JP2022185889A - Communications system and communication method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a communications system and a communication method that can simplify a system configuration.SOLUTION: An operation target 2 is provided with an authentication system 3 that allows a terminal 1 to wirelessly communicate with a communication device 10 of the operation target 2 to authenticate the terminal 1, and controls the operation of the operation target 2 on the basis of the authentication result. A communications system 27 executes communications between the terminal 1 and the communication device 10 in the authentication system 3. The communication device 10 forms a communication area for the operation target 2 using both a first communication device 11 having the authentication function of the terminal 1 and a second communication device 26 having a function different from the authentication function.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a communication system and communication method for communicating between a terminal and an operation target.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an authentication system that operates a vehicle using a terminal such as a high-performance mobile phone as a key is well known (see Patent Document 1, etc.). In the case of this authentication system, for example, a vehicle is provided with a plurality of antennas, and the entire area around the vehicle or inside the vehicle is set as a communication area, and the terminal is authenticated by communication between these antennas and the terminal. After the terminal is authenticated, for example, locking/unlocking of the vehicle doors and starting of the engine are permitted or executed.

JP 2020-100994 A

However, in the case of the authentication system described above, since it is necessary to install a plurality of antennas on the vehicle, there are concerns that the mounting positions of the antennas will need to be considered and the number of antenna parts will increase.

A communication system for solving the above-mentioned problems is configured to be used for an authentication function that causes a terminal to wirelessly communicate with a communication device to be operated, authenticates the terminal, and controls the operation of the operation target based on the authentication result. The communication device forms the operation target communication area using both a first communication device having an authentication function of the terminal and a second communication device having a function different from the authentication function. .

A communication method for solving the above-mentioned problems is a method used for an authentication function that causes a terminal to wirelessly communicate with a communication device to be operated, authenticates the terminal, and controls the operation of the operation target based on the authentication result. The communication device forms the operation target communication area using both a first communication device having an authentication function of the terminal and a second communication device having a function different from the authentication function. .

According to the present invention, the system configuration can be simplified.

1 is a configuration diagram of a communication system according to a first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of advertisement transmission by a communication device; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of measurement of characteristic values; FIG. 4 is a procedure diagram for terminal authentication. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a communication system according to a second embodiment; The schematic block diagram of the communication system of 3rd Embodiment. The schematic block diagram of the communication system of 4th Embodiment.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of a communication system and communication method will be described below.
As shown in FIG. 1 , the operation target 2 of the terminal 1 has an authentication function (authentication system 3 ) that performs user authentication and controls the operation of the operation target 2 . The authentication system 3 is preferably, for example, a digital key system 5 that authenticates the terminal 1 by short-range wireless communication and activates the control device 4 of the operation target 2 . Thus, the authentication system 3 is a system that allows the operation target 2 to be operated by the terminal 1 instead of the electronic key that is the dedicated key for the operation target 2 .

The operation target 2 is preferably a vehicle 6, for example. The vehicle 6 may be a personal vehicle owned by the user, or a sharing car shared by a plurality of people.
The terminal 1 is, for example, a multifunctional terminal mainly having a telephone function, such as a high-performance mobile phone. The digital key system 5 downloads the key information Dk required for authentication from the outside (for example, a server) to the terminal 1 and enables the operation target 2 on the terminal 1 . The terminal 1 becomes the key of the operation target 2, that is, the digital key 7 by registering the key information Dk from the outside.

The short-range wireless communication may be either PAN (Personal Area Network) communication or close proximity wireless communication. Personal area network communication includes, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication, UWB (Ultra Wide Band) communication, and Wi-Fi (registered trademark) communication. Also, the Bluetooth communication is preferably BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). Proximity wireless communication is a type of RFID, for example, NFC (Near Field Communication).

The authentication system 3 includes a communication device 10 (hereinafter referred to as a first communication device 11) that authenticates the terminal 1 through short-range wireless communication. The first communication device 11 includes an antenna 12 that performs short-range wireless communication with the terminal 1 and an authentication unit 13 that authenticates the terminal 1 . Authentication unit 13 authenticates terminal 1 by executing short-range wireless communication with terminal 1 via antenna 12 . The first communication device 11 may be, for example, a product pre-installed in the vehicle 6 before shipment, or may be a product that can be retrofitted to the vehicle 6 .

The terminal 1 (digital key 7) includes a terminal control unit 15 that controls the operation of the terminal 1, a network module 16 that performs network communication, a communication module 17 that performs short-range wireless communication, and data storage. It includes a memory 18, an operation unit 19 used for operating the terminal 1, and a display unit 20 for displaying a screen. The terminal 1 performs short-range wireless communication with the communication device 10 via the communication module 17 . The display unit 20 is preferably a touch panel, for example.

In the terminal 1 (digital key 7), an application 21 necessary for operating the terminal 1 as the key of the operation target 2 is registered in the memory 18. FIG. The application 21 is, for example, acquired through network communication from an external medium (for example, a server, etc.) and written and stored in the memory 18 . By registering the application 21 in the digital key 7, it becomes possible to download the key information Dk to the terminal 1 and to operate the operation target 2 on the terminal 1. FIG.

The digital key 7 has key information Dk registered in the memory 18 that is used for authentication by short-range wireless communication. The digital key 7 preferably downloads the key information Dk by various methods such as downloading from a server, wireless acquisition from a master key, and image reading of code information. The key information Dk may be downloaded to the digital key 7 from the outside, or may be written in advance at the time of shipment. The authentication unit 13 (first communication device 11 ) determines whether or not the operation target 2 can be used by authenticating the key information Dk registered in the digital key 7 .

The operation target 2 has a controller 22 that controls the control device 4 based on the authentication result of the authentication unit 13 of the first communication device 11 . The controller 22 is connected to the control device 4 via a communication line 23 provided on the operation target 2 . The communication line 23 is preferably CAN (Controller Area Network) or LIN (Local Interconnect Network), for example. The control device 4 includes, for example, a door lock device that switches locking/unlocking of the vehicle doors, a steering lock device that can lock the operation of the steering wheel, an engine control device that controls the engine, and the like. The controller 22 operates these control devices 4 based on the authentication result of the authentication section 13 .

The authentication system 3 has a function (communication system 27 ) of forming a communication area for the operation target 2 using a second communication device 26 that is a communication device 10 different from the first communication device 11 . In the case of this example, the second communication device 26 is a device having a function different from the authentication function. The second communication device 26 is a device that has a function of short-range wireless communication in advance. The communication system 27 forms a communication area for the operation target 2 using both the first communication device 11 having the authentication function of the terminal 1 and the second communication device 26 having a function different from the authentication function.

A plurality of second communication devices 26 are provided on the operation target 2 . The second communication device 26 includes a communication device main body 28 and an antenna 29 that performs short-range wireless communication. Examples of the second communication device 26 include a car navigation device with a short-range wireless communication function, a speaker device with a short-range wireless communication function, a rear monitor device with a short-range wireless communication function, and the like. These second communication devices 26 are interconnected via communication lines 23, for example. Further, for example, when the operation target 2 is the vehicle 6, the second communication device 26 is supplied with electric power capable of executing communication even when the power source (vehicle power source) of the vehicle 6 is turned off. This allows the second communication device 26 to perform short-range wireless communication even when the engine of the vehicle 6 is stopped.

The authentication function (authentication system 3 ) has a position determination function (position determination system 32 ) for determining the position of the terminal 1 with respect to the operation target 2 . In this example, the position determination system 32 determines the position of the terminal 1 by using not only the first communication device 11 having the function of authenticating the terminal 1, but also the other communication device 10 (the second communication device 26). It is a function to The controller 22 controls the operation of the control device 4 based on the authentication result of the authentication function (authentication system 3) and the position determination result of the position determination function (position determination system 32).

The position determination system 32 includes a measuring unit 33 that measures a characteristic value K related to the strength of radio waves communicated between the terminal 1 and the communication device 10 (at least one of the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 26). I have. In the case of this example, the measuring unit 33 is provided in the terminal 1 (terminal control unit 15) when the characteristic of the characteristic value K is executed in the terminal 1. FIG. The characteristic value K includes, for example, the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of radio waves, the radio wave output strength, and the like. The measurement unit 33 may perform measurement using radio waves transmitted at any timing as long as the radio waves are used for communication between the terminal 1 and the communication device 10 .

The position determination system 32 includes a determination section 34 that determines the position of the terminal 1 using the characteristic value K measured by the measurement section 33 . In this example, the determination unit 34 is provided in the terminal 1 (terminal control unit 15). The determination unit 34 uses the characteristic value K to determine the position of the terminal 1 with respect to the operation target 2 . Specifically, it is preferable to determine whether the terminal 1 is located outside the vehicle on the driver's seat side, outside the vehicle on the passenger's seat side, or inside the vehicle.

It is preferable that the position data Dp indicating where the communication device 10 is mounted on the vehicle body is registered in advance in the position determination system 32 . The position data Dp includes, for example, the ID of the communication device 10 and information on the installation position. In the case of this example, if the terminal 1 performs the position determination, it is preferable to register the position data Dp in the terminal 1 (memory 18). For example, the first communication device 11 is arranged at the front part of the vehicle, the second communication device 26a is arranged at the end of the vehicle body near the driver's seat, the second communication device 26b is arranged at the end of the vehicle body near the passenger seat, and the second communication device 26c is arranged at the rear part of the vehicle interior. Position data Dp to that effect is registered in advance. The determination unit 34 determines the position of the terminal 1 based on the characteristic value K and the position data Dp.

Next, the operation of the communication system 27 and the authentication method of this embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, as an example of the user using the vehicle 6, for example, the user approaches the parked vehicle 6 and gets into the vehicle. The parking state is, for example, a state in which the engine of the vehicle 6 is stopped and the doors of the vehicle 6 are locked.

Advertise is periodically transmitted from the antenna 12 of the first communication device 11 and the antenna 29 of the second communication device 26 to confirm whether or not the terminal 1 exists in the vicinity. Advertisements are, for example, in the case of Bluetooth communication, radio waves transmitted from a communication slave. It is preferable that the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 26 perform periodical transmission of advertisements based on the electric power of the onboard battery, for example, even when the vehicle power is off (IG off). Radio waves for short-range wireless communication propagate over a wide range. Therefore, when the terminal 1 approaches the vehicle 6 to some extent, the advertisements of the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 26 are received by the terminal 1 .

FIG. 4 shows a procedure when the terminal 1 (digital key 7) receives the advertisement transmitted from the first communication device 11 and the terminal 1 is authenticated by the authentication unit 13 of the first communication device 11. As shown in FIG.
In step 101 , the first communication device 11 periodically and repeatedly transmits advertisements for notifying information related to communication of the first communication device 11 . Advertise is, for example, a type of packet data, and is regularly transmitted from the first communication device 11 at all times.

In step 102, the terminal 1, upon receiving the Advertise transmitted from the first communication device 11, executes scanning processing. In addition, it is preferable that the terminal 1 starts the scanning process when, for example, the received signal strength at the time of receiving the Advertise reaches or exceeds a specified value. At this time, after the scanning process, the terminal 1 transmits a connection request to the first communication device 11 as a request for providing details of the short-range wireless communication.

In step 103, when the terminal 1 and the first communication device 11 perform the above exchanges, the terminal 1 and the first communication device 11 shift to a state in which short-range wireless communication is connected, that is, a state of communication connection.
In step 104, the terminal 1 and the first communication device 11 authenticate the terminal 1 when the short-range wireless communication transitions to the communication connection state. In this example, for example, the terminal 1 transmits the key information Dk registered in the memory 18 to the first communication device 11 by short-range wireless communication in response to the request from the first communication device 11 . When the first communication device 11 receives the key information Dk, the authentication unit 13 authenticates the key information Dk. In the case of this example, the authentication unit 13 can correctly decrypt the key information Dk, and when the authentication of the key information Dk is established, for example, a record corresponding to permission to use the vehicle 6 (in the case of sharing, reservation time, etc.), a session key to be used in subsequent short-range wireless communication, a terminal ID that is a unique ID of the terminal 1, and the like can be obtained. On the other hand, if the key information Dk is not correct, the authentication unit 13 forcibly terminates the process and does not permit the vehicle 6 to be used.

In step 105, when the key information Dk is authenticated, the terminal 1 and the first communication device 11 enter an authentication completion state in which the authentication is recognized. The authentication completed state is a state in which both the terminal 1 and the first communication device 11 know the common session key and terminal ID. The authentication unit 13 notifies the controller 22 of the authentication result S1. By the above, the authentication of the terminal 1 is completed.

In step 106, the terminal 1 and the first communication device 11 perform communication to confirm whether or not the short-range wireless communication is maintained after the transition to the authentication completed state. In the case of this example, each of the terminal 1 and the first communication device 11 transmits a periodic radio wave at a predetermined periodic interval (connection interval), and confirms whether or not a response to the periodic radio wave can be received. Monitor whether communication establishment is maintained. That is, if the terminal 1 transmits periodic radio waves at predetermined periodic intervals and can receive a response to the periodic radio waves, it is determined that the communication is maintained, and the first communication device 11 also executes similar processing.

When the terminal 1 becomes unable to receive the response to the periodic radio waves it transmits from the first communication device 11, it disconnects the communication. Further, when the first communication device 11 becomes unable to receive the response to the periodic radio waves it transmits from the terminal 1, it disconnects the communication.

The terminal 1 also executes the same process as the first communication device 11 with the second communication device 26 that has received the advertisement. In this example, since the second communication device 26 is not provided with an authentication function, authentication is not performed in communication between the terminal 1 and the second communication device 26 . Therefore, when transitioning to the communication connection state, periodic communication of the connection interval is executed, and whether or not the communication establishment is maintained is monitored.

As shown in FIG. 3, after the terminal 1 has been authenticated, a determination of the position of the terminal 1 relative to the vehicle 6 is performed. In the case of this example, the measurement unit 33 measures the characteristic value K related to the intensity of the radio waves used for communication in communication with each of the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 26 . In the example of FIG. 3, the characteristic value K1 of radio waves communicated between the terminal 1 and the first communication device 11 is measured, and the characteristics of the radio waves communicated between the second communication device 26a on the driver's seat side and the terminal 1 are measured. The value K2 is measured, the characteristic value K3 of the radio wave communicated between the second communication device 26b on the passenger seat side and the terminal 1 is measured, and the radio wave communicated between the second communication device 26c inside the vehicle and the terminal 1 is measured. is measured K4.

The determination unit 34 determines the position of the terminal 1 with respect to the operation target 2 based on the characteristic value K measured by the measurement unit 33 and the position data Dp registered in the memory 18 . When the characteristic value K is the received signal strength (for example, RSSI), the determination unit 34 determines the position of the terminal 1 with respect to the operation target 2 based on the magnitude relationship of the received signal strength. For example, when the terminal 1 is located outside the vehicle, the received signal strengths of the second communication devices 26a and 26c are high, and the received signal strengths of the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 26b inside the vehicle are low. The determining unit 34 of the present example determines that the terminal 1 is located outside the vehicle when detecting such a magnitude tendency of the received signal strength. When the terminal 1 is located inside the vehicle, it is determined based on the same concept. Further, the determination unit 34 preferably determines whether the terminal 1 is located outside or inside the vehicle, and more preferably determines whether the terminal 1 is located outside the vehicle, on the driver's seat side or the passenger's seat side.

In addition, for example, if radio waves are transmitted multiple times, the position determination may be performed by calculating the characteristic value K for each radio wave and executing the position determination based on the calculated value obtained from the plurality of characteristic values K. good. Examples of calculated values include various parameters such as average values, weighted averages, arithmetic averages, geometric averages, and harmonic averages. Further, radio waves used for position determination may be radio waves transmitted at any timing as long as they are radio waves exchanged between the terminal 1 and the first communication device 11 (second communication device 26).

The determination unit 34 transmits the position determination result S2 (see FIG. 1) of the terminal 1 to the first communication device 11 in communication connection state by short-range wireless communication. The position determination result S2 is preferably transmitted from the terminal 1 to the first communication device 11, for example, on radio waves that are periodically transmitted at intervals of the connection interval. The first communication device 11 outputs the position determination result S2 received from the terminal 1 to the controller 22 . Note that the position determination result S2 may be notified to the controller 22 via the second communication device 26 .

The controller 22 controls the operation of the control device 4 based on the acquired authentication result S1 and position determination result S2. The controller 22 permits locking and unlocking of the doors of the vehicle 6 when it is determined that the terminal 1 is located outside the vehicle while the authentication of the terminal 1 is established. Therefore, when the user executes the door locking/unlocking operation, the door locking/unlocking operation is executed. If it is determined that the terminal 1 is located outside the vehicle on the driver's seat side, locking and unlocking of the driver's door is permitted. Locking and unlocking are preferably permitted.

The unlocking operation of the door includes, for example, a format using the digital key 7 and a format of touch-operating the knob of the door handle outside the vehicle. As for the format using the digital key 7, for example, an unlock button is displayed on the display unit 20 of the digital key 7, and the unlock button is touch-operated. The door locking operation includes, for example, a format using the digital key 7 and a format of operating a lock button on the door handle outside the vehicle. As for the format using the digital key 7, for example, a lock button is displayed on the display unit 20 of the digital key 7, and the lock button is touch-operated.

The controller 22 permits the power transition operation of the vehicle 6 when it is determined that the terminal 1 is located inside the vehicle while the authentication of the terminal 1 is established. Therefore, for example, when the driver's seat brake pedal is depressed and the driver's seat engine switch is pushed, the engine is started. Therefore, the vehicle 6 can be started and traveled to the destination.

According to the communication system 27 and the communication method of the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1-1) The authentication function (authentication system 3) is a function of allowing the terminal 1 to wirelessly communicate with the communication device 10 of the operation target 2 to authenticate the terminal 1, and controlling the operation of the operation target 2 based on the authentication result. is. The communication system 27 of this example is used for this authentication function. The communication device 10 forms a communication area for the operation target 2 using both the first communication device 11 having the authentication function of the terminal 1 and the second communication device 26 having a function different from the authentication function.

According to the configuration of this example, the second communication device 26 provided in advance in the operation target 2 is also used as the communication device 10 of the communication system 27 . Therefore, since it is not necessary to provide a new communication device 10 in the communication system 27, the number of communication devices 10 can be reduced. Therefore, the system configuration can be simplified.

(1-2) Communication between the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 26 and the terminal 1 is short-range wireless communication. The second communication device 26 is a device that has a function of short-range wireless communication in advance. According to this configuration, general-purpose communication such as Bluetooth, for example, can be used as short-range wireless communication.

(1-3) The authentication function (authentication system 3) has a position determination function (position determination system 32) that determines the position of the terminal 1 with respect to the operation target 2 by communication between the terminal 1 and the communication device 10. . The measuring unit 33 of the position determining function measures a characteristic value K relating to the intensity of radio waves communicated between at least one of the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 26 and the terminal 1 . The determination unit 34 of the position determination function determines the position of the terminal 1 with respect to the operation target 2 using the characteristic value K measured by the measurement unit 33 . According to this configuration, even if the communication system 27 is provided with the position determination function, it is not necessary to prepare a new communication device 10 .

(1-4) The measurement unit 33 is provided in the terminal 1 . According to this configuration, for example, if the terminal 1 is provided with a function of measuring the characteristic value K in advance, it is possible to measure the characteristic value K of the radio wave using this function.

(1-5) The operation target 2 is the vehicle 6 . The second communication device 26 is supplied with power capable of executing communication even when the power of the vehicle 6 is IG off. According to this configuration, it is possible to reduce the number of communication devices 10 mounted on the vehicle 6 . Therefore, it contributes to the simplification of the configuration of the vehicle 6 and the reduction of the parts cost.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment is an example in which the position determination of the terminal 1 described in the first embodiment is executed by the operation target 2. FIG. Therefore, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts as in the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted, and only the different parts will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 26 are configured to be able to communicate with each other. When position determination is performed on the operation target 2 , the determination unit 34 is provided on the operation target 2 . Specifically, for example, when the first communication device 11 executes position determination, the second communication device 26 is connected to the first communication device 11, and the determination unit 34 is provided in the first communication device 11. It is The communication between the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 26 may be either wired or wireless.

The determination unit 34 determines the characteristic value K measured during communication between the terminal 1 and the first communication device 11 and the characteristic value K measured during communication between the terminal 1 and the second communication device 26. , and based on these characteristic values K, the position of the terminal 1 with respect to the operation target 2 is determined. When the first communication device 11 executes position determination, the first communication device 11 transmits the characteristic value K measured in communication between the terminal 1 and the second communication device 26 to the second communication device 26 by wire or wirelessly. collect from Then, the determination unit 34 determines the position of the terminal 1 using the characteristic value K collected from the second communication device 26 and the characteristic value K measured during communication between the terminal 1 and the first communication device 11. do.

According to the configuration of the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects described in the first embodiment.
(2-1) The determination unit 34 is provided on the operation target 2 . The determination unit 34 determines the characteristic value K measured during communication between the terminal 1 and the first communication device 11 and the characteristic value K measured during communication between the terminal 1 and the second communication device 26. to get Based on these characteristic values K, the determination unit 34 determines the position of the terminal 1 with respect to the operation target 2 . According to this configuration, the position determination of the terminal 1 can be performed by the operation target 2, so the terminal 1 does not have to perform the position determination process.

(Third Embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described. In addition, only the portions of the third embodiment that differ from those of the first and second embodiments will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 6, the communication system 27 has a relay function that relays radio waves to perform communication when the communication device 10 located near the user and the terminal 1 are far from each other. In this example, the communication device 10 has a relay unit 41 that implements a relay function. The relay unit 41 is provided in the communication device 10 involved in relaying radio waves. When the positional relationship between the communication device 10 located near the user and the terminal 1 is such that the communication device 10 is located in a place where the communication connection cannot be immediately established, the relay unit 41 transmits radio waves through the other communication device 10 . , the communication device 10 near the user and the terminal 1 are allowed to communicate with each other.

Here, as shown in FIG. 6, a case where the user wants to activate the second communication device 26c in the vehicle will be taken as an example. In the case of the example shown in the figure, the second communication device 26c for which the user has performed an operation input and the adjacent second communication device 26a can transition to a state of communication connection. terminal 1 can shift to a state of communication connection.

When a predetermined input operation is performed on the second communication device 26c, the second communication device 26c receives an operation input from the second communication device 26c with respect to the adjacent second communication device 26a that is in a communication connection state. An operation request notification St1 for notifying that the operation request has been received is transmitted by short-range wireless communication. The relay unit 41 of the second communication device 26a transmits the received operation request notification St1 to the terminal 1, which is in the state of communication connection, by short-range wireless communication.

When the terminal 1 receives the operation request notification St1 from the second communication device 26a, and if the terminal 1 is in the authentication completion state, the terminal 1 transmits the operation permission notification St2, which is a notification that the operation is permitted, through the second communication device 26a. machine 26a. Upon receiving the operation permission notification St2 from the terminal 1, the relay unit 41 of the second communication device 26a transmits this to the second communication device 26c. When the second communication device 26c receives the operation permission notification St2, the operation is permitted. As a result, even if the terminal 1 is located far from the second communication device 26c that the user wants to operate, it is possible to operate the second communication device 26c as requested by the user.

According to the configuration of the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects described in the first and second embodiments.
(3-1) When the relay unit 41 of the communication system 27 takes a positional relationship between the communication device 10 located near the user and the terminal 1 in a position where the communication connection cannot be immediately established, The communication device 10 near the user and the terminal 1 communicate with each other by relaying radio waves through another communication device 10 . In this example, a communication area constructed by a group of communication devices 10 is set wide and the existence of the terminal 1 is monitored, and when the terminal 1 enters the communication area, a predetermined communication device other than the one with which communication has been established is detected. 10. According to this configuration, communication can be performed in a relay format, so that a wider range than originally intended can be covered as a communication area. Therefore, it contributes to wide variety of control.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. It should be noted that only the portions of the fourth embodiment that differ from those of the first to third embodiments will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 7, the communication system 27 has a welcome function that activates a predetermined communication device 10 using communication between the communication devices 10 . In this example, the communication system 27 has a pre-processing unit 43 that implements the welcome function. When the terminal 1 and the communication device 10 transition to the communication connection state, the preprocessing unit 43 outputs a communication connection completion notification St3 to another communication device 10 located away from the terminal 1, Cause other communicators 10 to perform preliminary actions. The pre-operation is preferably, for example, an operation that can be activated immediately when a predetermined operation is detected as a state of turning on the power.

Here, as shown in FIG. 7, the case where the user's terminal 1 is in communication connection with the second communication device 26b will be taken as an example. When the terminal 1 and the second communication device 26b transition to the communication connection state, the preprocessing unit 43 of the second communication device 26b notifies the other communication device 10 (in this example, , the first communication device 11, and the second communication devices 26a, 26c). The communication connection completion notice St3 is preferably a notice including, for example, the ID of the second communication device 26b and a command to start preprocessing.

The first communication device 11 and the second communication devices 26a and 26c execute preprocessing upon receiving the communication connection completion notification St3 transmitted from the second communication device 26b. As a result, each of the first communication device 11 and the second communication devices 26a and 26c can be put in a state of preparation for starting operation, for example, so that the terminal 1 can , 26c, for example, it is possible to immediately execute a process corresponding to the operation. Therefore, it is possible to cause each communication device 10 to quickly operate in accordance with the user's intention.

According to the configuration of the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects described in the first to third embodiments.
(4-1) When the terminal 1 and the communication device 10 transition to the communication connection state, the preprocessing unit 43 of the communication system 27 establishes communication connection with another communication device 10 that does not exist near the terminal 1. A communication connection completion notification St3 is output from the communication device 10 in the state of , and the other communication devices 10 are caused to perform preliminary operations. In this example, a communication area constructed by a group of communication devices 10 is set wide and the presence of the terminal 1 is monitored, and when the terminal 1 enters the area, a predetermined communication device 10 other than the one with which communication has been established is detected. to prepare for operation. According to this configuration, even if the communication device 10 is located far away from the terminal 1, the communication device 10 that is in communication connection with the terminal 1 outputs the communication connection completion notification St3 to the other communication device 10. Thus, the other communication device 10 can be placed in a standby state for operation. Therefore, the operation of the other communication device 10 can be started smoothly without time lag.

In addition, this embodiment can be changed and implemented as follows. This embodiment and the following modified examples can be implemented in combination with each other within a technically consistent range.
- In each embodiment, the second communication device 26 may be either a member arranged outside the vehicle or a member arranged inside the vehicle.

- In each embodiment, the authentication system 3 is not limited to the digital key system 5, and may be changed to another system such as a smart system.
- In each embodiment, the first communication device 11 and the authentication unit 13 may be configured to be incorporated in the controller 22 .

- In each embodiment, the characteristic value K of the radio wave measured by the terminal 1 may be transmitted to the communication device 10 and the operation target 2 may perform position determination.
- In each embodiment, the communication system 27 may omit the position determination function. For example, the communication system 27 may be used only with the authentication function.

- In each embodiment, the terminal 1 may be, for example, an electronic key mainly having a key function.
- In each embodiment, the operation target 2 is not limited to the vehicle 6, and may be changed to another device or system.

- In each embodiment, each of the measurement unit 33, the determination unit 34, the relay unit 41, and the preprocessing unit 43 may be configured by one or more processors that operate according to [1] a computer program (software). , [2] in combination with such a processor and one or more dedicated hardware circuits, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), for performing at least some of the various operations. . A processor includes a CPU and memory, such as RAM and ROM, which stores program code or instructions configured to cause the CPU to perform processes. Memory (computer-readable media) includes any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. Alternatively, instead of a computer including the above processor, a processing circuit configured by one or more dedicated hardware circuits that perform all of the various types of processing may be used.

- In each embodiment, each of the measurement unit 33, the determination unit 34, the relay unit 41, and the preprocessing unit 43 may be configured from an independent processor, or a part of the function may be configured from a shared processor. good. In this way, the measurement unit 33, the determination unit 34, the relay unit 41, and the preprocessing unit 43 are not limited to independent functional blocks, and may be configured from one functional block, or a partially shared functional block. may consist of

- In each embodiment, the present disclosure has been described with reference to examples, but it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the examples or structures. The present disclosure also includes various modifications and modifications within the equivalent range. In addition, various combinations and configurations, as well as other combinations and configurations, including single elements, more, or less, are within the scope and spirit of this disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Terminal, 2... Operation object, 3... Authentication system, 6... Vehicle, 10... Communication device, 11... First communication device, 26... Second communication device, 27... Communication system, 32... Position determination system, 33... Measurement unit 34 Determination unit 41 Relay unit 43 Preprocessing unit K Characteristic value.

Claims (9)

A communication system used for an authentication function that causes a terminal to wirelessly communicate with a communication device to be operated, authenticates the terminal, and controls the operation of the operation target based on the authentication result,
The communication device uses both a first communication device having a terminal authentication function and a second communication device having a function different from the authentication function to form the operation target communication area. . communication between the first communication device and the second communication device and the terminal is short-range wireless communication;
2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein said second communication device is a device having a function of near field communication in advance. The authentication function includes a position determination function that determines the position of the terminal with respect to the operation target by communication between the terminal and the communication device,
The position determination function is
a measuring unit that measures a characteristic value related to the strength of radio waves communicated between at least one of the first communication device and the second communication device and the terminal;
3. The communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit that determines the position of the terminal with respect to the operation target using the characteristic values measured by the measurement unit. 4. The communication system according to claim 3, wherein said measuring unit is provided in said terminal. The determination unit is provided in the operation target,
The determination unit determines the characteristic value measured during communication between the terminal and the first communication device and the characteristic value measured during communication between the terminal and the second communication device. , and determines the position of the terminal with respect to the operation target based on these characteristic values. If the positional relationship between the communication device located near the user and the terminal is such that the communication device cannot be immediately switched to a communication connection state, the relay of radio waves is executed via the other communication device. 6. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a relay unit that allows communication between the communication device near the user and the terminal. When the terminal and the communication device transition to a communication connection state, the communication device that has entered the communication connection state outputs a communication connection completion notification to another communication device that does not exist near the terminal. 7. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a preliminary processing unit that causes another said communication device to execute a preliminary operation. The operation target is a vehicle,
The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the second communication device is supplied with power capable of executing communication even when the power source of the vehicle is IG off. A communication method used for an authentication function that causes a terminal to wirelessly communicate with a communication device to be operated, authenticates the terminal, and controls the operation of the operation target based on the authentication result,
A communication method in which the communication device forms the operation target communication area using both a first communication device having an authentication function of the terminal and a second communication device having a function different from the authentication function. .

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