JP2020136983A - On-vehicle communication device and vehicle control system - Google Patents

Abstract

To reduce unevenness of communicable ranges of respective portable terminals with an on-vehicle communication device.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle communication device 10 is mounted on a vehicle 50 and comprises: a BLE communication unit 3 wirelessly transmitting/receiving BLE (Bluetooth(R) Low Energy) signals to/from a smart phone 20 held by a user of the vehicle 50; and a control unit 1 controlling operation of the BLE communication unit 3. The on-vehicle communication device further comprises: a communication condition detection unit 1a detecting a condition of communication between the BLE communication unit 3 and the smart phone 20 while the smart phone 20 is set at a predetermined position in a vehicle compartment of the vehicle 50; and a communication level setting unit 1b setting a communication level of the BLE communication unit 3 on the basis of the detected condition of communication. The control unit 1 causes the BLE communication unit 3 to operate at the communication level set by the communication level setting unit 1b and causes the BLE communication unit to perform subsequent communication with the smart phone 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention comprises an in-vehicle communication device that wirelessly communicates with a mobile terminal carried by a vehicle user, and a vehicle control system that executes predetermined control in the vehicle based on information received from the mobile terminal by the in-vehicle communication device. Regarding.

There is a vehicle control system that executes predetermined control in a vehicle by using a general-purpose mobile terminal such as a smartphone (multifunctional mobile phone) instead of an electronic key dedicated to the vehicle such as FOB (for example, Patent Document 1). And Patent Document 2). This vehicle control system executes reserved predetermined vehicle control based on an in-vehicle communication device that wirelessly communicates with a mobile terminal according to the BLUETOOTH (registered trademark) standard and information received from the mobile terminal by the in-vehicle communication device. It is composed of a vehicle control device. The in-vehicle communication device and the vehicle control device are mounted on the vehicle. The mobile terminal is owned by the user of the vehicle and is carried by the user.

In the vehicle control system, terminal information for identifying a mobile terminal is registered in advance in an in-vehicle communication device or a vehicle control device. When a user carrying a mobile terminal approaches a vehicle equipped with a vehicle control system, the in-vehicle communication device and the mobile terminal perform wireless communication. Then, when the vehicle control device succeeds in authenticating the mobile terminal based on the terminal information for identifying the mobile terminal included in the signal received from the mobile terminal by the in-vehicle communication device and the registered terminal information, the vehicle Certain controls are performed, such as unlocking or opening the door, turning on the lights, or starting a running power source (engine or motor).

Further, in Patent Document 1, in order to determine the permission / prohibition of predetermined control according to the position of the mobile terminal, the antenna of the in-vehicle communication device is linearly polarized under the seat on the floor surface including the center console portion of the vehicle. The waves are provided so that they face the front-rear direction of the vehicle. Then, based on the result of comparing the signal strength of the radio signals for three or more channels exchanged between the in-vehicle communication device and the mobile terminal with the preset reference strength, the mobile terminal is inside or outside the vehicle. I'm deciding which one it is.

Further, in Patent Document 2, in order to accurately detect the distance to the mobile terminal having a function of changing the signal transmission strength, the in-vehicle communication device communicates with the mobile terminal to authenticate the mobile terminal. Then, when the in-vehicle communication device succeeds in authenticating the mobile terminal, the in-vehicle communication device transmits a signal requesting that the transmission strength be maintained constant to the mobile terminal. After that, when the in-vehicle communication device receives the distance measuring signal transmitted from the mobile terminal with a constant transmission strength, the in-vehicle communication device measures the distance to the mobile terminal based on the reception strength of the signal.

Japanese Patent No. 6313114 Japanese Patent No. 5967046

Unlike electronic keys dedicated to vehicles, mobile terminals such as smartphones, which are general-purpose products, have different communication performance depending on the model and individual. For this reason, one mobile terminal has a wide communicable range with the in-vehicle communication device, while another mobile terminal has a narrow communicable range with the in-vehicle communication device. Further, due to the variation in the communicable range with the in-vehicle communication device for each mobile terminal, the distance from the vehicle to the mobile terminal also varies, so that the predetermined control for the vehicle is not stably performed, and the user may feel inconvenience. , There is a risk of dissatisfaction.

An object of the present invention is to reduce variations in the communicable range of each mobile terminal with an in-vehicle communication device.

The in-vehicle communication device according to the present invention is mounted on a vehicle, and includes a communication unit that wirelessly communicates with a mobile terminal carried by a vehicle user, a control unit that controls the operation of the communication unit, and a mobile terminal. Is set in a predetermined position of the vehicle, and the communication level of the communication unit is based on the communication status detection unit that detects the communication status between the communication unit and the mobile terminal and the communication status detected by the communication status detection unit. It is equipped with a communication level setting unit for setting. The control unit operates the communication unit at the communication level set by the communication level setting unit to perform subsequent communication with the mobile terminal.

Further, the vehicle control system according to the present invention includes the vehicle-mounted communication device and a vehicle control device mounted on the vehicle together with the vehicle-mounted communication device and communicating with the vehicle-mounted communication device. The in-vehicle communication device wirelessly communicates with the mobile terminal and transmits terminal information for identifying the mobile terminal included in the signal received from the mobile terminal to the vehicle control device. The vehicle control device authenticates the mobile terminal based on the terminal information received from the in-vehicle communication device, and if the authentication is successful, executes predetermined control in the vehicle.

According to the above, with the mobile terminal set in the predetermined position of the vehicle, the in-vehicle communication device sets the communication level of the communication unit based on the communication state with the mobile terminal, and thereafter, with the mobile terminal at the communication level. To communicate. Therefore, even if the communication performance for the in-vehicle communication device is different for each mobile terminal, the in-vehicle communication device communicates with the mobile terminal at the communication level set in the communication unit according to the mobile terminal. It is possible to reduce the variation in the communicable range of. Further, when the in-vehicle communication device transmits the terminal information of the mobile terminal included in the signal received from the mobile terminal to the vehicle control device, or when the vehicle control device succeeds in authenticating the mobile terminal based on the terminal information, the vehicle It is also possible to reduce variations in the range and distance from the vehicle to the mobile terminal for each mobile terminal when executing the predetermined control. Therefore, stable control of the vehicle can be performed even if the model or individual of the mobile terminal is different.

In the present invention, in the in-vehicle communication device, the control unit has terminal information for identifying the mobile terminal included in the signal received from the mobile terminal by the communication unit in a state where the mobile terminal is set at a predetermined position of the vehicle. And the communication level set by the communication level setting unit are stored in the storage unit, and the terminal information included in the signal received from the mobile terminal by the communication unit during subsequent communication with the mobile terminal is stored in the storage unit. If it matches the stored terminal information, the communication unit may be operated at the communication level associated with the terminal information to communicate with the mobile terminal.

Further, in the present invention, in the in-vehicle communication device, the communication state detection unit responds to each signal transmitted by changing the reception strength of the signal received from the mobile terminal or the transmission strength to the mobile terminal as the communication state. Sensitivity may be detected.

Further, in the present invention, in the in-vehicle communication device, the communication level setting unit sets the reception sensitivity or transmission strength of the signal by the communication unit to a higher level so that the communication state detected by the communication state detection unit is poorer. May be good.

Further, in the present invention, the in-vehicle communication device may further include a set detection unit that detects that the mobile terminal is set at a predetermined position of the vehicle.

Further, in the present invention, in the in-vehicle communication device, the mobile terminal may be composed of a multifunctional mobile phone, and the communication unit may perform wireless communication of the BLUETOOTH (registered trademark) standard with the mobile terminal.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce variations in the communicable range with the in-vehicle communication device for each mobile terminal.

It is a block diagram of the vehicle control system of embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which showed the application example of the vehicle control system of FIG. It is a flowchart which showed the operation at the time of setting a communication level of the vehicle-mounted communication device of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which showed the communication state of the vehicle-mounted communication device and the mobile terminal of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which showed the communication state between an in-vehicle communication device and a mobile terminal at the time of setting a communication level of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which showed the communication state of the vehicle-mounted communication device and the mobile terminal of 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which showed the operation at the time of communication level operation of an in-vehicle communication device. It is a flowchart which showed the operation of a vehicle control device.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each figure, the same parts or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of the vehicle control system 100 of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an application example of the vehicle control system 100.

The vehicle-mounted communication device 10, the vehicle control device 30, and the vehicle-mounted device 40 included in the vehicle control system 100 shown in FIG. 1 are mounted on a vehicle 50 composed of a motorcycle as shown in FIG. The smartphone 20 is an example of a general-purpose multifunctional mobile terminal, which is owned and carried by the user M of the vehicle 50. In FIG. 1, for convenience, only one smartphone 20 is shown.

As shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle communication device 10 includes a control unit 1, a storage unit 2, a BLE communication unit 3 (BLE will be described later), a smartphone set detection unit 4, and an in-vehicle communication unit 5. Of these, the BLE communication unit 3 is an example of the "communication unit" of the present invention, and the smartphone set detection unit 4 is an example of the "set detection unit" of the present invention.

The control unit 1 is composed of a microcomputer and controls the operation of each unit of the vehicle-mounted communication device 10. The control unit 1 is provided with a communication state detection unit 1a and a communication level setting unit 1b. The storage unit 2 includes a memory capable of reading information, a memory capable of rewriting information, and the like. Information for the control unit 1 to control the operation of each unit is stored in advance in the storage unit 2, or is stored at any time. Further, the storage unit 2 is provided with a communication level storage area 2a.

The BLE communication unit 3 is a circuit for wirelessly transmitting and receiving a BLE signal based on the short-range communication standard BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy) to a BLE compatible device (smartphone 20 in this example). It consists of an antenna. The control unit 1 wirelessly transmits and receives a BLE signal to and from the smartphone 20 by the BLE communication unit 3.

The BLE communication unit 3 is provided with a reception strength measurement unit 3a, a transmission strength switching unit 3b, and a reception sensitivity switching unit 3c. The reception strength measuring unit 3a measures the reception strength (RSSI: Received Signal Strength Indicator) of the BLE signal received from the smartphone 20 by the BLE communication unit 3.

The transmission strength switching unit 3b switches the transmission strength of the BLE signal transmitted from the BLE communication unit 3 to the smartphone 20. Specifically, the transmission intensity switching unit 3b switches the transmission intensity of the BLE signal by changing the amplitude of the BLE signal to be transmitted. As the amplitude of the BLE signal increases, the transmission strength of the BLE signal increases.

The reception sensitivity switching unit 3c switches the reception sensitivity when the BLE communication unit 3 receives the BLE signal transmitted from the smartphone 20. Specifically, when a signal is received by the antenna of the BLE communication unit 3, the reception strength (RSSI) of the signal is measured by the reception strength measurement unit 3a. Then, if the measured reception intensity is larger than the threshold value, the signal received by the antenna is considered to be the BLE signal from the smartphone 20. Therefore, the reception sensitivity switching unit 3c switches the reception sensitivity of the BLE signal by increasing or decreasing the threshold value. In this case, as the threshold value increases, the reception sensitivity of the BLE signal decreases. As another example, for example, an attenuator that attenuates the signal received by the antenna of the BLE communication unit 3 is provided in the reception sensitivity switching unit 3c, and the reception sensitivity switching unit 3c changes the attenuation rate of the attenuator. The reception sensitivity of the BLE signal may be switched. In this case, as the attenuation factor of the attenuator increases, the reception sensitivity of the BLE signal decreases.

The in-vehicle communication device 10 can communicate with the smartphone 20 within the communication range Z as shown in FIG. Further, the transmission strength of the BLE signal transmitted from the BLE communication unit 3 is changed by the transmission strength switching unit 3b, and the reception sensitivity when the BLE signal from the smartphone 20 is received by the BLE communication unit 3 is changed by the reception sensitivity switching unit. By changing according to 3c, the communicable range Z can be expanded or contracted.

The control unit 1 (FIG. 1) polls the smartphone 20 by the BLE communication unit 3 and intermittently transmits a BLE request signal requesting a response at a predetermined cycle. If the smartphone 20 is within the communicable range Z, the BLE request signal is received by the smartphone 20, and the smartphone 20 returns the BLE answer signal accordingly. When the BLE answer signal is received by the BLE communication unit 3, mutual communication between the vehicle-mounted communication device 10 and the smartphone 20 is established, so that the control unit 1 determines that the vehicle-mounted communication device 10 is connected to the smartphone 20. After that, the control unit 1 continues to poll the BLE request signal by the BLE communication unit 3, and when the BLE communication unit 3 stops receiving the BLE answer signal from the smartphone 20, the in-vehicle communication device 10 and the smartphone 20 are connected. Is determined to have been released.

The smartphone set detection unit 4 processes, for example, a sensor (proximity sensor, photo sensor, etc.) installed at a predetermined position (within the communicable range Z) such as a center console in the vehicle interior of the vehicle 50, and an output signal of the sensor. It consists of a circuit. The smartphone set detection unit 4 detects that the smartphone 20 is set (mounted) at a predetermined position of the vehicle 50. A display or a guide may be provided at a predetermined position of the vehicle 50 to promote the smartphone 20 to be set in a predetermined orientation.

With the smartphone 20 set at a predetermined position on the vehicle 50, the communication state detection unit 1a of the control unit 1 detects the communication state between the BLE communication unit 3 and the smartphone 20. Then, the communication level setting unit 1b sets the communication level of the BLE communication unit 3 based on the communication state detected by the communication state detection unit 1a.

The in-vehicle communication unit 5 includes a circuit for communicating with the vehicle control device 30 and other devices mounted on the vehicle 50 by CAN (Controller Area Network) or the like.

The vehicle control device 30 includes an electronic control unit (ECU) that controls the operation of the in-vehicle device 40 mounted on the vehicle 50. The terminal information (ID, etc.) of the smartphone 20 for identifying the smartphone 20 is registered (stored) in the vehicle control device 30 in advance. For example, when the user M performs a predetermined operation with an input device (not shown) mounted on the smartphone 20 or the vehicle 50, the terminal information of the smartphone 20 is registered in the vehicle control device 30. In the example of FIG. 2, the in-vehicle device 40 includes a power tailgate (power back door) of the vehicle 50.

The in-vehicle communication device 10 communicates with the smartphone 20 by the BLE communication unit 3 to acquire the terminal information of the smartphone 20 included in the signal received from the smartphone 20. Then, the terminal information is transmitted to the vehicle control device 30 by the in-vehicle communication unit 5.

The vehicle control device 30 authenticates the smartphone 20 based on the terminal information received from the vehicle-mounted communication device 10, and if the authentication is successful, executes a predetermined vehicle control reserved in advance. In this example, as vehicle control, control is performed in which the power tailgate (FIG. 2), which is an in-vehicle device 40, is automatically unlocked and then opened.

As another example of vehicle control, when the user M gets on the vehicle 50, for example, opening and closing the other doors of the vehicle 50, starting the engine, turning on the lights, or starting the air conditioner ( Alternatively, the vehicle-mounted communication device 10 may execute the operation of the vehicle-mounted device to be used (after getting on the vehicle) based on the authentication result of the smartphone 20.

The content of the vehicle control as described above is input by, for example, the user M performing a predetermined operation on the smartphone 20, and is reserved from the smartphone 20 to the vehicle control device 30 via the in-vehicle communication device 10. May be good. Alternatively, for example, the input device mounted on the vehicle 50 may perform a predetermined operation to input the contents of the vehicle control as described above and make a reservation with the vehicle control device 30.

The smartphone 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, a BLE communication unit 23, a display operation unit 24, and a public communication unit 25. The control unit 21 is composed of a microcomputer and controls the operation of each unit of the smartphone 20. The storage unit 22 includes a memory capable of reading information, a memory capable of rewriting information, and the like. The storage unit 22 stores information and the like for the control unit 21 to control the operation of each unit.

The BLE communication unit 23 includes a circuit and an antenna for wirelessly transmitting and receiving BLE signals to and from a BLE compatible device (in-vehicle communication device 10 in this example). The control unit 21 wirelessly transmits and receives a BLE signal to and from the vehicle-mounted communication device 10 by the BLE communication unit 23.

The display operation unit 24 includes a touch panel, a speaker, a microphone, a vibrator, and the like. A predetermined vehicle control may be reserved by performing a predetermined operation on the touch panel of the display operation unit 24. The public communication unit 25 is connected to the public telephone network or the Internet via a base station, and is composed of a circuit for communicating with other telephone devices (mobile phones and fixed telephones) and information processing devices (personal computers and servers). ..

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the in-vehicle communication device 10 of the first embodiment when the communication level is set.

When the smartphone set detection unit 4 detects that the smartphone 20 is set at a predetermined position of the vehicle 50 (step S1 in FIG. 3), the control unit 1 of the in-vehicle communication device 10 causes the BLE communication unit 3 to BLE with respect to the smartphone 20. Communicate with the smartphone 20 by transmitting the request signal and receiving the BLE answer signal (step S2). Then, the reception strength of the BLE answer signal received from the smartphone 20 is measured by the reception strength measurement unit 3a, and the communication state detection unit 1a detects the reception strength as the communication state with the smartphone 20 (step S3). Further, the control unit 1 acquires the terminal information of the smartphone 20 included in the received BLE answer signal (step S4).

When the reception strength detected by the communication state detection unit 1a is greater than a predetermined threshold value (communication state is good) (step S5: YES), the communication level setting unit 1b determines the reception sensitivity of the BLE communication unit 3 as the communication level. To a low level of (step S6). When the reception strength detected by the communication state detection unit 1a is equal to or less than the threshold value (communication state is poor) (step S5: NO), the communication level setting unit 1b sets the reception sensitivity of the BLE communication unit 3 to a predetermined high level. Is set to (step S7). The high level of reception sensitivity set in step S7 is higher than the low level of reception sensitivity set in step S6.

Then, the control unit 1 associates the reception sensitivity level of the BLE communication unit 3 set by the communication level setting unit 1b with the terminal information of the smartphone 20 and registers (records) it in the communication level storage area 2a of the storage unit 2. ) (Step S8). Further, the control unit 1 controls the reception sensitivity switching unit 3c to switch the reception sensitivity of the BLE communication unit 3 to the level set by the communication level setting unit 1b, thereby reflecting the communication level setting (step S9). .. As a result, thereafter, the in-vehicle communication device 10 receives the BLE signal from the smartphone 20 with the reception sensitivity of the BLE communication unit 3 according to the smartphone 20.

After that, even when another smartphone 20 is set at a predetermined position of the vehicle 50, the in-vehicle communication device 10 sets the reception sensitivity of the BLE communication unit 3 according to the smartphone 20 according to the procedure shown in FIG. Register and reflect.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a communication state between the in-vehicle communication device 10 of the first embodiment and the smartphones 20 ₍₁₎ and 20 ₍₂₎ .

The smartphone 20 ₍₁₎ and the smartphone 20 ₍₂₎ have the same configuration as the smartphone 20 shown in FIG. Further, since the smartphone 20 ₍₁₎ and the smartphone 20 ₍₂₎ are different in model or individual and have different communication performance with respect to the in-vehicle communication device 10, they are designated by different reference numerals in FIG. 4 for convenience. (The same applies to FIG. 6 described later.)

As shown in FIG. 4 (a), prior to the communication level settings from a transmission intensity by the smartphone _{20 (1)} transmits a BLE answer signal, the direction of transmission intensity smartphone _{20 (2)} transmits a BLE answer signal It's getting weaker. Therefore, in the vehicle-mounted communication device 10, the reception strength of the BLE signal answer from the smartphone 20 ₍₂₎ is weaker than the reception strength of the BLE answer signal from the smartphone 20 ₍₁₎ . As a result, from the smartphone _{20 (1)} communicable range _{Z (1)} of the relative vehicle communication device 10, the smartphone _{20 (2)} it is narrowed in the communicable range _{Z (2),} these communicable range _{Z (1 )} , Z ₍₂ ) has a large variation (difference).

However, in the procedure shown in FIG. 3, the in-vehicle communication device 10 sets the communication level for the smartphones 20 ₍₁₎ and 20 ₍₂₎ , and switches and reflects the settings from the smartphone 20 _(2). The reception sensitivity of the BLE answer signal is switched to a high level, and the reception sensitivity of the BLE signal from the smartphone 20 ₍₁₎ is switched to a low level. Therefore, during operation after setting the communication level, the in-vehicle communication device 10 is promoted to receive the BLE answer signal from the smartphone 20 ₍₂₎ by the BLE communication unit 3, and as shown in FIG. 4 (b), the reception of the BLE answer signal is promoted. The communicable range Z ₍₂₎ of the smartphone 20 ₍₂₎ is substantially expanded. Further, the reception of the BLE answer signal from the smartphone 20 ₍₁₎ by the BLE communication unit 3 is suppressed, and the communication range Z ₍₁₎ of the smartphone 20 ₍₁₎ is substantially reduced. As a result, the smartphone ₂₀ communicable range _{Z (1)} of the communication range _Z of _{(2) (2)} and the smartphone _{20 (1)} and is close, communication range _{Z (1),} variation in _{Z (2)} It becomes smaller.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle-mounted communication device 10 of the second embodiment when the communication level is set. The configuration of the in-vehicle communication device 10 is the same as that in FIG.

When the smartphone set detection unit 4 detects that the smartphone 20 is set at a predetermined position of the vehicle 50 (step S11), the control unit 1 of the vehicle-mounted communication device 10 transmits a BLE request signal to the smartphone 20 by the BLE communication unit 3. (Step S12). Then, when the BLE communication unit 3 receives the BLE answer signal returned by the smartphone 20 in response to the BLE request signal from the vehicle-mounted communication device 10 (step S13: YES), the control unit 1 acquires the terminal information of the smartphone 20. It is confirmed whether or not it has been completed (step S14). Here, if the terminal information of the smartphone 20 has not been acquired yet (step S14: NO), the control unit 1 acquires the terminal information of the smartphone 20 included in the BLE answer signal received from the smartphone 20 (step S15). ).

Then, the control unit 1 reduces the transmission strength of the BLE request signal by a predetermined amount by the transmission strength switching unit 3b (step S16), and transmits the BLE request signal again by the BLE communication unit 3 (step S12). When the BLE answer signal from the smartphone 20 is received by the BLE communication unit 3 again (step S13: YES), the control unit 1 has already acquired the terminal information of the smartphone 20 (step S14: YES), so that the transmission strength is switched. The transmission strength of the BLE request signal is further reduced by the unit 3b (step S16), and the BLE request signal is transmitted again by the BLE communication unit 3 (step S12).

After repeating steps S12 to S16 several times, when the BLE answer signal from the smartphone 20 is no longer received by the BLE communication unit 3 (step S13: NO), the communication state detection unit 1a changes to the current BLE communication unit 3. The transmission strength of the BLE request signal according to the above is detected as the response sensitivity of the smartphone 20 (step S17). The response sensitivity of the smartphone 20 detected at this time is an example of the communication state with the smartphone 20.

Then, when the response sensitivity of the detected smartphone 20 is greater than a predetermined threshold value (communication state is good) (step S18: YES), the communication level setting unit 1b sets the transmission strength of the BLE communication unit 3 as the communication level. Set to a low level (step S19). When the response sensitivity of the smartphone 20 is equal to or less than the threshold value (communication state is poor) (step S18: NO), the communication level setting unit 1b sets the transmission strength of the BLE communication unit 3 to a predetermined high level (step). S20). The high level of transmission intensity set in step S20 is higher than the low level of transmission intensity set in step S19.

Then, the control unit 1 associates the transmission strength level of the BLE communication unit 3 set by the communication level setting unit 1b with the terminal information of the smartphone 20 and stores it in the communication level storage area 2a of the storage unit 2. To register (record) the communication level of the smartphone 20 (step S21). Further, the control unit 1 controls the transmission strength switching unit 3b and switches the transmission strength of the BLE communication unit 3 to the level set by the communication level setting unit 1b to reflect the communication level setting (step S22). .. As a result, thereafter, the BLE communication unit 3 of the in-vehicle communication device 10 transmits the BLE signal with the transmission strength corresponding to the smartphone 20.

After that, even when another smartphone 20 is set at a predetermined position of the vehicle 50, the in-vehicle communication device 10 sets the transmission strength of the BLE signal according to the smartphone 20 according to the procedure shown in FIG. 5, and registers the setting. reflect.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a communication state between the in-vehicle communication device 10 of the second embodiment and the smartphones 20 ₍₁₎ and 20 ₍₂₎ .

As shown in FIG. 6A, the response sensitivity of the smartphone 20 ₍₂₎ is worse than the response sensitivity of the smartphone 20 ₍₁₎ before the communication level is set. Therefore, from the smartphone _{20 (1)} communicable range _{Z (1)} of the relative vehicle communication device 10, the smartphone _{20 (2)} it is narrowed in the communicable range _{Z (2),} these communicable range _{Z (1 ) And} Z ₍₂₎ vary widely.

However, in the procedure shown in FIG. 5, the in-vehicle communication device 10 sets the communication level for the smartphones 20 ₍₁₎ and 20 ₍₂₎ , and switches and reflects the settings to the smartphone 20 ₍₂₎ . The transmission strength of the BLE request signal is switched to a high level, and the transmission strength of the BLE request signal to the smartphone 20 ₍₁₎ is switched to a low level. Therefore, during operation after the communication level is set, the reception of the BLE request signal from the in-vehicle communication device 10 by the smartphone 20 ₍₂₎ is promoted, and as shown in FIG. 6 (b), the smartphone 20 ₍ b) is substantially used. communicable range _{Z 2) (2)} is expanded. Further, the reception of the BLE request signal from the in-vehicle communication device 10 by the smartphone 20 ₍₁₎ is suppressed, and the communicable range Z ₍₁₎ of the smartphone 20 ₍₁₎ is substantially reduced. As a result, the smartphone ₂₀ communicable range _{Z (1)} of the communication range _Z of _{(2) (2)} and the smartphone _{20 (1)} and is close, communication range _{Z (1),} variation in _{Z (2)} It becomes smaller.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the in-vehicle communication device 10 during the communication level operation.

First, the control unit 1 of the vehicle-mounted communication device 10 transmits a BLE request signal by polling by the BLE communication unit 3 in order to search for the smartphone 20 (step S31 in FIG. 7). When the transmission strength level of the BLE signal is set / registered / reflected as shown in FIG. 3 in the operation at the time of setting the communication level, the BLE communication unit 3 currently sets the level in step S31 of FIG. The BLE request signal is polled and transmitted at the same level of transmission strength. Then, the BLE communication unit 3 receives the BLE answer signal from the smartphone 20 with a constant level of reception sensitivity.

Further, when the level of the reception sensitivity of the BLE signal is set, registered, and reflected as shown in FIG. 5 in the operation at the time of setting the communication level, the BLE communication unit 3 determines the level in step S31 of FIG. The BLE request signal is polled and transmitted at the level of transmission strength. Then, the BLE communication unit 3 receives the BLE answer signal from the smartphone 20 with the reception sensitivity of the currently set level.

As another example, the in-vehicle communication device 10 may execute both the operation when the communication level is set in FIG. 3 and the operation when the communication level is set in FIG. In this case, in step S31 of FIG. 7, the BLE communication unit 3 transmits the BLE request signal by polling at the transmission strength of the currently set level. Then, the BLE communication unit 3 receives the BLE answer signal from the smartphone 20 with the reception sensitivity of the currently set level.

When the user M approaches the vehicle 50 while carrying the smartphone 20 and the smartphone 20 enters the communication range Z (see FIG. 2), the BLE request signal from the in-vehicle communication device 10 is sent to the BLE communication unit 23 of the smartphone 20. Received by. Then, the control unit 21 of the smartphone 20 returns the BLE answer signal to the vehicle-mounted communication device 10 by the BLE communication unit 23.

When the BLE answer signal from the smartphone 20 is received by the BLE communication unit 3 of the vehicle-mounted communication device 10, mutual communication (transmission / reception of the BLE signal) with the smartphone 20 is established. It is determined that the smartphone 20 is connected (step S32). Then, the control unit 1 acquires the terminal information of the smartphone 20 included in the received BLE answer signal (step S33), and transmits the terminal information to the vehicle control device 30 by the in-vehicle communication unit 5 (step S34).

Further, the control unit 1 confirms whether or not the terminal information matching the acquired terminal information is registered (stored) in the communication level storage area 2a of the storage unit 2 (step S35). At this time, if the terminal information is registered (step S35: YES), the control unit 1 has the BLE communication unit at the communication level (level of reception sensitivity or transmission strength of the BLE signal) associated with the terminal information. It is confirmed by step 3 whether or not it is communicating with the smartphone 20 (step S36).

If the smartphone 20 is not communicating at the communication level associated with the terminal information (step S36: NO), the control unit 1 determines the communication level of the BLE communication unit 3 (level of reception sensitivity of BLE signal or transmission strength). The level) is switched to the level associated with the terminal information (step S37). As a result, after that, the in-vehicle communication device 10 transmits and receives the BLE signal at the communication level corresponding to the smartphone 20. Then, the communicable range Z of the smartphone 20 with respect to the in-vehicle communication device 10 is changed.

On the other hand, when the acquired terminal information is not registered in the communication level storage area 2a (step S35: NO), or when the smartphone 20 is communicating at the communication level associated with the terminal information (step S36: YES). ) Maintains the communication level of the BLE communication unit 3 at that time. As a result, the in-vehicle communication device 10 will continue to transmit and receive the BLE signal at the communication level corresponding to the smartphone 20. Further, the communicable range Z of the smartphone 20 with respect to the in-vehicle communication device 10 is not changed.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle control device 30.

When the vehicle control device 30 receives the terminal information of the smartphone 20 from the vehicle-mounted communication device 10 (step S41), the vehicle control device 30 collates the terminal information with the terminal information registered (stored) in advance. Here, if the terminal information matches, the authentication of the smartphone 20 is successful (step S42: YES), and the predetermined control of the in-vehicle device 40 of the vehicle 50 (in this example, the unlocking and unlocking operation of the power tailgate) is performed. If it is reserved (step S43: YES), the predetermined control is executed (step S44).

Further, when the authentication of the smartphone 20 is not successful (step S42: NO) or when the predetermined control of the in-vehicle device 40 of the vehicle 50 is not reserved (step S43: NO), the predetermined control is performed. Not executed.

According to the above embodiment, with the smartphone 20 set at a predetermined position of the vehicle 50, the in-vehicle communication device 10 sets the communication level of the BLE communication unit 3 based on the communication state with the smartphone 20. After that, the in-vehicle communication device 10 communicates with the smartphone 20 at the set communication level. Therefore, even if the communication performance is different for each smartphone 20, the in-vehicle communication device 10 communicates with the smartphone 20 at the communication level set in the BLE communication unit 3 according to the smartphone 20, so that every smartphone 20 with respect to the in-vehicle communication device 10 communicates with the smartphone 20. It is possible to reduce the variation in the communicable range Z of. Further, when the in-vehicle communication device 10 transmits the terminal information of the smartphone 20 included in the signal received from the smartphone 20 to the vehicle control device 30, the vehicle control device 30 succeeds in authenticating the smartphone 20 based on the terminal information. Therefore, it is possible to reduce variations in the range and distance from the vehicle 50 to the smartphone 20 for each smartphone 20 when executing the reserved predetermined vehicle control. Therefore, even if the model or individual of the smartphone 20 is different, it is possible to perform stable control on the vehicle 50, and it is possible to suppress the user M from feeling inconvenience or dissatisfaction. ..

Further, in the above embodiment, by setting the smartphone 20 at a predetermined position of the vehicle 50, the in-vehicle communication device 10 sets the terminal information of the smartphone 20 and the communication level of the BLE communication unit 3 set according to the smartphone 20. Is associated and registered in the storage unit 2. Then, when the terminal information of the smartphone 20 matches the terminal information registered in the storage unit 2 during subsequent communication with the smartphone 20, the BLE communication unit 3 communicates with the smartphone 20 at the communication level associated with the terminal information. Communicate. Therefore, even when a plurality of smartphones 20 are used alternately, by setting each smartphone 20 once at a predetermined position of the vehicle 50, the communication level corresponding to the smartphone 20 can be used regardless of which smartphone 20 is used thereafter. , BLE communication unit 3 can communicate with the smartphone 20. Then, it is possible to reduce the variation in the communicable range Z with the in-vehicle communication device 10 for each smartphone 20 and perform stable vehicle control.

Further, in the above embodiment, the reception strength of the BLE signal from the smartphone 20 or the response sensitivity of the smartphone 20 when the smartphone 20 is set at a predetermined position of the vehicle 50 is detected as the communication state with the smartphone 20. Therefore, based on the reception strength of the BLE signal from the smartphone 20 or the response sensitivity of the smartphone 20, it is determined whether the communication state between the in-vehicle communication device 10 and the smartphone 20 is good or bad, and the communication level of the BLE communication unit 3 is adjusted appropriately. Can be set to.

Further, in the embodiment of FIG. 3, in a state where the smartphone 20 is set at a predetermined position of the vehicle 50, the smaller the reception strength of the BLE signal from the smartphone 20 (that is, the poorer the communication state), the more the BLE communication unit 3 The reception sensitivity of the BLE signal is set to a high level. Therefore, the communicable range Z with the in-vehicle communication device 10 can be substantially expanded with respect to the smartphone 20 having a weak BLE signal transmission strength.

Further, in the embodiment of FIG. 5, in a state where the smartphone 20 is set at a predetermined position of the vehicle 50, the poorer the response sensitivity of the smartphone 20 (that is, the poorer the communication state), the more the BLE signal by the BLE communication unit 3 is transmitted. The transmission strength is set to a high level. Therefore, it is possible to substantially expand the communicable range Z with the in-vehicle communication device 10 with respect to the smartphone 20 having poor response sensitivity.

Further, in the above embodiment, no matter what kind of smartphone 20 is used, the smartphone set detection unit 4 can detect the state in which the smartphone 20 is set at a predetermined position of the vehicle 50. Then, in that state, the communication state of the BLE communication unit 3 and the smartphone 20 is detected by the communication state detection unit 1a, and the communication level of the BLE communication unit 3 according to the smartphone 20 is appropriately set based on the communication state. Then, the setting can be registered and reflected.

Further, in the above embodiment, it is possible to reduce the variation in the communication range Z for each smartphone 20 between the smartphone 20 which is a general-purpose product and the in-vehicle communication device 10 which performs wireless communication of the BLUETOOTH (registered trademark) standard. Can be done. In addition, it is possible to reduce variations in the range and distance from the vehicle 50 to the smartphone 20 for each smartphone 20 when the vehicle control device 30 executes the reserved predetermined vehicle control.

In the present invention, various embodiments other than those described above can be adopted. For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 3, an example in which the reception sensitivity level of the BLE communication unit 3 is set based on the reception strength when the BLE signal from the smartphone 20 is received is shown. Further, in the embodiment of FIG. 5, an example in which the level of the transmission intensity of the BLE signal of the BLE communication unit 3 is set based on the response sensitivity of the smartphone 20 is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to these. In addition to this, for example, the level of the BLE signal transmission strength of the BLE communication unit 3 is set based on the reception strength of the BLE signal from the smartphone 20, or the response sensitivity of the smartphone 20 is used to set the BLE communication unit 3. You may set the level of reception sensitivity. Further, at least one of the BLE signal transmission strength level and the reception sensitivity level of the BLE communication unit 3 is set based on at least one of the reception strength of the BLE signal from the smartphone 20 and the response sensitivity of the smartphone 20. You may try to do it.

Further, in the embodiment of FIG. 5, the transmission strength of the BLE request signal intermittently transmitted by the BLE communication unit 3 is gradually reduced, and the BLE request signal at the time when the BLE answer signal is no longer received from the smartphone 20 An example in which the transmission intensity is detected as the response sensitivity of the smartphone 20 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. In addition to this, for example, the BLE communication unit 3 intermittently transmits the BLE request signal with a constant transmission strength, gradually reduces the reception sensitivity of the BLE communication unit 3, and receives the BLE answer signal from the smartphone 20. The reception sensitivity of the BLE communication unit 3 at the time when it does not stop may be detected as the response sensitivity of the smartphone 20 (corresponding to the signal transmission strength of the smartphone 20). Alternatively, at least one of the transmission strength of the BLE request signal intermittently transmitted by the BLE communication unit 3 and the reception sensitivity of the BLE communication unit 3 is gradually reduced so that the BLE answer signal is not received from the smartphone 20. The response sensitivity of the smartphone 20 may be detected by calculation based on the transmission strength of the BLE request signal at that time and the reception sensitivity of the BLE communication unit 3.

In addition to the reception strength of the BLE signal from the smartphone 20 and the response sensitivity of the smartphone 20, for example, the time from when the BLE communication unit 3 transmits the BLE request signal to when the BLE answer signal is received from the smartphone 20. Such other communication states may be detected to set the communication level of the BLE communication unit 3.

Further, in the above embodiment, the transmission strength and the reception sensitivity of the BLE signal of the BLE communication unit 3 are set in two stages of high level and low level based on the communication state between the in-vehicle communication device 10 and the smartphone 20. Although an example is shown, the present invention is not limited to this. In addition to this, for example, based on the result of comparing the reception strength of the BLE signal from the smartphone 20 and the response sensitivity of the smartphone 20 with a plurality of threshold values, the transmission strength and reception sensitivity of the BLE signal of the BLE communication unit 3 are set in three stages. It may be set to any of the above levels.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example in which the smartphone 20 is detected to be set in the predetermined position of the vehicle 50 by the smartphone set detection unit 4 composed of the sensors installed in the predetermined position of the vehicle 50 is shown. Is not limited to this. In addition to this, for example, after the user M sets the smartphone 20 at a predetermined position of the vehicle 50, a switch or a button operated to notify the in-vehicle communication device 10 of this is used as a set detection unit of the in-vehicle communication device. It may be provided in 10. Alternatively, by providing such a switch or button on the smartphone 20 and receiving the BLE signal transmitted from the smartphone 20 in response to the operation of the switch or button on the BLE communication unit 3, the smartphone 20 is placed at a predetermined position on the vehicle 50. The vehicle-mounted communication device 10 may be provided with a set detection unit that detects that the vehicle has been set to. Alternatively, the smartphone 20 is set at a predetermined position of the vehicle 50 based on the magnitude, stability, reception interval, etc. of the reception strength of each BLE signal when the BLE communication unit 3 receives the BLE signal a plurality of times. A set detection unit that detects this may be provided in the vehicle-mounted communication device 10.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example in which the vehicle-mounted communication device 10 and the vehicle control device 30 are composed of separate devices has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the vehicle-mounted communication device 10 and the vehicle control device 30 are not limited to this. An electronic control device integrated with 30 may be provided in the vehicle control system 100.

Further, in the above embodiments, an example in which the smartphone 20 is used as the mobile terminal is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. In addition to this, for example, a wearable device such as a wristwatch type or an eyeglass type that the user directly wears, or other portable terminal device may be used as the mobile terminal. The present invention can also be applied when the user uses one or more mobile terminals of various types such as smartphones, wearable devices, and other portable terminal devices. The present invention can also be applied to in-vehicle communication devices and mobile terminals that perform wireless communication of standards other than BLUETOOTH (registered trademark).

Further, in the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to the in-vehicle communication device 10 and the vehicle control system 100 mounted on the vehicle 50 composed of a motorcycle is described, but for example, a motorcycle, a large vehicle, or the like. The present invention can also be applied to in-vehicle communication devices and vehicle control systems mounted on other vehicles.

1 Control unit 1a Communication status detection unit 1b Communication level setting unit 2 Storage unit 3 BLE communication unit (communication unit)
4 Smartphone set detector (set detector)
10 In-vehicle communication device 20, 20 ₍₁₎ , 20 ₍₂₎ Smartphone (mobile terminal)
30 Vehicle control device 50 Vehicle 100 Vehicle control system M User

Claims (7)

A communication unit that wirelessly communicates with a mobile terminal carried by a vehicle user,
In an in-vehicle communication device mounted on the vehicle, which includes a control unit that controls the operation of the communication unit.
A communication state detection unit that detects a communication state between the communication unit and the mobile terminal while the mobile terminal is set at a predetermined position of the vehicle.
A communication level setting unit for setting the communication level of the communication unit based on the communication state detected by the communication state detection unit is further provided.
The in-vehicle communication device is characterized in that the control unit operates the communication unit at the communication level set by the communication level setting unit to perform subsequent communication with the mobile terminal. In the in-vehicle communication device according to claim 1,
The control unit
With the mobile terminal set at a predetermined position of the vehicle, the communication unit is set by the communication level setting unit and terminal information for identifying the mobile terminal included in the signal received from the mobile terminal. It is stored in the storage unit in association with the communication level.
When the terminal information included in the signal received from the mobile terminal by the communication unit matches the terminal information stored in the storage unit during the subsequent communication with the mobile terminal, it is associated with the terminal information. An in-vehicle communication device characterized in that the communication unit is operated at the communication level to communicate with the mobile terminal. In the in-vehicle communication device according to claim 1 or 2.
The communication state detection unit detects the reception strength of the signal received from the mobile terminal or the response sensitivity of the mobile terminal to each signal transmitted to the mobile terminal with different transmission strength as the communication state. In-vehicle communication device as a feature. In the in-vehicle communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The in-vehicle communication device is characterized in that the communication level setting unit sets the reception sensitivity or transmission strength of a signal by the communication unit to a higher level as the communication state detected by the communication state detection unit becomes worse. .. In the in-vehicle communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
An in-vehicle communication device further comprising a set detection unit for detecting that the mobile terminal is set at a predetermined position of the vehicle. In the in-vehicle communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The mobile terminal consists of a multifunctional mobile phone.
The communication unit is an in-vehicle communication device that performs wireless communication of the BLUETOOTH (registered trademark) standard with the mobile terminal. The vehicle-mounted communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A vehicle control system including a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle together with the vehicle-mounted communication device and communicating with the vehicle-mounted communication device.
The in-vehicle communication device wirelessly communicates with the mobile terminal, transmits terminal information for identifying the mobile terminal included in a signal received from the mobile terminal, and transmits the terminal information to the vehicle control device.
The vehicle control device is characterized in that it authenticates the mobile terminal based on the terminal information received from the vehicle-mounted communication device, and when the authentication is successful, executes predetermined control in the vehicle. Control system.

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