JP2016076742A - Electronic key system, and on-vehicle wireless device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an on-vehicle wireless device which allows for further reduction in cost for adjusting the output value of an antenna in cabin, and an electronic key system.SOLUTION: When a determination is made that a portable terminal exists in a region outside of a cabin by a terminal position specification unit F3, an output level adjustment unit F4 cooperates with a transmission processing unit F1 to transmit response request signals sequentially, while raising the output level step by step from the minimum level until a response signal is received. When the response signal is received, an output level smaller by one step than the output level, that has been set at that moment in time, is employed as the output level after output level adjustment processing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle wireless device that performs wireless communication with a mobile terminal carried by a user to perform locking and unlocking of a vehicle door, and an electronic key system using the in-vehicle wireless device.

  In recent years, in-vehicle wireless devices mounted on vehicles have performed authentication processing by wireless communication with portable terminals carried by users, and locked / unlocked door locks based on successful authentication. Electronic key systems are widely used. Some electronic key systems of this type further perform various controls such as engine start when it is determined that a portable terminal is present in the passenger compartment. When the mobile terminal exists in the vehicle interior, for example, a signal for requesting a response to the mobile terminal is transmitted from an antenna having the vehicle interior as a radio wave arrival area (car interior antenna). For example, when a response is obtained.

  In such an electronic key system, if the radio wave transmitted from the vehicle interior antenna leaks outside the vehicle, it is erroneously determined that the mobile terminal is present in the vehicle interior even though it is actually outside the vehicle interior. There is a possibility that. In addition, if a region where the radio wave from the vehicle interior antenna does not reach (that is, a blind spot) is formed in the vehicle interior, it is erroneously determined that the mobile terminal exists outside the vehicle compartment even though the mobile terminal exists in the vehicle interior. Sometimes it ends up.

  Therefore, the magnitude (output level) of the output of the vehicle interior antenna must be set to a value that does not cause radio wave leakage to the outside of the vehicle interior and does not form a blind spot in the vehicle interior. In general, the greater the output from the antenna, the less likely that a blind spot will occur. That is, the output of the vehicle interior antenna is preferably as strong as possible within a range in which radio wave leakage outside the vehicle interior does not occur.

  However, since the area where the radio wave radiated from the vehicle interior antenna reaches changes depending on the shape of the vehicle interior and the mounting position of the vehicle interior antenna, the current state of the vehicle interior antenna is based on the test results in the actual vehicle. The output level needs to be adjusted.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration for adjusting the output level of a vehicle interior antenna to a desired level. In the configuration of Patent Document 1, for example, the output level of the vehicle interior antenna can be adjusted by changing parameters used in software, such as the setting value of the drive power supply voltage of the vehicle interior antenna.

Japanese Patent No. 4662211

  According to the configuration of Patent Literature 1, it is possible to reduce hardware changes (part replacement or addition) associated with changes in the output level of the vehicle interior antenna. However, it is necessary to manually adjust parameters used in the software so that a desired reach area is formed based on the result of the test in the actual vehicle.

  The present invention has been made based on this situation, and an object thereof is to provide an in-vehicle wireless device and an electronic key system that can reduce the cost required to adjust the output level of the vehicle interior antenna. It is in.

  An in-vehicle wireless device for achieving the object includes at least one in-vehicle antenna (17) for transmitting a signal to a portable terminal that is provided in a vehicle interior and carried by a user. An in-vehicle wireless device that can adjust an output level of a signal radiated from an indoor antenna in a plurality of stages, and is adjusted by an output level adjustment unit (F4) that adjusts an output level of a signal radiated from the vehicle interior antenna and an output level adjustment unit A vehicle-side transmitter (15) for transmitting a response request signal for requesting a response to the mobile terminal from the vehicle interior antenna at the output level determined, and a terminal position for determining whether the mobile terminal exists outside the vehicle interior A specific unit (F3), and a vehicle-side receiving unit (18) that receives a response signal to the response request signal transmitted from the mobile terminal. Output in which the vehicle-side receiving unit does not receive a response signal by causing the vehicle-side transmitting unit to transmit response request signals at a plurality of different output levels when it is determined by the position specifying unit that the mobile terminal is outside the vehicle compartment. A specifying process for specifying an upper limit level, which is the highest output level among the levels, is performed, and the upper limit level specified by the specifying process is adopted as an output level after the specifying process.

  In the above configuration, when the output level adjusting unit determines that the mobile terminal is outside the passenger compartment by the terminal position specifying unit, the output level at which the vehicle-side receiving unit does not receive the response signal by performing the specifying process. Among these, the highest output level is specified. And it employ | adopts as an output level after the said specific process.

  As described above, it is preferable that the output level of the vehicle interior antenna is a value that does not cause radio wave leakage to the outside of the vehicle interior and that no blind spot is formed in the vehicle interior. That is, it is preferable that the output level is higher as long as no radio wave leakage to the outside of the passenger compartment occurs. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the output level of the vehicle interior antenna can be set to an appropriate value.

  Further, since the appropriate output level is automatically determined as a result of the specific processing, it is not necessary to manually change parameters used in the software in the process of adjusting the output level. Furthermore, it is not necessary to carry out tests on the host vehicle to adjust the parameters used in the software. That is, according to the said structure, the cost required in order to adjust the output level of a vehicle interior antenna can be reduced.

  An invention of an electronic key system for achieving the above object is an electronic key system including an in-vehicle wireless device (1) mounted on a vehicle and a portable terminal (2) carried by a user, The in-vehicle wireless device is an antenna provided in a vehicle interior, and radiates from at least one vehicle interior antenna (17) capable of adjusting the output level of a signal radiated from the antenna in a plurality of stages, and the vehicle interior antenna. The vehicle side which transmits from the vehicle interior antenna a response request signal for requesting a response to the portable terminal at the output level adjusted by the output level adjusting unit (F4) for adjusting the output level of the signal to be transmitted A response to the response request signal transmitted from the transmission unit (15), the terminal position specifying unit (F3) for determining whether or not the portable terminal is outside the vehicle compartment, and the portable terminal Vehicle-side receiving unit (18) for receiving the signal, and the mobile terminal receives the response request signal transmitted from the in-vehicle wireless device, and the response received by the terminal-side receiving unit A terminal-side transmission unit (23) that transmits a response signal to the request signal to the in-vehicle wireless device, and the output level adjustment unit is determined by the terminal position specifying unit that the portable terminal is present outside the vehicle compartment, By causing the vehicle-side transmitter to transmit response request signals at a plurality of different output levels, a specific process is performed to identify the upper limit level that is the highest output level among the output levels at which the vehicle-side receiver does not receive the response signal The upper limit level specified by the specifying process is adopted as the output level after the specifying process.

  The electronic key system is a system using the above-described in-vehicle wireless device. Therefore, according to the above structure, the same effect as the above-mentioned in-vehicle wireless device can be produced.

  In addition, the code | symbol in the parenthesis described in the claim shows the correspondence with the specific means as described in embodiment mentioned later as one aspect, Comprising: The technical scope of this invention is limited is not.

It is a figure showing a schematic structure of electronic key system 100 concerning this embodiment. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an in-vehicle wireless device 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a smart ECU 11. FIG. It is a conceptual diagram for demonstrating the appropriate output level of the vehicle interior antenna. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a mobile terminal 2. FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the output level adjustment process which smart ECU11 implements. It is a conceptual diagram for demonstrating the effect of the modification 1. It is a conceptual diagram for demonstrating the action | operation of the output level adjustment process in case the vehicle interior antenna 17 exists in multiple numbers. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an output level adjustment process in Modification 4; It is a figure for demonstrating the action | operation of the output level adjustment process in the modification 4.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an electronic key system 100 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic key system 100 includes an in-vehicle wireless device 1 mounted on a vehicle A and a mobile terminal 2 carried by a user B.

  The in-vehicle wireless device 1 and the mobile terminal 2 perform so-called smart entry functions that perform various controls such as locking and unlocking of doors and engine starting based on the fact that collation by wireless communication has been established, and inputs that the mobile terminal 2 has It has a so-called remote keyless entry function for executing control such as locking / unlocking of a vehicle door in response to a user operation on the apparatus.

  Hereinafter, as an example, the configuration and operation of the electronic key system 100 when the electronic key system 100 is applied to an internal combustion engine vehicle that uses an in-vehicle engine as a travel drive source will be described. Of course, as another aspect, the electronic key system 100 can also be applied to a vehicle using a motor or a combination of an engine and a motor as a travel drive source.

(Configuration of in-vehicle wireless device 1)
First, the schematic configuration of the in-vehicle wireless device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the in-vehicle wireless device 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle wireless device 1 includes a smart ECU 11, an engine switch 12, a door opening / closing sensor 13, a touch sensor 14, an LF transmission unit 15, a door antenna 16, a vehicle interior antenna 17, a UHF reception unit 18, and a UHF antenna 19. Is provided. ECU is an abbreviation for Electronic Control Unit.

  The smart ECU 11, the engine switch 12, the door opening / closing sensor 13, the touch sensor 14, the LF transmitter 15, and the UHF receiver 18 are connected to each other via an in-vehicle LAN so as to be able to communicate with each other. Further, the door antenna 16 and the vehicle interior antenna 17 are connected to the LF transmitter 15 via a well-known feed line (such as a coaxial cable), respectively, and the UHF antenna 19 is connected to the UHF receiver 18 via a feed line. .

  The engine switch 12 is a push switch for the user B to start the vehicle-mounted engine. User B operates the engine switch 12 to provide three power sources: “OFF” for not supplying power to the accessory electrical equipment, “Accessory” for energizing the accessory electrical equipment, and “IG ON” for energizing the ignition system of the engine. You can switch positions.

  When the above-described switching operation is performed by the user B, the engine switch 12 outputs an electric signal indicating that to the smart ECU 11. And smart ECU11 controls the state of the vehicle A based on this electric signal.

  In the present embodiment, a configuration in which a push switch is used as the engine switch 12 is shown, but the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, a rotary switch integrated with a key cylinder for inserting a mechanical key may be used as the engine switch 12. In addition, when the motor is used as a travel drive source, a switch for the user B to operate to complete the preparation for starting the motor may be used instead of the engine switch 12.

  The door opening / closing sensor 13 is provided in each door provided in the vehicle A, and detects the opening / closing state of the target door. The detection result of each door opening / closing sensor 13 is sequentially output to the smart ECU 11.

  The touch sensor 14 is mounted on each door handle of the vehicle A and detects that the user is touching the door handle. The detection result of each touch sensor 14 is sequentially output to the smart ECU 11.

  Each of the door antenna 16 and the vehicle interior antenna 17 is an antenna (so-called LF antenna) that radiates radio waves in an LF (Low Low Frequency) band. Each of the door antenna 16 and the vehicle interior antenna 17 converts the signal input from the LF transmitter 15 into an LF band radio wave and radiates it to space. Here, the LF band refers to, for example, 30 kHz to 300 kHz.

  The door antenna 16 may be installed at a position where the reach area of the radio wave can be a predesigned range outside the passenger compartment by adjusting the output level of the radio wave radiated from the door antenna 16. For example, the door antenna 16 may be installed at a portion of the door handle of the vehicle A. The door antenna 16 has directivity for forming a desired reaching area from the door handle.

  Here, the radio wave arrival area refers to a range in which the radio wave radiated from the antenna is received by the portable terminal 2 at a signal level that can be demodulated. The output level represents the intensity of radio waves (that is, signals) radiated from the antenna.

  In FIG. 1, only one door antenna 16 is shown for convenience, but a plurality of door antennas 16 may be provided. In this embodiment, the door antenna 16 shall be provided for every door handle with which the vehicle A is provided. The door antenna 16 corresponds to an example of an antenna outside the vehicle compartment described in the claims.

  The vehicle interior antenna 17 may be installed at a position where the radio wave arrival area can be a predesigned range in the vehicle interior by adjusting the output level of the radio wave radiated from the vehicle interior antenna 17. A plurality of vehicle interior antennas 17 may also be provided.

  For convenience, in this embodiment, the vehicle interior antenna 17 provided in the vehicle A is one and is provided near the center console between the driver's seat and the passenger seat. An aspect including a plurality of vehicle interior antennas 17 will be described later as a modification.

  Hereinafter, when the door antenna 16 and the vehicle interior antenna 17 are not distinguished, they are simply referred to as LF antennas. In addition, here, the in-trunk antenna and the trunk outside antenna that the normal in-vehicle wireless device 1 includes as the LF antenna are omitted, but may be provided as a matter of course.

  The LF transmitter 15 modulates the baseband signal input from the smart ECU 11 into a carrier wave signal and outputs the carrier wave signal to the LF antenna. The signal input to the LF antenna is radiated into space as an LF band radio wave. The LF transmission unit 15 includes a selection unit 151 and an output adjustment unit 152 as shown in FIG. 1 in addition to a known modulation circuit (not shown) for modulating a baseband signal into a carrier wave signal. The selection unit 151 and the output adjustment unit 152 may be realized as hardware or may be realized as software. Of course, it may be realized by a combination of hardware and software. The LF transmitter 15 corresponds to the vehicle-side transmitter described in the claims.

  The selection unit 151 selects an LF antenna that emits radio waves from a plurality of LF antennas connected to the LF transmission unit 15 based on a control signal input from the smart ECU 11. Therefore, the radio wave corresponding to the baseband signal input from the smart ECU 11 is radiated from the LF antenna selected by the selection unit 151. The selection unit 151 may be realized using, for example, a known switching element.

  As another aspect, one LF transmission unit 15 may be prepared for each LF antenna. For example, the LF transmission unit 15 may be incorporated for each LF antenna. In that case, the LF transmission unit 15 does not need to include the selection unit 151.

  The output adjustment unit 152 changes the signal intensity (that is, output level) of the radio wave radiated from the LF antenna based on the control signal input from the smart ECU 11. What is necessary is just to set it as the structure which can change the output level of LF antenna in 20 steps, for example. The higher the output level, that is, the stronger the signal intensity of the radio wave radiated from the LF antenna, the wider the reach area of the radio wave transmitted from the LF antenna. The output adjustment unit 152 may be realized with the aid of a known method such as the circuit configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 or the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-146501.

  The UHF receiving unit 18 receives a signal transmitted from the mobile terminal 2 via a UHF antenna 19 using a radio wave in the UHF band (for example, 300 MHz to 3 GHz). The UHF receiver 18 is connected to the smart ECU 11, demodulates the signal received by the UHF antenna, and outputs the demodulated signal to the smart ECU 11. The UHF receiver 18 corresponds to the vehicle-side receiver described in the claims.

  The UHF antenna 19 converts a UHF band radio wave into an electrical signal and outputs it to the UHF receiver 18. The UHF antenna 19 should just be provided in the position designed suitably inside and outside the vehicle. A plurality of UHF antennas 19 may be installed.

  The smart ECU 11 is configured as a computer, and includes a well-known CPU, I / O, volatile memory such as RAM, ROM, memory 11M, and a bus line that connects these configurations. The ROM stores a vehicle ID unique to the vehicle A and a program for executing various processes. The memory 11M may be realized using a known nonvolatile, rewritable storage medium. The memory 11M stores a set value of an output level for each LF antenna, which will be described later.

  The smart ECU 11 executes processing related to the above-described smart entry function and remote keyless entry function according to a program stored in the ROM. For example, the smart ECU 11 performs a process of transmitting a wake signal for returning the mobile terminal 2 from the sleep mode to the activation mode from each LF antenna at a constant transmission cycle (for example, 200 milliseconds).

  And when the wake response signal returned from the portable terminal 2 with respect to the wake signal is received, the challenge / response authentication using the vehicle ID is performed with the portable terminal 2, and the portable terminal 2 performs the vehicle A It is verified whether or not the mobile phone is a legitimate mobile terminal corresponding to. For convenience, a signal transmitted from the mobile terminal 2 for verification between the in-vehicle wireless device 1 and the mobile terminal 2 is referred to as a verification response signal. In addition, when the type of signal to which the mobile terminal 2 responds to a call from the in-vehicle wireless device 1 is not distinguished, it is simply referred to as a response signal.

  The smart ECU 11 includes a timer for measuring the passage of time. For example, the measured value (count value) of the timer is used for periodically transmitting a wake signal or determining whether or not a time for waiting for a response from the mobile terminal 2 has elapsed.

  Further, the smart ECU 11 functions as a transmission processing unit F1, a reception processing unit F2, a terminal position specifying unit F3, and an output level adjusting unit F4 shown in FIG. 3 when the CPU executes a program stored in the ROM. . Note that some or all of the functions executed by the smart ECU 11 may be configured in hardware by one or a plurality of ICs.

  The transmission processing unit F <b> 1 generates a signal to be transmitted from each LF antenna (referred to as a response request signal) and outputs it to the LF transmission unit 15. The response request signal corresponds to the wake signal described above, a signal transmitted to the mobile terminal 2 in the verification process (referred to as a verification signal), or the like. In addition, the response request signal corresponds to a signal transmitted when adjusting the output level of a radio wave radiated from an LF antenna described later. Each response request signal is a signal that requests the portable terminal 2 to return a response signal corresponding to the content of the response request signal.

  Prior to outputting the response request signal to the LF transmission unit 15, the transmission processing unit F1 transmits the control signal specifying the LF antenna that transmits the response request signal and the output level of the LF antenna by LF transmission. To the unit 15. Accordingly, the transmission processing unit F1 can transmit a response request signal at a predetermined output level from an arbitrary LF antenna.

  Each LF antenna has a unique antenna code for each LF antenna, and the response request signal transmitted from each LF antenna also includes an antenna code corresponding to the LF antenna. Accordingly, when the mobile terminal 2 receives the response request signal, the mobile terminal 2 can identify which LF antenna has received the response request signal. Moreover, the portable terminal 2 returns a response signal including an antenna code included in the received response request signal.

  The reception processing unit F2 acquires the reception signal received by the UHF reception unit 18. Based on the reception signal acquired by the reception processing unit F2, the smart ECU 11 performs various processes. For example, the transmission processing unit F1 generates and transmits a response request signal corresponding to the reception signal acquired by the reception processing unit F2.

  The terminal position specifying unit F3 specifies the position of the mobile terminal 2 with respect to the vehicle A. At least the terminal position specifying unit F3 is present in a predetermined region (referred to as a vehicle exterior region) that is relatively close to the door of the vehicle A outside the vehicle whether the mobile terminal 2 exists in the vehicle interior. It is determined whether or not.

  For example, the terminal position specifying unit F3 receives a response signal from the mobile terminal 2 in response to a response request signal transmitted from the door antenna 16 in a state where all the doors are locked and all the doors are closed. In such a case, it may be determined that the mobile terminal 2 exists in the vehicle exterior area. In this case, the vehicle exterior area refers to the inside of the radio wave arrival area of the door antenna 16 outside the vehicle interior.

  In the present embodiment, in addition to the above conditions, when it is detected that the touch sensor 14 is touched by the user, it is determined that the mobile terminal 2 exists in the vehicle exterior area. According to such an aspect, it can be determined that the portable terminal 2 is present in the vehicle exterior area more reliably, and the position of the touch sensor 14 that detects the touch operation by the user is determined by the mobile terminal 2 outside the vehicle compartment. A detailed position can be specified.

  For example, when the touch sensor 14 provided on the door handle of the driver's door detects that the user is touching, the mobile terminal 2 is located in the vicinity of the driver's door in the vehicle exterior area. Identifies that it exists. The vicinity of the door here refers to a range within a certain distance (for example, 60 cm) from the door handle.

  In addition, the more detailed position of the portable terminal 2 in the vehicle exterior area is determined by the portable terminal 2 in response to the response request signal transmitted from any of the door antennas 16 among the response request signals sequentially transmitted from the plurality of door antennas 16. The determination may be made depending on whether the response signal is transmitted.

  For example, the door antenna 16 that is the transmission source of the response request signal received by the mobile terminal 2 may be specified by the antenna code included in the response signal from the mobile terminal 2. That is, when the response signal from the mobile terminal 2 includes the antenna code of the door antenna 16 provided in the vicinity of the door on the driver's seat side, the terminal position specifying unit F3 causes the mobile terminal 2 to What is necessary is just to determine with existing near the door for driver's seats.

  When the timing at which the transmission processing unit F1 transmits a response request signal (for example, a wake signal) is shifted for each door antenna 16, the response request received by the mobile terminal 2 from the response signal reception timing. You may specify the door antenna 16 used as the transmission source of a signal.

  As described above, when the mobile terminal 2 is present in the vehicle exterior region, the terminal position specifying unit F3 according to the present embodiment can select any small region from among the plurality of small regions included in the vehicle exterior region that do not overlap each other. Whether or not the portable terminal 2 exists is specified. The small area here refers to an area that is within a certain distance (for example, 60 cm) from a door handle provided in each door. More specifically, a region that is within a certain distance from the door handle for the driver's seat, a region that is within a certain distance from the door handle for the driver's rear seat, and the like correspond to the small region.

  Further, when the terminal position specifying unit F3 receives a response signal from the mobile terminal 2 in response to the response request signal transmitted from the vehicle interior antenna in a state where all the doors are closed, the mobile terminal 2 Is determined to exist. When a plurality of vehicle interior antennas 17 are provided, a more detailed position of the mobile terminal 2 in the vehicle interior may be specified based on an antenna code included in a response signal from the mobile terminal 2. The method of specifying a more detailed position of the mobile terminal 2 in the vehicle interior when a plurality of vehicle interior antennas 17 are provided may apply the same concept as the method of specifying a more detailed position in the vehicle exterior region. .

  The output level adjustment unit F4 performs processing (determined as output level adjustment processing) for determining an appropriate output level for each LF antenna from a plurality of settable output levels. Then, an appropriate output level for each LF antenna is stored in the memory 11M. The transmission processing unit F1 transmits a response request signal from each LF antenna using the output level set for each LF antenna. Before the first execution of the output level adjustment process, the output level of each LF antenna may be set to an arbitrary output level (minimum level or the like).

  Here, an appropriate output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the relationship between the output level and the radio wave arrival area when the vehicle interior antenna 17 is provided near the center console between the driver seat and the passenger seat. For convenience, the vehicle interior antenna 17 is a non-directional antenna that does not have directivity in the horizontal direction.

  The range surrounded by the boundary line Lmin in FIG. 4 indicates the radio wave arrival area when the output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is set to the minimum level. In addition, the boundary lines of the radio wave arrival area when the output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is higher than the minimum level are indicated by La, Lb, and Lc in ascending order of the output level.

  In general, an appropriate output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is as large as possible as long as radio waves to the outside of the vehicle interior do not leak. This is because the higher the output level is, the less likely a blind spot is formed in the passenger compartment.

  In FIG. 4, when the output level is the minimum value or when the radio wave arrival area is at a level indicated by the boundary line La, there is still room for increasing the output level. On the other hand, if the output level is increased too much, as indicated by the boundary line Lc, the radio wave from the vehicle interior antenna 17 leaks outside the vehicle interior, which is not preferable. The output level at which radio waves do not leak out of the passenger compartment as indicated by the boundary line Lb and when radio wave leakage is higher than that is an appropriate output level.

  The output level adjustment process for the vehicle interior antenna 17 is a process for setting the output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 to an appropriate level as indicated by the boundary line Lb in FIG. Details of this output level adjustment processing will be described later.

(Configuration of mobile terminal 2)
Next, a schematic configuration of the mobile terminal 2 will be described with reference to FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the mobile terminal 2 includes a control IC 20, a terminal-side LF antenna 21, an LF receiver 22, a UHF transmitter 23, a terminal-side UHF antenna 24, an input device 25, and a display unit 26. The control IC 20 is connected to each of the LF reception unit 22, the UHF transmission unit 23, the input device 25, and the display unit 26 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

  In the present embodiment, the portable terminal 2 is a small portable device that is normally used in a system that performs locking and unlocking of a vehicle door, engine start control, and the like. As another aspect, the mobile terminal 2 may be a known smartphone, tablet terminal, wristwatch-type communication terminal (so-called wearable device), or the like.

  The terminal-side LF antenna 21 is an LF antenna used for receiving an LF band signal. The LF receiving unit 22 is connected to the terminal-side LF antenna 21 and receives the LF band signal transmitted from the in-vehicle wireless device 1 via the terminal-side LF antenna 21. The LF receiver 22 demodulates the signal received by the terminal-side LF antenna 21 and outputs the demodulated signal to the control IC 20. The LF band signal transmitted from the in-vehicle wireless device 1 is the above-described response request signal such as a wake signal or a verification signal for verification between the in-vehicle wireless device 1 and the portable terminal 2. The LF receiver 22 corresponds to the terminal-side receiver described in the claims.

  The UHF transmission unit 23 is connected to the terminal-side UHF antenna 24, and the UHF transmission unit 23 modulates the signal input from the control IC 20 and transmits it from the terminal-side UHF antenna 24. The terminal-side UHF antenna 24 is a UHF antenna used for transmitting a UHF band signal. The UHF transmitter 23 corresponds to the terminal-side transmitter described in the claims.

  The input device 25 is a device for accepting a user operation on the mobile terminal 2 and is, for example, a push switch. For example, the user can use a remote keyless entry function for unlocking / locking the door of the vehicle A by operating (pushing) the input device 25. As another aspect, the input device 25 may be a touch panel stacked on the display unit 26.

  The display unit 26 displays text and images in accordance with instructions from the control IC 20, and can be configured using, for example, a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL panel, electronic paper, or the like.

  The control IC 20 is configured as a well-known microcomputer, and includes a volatile memory such as a CPU, I / O, and RAM, a nonvolatile memory 20a, and a bus line that connects these configurations. The memory 20a stores programs for the control IC 20 to execute various processes, such as a program for generating a response signal for a signal received from the in-vehicle wireless device 1. The control IC 20 implements various processes based on a program stored in the memory 20a, thereby realizing, for example, the aforementioned smart entry function and remote keyless entry function.

  Note that the mobile terminal 2 includes a sleep mode and an activation mode as operation states. The sleep mode means a state in which the operation IC clock signal is not supplied to the control IC 20 and the function of the control IC 20 is stopped. When the portable terminal 2 receives the regular wake signal in the sleep mode, the portable terminal 2 shifts to the activation mode and returns a response signal to the in-vehicle wireless device 1 to the wake signal.

  In the startup mode, a response signal for the response request signal received from the in-vehicle wireless device 1 is generated and transmitted to the UHF transmission unit 23. For example, when a collation signal is received, the portable terminal 2 generates a collation response signal, outputs it to the UHF transmission unit 23, and transmits it. In addition, when the state which does not receive the signal from the vehicle-mounted radio | wireless apparatus 1 at the time of starting mode continues for a fixed time, it transfers to sleep mode.

(About output level adjustment processing)
Next, an output level adjustment process performed by the smart ECU 11 will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. This output level adjustment process corresponds to the specific process described in the claims.

  Here, as an example, the vehicle interior antenna 17 is a target of output adjustment processing. The flowchart shown in FIG. 6 is started when, for example, the terminal position specifying unit F3 determines that the mobile terminal 2 exists when it is determined that the mobile terminal 2 exists in the vicinity of the driver's door in the vehicle exterior area. That's fine.

  If the touch sensor 14 detects that the user's hand has been released from the sensor or the door has been opened before the flow is completed, the flow is performed as an error process. Kill. In that case, the setting of the output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is returned to the state before starting this flow.

  First, in step S1, the output level adjusting unit F4 sets the output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 to the minimum level among a plurality of settable output levels, and proceeds to step S2. In step S <b> 2, the transmission processing unit F <b> 1 generates a response request signal for the mobile terminal 2 and transmits it from the vehicle interior antenna 17. The output level of the response request signal transmitted at this time is the output level set in step S1 or step S5 described later.

  In step S3, the reception processing unit F2 determines whether or not a response signal for the response request signal transmitted in step S2 has been received. For example, the reception processing unit F2 determines that the response signal is not received when the response signal is not received even after a preset reception standby time has elapsed since the response request signal is transmitted. Of course, if the response signal has been received so far, it is determined that the response signal has been received.

  In step S3, if a response signal is received within the reception waiting time, step S3 becomes YES and the process proceeds to step S10. On the other hand, if the response signal is not received even after the reception waiting time has elapsed, step S3 is NO and the process proceeds to step S4. The fact that step S2 is NO suggests that the radio wave from the vehicle interior antenna 17 does not leak outside the vehicle interior.

  In step S4, the output level adjustment unit F4 determines whether or not the currently set output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is the maximum level. If the current output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is the maximum level, step S4 becomes YES and the process moves to step S6. On the other hand, when the current output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is not the maximum level, step S4 is NO and the process proceeds to step S5.

  In step S5, the output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is set to a level one level higher than the current level, and the process returns to step S2. When returning to step S2, the response request signal is transmitted at an output level one step higher than when step S2 was performed last time. That is, by repeating steps S2 to S5, the output level is increased step by step until a response signal from the mobile terminal 2 is received.

  In step S6, the output level adjustment unit F4 sets the output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 to the maximum level, and ends this flow.

  In step S10, the output level adjustment unit F4 determines whether or not the currently set output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is the minimum level. If the current output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is the minimum level, step S10 becomes YES and the process moves to step S12. On the other hand, when the current output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is not the minimum level, step S10 is NO and the process proceeds to step S11.

  In step S11, the output level adjustment unit F4 sets the output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 to one level lower than the currently set and specified level, and ends this flow. This is because the reception of the response signal in step S3 suggests that the radio wave from the vehicle interior antenna 17 is leaking outside the vehicle interior. By setting the output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 to one level lower than the level currently set and designated, the maximum output level (that is, an appropriate output level) is obtained in a range where radio waves do not leak outside the vehicle interior. Can be set.

  In step S12, the output level adjustment unit F4 sets the output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 to the minimum level, and proceeds to step S13. In step S13, the output level adjustment unit F4 notifies the user (or inspector) that the operation of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is not normal. For example, if a message or icon image indicating that the operation of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is not normal is displayed on the display unit 26 provided in the mobile terminal 2 or a display device (not shown) connected to the in-vehicle wireless device 1. Good.

  Usually, the radio wave arrival area when the output level is the minimum level is designed to be a very small range. For this reason, when the vehicle interior antenna 17 is correctly installed at a position assumed in advance, there is no possibility of radio wave leakage.

  Therefore, even though the output level is minimized, the occurrence of radio wave leakage means that the vehicle interior antenna 17 is installed at an unexpected position or somewhere in the transmission system of radio waves from the vehicle interior antenna 17. There is a possibility that a problem has occurred in (for example, the LF transmitter 15). By performing this step S13, it is possible to inform the user or the inspector that the operation of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is not normal. Thereby, the user or the inspector can take measures such as performing a more detailed inspection.

(Summary of this embodiment)
In the above configuration, the output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 can be set to an appropriate level by performing the output level adjustment process. More specifically, when it is determined by the terminal location specifying unit F3 that the mobile terminal 2 is present in the vehicle exterior area, the output level adjusting unit F4 cooperates with the transmission processing unit F1 to output the output level. The response request signal is transmitted while increasing one step at a time until the response signal is received from the state where the signal is at the minimum level. When a response signal is received, an output level that is one step lower than the output level set at that time is adopted as the output level after the output level adjustment processing.

  In such an aspect, the output level that is one step lower than the output level set at the time when the response signal is received is the highest output level in a range in which the radio wave from the vehicle interior antenna 17 does not leak outside the vehicle interior, that is, Corresponds to the upper limit level.

  As described with reference to FIG. 4, this upper limit level corresponds to an appropriate output level in the vehicle interior antenna 17. That is, by performing the output level adjustment process, the output level of the response request signal transmitted from the vehicle interior antenna 17 can be adjusted to an appropriate level.

  Since the output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is automatically set to an appropriate level by the output level adjustment process, the parameter used in the software for adjusting the output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is manually changed. There is no need to implement it.

  Furthermore, it is not necessary to carry out an actual vehicle test for adjusting the parameters used in the software. That is, according to the said structure, the cost required in order to adjust the output level of a vehicle interior antenna can be reduced.

  Further, according to the above aspect, even if the size of the vehicle interior and the installation position of the vehicle interior antenna 17 differ depending on the vehicle type, the output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is not performed without performing the test in the actual vehicle. Can be set to an appropriate level.

  Furthermore, since it is not necessary to perform a test on an actual vehicle, the output level adjustment process can be performed by a general user. In particular, in the present embodiment, it is performed when the mobile terminal 2 is outside the passenger compartment and can be specified near the door by the terminal position specifying unit F3. Therefore, the output level adjustment process can be performed at any time during the daily boarding operation by the user.

  By the way, once the output level adjustment process is performed, the arrival area formed by the vehicle interior antenna 17 for some reason may not be in an appropriate state. Even in such a case, according to the aspect of the present embodiment, the output level adjustment process can be performed at any time during the daily boarding operation by the user. For this reason, it can be expected that the arrival area formed by the vehicle interior antenna 17 is maintained in an appropriate state.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, The following embodiment is also contained in the technical scope of this invention, and also the summary other than the following is also included. Various modifications can be made without departing from the scope.

<Modification 1>
The output level adjustment process described above is started when the terminal position specifying unit F3 determines that the mobile terminal 2 is present in a predetermined area corresponding to the installation position of the vehicle interior antenna 17 in the vehicle exterior area. preferable.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of a case where the positional relationship between the mobile terminal 2 and the vehicle interior antenna 17 is not preferable in performing the output level adjustment process. In FIG. 7, the vehicle interior antenna 17 is provided near the center of the front seat, and the user B carrying the mobile terminal 2 is touching the touch sensor 14 provided on the door for the rear seat. Indicates the situation.

  When the output level adjustment process is started when the positional relationship between the portable terminal 2 and the vehicle interior antenna 17 is the positional relationship shown in FIG. 7, the door is already near the front seat door until step S3 becomes YES. There is a high possibility that radio wave leakage has occurred. Therefore, even if it is lowered by one step from the step shown in FIG. 7 (step S11), there is a high possibility that radio wave leakage will occur around the front seat door. That is, if the positional relationship between the mobile terminal 2 and the vehicle interior antenna 17 is inappropriate, it is not possible to set an appropriate output level.

  The position of the portable terminal 2 appropriate for the vehicle interior antenna 17 in performing the output level adjustment process is determined by the installation position and directivity of the vehicle interior antenna 17, and the output level is stepwise. It is the position where radio wave leakage occurs first when it is raised. If the vehicle interior antenna 17 is provided near the center of the front seat and the directivity is non-directional in the horizontal direction, as shown in FIG. However, the leakage of electric waves is most likely to occur in the vehicle exterior area.

  Therefore, when the vehicle interior antenna 17 is provided near the center of the front seat, the terminal position specifying unit F3 determines that the mobile terminal 2 is present near the front seat door. It is preferable to perform level adjustment processing.

  In other words, in the first modification, when the mobile terminal 2 increases the output level of the LF antenna to be processed step by step by the terminal position specifying unit F3, it is determined that the mobile terminal 2 first exists at a position where radio wave leakage occurs. In this case, an output level adjustment process is performed. According to the aspect of the first modification, the output level of the target LF antenna can be set to a more appropriate output level.

  Note that an appropriate position of the portable terminal 2 for performing the output level adjustment process for each LF antenna, that is, a position of the portable terminal 2 for starting the output level adjustment process is set in advance for each LF antenna. It may be stored in the memory 11M.

<Modification 2>
Moreover, although the case where the vehicle interior antenna 17 was one was illustrated above, of course, the vehicle interior antenna 17 may be provided with two or more. Such an embodiment is referred to as a second modification. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the vehicle A includes a front seat composed of a driver seat and a passenger seat, and a rear seat provided on the rear side of the front seat. One for each and one for the rear seat (two in total) may be provided.

  The vehicle interior antenna 17A in the figure is a vehicle interior antenna 17 for forming a radio wave arrival area around the front seat, and the vehicle interior antenna 17B is a vehicle for forming a radio wave arrival area around the rear seat. This is an indoor antenna 17.

  The output level adjustment unit F4 in the second modification determines the vehicle interior antenna 17 that is the target of the output level adjustment process, according to the position where the mobile terminal 2 is present in the vehicle exterior area. For example, when the terminal position specifying unit F3 determines that the mobile terminal 2 is present near the front door in the vehicle exterior area, the output level adjustment process for the vehicle interior antenna 17A is performed. Further, when the terminal position specifying unit F3 determines that the mobile terminal 2 is present in the vicinity of the rear door in the vehicle exterior area, an output level adjustment process for the vehicle interior antenna 17B is performed.

  That is, the position of the portable terminal 2 for starting the output level adjustment process is set in advance for each vehicle interior antenna 17. The position of the portable terminal 2 for starting the output level adjustment process set at this time is the same as that in the first modification, when the output level is increased step by step for each LF antenna. It is preferable to set the position where such occurs.

<Modification 3>
As described above, when a response signal from the portable terminal 2 existing outside the vehicle interior is received in response to the response request signal from the vehicle interior antenna 17, it is determined that the radio wave from the vehicle interior antenna 17 leaks outside the vehicle interior. However, it is not limited to this. For example, when the response request signal transmitted from the indoor antenna 17 is received by the portable terminal 2 existing outside the vehicle compartment with a predetermined signal strength or higher, it is determined that the radio wave from the vehicle interior antenna 17 is leaking outside the vehicle compartment. May be. Such an embodiment is referred to as a third modification, and an example of the configuration of the third modification will be described.

  The LF receiver 22 of the mobile terminal 2 in Modification 3 includes a signal strength measuring unit (not shown) for measuring the signal strength of the received signal. The signal strength measurement unit may be realized with the aid of a known RSSI circuit. The signal strength value (received strength information) measured by the signal strength measuring unit is provided to the control IC 20 in association with the received signal. The signal intensity may be represented by a value with dB μV / m as a unit. Then, the control IC 20 returns a response signal including reception intensity information to the in-vehicle wireless device 1 in addition to the antenna code included in the received response request signal.

  When the output level adjustment unit F4 receives the response signal in step S3, the output level adjustment unit F4 refers to the reception intensity information included in the response signal, and the signal intensity of the response request signal that reaches the mobile terminal 2 is a predetermined threshold value. It is determined whether it is equal to or greater than (leakage determination threshold).

  And the output level adjustment part F4 should just determine step S3 as YES, when the signal strength of the response request signal which arrived at the portable terminal 2 is more than a leak determination threshold value. Moreover, what is necessary is just to determine step S3 as NO, when the signal strength of the response request signal which reached | attained the portable terminal 2 is less than a leak determination threshold value. The leak determination threshold value may be set as appropriate within a range of greater than 0 and 10 dBμV / m or less, such as 3 dBμV / m.

  According to such an aspect, the output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 can be increased until the signal strength of the response request signal that has reached the mobile terminal 2 is less than the leakage determination threshold. It is assumed that the amount of radio wave leakage varies due to various causes. A more appropriate output level can be set by setting the leakage determination threshold to a value that takes into account the variation in the amount of leakage of radio waves by various tests.

<Modification 4>
In the above description, the mode in which the initial level of the output level adjustment process (the level set in step S1) is set to the minimum of the settable output levels is illustrated. If the number of output level levels that can be set is about several to eight, it is assumed that the output level adjustment process can be completed in a relatively short time even in such a mode.

  However, if the initial level of the output level adjustment process is set to the minimum level, the time required for the output level adjustment process increases as the number of settable output levels increases. In particular, when the number of output level levels that can be set is 20 or more and the appropriate output level is a relatively large level that can be set, it is necessary to complete the output level adjustment process. Time will increase more.

  In view of such circumstances, the output level adjustment unit F4 of the modification 4 sets the initial level of the output level adjustment processing to a predetermined level that is higher than the minimum level. For example, the initial level of the output level adjustment process is an intermediate level among settable output levels.

  An example of the output level adjustment process in the fourth modification is shown in FIG. The output level adjustment process shown in FIG. 9 is performed when it is determined by the terminal position specifying unit F3 that the mobile terminal 2 exists in the vicinity of the door for the driver's seat in the vehicle exterior area, as in the above-described embodiment. What is necessary is just to start when it determines with existing. The object of processing is the vehicle interior antenna 17. When there are a plurality of vehicle interior antennas 17 as illustrated in the second modification, the vehicle interior antenna 17A may be used.

  First, in step S101, the output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is set to an initial level. Here, the settable output levels are 20 levels from “1” to “20”, and the initial level is set to an output level “10” corresponding to an intermediate level between the minimum level and the maximum level.

  Further, the leakage flag is set to “0”. This leakage flag is a processing flag indicating whether or not a response signal has already been received with respect to a response request signal transmitted after starting this flow. When the leak flag is “0”, it indicates that the response signal has not been received yet, while when the leak flag is “1”, it indicates that the response signal has already been received. Show.

  When the process in step S101 ends, the process proceeds to step S102. In step S102, as in step S2, the response request signal is transmitted at the currently set output level, and the process proceeds to step S103.

  In step S103, it is determined whether or not a response signal has been received as in step S3 described above. In step S103, if a response signal is received within the reception waiting time, step S103 becomes YES and the process proceeds to step S120. On the other hand, if the response signal is not received even after the reception waiting time has elapsed, step S103 is NO and the process proceeds to step S104.

  In step S104, it is determined whether or not the leakage flag is “0”. If the leakage flag is “0”, step S104 becomes YES and the process moves to step S105. On the other hand, when the leak flag is “1”, step S104 is NO and the process proceeds to step S130.

  In step S105, as in step S4 described above, it is determined whether or not the currently set output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is the maximum level. If the current output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is the maximum level, step S105 becomes YES and the process moves to step S110. On the other hand, when the current output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is not the maximum level, step S105 is NO and the process proceeds to step S106.

  In step S106, the output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is set to a level one level higher than the current level, and the process returns to step S102. In step S110, the output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is set to the maximum level, and this flow ends.

  In step S120, the leakage flag is set to “1” and the process proceeds to step S121. In step S121, as in step S10 described above, it is determined whether or not the currently set output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is the minimum level. If the current output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is the minimum level, step S121 becomes YES and the process moves to step S122. On the other hand, when the current output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is not the minimum level, step S121 is NO and the process proceeds to step S124.

  In step S122, the output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is set to the minimum level, and the process proceeds to step S123. In step S123, similar to step S13 described above, a process of notifying the user (or inspector) that the operation of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is not normal is performed, and this flow is ended.

  In step S124, the output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is lowered by a predetermined level from the current level, and the process returns to step S102. For example, the output level of the vehicle interior antenna 17 is set to a level one level lower than the current level, and the process returns to step S102.

  The operation of the output level adjustment process in Modification 4 described above will be described with reference to FIG. First, when the initial level set in step S101 is an output level at which radio wave leakage occurs, the leakage flag is set to “1” and output to a level at which no radio wave leakage occurs as shown by the broken line in FIG. Gradually lower the level. When the output level becomes a level at which radio wave leakage does not occur, the output level is adopted as an appropriate output level.

  Further, when the output level is the initial level and no radio wave leakage occurs, the output level is increased stepwise until the radio wave leakage occurs, as shown by the solid line in FIG. Then, once a radio wave leak occurs, the leak flag is set to “1”, the output level is lowered by one step, and the response request signal is transmitted again. After that, when the response signal is not received, the leak flag is “1”, and the output level at that time is adopted as an appropriate output level.

  In other words, by introducing processing that not only raises the output level step by step but also lowers it step by step, even if the initial level of the output level adjustment processing is set to a level larger than the minimum level, an appropriate output level can be set. Can be determined.

  And, by setting the initial level of the output level adjustment process to an appropriate value larger than the minimum level, the time required for the output level adjustment process to be completed can be shortened compared to the case where the initial level is set to the minimum level. Can do.

  In the above, as an example, the mode in which the initial level of the output level adjustment process is set to the intermediate level of the settable output level is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this. The initial level may be set as appropriate. For example, if output level adjustment processing has been performed in the past, the output level determined in the previous processing may be set as the initial level. Furthermore, the initial level may be a maximum level among settable output levels.

<Modification 5>
Note that, in the above-described modified example 4, when radio wave leakage occurs, that is, when a response signal is received from the mobile terminal 2, the mode in which the output level is lowered step by step in step S124 is illustrated. Not limited to this.

  For example, as described in the third modification, when the response signal includes information indicating the signal strength of the response request signal received by the mobile terminal 2, the number of levels corresponding to the signal strength is set in step S124. It may be lowered. More specifically, data in which the signal strength of the response request signal received by the mobile terminal 2 is associated with the number of output level steps to be reduced is stored in the memory 11M, and the output level adjustment unit F4 The amount of decrease may be determined based on the data and the signal strength included in the response signal.

  According to such an aspect, since the output level can be lowered by a plurality of steps in one step S124, the output level adjustment process can be completed in a shorter time than when the output level is lowered step by step. it can.

<Modification 5>
In the above, assuming that the output level adjustment process is performed while the daily operation for boarding the vehicle A is being performed, the mobile terminal 2 determines the start condition of the process by the terminal position specifying unit F3. Although it was set as the case where it determined with existing in the predetermined position of a vehicle exterior area | region, it is not restricted to this.

  Separately, the smart ECU 11 may be provided with an operation mode for performing the output level adjustment process (referred to as an output adjustment mode). Accordingly, the input device 25 of the mobile terminal 2 has a function of accepting a user operation for operating the smart ECU 11 in the output adjustment mode. For example, a push switch for operating the smart ECU 11 in the output adjustment mode may be provided as the input device 25.

  Furthermore, it is preferable to display the progress of the output level adjustment process and information indicating the setting result on the display unit 26. Further, an LED lamp (not shown) provided in the mobile terminal 2 may be caused to emit light in a predetermined light emission pattern (blinking or color combination).

<Modification 6>
In the above, the aspect which made the vehicle interior antenna 17 the object of an output level adjustment process was described. However, the output level adjustment process may use the door antenna 16 as a processing target. For example, the output level adjustment process may adjust the output level of the door antenna 16 for the driver's seat.

  The output level adjustment process that uses the door antenna 16 as a processing target may be started when the terminal position specifying unit F3 determines that the mobile terminal 2 is present in the vehicle interior. What is necessary is just to replace the target LF antenna from the vehicle interior antenna 17 to the door antenna 16.

<Modification 7>
In addition, the smart ECU 11 may perform a process of detecting an abnormality of the vehicle interior antenna 17 (referred to as a vehicle interior antenna diagnosis process) by using an operation of gradually increasing the output level from the minimum level. The smart ECU 11 that performs the vehicle interior antenna diagnosis processing corresponds to the defect determination unit described in the claims.

  An example of the flow of the vehicle interior antenna diagnosis process will be described. First, the smart ECU 11 causes the vehicle interior antenna 17 to transmit a sequential response request signal while increasing the output level step by step from the minimum level in a state where the mobile terminal 2 is disposed at a predetermined position in the vehicle interior. At this time, the place where the mobile terminal 2 is arranged is a position in the assumed radio wave arrival area of the vehicle interior antenna 17 to be diagnosed. As a premise, when the user or the inspector performs the vehicle interior antenna vibration process, the portable terminal 2 is arranged at a position corresponding to the target vehicle interior antenna 17.

  If the response signal from the mobile terminal 2 is not obtained even when the output level reaches the maximum level, it is determined that the operation of the mobile terminal 2 is not normal.

  Conventionally, it has been possible to detect an abnormal state in which the output destination of the baseband signal is no load as viewed from the smart ECU 11. Reasons for the output destination of the baseband signal as viewed from the smart ECU 11 to be no load include disconnection of the cable in the transmission system from the smart ECU 11 to the vehicle interior antenna 17 and poor assembly of parts.

  On the other hand, according to the configuration of the modified example 7, it is possible to detect an abnormal operation caused by the mounting position and mounting posture of the vehicle interior antenna 17 and a noise source that outputs noise in the LF band.

<Other variations>
In the above, the aspect in which the LF transmission unit 15 includes the output adjustment unit 152 is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the LF transmitter 15 may radiate a radio wave having an output level corresponding to the drive voltage supplied from the smart ECU 11 from the LF antenna. In this case, the smart ECU 11 may input a baseband signal while applying a drive voltage corresponding to the LF antenna to which the signal is to be transmitted to the LF transmitter 15.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Electronic key system, 1 In-vehicle wireless device, 11 Smart ECU (defect determination part), 12 Engine switch, 13 Door opening / closing sensor, 14 Touch sensor, 15 LF transmission part (vehicle side transmission part), 151 selection part, 152 Output adjustment , 16 Door antenna (antenna outside the vehicle compartment), 17, 17A, 17B Car interior antenna, 18 UHF receiver (vehicle-side receiver), F1 transmission processor, F2 reception processor, F3 terminal location specifying unit, F4 output level Adjustment unit, 11M memory, 2 portable terminal, 20 control IC, 22 LF reception unit (terminal side reception unit), 23 UHF transmission unit (terminal side transmission unit), 25 input device, 26 display unit

Claims (14)

Provided in the vehicle interior of the vehicle is at least one vehicle interior antenna (17) for transmitting a signal to a portable terminal carried by a user, and outputs a plurality of output levels of signals radiated from the vehicle interior antenna An in-vehicle wireless device that can be adjusted in stages,
An output level adjustment unit (F4) for adjusting an output level of a signal radiated from the vehicle interior antenna;
A vehicle-side transmission unit (15) for transmitting a response request signal for requesting a response to the mobile terminal from the vehicle interior antenna at the output level adjusted by the output level adjustment unit;
A terminal position specifying unit (F3) for determining whether or not the portable terminal is outside the vehicle compartment;
A vehicle-side receiving unit (18) that receives a response signal to the response request signal transmitted from the mobile terminal,
The output level adjustment unit
When it is determined by the terminal position specifying unit that the portable terminal is outside the passenger compartment, the vehicle-side receiving unit causes the vehicle-side transmitting unit to transmit the response request signal at a plurality of different output levels. Among the output levels that do not receive the response signal, performing a specifying process that specifies the upper limit level that is the highest output level,
The in-vehicle wireless device characterized in that the upper limit level specified by the specifying process is adopted as an output level after the specifying process. In claim 1,
A transmission processor (F1) for controlling the operation of the vehicle-side transmitter;
When the output level is changed by the output level adjustment unit, the transmission processing unit causes the vehicle-side transmission unit to transmit the response request signal at the output level after the change,
The output level adjustment unit, in the specific process,
From the lowest output level that can be set, the output level is increased step by step until the response signal is received by the vehicle-side receiver,
An in-vehicle wireless device characterized in that an output level that is one step lower than an output level set when the vehicle-side receiving unit receives the response signal is set as the upper limit level. In claim 1,
A transmission processor (F1) for controlling the operation of the vehicle-side transmitter;
When the output level is changed by the output level adjustment unit, the transmission processing unit causes the vehicle-side transmission unit to transmit the response request signal at the output level after the change,
The output level adjustment unit
The output level of the response request signal that is first transmitted in the specific process is a predetermined initial level that is higher than the lowest output level among the settable output levels,
If the vehicle-side receiver does not receive the response signal corresponding to the response request signal transmitted at the initial level, the output level is increased step by step until the response signal is received,
When the response signal is received, an in-vehicle wireless device characterized in that an output level that is one step lower than the output level set at that time is set as the upper limit level. In claim 3,
When the vehicle-side receiving unit receives the response signal corresponding to the response request signal transmitted at the initial level, the output level is gradually reduced until the response signal is not received,
An in-vehicle wireless device characterized in that an output level set when the response signal is not received is set to the upper limit level. In claim 3 or 4,
The in-vehicle wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the initial level is an intermediate level of the upper limit level specified by the previous specifying process or a settable output level.   The in-vehicle wireless device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the settable number of output levels is 20 or more. In any one of Claims 2-6,
A plurality of vehicle interior antennas;
The output level adjustment unit performs the specifying process for each of the plurality of vehicle interior antennas, and uses the upper limit level determined by the specifying process after the specifying process in the vehicle interior antenna as a target of the specifying process. An in-vehicle wireless device that is used as an output level. In claim 7,
In the case where the portable terminal is present in a region outside the vehicle compartment that is outside the vehicle compartment and within a predetermined distance from the vehicle, the terminal position specifying unit further includes the portable terminal in the vehicle outside region. Identify the location of
The specifying process for each vehicle interior antenna is performed when the terminal position specifying unit determines that the mobile terminal is present at a predetermined position in a vehicle exterior area preset for each vehicle interior antenna. An in-vehicle wireless device. In claim 2,
The response signal includes reception strength information indicating the signal strength of the response request signal received by the mobile terminal,
The output level adjustment unit outputs one step smaller than the output level set at the time of receiving the response signal in which the signal strength represented by the reception strength information is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold in the specific process. An in-vehicle wireless device characterized in that a level is the upper limit level. In claim 4,
The response signal includes reception strength information indicating the signal strength of the response request signal received by the mobile terminal,
The in-vehicle wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the number of output level steps to be reduced when the vehicle-side receiving unit receives the response signal increases as the signal strength included in the response signal increases. In any one of Claims 2 to 10,
When the upper limit level is a minimum output level that can be set, the vehicle-mounted wireless device notifies the user that the operation of the vehicle interior antenna is not normal. In any one of Claims 2 to 11,
A vehicle exterior antenna (16) that transmits radio waves toward a predetermined area outside the vehicle compartment, and the output level of the signal radiated from the vehicle interior antenna can be adjusted in a plurality of stages,
The output level adjustment unit adjusts the output level of a signal radiated from the vehicle exterior antenna,
The transmission processing unit causes the response request signal to be transmitted from the vehicle exterior antenna at the output level adjusted by the output level adjustment unit,
The terminal position specifying unit determines whether or not the mobile terminal is present in a vehicle interior,
The output level adjustment unit
When it is determined by the terminal position specifying unit that the portable terminal is present in the vehicle interior, the response is performed at a plurality of different output levels from the antenna outside the vehicle interior to the vehicle-side transmission unit via the transmission processing unit. By transmitting a request signal, the specifying process for specifying the upper limit level for the antenna outside the vehicle compartment is performed,
The in-vehicle wireless device characterized by adopting the upper limit level specified by the specifying process as an output level after the specifying process in the antenna outside the vehicle compartment. In any one of Claims 2 to 11,
The terminal position specifying unit determines whether or not the mobile terminal is present in a vehicle interior,
A failure determination unit for determining whether the operation of the vehicle interior antenna is normal;
The defect determination unit is configured to output the settable output level from the vehicle interior antenna to the vehicle-side transmission unit via the transmission processing unit with respect to the portable terminal disposed at a predetermined position in the vehicle interior. An in-vehicle wireless device characterized in that when the response request signal is transmitted at the highest output level and the response signal is not received, the operation of the vehicle interior antenna is not normal. An electronic key system including an in-vehicle wireless device (1) mounted on a vehicle and a portable terminal (2) carried by a user,
The in-vehicle wireless device is
At least one vehicle interior antenna (17) that is an antenna provided in the vehicle interior and that can adjust the output level of a signal radiated from the antenna in a plurality of stages;
An output level adjustment unit (F4) for adjusting an output level of a signal radiated from the vehicle interior antenna;
A vehicle-side transmission unit (15) for transmitting a response request signal for requesting a response to the mobile terminal from the vehicle interior antenna at the output level adjusted by the output level adjustment unit;
A terminal position specifying unit (F3) for determining whether or not the portable terminal is outside the vehicle compartment;
A vehicle-side receiving unit (18) that receives a response signal to the response request signal transmitted from the mobile terminal,
The portable terminal is
A terminal side receiving unit (22) for receiving the response request signal transmitted from the in-vehicle wireless device;
A terminal-side transmitter (23) that transmits the response signal to the response request signal received by the terminal-side receiver to the in-vehicle wireless device;
The output level adjustment unit
When it is determined by the terminal position specifying unit that the portable terminal is outside the passenger compartment, the vehicle-side receiving unit causes the vehicle-side transmitting unit to transmit the response request signal at a plurality of different output levels. Among the output levels that do not receive the response signal, performing a specifying process that specifies the upper limit level that is the highest output level,
The electronic key system characterized in that the upper limit level specified by the specifying process is adopted as an output level after the specifying process.

Images