JP5177684B2 - Vehicle communication apparatus and method, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle communication device and method, and a program, and more particularly, to a vehicle communication device and method that reliably recognizes that a portable device is outside the vehicle and can reliably perform a command operation from outside the vehicle, and Regarding the program.

  Conventionally, unlocking and locking of a door of a vehicle has been performed with a key. However, in recent years, by operating a portable device associated with each vehicle such as a remote controller instead of a key, locking and unlocking are performed. Those that perform are generally popular.

  In recent years, the functions of this portable device have further evolved, and when the driver who has the portable device approaches the vehicle from the outside of the vehicle, communication is made between the vehicle and the portable device, and mutual authentication is made. Then, unlock the door on the vehicle side, and if it is determined that the driver carrying the portable device is in the vehicle, accept the start button operation and rotate the cell motor. It has been realized that the engine can be started.

  A function realized by communication between these portable devices and the vehicle is generally called a passive entry system.

  By the way, in the communication between the vehicle and the portable device in this passive entry system, the portable device is transmitted from the vehicle when the portable device exists outside the vehicle with respect to a signal transmitted from the vehicle. When the signal is a signal for in-vehicle authentication, the vehicle side recognizes that there is no response by recognizing no response to the vehicle, and recognizes that the portable device is outside the vehicle. In other cases, it was recognized that the portable device exists in the vehicle (see Patent Document 1).

  In addition, when the vehicle issues an outside-vehicle authentication signal and an in-vehicle interference signal at the same time, the authentication result can be returned and returned only when the portable device is outside the vehicle, so that the portable device is recognized outside the vehicle. (See Patent Document 2).

JP 2003-106019 A JP 2006-233533 A

  However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, since a determination time for recognizing that the vehicle is outside the vehicle is required only for the time during which the in-vehicle authentication signal is transmitted, until the driver opens the door, There was a case where a waiting time occurred until the door could be opened because the unlocking was not in time.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, when the radio wave of the vehicle recognition signal is stronger than the radio signal of the vehicle recognition signal, the portable device seems to receive both the vehicle recognition signal and the vehicle recognition signal. In some situations, a signal for recognition outside the vehicle was received and it was determined that the vehicle was outside the vehicle.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and in a passive entry system, enables a vehicle to reliably recognize a state in which a portable device exists outside a vehicle.

  A vehicle communication apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention transmits a vehicle outside signal to a portable device outside the vehicle of the vehicle, a vehicle signal to a portable device inside the vehicle, and receives instruction data transmitted from the portable device. 1st transmission means which is a communication apparatus, and transmits the said in-vehicle signal containing the starting data which starts the said portable device, and the in-vehicle process data which show having transmitted with respect to the said portable device in a vehicle by a vehicle-oriented radio wave And a second transmission means for transmitting the outside signal including the start data and the outside processing data indicating that the start data has been transmitted to the portable device outside the vehicle, and after transmitting the start data. An in-vehicle signal transmission control means for controlling the first transmission means to transmit the in-vehicle processing data to transmit the in-vehicle signal, and an end timing at which the transmission of the start-up data is terminated by the in-vehicle signal transmission means. A timing detection means for detecting the vehicle signal, and an outside signal transmission control means for controlling the second sending means to send the outside signal so as to send the outside processing data after sending the start data from the end timing. Including.

  Based on the instruction data from the portable device outside the vehicle of the vehicle, it is possible to further include an external device control means for controlling a device provided in the vehicle. After receiving the data, the device outside the vehicle of the vehicle can be operated based on the instruction data transmitted from the portable device that has received the outside-vehicle processing data.

  Based on the instruction data from the portable device outside the vehicle of the vehicle, the vehicle exterior device control means controls the locking and unlocking of the vehicle lock as a device provided in the vehicle, and receives the activation data. Thereafter, the lock of the vehicle can be unlocked based on the instruction data for unlocking the lock of the vehicle transmitted from the portable device that has received the out-of-vehicle processing data.

  Based on the instruction data from the portable device in the vehicle of the vehicle, an in-vehicle device control means for controlling a device provided in the vehicle can be further included. After receiving the data, the in-vehicle device of the vehicle can be operated based on the instruction data transmitted from the portable device that has received the in-vehicle processing data.

  The in-vehicle device control means controls reception of an ignition operation of the vehicle of the vehicle as a device provided in the vehicle based on instruction data from a portable device in the vehicle of the vehicle, and After the reception, the ignition operation of the vehicle can be received based on the instruction data transmitted from the portable device that has received the in-vehicle processing data.

  When the portable device is present in the vehicle, the signal transmission control unit outside the vehicle may control the second transmission unit to stop the transmission of the activation data and the transmission of the processing data outside the vehicle. it can.

  A vehicle communication method according to one aspect of the present invention is a vehicle that transmits a signal outside a vehicle to a portable device outside the vehicle, transmits a signal inside the vehicle to a portable device inside the vehicle, and receives instruction data transmitted from the portable device. In the vehicle communication method of the communication device, the vehicle signal including start data for starting the portable device and in-vehicle processing data indicating that the portable device is transmitted to the portable device in the vehicle is transmitted using vehicle-oriented radio waves. A first transmission step, a second transmission step of transmitting the vehicle exterior signal using vehicle-oriented radio waves, including the activation data and vehicle exterior processing data indicating transmission to the portable device outside the vehicle, and the activation data. In-vehicle signal transmission control step for transmitting the in-vehicle signal by controlling the processing in the first transmission step so as to transmit the in-vehicle processing data, and the processing in the in-vehicle signal transmitting step Thus, a timing detection step for detecting an end timing at which the transmission of the start data ends, and a control of the second transmission step so as to transmit the outside-vehicle processing data after transmitting the start data from the end timing. And a vehicle exterior signal transmission control step for transmitting the vehicle exterior signal.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for transmitting a vehicle signal to a portable device outside a vehicle, a vehicle signal to a portable device inside the vehicle, and receiving instruction data transmitted from the portable device. A first transmission step of transmitting the in-vehicle signal including in-vehicle directional radio waves including start data for activating the portable device and in-vehicle processing data indicating that the portable device is transmitted to the in-vehicle portable device to a computer that controls the vehicle And a second transmission step of transmitting the outside signal including the start data and the outside processing data indicating that the start data has been transmitted to the portable device outside the vehicle, and after transmitting the start data. An in-vehicle signal transmission control step for transmitting the in-vehicle signal by controlling the processing in the first transmission step to transmit the in-vehicle processing data; and the processing in the in-vehicle signal transmission step Thus, a timing detection step for detecting an end timing at which the transmission of the start data ends, and a control of the second transmission step so as to transmit the outside-vehicle processing data after transmitting the start data from the end timing. Then, a process including a vehicle exterior signal transmission control step for transmitting the vehicle exterior signal is executed.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the in-vehicle signal including start data for starting the portable device and in-vehicle processing data indicating that the portable device is transmitted to the portable device in the vehicle is transmitted by in-vehicle radio waves, and the start The in-vehicle signal including data and out-of-vehicle processing data indicating that the data is transmitted to the portable device outside the vehicle is transmitted by an outside-directed radio wave, and the in-vehicle processing data is transmitted after the activation data is transmitted. The vehicle interior signal is transmitted, the end timing at which the transmission of the start data ends is detected, and the start data is transmitted from the end timing, and then the outside processing data is transmitted. Then, the outside signal is transmitted.

  The first transmission unit is, for example, an in-vehicle signal transmission unit, and the in-vehicle data transmission control unit is, for example, an in-vehicle signal transmission control unit. For example, the door knob detection unit that detects the operation of the door knob detects the vehicle. When it is detected that the door knob is pulled to open the door, the in-vehicle signal transmission control unit controls the in-vehicle signal transmission unit, and the LF wave (Low Frequency Wave) signal from the in-vehicle antenna unit. Then, after transmitting wake-up data, which is activation data, to the portable device as an in-vehicle signal, in-vehicle processing data is transmitted.

  The timing detection means is, for example, a transmission timing control unit, and the in-vehicle signal transmission control unit controls the in-vehicle signal transmission unit, and receives an LF wave (Low Frequency Wave) signal that is an in-vehicle directed radio wave from the in-vehicle antenna unit. A timing at which transmission of wake-up data as activation data is completed as an in-vehicle signal toward the portable device is detected.

  The second transmission unit is, for example, an outside signal transmission unit, and the outside data transmission control unit is, for example, an outside signal transmission control unit. For example, transmission of the wakeup data detected by the timing detection unit is completed. The wake-up data that is the start-up data is controlled by the outside signal transmission control unit from the outside signal transmission unit as the outside signal toward the portable device by the LF wave signal that is the outside-directed radio wave from the outside antenna unit. After transmitting, data for processing outside the vehicle is transmitted.

  As a result, if the portable device receives only directional radio waves from the outside antenna unit, after receiving the wakeup data that is the activation data, the portable device receives the outside processing data as the outside signal. Because it only receives signals, it can recognize that it is outside the vehicle, and it can lock the door of the vehicle as a command of a portable device from outside the vehicle by UHF waves (Ultra High Frequency Wave). The instruction data indicating the unlocking is transmitted.

  In addition, if the portable device is an environment that receives only in-vehicle radio waves from the in-vehicle antenna unit, after receiving wake-up data that is activation data, it will receive in-vehicle processing data as an in-vehicle signal. Can be recognized in the vehicle, and the instruction data indicating the unlocking of the ignition of the vehicle is transmitted to the vehicle as a command from the inside of the vehicle by the UHF wave.

  Furthermore, after the transmission of the wake-up data in the in-vehicle signal is completed, the out-of-vehicle signal transmission control unit transmits the wake-up data that is the activation data of the out-of-vehicle signal from the delayed timing. If it is an environment that receives both the in-vehicle directional radio wave from the vehicle and the external directional radio wave from the outside antenna unit, after receiving the wake-up data in the in-vehicle signal, the wake-up data in the outside signal will be received again. Since neither an in-vehicle signal nor an out-of-vehicle signal can be received, a command from a portable device from inside the vehicle or a command from a portable device from outside the vehicle cannot be transmitted to the vehicle by the UHF wave.

  For this reason, the vehicle receives the command of the portable device from outside the vehicle only when the portable device is surely present outside the vehicle (when the portable device receives only the signal outside the vehicle). The machine's command, unlocking the door lock of the vehicle, will be received only when the legitimate portable device reliably exists outside the vehicle, and the door lock will not be unlocked due to an unauthorized portable device or misidentification Can be.

  Further, for example, the vehicle is provided with a door opening detection unit that detects that the door of the vehicle is opened, and the door lock is once unlocked based on a signal outside the vehicle, and the door is further opened. Then, it is possible to recognize a state where there is a high possibility that the driver is present in the vehicle together with the portable device. For this reason, when the opening of the door is detected, it is not necessary for the portable device to recognize that the vehicle is outside the vehicle, so there is no need to transmit a signal outside the vehicle from the vehicle-side antenna unit. The section stops the transmission. As a result, since only the in-vehicle signal is continuously transmitted to the portable device, the portable device receives the in-vehicle directional radio wave from the in-vehicle antenna unit and the out-of-vehicle directional radio wave from the outside antenna unit. Even in the environment, only the in-vehicle signal can be reliably received.

  From the above, until the door is opened, the portable device cannot instruct to unlock the door unless it is in an environment where only the signal outside the vehicle can be reliably received. Can do. In addition, after the door lock is unlocked, when the door is opened, transmission of signals outside the vehicle is stopped even at positions that physically receive vehicle-oriented radio waves and vehicle-directed radio waves. Since only the in-vehicle signal is reliably received by the portable device, for example, the portable device can instruct acceptance of an ignition operation that is an instruction in the vehicle.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to make a vehicle side recognize reliably the state in which a portable machine exists outside a vehicle.

It is a figure which shows the structure of one Embodiment of the passive entry system to which this invention is applied. It is a functional block diagram explaining the function of the vehicle and portable machine in the passive entry system of FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the vehicle communication process by the passive entry system of FIG. It is a figure explaining the shift | offset | difference of the transmission timing of a signal inside a vehicle and a signal outside a vehicle. It is a figure explaining a signal in case a vehicle interior signal and a vehicle exterior signal are received simultaneously. And FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a general-purpose personal computer.

[Configuration Example of One Embodiment of Passive Entry System]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an embodiment of a passive entry system for a vehicle according to the present invention.

  In the passive entry system, as shown in FIG. 1, the portable device 13 (any one of 13-1 to 13-4) mainly has a conventional key role, and the vehicle 11 communicates with the portable device 13. Thus, from the result of communication with the portable device 13, the door lock unlocking or the reception of the ignition operation for starting the engine is managed. In FIG. 1, when it is not necessary to particularly distinguish the portable devices 13-1 to 13-4, the portable devices 13-1 to 13-4 are simply referred to as the portable device 13, and other configurations are also referred to in the same manner.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the driver possesses the portable device 13 like the conventional key, approaches the vehicle 11, and operates one of the door knobs 12-1 to 12-4. Then, when it communicates with the portable device 13 from the vehicle exterior communication part 22-1 or 22-2 provided in the vehicle 11 and it determines with it being a regular portable device 13, a door lock is cancelled | released. Further, when the door lock is released and the door is opened, the in-vehicle communication units 21-1 and 21-2 communicate with the portable device 13 and enter a state of accepting an ignition operation.

  By a series of these operations, the driver simply holds the portable device 13, approaches the vehicle 11, operates the door knob to release the door lock of the vehicle 11, and further opens the door. If the user gets on the vehicle, the ignition operation is accepted. Therefore, the ignition operation can be realized only by operating a start button (not shown).

[Configuration example of functions realized by vehicle and portable device]
Next, a configuration example of functions realized by the vehicle 11 and the portable device 13 will be described with reference to the functional block diagram of FIG.

  The vehicle 11 includes an in-vehicle communication unit 21, an out-of-vehicle communication unit 22, and an ECU (Engine Control Unit) 51.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle communication unit 21 is provided as in-vehicle communication units 21-1 and 21-2 in the front seat central portion and the rear seat central portion of the vehicle 11, respectively. The in-vehicle communication unit 21 is controlled by the in-vehicle signal transmission control unit 81 of the ECU 51. When any of the door knobs 12-1 to 12-4 is operated, the in-vehicle communication unit 21 controls the in-vehicle signal transmission unit 61 to transmit the in-vehicle signal from the in-vehicle antenna unit 62 toward the portable device 13. . The in-vehicle antenna unit 62 is a directional antenna that transmits an in-vehicle signal using an LF wave (Low Frequency Wave) in the in-vehicle directivity range indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. The in-vehicle antenna unit 62 receives an in-vehicle signal response signal transmitted from the portable device 13 by UHF waves (Ultra High Frequency Wave) and supplies the response signal to the in-vehicle signal receiving unit 63. The in-vehicle signal receiving unit 63 is controlled by the in-vehicle signal reception control unit 83 of the ECU 51 and receives the in-vehicle signal received by the in-vehicle antenna unit 62.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle exterior communication units 22-1 and 22-2 are provided in the vicinity of the door knobs 12-1 and 12-2 and the door knobs 12-3 and 12-4 of the vehicle 11, respectively. The vehicle exterior communication unit 22 is controlled by the vehicle exterior signal transmission control unit 86 of the ECU 51. When any of the door knobs 12-1 to 12-4 is operated, the vehicle exterior communication unit 22 controls the vehicle exterior signal transmission unit 71 to transmit the vehicle exterior signal from the vehicle exterior antenna unit 72 toward the portable device 13. . The vehicle exterior antenna unit 72 is a directional antenna that transmits a vehicle exterior signal using an LF wave (Low Frequency Wave) in a directional range outside the vehicle indicated by a dotted line in FIG. Further, the vehicle exterior antenna unit 72 receives a response signal of a vehicle exterior signal transmitted from the portable device 13 by UHF waves (Ultra High Frequency Wave) and supplies the response signal to the vehicle exterior signal reception unit 73. The vehicle exterior signal receiving unit 73 is controlled by the vehicle exterior signal reception control unit 87 of the ECU 51 and receives the vehicle interior signal received by the vehicle interior antenna unit 62.

  When the doorknob detection unit 84 detects the operation of the doorknob 12, the in-vehicle signal transmission control unit 81 controls the in-vehicle communication unit 21 to transmit an in-vehicle signal to the portable device 13 using LF waves.

  The transmission timing control unit 82 monitors the communication status after the in-vehicle signal is transmitted by the in-vehicle signal transmission control unit 81 and completes the transmission of the wake-up data included in the in-vehicle signal and transmitted at the initial timing. The timing is measured, and the timing at which the transmission is completed is supplied to the outside signal transmission control unit 86.

  The in-vehicle signal reception control unit 83 controls the in-vehicle communication unit 21 to receive an ignition permission signal as a response signal transmitted from the portable device 13 in response to the in-vehicle signal by the UHF wave, and supplies the ignition permission signal to the ignition control unit 88. To do.

  The door knob detection unit 84 detects whether or not the door knob 12 is operated, and supplies the detected signal to the in-vehicle signal transmission control unit 81. The door opening detection unit 85 detects the opening of the door of the vehicle 11.

  When the transmission timing control unit 82 is notified of the completion of transmission of the wake-up data of the in-vehicle signal, the out-vehicle signal transmission control unit 86 controls the out-of-vehicle communication unit 22 to transmit the out-of-vehicle signal to the portable device 13 by LF waves. Let

  The out-of-vehicle signal reception control unit 87 controls the out-of-vehicle communication unit 22 to receive a lock release signal as a response signal transmitted from the portable device 13 in response to the out-of-vehicle signal by the UHF wave, and supplies it to the lock control unit 89.

  The ignition control unit 88 receives an operation of the start button 53 when an ignition permission signal is supplied from the outside signal reception control unit 87, and rotates the cell motor that starts the engine when the start button 53 is operated.

  When the lock release signal is supplied from the in-vehicle signal reception control unit 83, the lock control unit 89 operates the lock unit 54 of the vehicle 11 to release the door lock.

  The portable device 13 includes a communication unit 101, a control unit 102, and a wake-up recognition unit 103, and controls the unlocking or locking of the lock unit 54 of the vehicle 11 by communicating with the vehicle 11. The acceptance of the ignition operation by the start button 53 is controlled.

  The communication unit 101 is controlled by the control unit 102, and includes a signal reception unit 111, a transmission / reception antenna unit 112, and a signal transmission unit 113. The communication unit 101 controls the signal receiving unit 111 to receive the in-vehicle signal and the out-of-vehicle signal transmitted by the LF wave from the in-vehicle communication unit 21 or the out-of-vehicle communication unit 22 of the vehicle 11 via the transmission / reception antenna unit 112. . The communication unit 101 supplies the received in-vehicle signal or out-vehicle signal to the control unit 102 and the wake-up recognition unit 103. Further, the communication unit 101 controls the signal transmission unit 113 to transmit the lock release signal or the ignition permission signal supplied from the control unit 102 to the vehicle 11 via the transmission / reception antenna unit 112 using the UHF wave.

  The wake-up recognition unit 103 determines whether or not wake-up data included in the head portion of the in-vehicle signal and the outside signal is transmitted, and when it is transmitted, supplies it to the activation processing unit 133 of the control unit 102, The control unit 102 is activated.

  The signal transmission control unit 131 controls the communication unit 101 with the lock release signal generated by the lock release signal generation unit 135 or the ignition permission signal generated by the ignition permission signal generation unit 136, and transmits the UHF wave to the vehicle 11. Send it.

  The signal reception control unit 122 controls the communication unit 101 to receive a vehicle exterior signal or a vehicle interior signal transmitted from the vehicle 11 and supplies the received vehicle exterior signal and vehicle interior signal to the data recognition unit 134.

  The activation processing unit 133 starts supplying power from a power source (not shown) based on the activation command from the wakeup recognition unit 103 and activates the control unit 102.

  The data recognition unit 134 recognizes the in-vehicle signal and the out-of-vehicle signal supplied from the signal reception control unit 132, and when the signal is an out-of-vehicle signal, controls the unlock signal generation unit 135 to generate the unlock signal. On the other hand, in the case of an in-vehicle signal, the data recognition unit 134 controls the ignition permission signal generation unit 136 to generate an ignition permission signal.

[Vehicle communication processing by the vehicle and portable device of FIG. 2]
Next, vehicle communication processing by the vehicle 11 and the portable device 13 of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S11, the door knob detection unit 84 determines whether any of the door knobs 12-1 to 12-4 has been operated to pull the door knob 12 of the vehicle, and until it is determined that the door knob 12 has been pulled. Similar processing is repeated.

  In step S11, for example, when it is determined that the doorknob 12-1 in FIG. 1 is operated and the doorknob is pulled, in step S12, the doorknob detection unit 84 indicates that the doorknob is pulled, and the in-vehicle signal transmission control unit 81 is notified. The in-vehicle signal transmission control unit 81 controls the in-vehicle communication unit 21 to transmit the in-vehicle signal and notifies the transmission timing control unit 82 of the start of transmission of the in-vehicle signal. Thereby, the in-vehicle signal transmission unit 61 of the in-vehicle communication unit 21 transmits the in-vehicle signal from the in-vehicle antenna unit 62 by LF waves, for example, toward the ranges Z1-1 and Z1-2 indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. To do.

  In step S <b> 13, the transmission timing control unit 82 monitors the timing at which transmission of the wake-up data included in the head portion of the in-vehicle signal ends based on the in-vehicle signal transmission start notification from the in-vehicle signal transmission control unit 81. .

  In step S14, the transmission timing control unit 82 determines whether or not the transmission of the wakeup data has been completed, and repeats the same processing until the transmission is completed.

  When it is determined in step S14 that the transmission of the wakeup data has been completed, the transmission timing control unit 82 notifies the vehicle exterior signal transmission control unit 86 of the vehicle exterior signal transmission timing.

  In step S15, the door opening detection unit 85 determines whether or not the door of the vehicle 11 is opened. For example, when the driver approaches the vehicle 11 and pulls the door knob 12, the door is not opened. In step S16, the vehicle exterior signal transmission control unit 86 controls the vehicle exterior communication unit 22 based on the transmission timing supplied from the transmission timing control unit 82 to transmit the vehicle exterior signal. Thereby, the vehicle exterior signal transmission part 71 of the vehicle exterior communication part 22 transmits a vehicle exterior signal by the LF wave from the vehicle exterior antenna part 72 toward the ranges Z2-1 and Z2-2 indicated by the dotted lines in FIG.

  That is, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 4, when the transmission of the in-vehicle signal is started at time t1, if the vehicle door is not opened, the in-vehicle signal is configured as shown in the lower part of FIG. At time t11, which is the timing at which the wakeup data to be transmitted is transmitted, transmission of the signal outside the vehicle is started. Here, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 4, the in-vehicle signal is composed of wake-up data, in-vehicle processing data, and error confirmation data from the beginning, and is transmitted in that order. Further, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 4, the vehicle exterior signal is composed of wake-up data, vehicle exterior processing data, and error confirmation data from the beginning, and is transmitted in that order. Therefore, when the door knob 12 is pulled, transmission of the in-vehicle signal is started at that timing, and the signal outside the vehicle is delayed from the timing at which the transmission of the wake-up data in the in-vehicle signal is completed, that is, the timing delayed by the transmission time (dt1) of the wake-up data. Starts to be sent.

  In FIG. 4, the in-vehicle processing data is data for identifying that the signal is an in-vehicle signal, and the error confirmation data is data for error correction of the in-vehicle signal. Further, the outside-vehicle processing data is data for identifying that it is an outside-vehicle signal, and the wake-up data is composed of the same data in both the inside-vehicle signal and the outside-vehicle signal.

  Moreover, when it determines with the door being open in step S15, the process of step S16 is skipped.

  At this time, in step S31, the wakeup recognizing unit 103 receives the signal outside the vehicle or the signal inside the vehicle when the transmission / reception antenna unit 112 of the communication unit 101 is controlled by the signal receiving unit 111, and the wakeup data that is the leading data is received. It is determined whether or not it has been received.

  For example, in this case, as indicated by the portable device 13-1 in FIG. 1, ranges Z2-1 and Z2 indicated by dotted lines shown as the transmission range of the outside signal from the outside communication unit 22-1. If it is outside the range of 2, the signal outside the vehicle is not received, so that it is naturally determined that the wake-up data is not received.

  Further, for example, as shown by the portable device 13-2 in FIG. 1, when it is within the range Z2-1, only the signal outside the vehicle is received, so at time t12 in FIG. It is determined that the updater has been received, and the process proceeds to step S32.

  Further, for example, as shown by the portable device 13-3 in FIG. 1, the transmission range Z1-1 of the in-vehicle signal that is within the range Z2-1 and is transmitted by the in-vehicle communication unit 21 indicated by the one-dot chain line. In this case, both the in-vehicle signal and the out-of-vehicle signal are received. However, as shown in FIG. 4, the reception of the wake-up data for the in-vehicle signal is completed first at time t11. At t11, it is determined that wake-up data has been received, and the process proceeds to step S32.

  In step S <b> 32, the wakeup recognition unit 103 instructs the activation processing unit 133 of the control unit 102 to activate the control unit 102. As a result, the activation processing unit 133 is activated by turning on the energization of the control unit 102 and substantially activates the portable device 13.

  In step S <b> 33, the data recognition unit 134 determines whether the data next to the wake-up data among the data received by the signal reception control unit 132 via the communication unit 101 is data for processing outside the vehicle.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, in the case of the portable device 13-2 that belongs only to the range Z2-1, the signal outside the vehicle can be received, but the signal inside the vehicle cannot be received. Since the vehicle exterior processing data indicating the vehicle exterior signal is received, the process proceeds to step S34.

  In step S34, the data recognizing unit 134 recognizes that the signal transmitted by the reception of the outside processing data is an out-of-vehicle signal. Directs generation. As a result, the lock release signal generation unit 135 generates a lock release signal, supplies it to the signal transmission control unit 131, and causes the communication unit 101 to transmit the lock release signal to the vehicle 11. More specifically, the signal transmission control unit 131 supplies a lock release signal to the signal transmission unit 113 of the communication unit 101 and causes the transmission / reception antenna unit 112 to transmit the lock release signal to the vehicle 11 using UHF waves.

  In step S17, the vehicle exterior signal reception control unit 87 controls the vehicle exterior communication unit 22 to determine whether or not a lock release signal has been transmitted using a UHF wave. For example, when an unlock signal is transmitted by the process of step S34, the outside signal reception control unit 87 controls the outside communication unit 22 and supplies the received unlock signal to the lock control unit 89 in step S18. To do. The lock control unit 89 confirms that the supplied unlock signal is that of the legitimate portable device 13 and then controls the lock unit 54 to release the lock and the door knob 12 is pulled. Open the door.

  By the above process, the driver who has the authorized portable device 13 can perform the unlocking operation without any unlocking operation while prohibiting the unlocking of the door lock by a third party who does not have the authorized portable device 13. By simply pulling the 11 door knob, the door lock can be released and the door can be opened, and the vehicle 11 can be boarded.

  Further, when the driver who has the regular portable device 13 opens the door and gets into the vehicle 11, for example, as shown by the portable device 13-4 in FIG. 1, it is transmitted by the in-vehicle communication unit 21. Only the in-vehicle signal is received. Further, when the door is opened, only the in-vehicle signal is transmitted by skipping the process of step S16. Therefore, in step S33, it is determined that the data received next to the wake-up data is not out-of-vehicle processing data, and the processing in step S34 is skipped.

  In step S35, the data recognition unit 134 determines whether the data next to the wake-up data among the data received by the signal reception control unit 132 via the communication unit 101 is in-vehicle processing data. .

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, in the case of the portable device 13-4 that belongs only to the range Z1-1, the in-vehicle signal can be received, but the outside signal cannot be received. Since the in-vehicle processing data indicating the in-vehicle signal is received, the process proceeds to step S36.

  In step S36, the data recognizing unit 134 recognizes that the signal transmitted when the in-vehicle processing data is received is an in-vehicle signal, so that the ignition permission signal generating unit 136 receives an ignition permission signal. Directs generation. Thereby, the ignition permission signal generation unit 136 generates an ignition permission signal, supplies the ignition permission signal to the signal transmission control unit 131, and causes the communication unit 101 to transmit the ignition permission signal to the vehicle 11. More specifically, the signal transmission control unit 131 supplies an ignition permission signal to the signal transmission unit 113 of the communication unit 101, and causes the transmission / reception antenna unit 112 to transmit the ignition permission signal to the vehicle 11 using UHF waves.

  In step S17, for example, when an ignition permission signal is transmitted by the process of step S36, it is not a lock release signal, so the process of step S18 is skipped, and the process proceeds to step S19.

  In step S19, the in-vehicle signal reception control unit 83 controls the in-vehicle communication unit 21 to determine whether or not an ignition permission signal has been transmitted using a UHF wave. For example, when an ignition permission signal is transmitted by the process of step S36, the process proceeds to step S20.

  In step S <b> 20, the in-vehicle signal reception control unit 83 controls the in-vehicle communication unit 21 to receive the transmitted ignition permission signal and supply it to the ignition control unit 88. The ignition control unit 88 controls the start button 53 to accept the operation after confirming that the supplied ignition permission signal is that of the regular portable device 13. As a result, when the start button 53 is operated, the ignition control unit 88 rotates the cell motor 52, so that the engine can be started.

  As a result of the above processing, only the driver who has the authorized portable device 13 releases the door lock and sits in the driver's seat while prohibiting engine start by an unauthorized third party who does not have the authorized portable device 13. The engine can be started by the start button 53 only.

  In step S21, the in-vehicle signal transmission control unit 81 determines whether or not the in-vehicle signal has been transmitted a predetermined number of times. If the in-vehicle signal transmission control unit 81 has not transmitted the predetermined number of times, the process returns to step S12. That is, the processes in steps S12 to S21 are repeated a predetermined number of times, and as shown in FIG. 4, the in-vehicle signals are transmitted at the timings t1, t2,. The transmission is delayed at the time t11, t13,... Delayed by the time required for transmission.

  In step S21, when the predetermined number of times is transmitted, the process returns to step S11.

  Furthermore, as shown by the portable device 13-3 in FIG. 1, when the vehicle belongs to the range Z2-1 but is close to the range Z1-1, basically, the portable device 13 receives an outside signal. In fact, an in-vehicle signal is also received.

  In such a case, the portable device 13 receives the radio signal of the in-vehicle signal at a position relatively far from the in-vehicle communication unit 21 in the range Z1-1, so that the reception strength of the in-vehicle signal is received in a low state. . At this time, the portable device 13 receives the radio wave of the vehicle exterior signal at a position relatively close to the vehicle exterior communication unit 22 in the range Z2-1, so that the reception strength of the vehicle exterior signal is received in a high state.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the portable device 13 starts to receive the wake-up data of the in-vehicle signal with low reception intensity at time t1. However, from time t11 when the transmission of the wake-up data for the in-vehicle signal ends, an outside signal having a higher reception strength than the in-vehicle signal is received, and the portable device 13 wakes the outside signal from time t11 to t12. You will receive the updater.

  For this reason, since the next data of the wake-up data of the in-vehicle signal becomes the wake-up data of the out-of-vehicle signal, the in-vehicle processing data is not received next to the wake-up data in step S33, and also in step S35, The in-vehicle processing data is not received after the wake-up data. That is, neither the lock release signal nor the ignition permission signal is transmitted from the portable device 13. Correspondingly, in the vehicle 11, the lock is not released and the operation of the start button 53 for turning on the ignition is not accepted.

  As a result, in an environment where both the outside signal and the inside signal can be received and the position of the portable device 13 is not in the vehicle or outside the vehicle, the portable device 13 can detect the lock release signal and also give the ignition permission. It is possible to prevent signals from being transmitted. Further, it is possible to transmit an unlock signal only at a position where the position of the portable device 13 is reliably determined to be outside the vehicle, and transmit an ignition permission signal only at a position where the position is surely recognized as being inside the vehicle. .

  Further, in the environment where both the in-vehicle signal and the out-of-vehicle signal can be received by transmitting the out-of-vehicle signal delayed by the transmission time of the wake-up data after the in-vehicle signal is transmitted, the in-vehicle signal and the out-of-vehicle signal are simply Each wake-up data is continuously received twice, and whether or not a lock release signal, an ignition permission signal, etc. can be transmitted can be determined by whether or not the wake-up data has been received twice in succession. . For this reason, it is not always necessary to authenticate the in-vehicle signal and the in-vehicle signal as in the prior art, so the processing load required for a series of determination processes is small, and a high-speed determination process can be realized.

  As a result, the driver approaching the vehicle can complete the entire process by pulling the door knob, unlocking the door lock, and physically opening the door. While the lock prohibits third parties from opening the door, only a driver carrying a legitimate portable device can release the door lock and open the door without being aware of a series of processing. Become.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S31 that wakeup data is not received, in step S37, the wakeup recognition unit 103 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the wakeup data cannot be received. For example, if the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S31. If it is determined in step S37 that the predetermined time has elapsed, the wakeup recognition unit 103 notifies the activation processing unit 133 of the control unit 102 to that effect. As a result, the activation processing unit 133 stops the operation of the control unit 102 (not shown). With this process, when no operation is performed for a predetermined time, the power supply of the portable device 13 is stopped, so that the power consumption of the portable device 13 can be reduced.

  In addition, you may make it transmit a lock signal from the portable device 13 instead of the lock release signal in the Example mentioned above. That is, the outside signal reception control unit 87 determines whether or not a lock signal has been transmitted. When the lock signal is received, the lock control unit 89 locks the door of the vehicle 11. In this way, the door is locked only when the portable device 13 is reliably outside the vehicle. As a result, it is possible to avoid the problem that the door is locked when the portable device 13 is left in the vehicle.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reliably recognize that the portable device is outside the vehicle and to reliably perform a command operation from the outside of the vehicle.

  Incidentally, the series of monitoring processes described above can be executed by hardware, but can also be executed by software. When a series of processing is executed by software, a program constituting the software may execute various functions by installing a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware or various programs. For example, it is installed from a recording medium in a general-purpose personal computer or the like.

  FIG. 6 shows a configuration example of a general-purpose personal computer. This personal computer incorporates a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1001. An input / output interface 1005 is connected to the CPU 1001 via the bus 1004. A ROM (Read Only Memory) 1002 and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 1003 are connected to the bus 1004.

  The input / output interface 1005 includes an input unit 1006 including an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse for a user to input an operation command, an output unit 1007 for outputting a processing operation screen and an image of a processing result to a display device, a program and various data. A storage unit 1008 including a hard disk drive for storing data, a LAN (Local Area Network) adapter, and the like, and a communication unit 1009 for performing communication processing via a network represented by the Internet are connected. Also, a magnetic disk (including a flexible disk), an optical disk (including a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)), a magneto-optical disk (including an MD (Mini Disc)), or a semiconductor A drive 1010 for reading / writing data from / to a removable medium 1011 such as a memory is connected.

  The CPU 1001 is read from a program stored in the ROM 1002 or a removable medium 1011 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, installed in the storage unit 1008, and loaded from the storage unit 1008 to the RAM 1003. Various processes are executed according to the program. The RAM 1003 also appropriately stores data necessary for the CPU 1001 to execute various processes.

  In the present specification, the step of describing the program recorded on the recording medium is not limited to the processing performed in time series in the order described, but of course is not necessarily performed in time series. Or the process performed separately is included.

  Further, in this specification, the system represents the entire apparatus constituted by a plurality of apparatuses.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Vehicle 12, 12-1 thru | or 12-4 Door knob 13 Portable machine 21 In-vehicle communication part 22 Out-of-vehicle control part 51 ECU
52 Comparison Unit 81 In-Vehicle Signal Transmission Control Unit 82 Transmission Timing Control Unit 83 In-Vehicle Signal Reception Control Unit 84 Door Knob Detection Unit 85 Door Opening Detection Unit 86 Outside Signal Transmission Control Unit 87 In-Vehicle Signal Transmission Control Unit 88 Ignition Control Unit 89 Lock Control Unit 101 Communication unit 131 Signal transmission control unit 132 Signal reception control unit 133 Activation processing unit 134 Data recognition unit 135 Unlock signal generation unit 136 Ignition permission signal

Claims (8)

In a vehicle communication device that transmits a signal outside the vehicle to a portable device outside the vehicle, transmits a signal inside the vehicle to a portable device inside the vehicle, and receives instruction data transmitted from the portable device.
First transmission means for transmitting the in-vehicle signal with in-vehicle directed radio waves including start data for starting up the portable device and in-vehicle processing data indicating transmission to the portable device in the vehicle;
Second transmission means for transmitting the vehicle exterior signal including the activation data and vehicle exterior processing data indicating transmission to the portable device outside the vehicle using vehicle-oriented radio waves;
In-vehicle signal transmission control means for controlling the first transmission means to transmit the in-vehicle signal after transmitting the start-up data,
Timing detection means for detecting an end timing at which the transmission of the start data ends by the in-vehicle signal transmission means;
A vehicle communication device comprising: vehicle exterior signal transmission control means for controlling the second transmission means to transmit the vehicle exterior signal so as to transmit the vehicle exterior processing data after transmitting the activation data from the end timing. Based on instruction data from a portable device outside the vehicle of the vehicle, further comprising an outside device control means for controlling a device provided in the vehicle,
The device outside the vehicle operates the device outside the vehicle based on the instruction data transmitted from the portable device that has received the processing data outside the vehicle after receiving the activation data. The vehicle communication device described in 1. The vehicle exterior device control means controls the locking / unlocking of the vehicle as a device provided on the vehicle based on instruction data from a portable device outside the vehicle of the vehicle, and receives the activation data. The vehicle communication device according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle lock is unlocked based on instruction data for unlocking the vehicle that is transmitted from the portable device that has received the out-of-vehicle processing data. In-vehicle device control means for controlling devices provided in the vehicle based on instruction data from a portable device in the vehicle of the vehicle,
The in-vehicle device control means operates an in-vehicle device of the vehicle based on the instruction data transmitted from the portable device that has received the in-vehicle processing data after receiving the activation data. The vehicle communication device described in 1. The in-vehicle device control means controls reception of an ignition operation of the vehicle of the vehicle as a device provided in the vehicle based on instruction data from a portable device in the vehicle of the vehicle, and receives the activation data The vehicle communication device according to claim 4, wherein an ignition operation of the vehicle is received based on the instruction data transmitted from the portable device that has received the in-vehicle processing data. 2. The external signal transmission control unit controls the second transmission unit to stop transmission of the activation data and transmission of the external processing data when the portable device is present in the vehicle. Vehicle communication device. In the vehicle communication method of the vehicle communication device for transmitting a signal outside the vehicle to a portable device outside the vehicle, transmitting a signal inside the vehicle to the portable device inside the vehicle, and receiving instruction data transmitted from the portable device,
A first transmission step of transmitting the in-vehicle signal with in-vehicle directed radio waves including start data for starting up the portable device and in-vehicle processing data indicating transmission to the portable device in the vehicle;
A second transmission step of transmitting the vehicle exterior signal including the activation data and vehicle exterior processing data indicating transmission to the portable device outside the vehicle using vehicle-oriented radio waves;
An in-vehicle signal transmission control step of transmitting the in-vehicle signal by controlling the processing in the first transmission step to transmit the in-vehicle processing data after transmitting the activation data;
A timing detection step of detecting an end timing at which the transmission of the start-up data ends by the processing of the in-vehicle signal transmission step;
A vehicle communication method including a vehicle exterior signal transmission control step of transmitting the vehicle exterior signal by controlling the processing of the second transmission step so as to transmit the vehicle exterior processing data after transmitting the activation data from the end timing. A computer that controls a vehicle communication device that transmits a signal outside the vehicle to a portable device outside the vehicle, transmits a signal inside the vehicle to a portable device inside the vehicle, and receives instruction data transmitted from the portable device.
A first transmission step of transmitting the in-vehicle signal with in-vehicle directed radio waves including start data for starting up the portable device and in-vehicle processing data indicating transmission to the portable device in the vehicle;
A second transmission step of transmitting the vehicle exterior signal including the activation data and vehicle exterior processing data indicating transmission to the portable device outside the vehicle using vehicle-oriented radio waves;
An in-vehicle signal transmission control step of transmitting the in-vehicle signal by controlling the processing in the first transmission step to transmit the in-vehicle processing data after transmitting the activation data;
A timing detection step of detecting an end timing at which the transmission of the start-up data ends by the processing of the in-vehicle signal transmission step;
After the activation data is transmitted from the end timing, a process including an outside signal transmission control step of controlling the process of the second transmission step to transmit the outside signal so as to transmit the outside process data is executed. program.

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