JP2020101003A - Portable device, notification method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve a user convenience by utilizing a radio communication function of a portable device.SOLUTION: Provided is a portable device, which is configured to be portable by a user for use in locking and unlocking a vehicle door, includes a communication unit which communicates with another device via a wireless communication path; and a control unit which causes a predetermined notification unit to notify information according to the result of the communication.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a portable device, a notification method, and a program.

In recent years, as a vehicle key, an electronic key (that is, a portable device) that enables locking and unlocking (hereinafter, also referred to as “lock” and “unlock”) of a door of the vehicle based on wireless communication with the vehicle side ) Is widely used. Further, a function utilizing a wireless communication function provided in such a portable device has also been proposed. For example, in Patent Document 1, a portable device is provided with a notification function, and the portable device is notified of information via wireless communication, so that when the user loses the portable device, the portable device can be easily found. An example of a technique that enables the above is disclosed.

JP, 2005-220728, A

On the other hand, in recent years, with downsizing and power saving of devices for realizing wireless communication according to various communication systems, options of wireless communication devices to be mounted on portable devices (in other words, applied The communication system of wireless communication) is also spreading. From such a background, it is expected that the use of the wireless communication function of the portable device will provide a function that enables further improvement in convenience.

Therefore, the present invention proposes a technique of further improving the convenience of the user by utilizing the wireless communication function of the portable device.

In order to solve the above problems, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable device which is configured to be carried by a user and used for locking and unlocking a door of a vehicle, via a wireless communication path. A portable device is provided that includes a communication unit that communicates with another device, and a control unit that causes a predetermined notification unit to notify information in a mode according to the result of the communication.

Moreover, you may provide the said alerting|reporting part.

Further, the control unit may cause the notification unit to notify information based on an instruction from the other device.

Further, the control unit may cause the notification unit provided in the other device to notify the information via the communication.

Further, the control unit may estimate a distance to the other device according to a result of the communication, and may cause the notification unit to notify information in a mode according to a result of estimation of the distance.

Further, the notification unit notifies the information by outputting a sound, the control unit, according to the estimation result of the distance, at least one of the volume of the sound and the pattern to output the sound. Either may be controlled.

Further, the notification unit may notify the information by causing the light emitting body to emit light, and the control unit may control the pattern for causing the light emitting body to emit light according to the estimation result of the distance.

Further, the notification unit may notify the information by displaying the display information, and the control unit may control the display information to be displayed according to the estimation result of the distance.

Further, the control unit acquires the detection result of the position of the other device, and based on the change in the position of the other device and the change in the estimation result of the distance, between the other device. The positional relationship may be estimated, and the notification unit may be caused to notify the information in accordance with the estimation result of the positional relationship with the other device.

Further, in order to solve the above problems, according to another aspect of the present invention, a portable device that is configured to be carried by a user and used for locking and unlocking a door of a vehicle is provided via a wireless communication path. To communicate with another device, and to notify a predetermined notification unit of information in a mode according to the result of the communication.

Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to another aspect of the present invention, a user is configured to be able to carry and a portable device used for locking and unlocking a door of a vehicle is connected via a wireless communication path. To communicate with another device and to cause a predetermined notifying unit to notify information in a mode according to the result of the communication.

As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a technique of further improving the convenience of the user by utilizing the wireless communication function of the portable device.

It is the functional block diagram shown about an example of the functional composition of the information system concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is the flowchart which showed an example of the flow of a series of processes of the alerting|reporting system which concerns on the same embodiment. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating Example 1 of the alerting|reporting system which concerns on the same embodiment. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating Example 2 of the alerting|reporting system which concerns on the same embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which showed an example of the hardware constitutions of the apparatus which comprises the alerting|reporting system which concerns on the same embodiment.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and the drawings, constituent elements having substantially the same functional configuration are designated by the same reference numerals, and a duplicate description will be omitted.

<1. Functional configuration>
First, an example of the functional configuration of the notification system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. For example, FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the notification system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The notification system according to the embodiment of the present invention may be realized as a part of a system that controls the operation of the vehicle or a system that operates in cooperation with the system. As shown in FIG. 1, the notification system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a mobile device 100 and an external device 200 configured to be communicable with the mobile device 100 via a wireless communication path N1. The portable device 100 is a so-called portable device (electronic key) which is configured to be carried by a user and used for locking and unlocking a door of a vehicle. The external device 200 may include, for example, the vehicle 210, the communication device 230, or the like. A vehicle 210 schematically illustrates a vehicle that is a target of door locking and unlocking control by the portable device 100. Further, the communication device 230 schematically illustrates a communication device configured to be communicable with another device via a wireless communication path, such as a so-called smartphone. The communication between the mobile device 100 and the vehicle 210 and the communication between the mobile device 100 and the communication device 230 may be performed via the same network or may be performed via different networks. May be performed. The same communication method may be applied to the communication between the mobile device 100 and the vehicle 210 and the communication between the mobile device 100 and the communication device 230, or different communication methods may be applied. May be done.

Next, the configurations of the portable device 100, the vehicle 210, and the communication device 230 will be described below. Note that, in the example shown in FIG. 1, as a configuration of the portable device 100, the vehicle 210, and the communication device 230, a portion mainly related to the present invention is schematically illustrated.

First, the configuration of the portable device 100 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the portable device 100 includes a communication unit 101, a control unit 103, and a notification unit 107. Although not shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that the portable device 100 can have various configurations for functioning as a portable device for locking and unlocking the door of the vehicle.

The communication unit 101 is a component that allows the internal configuration of the portable device 100 to communicate with an external device via a wireless communication path. Note that the configuration of the communication unit 101 may be appropriately changed depending on the communication method. Further, the communication unit 101 may support a plurality of communication methods. In this case, the communication unit 101 may be individually provided with a configuration corresponding to each of a plurality of communication schemes, or one configuration may support a plurality of communication schemes. Further, although RF (Radio Frequency) is mainly assumed as the radio signal used for communication, the type of the radio signal (in other words, the frequency of the radio signal) is not necessarily limited to only RF. It may be appropriately changed according to a possible usage scene (in other words, a possible communication range, a communication environment, etc.).

The notification unit 107 schematically shows a configuration for notifying a user (for example, a vehicle owner) of various information. As a specific example, the notification unit 107 includes a sound output unit such as a speaker, and even if the user is notified of various information by outputting sound (for example, voice, electronic sound, etc.) to the sound output unit. Good. In this case, the sound output unit may be configured to be able to control the volume (volume) of the sound to be output and the output pattern of the sound. In addition, as another example, the notification unit 107 may include a light emitting unit (light emitting body) such as an LED, and may notify the user of various information by causing the light emitting unit to emit light. In this case, the light emitting unit may be configured such that the light emitting pattern can be controlled. Note that the above is merely an example, and the configuration of the notification unit 107 is not necessarily limited to the above as long as the desired information can be notified to the user. Further, the configuration included as the notification unit 107 may be appropriately changed according to the information notification method (in other words, the medium used for the information notification).

The control unit 103 controls the operation of various components of the mobile device 100. For example, the control unit 103 may communicate with the external device 200 via the wireless communication path N1 by controlling the operation of the communication unit 101. In addition, the control unit 103 may control the operation of a predetermined notification unit so that the user is notified of information in a manner according to the result of communication with the external device 200. As a specific example, the control unit 103 may cause the notification unit 107 to notify the information. In this case, the control unit 103 may cause the notification unit 107 to notify the information in response to an instruction from the external device 200, for example. In addition, as another example, the control unit 103 causes the notification unit of the external device 200 (for example, the notification unit 215 of the vehicle 210 or the notification unit 237 of the communication device 230 described below) to be based on the communication with the external device 200. Information may be reported.

Here, an example of the operation related to the control of the information notification by the control unit 103 will be described in more detail with a specific example. For example, the control unit 103 may estimate the distance between the portable device 100 and the external device 200 based on the result of communication with the external device 200. For example, the control unit 103 may estimate the distance based on the strength (radio field strength) of the received wireless signal from the external device 200. In addition, as another example, the control unit 103 may estimate the distance based on the arrival time (in other words, delay) of the wireless signal transmitted from the external device 200. Of course, the above is only an example, and the method is not particularly limited as long as the distance between the portable device 100 and the external device 200 can be estimated based on the communication with the external device 200. Then, the control unit 103 may cause a predetermined notifying unit to notify the information in a mode according to the distance estimation result. As a specific example, the control unit 103 determines the volume of the sound output from the sound output unit or the pattern in which the sound is output according to the distance estimation result (for example, the interval at which the sound is intermittently output, etc.). ) May be controlled. Further, as another example, the control unit 103 may control a pattern for causing the light emitting unit to emit light (for example, an interval at which the light emitting unit emits light intermittently) in accordance with the estimation result of the distance. Of course, the above is merely an example, and the medium used for the notification and the method of the notification are not particularly limited as long as the information is notified in the mode according to the distance estimation result. As a specific example, when notifying information via a display unit such as a display, the control unit 103 controls the display information to be displayed on the display unit according to the distance estimation result. Good. Further, in the above, an example of the case where the estimation result of the distance is used for information notification has been described, but if it can be estimated based on the result of the communication and can be used for control of the information notification mode, The target information is not necessarily limited to the above distance.

Further, the control unit 103 acquires the detection result of the position of the external device 200 (for example, the communication device 230) based on the communication with the external device 200, and via a predetermined notification unit according to the detection result of the position. It is also possible to control the notification of the information. As a specific example, one of the mobile device 100 and the communication device 230 is based on the estimation result of the distance between the mobile device 100 and the communication device 230 and the displacement of the detection result of the position of the communication device 230. It is possible to estimate the direction in which the other is located (that is, the relative positional relationship between the portable device 100 and the communication device 230). Therefore, for example, the control unit 103 may cause a predetermined notification unit to notify the information in a mode according to the distance estimation result and the azimuth estimation result.

Next, an example of the configuration of the vehicle 210 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, vehicle 210 includes a communication unit 211, a control unit 213, and a notification unit 215. Although not shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that the vehicle 210 can have various configurations for functioning as a vehicle.

The communication unit 211 is a component for the configuration inside the vehicle 210 to communicate with an external device (for example, the portable device 100) via a wireless communication path N1. Note that the configuration of the communication unit 211 may be determined based on the same idea as that of the communication unit 101 in the portable device 100, and thus detailed description will be omitted.

The notification unit 215 schematically illustrates a configuration for notifying a user (for example, a vehicle owner or the like) of various kinds of information. As a specific example, the notification unit 215 includes a sound output unit such as a speaker, and even if the user is notified of various information by outputting sound (for example, voice, electronic sound, etc.) to the sound output unit. Good. Further, the notification unit 215 may include a light emitting unit (light emitting body) such as an LED, and may notify the user of various information by causing the light emitting unit to emit light. Note that the mechanism for notifying the user of information using the acoustic output or the light emitting unit is substantially the same as that of the notifying unit 107 in the portable device 100, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted. In addition, the notification unit 215 can be realized as, for example, various output devices (for example, various lamps or speakers) provided in the vehicle or various output devices externally attached to the vehicle. Of course, the above is merely an example, and the configuration of the notification unit 215 is not necessarily limited to the above as long as it is possible to notify the user of desired information.

The control unit 213 controls the operation of various components of the vehicle 210. As a specific example, the control unit 213 may cause the notification unit 215 to notify the information in response to an instruction from the portable device 100.

Next, an example of the configuration of the communication device 230 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication device 230 includes a communication unit 231, a control unit 233, and a notification unit 237. The communication device 230 may also include a position detector 239. Although not shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that the communication device 230 may have various configurations for functioning as a communication device such as a so-called smartphone.

The communication unit 231 is a component that allows the communication device 230 to communicate with an external device (for example, the mobile device 100) via a wireless communication path N1. Note that the configuration of the communication unit 231 may be determined based on the same idea as that of the communication unit 101 in the portable device 100, and thus detailed description will be omitted.

The notification unit 237 schematically shows a configuration for notifying a user (for example, a user who holds the communication device 230) of various kinds of information. As a specific example, the notification unit 237 may include a display unit such as a so-called display, and may notify the user of various information by displaying the display information on the display unit. In addition, the notification unit 237 may include a sound output unit such as a speaker, and may notify the user of various information by outputting a sound (for example, voice, music, sound effect, etc.) to the sound output unit. Of course, the above is merely an example, and the configuration of the notification unit 237 is not necessarily limited to the above as long as it is possible to notify the user of desired information. As a specific example, similar to the notification units 107 and 215 described above, the notification unit 237 may include a light emitting unit (light emitting body) and notify the information by causing the light emitting unit to emit light.

The position detection unit 239 is a configuration for detecting the position of the communication device 230. The position detection unit 239 detects the position of the communication device 230 by acquiring the positioning result of the position of the communication device 230 based on, for example, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) typified by GPS (Global Positioning System). You may. Of course, as long as the position of the communication device 230 can be detected, the method of detecting the position is not particularly limited, and the configuration of the position detection unit 239 may be appropriately changed according to the detection method.

The control unit 233 controls the operation of various components of the communication device 230. For example, the control unit 233 may communicate with an external device (for example, the mobile device 100) via the wireless communication path N1 by controlling the operation of the communication unit 231. Further, the control unit 233 may cause the notification unit 107 of the mobile device 100 to notify the information based on the communication with the mobile device 100.

The control unit 233 may also estimate the distance between the communication device 230 and the portable device 100 based on the result of communication with the portable device 100. In this case, the control unit 233 may notify the portable device 100 of information in a mode according to the estimation result of the distance. The control unit 233 may also notify the portable device 100 of the detection result of the position of the communication device 230 by the position detection unit 239. As a result, the portable device 100 can use the detection result of the position of the communication device 230 for notification of information.

Further, the control unit 233 may cause the notification unit 237 to notify information based on the result of communication with the portable device 100. As a specific example, the control unit 233 may cause the notification unit 237 to notify the information in a mode according to the distance estimation result. Further, at this time, the control unit 233 may use the detection result of the position of the communication device by the position detection unit 239 to notify the information via the notification unit 237. Specifically, the control unit 233 estimates the azimuth in which one of the portable device 100 and the communication device 230 is located with respect to the other in the same manner as the control unit 103 described above, and the estimation result of the azimuth is calculated. It may be used for reporting information.

The functional configuration of the notification system 1 described above is merely an example, and the functional configuration of the notification system 1 is not necessarily limited to the example illustrated in FIG. 1 as long as the operation of each configuration described above can be realized. .. As a specific example, the operation of two or more components among the components shown in FIG. 1 may be realized by one component. In addition, some of the constituent elements shown in FIG. 1 may be provided in an external device. In this case, each component in the notification system 1 and the external device may operate in cooperation by transmitting and receiving information via communication. Further, as another example, the external devices may be externally attached to the notification system 1 to operate in cooperation with each other. Further, among the constituent elements shown in FIG. 1, at least some of the constituent elements may be operated such that a plurality of devices cooperate with each other. As a specific example, at least a part of the functions of the mobile device 100 and the communication device 230 may be realized by a plurality of chips operating in cooperation with each other.

<2. Processing>
Next, an example of a flow of a series of processes of the notification system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described, particularly focusing on the operation of the portable device 100. For example, FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a series of processes of the notification system according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 2, the portable device 100 (communication unit 101) communicates with another device such as the external device 200 (S101). The mobile device 100 (control unit 103) estimates the distance to the other device based on the result of the communication (S103). Then, the portable device 100 (control unit 103) controls notification of information via a predetermined notification unit according to the distance estimation result (S105). As a specific example, the mobile device 100 may cause the notification unit 107 included in the mobile device 100 to notify the information in a mode according to the distance estimation result. Moreover, as another example, the portable device 100 may cause another device (for example, the vehicle 210 or the like) to notify the information via communication in a manner according to the distance estimation result.

Note that the timing and frequency with which the notification system 1 executes the series of processes described above are not particularly limited, and may be set as appropriate according to the application scene of the notification system 1, for example. As a specific example, the mobile device 100 may execute the series of processes based on an instruction from the user via a predetermined input interface. Further, as another example, the portable device 100 may execute the series of processes triggered by a predetermined trigger. As a specific example, the portable device 100 may execute the series of processes in conjunction with the operation of a predetermined function.

<3. Example>
Subsequently, an example of the notification system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

(Example 1: Application example to car finder)
First, as Example 1, an example of applying the technology according to the embodiment of the present invention to a so-called car finder will be described. For example, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for describing Example 1 of the notification system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, when the user operates the portable device 100, the portable device 100 communicates with the vehicle 210 via a wireless communication path, and communicates with the vehicle 210 based on the result of the communication. Estimate the distance between. Then, the portable device 100 notifies the user of the information by, for example, outputting an electronic sound (for example, a buzzer or the like) from the sound output unit. At this time, the portable device 100 controls the volume of the electronic sound and the output pattern (for example, the output interval) of the electronic sound according to the estimation result of the distance, so that the distance to the user is increased. May be notified. Further, as another example, the portable device 100 may notify the user of the information by causing the light emitting unit to emit light. In this case, the portable device 100 may notify the user of the distance by controlling the light emission pattern (for example, the light emission interval) of the light emitting unit according to the distance estimation result. Good. As a result, the user can intuitively recognize the sense of distance from the vehicle 210 in accordance with the change in the mode related to the notification of information from the portable device 100. That is, the user can discover the vehicle 210 by moving so that the mode related to the notification of information from the portable device 100 changes to the mode when the information is closer to the vehicle 210.

Further, as another example, the portable device 100 may cause the vehicle 210 to notify information by ringing a horn, lighting a lamp, or the like. Further, at this time, the portable device 100 may cause the vehicle 210 to control the mode of notifying the information according to the distance estimation result. Accordingly, the user may be able to recognize the direction in which the vehicle 210 is located, the distance to the vehicle 210, and the like based on the notification of information from the vehicle 210.

(Example 2: Application example to key finder)
Next, as a second example, an example in which the technique according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied to a so-called key finder will be described. For example, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for describing Example 2 of the notification system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, when the user operates the communication device 230 such as a smartphone, the communication device 230 communicates with the mobile device 100 via a wireless communication path. The portable device 100 estimates the distance between the communication devices 230 based on the result of the communication with the communication device 230. Then, the portable device 100 notifies the user of information by outputting an electronic sound from the sound output unit, emitting light from the light emitting unit, or the like. Further, at this time, the portable device 100 controls the aspect related to the output of the electronic sound from the acoustic output section and the aspect related to the light emission of the light emitting section according to the distance estimation result, as in the first embodiment described above. To do. Accordingly, the user can discover the portable device 100 by using the notification of information from the portable device 100 as a clue. In addition, at this time, the user can intuitively recognize the sense of distance from the portable device 100 according to the change in the mode related to the notification of information from the portable device 100.

At this time, it is also possible to notify the user of the azimuth in which the portable device 100 is located by using the position information of the communication device 230. Specifically, the communication device 230 is used by using the change in the position information of the communication device 230 due to the movement of the communication device 230 and the estimation result of the distance between the portable device 100 and the communication device 230. It is possible to estimate the azimuth in which the portable device 100 is located with reference to. Therefore, when the user is notified of the estimation result of the direction via the communication device 230, the user can recognize the direction in which the portable device 100 is located. The main body of the process for estimating the azimuth is not particularly limited. For example, the mobile device 100 may estimate the azimuth by acquiring the position information from the communication device 230. In addition, as another example, the communication device 230 may estimate the azimuth based on the detection result of its own position and the estimation result of the distance to the portable device 100.

<3. Hardware configuration example>
Subsequently, a hardware configuration capable of realizing the function of a device (here, for convenience, referred to as “terminal device 900”) such as the portable device 100 and the communication device 230 that configure the notification system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. An example will be described. For example, FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an apparatus that constitutes the notification system according to the embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the terminal device 900 includes, for example, a processor 950, a ROM 952, a RAM 954, and a communication device 962. Further, the terminal device 900 may include at least one of a recording medium 956, an operation device 958, and a display device 960. Further, in the terminal device 900, for example, each component is connected by a bus 964 as a data transmission path. The terminal device 900 is driven by electric power supplied from an internal power supply such as a battery included in the terminal device 900, for example. Further, the terminal device 900 may be driven by electric power supplied from an external power source such as a commercial power source.

The processor 950 includes, for example, one or two or more processors. As a processor that constitutes the processor 950, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like can be cited.

The processor 950 controls the operation of the entire terminal device 900, for example. Further, the processor 950 plays a role as the control unit 103 in the portable device 100 shown in FIG. 1, for example. Further, the processor 950 plays a role as the control unit 233 in the communication device 230 shown in FIG.

The ROM 952 stores control data such as programs and calculation parameters used by the processor 950. The RAM 954 temporarily stores, for example, a program executed by the processor 950.

The recording medium 956 functions as a storage unit (not shown). Examples of the recording medium 956 include an arbitrary recording medium such as a magnetic recording medium and a non-volatile memory. The recording medium 956 may be removable from the terminal device 900. The recording medium 956 may store, for example, a database or a program (computer program) for causing the terminal device 900 to function.

The operation device 958 functions as an operation unit (not shown). Examples of the operation device 958 include buttons, direction keys, and any operation device such as a combination thereof.

The display device 960 functions as a display unit. Examples of the display device 960 include any display device such as a liquid crystal display and an organic EL display. Further, the display device 960 may be realized by a device capable of display and user operation, such as a touch panel. The display on the display device 960 is controlled by the processor 950, for example. For example, the notification unit 237 (particularly, the display unit) of the communication device 230 illustrated in FIG. 1 can be realized by the display device 960.

The communication device 962 functions as a communication unit, and has a role of allowing the terminal device 900 to communicate with another device (for example, a communication device such as a smartphone) via a wireless or wired communication path. For example, the communication unit 101 of the mobile device 100 and the communication unit 231 of the communication device 230 illustrated in FIG. 1 can be realized by the communication device 962.

As the communication device 962, for example, a communication antenna and an RF (Radio Frequency) circuit (wireless communication), an IEEE802.15.1 port and a transceiver circuit (wireless communication), an IEEE802.11 port and a transceiver circuit (wireless communication), or Examples thereof include communication devices compatible with an arbitrary communication method such as a LAN (Local Area Network) terminal and a transmission/reception circuit (wired communication). Communication in the communication unit is controlled by the processor 950, for example.

The terminal device 900 has, for example, the hardware configuration shown in FIG. The hardware configuration of the terminal device 900 according to the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG.

For example, when the terminal device 900 communicates with an external device via the connected external communication device, the communication device 962 may not be provided. The communication device 962 may have a configuration capable of communicating with one or more external devices by a plurality of communication methods.

Further, in the terminal device 900, the processor 950 may have one or both of ROM and RAM. In this case, the terminal device 900 can be configured without one or both of the ROM 952 and the RAM 954. Further, the terminal device 900 can also be configured without the recording medium 956. In this case, the program or the like for causing the terminal device 900 to function may be stored in the ROM 952, for example.

In addition, the terminal device 900 can be configured without any or all of the recording medium 956, the operation device 958, and the display device 960.

Further, for example, part or all of the configuration shown in FIG. 5 may be realized by one or two or more ICs (Integrated Circuits).

Heretofore, an example of the hardware configuration capable of realizing the function of the terminal device 900 configuring the notification system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention has been shown. Each component described above may be configured using a general-purpose member, or may be configured by hardware specialized for the function of each component. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately change the hardware configuration to be used according to the technical level at the time of implementing the present embodiment. Although not shown in FIG. 5, various configurations corresponding to the terminal device 900 according to the present embodiment are naturally provided.

Further, it is possible to create a computer program for realizing each function of the terminal device 900 that configures the notification system 1 according to the present embodiment as described above, and install the computer program in various computers. It is also possible to provide a computer-readable recording medium in which such a computer program is stored. The recording medium is, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a flash memory, or the like. Further, the above computer program may be distributed via a network, for example, without using a recording medium. Further, the number of computers that execute the computer program is not particularly limited. For example, the computer program may be executed by a plurality of computers (for example, a plurality of servers) in cooperation with each other.

<4. Conclusion>
As described above, the portable device according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured to be carried by the user, is used for locking and unlocking the door of the vehicle, and includes the communication unit and the control unit. The communication unit communicates with another device (for example, a vehicle or a communication device) via a wireless communication path. The control unit causes a predetermined notification unit to notify the information in a mode according to the result of the communication. As a specific example, the control unit estimates the distance to the other device according to the result of the communication, and causes the notification unit to notify the information in a mode according to the estimation result of the distance, As a specific example, the control unit may select at least one of the volume of sound output from the notification unit (for example, the sound output unit) and the pattern for outputting the sound according to the distance estimation result. May be controlled.

With the configuration described above, the user can intuitively recognize the sense of distance between the portable device and the other device according to a change in the aspect related to the notification of information from the portable device. Becomes With this, the user can grasp the position of the vehicle or find the lost portable device, for example, by relying on the notification of information from the portable device.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can come up with various changes or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. Of course, it is understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, although the above embodiment has been described mainly focusing on the portable device (electronic key), it may be configured so that it can be carried by the user (vehicle owner) and can be used to lock or unlock the vehicle door. For example, the technology according to the present embodiment can be applied. As a specific example, by providing a communication unit and a notification unit for a vehicle key that locks and unlocks the door of the vehicle by inserting and rotating the blade portion into the keyhole, the present embodiment relates to the present embodiment. Technology may be applied. Also, a terminal device such as a smartphone may play the role of the portable device according to the present embodiment. In this case, the technology according to the present embodiment can be applied by installing an application in the terminal device.

1 notification system, 100 portable device, 101 communication unit, 103 control unit, 107 notification unit, 200 external device, 210 vehicle, 211 communication unit, 213 control unit, 215 notification unit, 230 communication device, 231 communication unit, 233 control unit 237 notification unit 239 position detection unit

Claims (11)

A portable device configured to be carried by a user and used for locking and unlocking a vehicle door,
A communication unit that communicates with another device via a wireless communication path,
In a mode according to the result of the communication, a control unit for informing a predetermined notification unit of information,
A portable device. The portable device according to claim 1, further comprising the notification unit. The portable device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit causes the notification unit to notify information based on an instruction from the other device. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the notification unit provided in the other device to notify information via the communication. The control unit estimates a distance to the other device according to a result of the communication, and causes the notification unit to notify information in a mode according to an estimation result of the distance. The portable device according to any one of claims. The notification unit notifies the information by outputting a sound,
The control unit controls at least one of a volume of the sound and a pattern for outputting the sound according to an estimation result of the distance,
The portable device according to claim 5. The notification unit notifies the information by causing the light emitting body to emit light,
The control unit controls a pattern for causing the light-emitting body to emit light, according to an estimation result of the distance,
The portable device according to claim 5 or 6. The notification unit notifies the information by displaying the display information,
The control unit controls the display information to be displayed according to the estimation result of the distance,
The portable device according to any one of claims 5 to 7. The control unit is
Obtaining the detection result of the position of the other device,
Based on the change in the position of the other device and the change in the estimation result of the distance, the positional relationship with the other device is estimated,
According to the estimation result of the positional relationship with the other device, the notification unit is caused to notify the information,
The portable device according to any one of claims 5 to 8. A portable device that is configured to be carried by the user and used for locking and unlocking the vehicle door is
Communicating with other devices via a wireless communication path,
In a mode according to the result of the communication, causing a predetermined notification unit to notify the information,
Including a notification method. A portable device that can be carried by the user and is used for locking and unlocking the vehicle door,
Communicating with other devices via a wireless communication path,
In a mode according to the result of the communication, causing a predetermined notification unit to notify the information,
A program that runs

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