JPH07293082A - Automatic door lock device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To remakably facilitate an automatic door lock device by unnecessitating all operation of locking or unlocking. CONSTITUTION:A transmitter 24 transmitting a beam at all times is housed in the gripping section of a key 8. A control unit 14, in which a receiver 23 receiving the beam is incorporated, is stored inside a car door 1. The control unit 14 receiving the beam locks and operates a lock device 4 for the door 1 when the beam is weakened, and unlocks and operates the lock device 4 when the beam is strengthened. The door for a car is unlocked automatically when a crew carrying the key approaches the car, and the door is locked automatically when the crew gets away from the car.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle automatic door lock device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a door lock device that automatically performs a locking operation and an unlocking operation in accordance with the approach and separation of a person who has a key from a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a vehicle door lock device, there are a key type device which locks and unlocks the door lock only by manual operation and a remote type device which locks and unlocks the door lock by a remote controller.

The remote control type door lock device is provided on the vehicle body side and locks the door lock based on a receiver for receiving radio waves and infrared rays transmitted from a remote controller and a signal from the receiver. And an electric actuator for performing an unlocking operation.

A signal is transmitted by operating the operation switch provided in the remote controller, and the door lock device is locked or unlocked.

[0005]

Although the conventional remote controller type door lock device is more convenient than the manual door lock device, the remote controller is operated each time the vehicle door is locked and unlocked. It still has the hassle of having to do it.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic door lock device in which the door of a vehicle is automatically locked or unlocked only when a user carrying a key approaches or separates from the vehicle. Is.

[0007]

An automatic door lock device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a key for manually locking and unlocking a door lock of a vehicle, and an electrically operated lock and unlock operation of the door lock. In a door lock device having an actuator for operating the actuator and a control device for giving an actuation signal to the actuator, the key is provided with a transmitter that constantly emits a signal radio wave, and the control device has a transmitter for transmitting the signal. Receiver that receives the signal radio wave
Lock signal output means for outputting a lock signal to the actuator when the received signal strength of the signal radio wave received by the receiver becomes a predetermined value or less, and the received signal strength of the signal radio wave received by the receiver. And an unlock signal output means for outputting an unlock signal to the actuator when is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic door lock device including a key for manually locking and unlocking a door lock of a vehicle, and an actuator for electrically locking and unlocking the door lock. A door lock device having a control device for giving an actuation signal to the actuator, which is provided in the vehicle, is provided with a first transmitter that constantly emits a first signal radio wave, and is provided with the key. A first receiver that receives the first signal radio wave; and a second transmitter that is provided on the key and that emits a second signal radio wave according to the receiving operation of the first receiver;
The control device includes a second receiver that receives the second signal radio wave, and a received signal strength of the second signal radio wave that the second receiver receives is less than or equal to a predetermined value. A lock signal output means for outputting a lock signal to the actuator when the signal strength of the second signal radio wave reaches a predetermined value or more. And an unlock signal output means for outputting an unlock signal.

[0009]

In the automatic door lock device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the key is provided with a transmitter that constantly emits a signal radio wave, and the door is unlocked on the vehicle side according to the strength of reception of the signal radio wave. A control device and an actuator for locking and locking are provided. Then, only by the user carrying the key and approaching the vehicle, the reception intensity of the signal radio wave is increased and the door is unlocked. Further, the reception strength of the signal radio wave is weakened and the door is locked only when the user carrying the key moves away from the vehicle.

In the automatic door lock device according to the second aspect of the invention, the first signal radio wave is constantly transmitted from the first transmitter provided on the vehicle side. The first receiver that constantly receives the first signal radio wave and the second transmitter that emits the second signal radio wave in response to the reception of the first signal radio wave by the first receiver are the keys. It is provided in.

The vehicle is equipped with a control device and an actuator for unlocking and locking the door according to the strength of the second signal radio wave. Then, when the user holds the key and approaches the vehicle, the reception intensity of the second signal radio wave is increased and the door is unlocked. When the user carrying the key moves away, the reception strength of the second signal radio wave weakens and the door is locked.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An automatic door lock device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. Figure 1 shows
FIG. 3 is a schematic front view showing a door of a vehicle equipped with an automatic door lock device. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the automatic door lock device, and FIG. 3 is a timing chart explaining an operation example of the automatic door lock device.
The figure is a flow chart showing the operation sequence of the automatic door lock device.

In FIG. 1, a door inner handle 3 for opening the door 1 is provided on a door panel 2 lined with the door 1. This door inner handle 3
Is connected to the lock device 4 mounted inside the door panel 2 via an operating rod 5A. Also,
This locking device 4 is provided with a door 1 via an operating rod 5B.
Is connected to a door outer handle 6 provided on the front side of the.

The locking device 4 is a device that engages with a rod-shaped striker (not shown) provided on the vehicle body side to hold the door 1 in a state where the door 1 is firmly closed to the vehicle body. The door handles 3 and 6 are used when the striker engaging portion 7 of the lock device 4 is disengaged from the striker to open the door 1. Further, the lock device 4 is provided with a lock mechanism.

This lock mechanism is a mechanism for switching between an unlocked state in which the door 1 can be opened and closed and a locked state in which the striker engaging portion 7 is held inoperable and the door 1 is not opened. Is.

The lock mechanism is manually and electrically operated. When manually operated from the outside of the vehicle body, the key 8 is inserted into a keyhole (not shown) exposed on the front surface side of the door 1 and rotated. It is operated from the inside of the vehicle body by moving up and down a door lock knob 10 projecting to the lower edge of the window glass 9. Furthermore, when operated electrically, it is operated by the lock solenoid 11 provided in the lock device 4.

Inside the door panel 2, in addition to the lock device 4, a key cylinder 12 and a door lock sensor 13 are provided.
And the control unit 14 are housed. The key hole into which the key 8 is inserted is provided in the key cylinder 12. The key cylinder 12 is connected to a rod 15 via a link 12a, and when the key 8 inserted in the key cylinder 12 is turned, the rod 15 is moved up and down.

The door lock knob 10 is attached to the upper end of the rod 15. The lower end of the rod 15 is connected to the lock mechanism of the lock device 4. Therefore, the vertical movement of the door lock knob 10 and the horizontal rotation of the key cylinder 12 can be transmitted to the lock mechanism.

The door lock sensor 13 is the key cylinder 1
It is provided below 2. The door lock sensor 13 has a passage in the vertical direction, and the rod 1 is provided in the passage.
5 is inserted. The door lock sensor 13 is a sensor that detects whether the position of the lock mechanism is in the unlocked state or the locked state, depending on the position of the rod 15 inserted in the passage.

The position signal of the lock mechanism detected by the door lock sensor 13 is transmitted to the control unit 14 via the lead wire 16A. The control unit 1
Reference numeral 4 includes an electronic circuit for controlling the operation of the lock solenoid 11 and is connected to the lock solenoid 11 via a lead wire 16B.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 14 includes a solenoid control circuit 21 and a radio wave intensity determination circuit 22.
And the receiver 23 are connected in series. The solenoid control circuit 21 is a circuit that directly controls the operation of the lock solenoid 11, and is connected to the radio wave intensity determination circuit 22, the door lock sensor 13, and the ignition switch key sensor 24. The ignition switch key sensor 24 is a sensor that detects whether or not the key 8 is inserted into the keyhole of the ignition switch.

A transmitter 25 is provided in the grip portion of the key 8. The transmitter 25 constantly emits a signal radio wave of a specific frequency. A signal wave indicating a security code (code of a car key) is superimposed on this radio wave.

The receiver 23 of the control unit 14 can always receive signals while the automatic door lock device is operating. A radio wave intensity determination circuit 22 is connected to the receiver 23,
The strength of the received signal received by the receiver 23 is judged by the radio wave strength judgment circuit 22.

The radio wave intensity determination circuit 22 also has a timer function, and as shown in FIG. 3, when the signal radio wave received by the receiver 23 remains in a strong state or a weak state for a predetermined time or longer, solenoid control is performed. An unlock signal or a lock signal is output to the circuit 21.

The operation of the automatic door lock device of this embodiment constructed as described above will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG.

First, at step 31, the presence or absence of the key 8 in the keyhole of the ignition key cylinder is detected.
This automatic door lock device waits in the state of step 31 when the key 8 is inserted in the ignition keyhole. If the key 8 does not exist in the ignition keyhole, the process proceeds to step 32, where the door lock position is determined. This door lock position judgment is
This is performed based on the signal from the door lock sensor 13.

If the door 1 is locked in step 32, the process proceeds to step 33, where the reception strength of the signal radio wave is judged. As described above, the transmitter 25 of the key 8 which is the remote controller constantly emits the signal radio wave, and the closer the key 8 is to the vehicle (that is, the occupant of the vehicle has the key 8 and approaches the vehicle). The higher the intensity of signal radio waves received by the receiver 23 provided on the vehicle side becomes. In step 33, when the reception intensity of the signal radio wave is stronger than the reference value (in the strong state), the process proceeds to step 34. In step 33, when the reception intensity of the signal radio wave is in a weak state lower than the reference value, the process returns from step 33 to step 31.

In step 34, it is determined whether or not the reception intensity of the signal radio wave has been in a strong state for a predetermined time or longer. If the strong signal continues for a predetermined time or longer in step 34, it indicates that the occupant is near the vehicle. Therefore, in step 34a, it is determined whether or not the received signal is that of the own vehicle (own vehicle code). The door lock device outputs an unlock signal in step 35. This allows
The lock solenoid 11 is energized to release the lock, and the door lock is released.

In step 34, when the strong state does not continue for a predetermined time (that is, when the occupant carrying the key approaches the door but immediately leaves the door), the process returns from step 34 to step 31. Also when it is determined in step 34a that the vehicle code is not the vehicle code, step 31
Return to.

If the door 1 is unlocked in step 32, the process proceeds from step 32 to step 36 to judge the reception intensity of the signal radio wave. When the signal strength is weak, the process proceeds from step 36 to step 37. In step 37, when the reception intensity of the signal radio wave continues to be weak for a predetermined time or more, it means that there is no occupant holding the key 8 near the vehicle. Therefore, it is determined in step 37a whether or not the vehicle code is the own vehicle code. After that, the process proceeds to step 38 to output the lock signal. Thus, the lock solenoid 11 is energized to lock the door, and the door is locked.

If it is determined in step 36 that the signal strength is strong, or if the weak state does not continue for a predetermined time or longer in step 37, it means that the occupant is near the vehicle. Therefore, the process returns from steps 36 and 37 to step 31. . As a result, the automatic door lock device remains in the unlocked state. When it is determined in step 37a that the vehicle code is not the vehicle code, the process returns to step 31.

As described above, according to the automatic door lock device of the present embodiment, the occupant carrying the key 8 automatically becomes the unlocked state only when approaching the vehicle, and the occupant locking the key 8 also automatically locks. It becomes a state. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform any lock or unlock operation,
It is extremely convenient.

Next, an automatic door lock device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of this automatic door lock device, and FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the operating sequence of this automatic door lock device. In the automatic door lock device of the second embodiment as well, like the automatic door lock device of the first embodiment described above, the device body is mounted on the door side of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 14A has a solenoid control circuit 21 and a radio wave intensity determination circuit 22 connected in series, and the radio wave intensity determination circuit 22 includes a second receiver 41 and a first oscillator. 42 is a connected circuit unit. When the automatic door lock device is operating, the first transmitter 42 constantly emits the first signal radio wave of a specific frequency. Similarly, when the automatic door lock device is operating, the second receiver 41 can always receive the second signal radio wave having a frequency different from that of the first signal radio wave.

A first receiver 43 that constantly receives the first signal radio wave and a second transmitter 44 that emits the second signal radio wave are provided in the grip portion of the key 8A. The second transmitter 44 transmits the second signal radio wave only when the first receiver 43 receives the first signal radio wave with a certain reception intensity or more.

The other structure and the operation thereof are the same as those of the automatic door lock device of the first embodiment described above, and the same or similar members are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

Regarding the operation of this automatic door lock device,
This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, at step 51, the presence or absence of the key 8A in the ignition keyhole is detected. This automatic door lock device stands by at step 51 when the key 8A is inserted into the ignition keyhole. When the key 8A does not exist in the ignition keyhole, the process proceeds to the determination of the door lock position in step 52, and the first transmitter 42 in the control unit 14A starts its operation and transmits the first signal radio wave. .

When the key 8A is in the vicinity of the vehicle (that is, when the occupant of the vehicle has the key 8A and is in the vicinity of the vehicle),
When the first receiver 43 included in the key 8A receives the first signal radio wave with a certain reception intensity or more, the second transmitter 44 included in the key 8A emits the second signal radio wave. When the reception intensity of the first signal radio wave is less than a certain value,
The second oscillator 44 does not operate.

If the door 1 is locked in step 52, the process proceeds to step 53, where the reception intensity of the second signal radio wave is determined. In step 53, the second receiver 4 on the vehicle side
When 1 receives the second signal radio wave above the reference value,
Go to step 54. In step 53, when the reception intensity of the second signal radio wave is less than the reference value, the process returns from step 53 to step 51.

When the reception intensity of the second signal radio wave continues to be strong for a predetermined time or more in step 54, after it is determined in step 54a whether the received signal is the own vehicle code, the automatic door lock device operates in step 55. At, the unlock signal is automatically output. As a result, the lock solenoid 11 is energized so as to unlock, and the door lock is unlocked.

In step 54, when the strong state does not continue for a predetermined time (that is, when the occupant carrying the key approaches the door but immediately leaves the door), the process returns from step 54 to step 51. Also when it is determined in step 54a that the vehicle code is not the one in step 51
Return to.

If the door 1 is unlocked in step 52, the second step from step 52 to step 56 is performed.
Proceed to the judgment of signal strength. When the reception intensity of the second signal radio wave is weak, the process proceeds from step 56 to step 57.
Proceed to. In step 57, if the reception intensity of the second signal radio wave is kept weak for a predetermined time or more, it means that there is no occupant holding the key 8A near the vehicle. After making the determination, the routine proceeds to step 58, where a lock signal is output. Thus, the lock solenoid 11 is energized so as to lock the door, and the door is locked.

If the signal strength of the second signal radio wave is strong in step 56, or if the weak state does not continue for a predetermined time or longer in step 57, it means that the occupant is near the vehicle. 5,
Return from 7 to step 51. As a result, the automatic door lock device remains in the unlocked state. When it is determined in step 57a that the vehicle code is not the vehicle code, the process returns to step 51.

As described above, according to the automatic door lock device of the second embodiment, the occupant holding the key 8A automatically becomes the unlocked state only when the occupant approaches the vehicle, and the occupant who holds the key 8A automatically becomes the unlocked state. It will be locked. Therefore, no locking or unlocking operation is required, which is extremely convenient.

In the automatic door lock device of the second embodiment, the first receiver 43 provided on the key is always operating, and the second transmitter 44 has a constant reception intensity of the first receiver 43. It is activated only when the value is exceeded. In general,
Since the power consumption of the receiver is smaller than the power consumption of the transmitter, according to this embodiment, the battery used for the key has a long life.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, a transmitter or the like is provided at the grip portion of the key, but it may be installed separately from the key such as a key holder.

Although the solenoid 11 is used in the above embodiment, a motor may be used instead.

[0049]

According to the automatic door lock device of the first and second aspects of the present invention, when an occupant carrying a key which is a remote controller approaches the vehicle, the door of the vehicle is automatically unlocked, and when the vehicle becomes far from the vehicle, the door is unlocked. Is automatically locked. Therefore, there is no need to perform any lock or unlock operation, which is extremely convenient.

According to the automatic door lock device of the second aspect, the battery used for the key has a long life.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of an automatic door lock device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the automatic door lock device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing an operation example of the automatic door lock device.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation sequence of the automatic door lock device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of an automatic door lock device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation sequence of the automatic door lock device according to the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Door 2 Door Panel 3 Key Cylinder 4 Lock Device 7 Strike Engagement Section 8, 8A Key 9 Window Glass 10 Door Lock Pick 11 Lock Solenoid 12 Key Cylinder 13 Door Lock Sensor 14, 14A Control Unit

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A key for manually locking and unlocking a door lock of a vehicle, an actuator for electrically locking and unlocking the door lock, and a control for giving an actuation signal to the actuator. A door lock device having a device, wherein the key comprises a transmitter that constantly emits a signal radio wave, and the control device includes a receiver that receives the signal radio wave that the transmitter emits and a receiver that receives the signal radio wave. Lock signal output means for outputting a lock signal to the actuator when the received signal strength of the received signal electric wave becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined value, and the received signal strength of the signal electric wave received by the receiver is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. And an unlock signal output means for outputting an unlock signal to the actuator when Door locking device. 2. A key for manually locking and unlocking a door lock of a vehicle, an actuator for electrically locking and unlocking the door lock, and a control for giving an actuation signal to the actuator. A door lock device having a device, a first oscillator provided in a vehicle for constantly transmitting a first signal radio wave, and a first oscillator provided in the key for receiving the first signal radio wave. 1 receiver and a second transmitter provided on the key and transmitting a second signal radio wave in response to a receiving operation of the first receiver, the control device comprising: A second receiver for receiving the second signal radio wave, and a lock for the actuator when the received signal strength of the second signal radio wave received by the second receiver falls below a predetermined value Output signal Lock signal output means, and unlock signal output means for outputting an unlock signal to the actuator when the received signal strength of the second signal radio wave received by the second receiver exceeds a predetermined value. An automatic door lock device characterized by comprising: