked state, the verification ECU 4 performs an operation of transmitting a request signal from the external transmitter 7 to form an external communication area around the vehicle. And the operation | movement which confirms one by one whether the vehicle outside collation is materialized is performed. Note that whether or not the driver is in the vehicle is confirmed by checking whether or not in-vehicle verification is established. Then, when it is confirmed that the user holding the electronic key 2 has left the vehicle outside communication area and the vehicle outside verification is not established, it is recognized that the user has left the vehicle 1.

  When the verification ECU 4 confirms that the external communication established so far is no longer established, the verification ECU 4 recognizes that the user holding the electronic key 2 has left the vehicle 1 and determines that the door lock should be locked. At this time, the verification ECU 4 outputs a door lock locking request to the main body ECU 5. When the main body ECU 5 receives the door lock locking request from the verification ECU 4, the main body ECU 5 drives the door lock motor 10 to the opposite side to the unlocking state to switch the door lock from the unlocked state to the locked state.

  When the main body ECU 5 confirms that the locking operation of the door lock is completed, the main body ECU 5 outputs a lock completion notification to the verification ECU 4. When the verification ECU 4 receives the lock completion notification, the verification ECU 4 blinks the indicator 31 once to notify the user of the lock completion, and thereafter causes the indicator 31 to blink. When the door lock is switched to the locked state, the verification ECU 4 resumes the constant oscillation of the request signal Srq and monitors again whether the electronic key 2 enters the vehicle outside communication area.

  Accordingly, in this example, when the door trigger sensor for checking the presence or absence of the unlocking operation is arranged in the vehicle as the capacitance sensor 23 and the operation of bringing the human body closer to the window glass 22 from the outside of the vehicle is detected by the capacitance sensor 23. This is processed as an unlocking operation to unlock the door lock. Therefore, since this type of door trigger sensor can be disposed in the vehicle, it is not necessary to provide the door trigger sensor with a waterproof structure or the like that is required when the door trigger sensor is disposed outside the vehicle. For this reason, it becomes possible to make a door trigger sensor the thing of a simple structure which does not have restrictions, such as a waterproof measure.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The capacitive sensor 23 is used as a door trigger sensor, and the door lock is unlocked when the capacitive sensor 23 detects an operation in which a human body approaches the window glass 22 from the outside of the vehicle. Therefore, since this type of door trigger sensor can be arranged in the vehicle, it is not necessary to provide the door trigger sensor with a special structure such as a waterproof measure, and the door trigger sensor may have a simple structure. it can.

  (2) Since the sensor unit 20 is attached to the upper portion of the vehicle inner wall 21a of the vehicle door 21, the sensor unit 20 can be positioned closer to the window glass 22. Therefore, the operation of bringing the human body closer to the window glass 22 from the outside of the vehicle as the unlocking operation of the door lock can be easily detected by the capacitance sensor 23, and as a result, the unlocking operation is not required to be imposed on the user as much as possible. .

  (3) Since the sensor unit 20 is disposed at a position within 30 cm from the window glass 22, the sensor unit 20 can be brought as close as possible to the window glass 22. For this reason, the operation of bringing the human body closer to the window glass 22 from the outside of the vehicle as the unlocking operation of the door lock can be further easily detected by the capacitance sensor 23.

  (4) Since the sensor unit 20 is provided with the indicator 31 capable of visual notification, the position of the sensor unit 20 can be readily known by relying on the lighting light of the indicator 31.

  (5) Since the sensor unit 20 is a capacitance type, the door lock of the vehicle door 21 can be unlocked by a simple operation of bringing the hand close to the sensor unit 20 from outside the vehicle through the window glass 22.

  (6) The electrostatic capacity sensor 23, the outside transmitter 7 and the indicator 31 are incorporated into one housing 29, and these are unitized as one component. For this reason, since the wiring for electrically connecting these parts to the vehicle body can be made as short as possible, the cost required for the wiring can be reduced. Moreover, if this sensor unit 20 is assembled | attached to a vehicle body, since all three persons will be in the state assembled | attached to the vehicle 1 at that time, assembly work can also be simplified.

  (7) The oscillation circuit 34 of the external transmitter 7 is also used as a generation source of the reference frequency fk of the capacitance sensor 23. For this reason, since the oscillation circuit 34 of the vehicle exterior transmitter 7 can be shared by both the vehicle exterior transmitter 7 and the electrostatic capacity sensor 23, for example, when a dedicated oscillation circuit is prepared for each of them. In comparison, the number of parts and the part cost can be reduced.

  (8) Since the outside transmitter 7, the capacitance sensor 23, and the indicator 31 are unitized as one component, when the number of doors of the vehicle 1 increases, the sensor unit 20 is prepared by increasing the number of doors. . Therefore, even if the number of doors of the vehicle 1 increases, it is only necessary to add the sensor unit 20, so that it can be easily handled.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. This example is an example in which the sensor type of the sensor unit 20 is changed, and the basic structure is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same part as 1st Embodiment attaches | subjects the same code | symbol, abbreviate | omits detailed description and demonstrates only a different part.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the sensor unit 20 adopts an optical system that detects the presence / absence of an unlocking operation by a change in light that changes according to the approach of a human body. In this case, the sensor unit 20 is provided with a reflective photoelectric sensor 35 as a sensor of the sensor unit 20. The reflective photoelectric sensor 35 includes a light emitting unit 36 that can emit infrared rays as a light source, and a light receiving unit 37 that can receive infrared rays output from the light emitting unit 36. Here, when the visible light is used as the emitted light, the light emitting unit 36 may use the indicator 31 described in the first embodiment. The reflective photoelectric sensor 35 constitutes detection means, and the light emitting unit 36 constitutes notification means.

  In the case of this example, in order to unlock the door lock in the locked state, as shown in FIG. 10, for example, a human body such as a hand is held over the window glass 22 from outside the vehicle, and the light emitting unit 36 of the reflective photoelectric sensor 35 is moved. For example, an operation of covering with a finger or the like, that is, a pointing operation is taken. At this time, since the light emitted from the light emitting unit 36 is reflected by the finger, the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 37 changes. In this case, since a lot of light emitted from the light emitting unit 36 is bounced back to the light receiving unit 37 by the finger, the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 37 is larger than that before the pointing.

  When the verification ECU 4 confirms that the sensor signal Sb of the reflective photoelectric sensor 35 exceeds the threshold value Sbk, the verification ECU 4 recognizes that the unlocking operation has been performed by the user, and outputs a door lock unlock request to the main body ECU 5 to output the door. Unlock the lock. As a result, the door lock is switched from the locked state to the unlocked state, and the vehicle door 21 can be unlocked. In addition, since the operation at the time of locking the door lock in an unlocked state is the same as that of the capacitance sensor 23 of the first embodiment, the details are omitted.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, in addition to the effects (1) to (4), (6), and (8) described in the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(9) Since the sensor unit 20 is optical, the presence or absence of the unlocking operation can be detected by an easily available sensor called the reflective photoelectric sensor 35.

  (10) When the light emitted from the light emitting unit 36 is visible light, the light emitting unit 36 can be used as the indicator 31 described in the first embodiment. It can be used for both the light source of the sensor 35 and a mark indicating the position of the sensor unit 20. Therefore, since it is not necessary to prepare a light source for each function, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and the part cost accordingly.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Since this example is also an example in which the sensor type of the sensor unit 20 is changed, only the parts different from the first embodiment will be described in detail.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the sensor unit 20 adopts a vibration detection type (microphone type) that detects the presence or absence of an unlocking operation by a sound of hitting the window glass 22. In this case, the sensor unit 20 is provided with a vibration detection sensor 38 as a sensor of the sensor unit 20. As the vibration detection sensor 38, for example, a voice sensor that picks up vibration in the air as an electric signal, or a vibration sensor that takes in vibration applied to the sensor itself is used. Examples of the audio sensor include a piezoelectric microphone that picks up sound using a piezoelectric effect, and a condenser microphone that picks up sound by a change in electricity stored between two metal plates. The vibration detection sensor 38 constitutes detection means.

  In the case of this example, in order to unlock the door lock in the locked state, as shown in FIG. 12, for example, the window glass 22 is knocked from outside the vehicle using the light of the indicator 31 as a mark. At this time, when the operation imposed on the user as the unlocking operation is an operation of knocking the window glass 22 several times, the user knocks the window glass 22 several times at a predetermined interval. In this case, for example, a sensor signal Sc corresponding to the knocking sound, the number of times, and the knocking interval is output from the vibration detection sensor 38 to the verification ECU 4.

  When the verification ECU 4 receives the sensor signal Sc from the vibration detection sensor 38, the verification ECU 4 calculates the slope ΔSc of the sensor signal Sc as shown in FIG. Here, for example, if the detection sound is a knocking sound of the window glass 22, this is a sudden sound, so the slope ΔSc takes a high value, but if the detection sound is noise generated around the vehicle, Therefore, the slope ΔSc has a low value. Therefore, when the verification ECU 4 confirms that the inclination ΔSc of the sensor signal Sc of the vibration detection sensor 38 has a value higher than the threshold value Sck, the verification ECU 4 recognizes that the unlocking operation has been performed by the user, and causes the main body ECU 5 to unlock the door. A lock request is output and the door lock is unlocked. Thereby, the door lock is switched from the locked state to the unlocked state. In addition, since the operation at the time of locking the door lock in an unlocked state is the same as that of the capacitance sensor 23 of the first embodiment, the details are omitted.

  It should be noted that the method for detecting the knocking sound is not limited to taking a form in which the inclination ΔSc of the sensor signal Sc (detection sound) is observed. For example, since the frequency of the sound differs between the knocking sound and the noise around the vehicle, as shown in FIG. 14, the type of sound may be determined based on the frequency of the detected sound. In addition to this, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, for example, a format for identifying a sound by checking whether or not a detection sound generation pattern, that is, a sound generation interval and the number of times is a predetermined pattern is taken. The one that takes

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, in addition to the effects (1) to (4), (6), and (8) described in the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(11) Since the sensor unit 20 is a vibration detection type, for example, an operation accompanied by the user's will to knock the window glass 22 several times can be an operation of unlocking the door. Therefore, it is possible to make it difficult for the door lock to be unlocked against the user's intention.

Note that the embodiment is not limited to the configuration described so far, and may be modified as follows.
-In 1st-3rd embodiment, the sensor unit 20 is not limited to what is only for seeing unlocking operation. For example, after the door lock is unlocked by operating the sensor unit 20, the door lock may be locked when the sensor unit 20 is operated again.

  In the first to third embodiments, the door trigger sensor, the outside transmitter 7 and the indicator 31 are not limited to being unitized as one component, but at least two of these three members are unitized. Just do it.

  In the first to third embodiments, the arrangement position of the sensor unit 20 is not necessarily limited to the vehicle door 21, and may be arranged anywhere as long as it is inside the vehicle. That is, various parts such as an upper surface of the in-vehicle instrument panel, a center pillar connecting the front and rear doors, a ceiling in the vehicle, the window glass 22 itself, and a seat in the vehicle are employed as the window side vehicle interior parts to which the sensor unit 20 is attached. Is possible.

  -In 1st-3rd embodiment, when attaching the sensor unit 20 to the vehicle door 21, this is not limited to being a driver's seat door, It is good also considering other doors, such as a passenger's seat door, as an attachment destination.

  -In 1st-3rd embodiment, the indicator 31 does not necessarily have both functions of the position of the sensor unit 20 and the notification of the completion of door lock locking / unlocking, as long as it has only one function. Good.

  -In 1st-3rd embodiment, the alerting | reporting means which notifies the position of the sensor unit 20 is not necessarily the indicator 31, and may employ | adopt a speaker, a buzzer, etc., for example.

  In the first to third embodiments, the indicator 31 can emit light of two colors, for example, and it is notified whether the door lock is locked or unlocked by switching the light emission color between locking and unlocking. Good.

  -In 1st-3rd embodiment, the indicator 31 has two illumination members, for example, the illumination part for locking notification, and the illumination part for unlocking notification, and either of these 2 takes a lighting state. Thus, the user may be notified whether the door lock is in the locked or unlocked state.

  -In 1st-3rd embodiment, an alerting | reporting means is not restricted to what performs the alerting | reporting which shows the self-position of the sensor unit 20, For example, the function which notifies which is in locking / unlocking, and 2nd Embodiment show It may correspond to the light emitting unit 36.

  -In 1st-3rd embodiment, a detection means is not limited to the electrostatic capacitance sensor 23, the reflection type photoelectric sensor 35, and the vibration detection sensor 38 which were mentioned above. In short, the type of the sensor is not particularly limited as long as it can detect an operation outside the vehicle through the window glass 22.

-In the 1st-3rd embodiment, various forms can be employ | adopted as the identification method at the time of identifying the presence or absence of unlocking operation from sensor signal Sa-Sc.
In the first embodiment, the value of the reference frequency fk can be changed as appropriate using, for example, a frequency divider.

In the second embodiment, it is also possible to prepare two sets of the light emitting unit 36 and the light receiving unit 37 separately for locking and unlocking, and to separate the locking operation and the unlocking operation.
In the first to third embodiments, the distance L between the window glass 22 and the sensor unit 20 can be changed as appropriate.

In the first to third embodiments, the window is not necessarily limited to the window glass 22 and includes, for example, a windshield and a rear glass.
-In 1st-3rd embodiment, the sensor unit 20 is not necessarily what looks at unlocking operation, It is good also as what looks at locking operation.

  In the first to third embodiments, the electronic key system 3 is not limited to the use frequency (LF and RF) being different between the forward path and the return path, and both may be the same frequency. The communication frequency between the vehicle 1 and the electronic key 2 is not limited to LF or RF, and other frequencies may be used.

  -In 1st-3rd embodiment, the vehicle side radio | wireless machine unitized is not necessarily limited to the vehicle exterior transmitter 7 (vehicle side transmitter), For example, it is good also as the vehicle interior transmitter 8 and the vehicle tuner 9. FIG.

  In the first to third embodiments, the ID verification of the electronic key system 3 is not limited to being completed in advance before the unlocking operation, but may be one that starts verification on the condition that a human body has been detected. Good.

  -In 1st-3rd embodiment, the wireless key system and the immobilizer system may be mounted in the vehicle 1, for example. The wireless key system refers to a system that can lock and unlock the door by a button operation with the electronic key 2. The immobilizer system is a system in which a start operation of the engine 13 is permitted on condition that a transponder is embedded in the electronic key 2 and the ID of the transponder matches that of the vehicle 1. Moreover, ID collation is good also as collation performed with an immobilizer system.

Next, technical ideas that can be grasped from the above-described embodiment and other examples will be described below together with their effects.
(A) In any one of claims 1 to 11, the ID collation sends a request from the vehicle and returns the ID code to the electronic key, and whether or not the ID code matches that of the vehicle. It is executed by looking. According to this structure, ID collation can be performed automatically.

  (B) In any one of claims 1 to 11, the detection means is attached to a window-side vehicle interior part that is continuous with the window in the vehicle, and the vehicle interior part supports the window. . According to this configuration, it is possible to arrange the detection means closer to the window, so that the detectability of the locking / unlocking operation can be improved.

  (C) In any one of claims 1 to 11, the detection means is disposed at a position near the outer wall separating the inside and outside of the vehicle in the vehicle. According to this configuration, it is possible to arrange the detection means closer to the window, so that the detectability of the locking / unlocking operation can be improved.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle, 2 ... Electronic key, 7 ... Outside transmitter as vehicle side radio | wireless machine, 21 ... Vehicle door, 21a ... Car interior side wall as window side vehicle interior part, 22 ... Window glass as window, 23 ... As detection means Capacitance sensor, 31... Indicator constituting the notification means, 34... Oscillating circuit, 35... Reflective photoelectric sensor as detection means, 36.

Claims (11)

The detection means monitors the presence or absence of at least one of the unlocking operation and the locking operation of the vehicle door, and when the operation is detected by the detection means, the two-way wireless communication between the vehicle and the electronic key is performed. In the locking / unlocking operation detecting device that executes the operation on the operated side on the condition that the verification of ID verification is established,
An unlocking / unlocking operation detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the detecting means is configured to detect the unlocking operation and the locking operation performed outside the vehicle from the inside of the vehicle through a window, and is disposed inside the vehicle.   The locking / unlocking operation detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is disposed at a position near the window in the vehicle.   3. The locking / unlocking operation detection device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is attached to a window-side vehicle interior part that is continuous with the window in the vehicle.   The said detection means is arrange | positioned in the position within 30 cm from the said window, The locking / unlocking operation detection apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The locking / unlocking operation detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a notification unit capable of notifying a position of the detection unit is provided in the vicinity of the detection unit.   The locking / unlocking operation detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is a capacitance sensor.   The locking / unlocking operation detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is a reflective photoelectric sensor.   The locking / unlocking operation detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is a vibration detection sensor.   9. At least two of the detection means, the vehicle-side radio for ID verification, and the notification means capable of visual notification are unitized as a unit. The locking / unlocking operation detection device according to any one of the above. In the vicinity of the detection means, a notification means capable of notifying the position of the detection means is provided,
The detection means is a reflective photoelectric sensor,
The locking / unlocking operation detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit is also used as a light source of the reflective photoelectric sensor. The detection means is a capacitance sensor,
The locking / unlocking operation detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the capacitance sensor shares an oscillation circuit of the vehicle-side radio for ID verification.

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