WO2016076090A1

WO2016076090A1 - Vehicle communication system, on-board unit, and computer program

Info

Publication number: WO2016076090A1
Application number: PCT/JP2015/079671
Authority: WO
Inventors: 芳博濱田; 博行蔵田; 誠佐分利
Original assignee: 株式会社オートネットワーク技術研究所; 住友電装株式会社; 住友電気工業株式会社
Priority date: 2014-11-11
Filing date: 2015-10-21
Publication date: 2016-05-19
Also published as: JP2016089589A

Abstract

A vehicle communication system comprises an on-board unit 1 that transmits a signal into and out of the interior of a vehicle, and a mobile unit 2 that receives the signal transmitted from the on-board unit 1 and transmits a response signal containing strength information pertaining to received signal strength of the received signal. The on-board unit 1 comprises an on-board receiving unit that receives the response signal transmitted from the mobile unit 2, a control unit that performs locking control to lock at least a vehicle door on the basis of strength information contained in the response signal received by the on-board receiving unit, and a storing unit that stores a first threshold value and a second threshold value that is less than the first threshold value. The control unit does not at least perform the locking control when the strength information indicates a received signal strength that is at the first threshold value or lower and at the second threshold value or higher.

Description

Vehicle communication system, in-vehicle device, and computer program

The present application relates to a vehicle communication system, an in-vehicle device constituting the vehicle communication system, and a computer program.

A vehicle communication system that locks and unlocks a vehicle door without using a mechanical key has been put into practical use. Specifically, a keyless entry system that locks or unlocks a vehicle door by wireless remote control using a portable device possessed by the user, a user who possesses the portable device only approaches the vehicle or holds the door handle The Smart Entry (registered trademark) system that unlocks vehicle doors has been put into practical use.
Further, a vehicle communication system that starts a vehicle engine without using a mechanical key has been put into practical use. Specifically, a smart start system in which a user having a portable device starts an engine simply by pressing an engine start button has been put into practical use.
In the above communication system, the in-vehicle device communicates with the portable device by radio signal, and after performing authentication, performs control related to predetermined operations such as unlocking, locking, engine starting, etc. In order to prevent unauthorized operation, Before the operation is performed, the location of the portable device is determined, such as where the portable device is located inside or outside the vehicle interior. As a method for determining the location of a portable device, methods described in Patent Documents 1 to 4 are known.

In

Patent Documents

1 and 2, a portable device transmits a signal from a transmitting antenna provided in a vehicle to each of the outside and inside of the vehicle, and the portable device has a vehicle depending on which of the signals transmitted to the inside and outside of the vehicle is responded. A method for determining where the user is located indoors or outdoors is disclosed.

In

Patent Documents

3 and 4, the portable device is located anywhere inside or outside the vehicle based on the received signal strength of the signal when the portable device receives a signal transmitted from a transmission antenna provided in the vehicle. A method for determining whether there is a problem is disclosed. Specifically, Patent Document 3 discloses a keyless entry device that determines the position of a portable device by transmitting signals from a plurality of transmission antennas provided inside and outside a vehicle. In the vehicle-mounted device described in Patent Document 4, the indoor boundary threshold value and the vehicle outer boundary threshold value are stored in advance. And the position determination of a portable machine is performed by comparing the received signal strength when a portable machine receives the signal transmitted from the transmission antenna provided in the vehicle interior, and each threshold value. The indoor boundary threshold is set to a value larger than the received signal strength when the portable device is located outside the vehicle compartment, and the vehicle boundary threshold is the received signal strength when the portable device is located outside a specific area outside the vehicle compartment. Is set to a larger value.

Japanese Patent No. 448236 JP 2006-124935 A Japanese Patent No. 4673234 Japanese Patent No. 4708957

However, in the determination methods as disclosed in

Patent Documents

1 and 2, it is necessary to adjust the physical range of the signal to be transmitted so that the outside and the inside are clearly distinguished at the boundary between the outside and inside the vehicle interior. Is difficult. For this reason, if the physical range is not adjusted correctly, the determination method may erroneously determine the location of the portable device, and incorrect vehicle control may be performed.

Further, in the keyless entry device of Patent Document 3, since it is necessary to provide a plurality of transmission antennas inside and outside the vehicle in order to accurately check the position of the portable device, the cost for configuring the device increases. There's a problem.

In the in-vehicle device of Patent Document 4, as disclosed in Patent Document 3, it is not always necessary to provide a plurality of transmission antennas on the vehicle side. However, generally, a window made of glass or the like is provided on the upper side of the vehicle, and a vehicle door made of metal or the like is provided on the lower side of the vehicle. For this reason, the extent to which the signal transmitted from the passenger compartment reaches the outside of the passenger compartment on the side surface of the vehicle is different between the upper portion and the lower portion of the side surface of the vehicle. That is, the received signal intensity of the signal transmitted from the passenger compartment differs depending on whether the portable device is located in the upper part outside the passenger compartment or in the lower part. Therefore, it is difficult to set the indoor boundary threshold and the vehicle boundary threshold, and the in-vehicle device may erroneously determine the location of the portable device. If the in-vehicle device erroneously determines the location of the portable device, there is a risk of performing incorrect vehicle control.

The purpose of the present application is to reliably prevent erroneous vehicle control in vehicle control performed based on received signal strength when a portable device receives a signal transmitted from a transmission antenna provided on the vehicle side. And it is providing the vehicle communication system which can be comprised with a small number of transmission antennas, the vehicle equipment which comprises the said vehicle communication system, and a computer program.

A vehicle communication system according to an aspect of the present invention includes an in-vehicle device that transmits a signal to the inside and outside of a passenger compartment, a signal that is transmitted from the on-vehicle device, and strength information that is related to the received signal strength of the received signal. A vehicle communication system including a portable device that transmits a response signal including the vehicle-mounted device, the vehicle-mounted device receiving a response signal transmitted from the portable device, and the response signal received by the vehicle-mounted receiver. A control unit that performs at least locking control for locking the vehicle door based on the strength information included in the storage unit, and a storage unit that stores a first threshold value and a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value. When the strength information is information indicating a received signal strength that is equal to or lower than the first threshold value stored in the storage unit and equal to or higher than the second threshold value, at least the locking control is not performed.

A vehicle communication system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an in-vehicle device that transmits a signal to the inside and outside of a passenger compartment, and a portable device that receives a signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device and measures the received signal strength of the received signal. The portable communication system includes a storage unit that stores a first threshold value and a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value, and a first threshold value and a second threshold value that are stored in the storage unit. A determination unit that determines the magnitude of the measured received signal intensity based on a threshold; and a transmission unit that transmits a response signal including a determination result of the determination unit, wherein the in-vehicle device is a response transmitted by the transmission unit. A vehicle-mounted receiving unit that receives the signal, and a control unit that performs locking control for locking at least the vehicle door based on a determination result included in the response signal received by the vehicle-mounted receiving unit, wherein the control unit includes the mobile phone Received signal strength measured by the machine If the first is equal to or less than the threshold value, and the determination result indicating that the second threshold or more contained in the response signal, are not be performed at least the lock controller.

An in-vehicle device according to an aspect of the present invention is an in-vehicle device that transmits a signal to the inside and outside of a passenger compartment and receives a response signal transmitted from an external device in response to the transmitted signal, wherein the external device is the signal. The vehicle-mounted receiving unit that receives the response signal including the strength information related to the received signal strength when receiving the signal, and the locking control that locks at least the vehicle door based on the strength information included in the response signal received by the vehicle-mounted receiving unit And a storage unit that stores a first threshold value and a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value, wherein the control unit is less than or equal to the first threshold value stored in the storage unit. If it is information indicating the received signal strength that is greater than or equal to the second threshold, at least the locking control is not performed.

A computer program according to one embodiment of the present invention provides a computer including a storage unit that stores a first threshold and a second threshold smaller than the first threshold, and a signal transmitted from a transmission antenna provided in the vehicle. Is a computer program for performing locking control for locking at least the vehicle door based on the received signal strength when received by the computer, based on the first threshold value and the second threshold value stored in the storage unit. , A procedure for determining the magnitude of the received signal strength, and if it is determined that the received signal strength is less than or equal to the first threshold and greater than or equal to the second threshold, at least the locking control is not performed by the computer And execute the procedure.

In the present application, not only can one aspect be realized as a vehicle communication system, an in-vehicle device, and a portable device including such a characteristic processing unit, but the one aspect can be used as a step. It can be realized as a vehicle communication method or as a program for causing a computer to execute such steps. Further, in the present application, one aspect is realized as a semiconductor integrated circuit that realizes part or all of the vehicle communication system, the in-vehicle device, and the portable device, and the other system including the vehicle communication system, the in-vehicle device, and the portable device. Aspects can be realized.

According to the above, erroneous vehicle control can be reliably prevented in vehicle control performed based on the received signal strength when the portable device receives a signal transmitted from a transmission antenna provided on the vehicle side. In addition, it is possible to provide a vehicle communication system that can be configured with a small number of transmission antennas, an in-vehicle device that configures the vehicle communication system, and a computer program.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a vehicle communication system according to a first embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows one structural example of a portable device. It is a block diagram which shows the example of 1 structure of vehicle equipment. It is explanatory drawing of a 1st threshold value and a 2nd threshold value. It is explanatory drawing of a 1st threshold value and a 2nd threshold value. It is explanatory drawing of an indefinite area | region. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence when the communication system for vehicles performs vehicle control. It is a flowchart which shows the subroutine of the communication process before authentication. It is a flowchart which shows the subroutine of a received signal strength determination process. 10 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of received signal strength determination processing according to the second embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows one structural example of the communication system for vehicles which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the example of 1 structure of vehicle equipment. It is a schematic diagram which shows each area | region which 1st threshold value (alpha) 1, (alpha) 2 and 2nd threshold value (beta) 1, (beta) 2 represent. It is a schematic diagram which shows one structural example of the communication system for vehicles which concerns on Embodiment 4. It is explanatory drawing of the measurement location of received signal strength. It is explanatory drawing which shows the area | region determined by a some classifier.

[Description of Embodiment of the Present Invention]
First, embodiments of the present invention will be listed and described. In addition, at least a part of the embodiments described below may be arbitrarily combined with the embodiments.

(1) A vehicle communication system according to an aspect of the present invention relates to an in-vehicle device that transmits a signal to the inside and outside of a passenger compartment, a signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device, and a received signal strength of the received signal. A vehicle communication system including a portable device that transmits a response signal including intensity information, wherein the vehicle-mounted device receives a response signal transmitted from the portable device, and the vehicle-mounted receiving unit receives the response signal. A control unit that performs locking control for locking at least the vehicle door based on the strength information included in the response signal, and a storage unit that stores a first threshold value and a second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value, The control unit is configured not to perform at least the locking control when the strength information is information indicating a received signal strength that is less than or equal to the first threshold and greater than or equal to the second threshold stored in the storage unit. .

In the present application, the in-vehicle device transmits a signal to the inside and outside of the passenger compartment. The portable device receives a signal from the in-vehicle device, and transmits a response signal including strength information related to the received signal strength of the received signal to the in-vehicle device. The received signal strength of the signal transmitted from the transmitting antenna varies depending on the position of the portable device with respect to the vehicle.
The in-vehicle device receives the response signal transmitted from the portable device by the in-vehicle receiving unit. The control unit of the in-vehicle device performs locking control for locking at least the vehicle door based on the strength information included in the response signal received by the in-vehicle receiving unit. The storage unit of the in-vehicle device stores a first threshold value and a second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value. The control unit does not perform at least the locking control when the received signal strength included in the response signal is equal to or lower than the first threshold stored in the storage and equal to or higher than the second threshold.
In addition, since a general vehicle is provided with a window made of glass or the like at the upper part of the side surface and a vehicle door made of metal or the like at the lower part of the side surface, The signal reach from the transmitting antenna is wider at the upper side than the side. For this reason, the received signal strength measured when the portable device is located in the passenger compartment below the side surface may coincide with the received signal strength measured when the portable device is located outside the passenger compartment above the side surface. In this case, the vehicle-mounted device cannot determine whether the location of the portable device is inside or outside the vehicle interior. For example, when the upper limit value of the received signal strength at which the location of the portable device cannot be determined is set as the first threshold value and the lower limit value of the received signal strength is set as the second threshold value, If it cannot be determined whether the vehicle is located inside or outside the room, the vehicle door is not locked. Therefore, when the portable device is located in the vehicle interior, the vehicle door can be locked to prevent the portable device from being confined in the vehicle interior. That is, the vehicle-mounted device of the present application can reliably prevent erroneous vehicle control without locking at least the vehicle door when it cannot be determined whether the portable device is located inside or outside the vehicle interior. Here, erroneous vehicle control refers to vehicle control that may impair the benefits of the vehicle user or the like. For example, when a portable device having a function of locking or unlocking the vehicle door is confined in the vehicle interior, the vehicle user needs to unlock the vehicle door by a method other than using the portable device. Impair the benefit of the user. That is, if the vehicle door cannot be determined whether the portable device is located inside or outside the vehicle interior, locking the vehicle door can be an erroneous vehicle control.
Furthermore, the vehicle-mounted device of the present application does not perform erroneous vehicle control when it cannot be determined whether the portable device is located inside or outside the vehicle interior, so the number of transmission antennas is increased and the signal reachable range is strictly limited. There is no need to set to. Therefore, the vehicle communication system of the present application can be configured with a small number of transmission antennas.

(2) It is preferable that the first threshold value is a received signal strength that is greater than a maximum value of the received signal strength when the signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device is received outside the passenger compartment.

The received signal strength that is larger than the maximum value of the received signal strength when the signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device is received outside the vehicle compartment is stored in the storage unit of the in-vehicle device as the first threshold value. Therefore, a value with which the in-vehicle device of the present application can reliably determine that the portable device is located in the vehicle interior can be stored as the first threshold value. In addition, the control unit can reliably perform control to be performed when the portable device is located in the vehicle interior when the received signal strength included in the response signal received by the in-vehicle receiving unit is greater than the first threshold. . The control to be performed when the portable device is located in the vehicle interior is, for example, activation of a driving source of a vehicle such as an engine and a traveling motor.

(3) It is preferable that the second threshold value is a received signal strength that is smaller than a minimum value of the received signal strength when the signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device is received in the vehicle interior.

The received signal strength smaller than the minimum value of the received signal strength when the signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device is received in the vehicle compartment is stored in the storage unit of the in-vehicle device as the second threshold value. Therefore, a value with which the in-vehicle device of the present application can reliably determine that the portable device is located outside the vehicle compartment can be stored as the second threshold value. In addition, the control unit can reliably perform control that should be performed when the portable device is located outside the passenger compartment when the received signal strength included in the response signal received by the in-vehicle receiving unit is less than the second threshold. it can. Controls that should be performed when the portable device is located outside the vehicle compartment include, for example, vehicle door locking control, unlocking control, and the like.

(4) The control unit further performs start control for starting the drive source of the vehicle based on intensity information included in the response signal, and the intensity information is equal to or less than the first threshold value. In the case of information indicating signal strength, it is preferable not to perform the start-up control.

In the present application, the control unit further performs activation control for activating the drive source of the vehicle based on the intensity information included in the response signal received by the in-vehicle reception unit. When the intensity information is information indicating a received signal intensity that is equal to or less than the first threshold, the activation control is not performed. Therefore, the in-vehicle device can prevent the activation control from being performed based on the received signal strength at which the portable device can be located inside or outside the vehicle interior. Therefore, since the vehicle drive source is not activated when the portable device is located outside the passenger compartment, erroneous vehicle control such as erroneous start of the vehicle can be reliably prevented, and vehicle safety is further improved. Can do.

(5) The control unit further performs unlocking control for unlocking the vehicle door based on the strength information included in the response signal, and the received signal has the strength information equal to or greater than the second threshold value. In the case of information indicating strength, it is preferable not to perform the unlock control.

In the present application, the control unit further performs unlocking control for unlocking the vehicle door based on the strength information included in the response signal received by the in-vehicle receiving unit. When the strength information is information indicating the received signal strength that is equal to or greater than the second threshold, the unlock control is not performed. Therefore, the vehicle-mounted device of the present application can be prevented from performing the unlock control except when the portable device is reliably located outside the vehicle compartment. Here, when it is not possible to determine whether the portable device is located inside or outside the vehicle interior, unlocking the vehicle door can be an erroneous vehicle control. For example, when the user who owns the portable device is located in the vehicle compartment and the vehicle door is locked, when the vehicle door is unlocked by another person located outside the vehicle compartment, from the viewpoint of security. User benefits may be impaired. That is, the vehicle-mounted device of the present application can reliably prevent erroneous vehicle control without performing vehicle door unlock control when it cannot be determined whether the portable device is located inside or outside the vehicle interior. . Therefore, it is possible to further improve the safety of persons located in the passenger compartment.

(6) It is preferable that the vehicle is provided with one transmission antenna in a vehicle interior, and the vehicle-mounted device is configured to transmit a signal from the transmission antenna.

Since only one transmitting antenna for transmitting signals from the in-vehicle device is provided in the vehicle interior, the cost can be further reduced.

(7) It is preferable that the vehicle has a plurality of transmission antennas arranged in parallel across the vehicle interior and that the in-vehicle device transmits signals from the plurality of transmission antennas.

A plurality of transmitting antennas are arranged in parallel in the front and rear of the passenger compartment. By arranging a plurality of transmitting antennas in front of and behind the vehicle interior, the reach of signals transmitted from the plurality of transmitting antennas becomes longer in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. In general, since the passenger compartment is longer in the front-rear direction than in the vehicle width direction, the reachable range can be made closer to the shape of the passenger compartment. That is, the in-vehicle device of the present application can improve the determination accuracy of the location of the portable device.

(8) A vehicle communication system according to an aspect of the present invention includes an in-vehicle device that transmits a signal to the inside and outside of a passenger compartment, a signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device, and a received signal strength of the received signal. The portable communication system includes a storage unit that stores a first threshold value and a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value, and a first threshold value that is stored in the storage unit. And a determination unit that determines the magnitude of the measured received signal strength based on the second threshold value, and a transmission unit that transmits a response signal including a determination result of the determination unit, and the in-vehicle device includes: A vehicle-mounted receiving unit that receives the transmitted response signal, and a control unit that performs locking control for locking at least the vehicle door based on a determination result included in the response signal received by the vehicle-mounted receiving unit, Received signal measured by the portable device If the degree is equal to or less than the first threshold value, and the determination result indicating that the second threshold or more contained in the response signal, are not be performed at least the lock controller.

In the present application, the in-vehicle device transmits a signal to the inside and outside of the passenger compartment. The portable device receives a signal from the in-vehicle device and measures the received signal strength of the received signal. The received signal strength of the signal transmitted from the transmitting antenna varies depending on the position of the portable device with respect to the vehicle.
The storage unit of the portable device stores a first threshold value and a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value. The determination unit of the portable device determines the magnitude of the measured received signal strength based on the first threshold value and the second threshold value stored in the storage unit. The portable device transmits a response signal including the determination result of the determination unit at the transmission unit.
The in-vehicle device receives the response signal transmitted from the transmission unit of the portable device by the in-vehicle reception unit. The control unit of the in-vehicle device performs locking control for locking at least the vehicle door based on the determination result included in the response signal received by the in-vehicle receiving unit. In addition, the control unit includes a determination result indicating that the received signal strength measured by the portable device is equal to or lower than the first threshold and equal to or higher than the second threshold in the response signal received by the in-vehicle receiving unit. At least locking control is not performed.
Therefore, similarly to the embodiment (1), when the portable device is located in the vehicle interior, it is possible to prevent the portable device from being confined in the vehicle interior by locking the vehicle door. In other words, if the in-vehicle device of the present application cannot determine whether the portable device is located inside or outside the vehicle based on the determination result transmitted from the portable device, at least erroneous vehicle control such as locking the vehicle door is performed. Can be prevented. Further, as in the embodiment (1), the vehicle-mounted device of the present application does not perform erroneous vehicle control when it cannot be determined whether the portable device is located inside or outside the vehicle interior. There is no need to increase the signal reach range strictly. Therefore, the vehicle communication system of the present application can be configured with a small number of transmission antennas.

(9) An in-vehicle device according to an aspect of the present invention is an in-vehicle device that transmits a signal to the inside and outside of a passenger compartment and receives a response signal transmitted from an external device in response to the transmitted signal. The vehicle-mounted receiving unit that receives the response signal including the strength information related to the received signal strength when the signal is received, and locks at least the vehicle door based on the strength information included in the response signal received by the vehicle-mounted receiving unit. A control unit that performs locking control, and a storage unit that stores a first threshold value and a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value. The control unit includes a first unit that stores the strength information in the storage unit. When the received signal strength is equal to or lower than the threshold and equal to or higher than the second threshold, at least the locking control is not performed.

In the present application, the in-vehicle device transmits a signal to the inside and outside of the passenger compartment, and receives a response signal transmitted from an external device according to the transmitted signal. The in-vehicle receiving unit of the present application receives a response signal including strength information related to the received signal strength when the external device receives the signal. The control unit of the present application performs locking control for locking at least the vehicle door based on the strength information included in the response signal received by the in-vehicle receiving unit. The storage unit of the present application stores a first threshold value and a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value. The control unit does not perform at least the locking control when the received signal strength included in the response signal is equal to or lower than the first threshold stored in the storage and equal to or higher than the second threshold.
Therefore, similarly to the embodiment (1), when the portable device is located in the vehicle interior, it is possible to prevent the portable device from being confined in the vehicle interior by locking the vehicle door. In other words, if the in-vehicle device of the present application cannot determine whether the portable device is located inside or outside the vehicle based on the determination result transmitted from the portable device, at least erroneous vehicle control such as locking the vehicle door is performed. Can be prevented. Further, as in the embodiment (1), the vehicle-mounted device of the present application does not perform erroneous vehicle control when it cannot be determined whether the portable device is located inside or outside the vehicle interior. There is no need to set the signal reachable range strictly. Therefore, the vehicle communication system of the present application can be configured with a small number of transmission antennas.

(10) A computer program according to an aspect of the present invention is a signal transmitted from a transmission antenna provided in a vehicle to a computer including a storage unit that stores a first threshold and a second threshold smaller than the first threshold. Is a computer program for performing locking control for locking at least the vehicle door based on the received signal strength when the portable device receives the first threshold value and the second threshold value stored in the storage unit in the computer. And determining the magnitude of the received signal strength, and if it is determined that the received signal strength is less than or equal to the first threshold and greater than or equal to the second threshold, at least the locking control is performed on the computer. And execute procedures that are not performed.

In this application, the computer performs locking control to lock at least the vehicle door based on the received signal strength when the portable device receives a signal transmitted from a transmission antenna provided in the vehicle. The computer stores a first threshold value and a second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value in the storage unit. The computer determines the magnitude of the received signal strength based on the first threshold value and the second threshold value. When the computer determines that the received signal strength is equal to or lower than the first threshold and equal to or higher than the second threshold, the computer does not perform at least locking control. Therefore, similarly to the embodiment (1), when the computer cannot determine whether the portable device is located inside or outside the vehicle interior, at least erroneous vehicle control such as locking of the vehicle door can be prevented. Similarly to the embodiment (1), when the computer cannot determine whether the portable device is located inside or outside the vehicle interior, the computer does not perform erroneous vehicle control. There is no need to strictly set the reach of. Therefore, the number of transmission antennas provided in the vehicle can be reduced.

[Details of the embodiment of the present invention]
A specific example of a vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited to these illustrations, is shown by the claim, and it is intended that all the changes within the meaning and range equivalent to a claim are included.
(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a vehicle communication system according to the first embodiment. The vehicle communication system according to the first embodiment transmits and receives signals between the vehicle-mounted device 1 that transmits and receives various signals using the transmission antenna 3 and the reception antenna 4 provided in the vehicle C, and the vehicle-mounted device 1. A portable device 2 is provided.
The transmission antenna 3 of the first embodiment is provided at the center of the vehicle C interior. For example, when the vehicle C includes a driver's seat and a passenger seat and a row of rear seats, the transmission antenna 3 is placed at an appropriate place such as an armrest or a console box provided between the driver's seat and the passenger seat. Is provided. Further, for example, when the vehicle C includes a driver's seat and a passenger seat, and two rows of rear seats, the transmission antenna 3 is provided at an appropriate location such as under the seat in the center of the front rear seat and the backrest. The receiving antenna 4 is provided at an appropriate location on the vehicle C. In the first embodiment, the right side in the traveling direction of the vehicle C is the driver seat side, and the left side in the traveling direction is the passenger seat side. Moreover, as long as the transmission antenna 3 is provided in the center of the vehicle interior, the location where the transmission antenna 3 is provided is not limited to the above example.
The in-vehicle device 1 transmits a signal for determining the position of the portable device 2 from the transmission antenna 3 using a radio signal. The portable device 2 receives the signal transmitted from the transmission antenna 3 and measures the received signal strength of the received signal. The portable device 2 transmits a response signal including the measured received signal strength to the in-vehicle device 1 using a radio signal. The in-vehicle device 1 receives the response signal transmitted from the portable device 2, determines the position where the portable device 2 is located based on the received signal strength included in the received response signal, and performs predetermined processing according to the determination result Execute. For example, the in-vehicle device 1 executes processing such as locking or unlocking of a vehicle door, starting of an engine, warning of forgetting to lock the vehicle door, and the like.

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

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

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

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

The portable device 2 receives a radio signal transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 1 through the three-axis antenna 23a, measures the received signal strength of the radio signal selected by the switch 23c, and controls the measured received signal strength to the control unit 21. The signal strength measuring unit 23b that outputs to
The control unit 21 selects each of the three radio signals from the triaxial antenna 23a in accordance with the timing at which the signal strength measurement radio signal is transmitted from the in-vehicle device 1, and signals the received signal strength of the selected radio signal. It measures by the intensity | strength measurement part 23b. That is, the control unit 21 measures not the received signal strength in the amplitude direction of the radio signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device 1 but the components of the received signal strength in the three orthogonal directions of the three-axis antenna 23a. The control unit 21 performs vector calculation from the measured received signal strength component, and calculates the received signal strength in the amplitude direction of the radio signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device 1. Therefore, the control unit 21 can obtain a constant received signal strength regardless of the orientation or posture of the portable device 2 with respect to the vehicle C. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the received signal strength calculated by vector calculation is referred to as received signal strength.
In addition, although the example which the control part 21 calculates received signal strength was demonstrated here, the received signal strength of each signal received through the triaxial antenna 23a is transmitted to the vehicle equipment 1 from the portable device 2, and control of the vehicle equipment 1 is carried out. The unit 11 may calculate the received signal strength. Further, the portable device 2 that does not include the signal strength measuring unit 23b transmits each signal received through the three-axis antenna 23a as a response signal to the in-vehicle device 1, and the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 calculates the received signal strength. You can go. That is, the portable device 2 may transmit any information as long as the in-vehicle device 1 can acquire the received signal strength when the portable device 2 receives the signal transmitted from the transmission antenna 3. At this time, the information transmitted by the portable device 2 corresponds to the strength information related to the received signal strength.

The transmission unit 22 is a circuit that modulates the response signal or the like input by the control unit 21 using a carrier wave and transmits a radio signal through the transmission antenna 22a. As a carrier wave, a low frequency band (LF band) of 30 kHz to 300 MHz is used. However, the frequency band used as a carrier wave is not limited to the LF band.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the in-vehicle device 1. The in-vehicle device 1 includes a control unit 11 that controls the operation of each component of the in-vehicle device 1. The control unit 11 includes an in-vehicle receiving unit 12, an in-vehicle transmitting unit 13, and a storage unit 14.

The control unit 11 is a microcomputer having, for example, one or a plurality of CPUs, a multi-core CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an input / output interface, a timer, and the like. The CPU of the control unit 11 is connected to the in-vehicle receiving unit 12, the in-vehicle transmitting unit 13, and the storage unit 14 through an input / output interface. The control unit 11 controls the operation of each component by executing a control program 10a, which will be described later, stored in the storage unit 14, and whether the portable device 2 is located outside the vehicle compartment or inside the vehicle compartment. Determination and predetermined processing corresponding to the determination are executed.

The storage unit 14 is a nonvolatile memory similar to the storage unit 24. The storage unit 14 stores a control program 10 a for executing the determination of the location of the portable device 2 by the control unit 11 controlling the operation of each component of the in-vehicle device 1. In addition, the storage unit 14 stores two thresholds of received signal strength for performing the determination of the portable device 2. In the first embodiment, one of the two received signal strength thresholds having a larger value is called a first threshold, and the other is called a second threshold. Details of the first threshold and the second threshold will be described later. In FIG. 3, the control unit 11 and the storage unit 14 are illustrated as separate components, but the storage unit 14 may be provided inside the control unit 11. The first threshold value and the second threshold value may be stored in the storage unit 14 by being described in the control program 10a.

The control program 10a according to the first embodiment may be recorded in the recording medium 10 so as to be readable by a computer. The storage unit 14 stores a control program 10a read from the recording medium 10 by a reading device (not shown). The recording medium 10 is an optical disc such as a CD (Compact Disc) -ROM, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) -ROM, a BD (Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc), a flexible disc, a magnetic disc such as a hard disc, a magnetic optical disc, and a semiconductor memory. Etc. Alternatively, the control program 10a according to the first embodiment may be downloaded from an external computer (not shown) connected to a communication network (not shown) and stored in the storage unit 14.

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

The in-vehicle transmission unit 13 is a circuit that modulates a signal output from the control unit 11 into a radio signal using a carrier wave, and transmits the radio signal from the transmission antenna 3 to the portable device 2. As a carrier wave, a low frequency band (LF band) of 30 kHz to 300 MHz is used. However, the frequency band used as a carrier wave is not limited to the LF band.

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

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

Next, the first threshold value and the second threshold value stored in the storage unit 14 will be described. 4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams of the first threshold value and the second threshold value. 4A schematically illustrates a plan view of the vehicle C, and FIG. 4B schematically illustrates an elevation view of the vehicle C. The closed curved surface 51 in FIGS. 4A and 4B is a virtual closed curved surface including at least a part of the vehicle interior space, and the closed curved surface 52 is a virtual closed curved surface including the entire vehicle interior space. The first threshold value represents a received signal strength that is greater than the maximum value of the received signal strength when the signal transmitted from the transmitting antenna 3 of the in-vehicle device 1 is received outside the passenger compartment. In FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the first threshold value is the received signal strength measured by the portable device 2 located at the position represented by the closed curved surface 51. The second threshold value represents a received signal strength that is smaller than the minimum value of the received signal strength when the signal transmitted from the transmitting antenna 3 is received in the vehicle interior, and is a value smaller than the first threshold value as described above. is there. In FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the received signal intensity is measured by the portable device 2 located at the position represented by the closed curved surface 52. When the portable device 2 receives a signal transmitted from the transmission antenna 3 and measures a received signal strength greater than the first threshold value, the portable device 2 inside the closed curved surface 51 in FIG. 4A and FIG. Located in the room. When the portable device 2 receives a signal transmitted from the transmission antenna 3 and measures a received signal strength smaller than the second threshold, the portable device 2 is outside the closed curved surface 52 in FIG. 4A and FIG. Is located outside the passenger compartment. When the received signal strength of the portable device 2 included in the response signal is greater than the first threshold, the in-vehicle device 1 performs vehicle control to be performed when the portable device 2 is located in the vehicle interior, and the received signal strength is When it is smaller than the second threshold, vehicle control to be performed when the portable device 2 is located outside the passenger compartment is performed.

Here, in the vehicle C, a window made of glass or the like is provided on the upper outer surface on the driver's seat side and the passenger seat side, and a vehicle door made of metal or the like is provided on the lower outer surface. Similarly, the vehicle C is provided with a front glass and a rear glass at the front and rear upper parts, respectively, and a metal member such as a bonnet and a trunk is provided at the front and rear lower parts. In general, a radio signal is more easily transmitted through glass than metal. Therefore, the reach of the signal from the transmission antenna 3 provided in the vehicle interior of the vehicle C to the outside of the vehicle interior is wider in the upper part of the vehicle C than in the lower part of the vehicle C. Therefore, in FIG. 4B, the closed curved surface 52 has a portion corresponding to the lower portion of the vehicle C along the side surface of the vehicle interior, and a portion corresponding to the upper portion of the vehicle C extends outside the vehicle interior. In the first embodiment, the second threshold may be any received signal strength that is smaller than the minimum received signal strength measured in the passenger compartment, and is measured by the portable device 2 located in a part on the closed curved surface 52. It may be the received signal strength. For example, the second threshold value may be a received signal intensity measured by the portable device 2 located in a portion of the closed curved surface 52 outside the passenger compartment. In other words, the received signal intensity measured by the portable device 2 may be different between a portion of the closed curved surface 52 outside the passenger compartment and a portion inside the passenger compartment.

Moreover, when the received signal strength measured by the portable device 2 is equal to or lower than the first threshold value and equal to or higher than the second threshold value, the portable device 2 is located in the hatched area in FIG. 4A. . In the first embodiment, a hatched area is referred to as an indefinite area. When the received signal strength of the portable device 2 included in the response signal is less than or equal to the first threshold value and greater than or equal to the second threshold value, the in-vehicle device 1 can be located either in the vehicle interior or outside the vehicle interior. As a result, the operation of the vehicle C is not controlled. Hereinafter, the indefinite region will be described in detail.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the indefinite region. An elevation view of the vehicle C is schematically shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, the closed curved surface indicated by the alternate long and short dash line represents the surface of a sphere whose radius is a straight line connecting the position where the maximum received signal strength value is measured outside the passenger compartment and the transmitting antenna 3. A closed curved surface by a two-dot chain line represents the surface of a sphere having a radius that is a straight line connecting the position where the maximum received signal strength value is measured in the vehicle interior and the transmitting antenna 3. The portable device 2 can measure the received signal strength that is equal to or less than the first threshold value and equal to or greater than the second threshold value, regardless of whether the portable device 2 is located inside or outside the vehicle interior. For example, when the portable device 2 is located at a position indicated by a black circle on the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 5, the portable device 2 is located in the vehicle interior, but the maximum received signal intensity measured outside the vehicle compartment is Measure the same received signal strength. Similarly, when the portable device 2 is located at the position indicated by the black circle on the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5, the portable device 2 is located outside the vehicle compartment, but the minimum received signal measured in the vehicle compartment. Measure the received signal strength equal to the strength. Accordingly, when the value of the received signal strength included in the response signal is equal to or less than the first threshold value and equal to or greater than the second threshold value, the in-vehicle device 1 is located in the vehicle interior or outside the vehicle interior. It is difficult to determine whether Therefore, in this case, the in-vehicle device 1 does not control the operation of the vehicle C.
The first threshold value may be any value that is larger than the maximum value of the received signal strength when the signal transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 1 is received outside the vehicle compartment, and is the closed value shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 5. The shape of the curved surface 51 is not questioned. Similarly, the second threshold value may be a value smaller than the minimum value of the received signal strength when the signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device 1 is received in the vehicle interior, and is shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 5. The shape of the closed curved surface 52 is not questioned.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when the vehicle communication system performs vehicle control. When there is an operation request from the outside, the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 performs pre-authentication communication processing (step S101). The operation request is, for example, a request for locking or unlocking a vehicle door by operating a vehicle door request switch, a request for starting or stopping an engine by operating an engine start switch, and the like. For example, when a request signal corresponding to the operation of the vehicle door request switch is input to the in-vehicle device 1, or when an engine start signal corresponding to the operation of the engine start switch is input to the portable device 2, the in-vehicle device 1 performs communication processing before authentication. To start. The pre-authentication communication process is a communication process performed between the in-vehicle device 1 and the portable device 2 in order for the in-vehicle device 1 to authenticate whether the communication partner portable device 2 is legitimate. Details will be described later.

Next, the control unit 11 authenticates the portable device 2 based on the pre-authentication communication process, and determines whether or not the authentication is successful (step S102). When it determines with authentication having failed (step S102: NO), the control part 11 advances a process to step S107.

If it is determined that the authentication is successful (step S102: YES), a received signal strength determination process is performed (step S103). The received signal strength determination process is a process of determining the location of the portable device 2 based on the received signal strength received by the portable device 2 from the signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device 1, and the determination result is represented by a numerical value. The For example, when the portable device 2 is located in the passenger compartment, the numerical value of the determination result is 1. When the portable device 2 is located outside the passenger compartment, the numerical value of the determination result is 0. Is 2.

Next, the control unit 11 determines whether or not a determination result indicating that the portable device 2 is located in the indefinite region is obtained by the received signal strength determination process (step S104). For example, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the numerical value of the determination result is 2. When the determination result that the user is located in the indefinite area is obtained (step S104: YES), the control unit 11 advances the process to step S107.

When it is determined that the determination result indicating that it is located in the indefinite area has not been obtained (step S104: NO), the control unit 11 is determined in advance by the determination result of the received signal strength determination process and the content of the operation request. It is determined whether or not the expected value matches (step S105). In step S105, the determination result of the received signal strength determination process is that the portable device 2 is located in the vehicle interior, located outside the vehicle interior, or located in an indefinite area. The numerical value of is 0, 1, or 2. For example, the expected value for the control to be performed when the portable device 2 such as locking or unlocking the vehicle door by operating the vehicle door request switch is located outside the vehicle compartment is zero. The expected value for the control to be performed when the portable device 2 is located in the vehicle interior, such as starting the engine by an engine start operation, is 1.

When it is determined that the determination result of the received signal strength determination process matches the expected value (step S105: YES), the control unit 11 receives the operation request and executes the process according to the operation request (step S106). ) Finish the process. For example, when an operation of the vehicle door request switch is performed, a process of outputting a vehicle door control signal for instructing locking or unlocking of the vehicle door to the door ECU is executed. When the engine start switch is operated, a process of outputting an engine control command for starting or stopping the engine to the engine ECU is executed.

When it is determined that the determination result of the received signal strength determination process does not match the expected value (step S105: NO), the control unit 11 rejects the operation request and executes a process related to the request rejection (step S107). ) Finish the process. Here, the rejection of the operation request means that the control unit 11 does not perform any of the control for locking and unlocking the vehicle door and the control for starting the engine. Further, the process related to request rejection is, for example, a process of generating a warning sound when an engine start switch operation is performed and the portable device 2 is not in the passenger compartment. Note that the processing related to request rejection is not essential. That is, in step S107, the control unit 11 does not perform at least control related to locking of the vehicle door in the vehicle C.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of pre-authentication communication processing. The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 causes the in-vehicle transmission unit 13 to transmit a wake-up signal from the transmission antenna 3 (step S111).

The control unit 21 of the portable device 2 that has received the wake-up signal by the receiving unit 23 is activated from the sleep state to the active state, and transmits its own portable device identifier to the in-vehicle device 1 by the transmission unit 22 (step S112). .

The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 receives the portable device identifier transmitted from the portable device 2 by the in-vehicle receiving unit 12. And the control part 11 produces the data for authentication using the received portable device identifier, and makes the vehicle-mounted transmission part 13 transmit the challenge signal containing this data from the transmission antenna 3 (step S113).

When the control unit 21 receives the challenge signal at the reception unit 23, confirms the validity of the in-vehicle device 1 using data included in the received challenge signal, and confirms that the in-vehicle device 1 is valid, The in-vehicle device 1 creates data for authenticating the portable device 2, and transmits a response signal including the data to the in-vehicle device 1 through the transmission unit 22 (step S114). The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 receives the response signal transmitted from the portable device 2 by the in-vehicle reception unit 12 (step S115), and finishes the pre-authentication communication processing subroutine in the vehicle communication system. Thereafter, the control unit 11 authenticates the portable device 2 in step S102 in FIG. 6 based on the data included in the response signal.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of received signal strength determination processing. The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 causes the in-vehicle transmission unit 13 to transmit a received signal strength measurement signal for determining the location of the portable device 2 from the transmission antenna 3 (step S121).

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

The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 receives the response signal transmitted from the portable device 2 by the in-vehicle reception unit 12 (step S122). Next, the control unit 11 reads the first threshold value from the storage unit 14, and determines whether or not the received signal strength included in the received response signal is equal to or lower than the first threshold value (step S123). When it is determined that the received signal strength is not less than or equal to the first threshold (step S123: NO), the control unit 11 determines that the portable device 2 is located in the vehicle interior (step S124). Thereafter, the control unit 11 finishes the reception signal strength determination processing subroutine, and proceeds to the processing after step S104 in FIG. 6 based on the determination result that the portable device 2 is located in the vehicle interior.

When it is determined that the received signal strength is equal to or lower than the first threshold value (step S123: YES), the control unit 11 reads the second threshold value from the storage unit 14, and whether the received signal strength is equal to or higher than the second threshold value. Is determined (step S125). If it is determined that the received signal strength is greater than or equal to the second threshold (step S125: YES), the control unit 11 determines that the portable device 2 is located in the indefinite area (step S126). Thereafter, the control unit 11 finishes the reception signal strength determination processing subroutine, and proceeds to the processing after step S104 in FIG. 6 based on the determination result that the portable device 2 is located in the indefinite region.

When it is determined that the received signal strength is not equal to or greater than the second threshold (step S125: NO), the control unit 11 determines that the portable device 2 is located outside the vehicle compartment (step S127). Thereafter, the control unit 11 finishes the reception signal strength determination processing subroutine, and proceeds to the processing after step S104 in FIG. 6 based on the determination result that the portable device 2 is located outside the vehicle compartment.

In the above vehicle communication system, the in-vehicle device 1 does not lock at least the vehicle door when the received signal strength included in the response signal is equal to or lower than the first threshold value and equal to or higher than the second threshold value. That is, the vehicle-mounted device 1 does not lock the vehicle door at least when it is located in an indefinite region where it cannot be determined whether the portable device 2 is located inside or outside the vehicle interior. Therefore, when the portable device 2 is located in the vehicle interior, it is possible to prevent the portable device 2 from being confined in the vehicle interior by locking the vehicle door. In other words, when the in-vehicle device 1 in the first embodiment cannot determine whether the portable device 2 is located inside or outside the vehicle interior, at least the vehicle door is not locked, and erroneous vehicle control can be reliably prevented. And erroneous vehicle control can be reliably prevented.
Further, when the vehicle-mounted device 1 cannot determine whether the portable device 2 is located outside or inside the vehicle interior, the vehicle-mounted device 1 does not perform erroneous vehicle control, so the number of transmission antennas 3 is increased to increase the signal reachable range. There is no need to set it strictly. Therefore, the vehicle communication system of the present application can have one transmission antenna 3.

In addition, a value with which the in-vehicle device 1 can reliably determine that the portable device 2 is located in the vehicle interior can be stored as the first threshold value. Therefore, the in-vehicle device 1 can reliably perform control that should be performed when the portable device 2 is located in the vehicle interior when the received signal strength included in the received response signal is greater than the first threshold.

Further, a value that can be reliably determined by the in-vehicle device 1 that the portable device 2 is located outside the vehicle compartment can be stored as the second threshold value. Therefore, the in-vehicle device 1 can reliably perform the control that should be performed when the portable device 2 is located outside the passenger compartment when the received signal strength included in the received response signal is smaller than the second threshold value.

Furthermore, the vehicle-mounted device 1 can be configured not to perform control for starting the drive source of the vehicle C based on the received signal strength at which the portable device 2 can be located inside or outside the vehicle interior. Therefore, since the drive source of the vehicle C is not activated when the portable device 2 is located outside the passenger compartment, erroneous vehicle control such as erroneous start of the vehicle can be surely prevented, and the safety of the vehicle is further improved. Can be made.

Furthermore, when the portable device 2 is located in an indefinite region or in the vehicle interior, that is, when the received signal strength included in the response signal is equal to or higher than the second threshold, the in-vehicle device 1 performs control to unlock the vehicle door. Not performed. Therefore, the vehicle-mounted device 1 of the present application can be controlled not to unlock the vehicle door except when the portable device 2 is reliably located outside the vehicle compartment. For example, when the user who owns the portable device 2 is located in the passenger compartment and the vehicle door is locked, the vehicle door is unlocked by another person located outside the passenger compartment. User benefits may be impaired. That is, when the vehicle-mounted device 1 of the present application cannot determine whether the portable device 2 is located inside or outside the vehicle interior, the vehicle door unlock control is not performed, and erroneous vehicle control is reliably prevented. Can do. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the safety of persons located in the passenger compartment.

Although the transmitting antenna 3 in the first embodiment has been described as being provided in the central part of the vehicle interior, the transmitting antenna 3 may be provided at other positions as long as signals can reach outside the vehicle interior. good. Moreover, the presence or absence of directivity of the transmission antenna 3 is not questioned.

(Embodiment 2)
In the vehicle communication system according to the first embodiment, the example in which the in-vehicle device 1 determines the location of the portable device 2 and controls the operation of the vehicle C based on the determination result has been described. In the vehicular communication system according to the second embodiment, an example will be described in which the portable device 2 determines the location of the mobile device 2 and the in-vehicle device 1 controls the operation of the vehicle C based on the determination result. In the second embodiment, the contents stored in each of the in-vehicle device 1 and the portable device 2 and the processing procedure executed by each of the in-vehicle device 1 and the portable device 2 are different from those in the first embodiment. Below, this difference is mainly demonstrated. Since other configurations and operational effects are the same as those of the first embodiment, corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

In the first embodiment, the first threshold value and the second threshold value are stored in the storage unit 14 of the in-vehicle device 1, but in the second embodiment, they are stored in the storage unit 24 of the portable device 2. The portable device 2 in the vehicle communication system configured as described above uses the first threshold value and the second threshold value stored in the storage unit 24 in the received signal strength determination process in step S103 in FIG. Determine the position.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine of received signal strength determination processing according to the second embodiment. The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 causes the in-vehicle transmission unit 13 to transmit a reception signal strength measurement signal for determining the location of the portable device 2 from the transmission antenna 3 (step S201).

The control unit 21 of the portable device 2 receives the signal transmitted from the transmission antenna 3 at the reception unit 23, and causes the signal strength measurement unit 23b to measure the received signal strength of the signal (step S202). Next, the control unit 21 reads the first threshold value from the storage unit 24 and determines whether or not the measured received signal strength is equal to or lower than the first threshold value (step S203). When it is determined that the received signal strength is not less than or equal to the first threshold value (step S203: NO), the control unit 21 determines that it is located in the vehicle interior (step S204).

When it is determined that the received signal strength is equal to or lower than the first threshold (step S203: YES), the control unit 21 reads the second threshold from the storage unit 24, and whether the received signal strength is equal to or higher than the second threshold. Is determined (step S205). When it is determined that the received signal strength is greater than or equal to the second threshold (step S205: YES), the control unit 21 determines that it is located within the indefinite region (step S206). If it is determined that the received signal strength is not greater than or equal to the second threshold (step S205: NO), the control unit 21 determines that it is located outside the passenger compartment (step S207).

After executing the processes of step S204, step S206, and step S207, the control unit 21 transmits a response signal including each determination result to the in-vehicle device 1 by the transmission unit 22 (step S208). The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 receives the response signal transmitted from the portable device 2 by the in-vehicle reception unit 12 (step S209), and after step S104 in FIG. 6 based on the determination result included in the response signal. Proceed with the process.

In the above vehicle communication system, similarly to the first embodiment, when the portable device 2 is located in the vehicle interior, the vehicle door 2 is locked, so that the portable device 2 can be prevented from being confined in the vehicle interior. . That is, in the vehicle-mounted device 1 of the second embodiment, if the determination result transmitted from the portable device 2 cannot determine whether the portable device 2 is located inside or outside the vehicle interior, at least the vehicle door is erroneously locked. Vehicle control can be prevented. Further, as in the first embodiment, the in-vehicle device 1 of the present application does not perform erroneous vehicle control when the portable device 2 cannot determine whether the portable device 2 is located inside or outside the vehicle interior. There is no need to set the signal reachable range strictly. Therefore, the vehicle communication system according to the second embodiment can be configured with one transmission antenna 3.

In the first and second embodiments, it has been described that the first threshold value represents a received signal strength that is greater than the maximum value of the received signal strength when the signal transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 1 is received outside the passenger compartment. However, the first threshold value may be a value from the maximum value to a predetermined value or less. It has been described that the second threshold value represents a received signal strength that is smaller than the minimum value of the received signal strength when the signal transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 1 is received in the vehicle interior. However, the second threshold value may be a value from the minimum value to a predetermined value or more.

(Embodiment 3)
In the first and second embodiments, an example in which one transmission antenna 3 is provided in the vehicle interior has been described. However, in the third embodiment, a plurality of transmission antennas are arranged in parallel across the vehicle interior and rear. An example will be described. In the third embodiment, the number of transmission antennas, the configuration of the vehicle-mounted device 1, and the processing procedure in the vehicle communication system are different from those in the first and second embodiments. Below, this difference is mainly demonstrated. Since other configurations and operational effects are the same as those of the first and second embodiments, the corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of the vehicle communication system according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the vehicle-mounted device 1. In the third embodiment, the vehicle C is provided with a plurality of transmission antennas (3) across the vehicle interior and rear. In the third embodiment, an example in which the first transmission antenna 31 and the second transmission antenna 32 are provided in the vehicle C will be described. The first transmission antenna 31 is provided at the center of the interior of the vehicle C as in the first embodiment. The second transmission antenna 32 is provided on a floor for a luggage space, that is, a so-called luggage space at the rear of the vehicle interior.

The in-vehicle device 1 in the third embodiment includes a switch 13a. Moreover, the vehicle-mounted transmission part 13 modulates the signal output from the control part 11 into a radio signal using a carrier wave, and transmits the said radio signal from one transmission antenna (3) selected by the control part 11 and the switch 13a. Transmit to the portable device 2. In the vehicle-mounted device 1 configured as described above, signals are sequentially transmitted from the first transmission antenna 31 and the second transmission antenna 32 so that the portable device 2 can identify the transmission antenna (3) to which the signal is transmitted. The

The portable device 2 according to the third embodiment measures received signal strengths of signals transmitted from the first transmitting antenna 31 and the second transmitting antenna 32, and receives data from each transmitting antenna (3) in a data structure such as a vector and a list. Performs processing for associating signal strength. The two received signal strengths associated in the third embodiment are referred to as a received signal strength set. The portable device 2 transmits a response signal including the received signal strength set to the in-vehicle device 1.

Further, four threshold values are stored in the storage unit 14 of the in-vehicle device 1 or the storage unit 24 of the portable device 2. Specifically, the portable device 2 receives the two threshold values used to determine the magnitude of the received signal strength when the portable device 2 receives the signal from the first transmission antenna 31 and the signal from the second transmission antenna 32. Two threshold values used for determination of the magnitude of the received signal strength at this time are stored. Hereinafter, one of the two threshold values corresponding to the first transmission antenna 31 is called the first threshold value α1, and the other is called the second threshold value β1. Of the two threshold values corresponding to the second transmission antenna 32, one having a larger value is called a first threshold value α2, and the other is called a second threshold value β2.

Next, the first threshold values α1 and α2 and the second threshold values β1 and β2 in the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the respective areas represented by the first threshold values α1, α2 and the second threshold values β1, β2. Each of the first threshold values α1 and α2 is larger than the maximum value of the received signal strength when the signal transmitted from the corresponding transmission antenna (3) of the in-vehicle device 1 is received outside the passenger compartment, as in the first and second embodiments. Represents the received signal strength. The first threshold values α1 and α2 are received signal strengths measured by the portable device 2 located on a virtual closed curved surface including at least a part of the passenger compartment space. The received signal strength set measured by the portable device 2 located on the closed curved surface 53 in FIG. 12 includes at least one of the first threshold values α1 and α2. That is, depending on the position of the closed curved surface 53, the received signal strength set may include both the first threshold values α1 and α2, or may include only one of the first threshold values α1 and α2. .
In the third embodiment, for example, the second threshold values β1 and β2 are obtained when the signal transmitted from the corresponding transmission antenna (3) is transmitted from the position of the transmission antenna (3) to the portable device 2 located in the vehicle interior outside the vehicle width direction. The value is smaller than the minimum value when received. The second threshold values β1 and β2 are received signals measured by the portable device 2 located on a virtual closed curved surface that covers the side portions of the passenger side and passenger side passenger compartments from the position of the corresponding transmitting antenna (3). It is strength. The received signal strength set measured by the portable device 2 located on the virtual closed curved surface 54 covering the passenger compartment in FIG. 12 includes at least one of the second threshold values β1 and β2. That is, depending on the position of the closed curved surface 54, the received signal strength set may include both of the second threshold values β1 and β2, or may include only one of the second threshold values β1 and β2. .

In the third embodiment, the hatched area in FIG. 12 is referred to as an indefinite area. In the third embodiment, the number of types of received signal sets measured by the portable device 2 located in the undefined area is three. Specifically, the first type of received signal strength set includes a received signal strength corresponding to the first transmitting antenna 31 that is equal to or less than the first threshold value α1 and equal to or greater than the second threshold value β1, and a value smaller than the second threshold value β2. The received signal strength corresponding to a certain second transmitting antenna 32 is included. In the second type of received signal strength set, the received signal strength corresponding to the first transmitting antenna 31 that is equal to or less than the first threshold value α1 and equal to or greater than the second threshold value β1, and is equal to or less than the first threshold value α2 and equal to or greater than the second threshold value β2. The received signal strength corresponding to the second transmitting antenna 32 is included. The third type of received signal strength includes a received signal strength corresponding to the first transmitting antenna 31 that is smaller than the second threshold value β1, and a second transmitting antenna 32 that is equal to or smaller than the first threshold value α2 and equal to or larger than the second threshold value β2. Is included in the received signal strength.
In other words, when the received signal strength of at least one of the received signal strength sets measured by the portable device 2 is larger than the corresponding first threshold value α1 or α2, the second threshold value β1 corresponding to each received signal strength. The portable device 2 is located in the indefinite region except when smaller than β2.

In the vehicle communication system configured as described above, vehicle control is performed in the same processing procedure as in the first and second embodiments. In the following, processing different from each of the first and second embodiments will be described.

In the third embodiment, when the same processing as that of the first embodiment is performed, the following processing is performed instead of the processing in step S123 in FIG. The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 determines whether or not at least one received signal strength of the received signal strength set included in the response signal is greater than the corresponding first threshold value α1 or α2. If the control unit 11 determines that at least one received signal strength of the received signal strength set is greater than the corresponding first threshold value α1 or α2, the control unit 11 proceeds to the processing after step S124 in FIG. In addition, when the control unit 11 determines that any received signal strength of the received signal strength set is equal to or less than the corresponding first threshold value α1, α2, the following processing is performed instead of the processing in step S125. The control unit 11 determines whether at least one received signal strength in the received signal strength set included in the response signal is equal to or higher than a corresponding second threshold value β1 or β2. When the control unit 11 determines that at least one of the received signal strengths is equal to or greater than the corresponding second threshold value β1 or β2, the process proceeds to step S126 and subsequent steps in FIG. On the other hand, when the control unit 11 determines that any received signal strength of the received signal strength set is equal to or higher than the corresponding second threshold value β1 and β2, the process proceeds to step S127 and subsequent steps in FIG.

In the third embodiment, when the same process as that of the third embodiment is performed, the following process is performed instead of the process of step S203 in FIG. The control unit 21 of the portable device 2 determines whether or not at least one received signal strength of the measured received signal strength set is greater than the corresponding first threshold value α1 or α2. When the control unit 21 determines that at least one received signal strength of the received signal strength set is greater than the corresponding first threshold value α1 or α2, the control unit 21 proceeds to the processing after step S204 in FIG. If the control unit 11 determines that any received signal strength of the received signal strength set is equal to or less than the corresponding first threshold value α1, α2, the following processing is performed instead of the processing in step S205. The control unit 21 determines whether at least one received signal strength in the received signal strength set included in the response signal is equal to or higher than the corresponding second threshold value β1 or β2. When the control unit 21 determines that at least one of the received signal strengths is equal to or higher than the corresponding second threshold value β1 or β2, the process proceeds to step S206 and subsequent steps in FIG. If the control unit 11 determines that any received signal strength of the received signal strength set is equal to or higher than the corresponding second threshold value β1 and β2, the process proceeds to step S207 and subsequent steps in FIG.

In the vehicle communication system described above, by arranging the transmission antennas (3) in front of and behind the passenger compartment of the vehicle C, the reach range of signals transmitted from the transmission antennas (3) becomes longer in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. . In general, since the passenger compartment is longer in the front-rear direction than in the vehicle width direction, the reachable range can be made closer to the shape of the passenger compartment. That is, the in-vehicle device 1 of the present application can improve the determination accuracy of the location of the portable device 2.

In the third embodiment, the first transmission antenna 31 is provided at the center of the vehicle interior, and the second transmission antenna 32 is provided at a luggage storage place at the rear of the vehicle interior, the so-called luggage space floor. It was explained that it was provided. However, each of the first transmission antenna 31 and the second transmission antenna 32 may be provided at a position other than the positions described above. For example, the 2nd transmission antenna 32 may be provided in the center console part ahead of vehicles C, and both the 1st transmission antenna 31 and the 2nd transmission antenna 32 may be provided in another position. Moreover, the presence or absence of directivity is not asked about each transmission antenna (3). Further, the types of the two transmission antennas (3) may be the same or different from each other. Further, the number of transmission antennas (3) may be more than two. Furthermore, each transmission antenna (3) does not need to be provided coaxially as long as it is provided in the front-rear direction of the vehicle interior.

In the third embodiment, the vehicle-mounted device 1 may be configured so that the strengths of the signals output from the transmission antennas (3) are the same when transmitting signals, or when signals are transmitted. Alternatively, the in-vehicle device 1 may be configured so that the strengths of the signals output from the transmission antennas (3) are different from each other. That is, the reach ranges of signals output from the respective transmission antennas (3) may be the same or different from each other.

In the third embodiment, the storage unit 14 of the in-vehicle device 1 or the storage unit 24 of the portable device 2 stores the four threshold values of the first threshold values α1 and α2 and the second threshold values β1 and β2. explained. However, three or two threshold values may be stored in the storage unit 14 of the in-vehicle device 1 or the storage unit 24 of the portable device 2. For example, one of the first threshold values α1 and α2 having a larger value and the second threshold values β1 and β2 may be stored in the

storage unit

14 or 24. One of the second threshold values β1 and β2 having a smaller value and the first threshold values α1 and α2 may be stored in the

storage unit

14 or 24. Further, one of the first threshold values α1 and α2 having a larger value and one of the second threshold values β1 and β2 having a smaller value may be stored in the storage unit 14 or the storage unit 24. Furthermore, even if both the first transmission antenna 31 and the second transmission antenna 32 correspond to the first threshold value and the second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value is stored in the storage unit 14 or the storage unit 24. good. The first threshold value and the second threshold value are represented by a two-dimensional vector composed of a component corresponding to the first transmission antenna 31 and a component corresponding to the second transmission antenna 32, for example. The first threshold is, for example, the received signal strength measured by the portable device 2 located on the closed curved surface including at least a part of the vehicle interior space. The second threshold is, for example, the received signal strength measured by the portable device 2 located on the closed curved surface that covers the passenger compartment.

(Embodiment 4)
In the third embodiment, an example in which a plurality of transmission antennas (3) are provided across the front and rear of the passenger compartment has been described. In the fourth embodiment, an example in which a plurality of transmission antennas (3) are provided in the vehicle width direction will be described. In the fourth embodiment, the arrangement of the transmission antenna (3), the contents stored in the in-vehicle device 1 or the portable device 2, and the processing procedure of the vehicle communication system are different from those in the third embodiment. Below, this difference is mainly demonstrated. Since other configurations and operational effects are the same as those of the third embodiment, corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a vehicle communication system according to the fourth embodiment. Similarly to the third embodiment, the vehicle C is provided with a plurality of transmission antennas (3). In the fourth embodiment, the first transmission antenna 31 is provided on the driver side pillar, and the second transmission antenna 32 is provided on the passenger side pillar.

Further, in the in-vehicle device 1 or the portable device 2 according to the fourth embodiment, the portable device 2 is located outside or inside the vehicle interior instead of the first threshold value and the second threshold value stored in the storage unit 14 or the storage unit 24. An identification function for identifying whether or not The discriminant function can take a binary value, for example, a value representing the vehicle interior, for example, 1 and a value representing the outside of the vehicle cabin, for example -1, with respect to the input value. The input value is a two-dimensional vector composed of received signal strengths when the portable device 2 receives signals transmitted from the first transmission antenna 31 and the second transmission antenna 32 in response to an operation request. In other words, in the fourth embodiment, the storage unit 14 or the storage unit 24 stores a binary classifier that receives a two-dimensional vector composed of two received signal intensities measured by the portable device 2. . The classifier is a support vector machine (nonlinear SVM (Support Vector Vector)) for performing nonlinear identification, various neural network models, or the like. Nonlinear SVM is represented using the following formula (1), for example. The kernel function K in the following formula (1) can be appropriately selected from various known kernel functions.

Further, the classifier stored in the storage unit 14 has been learned in advance. For example, when the classifier is a nonlinear SVM using the above equation (1), the weight vector Wk, the support vector Xk, and the bias b are set as learned values. When learning the classifier, the received signal strength of the signal from each transmission antenna (3) measured at a plurality of locations inside and outside the vehicle C is used as training data. Below, an example of the measurement part of the received signal strength used as training data is shown.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of measurement points of received signal strength. The measurement points on the vehicle interior side are a plurality of locations along the vehicle interior side of the right side surface, the left side surface, and the rear side surface of the vehicle interior. The measurement points on the outside of the passenger compartment are a plurality of locations along the outside of the passenger compartment on the right side surface, the left side surface, and the rear side surface of the passenger compartment. The portable device 2 is arranged at each measurement location, and the received signal strength of the signal transmitted from each transmission antenna (3) is measured. Dashed ellipses indicate locations in the vehicle interior and exterior where the portable device 2 should be placed. Note that the device for measuring the received signal strength as training data is not necessarily the portable device 2, and particularly if it is a measuring device that can measure the signal strength corresponding to the received signal strength measured by the portable device 2. There is no limit.

As described above, the received signal strength measured in the passenger compartment is associated with a value representing the passenger compartment as a label, and the received signal strength measured outside the passenger compartment is associated with a value representing the exterior of the passenger compartment as a label. Thereby, training data used for supervised learning is created. At this time, the received signal strength as each training data is represented by a two-dimensional vector. Learning of the classifier to be stored in the storage unit 14 or the storage unit 24 is performed using the created training data. For example, in the non-linear SVM using the above equation (1), learning is performed using a known non-linear SVM learning algorithm and the training data. The classifier learned by the training data based on the received signal strength measured at the measurement location shown in FIG. 14 identifies the inside and outside of the region 61 shown in FIG. It is identified whether it is located inside or outside. The region 61 has a shape that follows the left and right side surfaces of the passenger compartment of the vehicle C and the rear side surface of the passenger compartment.
The region 61 only needs to follow at least the left and right side surfaces of the vehicle compartment of the vehicle C, and does not necessarily follow the rear side surface of the vehicle compartment. In other words, as long as the region 61 has a shape that follows the left and right side surfaces of the compartment of the vehicle C, it does not matter whether the region 61 follows the front and rear of the compartment. Therefore, the received signal strength as training data may be measured at least at a plurality of locations on the vehicle interior side and vehicle exterior side on the right side surface and the left side surface of the vehicle interior, respectively. For example, the region 61 may have a shape that follows the front side of the vehicle cabin in addition to the left and right side surfaces of the vehicle C cabin. In this case, the received signal intensity as the training data includes a plurality of locations on the vehicle interior side and vehicle exterior on the right side surface and left side surface of the vehicle interior, and on the vehicle interior side and vehicle exterior on the front side surface of the vehicle interior. Measured at the point.

The processing procedure when the vehicle communication system configured as described above performs vehicle control will be described with respect to the differences from the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, the in-vehicle device 1 or the portable device 2 compares the received signal strength value measured by the portable device 2 with the first threshold value and the second threshold value stored in the storage unit 14 or the storage unit 24. The location of the portable device 2 was determined. In the fourth embodiment, the in-vehicle device 1 or the portable device 2 inputs the received signal intensity measured by the portable device 2 to the classifier stored in the storage unit 14 or the storage unit 24, so that the portable device 2 is in the vehicle interior. It is determined whether the vehicle is located outside the vehicle compartment. For example, when the classifier is a non-linear SVM using the equation (1), the vehicle-mounted device 1 or the portable device 2 uses the received signal strength vector X as the received signal strength vector X as a formula ( The determination is made based on the identification result of the non-linear SVM when input to 1).

In the above-described vehicle communication system, it is determined whether the portable device 2 is located in the vehicle interior with high accuracy without providing an indefinite region by using a classifier that has been trained using training data in advance. can do. Further, by learning the classifier in advance using the training data measured at the measurement position as shown in FIG. 14, even if the number of transmission antennas (3) is small, at least the left and right sides of the passenger compartment. The determination accuracy of the location of the portable device 2 on both sides can be improved.

(Modification 1)
In the fourth embodiment, it has been described that one classifier is stored in the storage unit 14 or the storage unit 24 and used to determine the location of the portable device 2, but a plurality of classifiers are stored in the storage unit 14 or the storage unit 24. May be stored. In the first modification, an example will be described in which four classifiers are stored in the storage unit 14 or the storage unit 24 and used to determine the location of the portable device 2. Other configurations and operational effects other than those described below are the same as those in the fourth embodiment, and accordingly, corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing regions determined by a plurality of classifiers. FIG. 15 shows a first area 71, a second area 72, a third area 73, and a fourth area 74. The first area 71 is an area that follows the side of the passenger compartment side of the vehicle C (not shown). The second area 72 is an area that follows the passenger compartment side of the vehicle C. The third region 73 is a region that follows the rear side surface of the vehicle C. The fourth region 74 is a region that follows the front side surface of the vehicle C. The first region 71, the second region 72, the third region 73, and the fourth region 74 include a common vehicle interior space. The spaces inside all of the first region 71, the second region 72, the third region 73, and the fourth region 74 substantially coincide with the vehicle interior space.

In the first modification, in order to determine whether the portable device 2 is located inside each of the first region 71, the second region 72, the third region 73, and the fourth region 74, the inside and outside of each region Are stored in the storage unit 14 or the storage unit 24. Each of the four classifiers is learned in advance using different training data in order to identify the inside and outside of the corresponding region. The training data for learning the classifier corresponding to the first region 71 is transmitted from each transmitting antenna (3) measured at a plurality of measurement locations along the vehicle exterior side and the vehicle interior side on the right side of the vehicle interior. It is created based on the received signal strength of the received signal. Training data for learning the classifier corresponding to the second region 72 is created based on the received signal strengths measured at a plurality of measurement locations along the vehicle exterior side and the vehicle interior side on the left side surface of the vehicle interior. The Training data for learning the classifier corresponding to the third region 73 is created based on the received signal strengths measured at a plurality of measurement locations along the vehicle exterior and interior of the rear side of the vehicle interior. The Training data for learning the classifier corresponding to the fourth region 74 is created based on the received signal strengths measured at a plurality of measurement locations along the vehicle exterior side and the vehicle interior side on the right side surface of the vehicle interior. The Each training data is data for supervised learning, and a label indicating the inside of the vehicle or the outside of the vehicle is given.
The four classifiers may be all the same classifiers or different classifiers. For example, the four classifiers may all be non-linear SVMs using the above equation (1), or some of them may be non-linear SVMs using the above equation (1), and the rest are neural network models. May be.

In the vehicle communication system configured as described above, the in-vehicle device 1 or the portable device 2 inputs the received signal intensity measured by the portable device 2 to each classifier stored in the storage unit 14 or the storage unit 24. Then, it is determined whether the portable device 2 is located in the passenger compartment or outside the passenger compartment. Specifically, when the vehicle-mounted device 1 or the portable device 2 identifies that all four classifiers are inside the corresponding region, the vehicle-mounted device 1 or the portable device 2 determines that the portable device 2 is located in the vehicle interior, and otherwise In this case, it is determined that the portable device 2 is located outside the vehicle compartment.

In Modification 1, even when a plurality of classifiers are stored in the storage unit 14 or the storage unit 24, the same effect as that of the fourth embodiment can be obtained.

(Modification 2)
Instead of storing the nonlinear SVM using the above equation (1) as a classifier in the storage unit 14 or the storage unit 24, regression curves of m support vectors Xk obtained when learning the nonlinear SVM are obtained. The classifier used may be stored. In addition, the said regression curve is a curve which approximates the identification curve of nonlinear SVM. By using such a classifier using the regression curve of the support vector Xk for the determination of the location of the portable device 2, the amount of calculation in the case of performing the identification can be reduced as compared with the classifier using the nonlinear SVM. The For this reason, the processing load of the vehicle equipment 1 or the portable device 2 can be reduced.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 In-vehicle apparatus 2 Portable apparatus 3 Transmission antenna 4 Reception antenna 10 Recording medium 10a Control program 11 Control part 12 In-vehicle reception part 13 In-vehicle transmission part 13a Switch 14 Storage part 21 Control part 22 Transmission part 22a Transmission antenna 23 Reception part 23a 3 axis Antenna 23b Signal strength measurement unit 23c Switch 24 Storage unit 31 First transmission antenna 32

Second transmission antenna

51, 52, 53, 54 Closed surface 61 Region 71 First region 72 Second region 73 Third region 74 Fourth region C vehicle

Claims

A vehicle equipped with an in-vehicle device that transmits a signal to the inside and outside of a passenger compartment, and a portable device that receives a signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device and transmits a response signal including intensity information related to the received signal strength of the received signal. A communication system,
The in-vehicle device is
An in-vehicle receiver that receives a response signal transmitted from the portable device;
Based on the strength information included in the response signal received by the in-vehicle receiving unit, a control unit that performs locking control for locking at least the vehicle door;
A storage unit that stores a first threshold value and a second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value,
The control unit does not perform at least the locking control when the strength information is information indicating a received signal strength that is less than or equal to the first threshold and greater than or equal to the second threshold stored in the storage unit. A communication system for a vehicle.
The vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first threshold value is a received signal strength that is greater than a maximum value of the received signal strength when a signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device is received outside a passenger compartment.
3. The vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein the second threshold value is a received signal strength that is smaller than a minimum value of a received signal strength when a signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device is received in a vehicle interior. .
The control unit further includes:
Based on intensity information included in the response signal, start control for starting the drive source of the vehicle is performed,
The vehicle communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the activation control is not performed when the strength information is information indicating a received signal strength that is equal to or less than the first threshold value.
The control unit further includes:
Based on the strength information included in the response signal, unlock control for unlocking the vehicle door is performed,
The vehicle communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the unlock control is not performed when the strength information is information indicating a received signal strength that is equal to or greater than the second threshold value.
The vehicle is provided with one transmitting antenna in the passenger compartment,
The vehicle communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the in-vehicle device transmits a signal from the transmission antenna.
In the vehicle, a plurality of transmission antennas are arranged in parallel across the front and rear of the vehicle interior,
The vehicle communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the in-vehicle device transmits signals from the plurality of transmission antennas.
A vehicle communication system comprising: an in-vehicle device that transmits a signal to the inside and outside of a passenger compartment; and a portable device that receives a signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device and measures the received signal strength of the received signal.
The portable device is
A storage unit for storing a first threshold and a second threshold smaller than the first threshold;
A determination unit that determines the magnitude of the measured received signal strength based on the first threshold value and the second threshold value stored in the storage unit;
A transmission unit that transmits a response signal including a determination result of the determination unit, and
The in-vehicle device is
An in-vehicle receiver that receives the response signal transmitted by the transmitter;
A control unit that performs locking control for locking at least the vehicle door based on a determination result included in the response signal received by the in-vehicle receiving unit, and
When the response signal includes a determination result indicating that the received signal strength measured by the portable device is equal to or lower than the first threshold and equal to or higher than the second threshold, at least the locking is performed. A communication system for a vehicle that is not controlled.
An in-vehicle device that transmits a signal to the inside and outside of a passenger compartment and receives a response signal transmitted from an external device in response to the transmitted signal,
A vehicle-mounted receiving unit that receives a response signal including strength information related to received signal strength when the external device receives the signal;
Based on the strength information included in the response signal received by the in-vehicle receiving unit, a control unit that performs locking control for locking at least the vehicle door;
A storage unit that stores a first threshold value and a second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value,
The control unit does not perform at least the locking control when the strength information is information indicating a received signal strength that is less than or equal to the first threshold and greater than or equal to the second threshold stored in the storage unit. An in-vehicle device.
Based on the received signal strength when the portable device receives the signal transmitted from the transmission antenna provided in the vehicle in the computer including the storage unit that stores the first threshold and the second threshold smaller than the first threshold. A computer program for performing locking control for locking at least the vehicle door,
In the computer,
A procedure for determining the magnitude of the received signal strength based on the first threshold value and the second threshold value stored in the storage unit;
When it is determined that the received signal strength is equal to or lower than the first threshold and equal to or higher than the second threshold, at least a procedure for preventing the computer from performing the locking control.