JP2012052407A - Electronic key - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic key which can prevent wasteful power consumption due to accidental activation of the electronic key by noise during charging of a secondary battery.SOLUTION: An electronic key 2 is provided with a USB terminal 19, which is connected to an electronic apparatus. A secondary battery 16 of the electronic key 2 is charged with electricity obtained from the electronic apparatus. A charging operation stop part 27 suspends receiving operation of an LF receiver 14 during charging of the secondary battery 16. Consequently, even in the case that noise is transmitted from the electronic apparatus, no activation of the electronic key 2 occurs responding to the noise, so that the secondary battery 16 is prevented from being uselessly consumed during charging.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic key that performs ID verification by transmitting an ID code to a communication partner wirelessly.

  Conventionally, many vehicles are equipped with a key operation free system in which an electronic key is ID-checked with a vehicle wirelessly by two-way communication. In the key operation free system, when an electronic key receives a request signal transmitted from a vehicle using an LF band radio wave, the electronic key transmits an ID signal to the vehicle using a UHF band radio wave to perform ID verification. In addition, as this type of electronic key, a secondary battery is used as a key power source, so that a battery replacement operation due to running out of the battery is not required (see Patent Document 1, etc.).

JP 2009-203641 A

  The secondary battery type electronic key needs to charge the secondary battery when the battery is consumed, for example, by connecting it to an outlet of an electronic device. However, from this type of electronic device, there is a possibility that noise radio waves are generated, and it is also assumed that the electronic key being charged is activated by being affected by the noise radio waves. In this case, the electronic key being charged is activated by the noise radio wave, and the electronic key is activated each time the noise radio wave is received, even though the secondary battery is being charged, and the secondary battery is wasted. It led to the problem of consuming.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic key that can prevent power from being consumed unnecessarily due to noise-induced activation of an electronic key during charging of a secondary battery.

  In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, ID verification is possible by two-way communication with a communication partner, and in an electronic key having a secondary battery as a power source, it is monitored whether or not the secondary battery is being charged. And a receiving operation stopping means for stopping the receiving operation of the electronic key when the secondary battery is being charged.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, the secondary battery is charged by connecting the electronic key to the electronic device and acquiring power from the electronic device. While the secondary battery is being charged, the reception operation of the electronic key is stopped by the reception operation stop means. Therefore, even if noise is transmitted from the electronic device connected to charge the secondary battery, the electronic key being charged is not activated by this noise, so the power of the secondary battery being charged is wasted. It is not consumed.

  The present invention includes a USB terminal and charging control means for acquiring power from the electronic device through the USB terminal and charging the secondary battery with the power when the USB terminal is connected to the electronic device. This is the summary. According to this configuration, the secondary battery of the electronic key can be charged with a simple operation of simply connecting the USB terminal of the electronic key to the electronic device.

  The gist of the present invention includes a receiving unit that receives power radio waves transmitted wirelessly from a communication master, and a charge control unit that charges the secondary battery using the power radio waves received by the receiving unit. To do. According to this configuration, since the secondary battery of the electronic key is wirelessly charged by the communication master, the secondary battery can be easily charged.

  In the present invention, determination means for determining whether or not the two-way communication with the vehicle as the communication partner is in-vehicle communication communicating with the electronic key located in the vehicle, and the communication being executed is the in-vehicle communication In this case, the gist is provided with invalidating means for invalidating the function of stopping the reception operation during charging. According to this configuration, when the electronic key is present in the vehicle, the function of stopping the reception operation during charging in the electronic key is disabled. Therefore, when the electronic key is present in the vehicle, the electronic key and the vehicle are periodically Communication becomes possible. Therefore, it is possible to periodically confirm that the electronic key exists in the vehicle.

  The gist of the present invention is that data communication execution means for executing data communication with the electronic device or communication master is provided through the USB terminal. According to this configuration, the USB terminal of the electronic key is used not only as a terminal for acquiring power for charging the secondary battery from the electronic device, but also as a terminal for inputting / outputting various data to / from the electronic device. It becomes possible. This also applies to the communication master.

  In the present invention, there is provided notification means for wirelessly notifying the communication master of charging information necessary for charging the secondary battery, the communication master transmitting the power radio wave based on the charging information, and the charging The gist is that when the information confirms that the secondary battery is fully charged, the transmission of the electric power radio wave is stopped and the charging is terminated. According to this configuration, the secondary battery can be reliably charged to a fully charged state.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, during charge of a secondary battery, it can prevent that an electronic key starts without permission by noise and power is consumed wastefully.

The lineblock diagram of the charge system of a 1st embodiment. The block diagram of an electronic key when a reception operation stop function worked. The block diagram of an electronic key when a reception operation stop function is invalidated. The block diagram of the charge system of 2nd Embodiment. (A), (b) is a communication sequence executed when the secondary battery of the electronic key is charged wirelessly. The block diagram of the charge system of 3rd Embodiment. A communication sequence executed when a secondary battery of an electronic key is charged wirelessly.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of an electronic key embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 is equipped with an electronic key system 3 that performs ID verification wirelessly with the electronic key 2. The electronic key 2 is a key for transmitting an ID code to the vehicle 1 by radio. The electronic key system 3 includes a key operation free system that executes ID collation using communication from the vehicle 1 side as a trigger, and a wireless key system that executes ID collation using communication from the electronic key 2 side as a trigger. The vehicle 1 corresponds to a communication partner.

  In this case, the vehicle 1 is provided with an ID verification device 4, a door lock device 5, and an engine starting device 6, which are connected via a bus 7 in the vehicle. The ID verification device 4 is provided with a verification ECU 8 as a control unit of the ID verification device 4. The ID code of the electronic key 2 is registered in the memory (not shown) of the verification ECU 8. The verification ECU 8 receives an out-of-vehicle transmitter 9 capable of transmitting LF (Low Frequency) band radio waves outside the vehicle, an in-vehicle transmitter 10 capable of transmitting LF radio waves into the car, and UHF (Ultra High Frequency) band radio waves. A possible vehicle tuner 11 is connected.

  The electronic key 2 is provided with a key control unit 12 that manages the operation of the electronic key 2. In the memory 13 of the key control unit 12, the ID code of the electronic key 2 is registered. Connected to the key control unit 12 are an LF receiver 14 capable of receiving LF radio waves and a UHF transmitter 15 capable of transmitting UHF radio waves. The electronic key 2 is equipped with a secondary battery 16 as a power source for the electronic key 2.

  When the trigger switch (not shown) of the vehicle door handle is operated when the electronic key 2 is located outside the vehicle, the vehicle outside transmitter 9 intermittently transmits a request signal Srq to the outside of the vehicle as an ID reply request. When the electronic key 2 enters the communication area of the request signal Srq, the electronic key 2 is activated from the standby state and transmits the ID signal Sid to the vehicle 1. When vehicle outside communication is established between the electronic key 2 outside the vehicle and the vehicle 1 and ID verification (vehicle outside verification) is established, door lock locking / unlocking of the vehicle door by the door lock device 5 is permitted or executed.

  When the user's boarding is detected by a courtesy switch (not shown) of the vehicle 1, for example, a request signal Srq is transmitted from the in-vehicle transmitter 10 instead of the out-of-vehicle transmitter 9. When in-vehicle communication is established between the electronic key 2 in the vehicle and the vehicle 1 and ID verification (in-vehicle verification) is established, the engine start operation by the engine switch 17 is permitted.

  The electronic key 2 is provided with an operation button 18 for wireless communication. The operation button 18 includes, for example, a lock / unlock button that is operated when the door lock of the vehicle 1 is locked / unlocked. When the operation button 18 is operated with the electronic key 2, the wireless signal Swl is transmitted from the electronic key 2. This wireless signal Swl includes an ID code and a function code of the operation button 18. When the vehicle tuner 11 receives the wireless signal Swl, the verification ECU 8 executes ID verification (wireless verification). When the verification is established, the verification ECU 8 causes the door lock device 5 to execute door lock / unlock.

  The operation button 18 is used for opening / closing a power slide door, opening / closing a tail gate, opening / closing a trunk, opening / closing a window glass, and the like, in addition to door locking / unlocking / unlocking. Of course, other types may be adopted.

  The electronic key 2 is provided with a charging system (charging function) for charging the secondary battery 16 by wire through a connector of an electronic device, for example. In this case, the electronic key 2 is provided with a USB terminal 19 that is an interface conforming to the USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard, and a secondary battery charging control unit 20 that controls the charging operation of the secondary battery 16. . The USB terminal 19 of the electronic key 2 can be connected to USB terminals 23 and 24 of electronic devices such as a car navigation system 21 and a personal computer 22. The USB terminal 19 includes a power line and a power line (both not shown), sends power through the power line, and inputs and outputs signals through the data line. The secondary battery charge control unit 20 corresponds to a charge control unit.

  The secondary battery charge control unit 20 is a control IC (Integrated Circuit) composed of, for example, one chip. When the USB terminal 19 of the electronic key 2 is connected to the electronic device, the secondary battery charge control unit 20 acquires power from the electronic device through the USB terminal 19 and charges the secondary battery 16. The secondary battery charge control unit 20 charges the secondary battery 16 with a suitable voltage while controlling the voltage so that an excessive voltage is not applied to the secondary battery 16.

  The electronic key 2 is provided with a reception operation stop function 25 for stopping the reception operation of the electronic key 2 while the secondary battery 16 is being charged. This is to prevent the electronic key 2 from being activated by the noise even when LF band noise radio waves are radiated from the electronic device when the secondary battery 16 of the electronic key 2 is being charged. .

  In this case, the secondary battery charging control unit 20 is provided with a charging state notification unit 26 that outputs a charging operation execution notification Sa (see FIG. 2) to the key control unit 12 when the electronic key 2 is in a charging state. Yes. When the charging state notification unit 26 confirms the input of power through the power line of the USB terminal 19, the charging state notification unit 26 always outputs a charging operation execution notification Sa to the key control unit 12 while charging is being performed. The charging state notification unit 26 corresponds to a monitoring unit.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the key control unit 12 is provided with a reception operation stop unit 27 that stops the reception operation in the electronic key 2 based on the charge operation execution notification Sa output from the charge state notification unit 26. Yes. The reception operation stop unit 27 stops the reception operation of the electronic key 2 while the charging operation execution notification Sa is input from the charge state notification unit 26. The reception operation stop unit 27 corresponds to reception operation stop means.

  The key control unit 12 is provided with a disabling unit 28 that disables the reception operation stop function when the electronic key 2 is present in the vehicle. This is because when the electronic key 2 is present in the vehicle, the vehicle 1 is regularly communicated with the vehicle 1 to make the vehicle 1 recognize that the electronic key 2 is present in the vehicle. When the disabling unit 28 confirms that the in-vehicle communication with the vehicle 1 is established (in-vehicle verification is also possible), the in-vehicle bit 29 (see FIG. 3) is set in the memory 13 of the key control unit 12, and the electronic key 2 is The electronic key 2 is made to recognize that it exists in the vehicle. The invalidation unit 28 clears the in-vehicle bit 29 from the memory 13 when the in-vehicle bit 29 is set in the memory 13 and confirms that the out-of-vehicle communication has been established (can be verified outside the vehicle), and stops the reception operation. Return the function to effective. The invalidation unit 28 constitutes a determination unit and an invalidation unit.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the key control unit 12 is provided with a data communication unit 30 that performs data communication with an electronic device using the USB terminal 19 as an interface. The data communication unit 30 can perform data communication with the electronic device while the USB terminal 19 is connected to the electronic device and the secondary battery 16 is being charged. The data communication unit 30 corresponds to a data communication execution unit.

  The electronic key 2 is provided with a notification unit 31 that can be notified by light, sound, vibration, or the like. The notification unit 31 notifies the user of the start or end of charging of the secondary battery 16 based on a command from the key control unit 12.

  The electronic key 2 is provided with a display 32 that can be notified by characters, pictures, symbols, and the like. The display 32 is composed of a liquid crystal screen, for example. The display 32 is based on a command from the key control unit 12, the secondary battery 16 is being charged, the electronic key 2 is being stopped for receiving operation, the receiving operation stopping function is being disabled, etc. To be notified.

Next, the operation of the reception operation stop function 25 of this example will be described with reference to FIGS.
The electronic key 2 is provided with a USB terminal 19 as an interface for charging power of the secondary battery 16. Therefore, in order to charge the secondary battery 16 of the electronic key 2, the USB terminal 19 of the electronic key 2 is connected to the USB terminal 23 of the car navigation system 21 and the USB terminal 24 of the personal computer 22 as shown in FIG. To do. At this time, the secondary battery charge control unit 20 charges the secondary battery 16 with the power acquired from the USB terminal 19.

  When the secondary battery charging control unit 20 is performing charging, the charging state notification unit 26 notifies the reception operation stop unit 27 that the secondary battery 16 is currently being charged. Is output to the reception operation stop unit 27. The charging operation execution notification Sa includes, for example, a trigger signal such as an H level signal.

  When receiving the charging operation execution notification Sa from the charging state notification unit 26, the receiving operation stop unit 27 stops the reception operation of the electronic key 2 while the charging operation execution notification Sa is being input. That is, the electronic key 2 cannot receive radio waves with the LF receiver 14 while the secondary battery 16 is being charged. The stop of the reception operation is satisfied by not giving power for activation to the LF receiver 14 or not receiving it by the key control unit 12 even if the LF receiver 14 receives radio waves. For this reason, even if LF band noise is generated from the car navigation system 21 or the personal computer 22, the electronic key 2 being charged is not activated by this noise.

  The reception operation stop unit 27 displays the fact on the display 32 while the reception operation of the LF receiver 14 is stopped. As this display, for example, there is a text message such as “the reception operation of the electronic key 2 is currently stopped”.

  In addition, when the electronic key 2 is brought into the vehicle, in-vehicle communication is established between the vehicle 1 and the electronic key 2. By the way, the request signal Srq from the in-vehicle transmitter 10 includes data (in-vehicle bit) indicating that the request signal Srq is transmitted from the in-vehicle transmitter 10. Therefore, when the key control unit 12 receives the request signal Srq from the in-vehicle transmitter 10, the key control unit 12 recognizes that the electronic key 2 is located in the vehicle by the in-vehicle bit in the request signal Srq.

  When receiving the request signal Srq from the in-vehicle transmitter 10, the invalidating unit 28 sets the in-vehicle bit 29 in the memory 13. For this reason, the reception operation stop function in the electronic key 2 enters a disabled state. Therefore, even if the USB terminal 19 of the electronic key 2 is connected to the USB terminal 23 of the car navigation system 21 in this state and the charging operation of the secondary battery 16 is started, the LF receiver 14 remains in a state where radio waves can be received. To do. For this reason, when the electronic key 2 is present in the vehicle, regular in-vehicle verification with the vehicle 1 can be performed.

  The in-vehicle bit 29 is not limited to being set when the electronic key 2 receives the request signal Srq from the in-vehicle transmitter 10, but may be set when in-vehicle verification is established. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, when the verification ECU 8 recognizes that the electronic key 2 and the external verification have been established, it transmits an in-vehicle verification establishment notification Sb from the in-vehicle transmitter 10 to the electronic key 2. The in-vehicle verification establishment notification Sb is a signal for notifying the electronic key 2 that the in-vehicle verification has been established, and is composed of, for example, several bits of data. And the invalidation part 28 will set the vehicle interior bit 29 in the memory 13, if vehicle interior verification establishment notification Sb is received from the vehicle 1 in vehicle communication.

  The invalidation unit 28 displays a message to that effect during the invalidation of the reception operation stop function. As this display, for example, there is a text message such as “The reception stop function of the electronic key 2 is currently invalid. The electronic key 2 can receive a signal”.

  Further, the electronic key 2 of this example can also perform data communication with an electronic device via the USB terminal 19 by the data communication unit 30. For example, navigation information can be entered in the memory 13 of the electronic key 2 and the route to the destination can be confirmed by the personal computer 22. Further, a GPS (Global Positioning System) 33 is mounted on the electronic key 2, and position information acquired from the GPS 33 can be transferred to the car navigation system 21 via the USB terminal 19 for registration. is there.

  When the user gets the electronic key 2 and gets off and the trigger switch (not shown) of the vehicle door handle is operated, if the electronic key 2 is within the communication area of the external transmitter 9, the electronic key is the external transmitter. 9 receives a request signal Srq transmitted from 9. By the way, the request signal Srq transmitted from the vehicle outside transmitter 9 includes data (vehicle outside bit) indicating that the request signal Srq is transmitted from the vehicle outside transmitter 9. Therefore, when the key control unit 12 receives the request signal Srq from the outside transmitter 9 with the in-vehicle bit 29 set in the memory 13, the key control unit 12 clears the in-vehicle bit 29 held in the memory 13. Therefore, the invalidation of the LF reception in the electronic key 2 is cancelled.

  As described above, in this example, when the electronic key 2 is USB-connected to the electronic device and the secondary battery 16 is charged, the function of the LF receiver 14 is invalidated, thereby enabling the reception operation function of the electronic key 2. To stop. Therefore, even when LF band noise is transmitted from the electronic device to which the electronic key 2 is connected, the electronic key 2 does not shift to the activated state due to this noise, so the power of the secondary battery 16 being charged is wasted. You do n’t have to. For this reason, it becomes possible to charge the secondary battery 16 of the electronic key 2 efficiently.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) When the USB terminal 19 of the electronic key 2 is connected to the electronic device and the secondary battery 16 is being charged, the reception operation of the electronic key 2 is stopped, so even if noise radio waves are transmitted from the electronic device, The electronic key 2 being charged is not activated by this noise. Therefore, the secondary battery 16 being charged is not consumed wastefully.

  (2) Since the charging power can be taken into the electronic key 2 from the USB terminal 19, the secondary battery of the electronic key 2 can be simply operated by simply connecting the USB terminal 19 of the electronic key 2 to the electronic device. 16 can be charged.

  (3) When the electronic key 2 is present in the vehicle, the in-vehicle bit 29 is set in the memory 13 of the electronic key 2 to invalidate the reception operation stop function. Therefore, when the electronic key 2 is present in the vehicle, it is possible to carry out regular in-vehicle verification between the electronic key 2 and the vehicle 1, so that it can be confirmed without any problem that the electronic key 2 is present in the vehicle.

  (4) Since the USB terminal 19 of the electronic key 2 is provided with a data input / output function in addition to the charging function, the USB terminal 19 can perform not only acquisition of charge amount power but also input / output of various data. That is, it is possible to perform both charging power acquisition and data input / output with one USB terminal 19.

  (5) Since the secondary battery 16 of the electronic key 2 is charged by a wire connecting the USB terminals, the secondary battery 16 is more reliably charged without being affected by, for example, noise generated in the usage environment. be able to.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The second embodiment is different in that the charging method is not contact type as in the first embodiment, but non-contact, and the other basic configuration is the same. 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. 4, the vehicle 1 is provided with a power supply cradle 41 that charges the secondary battery 16 of the electronic key 2 in a non-contact manner. The power supply cradle 41 includes, for example, an antenna (not shown) that transmits and receives LF radio waves, and communicates in an extremely small area (communication range), for example, about a few tens of centimeters. The power supply cradle 41 is connected to the ID verification device 4 and the like through the bus 7. The power supply cradle 41 charges the secondary battery 16 of the electronic key 2 by wireless communication in accordance with, for example, WPC (Wireless Power Consortium) standards. The power supply cradle 41 corresponds to a communication master.

  When the power supply cradle 41 receives an in-vehicle verification establishment notification from the ID verification device 4 (verification ECU 8), the power supply cradle 41 switches from the standby state until then to the activated state and wirelessly charges the secondary battery 16 of the electronic key 2. To start. The power supply cradle 41 in the activated state transmits the electric power radio wave Svv for charging the secondary battery 16 of the electronic key 2 toward the electronic key 2. The electric power radio wave Svv is an electric wave having an amplitude and a period with which the secondary battery 16 of the electronic key 2 can be charged.

  On the other hand, the electronic key 2 is provided with a communication unit 42 as a communication interface with the power supply cradle 41. The communication unit 42 can transmit and receive LF radio waves, and can perform bi-directional communication (charging communication) with the power supply cradle 41. The communication unit 42 is connected to the key control unit 12 and the secondary battery charge control unit 20. When the communication unit 42 receives the power radio wave Svv from the power supply cradle 41, the communication unit 42 outputs the power radio wave Svv to the secondary battery charge control unit 20 as charging power. The communication unit 42 corresponds to a receiving unit.

  The secondary battery charging control unit 20 notifies the power supply cradle 41 of the amount of charge (charge voltage) of the secondary battery 16 when the electronic key 2 performs two-way communication with the power supply cradle 41. A charge amount notification unit 43 is provided. The charge amount notification unit 43 notifies the power supply cradle 41 of the current charge amount of the secondary battery 16, that is, the charge amount necessary for charging the secondary battery 16, during communication with the power supply cradle 41. The charge amount notification unit 43 corresponds to a notification unit.

Next, the charging operation of the secondary battery 16 in the electronic key 2 of this example will be described with reference to FIG.
When the user carries the electronic key 2 and gets in, if the in-vehicle verification is established between the electronic key 2 and the verification ECU 8, the verification ECU 8 outputs an in-vehicle verification establishment notification to the power supply cradle 41 through the bus 7. As shown in FIG. 5A, when the power supply cradle 41 receives an in-vehicle collation establishment notification from the collation ECU 8, first, in order to confirm the presence of the electronic key 2, transmission of the confirmation radio wave Sch is started. The confirmation radio wave Sch is a radio wave corresponding to a request for returning a radio wave response to the electronic key 2, and is repeatedly transmitted, for example, at intervals of a predetermined time.

  When the electronic key 2 enters the communication area of the power supply cradle 41 and receives the confirmation radio wave Sch, the electronic key 2 transmits an ACK signal Sac to the power supply cradle 41 in response to the confirmation radio wave Sch. At this time, the charge amount notification unit 43 adds the battery voltage data Dvc after the ACK signal Sac and transmits the battery voltage data Dvc to the power supply cradle 41. The battery voltage data Dvc is a current voltage value of the secondary battery 16 and is necessary charge amount data necessary for obtaining a necessary charge amount of the secondary battery 16. The battery voltage data Dvc corresponds to charging information.

  The power supply cradle 41 recognizes that the electronic key 2 is set in the power supply cradle 41 when receiving the ACK signal Sac within a predetermined time after the transmission of the confirmation radio wave Sch. The power supply cradle 41 then calculates the amount of charge required by the current secondary battery 16 based on the battery voltage data Dvc received following the ACK signal Sac. At this time, the power supply cradle 41 subtracts the current voltage from the maximum chargeable voltage of the secondary battery 16 to calculate the amount of charge required by the secondary battery 16 now.

  The power supply cradle 41 starts transmitting the electric power radio wave Svv when the required charge amount of the secondary battery 16 is known. At this time, the power supply cradle 41 continues to transmit the electric power radio wave Svv for a time required to fully charge the secondary battery 16 obtained by calculation. That is, the power supply cradle 41 transmits the electric power radio wave Svv until the timer set in the power supply cradle 41 times out.

  The electronic key 2 receives the power radio wave Svv transmitted from the power supply cradle 41 by the communication unit 42. When the communication unit 42 receives the electric power radio wave Svv, the communication unit 42 outputs it to the secondary battery charge control unit 20. The secondary battery charging control unit 20 converts the electric power radio wave Svv into a voltage for charging the secondary battery 16 by demodulating or transforming, and charges the secondary battery 16 with this voltage. The secondary battery charging control unit 20 charges the secondary battery 16 with the power radio wave Svv while continuing to receive the power radio wave Svv from the power supply cradle 41.

  The power supply cradle 41 ends transmission of the power radio wave Svv when the timer expires during transmission of the power radio wave Svv. When the secondary battery charge control unit 20 stops receiving the power radio wave Svv, the secondary battery charge control unit 20 transmits the battery voltage data Dvc of the secondary battery 16 in order to notify the current charge amount.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the power supply cradle 41 confirms that the secondary battery 16 is fully charged, the power radio wave Svv is not transmitted and charging processing is performed thereafter. finish. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the power supply cradle 41 confirms that the secondary battery 16 is not fully charged, it resumes transmission of the electric power wave Svv. At this time, the electric power radio wave Svv is transmitted at a time required from that time until the battery is fully charged. Then, when the timer expires, the power supply cradle 41 stops transmitting the electric power radio wave Svv and ends the charging process.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to (1) and (3) described in the first embodiment.
(6) Since the secondary battery 16 of the electronic key 2 is charged wirelessly, the secondary battery 16 can be easily charged without the work of connecting a connector. Further, if the electronic key 2 is placed on the power supply cradle 41, charging of the secondary battery 16 is automatically started, so it can be said that the convenience is very high.

  (7) When charging the secondary battery 16, the battery voltage data Dvc of the secondary battery 16 is notified from the electronic key 2 to the power supply cradle 41, and it is confirmed whether or not the secondary battery 16 is fully charged. However, the secondary battery 16 is charged. Therefore, the secondary battery 16 can be fully charged more reliably.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, 3rd Embodiment is a modification of 2nd Embodiment, Comprising: This Embodiment also demonstrates only a different part.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the electronic key 2 and the power supply cradle 41 are equipped with a transponder function that activates a terminal by radio waves from the communication master side and performs bidirectional communication (transponder communication) by short-range wireless communication. Yes. This is because if the secondary battery 16 of the electronic key 2 runs out of battery, the electronic key 2 and the verification ECU 8 cannot perform in-vehicle verification, so the power supply cradle 41 can be activated. Because it disappears.

  Therefore, in this example, when the secondary battery 16 runs out of battery, the electronic key 2 can communicate with the power supply cradle 41 by means of a transponder function (transponder verification) with the power supply free communication. And the power supply cradle 41 starts a charging operation on condition that the transponder verification is established. The transponder communication uses, for example, bidirectional communication that transmits and receives LF radio waves, and the communication area is set to a minimum communication area of, for example, several tens of centimeters.

  In this case, the power supply cradle 41 is provided with a transponder function unit 46 that performs transponder communication on the power supply cradle 41 side. When the transponder function unit 46 confirms that the user has boarded, for example, by a courtesy switch (not shown) or the like, the transponder function unit 46 starts transmission of the driving radio wave Svf for activating the electronic key 2. The driving radio wave Svf is a radio wave serving as a power source for the key control unit 12, and is repeatedly transmitted at regular time intervals as shown in FIG.

  The electronic key 2 of this example is provided with an LF communication device 14a for transmitting and receiving LF radio waves, instead of the LF receiver 14 described in the first and second embodiments. Further, the key control unit 12 is provided with a transponder function unit 47 that performs transponder communication on the electronic key 2 side. When the LF communication device 14a receives the drive radio wave Svf, the transponder function unit 47 turns on the key control unit 12 with the drive radio wave Svf and transmits an ID signal Scd for transponder communication from the LF communication device 14a. This ID signal Scd includes an ID code for transponder communication registered in the transponder function unit 47.

  When the power supply cradle 41 receives the ID signal Scd from the electronic key 2 in the transponder communication within the time limit after transmitting the driving radio wave Svf, the power supply cradle 41 performs the transponder verification with the ID code included in the ID signal Scd. To do. When the power supply cradle 41 confirms that the transponder verification is established, the power supply cradle 41 starts transmitting the electric power radio wave Svv according to the communication described in the second embodiment, and charges the secondary battery 16 of the electronic key 2. To do.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, in addition to (1), (3), (6), and (7) described in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(8) When the secondary battery 16 of the electronic key 2 is dead, the power supply cradle 41 can be switched to the activated state by transponder communication. Therefore, even if the secondary battery 16 of the electronic key 2 is dead, the secondary battery 16 can be charged by the power supply cradle 41.

Note that the embodiment is not limited to the configuration described so far, and may be modified as follows.
In each embodiment, the electronic key 2 is not limited to using only the secondary battery 16 as a power source. For example, the electronic key 2 may include an auxiliary power source (primary battery) in addition to the secondary battery 16. In this case, a situation in which the electronic key 2 becomes inoperable due to running out of batteries is unlikely to occur.

  In each embodiment, the reception operation stop is not limited to a process of taking a standby (power off) state without supplying power to the LF receiver 14. For example, the key control unit 12 may not acquire the reception signal of the LF receiver 14.

In each embodiment, the secondary battery 16 may be a lithium battery or other types.
In each embodiment, the usage frequency of the key operation free system is not limited to LF for the path from the vehicle 1 to the electronic key 2 and UHF for the path from the electronic key 2 to the vehicle 1. For example, both may be UHF.

In each embodiment, the use frequency of the electronic key system 3 is not limited to LF and UHF, and other frequencies such as HF (High Frequency) may be used.
-In each embodiment, bidirectional communication is not limited to smart communication according to a key operation free system, and various other communications can be adopted as long as there is a round trip of radio waves between the vehicle 1 and the electronic key 2. is there.

In each embodiment, the electronic key system 3 may use, for example, near field communication (NFC).
In each embodiment, the electronic key 2 is not necessarily limited to a box shape, and may be a card type, for example.

In each embodiment, the operation button 18 is not limited to a momentary push button, and can be changed to other types.
In the first embodiment, determination as to whether charging is in progress is not limited to determining whether voltage is applied to the USB terminal 19. For example, it may be determined whether the USB terminal 19 is simply connected to an electronic device.

In the first embodiment, the electronic device is not limited to the car navigation system 21 or the personal computer 22, and other devices may be adopted.
-In 1st Embodiment, acquisition of the charging power with the electronic key 2 is not limited to the system using the USB terminal 19, For example, the system which connects the electronic key 2 to an electrical outlet and charges the secondary battery 16 is employ | adopted. May be.

-In 2nd and 3rd embodiment, the transmission start of an electric power wave is not limited to the conditions on the establishment of smart collation, and may be anytime.
In the second and third embodiments, the state of charge may be confirmed sequentially.

In the second and third embodiments, the communication unit 42 may share the LF receiver 14 or the LF communication device 14a of the electronic key 2.
In the second and third embodiments, during the wireless charging of the electronic key 2, communication with the electronic key 2 is executed, and it is confirmed that the electronic key 2 is set in the power supply cradle 41. 2 may be charged. In this case, if the electronic key 2 is set in the power supply cradle 41, the charging is continued, and if the electronic key 2 is not set in the power supply cradle 41, the charging is forcibly terminated at that time. The presence check of the electronic key 2 is performed by temporarily stopping the transmission of the electric power wave Svv from the power supply cradle 41 and checking the presence by smart communication. As another method, for example, when the WPC standard is used, the presence of the electronic key 2 is confirmed by performing communication using load modulation while charging. Note that the load modulation communication is communication by reflecting transmission power from the power supply cradle 41.

  In the third embodiment, a protection circuit for monitoring whether or not the secondary battery 16 has failed is provided in the secondary battery charge control unit 20, and when the protection circuit detects a failure of the secondary battery 16, transponder communication The power supply cradle 41 may be notified of this, and for example, a battery failure may be notified on an in-vehicle instrument panel or a car navigation display. In this case, the user can be notified that the secondary battery 16 is out of order, and the user can recognize that the ID verification cannot be established if the electronic key 2 is not transponder communication. it can.

-In 2nd and 3rd embodiment, the frequency used by communication of the cradle 41 for power supply is not restricted to LF, For example, HF etc. may be used.
In the second and third embodiments, while the secondary battery 16 is being charged, the charge amount is periodically notified from the electronic key 2 to the power supply cradle 41 so that the charging process is performed until the battery is fully charged. Also good.

In the second and third embodiments, the charging information is not limited to the current battery voltage data Dvc of the secondary battery 16, but may be data on the required charge amount calculated on the electronic key 2 side.
In the second and third embodiments, the communication master is not limited to the cradle where the electronic key 2 is placed, and may be any device as long as it can transmit the electric power radio wave Svv.

  In each embodiment, the clear (erase) condition of the in-vehicle bit 29 set on the electronic key 2 is not limited to establishment of outside-vehicle communication or establishment of outside-verification verification. As a conceivable situation, the user who gets off the vehicle may leave the vehicle 1 without performing the door lock operation, that is, without performing the outside vehicle collation. If a certain time elapses, the in-vehicle bit 29 may be automatically cleared. In this case, since the in-vehicle bit 29 does not have to be kept standing, the reception stop function of the LF radio wave can be effectively switched without any problem.

  In each embodiment, the out-of-vehicle transmitter 9 is not limited to starting transmission of the request signal Srq triggered by the operation of the trigger switch on the vehicle door handle. For example, when the opening / closing operation of the vehicle door is detected and it is determined that the user (electronic key 2) is located outside the vehicle, the request signal Srq may be automatically transmitted from the outside transmitter 9.

In each embodiment, the communication partner is not limited to the vehicle 1, and other devices and devices can be employed.
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 6, an auxiliary power source is provided for use when the secondary battery runs out of battery. In this case, even if the secondary battery runs out, the electronic key can be operated by the auxiliary power source.

  (B) In any one of claims 1 to 6 and the technical idea (A), the electronic key is provided with a notifying means for visually or audibly informing the operation taken for charging. According to this configuration, it is possible to notify the user of the process that the electronic key is taking regarding charging, and thus convenience can be improved.

  (C) In any one of claims 1 to 6, the technical idea (A) or (B), the monitoring means confirms whether or not power is supplied to the input port of the electronic key. The charging operation stopping means stops the receiving operation of the electronic key by not turning on the receiver of the electronic key while the secondary battery is charging.

  (2) In a charging system in which a secondary battery is provided as a power source in an electronic key capable of ID verification by two-way communication with a communication partner, and the secondary battery is being charged. A charging system comprising: monitoring means for monitoring; and reception operation stopping means for stopping reception operation in the electronic key when the secondary battery is being charged.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle as communication partner, 2 ... Electronic key, 16 ... Secondary battery, 19 ... USB terminal, 20 ... Secondary battery charge control part as charge control means, 26 ... Charge state notification part as monitoring means, 27 ... Reception operation stop unit as reception operation stop unit, 28 ... Invalidation unit constituting determination unit and invalidation unit, 30 ... Data communication unit as data communication execution unit, 41 ... Power supply cradle as communication master, 42 ... Communication unit as receiving means, 43 ... Charging amount notifying part as notification means, Svv ... Power radio wave, Dvc ... Power supply voltage data as charging information

Claims (6)

In an electronic key that can be collated with a communication partner by bidirectional communication and has a secondary battery as a power source,
Monitoring means for monitoring whether the secondary battery is being charged;
An electronic key comprising: a reception operation stop means for stopping a reception operation in the electronic key when the secondary battery is being charged. USB terminal,
And a charge control unit configured to acquire power from the electronic device through the USB terminal and charge the secondary battery with the power when the USB terminal is connected to the electronic device. The electronic key according to 1. Receiving means for receiving power radio waves transmitted from the communication master by radio;
2. The electronic key according to claim 1, further comprising charging control means for charging the secondary battery by the electric power radio wave received by the receiving means. Determining means for determining whether the two-way communication with the vehicle as the communication partner is in-vehicle communication communicating with the electronic key located in the vehicle;
4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a disabling unit that invalidates a function of stopping the reception operation during charging when the communication being executed is the in-vehicle communication. Electronic key. 5. The electronic key according to claim 2, further comprising a data communication execution unit configured to execute data communication with the electronic device or the communication master described above through the USB terminal. A notification means for wirelessly notifying the communication master of charging information necessary for charging the secondary battery;
The communication master transmits the power radio wave based on the charging information, and when the charging information confirms that the secondary battery is fully charged, stops the transmission of the power radio wave and ends the charging. The electronic key according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein:

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