JP5116718B2 - Passive keyless entry device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a passive keyless entry device that automatically locks and unlocks a door by performing wireless communication between a portable device and a vehicle-side device. It relates to a keyless entry device.

  In passive keyless entry devices, vehicles such as automobiles are equipped with a vehicle-side device that performs wireless communication with a portable device carried by the driver, and locks and unlocks the door when authentication is established. I have to. A plurality of portable devices are prepared for one vehicle. Of these, the doors are automatically unlocked when the portable device enters a predetermined area based on the vehicle, which is assumed when the user with the portable device approaches the vehicle. is doing. Also, the door is automatically locked when the portable device leaves the vehicle at a predetermined distance or more away from the predetermined area. This is when the user with the portable device leaves the vehicle. Is assumed.

  By the way, in order to detect whether the portable device is in a predetermined region on the vehicle side, communication is performed between the vehicle-side device and the portable device at a predetermined time period. At this time, a request signal is transmitted from the vehicle side device at a predetermined time interval, and when the portable device is located within a predetermined region, the request signal is received, and the received portable device has an ID unique to each portable device. An answer signal including the above information is transmitted and received by the vehicle side device for authentication. Further, when the portable device is not located within the predetermined area, the request signal cannot be received and the answer signal is not transmitted. Thus, on the vehicle side, whether or not the predetermined portable device is located within the predetermined area can be determined depending on the success or failure of the authentication. It is possible to determine whether an area has been entered.

  Here, when the portable device is located within a predetermined range and the transmission cycle of the request signal transmitted from the vehicle-side device is short, the response interval of the answer signal from the portable device is also shortened. Since a large amount of power is required for signal transmission, battery consumption of the portable device is expedited. On the contrary, if the transmission cycle of the request signal is lengthened, when the portable device is separated from the vehicle, the reaction time until locking becomes longer and the performance is lowered, so it cannot be made too long.

  A passive keyless entry apparatus that switches the cycle of intermittent transmission of request signals is also known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses such a passive keyless entry apparatus. In the passive keyless entry device, when the signal from the portable device changes from the non-reception state to the reception state in the vehicle-side device, the first is set shorter than the first intermittent cycle that is the intermittent cycle of the normal request signal. 2 When a request signal is transmitted at intermittent intervals and unlocked when an answer signal corresponding to all transmission signals is received by the vehicle-side device, it is performed every time it enters and exits the inside and outside of a predetermined area.・ Do not unlock.

JP 2003-253938 A

  However, the passive keyless entry device described in Patent Document 1 also has a problem that the reaction time becomes long when the intermittent period of the request signal is long. In other words, the period is shortened in response to the start of reception of the answer signal in the vehicle, and it is assumed that the portable device is not in the predetermined area at the time when the request signal is transmitted and immediately after that the portable device enters the predetermined area. Then, since the portable device can be detected only at the timing of the next transmission, there is a problem that the reaction time becomes long.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and when communication is performed between a vehicle-side device and a portable device at a predetermined time period, the battery life of the portable device is extended while suppressing a decrease in performance. It is an object of the present invention to provide a passive keyless entry device that can be used.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a passive keyless entry device according to the present invention transmits a request signal at a predetermined time period from a vehicle-side device provided in a vehicle, and when a portable device receives the request signal, an answer is received in a predetermined case. In a passive keyless entry device including a control unit that transmits a signal and performs predetermined control when the vehicle-side device receives or does not receive the answer signal,
The portable device includes a portable device control unit that detects the strength of a request signal transmitted from the vehicle-side device, and the portable device control unit is configured such that the strength of the request signal is equal to or less than a predetermined value or less than a predetermined value. The normal response signal is transmitted as the answer signal once for a predetermined number of times of reception of the request signal, and the portable device control unit performs a time other than the time of transmitting the normal response signal for reception of the request signal. Is configured to transmit a simple response signal shorter than the normal response signal as the answer signal .

  In the passive keyless entry device according to the present invention, when the distance from the vehicle detected by the portable device control unit based on the request signal is greater than or equal to a predetermined value or greater than a predetermined value, information to that effect is immediately displayed. It is characterized by transmitting a signal including it.

  According to the passive keyless entry device of the present invention, when the strength of the request signal is within a predetermined value, the portable device control unit outputs a normal response signal as an answer signal once for a predetermined number of times of reception of the request signal. By transmitting, power for transmitting an answer signal in the portable device can be reduced, and battery consumption can be suppressed.

  Further, according to the passive keyless entry device according to the present invention, the portable device control unit does not transmit the answer signal at times other than the time of transmitting the normal response signal in response to the reception of the request signal. Electric power for answer signal transmission can be reduced, and battery consumption can be further suppressed.

  Furthermore, according to the passive keyless entry device according to the present invention, the portable device control unit outputs a simple response signal shorter than the normal response signal as an answer signal at times other than when the normal response signal is transmitted in response to reception of the request signal. By transmitting, since a signal is transmitted to the vehicle-side device even when a normal response signal is not transmitted, responsiveness can be ensured.

  Furthermore, according to the passive keyless entry device according to the present invention, when the distance from the vehicle detected based on the request signal is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the portable device control unit immediately informs that effect. By transmitting the signal including the normal response signal as an answer signal from the portable device, even if the interval of transmitting the normal response signal is long, it is possible to lock immediately after leaving a predetermined distance from the vehicle, and to ensure good responsiveness it can.

It is a schematic diagram of the passive keyless entry device in this embodiment. It is a block diagram of the passive keyless entry device in this embodiment. It is a flowchart of the portable device which received the request signal. It is a flowchart of the portable device which received the request signal in 2nd Embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a passive keyless entry device according to this embodiment. As shown in this figure, the passive keyless entry device according to the present embodiment includes a vehicle-side device 2 provided in a vehicle 1 having a door 1a, and a transmission antenna that is connected to the vehicle-side device 2 and arranged at various locations on the vehicle 1. 3, a receiving antenna 4 connected to the vehicle side device 2 and disposed in the vehicle 1, and a portable device 5 carried by the user. In addition, the passive keyless entry device performs wireless communication between the portable device 5 and the vehicle-side device 2 when the user approaches the vehicle 1 or leaves the vehicle 1 with the portable device 5 carried, and the door 1a. Has the function of locking and unlocking.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration and operation for locking the door 1a when the user leaves the vehicle 1 while carrying the portable device 5 will be described below. In this case, request signals are transmitted from the vehicle side device 2 at predetermined time intervals, and the portable device 5 that has received the request signal transmits a predetermined answer signal to the vehicle side device 2 that has received the answer signal. Then, predetermined control is performed based on the answer signal.

  A plurality of portable devices 5 are prepared for one vehicle 1, and each portable device 5 is provided with a unique identification code of 32 bits, for example. In the answer signal from the portable device 5, the vehicle-side device 2 authenticates the portable device 5 and identifies which portable device 5 is communicating with the signal by including an identification code unique to the portable device 5 in the signal. be able to. The answer signal from the portable device 5 including the identification code unique to each portable device 5 is hereinafter referred to as a normal response signal.

  On the other hand, for example, a unique identification code of 4 bits is attached to the vehicle 1, and each portable device 5 includes an identification code unique to the vehicle 1 in the answer signal. It can be recognized that the signal is from the portable device 5 for the vehicle 1. The identification code unique to the vehicle 1 is configured with a smaller amount of information than the identification code unique to the portable device 5. Therefore, the signal from the portable device 5 including the identification code unique to the vehicle 1 is a normal response signal. Shorter than. This answer signal is hereinafter referred to as a simple response signal.

  A plurality of transmission antennas 3 are provided on the inside and outside of the vehicle 1 so that the signal reachable range of the antennas overlap each other in the vicinity of the vehicle. When transmitting the request signal, the signals are continuously transmitted from all the transmitting antennas 3 so that the transmission times do not overlap. Thereafter, signals are similarly transmitted at predetermined time intervals, and this is repeated.

  FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the passive keyless entry device in the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the vehicle-side device 2 includes a control unit 10 that controls each unit, a memory 11 that stores identification codes and the like, a transmission unit 12 that transmits radio waves to each transmission antenna 3, and a reception antenna 4. Is provided with a receiving unit 13 that outputs the radio wave received as a signal to the control unit 10 and a lock driving unit 14 that performs locking and unlocking operations of the door 1a.

  The portable device 5 receives the request signal from the vehicle side device 2, the portable device control unit 20 that performs various controls, the portable device reception unit 21 that receives the request signal, and an answer signal to the vehicle side device 2 Mobile device transmission unit 22 and a memory 23 storing an identification code and the like. In addition, an antenna 24 that transmits and receives signals is connected to the portable device receiver 21 and the portable device transmitter 22.

  The portable device control unit 20 can calculate the distance from the portable device to the vehicle 1 based on the intensity of the request signal received from each antenna 3 by the portable device reception unit 21. Since the request signal is transmitted at predetermined time intervals as described above, the portable device control unit 20 is calculated from the distance from the vehicle 1 calculated from the request signal received immediately before and the request signal received before that. It is possible to detect how much the position of the portable device 5 with respect to the vehicle 1 has changed by comparing the distance from the vehicle 1. Specifically, the portable device stores in the memory 21 the received strength data and the number of received data from when the first signal is received until the transmission of the request signal from all antennas is completed. To do. Data is also stored for signals received after the predetermined time interval has passed, as described above. Since the signals received in the respective ranks are considered to be signals from the same antenna, it is possible to detect how much the position of the portable device 5 relative to the vehicle 1 has changed by comparing the signals of the respective ranks. it can.

The portable device control unit 20 changes the content of the answer signal according to the amount of change in the distance of the portable device 5 relative to the vehicle 1 detected based on the intensity of the received request signal. When the change in the distance of the portable device 5 relative to the vehicle 1 is greater than a predetermined value, it is determined that the portable device 5 is moving greatly, and a normal response signal including an identification code unique to the portable device 5 is used as an answer signal. Send. On the other hand, when the change in the distance to the vehicle 1 is less than the predetermined value, it is determined that the portable device 5 has hardly moved, and a simple response signal shorter than the normal response signal is transmitted as an answer signal. In addition, it may be determined that the movement is large when it is larger than the predetermined value, and it is determined that the movement is hardly performed when it is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value.
As a determination method, in this embodiment, it is determined whether or not the maximum difference in intensity values in a predetermined order is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. This corresponds to the maximum value of the change in distance from the antenna 3. However, this is required to determine whether or not the mobile device has moved greatly. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the average value of the difference between the intensity data of each rank or the difference between the intensity data is squared and summed. Or the square root of the sum.
Further, in this embodiment, the antenna is identified by the order of the signal received first and the signal received thereafter, but the data indicating each transmitting antenna is given to the request signal, and the antenna is referred to by referring to the data. May be identified.
Furthermore, the portable device control unit 20 returns only the distance data with respect to each antenna 3 detected based on the received request signal strength to the vehicle side device 2 every time a request signal is received. That is, the portable device 20 detects the strength data every time a request signal transmitted from each antenna is received, immediately returns it, and stores it in the memory at the same time, and stores it in the memory when one cycle of receiving the request signal is completed. The stored data is used to determine the movement status of the portable device. When it is determined that the portable device has moved greatly, a signal including the identification code of the portable device is transmitted. Send. The return of the strength data is data that is used for detecting the position of the portable device 5 to be described later, and is smaller in amount of information than the simple response signal.

  The control part 10 of the vehicle side apparatus 2 authenticates the portable device 5 with reference to the memory 11 when a normal response signal is received as an answer signal. Further, based on the signal strength information received from the portable device 5, it is determined whether the portable device 5 is inside or outside the boundary line that is a predetermined distance away from the vehicle 1. More specifically, the control unit 10 controls the transmission timing of the request signal from the antenna 3, and the portable device 5 returns the strength data immediately after receiving the request signal, so the control unit 10 returns the response from the portable device 5. It can be determined which antenna 3 the intensity data corresponds to, and therefore the control unit 10 can determine the distance between the portable device and each antenna from the intensity data. From this, the absolute position of the portable device with respect to the vehicle is obtained, and it is determined whether the position is inside or outside the boundary line. In addition, in order to perform more accurately, it can also be performed as follows. A large amount of signal intensity information from each transmitting antenna 3 detected by the portable device 5 inside and outside the boundary line is collected in advance, and a data group is created for each of them, and the signal strength actually received by the portable device 5 It is determined by using a statistical method whether the information of the image data approximates the data group inside the boundary line or the data group outside the boundary line, so that the portable device 5 is inside or outside the boundary line. It is determined whether it is in. As a statistical method at this time, for example, a method of calculating the Mahalanobis distance between the data from the portable device 5 and each data group and comparing which data group is approximated can be used.

  Here, the control unit 10 moves from the state where the portable device 5 is inside the boundary line that is a predetermined distance away from the vehicle 1 and authenticates the authentication code of the portable device to the outside of the boundary line in the state where the authentication code of the portable device is authenticated. If it is determined that the mobile device 5 has moved, it is assumed that the portable device 5 has moved away from the vehicle 1 and the lock driving unit 14 is controlled to lock the door 1a. Similarly, when the authentication code of the mobile device is authenticated from the state where the authentication code of the mobile device is inside the boundary line or the communication code is lost, the authentication code of the mobile device is no longer authenticated. The drive unit 14 is controlled so that the door 1a is locked. On the other hand, when it is determined that the portable device 5 is inside the boundary line separated from the vehicle 1 by a predetermined distance and the authentication code or the vehicle authentication code signal is received from the portable device, the door 1a is not locked. Continue to send intermittent request signals. Note that the transmission of the request signal when getting off is started on condition that the engine is stopped, the door is closed, and the door is not locked.

  The flow of whether the portable device 5 transmits a normal response signal as an answer signal or a simple response signal will be described in detail below. FIG. 3 shows a flowchart in the portable device 5. This flowchart starts from the time (S1) when the portable device 5 receives the request signal from the vehicle side device 2. When receiving the request signal, the portable device control unit 20 calculates the distance from the vehicle 1 based on the strength (S2).

  Subsequently, the portable device control unit 20 determines whether or not the received request signal is first received (S3). The history of reception by the portable device 5 is stored in the memory 21, and the portable device control unit 20 can recognize the number of times of reception by referring to the history. If the received request signal is the first one received, the portable device control unit 20 causes the portable device transmission unit 22 to transmit a normal response signal as an answer signal (S5).

  If the received request signal is received after the second time, the portable device control unit 20 determines the strength of the request signal received once before and the strength of the request signal received this time as described above. In contrast (S4), if the change is greater than or equal to a predetermined value or greater than the predetermined value, it is determined that the portable device 5 has moved greatly, and a normal response signal is transmitted to the portable device transmission unit 22 as an answer signal. (S5). When the vehicle-side device 2 receives the normal response signal, the control unit 10 performs authentication using an identification code unique to the portable device 5 and the boundary where the portable device 5 is set at a predetermined distance from the vehicle 1 as described above. Determine if it is inside or outside the line. When it is determined that the authentication is established and the position is located from the inner side to the outer side of the boundary line, or when the authentication is established on the inner side and the authentication is not established after the authentication is performed on the inner side, the door is connected to the lock drive unit 14. Control to lock 1a is performed. On the other hand, when the change in distance is less than the predetermined value or less than the predetermined value, the portable device control unit 20 determines that the portable device 5 has hardly moved, and sends a simple response signal as an answer signal to the portable device transmission unit. 22 is transmitted (S6). When the answer signal is transmitted, the portable device control unit 20 adds 1 to the number of receptions stored in the memory 21 and stores it (S7).

  The intensity comparison here is not limited to using the intensity based on the request signal received once before. For example, when the time interval for transmitting the request signal is short, it can be compared with the intensity based on the request signal received two or more times before, or the intensity based on the request signal for the past several times is averaged. It can also be compared with the distance of detection.

The portable device control unit 20 executes this flow every time a request signal is received from the vehicle-side device 2, and transmits a normal response signal or a simple response signal according to a change in the distance between the portable device 5 and the vehicle 1. . As a result, when the portable device 5 remains without moving in the vicinity of the vehicle 1, a simple response signal that is shorter than the normal response signal and requires less power consumption is transmitted. Even if it becomes, the consumption of the battery of the portable device 5 can be suppressed. On the other hand, an answer signal is returned each time for the request signal, and when the portable device 5 moves more than a predetermined amount, a normal response signal is transmitted and authentication is performed. Can also be prevented. In this embodiment, when the vehicle moves from the vehicle to the outside of the boundary area at a slow speed, the identification code of the portable device is not transmitted except for the first time. Even when the identification code cannot be received, there is no problem because it is locked, but a normal response signal may be transmitted once every predetermined number of times. Further, the portable device may transmit the identification signal of the portable device not only the first time but also a few times.
The locking operation when moving away from the vehicle has been described above, but for unlocking when approaching the vehicle, a request signal is sent only from the antenna provided on the door handle by pressing a switch (not shown) provided on the vehicle. In response to this, the portable device transmits an answer signal including the identification code of the portable device, and unlocks the door when authentication is established.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The passive keyless entry device of this embodiment is the same as that of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of the first embodiment in terms of the configuration outline and block diagram. The difference from the first embodiment is the operation when the portable device 5 receives the request signal, and will be described with reference to the flowchart. FIG. 4 shows a flowchart in this case.

  First, the point starting from the time point (S1) when the portable device 5 receives the request signal from the vehicle-side device 2 is the same as in the first embodiment. Next, the portable device control unit 20 calculates the distance from the vehicle 1 based on the intensity of the request signal (S2).

  Subsequently, the portable device control unit 20 determines whether or not the distance calculated in S2 is larger than a predetermined value (S3). Here, when the distance is larger than the predetermined value or more than the predetermined value, it is assumed that the portable device 5 is sufficiently separated from the vehicle 1, and a locking response signal including information for instructing locking is added to the normal response signal. The signal is transmitted to the portable device transmission unit 22 as a signal (S4), and the flow ends. When the vehicle side device 2 receives the locking response signal, the control unit 10 performs authentication with an identification code unique to the portable device 5 and causes the lock driving unit 14 to lock the door 1a.

  If the distance is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value or less than the predetermined value in S3, the portable device control unit 20 refers to the memory 21 to determine whether or not the number of receptions stored in the distance is 0 (S5). . The case where the number of receptions is 0 is a case where the portable device 5 first receives a request signal, or a case where a request signal is received immediately after the reception number is reset to 0 as described later.

  Here, when the number of receptions stored in the memory 21 is 0, the portable device control unit 20 causes the portable device transmission unit 22 to transmit a normal response signal as an answer signal (S6). About operation | movement of the vehicle side apparatus 2 at the time of receiving a normal response signal, it is the same as that of 1st Embodiment. On the other hand, if the number of receptions is not 0, the portable device control unit 20 causes the portable device transmission unit 22 to transmit a simple response signal as an answer signal (S7).

  When the normal response signal or the simple response signal is transmitted as the answer signal, the portable device control unit 20 adds 1 to the number of receptions stored in the memory 21 and stores it (S8). Next, the portable device control unit 20 refers to the memory 21 and determines whether or not the number of receptions stored therein is 10 (S9). If the number of receptions is 10, the number of receptions in the memory 21 is reset to 0 (S10). If the number of receptions is not 10, the process ends. As a result, the number of receptions is reset every time the request signal is received 10 times, and in the next time, the number of receptions is determined to be 0 in S5, so that a normal response signal is transmitted. A simple response signal is transmitted until That is, the normal response signal is transmitted once in 10 times, and the simple response signal shorter than the normal response signal is transmitted for the remaining 9 times. Therefore, the power for transmitting the answer signal in the portable device 5 can be reduced, and battery consumption can be suppressed.

  In S3, when the strength of the portable device 5 with respect to the vehicle 1 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value or greater than the predetermined value, the locking response signal is immediately transmitted, so that the normal response signal is transmitted as the answer signal from the portable device 5. Even if the interval is long, it can be locked immediately after a predetermined distance from the vehicle 1, and good responsiveness can be ensured. The intensity in this case is also summed by squaring the maximum value or average value of the request signal intensity data transmitted from each antenna, or the difference between the intensity data, as described above. It is good also as taking a square root.

  Furthermore, if the vehicle side device 2 cannot receive the answer signal from the portable device 5, it is determined that the portable device 5 is separated from the vehicle 1 and the door 1 a is locked. What cannot be performed can also occur in the case of poor communication between the portable device 5 and the vehicle-side device 2 due to the presence of a shield or the like, and can also occur when the battery of the portable device 5 runs out. In some cases, unintentional locking may occur. However, in the present embodiment, the predetermined value of the distance determined in S3 is shorter than the communicable distance between the portable device 5 and the vehicle side device 2 (for example, the predetermined value of the distance determined if the communicable distance is 2.5 m is 2 m). When the distance between the portable device 5 and the vehicle-side device 2 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value or greater than a predetermined value, a lock response signal is immediately transmitted. In other words, it is not locked when authentication is not possible, but it is locked when authentication is possible and it is far from a predetermined distance, so unintentional locking is performed due to poor communication, etc. Occurrence can be prevented.

  In the second embodiment, the normal response signal is transmitted once every 10 times as an answer signal. However, it is possible to appropriately set how many times the response signal is made once. In addition, the simple response signal is transmitted from the portable device 5 at times other than transmitting the normal response signal, but nothing may be transmitted. In this case, the vehicle-side device 2 cannot confirm the presence of the portable device 5 at times other than transmitting the normal response signal, but on the other hand, the battery consumption of the portable device 5 can be further suppressed.

  Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the number of receptions is counted and the content of the answer signal is changed based on the number of counts. However, a normal response signal is transmitted as an answer signal once every predetermined time using a timer. You may comprise as follows.

  Furthermore, the steps S3 and S4 of the second embodiment are added in the flow of the first embodiment, and when the distance between the portable device 5 and the vehicle 1 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value or greater than a predetermined value, the locking response is immediately performed. A signal may be transmitted. In this case, the steps S3 and S4 in FIG. 4 may be added before the step S3 in FIG.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the application of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and can be variously applied within the scope of the technical idea. In the present embodiment, the simple response signal is configured as a signal including an identification code unique to the vehicle 1, but is not limited thereto, and is a signal shorter than a normal response signal including an identification code unique to the portable device 5, Furthermore, any signal that can be distinguished from noise may be used. For example, a signal that repeats a single pulse a predetermined number of times, a single pulse signal having a predetermined time length, or the like may be used.
Yes.
In the first and second embodiments, a plurality of antennas are provided. However, for example, the determination may be made based on the received signal strength data from one antenna provided on the driver's seat door or the like.
In the first and second embodiments, the portable device control unit 20 determines whether or not to use the simple response signal based on the intensity data received by the portable device 5. The amount of change may be obtained from the absolute position, and information on whether to transmit a simple response signal or a normal response signal to the portable device may be included in the request signal and transmitted accordingly.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 2 Vehicle side apparatus 5 Portable machine 10 Control part 11 Memory 20 Portable machine control part 21 Memory

Claims (2)

When a request signal is transmitted at a predetermined time period from a vehicle side device provided in the vehicle, and when the portable device receives the request signal, an answer signal is transmitted in a predetermined case, and the answer signal is received by the vehicle side device Alternatively, in a passive keyless entry device equipped with a control unit that performs predetermined control when not received,
The portable device includes a portable device control unit that detects the strength of a request signal transmitted from the vehicle-side device, and the portable device control unit is configured such that the strength of the request signal is equal to or less than a predetermined value or less than a predetermined value. The normal response signal is transmitted as the answer signal once for a predetermined number of times of reception of the request signal, and the portable device control unit performs a time other than the time of transmitting the normal response signal for reception of the request signal. In the passive keyless entry device, a simple response signal shorter than the normal response signal is transmitted as the answer signal . The portable device control unit, when a distance from the vehicle detected based on the request signal is greater than or equal to a predetermined value or greater than a predetermined value, immediately transmits a signal including information to that effect. 1 passive keyless entry device according.

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