JP5558147B2 - Vehicle position search system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle device remote control system (that is, a system including an in-vehicle device and a portable device, in which the in-vehicle device communicates with the portable device to perform code collation, and a vehicle by a user of the portable device based on the collation result. In addition, the present invention relates to a vehicle position search system that searches for the position of the vehicle using radio waves transmitted as an additional function.

  Conventionally, as an in-vehicle device remote control system, in addition to a remote operation function for locking and unlocking a vehicle door by operating a portable remote control device (portable device), the vehicle can be mounted without operating the portable device. There is a device having a smart key function in which a mobile device returns a predetermined code signal in response to an inquiry signal from the device, and the in-vehicle device locks and unlocks the door in accordance with the collation result of the returned code signal. Further, as an additional function of the in-vehicle device remote control system, there is one that searches for the position of the vehicle using radio waves communicated between the portable device and the in-vehicle device.

  For example, Patent Document 1 proposes that a mobile device is provided with a plurality of directional antennas, and the direction and distance of the vehicle are searched using the received electric field level of each antenna. Further, Patent Document 2 provides a plurality of directional antennas on the in-vehicle device side, and provides a geomagnetic sensor in the in-vehicle device and the portable device, and provides a means for the in-vehicle device and the portable device to know the absolute direction. Has proposed a method of searching for the direction of the vehicle by transmitting a signal indicating the absolute direction in which the directional antenna in use is directed and receiving the signal on the portable device side. Further, in Patent Document 3, a GPS sensor is mounted on a portable device, position information at the time of stopping is acquired and stored by the GPS sensor, and current position information is also acquired by the GPS sensor when searching for the position of the vehicle. Thus, it is proposed to search by comparing with the stored position information at the time of stopping.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-232999 (page 23, right side 23-24 lines, FIG. 2). JP 2006-125983 A (4 pages 47 lines to 5 pages 4 lines, 5 pages 36 to 41 lines, FIG. 1). Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-84092 (page 2, right side, lines 15 to 27, FIG. 1).

  The in-vehicle device remote control system originally performs code verification by communication between the in-vehicle device and the mobile device, and controls to permit or disallow use of the vehicle by the user of the mobile device based on the verification result. (Remote operation function and smart key function). When the mobile device is provided with only a directional antenna instead of an omnidirectional antenna in order to realize the vehicle search function, the communication direction of the mobile device may be restricted when performing communication for the original function. However, there has been a problem that communication time increases due to switching of the directional antenna. In addition, there has been a proposal to use a sensor such as a geomagnetic sensor or a GPS sensor in order to realize a vehicle position search system, but there are problems such as an increase in cost and power consumption.

  An object of the present invention is a vehicle position search system that solves the above-described problems and uses an in-vehicle device remote control system, and does not limit the original function of the in-vehicle device remote control system. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle position search system that can search for a position of a vehicle and notify a user without adding a sensor.

A vehicle position search system according to an aspect of the present invention includes:
In a vehicle position search system including an in-vehicle device and a portable device each having a wireless communication means,
The wireless communication means of the portable device includes an omnidirectional antenna and a directional antenna,
The portable device includes an input unit for acquiring user input information and a notification unit for notifying a user.
When the instruction signal is sent from the input means, the portable device transmits the first vehicle search signal to the in-vehicle device using the omnidirectional antenna, and the second vehicle search signal using the directional antenna. To the in-vehicle device
The in-vehicle device acquires the signal strength of the first vehicle search signal and the signal strength of the second vehicle search signal, and the signal strength of the first vehicle search signal and the second vehicle search signal. Determining whether or not the difference from the signal strength of the signal is greater than the first threshold value, and transmitting the determination result to the portable device,
The portable device outputs the transmitted determination result to the notification means.

  The present invention provides, in a portable device, an omnidirectional antenna, a directional antenna, an antenna switching circuit that switches an antenna to which a vehicle search instruction is sent from a user input device, and a radio transmission / reception circuit that modulates and demodulates using, for example, spread spectrum In an in-vehicle device, an omnidirectional antenna, a radio transmission / reception circuit that modulates and demodulates using, for example, spread spectrum, and outputs the correlation value to the controller together with the demodulated signal, and a portable device transmits with the omnidirectional antenna A controller for generating a signal for determining the vehicle direction by comparing the correlation value at the time with the correlation value at the time of transmission by the directional antenna and transmitting the result to the portable device is provided. As a result, when performing a normal smart key operation, the portable device can use an omnidirectional antenna, and since it has only a directional antenna, there is no adverse effect such as limiting the communication direction. When searching for vehicles, by comparing the correlation values of the omnidirectional antenna and the directional antenna, the effects of interference, interference, and multipath can be reduced, and the vehicle position can be searched with high accuracy. Since the reference direction of the portable device can be determined by the directional antenna, there is an unprecedented effect that no other sensor such as a geomagnetic sensor or GPS is added.

1 is a block diagram showing an exemplary portable device 10 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the example vehicle-mounted apparatus 20 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the detailed structure of the radio | wireless transmission / reception circuit 15 of FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a wireless transmission / reception circuit 23 in FIG. 2. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the portable apparatus 10 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the antenna pattern of the directional antenna 17 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the antenna pattern of the omnidirectional antenna 18 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the difference of the correlation value 401 of the directional antenna 17, and the correlation value 411 of the omnidirectional antenna. It is a flowchart which shows the vehicle search process of the illustrative vehicle equipment 20 performed by the controller 21 of FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a vehicle search process of the exemplary portable device 10 executed by the controller 12 of FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows the approach notification process of the illustrative vehicle equipment 20 which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the vehicle search process of the illustrative vehicle equipment 20 which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the vehicle search process of the illustrative portable apparatus 10 which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
1 and 2 are block diagrams showing an exemplary portable device 10 and in-vehicle device 20 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The mobile device 10 and the in-vehicle device 20 constitute a vehicle position search system that operates as an in-vehicle device remote control system and can search for the position of the vehicle using the communicated radio wave as an additional function.

Referring to FIG. 1, the mobile device 10 includes a directional antenna 17 having a null in a predetermined direction and an omnidirectional antenna 18, and one of the directional antenna 17 and the omnidirectional antenna 18 is an antenna. The switching circuit 16 is connected to the wireless transmission / reception circuit 15. The wireless transmission / reception circuit 15 is further connected to the controller 12. The radio transmission / reception circuit 15 transmits / receives a radio signal having a predetermined frequency (for example, 315 MHz ) to / from the in-vehicle device 20 using the directional antenna 17 or the omnidirectional antenna 18. A signal to be transmitted to the in-vehicle device 20 is generated by the controller 12, modulated by the wireless transmission / reception circuit 15, and transmitted. The signal received from the in-vehicle device 20 is demodulated by the wireless transmission / reception circuit 15 and supplied to the controller 12. The controller 12 includes a memory 13 that is a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM. The memory 13 stores an ID code, an encryption key, and the like, and retains the stored contents even when the power is turned off. The controller 12 is further connected to a user input device 11 that acquires user input and a user notification device 14 that visually and / or audibly notifies the user of various information.

  The antenna switching circuit 16 connects either the directional antenna 17 or the omnidirectional antenna 18 to the wireless transmission / reception circuit 15 under the control of the controller 12. The controller 12 instructs the antenna switching circuit 16 to select the omnidirectional antenna 18 when using the smart key function or the remote operation function, and receives a vehicle search instruction instruction signal from the user input device 11 when described later. Vehicle search processing is executed, and the antenna switching circuit 16 is instructed to switch between the directional antenna 17 and the omnidirectional antenna 18 for use. In the vehicle search process of the first embodiment, when transmitting a vehicle search signal to the in-vehicle device 20, the directional antenna 17 and the omnidirectional antenna 18 are switched and used to receive a search result signal from the in-vehicle device 20. In addition, an omnidirectional antenna 18 is used. In the vehicle search process, signals transmitted using these antennas are determined so that the in-vehicle device 20 can determine which of the directional antenna 17 and the omnidirectional antenna 18 is used by the portable device 10 for transmission. Each includes predetermined information.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the wireless transmission / reception circuit 15 of FIG. In the first embodiment, the wireless transmission / reception circuit 15 includes a PN signal generation circuit 150 that processes a PN signal, a correlation circuit 156, and the like in order to transmit and receive a spectrum-spread wireless signal. In the wireless transmission / reception circuit 15, when generating a modulation signal, the PN signal generation circuit 150 generates a plurality of PN signals, and then the PN signal switching circuit 151 generates a plurality of PN signals generated according to the data from the controller 12. Any one of the signals is appropriately selected, and the selected signal is phase-modulated in the primary modulation circuit 152, amplified in the amplifier 153, and sent to the antenna switching circuit 16. When the radio transmission / reception circuit 15 demodulates the received signal from the in-vehicle device 20, the signal sent from the antenna switching circuit 16 is amplified by the amplifier 154 and demodulated by the primary demodulation circuit 155, and then the correlation circuit 156 The demodulated signal is subjected to correlation processing of the spread spectrum signal, and the data demodulating circuit 157 determines the received data based on the correlation value from the correlating circuit 156 and sends it to the controller 12, and the PN signal corresponding to the data Is supplied from the PN signal generation circuit 150 to the correlation circuit 156.

  Referring to FIG. 2, the in-vehicle device 20 has an omnidirectional antenna 24 attached to a vehicle for use in transmission / reception with the mobile device 10. The omnidirectional antenna 24 is connected to the wireless transmission / reception circuit 23, and the wireless transmission / reception circuit 23 is connected to the controller 21. The controller 21 includes a memory 22 which is a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM. The memory 22 stores a question signal used for collation with a portable device, an ID code for an immobilizer, an encryption key, and the like, and is turned off. Also retains its stored contents. Further, devices 30 to 38 provided in the vehicle are further connected to the controller 12.

  The user input device 30 detects various switch operations by the user, and sends the detection results (switch ON / OFF positions) to the controller 21. The user input device 30 includes, for example, an activation switch installed at each outer door handle for starting transmission of a question signal, a key knob switch for activating communication for unlocking, an engine switch (starting, Ignition on, accessory on, off and lock etc.). The door open / close detection sensor 31 detects individual open / close states of all doors and individual lock / unlock states of all doors, and sends the detection results to the controller 21. The sensor group 32 is various sensors that detect the vehicle speed, the shift position, and the engine operating state, and the detection results of these various sensors are also sent to the controller 21. The other devices 33 to 38 operate under the control of the controller 21. The user notification device 33 is a so-called answerback when the door is locked and unlocked, an answerback device that turns on a vehicle light or blows a horn, an alarm device that generates a buzzer sound for various alarms, a status display A display device is included. The immobilizer device 34 is a mechanism that prohibits fuel supply to the engine and ignition operation, and uses the immobilizer ID code and encryption key stored in the memory 22 in accordance with the authentication result of the portable device 10 by the controller 21. Cancel the prohibition. The engine control device 35 controls the start of the engine using the cell motor and also controls the stop of the engine. The steering lock device 36 is a mechanism that locks and unlocks the steering according to the position of the engine switch. The door lock device 37 is a mechanism that locks and unlocks all doors. The shift lock device 38 is a lock device that prohibits a shift from a parking range to another range in a transmission gear shift mechanism (not shown). In response to a lock release permission / non-permission signal from the controller 21. Operate.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the wireless transmission / reception circuit 23 of FIG. The operation of modulating / demodulating data is basically the same as the operation of the wireless transmission / reception circuit 15 of the portable device 10 shown in FIG. However, when executing the vehicle search process described later, the correlation circuit 236 sends, for example, the signal intensity during the reception operation and the correlation value of the spread spectrum signal to the controller 21.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of the mobile device 10 of FIG. The portable device 10 includes a search switch for a vehicle search function as a user input device 11 in addition to a door open switch and a door close switch for a remote operation function. The mobile device 10 further includes a plurality of LEDs as an upper portion of the user notification device 14, and when the search result signal is received from the in-vehicle device 20, the user can change the number of LEDs to be turned on according to the contents of the user notification device 14. Notify Note that the user notification device illustrated in FIG. 5 is merely an example, and a liquid crystal panel or the like may be used to display the direction and distance of the vehicle with an arrow and its size. As shown in FIG. For example, you may provide LED for notifying a user which of the directional antenna 17 and the omnidirectional antenna 18 is selected.

  Next, operation examples of the mobile device 10 and the in-vehicle device 20 according to the first embodiment will be described.

  First, an operation example of the smart key function will be described. The controller 21 of the in-vehicle device 20 receives a signal related to the smart key function from the user input device 30, then obtains a question signal from the memory 22, and transmits the interrogation signal 23 via the wireless transmission / reception circuit 23 and the omnidirectional antenna 24. Send to. At this time, the portable device 10 is normally in a state in which the omnidirectional antenna 18 is selected, and the controller 12 of the portable device 10 receives the interrogation signal from the in-vehicle device 20 via the omnidirectional antenna 18 and the wireless transmission / reception circuit 15. Receive. The controller 12 that has received the question signal transmits a question response signal related to the smart key function to the in-vehicle device 20 via the wireless transmission / reception circuit 15 and the omnidirectional antenna 18. The controller 21 of the in-vehicle device 20 performs an authentication operation based on the question response signal received and demodulated through the omnidirectional antenna 24 and the wireless transmission / reception circuit 23, and performs door opening and closing when the authentication is correct. .

  Next, an operation example of the remote operation function will be described. In order to receive a remote operation signal from the mobile device 10 as an operation of the remote operation function, the controller 21 of the in-vehicle device 20 periodically activates the wireless transmission / reception circuit 23 and the presence or absence of the remote operation signal transmitted from the mobile device 10. Confirm. When a remote operation signal from the portable device 10 is detected, the remote operation signal is received. The controller 21 authenticates the portable device 10 based on the received remote operation signal, and if the authentication is correct, the operation instructed by the remote operation signal (for example, door unlocking, door locking, window opening / closing, etc.) Execute. When a remote operation instruction signal is input via the user input device 11, the controller 12 of the mobile device 10 generates a signal corresponding to the remote operation instruction, and the wireless transmission / reception circuit 15 and the omnidirectional antenna 18. To send through.

  Finally, an operation example of the vehicle search function will be described. The user of the portable device 10 first directs the portable device 10 in a direction in which the user wants to search for the presence of the vehicle, and presses the search button of the user input device 11 to start a vehicle search process described later. The controller 12 of the portable device 10 receives the search response signal from the in-vehicle device 20 after transmitting the vehicle search signal using the omnidirectional antenna 18, and then switches to the directional antenna 17 by the antenna switching circuit 16. The vehicle search signal is transmitted again using the directional antenna 17. Thereafter, in order to receive the search result signal for the second transmission of the vehicle search signal, the antenna switching circuit 16 switches to the omnidirectional antenna 18 and receives the search result signal using the omnidirectional antenna 18. The vehicle position can be searched by repeating the search by directing the mobile device 10 in the direction in which it is desired to search for the presence of the vehicle.

  6 and 7 are diagrams showing antenna patterns of the directional antenna 17 and the omnidirectional antenna 18 of FIG. 1, respectively. As the antenna pattern 40 of the directional antenna 17, a pattern in which a certain direction (0 ° direction in FIG. 6) is null is shown. Further, the antenna pattern 41 of the omnidirectional antenna 18 shows a pattern having a gain substantially equal to all directions.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a difference between the correlation value 401 of the directional antenna 17 and the correlation value 411 of the omnidirectional antenna 18. FIG. 8 illustrates a method for calculating a vehicle search result using correlation values 401 and 402 obtained by the in-vehicle device 20 when the mobile device 10 transmits using the directional antenna 17 and the omnidirectional antenna 18 respectively. To do. In the operation of the vehicle search function, first, the mobile device 10 transmits a vehicle search signal using the omnidirectional antenna 18, and the controller 21 of the in-vehicle device 20 acquires the correlation value 411 of the received vehicle search signal. The data is stored in the memory 22 (or other memory not shown). Next, after returning the search response signal from the in-vehicle device 20 to the portable device 10, the portable device 10 transmits the vehicle search signal again using the directional antenna 17, and the controller 21 of the in-vehicle device 20 is retransmitted. The correlation value 401 of the vehicle search signal is acquired and stored in the memory 22 (or other memory not shown). Then, the controller 21 of the in-vehicle device 20 compares the “correlation value when the omnidirectional antenna 18 is used” with the “correlation value when the directional antenna 17 is used”, and calculates the correlation value. When the difference exceeds a certain threshold A, it is determined that the null direction of the directional antenna 17 is directed to the main path from the portable device 10 to the in-vehicle device 20, and the result is the portable device 10. Reply to As a result of the reply, a difference between correlation values may be returned, or a result determined from the threshold value may be returned.

  Hereinafter, an exemplary vehicle search process according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a vehicle search process of the on-vehicle device 20 executed by the controller 21 of FIG. In step S1, it is determined whether or not a signal from the portable device 10 has been received. If YES, the process proceeds to step S2, and if NO, the process further waits. In order to save standby power, the controller 21 periodically starts up after a certain period of sleep while not receiving a signal indicating the detection result of the switch operation from the user input device 30. It may be determined whether or not a signal from 10 has been received. In step S2, it is determined whether or not the received signal is a remote control signal. If YES, the process proceeds to step S3. If NO, the process proceeds to step S5. In step S3, it is determined whether or not the authentication is successful. If YES, the process proceeds to step S4. If NO, the process returns to step S1. In step S4, the vehicle is controlled in accordance with the remote operation signal (for example, opening and closing of the door by the door lock device 37), and the process returns to step S1. In step S5, it is determined whether or not the received signal is a vehicle search signal. If YES, the process proceeds to step S6. If NO, the process returns to step S1. In step S6, it is determined whether or not the authentication is successful. If YES, the process proceeds to step S7. If NO, the process returns to step S1. In step S7, it is determined whether or not the received vehicle search signal is a signal transmitted using the omnidirectional antenna 18. If YES, the process proceeds to step S8. If NO, the process returns to step S1. In step S <b> 8, the correlation value of the received vehicle search signal is stored in the memory 22 as “correlation value when the omnidirectional antenna 18 is used”. In step S <b> 9, a search response signal is transmitted to the mobile device 10. In step S10, the portable device 10 waits for a predetermined time for antenna switching. In step S11, a vehicle search signal (vehicle search signal transmitted using the directional antenna 17) from the portable device 10 is further received, and the correlation value of the received vehicle search signal is expressed as “when the directional antenna 17 is used. Is stored in the memory 22. In step S12, the difference between the correlation value stored in step S8 and the correlation value stored in step S11 is compared with a predetermined threshold value A, and it is determined whether or not the difference in correlation value exceeds the threshold value A. To do. In step S13, a search result signal including the determination result in step S12 is transmitted to the mobile device 10, and the process returns to step S1.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary mobile device 10 vehicle search process executed by the controller 12 of FIG. In step S21, it is determined whether or not an instruction signal is input from the user. If YES, the process proceeds to step S22. If NO, the process further waits. In step S22, it is determined whether or not the input instruction signal is a remote operation instruction. If YES, the process proceeds to step S23, and if NO, the process proceeds to step S25. In step S23, the omnidirectional antenna 18 is switched, and in step S24, a remote operation signal is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 20, and the process returns to step S21. In step S25, it is determined whether or not the input instruction signal is a vehicle search instruction. If YES, the process proceeds to step S26, and if NO, the process returns to step S21. In step S26, switching to the omnidirectional antenna 18 is performed, and in step S27, a vehicle search signal is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 20. In step S28, it is determined whether or not a search response signal has been received from the in-vehicle device 20. If YES, the process proceeds to step S31, and if NO, the process proceeds to step S29. In step S29, it is determined whether or not the number of retransmissions is equal to or less than the maximum value. If YES, the process returns to step S27 to retransmit the vehicle search signal. If NO, the process proceeds to step S30. In step S30, the user is notified via the user notification device 14 that it is out of the communication range, and the process returns to step S21. In step S31, switching to the directional antenna 17 is performed. In step S <b> 32, a vehicle search signal is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 20 using the directional antenna 17. In step S33, switching to the omnidirectional antenna 18 is performed. In step S34, it is determined whether or not a search result signal is received from the in-vehicle device 20. If YES, the process proceeds to step S37, and if NO, the process proceeds to step S35. In step S35, it is determined whether or not the number of retransmissions is equal to or less than the maximum value. If YES, the process returns to step S27 to retransmit the vehicle search signal. If NO, the process proceeds to step S36. In step S36, the user is notified via the user notification device 14 that it is out of the communication range, and the process returns to step S21. In step S37, the search result is notified to the user via the user notification device 14, and the process returns to step S21.

  According to the vehicle position search system of the first embodiment, by operating as described above, the original smart key function and the remote operation function of the in-vehicle device remote control system are not limited, and a new sensor The vehicle search function can be realized without the need for addition of.

  Note that as a method of directing the antenna directivity of the mobile device 10 in the direction in which it is desired to search for the presence of the vehicle, the user may move the mobile device 10 directly, or the mobile device includes a variable directional antenna as the directional antenna. 10 may automatically move the null (or beam) direction. When the user moves the mobile device 10 directly, the user can quickly and easily know the search result. When the mobile device 10 automatically moves the null direction (or beam) direction, the user notification device 14 further displays the selected null direction (or beam). As a method of moving the direction (beam direction) in which the mobile device 10 automatically paints, directivity can be obtained by mechanically moving the antenna or by electrically changing the phases of radio signals transmitted and received by a plurality of antennas. There are methods for changing the above, and these may be used. By automatically oscillating the antenna directivity, it is possible to save the user from having to carry the portable device 10 to check the direction.

  In the above description, the radio transmission / reception circuits 15 and 23 acquire the correlation value of the received signal by the correlation circuits 156 and 236. Since the correlation value of the spread spectrum signal is a value obtained by time integration, minute fluctuations in the signal and noise can be smoothed, and signals from other portable devices can be separated. Also, multipath signals that are more than a certain distance can be separated, so there is little effect. However, without limiting to using the correlation value of the spread spectrum signal, any index can be used as long as it can determine the signal strength of the received signal.

  In the above description, the directional antenna 17 has a pattern in which a certain direction is null. By using a null, the antenna pattern can be sharply dropped, and a difference from an omnidirectional antenna can be easily obtained. Note that this antenna pattern is an example, and a beam may exist in a certain direction as the antenna pattern of the directional antenna 17. In addition, as a method for realizing the directional antenna, any method known in this technical field can be used. For example, the antenna may be generated using one antenna, or may be generated by combining a plurality of antennas. May be.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an approach notification process of the exemplary in-vehicle device 20 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In the approach notification process according to the second embodiment, after the vehicle position is found by the vehicle search process, the portable device 10 and the in-vehicle device 20 periodically transmit and receive signals, and the correlation value of the received signal in the in-vehicle device 20 is When a certain threshold value is exceeded, the vehicle-mounted device 20 performs an operation of turning on a light or sounding a horn as an answer back. For example, the approach notification process of the in-vehicle device 20 is executed subsequently after step S13 of FIG. 9 is executed.

  Referring to FIG. 11, in-vehicle device 20 transmits a tracking signal to portable device 10 in step S41. You may sleep for a certain fixed time before execution of step S41. In step S42, it is determined whether or not a tracking response signal has been received from the portable device 10. If YES, the process proceeds to step S44, and if NO, the process proceeds to step S43. In step S43, it is determined whether or not the number of retransmissions is equal to or less than the maximum value. If YES, the process returns to step S41 to retransmit the tracking signal. If NO, the mobile device 10 has moved outside the communication range. Judge and end the process. In step S44, it is determined whether or not the correlation value of the received tracking signal is greater than a predetermined threshold value B. If YES, the process proceeds to step S45. If NO, the process returns to step S41 to retransmit the tracking signal. . When step S44 is YES, it determines with the portable apparatus 10 approaching a certain distance with respect to the vehicle, and in step S45, an answer back (light lighting, a horn sound, etc.) is performed and a process is complete | finished. As described above, the horn, the light, and the like are included in the user notification device 33 of the in-vehicle device 20.

  The approach notification process of the in-vehicle device 20 is not limited to after step S13 of FIG. 9 is executed, and may be executed at an arbitrary timing independently of the vehicle search process.

  Moreover, in order to respond with respect to the tracking signal from the vehicle equipment 20, although the portable apparatus 10 performs the approach notification process of the corresponding portable apparatus 10, you may always respond with respect to a tracking signal at this time. After receiving the search result signal, a response may be made for a certain time.

  By performing such approach notification processing, it is possible to detect that the mobile device 10 has approached the vehicle, so that the user is far away from the vehicle and it is difficult to recognize the operation of the horn or light, It is possible to prevent answer-back using the light, and it is possible to prevent the other peripheral users from being annoying by operating the light and the horn unnecessarily.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In the first embodiment, the in-vehicle device 20 compares the difference between the “correlation value when the omnidirectional antenna 18 is used” and the “correlation value when the directional antenna 17 is used” with the threshold A. Although the search result of the vehicle position is determined, in the third embodiment, the mobile device 10 performs the above comparison and determination.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a vehicle search process of the exemplary in-vehicle device 20 according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In step S51, it is determined whether or not a signal from the mobile device 10 has been received. If YES, the process proceeds to step S52. If NO, the process further waits. In order to save standby power, the controller 21 periodically starts up after a certain period of sleep while not receiving a signal indicating the detection result of the switch operation from the user input device 30. It may be determined whether or not a signal from 10 has been received. In step S52, it is determined whether the received signal is a remote control signal. If YES, the process proceeds to step S53, and if NO, the process proceeds to step S55. In step S53, it is determined whether or not the authentication is successful. If YES, the process proceeds to step S54. If NO, the process returns to step S51. In step S54, the vehicle is controlled in accordance with the remote operation signal, and the process returns to step S51. In step S55, it is determined whether or not the received signal is a vehicle search signal. If YES, the process proceeds to step S56, and if NO, the process returns to step S51. In step S56, it is determined whether or not the authentication is successful. If YES, the process proceeds to step S57. If NO, the process returns to step S51. In step S57, a search response signal is transmitted to the portable device 10, and the process returns to step S51.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an exemplary mobile device 10 vehicle search process according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In step S61, it is determined whether or not an instruction signal is input. If YES, the process proceeds to step S62, and if NO, the process further waits. In step S62, it is determined whether or not the instruction signal is a remote operation instruction. If YES, the process proceeds to step S63, and if NO, the process proceeds to step S65. In step S63, the omnidirectional antenna 18 is switched. In step S <b> 64, a remote operation signal is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 20 using the omnidirectional antenna 18. In step S65, it is determined whether or not the instruction signal is a vehicle search instruction. If YES, the process proceeds to step S66, and if NO, the process returns to step S61. In step S66, the omnidirectional antenna 18 is switched. In step S <b> 67, a vehicle search signal is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 20 using the omnidirectional antenna 18. In step S68, it is determined whether a search response signal has been received from the in-vehicle device 20. If YES, the process proceeds to step S71, and if NO, the process proceeds to step S69. In step S69, it is determined whether or not the number of retransmissions is equal to or less than the maximum value. If YES, the process returns to step S67 to retransmit the vehicle search signal. If NO, the process proceeds to step S70. In step S70, it is notified that it is out of the communication range. In step S <b> 71, the correlation value of the received vehicle response signal is stored in the memory 13 as “correlation value when an omnidirectional antenna is used”. In the third embodiment, the wireless transmission / reception circuit 15 of the mobile device 10 is configured to be able to acquire the correlation value of the received signal, similarly to the wireless transmission / reception circuit 23 of the in-vehicle device 20 shown in FIG. In step S72, the directional antenna 17 is switched. In step S73, since the in-vehicle device 20 continues to transmit the search response signal, the controller 12 of the mobile device 10 determines the correlation value of the received vehicle response signal as “correlation value when using directional antenna”. Is stored in the memory 13. In step S74, the omnidirectional antenna 18 is switched. In step S75, the difference between the correlation value stored in step S71 and the correlation value stored in step S73 is compared with a predetermined threshold value A to determine whether or not the difference in correlation value exceeds the threshold value A. To do. The comparison and determination itself are the same as those executed by the controller 21 of the in-vehicle device 20 in the first embodiment. In step S76, the search result is notified to the user via the user notification device 14, and the process returns to step S61.

  According to the vehicle position search system of the third embodiment, as described above, the controller 12 of the portable device 10 acquires the correlation value, compares the difference between the correlation values and the threshold value, and determines the vehicle position. Thus, it is not necessary to transmit the determination result from the in-vehicle device 20 to the portable device 10, and the search result acquisition failure due to a transmission error or the like can be prevented.

  Further, the configuration of the vehicle position search system according to the third embodiment may be combined with the configuration described in relation to the vehicle position search system according to the first and second embodiments. For example, the approach notification process in FIG. 11 may be executed after the execution of step S57 in FIG. 12 (or at another timing).

  According to the present invention, a vehicle position search system using an in-vehicle device remote control system, which does not limit the original function of the in-vehicle device remote control system and requires addition of a new sensor. In addition, it is possible to provide a vehicle position search system capable of searching for the position of the vehicle and notifying the user.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 portable device, 11 user input device of portable device 10, 12 controller of portable device 10, 13 memory of portable device 10, 14 user notification device of portable device 10, 15 wireless transmission / reception circuit of portable device 10, 16 antenna switching circuit, Reference Signs List 17 directional antenna, 18 omnidirectional antenna of portable device 10, 20 in-vehicle device, 21 controller of in-vehicle device 20, 22 memory of in-vehicle device 20, 23 wireless transmission / reception circuit of in-vehicle device 20, 24 omnidirectional of in-vehicle device 20 Antenna, 30 User input device of in-vehicle device 20, 31 Door open / close detection sensor, 32 sensor group, 33 User notification device of in-vehicle device 20, 34 Immobilizer device, 35 Engine control device, 36 Steering lock device, 37 Door lock device, 38 Shift lock device, 150 PN signal generation of portable device 10 151, PN signal switching circuit of portable device 10, 152 primary modulation circuit of portable device 10, 153 amplifier of portable device 10, 154 amplifier of portable device 10, 155 primary demodulation circuit of portable device 10, 156 portable device 10 Correlation circuit, 157 data demodulation circuit of portable device 10, 230 PN signal generation circuit of vehicle-mounted device 20, 231 PN signal switching circuit of vehicle-mounted device 20, 232 primary modulation circuit of vehicle-mounted device 20, 233 amplifier of vehicle-mounted device 20, 234 Amplifier of vehicle-mounted device 20 235 Primary demodulation circuit of vehicle-mounted device 20 236 Correlation circuit of vehicle-mounted device 20,
237 Data demodulating circuit of in-vehicle device 20, 40 antenna pattern of directional antenna 17, 41 antenna pattern of omnidirectional antenna 18

Claims (6)

In a vehicle position search system including an in-vehicle device and a portable device each having a wireless communication means,
The wireless communication means of the portable device includes an omnidirectional antenna and a directional antenna,
The portable device includes an input unit for acquiring user input information and a notification unit for notifying a user.
The portable device, when an instruction signal from the input means is transmitted, the first vehicle search signal using the omnidirectional antenna and transmitted to the vehicle device, the second vehicle using the directional antenna the search signal is transmitted to the vehicle device, the first vehicle search signal includes information indicating that it is transmitted by using the omnidirectional antenna, the second vehicle search signal, the directivity Including information indicating that it is being transmitted using an antenna,
The in-vehicle device acquires the signal strength of the first vehicle search signal and the signal strength of the second vehicle search signal, and the signal strength of the first vehicle search signal and the second vehicle search signal. Determining whether or not the difference from the signal strength of the signal is greater than the first threshold value, and transmitting the determination result to the portable device,
The portable device outputs the transmitted determination result to the notification means.   Each of the wireless communication means transmits and receives a spread spectrum signal, and the in-vehicle device uses a correlation value of the spread spectrum signal as signal strength of the first vehicle search signal and the second vehicle search signal. The vehicle position search system according to claim 1.   The vehicle position search system according to claim 1, wherein the directional antenna has a null in a predetermined direction.   The vehicle position search system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the notification means notifies which of the omnidirectional antenna and the directional antenna is selected.   The vehicle position search system according to claim 1, wherein the directional antenna is a variable directional antenna.   The in-vehicle device further includes notification means, and operates the notification means when the signal strength of the tracking response signal received in response to the tracking signal transmitted to the portable device is greater than a second threshold value. The vehicle position search system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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