JP2010275701A - Electronic key - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic key further improving the ease of operation. <P>SOLUTION: This electronic key 2 can be operated by pushing the electronic key 2 and in details, a microcomputer 23 determines the number of operation for pushing the electronic key 2 based on the result of detection by an acceleration sensor 21 and transmits demand signals including demands for locking or unlocking in accordance with the number of pushing the key. A user can push the electronic key 2 while it is stored in his/her pocket, bag or the like so that the ease of operation of the electronic key 2 is further improved. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic key.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electronic key that performs locking / unlocking of a vehicle door, permission to start an engine, and the like through wireless communication with the vehicle side is known. The electronic key is provided with various switches such as a lock switch and an unlock switch for locking and unlocking the vehicle door, and a window opening switch and a window closing switch for electrically opening and closing the vehicle window. The user can perform the above-described various controls by operating each switch of the electronic key even at a position away from the vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-7-54525

  By the way, when operating each switch in the electronic key described in Patent Document 1, the user must take out the electronic key stored in the pocket of his / her clothes and press the button after visually confirming the desired switch. However, such work was troublesome for the user.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an electronic key with improved operability.

Hereinafter, means for achieving the above-described object and its operation and effects will be described.
The invention according to claim 1 is generated in the electronic key in the electronic key carried by the user who transmits a request signal for requesting control including its own identification code to the control target side in accordance with the operation of the user. Based on the detection result of the acceleration detection means, the acceleration detection means for detecting the impact, the presence / absence of the hit operation on the electronic key and the number of hit operations are determined as the user's operation, and control according to the number of hit operations is performed. The gist of the invention is that it includes an electronic key side control device that transmits the request signal including a request to the control target side.

  According to the configuration, the electronic key can be operated by hitting the electronic key. Specifically, the electronic key side control device determines the number of hit operations on the electronic key based on the detection result of the acceleration detecting means. Then, the electronic key side control device transmits the request signal including a request for different control depending on the number of hit operations. Thereby, the user can hit and operate the electronic key in a state where the electronic key is stored in a pocket, a bag or the like, for example, and the operability of the electronic key can be improved.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electronic key according to the first aspect, the electronic key side control device requests that the door be locked when it is determined that the hit operation has been performed a predetermined number of times. The gist is to transmit the request signal and transmit the request signal including a request to unlock the door when it is determined that the hit operation has been performed more than the predetermined number of times.

  According to this configuration, the number of hitting operations required to unlock the door is set to be larger than the number of hitting operations required to lock the door. Thus, by increasing the number of hitting operations required for unlocking, the possibility of detecting the number of hitting operations required for unlocking unintentionally by the user is reduced. Thereby, the erroneous operation of the electronic key which unlocks the door can be suppressed. In addition, when performing a hitting operation for locking, the number of hitting operations required for unlocking does not pass. For this reason, for example, even when a hit operation is attempted to lock and a single hit operation is not detected, the hit count required for unlocking is not reached. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from unintentionally detecting the number of times of tapping operations required for unlocking, and thus to prevent inadvertent unlocking of the door. This improves the security on the control target side.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electronic key according to the first or second aspect, a communication area in which a radio signal is transmitted is formed around the control target, and the electronic key side controller is configured to transmit the radio signal. Detected based on the detection result of the acceleration detecting means when it is detected that the electronic key is located within the communication area based on the presence or absence of reception and when it is detected that the electronic key is located outside the communication area The gist is to make the hitting operation valid when the number of steps is within a certain number of steps and to invalidate the tapping operation from when the user's number of steps exceeds the certain number of steps.

  According to this configuration, the position at which the electronic key tapping operation by the user moving away from the control target is validated is added to the communication area, and the position is limited to a certain number of steps after leaving the communication area. Therefore, the electronic key can be operated at a position that is reasonably distant from the control target, and the convenience of the user is ensured. Transmission to the control target side can be prevented. Thereby, since the control which a user does not intend, such as unlocking of a door, for example, is prevented, the security nature of the controlled object side can be improved.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic key according to the first or second aspect, a communication area in which a wireless signal is transmitted is formed around the control target, and the electronic key side controller is configured to transmit the wireless signal. When the electronic key is detected to be located within the communication area based on the presence or absence of reception, and when it is within a certain time from the detection that the electronic key is located outside the communication area, the tapping operation is enabled and the certain time The gist is to invalidate the tapping operation when elapses.

  According to this configuration, the time during which the electronic key tapping operation by the user moving away from the control target is valid is added to the communication area, and is limited to a certain time after leaving the communication area. Therefore, until a certain time when it is estimated that the user carrying the electronic key is in the vicinity of the control target, it is possible to tap the electronic key to ensure the convenience of the user and to be estimated to be far away from the control target. After the elapse of time, it is possible to prevent a request signal from being transmitted from the electronic key to the control target side due to an erroneous tapping operation of the electronic key. Thereby, since the control which a user does not intend, such as unlocking of a door, for example, is prevented, the security nature of the controlled object side can be improved.

  According to the present invention, the operability of the electronic key can be further improved.

The block diagram of the electronic key system in 1st Embodiment. The graph which showed transition of the detected acceleration in 1st Embodiment, and the judgment reference | standard of hit operation in the acceleration. The block diagram of the electronic key system in 2nd Embodiment. Schematic which showed both the communication areas outside a vehicle in 2nd Embodiment.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment embodying the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, an electronic key system 1 is mounted on the vehicle of this embodiment. The electronic key system 1 is capable of unidirectional communication between an electronic key 2 (transmitting side) possessed by a vehicle user and an in-vehicle device 3 (receiving side) provided on the vehicle side corresponding to the control target side. .

(Electronic key 2)
The electronic key 2 is carried, for example, in a state of being stored in a user's clothes pocket, bag, or the like. In this state, the user performs an operation of locking or unlocking the vehicle door by hitting the electronic key 2 a predetermined number of times through clothes, a bag, or the like from the outside.

  The electronic key 2 includes a microcomputer 23, a transmission circuit 24, a transmission antenna 25, and an acceleration sensor 21. The electronic key 2 incorporates a battery (not shown) and supplies operating power to each unit.

  The acceleration sensor 21 outputs a voltage corresponding to an impact (acceleration) applied when the electronic key 2 is hit to the microcomputer 23 as a detection result. In the present embodiment, it is desirable that the acceleration sensor 21 is always activated. The acceleration sensor 21 may be a mechanical type, an optical type, a semiconductor type, or the like, but any sensor that can be built in the electronic key 2 and can detect an impact (acceleration) on the electronic key 2 may be used.

  The microcomputer 23 includes a non-volatile memory 23a, and the memory 23a includes various numerical values (i.e., whether or not the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 21 is caused by a hitting operation related to locking / unlocking of the vehicle door). Threshold value, setting time), an ID code set individually for each electronic key 2, and the like are stored. The microcomputer 23 determines the presence / absence of a hitting operation based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor 21, and determines the control content desired by the user based on the number of hitting operations. The method for determining the control contents based on the presence / absence of the hitting operation by the microcomputer 23 and the number of hitting operations will be described later.

  When the microcomputer 23 determines that the operation is a hitting operation requesting unlocking based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor 21, an operation code (unlocking request operation code) requesting the vehicle to unlock the door. And an unlock request signal including the ID code of the electronic key 2 are generated. Then, the microcomputer 23 outputs this unlock request signal to the transmission circuit 24.

  On the other hand, when the microcomputer 23 determines that the hitting operation is to request locking based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor 21, an operation code (locking request operation code) to request locking of the door to the vehicle and A lock request signal including the ID code of the electronic key 2 is generated. Then, the microcomputer 23 outputs this locking request signal to the transmission circuit 24.

  The transmission circuit 24 modulates the unlock request signal and the lock request signal input from the microcomputer 23 into radio waves in a predetermined frequency band. In the present embodiment, the predetermined frequency band is an RF (Radio Frequency) band. The transmission antenna 25 is a medium for transmitting the unlock request signal and the lock request signal modulated by the transmission circuit 24.

(In-vehicle device 3)
The in-vehicle device 3 has a reception function of a radio signal, and includes a reception antenna 31, a reception circuit 32, and an in-vehicle control unit 33.

  The receiving antenna 31 is a medium for receiving the unlock request signal and the lock request signal transmitted from the electronic key 2. The receiving circuit 32 demodulates the unlock request signal and the lock request signal received by the receiving antenna 31 to generate a received signal and outputs the received signal to the in-vehicle control unit 33. When the unlocking request signal is received by the receiving antenna 31, the received signal output from the receiving circuit 32 to the in-vehicle control unit 33 includes the unlocking request operation code and the ID code of the electronic key 2. . When the lock request signal is received by the receiving antenna 31, the received signal includes the lock request operation code and the ID code of the electronic key 2.

  The in-vehicle control unit 33 includes a non-volatile memory 33a, and the memory 33a stores the same ID code as the ID code of the electronic key 2 suitable for the vehicle on which the in-vehicle device 3 is mounted.

  The in-vehicle control unit 33 includes an ID code that matches the ID code stored in the memory 33a in the received signal input from the receiving circuit 32, and includes an unlocking operation code in the received signal. When there is a request, it is recognized that there has been a request for unlocking the door with the regular electronic key 2. And the vehicle-mounted control part 33 outputs a door unlocking command signal to the door control apparatus 40, when it recognizes in this way. As a result, the door is unlocked by the door control device 40.

  The in-vehicle control unit 33 includes an ID code that matches the ID code stored in the memory 33a in the received signal input from the receiving circuit 32, and includes an operation code for locking request in the received signal. When there is a request, it is recognized that there has been a request for door locking with the regular electronic key 2. And the vehicle-mounted control part 33 outputs a door locking command signal to the door control apparatus 40, when it recognizes in this way. As a result, the door is locked by the door control device 40. In addition, when the vehicle door is unlocked and unlocked, the in-vehicle controller 33 can notify the user by blinking a hazard lamp (direction indicator) of the vehicle (not shown).

Next, the determination of the presence / absence of a hitting operation by the microcomputer 23 will be specifically described. FIG. 2 shows the result of acceleration detection by the acceleration sensor 21.
As described above, the memory 23a stores the threshold value A that serves as a criterion for determining whether or not the detection result (voltage) from the acceleration sensor 21 is due to the tapping operation. The microcomputer 23 determines whether or not the hitting operation is made by comparing the detected acceleration with the threshold value A. Further, the microcomputer 23 determines whether or not the hitting operation is performed in consideration of the acceleration detection time. That is, as indicated by the solid line in FIG. 2, when the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 21 is equal to or greater than the threshold value A and the detection period is less than the set time T1, it is determined that the hitting operation is performed. The Here, a momentary acceleration is detected in the tapping operation as compared with vibrations and the like accompanying walking illustrated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The threshold A is set by simulation so as to be equal to or greater than vibration associated with walking and less than the acceleration caused by the hitting operation. Furthermore, when the electronic key 2 is stored in a pocket or the like, it does not move greatly even if an impact is applied. Therefore, the detected acceleration increases sharply and then decreases rapidly. Similarly, the set time T1 is set slightly longer than the time estimated by the simulation that the acceleration equal to or higher than the threshold A is maintained during the hitting operation. When the acceleration equal to or greater than the threshold value A is detected over the set time T1, the microcomputer 23 determines that the operation is not a hit operation.

  Next, the determination of the content of control based on the number of hit operations on the electronic key 2 by the microcomputer 23 will be specifically described. Here, the microcomputer 23 determines that the user has selected locking by two hitting operations and unlocking by three hitting operations.

First, a case where a total of one hitting operation is detected on the electronic key 2 will be described.
The microcomputer 23 measures the first waiting time T11 by a timer (not shown) from the time t1 shown in FIG. When the microcomputer 23 determines that the second hit operation is not performed during the waiting time T11, the microcomputer 23 determines that the user does not intend to perform the operation, and does not output a request signal for requesting the control to the vehicle side. Terminate the determination. In this way, the microcomputer 23 prevents the vehicle from being controlled without the user's intention by not requiring control on the vehicle side when the number of hit operations is less than the expected number of times (in this embodiment, once). it can.

  Next, a case where a total of two hitting operations are detected on the electronic key 2 will be described. The microcomputer 23 measures the first waiting time T11 by a timer (not shown) from time t1 when it is determined that there is a tapping operation. When the microcomputer 23 determines that there is a hitting operation again during the waiting time T11, the microcomputer 23 starts measuring the second waiting time T12 from the time t2 when it is determined that there is a second hitting operation. When the microcomputer 23 determines that there is no hitting operation in the second waiting time T12, the microcomputer 23 determines that the series of hitting operations require locking of the vehicle door. Then, the microcomputer 23 generates a locking request signal and transmits it to the in-vehicle device 3 side via the transmission circuit 24 and the transmission antenna 25. The in-vehicle controller 33 receives the locking request signal from the electronic key 2 and locks the door through the door control device 40.

  Finally, a case where a total of three hitting operations are detected on the electronic key 2 will be described. The microcomputer 23 measures the first waiting time T11 by a timer (not shown) from time t1 when it is determined that there is a tapping operation. When the microcomputer 23 determines that there is a second tapping operation at the waiting time T11, the microcomputer 23 starts measuring the second waiting time T12 from time t2 when it is determined that the second tapping operation is performed. At the time t3 when the microcomputer 23 determines that there is a hitting operation in the second waiting time T12, the microcomputer 23 determines that the series of hitting operations requests unlocking of the vehicle door. Then, the microcomputer 23 generates an unlock request signal and transmits it to the in-vehicle device 3 side via the transmission circuit 24 and the transmission antenna 25. The in-vehicle control unit 33 receives the unlock request signal from the electronic key 2 and unlocks the door through the door control device 40. Both waiting times T11 and T12 are set to the same time.

  As described above, the user taps the electronic key 2 stored in a pocket or the like through a pocket or the like at a point away from the vehicle (in this embodiment, a point that is 10 m away from the vehicle at the longest). Thus, the unlock request signal or the lock request signal is output to the vehicle side, and the door can be unlocked or locked. Accordingly, when the electronic key 2 is operated, there is no need to take out the electronic key 2 from a pocket or the like, and it is not necessary to visually recognize and operate the switch. Lock is possible.

As described above, according to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) By tapping the electronic key 2, the electronic key 2 can be operated. Specifically, the microcomputer 23 determines the number of hit operations on the electronic key 2 based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor 21. Then, the microcomputer 23 transmits a locking and unlocking request signal including a request for locking or unlocking according to the number of hitting operations. Thereby, the user can hit and operate the electronic key 2 in a state where the electronic key 2 is stored in a pocket, a bag or the like, for example, and the operability of the electronic key 2 can be improved.

  (2) The number of hitting operations required to unlock the vehicle door is three, and is set to be more than two, which is the number of hitting operations required to lock the vehicle door. Thus, by increasing the number of hitting operations required for unlocking, the possibility of detecting the number of hitting operations required for unlocking unintentionally by the user is reduced. Thereby, the erroneous operation of the electronic key 2 can be prevented when unlocking the vehicle door. In addition, when performing a hitting operation for locking, the number of hitting operations required for unlocking does not pass. For this reason, for example, even when a hit operation is attempted to lock and a single hit operation is not detected, the hit count required for unlocking is not reached. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from unintentionally detecting the number of hitting operations required for unlocking, and thus to prevent inadvertent unlocking of the door. This improves the security on the control target side.

  (3) In recent years, an electronic key returns a response signal in response to a request signal transmitted from an in-vehicle device, so that the user can lock and unlock the vehicle door without operating the electronic key, so-called key operation. Free systems are becoming common. In this key operation free system, if the user carries an electronic key, the door can be locked and unlocked and the engine can be started. However, in the key operation free system, since no operation is requested from the user carrying the electronic key, it is conceivable that the user leaves the vehicle without particularly recognizing whether or not the vehicle door is locked. Specifically, for example, when the electronic key is left behind in the vehicle, the user may leave without noticing that the vehicle door has not been locked. According to the present embodiment, when the vehicle door is locked, the user is requested to perform a tapping operation, and there is no sound that accompanies the locking after the user performs the tapping operation, or there is no blink of the hazard lamp that informs that the locking is completed. The user can recognize that the hit operation on the electronic key 2 is not recognized, or that the electronic key 2 itself is not in the hit location.

(Second Embodiment)
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The electronic key system 1 of this embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a communication area that transmits a trigger signal that triggers the acceleration sensor 21 is formed outside the vehicle. Hereinafter, a description will be given focusing on differences from the first embodiment. The electronic key of this embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the electronic key of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the in-vehicle device 3 includes a transmission circuit 37 and a transmission antenna 38 in addition to the configuration in the first embodiment. The transmission circuit 37 modulates the trigger signal input from the in-vehicle control unit 33 into radio waves in a predetermined frequency band. In the present embodiment, the predetermined frequency band is an LF (Low Frequency) band. The transmission antenna 38 is a medium for transmitting the trigger signal modulated by the transmission circuit 37.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the transmission antenna 38 is built in the door handles of both front doors of the vehicle. A communication area 50 is formed by transmitting a trigger signal around the transmission antenna 38. Both communication areas 50 are formed in a semicircular shape with the bottoms along the sides of the vehicle as viewed from above the vehicle.

  The electronic key 2 is further provided with a receiving circuit 27 and a receiving antenna 28. The receiving antenna 28 is a medium for receiving a trigger signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device 3. The reception circuit 27 demodulates the trigger signal received by the reception antenna 28 to generate a reception signal, and outputs the reception signal to the microcomputer 23. In response to the received signal, the microcomputer 23 activates the acceleration sensor 21. That is, when the electronic key 2 carried by the user enters the communication area 50, the acceleration sensor 21 is activated. Then, in the communication area 50, the user unlocks the vehicle door by hitting the electronic key 2 three times and gets on the vehicle. That is, it is possible to suppress the unlocking of the vehicle door by the electronic key 2 determining that the operation not intended by the user is a hitting operation outside the communication area 50.

  On the other hand, the user who gets off gets out of the communication area 50 through the communication area 50 as shown in FIG. The microcomputer 23 determines that the electronic key 2 is located outside the communication area 50 by not receiving the trigger signal via the receiving circuit 27 and the receiving antenna 28. The microcomputer 23 measures the number of steps of the user based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor 21 from the time when it is determined that the electronic key 2 is located outside the communication area 50. The number of steps may be determined based on a change in acceleration in the direction in which the user walks, or may be determined based on an impact (acceleration) generated when walking. At this time, the microcomputer 23 stops supplying power to the acceleration sensor 21 when it is determined that the number of steps of the user exceeds 10. In other words, if the user leaves the communication area 50 and the communication area 50 within 10 steps, the tapping operation on the electronic key 2 is effective, and the vehicle door can be locked by performing tapping operation twice, for example. Here, in the present embodiment, the lock / unlock request signal from the electronic key 2 is an RF band signal having a frequency higher than that of the LF band, and therefore the in-vehicle device 3 can be used from outside the communication area 50 of the LF band. It is possible to transmit each request signal.

  When the microcomputer 23 recognizes that the user carrying the electronic key 2 has returned from the communication area 50 and has returned to the communication area 50 within 10 steps based on the reception of the trigger signal, the microcomputer 23 returns the communication area 50 and then the number of steps. The power supply to the acceleration sensor 21 is stopped when it is determined that the value exceeds 10. The state in which the power supply to the acceleration sensor 21 is stopped is canceled when the electronic key 2 enters the communication area 50 again.

  According to the above configuration, since the power is not supplied to the acceleration sensor 21 after the number of steps exceeds 10 after leaving the communication area 50, the power consumption of the electronic key 2 due to the operation of the acceleration sensor 21 can be suppressed.

  The microcomputer 23 disables the subsequent tapping operation on the electronic key 2 by stopping the supply of power to the acceleration sensor 21 when it is determined that the number of steps of the user exceeds 10. In this way, by limiting the position where the user's tapping operation leaving the vehicle is effective to the communication area 50 and limiting the position to 10 steps after leaving the communication area 50, the electronic key at a position away from the vehicle to some extent It is possible to prevent the unlocking of the vehicle door that has been locked by the erroneous tapping operation of the electronic key 2 at a position far away from the vehicle while ensuring the convenience of the user by enabling the tapping operation of 2. Can be improved.

  In addition, by restricting whether or not the electronic key 2 can be operated by the number of steps of the user, for example, when it takes time for the passenger of the user to get off the vehicle, it may be within 10 steps from the communication area 50. For example, it is possible to lock the passenger by hitting it after waiting for the passenger to get off. Furthermore, since the number of steps can be detected by the acceleration sensor 21 used for detecting the hit operation, an erroneous hit operation preventing function can be added to the electronic key 2 without adding a new configuration.

As described above, according to the embodiment described above, the following functions and effects can be achieved in addition to the functions and effects (1) to (3) of the first embodiment.
(4) The position where the operation of hitting the electronic key 2 by the user leaving the vehicle is validated is added to the communication area 50, and the number of steps after leaving the communication area 50 is limited to 10. Therefore, the electronic key 2 can be hit at a position that is reasonably away from the door (vehicle) to ensure the user's convenience, and the electronic key 2 can be hit at a position far from the door (vehicle). It is possible to prevent the request signal from being transmitted from the electronic key 2 to the in-vehicle device 3 side. As a result, for example, inadvertent unlocking of the door or the like is prevented, so that the security on the in-vehicle device 3 side can be improved.

In addition, the said embodiment can be implemented with the following forms which changed this suitably.
In the first and second embodiments, the waiting time T11, T12 has started to be measured every time it is determined that there is a tapping operation, but a predetermined waiting time after it is first determined that there is a tapping operation The operation content such as locking / unlocking may be determined based on how many times the hitting operation is performed. In this case, even if there is a bias in the timing of the hitting operation, the number of operations is correctly determined within the waiting time.

  In the first and second embodiments, the electronic key 2 is operated while being stored in a pocket or the like. However, the electronic key 2 can be taken out from the pocket or the like and operated. In this case, for example, when the electronic key 2 is placed on the palm of one hand, the electronic key 2 is hit with the other hand, or the hand is hit against one's thigh or the like while holding the electronic key 2. The acceleration at which the microcomputer 23 can determine that there is a tapping operation is detected. Even when operated in this way, the operability of the electronic key 2 is higher than the switch operation.

  In the first and second embodiments, the microcomputer 23 is a hit operation when the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 21 is greater than or equal to the threshold A and the detection time is less than the set time T1. I was judging. However, this set time T1 may be omitted. In this case, since it is determined that the hit operation is performed when the detected acceleration becomes equal to or greater than the threshold value A, it is possible to quickly determine the hit operation, and thus it is possible to lock and unlock the vehicle door more quickly. It becomes.

  In the first and second embodiments, the vehicle door can be locked and unlocked by hitting the electronic key 2. However, the control content by the hitting operation is not limited to locking and unlocking of the vehicle door, for example, control for starting and stopping the engine, window opening and closing control, lamp lighting and extinguishing control, air conditioner on and off control, etc. Also good.

  The microcomputer 23 determines which one of the various control contents described above has been selected based on the number of times of hitting operation. Then, a signal for requesting execution of the selected control is output to the vehicle side via the transmission circuit 24 and the transmission antenna 25. For example, the microcomputer 23 sends a signal to the vehicle via the transmission circuit 24 and the transmission antenna 25 that requests engine start when the operation is performed 4 times and that the window is opened when the operation is performed 5 times. Output to the side. Here, especially when the engine start control is enabled in addition to locking and unlocking of the vehicle door by tapping operation of the electronic key 2, the electronic key 2 is not taken out from the pocket, bag, etc. It is possible to start the engine.

  In the first and second embodiments, the microcomputer 23 determines whether or not the hit operation is performed, and further determines whether the desired control content is locked or unlocked according to the number of hits. To do. However, the microcomputer 23 may transmit the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 21 as an acceleration information signal to the vehicle side via the transmission circuit 24 and the transmission antenna 25 without determining anything. In this case, the in-vehicle control unit 33 determines the presence / absence of the hitting operation and the number of hitting operations based on the acceleration information received via the receiving antenna 31 and the receiving circuit 32, and executes processing related to unlocking / unlocking based on the determination result. To do.

  In the first and second embodiments, the microcomputer 23 determines that the unlocking of the vehicle door is requested when the third hitting operation, which is the upper limit of the number of hitting operations, is performed. However, when the third hit operation is performed, the microcomputer 23 may wait for the fourth hit operation by measuring the third waiting time. For example, in this case, when the microcomputer 23 determines that the fourth tapping operation has been performed, it can be expected that the user's tapping operation is abnormal and the security is improved by not locking.

In the first and second embodiments, the microcomputer 23 determines that the vehicle door is locked by two hitting operations and the unlocking of the vehicle door is requested by three hitting operations. However, the number of hitting operations is not limited to this. For example, it may be determined that locking of the vehicle door is requested by five hitting operations and unlocking of the vehicle door is requested by six hitting operations. In this way, by increasing the number of hit operations, even if it is determined that there is a hit operation due to an action not intended by the user, the possibility of reaching the predetermined number is reduced. For this reason, unintentional locking / unlocking due to an erroneous operation can be suppressed. Further, the microcomputer 23 may determine that the vehicle door is locked by two hitting operations and that the unlocking of the vehicle door is requested by five hitting operations. In this way, by not making the number of hitting operations continuous, for example, when the user performs the hitting operation twice for the purpose of locking, the unlocking is performed even if the hitting operation is mistakenly performed three times. You can prevent that. This improves the security of the vehicle. Further, the microcomputer 23 can lock the vehicle door by a single hitting operation, multiple times (for example, 2 times).
It may be determined that the unlocking of the vehicle door is requested by the tapping operation. Even in this case, the operability of the electronic key 2 is maintained.

  In the first and second embodiments, only the electronic key system 1 referred to as a so-called wireless key system in which various request signals are unidirectionally transmitted from the electronic key 2 on the transmission side to the in-vehicle device 3 on the reception side. Was installed. However, a so-called key operation-free system that enables locking / unlocking of the vehicle door and the like without the user's operation by the electronic key returning a response signal in response to a request signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device is further provided. It may be installed in the system 1.

  -In 1st and 2nd embodiment, although the electronic key 2 was hit | operated in order to control the vehicle which is a control object, the control object of the electronic key 2 is not limited to a vehicle, For example, electronic The key may be applied to a residential key system. In this case, the electronic door can be operated to lock and unlock the door for the house, turn on and off the entrance light, and the like. Furthermore, it is possible to control the vehicle and the house with one electronic key. In this case, for example, the control object can be changed according to the number of hitting operations, such as locking a vehicle door by two hitting operations and locking a door for a house by three hitting operations.

  In the second embodiment, when the microcomputer 23 determines that the number of steps of the user has exceeded 10, the power supply to the acceleration sensor 21 is stopped, thereby invalidating the subsequent tapping operation on the electronic key 2. It was. However, the number of steps may be set to any number of steps. If a large number of steps is set, the tapping operation can be performed even from a position far away from the vehicle, which improves convenience. On the other hand, if the number of steps is set to be small, only the tapping operation in the vicinity of the vehicle is effective. Therefore, it is determined that the tapping operation is performed by a user's unintentional operation at a point far from the vehicle, and the vehicle door is unlocked. Can be suppressed. For this reason, the security of a vehicle improves.

  Alternatively, the microcomputer 23 may measure the predetermined time with a timer (not shown) after determining that it has left the communication area 50, and stop supplying power to the acceleration sensor 21 after the predetermined time has elapsed. The predetermined time is set to a time when it is estimated that the user carrying the electronic key 2 is in the vicinity of the vehicle. In this case, for example, the user's stepping at the position immediately after leaving the communication area 50 is measured as the number of steps, so that the user cannot hit the electronic key 2 even though the user is around the vehicle. Can be prevented.

  In the second embodiment, the microcomputer 23 stops the supply of power to the acceleration sensor 21 when the number of steps of the user exceeds 10 with reference to the time when the microcomputer 23 goes out of the communication area 50, so that the electronic key The hit operation to 2 was invalidated. However, the operation of hitting the electronic key 2 may be invalidated without stopping the supply of power to the acceleration sensor 21. In this case, the microcomputer 23 can notify the user that the tapping operation has been invalidated, for example, by displaying it on the display unit of the electronic key 2 or by emitting a sound from a speaker.

  In the second embodiment, the microcomputer 23 activates the acceleration sensor 21 when the electronic key 2 enters the communication area 50, but the acceleration sensor 21 may always operate. Thus, when the user gets on the vehicle, the electronic door 2 can be used to unlock the vehicle door from outside the communication area 50. The communication area 50 in this case is provided for determining whether or not the user is in the communication area 50, that is, for triggering measurement of the number of steps of the user.

Next, the technical idea that can be grasped from the embodiment will be described together with the effects.
(A) The electronic key according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the electronic key side control device disables the tapping operation by cutting off power supply to the acceleration detecting means.

  According to this configuration, the electronic key side control device invalidates the tapping operation by cutting off the power supply to the acceleration detecting means. As a result, since the power is not supplied to the acceleration detecting means after leaving the communication area and exceeding a certain number of steps or a certain time, it is possible to suppress power consumption of the electronic key due to useless operation of the acceleration detecting means. This is particularly effective where the power that can be supplied is limited, particularly when the operating power of the electronic key is a battery.

  (B) In the electronic key described in (a), in a state where power is not supplied to the acceleration detecting means, the electronic key side control device receives the radio signal when the electronic key enters a communication area. An electronic key that activates the acceleration detecting means when triggered by.

  According to this configuration, since the acceleration detection means is activated when the user carrying the electronic key enters the communication area, the user must enter the communication area after exceeding a certain number of steps or a certain time after leaving the communication area. For example, the speed sensor is not activated and the electronic key cannot be hit. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the door from being inadvertently unlocked by the electronic key recognizing a hitting operation not intended by the user outside the communication area. This improves the security on the control target side.

  (C) Included in the request signal from the electronic key carried by the user who transmits to the control target side a request signal for requesting control including its own identification code in response to the user's operation, and the electronic key And a control target side control device that executes control of the control target when verification of the identification code is established. The electronic key includes acceleration detection means for detecting an impact generated in the electronic key system, and the electronic key side Alternatively, when determining whether or not the electronic key is hit on the control target side and the number of hitting operations, and determining on the electronic key side, the electronic key side control device detects the detection result of the acceleration detecting means. And determining the presence / absence of the hit operation on the electronic key and the number of hit operations, and transmitting the request signal to the control target side to request control according to the number of hit operations. When the determination is made on the control target side, the electronic key transmits the detection result of the acceleration detection means to the control target side, and the control target side control device is based on the detection result of the acceleration detection means. An electronic key system that determines the presence / absence of a hitting operation on an electronic key and the number of hitting operations, and executes control contents of a control target according to the number of hitting operations.

  According to the configuration, the electronic key can be operated by hitting the electronic key. Specifically, when determining whether or not a hit operation is performed on the electronic key side, the electronic key side control device determines whether or not the hit operation is performed on the electronic key based on the detection result of the acceleration detection means. Then, the electronic key side control device transmits a signal indicating that different control is required according to the number of hit operations included in the request signal. On the other hand, when determining whether or not the hit operation is performed on the control target side, the control target side control device determines whether or not the hit operation is performed on the electronic key based on the detection result by the acceleration detection means transmitted from the electronic key side. Judging. Then, the control target side control device executes control of the control target in accordance with the number of hitting operations. By determining the presence / absence and the number of times of the hitting operation in this way, the user can perform the hitting operation with the electronic key stored in a pocket, a bag or the like, for example, and the operability of the electronic key can be improved.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electronic key system, 2 ... Electronic key, 3 ... In-vehicle apparatus (control object side control apparatus), 21 ... Acceleration sensor (acceleration detection means), 23 ... Microcomputer (electronic key side control apparatus), 33 ... In-vehicle control part.

Claims (4)

In an electronic key carried by a user who transmits a request signal to the control target side to request control including its own identification code in response to a user operation,
Acceleration detecting means for detecting an impact generated in the electronic key;
Based on the detection result of the acceleration detecting means, the request signal including the determination of the presence / absence of the hitting operation for the electronic key and the number of hitting operations as the user's operation, and requesting the control according to the number of hitting operations. An electronic key comprising: an electronic key side control device that transmits to the control target side. The electronic key according to claim 1, wherein
The electronic key side control device transmits the request signal including a request to lock the door when it is determined that the hit operation has been performed a predetermined number of times,
An electronic key that transmits the request signal including a request to unlock the door when it is determined that the hit operation has been performed more than the predetermined number of times. The electronic key according to claim 1 or 2,
A communication area where a radio signal is transmitted is formed around the control target,
The electronic key side control device detects the acceleration when it detects that the electronic key is located within the communication area based on whether or not the wireless signal is received and when it detects that the electronic key is located outside the communication area. An electronic key that, when the number of steps of the user detected based on the detection result of the means is within a certain number of steps, validates the tapping operation and invalidates the tapping operation when the number of steps of the user exceeds the certain number of steps. The electronic key according to claim 1 or 2,
A communication area where a radio signal is transmitted is formed around the control target,
When the electronic key side control device detects that the electronic key is located within the communication area based on whether or not the radio signal is received, and within a certain time from the time when it is detected that the electronic key is located outside the communication area An electronic key that enables the tapping operation when, and disables the tapping operation after a certain period of time.

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