JPH09158576A - Locking system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to automatically lock or unlock a door without making switch operation by a driver. SOLUTION: When a driver having a key gets off the car, in the case a door on a driver's seat side is closed once after it is opened (affirmed with step 201), an identification code is started to receive (steps 208 and 210). While, when the driver holds the key, a specific electric circuit is short circuited, and when a regular switch is not operated within a specific time, an auxiliary identification code is automatically transmitted. The auxiliary identification code is received (affirmed with the step 21), and when the auxiliary identification code is consistent with a registration code established in advance (affirmed with step 218), after all doors are closed (affirmed with step 220), a door lock driving device is so controlled (step 220) that all doors are locked.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a locking system, and more particularly to a locking system for controlling a vehicle door to lock or unlock without inserting a vehicle key into a key cylinder.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a key and a key cylinder are composed of a plurality of pins that are installed on an inner cylinder of the key cylinder due to mechanical irregularities formed on the insertion part of the key body and magnetic force of an embedded magnet. By driving and moving a pin that straddles the boundary surface between the inner cylinder and a fixed outer cylinder arranged outside the inner cylinder, the inner cylinder can be rotated in the outer cylinder and unlocked. Is configured.

However, such a combination of a mechanical key and a key cylinder could be unlocked if the duplicated key had the same shape as the original key.

Therefore, the vehicle receives a predetermined identification code transmitted from a special key having a built-in oscillating element or a predetermined operation device, and the validity of the received identification code is checked (the identification code is registered in advance). There has been proposed a technique of performing a predetermined processing operation (for example, locking or unlocking of a door) after performing a confirmation of a match with a registration code (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-4).
4367).

However, in the above technique, the processing operation does not take place unless a person performs a predetermined operation. Therefore, even if it is applied to a vehicle door lock operation, the passenger forgets to perform a predetermined operation after getting off the vehicle, and Could be left without the door locked.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and it is possible to automatically lock or unlock a door without an occupant operating a switch. The purpose is to provide a system.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the locking system according to claim 1 is provided in a vehicle key, and contact detection means for detecting that a person touches the key, and the key. Provided on the vehicle side, and auxiliary transmission means for transmitting a predetermined identification code when the contact detection means detects that a person touches the key,
Door lock driving means for locking or unlocking the door, receiving means provided on the vehicle side for receiving the identification code, and vehicle provided on the vehicle side and previously registered with the identification code received by the receiving means Determination means for determining whether or not the registration code peculiar to the vehicle and the vehicle side are provided, and when the determination means determines that the identification code and the registration code match, all the doors are locked or A control means for controlling the door lock driving means so as to unlock.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the locking system is provided in a key for a vehicle, and is provided in the key, and a regular transmission means for transmitting a predetermined identification code when a person performs a predetermined operation. Contact detection means for detecting that a person touches the key, and auxiliary transmission provided on the key for transmitting a predetermined identification code when the contact detection means detects that a person touches the key. Means, a door lock driving means provided on the vehicle side for locking or unlocking the door, a receiving means provided on the vehicle side for receiving the identification code transmitted by the regular transmission means or the auxiliary transmission means, and the vehicle Determination means provided on the vehicle side for determining whether or not the identification code received by the receiving means matches a registration code specific to the vehicle registered in advance; If it is determined that the registration code and the identification codes coincide with stage, and having a control means for controlling the door lock drive means to lock or unlock all of the doors, the.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the second aspect.
In the invention described above, the auxiliary transmission means transmits an identification code different from that of the regular transmission means, and the determination means,
It is determined whether or not the identification code from the regular transmission means and the registration code corresponding to the identification code from the regular transmission means match, and the identification code from the auxiliary transmission means corresponds to the identification code from the auxiliary transmission means. If the identification code from the regular transmission means and the identification code from the auxiliary transmission means are both received by the reception means, it is determined from the regular transmission means. The determination process is performed by giving priority to the identification code.

In the invention according to claim 4, the invention according to claim 2
In the invention described above, the auxiliary transmitting means transmits the identification code at a signal level lower than that of the normal transmitting means.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 5, according to claim 1,
The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is characterized in that the auxiliary transmitting means transmits the identification code only for a predetermined time after the contact detecting means detects that a person touches the key. .

According to the invention of claim 6, claim 2
In the invention described in any one of (1) to (4) above, the auxiliary transmission means may output the identification code by the regular transmission means within a predetermined time after the contact detection means detects that a person touches the key. If not transmitted, the identification code is transmitted for a predetermined time thereafter.

[0013] According to the invention described in claim 7, according to claim 1,
The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is characterized in that the auxiliary transmission means transmits the identification code intermittently.

In the lock system according to the above-mentioned claim 1, the vehicle key is provided with the contact detecting means and the auxiliary transmitting means, and when a person touches the key, the contact detecting means detects the contact, and the auxiliary A predetermined identification code is transmitted by the transmission means.

In this way, a predetermined identification code is automatically transmitted only when a person touches the key.

When the person holding the key is located within the reception range of the vehicle-side receiving means (for example, when the person holding the key gets out of the vehicle or when the person holding the key approaches the vehicle) ), The identification code transmitted by the auxiliary transmission means is received by the reception means on the vehicle side, and the determination means determines whether or not the identification code matches the registration code registered in advance. If it is determined that the identification code and the registration code match, the control means controls the door lock driving means so as to lock or unlock all the doors. As a result, all the doors are locked or unlocked by the door lock driving means.

As described above, when the user holds the key to get out of the vehicle or when the person holding the key approaches the vehicle, the doors are automatically locked or locked without performing a predetermined operation. You can unlock.

Next, in the locking system according to the second aspect of the present invention, a person performs a predetermined operation to cause the regular transmission means to transmit a predetermined identification code, and when the transmitted identification code matches the registration code, the door is opened. The conventional locking system for controlling to lock or unlock the vehicle is further provided with contact detection means and auxiliary transmission means on the vehicle key side.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the conventional locking system in which a person controls to lock or unlock the door by performing a predetermined operation, one person forgets to perform the predetermined operation. Even if the person touches the key, a predetermined identification code is automatically transmitted, and when the person with the key gets out of the vehicle or the person with the key approaches the vehicle, Similar to the invention of item 1, when the transmitted identification code matches the registration code,
All doors will be locked or unlocked automatically.

However, the transmission of the identification code from the regular transmission means and the transmission of the identification code from the auxiliary transmission means may be performed in parallel.

Therefore, as in the third aspect of the present invention, the auxiliary transmission means transmits an identification code different from that of the normal transmission means, so that the identification code from the auxiliary transmission means (hereinafter referred to as the auxiliary identification code) and the normalization code. An identification code (hereinafter referred to as a regular identification code) from the transmission means can be identified, and when the auxiliary identification code and the regular identification code are both received, the determination means gives priority to the regular identification code to perform a determination process. By performing the above, it is possible to perform appropriate processing by giving priority to the regular identification code transmitted by the person performing a predetermined operation.

Since the auxiliary transmission means transmits an identification code different from that of the regular transmission means, the determination means matches the identification code from the regular transmission means with the registration code corresponding to the identification code from the regular transmission means. It is determined whether or not the identification code from the auxiliary transmission means and the registration code corresponding to the identification code from the auxiliary transmission means match.

On the other hand, in order to distinguish between the auxiliary identification code and the regular identification code, as in the invention described in claim 4, the auxiliary transmission means uses the identification code (auxiliary identification code) at a signal level lower than that of the regular transmission means. It may be transmitted. In this case, compared with the case where the signal level of the auxiliary identification code is set to be the same as the signal level of the regular identification code, there is an advantage that the power consumption for transmitting the auxiliary identification code can be reduced.

In order to reduce the power consumption for transmitting the auxiliary identification code as described above, as in the invention according to claim 5, the auxiliary transmitting means causes the person to touch the key by the contact detecting means. Alternatively, the identification code may be transmitted only for a predetermined time after the fact is detected, or the auxiliary transmission means may transmit the identification code intermittently instead of continuously. May be.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the auxiliary transmission means outputs the identification code by the regular transmission means within a predetermined time after the contact detection means detects that a person touches the key. Only when it is not transmitted, the identification code may be transmitted for a predetermined time thereafter. According to the invention of claim 6, it is possible to prevent the auxiliary identification code and the regular identification code from being transmitted at the same time, so that the effect of reducing the power consumption is high.

Next, in the invention described in claim 8,
Alternatively, the invention further includes a courtesy switch which is provided corresponding to a vehicle door and which is turned on / off in response to opening / closing of the door, and the control means is such that the ignition switch is switched from on to off and the courtesy switch is provided. When it is detected by the switch that the doors on the driver's seat side are once opened and then closed, the door lock driving means is operated so as to lock all the doors based on the judgment result by the judging means within a predetermined time from the detection. It is characterized by controlling.

According to the invention of claim 9, claim 1
Alternatively, the invention further includes a courtesy switch that is provided corresponding to the door of the vehicle and that turns on and off according to opening and closing of the door, and the control unit controls all the doors based on the state of the courtesy switch. After detecting that the closed state continues for a predetermined time, the door lock drive means is controlled so as to unlock all the doors based on the determination result by the determination means.

By the way, generally, the door of the vehicle is locked immediately after the engine is stopped and the driver gets off the driver's seat side door. Therefore, as in the invention described in claim 8, within a predetermined time after the ignition switch is switched from on to off and the courtesy switch detects that the driver's seat side door is once opened and then closed, the control means is operated. However, the automatic door lock control can be performed at an appropriate timing by controlling the door lock drive means so as to lock all the doors based on the determination result by the determination means.

On the other hand, after all the doors are closed for a predetermined period of time, it is generally overwhelmingly unlocked rather than locked. Therefore, as in the invention according to claim 9, after detecting that all the doors are closed for a predetermined time based on the state of the courtesy switch, the control means determines based on the determination result by the determination means. By controlling the door lock driving means so as to unlock all the doors, automatic door unlock control can be performed at an appropriate timing.

Next, in the invention according to claim 10, in the invention according to claim 1 or 2, the contact detection means is:
An electric circuit configured to have a plurality of metal terminals arranged on the surface of the key plate with a predetermined gap therebetween to electrically short-circuit when a person contacts the key plate, and to detect the occurrence of a short circuit in the electric circuit. And a short-circuit detection unit for performing the short circuit detection.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the tenth aspect of the present invention, the plurality of metal terminals form a predetermined ornament.

In the present invention, the contact detecting means for detecting that a person touches the key can be realized with a relatively simple structure by utilizing the characteristics of the human body as described below.

That is, the contact detection means uses an electrical circuit of the human body to electrically short-circuit when a person touches the key plate as in the invention according to the tenth aspect. And a short-circuit detection unit that detects the occurrence of a short circuit in the electric circuit. The electric circuit includes a plurality of metal terminals arranged on the surface of the key plate with a predetermined gap therebetween. Normally, the metal circuit is in an electrically open state between the plurality of metal terminals. When they come into contact with each other, the plurality of metal terminals are electrically short-circuited. By detecting the occurrence of this short circuit by the short circuit detection means, it is possible to detect that a person touches the key.

The short-circuit detecting means can detect the occurrence of a short-circuit with a relatively simple structure, for example, by detecting a change in the electric capacity of the electric circuit or a voltage change between predetermined terminals.

In addition to the invention described in claim 10, the fact that an electromagnetic wave of a predetermined frequency is always emitted from the human body is used to cause the contact detection means to vibrate with the electromagnetic wave emitted from the human hand. It is also possible to include a vibration detector for detecting the.

By the way, as in the eleventh aspect of the invention, by forming a predetermined ornament with the plurality of metal terminals, the appearance of the key plate surface can be improved. Further, it is possible to prevent others from recognizing that a device such as the contact detection means is installed on the key, and it is possible to prevent malicious acts of sabotage.

[0037]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[First Embodiment] As a first embodiment according to the present invention, an embodiment relating to a process of automatically locking (automatic locking process) will be described below with reference to the drawings. The locking system according to the present embodiment includes a vehicle-mounted receiver 12 shown in FIG. 2 and its related equipment, and a vehicle key (hereinafter referred to as key) side transmitter 44, a regular switch 42, and an auxiliary switch shown in FIG. It is constituted by 31.

As shown in FIG. 2, the receiver 12 includes a control unit 10 for controlling various processes in the receiver 12, and the control unit 10 has a central processing unit (C) (not shown).
A microcomputer (hereinafter, referred to as a microcomputer) 16 including a PU), a RAM, and a ROM, and an RF module 28 having a signal amplification function are incorporated. It should be noted that the ROM stores in advance a program for automatic locking processing, which will be described later, a registration code for checking the identification code, and the like.

Further, the receiver 12 is provided with a receiving antenna 14, and the receiving antenna 14 is the receiver 12.
(Or embedded in the vicinity of the outside handle 52 of the driver's seat side door 48 as shown in FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 2, the receiving antenna 14 is
It is connected to the microcomputer 16 through an RF module 28 that amplifies the signal received by the receiving antenna 14, and the amplified received signal is input to the microcomputer 16.

The microcomputer 16 is connected to a courtesy switch 20A which is turned on when the driver side door 48 (see FIG. 1) is opened and turned off when the driver side door 48 is closed. The courtesy switch 20B corresponding to the passenger side door and the courtesy switches 20C and 20D corresponding to the respective doors on the rear side of the vehicle are also connected to the microcomputer 16. Thereby, the microcomputer 16 can detect the on / off state of each courtesy switch, and can recognize the open / closed state of each door from the detection result.

Further, the microcomputer 16 is connected to a door lock drive device 22 as a door lock drive means. The door lock driving device 22 includes a driver side door 4
8 (see FIG. 1) is connected to a door lock mechanism 24A that locks or unlocks the door 8; a door lock mechanism 24B that locks or unlocks the passenger side door; Door lock mechanisms 24C and 24D for locking are also connected to the door lock drive device 22. Accordingly, the microcomputer 16 can operate each door lock mechanism to lock or unlock all the doors by transmitting a predetermined control signal to the door lock drive device 22.

Further, the microcomputer 16 is connected with a speaker 54 for issuing various warning sounds (alarms) described later, an ignition switch 38, and a key reminder switch 26. Of these, the key reminder switch 26
Is turned on when the key 30 (see FIG. 3A) is inserted in the ignition cylinder (key cylinder).
Is a switch that turns off when the key is removed from the ignition cylinder, and the microcomputer 16 determines whether the key 30 is in the ignition cylinder based on the state of the key reminder switch 26.

Further, the control unit 10 is always provided with the on-vehicle battery 4
Power is supplied from 0. As a result, even when the key 30 is not in the ignition cylinder, the control unit 10 and the receiver 12 are operating.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the key 3
At the end of the key plate 0, a conventional lock / unlock instruction switch (hereinafter referred to as a normal switch to distinguish from an auxiliary switch according to the present invention described later) 42 is installed. A transmitter 44, which controls transmission of an identification code described later, is embedded inside.

As shown in FIG. 5, the transmitter 44 includes a switch control circuit unit 56 for processing signals from the normal switch 42 and the auxiliary switch 31 according to the present invention, and a key control unit 30 connected to the switch control circuit unit 56. An ID code control unit 60 that stores the identification code and controls the ID code to be transmitted under a predetermined condition, and an antenna control unit 62 that is connected to the ID code control unit 60 and controls the operation of transmitting the identification code from the transmission antenna 64. , Is included. The switch control circuit unit 56 has a built-in auxiliary switch detection circuit 58 for detecting ON / OFF of the auxiliary switch 31 described later.

As shown in FIG. 4, the auxiliary switch 31 is
It is formed by the resin 34 and the metal terminal portions 32A and 32B arranged with a slight gap (arrow portions A to D).
The tip portion 36A of the metal terminal portion 32A and the tip portion 36B of the metal terminal portion 32B are respectively connected to the auxiliary switch detection circuit 58.
It is connected to the. That is, the auxiliary switch detection circuit 58
Is normally in an electrically open state.

As is apparent from FIG. 3 (A), the metal terminal portions 32A and 32B form an ornament on the key plate of the key 30 so as to have a good appearance and look like the transmitter 44. It is devised to prevent others from recognizing that such a device is embedded in the key 30.

By the way, since the human body has conductivity, when a person touches the key plate (auxiliary switch 31) of the key 30 shown in FIG. 3 (A), the metal terminal portion 32A,
32B is electrically short-circuited at at least one location of the arrows A to D shown in FIG. Along with this, the auxiliary switch detection circuit 58 is closed, and this is detected by the switch control circuit unit 56, and the switch control circuit unit 56 has a short circuit in the auxiliary switch 31, that is, the auxiliary switch 31 is turned on. A signal indicating the fact is output to the ID code control unit 60.

The ID code control unit 60 uses the auxiliary switch 3
When 1 is turned on, an identification code to be transmitted (hereinafter referred to as an auxiliary identification code) is converted into a signal and output to the antenna control unit 62, and the antenna control unit 62 transmits the auxiliary identification code from the transmission antenna 64. At this time, the auxiliary identification code is transmitted not intermittently but intermittently.

On the other hand, the normal switch 42 shown in FIG.
Switch is pressed from the direction of arrow P, the switch control circuit unit 5
The ID code control unit 6 outputs a signal indicating that the regular switch 42 is pushed, that is, the regular switch 42 is turned on.
Output to 0. The ID code control unit 60 converts the identification code to be transmitted when the regular switch 42 is turned on (hereinafter referred to as the regular identification code) into a signal, and the antenna control unit 62.
Then, the antenna control unit 62 transmits the regular identification code from the transmitting antenna 64. Note that different codes are used for the regular identification code and the auxiliary identification code.

A battery (not shown) is built in the transmitter 44 as described above, and the transmission range of various identification codes from the transmitter 44 can cover a range of about several tens of cm to 3 m. . Therefore, the receiving antenna 14
May be built in the receiver 12 or may be embedded near the outside handle 52 of the driver side door 48 as shown in FIG.

With the above configuration, when an occupant gets off the vehicle 50 with the key 30, or when the occupant with the key 30 gets on the vehicle 5,
When approaching 0, various identification codes from the transmitter 44 will be received by the receiving antenna 14.

When various identification codes from the transmitter 44 are received by the receiving antenna 14, the received identification code is judged to be good or bad in the automatic door lock process which will be described later and is executed by the microcomputer 16 of the receiver 12 and is judged to be normal. In the case of determination, automatic door lock will be performed.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. When the driver turns off the ignition switch 38 to stop the vehicle and stop the engine, the microcomputer 16 built in the receiver 12 on the vehicle side causes the microcomputer 16 shown in FIG.
Execution of the automatic locking process shown in is started.

In step 201 of FIG. 6, it is determined whether the driver seat side door 48 is once opened and then closed.
It is determined by the on / off state of the courtesy switch 20A corresponding to No. When the driver's side door 48 is once opened and then closed, or the determination in step 201 is repeated until a predetermined time has elapsed, and the driver's side door 48 is not opened and then closed within the predetermined time. That is, if the driver's side door 48 remains closed or remains open, the routine proceeds to step 204.

In step 204, it is determined whether or not the door 48 on the driver's side is left open depending on the on / off state of the courtesy switch 20A. Only if the door 48 on the driver's side is left open, the routine proceeds to step 206, where the driver's side is opened. A warning sound (alarm) for informing the occupant that the door 48 is still open is generated from the speaker 54, and the control routine ends.

On the other hand, when the driver gets off the vehicle, the driver side door 48 is once opened, and when the driver exits the vehicle and closes the driver side door 48, an affirmative decision is made in step 201, and step 208
Proceed to. In step 208, a registration code corresponding to a registered regular identification code (hereinafter referred to as a regular registration code) and a registration code corresponding to an auxiliary identification code (hereinafter referred to as an auxiliary registration code) are built in the microcomputer 16. It reads from the ROM and waits to receive the identification code from the key 30 side.

By the way, when the driver gets off the vehicle, the key 3
0 is pulled out from the key cylinder, the driver side door 48 is opened with the key 30 held, and the driver side door 48 is closed. Here, when the driver holds the key 30, the metal terminal portion 32 exposed on the key plate is exposed.
A and 32B are electrically short-circuited at at least one position of the arrows A to D in FIG. 4, and the auxiliary switch detection circuit 58 is closed. This is detected by the switch control circuit unit 56, and the switch control circuit unit 56 detects the auxiliary switch 31.
A signal (auxiliary switch ON signal) indicating that the short circuit has occurred, that is, the auxiliary switch 31 has been turned on is output to the ID code control unit 60.

Here, the ID code control unit 60 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (A) to (C), waiting for input of a signal (regular switch-on signal) indicating that the regular switch 42 has been turned on for a predetermined time T ₁ after the auxiliary switch-on signal is input. to go into.

As shown in FIG. 7A, when the driver presses the regular switch 42 while waiting for the input, the switch control circuit section 56 outputs the regular switch-on signal to the ID code control section 60. The ID code control unit 60 converts the regular identification code into a signal and outputs the signal to the antenna control unit 62. The antenna control unit 62 transmits the regular identification code from the transmission antenna 64.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7 (B), when the regular switch-on signal is not input within the predetermined time T ₁ , the ID code control unit 60 thereafter signals the auxiliary identification code for the predetermined time T _2. It is converted and output to the antenna control unit 62. The antenna control unit 62 transmits the auxiliary identification code from the transmission antenna 64. At this time, the auxiliary identification code is transmitted not intermittently but intermittently.

However, as shown in FIG. 7C, when the regular switch-on signal is input after the time T _{1 has} elapsed from the input of the auxiliary switch-on signal, the ID code control unit 6
0 converts both the regular identification code and the auxiliary identification code into a signal and outputs the signal to the antenna control unit 62. As a result, the antenna control unit 62 transmits both the regular identification code and the auxiliary identification code from the transmission antenna 64.

In this way, the transmitter 44 on the key 30 side
To identification code (regular identification code or auxiliary identification code,
Or both) are transmitted. Since the transmission range is approximately several tens of cm to 3 m, the transmitted identification code indicates that when the occupant gets off the vehicle 50 with the key 30,
The signal is received by the receiving antenna 14 embedded near the outside handle 52.

When the identification code is successfully received as described above, the process waits for reception in step 210 of FIG. 6 and the process proceeds to step 215 to stop the receiving operation by the receiving antenna 14. In the next step 216, it is determined whether or not both the regular identification code and the auxiliary identification code are received. If both the regular identification code and the auxiliary identification code are received, the process proceeds to step 217 to identify the processing target. Select the regular identification code as the code.

At the next step 218, it is determined whether the received identification code matches a predetermined registration code. If the received identification code is a regular identification code, it is determined whether the regular identification code matches the regular registration code. If the received identification code is a supplementary identification code, the supplementary identification code and the supplementary registration code are registered. Matches with the code.

If the identification code matches the registration code in step 218, the key possessed by the driver can be regarded as a legitimate key.
Proceed to 20 and wait for all doors to be closed.
When all the doors are closed (Yes in step 220), the process proceeds to step 226, and a predetermined door lock control signal is transmitted to the door lock driving device 22 so as to lock all the doors. Door lock drive device 22
Then, when the door lock control signal is received, all the doors are locked by the door lock mechanisms 24A to 24D.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, not only when the normal switch 42 is pressed for the door lock but also when the normal switch 42 is forgotten to be pressed, all the passengers including the driver can When getting off the vehicle and closing all the doors, all the doors are automatically locked, and it is possible to prevent the vehicle from being left without being locked. That is, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from being stolen.

On the other hand, if the identification code does not match the registration code in step 218, the key possessed by the driver can be regarded as not a legitimate key, and therefore the process proceeds to step 228 and the occupant does not have the code. A warning sound (alarm) for notifying the user is generated from the speaker 54.

In step 210, the transmitter 44
If the receiving antenna 14 cannot receive the identification code from the device even after a predetermined time elapses (if an affirmative decision is made in step 212), the process waits for reception in step 210,
In step 214, the receiving operation by the receiving antenna 14 is stopped, and at the same time, a warning sound (alarm) for notifying the occupant of the unreceivable situation is generated from the speaker 54.

If it is determined in step 220 that all the doors have not been closed even after the lapse of a predetermined time (if an affirmative determination is made in step 222), the waiting state of all doors in step 220 is waited. After that, the process proceeds to step 224, and a warning sound (alarm) for notifying that there is an open door is generated from the speaker 54. Thus, the occupant can recognize that there is an open door, confirm the open door, and close the door. As a result, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from being left with one of the doors open.

[Second Embodiment] The second embodiment according to the present invention will be described below.
As an embodiment, an embodiment relating to a process of automatically unlocking (automatic unlocking process) will be described with reference to the drawings.
Note that the configuration of the second embodiment is similar to the configuration of the first embodiment, so description will be omitted.

From the time when a predetermined control signal is transmitted to the door lock driving device 22 so as to lock all the doors, the microcomputer 16 incorporated in the receiver 12 starts execution of the automatic unlocking process shown in FIG. .

In steps 252 and 254 of FIG. 8, it is determined based on the states of the courtesy switches 20A to 20D whether or not all the doors are closed for a predetermined time T ₃ . For example, if any of the doors is manually unlocked and opened before the time T _{3 has} elapsed, a negative determination is made in step 252 and the control routine ends.

On the other hand, if the state in which all the doors are closed continues for the predetermined time T ₃ , the steps 252 and 25 are performed.
Both 4 are affirmatively determined, and the process proceeds to step 256. In step 256, the receiving operation of the receiving antenna 14 of the receiver 12 is started, and in the next step 258, the reception of the identification code is waited.

By the way, when the driver tries to get on the vehicle 50 with the door locked, the driver must be
Approaching the vehicle 50 with the key 30 of the hand. Here, when the driver grips the key 30, the metal terminal portions 32A and 32B exposed on the key plate are indicated by arrows A to A in FIG.
The auxiliary switch detection circuit 58 is closed by electrically short-circuiting at at least one place in the D section. As a result, the switch control circuit unit 56 outputs the auxiliary switch-on signal to the ID code control unit 60 as in the first embodiment.

Here, the ID code control unit 60 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (A) to (C), the input of the regular switch-on signal is waited for a predetermined time T ₁ after the auxiliary switch-on signal is input.

As shown in FIG. 7A, when the driver presses the regular switch 42 to instruct the unlocking operation while waiting for the input, the regular switch-on signal from the switch control circuit 56 causes the regular switch-on signal to be ID. It is output to the code control unit 60,
The ID code control unit 60 converts the regular identification code into a signal and outputs the signal to the antenna control unit 62. Then, the antenna control unit 62 transmits the regular identification code from the transmission antenna 64.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the regular switch-on signal is not input within the predetermined time T ₁ , the ID code control section 60 thereafter signals the auxiliary identification code for the predetermined time T _2. It is converted and output to the antenna control unit 62. The antenna control unit 62 intermittently transmits the auxiliary identification code from the transmission antenna 64.

However, as shown in FIG. 7C, when the regular switch-on signal is input after a lapse of time T ₁ from the input of the auxiliary switch-on signal, the ID code control unit 6
0 converts both the regular identification code and the auxiliary identification code into a signal and outputs the signal to the antenna control unit 62. As a result, the antenna control unit 62 transmits both the regular identification code and the auxiliary identification code from the transmission antenna 64.

In this way, the transmitter 44 on the key 30 side
To identification code (regular identification code or auxiliary identification code,
Or both) are transmitted. Since the transmission range is approximately several tens of cm to 3 m, when the driver approaches the driver's seat side door 48 of the vehicle 50 with the key 30, the identification code from the transmitter 44 is received by the reception antenna 14. .

When the identification code is successfully received as described above, the process waits for reception in step 258 of FIG. 8 and proceeds to step 266 to determine whether both the regular identification code and the auxiliary identification code have been received. judge. Here, when both the regular identification code and the auxiliary identification code are received, the process proceeds to step 268, and the regular identification code is selected as the identification code to be processed.

At the next step 270, it is determined whether the received identification code matches a predetermined registration code. If the received identification code is a regular identification code, it is determined whether the regular identification code matches the regular registration code. If the received identification code is a supplementary identification code, the supplementary identification code and the supplementary registration code are registered. Matches with the code.

If the identification code coincides with the registration code in step 270, the key possessed by the driver can be regarded as a legitimate key.
Proceeding to 74, a predetermined unlock control signal is transmitted to the door lock drive device 22 so as to unlock all the doors. When the door lock drive device 22 receives the unlock control signal, the door lock mechanisms 24A to 24D.
Unlock all doors with.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, not only when the regular switch 42 is pushed to unlock the door, but also when the regular switch 42 is forgotten to be pushed,
All the doors can be automatically unlocked by simply approaching the vehicle 50 with the regular key 30.

On the other hand, if the identification code does not match the registration code in step 270, it can be considered that the key possessed by the driver is not a legitimate key. Therefore, the process proceeds to step 272 and the occupant does not have the code. A warning sound (alarm) for notifying the user is generated from the speaker 54. By the way, in the first and second embodiments, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (B), the auxiliary identification code is transmitted from the transmission antenna 64 for a predetermined time T ₂ only when the regular switch-on signal is not input within the predetermined time T ₁ . The auxiliary identification code may be transmitted from the transmitting antenna 64 as soon as the auxiliary switch-on signal is input.

In the first and second embodiments, the normal identification code and the auxiliary identification code are different from each other to be used for identification, but when the auxiliary switch 31 is turned on, for example, The same identification code as that used when the switch 42 is turned on is used to identify the case where the auxiliary switch 31 is turned on and the case where the regular switch 42 is turned on, by transmitting the signal with its signal level made smaller than a predetermined amount. It may be possible. In this case, it is not necessary to use two kinds of codes for the identification code and the registration code, and it is possible to save the power required to transmit the identification code when the auxiliary switch 31 is turned on.

In the first and second embodiments, a person pushes the regular switch 42 to transmit a regular identification code, and when the regular identification code matches the registration code, the door is locked or unlocked. Although the embodiment in which the present invention is applied to the conventional locking system that is controlled as described above has been described, it is not essential to apply the present invention to the conventional locking system, and the present invention is applied to a key and a vehicle in which the regular switch 42 is not installed. May be applied.

[0088]

According to the invention described in claim 1 or 2,
It is said that all the doors can be automatically locked or unlocked without performing a predetermined operation, such as when the user holds the key to get out of the vehicle or when the person holding the key approaches the vehicle. The effect is obtained.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 3, there is an effect that it is possible to perform an appropriate process by giving priority to the legitimate identification code transmitted by a person performing a predetermined operation.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 4, there is an effect that it is possible to perform an appropriate process in which the authorized identification code transmitted by a person performing a predetermined operation is prioritized. Further, compared with the case where the signal level of the auxiliary identification code is set to be the same as the signal level of the regular identification code, the effect that the power consumption for transmitting the auxiliary identification code can be reduced can be obtained.

Further, according to the invention described in each of claims 5 to 7, the effect that the power consumption for transmitting the auxiliary identification code can be reduced can be obtained. Particularly, in the invention according to the sixth aspect, it is possible to prevent the auxiliary identification code and the regular identification code from being transmitted at the same time, so that the effect of reducing the power consumption is high.

According to the invention described in claim 8, there is an effect that the automatic door lock control can be performed at an appropriate timing.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 9, there is an effect that the automatic door unlock control can be performed at an appropriate timing.

According to the tenth aspect of the invention, by utilizing the characteristics of the human body, the effect that the contact detecting means can be realized with a relatively simple structure can be obtained.

According to the eleventh aspect of the invention, there is an effect that the appearance of the key plate surface can be improved. In addition, it is possible to prevent others from recognizing that a device such as a contact detection unit is installed on the key, and it is possible to prevent malicious acts of sabotage. can get.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an arrangement of receiving antennas.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle-side receiver and related devices.

FIG. 3A is a plan view of the key, and FIG. 3B is a front view of the key.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of an auxiliary switch.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a transmitter on the key side and related devices.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control routine of automatic locking processing executed by a microcomputer on the receiver side in the first embodiment.

FIG. 7A is a time chart showing an identification code transmitting operation when the regular switch is pressed while waiting for the input of the regular switch-on signal, and FIG. 7B is during the waiting for input of the regular switch-on signal. Is a time chart showing the operation of transmitting the identification code when the regular switch is not pressed in
(C) is a time chart showing an identification code transmitting operation when the regular switch is pressed after the input of the regular switch-on signal has timed out waiting.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing a control routine of automatic unlocking processing executed by a microcomputer on the receiver side in the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 control unit 12 receiver 14 receiving antenna 16 microcomputer 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D courtesy switch 22 door lock driving device (door lock driving means) 30 key 31 auxiliary switch 38 ignition switch 42 regular switch 44 transmitter 48 driver side Door 50 Vehicle 58 Auxiliary switch detection circuit 60 ID code control unit 62 Antenna control unit 64 Transmission antenna

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A contact detection means provided on a vehicle key for detecting that a person touches the key, and a contact detection means provided on the key for detecting that a person touches the key. An auxiliary transmitting means for transmitting a predetermined identification code, a door lock driving means provided on the vehicle side for locking or unlocking the door, and a receiving means provided on the vehicle side for receiving the identification code, Determination means provided on the vehicle side for determining whether or not the identification code received by the reception means and a registration code peculiar to the vehicle registered in advance, and the determination means provided on the vehicle side, When it is determined that the identification code and the registration code match, a control system that controls the door lock drive means so as to lock or unlock all the doors. M 2. A regular transmission means provided on a vehicle key for transmitting a predetermined identification code when a person performs a predetermined operation, and a key provided on the key for confirming that a person touches the key. Contact detection means for detecting, provided on the key, auxiliary transmission means for transmitting a predetermined identification code when the contact detection means detects that a person touches the key, and provided on the vehicle side, Door lock driving means for locking or unlocking the door, receiving means provided on the vehicle side for receiving the identification code transmitted by the regular transmission means or auxiliary transmitting means, and provided on the vehicle side by the receiving means Determination means for determining whether or not the received identification code and a registration code peculiar to the vehicle registered in advance are provided, and the identification code and the registration code provided on the vehicle side by the determination means. And a control means for controlling the door lock drive means so as to lock or unlock all the doors when it is determined that the lock system includes: 3. The auxiliary transmission means transmits an identification code different from that of the regular transmission means, and the determination means includes an identification code from the regular transmission means and a registration code corresponding to the identification code from the regular transmission means. And whether the identification code from the auxiliary transmission means and the registration code corresponding to the identification code from the auxiliary transmission means coincide with each other, and the regular transmission is performed by the reception means. When both the identification code from the means and the identification code from the auxiliary transmission means are received,
The lock system according to claim 2, wherein the identification code from the regular transmission means is prioritized in the determination process. 4. The locking system according to claim 2, wherein the auxiliary transmitting unit transmits the identification code at a signal level lower than that of the regular transmitting unit. 5. The auxiliary transmitting means transmits the identification code only for a predetermined time after the contact detecting means detects that a person touches the key. The locking system according to item 1. 6. The auxiliary transmitting means, if the identification code is not transmitted by the regular transmitting means within a predetermined time after the contact detecting means detects that a person has touched the key, a predetermined time thereafter. The locking system according to claim 2, wherein the identification code is transmitted only. 7. The locking system according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary transmission unit intermittently transmits the identification code. 8. A courtesy switch provided corresponding to a vehicle door and turned on / off in response to opening / closing of the door, wherein the control means has an ignition switch switched from on to off and operated by the courtesy switch. When it is detected that the seat side door is once opened and then closed, the door lock drive means is controlled so that all the doors are locked within a predetermined time after the detection based on the determination result by the determination means. The locking system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that. 9. A courtesy switch provided corresponding to a door of a vehicle and turned on / off in response to opening / closing of the door, wherein the control means is in a state in which all doors are closed based on the state of the courtesy switch. 3. The door lock drive means is controlled so as to unlock all the doors based on the determination result by the determination means after detecting that it has continued for a predetermined time. Locking system. 10. The electric circuit, wherein the contact detecting means is provided with a plurality of metal terminals arranged on the surface of the key plate with a predetermined gap therebetween and electrically short-circuited when a person contacts the key plate. The lock system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a short-circuit detection unit that detects the occurrence of a short circuit in the electric circuit. 11. The locking system according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of metal terminals form a predetermined ornament.