JP4285211B2 - Information processing apparatus and wheel information processing apparatus for vehicle - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle wireless communication technology, and more particularly to a technology for preventing interference in vehicle wireless communication.

Techniques for receiving signals from a tire monitoring system and a keyless entry system using the same antenna are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). In Patent Document 1, wireless transmission of the same data from a plurality of tire sensor units is performed at a plurality of random timings, thereby preventing signals from being unable to be received. Patent Document 2 proposes a device that operates as a tire monitoring monitor when an ignition key is turned on and operates as a keyless entry when the ignition key is turned off.
JP 2003-72330 A JP 2003-81059 A

  Since the conventional general tire monitoring system and the keyless entry system communicate using the same frequency band, there is a high possibility of interference. Therefore, for example, in a tire monitoring system that constantly transmits tire monitoring information from wheels every predetermined time, there is a possibility that interference with a keyless entry signal occurs, resulting in malfunction. In such a case, for example, by applying the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 and transmitting the same transmission data multiple times in the tire monitoring system and the keyless entry system, the transmitted signal is normally transmitted on the receiving device side. Although it is considered that the probability of reception can be increased, on the other hand, the same data is transmitted a plurality of times, which increases power consumption. In particular, since the tire sensor unit is driven by a battery, reducing the power consumption and extending the battery life is important for realizing a tire monitoring system.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of preventing signal interference while suppressing power consumption.

  In order to solve the above problems, an aspect of the present invention includes a wheel side communication device, a vehicle body side communication device that communicates with the wheel side communication device, and a portable communication device that wirelessly transmits information to the vehicle body side communication device. The present invention relates to a wheel information processing apparatus. The portable communication device transmits the first trigger signal before transmitting the door lock signal, and the wheel side communication device shifts from the transmittable mode to the sleep mode when receiving the first trigger signal. In addition, the portable communication device transmits the second trigger signal before transmitting the door unlock signal, and when the wheel side communication device receives the second trigger signal, the vehicle body side communication device receives the door unlock signal. At the timing, the mode shifts from the sleep mode to the transmittable mode.

  According to the information processing apparatus of this aspect, the portable communication device transmits the first trigger signal before transmitting the door lock signal, and the wheel side communication device shifts from the transmittable mode to the sleep mode when receiving the first trigger signal. To do. In addition, the portable communication device transmits the second trigger signal before transmitting the door unlock signal, and when the wheel side communication device receives the second trigger signal, the vehicle body side communication device receives the door unlock signal. At the timing, the mode shifts from the sleep mode to the transmittable mode. Thereby, the interference by transmitting a signal simultaneously with a portable communication apparatus and a wheel side communication apparatus can be prevented.

  The wheel side communication device shifts from the sleep mode to the transmittable mode after waiting for the time T after receiving the second trigger signal. Time T is set longer than the time from the start of transmission of the second trigger signal by the portable communication device to the completion of transmission of the door unlock signal. The portable communication device transmits the first trigger signal and the second trigger signal in the same frequency band. At this time, the portable communication device transmits the first trigger signal and the second trigger signal in a frequency band different from the frequency band of the door lock signal and the door unlock signal.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a wheel information processing technique capable of preventing signal interference while suppressing power consumption.

  FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a vehicle body equipped with a wheel information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Each of the four wheels of the vehicle is provided with a sensor for detecting information on the state quantity of the wheel to be monitored (hereinafter also simply referred to as “monitoring information”), a communication device for transmitting the monitoring information, and an antenna. The wheel is composed of a tire and a wheel. A wheel of the first wheel 20a is provided with a first state quantity sensor 30a, a first communication device 40a, and a first antenna 50a. The wheel of the second wheel 20b is provided with a second state quantity sensor 30b, a second communication device 40b, and a second antenna 50b. A third state quantity sensor 30c, a third communication device 40c, and a third antenna 50c are provided on the wheel of the third wheel 20c. The wheel of the fourth wheel 20d is provided with a fourth state quantity sensor 30d, a fourth communication device 40d, and a fourth antenna 50d. The first wheel 20a, the second wheel 20b, the third wheel 20c, and the fourth wheel 20d are FR wheel (right front wheel), FL wheel (left front wheel), RR wheel (right rear wheel) according to the position in the vehicle body 10, respectively. Also expressed as RL wheel (left rear wheel).

  Hereinafter, when the first wheel 20a, the second wheel 20b, the third wheel 20c, and the fourth wheel 20d are collectively referred to as “wheel 20”, the first state quantity sensor 30a, the second state quantity sensor 30b, the third The state quantity sensor 30c and the fourth state quantity sensor 30d are collectively referred to as “state quantity sensor 30”. The first communication device 40a, the second communication device 40b, the third communication device 40c, and the fourth communication device 40d are collectively referred to as “communication device 40”, and the first antenna 50a, the second antenna 50b, The three antennas 50c and the fourth antenna 50d are collectively referred to as “antenna 50”.

  The state quantity sensor 30 in this embodiment is a generic name for sensors that detect one or a plurality of physical quantities, and as an example, a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) sensor that detects tire air pressure and tire temperature as monitoring information. It may be. Each state quantity sensor 30 sends monitoring information to the corresponding communication device 40. The communication device 40 is formed integrally with the state quantity sensor 30 and a battery (not shown), and the state quantity sensor 30 and the communication device 40 are driven by the battery. Each communication device 40 transmits the received monitoring information to the antenna 72 on the vehicle body side via the corresponding antenna 50.

  The communication device 70 on the vehicle body side receives monitoring information from the four communication devices 40 via the antenna 72 on the vehicle body side, and the received monitoring information is expressed as an electronic control device 60 (hereinafter, the electronic control device 60 is referred to as “ECU 60”). Send to). The ECU 60 functions as information processing means for processing information of the detection value by the state quantity sensor 30 and grasps the state of the wheel 20 based on the monitoring information received from the communication device 70. When the temperature of the wheel 20 exceeds a predetermined value or the air pressure of the wheel 20 falls below the predetermined value, the ECU 60 turns on the warning lamp 62 or sounds the warning sound to the buzzer 64 to change the state of the wheel 20. Inform the driver. The above is the configuration of the tire monitoring system in the vehicle of the embodiment, and the wheel information processing apparatus includes the wheel 20, the state quantity sensor 30, the communication device 40, the antenna 50, the ECU 60, the communication device 70, the antenna 72, and the like. Composed.

  The vehicle of the present embodiment further includes a configuration of a keyless entry system (hereinafter referred to as “keyless system”). The keyless system does not require mechanical unlocking / locking with a mechanical key, and the ECU 60 provided on the vehicle body side communicates with the key unit 100 having a communication function possessed by the driver, so that the door of the vehicle It is a system that unlocks and locks.

  The key unit 100 is a keyless portable communication device, and communicates with the communication device 70 on the vehicle body side to switch the state of the vehicle, in this case, the locked state or the unlocked state. The key unit 100 includes a lock button 102 and an unlock button 104. When the driver pushes down the lock button 102, a door lock instruction is transmitted to the ECU 60 via the communication device 70, and the ECU 60 controls the door lock mechanism 106 to lock the door. When the driver depresses the unlock button 104, a door unlock instruction is transmitted to the ECU 60 via the communication device 70, and the ECU 60 controls the door lock mechanism 106 to unlock the door. As described above, the vehicle body side communication device 70 is shared in the tire monitoring system and the keyless system, that is, in the tire monitoring system, communication is performed between the wheel side communication device 40 and the key unit 100 in the keyless system. Do.

  In the present embodiment, in order to prevent interference between the monitoring information signal from the wheel side communication device 40 and the keyless signal from the key unit 100, the communication device 40 is caused to sleep by the signal from the key unit 100 and transmitted. Transition to the stopped state. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent interference and avoid a state in which the tire monitoring system and the keyless system are malfunctioning, reduce power consumption by the state quantity sensor 30 and the communication device 40, and extend battery life. As described above, there are two types of keyless signals, a signal for locking the door and a signal for unlocking the door. In each keyless signal, the operation state of the communication device 40 and the state quantity sensor 30 is determined. A trigger signal to be controlled is added. The antenna 50 of the communication device 40 on the wheel side is configured to receive not only the original keyless signal and tire monitoring information signal frequency bands, but also a trigger signal in a frequency band slightly deviated from the frequency band.

  FIG. 2A shows a timing chart of a keyless signal when the door is locked, and FIG. 2B shows an operating state of the tire monitoring system when the door is locked. As shown in FIG. 2A, when the driver pushes down the lock button 102 of the key unit 100, the key unit 100 transmits a frequency band different from the frequency band of the door lock signal before transmitting the door lock signal. The sleep trigger signal is transmitted. In the tire monitoring system, when the communication device 40 receives a sleep trigger signal via the antenna 50, the communication device 40 shifts from the transmittable mode to the sleep mode, and transmission from the communication device 40 is stopped. Thereby, the key unit 100 can transmit a door lock signal to the communication device 70 on the vehicle body side without interfering with a signal from the communication device 40.

  FIG. 3A shows a timing chart of a keyless signal when the door is unlocked, and FIG. 3B shows an operating state of the tire monitoring system when the door is unlocked. As shown in FIG. 3A, when the driver depresses the unlock button 104 of the key unit 100, the key unit 100 determines the frequency band of the door unlock signal before transmitting the door unlock signal. A wakeup trigger signal of a different frequency band is transmitted. The wakeup trigger signal and the sleep trigger signal may be transmitted in the same frequency band. In the tire monitoring system, when the communication device 40 receives a wake-up trigger signal via the antenna 50, the communication device 40 waits for a time T and then shifts from the sleep mode to the transmittable mode. Time T is set slightly longer than the time from the start of transmission of the wakeup trigger signal to the completion of transmission of the door unlock signal in the keyless signal. Thereby, at the timing after the communication device 70 on the vehicle body side receives the door unlock signal, the communication device 40 can shift to the transmittable mode, and the key unit 100 interferes with the signal from the communication device 40. Without this, a door unlock signal can be transmitted to the communication device 70 on the vehicle body side.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the wheel side communication device 40 in the embodiment. The communicator 40 monitors the keyless trigger signal (N in S10). When the communicator 40 receives the keyless trigger signal (Y in S10), the communicator 40 enters a transmission stop state for the vehicle body side communicator 70 (S12). At this time, the power supply to the state quantity sensor 30 may be stopped. If the sleep mode is entered at this point, the transmission stop state is continued. If the keyless trigger signal is a sleep trigger signal (Y in S14), the sleep mode is immediately entered (S18), and then the transmission stop state is maintained until a wakeup signal is received. On the other hand, when the keyless trigger signal is a wakeup trigger signal (N in S14), the transmission stop state is maintained until the time T elapses after receiving the wakeup trigger signal (N in S16), and the time T (Y of S16), it wakes up from the sleep mode and starts up (S20), and shifts to the transmittable mode. With the above operation, it is possible to extend the battery life by reducing the power consumption of the communication device 40 and the state quantity sensor 30 while avoiding the interference between the keyless signal and the tire monitoring information signal.

  In the above, this invention was demonstrated based on the Example. This embodiment is an exemplification, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the combination of each component and each processing process, and such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. .

  In the embodiment, the case where the key unit 100 has the lock button 102 and the unlock button 104 has been described. However, the key unit 100 may be of a type having only one switching button. In this case, when the driver presses the switch button, the state of the vehicle at that time is switched, that is, if the door is locked, the state is unlocked, and if the door is not locked, the state is locked. Inverted. Such a signal from the key unit 100 also includes a trigger signal as described above. The wheel side communicator 40 determines whether it is in the sleep mode or in the transmittable mode, and when it receives a trigger signal in the sleep mode, it receives the trigger signal in the transmittable mode. If this happens, the mode is switched to the sleep mode.

  In response to a failure such as when a trigger signal cannot be received, it is determined by a state quantity sensor 30 such as an acceleration sensor provided on the wheel 20 whether the vehicle is running or stopped for a predetermined time or more. Also good. As a result, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience that the locked or unlocked state of the door does not correspond to the mode of the communication device, and normal mode switching can be realized.

  In the embodiments, a keyless communication device has been described as an example of the portable communication device. However, in a modified example, the portable communication device may be a garage opener, a remote control engine starter, or the like. The present invention can be used with any portable communication device that uses the same transmission frequency as the frequency.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the vehicle body carrying the wheel information processing apparatus which concerns on an Example. (A) is a figure which shows the timing chart of the keyless signal at the time of a door lock, (b) is a figure which shows the operation state of the tire monitoring system at the time of a door lock. (A) is a figure which shows the timing chart of the keyless signal at the time of door unlocking, (b) is a figure which shows the operation state of the tire monitoring system at the time of door unlocking. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of a wheel side communication apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Vehicle body, 20 ... Wheel, 30 ... State quantity sensor, 40 ... Communication device, 50 ... Antenna, 60 ... ECU, 70 ... Vehicle body side communication device, 72 ..Antenna, 100 ... key unit, 102 ... lock button, 104 ... unlock button, 106 ... door lock mechanism.

Claims (5)

  In a wheel information processing apparatus comprising a wheel side communication device, a vehicle body side communication device that communicates with the wheel side communication device, and a portable communication device that wirelessly transmits information to the vehicle body side communication device,
  The portable communication device transmits the first trigger signal before transmitting the door lock signal, and when the wheel side communication device receives the first trigger signal, the portable communication device shifts from the transmittable mode to the sleep mode,
  In addition, the portable communication device transmits the second trigger signal before transmitting the door unlock signal, and when the wheel side communication device receives the second trigger signal, the vehicle body side communication device receives the door unlock signal. A wheel information processing apparatus that shifts from a sleep mode to a transmittable mode at a timing.   The wheel information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wheel side communication device shifts from the sleep mode to the transmittable mode after waiting for time T after receiving the second trigger signal.   3. The wheel information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the time T is set longer than the time from the start of transmission of the second trigger signal to the completion of transmission of the door unlock signal by the portable communication device.   4. The wheel information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the portable communication device transmits the first trigger signal and the second trigger signal in the same frequency band. 5.   5. The wheel information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the portable communication device transmits the first trigger signal and the second trigger signal in a frequency band different from a frequency band of the door lock signal and the door unlock signal. .

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