JP7081236B2 - Position determination system, position determination device - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a position determination system and a position determination device in which an on-board unit mounted on a vehicle estimates the position of a mobile terminal carried by a user who uses the vehicle.

Patent Document 1 describes a system for estimating the position of a mobile terminal with respect to a vehicle by performing wireless communication between an on-board unit mounted on the vehicle and a mobile terminal carried by the user of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a position estimation system). Is disclosed. Specifically, the on-board unit disclosed in Patent Document 1 sequentially transmits a request signal from one communication device provided near the driver's seat in the vehicle interior, and the mobile terminal returns a response signal from the on-board unit. When a request signal is received, a response signal including RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication) of the request signal is returned. When the vehicle-mounted device receives the response signal returned from the mobile terminal, the vehicle-mounted device stores the RSSI included in the response signal in the memory. Then, the on-board unit determines that the mobile terminal exists in the vehicle interior when the average value of the RSSI for the last five times stored in the memory exceeds a predetermined threshold value (hereinafter, the vehicle interior determination threshold value). .. On the other hand, when the average value of RSSI for the last 5 times is equal to or less than the vehicle interior determination threshold value, it is determined that the vehicle is outside the vehicle interior.

The above-mentioned mobile terminal is a communication terminal having a communication function by Bluetooth (registered trademark), and in Patent Document 1, a smartphone, a mobile phone, or the like is assumed as the mobile terminal. Along with this, the on-board unit carries out wireless communication in accordance with Bluetooth (registered trademark). For convenience, hereafter, communication conforming to a predetermined wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth, in which the communication area is, for example, about several tens of meters at the maximum, is referred to as short-range communication.

JP-A-2015-214316

The signal transmitted from the communication device arranged in the vehicle interior (hereinafter referred to as the vehicle interior communication device) leaks out of the vehicle interior through, for example, a window. Further, since the propagation path of propagation is reversible, the signal transmitted from the mobile terminal existing outside the vehicle interior can enter the vehicle interior through the window and be received by the vehicle interior receiver. As a result, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, it may be erroneously determined that the mobile terminal exists in the vehicle interior even though the mobile terminal exists outside the vehicle interior. In particular, when the mobile terminal is present near the window portion, this tendency becomes remarkable.

In addition, there are objects in the vehicle interior that obstruct the propagation of radio waves, such as the backrest of the driver's seat. In addition, when the body of the vehicle is a metal body, multiple radio waves generated by multipath act to weaken each other, and the reception intensity is relatively significantly lower than other areas in the vehicle interior ( After that, there may be a null point). Therefore, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, although the mobile terminal exists in the vehicle interior, it is easy to erroneously determine that the mobile terminal exists outside the vehicle interior.

The present disclosure has been made based on this circumstance, and the purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a position determination system and a position determination device capable of more accurately determining whether or not a mobile terminal is present in a vehicle interior. To provide.

As an example, a position determination system for achieving the purpose is a vehicle by carrying out wireless communication with a mobile terminal carried by a user of the vehicle in accordance with a short-range wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi standard. A data communication device (12), which is a position determination system for a vehicle that determines the position of a mobile terminal with respect to a mobile terminal, and performs data communication conforming to a short-range wireless communication standard by communicating with the mobile terminal, and a vehicle vehicle. An in-vehicle communication device (13, 13A to 13D) as a strength observer that is installed indoors and detects the reception strength of a radio signal that conforms to the short-range wireless communication standard transmitted from a mobile terminal. , The outdoor communication device (14, 14A-14F) as a strength observer, which is installed on the outer surface of the vehicle and detects the reception strength of the radio signal transmitted from the mobile terminal, and the vehicle interior communication device. A position determination device ( 11 ) that determines the position of the mobile terminal based on at least one of the detected reception strength, that is, the indoor unit strength, and the reception strength that is detected by the outdoor communication device, that is, the outdoor unit strength. The position determination device is based on the fact that the operation of the intensity observation device is stopped while the data communication device is not connected to the mobile terminal by communication and that the data communication device is connected to the mobile terminal by communication. , The strength of the indoor unit is equal to or higher than the predetermined value for determining that the mobile terminal exists in the vehicle interior, and the strength of the outdoor unit is high. , It is configured to determine that the mobile terminal exists in the vehicle interior based on the fact that the mobile terminal is less than a predetermined outdoor equivalent value for determining that the mobile terminal exists outside the vehicle interior.
Further, the position determination device for achieving the above object is for carrying out data communication with a mobile terminal carried by the user of the vehicle in accordance with the short-range wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi standard. At least one used in connection with a data communication device (12) and a plurality of strength observers for detecting the reception strength of a radio signal compliant with a short- range radio communication standard transmitted from a mobile terminal . It is a position determination device provided with a processor (111), and the strength observer includes an in-vehicle communication device (13, 13A to 13D) arranged in the vehicle interior and an outside vehicle room arranged in the outer surface of the vehicle. The communication device (14, 14A to 14F) is included , and the processor acquires from the data communication device whether or not the communication connection is made with the mobile terminal, and the data communication device makes a communication connection with the mobile terminal. While not, stopping the operation of the intensity observer and shifting the intensity observer to a state where the radio signal can be received based on the communication connection of the data communication device with the mobile terminal . Acquiring the indoor unit strength, which is the reception strength detected by the vehicle interior communication device , and the outdoor unit strength, which is the reception strength detected by the vehicle outdoor communication device, and the indoor unit strength, the mobile terminal exists in the vehicle interior. The mobile terminal is a vehicle based on the fact that the outdoor unit strength is equal to or more than the predetermined indoor equivalent value for determining that the mobile terminal is present and is less than the predetermined outdoor equivalent value for determining that the mobile terminal exists outside the vehicle interior. It is configured to determine that it is present in the room and to carry out .

In the above configuration, it is not determined that the mobile terminal exists in the vehicle interior even if the strength of the indoor unit is equal to or higher than the predetermined indoor determination value. It is determined that the mobile terminal exists in the vehicle interior on condition that the strength of the indoor unit is equal to or higher than the predetermined indoor determination value and the strength of the outdoor unit is less than the outdoor equivalent value.

According to such a configuration, even if the indoor equivalent value is set to a value small enough to be observed as the indoor unit strength even when the mobile terminal is present outside the vehicle interior, the outdoor unit strength is the outdoor equivalent value. In the above cases, it is not determined that the mobile terminal exists in the vehicle interior. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility of erroneously determining that the mobile terminal exists in the vehicle interior even though the mobile terminal exists outside the vehicle interior.

The reference numerals in parentheses described in the claims indicate, as one embodiment, the correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described later, and limit the technical scope of the present disclosure. is not.

It is a figure for demonstrating the schematic structure of the electronic key system for a vehicle. It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the in-vehicle system 1. It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the short-range communication device 3. It is a conceptual diagram which shows an example of the mounting position of the short-range communication device 3. It is a figure which conceptually showed the strong electric field area formed by each short-range communication device 3. It is a figure for demonstrating the preferable installation position of the vehicle outdoor communication device 14. It is a figure for demonstrating the function of the authentication ECU 11. It is a flowchart of connection-related processing carried out by an in-vehicle system 1. It is a flowchart of the position determination processing carried out by an authentication ECU 11. It is a figure for demonstrating the method of determining the indoor unit strength representative value Pa and the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb. It is a figure which shows the result of having measured the indoor unit strength representative value Pa for every position of a mobile terminal 2. It is a figure which shows the result of having measured the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb for each position of a mobile terminal 2. It is a figure for demonstrating the determination accuracy of the position determination part F4. It is a figure which shows the result of having measured the indoor unit strength representative value Pa for every position of the mobile terminal 2 in 2nd Embodiment. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the distance from the front area communication device 13A in the second embodiment, and the reception intensity in the front area communication device 13A. It is a figure which shows the result of having measured the indoor unit strength representative value Pa for every position of the mobile terminal 2 in 3rd Embodiment. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the distance from the front area communication apparatus 13A in 3rd Embodiment, and the indoor unit strength representative value Pa. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure and operation of the front area communication apparatus 13A in the modification 3. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the configuration of the front area communication apparatus 13A in the modification 4. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the short-range communication device 3 in the modification 5. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation of the position determination part F4 in the modification 6. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation of the position determination part F4 in the modification 7. It is a figure for demonstrating the installation position of the vehicle outdoor communication apparatus 14 in the modification 8. It is a figure for demonstrating the installation position of the vehicle outdoor communication apparatus 14 in the modification 8.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, an example of the embodiment of the position determination system according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an electronic key system for a vehicle to which the position determination system according to the present disclosure is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle electronic key system includes an in-vehicle system 1 mounted on the vehicle Hv and a mobile terminal 2 which is a communication terminal carried by a user of the vehicle Hv.

Each of the in-vehicle system 1 and the mobile terminal 2 is configured to be capable of performing communication conforming to a predetermined short-range wireless communication standard (hereinafter referred to as short-range wireless communication) having a communication range of, for example, several tens of meters at the maximum. There is. As the short-range wireless communication standard here, for example, Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth is a registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), and the like can be adopted.

The mobile terminal 2 is a device associated with the in-vehicle system 1 and functions as an electronic key of the vehicle Hv. The mobile terminal 2 may be a user-portable device having the above-mentioned short-range communication function. For example, a smartphone can be used as the mobile terminal 2. Of course, the mobile terminal 2 may be a tablet terminal, a wearable device, a portable music player, a portable game machine, or the like. The signal transmitted by the mobile terminal 2 as short-range communication includes source information. The source information is, for example, unique identification information (hereinafter referred to as a terminal ID) assigned to the mobile terminal 2. The terminal ID functions as information for identifying another communication terminal from the mobile terminal 2.

In addition, the mobile terminal 2 wirelessly transmits communication packets including source information at predetermined transmission intervals to notify surrounding communication terminals having a short-range communication function of their existence (that is,). Advertise). Hereinafter, for convenience, a communication packet that is periodically transmitted for the purpose of advisory is referred to as an advertisement packet.

The transmission interval of the advertisement packet may be variable according to the operating status of the mobile terminal 2. For example, when a predetermined application that uses the short-range communication function in the mobile terminal 2 is operating in the foreground, the transmission interval is set to a relatively short time (for example, 50 milliseconds). On the other hand, if the application is not running in the foreground, the transmission interval is set to a relatively long time (200 milliseconds). The mobile terminal 2 may be configured to transmit the advertisement packet at least once in a predetermined time (for example, 200 milliseconds) specified by the electronic key system for the vehicle.

The in-vehicle system 1 is within a range in which the in-vehicle terminal 2 can communicate with the in-vehicle system 1 in a short distance by receiving a signal (for example, an advertisement packet) transmitted from the mobile terminal 2 by the above-mentioned short-range communication function. Detect that. Hereinafter, the range in which the in-vehicle system 1 can perform data communication with the mobile terminal 2 by the short-range communication function is also referred to as a communication area.

In the present embodiment, as an example, the in-vehicle system 1 is configured to detect the presence of the mobile terminal 2 in the communication area by receiving advertisement packets sequentially transmitted from the mobile terminal 2. However, it is not limited to this. As another embodiment, the in-vehicle system 1 sequentially transmits advertisement packets to detect the presence of the mobile terminal 2 in the communication area based on the establishment of a communication connection (so-called connection) with the mobile terminal 2. It may be configured in.

<About the configuration of vehicle Hv>
First, the configuration of the vehicle Hv will be described. The vehicle Hv is, for example, a passenger car. Here, as an example, the vehicle Hv is provided with a front seat and a rear seat, and a driver's seat (in other words, a steering wheel) is provided on the right side. At the rear end of the vehicle interior space of the vehicle Hv, a space that functions as a luggage compartment (in other words, a trunk room) is arranged. In other words, the space for the rear seats of the vehicle Hv communicates with the luggage compartment via the upper part of the backrest portion 42 for the rear seats.

The vehicle Hv may be a vehicle having a structure other than the above-mentioned example. For example, the vehicle Hv may be a vehicle having a driver's seat on the left side. Further, the vehicle may not have a rear seat. In addition, the vehicle may be provided with a luggage compartment independent of the vehicle interior space. The vehicle may have a plurality of rows of rear seats. The vehicle Hv may be a freight vehicle such as a truck. Further, the vehicle Hv may be a camper.

In addition, the vehicle Hv may be a vehicle provided for a vehicle rental service (so-called rental car) or a vehicle provided for a car sharing service (so-called shared car). Share cars also include vehicles used for services that lend privately owned vehicles to others during times when the vehicle manager is not using them. When the vehicle Hv is a vehicle provided for the above services (hereinafter referred to as a service vehicle), a person who has a contract to use those services can be a user. That is, a person who has the right to use the vehicle Hv can be a user.

Various body panels included in the vehicle Hv are realized by using metal members. The body panel here is a group of parts that provide the appearance shape of the vehicle Hv. Body panels include side body panels that are assembled to the body shell, roof panels, rear end panels, bonnet panels, door panels, pillars, and so on. Hereinafter, a configuration consisting of a combination of various body panels will be referred to as a body.

Since the metal plate has the property of reflecting radio waves, the body panel of the vehicle Hv reflects radio waves. That is, the vehicle Hv includes a body that blocks the direct propagation of radio waves. The radio wave here refers to a radio wave in the frequency band (here, the GH band) used for wireless communication between the in-vehicle system 1 and the mobile terminal 2. The body shell itself may be realized by using a metal member such as a steel plate, or may be formed by using a carbon-based resin. Here, as a more preferable embodiment, the body shell is also made of metal.

Further, the blocking here is ideally a reflection, but is not limited to this. A configuration in which radio waves can be attenuated by a predetermined level (hereinafter referred to as a target attenuation level) or higher corresponds to a configuration in which radio wave propagation is blocked. The target attenuation level may be a value that causes a significant difference in the signal strength of the radio wave inside and outside the vehicle, and is set to, for example, 10 dB. The target attenuation level can be set to any value from 5 dB to 20 dB.

Further, the vehicle Hv has a roof portion provided by a roof panel, and includes a plurality of pillars which are members for supporting the roof panel. The plurality of pillars are called A pillar, B pillar, and C pillar in order from the front end to the rear end. The vehicle Hv includes A pillar, B pillar, and C pillar as pillars. The A-pillar is a pillar provided in front of the front seat. The B-pillar is a pillar provided between the front seat and the rear seat. The C-pillar is a pillar provided diagonally behind the rear seats.

As another aspect, the vehicle Hv may include a D-pillar, which is the fourth pillar from the front, and an E-pillar, which is the fifth pillar. Part or all of each pillar is realized by using a metal member such as a high-strength steel plate. As another aspect, the pillar may be made of carbon fiber or resin. Further, it may be realized by combining various materials.

<About the configuration of the in-vehicle system 1>
Next, the configuration and operation of the in-vehicle system 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle system 1 includes an authentication ECU 11, a data communication device 12, a vehicle interior communication device 13, a vehicle interior communication device 14, a door handle button 15, a start button 16, an engine ECU 17, and a body ECU 18. The ECU in the member name is an abbreviation for Electronic Control Unit and means an electronic control unit.

The authentication ECU 11 roughly determines the position of the mobile terminal 2 in cooperation with the data communication device 12 or the like (in other words, cooperation), and cooperates with other ECUs in vehicle control according to the determination result. It is an ECU realized by. The authentication ECU 11 is realized by using a computer. That is, the authentication ECU 11 includes a CPU 111, a RAM 112, a flash memory 113, an I / O 114, a bus line connecting these configurations, and the like. The authentication ECU 11 may be realized by using an MPU or a GPU instead of the CPU 111. Further, the authentication ECU 11 may be realized by combining the CPU 111, the MPU, and the GPU.

The CPU 111 is an arithmetic processing device that executes various arithmetic processing. The RAM 112 is a volatile storage medium, and the flash memory 113 is a rewritable non-volatile storage medium. The I / O 114 is a circuit module in which the authentication ECU 11 functions as an interface for communicating with other devices mounted on the vehicle Hv, such as the data communication device 12. The I / O 114 may be realized by using an analog circuit element, an IC, or the like.

In the flash memory 113, a terminal ID assigned to the mobile terminal 2 owned by the user is registered. Further, the flash memory 113 stores a program (hereinafter, a position determination program) for making a normal computer function as an authentication ECU 11. The above-mentioned position determination program may be stored in a non-transitionary tangible storage medium. Executing the position determination program by the CPU 111 corresponds to executing the method corresponding to the position determination program.

Further, in the flash memory 113, the indoor equivalent value Pin is used as a determination threshold value for the authentication ECU 11 to determine whether or not the mobile terminal 2 is present in the vehicle interior based on the reception strength of the signal from the mobile terminal 2. And two parameters of outdoor equivalent value Pout are stored. The indoor equivalent value Pin is a threshold value for determining that the mobile terminal 2 exists in the vehicle interior. The outdoor equivalent value Pout is a threshold value for determining that the mobile terminal 2 exists outside the vehicle interior. The technical significance and setting method of the indoor equivalent value Pin and the outdoor equivalent value Pout will be described later separately.

The details of the authentication ECU 11 will be described later. Even when the traveling power source (for example, the ignition power source) of the vehicle Hv is turned off, the authentication ECU 11 is supplied with sufficient power necessary for performing the position determination process described later from the in-vehicle battery. It is configured.

The data communication device 12, the vehicle interior communication device 13, and the vehicle interior communication device 14 are all communication modules (hereinafter referred to as short-range communication devices) for carrying out short-range communication. In the data communication device 12, the authentication ECU 11 plays a role of transmitting / receiving data to / from the mobile terminal 2. The vehicle interior communication device 13 and the vehicle outdoor communication device 14 play a role of providing the reception strength of the signal transmitted from the mobile terminal 2 to the authentication ECU 11.

The data communication device 12, the vehicle interior communication device 13, and the vehicle interior communication device 14 differ only in the services they are in charge of, and can be realized by using the short-range communication device 3 having the same configuration. Hereinafter, when the data communication device 12, the vehicle interior communication device 13, and the vehicle outdoor communication device 14 are not distinguished, they are referred to as a short-range communication device 3. Each short-range communication device 3 is connected to the authentication ECU 11 so as to be able to communicate with each other via a dedicated communication line or an in-vehicle network.

FIG. 3 schematically shows the electrical configuration of the short-range communication device 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the short-range communication device 3 includes a substrate 30, an antenna 31, a transmission / reception unit 32, and a communication microcomputer 33. The substrate 30 is, for example, a printed circuit board. The substrate 30 is provided with electronic components such as an antenna 31 that constitute the short-range communication device 3.

The antenna 31 is an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves in a frequency band (for example, GHz band) used for short-range communication. In this embodiment, the antenna 31 is an omnidirectional antenna as an example. As another aspect, the antenna 31 may have directivity. The antenna 31 is preferably a pattern formed on the substrate 30 (that is, a pattern antenna) in order to suppress the thickness of the short-range communication device 3. The antenna 31 is electrically connected to the transmission / reception unit 32.

The transmission / reception unit 32 demodulates the signal received by the antenna 31 and provides it to the communication microcomputer 33. Further, the signal input from the authentication ECU 11 is modulated via the communication microcomputer 33, output to the antenna 31, and radiated as a radio wave. The transmission / reception unit 32 is connected to the communication microcomputer 33 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

Further, the transmission / reception unit 32 includes a reception intensity detection unit 321 that sequentially detects the intensity of the signal received by the antenna 31. The reception intensity detection unit 321 can be realized by various circuit configurations. The reception strength detected by the reception strength detection unit 321 is sequentially provided to the communication microcomputer 33 in association with the terminal ID included in the reception data. The reception strength may be expressed in, for example, a unit of electric power [dBm]. For convenience, the data in which the reception strength and the terminal ID are associated with each other is referred to as reception strength data.

The communication microcomputer 33 is a microcomputer that controls the transfer of data to and from the authentication ECU 11. The communication microcomputer 33 is realized by using an MPU, a RAM, a ROM, or the like. The communication microcomputer 33 provides the received data input from the transmission / reception unit 32 to the authentication ECU 11 sequentially or based on a request from the authentication ECU 11. That is, the data received by the transmission / reception unit 32 is provided to the authentication ECU 11 via the communication microcomputer 33.

Further, the communication microcomputer 33 has a function of authenticating the terminal ID of the mobile terminal 2 and performing encrypted communication with the mobile terminal 2 based on the request from the authentication ECU 11. As the encryption method, various methods such as the method specified by Bluetooth can be used. As for the ID authentication method, various methods such as the method specified by Bluetooth can be used.

In addition, when the communication microcomputer 33 acquires the reception strength data from the reception strength detection unit 321, the communication microcomputer 33 accumulates the reception strength data in a RAM (not shown). The reception strength data to be sequentially acquired may be sorted in chronological order so that the reception strength of the latest reception data is at the top, and stored in the RAM, for example. Data that has passed a certain period of time since being saved may be sequentially discarded. That is, the reception intensity data is held in the RAM for a certain period of time. The communication microcomputer 33 provides the reception strength data stored in the RAM based on the request from the authentication ECU 11. The reception strength data provided to the authentication ECU 11 may be deleted from the RAM.

In the present embodiment, the reception strength data output by the transmission / reception unit 32 is temporarily held in the RAM, and the communication microcomputer 33 provides the authentication ECU 11 with the reception strength data stored in the RAM based on the request from the authentication ECU 11. However, it is not limited to this. The reception strength data may adopt a configuration that is sequentially provided to the authentication ECU 11.

The data communication device 12 is a short-range communication device 3 that has already executed a key exchange protocol (so-called pairing) with the mobile terminal 2 based on an operation by a user or the like. The information about the mobile terminal 2 (hereinafter referred to as terminal information) acquired by pairing is stored in the non-volatile memory included in the communication microcomputer 33. The terminal information is, for example, a key exchanged by pairing, a terminal ID, or the like. Saving the exchanged key is also called bonding. When the vehicle Hv is used by a plurality of users, the terminal information of the mobile terminal 2 owned by each user is stored.

When the data communication device 12 receives the advertisement packet from the mobile terminal 2, the data communication device 12 automatically establishes a communication connection with the mobile terminal 2 by using the stored terminal information. Then, the authentication ECU 11 transmits / receives data to / from the mobile terminal 2. When the data communication device 12 establishes a communication connection with the mobile terminal 2, the data communication device 12 provides the terminal ID of the mobile terminal 2 with which the communication connection is made to the authentication ECU 11.

According to the Bluetooth standard, encrypted data communication is carried out by a frequency hopping method. The frequency hopping method is a communication method in which the channels used for communication are switched one after another with time. Specifically, in the Bluetooth standard, data communication is performed by the frequency hopping spread spectrum method (FHSS).

In Bluetooth Low Energy (hereinafter, Bluetooth LE), 40 channels from 0 to 39 are prepared, and 37 channels from 0 to 36 can be used for data communication. The three channels 37 to 39 are channels used for transmitting advertisement packets.

When the communication connection with the mobile terminal 2 is established, the data communication device 12 transmits / receives data to / from the mobile terminal 2 while sequentially changing 37 channels. At that time, the data communication device 12 sequentially provides the authentication ECU 11 with information indicating a channel used for communication with the mobile terminal 2 (hereinafter, channel information). The channel information may be a specific channel number or a parameter (so-called hopIncrement) indicating the transition rule of the channel used. HopIncrement is a number from 5 to 16 randomly determined at the time of communication connection. The channel information preferably includes the current channel number and HopIncrement.

It is preferable that the data communication device 12 is arranged at a position where the vicinity of the door inside and outside the vehicle interior can be seen. The position where the vicinity of the door inside and outside the vehicle interior can be seen is, for example, the ceiling portion inside the vehicle interior. If the vehicle Hv is provided with a resin pillar, the pillar portion also corresponds to a position where the vicinity of the door inside and outside the vehicle can be seen. As an example, the data communication device 12 of the present embodiment is arranged near the center of the ceiling portion in the vehicle interior.

The line-of-sight for a certain short-range communication device 3 is a region where the signal transmitted from the short-range communication device 3 can be directly reached. Since the propagation path of the wireless signal is reversible, what is within the line of sight for a certain short-range communication device 3, in other words, the short-range communication device 3 directly transmits the signal transmitted from the mobile terminal 2. Corresponds to a reversible area.

Further, the non-line-of-sight for a certain short-range communication device 3 is a region where the signal transmitted from the short-range communication device 3 does not reach directly. Since the propagation path of the radio signal is reversible, what is out of sight for a certain short-range communication device 3 is, in other words, the short-range communication device 3 directly transmits the signal transmitted from the mobile terminal 2. Corresponds to the unreceivable area. Even when the mobile terminal 2 is outside the line of sight of the short-range communication device 3, the signal transmitted from the mobile terminal 2 can reach the outside of the line of sight by being reflected by various structures. That is, even when the mobile terminal 2 is outside the line of sight of the data communication device 12, the mobile terminal 2 and the data communication device 12 can perform wireless communication due to reflection on a structure or the like.

In the present embodiment, the number of data communication devices 12 provided in the vehicle Hv is one, but the number is not limited to this. A plurality of short-range communication devices 3 as the data communication device 12 may be provided in the vehicle Hv. Further, a part of the vehicle interior communication device 13 and the vehicle outdoor communication device 14, which will be described later, may be set to function as the data communication device 12.

At least one vehicle interior communication device 13 is provided in the vehicle interior. Although only one vehicle interior communication device 13 is shown in FIG. 2 for convenience, the vehicle-mounted system 1 may include a plurality of vehicle interior communication devices 13. As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle-mounted system 1 of the present embodiment has the front area communication device 13A, the trunk area communication device 13B, the rear area first communication device 13C, and the rear area second communication device 13D as the vehicle interior communication device 13. To prepare for. Note that FIG. 4 is a conceptual top view of the vehicle Hv, and is shown through the roof portion in order to explain the installation positions of the various interior communication devices 13 and the various outdoor communication devices 14. ..

In the present specification, for convenience, the interior space in front of the vehicle from the backrest 41 of the front seat is referred to as a front area. The front area also includes the vehicle interior space above the instrument panel 44. Further, the interior space of the vehicle interior, which is behind the vehicle from the backrest 41 of the front seats and in front of the backrest 42 of the rear seats, is referred to as a rear area. Further, the interior space of the vehicle interior located behind the backrest portion 42 of the rear seat is referred to as a trunk area. The trunk area is an area corresponding to the luggage compartment.

The front area communication device 13A is a vehicle interior communication device 13 for making the front area a strong electric field area. The strong electric field area here is an area in which a signal transmitted from the short-range communication device 3 propagates while maintaining an intensity equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value (hereinafter, strong electric field threshold value). The strong electric field threshold is set to a level sufficiently strong for a signal for short-range communication. For example, the strong electric field threshold is −35 dBm (−0.316 μW). Since the propagation path of the radio signal is reversible, the strong electric field area is an area where the reception strength of the signal transmitted from the mobile terminal 2 in the short-range communication device 3 is equal to or higher than the strong electric field threshold value, according to another viewpoint. But it is also. The area within 0.8 m from the short-range communication device 3 tends to be a strong electric field area. When the mobile terminal 2 exists in the strong electric field area of the front area communication device 13A, the reception strength of the signal from the mobile terminal 2 becomes a sufficiently strong level.

As for the front area communication device 13A, it is preferable that the vehicle interior communication device 13 is provided at a position where the outside of the vehicle interior is out of sight. The front area communication device 13A is arranged near the boundary between the center console 43 and the instrument panel 44, for example. The installation position of the front area communication device 13A is not limited to this. For example, it may be arranged at the foot of the driver's seat or on the side surface of the driver's door on the vehicle interior side. The front area communication device 13A may be arranged at an appropriately designed position around the front seat so that the front area becomes a strong electric field area.

The trunk area communication device 13B is a vehicle interior communication device 13 for making the trunk area a strong electric field area. It is also preferable that the trunk area communication device 13B is also arranged at a position where the outside of the vehicle interior is likely to be out of sight. For example, the trunk area communication device 13B is arranged at the center of the floor of the luggage compartment.

The rear area first communication device 13C and the rear area second communication device 13D are both vehicle interior communication devices 13 for mainly using the rear area as a strong electric field area. It is also preferable that the rear area first communication device 13C and the rear area second communication device 13D are also arranged at positions where the outside of the vehicle interior is likely to be out of sight. For convenience, the vehicle interior communication device 13 arranged in the rear area is also referred to as a rear area communication device.

The rear area first communication device 13C is installed on the vehicle interior side surface of a door provided on the right side of the vehicle Hv (hereinafter referred to as a rear right door) as a door for a rear seat, for example. The specific installation position of the rear area first communication device 13C on the vehicle interior side surface of the rear right door may be appropriately designed. In the present embodiment, the rear area first communication device 13C is arranged at a position 5 cm or more lower (for example, near the feet) than the portion corresponding to the back side of the door handle arranged on the outside of the passenger compartment of the rear right door. There is. The rear area first communication device 13C may be arranged on the right side portion of the floor surface of the rear seat, or may be buried in the right portion of the seating surface of the rear seat. Further, the rear area first communication device 13C may be arranged near the lower end of the surface of the backrest portion 41 on the rear seat side.

The rear area second communication device 13D is installed on the vehicle interior side surface of a door provided on the left side of the vehicle Hv (hereinafter referred to as a rear left door) as a door for a rear seat, for example. The installation position of the rear area second communication device 13D on the vehicle interior side surface of the rear left door may be appropriately designed. In the present embodiment, the rear area second communication device 13D is 5 cm or more lower than the portion corresponding to the back side of the door handle (hereinafter referred to as the rear outer left door handle) arranged on the outside of the passenger compartment of the rear left door. It is placed at a position (for example, near the feet). The rear area second communication device 13D may be arranged on the left side portion of the floor surface of the rear seat, or may be buried in the left side portion of the seating surface of the rear seat. Further, the rear area second communication device 13D may be arranged near the lower end of the surface of the backrest portion 41 on the rear seat side. The rear area first communication device 13C and the rear area second communication device 13D may be arranged on the indoor surface of the B pillar.

The in-vehicle system 1 of the present embodiment includes two vehicle interior communication devices 13 for making the rear area a strong electric field area, one on each side, but the arrangement mode of the vehicle interior communication device 13 is limited to this. do not have. The in-vehicle system 1 may be configured such that the rear area becomes a strong electric field area by one vehicle interior communication device 13. The vehicle interior communication device 13 for the rear area may be embedded in the seating surface, for example, at the center of the rear seat in the vehicle width direction.

According to the above-mentioned arrangement mode of the vehicle interior communication device 13, the entire vehicle interior is a strong electric field area as shown in FIG. That is, the entire interior of the vehicle is filled with radio waves equal to or higher than the strong electric field threshold. FIG. 5 conceptually shows the strong electric field area provided by each short-range communication device 3 in the configuration shown in FIG. The solid circle in FIG. 5 represents the strong electric field area provided by the vehicle interior communication device 13. Further, the arc of the broken line represents the strong electric field area provided by the vehicle outdoor communication device 14 described below. In FIG. 5, in order to ensure the visibility of the drawings, the reference numerals and leader lines for the various vehicle interior communication devices 13 and the vehicle outdoor communication devices 14 are omitted.

In FIG. 5, the area where the dot pattern is hatched conceptually represents the leakage area formed by the vehicle interior communication device 13. The leakage region formed by the vehicle interior communication device 13 is a region in which the strong electric field area provided by the vehicle interior communication device 13 protrudes outside the vehicle interior. In other words, it is a region where the signal transmitted by the vehicle interior communication device 13 reaches the outside of the vehicle interior while maintaining the strength equal to or higher than a predetermined strong electric field threshold value.

The installation position of each vehicle interior communication device 13 can be changed as appropriate. Further, the number of the vehicle interior communication devices 13 included in the vehicle-mounted system 1 may be four or less, such as one, two, or three. The number of vehicle interior communication devices 13 may be 5 or more.

By the way, in the above-described configuration, the vehicle interior communication device 13 is used to make the area a strong electric field area for each area divided by the vehicle interior structure that can hinder the propagation of radio waves of frequencies used for short-range communication. Corresponds to the configuration in which. The vehicle interior structure that can hinder the propagation of radio waves of frequencies used for short-range communication is the backrest portion 41 of the front seat and the backrest portion 42 of the rear seat. The areas separated by the interior structure are the front area, the rear area, and the trunk area.

At least one outdoor communication device 14 is arranged on the outer surface of the driver's door, the roof of the vehicle Hv, the bonnet, the pillars, etc. so that a predetermined range outside the vehicle interior is a strong electric field area. .. Although only one outdoor communication device 14 is shown in FIG. 2 for convenience, the vehicle-mounted system 1 may include a plurality of outdoor communication devices 14. As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle-mounted system 1 of the present embodiment has the right side first communication device 14A, the right side second communication device 14B, the left side first communication device 14C, and the left side second communication device 14 as the vehicle outdoor communication device 14. It includes a communication device 14D, a rear first communication device 14E, and a rear second communication device 14F.

The first communication device 14A on the right side is an outdoor communication device 14 for setting a strong electric field area around the front seat door (hereinafter referred to as the front right door) provided on the right side of the vehicle Hv. Here, since the driver's seat is arranged on the right side of the vehicle Hv, the front right door corresponds to the door for the driver's seat. The periphery of the front right door is an area within a predetermined distance (for example, 1 m) from the door handle arranged on the outer surface of the front right door. The first communication device 14A on the right side surface is arranged on the door panel of the front seat door, for example, in the vicinity of the door handle. The vicinity of the door handle includes the inside of the door handle. As another aspect, the right side first communication device 14A may be arranged near the right front wheel. Further, the first communication device 14A on the right side surface may be arranged in a rocker portion under the front right door, a portion in the roof portion of the vehicle Hv where the upper end portion of the front right door is in contact, and the like.

The second communication device 14B on the right side surface is an outdoor communication device 14 for setting a strong electric field area around the rear right door. The periphery of the rear right door is an area within a predetermined distance (for example, 1 m) from the door handle arranged on the outer surface of the rear right door. The second communication device 14B on the right side surface is arranged on the door panel of the rear seat door, for example, near the door handle. The vicinity of the door handle includes the inside of the door handle. As another aspect, the right side second communication device 14B may be arranged near the right rear wheel. Further, the second communication device 14B on the right side surface may be arranged in a rocker portion under the rear right door, a portion in the roof portion of the vehicle Hv where the upper end portion of the rear right door is in contact, and the like.

The left side first communication device 14C and the left side second communication device 14D are vehicle outdoor communication devices 14 paired with the right side first communication device 14A and the right side second communication device 14B, which have already been described. .. The left side surface first communication device 14C is arranged on the left side surface portion of the vehicle Hv at a position opposite to the right side surface first communication device 14A. Similarly, the left side surface second communication device 14D is also arranged on the left side surface portion of the vehicle Hv at a position opposite to the right side surface second communication device 14B.

The rear first communication device 14E is an outdoor communication device 14 arranged near the right corner of the rear end of the vehicle. The rear second communication device 14F is a vehicle outdoor communication device 14 arranged near the left corner of the rear end of the vehicle. The rear first communication device 14E and the rear second communication device 14F are vehicle outdoor communication devices 14 for forming a strong electric field area behind the vehicle (that is, for the rear of the vehicle). Although the configuration is disclosed here in which two outdoor communication devices 14 for the rear of the vehicle are provided, the present invention is not limited to this. There may be one outdoor communication device 14 for the rear of the vehicle. In that case, it is preferable that the vehicle outdoor communication device 14 for the rear of the vehicle is arranged at the center of the trunk door, the rear bumper, or the like in the vehicle width direction. The vehicle outdoor communication device 14 for the rear of the vehicle may be provided near the door handle of the trunk door or the license plate.

The installation position of each vehicle outdoor communication device 14 is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The vehicle outdoor communication device 14 may be arranged on the outer surface portion of the vehicle Hv so as to cover the leakage region formed by the vehicle interior communication device 13 with a strong electric field area. The outer surface portion here is a body portion of the vehicle Hv that is in contact with the space outside the vehicle interior, and includes a side surface portion, a back surface portion, and a front surface portion of the vehicle Hv. The vehicle outdoor communication device 14 of the present embodiment is not provided at a position paired with the vehicle interior communication device 13 with a body such as a door interposed therebetween.

The vehicle outdoor communication device 14 is preferably arranged on the surface of a metal body panel. In other words, it is preferable that the metal plate is arranged on the back surface of the vehicle outdoor communication device 14. The back surface of the vehicle outdoor communication device 14 is the direction toward the vehicle interior side when viewed from the vehicle outdoor communication device 14. According to the embodiment in which the vehicle outdoor communication device 14 is arranged on the surface of the metal body panel, the body panel acts as a reflector, and the center of directivity of the vehicle outdoor communication device 14 can be directed to the outside of the vehicle interior. .. Further, since the body panel acts as a reflective plate, the vehicle interior is out of sight for the vehicle interior communication device 14, and the radio waves of the vehicle interior communication device 14 enter the vehicle interior or the radio waves from the mobile terminal 2 existing in the vehicle interior. Can be reduced by the vehicle outdoor communication device 14.

In this embodiment, the various body panels are made of metal. Therefore, according to the embodiment in which the vehicle outdoor communication device 14 is installed on the door panel or the like as described above, the vehicle interior is out of sight for various vehicle outdoor communication devices 14, and the center of directivity is directed toward the outside of the vehicle interior. The outside direction of the vehicle interior here is a direction parallel to the horizontal plane of the vehicle and toward the outside of the vehicle interior from the center of the vehicle. The vehicle horizontal plane is a plane orthogonal to the height direction of the vehicle Hv.

When the vehicle outdoor communication device 14 is arranged on the metal body, the gain in the vehicle outdoor direction may change depending on the distance between the metal body and the antenna 31. This is because the phase difference between the reflected wave and the direct wave in the metal body changes according to the distance between the metal body and the antenna 31, and the radio waves are strengthened or weakened. Points that weaken radio waves can occur every half wavelength.

Since the wavelength of the radio wave of 2.4 GHz is about 12 cm, as shown in FIG. 6, when the distance between the metal body and the antenna 31 is 6 cm, the reflected wave and the direct wave in the direction outside the vehicle interior weaken each other. , The radiation gain in the direction outside the passenger compartment is reduced. On the other hand, when the distance between the metal body and the antenna 31 is 1.5 cm to 4.5 cm, the sensitivity ratio between the vehicle interior direction and the vehicle interior direction is 20 dB or more, which is suitable for this embodiment. Therefore, it is preferable that the various outdoor communication devices 14 are arranged so that the distance between the built-in antenna 31 and the metal body existing on the back surface of the outdoor communication device 14 is about 1.5 cm. ..

Further, the number of the vehicle outdoor communication devices 14 included in the in-vehicle system 1 may be 6 or less, such as 2, 3, 4, or 8 or more. Each of the outdoor communication devices 14 is connected to the authentication ECU 11 via a dedicated communication line or an in-vehicle network so as to be able to communicate with each other.

Both the vehicle interior communication device 13 and the vehicle outdoor communication device 14 are configured to mainly report the reception strength of the signal from the mobile terminal 2 to the authentication ECU 11. Therefore, hereinafter, various in-vehicle communication devices 13 and out-of-vehicle communication devices 14 will also be referred to as strength observers. Each intensity observer provides the authentication ECU 11 with the reception intensity of the signal transmitted from the mobile terminal 2. As described above, a part or all of the intensity observer may play a role as a data communication device 12.

The door handle button 15 is a button for the user to unlock and lock the door of the vehicle Hv. It may be provided on each door handle of the vehicle Hv. When the door handle button 15 is pressed by the user, the door handle button 15 outputs an electric signal to that effect to the authentication ECU 11. The door handle button 15 corresponds to a configuration for the authentication ECU 11 to receive a user's unlocking instruction and locking instruction. A touch sensor can also be adopted as a configuration for receiving at least one of the unlocking instruction and the locking instruction of the user. A touch sensor is a device that detects that the user is touching the door handle. A touch sensor as a configuration for receiving a user's unlocking instruction or locking instruction may be provided on each door handle of the vehicle Hv.

The start button 16 is a push switch for the user to start a drive source (for example, an engine). When the push operation is performed by the user, the start button 16 outputs an electric signal to that effect to the authentication ECU 11. Here, as an example, the vehicle Hv is a vehicle equipped with an engine as a power source, but the vehicle is not limited to this. The vehicle Hv may be an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. When the vehicle Hv is a vehicle equipped with a motor as a drive source, the start button 16 is a switch for starting the drive motor.

The engine ECU 17 is an ECU that controls the operation of the engine mounted on the vehicle Hv. For example, when the engine ECU 17 acquires a start instruction signal for instructing the start of the engine from the authentication ECU 11, the engine ECU 17 starts the engine.

The body ECU 18 is an ECU that controls the vehicle-mounted actuator 19 based on the request from the authentication ECU 11. The body ECU 18 is communicably connected to various vehicle-mounted actuators 19 and various vehicle-mounted sensors. The vehicle-mounted actuator 19 here is, for example, a door lock motor constituting a lock mechanism for each door, an actuator for adjusting a seat position (hereinafter referred to as a seat actuator), and the like. Further, the in-vehicle sensor here is a courtesy switch or the like arranged for each door. A courtesy switch is a sensor that detects the opening and closing of a door. The body ECU 18 locks and unlocks each door by outputting a predetermined control signal to a door lock motor provided on each door of the vehicle Hv, for example, based on a request from the authentication ECU 11.

<About the function of the authentication ECU 11>
The authentication ECU 11 provides a function corresponding to various functional blocks shown in FIG. 7 by executing the above-mentioned position determination program. That is, the authentication ECU 11 includes a vehicle information acquisition unit F1, a communication processing unit F2, an authentication processing unit F3, a position determination unit F4, and a vehicle control unit F5 as functional blocks.

In addition, a part or all of the functions executed by the authentication ECU 11 may be realized as hardware using a logic circuit or the like. The embodiment realized as hardware also includes the embodiment realized by using one or more ICs. Further, a part or all of the functional blocks included in the authentication ECU 11 may be realized by a combination of software execution by the CPU 111 and an electronic circuit.

The vehicle information acquisition unit F1 acquires various information (hereinafter, vehicle information) indicating the state of the vehicle Hv from a sensor, an ECU (for example, a body ECU 18), a switch, or the like mounted on the vehicle Hv. The vehicle information corresponds to, for example, the open / closed state of the door, the locked / unlocked state of each door, the presence / absence of pressing the door handle button 15, the presence / absence of pressing the start button 16, and the like.

Acquiring information indicating the locked / unlocked state of each door is equivalent to determining the locked / unlocked state of each door and detecting the door locking / unlocking operation by the user. do. Further, acquiring an electric signal from the door handle button 15 or the start button 16 corresponds to detecting a user operation for these buttons. That is, the vehicle information acquisition unit F1 corresponds to a configuration that detects a user's operation on the vehicle Hv, such as opening / closing the door, pressing the door handle button 15, pressing the start button 16, and the like. Subsequent vehicle information includes user operations for the vehicle Hv.

The information included in the vehicle information is not limited to the above-mentioned information. The vehicle information also includes the shift position detected by the shift position sensor (not shown) and the detection result of the brake sensor that detects whether or not the brake pedal is depressed. The operating state of the parking brake can also be included in the vehicle information.

Further, the vehicle information acquisition unit F1 identifies the current state of the vehicle Hv based on the various information described above. For example, the vehicle information acquisition unit F1 determines that the vehicle Hv is parked when the engine is off and all the doors are locked. Of course, the conditions for determining that the vehicle Hv is parked may be appropriately designed, and various determination conditions and the like can be applied.

The communication processing unit F2 is configured to transmit / receive data to / from the mobile terminal 2 in cooperation with the data communication device 12. For example, the communication processing unit F2 generates data addressed to the mobile terminal 2 and outputs the data to the data communication device 12. As a result, the signal corresponding to the desired data is transmitted as a radio wave. Further, the communication processing unit F2 receives the data from the mobile terminal 2 received by the data communication device 12.

In the present embodiment, as a more preferable embodiment, the wireless communication between the authentication ECU 11 and the mobile terminal 2 is configured to be encrypted. The authentication ECU 11 as the communication processing unit F2 acquires channel information from the data communication device 12. As a result, the authentication ECU 11 identifies the channel used by the data communication device 12 for communication with the mobile terminal 2.

Further, the authentication ECU 11 acquires the terminal ID of the mobile terminal 2 to which the data communication device 12 is connected by communication from the data communication device 12. According to such a configuration, even if the vehicle Hv is a vehicle shared by a plurality of users, the authentication ECU 11 is around the vehicle Hv based on the terminal ID of the mobile terminal 2 to which the data communication device 12 is communicatively connected. It is possible to identify the user who exists in.

In addition, the communication processing unit F2 distributes the channel information and the terminal ID acquired from the data communication device 12 to each intensity observation machine as reference information. The channel information shown in the reference information enables each intensity observer to recognize which of the many channels included in the Bluetooth standard should be received to receive the signal from the mobile terminal 2. Further, the intensity observer should report the reception intensity of the signal from which device to the authentication ECU 11 even when the signal from a plurality of devices is received by the terminal ID shown in the reference information. It can be specified.

The authentication processing unit F3 performs a process of authenticating the mobile terminal 2 (hereinafter referred to as an authentication process) in cooperation with the data communication device 12. The short-range communication for authentication is encrypted and carried out by the data communication device 12. That is, the authentication process is performed by encrypted communication. The authentication process itself may be carried out using various methods such as a challenge-response method. The detailed description thereof will be omitted here. It is assumed that the data (for example, the encryption key) required for the authentication process is stored in each of the mobile terminal 2 and the authentication ECU 11.

The timing at which the authentication processing unit F3 executes the authentication processing may be, for example, the timing at which the communication connection between the data communication device 12 and the mobile terminal 2 is established. The authentication processing unit F3 may be configured to perform authentication processing at a predetermined cycle while the data communication device 12 and the mobile terminal 2 are in communication connection. Further, it may be configured to perform encrypted communication for authentication processing by using a predetermined user operation for the vehicle Hv as a trigger, such as when the start button 16 is pressed by the user.

In the present embodiment, in order to improve security, the authentication ECU 11 and the mobile terminal 2 are configured to encrypt and implement data communication for authentication and the like, but the present invention is not limited to this. As another aspect, the authentication ECU 11 and the mobile terminal 2 may be configured to perform data communication for authentication or the like without encryption.

Further, the establishment of the communication connection between the data communication device 12 and the mobile terminal 2 means that the communication partner of the data communication device 12 is the mobile terminal 2 registered in advance. Therefore, the authentication ECU 11 may be configured to determine that the authentication of the mobile terminal 2 is successful based on the establishment of the communication connection between the data communication device 12 and the mobile terminal 2.

The position determination unit F4 is configured to determine whether or not the mobile terminal 2 is present in the vehicle interior based on the reception intensity of the signal from the mobile terminal 2 provided by each of the plurality of intensity observers. Since the mobile terminal 2 is basically carried by the user, determining the position of the mobile terminal 2 corresponds to determining the position of the user. As a preparatory process for determining the position of the mobile terminal 2, the position determination unit F4 sequentially acquires and acquires the reception intensity of the signal from the mobile terminal 2 from a plurality of intensity observers included in the in-vehicle system 1. The reception strength is distinguished for each acquisition source and stored in the RAM 112.

Then, the position determination unit F4 determines whether or not the mobile terminal 2 exists in the vehicle interior based on the reception intensity of each intensity observer stored in the RAM 112 and various determination threshold values registered in the flash memory 113. Is determined. The specific operation of the position determination unit F4, that is, the details of the method by which the position determination unit F4 determines the position of the mobile terminal 2 based on the reception intensity of each intensity observer will be described later. The determination result of the position determination unit F4 is referred to by the vehicle control unit F5.

When the authentication of the mobile terminal 2 by the authentication processing unit F3 is successful, the vehicle control unit F5 controls the vehicle according to the position of the mobile terminal 2 (in other words, the user) and the state of the vehicle Hv, such as the body ECU 18. It is a configuration that is executed in collaboration with. The state of the vehicle Hv is determined by the vehicle information acquisition unit F1. The position of the mobile terminal 2 is determined by the position determination unit F4.

For example, when the mobile terminal 2 is outside the vehicle interior and the door handle button 15 is pressed by the user in a situation where the vehicle Hv is parked, the vehicle control unit F5 cooperates with the body ECU 18 to display the door. Unlock the lock mechanism. Further, for example, when the position determination unit F4 determines that the mobile terminal 2 exists in the vehicle interior and it is detected that the start button 16 is pressed by the user, the engine is started in cooperation with the engine ECU 17. Let me.

The vehicle control unit F5 is basically configured to execute vehicle control according to the position of the user and the state of the vehicle Hv, triggered by the user operation on the vehicle Hv. However, some of the vehicle controls that can be executed by the vehicle control unit F5 may be automatically executed according to the position of the user without requiring the user operation on the vehicle Hv.

<Connection-related processing>
Next, the connection-related processing performed by the in-vehicle system 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The connection-related process is a process related to the establishment of a communication connection between the vehicle-mounted system 1 and the mobile terminal 2. The connection-related processing shown in FIG. 8 may be started, for example, when the data communication device 12 receives the advertisement packet from the mobile terminal 2.

When the communication connection between the data communication device 12 and the mobile terminal 2 is not established, the operation of the intensity observation device may be stopped in order to suppress the dark current. It is preferable that the data communication device 12 is always operated in the standby state in order to improve the responsiveness to the approach of the user. The standby state is a state in which a signal (for example, an advertisement packet) from the mobile terminal 2 can be received.

First, in step S101, the data communication device 12 establishes a communication connection (in other words, a connection) with the mobile terminal 2 and proceeds to step S102. When the communication connection with the mobile terminal 2 is established, the data communication device 12 provides the terminal ID of the mobile terminal 2 communicating with the data communication device 12 to the authentication ECU 11. Further, the authentication ECU 11 outputs a predetermined control signal to the intensity observer when the intensity observer is in the hibernation mode when the data communication device 12 establishes the communication connection with the mobile terminal 2. And shift to the standby state. The hibernate mode is, for example, a state in which the signal reception function is stopped. Hibernation mode also includes the state where the power is off.

In step S102, the data communication device 12 periodically performs encrypted communication based on the instruction from the authentication ECU 11. The content of the data exchanged at this time may be anything as long as it requests the mobile terminal 2 to return the response signal. It may be data for authenticating the mobile terminal 2 such as a challenge code. By periodically performing wireless communication with the mobile terminal 2, the authentication ECU 11 can confirm that the mobile terminal 2 exists in the communication area.

In step S103, the data communication device 12 and the authentication ECU 11 cooperate with each other to start sharing reference information. Specifically, the data communication device 12 sequentially provides the terminal ID of the mobile terminal 2 to which the communication is connected and the channel information to the authentication ECU 11. Further, the authentication ECU 11 sequentially distributes the channel information and the terminal ID provided from the data communication device 12 to each intensity observation aircraft as reference information.

In step S104, each intensity observer starts observing the reception intensity of the signal from the mobile terminal 2 by using the reference information provided by the authentication ECU 11. That is, the intensity observer sets the channel with the number shown in the channel information as the reception target among the many channels included in the Bluetooth standard. Further, the intensity observer sequentially changes the channel to be received according to the channel information provided by the authentication ECU 11.

According to such a configuration, even when the mobile terminal 2 and the data communication device 12 perform frequency hopping wireless communication, the reception strength of the signal from the mobile terminal 2 is acquired and the authentication ECU 11 is used. It will be reported sequentially. That is, various short-range communication devices 3 included in the in-vehicle system 1 receive signals from the mobile terminal 2 while ensuring the confidentiality (in other words, security) of communication between the in-vehicle system 1 and the mobile terminal 2. The intensity can be detected.

In step S105, it is determined whether or not the intensity observer has received the signal including the terminal ID shown in the reference information. When the signal including the terminal ID shown in the reference information is received, the process proceeds to step S106. In step S106, the reception strength of the received signal is reported to the authentication ECU 11. That is, in steps S105 to S106, various intensity observers report to the authentication ECU 11 the reception intensity of the signal including the terminal ID indicated in the reference information among the signals received in the channel indicated in the channel information. If the signal from the mobile terminal 2 is not received for a certain period of time in step S105, step S108 may be executed.

In step S107, the authentication ECU 11 executes a process of distinguishing the reception intensity provided by each intensity observer for each position specifying communication as a provider and storing it in the RAM 112, and proceeds to step S108. In step S108, the authentication ECU 11 and the data communication device 12 cooperate to determine whether or not the communication connection with the mobile terminal 2 is terminated. The case where the communication connection with the mobile terminal 2 is terminated is, for example, the case where the data communication device 12 cannot receive the signal from the mobile terminal 2. When the communication connection with the mobile terminal 2 is terminated, step S108 is determined to be affirmative and step S109 is executed. On the other hand, if the communication connection with the mobile terminal 2 is still maintained, the process returns to step S105.

In step S109, the authentication ECU 11 outputs a predetermined control signal to the intensity observing machine, and ends the process of observing the reception intensity of the signal from the mobile terminal 2. For example, the authentication ECU 11 shifts the intensity observer to the hibernation mode, for example. When the process in step S109 is completed, this flow ends.

<Position determination process>
Next, the position determination process performed by the authentication ECU 11 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The position determination process is a process for determining the position of the mobile terminal 2. This position determination process is performed, for example, in a predetermined position determination cycle in a state where the communication connection between the data communication device 12 and the mobile terminal 2 is established. The position determination cycle is, for example, 200 milliseconds. Of course, the position determination cycle may be 100 milliseconds or 300 milliseconds.

First, in step S201, the authentication processing unit F3 cooperates with the data communication device 12 to execute a process of authenticating the mobile terminal 2 and move to step S202. Note that step S201 can be omitted. Further, it can be changed as appropriate at the timing of performing the authentication of the mobile terminal 2.

In step S202, the position determination unit F4 calculates an individual intensity representative value for each intensity observer based on the reception intensity of each intensity observer stored in the RAM 112. The individual intensity representative value for one intensity observer is a value representatively indicating the reception intensity within the latest predetermined time in the intensity observer. Here, as an example, the individual strength representative value is the average value of the reception strengths of the latest N pieces. Such an individual intensity representative value corresponds to a moving average value of the reception intensity.

In this embodiment, N may be a natural number of 2 or more, and in this embodiment, it is 5. In this case, the position determination unit F4 calculates the moving average value using the reception intensity of the mobile terminal 2 acquired (in other words, sampling) at the latest five time points. Of course, N may be 10 or 20. As another aspect, N may be 1. The configuration in which N = 1 corresponds to the configuration in which the latest reception intensity is adopted as it is as the individual intensity representative value.

Specifically, in step S202, the position determination unit F4 calculates an average value using the latest five reception strengths provided by the front area communication device 13A as the population as the individual strength representative value in the front area communication device 13A. do. Similarly, for other in-vehicle communication devices 13 such as the trunk area communication device 13B, the rear area first communication device 13C, and the rear area second communication device 13D, the latest five receptions provided by each in-vehicle communication device 13 are received. Calculate the average with intensity as the population.

Further, the position determination unit F4 calculates an average value with the latest five reception intensities provided by the right side surface first communication device 14A as the population as individual intensity representative values in the right side surface first communication device 14A. The same applies to other outdoor communication devices 14 such as the right side second communication device 14B, the left side first communication device 14C, the left side second communication device 14D, the rear first communication device 14E, and the rear second communication device 14F. In addition, the average of the five most recent reception intensities provided by each vehicle outdoor communication device 14 as a population is calculated.

Regarding the individual strength representative value of the strength observer in which the number of reception strengths stored in the RAM 112 is less than N, the lower limit of the reception strength that can be detected by the short-range communication device 3 is set as the reception strength for the missing data. It may be calculated by substituting the value corresponding to the value. The lower limit of the reception strength that can be detected by the short-range communication device 3 may be determined by the configuration of the short-range communication device 3, for example, −60 dBm.

According to such an aspect, for example, even when the mobile terminal 2 can receive a signal from the mobile terminal 2 only a part of the plurality of intensity observation machines included in the in-vehicle system 1 due to the position. Subsequent processing can be performed. For example, even if the mobile terminal 2 is located on the right side of the vehicle Hv and the left side first communication device 14C and the left side second communication device 14D cannot receive the signal from the mobile terminal 2. Individual strength representative values can be calculated for each strength observer.

In this embodiment, the average value of the latest N received intensities is used as the individual intensity representative value, but the present invention is not limited to this. The individual intensity representative value may be the median value or the maximum value of the latest N reception intensities. Further, the individual intensity representative value may be the average value of the reception intensities obtained by removing the maximum value and the minimum value from the latest N reception intensities. The individual intensity representative value is preferably a value from which the instantaneous fluctuation component of the reception intensity is removed. When the process in step S202 is completed, the process proceeds to step S203.

In step S203, the position determination unit F4 determines the indoor unit strength representative value Pa based on the individual strength representative value for each vehicle interior communication device 13. Here, as an example, the indoor unit strength representative value Pa is the maximum value of the individual strength representative value for each vehicle interior communication device 13. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, when the results of -31 dBm, -37 dBm, -38 dBm, and -40 dBm are obtained as the individual strength representative values of the various vehicle interior communication devices 13, the indoor unit strength representative value Pa is-. Determined to be 31 dBm. When the process in step S203 is completed, the process proceeds to step S204. As another aspect, the indoor unit strength representative value Pa may be the average value or the median value of the individual strength representative values for each vehicle interior communication device 13.

In step S204, the position determination unit F4 determines the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb based on the individual strength representative value for each vehicle outdoor communication device 14. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, when the results of -45 dBm, -50 dBm, -47 dBm, -52 dBm, -55 dBm, and -60 dBm are obtained as the individual strength representative values of the various outdoor communication devices 14, the outdoor unit The representative strength value Pb is determined to be −45 dBm. The outdoor unit strength representative value Pb may be determined by the same rule as the indoor unit strength representative value. That is, the position determination unit F4 of the present embodiment adopts the maximum value of the individual strength representative value for each vehicle outdoor communication device 14 as the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb. When the process in step S204 is completed, the process proceeds to step S205.

In step S205, the position determination unit F4 determines whether or not the indoor unit strength representative value Pa is equal to or greater than the predetermined indoor equivalent value Pin. As described above, the indoor equivalent value Pin is a threshold value for determining that the mobile terminal 2 exists in the vehicle interior. The indoor equivalent value Pin may be designed based on the minimum value of the indoor unit strength representative value that can be observed when the mobile terminal 2 is present in the vehicle interior. If the minimum value of the indoor unit strength representative value that can be observed when the mobile terminal 2 is present in the vehicle interior is determined based on the result of the test for measuring the indoor unit strength representative value at each observation point in the vehicle interior. good.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the results of testing the relationship between the indoor unit strength representative value Pa and the position of the mobile terminal 2 in the vehicle interior and the vehicle interior outer right region. The test result shown in FIG. 11 shows the position where the mobile terminal 2 is at the same height as the window portion of the vehicle Hv, specifically, the height from the road surface is 1.1 m when the door of the vehicle Hv is closed. It shows the value of the representative value of the strength of the indoor unit when it is placed in.

If the test result that the minimum value of the indoor unit strength representative value that can be observed when the mobile terminal 2 is present in the vehicle interior is -35 dBm is obtained, the indoor equivalent value Pin is set to the minimum value of -35 dBm. It may be set to -38 dBm, which gives the margin of. Since the indoor equivalent value Pin is set to be equal to or less than the minimum value of the indoor unit strength representative value that can be observed when the mobile terminal 2 is present in the vehicle interior, the indoor unit strength representative value Pa is said to be less than the indoor equivalent value Pin. That means that the mobile terminal 2 exists outside the vehicle interior.

Since each vehicle interior communication device 13 is arranged so that the entire vehicle interior is a strong electric field area, there is a region outside the vehicle interior where the indoor unit strength representative value Pa is equal to or higher than the indoor equivalent value Pin. Can be formed. That is, the case where the indoor unit strength representative value Pa is equal to or more than the indoor equivalent value Pin includes the case where the mobile terminal 2 exists in the leakage region outside the vehicle interior. The broken line shown in FIG. 11 indicates the vehicle outdoor region (that is, the leakage region) in which the indoor unit strength representative value Pa is equal to or higher than the indoor equivalent value Pin as a test result.

In the determination process of step S205, if the indoor unit strength representative value Pa is equal to or greater than the indoor equivalent value Pin, affirmative determination is made in step S205 and the process proceeds to step S206. On the other hand, when the indoor unit strength representative value Pa is less than the indoor equivalent value Pin, step S205 is negatively determined and step S208 is executed.

In step S206, the position determination unit F4 determines whether or not the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb is equal to or greater than the outdoor equivalent value Pout. As described above, the outdoor equivalent value Pout is a threshold value for determining that the mobile terminal 2 exists outside the vehicle interior. The outdoor equivalent value Pout may be designed based on the maximum value of the outdoor unit strength representative value that can be observed when the mobile terminal 2 is present in the vehicle interior. The maximum value of the outdoor unit strength representative value that can be observed when the mobile terminal 2 is present in the vehicle interior is the result of the test for measuring the outdoor unit strength representative value when the mobile terminal 2 is placed at each point in the vehicle interior. It may be decided based on.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the results of testing the relationship between the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb and the position of the mobile terminal 2 in the vehicle interior and the vehicle interior right side region. The test result shown in FIG. 12 shows the position where the mobile terminal 2 is at the same height as the window portion of the vehicle Hv, specifically, the height from the road surface is 1.1 m when the door of the vehicle Hv is closed. It represents the value of the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb when it is arranged in.

If the test result that the maximum value of the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb that can be observed when the mobile terminal 2 is present in the vehicle interior is -40 dBm is obtained, the outdoor equivalent value Pout becomes the maximum value -40 dBm. It may be set to -37 dBm or the like given a predetermined margin (3 dBm). Since the outdoor equivalent value Pout is set to be equal to or higher than the maximum value of the outdoor unit strength representative value that can be observed when the mobile terminal 2 is present in the vehicle interior, the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb is said to be equal to or higher than the outdoor equivalent value Pout. That means that the mobile terminal 2 exists outside the vehicle interior.

Further, each vehicle outdoor communication device 14 is arranged so that the vehicle outdoor area is mainly a strong electric field area, and the leakage region of the vehicle interior communication device 13 is included in the strong electric field area for the vehicle outdoor communication device 14. Is done. When the mobile terminal 2 exists in the strong electric field area of the vehicle outdoor communication device 14, the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb is a sufficiently high value (specifically, an outdoor equivalent value Pout or more). Therefore, when the mobile terminal 2 is present in the leakage region, it can be expected that the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb is equal to or greater than the outdoor equivalent value Pout.

The alternate long and short dash line shown in FIG. 12 indicates a region (hereinafter referred to as an outdoor dominant region) in which the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb is equal to or greater than the outdoor equivalent value Pout. Further, the broken line shown in FIG. 12 represents the vehicle outdoor region (that is, the leakage region) in which the indoor unit strength representative value Pa is equal to or higher than the indoor equivalent value Pin, similarly to the broken line shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 12, various outdoor communication devices 14 are provided so that the dominant region outside the vehicle interior covers the leakage region. As a result, even when the indoor unit strength representative value Pa becomes the indoor equivalent value Pin or more due to the presence of the mobile terminal 2 in the leakage region, the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb becomes the outdoor equivalent value Pout or more. Become. That is, when the indoor unit strength representative value Pa is equal to or higher than the indoor equivalent value Pin, whether the mobile terminal 2 exists in the vehicle interior or in the leakage region outside the vehicle interior is equivalent to the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb and the outdoor unit. It can be separated by comparing the magnitude with the value Pout.

In the determination process of step S206, if the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb is equal to or greater than the outdoor equivalent value Pout, the determination in step S206 is affirmed and the process proceeds to step S208. On the other hand, when the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb is less than the outdoor equivalent value Pout, step S206 is negatively determined and step S207 is executed.

In step S207, the position determination unit F4 determines that the mobile terminal 2 is present in the vehicle interior, and ends this flow. In step S208, the position determination unit F4 determines that the mobile terminal 2 exists outside the vehicle interior, and ends this flow. The determination results in steps S207 and S208 are stored in the RAM 112 as the position information of the mobile terminal 2 and are referred to by the vehicle control unit F5 or the like.

<Operation and effect of the embodiment>
In the above-described embodiment, the vehicle interior communication device 13 is arranged so that the entire vehicle interior is a strong electric field area, in other words, the vehicle interior is filled with radio waves for short-range communication. According to such an arrangement mode of the vehicle interior communication device 13, when the mobile terminal 2 is present in the vehicle interior, the indoor unit strength representative value Pa is sufficiently high. Further, the various vehicle outdoor communication devices 14 are arranged on the outer surface of the vehicle Hv so that the strong electric field area of the vehicle outdoor communication device 14 includes the leakage region of the vehicle interior communication device 13 (in other words, covers it). Has been done.

The installation mode in which the vehicle outdoor communication device 14 covers the leakage area of the vehicle interior communication device 13 is that the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb when the mobile terminal 2 is present in the leakage area is the vehicle. It refers to a mode in which the outdoor unit is installed so as to be sufficiently higher than the representative outdoor unit strength value Pb that can be observed when it exists indoors. That is, the vehicle outdoor communication device 14 has a reception strength in the vehicle outdoor communication device 14 when the mobile terminal 2 is present in the leakage region, and the vehicle outdoor communication device when the mobile terminal 2 is present in the vehicle interior. It is installed so as to be superior to the reception strength at 14.

According to the configuration in which various intensity observers are arranged in the above-described embodiment, when the mobile terminal 2 is present in the vehicle interior, the individual intensity representative value of at least one of the plurality of vehicle interior communication devices 13 is indoors. It becomes the equivalent value Pin or more. Therefore, when the mobile terminal 2 is present in the vehicle interior, the indoor unit strength representative value Pa is also equal to or higher than the indoor equivalent value Pin. On the other hand, since the outdoor equivalent value Pout is set to a sufficiently high value, when the mobile terminal 2 is present in the vehicle interior, the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb is less than the outdoor equivalent value Pout. Therefore, in the authentication ECU 11, the mobile terminal 2 exists in the vehicle interior based on the fact that the indoor unit strength representative value Pa is equal to or more than the indoor equivalent value Pin and the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb is less than the outdoor equivalent value Pout. Then it can be determined.

Further, when the mobile terminal 2 is present in the leakage region outside the vehicle interior, the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb is equal to or greater than the outdoor equivalent value Pout. This is because the vehicle outdoor communication device 14 is arranged so as to cover the leakage region of the vehicle interior communication device 13 with a strong electric field area. Therefore, in the authentication ECU 11, the mobile terminal 2 is outside the vehicle room (specifically, based on the fact that the indoor unit strength representative value Pa is indoor equivalent value Pin or more and the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb is outdoor equivalent value Pout or more. It can be determined that it exists in the leak area).

In addition, when the mobile terminal 2 exists outside the vehicle interior corresponding to the outside of the leakage region, the indoor unit strength representative value Pa is less than the indoor equivalent value Pin. Therefore, the authentication ECU 11 can determine that the mobile terminal 2 exists outside the vehicle interior (specifically, outside the leakage region) based on the fact that the indoor unit strength representative value Pa is less than the indoor equivalent value Pin.

That is, in the above configuration, since the entire vehicle interior is configured to be a strong electric field area, the mobile terminal 2 exists in the vehicle interior even when the mobile terminal 2 exists in a corner of the vehicle interior. Then it can be determined. In addition, according to the above configuration, the leakage region of the vehicle interior communication device 13 is excluded from the vehicle interior determination area by using the reception strength of the vehicle interior communication device 14. The vehicle interior determination area is an area where the authentication ECU 11 determines that the mobile terminal 2 exists in the vehicle interior based on the reception strength of the vehicle interior communication device 13.

With such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 13, it is possible to perform determination of the inside and outside of the vehicle with high accuracy. Note that FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the results of testing the determination results of the position determination unit F4 in the test environment shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. As shown in FIG. 13, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, it is possible to accurately determine the interior / outside of the vehicle in the region where the height near the window exceeds ± 0.1 m of the window. This is a determination accuracy equal to or higher than that of the current electronic key system for vehicles using the LF, and can sufficiently achieve the determination accuracy generally required in the technical field of the electronic key system for vehicles.

Further, the above configuration is different from the conventional design concept of arranging the vehicle interior communication device 13 so that the signal of the vehicle interior communication device 13 does not leak to the outside of the vehicle interior. The above configuration is based on the technical idea that the signal of the vehicle interior communication device 13 leaks to the outside of the vehicle interior, and the risk of erroneous determination in the leakage region is corrected by using the reception strength of the vehicle interior communication device 14. It is based on. Based on such a technical idea, the strong electric field area of the vehicle interior communication device 13 can be set large. As a result, the number of vehicle interior communication devices 13 arranged in the vehicle interior can be suppressed.

By the way, as another configuration (hereinafter referred to as a comparative configuration) for reducing the erroneous determination of the mobile terminal 2 due to the placement location of the mobile terminal 2, the output level is set based on the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1. A configuration in which a plurality of narrowed-down vehicle interior communication devices are distributed and arranged (hereinafter referred to as an assumed configuration) is also conceivable. In the assumed configuration, the area is not divided by using the reception strength of the outdoor communication device 14 together. The assumed configuration aims to create a strong electric field area in the entire vehicle interior and suppress radio wave leakage to the outside of the vehicle by densely arranging the vehicle interior communication devices with reduced output levels in the vehicle interior.

However, even if the above assumed configuration is adopted, it is difficult to form an appropriate area in the vicinity of the window portion because the radio wave is continuously attenuated by the square of the distance. Even when the mobile terminal exists outside the vehicle interior at a distance of 10 cm or more from the window portion, it can be erroneously determined that the mobile terminal exists inside the vehicle interior. In addition, in the assumed configuration, there is also a problem that a large number of communication devices are required in order to use the entire vehicle interior as the vehicle interior determination area. On the other hand, according to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to determine with high accuracy whether or not the mobile terminal 2 exists in the vehicle interior while suppressing the number of short-range communication devices 3 arranged in the vehicle interior.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the vehicle interior communication device 13 is arranged for each area divided by the vehicle interior structure that can hinder the propagation of radio waves, such as the front area, the rear area, and the trunk area. According to such an installation mode, as shown in FIG. 11, since the entire vehicle interior is a strong electric field area, there is a risk that the mobile terminal 2 is erroneously determined to exist outside the vehicle interior due to the placement location of the mobile terminal 2. Can be reduced.

Further, the vehicle outdoor communication device 14 can be realized by using (in other words, diverting) the short-range communication device 3 for forming the locking / unlocking area Lx outside the vehicle interior, which will be described later as a modification 6. The lock / unlock area Lx is an area that executes door lock / unlock control based on a user's pressing operation on the door handle button 15 only when the mobile terminal 2 is present in the area. The locking / unlocking area Lx is set in an area within 1 to 2 meters from various doors provided in the vehicle Hv including the trunk door. According to such a configuration, the locking / unlocking control is performed only when the mobile terminal 2 exists in the locking / unlocking area Lx even in the area outside the vehicle interior, so that the crime prevention property of the vehicle Hv is enhanced. Can be done.

In recent years, many vehicles are equipped with a vehicle control function using such a locking / unlocking area Lx as standard equipment. At present, in many cases, a configuration is adopted in which the locking / unlocking area Lx is formed using radio waves in the LF band, but in the future, the locking / unlocking area Lx will be provided by installing the short-range communication device 3 outside the vehicle interior. Is expected to be formed.

That is, in the future, it can be expected that the short-range communication device 3 for forming the lock / unlock area Lx will be arranged on the outer surface of the vehicle as standard equipment. The short-range communication device 3 for forming the locking / unlocking area Lx can be diverted as the above-mentioned outdoor communication device 14. That is, since the above configuration can be realized by diverting the equipment provided as standard equipment, the introduction cost can be suppressed.

Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications described below are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure, and other than the following. Can be changed and implemented within the range that does not deviate from the gist. For example, the following various modifications can be appropriately combined and carried out within a range that does not cause a technical contradiction.

The members having the same functions as those described in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. Further, when only a part of the configuration is referred to, the configuration of the embodiment described above can be applied to the other parts.

[Second Embodiment]
In the above configuration, the vehicle interior communication device 13 is arranged for each area divided by the vehicle interior structure that can hinder the propagation of radio waves, such as the front area, the rear area, and the trunk area. As another embodiment, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the vehicle interior communication device 13 has only the front area communication device 13A. That is, there may be only one vehicle interior communication device 13 in the vehicle interior.

In the configuration in which only the front area communication device 13A is provided as the vehicle interior communication device 13, the front area is a strong electric field area as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. However, in the configuration in which only the front area communication device 13A is provided as the vehicle interior communication device 13, a portion where the reception strength of the signal from the mobile terminal 2 is lower than -38 dBm set as the indoor equivalent value occurs in the rear area and the trunk area. sell. As shown in FIG. 15, the trunk area is farther than the rear area and is also affected by the backrest portion 42 of the rear seat, so that it tends to be a weak electric field area. In addition, multiple dip points, which are points where the radio field strength drops sharply due to multipath, can be observed. Therefore, in the configuration of the first embodiment, it is erroneously determined that the mobile terminal 2 exists outside the vehicle interior in the situation where the mobile terminal 2 exists in the vehicle interior, rather than the configuration in which the vehicle interior communication device 13 has only the front area communication device 13A. The risk of doing so can be reduced.

[Third Embodiment]
As another embodiment, the in-vehicle system 1 can adopt a configuration in which only the front area communication device 13A and the trunk area communication device 13B are provided as the vehicle interior communication device 13. According to the configuration including the front area communication device 13A and the trunk area communication device 13B as the vehicle interior communication device 13, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the mobile terminal 2 has a configuration as compared with the configuration disclosed as the second embodiment. It is possible to increase the indoor unit strength representative value Pa when it exists in the rear area or the trunk area. However, in the rear area, the propagation of radio waves is likely to be obstructed by the backrest portion 41 of the front seat and the backrest portion 42 of the rear seat, so that the electric field area is likely to be weak. That is, from the viewpoint of reducing the possibility of erroneously determining that the mobile terminal 2 is outside the vehicle interior even though the mobile terminal 2 is present in the vehicle interior, the vehicle interior communication device 13 is also provided in the rear area. It can be said that the embodiment is more suitable.

In the first embodiment and the third embodiment, the maximum value of the reception strength of the plurality of vehicle interior communication devices 13 (that is, the representative value of the indoor unit strength) is regarded as the reception strength of the signal from the mobile terminal 2. Multipath makes it less susceptible to sharp drops in signal strength. This is due to the following reasons. The position of the dip point, which is a steep drop in radio field intensity due to multipath, tends to change significantly when the position of the antenna 31 is shifted by one wavelength or more. Since the front area communication device 13A and the trunk area communication device 13B are separated by 2 m or more, the dip points formed by the vehicle interior communication devices 13 are generated at different positions. Therefore, a portion that becomes a dip point for a certain vehicle interior communication device 13 is unlikely to become a dip point for the other vehicle interior communication device 13.

Therefore, the maximum value of the reception strength of the two vehicle interior communication devices 13 arranged at positions separated by 0.1 m or more is regarded as the reception strength of the signal from the mobile terminal 2 for the in-vehicle system 1 and handled. According to the report, the dip point of the in-vehicle system 1 as a whole is reduced. That is, according to the first embodiment and the present embodiment, the dip point of the in-vehicle system 1 as a whole can be reduced.

In the present embodiment, the vehicle-mounted system 1 discloses a configuration in which the front area communication device 13A and the trunk area communication device 13B are provided as the vehicle interior communication device 13, but the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, a configuration in which the vehicle-mounted system 1 includes a front area communication device 13A and one rear area communication device as the vehicle interior communication device 13 can also be adopted. Of course, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the in-vehicle system 1 includes the front area communication device 13A, the rear area first communication device 13C, and the rear area second communication device 13D as the vehicle interior communication device 13. When the in-vehicle system 1 includes a plurality of vehicle interior communication devices 13 and the antenna 31 included in each vehicle interior communication device 13 is an omnidirectional antenna, they are arranged at a distance of one wavelength or more. Is preferable.

[Modification 1]
It is assumed that the ease of receiving signals from the mobile terminal 2 (hereinafter referred to as reception sensitivity) differs depending on the installation location, installation posture, internal configuration, etc. of each vehicle outdoor communication device 14. The higher the reception sensitivity, the wider the above-mentioned strong electric field area. When the reception sensitivity is different for each vehicle outdoor communication device 14, the outdoor equivalent value Pout cannot be appropriately determined in the configuration in which the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb is determined by using the individual strength representative value for each vehicle outdoor communication device 14 as it is. There is a fear.

For example, in the outer surface portion of the vehicle Hv, there is a place where it is easy to receive a signal from the mobile terminal 2 existing in the vehicle interior. Further, when the vehicle outdoor communication device 14 is mounted in such a place, it is necessary to add a negative correction value in order to make the degree of leakage into the vehicle interior the same as that of the other vehicle outdoor communication device 14. If the degree of leakage of each outdoor communication device 14 into the vehicle interior (in other words, the reception sensitivity to the vehicle interior) is different, the position of the mobile terminal 2 cannot be properly determined with one outdoor equivalent value Pout. be.

As a configuration to deal with such a concern, the position determination unit F4 corrects the individual strength representative value of each vehicle outdoor communication device 14 according to the reception sensitivity of the vehicle outdoor communication device 14. It may be configured to determine the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb.

For example, when the reception sensitivity of the rear first communication device 14E is higher than the reception sensitivity of the other outdoor communication device 14 by about 5 dBm, the actual reception strength of the rear first communication device 14E is determined. A value obtained by subtracting about 5 dBm from the calculated individual strength representative value may be configured to be used as the individual strength representative value for the rear surface first communication device 14E for determining the outdoor unit strength representative value. That is, as the individual strength representative value for each vehicle outdoor communication device 14, a value obtained by applying a correction according to the reception sensitivity characteristic of the vehicle outdoor communication device 14 to the representative value calculated from the actual reception strength is used. , The outdoor unit strength representative value may be determined. By implementing the above, the degree of leakage to the vehicle interior can be uniformly determined for each vehicle outdoor communication device 14 (in other words, apparently aligned), and as a result, a threshold value for the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb (that is, outdoor). Equivalent value Pout) can be set to an appropriate value.

The above idea can be similarly applied to the indoor unit strength representative value Pa. It is assumed that the ease of receiving signals from the mobile terminal 2 (hereinafter referred to as reception sensitivity) differs for each vehicle interior communication device 13 due to the installation location, installation posture, internal configuration, and the like. When the reception sensitivity is different for each vehicle interior communication device 13, the indoor equivalent value Pin cannot be appropriately determined in the configuration in which the indoor unit strength representative value Pa is determined by using the individual strength representative value for each vehicle interior communication device 13 as it is. There is a fear.

For example, there is a place in the vehicle interior where it is easy to receive a signal from the mobile terminal 2 existing outside the vehicle interior, and when the vehicle interior communication device 13 is mounted in such a place, leakage to the outside of the vehicle interior. In order to match the degree with the other vehicle interior communication device 13, it is necessary to add a negative correction value. If the degree of leakage of each vehicle interior communication device 13 to the outside of the vehicle interior (in other words, the reception sensitivity to the outside of the vehicle interior) is different, the position of the mobile terminal 2 cannot be properly determined with one indoor equivalent value Pin. be.

Therefore, the position determination unit F4 determines the indoor unit strength representative value Pa after correcting the individual strength representative value in each vehicle interior communication device 13 according to the reception sensitivity in the vehicle interior communication device 13. It may be configured to do so. For example, when the trunk area communication device 13B has a configuration in which the reception sensitivity is about 5 dBm lower than that of the other vehicle interior communication device 13, the individual strength representative calculated from the actual reception strength of the trunk area communication device 13B. A value obtained by adding about 5 dBm from the value may be configured to be used as an individual strength representative value for determining the indoor unit strength representative value. That is, as the individual strength representative value for each vehicle interior communication device 13, a value obtained by applying a correction according to the reception sensitivity characteristic of the vehicle interior communication device 13 to the representative value calculated from the actual reception strength is used. , The indoor unit strength representative value Pa may be determined. The correction amount for each short-range communication device 3 may be registered in the flash memory 113.

[Modification 2]
In the above-described embodiment, the intensity observer discloses a configuration for identifying a communication partner by using a terminal ID, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, even if the mobile terminal 2 is configured to transmit a signal in which a specific code (hereinafter referred to as an encryption code) indicating that the mobile terminal 2 is used is arranged in an area to be encrypted in a communication frame. good. In that case, the strength observer identifies that the communication partner is the mobile terminal 2 based on the fact that the received data includes the encryption code. Further, the strength observer provides the authentication ECU 11 with the reception strength for the signal including both the terminal ID and the encryption code. According to the configuration in which the communication partner is specified by using the encryption code in this way, it is possible to prevent another communication device from impersonating the mobile terminal 2, and it is possible to enhance the security of the electronic key system for the vehicle.

[Modification 3]
The front area communication device 13A may include an antenna 31 having directivity and may be configured so that the central direction of directivity (so-called main beam direction) can be dynamically changed. In that case, the authentication ECU 11 sequentially changes the main beam direction of the front area communication device 13A while the communication connection between the data communication device 12 and the mobile terminal 2 is established. FIG. 18 conceptually shows the movable range of the main beam.

If the main beam direction of the front area communication device 13A is changed, the location where the dip point derived from the multipath is generated changes, so that the influence of the multipath is lessened by dynamically changing the main beam direction. As a result, the individual strength representative value can be expected to be a value in which the influence of multipath is suppressed. The above technical idea can also be applied to the other vehicle interior communication device 13.

[Modification 4]
In the above-mentioned modification 3, the configuration of generating the individual strength representative value in which the influence of multipath is suppressed by sequentially changing the directivity of the front area communication device 13A is disclosed, but the influence of multipath is suppressed. The configuration for generating the individual strength representative value is not limited to this.

For example, as shown in FIG. 19, as the front area communication device 13A, a short-range communication device 3 having an antenna 31α and an antenna 31β forming a main beam in different directions may be arranged. The one-dot chain line in the figure shows the directivity of the antenna 31α, and the two-dot chain line shows the directivity of the antenna 31β. Even with such a configuration, since the location where the dip point derived from the multipath is generated differs between the antennas 31α and 31β, it is possible to generate an individual intensity representative value in which the influence of the multipath is suppressed. Further, according to the configuration of the modification, the distance between the antenna 31α and the antenna 31β does not need to be set to one wavelength or more.

The antenna 31α and the antenna 31β may be housed in separate housings. That is, the vehicle interior communication devices whose directivity centers are directed in different directions may be integrally configured or may be configured as separate bodies.

[Modification 5]
In relation to the fourth modification, as the front area communication device 13A, a short-range communication device 3 having an antenna 31α and an antenna 31γ having different planes of polarization to be transmitted and received may be arranged as shown in FIG. For example, the antenna 31α is an antenna 31 that transmits / receives horizontally polarized waves, and the antenna 31γ is an antenna 31 that transmits / receives vertically polarized waves. Even with such a configuration, the same effect as that of the modified example 4 can be obtained.

The reception intensity detection unit 321α shown in FIG. 20 is configured to detect the reception intensity of the signal received by the antenna 31α. Further, the reception intensity detection unit 321γ shown in FIG. 20 is configured to detect the reception intensity of the signal received by the antenna 31α.

The configuration including the antenna 31α and the reception intensity detection unit 321α corresponds to a vehicle interior communication device whose transmission / reception is vertical polarization. Further, the configuration including the antenna 31γ and the reception intensity detection unit 321γ corresponds to a vehicle interior communication device whose transmission / reception is horizontal polarization. The antenna 31α and the antenna 31γ may be housed in separate housings. That is, the vehicle interior communication device whose transmission / reception target is vertical polarization and the vehicle interior communication device whose transmission / reception target is vertical polarization may be integrally configured or may be configured as separate bodies. Is also good.

In the above, the antenna 31α is an antenna 31 whose transmission / reception target is vertical polarization, and the antenna 31γ is an antenna 31 whose transmission / reception target is horizontal polarization, but the present invention is not limited to this. The antenna 31α is intended to transmit and receive radio waves having a plane of polarization inclined by 45 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane of the vehicle, and the antenna 31γ is intended to transmit and receive radio waves having a plane of polarization inclined by 135 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane of the vehicle. It may be configured in. The plane of polarization here is a plane parallel to the direction in which the electric field vibrates with respect to the traveling direction of the radio wave, and corresponds to the vibration plane of the electric field.

The antenna 31α and the antenna 31γ may be configured to transmit and receive linearly polarized waves having different electric field vibration directions of 45 degrees or more (ideally 90 degrees). Assuming that the radio wave to be transmitted / received by the antenna 31α is horizontally polarized, the antenna 31γ is configured to transmit / receive linearly polarized waves having a polarization plane having an angle of 45 degrees or more with the horizontal plane of the vehicle. I just need to be there. The vibration direction of the electric field in the radio wave to be transmitted and received by the antenna 31α corresponds to the first direction. The vibration direction of the electric field in the radio wave targeted by the antenna 31γ corresponds to the second direction. It is preferable that the first direction and the second direction are set so as to be different by 90 degrees.

[Modification 6]
When the position determination unit F4 determines that the mobile terminal 2 exists outside the vehicle interior, the mobile terminal 2 locks and unlocks the vehicle Hv based on the individual strength representative value for each vehicle outdoor communication device 14. It may be determined whether or not it exists in the area Lx.

For example, the position determination unit F4 determines that the mobile terminal 2 exists in the locking / unlocking area Lx when the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value (hereinafter, the locking / unlocking threshold value). On the other hand, the position determination unit F4 determines that the mobile terminal 2 does not exist in the locking / unlocking area Lx when the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb is less than the locking / unlocking threshold value. As described above, the lock / unlock area Lx is an area set as a condition for the vehicle control unit F5 to execute a process of controlling the lock / unlock state of the door provided in the vehicle Hv.

The vehicle control unit F5 executes a process of controlling the lock / unlock state of the door based on the existence of the mobile terminal 2 in the lock / unlock area Lx and the successful authentication of the mobile terminal 2. .. The locking / unlocking area Lx is set in an area outside the vehicle interior that is within a few meters from various doors provided on the vehicle Hv. The door here is not limited to the driver's door and the passenger's door, but may also include a trunk door and the like.

Further, as shown in FIG. 21, the vehicle Hv is set with the right side locking / unlocking area L1, the left side locking / unlocking area L2, and the trunk locking / unlocking area L3 for different doors as the locking / unlocking area Lx. It is preferable. The hatched portion of the dot pattern in FIG. 21 conceptually represents the locking / unlocking area Lx.

The right lock / unlock area L1 is a lock / unlock area Lx for controlling the lock / unlock state of the door on the right side of the vehicle. The right locking / unlocking area L1 is set to include the vicinity of the front right door and the vicinity of the rear right door. The right side locking / unlocking area L1 is formed by the right side surface first communication device 14A and the right side surface second communication device 14B. The right side locking / unlocking area L1 may be divided into a locking / unlocking area Lx for the front right door and a locking / unlocking area Lx for the rear right door.

The left lock / unlock area L2 is a lock / unlock area Lx for controlling the lock / unlock state of the door on the left side of the vehicle. The left locking / unlocking area L2 is set to include the vicinity of the front left door and the vicinity of the rear left door. The left side locking / unlocking area L2 is formed by the left side surface first communication device 14C and the left side surface second communication device 14D. The left locking / unlocking area L2 may be divided into a locking / unlocking area Lx for the front left door and a locking / unlocking area Lx for the rear left door.

The trunk lock / unlock area L3 is a lock / unlock area Lx for controlling the lock / unlock state of the trunk door. The trunk locking / unlocking area L3 is set to include the vicinity of the trunk door. The trunk locking / unlocking area L3 is formed by the rear first communication device 14E and the rear second communication device 14F. The vicinity of the door is an area within a predetermined distance (for example, 0.7 m, 1 m, 1.5 m) from the door handle.

When a plurality of locking / unlocking areas Lx for different doors are set in the vehicle Hv in this way, the position determination unit F4 is, for example, the individual strength representative value of the right side first communication device 14A and the right side. When at least one of the individual strength representative values of the surface second communication device 14B is equal to or higher than the locking / unlocking threshold value, it is determined that the mobile terminal 2 exists in the right locking / unlocking area L1.

Further, in the position determination unit F4, when at least one of the individual strength representative value of the left side surface first communication device 14C and the individual strength representative value of the left side surface second communication device 14D is equal to or higher than the locking / unlocking threshold value. , It is determined that the mobile terminal 2 exists in the left locking / unlocking area L2. Further, the position determination unit F4 is carried when at least one of the individual strength representative value of the rear first communication device 14E and the individual strength representative value of the rear second communication device 14F is equal to or higher than the locking / unlocking threshold value. It is determined that the terminal 2 exists in the trunk locking / unlocking area L3.

According to the above configuration, the position determination unit F4 specifies whether the mobile terminal 2 is located in the right side locking / unlocking area L1, the left side locking / unlocking area L2, the trunk locking / unlocking area L3, or any other area. can do. The other area is an area that does not correspond to any of the right side locking / unlocking area L1, the left side locking / unlocking area L2, and the trunk locking / unlocking area L3.

The vehicle control unit F5 locks or unlocks the door provided on the right side of the vehicle on condition that the position determination unit F4 determines that the mobile terminal 2 exists in the right side locking / unlocking area L1. To carry out. The vehicle control may be executed by a user operation on the door handle button 15 as a trigger, or may be automatically executed by a user's entry into the right locking / unlocking area L1 as a trigger.

When a plurality of mobile terminals 2 are registered in the in-vehicle system 1 and the in-vehicle system 1 can acquire signals from the plurality of mobile terminals 2, the position determination unit F4 is used. The position of each mobile terminal 2 may be specified based on the reception strength of the mobile terminal 2. According to such an aspect, it is possible to improve the convenience when one vehicle Hv is shared by a plurality of users. Further, since the user seated in each seat can be specified from the terminal ID of the mobile terminal 2, it is possible to provide a service according to the user. The service according to the user is, for example, automatic adjustment of the seat position, adjustment of the temperature and air volume of the air conditioner, and the like.

[Modification 7]
When the position determination unit F4 determines that the mobile terminal 2 exists outside the vehicle interior, whether the mobile terminal 2 exists in the welcome area Wx shown in FIG. 22 based on the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb. It may be configured to determine whether or not.

The welcome area Wx is an area in which the vehicle control unit F5 executes a predetermined welcome process based on the position determination unit F4 detecting the entry of the mobile terminal 2 into the area. The welcome process is, for example, a process of turning on the lighting inside / outside the vehicle or operating an air conditioner. It is preferable that the content of the vehicle control executed as the welcome process is configured to be appropriately changeable by the user.

The position determination unit F4 of the present modification 7 determines that the mobile terminal 2 exists in the welcome area Wx, for example, when the outdoor unit strength representative value Pb becomes equal to or more than a predetermined approach detection threshold value. The approach detection threshold value corresponds to a parameter that defines a region to be a welcome area Wx. The approach detection threshold value is set so that the area outside the vehicle interior, for example, within 5 m from the vehicle Hv, is the welcome area Wx.

In this modification, the welcome area Wx is formed by using all the outdoor communication devices 14 provided in the in-vehicle system 1, but is not limited to this. The welcome area Wx may be formed by using a part of a plurality of outdoor communication devices 14 included in the in-vehicle system 1. For example, the welcome area Wx may be formed by using the right side first communication device 14A, the left side first communication device 14C, the rear first communication device 14E, and the rear second communication device 14F. In that case, at least one of the individual strength representative values of the right side first communication device 14A, the left side first communication device 14C, the rear first communication device 14E, and the rear second communication device 14F is equal to or higher than the approach detection threshold value. If this is the case, it may be determined that the mobile terminal 2 exists in the welcome area Wx.

[Modification 8]
The mobile terminal 2 may have a function of remotely controlling the in-vehicle system 1 (hereinafter, a remote control function). For example, the mobile terminal 2 may have a function of operating the air conditioner of the vehicle Hv or automatically parking the vehicle based on the user's operation on the mobile terminal 2. These functions may be provided by the computer included in the mobile terminal 2 executing predetermined application software (hereinafter referred to as a remote control application).

In that case, the mobile terminal 2 transmits a control signal (hereinafter, a command signal) corresponding to the instruction content of the user to the in-vehicle system 1 by encrypted communication with the data communication device 12. The vehicle control unit F5 of the in-vehicle system 1 executes vehicle control according to a command signal transmitted from the mobile terminal 2. Such a command signal is also included in the signal exchanged between the mobile terminal 2 and the vehicle-mounted system 1.

Further, the mobile terminal 2 may be configured to acquire information indicating the state of the vehicle Hv from the in-vehicle system 1 by short-range communication and notify the user. The information indicating the state of the vehicle Hv is the locked state of the door, the temperature inside the vehicle, the remaining amount of fuel, the remaining amount of battery, and the like. The signal exchanged between the mobile terminal 2 and the vehicle-mounted system 1 also includes a signal indicating the state of the vehicle Hv. Such a function may also be provided by the computer built in the mobile terminal 2 executing a predetermined application software (hereinafter, a state monitoring application).

[Modification 9]
In the various embodiments described above, the configuration in which two outdoor communication devices 14 are arranged on the right side surface portion and the left side surface portion of the vehicle Hv is disclosed, but the present invention is not limited to this. An outdoor communication device 14 may be arranged one by one on the right side surface portion and the left side surface portion of the vehicle Hv.

Further, as shown in FIG. 23, the vehicle outdoor communication device 14 may be arranged on the B pillar 45B of the vehicle Hv. Of course, it may be arranged in the A pillar 45A or the C pillar 45C. Further, as shown in FIG. 24, the vehicle outdoor communication device 14 may be arranged near the boundary between the side surface portion and the roof portion of the vehicle Hv (hereinafter, the upper end portion of the side surface) 46. Such a configuration corresponds to a configuration in which the vehicle outdoor communication device 14 is provided in a portion located on the upper side of the window portion. The upper end portion 46 of the side surface corresponds to a portion of the roof portion of the vehicle Hv in contact with the upper end portion of the door of the vehicle Hv.

The various pillars and the upper end portion 46 of the side surface correspond to the region near the window portion on the outer surface portion of the vehicle Hv. Further, a portion within one wavelength from the lower end portion of the window portion can also be included in the region near the window portion. That is, the region near the window portion here refers to the outer surface portion within one wavelength from the window frame portion. It is preferable that the various outdoor communication devices 14 are arranged in such an installation manner that the outer portion of the window is a strong electric field area. As the parameters constituting the installation mode of the vehicle outdoor communication device 14, the mounting position, the mounting posture (in other words, the directivity), and the like can be adopted.

[Modification 10]
In the above-described embodiment, the embodiment in which the position determination system according to the present disclosure is applied to the vehicle Hv having a metal body is disclosed, but the vehicle suitable as the application destination of the position determination system is a vehicle having a metal body. Not limited to.

For example, various body panels constituting the body of the vehicle Hv may be formed by using a carbon-based resin filled with a sufficient amount of carbon so as to attenuate the propagation of radio waves by 5 dB or more. Vehicles equipped with such a body are also suitable for application of the position determination system.

Further, the body panel of the vehicle Hv may be formed by using a general-purpose resin in which the body panel of the vehicle Hv does not contain carbon. When the body panel of the vehicle Hv is formed by using a general-purpose resin containing no carbon, it is preferable that a specific metal pattern having a function of blocking the propagation of radio waves is provided on the surface of the body panel. The metal pattern (hereinafter referred to as a shield pattern) having a function of blocking the propagation of radio waves is, for example, a pattern in which fine wire conductors such as silver nanowires are arranged in a grid pattern at intervals of 12 wavelengths or less of radio waves. The thin line here refers to a line having a line width of 50 μm or less.

The above shield pattern can be realized by using a well-known meta-surface structure. The meta-surface structure is a structure in which artificial structures called unit cells are repeatedly arranged. According to the meta-surface structure, only radio waves in a specific frequency band (here, radio waves) can be selectively reflected or attenuated (that is, blocked). Further, the body of the vehicle Hv may be configured to block the propagation of radio waves by applying a paint containing metal powder or carbon powder on the body made of general-purpose resin. Further, a film that blocks the propagation of radio waves (hereinafter referred to as a shield film) may be attached to the body. Vehicles equipped with such a body are also suitable for application of the position determination system. A part or all of the body of the vehicle Hv may be formed by using a general-purpose resin.

<Addition>
The means and / or functions provided by the authentication ECU 11 can be provided by software recorded in a substantive memory device and a computer, software only, hardware only, or a combination thereof that executes the software. For example, when the authentication ECU 11 is provided by an electronic circuit which is hardware, it can be provided by a digital circuit including a large number of logic circuits or an analog circuit. Also, the authentication ECU 11 may be provided by a single computer or a set of computer resources linked by a data communication device.

1 In-vehicle system, 2 Mobile terminal, 3 Short-range communication device, 11 Authentication ECU, 12 Data communication device, 13 Vehicle interior communication device, 14 Vehicle outdoor communication device, 15 Door handle button, 16 Start button, 17 Engine ECU, 18 Body ECU, F1 vehicle information acquisition unit, F2 communication processing unit, F3 authentication processing unit, F4 position determination unit, F5 vehicle control unit, 31 antenna, 32 transmission / reception unit, 321 reception strength detection unit, 33 communication microcomputer

Claims (20)

A position for a vehicle that determines the position of the mobile terminal with respect to the vehicle by performing wireless communication with a mobile terminal carried by the user of the vehicle in accordance with a short-range wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi standard . It ’s a judgment system,
A data communication device (12) that communicates with the mobile terminal and performs data communication conforming to the short-range wireless communication standard .
An in- vehicle communication device (13, 13A-13D) and
An outdoor communication device (14, 14A to 14F) as a strength observer, which is installed on the outer surface of the vehicle and detects the reception strength of the radio signal transmitted from the mobile terminal.
The position of the mobile terminal is determined based on at least one of the indoor unit strength, which is the reception strength detected by the vehicle interior communication device, and the outdoor unit strength, which is the reception strength detected by the vehicle outdoor communication device. Equipped with a position determination device ( 11 )
The position determination device is
While the data communication device is not connected to the mobile terminal by communication, the operation of the strength observation device is stopped.
To shift the intensity observation device to a state in which the radio signal can be received based on the communication connection of the data communication device with the mobile terminal .
The indoor unit strength is equal to or higher than a predetermined indoor equivalent value for determining that the mobile terminal exists in the vehicle interior, and the outdoor unit strength is a predetermined value for determining that the mobile terminal exists outside the vehicle interior. A position determination system configured to determine that the mobile terminal is present in the vehicle interior based on the fact that it is less than the outdoor equivalent value of. The position determination system according to claim 1.
The position determination device is based on the fact that the data communication device communicates with the mobile terminal. , Of the plurality of channels that can be used in the short-range wireless communication standard from the data communication device. , When acquiring channel information indicating the channel used for communication with the mobile terminal, In addition, the channel information is distributed to the plurality of intensity observers, and the channel information is distributed to the plurality of intensity observers.
The intensity observer uses the channel information received from the position determination device to perform the device. It is configured to detect the reception strength of the signal from the mobile terminal during communication with the data communication device. Position determination device. The position determination system according to claim 1 or 2 .
The outdoor communication device is arranged so as to cover a leakage region outside the vehicle interior, which is a region where the strength of the indoor unit is equal to or higher than the indoor equivalent value, with a strong electric field area where the strength of the outdoor unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined level. Position determination system. The position determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 .
The position determination device determines that the mobile terminal exists outside the vehicle interior when the indoor unit strength is less than the indoor equivalent value and when the outdoor unit strength is equal to or more than the outdoor equivalent value. Position determination system configured in. The position determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 .
It is equipped with multiple in-vehicle communication devices.
Each of the plurality of vehicle interior communication devices is arranged so that a different region in the vehicle interior is a strong electric field area, and the position determination device is
Based on the indoor unit strength acquired by each of the plurality of vehicle interior communication devices, the indoor unit strength representative value which is the representative value of the reception strength of the radio signal in the vehicle interior is calculated, and the indoor unit strength is calculated. A position determination system configured to determine the position of the portable terminal using the indoor unit strength representative value instead. The position determination system according to claim 5 .
A position determination system in which each of the plurality of vehicle interior communication devices is arranged so as to be separated from each other by one wavelength or more of radio waves used for wireless communication with the mobile terminal. The position determination system according to claim 5 .
A position determination system in which the plurality of vehicle interior communication devices are arranged so that the centers of directivity face different directions. The position determination system according to any one of claims 5 to 7 .
The position determination device uses a value obtained by adding a correction amount according to the reception sensitivity of the vehicle interior communication device to the indoor unit strength acquired by the vehicle interior communication device to obtain a representative value of the indoor unit strength. A position determination system configured to calculate. The position determination system according to any one of claims 5 to 8 .
The vehicle interior communication device whose transmission and reception targets linear polarization in which the vibration direction of the electric field is a predetermined first direction and the vibration direction of the electric field are in the second direction different from the first direction by 45 degrees or more. A position determination system including the vehicle interior communication device that targets transmission / reception of linear polarization. The position determination system according to any one of claims 5 to 9 .
The vehicle interior communication device is a position determination system in which at least one is arranged for each area divided by the backrest portions (41, 42) of the seat. The position determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 10 .
The vehicle interior communication device is configured so that the central direction of directivity changes sequentially.
The position determination device is
Individually representing the indoor unit strength in the vehicle interior communication device within the most recent predetermined time by using a plurality of reception intensities acquired while the central direction of the directivity of the vehicle interior communication device is changing. It is configured to calculate the strength representative value,
A position determination system configured to determine the position of the mobile terminal using the individual strength representative value as the indoor unit strength. The position determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 11.
It is equipped with multiple outdoor communication devices.
Each of the plurality of vehicle outdoor communication devices is arranged so that a different region outside the vehicle interior is a strong electric field area, and the position determination device is
Based on the outdoor unit strength acquired by each of the plurality of vehicle outdoor communication devices, the outdoor unit strength representative value, which is the representative value of the reception strength of the radio signal outside the vehicle room, is calculated, and the outdoor unit strength is calculated. A position determination system configured to determine the position of the mobile terminal using the outdoor unit strength representative value instead. The position determination system according to claim 1 and 2 .
A position determination system including the vehicle outdoor communication device arranged in a region near the window portion within a predetermined distance from the window frame portion on the outer surface portion. The position determination system according to claim 1 2 or 13.
The outdoor communication device is a position determination system arranged so that the vicinity of a window outside the vehicle interior is a strong electric field area. The position determination system according to any one of claims 12 to 14 .
The position determination device uses a value obtained by adding a correction amount according to the reception sensitivity of the vehicle outdoor communication device to the outdoor unit strength acquired by the vehicle outdoor communication device to obtain a representative value of the outdoor unit strength. A position determination system configured to calculate. The position determination system according to any one of claims 1 2 to 15 .
The lock / unlock threshold value for determining whether or not the mobile terminal exists in the lock / unlock area, which is an area for executing the process of controlling the lock / unlock state of the door provided in the vehicle, is set. It is preset as a threshold value different from the indoor equivalent value and the outdoor equivalent value.
In the position determination device , the mobile terminal exists in the lock / unlock area based on the reception strength of the predetermined outdoor communication device or the representative value of the outdoor unit strength being equal to or higher than the lock / unlock threshold value. A position determination system configured to determine. The position determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 16 .
The indoor equivalent value is a position determination system set to a value corresponding to the minimum value of the indoor unit strength that can be observed when the mobile terminal is present in the vehicle interior. The position determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 17 .
The outdoor equivalent value is a position determination system set to a value corresponding to the maximum value of the outdoor unit strength that can be observed when the mobile terminal is present in the vehicle interior. Mobile terminals carried by vehicle users and Bluetooth or Wi-Fi standards Data communication device for carrying out data communication conforming to the short-range wireless communication standard (12) , And receiving a radio signal compliant with the short-range wireless communication standard transmitted from the mobile terminal. At least one used in connection with each of multiple strength observers that detect signal strength A position determination device including a processor (111) of the above.
The plurality of strength observers include vehicle interior communication devices (13, 13A to 1) arranged in the vehicle interior. 3D) and the vehicle outdoor communication device (14, 14A to 14F) arranged on the outer surface of the vehicle. , Are included at least one by one,
The processor
Acquiring from the data communication device whether or not a communication connection is made with the mobile terminal, and
While the data communication device is not connected to the mobile terminal by communication, the operation of the strength observation device is performed. To stop and
Receives the wireless signal based on the communication connection of the data communication device with the mobile terminal. Moving the intensity observer to a possible state and
The indoor unit strength, which is the reception strength detected by the vehicle interior communication device, and the vehicle outdoor communication device are inspected. To acquire the strength of the outdoor unit, which is the received strength,
The strength of the indoor unit corresponds to a predetermined indoor unit for determining that the mobile terminal exists in the vehicle interior. It is determined that the value is equal to or higher than the value and the strength of the outdoor unit indicates that the mobile terminal exists outside the vehicle interior. It is determined that the mobile terminal exists in the vehicle interior based on the fact that it is less than the predetermined outdoor equivalent value. A position determination device configured to determine and perform. The position determination device according to claim 19.
The processor
Of the plurality of channels that can be used from the data communication device in the short-range wireless communication standard. , Acquiring channel information indicating the channel used for communication with the mobile terminal. When,
By distributing the channel information to the plurality of intensity observers, the plurality of intensity observations are performed. A signal from the mobile terminal communicating with the data communication device using the channel information on the machine. A position determination device configured to detect and implement the reception intensity of.

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