JP2011017286A - Vehicle starting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle starting apparatus with excellent convenience.SOLUTION: A vehicle starting apparatus 50 includes a seat belt device provided with a rotation angle sensor 11 for detecting a rotation of a belt reel around which a belt for restraining a person seated on a driver's seat is winded, an occupant discriminating means 30 for discriminating the person seated on the driver's seat in response to a detection signal of the rotation angle sensor 11 as a trigger, and an engine start controlling unit 20 for starting an engine of the vehicle based on a detection signal from the rotation angle sensor 11 and the occupant discriminating means 30. The occupant discriminating means 30 includes: a portable key 31 for being carried by the occupant and having a discrimination element for storing a discrimination signal and a communication element for receiving the discrimination signal; and a keyless unit 32 installed in the vehicle and for communicating wirelessly with the communication element of the portable key 31. The keyless unit 32 and the rotation angle sensor 11 are communicatably connected.

Description

  The present invention relates to an activation device that automatically activates a prime mover of a vehicle.

  Some vehicle starting devices permit the engine to be started by operating an ignition key only when, for example, the wearing of a seat belt is detected by a buckle switch (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 2668513

However, if the engine is allowed to start only when the seat belt wearing condition is satisfied, there is a possibility of erroneous determination due to a buckle switch failure or the like.
In addition, after wearing of the seat belt is detected, it is necessary for the driver to perform an ignition key operation separately, and the operation sequence of the occupant is restricted and the man-hours for operation are substantially increased, thus reducing convenience. There is a problem of doing.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a vehicle starting device that is excellent in convenience.

The vehicle starter according to the present invention employs the following means in order to solve the above problems.
The invention according to claim 1 is a belt reel (e.g., a belt (e.g., a belt 5 in an embodiment described later)) around which a passenger seated in a driver's seat (e.g., a seat 2 in an embodiment described later) can be restrained (e.g. A seat belt device (for example, a seat belt device 1 in an embodiment to be described later) provided with a rotation detecting means (for example, a rotation angle sensor 11 in an embodiment to be described later) for detecting the rotation of the belt reel 10 in an embodiment to be described later. An occupant identification means (for example, a wireless key system 30 in an embodiment to be described later) for identifying an occupant seated in a driver's seat using a detection signal of the rotation detection means as a trigger, a detection signal of the rotation detection means, and the occupant identification Start control means for starting the motor of the vehicle based on the detection signal of the means (for example, engine start control unit 2 in the embodiment described later) ) And the vehicle starting device, characterized in that it comprises (for example, a vehicle starting device 50) in Examples described later.
In addition to the engine, the prime mover includes a power plant such as an electric vehicle or a fuel cell vehicle.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the occupant identification means includes an identification element that records and holds an identification signal and a communication element that can transmit and receive the identification signal. A key (for example, a portable key 31 in an embodiment described later) and a keyless unit (for example, a keyless unit 32 in an embodiment described later) mounted on a vehicle and capable of wireless communication with a communication element of the portable key. The keyless unit and the rotation detecting means are communicably connected.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the occupant identifying means detects a pull-out change amount that is a time change of the belt pull-out amount based on a detection signal of the rotation detection means. A change amount detection unit (for example, a drawer change amount calculation unit 16 in an embodiment described later) and a storage unit (for example, a storage unit in an embodiment described later) that stores the drawer change amount detected by the drawer change amount detection unit. 17) and the drawer change amount detected by the drawer change amount detection unit are compared with the pattern of the drawer change amount stored in the storage unit to determine whether or not they match, And a comparison unit to be generated (for example, a comparison unit 18 in an embodiment described later).

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided the auxiliary brake according to any one of the first to third aspects, further comprising an auxiliary brake capable of continuously applying a braking force while the vehicle is stopped. The activation condition of the prime mover is that is effective.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the prime mover can be activated during the belt mounting operation, the prime mover can be activated quickly, and an occupant operating the belt can simultaneously turn on other switches, etc. Since the prime mover can be started without operation, convenience is improved.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the keyless unit and the rotation detecting means are connected so as to communicate with each other, the keyless unit is activated by receiving the detection signal of the rotation detecting means as a trigger, Communication can be performed between the key and the keyless unit. Thereby, it becomes possible to identify an occupant by transmitting and receiving an identification signal between the portable key and the keyless unit at an appropriate timing regardless of the switch operation.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since it is possible to identify the occupant based on the operation pattern when the belt is pulled out, the occupant can be identified with a simple system.

  According to the fourth aspect of the invention, since the starting condition of the prime mover is that the auxiliary brake is effective, the vehicle can be reliably held in a stopped state when the prime mover is started. Also, it can be applied to a manual shift vehicle.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a seat belt device in a vehicle provided with a vehicle starting device according to the present invention. It is a block diagram in one Example of the starting device of the vehicle concerning this invention. It is a flowchart which shows starting control of the starting apparatus of the said vehicle. It is a flowchart which shows the passenger | crew authentication determination process in the starting apparatus of the said vehicle. It is a flowchart which shows the automatic stop control of the motor | power_engine in the said vehicle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of a vehicle starter according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings of FIGS. In this embodiment, a description will be given in the form of an automobile starter equipped with an engine as a prime mover.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a seat belt device 1 that restrains a driver P seated on a driver seat 2 in a left-hand drive vehicle.
The seat belt device 1 is a so-called three-point seat belt device, and a belt 5 wound around a belt reel 10 of a retractor 4 built in the center pillar 3 is drawn upward and supported on the upper side of the center pillar 3. The through anchor 6 is inserted into the vehicle body floor, and the front end of the seat 2 is fixed to the vehicle body floor via the outer anchor 7 near the outside of the passenger compartment. A tongue 8 is inserted between the through anchor 6 and the outer anchor 7 of the belt 5, and the tongue 8 can be attached to and detached from the buckle 9 fixed to the vehicle body floor near the passenger seat of the seat 2. ing.

The belt reel 10 is rotatably provided and is urged in a winding direction by a spring (not shown). The retractor 4 includes a rotation angle sensor (rotation detection means) 11 that detects the rotation position of the belt reel 10.
The buckle 9 includes a buckle switch 12 (see FIG. 2). The buckle switch 12 is turned on when the tongue 8 is engaged with the buckle 9, and is turned off when the tongue 8 is detached from the buckle 9. It becomes.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the vehicle activation device 50. The vehicle activation device 50 includes an engine activation control unit (activation control unit) 20, a seat belt control unit 13, and an occupant identification unit. A wireless key system 30, a door opening / closing sensor 21, a shift position sensor 22, and a parking brake switch 23 are provided. The seat belt control unit 13 includes the rotation angle sensor 11 and the buckle switch 12 described above. An output signal is input.

The seat belt control unit 13 includes a winding amount calculation unit 14, a withdrawal amount calculation unit 15, and a withdrawal change amount calculation unit (drawing change amount detection unit) 16.
The winding amount calculation unit 14 determines the winding amount of the belt 5 when the tongue 8 is released from the buckle 9 from the state where the tongue 8 of the seat belt device 1 is engaged with the buckle 9 and the driver is restrained by the belt 5. , Based on the output signal of the rotation angle sensor 11.
The drawing amount calculation unit 15 is configured to draw the belt 5 when the belt 5 is drawn from the belt reel 10 from the state in which the belt 5 in a non-wearing state is wound around the belt reel 10 and the tongue 8 is drawn near the through anchor 6. Is extracted based on the output signal of the rotation angle sensor 11.
The drawer change amount calculation unit 16 performs an appropriate arithmetic process on the electrical signal relating to the pullout amount of the belt 5 output from the pullout amount calculation unit 15 to calculate a drawer change amount that is a temporal change in the pullout amount of the belt 5. To do. Here, the pull-out change amount of the belt 5 includes time change of the pull-out amount (displacement within a certain time, etc.), pull-out speed (including instantaneous speed, section average speed, and maximum speed), and speed change of the pull-out amount (that is, (Drawing acceleration) is included, and any of them can be adopted. In the following description, the drawing speed will be described as an example.
The seat belt control unit 13 outputs an output signal corresponding to each calculation result of the winding amount calculation unit 14, the withdrawal amount calculation unit 15, and the withdrawal change amount calculation unit 16 to the engine activation control unit 20.

The door opening / closing sensor 21 detects an open state and a closed state of a door next to the driver's seat (hereinafter referred to as a driver's seat door), and outputs an output signal corresponding to the state to the engine activation control unit 20.
The shift position sensor 22 detects a shift position of a speed change mechanism (not shown) selected by the driver via a select lever (not shown), and outputs an output signal corresponding to the detected shift position to the engine start control unit 20. Output.
The parking brake switch 23 detects whether the parking brake is in an operating state or a non-operating state, and outputs an output signal corresponding to the state to the engine activation control unit 20. In this embodiment, the parking brake constitutes an auxiliary brake capable of continuously applying a braking force while the vehicle is stopped.

  The wireless key system 30 includes a portable key 31 carried by a passenger and a keyless unit 32 mounted on the vehicle. The portable key 31 includes an identification element that records and holds an identification signal and a communication element (none of which is shown) that can exchange the identification signal. The keyless unit 32 is configured to be able to wirelessly communicate with the communication element of the portable key 31 and collates the identification signal with the portable key 31 and locks / unlocks the door of the vehicle only when authenticated by the collation. to approve. In addition, the keyless unit 32 outputs an output signal corresponding to the result of collation of the identification signal performed with the portable key 31 to the engine activation control unit 20.

  The seat belt control unit 13 and the keyless unit 32 of the wireless key system 30 are communicably connected. When the seat belt control unit 13 receives an output signal from the rotation angle sensor 11, the seat belt control unit 13 is used as a trigger for the seat belt control unit 13. The belt control unit 13 outputs a rotation angle detection signal to the keyless unit 32. And the keyless unit 32 transmits / receives an identification signal between the portable keys 31, and collates an identification signal, when a rotation angle detection signal is input from the seatbelt control part 13. FIG.

  The engine activation control unit 20 includes output signals from the door opening / closing sensor 21, the shift position sensor 22, the parking brake switch 23, and the keyless unit 32, the winding amount information of the belt 5 output from the seat belt control unit 13, and the withdrawal amount. The engine start control is executed based on the information, the pulling speed information, the output signal of the rotation angle sensor 11 and the output signal of the buckle switch 12 input via the seat belt control unit 13.

Next, the engine automatic start control will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, in step S01, it is determined whether or not the engine is stopped (OFF).
If the determination result in step S01 is “YES” (OFF), the process proceeds to step S02 to determine whether or not the shift position detected by the shift position sensor 22 is the parking position (P).
If the determination result in step S02 is “YES” (P), the process proceeds to step S03 to determine whether or not the parking brake switch 23 is ON, that is, whether or not the parking brake is operating (ON). To do.
If the determination result in step S03 is “YES” (ON), the process proceeds to step S04, and based on the output signal of the door opening / closing sensor 21, it is determined whether the driver's seat door has changed from the open state to the closed state. .

If the determination result in step S04 is “YES” (open → closed), the process proceeds to step S05 to determine whether or not there has been an operation on the belt 5. When there is an operation on the belt 5, the belt 5 is displaced and the output of the rotation angle sensor 11 changes. Therefore, based on the output signal of the rotation angle sensor 11, it is determined whether or not there has been an operation on the belt 5.
If the determination result in step S05 is “YES” (with belt operation), the process proceeds to step S06, and authentication determination processing is executed. That is, the authentication determination process is executed using the output signal (detection signal) of the rotation angle sensor 11 as a trigger. The authentication determination process will be described in detail later.

Next, it progresses to step S07 and it is determined whether the result of authentication determination is authentication affirmation.
If the determination result in step S07 is “YES” (authentication affirmative), the process proceeds to step S08, the engine activation process is executed, the engine is automatically activated, and the process proceeds to return.

  If the determination result in step S01 is “NO” (engine is operating), the determination result in step S02 is “NO” (the shift position is a position other than the parking position), and the determination result in step S03 is “ If “NO” (the parking brake is not activated), if the determination result in step S04 is “NO” (the driver's seat door is not closed), the determination result in step S05 is “NO” (the belt 5 If there is no operation), if the determination result in step S07 is "NO" (authentication determination is negative determination), the process proceeds to return.

That is, in this embodiment, the engine is stopped, the shift position is the parking position, the parking brake is operating, the driver's seat door is closed, the belt 5 is being operated, and the driver's seat 2 The engine is automatically started on condition that the occupant seated in the vehicle is a valid driver. On the other hand, when any one of the conditions is not satisfied, the engine is not automatically started.
In particular, since the engine automatic start condition is that the parking brake is in operation (effective), the vehicle can be reliably held in a stopped state when the engine is started. Also, it can be applied to a manual shift vehicle.

Next, the authentication determination process executed in step S06 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, in step S11, when the driver's seat door is opened, the wireless key system 30 performs authentication using an identification signal, and determines whether or not the result is a positive determination. That is, it is determined whether or not the door unlocking is permitted by the wireless key system 30 and the driver's seat door is opened.
When the determination result in step S11 is “YES” (authentication affirmative), the process proceeds to step S12, and it is determined whether it is within a predetermined time after the driver's seat door is opened. If it is within the predetermined time, it can be estimated that the passenger who unlocked the driver's seat door, that is, the passenger whose authentication is confirmed by the wireless key system 30, is seated on the seat 2 of the driver's seat. If it exceeds, it can be estimated that this may not be the case.

If the determination result in step S12 is “YES” (within a predetermined time), the process proceeds to step S13, the output signal of the rotation angle sensor 11 is read, and the pull-out amount of the belt 5 is calculated based on this output signal.
Next, the process proceeds to step S14, and it is determined whether or not the pull-out amount of the belt 5 calculated in step S13 is a predetermined value or more. When the amount of withdrawal of the belt 5 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it can be estimated that the driver is willing to wear the belt 5.
When the determination result in step S14 is “YES” (predetermined value or more), the process proceeds to step S15, an authentication positive determination is made, and the process proceeds to return. In other words, in this case, since it is within a predetermined time from the authentication determination performed by the wireless key system 30 when the driver's seat door is opened, the authentication result when the driver's seat door is opened can be trusted and used at present. Make a positive determination.
If the determination result in step S14 is “NO” (less than a predetermined value), the process returns to step S12.

On the other hand, if the determination result in step S11 is “NO” and if the determination result in step S12 is “NO”, the process proceeds to step S16. Here, when the determination result in step S11 is “NO”, when the driver's seat door is opened without using the wireless key system 30, or when the passenger gets into the vehicle without opening the driver's seat door ( For example, when boarding from the door next to the passenger seat).
In step S16, the output signal of the rotation angle sensor 11 is read, and the pull-out amount and pull-out speed of the belt 5 are calculated based on this output signal.

Next, the process proceeds to step S17, and it is determined whether or not the withdrawal amount calculated in step S16 is a predetermined value or more and the withdrawal speed is a predetermined value or more. Here, when the pull-out amount of the belt 5 is not less than a predetermined value and the pull-out speed is not less than the predetermined value, it can be estimated that the driver is willing to wear the belt 5.
In this embodiment, in step S17, it is estimated that the driver is willing to wear the belt 5 when the conditions of both the pull-out amount and the pull-out speed are satisfied. It is also possible to estimate that the driver is willing to wear the belt 5 when one of the conditions is satisfied.

When the determination result in step S17 is “YES” (predetermined value or more), the process proceeds to step S18, and the keyless unit 32 of the wireless key system 30 is triggered using the output signal of the rotation angle sensor 11 detected in step S16 as a trigger. In operation, an identification signal is transmitted and received between the keyless unit 32 and the portable key 31 to collate the identification signal.
Next, it progresses to step S19 and it is determined whether the identification signal corresponded as a result of collation.
That is, the authentication has not been affirmed when the driver's door is opened, or the predetermined time has passed since the authentication was confirmed by collation of the identification signal executed by the wireless key system 30 when the driver's door was opened. If there is, the verification of the identification signal by the wireless key system 30 is performed again.

If the determination result in step S19 is “YES” (identification signal coincidence), the process proceeds to step S15, an authentication positive determination is made, and the process proceeds to return.
If the determination result in step S19 is “NO” (identification signal mismatch), the process proceeds to step S20 to return to step S16 as an authentication standby.
If the determination result in step S17 is “NO”, it is estimated that the pull-out amount of the belt 5 is less than a predetermined value or the pull-out speed is less than a predetermined value, and the driver does not intend to wear the belt 5. Then, the process proceeds to step S20 to enter authentication standby and returns to step S16.

  According to the vehicle starting device 50 of this embodiment, the engine can be started during the belt 5 mounting operation, and the engine can be started quickly, so that convenience is improved. Further, since the occupant can start the engine without operating other switches (for example, an ignition switch) or the like at the same time while operating the belt 5, convenience is improved.

  Further, the keyless unit 32 and the rotation angle sensor 11 are communicably connected, and the communication between the portable key 31 and the keyless unit 32 is triggered by the keyless unit 32 receiving a detection signal of the rotation angle sensor 11. Since the identification signal can be collated, it is possible to identify whether or not the driver is a valid driver by collating the identification signal at an appropriate timing.

Next, the engine automatic stop control will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, in step S21, it is determined whether or not the shift position detected by the shift position sensor 22 is the parking position (P).
If the determination result in step S21 is “YES” (P), the process proceeds to step S22 to determine whether or not the parking brake switch 23 is ON, that is, whether or not the parking brake is operating (ON). To do.
If the determination result in step S22 is “YES” (ON), the process proceeds to step S23 to determine whether or not the bucks switch 12 is OFF.
If the determination result in step S23 is “YES” (OFF), the process proceeds to step S24, where the winding amount X of the belt 5 is calculated based on the output signal of the rotation angle sensor 11, and the winding amount X is calculated. It is determined whether it is larger than a predetermined value Xth.

  When the buckle switch 12 is OFF and the winding amount X of the belt 5 is larger than the predetermined value Xth, it can be estimated that the driver is willing to release the restraint by the belt 5. On the other hand, when the buckle switch 12 is ON, it can be estimated that the driver does not intend to release the restraint by the belt 5, and even if the buckle switch 12 is OFF, the winding amount X of the belt 5 is If it is less than or equal to the predetermined value Xth, it can be estimated that the driver is not willing to release the restraint by the belt 5.

If the determination result in step S24 is “YES” (X> Xth), the process proceeds to step S25, the engine stop process is executed to automatically stop the engine, and the process proceeds to return.
If the determination result in step S21 is “NO” (the shift position is a position other than the parking position), or if the determination result in step S22 is “NO” (the parking brake is not activated), the determination in step S23. If the result is “NO” (buckle switch ON), and if the determination result in step S24 is “NO” (X ≦ Xth), the process proceeds to return.

  That is, in this embodiment, the shift position is the parking position, the parking brake is operating, the buckle switch 12 is OFF, and the winding amount X of the belt 5 is larger than the predetermined value Xth. The engine is automatically stopped. On the other hand, when any one of the conditions is not satisfied, the engine is not automatically stopped.

  In this embodiment, when the buckle switch 12 is OFF and the winding amount X of the belt 5 is larger than the predetermined value Xth, it is estimated that the driver is willing to release the restraint by the belt 5. When the buckle switch 12 is OFF and the winding speed of the belt 5 is higher than a predetermined value, it can be estimated that the driver is willing to release the restraint by the belt 5. Alternatively, when the buckle switch 12 is OFF, the winding amount of the belt 5 is larger than a predetermined value, and the winding speed of the belt 5 is larger than a predetermined value, the driver releases the restraint by the belt 5. It is possible to presume that there is a will.

[Other Examples]
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above.
For example, the prime mover is not limited to an engine, and may be a power plant such as an electric vehicle or a fuel cell vehicle.
In the above-described embodiment, the occupant identification unit is configured by a wireless key system including a portable key and a keyless unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the occupant identification means detects the amount of change in withdrawal of the belt 5 based on the output signal from the rotation angle sensor 11 (detection signal from the rotation detection means) (drawer variation calculation unit (drawer) described above. Change amount detection unit) 16, a storage unit 17 that stores the drawer change amount calculated by the drawer change amount calculation unit 16, and a drawer change amount calculated by the drawer change amount calculation unit 16 and the storage unit 17. And a comparison unit 18 that generates an occupant identification signal indicating that the passenger is a valid occupant when the two match with each other by comparing with the pattern of the amount of change in the drawn amount. Is possible. When the occupant identification means is configured as described above, it is possible to identify the occupant based on the operation pattern when the belt 5 is pulled out, and thus it is possible to identify the occupant with a simple system. With regard to the amount of withdrawal change, any one of withdrawal time variation (displacement within a certain time, etc.), withdrawal speed (including instantaneous speed, section average speed, maximum speed), and withdrawal amount speed change (that is, withdrawal acceleration) is adopted. It is also possible to do.

The occupant identification means includes a camera that is installed in front of the driver's seat in the vehicle and that captures the physique, face, etc. of the occupant seated in the driver's seat, a storage unit that stores images of the passenger captured by the camera, A comparison unit that generates an occupant identification signal indicating that the occupant is a legitimate occupant when the images of the occupant captured in step 1 are stored in the storage unit and compared with the occupant image to determine whether or not they match. It is also possible to comprise.
Further, the occupant identification means may identify the occupant by biometric authentication (for example, fingerprint).

1 Seat belt device 2 Seat (driver's seat)
5 Belt 10 Belt reel 11 Rotation angle sensor (Rotation detection means)
16 Drawer change amount calculation unit (drawer change amount detection unit)
17 Storage Unit 18 Comparison Unit 20 Engine Startup Control Unit (Startup Control Unit)
30 Wireless key system (occupant identification means)
31 Mobile key 32 Keyless unit

Claims (4)

A seat belt device provided with rotation detecting means for detecting rotation of a belt reel around which a belt capable of restraining an occupant seated in a driver seat is wound;
Occupant identification means for identifying an occupant seated in the driver's seat using a detection signal of the rotation detection means as a trigger;
An activation control means for activating a prime mover of the vehicle based on a detection signal of the rotation detection means and a detection signal of the occupant identification means;
An apparatus for starting a vehicle, comprising: The occupant identification means includes an identification element for recording and holding an identification signal and a communication element capable of transmitting and receiving the identification signal, and a portable key carried by the occupant and wirelessly communicable with the communication element of the portable key mounted on a vehicle A keyless unit, and
The vehicle starter according to claim 1, wherein the keyless unit and the rotation detection unit are communicably connected to each other.   The occupant identifying means is based on a detection signal from the rotation detecting means, and a drawer change amount detecting section for detecting a drawer change amount, which is a time change of the belt draw amount, and the drawer change amount detecting section. A determination is made as to whether or not the storage unit that stores the drawer change amount matches the drawer change amount detected by the drawer change amount detection unit with the pattern of the drawer change amount stored in the storage unit. The vehicle starting device according to claim 1, further comprising: a comparison unit that generates an occupant identification signal. Auxiliary brake that can continuously apply braking force while stopping
The vehicle activation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the activation control means sets the activation condition of the prime mover that the auxiliary brake is effective.

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