JP6260465B2 - In-vehicle device and vehicle communication system - Google Patents

Description

  The present application relates to a vehicle-mounted device that transmits signals from a plurality of antennas provided in a vehicle and a vehicle communication system including the vehicle-mounted device.

A vehicle communication system that locks and unlocks a vehicle door or starts an engine or the like by wireless communication between an in-vehicle device and an external device such as a portable device having a wireless communication function has been put into practical use. Specifically, a keyless entry system that locks or unlocks a vehicle door by wireless remote operation using a portable device possessed by the user, a user who possesses an external device such as a portable device approaches the vehicle, or the door A Smart Entry (registered trademark) system that unlocks a vehicle door simply by grasping a handle has been put into practical use.
Further, a vehicle communication system that starts a vehicle engine without using a mechanical key has been put into practical use. Specifically, a smart start system has been put into practical use in which a user having an external device starts an engine simply by pressing an engine start button.
In the above communication system, the in-vehicle device communicates with an external device by a radio signal, performs authentication and performs control related to predetermined operations such as unlocking, locking, engine starting, etc. Before the operation is performed, it is determined whether the external device is located outside the vehicle compartment or the vehicle interior.

  An in-vehicle device (electronic key communication device) according to Patent Document 1 includes a vehicle interior antenna that uses a vehicle interior as a signal transmission range, a vehicle interior antenna that uses a vehicle interior as a signal transmission range, and the vehicle interior antenna and vehicle. The outdoor antenna is connected via two switching elements connected separately. The in-vehicle device transmits a request signal at a different timing from each antenna, receives a signal transmitted by an external device (electronic key) in response to a request signal from either the vehicle interior antenna or the vehicle interior antenna, Is located in the passenger compartment or outside the passenger compartment. At this time, in order to prevent transmission of request signals from other antennas when leakage current such as sneak current flows to the other antenna side different from the side transmitting the request signal, the in-vehicle device is connected to the other antenna. The switched switching element is turned on / off at least once. Since a signal having a waveform different from that of the request signal is output from another antenna, the in-vehicle device described in Patent Document 1 can prevent erroneous determination of the location of the external device.

JP 2007-231588 A

  On the other hand, by selectively switching a plurality of antennas provided in the vehicle and transmitting a signal, and receiving the received signal strength from the external device when the transmitted signal is received by the external device, the location of the external device is determined. There is an in-vehicle device to judge. Even in such an in-vehicle device, when a leakage current flows through another antenna different from the antenna to which the signal is to be transmitted, the signal is also transmitted from the other antenna. Since the external device receives both the signal from the antenna to which the signal is to be transmitted and the signal from the other antenna, the received signal strength of the signal from the antenna to which the signal is to be transmitted is erroneously measured. Therefore, an in-vehicle device that has received an incorrect received signal strength from an external device may erroneously determine the location of the external device.

Even if such an in-vehicle device is a case where the switching element is connected to an antenna other than the antenna to which a signal is to be transmitted and the switching element is turned on / off like the in-vehicle device according to Patent Document 1, the leakage current Therefore, a signal is transmitted from another antenna. Therefore, there is still a possibility that the in-vehicle device may erroneously determine the location of the external device.

  The purpose of the present application is to reliably determine whether an external device is located outside or inside the passenger compartment, even when the signal is transmitted from another antenna that is different from the antenna that should transmit the signal. It is providing the vehicle equipment and vehicle communication system which can do.

The in-vehicle device according to one aspect of the present invention selectively switches connection between a plurality of antennas provided in a vehicle and a signal transmission unit, and when each antenna is selected and when not selected in a plurality of signals different intensities transmitted by radio, the received signal strength at the time when the transmitted signal is the external device receives a vehicle-mounted device for receiving from the external device, one antenna is towards the vehicle exterior side There is provided as vehicle interior by remote extensively radio waves propagate, the first received signal strength at the time when the signal strength is greater than the other antenna is transmitted from the one antenna, the one Based on the second received signal strength when a signal having a higher strength than the other antenna is transmitted from the other antenna, it is determined whether the external device is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior. An outer determination unit, internal outdoor decision unit, said first received signal strength is equal to or higher than a predetermined first threshold value, and in the second received signal strength is smaller second threshold value or more than the first threshold value in some cases, it determined that the external device is located outside the passenger compartment.
In addition, the vehicle-mounted device according to one aspect of the present invention is not selected when each antenna is selected by selectively switching the connection between a plurality of antennas provided in the vehicle and the signal transmission unit. A vehicle-mounted device that transmits a plurality of signals with different strengths by radio waves and receives the received signal strength from the external device when the transmitted signal is received by the external device. Is provided so that radio waves propagate in a wider range than the outside of the passenger compartment, and the first received signal strength when a signal having a higher strength than the other antenna is transmitted from the one antenna, Based on the second received signal strength when a signal having a strength higher than that of one antenna is transmitted from the other antenna, it is determined whether the external device is located outside the vehicle compartment or inside the vehicle compartment. An internal / external determination unit configured to perform the internal / external determination unit, wherein the first received signal strength is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold value, and the second received signal strength is equal to or greater than a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value. If it is, it is determined that the external device is located in the passenger compartment.

In the vehicle communication system according to one aspect of the present invention, the connection between the plurality of antennas provided in the vehicle and the signal transmission unit is selectively switched, and each antenna is selected and not selected. in the vehicle communication system comprising a portable unit and the vehicle-mounted device receives the signal transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device, measures the received signal strength of the received signal transmitted by a radio wave a plurality of signal intensity is different between when there are, one antenna is towards the vehicle exterior is provided as vehicle interior by remote extensively radio waves propagate, the portable device, the signal strength is greater than the other antenna- Based on the first received signal strength measured when received from the other antenna and the second received signal strength measured when receiving a signal having a strength higher than that of the one antenna from the other antenna. Car Comprising inner and outer determination unit determines whether located in or passenger compartment located outside, and a transmission unit that transmits the determination result of the internal outdoor decision unit to the vehicle device, the outside judgment unit, the first received signal strength is equal to or higher than a predetermined first threshold value, and if said second received signal strength is smaller second threshold value or more than the first threshold value, you determined that itself is located outside the passenger compartment.
The vehicle communication system according to one aspect of the present invention is selected when each antenna is selected by selectively switching connections between a plurality of antennas provided in the vehicle and a signal transmission unit. Vehicle communication device comprising: an in-vehicle device that transmits a plurality of signals having different intensities when not using radio waves; and a portable device that receives the signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device and measures the received signal strength of the received signal In the system, one antenna is provided so that a radio wave propagates more widely on the vehicle interior side than on the vehicle interior side, and the portable device transmits a signal having a higher strength than the other antennas. Based on a first received signal strength measured when received from one antenna and a second received signal strength measured when a signal having a strength greater than that of the one antenna is received from the other antenna, Self An inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is located outside or inside the vehicle interior, and a transmission unit that transmits a determination result of the inside / outside determination unit to the in-vehicle device. If the received signal strength of 1 is greater than or equal to a predetermined first threshold value and the second received signal strength is greater than or equal to a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value, it is determined that it is located in the vehicle interior.

  Note that the present application can be realized not only as an in-vehicle device having such a characteristic processing unit, but also as a determination method using such characteristic processing as a step, or for causing a computer to execute such a step. It can be realized as a program. Further, it can be realized as a semiconductor integrated circuit that realizes part or all of the vehicle-mounted device, or can be realized as another system including the vehicle-mounted device.

  According to the above, even when a signal is transmitted from another antenna different from the antenna to which the signal is to be transmitted, it is reliably determined whether the external device is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior. It is possible to provide an in-vehicle device and a vehicle communication system that can perform the above-described operation.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a vehicle communication system according to a first embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows one structural example of a portable device. It is a block diagram which shows the example of 1 structure of vehicle equipment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a 1st area | region. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the sample extraction location which concerns on a 1st area | region. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a 2nd area | region. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the sample extraction location which concerns on a 2nd area | region. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a 3rd area | region and a 4th area | region. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the area | region corresponding to vehicle interior space. It is a graph which shows the received signal strength when a portable machine receives the signal transmitted from the transmitting antenna. It is a schematic diagram explaining the range to which an electromagnetic wave is propagated from a 3rd transmission antenna. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the process with respect to an operation request. It is a flowchart which shows the subroutine of vehicle interior / exterior determination. It is a flowchart which shows the subroutine of normal determination. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a range in which radio waves are propagated by each transmission antenna in the vehicle communication system according to the second embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine for determining whether the vehicle interior is outside or outside in the second embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine for determining whether a vehicle interior is outside or outside in the third embodiment. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine for normal determination in the fourth embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine for normal determination in the fifth embodiment.

[Description of Embodiment of the Present Invention]
First, embodiments of the present invention will be listed and described. Moreover, you may combine arbitrarily at least one part of embodiment described below.

(1) The in-vehicle device according to one aspect of the present invention is selected when each antenna is selected by selectively switching connection between a plurality of antennas provided in the vehicle and a signal transmission unit. A vehicle-mounted device that transmits a plurality of signals having different strengths when not in use by radio waves, and receives the received signal strength from the external device when the transmitted signal is received by the external device. towards the outside it is provided so as vehicle interior by remote extensively radio waves propagate, the first received signal strength at the time when the signal strength is greater than the other antenna is transmitted from the one antenna Whether the external device is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior based on the second received signal strength when a signal having a strength higher than that of the one antenna is transmitted from the other antenna. The With internal and external determination unit that, internal outdoor decision unit, said first received signal strength is equal to or higher than a predetermined first threshold value, and said second received signal strength is smaller than the second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value If it is, it determined that the external device is located outside the passenger compartment.

In the present application, the in-vehicle device transmits a plurality of signals having different intensities by selectively switching a plurality of antennas provided in the vehicle, and the received signal strength when the transmitted signal is received by an external device. Is received from the external device. For example, when transmitting signals sequentially from a plurality of antennas, the in-vehicle device transmits the signal and a signal having a lower intensity than the signal when a leakage current flows through another antenna different from the transmitting antenna. One antenna is provided such that one of the vehicle interior side and the vehicle interior side propagates radio waves in a wider range than the other. The inside / outside determination unit of the present application determines whether the external device is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior based on the first received signal strength and the second received signal strength. The first received signal strength is a received signal strength when a signal having a strength higher than that of another antenna different from the one antenna is transmitted from the one antenna. The second received signal strength is the received signal strength when a signal having a strength higher than that of the one antenna is transmitted from the other antenna.
The in-vehicle device of the present application determines whether or not an external device is located in the vicinity of the one antenna to the extent that it is affected by a signal transmitted from the one antenna due to leakage current or the like. The in-vehicle device is transmitted from one antenna in an external device when a signal stronger than the one antenna is transmitted from another antenna, for example, when a signal is transmitted due to leakage current flowing through one antenna. The magnitude of the influence of the signal can be understood from the magnitude of the first received signal strength. Further, the external device is more susceptible to the signal transmitted from one antenna when it is located outside the vehicle interior or in the vehicle interior. Therefore, in the in-vehicle device, the external device is located outside the vehicle interior or located in the vehicle interior based on the second received signal strength when a signal stronger than the one antenna is transmitted from another antenna. Can be determined. Therefore, even when a signal is transmitted from another antenna that is different from the antenna to which the signal is to be transmitted, it is possible to reliably determine whether the external device is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior.
It should be noted that the case where the factor that transmits a signal from another antenna different from the antenna that should transmit the signal is other than the leakage current is also included in the embodiment of the present application. The determination based on the magnitudes of the first received signal strength and the second received signal strength may be determined from the magnitude of the first received signal strength or from the second received signal strength. Alternatively, the received signal strengths may be determined simultaneously.

  According to the present application, the one antenna is provided so that the radio wave propagates more widely on the outside of the vehicle compartment than on the vehicle interior side. When the first received signal strength is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold value and the second received signal strength is equal to or greater than a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value, the inside / outside determination unit Determined to be located in When the first received signal strength is equal to or higher than a predetermined first threshold, the vehicle-mounted device is located at a position that is close to the influence of the signal when a signal is transmitted from one antenna due to leakage current or the like. It can be seen that there is an external device. In addition, when the second received signal strength is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the in-vehicle device can be understood that the external device is affected by a signal transmitted from one antenna due to leakage current or the like. The external device is more easily affected by a signal transmitted from one antenna than when it is located outside the passenger compartment. Therefore, the in-vehicle device can determine that the external device is located outside the passenger compartment based on the first received signal strength and the first received signal strength.

( 2 ) It is preferable that the one antenna is provided on a door provided at the rear of the vehicle.

  According to this application, the said one antenna is provided in the door provided in the vehicle rear part. Therefore, even when an external device is located in the vicinity of the door provided at the rear of the vehicle, it can be reliably determined whether the external device is located inside the vehicle compartment or outside the vehicle compartment.

( 3 ) The vehicle-mounted device according to one aspect of the present invention is selected when each antenna is selected by selectively switching connection between a plurality of antennas provided in the vehicle and a signal transmission unit. A vehicle-mounted device that transmits a plurality of signals having different strengths when not in use by radio waves, and receives the received signal strength from the external device when the transmitted signal is received by the external device. The first receiving signal strength when the inner side is provided so that the radio wave propagates over a wider range than the outside of the passenger compartment, and a signal whose strength is larger than that of the other antenna is transmitted from the one antenna, Based on the second received signal strength when a signal having a strength higher than that of the one antenna is transmitted from the other antenna, it is determined whether the external device is located outside or inside the vehicle compartment. An inside / outside determination unit configured to determine a second threshold value, wherein the first reception signal strength is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold value, and the second reception signal strength is smaller than the first threshold value. When it is above, it determines with the said external apparatus being located in a vehicle interior.

  According to the present application, the one antenna is provided so that the radio wave propagates more widely on the vehicle interior side than on the vehicle interior side. The inside / outside determination unit is configured such that when the first received signal strength is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold and the second received signal strength is equal to or greater than a second threshold that is smaller than the first threshold, the external device is placed in the vehicle interior. Determined to be located. When the first received signal strength is equal to or higher than a predetermined first threshold, the vehicle-mounted device is located at a position that is close to the influence of the signal when a signal is transmitted from one antenna due to leakage current or the like. It can be seen that there is an external device. In addition, when the second received signal strength is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the in-vehicle device can be understood that the external device is affected by a signal transmitted from one antenna due to leakage current or the like. The external device is more susceptible to the signal transmitted from one antenna than when the external device is located outside the vehicle compartment. Therefore, the in-vehicle device can determine that the external device is located in the vehicle interior based on the first received signal strength and the second received signal strength.

( 4 ) If the first received signal strength is not greater than or equal to the first threshold, or if the second received signal strength is not greater than or equal to the second threshold, the external device is based on the received received signal strength, A region inside / outside determination unit that determines whether each region is located inside each of a plurality of different regions including a common vehicle interior space, and determines whether the external device is inside the entire region. A determination unit for determining whether the external device is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior based on a determination result of the area internal / external determination unit or the entire region determination unit. Is preferred.

According to the present application, if the first received signal strength is not greater than or equal to the first threshold, or if the second received signal strength is not greater than or equal to the second threshold, the region inside / outside determination unit of the present application is based on the received signal strength, It is determined for each region whether or not the external device is inside each of a plurality of different regions. The plurality of areas include a common vehicle interior space, and a part of the boundary of each area accurately follows a part of the boundary of the area to be determined by the inside / outside determination unit, but the boundary of each area is It does not completely coincide with the boundary of the passenger compartment space. For this reason, the man-hours required for parameter creation for determining whether the external device is located inside or outside the boundary surface in each region can be reduced. The entire area determination unit of the present application determines whether or not the external device is inside the entire area. For example, when the external device is inside the common vehicle interior space, it is determined that the external device is inside all of the plurality of regions. When the external device is outside the common vehicle interior space, it is determined that the external device is outside at least one of the plurality of regions. The plurality of areas are created so that the boundary between the areas inside and outside the vehicle is accurately aligned when combined, so that the external apparatus is either inside or outside in the area where the location of the external apparatus is to be determined. It is possible to accurately determine whether it is located. The inside / outside determination unit determines whether the external device is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior based on the determination result of the region internal / external determination unit or the determination result of the entire area determination unit. Therefore, even if it is determined that the external device is located at a position where it is not affected by the radio wave leaking from the antenna, according to the determination result of the first received signal strength by the inside / outside determination unit, The location of the external device can be accurately determined.
Note that the vehicle interior space of the present application does not need to completely coincide with the vehicle interior space, and does not need to include the entire vehicle compartment without omission.
In addition, it is not necessary to accurately determine whether the external device is located inside the vehicle compartment or outside the vehicle compartment at all the inner and outer boundaries of the vehicle interior space. If there is no problem, an embodiment in which a part of the inner and outer boundaries has a poor accuracy of the determination is also included in the embodiment of the present application.

( 5 ) Each of the plurality of antennas is provided such that one of the vehicle interior side and the vehicle interior side propagates a radio wave in a wider range than the other, and the inside / outside determination unit receives each of the plurality of antennas from each other Among a plurality of received signal strengths when a signal having a strength higher than that of an antenna is transmitted, the maximum received signal strength is defined as the first received signal strength, and the maximum received signal strength among the plurality of received signal strengths It is preferable that the second received signal strength be a different received signal strength to determine whether the external device is located outside or inside the vehicle compartment.

According to the present application, each of the plurality of antennas provided in the vehicle is provided such that one of the vehicle interior side and the vehicle interior side propagates radio waves in a wider range than the other. The inside / outside determination unit sets the maximum received signal strength as the first received signal strength among the received signal strengths when a signal having higher strength than the other antennas is transmitted from each of the plurality of antennas. The inside / outside determination unit sets a second received signal strength that is different from the maximum received signal strength in the plurality of received signal strengths. The inside / outside determination unit determines whether the external device is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior based on the first received signal strength and the second received signal strength.
The in-vehicle device of the present application is affected by the signal transmitted due to the leakage current or the like with respect to the antenna that transmitted the signal most affected by the external device among the signals transmitted from each antenna by the inside / outside determination unit. It is possible to determine whether or not the external device is located in the vicinity. In addition, each antenna is provided such that a range in which radio waves are propagated is biased toward the vehicle interior side or vehicle interior side, so that the location of the external device can be determined by the inside / outside determination unit. Therefore, for each of the plurality of antennas provided in the vehicle, whether the in-vehicle device is located outside the vehicle compartment or in the vehicle compartment, even when the signal is transmitted simultaneously with the antenna that should transmit the signal. Can be reliably determined.

( 6 ) In the vehicle communication system according to one aspect of the present invention, the connection between the plurality of antennas provided in the vehicle and the signal transmission unit is selectively switched , and selection is made when each antenna is selected. Vehicle-equipped device that transmits a plurality of signals having different intensities when not using radio waves, and a portable device that receives the signal transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device and measures the received signal strength of the received signal a communication system, one antenna is towards the vehicle exterior is provided as vehicle interior by remote extensively radio waves propagate, the portable device, the intensity is larger signal than the other antenna Based on a first received signal strength measured when the signal is received from the one antenna and a second received signal strength measured when a signal having a strength higher than that of the one antenna is received from the other antenna. And And a transmission unit that only transmits or not the determining outside judgment unit located in or passenger compartment located outside the vehicle compartment, a determination result of the internal outdoor decision unit to the vehicle device, the outside judgment unit, the it determined first received signal strength is equal to or higher than a predetermined first threshold value, and if said second received signal strength is smaller second threshold value or more than the first threshold value, itself located outside the passenger compartment .
(7) In the vehicle communication system according to one aspect of the present invention, the connection between the plurality of antennas provided in the vehicle and the signal transmission unit is selectively switched, and selection is made when each antenna is selected. Vehicle-equipped device that transmits a plurality of signals having different intensities when not using radio waves, and a portable device that receives the signal transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device and measures the received signal strength of the received signal In the communication system, one antenna is provided such that a radio wave is propagated in a wider area on the vehicle interior side than on the vehicle interior side, and the portable device transmits a signal having a higher strength than the other antennas. Based on a first received signal strength measured when received from the one antenna and a second received signal strength measured when a signal having a strength higher than that of the one antenna is received from the other antenna. The An inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is located outside or inside the vehicle interior, and a transmission unit that transmits a determination result of the inside / outside determination unit to the in-vehicle device. If the received signal strength of 1 is greater than or equal to a predetermined first threshold value and the second received signal strength is greater than or equal to a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value, it is determined that it is located in the vehicle interior.

In the present application, the in-vehicle device selectively switches a plurality of antennas provided in the vehicle and transmits a plurality of signals having different strengths by radio waves. The portable device receives the signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device and measures the received signal strength of the received signal. One antenna is provided such that one of the vehicle interior side and the vehicle interior side propagates radio waves in a wider range than the other. The inside / outside determination unit of the portable device receives the first received signal strength measured when a signal having a strength higher than that of the other antenna is received from the one antenna and the signal having a strength higher than that of the one antenna. Based on the second received signal strength measured when receiving from the other antenna, it is determined whether it is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior. The transmission unit of the portable device transmits the determination result of the inside / outside determination unit to the in-vehicle device.
The portable device of the present application determines whether or not it is located in the vicinity of the one antenna to the extent that it is affected by the signal transmitted from the one antenna due to leakage current or the like. When a signal stronger than one antenna is transmitted from another antenna in the vehicle-mounted device, for example, when a signal is transmitted due to leakage current flowing through one antenna, the signal transmitted from one antenna in the portable device Can be understood from the magnitude of the first received signal strength. In addition, the portable device is more likely to be affected by a signal transmitted from one antenna when located outside the vehicle interior or in the vehicle interior. Therefore, whether the portable device is located outside the vehicle interior or in the vehicle interior based on the second received signal strength when a signal stronger than the one antenna is transmitted from another antenna Can be determined. Therefore, similarly to the embodiment (1), even when the vehicle-mounted device transmits a signal from another antenna different from the antenna to which the signal is to be transmitted, the portable device is located outside the vehicle compartment or located in the vehicle compartment. It is possible to determine with certainty.
It should be noted that the case where the factor that transmits a signal from another antenna different from the antenna that should transmit the signal is other than the leakage current is also included in the embodiment of the present application. The determination based on the magnitudes of the first received signal strength and the second received signal strength may be determined from the magnitude of the first received signal strength or from the second received signal strength. Alternatively, the received signal strengths may be determined simultaneously.

[Details of the embodiment of the present invention]
A specific example of the in-vehicle device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Below, the communication system for vehicles provided with the said vehicle equipment is demonstrated to an example. In addition, this invention is not limited to these illustrations, is shown by the claim, and intends that all the changes within the meaning and range equivalent to a claim are included.
(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a vehicle communication system according to the first embodiment. The vehicle communication system according to the first embodiment is provided between an in-vehicle device 1 that transmits and receives various signals using a plurality of transmission antennas (3) and a reception antenna 4 provided in the vehicle C, and the in-vehicle device 1. And a portable device 2 for transmitting and receiving signals.
The plurality of transmission antennas (3) include, for example, a first transmission antenna 31 provided on the driver side pillar, a second transmission antenna 32 provided on the passenger side pillar, and a third transmission provided on the back door. The antenna 33 includes a fourth transmission antenna 34 provided at the front of the vehicle C. The back door represents a door provided at the rear of the vehicle. The receiving antenna 4 is provided at an appropriate location of the vehicle C. The third transmitting antenna 33 according to the first embodiment is provided, for example, at a corresponding position of the handle on the back door, and is provided so that the radio wave is propagated in a wider range from the vehicle interior side to the vehicle interior side. To do. In the first embodiment, the right side in the traveling direction of the vehicle C is the driver seat side, and the left side in the traveling direction is the passenger seat side.
The in-vehicle device 1 sequentially transmits signals for determining the position of the portable device 2 from the plurality of transmission antennas (3) using radio signals. The portable device 2 receives a signal transmitted from each transmission antenna (3), and measures the received signal strength of each received signal. The portable device 2 transmits a response signal including the measured received signal strength to the in-vehicle device 1 using a wireless signal. The in-vehicle device 1 receives the response signal transmitted from the portable device 2, and determines whether the portable device 2 is located outside the vehicle interior or in the vehicle interior based on the received signal strength included in the received response signal. And a predetermined process according to the determination result is executed. For example, the in-vehicle device 1 executes processing such as locking or unlocking of a vehicle door, starting of an engine, warning of forgetting to lock the vehicle door, and the like.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the portable device 2. The portable device 2 includes a control unit 21 that controls the operation of each component of the portable device 2. The control unit 21 is provided with a reception unit 23, a signal strength measurement unit 23b, a switch 23c, a transmission unit 22, and a storage unit 24.

  The control unit 21 is a microcomputer having, for example, one or a plurality of CPUs (Central Processing Units), a multi-core CPU, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an input / output interface, a timer, and the like. The CPU of the control unit 21 is connected to the transmission unit 22 and the reception unit 23 via an input / output interface. The control unit 21 controls the operation of each component by executing a control program stored in the storage unit 24, and is necessary for determining whether the portable device 2 is located outside or inside the vehicle compartment. Various processes for transmitting various information to the vehicle-mounted device 1 are executed.

  The storage unit 24 is a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM) or a flash memory. The storage unit 24 stores a control program for determining whether the portable device 2 is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior by controlling the operation of each component of the portable device 2. I remember it. The control unit 21 executes processing for transmitting a response signal including information necessary for the determination to the in-vehicle device 1 by the control program. The storage unit 24 stores a portable device identifier for identifying the portable device 2. In FIG. 2, the control unit 21 and the storage unit 24 are illustrated as separate components, but the storage unit 24 may be provided inside the control unit 21.

A triaxial antenna 23a in which three coils are arranged in directions orthogonal to each other is connected to the receiving unit 23 via a switch 23c. The receiving unit 23 receives a radio signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device 1 through the three-axis antenna 23a and the switch 23c. Three radio signals received by the three-axis antenna 23a are input to the switch 23c. The switch 23 c selects one radio signal according to the control of the control unit 21. The receiving unit 23 is a circuit that removes a carrier wave component from the radio signal selected by the switch 23c, extracts the received signal, and outputs the extracted received signal to the control unit 21. As the carrier to use Low Frequency band (LF band) of 30kHz~300 k Hz, it is not limited to this frequency band.

The portable device 2 receives a radio signal transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 1 through the three-axis antenna 23a, measures the received signal strength of the radio signal selected by the switch 23c, and controls the measured received signal strength to the control unit 21. The signal strength measuring unit 23b that outputs to
The control unit 21 selects each of the three radio signals from the triaxial antenna 23a in accordance with the timing at which the radio signal for signal strength measurement is transmitted from the in-vehicle device 1, and signals the received signal strength of the selected radio signal. It measures by the intensity | strength measurement part 23b. That is, the control unit 21 measures not the received signal strength in the amplitude direction of the radio signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device 1 but the components of the received signal strength in the three orthogonal directions of the three-axis antenna 23a. The control unit 21 performs vector calculation from the measured received signal strength component, and calculates the received signal strength in the amplitude direction of the radio signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device 1. Therefore, the control unit 21 can obtain a constant received signal strength regardless of the orientation or posture of the portable device 2 with respect to the vehicle C. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the received signal strength calculated by vector calculation is referred to as received signal strength.
In addition, although the example which the control part 21 calculates received signal strength was demonstrated here, the received signal strength of each signal received through the triaxial antenna 23a is transmitted to the vehicle equipment 1 from the portable device 2, and control of the vehicle equipment 1 is carried out. The unit 11 may calculate the received signal strength.

The transmission unit 22 is a circuit that modulates the response signal or the like input by the control unit 21 using a carrier wave and transmits a radio signal through the transmission antenna 22a. As the carrier to use Low Frequency band (LF band) of 30kHz~300 k Hz, it is not limited to this frequency band.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the in-vehicle device 1. The in-vehicle device 1 includes a control unit 11 that controls the operation of each component of the in-vehicle device 1. The control unit 11 is provided with an in-vehicle reception unit 12, an in-vehicle transmission unit 13, a switch 13a, and a storage unit 14.

  The control unit 11 is a microcomputer having, for example, one or a plurality of CPUs, a multi-core CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an input / output interface, a timer, and the like. The CPU of the control unit 11 is connected to the in-vehicle receiving unit 12, the in-vehicle transmitting unit 13, and the storage unit 14 through an input / output interface. The control unit 11 controls the operation of each component unit by executing a control program described later stored in the storage unit 14, and determines whether the portable device 2 is located outside the vehicle compartment or in the vehicle compartment. Then, a predetermined process corresponding to the determination is executed.

  The storage unit 14 is a nonvolatile memory similar to the storage unit 24. The storage unit 14 is a control program for executing a determination as to whether the portable device 2 is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior by controlling the operation of each component of the in-vehicle device 1 by the control unit 11. Is remembered. In addition, the storage unit 14 stores various statistical values for performing the determination of the portable device 2. Details of the statistical value will be described later. In FIG. 3, the control unit 11 and the storage unit 14 are illustrated as separate components, but the storage unit 14 may be provided inside the control unit 11.

  A receiving antenna 4 is connected to the in-vehicle receiving unit 12. The in-vehicle receiving unit 12 receives a response signal transmitted wirelessly from the portable device 2 through the receiving antenna 4. The in-vehicle receiving unit 12 is a circuit that removes a carrier wave component from the received response signal or the like, extracts the received signal, and outputs the extracted received signal to the control unit 11. As a carrier wave, an Ultra High Frequency band (UHF band) of 300 MHz to 3 GHz is used, but it is not limited to this frequency band.

The in-vehicle transmission unit 13 modulates the signal output from the control unit 11 into a radio signal using a carrier wave, and carries the radio signal from one transmission antenna (3) selected by the control unit 11 and the switch 13a. This is a circuit for transmitting to the machine 2. As the carrier used LowFrequency band 30kHz~300 k Hz to (LF band), it is not limited to this frequency band.

The switch 13a includes a plurality of switching elements connected to each of the transmission antennas (3), for example, and turns on / off each switching element based on a command from the control unit 11. Switching elements are, for example, IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor), power MOS
An FET (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor) or the like may be used, or a mechanical relay may be used. Moreover, the switch 13a should just be the structure which can form the path | route between each transmission antenna (3) and the vehicle-mounted transmission part 13 based on the instruction | command of the control part 11, and can switch each path | route with one switching element. May be configured.

Moreover, the request signal according to the operation state of the vehicle door request switch which is not shown in figure is input into the control part 11 of the vehicle equipment 1. The control unit 11 can recognize the operation state of the vehicle door request switch based on the input request signal. The vehicle door request switch is, for example, a switch for locking or unlocking a vehicle door on the driver's seat side or the passenger seat side, and is provided on a door handle outside the driver seat or outside the passenger seat. In place of the push button, a contact sensor for detecting the contact of the user's hand with the door handle may be provided. Moreover, the control part 11 may acquire directly the request signal corresponding to operation of a vehicle door request switch, and may acquire via door ECU (Electronic Control Unit), other ECU, etc. FIG.
The control unit 11 illustrates a vehicle door control command for controlling the unlocking or locking of the vehicle door according to the operation state of the vehicle door request switch and the situation such as whether or not the portable device 2 is in the vehicle interior. Not output to the door ECU. The door ECU locks or unlocks the vehicle door according to a vehicle door control command from the control unit 11. Further, the control unit 11 outputs a warning command to a warning device (not shown) if necessary according to the situation. For example, when the vehicle door request switch is operated in a state where the portable device 2 can be confined in the vehicle interior, the control unit 11 outputs a warning command to the warning device. The warning device issues a predetermined warning to the user of the vehicle C using sound or light according to the warning command.

  Furthermore, an engine start signal corresponding to an operation state of an engine start switch (not shown) is input to the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1. The controller 11 can recognize the operation state of the engine start switch based on the input engine start signal. The control unit 11 outputs an engine control command for starting or stopping the engine to an engine ECU (not shown) according to the operation state of the engine start switch and the situation such as whether or not the portable device 2 is in the passenger compartment. . The engine ECU starts or stops the engine in accordance with an engine control command from the control unit 11.

  Next, statistical values stored in the storage unit 14 of the in-vehicle device 1 will be described. The memory | storage part 14 memorize | stores the statistical value which prescribes | regulates the several area | region which includes a common vehicle interior space. In the first embodiment, the storage unit 14 stores statistical values defining the first area, the second area, the third area, and the fourth area as four areas.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the first region 61. 4A is a plan view of the first region 61, and FIG. 4B is an elevation view of the first region 61. The first region 61 is a three-dimensional space, and has a boundary surface that follows the right inner surface of the vehicle compartment as shown in FIG. 4 and includes a common vehicle interior space. Therefore, the first region 61 also includes the left side wall, the rear wall, and the windshield portion that constitute the passenger compartment. In FIG. 4, the hatched part is the common vehicle interior space. The common vehicle interior space is a space in which the portable device 2 can be arranged, for example, by a user in the vehicle interior.
Since the boundary surface of the first region 61 and the inner side surface of the passenger compartment do not completely match, the determination as to whether the portable device 2 is located inside or outside the first region 61 2 does not necessarily coincide with the determination whether the vehicle is located outside the vehicle compartment or the vehicle interior. However, since at least a part of the boundary surface of the first region 61 is substantially coincident with the right inner surface of the passenger compartment, the vehicle-mounted device 1 is limited to the case where the portable device 2 is near the right side wall of the vehicle C. Thus, it is possible to accurately determine whether the portable device 2 is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing a sample extraction location related to the first region 61. The statistical value defining the first region 61 is calculated in the manufacturing process of the vehicle communication system, and the storage unit 14 stores the calculated statistical value. The statistical value is calculated based on the sample value of the received signal strength measured by the portable device 2 that has received each signal transmitted from the plurality of transmitting antennas (3). Note that the device for measuring the sample value of the received signal strength is not necessarily the portable device 2, and is not particularly limited as long as it is a measuring device that can measure the signal strength corresponding to the received signal strength measured by the portable device 2. It is never done.

  The sample value of the received signal strength is obtained by placing the portable device 2 at a specific location inside or outside the vehicle C and measuring the received signal strength. Hereinafter, a set of received signal strengths measured at a plurality of locations is referred to as a sample group. The storage unit 14 uses, as statistical values defining the first region 61, a first statistical value based on a sample group that characterizes the inside of the first region 61, and a second statistical value that is based on a sample group that characterizes the outside of the first region 61; Remember.

FIG. 5A shows an arrangement of the portable device 2 for obtaining a sample value from which the first statistical value is calculated. Specifically, the portable device 2 is arranged at a plurality of locations along the vehicle interior side on the right side surface of the vehicle interior and at a plurality of locations along the vehicle interior side and the vehicle exterior side on the left side surface, and the mobile device 2 receives at each location. Measure the signal strength of the received signal. Then, a first statistical value is calculated based on the measured sample value of the received signal strength. A broken ellipse indicates a place where the portable device 2 is to be placed.
Since there are four transmission antennas (3) in the first embodiment, the received signal strength measured by the portable device 2 at one location is four. Accordingly, the received signal strength samples obtained at each location are vector quantities, and the sample group is a group of samples that are vectors. A vector having four received signal strengths as components is called a received signal strength vector.
By the way, although it is a sample group characterizing the inside of the first region 61, as shown in FIG. 5A, a sample value of the received signal intensity measured outside the passenger compartment is included in the sample group. This is because the first region 61 includes the entire vehicle interior space. When the sample group does not include sample values measured on the vehicle interior side and vehicle exterior side of the left side surface, the sample group is biased to the sample value of the received signal intensity measured on the right side surface of the vehicle C. Resulting in. If the sample group is biased to the sample value measured on the right side surface of the vehicle C, the left side portion of the vehicle C is deviated from the range of the first region 61 characterized by the sample group. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the portable device 2 is arranged at a location as shown in FIG. 5A, and sample values of received signal strength are collected.

  The first statistical value is, for example, the average vector and inverse variance covariance matrix of the sample group that characterizes the inside of the first region 61. The average vector of the sample group is expressed by the following formulas (1) and (2). A black circle shown in FIG. 5A indicates a conceptual position of the average vector.

  The variance-covariance matrix of the sample group that characterizes the inside of the first region 61 is expressed by the following equations (3) and (4). The inverse variance / covariance matrix is an inverse matrix of the variance / covariance matrix expressed by the following equation (3), and the storage unit 14 stores the inverse variance / covariance matrix.

  FIG. 5B shows an arrangement of the portable device 2 for obtaining a sample value from which the second statistical value is calculated. Specifically, the portable device 2 is arranged at a plurality of locations along the vehicle compartment outside on the right side surface of the vehicle compartment, and the received signal strength of the signal received by the portable device 2 is measured at each location. Then, a second statistical value is calculated based on the measured sample value of the received signal strength. The second statistical value is the average vector and inverse variance covariance matrix of the sample group that characterizes the outside of the first region 61. The mean vector and inverse variance covariance matrix, which are the second statistical values, are expressed by the above formulas (1) to (4), similarly to the first statistical value. The black circle shown in FIG. 5B indicates the conceptual position of the average vector of the sample group.

  FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing the second region 62. FIG. 6A is a plan view of the second region 62, and FIG. 6B is an elevation view of the second region 62. The second area 62 is a three-dimensional space, and has a boundary surface that follows the left side surface of the vehicle compartment as shown in FIG. 6 and includes the common vehicle interior space. Therefore, the right side wall, the rear wall, and the windshield portion that constitute the passenger compartment are also included in the second region 62. In FIG. 6, the hatched part is the common vehicle interior space.

  The storage unit 14 uses, as statistical values defining the second region 62, a first statistical value based on a sample group characterizing the inside of the second region 62, and a second statistical value based on a sample group characterizing the outside of the second region 62, Remember.

  FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing a sample extraction location related to the second region 62. The sample value of the received signal strength for calculating the first statistic value and the second statistic value defining the second region 62 is obtained by placing the portable device 2 at a specific location inside or outside the vehicle C shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B. And measuring the received signal strength.

  FIG. 7A shows an arrangement of the portable device 2 for obtaining a sample value from which the first statistical value is calculated. Specifically, the portable devices 2 are arranged at a plurality of locations along the vehicle interior side on the left side surface of the vehicle interior and at a plurality of locations along the vehicle interior side and the vehicle exterior side of the right side surface, and the mobile device 2 receives at each location. Measure the signal strength of the received signal. Then, a first statistical value is calculated based on the measured sample value of the received signal strength. The first statistical value is an average vector and inverse variance covariance matrix of a sample group that characterizes the inside of the second region 62.

  FIG. 7B shows an arrangement of the portable device 2 for obtaining a sample value from which the second statistical value is calculated. Specifically, the portable device 2 is arranged at a plurality of locations along the outside of the passenger compartment on the left side surface of the passenger compartment, and the received signal strength of the signal received by the portable device 2 is measured at each location. Then, a second statistical value is calculated based on the measured sample value of the received signal strength. Similar to the first statistical value, the second statistical value is an average vector and inverse variance covariance matrix of a sample group that characterizes the outside of the second region 62.

  FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing the third region 63 and the fourth region 64. The third area 63 and the fourth area 64 are a three-dimensional space. As shown in FIG. 8A, the third region 63 has a boundary surface that follows the inner surface on the rear side of the passenger compartment, and is shaped to encompass the entire common passenger compartment space. As shown in FIG. 8B, the fourth region 64 has a boundary surface that follows the inner surface on the front side of the passenger compartment, and has a shape that encompasses the entire common passenger compartment space.

  FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing a region corresponding to the vehicle interior space. In FIG. 9, a hatched range is a region corresponding to the vehicle interior space. The first region to the fourth region 61, 62, 63, 64 include a common vehicle interior space, and the boundary surface of the first region to the fourth region 61, 62, 63, 64 is the right side surface of the vehicle compartment, respectively. Since the left side surface, the rear surface, and the front surface are imitated, the spaces inside all of the first to fourth regions 61, 62, 63, 64 substantially coincide with the vehicle interior space.

  The in-vehicle device 1 configured as described above transmits signals by sequentially switching the path between the in-vehicle transmission unit 13 and the one transmission antenna (3) by the switch 13a, and the portable device 2 that has received each signal. A response signal including the measured received signal strength is received from the portable device 2. The in-vehicle device 1 that has received the response signal uses the received signal strength corresponding to each transmission antenna (3) included in the response signal and the above-described average vector and inverse variance covariance matrix to make the portable device 2 in each region. Whether it is inside or not is determined for each region. Thereafter, the in-vehicle device 1 determines whether the portable device 2 is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior using the determination result.

Here, due to the occurrence of current wraparound in the circuit of the switch 13a, incomplete electrical isolation of the transistors, etc., other transmission antennas (3) other than the selected transmission antenna (3) ) Leaks, and a signal is transmitted from the other transmitting antenna (3). When the portable device 2 receives a signal from the other transmission antenna (3), the received signal strength corresponding to the selected transmission antenna (3) cannot be measured correctly, and the location of the portable device 2 in the in-vehicle device 1 It will affect the judgment. Below, the case where it influences the determination of the location of the portable device 2 in the vehicle-mounted device 1 will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a graph showing the received signal strength when the portable device 2 receives a signal transmitted from the transmitting antenna (3). The horizontal axis of the graph of FIG. 10 represents the distance between the portable device 2 and the transmission antenna (3), the distance separated in one direction is represented by a positive value, and the distance separated in the opposite direction is represented by a negative value. Represents. The vertical axis of the graph of FIG. 10 represents the magnitude of the received signal strength when the portable device 2 receives a signal transmitted from the transmission antenna (3). In addition, the graph represented by the thick line in FIG. 10 represents the received signal strength with respect to the signal transmitted when the switching element connected to the transmission antenna (3) is turned on, and is represented by the thin line. Represents the received signal strength for a signal transmitted due to leakage current. Since the magnitude of the leakage current is smaller than the magnitude of the current flowing when the switching element is on, the intensity of the signal transmitted from the transmission antenna (3) is smaller when it is caused by the leakage current.

  Therefore, a plurality of signals having different intensities are transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 1 from the transmission antenna (3) connected to the path where the switching element is on and the transmission antenna (3) through which leakage current flows. Moreover, since the switching element connected to each transmission antenna (3) is sequentially switched on and off, a plurality of signals having different intensities are transmitted from the in-vehicle device 1 by selectively switching the plurality of transmission antennas (3). Is done. For example, when a switching element connected to the first transmission antenna 31 is on and a leakage current flows through the second transmission antenna 32, a signal is transmitted from the first transmission antenna 31, and at the same time, the strength is higher than that of the signal. A small signal is transmitted from the second transmitting antenna 32. At this time, when the portable device 2 is located in the vicinity of the second transmitting antenna 32, that is, in the vicinity of the pillar on the passenger seat side, the received signal strength measured by the portable device 2 is second. The signal transmitted from the transmission antenna 32 may be larger. For example, when the distance between the portable device 2 and the second transmission antenna 32 is 5 cm or less and the distance between the portable device 2 and the first transmission antenna 31 is 50 cm or more, the thin line graph in FIG. The received signal strength with respect to the signal transmitted from the antenna 32 may be larger. In this case, since the portable device 2 cannot correctly measure the received signal strength with respect to the signal transmitted from the first transmission antenna 31, the determination of the in-vehicle device 1 is affected. In the first embodiment, the path in which the leakage current is generated in the switcher 13 a includes at least a circuit connected to the third transmission antenna 33.

Next, an aspect in which the third transmission antenna 33 is provided will be described. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a range in which radio waves are propagated from the third transmission antenna 33. In FIG. 11, a range surrounded by a thick line represents a vehicle interior space, and a range surrounded by a two-dot chain line indicates that a signal is transmitted by radio waves from the third transmission antenna 33 due to a leakage current in the switch 13 a. Represents the range. The range in which the signal is transmitted represents a range in which the portable device 2 can receive the signal transmitted from the third transmission antenna 33. In the first embodiment, the third transmission antenna 33 is provided in such a manner as to propagate radio waves over a wider range outside the vehicle interior of the vehicle C than inside the vehicle C. In FIG. 11, a non-directional third transmission antenna 33 is provided at a position away from the boundary of the vehicle interior space toward the outside of the vehicle interior, and a signal is transmitted from the third transmission antenna 33 due to leakage current. The range to be applied extends outside the passenger compartment of the vehicle C, but does not extend into the passenger compartment. That is, the signal transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 1 due to the leakage current is received when the portable device 2 is located near the back door outside the vehicle compartment, but when it is located in the vehicle interior on the back door side. Is not received. Further, if the signal reaches the outside of the vehicle C and the portable device 2 cannot enter outside the vehicle compartment of the vehicle C, the signal is located near the back door outside the vehicle C. Is received, but not received when the vehicle is located in the passenger compartment. The place where the portable device 2 cannot enter is, for example,
A space between the boundary of the vehicle interior space and the outer surface of the vehicle C. The space is, for example, a space formed by each frame and garnish constituting the vehicle body of the vehicle C, a space in the engine room, or the like. Note that the third transmitting antenna 33 may be provided in any manner as long as the radio wave is propagated over a wide range outside the passenger compartment. For example, the third transmission antenna 33 may be housed in a housing having a member that shields radio waves on one side, and may be attached to the back door such that the one side faces the vehicle interior side, or directivity may be formed outside the vehicle interior. May be provided. Further, an example in which the range in which a signal is transmitted from the third transmission antenna 33 due to the leakage current extends into the vehicle interior in a range narrower than the range in which the signal is transmitted outside the vehicle interior is also included in the embodiment of the present application.

  When a leakage current flows through the third transmitting antenna 33 provided as described above and a signal is transmitted, as shown in FIG. 11, the portable device 2 is in the vicinity of the back door outside the passenger compartment. Is received, but is not received when the vehicle is located in the passenger compartment. In the first embodiment, the location of the portable device 2 is determined using the fact that the range of radio waves propagated by the third transmitting antenna 33 is biased between the vehicle interior side and the vehicle interior side.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for an operation request. When there is an operation request from the outside, the in-vehicle device 1 and the portable device 2 execute the following processing. The operation request is, for example, a request for locking or unlocking a vehicle door by operating a vehicle door request switch, a request for starting or stopping an engine by operating an engine start switch, and the like. For example, when a request signal corresponding to the operation of the vehicle door request switch is input to the in-vehicle device 1, and when an engine start signal corresponding to the operation of the engine start switch is input to the portable device 2, the in-vehicle device 1 starts processing. .

  The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 causes the in-vehicle transmission unit 13 to transmit a wakeup signal from the transmission antenna (3) (step S101).

  The control unit 21 of the portable device 2 that has received the wake-up signal by the receiving unit 23 starts from the sleep state to the active state, and transmits its own portable device identifier to the in-vehicle device 1 by the transmission unit 22 (step S102). .

  The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 receives the portable device identifier transmitted from the portable device 2 by the in-vehicle reception unit 12. And the control part 11 produces the data for authentication using the received portable device identifier, and transmits the challenge signal containing the said data from the transmission antenna (3) by the vehicle-mounted transmission part 13 (step S103).

  When the control unit 21 receives the challenge signal at the reception unit 23, confirms the validity of the in-vehicle device 1 using data included in the received challenge signal, and confirms that the in-vehicle device 1 is valid, The in-vehicle device 1 creates data for authenticating the portable device 2, and transmits a response signal including the data to the in-vehicle device 1 through the transmission unit 22 (step S104).

  The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 receives the response signal transmitted from the portable device 2 by the in-vehicle reception unit 12, and authenticates the portable device 2 using the data included in the received response signal (step S105). . If it is determined that the authentication is successful (step S105: YES), the control unit 11 executes a vehicle interior / exterior determination process in the portable device 2 (step S106). In other words, the control unit 11 determines whether the portable device 2 is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior. The result of the vehicle interior / exterior determination is represented by a numerical value. For example, when the portable device 2 is in the vehicle interior, the numerical value of the vehicle interior / exterior determination result is 1, and when the mobile device 2 is outside the vehicle interior, the numerical value of the vehicle interior / exterior determination result is 0. The control unit 11 functions as an inside / outside determination unit by executing a control program in the process of step S106.

  Next, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the result of the vehicle interior / exterior determination matches the expected value determined in advance according to the content of the operation request (step S107). For example, the expected value for the operation of unlocking the vehicle door by the operation of the vehicle door request switch is 0, and the expected value for the operation of starting the engine is 1.

  When it is determined that the result of the vehicle interior / exterior determination matches the expected value (step S107: YES), the control unit 11 receives the operation request and executes a process according to the operation request (step S108). ). For example, when an operation of the vehicle door request switch is performed, a process of outputting a vehicle door control signal for instructing locking or unlocking of the vehicle door to the door ECU is executed. When the engine start switch is operated, a process of outputting an engine control command for starting or stopping the engine to the engine ECU is executed.

  When it is determined that the vehicle interior / exterior determination result does not match the expected value (step S107: NO), or when it is determined that authentication of the portable device 2 has failed (step S105: NO), the control unit 11 Rejects the operation request, executes a process related to the request rejection (step S109), and finishes the process. The process related to request rejection is, for example, a process of generating a warning sound when the engine start switch operation is performed and the portable device 2 is not in the passenger compartment. Note that the processing related to request rejection is not essential.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a subroutine for determining whether the vehicle is inside or outside the vehicle. The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 causes the in-vehicle transmission unit 13 to sequentially transmit a signal for measuring the received signal strength for the vehicle interior / exterior determination from each of the plurality of transmission antennas (3) (step S111).

  The control unit 21 of the portable device 2 receives the signal transmitted from each transmission antenna (3) by the reception unit 23, and acquires the received signal strength of each signal measured by the signal strength measurement unit 23b. And the control part 21 transmits the response signal containing the measured received signal strength to the vehicle equipment 1 in the transmission part 22. FIG.

  The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 receives the response signal transmitted from the portable device 2 by the in-vehicle reception unit 12 (step S112). Next, the control unit 11 selects the received signal strength corresponding to the third transmitting antenna 33 among the received signal strengths included in the received response signal (step S113). The control unit 11 determines whether or not the received signal strength corresponding to the selected third transmission antenna 33 is equal to or higher than the first threshold (step S114). The first threshold is a preset value, for example, a value larger than the maximum value of the received signal strength of the signal transmitted from the transmitting antenna (3) due to leakage current, that is, a thin line graph in FIG. Is set to a value larger than the maximum value.

  When it determines with it not being more than a 1st threshold value by the process of step S114 (step S114: NO), the control part 11 performs the process of a normal determination (step S115), and complete | finishes the process of the subroutine of a vehicle interior / exterior determination. In the normal determination, it is assumed that the portable device 2 is not affected by the signal transmitted from the third transmitting antenna 33 through which leakage current flows, and the first to fourth regions 61, 62, 63, 64 shown in FIG. Is used to determine whether the portable device 2 is located inside the vehicle compartment or outside the vehicle compartment, and will be described in detail later.

  On the other hand, when it determines with it being more than a 1st threshold value by the process of step S114 (step S114: YES), the control part 11 receives the received signal strength corresponding to another transmission antenna (3) different from the 3rd transmission antenna 33. Is selected from the received response signal (step S116). The other transmission antenna (3) may be any of the first transmission antenna 31, the second transmission antenna 32, and the fourth transmission antenna.

  Next, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the received signal strength corresponding to the other transmission antenna (3) is equal to or higher than the second threshold (step S117). For example, the second threshold value is a value of the received signal strength when the portable device 2 receives the signal at the boundary of the transmission range of the signal in the third transmission antenna 33 illustrated in FIG. Small value. When it determines with it not being more than a 2nd threshold value (step S117: NO), the control part 11 advances a process to step S115.

  When it determines with it being more than a 2nd threshold value (step S117: YES), the control part 11 completed selection of all the received signal strengths corresponding to each other transmission antenna (3) different from the 3rd transmission antenna 33. Is determined (step S118). If it is determined that the selection has not been completed (step S118: NO), the control unit 11 returns the process to step S116. At this time, in step S116, the control unit 11 selects a received signal strength corresponding to a transmission antenna (3) different from the previously selected transmission antenna (3). For example, when the reception signal strength corresponding to the first transmission antenna 31 is selected in the process of the previous step S116, the control unit 11 selects the reception signal strength corresponding to the second transmission antenna 32 or the fourth transmission antenna 34. .

  If it is determined that the selection has been completed (step S118: YES), the control unit 11 determines that the portable device 2 is located outside the vehicle compartment (step S119), and ends the subroutine of the vehicle interior / exit determination subroutine.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a subroutine for normal determination. In the normal determination, the control unit 11 determines that the portable device 2 is located inside each of the first to fourth regions 61, 62, 63, 64 based on the received signal strength included in the response signal received by the in-vehicle receiving unit 12. Processing for determining whether or not there is for each region is performed. The normal determination process is a process that is executed for each of the first to fourth areas 61, 62, 63, and 64. The process related to the first area 61 will be mainly described as a representative example.

  The control unit 11 reads out the statistical values of one of the first to fourth regions 61, 62, 63, and 64, that is, the first statistical value and the second statistical value from the storage unit 14 (step S121). For example, the control unit 11 reads the first statistical value and the second statistical value of the first region 61 from the storage unit 14.

  Then, the control unit 11 determines the received signal strength and the first statistical value based on the received signal strength included in the response signal received in step S112 in FIG. 13 and the first statistical value read in step S121. The statistical distance to the sample group related to is calculated (step S122). When the first statistical value of the first region 61 is read in step S <b> 121, the control unit 11 calculates the statistical distance between the received signal strength included in the response signal and the sample group that characterizes the inside of the first region 61. The statistical distance is, for example, the Mahalanobis distance. The Mahalanobis distance is expressed by the following formula (5).

  Next, the control unit 11 determines the received signal strength and the sample group related to the second statistical value based on the received signal strength included in the response signal received in step S112 and the second statistical value read in step S121. Is calculated (step S123). When the second statistical value of the first region 61 is read in step S121, the control unit 11 calculates the statistical distance between the received signal strength included in the response signal and the sample group that characterizes the outside of the first region 61. The statistical distance is, for example, the Mahalanobis distance. The control part 11 functions as a distance calculation part by executing a control program by the process of step S122 and step S123.

  Then, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the portable device 2 is located inside the one area by comparing the statistical distance calculated in step S122 with the statistical distance calculated in step S123 ( Step S124). For example, when the statistical distance to the sample group that characterizes the inside of the first area 61 is shorter than the statistical distance to the sample group that characterizes the outside of the first area 61, the control unit 11 causes the portable device 2 to be inside the first area 61. Determined to be located in When the statistical distance to the sample group characterizing the outside of the first region 61 is shorter than the statistical distance to the sample group characterizing the inside of the first region 61, the control unit 11 indicates that the portable device 2 is located outside the first region 61. Judge that. The control unit 11 functions as an area inside / outside determination unit by executing the control program in the process of step S124.

When it is determined that the portable device 2 is located outside the one area (step S124: NO)
Then, the control unit 11 determines that the portable device 2 is located outside the vehicle interior (step S125), and ends the subroutine of the vehicle interior / exit determination subroutine.
If it is determined that the portable device 2 is located inside the one area (step S124: YES), has the control unit 11 finished determining whether the portable device 2 is located inside or outside the entire area? It is determined whether or not (step S126). That is, in each of the first to fourth areas 61, 62, 63, and 64, it is determined whether or not all the determinations as to whether the portable device 2 is located inside or outside are completed. The control part 11 functions as a whole area determination part by executing a control program by the process of step S126. When it is determined that there is an area where the determination of the portable device 2 has not been completed (step S126: NO), the control unit 11 returns the process to step S121.

  When it is determined that the determination of the portable device 2 in all regions is completed (step S126: YES), the control unit 11 determines that the portable device 2 is located in the vehicle interior (step S127), and performs the normal determination subroutine processing. Finish.

  In the above process, the control unit 11 executes the process of step S114 in FIG. 13 to the extent that it is affected by the signal transmitted when the leakage current flows through the third transmission antenna 33. 2 is determined in the vicinity of the third transmission antenna 33. Thereafter, the control unit 11 executes the process of step S117 in FIG. 13 to determine whether the portable device 2 is affected by a signal transmitted when a leakage current flows through the third transmission antenna 33. Determine. As shown in FIG. 11 in the first embodiment, the third transmission antenna 33 is provided so that a signal transmitted when a leakage current flows extends outside the vehicle compartment, but does not reach the vehicle interior. . Therefore, if it is determined in step S114 that the portable device 2 is located near the third transmission antenna 33 and it is determined in step S117 that the portable device 2 is affected by the third transmission antenna 33, the external device is It can be reliably determined that the vehicle is located outside the passenger compartment. Therefore, even if the signal is transmitted from another transmitting antenna (3) different from the transmitting antenna (3) to which the signal is to be transmitted, whether the portable device 2 is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior. Can be reliably determined.

  Further, the third transmitting antenna 33 is provided so that the radio wave propagates more widely on the outside of the passenger compartment than on the inner side of the passenger compartment. Therefore, the in-vehicle device 1 reliably determines that the portable device 2 is located outside the passenger compartment by determining that it is greater than or equal to the first threshold value in step S114 and determining that it is greater than or equal to the second threshold value in step S117. Can be determined.

  Furthermore, since the third transmitting antenna 33 is provided on the back door, it is ensured whether the portable device 2 is located outside the vehicle compartment or in the vehicle compartment even when the portable device 2 is located near the back door. Can be determined.

  If it is determined in step S114 that the portable device 2 is not located near the third transmission antenna 33, a normal determination is performed. Accordingly, the location of the portable device 2 is determined in order to determine whether or not the portable device 2 is located inside the first area to the fourth area 61, 62, 63, 64 in the normal determination. Can be reliably determined.

Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, the first to fourth regions 61, 62, 63, and 64 have a boundary surface that follows a part of the inner side surface of the passenger compartment. Therefore, for each area, the normal determination as to whether or not the portable device 2 is located inside the area makes it possible to accurately determine the inside / outside of the vehicle in the part.
In the first embodiment, the example in which the vehicle interior / exterior determination is performed using the first to fourth regions 61, 62, 63, and 64 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. The inside / outside determination of the portable device 2 may be performed using the two regions 61 and the second region 62. Also,
You may perform the vehicle interior / exterior determination of the portable device 2 using the three areas from the first area to the third areas 61, 62, and 63. Furthermore, the interior / exterior determination of the portable device 2 is performed using two or three regions arbitrarily selected from the first to fourth regions 61, 62, 63, 64, or five or more regions not shown. May be.

  Further, by using a first area 61 having a boundary surface following the right inner surface of the passenger compartment and a second area 62 having a boundary surface following the left inner surface, the portable device on the right and left sides of the passenger compartment. The vehicle interior / exterior determination 2 can be performed with high accuracy.

  Furthermore, by using the third region 63 having a boundary surface that follows the inner surface of the rear side of the vehicle compartment, the inside / outside determination of the portable device 2 on the rear surface of the vehicle compartment can be accurately performed.

  Furthermore, by using the fourth region 64 having a boundary surface that follows the inner surface on the front side of the passenger compartment, it is possible to accurately determine whether the portable device 2 is in or out of the passenger compartment in front of the passenger compartment.

  Further, the in-vehicle device 1 determines whether the portable device 2 is inside or outside the vehicle using the first statistical value and the second statistical value that characterize the inside and the outside of the first region 61 and the second region 62, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the first statistical value and the second statistical value are received signals measured at a plurality of locations along the vehicle interior side and vehicle interior outside of the right inner surface and the left inner surface of the vehicle C. It is calculated based on the sample group of intensity. By using the sample group as a sample group for calculating the first statistical value and the second statistical value, the first region 61 and the second region 62 are compared with the case where a huge sample group is randomly generated. For each, it is possible to effectively reduce the man-hours required to create a statistical value for determining whether or not the portable device 2 is located inside the area.

  Furthermore, the vehicle-mounted device 1 calculates a statistical distance from the sample group characterizing the inside and the inside of the first region to the fourth region 61, 62, 63, 64 based on the first statistical value and the second statistical value. By comparing the calculated statistical distances, the vehicle interior / exterior determination of the in-vehicle device 1 can be performed. Specifically, the inside / outside determination of the portable device 2 can be performed with high accuracy by simple calculations such as calculating the Mahalanobis distance and comparing the Mahalanobis distances.

  In the first embodiment, it has been described that the third transmission antenna 33 is provided in such a manner that the radio wave propagates more widely outside the vehicle interior than the vehicle interior, but any of the other transmission antennas (3) is the first Instead of the three transmitting antennas 33, it may be provided in this mode. In this case, the in-vehicle device 1 is a case where the portable device 2 is located in the vicinity of any of the other transmission antennas (3), that is, the first transmission antenna 31, the second transmission antenna 32, and the fourth transmission antenna 34. Even if it exists, it can be determined reliably whether the portable device 2 is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior.

  In the first embodiment, it has been described that the third transmission antenna 33 is provided in such a manner that the radio wave propagates over a wider area outside the vehicle interior than the vehicle interior side. May be provided in a manner in which the signal propagates. In that case, in the process of step S119 in FIG. 13, the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 determines that the portable device 2 is located in the vehicle interior. This is because when the portable device 2 is located in the passenger compartment near the back door, it is affected by a signal transmitted from the third transmission antenna 33 due to leakage current.

In the first embodiment, the received signal strength of the sample group from which the first statistical value and the second statistical value characterizing the inside and the outside of the first region 61 and the second region 62 are calculated is shown in FIGS. Although the example which measures at the location shown in FIG. 7 was demonstrated, this measurement location is an example. For example, the sample group from which the first statistical value related to the first region 61 is calculated has received signal strengths at least at a plurality of locations along the vehicle interior side on the right side surface of the vehicle interior and at a plurality of locations along the vehicle exterior. It is sufficient if the measurement is made so that the first region 61 includes a common vehicle interior space. The same applies to the second region 62, the third region 63, and the fourth region 64.
Even when the first statistical value and the second statistical value obtained in this manner are used, the same effects as those of the above-described vehicle communication system are obtained.

  In the first embodiment, the determination of the location of the portable device 2 is mainly exemplified when the driver's seat request switch is operated. However, the present invention can be applied to various processes that require the determination. For example, it is possible to confirm whether the portable device 2 is located in the vehicle interior when the prime mover is started, confirm whether the portable device 2 is located in the vehicle interior during operation of the prime mover, and prevent the portable device 2 from being confined in the vehicle interior. The present invention can be applied to various processes such as position confirmation of the portable device 2.

  Moreover, although the example which determines whether the portable device 2 is located inside the area for each of the first area to the fourth area 61, 62, 63, 64 is described based on the Mahalanobis distance, the Mahalanobis distance is a statistical distance. It is an example. Any other statistical value such as statistical distance and similarity may be used as long as the degree of approximation between the measured received signal strength and a specific sample group can be determined.

  Further, the example in which the vehicle interior / exterior determination is performed for each of the first to fourth regions 61, 62, 63, and 64 by determining whether the portable device 2 is located inside the region has been described. The fourth regions 61, 62, 63, and 64 are examples. Any modification of the vehicle communication system is possible as long as the portable device 2 is configured to determine whether or not the portable device 2 is located inside a region having a boundary surface following a part of the inner surface of the vehicle interior space. For example, the interior / exterior determination of the portable device 2 may be performed using any two or three of the first region to the fourth region 61, 62, 63, 64. Moreover, you may perform the vehicle interior / exterior determination of the portable device 2 using the 2 or more other area | region where a shape differs from this Embodiment 1. FIG.

  Furthermore, in the vehicle communication system according to the first embodiment, the mean vector and the inverse variance covariance matrix are stored in the storage unit 14 as statistical values that characterize the inside and outside of the first to fourth regions 61, 62, 63, 64. However, this statistical value is an example. The content and storage method of the portable device 2 are not particularly limited as long as the portable device 2 can determine whether or not the mobile device 2 is located inside each region. For example, the storage unit 14 may store an average vector and a variance-covariance matrix, or may store a sample group itself. Further, information such as statistical values may be stored in the storage unit 14 as information in a different form from the control program, or may be information incorporated in the control program.

  Furthermore, the sample group extraction location shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 is an example, and if there is a boundary surface that imitates a part of the inner surface of the vehicle interior space and can define a region that encompasses the entire vehicle interior space, The statistical value of the region may be calculated using the sample group of the received signal strength measured at the point.

(Embodiment 2)
The vehicular communication system according to the second embodiment includes the in-vehicle device 1 even when the portable device 2 is located near each of the first transmission antenna 31, the second transmission antenna 32, and the fourth transmission antenna 34. Thus, the location of the portable device 2 can be reliably determined. In the vehicular communication system according to the second embodiment, a mode in which the first transmission antenna 31, the second transmission antenna 32, and the fourth transmission antenna 34 are provided in the vehicle C; However, the differences will be mainly described below. Since other configurations and operational effects are the same as those of the first embodiment, the corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a range in which radio waves are propagated by each transmission antenna (3) in the vehicle communication system according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 15, the range indicated by a two-dot chain line is a signal from each transmitting antenna (3) by radio waves when a leakage current flows through a circuit connected to each transmitting antenna (3) in the switch 13a. Represents the range to be transmitted. In the second embodiment, each of the first transmission antenna 31, the second transmission antenna 32, and the fourth transmission antenna 34 provided in the vehicle C is provided so that the radio wave propagates over a wide range from the vehicle interior side to the vehicle interior side. It has been. For example, the first transmission antenna 31 and the second transmission antenna 32 are provided so as to have directivity on the vehicle interior side, and the fourth transmission antenna 34 is spaced from the boundary of the vehicle interior space toward the vehicle interior. In the position. At this time, the range in which signals are transmitted from the first transmitting antenna 31, the second transmitting antenna 32, and the fourth transmitting antenna 34 due to the leakage current is the vehicle on the front, driver's seat side, and passenger seat side. Each room covers a wider area than outside the passenger compartment. In addition, due to the leakage current, the range in which signals are transmitted from the first transmission antenna 31, the second transmission antenna 32, and the fourth transmission antenna 34 extends outside the passenger compartment, but the portable device 1 cannot enter. There is no place outside the passenger compartment. Therefore, in the second embodiment, signals transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 1 due to the leakage current are appropriately positioned outside the passenger compartment on the front side of the vehicle C, on the driver's seat side, on the passenger seat side, and on the back door side. In addition, it is received when the portable device 2 is located. The first transmission antenna 31, the second transmission antenna 32, and the fourth transmission antenna 34 may be provided in any manner as long as radio waves are propagated over a wide range to the vehicle interior side. Further, the range in which signals are transmitted from the first transmission antenna 31, the second transmission antenna 32, and the fourth transmission antenna 34 due to the leakage current is the vehicle interior in front of the vehicle C, on the driver's seat side, and on the passenger seat side. An example that extends to the outside of the vehicle C on the opposite side within a range narrower than the transmission range is also included in the embodiment of the present application.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine for determining whether the interior or exterior of the vehicle is in the second embodiment. The in-vehicle device 1 and the portable device 2 execute the same processing (step S111 and step S112) as the first embodiment related to the measurement of the received signal strength and the reception of the response signal in steps S211 and S212.

Next, the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 selects the maximum received signal strength among the received signal strengths included in the response signal (step S213). Hereinafter, the control unit 11 performs the same processing (step S114 to step S118) as in the first embodiment in the processing of step S214 to step S218 using the received signal strength selected in step S213. At this time, the received signal strength corresponding to the other transmission antenna is selected in step S 2 16 (3), contained in the response signal, the received signal strength and the received signal strength varies selected in step S213, step S In 217, processing is executed using the received signal strength.

  If it is determined in step S218 that the selection has been completed (step S218: YES), the control unit 11 has the received signal strength selected in step S213 corresponding to the signal transmitted from the third transmitting antenna 33. It is determined whether or not (step S219). When it is determined that the received signal intensity corresponds to the third transmission antenna 33 (step S219: YES), the control unit 11 determines that the portable device 2 is outside the vehicle compartment (step S220), Finish the subroutine processing. On the other hand, when it is determined that the received signal strength does not correspond to the third transmission antenna 33 (step S219: NO), the control unit 11 determines that the portable device 2 is in the vehicle interior (step S221), and determines whether the vehicle interior / exterior is inside the vehicle interior. Finish the subroutine processing.

In the above processing, the in-vehicle device 1 corresponds to the received signal strength among the first to fourth transmitting antennas 31, 32, 33, and 34 by selecting the maximum received signal strength in step S213. It can be seen that the portable device 2 is located around the transmission antenna (3). Thereafter, the in-vehicle device 1 performs the process of step S214, so that the portable device 2 is affected by the transmission antenna (3) to the extent that the signal is transmitted from the transmission antenna (3) due to the leakage current. It is determined whether it is located in the vicinity of 3). Thereafter, the vehicle-mounted device 1 determines whether or not the portable device 2 is affected by a signal transmitted when a leakage current flows through the transmission antenna (3) by executing the process of step S217. . In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, the third transmission antenna 33 is provided so that a signal transmitted when a leakage current flows extends outside the vehicle compartment, but does not reach the vehicle interior. Yes. Further, the first transmission antenna 31, the second transmission antenna 32, and the fourth transmission antenna 34 have signals that are transmitted when a leakage current flows in both the vehicle interior and the exterior of the vehicle interior. Is provided so that the signal only reaches a place where the portable device 2 cannot enter. Therefore, when it is determined that the vehicle-mounted device 1 is affected in step S217, the portable device 2 is located outside the vehicle cabin by determining whether or not the transmission antenna (3) is the third transmission antenna 33. It can be determined whether or not the vehicle is located in the passenger compartment. Therefore, even if each of the plurality of transmission antennas (3) provided in the vehicle C transmits a signal simultaneously with the transmission antenna (3) that should transmit the signal, the in-vehicle device 1 is connected to the portable device 2 outside the vehicle compartment. It is possible to reliably determine whether the vehicle is located in the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior.

  Further, the third transmitting antenna 33 is provided so that the radio wave propagates more widely on the outside of the passenger compartment than on the inner side of the passenger compartment. Therefore, the in-vehicle device 1 determines that the value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value in the process of step S214, determines that the value is equal to or greater than the second threshold value in step S217, and performs the process of step S219. It is possible to reliably determine the presence outside the room.

  Further, the first transmission antenna 31, the second transmission antenna 32, and the fourth transmission antenna 34 are provided so that the radio waves propagate in a wider range on the vehicle interior side than on the vehicle interior side. Therefore, the in-vehicle device 1 determines that the value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value in the process of step S214, determines that the value is equal to or greater than the second threshold value in step S217, and performs the process of step S219. It can be reliably determined that the user is present in the room.

  In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, each transmitting antenna (3) is provided such that one of the vehicle interior side and the vehicle interior side propagates radio waves in a wider range than the other. It may be provided so as to propagate in a wide range. For example, the second transmission antenna 32 may be provided so that the radio wave propagates in a wider range on the outside of the vehicle compartment than on the vehicle interior side.

(Embodiment 3)
In the vehicular communication system according to the third embodiment, when the portable device 2 is located in the vicinity of the third transmission antenna 33, instead of using all other received signal strengths different from the third transmission antenna 33, The location of the portable device 2 is determined using another received signal strength. Since the vehicular communication system according to the third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the processing procedure of the vehicle interior / exterior determination by the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1, the following mainly describes the differences. Since other configurations and operational effects are the same as those of the first embodiment, the corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine for determining whether the interior or exterior of the vehicle is in the third embodiment. The control part 11 of the vehicle equipment 1 performs the process (step S111-step S117) similar to Embodiment 1 by the process of step S311-step S317. At this time, in step S316, the received signal strength corresponding to the other transmission antenna (3) is randomly selected, and the processing of step S317 is executed for the selected received signal strength.

  When it is determined that the received signal strength selected in step S316 is greater than or equal to the second threshold value (step S317: YES), the control unit 11 determines that the portable device 2 is outside the vehicle compartment (step S318), Finish the subroutine processing. On the other hand, when it is determined that the received signal strength selected in step S316 is smaller than the second threshold (step S317: NO), the control unit 11 determines that the portable device 2 is in the vehicle interior (step S319). The outside determination subroutine is finished.

  Through the above processing, the vehicle-mounted device 1 is located outside the passenger compartment even when a signal is transmitted from another transmission antenna (3) different from the transmission antenna (3) to which the signal is to be transmitted. Or whether the vehicle is located in the passenger compartment. Further, since the vehicle-mounted device 1 determines the location of the portable device 2 based on one received signal strength corresponding to the other transmission antenna (3), all the receptions corresponding to the transmission antenna (3) are performed. The time required for the determination can be made shorter than the determination using the signal intensity.

(Embodiment 4)
In the vehicle communication system according to the fourth embodiment, the determination as to whether or not the portable device 2 is inside the first region to the fourth regions 61, 62, 63, and 64 is performed using statistical values. This is performed using a discriminant. Since the vehicle communication system according to the fourth embodiment differs from the first to third embodiments in the content of information stored in the storage unit 14 of the in-vehicle device 1 and the normal determination processing procedure performed by the control unit 11, The main differences will be described. Since other configurations and operational effects are the same as those of the first to third embodiments, the corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.

The memory | storage part 14 of the vehicle equipment 1 is discriminate | determined for discriminating whether the portable device 2 is inside the 1st area | region 61, or the outer side according to the received signal strength of the signal transmitted from the several transmission antenna (3). I remember the formula. The received signal strength is measured by the signal strength measuring unit 23b of the portable device 2 as in the first embodiment. The first area 61 is one target area where the control unit 11 determines whether or not the portable device 2 is located inside, and it is desired to determine whether the portable device 2 is inside or outside the vehicle interior. The interior space of the vehicle.
In other words, the storage unit 14 stores a discriminant that discriminates the received signal strength measured outside the passenger compartment on the driver's seat side and the received signal strength measured at other locations. The discriminant is, for example, an approximate expression of a curve connecting received signal intensities at which the Mahalanobis distances between a sample group characterizing the inside of the first region 61 and a sample group characterizing the outside of the first region 61 are equal. It is expressed by equation (7).

  The storage unit 14 also represents the discriminant for determining the inside / outside of each of the second to fourth regions 62, 63, 64 by the polynomial of the above equation (7). However, each coefficient of the polynomial is a constant that determines a function of each component of the received signal strength vector in which the Mahalanobis distance to the sample group inside each region and the Mahalanobis distance to the sample group outside each region are equal. . Therefore, it goes without saying that the discriminant for discriminating each region represents a different function.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a normal determination subroutine according to the fourth embodiment. The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 reads the discriminant of one region from the first region to the fourth region 61, 62, 63, 64 from the storage unit 14 (step S411). And the control part 11 determines whether the portable device 2 exists in the said one area | region using the received signal strength contained in the received response signal, and the discriminant read in step S215 ( Step S412). For example, when the received signal strength vector is two-dimensional, the function value Y obtained by substituting one received signal strength included in the response signal into χ1 in the above equation (7) and the other received in the response signal This can be determined by comparing the received signal strength.

  Hereinafter, for each region, the same processing (step S125 to step S127) as in the first embodiment related to the determination as to whether the portable device 2 is located inside the region and the vehicle interior / exterior determination is performed in steps S413 to S415. Run with.

  As described above, according to the vehicle communication system and the vehicle-mounted device 1 according to the fourth embodiment, the determination as to whether the portable device 2 is located inside the first region 61 and the second region 62 is common to each region. This is done using a polynomial adjusted to include the indoor space. Therefore, it can be determined with higher accuracy than Embodiment 1 whether the portable device 2 is located inside or outside the vehicle interior space. Further, as in the first embodiment, the number of steps required for creating the discriminant can be suppressed.

Note that the dimension and format of the discriminant according to the fourth embodiment are not particularly limited. That is, it may be a linear discriminant or a non-linear discriminant.
As described above, it has been explained that the inside / outside determination of the portable device 2 can be performed accurately at the boundary between the driver's seat side surface and the passenger seat side surface. It is also possible to add a determination as to whether or not the user is located at. For example, whether or not the portable device 2 is located inside the first region to the fourth region 61, 62, 63, 64 by adding the third region 63 and the fourth region 64 that follow the vehicle rear boundary and the vehicle front boundary. You may comprise so that determination may be performed. In this case, the determination as to whether the portable device 2 is inside or outside of the “common vehicle interior space” is accurately performed at the driver's seat side side boundary, front passenger side side boundary, vehicle rear boundary, and vehicle front boundary. Is possible.

(Embodiment 5)
In the vehicular communication system according to the fifth embodiment, the portable device 2 is located inside the first area to the fourth area 61, 62, 63, 64 of the received signal strength included in the response signal. The vehicle interior / exterior determination similar to that in the first embodiment is performed using a part of the received signal strength suitable for determining whether or not the vehicle is in the vehicle. Since the vehicular communication system according to the fifth embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the contents of statistical values stored in the storage unit 14 of the in-vehicle device 1 and the normal determination processing procedure in the control unit 11, the following description will mainly be given. Such differences will be described. Since other configurations and operational effects are the same as those of the first embodiment, the corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The storage unit 14 stores the first statistical value and the second statistical value of each of the first to fourth regions 61, 62, 63, and 64, as in the first embodiment. However, the received signal strength of the sample group used for calculating each statistical value varies from region to region. For example, the received signal strength vector has four received signal strengths, but there are received signal strengths that improve the accuracy of the determination as to whether or not the portable device 2 is located inside the first region 61, and there are received signals that are not affected. There is also a received signal strength that deteriorates the strength and accuracy of the determination. Therefore, the storage unit 14 stores the first statistical value and the second statistical value calculated using different received signal strengths for the first to fourth regions 61, 62, 63, 64. For example, for the first region 61, the first statistical value and the second statistical value are calculated using the received signal strengths of the signals transmitted from the second transmission antenna 32, the third transmission antenna 33, and the fourth transmission antenna 34. For the second region 62, the first statistical value and the second statistical value are calculated using the received signal strengths of the signals transmitted from the first transmitting antenna 31, the third transmitting antenna 33, and the fourth transmitting antenna 34. In addition, the storage unit 14 stores information indicating which received signal strength of the four received signal strengths is used for the determination for each of the first to fourth regions 61, 62, 63, and 64. ing.

  FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a normal determination subroutine according to the fifth embodiment. The vehicle-mounted device 1 and the portable device 2 execute the same process (step S121) as that of the first embodiment related to the reading of the statistical value in step S511.

  Next, the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 selects a component to be used for determining whether or not the portable device 2 is located inside the determination target region from the received signal strength included in the response signal. (Step S512). Hereinafter, using the received signal strength selected in step S512, it is determined whether or not the portable device 2 is located inside each region, and processing similar to that in the first embodiment related to the vehicle interior / exterior determination (step S122 to step S122). S127) is executed in steps S513 to S518.

  As described above, according to the vehicle communication system and the vehicle-mounted device 1 according to the fifth embodiment, it is determined whether or not the portable device 2 is located inside each region using a part of the component of the received signal strength vector. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently determine whether the portable device 2 is inside or outside the vehicle. Further, by reducing the component of the received signal strength vector to be used, statistics for determining whether or not the portable device 2 is located inside each region without impairing the accuracy of the determination of the inside / outside of the portable device 2. Man-hours for creating values can be reduced.

  In the fifth embodiment, an example is described in which it is determined whether the portable device 2 is located inside or outside each region using statistical values. However, as in the fourth embodiment, a discriminant is used. You may make it determine. Specifically, this can be realized by performing a process corresponding to step S512 between the processes of steps S411 and S412 in FIG. Even in this case, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

(Modification)
Although Embodiment 1-5 demonstrated the example in which the vehicle equipment 1 determines the location position of the portable device 2, you may comprise so that portable device 2 itself may determine a location position. The configuration of the vehicle communication system according to the modification is the same as that of the first to fifth embodiments, and includes the in-vehicle device 1 and the portable device 2. In the portable device 2 of the modification, the first statistical value and the second statistical value that define the first region to the fourth region 61, 62, 63, 64, or a discriminant for determining the inside / outside of each region is stored in the storage unit 24. I remember it.

  In the vehicle communication system according to the modified example, a process combining the vehicle interior / exterior determination subroutine shown in FIG. 13, FIG. 16, or FIG. 17 and the normal process subroutine shown in FIG. 14, FIG. 18, or FIG. Is executed by the control unit 21 of the portable device 2. The portable device 2 determines whether the mobile device 2 is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior by executing the processing, and transmits the determination result to the in-vehicle device 1. Specifically, the portable device 2 receives the received signal strength measurement signal sequentially transmitted from the in-vehicle device 1, measures the received signal strength of each received signal, and then based on the measured received signal strength. Each process is executed. For example, when the portable device 2 performs the same processing as in the first embodiment and determines whether the mobile device 2 is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior, the processing from step S113 to step S119 in FIG. 13 is performed. The response signal including the determination result of its own location is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 1. The in-vehicle device 1 receives the response signal transmitted from the portable device 2, and executes predetermined processing according to the vehicle interior / exterior determination result included in the received response signal. For example, the in-vehicle device 1 executes a locking or unlocking process of the vehicle door.

  According to the modified example, as in the first to fifth embodiments, even when the signal is transmitted from another transmission antenna (3) different from the transmission antenna (3) to which the signal is to be transmitted, the portable device 2 is outside the passenger compartment. It is possible to reliably determine whether the vehicle is located in the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior. Other effects are the same as those of the first to fifth embodiments.

  In addition, according to the modification, as in the first to fifth embodiments, by determining whether the portable device 2 is located inside each of the first to fourth regions 61, 62, 63, and 64. It is possible to accurately determine whether the portable device 2 is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior. Other effects are the same as those of the first to fifth embodiments.

  In the first to fifth embodiments and the modified examples, the case where the determination relating to the second threshold value is performed after the determination relating to the first threshold value has been described, but the order thereof does not matter. After the determination related to the first threshold value, the determination related to the second threshold value may be performed, or the determination may be performed simultaneously.

  Note that statistical values other than the statistical values or discriminants described in the first to fifth embodiments and the modified examples, discriminants, or computer programs may be stored in the storage unit 14 and used for processing of a subroutine for normal determination. That is, a classifier that classifies the inside and outside of each region is learned using a sample group that characterizes the inside of each of the regions 61 to 64 and a sample group that characterizes the outside, and information representing the learned classifier is stored. What is necessary is just to memorize | store in the part 14. At this time, the classifier may perform linear classification or non-linear classification. For classifier learning, various machine learning algorithms can be used. Furthermore, the in-vehicle device 1 stores each sample group itself collected in advance in the storage unit 14, and stores the received signal strength used for the determination as a new sample in the storage unit 14 every time the location of the portable device 2 is determined. You may do it. At this time, the vehicle-mounted device 1 may use semi-supervised learning to determine whether the portable device 2 is newly located outside the vehicle compartment or whether it is located in the vehicle compartment using a normal determination subroutine. .

  The embodiment disclosed this time is to be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the meanings described above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

The following items are further disclosed with respect to the above description.
(Appendix 1)
An in-vehicle device that selectively switches a plurality of antennas provided in a vehicle to transmit a plurality of signals having different strengths by radio waves, and receives the received signal strength from the external device when the transmitted signal is received by the external device. There,
One antenna is provided such that one of the outside of the passenger compartment and the inside of the passenger compartment propagates radio waves in a wider range than the other,
A first received signal strength when a signal having a higher strength than the other antenna is transmitted from the one antenna, and a first received signal strength when a signal having a strength higher than the one antenna is transmitted from the other antenna. A vehicle-mounted device including an inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the external device is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior based on the received signal strength of 2.

(Appendix 2)
The one antenna is provided such that the outside of the passenger compartment propagates radio waves over a wider area than the side of the passenger compartment.
When the first received signal strength is equal to or higher than a predetermined first threshold and the second received signal strength is equal to or higher than a second threshold smaller than the first threshold, The in-vehicle device according to appendix 1, wherein the device is determined to be located outside the passenger compartment.

(Appendix 3)
The in-vehicle device according to appendix 2, wherein the one antenna is provided on a door provided at a rear portion of the vehicle.

(Appendix 4)
The one antenna is provided so that radio waves propagate in a wider area on the vehicle interior side than on the vehicle interior outside,
When the first received signal strength is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold value and the second received signal strength is equal to or greater than a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value, The in-vehicle device according to attachment 1, wherein the device is determined to be located in the vehicle interior.

(Appendix 5)
When the first received signal strength is not equal to or higher than the first threshold value, or when the second received signal strength is not equal to or higher than the second threshold value, the external device is connected to a common vehicle based on the received received signal strength. A region inside / outside determination unit that determines, for each region, whether or not it is located inside each of a plurality of different regions including the indoor space;
A global determination unit that determines whether or not the external device is inside the entire area,
The internal / external determination unit includes: based on the determination result of the region internal / external determination unit or the entire region determination unit, determining whether the external device is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior. The in-vehicle device according to any one of the above.

(Appendix 6)
The in-vehicle device according to appendix 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of regions has a boundary surface that follows a part of the inner surface of the passenger compartment.

(Appendix 7)
A first statistical value based on a sample group of received signal strengths measured at a plurality of locations along the interior of a part of the inner side surface and a sample group of received signal strengths measured at a plurality of locations along the outside of the vehicle interior And a storage unit for storing a second statistical value based on a sample group of received signal strengths measured at a plurality of locations along the outer side of a part of the inner side of the passenger compartment,
The inside / outside area determination unit determines whether the external device is located inside the area based on the received signal strength received and the first statistical value and the second statistical value stored in the storage unit. The in-vehicle device according to appendix 6.

(Appendix 8)
The first statistical value is
Sample groups of received signal intensity measured at a plurality of locations along the interior side of a portion of the inner surface, and at a plurality of locations along the interior of the interior of the other portion facing the portion of the interior surface and the exterior of the interior of the interior. The in-vehicle device according to appendix 7, which is based on a sample group of received signal strength to be measured.

(Appendix 9)
The first statistic value and the second statistic value include a mean of received signal strength and an inverse variance covariance matrix;
A distance calculating unit that calculates a statistical distance of the sample group related to the received received signal strength and the first statistical value and a statistical distance of the sample group related to the received received signal strength and the second statistical value;
The in-vehicle apparatus according to appendix 7 or appendix 8, wherein the inside / outside area determination unit determines whether or not the external device is located inside the area by comparing each statistical distance.

(Appendix 10)
Stores a discriminant for discriminating the received signal strength when the external device inside the area receives a signal and the received signal strength when the external device outside the region receives a signal A storage unit
The region inside / outside determination unit
The in-vehicle device according to appendix 5 or appendix 6, wherein whether or not the external device is located inside the region is determined based on the received signal strength received and the discriminant stored in the storage unit.

(Appendix 11)
At least one of the plurality of regions has a boundary surface that follows the right inner surface of the passenger compartment, and the other region has a boundary surface that follows the left inner surface of the passenger compartment. The in-vehicle device described in 1.

(Appendix 12)
The in-vehicle device according to any one of appendix 5 to appendix 11, wherein at least one of the plurality of regions has a boundary surface that follows the inner surface on the rear side of the passenger compartment.

(Appendix 13)
At least one of the plurality of regions has a boundary surface that follows the inner surface on the front side of the passenger compartment. The in-vehicle device according to any one of appendix 5 to appendix 12.

(Appendix 14)
The region inside / outside determination unit
Based on a part of the received signal strength received, it is determined whether or not the external device is inside the region, and the received signal strength used for the determination is different for each of the plurality of regions. The in-vehicle device according to any one of appendix 13.

(Appendix 15)
Each of the plurality of antennas is provided such that one of the vehicle interior side and vehicle interior side propagates over a wider area than the other,
The inside / outside determination unit
Among the plurality of received signal strengths when a signal having a higher strength than the other antennas is transmitted from each of the plurality of antennas, the maximum received signal strength is defined as the first received signal strength,
The received signal strength different from the maximum received signal strength in the plurality of received signal strengths as the second received signal strength,
The in-vehicle device according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 14, which determines whether the external device is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior.

According to Supplementary Note 6, at least one of the plurality of regions has a boundary surface that follows a part of the inner surface of the passenger compartment. Therefore, by determining whether or not an external device is located inside the region, it is possible to accurately determine the location of the external device in the vicinity of a part of the inner surface compared to other parts. Can do.
Note that the boundary surface does not have to completely coincide with the inner surface of the passenger compartment. For example, the boundary surface may be inside a side wall constituting the passenger compartment, or may be a surface along the outer surface of the side wall.

According to Supplementary Note 7, it is determined using the first statistical value and the second statistical value whether or not the external device is inside the region.
The first statistical value is a sample group of received signal strengths measured at a plurality of locations along the interior of a part of the inner side surface and a sample group of received signal strengths measured at a plurality of locations along the outside of the vehicle interior. It is a value calculated based on this. Of the sample group used for calculating the first statistical value, the sample group of the received signal intensity measured at a plurality of locations along the outside of the vehicle cabin includes the common vehicle interior space without omission in the region. Is for. In addition, among the sample group used for calculating the first statistical value, the sample group of the received signal strength measured at a plurality of locations along the interior side of a part of the inner side surface is a part of the inner side surface. This is for defining a boundary surface corresponding to a part of the inner surface so that the location of the external device can be accurately determined.
The second statistical value is a value calculated based on a sample group of received signal strengths measured at a plurality of locations along the outer side of a part of the inner side surface of the passenger compartment. The sample group used for calculating the second statistical value is for defining the boundary surface of the region corresponding to the part so that the location of the external device in the part of the inner surface can be accurately determined. It is.
By using the sample group as a sample group for calculating the first statistical value and the second statistical value, an external device is located inside the region as compared with a case where a huge sample group is randomly generated. It is possible to effectively reduce the man-hours required to create a statistical value for determining whether to be located or outside.

According to Supplementary Note 8, it is determined whether the external device is inside the region using the first statistical value and the second statistical value.
The first statistical value includes a sample group of received signal strengths measured at a plurality of locations along the interior side of a part of the inner side surface, and the interior side and the interior of the other part facing the part of the inner side surface. It is a value calculated based on a sample group of received signal strengths measured at a plurality of locations along the outside. Among the sample group used for calculating the first statistical value, the sample group of the received signal intensity measured at a plurality of locations along the vehicle interior side and the vehicle exterior side of the other part is the other part within the region. It is for inclusion without omission. In addition, among the sample group used for calculating the first statistical value, the sample group of the received signal strength measured at a plurality of locations along the interior side of a part of the inner side surface is a part of the inner side surface. This is for defining a boundary surface corresponding to a part of the inner surface so that the vehicle interior / exterior determination can be performed with high accuracy.
The second statistical value is a value calculated based on a sample group of received signal strengths measured at a plurality of locations along the outer side of a part of the inner side surface of the passenger compartment. The sample group used for calculating the second statistical value is for defining the boundary surface of the region corresponding to the part so that the location of the external device in the part of the inner surface can be accurately determined. It is.
By using the sample group as a sample group for calculating the first statistical value and the second statistical value, an external device is located inside the region as compared with a case where a huge sample group is randomly generated. It is possible to effectively reduce the man-hours required to create a statistical value for determining whether to be located or outside.

  According to Supplementary Note 9, the in-vehicle device calculates the statistical distance between the sample group characterizing the inside of the region and the received signal strength measured by the portable device by using the first statistical value. Further, the in-vehicle device calculates a statistical distance between the sample group characterizing the outside of the region and the received signal intensity measured by the external device by using the second statistical value. The area inside / outside determination unit of the vehicle-mounted device determines whether the external device is located inside or outside the area by comparing the calculated statistical distances. If the statistical distance to the sample group characterizing the inside of the region is shorter than the statistical distance to the sample group characterizing the outside of the region, the external device is determined to be inside the region. Conversely, if the statistical distance to the sample group that characterizes the outside of the region is shorter than the statistical distance to the sample group that characterizes the inside of the region, the external device is determined to be outside the region.

According to Supplementary Note 10, the in-vehicle device determines whether the external device is inside or outside the region using the discriminant stored in the storage unit. Each of the plurality of regions is insufficient for determining whether the external device is located inside or outside the vehicle interior space. However, since the accuracy of the boundary surface of the region is low, the man-hours required to create the discriminant that defines the region can be reduced. For example, it is possible to create a discriminant by an approximate expression using a low-order polynomial that defines the boundary surface of the region.
More specifically, the discriminant in the present application obtains a plurality of points at which the statistical distances between the vehicle interior sample group and the vehicle exterior sample group are equal to each other, and defines the whole set. Here, the vehicle interior sample group includes a sample group of received signal strengths measured at a plurality of locations along a part of the inner side surface of the vehicle interior. Further, the sample group outside the vehicle compartment includes a sample group of received signal strengths measured at a plurality of locations along the outside of the vehicle compartment that is a part of the inner surface.
Then, a subset that contributes to determining whether the external device is located within or outside the region is extracted from the entire set, and an approximate curve that represents the subset is extracted using the extracted subset. Obtained by multiplication.
For example, when using a two-dimensional sample including the received signal strength of signals transmitted from two antennas, the point at which the statistical distance between the in-vehicle sample group and the out-of-vehicle sample group is equidistant is on the two-dimensional plane. This shape can be a hyperbola, a parabola, or an ellipse. For example, if the shape is a hyperbola, a subset consisting of multiple points on the curve that contributes to the inside / outside determination of the mobile device is extracted. To do. Since the shape of the curve representing the subset is a parabola, it can be accurately approximated to a low-order polynomial using the method of least squares.
Since this discriminant only needs to measure the received signal strength inside and outside the boundary surface of the region, the man-hours required for parameter creation to determine whether an external device is located inside or outside the boundary surface in each region are reduced. It is done.
The specific example of the discriminant described here is merely an example, and the discriminant creation method and dimensions of the present application are not particularly limited.

  According to Supplementary Note 11, by using a region having a boundary surface following the right inner surface of the passenger compartment and a region having a boundary surface following the left inner surface, the location of external devices on the right and left sides of the passenger compartment The position can be determined with high accuracy. In addition, the boundary surface of each area | region does not need to correspond completely with the right side surface and left side surface of a compartment.

  According to Supplementary Note 12, it is possible to accurately determine the location of the external device on the rear surface of the passenger compartment by using the region having the boundary surface that follows the rear inner surface of the passenger compartment. It should be noted that the boundary surface of the region need not completely coincide with the rear surface of the passenger compartment.

  According to Supplementary Note 13, by using a region having a boundary surface that follows the inner surface on the front side of the passenger compartment, it is possible to accurately determine the location of the external device on the front surface of the passenger compartment. Note that the boundary surface of the region does not have to be completely coincident with the front surface of the passenger compartment.

  According to Supplementary Note 14, the region inside / outside determination unit determines whether the external device is inside or outside the region based on a part of the received signal strength measured by the external device. In general, the received signal strength necessary for effectively performing the determination varies from region to region. Therefore, the inside / outside region determination unit performs the determination using a received signal strength that is different for each region. By limiting the number of received signal strengths used for determining the location of the external device in each area, the data defining the area, that is, the external device is located inside the area without impairing the accuracy of determining the location of the external device. Alternatively, it is possible to reduce the number of man-hours required to create data for determining which is located outside.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 In-vehicle apparatus 2 Portable apparatus 3 Transmission antenna 4 Reception antenna 11 Control part 12 In-vehicle reception part 13 In-vehicle transmission part 13a Switch 14 Storage part 21 Control part 22 Transmission part 22a Transmission antenna 23 Reception part 23a Triaxial antenna 23b Signal strength measurement part 23c switch 24 memory | storage part 31 1st transmission antenna 32 2nd transmission antenna 33 3rd transmission antenna 34 4th transmission antenna 61 1st area | region 62 2nd area | region 63 3rd area | region 64 4th area | region C vehicle

Claims (7)

By selectively switching the connection between multiple antennas provided on the vehicle and the signal transmission unit, multiple signals with different intensities are transmitted by radio waves when each antenna is selected and when it is not selected And an in-vehicle device that receives the received signal strength from the external device when the transmitted signal is received by the external device,
One antenna is provided so as towards the vehicle exterior car interior side by remote extensively radio waves propagate,
A first received signal strength when a signal having a higher strength than the other antenna is transmitted from the one antenna, and a first received signal strength when a signal having a strength higher than the one antenna is transmitted from the other antenna. An inside / outside determination unit for determining whether the external device is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior based on the received signal strength of 2 ;
The inside / outside determination unit
When the first received signal strength is not less than a predetermined first threshold and the second received signal strength is not less than a second threshold smaller than the first threshold, the external device is located outside the vehicle compartment. the vehicle-mounted device that be determined. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1 , wherein the one antenna is provided on a door provided at a rear portion of the vehicle. By selectively switching the connection between multiple antennas provided on the vehicle and the signal transmission unit, multiple signals with different intensities are transmitted by radio waves when each antenna is selected and when it is not selected And an in-vehicle device that receives the received signal strength from the external device when the transmitted signal is received by the external device,
One antenna is provided so as towards the vehicle interior side vehicle exterior by remote extensively radio waves propagate,
A first received signal strength when a signal having a higher strength than the other antenna is transmitted from the one antenna, and a first received signal strength when a signal having a strength higher than the one antenna is transmitted from the other antenna. An inside / outside determination unit for determining whether the external device is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior based on the received signal strength of 2 ;
The inside / outside determination unit
When the first received signal strength is greater than or equal to a predetermined first threshold and the second received signal strength is greater than or equal to a second threshold smaller than the first threshold, the external device is located in the vehicle interior. the vehicle-mounted device that be determined. When the first received signal strength is not equal to or higher than the first threshold value, or when the second received signal strength is not equal to or higher than the second threshold value, the external device is connected to a common vehicle based on the received received signal strength. A region inside / outside determination unit that determines, for each region, whether or not it is located inside each of a plurality of different regions including the indoor space;
A global determination unit that determines whether or not the external device is inside the entire area,
The outside judgment unit, based on the area outside judgment unit or the entire determination unit of the judgment result, the external device is any one of claims 1 determines whether located in or passenger compartment located outside the vehicle compartment 3 The vehicle-mounted machine as described in one. Each of the plurality of antennas is provided such that one of the vehicle interior side and vehicle interior side propagates over a wider area than the other,
The inside / outside determination unit
Among the plurality of received signal strengths when a signal having a higher strength than the other antennas is transmitted from each of the plurality of antennas, the maximum received signal strength is defined as the first received signal strength,
The received signal strength different from the maximum received signal strength in the plurality of received signal strengths as the second received signal strength,
The in-vehicle device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein it is determined whether the external device is located outside the vehicle compartment or inside the vehicle compartment. By selectively switching the connection between multiple antennas provided on the vehicle and the signal transmission unit, multiple signals with different intensities are transmitted by radio waves when each antenna is selected and when it is not selected A vehicle communication system comprising: a vehicle-mounted device that receives the signal transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device; and a portable device that measures the received signal strength of the received signal,
One antenna is provided so as towards the vehicle exterior car interior side by remote extensively radio waves propagate,
The portable device is
Measured when a first received signal strength measured when a signal having a strength higher than that of the other antenna is received from the one antenna, and when a signal having a strength higher than that of the one antenna is received from the other antenna. An inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior based on the second received signal strength,
A transmission unit that transmits the determination result of the inside / outside determination unit to the in-vehicle device ,
The inside / outside determination unit
When the first received signal strength is equal to or higher than a predetermined first threshold and the second received signal strength is equal to or higher than a second threshold smaller than the first threshold, it is determined that the user is located outside the vehicle compartment. Vehicle communication system. By selectively switching the connection between multiple antennas provided on the vehicle and the signal transmission unit, multiple signals with different intensities are transmitted by radio waves when each antenna is selected and when it is not selected A vehicle communication system comprising: a vehicle-mounted device that receives the signal transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device; and a portable device that measures the received signal strength of the received signal,
One antenna is provided so as towards the vehicle interior side vehicle exterior by remote extensively radio waves propagate,
The portable device is
Measured when a first received signal strength measured when a signal having a strength higher than that of the other antenna is received from the one antenna, and when a signal having a strength higher than that of the one antenna is received from the other antenna. An inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is located outside the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior based on the second received signal strength,
A transmission unit that transmits the determination result of the inside / outside determination unit to the in-vehicle device ,
The inside / outside determination unit
If the first received signal strength is greater than or equal to a predetermined first threshold and the second received signal strength is greater than or equal to a second threshold smaller than the first threshold, it is determined that the vehicle is located in the vehicle interior. Vehicle communication system.

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