JP4638320B2 - Electronic key - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic key which is connected to a corresponding operation control device via wireless communication and can control the operation of the operation control device.

  In recent years, there has been proposed an electronic key that is connected to a corresponding operation control device by wireless communication and can control the operation target. For example, when a user who possesses an electronic key enters an area set for the vehicle, the electronic key and the operation control device provided in the vehicle are connected via wireless communication, and the operation control device is connected to the door lock device. To unlock the vehicle door.

  The electronic key includes a receiving circuit for receiving a signal, a transmitting circuit for transmitting the signal, and a control circuit for transmitting a signal corresponding to the signal when the request signal is received. This control circuit is in a dormant state when no request signal is received in order to reduce the consumption of the drive power supply. Therefore, an activation signal for activating the control circuit is transmitted from the operation control device, and a digital signal that receives the activation signal from the receiving circuit is output. The control circuit has a monitoring circuit that operates even when the control circuit is in an inactive state and monitors the output signal of the receiving circuit. When the monitoring circuit detects the output signal of the receiving circuit, the control circuit Is configured to start. Then, the control circuit activated based on the activation signal is activated for a certain period of time for identification code collation, door lock device control, and the like.

  By the way, the receiving circuit is configured to be able to receive radio waves in a frequency band including the frequency of the activation signal, and converts the received radio waves into a digital signal and outputs the digital signal to the control circuit. For this reason, in an environment where radio waves including the same frequency as the activation signal arrive, the control circuit is activated even when a radio wave that is not an activation signal is received. In addition, since the radio wave is not visible, the user does not notice even if the electronic key receives some radio wave (radio wave other than the request signal). Then, when stored in an environment where radio waves in the above frequency band arrive, there is a possibility that the drive power supply is consumed by continuing to start the control circuit. For this reason, it has been desired to be able to confirm whether or not the control circuit is activated in the electronic key.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic key that can grasp the activation status of an internal circuit.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention described in claim 1 is an electronic key which is connected to a corresponding operation control device via wireless communication and can control the operation of the operation control device. receives the activation signal transmitted from the receiving means for outputting a signal based on the activation signal, and a control means for activating the signal based on the output activation signal from said receiving means, said operation control according to an instruction of the control means A transmission means for transmitting a response signal to the activation signal to the apparatus, and a notification means for notifying a user of the activation of the control means, and the control means outputs a signal indicating that the activation has been performed to the transmission means. The gist is to inform the user of the activation of the control means based on a signal output from the control means to the transmission means .

According to this invention, since the activation of the control unit is notified by the notification unit, the user can grasp the activation by a signal other than the activation signal of the control unit. As a result, the user can avoid storing the electronic key in an environment in which the control means is activated, that is, an environment in which a radio wave that is mistakenly regarded as an activation signal arrives, and the consumption of the drive power of the control means can be reduced. become able to.
In particular, when a signal indicating activation is output from the control means to the transmission means, the activation of the control means is notified to the user. For this reason, the activation of the control means is reliably notified to the user.
In addition, for example, when the electronic key is not within the range where the signal transmitted from the operation control device can be received and the radio key is misunderstood as an activation signal, the electronic key may receive some radio wave. There is a case where no signal is transmitted with respect to the radio wave. In such a case, the user is notified that the control means has been activated only when the signal that the electronic key misidentifies as the activation signal is received. For this reason, it is reliably notified to the user that the control means has been activated, and consumption of the drive power of the notification means is reduced.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic key which is connected to a corresponding operation control device via wireless communication and can control the operation of the operation control device, and an activation signal transmitted from the operation control device. Receiving means for receiving and outputting a signal based on the start signal; control means for starting based on the signal based on the start signal output from the receiving means; and a response to the start signal for the operation control device according to an instruction from the control means A transmission means for transmitting a signal; and a notification means for notifying a user of the activation of the control means; and the number of times the control means is activated and the number of times the control means is connected to the operation control device. The gist of the present invention is that it has storage means for storing.
According to this invention, since the activation of the control unit is notified by the notification unit, the user can grasp the activation by a signal other than the activation signal of the control unit. As a result, the user can avoid storing the electronic key in an environment in which the control means is activated, that is, an environment in which a radio wave that is mistakenly regarded as an activation signal arrives, and the consumption of the drive power of the control means can be reduced. become able to.
In particular, the number of times that the control means is activated based on the regular activation signal and the radio wave that is mistaken as the activation signal, and the number of times that the control means is activated and connected to the operation control device based only on the regular activation signal are stored. Therefore, by comparing these times, it can be determined whether or not the drive power source of the control means has been driven effectively. As a result, for example, if the number of times that the control means is activated is greater than the number of times that the control means is activated only by the regular activation signal, the place where the electronic key is routinely stored is the place where radio waves that are mistaken as the activation signal arrive There is a high possibility. In that case, the user can reduce the consumption of the drive power source of the control means by changing the storage location of the electronic key.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electronic key according to the first aspect, the electronic key according to the first aspect further comprises storage means for storing the number of times the control means is activated and the number of times the control means is connected to the operation control device. This is the gist.
According to the present invention, the number of times that the control means is activated based on the normal activation signal and the radio wave mistaken as the activation signal, and the control means is activated based on only the normal activation signal and connected to the operation control device. Since the number of times is stored, it is possible to determine whether or not the drive power source of the control means has been driven effectively by comparing these numbers. As a result, for example, if the number of times that the control means is activated is greater than the number of times that the control means is activated only by the regular activation signal, the place where the electronic key is routinely stored is the place where radio waves that are mistaken as the activation signal arrive There is a high possibility. In that case, the user can reduce the consumption of the drive power source of the control means by changing the storage location of the electronic key.

The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that in the electronic key according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the electronic key includes selection means for selecting an operating state / non-operating state of the notification means. .
According to the present invention, the notification means can be activated only when selected by the selection means. For this reason, when there is no need, the notification means can be deactivated to reduce the consumption of the drive power of the notification means.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic key according to any one of the first to fourth aspects of the invention, the notification means is based on a signal based on an activation signal that is an output signal of the reception means. The gist is to notify the user of the activation of the control means.

  According to the present invention, when the receiving unit receives the activation signal or the radio wave in the frequency band including the frequency of the activation signal and outputs a signal based on the signal, the activation of the control unit is notified to the user. For this reason, the user is surely notified that the control circuit has been activated.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to grasp the startup state of the internal circuit.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of an electronic key system to which an electronic key of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an electronic key system 1 is mounted on a vehicle 2 and is connected to an operation control device 3 that locks and unlocks a door of the vehicle 2, and the operation control device 3 through wireless communication. An electronic key 4 capable of controlling the control device 3 is provided.

  In the electronic key system 1, the ID code (identification code) registered for each vehicle 2 and the ID code of the electronic key 4 are collated (code collation). If these codes match, the vehicle controlled by the electronic key 4 is used. 2 doors are allowed to be locked and unlocked. For example, the electronic key system 1 performs code verification when a driver (user) gets into the vehicle 2, compares an identification code unique to the electronic key 4 with an identification code set in advance in the vehicle 2, and compares them. If the codes match (when communication is established between the operation control device 3 and the electronic key 4), the unlocking of the door lock by the control of the electronic key 4 is permitted.

  The operation control device 3 includes a transmission circuit 5 that transmits a signal via a transmission antenna 5 a, a reception circuit 6 that transmits a signal via a reception antenna 6 a, and a microcomputer connected to the transmission circuit 5 and the reception circuit 6 ( (Hereinafter referred to as “microcomputer”) 7. When the vehicle 2 is parked, the transmission circuit 5 intermittently transmits an activation signal (wake-up signal) for activating (wake-up) the electronic key 4 within a predetermined range.

  The microcomputer 7 is a CPU unit including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like (not shown). A door lock device 8 is electrically connected to the microcomputer 7. The microcomputer 7 outputs a door locking / unlocking permission signal to the door lock device 8 when the codes of the electronic key 4 and the vehicle 2 coincide with each other by code verification.

  The door lock device 8 is for automatically locking / unlocking the door of the vehicle 2. When the door lock device 8 receives a signal permitting locking / unlocking of the door from the microcomputer 7, the door locking device 8 automatically locks / unlocks the door lock by driving the door locking actuator.

  The electronic key 4 is connected to a receiving circuit 9 as a receiving means for receiving a signal through the receiving antenna 9a, a transmitting circuit 10 for transmitting a signal through the transmitting antenna 10a, and the receiving circuit 9 and the transmitting circuit 10. A microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as “microcomputer”) 11 as a control means is provided. The electronic key 4 includes a door lock portion 12 that can instruct the door of the vehicle 2 to be locked, and an unlock portion 13 that can instruct the unlocking of the door. 12 and the unlocking unit 13 are connected to the microcomputer 11. Further, a light emitting diode (hereinafter referred to as “LED (Light Emitting Diode)”) 14 is connected to the microcomputer 11, and the microcomputer 11 lights up when the door lock unit 12 or the unlock unit 13 is operated. It is configured as follows.

  When the reception circuit 9 recognizes the received signal as an activation signal transmitted from the vehicle 2, the reception circuit 9 demodulates the pulse signal (a signal based on the activation signal) and outputs the pulse signal to the microcomputer 11. Even if the reception circuit 9 receives an external radio wave that is not an activation signal, the reception circuit 9 regards the signal as an activation signal and outputs the pulse signal when receiving an electric wave in the same frequency band as the activation signal. That is, when the receiving circuit 9 receives the activation signal and a signal that is mistaken as the activation signal, the receiving circuit 9 demodulates the signal into a pulse signal and outputs the pulse signal to the microcomputer 11. The receiving circuit 9 is configured to be intermittently driven in a state where communication with the electronic key 4 is not performed in order to reduce consumption of the driving power source. Specifically, the microcomputer 11 has a built-in timer 11a, and the receiving circuit 9 is managed by the timer and is periodically activated at regular intervals.

  The microcomputer 11 is a CPU unit including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like (not shown). The microcomputer 11 starts (wakes up) when receiving a signal (the pulse signal) based on the start signal from the receiving circuit 9. Specifically, the microcomputer 11 includes an input / output circuit 11b for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the receiving circuit 9 and the transmitting circuit 10, and an input monitoring circuit 11c for inputting a signal based on the activation signal from the receiving circuit 9. . The input monitoring circuit 11 c is always activated even if other circuits included in the microcomputer 11 are not activated, and is in a state where signals can be received from the receiving circuit 9. In the microcomputer 11, the timer 11a is always activated. When the input monitoring circuit 11c receives a signal based on the activation signal, it activates the entire circuit of the microcomputer 11. That is, in the state where the microcomputer 11 does not communicate with the operation control device 3, only the input monitoring circuit 11c and the timer 11a are activated, and most other circuits are in a dormant state.

  When the microcomputer 11 is activated based on the activation signal, the microcomputer 11 outputs a transmission command of a response signal to the activation signal to the transmission circuit 10. In response to the transmission command, the transmission circuit 10 transmits a response signal. Further, the microcomputer 11 includes a memory 11d as a nonvolatile storage unit, and the memory 11d stores an identification code unique to the electronic key 4 and the like.

  In the present embodiment, a transistor 16 is connected between the receiving circuit 9 / microcomputer 11 and the LED 14 via a switch 15. Thereby, when a signal is output from the receiving circuit 9 to the microcomputer 11, if the switch 15 is turned on, a current flows through the transistor 16 and the LED 14 is lit. In this case, the LED 14 corresponds to notifying means for notifying the user of the start of the microcomputer 11, and notifies the user of the start of the microcomputer 11 based on the output signal of the receiving circuit 9. The switch 15 corresponds to a selection unit that can select an operation state / non-operation state of the function of the LED 14 as a notification unit, and the switch 15 is turned on / off by the user, so that the LED 14 is a notification unit. The function is activated / inactivated.

  Next, an example of the operation of the electronic key system 1 configured as described above will be described. Here, a case where the driver (user) who has the electronic key 4 approaches the vehicle 2 in a parked state and releases the door lock of the vehicle 2 will be described.

  First, when the driver enters a range where the activation signal can be received and the electronic key 4 receives the activation signal, the electronic key 4 transmits a response signal to the activation signal. Thereafter, code verification is performed between the operation control device 3 and the electronic key 4, and if the code of the vehicle 2 matches the code of the electronic key 4, communication between the electronic key 4 and the operation control device 3 is performed. Establish. In this state, the user can release the door lock of the vehicle 2 by operating the unlock unit 13.

  By the way, when the microcomputer 11 of the electronic key 4 does not communicate with the operation control device 3 in order to reduce the consumption of the driving power source, most of the circuits are in a suspended state, but the microcomputer 11 communicates with the operation control device 3. It is necessary to wake up to perform For this reason, the microcomputer 11 is activated when the receiving circuit 9 inputs a signal (pulse signal) based on the activation signal to the input monitoring circuit 11c of the microcomputer 11, and is in a standby state for performing code verification with the operation control device 3 while being activated. It is comprised so that.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the pulse signal is output from the receiving circuit 9 to the microcomputer 11, the LED 14 is lit if the user turns on the switch 15. When the LED 14 is turned on, the user can visually know that the microcomputer 11 has been activated.

  Here, even when the electronic key 4 is not within the receivable range of the activation signal transmitted from the vehicle 2 and receives a radio wave in the same frequency band as the activation signal, the microcomputer 11 is activated and demodulates the signal from the reception circuit 9. Will be input. The microcomputer 11 receiving the pulse signal recognizes that the activation signal has been received from the vehicle 2, outputs a command for transmitting a response signal to the transmission circuit 10, and waits for code verification with the operation control device 3. It becomes a state. That is, the microcomputer 11 is in a standby state for receiving a signal for code verification from the operation control device 3 while being activated.

  If the transistor 16 is not provided in the electronic key 4, the user does not notice the activation of the microcomputer 11 by receiving a radio wave that is not an activation signal. For this reason, there is a possibility that the electronic key 4 is stored in an environment where radio waves that are mistaken as activation signals arrive. Then, the microcomputer 11 of the electronic key 4 continues to be activated, and the drive power is consumed.

  In this regard, in the present embodiment, when the receiving circuit 9 recognizes that the activation signal has been received and outputs a signal to the input monitoring circuit 11c of the microcomputer 11, the LED 14 is turned on. When receiving a radio wave to be mistaken, the user can know that the microcomputer 11 has been activated. For this reason, the user can search for a place where the radio wave that the receiving circuit 9 recognizes as having received the activation signal is not generated as a storage place of the electronic key 4.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the memory 11d corresponds to storage means, and the number of times the microcomputer 11 is activated and the number of times the microcomputer 11 is connected to the operation control device 3 (that is, communication is established with the operation control device 3). Stored). For this reason, for example, the microcomputer 11 can read and compare the number of times. For example, if the microcomputer 11 determines that the number of activations of the microcomputer 11 is greater than the number of times the microcomputer 11 is connected to the operation control device 3, there is a high possibility that the microcomputer 11 is activated by radio waves that are not activation signals. For this reason, the user can know that the storage location of the electronic key 4 is a location where the drive power of the electronic key 4 is consumed.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Since the activation of the microcomputer 11 is notified by the LED 14, the user can grasp the activation by a signal other than the activation signal of the microcomputer 11. As a result, the user can avoid storing the electronic key 4 in an environment in which the microcomputer 11 is activated, that is, an environment in which a radio wave that is mistakenly regarded as an activation signal arrives, and the consumption of the drive power of the microcomputer 11 can be reduced. become able to.

  (2) Only when the switch 15 is selected, the function of the LED 14 as a notification means can be activated. For this reason, when there is no need, the function as a notification means of LED14 can be made into a non-operation state, and consumption of the drive power supply of LED14 can be reduced.

  (3) When the receiving circuit 9 receives an activation signal or a radio wave in a frequency band including the frequency of the activation signal and outputs a signal based on the signal, the activation of the microcomputer 11 is notified to the user. For this reason, it is reliably notified to the user that the microcomputer 11 has started.

  (4) The number of times the microcomputer 11 is activated based on the normal activation signal and the radio wave mistaken as the activation signal, and the number of times the microcomputer 11 is activated based on only the regular activation signal and connected to the operation control device 3 Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the driving power source of the microcomputer 11 has been driven effectively by comparing these times. As a result, for example, if the number of times the microcomputer 11 has been activated is greater than the number of times the microcomputer 11 has been activated only by a regular activation signal, the place where the electronic key 4 is routinely stored is the place where radio waves that are mistaken as activation signals arrive. Is likely. In that case, the user can reduce the consumption of the driving power source of the microcomputer 11 by changing the storage location of the electronic key 4.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of an electronic key system to which the electronic key of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the electronic key system 20 of this embodiment, the structure of the said 1st Embodiment and the structure of an electronic key differ. In the electronic key 21 of this embodiment, instead of the transistor 16 connected to the LED 14 via the switch 15 in the electronic key 4 of the above embodiment, the switch 22 is provided between the inverting terminal of the transmission circuit 10 of the microcomputer 11 and the LED 14. And a transistor 23 connected through the.

  As a result, if the switch 22 is in the on state, when the signal is output from the microcomputer 11 to the transmission circuit 10, the inverted terminal falls to the ground, so that the transistor 23 is turned on and the LED 14 is lit. Has been.

  In this case, the LED 14 corresponds to a notification unit that notifies the user of the activation of the microcomputer 11. The microcomputer 11 outputs a signal (response signal transmission command) indicating that the microcomputer 11 has been activated to the transmission circuit 10, and the LED 14 notifies the user of the activation of the microcomputer 11 based on the signal output from the microcomputer 11 to the transmission circuit 10. .

  The switch 22 corresponds to a selection unit that can select an operation state / non-operation state of the function of the LED 14 as a notification unit, and the switch 22 is turned on / off by the user, so that the LED 14 is a notification unit. The function is activated / inactivated.

  By the way, when the electronic key 21 receives an activation signal transmitted from the vehicle 2 and transmits a response signal, the electronic key 21 enters a state where code verification is performed. For example, the electronic key 21 receives a signal including an identification code unique to the vehicle 2 from the operation control device 3, and responds to the signal if it is determined that the identification code corresponds to the identification code of itself (electronic key 21). .

  However, if the electronic key 21 is not within the range in which the signal from the vehicle 2 can be received and the electronic key 21 is in a place where it receives a radio wave that is mistaken as an activation signal, the microcomputer 11 When a response signal is transmitted, and when any other radio wave is received, no signal is transmitted. That is, in such an environment, the electronic key 21 may not transmit even if it receives some radio wave. The microcomputer 11 is activated by receiving a radio wave misidentified as an activation signal, and further receives the radio wave but cannot verify the code, and therefore repeats entering a dormant state without transmitting a signal from itself.

  In this case, the LED 14 can be turned on only when a response signal to a signal that is mistaken as an activation signal is transmitted. In other words, the LED 14 is lit when a response signal is transmitted in response to a signal that is mistaken as a start signal, but not lit otherwise. For this reason, the fact that the microcomputer 11 has been activated is reliably notified to the user, and consumption of the drive power source of the LED 14 is reduced.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) When a signal indicating activation is output from the microcomputer 11 to the transmission circuit 10, the activation of the microcomputer 11 is notified to the user. For this reason, the activation of the microcomputer 11 is reliably notified to the user.

  (2) If the electronic key 21 is not within the range in which the signal transmitted from the operation control device 3 can be received, and there is an environment in which a radio wave misidentified as an activation signal arrives, the electronic key 21 receives some radio wave. However, a signal may not be transmitted for the radio wave. In such a case, the user is notified that the microcomputer 11 has been activated only when the electronic key 21 receives a signal that is mistaken as an activation signal. For this reason, it is reliably notified to the user that the microcomputer 11 has been activated, and consumption of the drive power source of the LED 14 is reduced.

In addition, each said embodiment is not restricted to the said structure, You may change to the following aspects.
-The aspect of the alerting | reporting means which alert | reports starting of the microcomputer 11 is not limited to the aspect of said each embodiment. For example, it is good also as an alerting | reporting means which alert | reports starting of the microcomputer 11 to the user, when the receiving circuit 9 started intermittently starts longer than the preset time. In that case, for example, an LED that lights up when the start-up time of the receiving circuit 9 exceeds a certain time may be provided. If comprised in this way, when the receiving circuit 9 performs the operation | movement which received the electromagnetic wave which is misidentified as a starting signal or a starting signal, starting of the microcomputer 11 will be notified to a user.

  In the above embodiment, the door of the vehicle 2 is locked / unlocked by the electronic key 4, but the manner in which the electronic key controls the operation control device 3 is not limited to this. For example, the electronic key may be configured to automatically prepare for the door lock release of the vehicle 2.

  In each of the above embodiments, the electronic keys 4 and 21 including the switches 15 and 22 are used as the selection means. However, these switches 15 and 22 are not necessarily provided. By omitting the switches 15 and 22, the user can confirm the activation of the microcomputer 11 by the LED 14 without operating the switches.

  -In said each embodiment, although LED was used as an alerting | reporting means to alert | report activation of the microcomputer 11, another means may be sufficient as an alerting | reporting means to a user, for example, it is good also as what alert | reports with a sound.

The electronic keys 4 and 21 are not limited to those that permit the operation of the vehicle door, but may be applied to those that permit the start of the vehicle engine.
-The electronic keys 4 and 21 may be applied not only to the door of a vehicle but to the door of a building.

The technical ideas that can be grasped from the above embodiments are described below.
In (b) electronic key, said receiving means serves to start intermittently, if the receiving unit is activated longer than a preset time, the notification means notifies the user activation of the control means child and. If comprised in this way, when the receiving means performs the operation | movement which received the electromagnetic wave which is misidentified as a starting signal or a starting signal, starting of a control means will be alert | reported to a user.

The schematic diagram which shows the electric constitution of an electronic key system. The schematic diagram which shows the electric constitution of an electronic key system.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 ... Vehicle, 3 ... Operation control apparatus, 4, 21 ... Electronic key, 9 ... Reception circuit (reception means), 10 ... Transmission circuit (transmission means), 11 ... Microcomputer (control means), 11d ... Memory (storage means) 14, LED (notification means), 15, 22 ... switch (selection means).

Claims (5)

An electronic key connected to a corresponding operation control device via wireless communication and capable of controlling the operation of the operation control device,
Receiving means for receiving an activation signal transmitted from the operation control device , and outputting a signal based on the activation signal ;
And a control means for activating the signal based on the output activation signal from said receiving means,
Transmitting means for transmitting a response signal to the activation signal to the operation control device according to an instruction of the control means;
Informing means for informing the user of activation of the control means;
Equipped with a,
The control means outputs a signal indicating that it has been activated to the transmission means,
The electronic key is characterized in that the notification means notifies the user of activation of the control means based on a signal output from the control means to the transmission means . An electronic key connected to a corresponding operation control device via wireless communication and capable of controlling the operation of the operation control device,
Receiving means for receiving an activation signal transmitted from the operation control device , and outputting a signal based on the activation signal ;
And a control means for activating the signal based on the output activation signal from said receiving means,
Transmitting means for transmitting a response signal to the activation signal to the operation control device according to an instruction of the control means;
Informing means for informing the user of activation of the control means;
Equipped with a,
The electronic key further comprises storage means for storing the number of times the control means is activated and the number of times the control means is connected to the operation control device . 2. The electronic key according to claim 1, further comprising storage means for storing the number of times the control means is activated and the number of times the control means is connected to the operation control device. The electronic key according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising selection means for selecting an operating state / non-operating state of the notification means. The said alerting | reporting means alert | reports starting of the said control means to a user based on the signal based on the starting signal which is an output signal of the said receiving means, The any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned. Electronic key.

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