JP2017081413A - On-vehicle communication device and electronic key system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an on-vehicle communication device and an electronic key system that achieve both power consumption restriction and usability.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle communication device 19 comprises an on-vehicle control part 11, a LF transmission part 12, a UHF reception part 13, and a radar 14. When the radar 14 has been detecting an object, the on-vehicle control part 11 generates a request signal, tries wireless communication with respect to an electronic key 20 through the LF transmission part 12 and UHF reception part 13 and, when wireless communication establishes, the control part permits operation of a door lock device 16. In addition, the on-vehicle control part 11 determines whether a situation in which the radar 14 has been detecting the object is continuing or not. If the determination is made that the situation is continuing, the control part generates a request signal, continues the trial of wireless communication with respect to the electronic key 20, and also stops generation of a detection signal to stop the detection of the object by the radar 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle communication device and an electronic key system.

  In the conventional electronic key system, locking / unlocking of the vehicle door, engine starting, etc. are permitted through wireless communication performed between the in-vehicle device and the electronic key. The in-vehicle device periodically transmits a request signal toward the periphery of the vehicle. When receiving the request signal, the electronic key transmits a response signal including the ID code. The vehicle-mounted device permits locking / unlocking of the vehicle door when collation of the ID code included in the response signal from the electronic key is established (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-029385 A

  If the transmission interval of the request signal is shortened, the power consumption in the in-vehicle device increases. On the other hand, if the transmission interval of the request signal is increased, the time from when the user holding the electronic key approaches the vehicle until the vehicle door is allowed to be unlocked is increased.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle communication device and an electronic key system that achieve both reduction in power consumption and ease of use for a user.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the in-vehicle communication device includes a communication device that wirelessly communicates with an electronic key, a radar that detects an object, and, when the radar detects an object, the communication device through the communication device. An in-vehicle control unit that allows or operates the in-vehicle device when the attempted wireless communication is established, and the in-vehicle control unit detects the object by the radar. It is determined whether or not the situation is frequent, and if it is determined that the situation is frequent, the wireless communication to the electronic key is continued and the detection of the object by the radar is stopped. And

  According to this configuration, the radar with less power consumption is driven than when the communication device is driven to attempt wireless communication with the electronic key. For this reason, when there is no object around the vehicle, the power consumption is less than in the prior art. In addition, since the vehicle user is judged to be an object when getting close to the vehicle, such as when getting into the vehicle, wireless communication between the electronic key and the communication device can be established if the electronic user has the electronic key. Therefore, as usual, the convenience of the vehicle user is also good.

  On the other hand, when the radar frequently passes an object, such as when a person goes around the vehicle, the in-vehicle control unit continues the wireless communication with the electronic key and stops detecting the object by the radar. Even in this case, the vehicle user can establish wireless communication between the electronic key and the communication device if the electronic key is possessed. Further, since the driving of the radar is stopped, the power consumption does not increase compared to the conventional case.

Therefore, the in-vehicle communication device that employs this configuration achieves both suppression of power consumption and ease of use.
In the above configuration, the in-vehicle control unit determines whether or not the moving body is approaching the vehicle from the detection result of the radar, and when it is determined that the moving body is approaching the vehicle, the communication device The wireless key is tried to communicate with the electronic key, and it is determined whether or not the situation in which it is determined that the moving body is approaching the vehicle is frequent, and is determined to be frequent. In this case, it is preferable that the wireless communication with the electronic key is continued and the detection of the object by the radar is stopped.

  According to this configuration, the vehicle-mounted control unit does not attempt to perform wireless communication with the electronic key and the radar does not stop if a person simply goes around the vehicle. Thereby, power consumption is suppressed. On the other hand, the vehicle-mounted control unit attempts radio communication with the electronic key if it detects a vehicle user who wants to get into the vehicle, and stops the radar if the state of detecting the vehicle user continues. When a person gets into the vehicle, it is necessary to approach the vehicle before getting into the vehicle, which is convenient for the vehicle user.

  In the above configuration, the in-vehicle control unit determines the presence or absence of a moving body around the vehicle from the detection result of the radar, and when it is determined that there is a moving body, wireless communication is performed with respect to the electronic key through the communication device. If it is determined that there are frequent situations where it is determined that there is a moving object, and if it is determined that there are frequent occurrences, the wireless communication attempt to the electronic key is continued. At the same time, it is preferable to stop the detection of the object by the radar.

According to this configuration, since there is no detection by the radar 14 simply when an object is present around the vehicle, it is easy to obtain a larger dark current reduction effect.
In the above configuration, it is preferable that a range in which the radar detects an object is wider than a range in which the communication device attempts wireless communication with the electronic key.

  According to this configuration, when the user who possesses the electronic key is detected by the radar, wireless communication between the communication device and the electronic key is possible. Therefore, if the communication device attempts wireless communication with the electronic key, the wireless communication is established. For this reason, useless power consumption is suppressed.

  In the above configuration, the in-vehicle control unit is configured to elapse a preset time after stopping the detection of the object by the radar, to reach a preset time, and to perform wireless communication with the electronic key. A time during which wireless communication is not established continues for a preset time, a situation in which wireless communication is not established for a wireless communication attempt for the electronic key continues for a preset number of times, and It is preferable that the detection of the object by the radar is resumed when at least one of the in-vehicle devices operating is satisfied.

  According to this configuration, the object detection by the radar is resumed if the condition is satisfied. That is, the situation where wireless communication is continuously attempted with respect to the electronic key is eliminated. For this reason, when the situation where wireless communication is continuously attempted with respect to the electronic key is resolved, the situation around the vehicle changes from the situation where there is an object frequently to the situation where there is no object frequently If changed, a larger dark current reduction effect can be obtained.

  In order to solve the above problems, in an electronic key system in which operation of an in-vehicle device is permitted or executed when wireless communication is established between the in-vehicle communication device and an electronic key, the in-vehicle communication device includes a radar that detects an object, A vehicle-mounted control unit that attempts to perform wireless communication with the electronic key when the radar detects an object, and the vehicle-mounted control unit frequently detects that the radar is detecting the object. The main point is to continue the wireless communication with the electronic key and stop the detection of the object by the radar when it is determined that it is frequently appearing.

  According to this system, the suppression of power consumption and the usability are compatible.

  The in-vehicle communication device and the electronic key system according to the present invention have an effect that a reduction in power consumption and a user-friendliness are compatible.

The block diagram which shows schematic structure of an electronic key system. The overhead view of the vehicle which shows a communication area. The time chart which shows the change aspect of the on / off of a radar, the detection result of a radar, on / off of a request signal, and dark current.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an electronic key system including a vehicle including an in-vehicle communication device and an electronic key will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic key system 1 performs various vehicle controls through wireless communication between the vehicle 10 and the electronic key 20.

  The electronic key 20 includes an electronic key control unit 21, an LF reception unit 22, and a UHF transmission unit 23. Among these, each part except the electronic key control part 21 is electrically connected to the electronic key control part 21, respectively, and is comprehensively controlled by the electronic key control part 21.

The LF receiver 22 receives a radio signal in the LF (Low Frequency) band and demodulates the received signal into an electrical signal.
The UHF transmission unit 23 modulates an electrical signal into a UHF (Ultra Hi Frequency) band and transmits the modulated radio signal. Note that the LF receiver 22 and the UHF transmitter 23 correspond to a communication device.

An ID code common to the vehicle 10 is stored in the memory 21 a of the electronic key control unit 21.
When the electronic key control unit 21 receives a later-described request signal through the LF receiving unit 22, the electronic key control unit 21 generates a response signal including the ID code stored in the memory 21a. The generated response signal is modulated by the UHF transmitter 23 and then wirelessly transmitted.

<Vehicle>
As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 includes an on-vehicle controller 11, an LF transmitter 12, a UHF receiver 13, a radar 14, a door handle sensor 15, and a door lock device 16. Among these, each part except the vehicle-mounted control part 11 is each electrically connected with the vehicle-mounted control part 11, and is generally controlled by the said vehicle-mounted control part 11. Each part of the vehicle 10 consumes power supplied from the battery by driving. The in-vehicle communication unit 19 is configured by the in-vehicle control unit 11, the LF transmission unit 12, the UHF reception unit 13, and the radar 14.

  The LF transmission unit 12 modulates the electrical signal into an LF band radio signal and transmits the modulated radio signal toward an area S1 (see FIG. 2) set around the vehicle. Note that the range of the area S1 is set in advance.

The UHF receiving unit 13 receives a UHF band radio signal and demodulates the received signal into an electrical signal.
The radar 14 uses, for example, the presence or absence of an object in an area S2 (see FIG. 2) set around the vehicle using radio waves in a band called UWB (Ultra Wide Band), and when an object exists. Detects the distance to the object. As shown in FIG. 2, the range of the area S <b> 2 includes the entire area S <b> 1 and is set to have a width equal to or larger than the area S <b> 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the door handle sensor 15 detects contact with the door handle.
The door lock device 16 switches between locking and unlocking the vehicle door.
An ID code common to the electronic key 20 is stored in the memory 11 a of the in-vehicle control unit 11.

Vehicle control unit 11 periodically generates a detection signal for requesting detection of the presence or absence of an object in generation interval t _r (see FIG. 3). When receiving the detection signal, the radar 14 starts detecting the presence or absence of an object in the area S2.

  Moreover, when the vehicle-mounted control part 11 detects an object through the radar 14, it will produce | generate the request signal containing the information which requests | requires transmission of ID code. The request signal is modulated by the LF transmitter 12 and wirelessly transmitted.

  When the in-vehicle controller 11 receives a response signal as a response to the request signal through the UHF receiver 13, the in-vehicle controller 11 collates the ID code included in the response signal with the ID code stored in the memory 11a. When the verification is established, the in-vehicle control unit 11 permits switching between locking and unlocking the vehicle door. In this state, when contact with the door handle is detected through the door handle sensor 15, the in-vehicle control unit 11 switches between locking and unlocking the vehicle door through the door lock device 16.

Moreover, the vehicle-mounted control part 11 judges whether the state which detects an object through the radar 14 appears frequently (in this example, whether the object is continuously detected by the radar 14). When it is determined that the state of detecting an object is frequent (in this example, when the object is continuously detected by the radar 14), the in-vehicle control unit 11 periodically generates a request signal at the generation interval _tLF . And the generation of the detection signal is terminated. The request signal generation interval t _LF is preferably set to be equal to or longer than the detection signal generation interval _tr (t _LF ≧ t _r ).

  When the specific condition is satisfied, such as when a specific time has elapsed since the start of periodic generation of a request signal, or when a specific time (for example, 7:00 am) is reached, the in-vehicle control unit 11 The periodic generation of the request signal is terminated, and the generation of the detection signal is started.

<Action>
Next, the operation of the electronic key system 1 will be described.
When an object in the area S2 is not entered, the onboard control unit 11 generates a detection signal at a predetermined generation interval t _r. At this time, a request signal is not generated. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the dark current required in the in-vehicle communication device 19 is a current I1 consumed by the detection signal generation and the radar 14.

For example, when the vehicle is parked at a place with few traffic such as a home parking lot, the dark current in the in-vehicle communication device 19 becomes the current I1.
Next, when an object such as a user enters the area S2, the detection result by the radar 14 is turned on (there is an object). The in-vehicle control unit 11 generates a request signal triggered by the detection result of the radar 14 being turned on. The request signal is wirelessly transmitted through the LF transmitter 12. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the dark current required in the in-vehicle communication device 19 is the current consumed by the generation and transmission of the request signal in addition to the generation of the detection signal and the current I1 consumed by the radar 14. I2.

For example, when the user gets into a vehicle parked at a place with few traffic such as a home parking lot, the dark current in the in-vehicle communication device 19 becomes current I1 + current I2.
When the object continues to enter the area S2, the detection result by the radar 14 is continuously turned on (there is an object). In this case, the in-vehicle control unit 11 stops the periodic generation of the detection signal and starts the periodic generation of the request signal, triggered by the continuous detection of the object by the radar 14. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the dark current required in the in-vehicle communication device 19 thereafter becomes the current I2 consumed by the generation and transmission of the request signal.

For example, when the vehicle is parked in a busy place such as a parking lot in a downtown area, the dark current in the in-vehicle communication device 19 becomes the current I2.
As described above in detail, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  (1) The in-vehicle communication device 19 includes a radar 14 that detects an object. The in-vehicle control unit 11 generates a request signal triggered by the radar 14 detecting an object. Since the current required for detection of the object by the radar 14 is less than the current required for transmission / reception of the request signal by the LF transmission unit 12 and the UHF reception unit 13, when there is no object around the vehicle, Low power consumption compared to the conventional. In addition, when the user gets close to the vehicle, such as when getting into the vehicle, the radar 14 detects the wireless communication between the vehicle 10 and the electronic key 20, so that the user can use it as usual.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle 10 is parked at a place where people frequently travel around the vehicle, such as a parking lot in a downtown area, the state in which an object is detected by the radar 14 continues. With this as a trigger, the in-vehicle control unit 11 stops the regular generation of the detection signal and starts the regular generation of the request signal. Under such circumstances, the radar 14 does not operate, that is, no current is required for the radar 14, so that power consumption does not increase compared to the conventional case.

Therefore, the suppression of power consumption in the in-vehicle communication device 19 and the usability for the user are compatible.
(2) The range in which the object can be detected by the radar 14 (area S2) is set to be larger than the range (area S1) within which the request signal transmitted by radio from the LF transmitter 12 reaches. Thereby, when the user enters the area S1, the user is detected by the radar 14. Therefore, if the user enters the area S1, wireless communication between the vehicle 10 and the electronic key 20 is established, which is convenient for the user.

  (3) A request signal when a specific condition is satisfied, such as when a specific time has elapsed since the start of periodic generation of a request signal, or when a specific time (for example, 7:00 am) is reached. The vehicle-mounted control unit 11 is configured to end the periodic generation and start the generation of the detection signal. As a result, when the periodical generation of the request signal ends, if the area S2 changes to a state where there is no object, a greater dark current reduction effect can be obtained.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
In the above embodiment, the radar 14 that detects the presence or absence of an object in the area S2 is used, but depending on the parking position, stationary objects such as carports, guardrails, and roadside trees are detected by the radar 14 in the area S2. The effect of reducing dark current may be small. Therefore, instead of the radar 14, a radar that detects the presence or absence of a moving body may be employed. Moreover, the vehicle-mounted control part 11 may judge the presence or absence of a moving body from the detection state of the object by the radar 14. By adopting this configuration, even if the stationary object described above is included in the area S2, it is not detected, so that a dark current reduction effect larger than that in the above embodiment can be obtained.

  In the above example, the in-vehicle control unit 11 determines the presence / absence of the moving body from the radar that detects the presence / absence of the moving body and the detection status of the object by the radar 14, but the moving body approaches the vehicle. It may be determined whether or not the request signal is transmitted from the determination result. Moreover, the vehicle-mounted control part 11 may determine whether the situation where the moving body is approaching the vehicle frequently appears, and may stop the radar when the situation frequently appears. When a person gets into the vehicle, it is necessary to approach the vehicle before getting into the vehicle. Therefore, even with this configuration, the convenience of the vehicle user is good. Moreover, since the situation where the request signal is transmitted is expected to be reduced as compared with the above-described another example, power consumption in the vehicle is also suppressed.

  In the above embodiment, the vehicle-mounted control unit 11 terminates the periodic generation of the request signal, and a specific time has elapsed since the periodic generation of the request signal is started as a condition for starting the generation of the detection signal. In this case, the case where a specific time (for example, 7:00 am) is reached is exemplified, but the following conditions may be used. That is, the time when the response signal cannot be received for the generation of the request signal continues for a preset time, the situation where the response signal cannot be received for the generation of the request signal continues for the preset number of times, The condition may be that other in-vehicle devices such as the door lock device 16 and the vehicle accessory device operate. Even under such conditions, the effect (3) of the above embodiment can be obtained.

  In the above embodiment, the state in which the object is detected by the radar 14 is treated as the state in which the object is detected frequently. However, in other cases, the state in which the object is detected It may be handled as being frequent. For example, the detection state of the object by the radar 14 continues three times or more, and exceeds a predetermined ratio among a plurality of times that the detection state of the object by the radar 14 continues (for example, 80% of the object detection attempts ten times consecutively). (It becomes a detection state at (8 times)) or the like may be handled as a state in which an object is detected frequently.

  In the above embodiment, radio waves in the LF band, the UHF band, and the UWB band as the radar are used as smart communication, but other bands may be used. The radar 14 may be an ultrasonic radar.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the in-vehicle device is the door lock device 16 has been described. However, other devices such as a vehicle accessory device and an engine control device that controls engine start may be used.

  In the above embodiment, the electronic key 20 is not limited to a car-only key. It may be a key using a portable terminal.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electronic key system, 10 ... Vehicle, 11 ... In-vehicle control part, 12 ... LF transmission part, 13 ... UHF receiving part, 14 ... Radar, 15 ... Door handle sensor, 16 ... Door lock apparatus, 19 ... In-vehicle communication apparatus, 20 ... an electronic key, 21 ... an electronic key control unit, 22 ... an LF reception unit, 23 ... a UHF transmission unit.

Claims (6)

A communication device wirelessly communicating with the electronic key;
A radar that detects objects,
When the radar detects an object, the wireless controller attempts to perform wireless communication with the electronic key through the communication device, and permits or operates the operation of the vehicle-mounted device when the attempted wireless communication is established. And
The in-vehicle control unit determines whether or not the situation in which the radar is detecting an object is frequent, and if it is determined that the frequency is frequent, continues the wireless communication attempt to the electronic key. A vehicle-mounted communication device that stops detection of an object by the radar. The in-vehicle communication device according to claim 1,
The in-vehicle control unit determines whether or not there is a moving body around the vehicle based on the detection result of the radar, and if it is determined that there is a moving body, attempts to perform wireless communication with the electronic key through the communication device. Then, it is determined whether or not the situation where it is determined that there is a mobile object is frequent, and if it is determined that it is frequent, the wireless communication to the electronic key is continued and the radar is used. An in-vehicle communication device that stops detecting objects. The in-vehicle communication device according to claim 2,
The in-vehicle control unit determines whether or not the moving body is approaching the vehicle from the detection result of the radar, and when it is determined that the moving body is approaching the vehicle, the electronic key is transmitted through the communication device. If it is determined that the situation in which it is determined that the mobile object is approaching the vehicle is frequent, and if it is determined that it is frequent, An in-vehicle communication device that continues an attempt of wireless communication with the electronic key and stops detecting an object by the radar. In the vehicle-mounted communication apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-3,
The range in which the radar detects an object is a vehicle-mounted communication device that is wider than the range in which the communication device attempts wireless communication with the electronic key. In the in-vehicle communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The in-vehicle control unit performs wireless communication in response to an attempt to wirelessly communicate with the electronic key, when a preset set time elapses after the detection of an object by the radar is stopped, a preset set time is reached. The time that does not hold is continued for a preset time, the situation where no wireless communication is established for the wireless communication attempt to the electronic key continues for a preset number of times, and the in-vehicle device operates An in-vehicle communication device that resumes detection of an object by the radar when at least one of the following is satisfied. In the electronic key system in which the operation of the in-vehicle device is permitted or executed when wireless communication is established between the in-vehicle communication device and the electronic key,
The in-vehicle communication device includes a radar that detects an object, and an in-vehicle control unit that attempts wireless communication with the electronic key when the radar detects an object,
The in-vehicle control unit determines whether or not the situation in which the radar is detecting an object is frequent, and if it is determined that the frequency is frequent, continues the wireless communication attempt to the electronic key. And an electronic key system for stopping the detection of the object by the radar.

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