JP2002129794A - Remote-controlled onboard apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote-controlled onboard device which switches over its control action depending on a distance between the user who holds a remote- controlling transmitter and a vehicle. SOLUTION: The onboard apparatus for use in a keyless entry system automatically carries out locking/unlocking of a door and opening drive of a back door in response to a command signal which is radio-transmitted from the transmitter. According to the onboard apparatus, the signal strength of a command signal received by a receiver is detected by using an RSSI circuit, and when the signal strength VRSSI is large, which means that the user is in the vicinity of the vehicle, the user is informed of a result of control of the door locking/unlocking by means of a buzzer (S170 and S220). On the other hand, when the signal strength VRSSI is small, which means that the user is remote from the vehicle, the user is informed of the result of control of door locking/ unlocking by flashing of a hazard lamp (S190 and S240). Opening drive of the door is allowed only when the signal strength VRSSI of a command signal is large, which means that the user is in the vicinity of the vehicle.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle-mounted device for remote control mounted on a vehicle for remotely controlling various parts of the vehicle from outside the vehicle, such as locking and unlocking a door.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a remote control in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle so as to enable remote control of each part of the vehicle includes, for example, a wireless transmission from a portable transmitter carried by a user such as a driver. 2. Description of the Related Art A vehicle-mounted device for a so-called keyless entry system, which automatically locks and unlocks a door of a vehicle in response to a remote control command signal transmitted by (radio wave or light), is known.

[0003] In addition, in a vehicle-mounted device for a keyless entry system, when a door is locked or unlocked in accordance with a command signal from a transmitter, a buzzer sounds or a hazard lamp or a tail lamp blinks in accordance with the control operation. There is also known an apparatus having a so-called answer-back function for notifying a user of the completion of the control operation based on the command signal.

[0004]

In such a conventional remote control on-vehicle device, when a remote control command signal transmitted from a transmitter outside the vehicle is received, the remote control command signal is transmitted in response to the command signal. However, since various control operations (locking / unlocking of doors, answer back, etc.) are performed, various problems may occur.

For example, in the above-described vehicle-mounted device for a keyless entry system, when a command signal for door unlocking transmitted from a transmitter is received, regardless of the distance between the vehicle and the user who operates the transmitter, Since the door is unlocked as it is, even if the user accidentally operates the transmitter far away from the vehicle, the door will be unlocked, and the door lock will prevent theft. Was sometimes impaired.

[0006] In addition, in addition to the doors for getting on and off the seats provided on the left and right of the seat, the automobiles are provided with a back door provided behind the vehicle and capable of opening and closing above or right and left of the vehicle (wagons and the like). A so-called one-box car is known. As a keyless entry system incorporated in such a car, a system in which a back door can be automatically opened by remote control is known. If the user erroneously operates the transmitter far away from the car, a command signal to open the back door is sent from the transmitter to the in-vehicle device, the back door opens, and the person near the back door or behind the car parks. The back door sometimes hit the car that was being used.

Further, in the above-mentioned vehicle-mounted device for a keyless entry system having an answer-back function, when the door is locked or unlocked in response to a command signal from a transmitter, it is necessary to notify the user of the fact. The answerback is performed by sounding a buzzer or the answerback by blinking a hazard lamp or the like. However, since this answerback method is preset (fixed) for each vehicle, for example, hazardous In a device that performs answer-back by blinking a lamp or the like, the answer-back can be confirmed when the user who operates the transmitter is away from the vehicle, but the answer-back is confirmed when the user is near the side of the vehicle. There was a problem that it could not.

[0008] In a vehicle-mounted device that performs answer-back by sounding a buzzer, if the volume of the buzzer is set low, the answer-back cannot be confirmed when the user is away from the vehicle. When the volume of the buzzer is set to be large so that the answer back can be confirmed even if the user is far away, there is a problem that the answer back is emitted at a high volume, which causes trouble in the neighborhood.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a remote control in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle for remotely controlling various parts of the vehicle includes a user having a remote control transmitter and a vehicle. It is possible to switch a control operation for remote control according to a distance between the control operation and the remote control.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an in-vehicle remote control device, wherein the receiving means comprises a remote control unit which receives a wireless signal from a transmitter outside the vehicle. The control means controls the vehicle state according to the received command signal. The detecting means detects the signal strength of the command signal received by the receiving means, and the control operation switching means switches the control operation of the control means according to the signal strength of the command signal detected by the detecting means.

That is, the signal strength of the command signal received by the receiving means is determined by the transmitter outside the vehicle which transmitted the command signal and the receiving means (in other words, the vehicle on which the on-vehicle device is mounted).
Since it changes according to the distance between
The detecting means detects the signal strength of the command signal received by the receiving means, thereby detecting the distance between the user who operated the transmitter and the vehicle, and performing a control operation by the control means according to the distance. Is to be switched.

Therefore, according to the present invention, vehicle control executed by remote control can be optimally executed according to the distance between the user holding the transmitter and the vehicle.
By univocally controlling the vehicle state in response to a command signal from the transmitter, it is possible to solve various problems that have conventionally been a problem.

Specifically, for example, the control operation switching means causes the control means to execute a control operation corresponding to the command signal in accordance with the signal strength of the command signal. If it is configured to switch whether to prohibit,
Since the control operation of the control means can be restricted according to the distance between the vehicle and the user, a malfunction caused by the operation of the control means when the user is away from the vehicle (for example, for example, It is possible to satisfactorily prevent the anti-theft function from being lowered due to the unlocking, or prevent the back door from hitting a person or a vehicle behind the vehicle due to the opening operation of the back door.

To prevent this problem, the control operation of the control means may be permitted only when the signal strength of the command signal is large and the distance between the user and the vehicle is short. According to the device described in claim 2, the control operation of the control means can be permitted only when the signal strength of the command signal is small and the distance between the user and the vehicle is long, In this case, it is possible to eliminate a problem caused by operating the control unit when the user is near the vehicle.

For example, when the control means is configured to notify a control result executed in accordance with the command signal (in other words, when the control means has an answer back function), the control means may be configured as described in claim 3. If the control operation switching means is configured to switch the notification mode when the control means notifies the control result in accordance with the signal strength of the command signal, when the user is away from the vehicle, When the vehicle is near the vehicle, the mode of reporting the control result by the control means (answerback method) can be switched, and answerback can always be performed in an optimal method (specifically, it is easy for the user to confirm, and In a manner that does not bother others).

And, in particular, as described in claim 4,
The present invention (the invention described in claims 1 to 3 described above)
Is applied to an in-vehicle device for a so-called keyless entry system, in which the control means locks and unlocks the door of the vehicle according to the command signal received by the reception means. The various problems described above can be solved, and an optimal keyless entry system can be constructed.

The present invention (the above-described claims 1 to 3)
Is not limited to the keyless entry system, but may be applied to any system that is used to remotely control a vehicle. Specifically, for example, even a system that automatically starts a vehicle engine by remote control, or a system that remotely starts auxiliary equipment such as a navigation system mounted on a vehicle, The present invention can be applied.

When the present invention is applied to such a system, for example, when the signal strength of the command signal transmitted from the transmitter is low and the user is away from the vehicle, the command signal is When a predetermined time has elapsed, the engine is started or the accessories are started. Conversely, when the signal strength of the command signal is large and the user is near the vehicle, the engine or the accessories are started immediately after the command signal is received. The control operation switching means may be configured to execute the activation.

By the way, in order to switch the control operation by the control means according to the signal strength of the command signal as in the present invention, the control operation switching means is controlled by the control signal switching means. Preferably, the signal strength is compared with a preset reference value, and the control operation of the control means is switched according to the result of the comparison.

When the control operation switching means is configured as described above, a fixed value may be set in advance as a reference value for control operation switching determination. It is preferable to provide a determination reference value changing means for changing a reference value for control operation switching determination according to an external command.

That is, if the reference value for control operation switching determination can be changed by an external command as described above, the distance at which the control operation of the control means is switched by the control operation switching means can be changed according to the user's preference. Since it can be set arbitrarily according to the situation, the usability at the time of remote control of the vehicle can be further improved.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle-mounted device for a keyless entry system to which the present invention is applied.

The vehicle-mounted device according to the present embodiment is mounted on an automobile (a so-called one-box car such as a wagon car) having a back door provided at the rear of the vehicle in addition to the entrance doors provided on the left and right sides of the seat. Receiving a command signal for remote control wirelessly transmitted from a portable transmitter (not shown) incorporated in a master key or a key holder of the vehicle, and demodulating the received command signal. Is used to automatically lock or unlock the door for getting on and off, and to automatically open the back door, based on various control codes obtained by

For this reason, the in-vehicle apparatus of this embodiment has a keyless entry receiver 2 for receiving a command signal transmitted from the transmitter and demodulating the control code by operating the transmitter. A door lock actuator 4 for locking / unlocking the door for getting on / off, a back door actuator 6 for opening the back door, a reception signal (control code) from the keyless entry receiver 2 and an R (described later).
An electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as a body ECU) that takes in the SSI signals and drives the door lock actuator 4 and the back door actuator 6 based on these signals to lock and unlock the doors for getting on and off and open the back doors. 8 are provided.

A hazard lamp and a buzzer (not shown) are connected to the body ECU 8. The body ECU 8 locks or unlocks the entry / exit door based on the reception signal from the keyless entry receiver 2,
By flashing a hazard lamp or sounding a buzzer, a user outside the vehicle that operates the transmitter is notified that the door for entry / exit has been locked or unlocked.

The body ECU 8 operates when the user operates a key switch (key SW) by inserting a master key into a key cylinder incorporated in a door for getting on or off, or when the user operates a door switch ( Even when the door SW is operated, the above actuators 4 and 6 are driven to lock and unlock the door for getting on and off and open the back door so that the switches (key SW and key SW) can be opened. Door S
W) is connected.

The body ECU 8 has an ignition switch (IGS) which is turned on when the engine is running.
W) is also connected. This is for switching the control operation between when the engine is running and when the engine is stopped. For example, when the engine is running, a detection signal from a vehicle speed sensor (not shown) is captured, and when the vehicle speed exceeds a set value, the vehicle automatically gets on and off. The control for locking the door is executed.

Next, the keyless entry receiver 2 corresponds to the receiving means of the present invention, and is configured as shown in FIG. In the following description, it is assumed that the command signal transmitted from the transmitter is subjected to amplitude displacement modulation (ASK) using a control code for remote control.

As shown in FIG. 2, the keyless entry receiver 2 includes a receiving antenna 10 for receiving a radio wave transmitted from the transmitter, and a command signal transmitted from the transmitter among the received signals from the receiving antenna 10. A band-pass filter (BPF) 12 for selectively passing the signal, an amplifier circuit (AMP) 14 for amplifying a command signal passed through the BPF 12, a local oscillator 16 for generating a high-frequency signal having a constant frequency for frequency conversion, A mixing circuit 18 for mixing the command signal amplified by the AMP 14 and a high-frequency signal from the local oscillator 16 to convert the frequency of the command signal into a predetermined intermediate frequency band; And a band-pass filter (BPF) 20 for selectively passing the command signal that has passed through the band-pass filter 20. Amplifier (AM amplifying a decree signal
P) 22, a detection circuit (DET) 24 for envelope detection of the command signal amplified by the AMP 22, and a low-pass filter (E) for removing unnecessary high-frequency signal components from the command signal envelope-detected by the DET 24 ( LPF) 26 and LP
A comparator (CMP) 28 for restoring serial data representing a control code by comparing the command signal passed through F26 with a preset reference voltage.

That is, in the keyless entry receiver 2 of this embodiment, the command signal from the transmitter received by the receiving antenna 10 is demodulated into serial data representing a control code by envelope detection, and the demodulated signal is demodulated. Control code (serial data) as a reception signal
8 will be input.

In the keyless entry receiver 2, the signal intensity (voltage level) of the command signal is supplied to the AMP 22 which amplifies the command signal frequency-converted to the intermediate frequency band.
RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indic)
ator) circuit 30 is connected.

This RSSI circuit 30 detects the power consumption of the AMP 22 from the amount of current flowing into the AMP 22, and outputs a voltage signal VRSSI corresponding to the amount of current as an RSSI signal representing the signal strength of the command signal. It is. That is, the command signal after the frequency conversion is input to the AMP 22 via the BPF 20, but when the input signal is small, the output signal is also small. Therefore, the power consumption of the AMP 22 is small, and when the input signal is large, Since the output signal increases, the power consumption of the AMP 22 increases.

Therefore, the RSSI circuit 30 detects the power consumption of the AMP 22 from the amount of current flowing into the AMP 22 as described above, and obtains a voltage signal VRSSI corresponding to the amount of current.
As an RSSI signal representing the signal strength of the command signal,
This is output to the body ECU 8.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the RSSI circuit 30 functions as the detecting means of the present invention.

The signal strength of the command signal received by the keyless entry receiver 2 is
(In other words, an automobile equipped with the in-vehicle device of the present embodiment)
And the transmitter (in other words, the user who operated the transmitter to transmit the command signal) changes according to the distance, and the shorter the distance, the larger the output. Signal) VRSSI also increases as the distance between the vehicle and the user decreases.

Next, the body ECU 8 controls the CPU 8a, R
It is mainly configured by a microcomputer including the OM 8b, the RAM 8c, the EEPROM 8d, and the like. And
As described above, the body ECU 8 controls the keyless entry based on the reception signal and the RSSI signal output from the keyless entry receiver 2 to control the keyless entry to lock / unlock the door for getting on / off or open the back door, and to control each of the switches described above. Control for locking / unlocking the door for getting on / off or opening the back door is executed based on the state, but the control processing based on the switch state is not directly related to the present invention, and thus the description is omitted.
In the following description, a control process for keyless entry executed by body ECU 8 will be described.

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the CPU in the body ECU 8.
8a is a flowchart illustrating a keyless entry control process executed as one of the main routines according to a control program stored in the ROM 8b in advance. As shown in FIG. 3, when this processing is started, first, at S110
In (S represents a step), it is determined whether or not the keyless entry receiver 2 has received a transmission radio wave from the transmitter based on the output (received signal) from the keyless entry receiver 2.

If it is determined in S110 that the keyless entry receiver 2 has received the transmission radio wave from the transmitter, the flow shifts to S120, and thereafter for a predetermined period (at least a time longer than one data length of the control code). ), A signal reading process of reading the received signal and the RSSI signal output from the keyless entry receiver 2 (so-called sampling), and storing the time-series data of each read signal in the RAM 8c.

Next, in S130, based on the time-series data of the received signal stored in the RAM 8c by the signal reading process of S120, the received signal includes a control code preset for keyless entry. Is determined (in other words, whether the keyless entry receiver 2 has received the control code).

If it is determined in S130 that the control code has been received, the process proceeds to S140.
The received control code is a “LOCK” code representing a command to lock the door for getting on and off, or “UNLO” representing a command for unlocking the door for getting on and off.
A code type identification process is performed to identify whether the code is a “CK” code or a “BACKDOOR” code indicating a command to open a back door.

When it is determined in S110 that keyless entry receiver 2 has not received the transmission radio wave from the transmitter, or in S130, keyless entry receiver 2 has received the control code. If it is determined that no command signal for keyless entry has been transmitted from the transmitter, the process ends.

Next, if it is determined in S140 that the received control code is a “LOCK” code,
The process proceeds to S150 to execute R120 by the signal reading process in S120.
The average value (hereinafter referred to as RSSI value) of the time series data of the RSSI signal VRSSI stored in the AM8c and the EEPROM
8d is compared with a reference value Vref1 for door lock notification switching determination stored in 8d.

Then, in S150, the RSSI value VRSSI
Is larger than the reference value Vref1, and it is determined that the distance between the vehicle and the user is shorter than the set distance determined by the reference value Vref1, in step S160, the door lock actuator 4 is driven to get on and off. After the door is locked, the buzzer is sounded at an interval or a pitch indicating the door lock in the following S170, thereby notifying the user that the door lock is completed, and terminating the process. .

On the other hand, in S150, when the RSSI value VRSSI is equal to or less than the reference value Vref1, and the distance between the car and the user is:
If it is determined that the distance is longer than the set distance determined by the reference value Vref1, in S180, the door lock actuator 4
To lock the door for getting on and off, and then to S190
Then, by flashing the hazard lamp at intervals indicating the door lock, the user is notified that the door lock has been completed, and the process ends.

Next, if it is determined in S140 that the received control code is the "UNLOCK" code, the flow shifts to S200, where the RSSI value VRSSI and the EE
The magnitude is compared with a reference value Vref2 for unlock notification switching determination stored in the PROM 8d.

Then, in S200, the RSSI value VRSSI
Is larger than the reference value Vref2, and it is determined that the distance between the vehicle and the user is shorter than the set distance determined by the reference value Vref2, the door lock actuator 4 is driven to get on and off in S210. After unlocking the door for
In subsequent S220, the buzzer is sounded at intervals or intervals indicating unlocking (a notification mode different from that at the time of locking), thereby notifying the user that the unlocking of the entry / exit door has been completed, The process ends.

On the other hand, in S200, when the RSSI value VRSSI is equal to or less than the reference value Vref2 and the distance between the car and the user is
If it is determined that the distance is longer than the set distance determined by the reference value Vref2, in S230, the door lock actuator 4
To lock the door for getting on and off, and then proceed to S240
By flashing the hazard lamp at an interval indicating unlocking (an interval different from that at the time of locking), the user is notified that the unlocking of the door for entry / exit has been completed, and the process ends. .

Further, if it is determined in S140 that the received control code is the “BACKDOOR” code, the process proceeds to S250, where the RSSI value VRSSI and
The reference value Vref3 for back door opening drive permission determination stored in the EEPROM 8d is compared in magnitude.

Then, at S250, the RSSI value VRSSI
Is larger than the reference value Vref3, and it is determined that the distance between the vehicle and the user is shorter than the set distance determined by the reference value Vref3, the back door actuator 6 is driven by driving the back door actuator 6 in S260. After the door is opened, the process is terminated. Conversely, in S250, the RSSI value VRSSI is equal to or less than the reference value Vref3, and the distance between the vehicle and the user is longer than the set distance determined by the reference value Vref3. If it is determined that the driving of the back door is prohibited, the process is terminated.

As described above, in the vehicle-mounted device of this embodiment, when locking or unlocking the entry / exit door according to the command signal from the transmitter, the signal strength (R
By determining whether the SSI value is greater than the reference values Vref1 and Vref2, it is determined whether the distance between the user and the vehicle is short (in other words, whether the user is near the vehicle).
If the user is in the vicinity of the car, the door is locked and unlocked, then the answerback is performed by sounding a buzzer.If the user is away from the car, the door After locking / unlocking, the answer back is performed by blinking a hazard lamp.

Therefore, whether the user is in the vicinity of the car or away from the car, the user can be reliably informed that the lock / unlock of the door for entry / exit has been completed. Also, when performing answer-back by sounding the buzzer, the user is near the car, so there is no need to increase the volume of the buzzer, and the buzzer does not bother the surroundings.

If the command from the transmitter is a command to open the back door, the signal strength of the command signal (RSSI
Value) is greater than the reference value Vref3 to determine whether the user is near the car. When the user is near the car, control is performed to open the back door. When the user is away from the car, the control is prohibited. Therefore, the user may operate the transmitter incorrectly at a position away from the car, or
If the user operates the transmitter without being able to see the back of the car because he is away from the car, the back door will open and the back door will hit people behind the vehicle or other vehicles. Can also be prevented.

Further, since the back door can be opened by remote control only when the user is in the vicinity of the car, the back door is opened when the user is away from the car. Can be prevented from being stolen. In the present embodiment, S160 to S190 and S210 to S2 are executed to lock or unlock the door for getting on and off according to a command signal (specifically, a control code) from the transmitter and to notify the result.
The processing of S20 and the processing of S260 for opening the back door correspond to the control means of the present invention, and the determination processing of S150 and S200 executed to switch the processing operations of S160 to S190 and S210 to S220, and S26
The process of S250 executed to switch whether or not to execute process 0 corresponds to the control operation switching means of the present invention.

Here, in the present embodiment, the control operation for locking and unlocking the door for getting on and off is not limited by the distance between the vehicle and the user, but the user is separated from the vehicle. If the door for unlocking the vehicle is unlocked while the vehicle is on, items in the vehicle may be stolen.

Therefore, in order to prevent such a problem and to further improve the security of the vehicle, the control operation for unlocking the door for getting on and off the vehicle must be performed between the vehicle and the user as in the case of opening the back door. It is good to limit by the distance of. For this purpose, the processing of S230 and S240 is deleted from the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, and if it is determined in S200 that the RSSI value is equal to or less than the reference value Vref2, the processing is terminated as it is. By doing so, when the distance between the car and the user is long (in other words, when the user is away from the car),
The control operation for unlocking the entry / exit door may be prohibited.

In the present embodiment, the reference values Vref1 and Vre for determining the RSSI value used to switch the form of notification to the user when the door for locking and unlocking is locked / unlocked.
f2 and a reference value Vref3 for determining the RSSI value used to determine whether to permit or prohibit the control operation for opening the back door, EEPRO capable of rewriting stored data.
It is stored in M8d.

This is because these reference values Vref1 to Vref3
This is to allow the user to appropriately change (in other words, the distance at which the control operation is switched) after shipment of the vehicle-mounted device. Therefore, next, the body E is rewritten in order to rewrite the reference values Vref1 to Vref3 stored in the EEPROM 8d.
Processing as reference value changing means (reference value updating processing 1 and 2 described later) executed by the CU 8 will be described.

In this embodiment, the reference values Vref1 to Vref1 to
As a method of updating Vref3, two methods, a method using a transmitter and a method using a dedicated setting device 50 (see FIG. 1) in an automobile maintenance shop or the like, are set in advance. Can update the above reference values Vref1 to Vref3 by appropriately selecting each of these methods.

First, FIG. 4 shows that the operation mode of the body ECU 8 is changed from the normal mode for performing the above-described control processing to the reference value setting mode by operating the operation mode changeover switch (not shown) connected to the body ECU 8. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a reference value update process 1 executed by the CPU 8a when the mode is switched to.

As shown in FIG. 4, when this process is started, it is determined in S310 whether or not the keyless entry receiver 2 has received a transmission radio wave from the transmitter. And
In S310, when it is determined that keyless entry receiver 2 has received the transmission radio wave from the transmitter, the flow shifts to S320, where time-series data of the received signal and the RSSI signal is converted to RA.
A signal reading process to be stored in the M8c is executed, and the subsequent S33
At 0, it is determined whether or not the keyless entry receiver 2 has received the control code based on the time-series data of the received signal stored in the RAM 8c by the signal reading process.

Incidentally, the processing of S310 to S330 is as follows.
It is executed in the same procedure as S110 to S130 shown in FIG. 3, and when a negative determination is made in S310 or S330,
The process moves to S380. Next, when it is determined in S330 that the control code has been received by the keyless entry receiver 2, the process proceeds to S340, and the code type identification processing is executed in the same procedure as in S140 described above.

If it is determined in S340 that the received control code is a “LOCK” code,
The flow shifts to S350, where the RSSI value VRSSI, which is the average value of the time-series data of the RSSI signal stored in the RAM 8c by the signal reading process of S320, is replaced with the new reference value Vref1.
Then, the process proceeds to S380.

If it is determined in S340 that the received control code is the "UNLOCK" code, the flow shifts to S360, where the RSSI value VRSSI is set as a new reference value Vref2. To
In S340, the received control code is "BACKDOO
If it is determined that the code is an "R" code, the flow shifts to S370, where the RSSI value VRSSI is set as a new reference value Vref3, and then to S380.

Next, in S380, it is determined whether or not a command to end the reference value update processing 1 is externally input by, for example, operating the above-described operation mode switch. If it is not necessary to end the update process, the process shifts to S310 to execute the above process again. Conversely, if it is necessary to end the update process, the process proceeds to S3.
At 90, the reference values Vref1 to Vref3 stored in the EEPROM 8d are rewritten to the new reference values set by the processing of S350 to S370, and the reference value update processing 1 ends.

Next, FIG. 5 shows the structure of the body E as shown in FIG.
When the setting device 50 is connected to the setting terminal Ts of the CU 8 via a communication line, the reference value updating process 2 executed by the body ECU 8 and the setting device 50 side corresponding to the reference value updating process 2 6 is a flowchart illustrating a reference value setting process executed in step S1.

The setting device 50 includes an input device such as a mouse and a keyboard, and a display device such as an LCD and a CRT. An operator such as a maintenance shop where the setting device 50 is installed displays the display screen of the display device. By operating the input device while watching, the reference values Vref1 to Vref3 stored in the EEPROM 8d of the body ECU 8 can be set and changed to values according to the user's request. It consists of.

As shown in FIG. 5, on the body ECU 8 side, when the setting device 50 is connected to the setting terminal Ts and communication with the setting device 50 becomes possible, the reference value is updated according to a command from the setting device 50. The process 2 is executed, and in S410, the reference value V currently stored in the EEPROM 8d is read.
ref1 to Vref3 are transferred to the setting device 50.

Then, the setting device 50 acquires the reference values Vref1 to Vref3 in S510, and then proceeds to S520 to S520.
In the process of S590, the acquired reference values Vref1 to Vre
An arithmetic process for updating f3 is executed, and thereafter, S60
At 0, the updated new reference values Vref1 to Vref3 are transferred, so that after executing the process of S410, the body ECU 8 transmits the new reference values transferred from the setting device 50 at S420. Execute the reference value acquisition process to acquire.

When a new reference value set on the setting device 50 side is acquired in this reference value acquisition process, in subsequent S430, the reference values Vref1 to Vref3 stored in the EEPROM 8d are set. Is rewritten with the new reference value acquired from the above, and the reference value update processing 2 is terminated.

The calculation process for updating the reference value (S520 to S590) executed on the setting device 50 side is executed in the following procedure, for example. That is, first, in S520, the current reference values Vref1 to Vref3 acquired from the body ECU 8 are set.
Llock, Lunlo between the car and the transmitter (user) when the lock / unlock notification mode is switched based on the
ck and the distance Lbackdoor between the vehicle and the transmitter (user) that enable the opening operation of the backdoor are calculated, and the calculation results are displayed on the display device.

Then, in S530, the distance L over which the lock notification mode is switched from outside via the input device.
It is determined whether or not a command to change the lock has been input. If a change command has been input, in step S540, the distance Llock displayed on the display device is updated according to the command, and the distance Llock is updated. A reference value calculation process for calculating a reference value Vref1 corresponding to Llock is executed.

If the reference value calculation process is executed in S540 or a negative determination is made in S530, the process shifts to S550, and the unlock notification mode is switched from the outside via the input device. It is determined whether a command to change the distance Lunlock has been input.

If the change command has been input, in step S560, the distance Lunlock displayed on the display device is changed according to the command, and the distance Lunlock is changed.
After executing the reference value calculation processing for calculating the reference value Vref2 according to, the process proceeds to S570. Conversely, if it is determined in S550 that the change command has not been input, the process directly proceeds to S570.

Next, in S570, via the input device,
Distance Lbackdoor that can open the backdoor from outside
It is determined whether or not a command to change the distance has been input. If the change command has been input, in step S580, the distance Lbackdoor displayed on the display device is updated according to the command, and the distance Lbackdoor is updated. A reference value calculation process for calculating the corresponding reference value Vref3 is executed.

Then, in S580, a reference value calculation process is executed, or when a negative determination is made in S570, the process shifts to S590, and an end command of the reference value setting process is input through the input device. Is determined. If the end command of the process has not been input, the process returns to S52.
0, and conversely, if an end command is input, S6
00, the new reference value calculated in the reference value calculation processing in S540, S560, and S580 is applied to the body ECU.
Transfer to 8.

As described above, in the vehicle-mounted device according to the present embodiment, the reference values Vref1 to Vre1 stored in the EEPROM 8a are used.
By updating f3, it is possible to set the distance for switching the locking / unlocking notification mode of the getting-on / off door and the operable distance of the back door according to the user's preference.

Therefore, according to the on-vehicle apparatus of this embodiment, not only can the answer-back and back door opening operations be performed optimally in accordance with the distance between the user and the vehicle, but also the control operation switching distance can be determined by using the vehicle. This makes it possible to set more optimally according to the conditions, thereby realizing an in-vehicle device that is extremely easy to use for the user.

As described above, in this embodiment, as a method of updating the reference values Vref1 to Vref3, a method in which the user sets the reference values by actually operating the transmitter and a method in which the dedicated setting device 50 is used. Since the user can select two types of methods, a setting method and a setting method, the user can perform the method by himself / herself or request a maintenance shop or the like to update the reference values Vref1 to Vref3 (in other words, Setting the operating distance)
Can be performed very easily.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.
Various embodiments can be adopted. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the RSSI circuit 30 that detects the signal strength from the current consumption of the AMP 20 is used to detect the signal strength of the command signal received by the keyless entry receiver 2. The detection means for detecting the signal strength of the signal can be realized by, for example, a circuit for detecting the frequency-converted reception signal output from the BPF 20 and detecting the voltage level after the detection.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a vehicle-mounted device for a keyless entry system has been described. However, the present invention relates to any vehicle-mounted device used for remote control of a vehicle. Even in the case of an in-vehicle device, similar effects can be obtained by applying the same method as in the above embodiment.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle-mounted device for a keyless entry system according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a keyless entry receiver according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a control process executed by a body ECU according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a reference value updating process 1 executed by the body ECU of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a reference value update process 2 and a reference value setting process executed by the body ECU and an external setting device of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Keyless entry receiver, 4 Door lock actuator, 6 Back door actuator, 8 Body E
CU, 10 ... receiving antenna, 12, 22 ... amplification circuit, 1
6 local oscillator, 18 mixing circuit, 20 band-pass filter, 24 detection circuit, 26 low-pass filter, 2
8 comparator, 30 RSSI circuit, 50 setting device.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. Receiving means for receiving a command signal for remote control transmitted wirelessly from a transmitter outside a vehicle, and control means for controlling a vehicle state according to the command signal received by the receiving means. An on-vehicle device for remote control comprising: a detection unit configured to detect a signal strength of a command signal received by the reception unit; and a control operation of the control unit in accordance with the signal strength detected by the detection unit. A vehicle-mounted device for remote control, comprising: control operation switching means for switching between the two. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control operation switching means switches whether to cause the control means to execute a control operation corresponding to the command signal or to prohibit the control operation in accordance with the signal strength. The in-vehicle device for remote operation according to claim 1. 3. The control means is configured to notify a control result executed in accordance with the command signal, and the control operation switching means controls the control result by the control means in accordance with the signal strength. The in-vehicle device for remote operation according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a notification mode at the time of notification is switched. 4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said control means locks and unlocks a door of the vehicle in accordance with a command signal received by said receiving means. In-vehicle device for remote control. 5. The control operation switching means is configured to compare the signal strength of the command signal with a preset reference value, and switch the control operation of the control means according to the comparison result. 5. A reference value changing means for changing a reference value of the signal intensity used for switching the control operation of the control means by the control operation switching means in accordance with an external command. An in-vehicle device for remote operation according to any one of the above.