JP2007016519A - Communication device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

An inexpensive portable device vehicle that does not depend on LF charged waves that require an expensive antenna by separating the reader function of the reader / writer into a portable device and an in-vehicle device by non-contact communication using a high frequency band. A vehicle communication device that achieves the inside / outside determination technology is obtained.
SOLUTION: At least one ID transmitter 2 that is installed in a vehicle and transmits a transmitter ID held by itself in response to reception of radio waves, and a portable device 3 that radiates radio waves to the ID transmitter 2; The vehicle-mounted device 1 that is installed in the vehicle and receives the transmitter ID transmitted from the ID transmitter 2 is provided. The in-vehicle device 1 determines the position of the portable device 3 based on the transmitter ID directly received from the ID transmitter 2.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle communication apparatus having a function for specifying a position of a portable device in an electronic key system, and more particularly, to a passive entry technique that simply operates locking and unlocking of a vehicle door only by possessing the portable device. The present invention relates to a vehicle communication device suitable for application.

  Conventionally, as a communication device for remotely controlling an in-vehicle device of an automobile, the vehicle door is automatically unlocked when the user holding the portable device approaches the vehicle, and the vehicle door is automatically released when the user leaves the vehicle. A vehicular communication device having a function to be locked is proposed.

However, in such a conventional device, in order to prevent the portable device from being locked when the portable device is in the vehicle, measures are taken so that the door is not automatically locked, so the portable device is left in the vehicle. If the user leaves the vehicle while leaving the door, the door will be left unlocked, which is a problem in terms of crime prevention.
Therefore, when the user leaves the vehicle, if the portable device is left behind in the vehicle, it is necessary to notify the user of the state. That is, a function for determining whether the portable device is inside or outside the vehicle is required.

  As a technique for determining whether or not a portable device is in a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as “inside / outside determination technique”), for example, a vehicle communication device using an LF charged wave having a frequency of about 120 KHz to 135 KHz has been proposed. (For example, see Patent Document 1).

According to the inside / outside determination technology using LF charged waves, antennas that emit LF charged waves (hereinafter referred to as “LF band antennas”) are installed at various locations of the vehicle. The vehicle-mounted device is coupled via a wired line to supply power.
Further, the portable device is designed to react when the portable device is present within the predetermined magnetic field intensity of the radiated radio wave from the LF band antenna, and the portable device is determined by the response from the portable device to the designated LF band antenna. The on-vehicle device determines the presence of the.

On the other hand, an RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) technique is known as a technique for detecting an object using radio waves (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).
As technologies related to RFID, there are technologies called by various names such as wireless tags, IC tags, RF tags, ID tags, and the like.
An RFID system is typically composed of an RF tag and a reader / writer, and when both are present in a communicable range, when radio waves are emitted from the reader / writer to the RF tag, an ID is transmitted from the RF tag, and the ID Is received by the reader / writer, the reader / writer can obtain information on the presence of the RF tag and the ID.

JP 2003-221954 A "RFID Handbook 2nd Edition, Principle and Application of Contactless IC Card (ISBN4-526-05291-4)" (written by Klaus Finkenzeller, Translated by Software Engineering Laboratory, Nikkan Kogyo)

In the conventional vehicle communication device, since the LF band antenna for remote control is coupled to the vehicle-mounted device via a wire, there is a problem that wiring is required and installation requires a lot of labor. .
In particular, since it is determined whether or not the portable device is in the vehicle using the LF band, the routing of the wiring to the LF band antenna becomes complicated and the size of the LF band antenna is large, so the installation location is limited. There was a problem of receiving.

In addition, since an LF band antenna is usually composed of a coil in which a conductor is wound around a core made of a composition such as a ferrite core, it is difficult to reduce the size, and the mounting location corresponding to the antenna size is restricted. In addition, there is a problem that the design and arrangement conditions of the antenna satisfying the communication function without impairing the design of the vehicle are restricted.
Furthermore, in order to cover the entire interior of the vehicle interior with LF charged waves, a plurality of antennas are required. However, the cost of a single antenna is high due to the configuration of the LF band antenna described above, and it is difficult to reduce the cost. There was a problem of incurring a cost increase due to an increase in the amount of money.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and applies a non-contact communication technique using a high-frequency band instead of the LF charging wave, so that the reader function of a conventional RF tag can be applied to a portable device and a vehicle. It is an object of the present invention to obtain a vehicle communication device that realizes an inexpensive portable device inside / outside determination technology that does not depend on LF charging waves.

  A vehicle communication device according to the present invention is installed in a vehicle and transmits at least one ID transmitter that transmits its own transmitter ID in response to reception of radio waves, and a mobile that radiates radio waves to the ID transmitter. And a vehicle-mounted device that is installed in the vehicle and receives a transmitter ID transmitted from the ID transmitter, and the vehicle-mounted device determines the position of the portable device based on the transmitter ID received from the ID transmitter. It is.

According to the present invention, the on-board unit receives the transmitter ID that the RF tag is installed in the vehicle, receives the radio wave from the portable unit, and is transmitted by the RF tag, and the on-board unit is portable based on the received transmitter ID. The position of the machine can be grasped.
At this time, since the on-vehicle device, the RF tag, and the portable device are all connected by non-contact communication using radio waves, wiring is not required, the degree of freedom of attachment is improved, and the portable device exists in the vehicle. This can be easily determined.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1 is a block diagram showing a vehicle communication apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, the vehicle communication device includes an on-vehicle device 1, an RF tag 2, and a portable device 3 that can communicate with each other, and the on-vehicle device 1 and the RF tag 2 are installed in a vehicle.

The vehicle-mounted device 1 installed in the vehicle includes an antenna 11 for directly receiving radio waves (transmitter ID) from the RF tag 2, an antenna 12 for transmitting and receiving radio waves between the portable device 3, and an antenna. 11 and 12 and an electronic control unit 13 connected to the electronic control unit 13.
The electronic control unit 13 determines (specifies) the position of the portable device 3 based on the transmitter ID received from the antenna 11, controls each part of the vehicle, and controls transmission / reception of radio waves via the antenna 12.
For example, the antenna 12 may be configured to transmit a radio wave for supplying power to the portable device 3 and receive a radio wave (mobile device ID) from the portable device 3. The antennas 11 and 12 may be composed of the same transmission / reception antenna.

The RF tag 2 functions as an ID transmitter, and transmits a transmitter ID held by itself in response to reception of radio waves from the portable device 3.
Here, a case where a plurality of RF tags 21, 22, 23,... 2n are used as the RF tag 2 is shown, but one RF tag 2 (single or plural cases are collectively referred to). (Referred to as “RF tag 2”).
Further, the use frequency of the RF tag 2 (21, 22, 23,... 2n) is suitable near 900 MHz or near 2.45 GHz, but may be in a high frequency band and is not necessarily limited to these frequencies. It is not a thing.

Although not shown, the RF tags 2 (201, 202, 203,... 2n) are, for example, an antenna and an antenna circuit that receive radio waves from the vehicle-mounted device 1, and voltage extraction that extracts voltage from the received radio waves. A circuit, various circuits that operate with the extracted voltage, and a transmission circuit that transmits the transmitter ID as a radio wave are included.
Further, the RF tag 2 includes an antenna that receives radio waves from the vehicle-mounted device 1 and a surface acoustic wave generation circuit that generates surface acoustic waves in response to reception of the radio waves from the vehicle-mounted device 1. You may transmit transmitter ID which self holds using the surface acoustic wave generated from the generating circuit. In this case, the RF tag 2 is replaced with the antenna and the surface acoustic wave generation circuit, and the surface acoustic wave generation circuit converts the radio wave received by the antenna into a surface acoustic wave, and the transmitter ID having a specific pattern is generated by the surface acoustic wave. Is generated, and the surface acoustic wave is again converted into a radio wave to transmit the transmitter ID (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1 described above).
When the RF tag 2 uses surface acoustic waves, the output of radio waves radiated from the vehicle-mounted device 1 to the RF tag 2 can be suppressed low.

The vehicle-mounted device 1 and the portable device 3 are designed according to the frequency of the RF tag 2 to be used.
The portable device 3 has a shape that can be easily carried by the user, and transmits radio waves (communication signals, data, etc.) between the antenna 31 for transmitting power supply radio waves to the RF tag 2 and the vehicle-mounted device 1. An antenna 32 for transmitting and receiving and a buzzer 33 functioning as alarm means are provided.

The portable device 3 includes, for example, a power generation circuit, and may be activated by generating power in response to reception of power supply radio waves from the vehicle-mounted device 1, thereby reducing power consumption and built-in power supply. Can do.
Moreover, the antennas 31 and 32 may be comprised by the same transmission / reception antenna.
Further, the antenna 32 of the portable device 3 may constitute a communication unit in association with the antenna 12 of the vehicle-mounted device 1 and transmit a portable device ID or the like from the portable device 3 to the vehicle-mounted device 1.
Furthermore, as described above, the RF tag 2 may be configured by a surface acoustic wave generation circuit instead of the power generation circuit.

Next, a schematic operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 will be described.
First, the portable device 3 radiates radio waves to at least one RF tag 2 installed at an appropriate position of the vehicle.
The RF tag 2 generates power in response to reception of radio waves from the portable device 3, and transmits the transmitter ID held by itself to the in-vehicle device 1 using the generated power.

Finally, the vehicle-mounted device 1 determines the position of the portable device 3 based on the transmitter ID received from the RF tag 2. That is, it is determined whether the portable device 3 exists in the vehicle or outside the vehicle.
Here, the RF tag 2 that functions as an ID transmitter may be a device having a function of receiving an electric wave from the outside and transmitting an ID, but here, as shown in FIG. 1, when the RF tag 2 is used. Will be described.

Next, how electric power and data are exchanged between the vehicle-mounted device 1, the RF tag 2, and the portable device 3 via radio waves will be described.
First, the portable device 3 supplies power to, for example, the RF tag 2 n by radiating electric power supply radio waves from the antenna 31.

The RF tag 2n which has received the radio wave radiation has voltage extraction means using a known technique called rectenna, rectifies the received radio wave and extracts the voltage, and the internal circuit of the RF tag 2n is extracted by the extracted voltage. The transmitter ID held by the RF tag 2n is transmitted by radio waves. At this time, the carrier wave used for transmitting the transmitter ID may be supplied from the portable device 3 or may be generated by the RF tag 2n oscillating internally.
Hereinafter, the vehicle-mounted device 1 directly receives the transmitter ID transmitted from the RF tag 2n.

Here, the communicable area between the portable device 3 and the RF tag 2n will be described.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a communicable area (reachable range of transmitter ID) 4n between the portable device 3 and the RF tag 2n.
In FIG. 2, a frame indicated by a two-dot chain line indicates a range in which the RF tag 2 n can transmit the transmitter ID in response to radio waves radiated from the portable device 3, that is, the portable device 3 transmits the RF tag 2 n. A communicable area 4n that can receive the machine ID is shown.

  The RF tag 2n can transmit its own transmitter ID when the portable device 3 exists inside the communicable area 4n, but when the portable device 3 exists outside the communicable area 4n, The transmitter ID cannot be transmitted.

The portable device 3 existing in the communicable area 4n of the RF tag 2n transmits a radio wave from the antenna 32 to activate the RF tag 2n, and the transmitter ID of the RF tag 2n is transmitted from the RF tag 2n to the vehicle-mounted device 1 by radio wave. Send it.
The vehicle-mounted device 1 receives the transmitter ID transmitted from the RF tag 2n by the antenna 11, and the portable device 3 exists in the communicable area 4n of the RF tag 2n based on the transmitter ID of the RF tag 2n. I can recognize that.

Next, the arrangement state and operation of the RF tag 2 when the RF tag 2 is installed in the interior of the vehicle and it is determined that the portable device 3 exists in the vehicle will be described.
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an installation state of the RF tags 21 to 25 on the vehicle 5, and schematically shows an image of the vehicle 5 viewed from directly above.
In FIG. 3, the vehicle-mounted device 1 is mounted in the vehicle 2, and RF tags 21 to 25 are installed in the interior of the vehicle 5. A display device 50 is installed on the indicator panel of the driver's seat.
The RF tags 21 to 25 have respective communicable areas 41 to 45 (reach range of transmitter ID).

The RF tags 21 to 25 are installed, for example, in the interior of the door portion of the vehicle 5 so that the positions shown in FIG.
As can be seen from FIG. 3, when the communicable areas 41 to 45 of the RF tags 21 to 25 are overlapped, it is understood that the entire area in the vehicle 5 is covered.
That is, the first arrangement condition of the RF tags 21 to 25 is to be installed so as to cover the entire area in the vehicle 5 as shown in FIG.

Further, as a setting condition of the communicable areas (transmitter ID reachable ranges) 41 to 45 of the RF tags 21 to 25, it can be mentioned that they do not exist outside the vehicle 5.
That is, the second arrangement condition of the RF tags 21 to 25 is that the portable device 3 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) existing outside the vehicle 5 cannot communicate with the RF tags 21 to 25. is there.

  In order to satisfy the first and second arrangement conditions regarding the RF tags 21 to 25, for example, it is effective to install the RF tags 21 to 25 in the interior lower than the window glass of the vehicle 5. However, as long as the first and second arrangement conditions are satisfied, the number and position of the RF tags 21 to 25 are not necessarily the same as those in FIG.

The RF tags 21 to 25 may be attached to the interior surface of the vehicle 5 or may be installed so as to be embedded in the interior.
When affixing the RF tags 21 to 25 to the interior surface, the mounting location can be freely selected, so that the above arrangement conditions can be easily satisfied.
On the other hand, when the RF tags 21 to 25 are embedded in the interior, there is an advantage that the aesthetic appearance in the vehicle 5 is not impaired, and damage due to an external impact is less likely to occur.

Further, the vehicle-mounted device 1 is arranged so as to be as far as possible from the RF tags 25 to 25 as shown in FIG. 3 in order to equalize the communication state with the RF tags 21 to 25.
In addition, if all the RF tags 21 to 25 are included in the coverage area of the receiving antenna 11 in the vehicle-mounted device 1, it is possible to execute communication with each of the RF tags 21 to 25 at the same time and efficiently. It is.

When the RF tags 21 to 25 and the vehicle-mounted device 1 are arranged in the vehicle 5 so as to satisfy the above conditions, and the portable device 3 exists in the communicable areas 41 to 45 of the RF tags 21 to 25, the portable device The RF tags 21 to 25 are activated in response to the radiated radio wave from 3, and the vehicle-mounted device 1 is configured to receive the transmitter ID transmitted by the RF tags 21 to 25.
Therefore, the vehicle-mounted device 1 can determine that the portable device 3 exists in the vehicle 5 when the transmitter ID is directly received from the RF tags 21 to 25.

Further, when the user of the vehicle 5 leaves the vehicle 5, for example, when the door of the vehicle 5 is closed, it is determined whether or not the portable device 3 exists in the vehicle 5, and the buzzer 33 is driven, for example. Thus, the determination result can be notified to the user.
Moreover, if the communicable areas 41 to 45 between the RF tags 21 to 25 and the portable device 3 are set so as to cover the entire area within the vehicle 5 with a slight overlap area, the vehicle-mounted device 1 receives the received transmission. Based on the machine ID, the position in the vehicle 5 where the portable machine 3 exists can also be specified.

As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the in-vehicle device 1 receives the transmitter ID transmitted from the RF tag 2 by receiving the radio wave from the portable device 3 by installing the RF tag 2 in the vehicle 5. Thus, the vehicle-mounted device 1 can grasp the position of the portable device 3 based on the received transmitter ID.
Moreover, the position of the portable device 3 is specified by the plurality of RF tags 2, and the position of the portable device 3 is displayed on the indicator 50 of the indicator panel in the vehicle 5. It will be easy to find.

  In addition, the reader function of transmitter ID information is separated into the portable device 3 and the vehicle-mounted device 1 using non-contact communication using radio waves in the high frequency band without depending on radio waves in the LF band that require expensive antennas. By doing so, a vehicle communication device capable of determining the inside / outside position of the portable device 3 relative to the vehicle 5 can be realized at low cost.

  Further, since the communication between the vehicle-mounted device 1, the RF tag 2 and the portable device 3 is all realized by non-contact communication using radio waves, no wiring is required, and the mounting position of the vehicle-mounted device 1 and the RF tag 2 is flexible. This improves the determination that the portable device 3 exists in the vehicle.

In the above description, the communication means between the portable device 3 and the vehicle-mounted device 1 is not specifically mentioned, but the communication means between the portable device 3 and the vehicle-mounted device 1 is provided in the portable device 3. It may be provided in the vehicle-mounted device 1 and the portable device 3.
For example, a carrier wave may be generated using a battery in the portable device 3, and the carrier wave may be generated and modulated to be communicated, or the carrier wave may be emitted from the vehicle-mounted device 1 toward the portable device 3. May modulate the received carrier wave and send it back to the vehicle-mounted device 1.
Furthermore, radio waves may be emitted from the vehicle-mounted device 1 toward the portable device 3, the portable device 3 may extract a voltage from the received radio waves, and the generated carrier wave may be modulated using the extracted voltage as a power source to communicate with the vehicle-mounted device 1. .

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the first embodiment, only the determination process of the presence position of the portable device 3 by the vehicle-mounted device 1 is described, and the control of a specific vehicle-mounted device (such as a door locking device) of the vehicle 5 is not mentioned. You may make it control the vehicle-mounted apparatus installed in the vehicle according to the determination result of whether the portable device 3 is appropriate.
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention in which the control function for the in-vehicle device is provided in the in-vehicle device 1 will be described.

4 is a block diagram showing a vehicular communication apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Components similar to those described above (see FIG. 1) are denoted by the same reference numerals as those described above, and detailed description thereof is omitted.
In FIG. 1, the electronic control unit 13 in the vehicle-mounted device 1 is connected to the vehicle-mounted device 6 for controlling the door of the vehicle 5 (see FIG. 3).
The in-vehicle device 6 is not limited to the door locking device from the in-vehicle device 1 and may be any device that is installed in the vehicle 5 and controls a part of the vehicle 5.

In this case, the portable device 3 has a unique portable device ID. For example, the communication means in the portable device 3 transmits its own portable device ID from the antenna 32 of the portable device 3 toward the vehicle-mounted device 1. Send. Alternatively, the portable device ID may be transmitted from the antenna 11 of the portable device 3 to the vehicle-mounted device 1 via the RF tag 2.
As a result, the vehicle-mounted device 1 determines whether or not the portable device 3 is an appropriate portable device based on the portable device ID received from the portable device 3 (or the RF tag 2). The in-vehicle device 6 is controlled according to the determination result.

The in-vehicle device 6 controls locking and unlocking of the door of the vehicle 5 according to an instruction from the electronic control unit 13 of the in-vehicle device 1.
For example, the vehicle-mounted device 1 confirms that the portable device 3 exists outside the vehicle 5 when the user carrying the portable device 3 approaches the vehicle 5 and confirms that the portable device 3 is appropriate. After confirmation, the door of the vehicle 5 is unlocked.

Hereinafter, the operation of the vehicle-mounted device 1 illustrated in FIG. 4 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5 together with FIG. 3.
Here, an operation in the case where the unlocking control of the door of the vehicle 5 is performed when the user carrying the portable device 3 approaches the vehicle 5 will be described.

In FIG. 5, first, when the user who has the portable device 3 approaches the vehicle 5, the portable device 3 is activated (wake-up) by the electric wave for power supply radiated from the vehicle-mounted device 1 in the vehicle 5, The portable device 3 is in a state in which a radio wave for supplying power can be transmitted toward the RF tag 2 (21 to 2n) (step S1).
At this time, the portable device 3 may stand by in a state where radio waves from the vehicle-mounted device 1 can always be received (and radio waves can be transmitted to the RF tag 2). It is desirable that the vehicle is activated only in the vicinity of the vehicle 5 in an extremely low power consumption rest state.

  In step S <b> 1, the portable device 3 is activated in response to reception of the activation radio wave radiated from the vehicle-mounted device 1 in the vehicle 5, but the radio wave emission timing from the vehicle-mounted device 1 is always intermittent. You may set so that it may radiate. Alternatively, from the viewpoint of reducing power consumption, a startup radio wave may be emitted when a switch (not shown) installed outside the door of the vehicle 5 is pressed.

Subsequently, the portable device 3 radiates electric waves for generating electric power to supply electric power to the RF tags 2 (21 to 2n), and then radiates electric waves made of a carrier wave toward the RF tags 2 (21 to 2n). (Step S2).
The RF tag 2 (21 to 2n) uses the power supplied from the portable device 3, modulates the carrier wave received from the portable device 3 with its own transmitter ID, and transmits the transmitter ID toward the vehicle-mounted device 1. (Step S3).

  Next, the vehicle-mounted device 1 waits for the direct reception of the transmitter ID from the RF tag 2 to which the portable device 3 is close among the plurality of RF tags 2 (step S4), and the portable device 3 is in the close position. It is determined whether or not the transmitter ID from the RF tag 2 has been directly received (step S5).

If it is determined in step S5 that the vehicle-mounted device 1 has not received the transmitter ID directly (that is, NO), the vehicle-mounted device 1 assumes that the portable device 3 still exists outside the vehicle, and the vehicle-mounted device 1 And the portable device 3 are authenticated (step S6).
The authentication process of step S6 (determination of whether the combination of the portable device 3 and the vehicle-mounted device 1 is correct) is executed by the authentication processing means included in the electronic control unit 13 of the vehicle-mounted device 1.
That is, in step S6, the portable device ID unique to the portable device 3 is compared with the ID registered in advance in the vehicle-mounted device 1, and collation is performed to determine whether or not they match.

  Next, the authentication processing means in the electronic control unit 13 determines whether or not the combination of the portable device 3 and the vehicle-mounted device 1 is correct (authentication OK) based on the authentication result of step S6 (step S7). Only when both are correct and it is determined that the authentication is OK (that is, YES), the in-vehicle device 6 is controlled to execute the door unlocking process (step S8) of the vehicle 5.

Finally, after the door unlocking process (step S8), the electronic control unit 13 of the vehicle-mounted device 1 shifts the portable device 3 to the sleep state and executes the sleep process (step S9) in order to reduce power consumption. Then, the processing routine of FIG.
Alternatively, if the power of the portable device 3 is sufficient, the portable device 3 may be made to wait in a state where communication with the vehicle-mounted device 1 can be intermittently performed without executing the sleep process (step S9). .

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S7 (authentication process) that the combination of the portable device 3 and the vehicle-mounted device 1 is not correct (that is, NO), the process immediately proceeds to the sleep processing (step S9) of the portable device 3, and FIG. This processing routine is terminated.

Moreover, if it determines with the onboard equipment 1 having received transmitter ID directly in the above-mentioned step S5 (namely, YES), the onboard equipment 1 will recognize that the portable device 3 exists in a vehicle, and will receive. The approximate position of the portable device 3 in the vehicle can be recognized from the transmitter ID.
Hereinafter, the electronic control unit 13 in the vehicle-mounted device 1 does not need to unlock the door of the vehicle 5 when it is determined that the portable device 3 exists in the vehicle by directly receiving the transmitter ID from the RF tag 2. Assuming that the door is unlocked, the process proceeds to the sleep process (step S9) of the portable device 3 without executing the door unlocking process (step S8), and the processing routine of FIG.

The situation where the vehicle-mounted device 1 directly receives the transmitter ID from the RF tag 2 is, for example, that the user who has the portable device 3 has already entered the vehicle and locked the door, and then does not have the portable device 3 from outside the vehicle. Occurs when another person tries to unlock the door.
At this time, if the user in the vehicle recognizes a person outside the vehicle who does not have the portable device 3 and needs to unlock it, the user in the vehicle manually unlocks the door. In addition, if the person outside the vehicle is a suspicious person, the door can be left locked without being unlocked.
In this way, it is necessary to determine that the portable device 3 is in the vehicle in order to prevent a suspicious person from unlocking the door from the outside of the vehicle.

When there are a plurality of portable devices 3, each portable device 3 can be identified by assigning a unique portable device ID to each portable device 3.
In this case, the in-vehicle device 1 is configured to receive which portable device among the plurality of portable devices 3 and which portable device by the reception process (steps S4 and S6) of the ID data (transmitter ID or portable device ID). Can be identified outside the vehicle.

That is, the vehicle-mounted device 1 can identify the portable device 3 existing in the vehicle and the portable device 3 existing outside the vehicle based on the portable device ID received from the portable device 3.
Therefore, for example, when the user who has the portable device 3 in the vehicle is already in the vehicle and the user who has another portable device 3 from outside the vehicle tries to unlock the door, the vehicle-mounted device 1 is The door of the vehicle 5 can be unlocked by recognizing that another portable device 3 is outside the vehicle.

On the other hand, when the user leaves the vehicle 5 with the portable device 3, after determining that the portable device 3 does not exist in the vehicle 5 by the above-described determination process (step S <b> 5), The electronic control unit 13 controls the in-vehicle device 6 to automatically lock the door of the vehicle 5.
The locking execution timing at this time is set when the switch installed outside the door of the vehicle 5 is pressed, and when the communication from the portable device 3 is stopped with respect to the vehicle-mounted device 1. There are cases.

When the lock execution timing is set based on the switch operation outside the door of the vehicle 5, the door is locked immediately after confirming that the portable device 3 does not exist in the vehicle 5 when the switch outside the door is pressed. Can do.
At this time, if the portable device 3 is present in the vehicle 5, the user may have left the portable device 3 against the vehicle 5, for example. By communicating an instruction from 1 to the portable device 3, a buzzer provided in the portable device 3 may be sounded to assist the user in finding the portable device 3.
In this case, the portable device 3 includes an alarm buzzer and is configured to receive an instruction from the vehicle-mounted device 1.

  In addition, when there are a plurality of portable devices 3 and a user who is leaving the vehicle 5 has one portable device 3 and another portable device 3 is left in the vehicle, individual portable devices 3 are also provided. It is also possible to identify the portable device 3 remaining in the vehicle based on the machine ID and sound the buzzer of only the portable device 3 in the vehicle.

  On the other hand, when the lock execution timing is set based on a point in time when communication from the portable device 3 to the vehicle-mounted device 1 is interrupted, for example, communication is performed intermittently from the portable device 3 to the vehicle-mounted device 1, and the vehicle When the intermittent communication is interrupted after the engine 5 is stopped, the door of the vehicle 5 can be locked.

  In this case, by adjusting the transmission power of the portable device 3 and setting the communicable range from the portable device 3 to the vehicle-mounted device 1 to about 3 to 5 meters, the user possessing the portable device 3 Even when the vehicle 5 is separated without pressing the locking switch, the door of the vehicle 5 can be automatically locked, which is further effective in crime prevention.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the portable device 3 has a unique portable device ID and transmits the portable device ID from the portable device 3 to the on-vehicle device 1 by the communication means for the on-vehicle device 1. Then, the vehicle-mounted device 1 determines whether or not the portable device 3 is an appropriate portable device based on the portable device ID received from the portable device 3, and the vehicle-mounted device 1 is mounted according to the determination result of whether or not the portable device 3 is appropriate. Since the device 6 is controlled, the door can be automatically unlocked when the vehicle-mounted device 1 receives an appropriate portable device ID when the user approaches the vehicle 5.

Moreover, since the onboard equipment 1 radiates | emits a radio wave toward the portable device 3 and the portable device 3 generate | occur | produces electric power in response to reception of the electromagnetic wave from the onboard equipment 1, the power consumption of the portable device 3 is reduced. be able to.
The portable device 3 radiates radio waves to the RF tag (ID transmitter) 2, and the RF tag 2 includes a power generation circuit that generates power in response to reception of radio waves from the portable device 3. Since the transmitter ID held by itself is transmitted using the power generated from the circuit, the built-in power source of the RF tag 2 can be reduced.

  Similarly to the above, the RF tag 2 may include a surface acoustic wave generation circuit that generates a surface acoustic wave in response to reception of radio waves from the portable device 3, and is generated from the surface acoustic wave generation circuit. If the transmitter ID owned by itself is transmitted using the surface acoustic wave, the output of the radio wave radiated from the portable device 3 to the RF tag 2 can be suppressed low.

  Similarly to the above, the RF tag 2 (21 to 2n) is affixed or embedded in the interior surface of the vehicle 5 so as to be in an appropriate position, so that the communicable area of the RF tag 2 is the entire indoor area of the vehicle 5. And the position of the portable device 3 can be specified.

Further, the indicator panel display 50 installed in the vehicle 5 is used to display the position of the portable device 3, and the vehicle-mounted device 1 specifies the position of the portable device 3 based on the transmitter ID directly received from the RF tag 2. Then, by displaying the position of the portable device 3 on the display device 50, the portable device 3 that the user has left behind can be easily confirmed.
Further, if the portable device 3 is provided with a receiving means for receiving a communication signal for warning from the vehicle-mounted device 1 and a warning means (buzzer) for generating a warning sound in response to reception of the communication signal, When the user leaves the vehicle 5 with the portable device 3 left behind in the room, attention can be urged and crime prevention can be improved.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In the second embodiment, the RF tag 2 is arranged in the vicinity of the door in consideration of the control of the door locking device of the vehicle 5. However, in consideration of engine starter control, at least one RF tag 2 is attached to the vehicle. You may install in the vicinity of 5 driver's seats.
Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention in which the RF tag 2 is installed near the driver's seat will be described.

FIG. 6 is a plan view schematically showing an installation state of the RF tag 26 in the vehicle 5 according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
The overall configuration of the vehicle communication device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention is as shown in FIG. 4, but the in-vehicle device 6 has an engine start function and is applied when the vehicle 5 starts the engine. .

In FIG. 6, the RF tag 26 is installed in the vicinity of the driver's seat 51 of the vehicle 5 and has a communicable area (reachable range of transmitter ID) 46.
Here, only the RF tag 26 is shown, but it is assumed that a plurality of RF tags 2 are installed in the vehicle 5 as shown in FIG.
Moreover, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted here, the onboard equipment 1 shall be installed in the arbitrary places in the interior of the vehicle 5. FIG.

Next, the operation according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, when the user who has the portable device 3 arrives at the driver's seat 51 of the vehicle 5 and executes an engine start operation, a position confirmation message is communicated from the vehicle-mounted device 1 to the portable device 3. In response, radio waves are radiated from the portable device 3 to the RF tag 26.
At this time, if the portable device 3 exists in the communicable area 46, the RF tag 26 receives the radio wave transmitted from the portable device 3, and transmits the transmitter ID held by itself to the in-vehicle device 1. .

That is, if the user is in the driver's seat 51 and the portable device 3 exists in the area 46, the vehicle-mounted device 1 directly receives the transmitter ID of the RF tag 26.
The vehicle-mounted device 1 controls the vehicle-mounted device 6 (in this case, the starter device) and permits the engine to start only when the transmitter ID of the RF tag 26 is directly received.
Thereafter, when the driver continues the engine start operation, the engine is started.

As described above, at least one RF tag 26 of the plurality of RF tags 2 is installed in the vicinity of the driver seat 51 of the vehicle 5, so that a legitimate user has arrived at the driver seat 51, i.e., portable. The engine can be started only when the area where the machine 3 exists is in the vicinity of the driver's seat 51.
Thereby, it is possible to prevent a person other than the driver from erroneously starting the engine.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
In the third embodiment (see FIG. 6), the RF tag 26 is installed in the vicinity of the driver's seat 51 of the vehicle 5, but at least one RF tag 2 is installed in the interior of each door of the vehicle 5. Also good.
Hereinafter, Embodiment 4 of this invention which installed RF tag 2 in the interior of a door is demonstrated.

FIG. 7 is a plan view schematically showing an installation state of the RF tag 27 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention on the vehicle 5.
In FIG. 7, the RF tag 27 is installed in the interior of the door 52 of the vehicle 5 and has a communicable area 47.
Although not shown here, it is assumed that the RF tag 2 is also installed in the interior of the other door of the vehicle 5.

FIG. 7 shows a state where the door 52 on which the RF tag 27 is installed is opened.
First, it is assumed that the user holding the portable device 3 (see FIG. 4) is in the passenger seat or near the left side of the vehicle 5 and the portable device 3 exists in the communicable area 47 with the door 52 closed. .
At this time, the RF tag 27 that has received the radio wave from the portable device 3 transmits its transmitter ID to the vehicle-mounted device 1, and the vehicle-mounted device 1 directly receives the transmitter ID of the RF tag 27.

On the other hand, when the door 52 is opened as shown in FIG. 7, if the portable device 3 exists at any position in the vehicle, the vehicle-mounted device 1 is connected to another RF tag 2 (see FIG. The transmitter ID (not shown) is directly received.
Thereafter, when the portable device 3 moves together with the user and enters the communicable area 47, the vehicle-mounted device 1 directly receives the transmitter ID of the RF tag 27.

Furthermore, if the portable device 3 passes through the communicable area 47 and goes out of the vehicle 5, the vehicle-mounted device 1 cannot receive the transmitter ID from the RF tag 27.
Therefore, the vehicle-mounted device 1 can determine that the portable device 3 has been taken out of the vehicle through the door 52 by tracking the reception state of the transmitter ID.

  Thus, according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention, at least one of the plurality of RF tags 2 is installed in the interior of each door of the vehicle 5, so that the user who has the portable device 3 When the vehicle 52 goes out of the vehicle 5 and the door 52 is closed, the vehicle-mounted device 1 can immediately recognize that the portable device 3 has been taken out of the vehicle.

Further, if it is notified that the portable device 3 is present outside the vehicle 5 at the timing when the portable device 3 is moved out of the vehicle, for example, the portable device 3 is mistakenly taken out of the vehicle from the door 52 while being placed in a bag or the like. Can be prevented.
As a notification means at this time, it may be displayed on the indicator 50 of the indicator of the vehicle 5 or a buzzer 33 provided in the portable device 3 may be sounded.

Similarly to the above, the plurality of RF tags 2 installed in the vehicle respond to the reception of the radio wave from the portable device 3 approaching the vehicle 5 and use the unique transmitter ID that is held in advance as the in-vehicle device. 1 so that the vehicle-mounted device 1 can grasp the position of the portable device 3 based on the transmitter ID directly received from the RF tag 2.
In addition, since communication between the vehicle-mounted device 1, the RF tag 2, and the portable device 3 is all realized by non-contact communication using radio waves, no wiring is required and the degree of freedom of attachment is improved. The position determination can be easily realized.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the onboard equipment, RF tag, and portable machine by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a top view which shows typically the example of installation of RF tag by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the unlocking determination process of the door by Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a top view which shows typically the example of installation of RF tag by Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a top view which shows typically the example of installation of the RF tag by Embodiment 4 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Onboard equipment, 2, 21-27, 2n RF tag (ID transmitter), 3 Portable machine, 5 Vehicle, 6 In-vehicle apparatus, 11, 12, 31, 32 Antenna, 13 Electronic control unit, 41-47, 4n Communication Possible area, 51 driver's seat, 52 doors.

Claims (12)

At least one ID transmitter installed in a vehicle and transmitting a transmitter ID held by itself in response to reception of radio waves;
A portable device that emits radio waves to the ID transmitter;
A vehicle-mounted device that is installed in the vehicle and receives a transmitter ID transmitted by the ID transmitter;
The on-vehicle device determines a position of the portable device based on a transmitter ID received from the ID transmitter. The portable device emits a unique portable device ID held in advance,
The on-vehicle device determines whether or not the portable device is an appropriate portable device based on the portable device ID received from the portable device, and the vehicle according to a determination result of whether or not the portable device is appropriate. The vehicle communication device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle-mounted device installed in the vehicle is controlled. The vehicle-mounted device radiates radio waves to the portable device,
The vehicle communication device according to claim 1, wherein the portable device includes a power generation circuit that generates power in response to reception of radio waves from the vehicle-mounted device.   The ID transmitter includes a power generation circuit that generates power in response to reception of radio waves from the portable device, and transmits the transmitter ID held by itself using the power generated from the power generation circuit. The vehicle communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vehicle communication device is a vehicle communication device.   The ID transmitter includes a surface acoustic wave generation circuit that generates a surface acoustic wave in response to reception of radio waves from the portable device, and uses the surface acoustic wave generated from the surface acoustic wave generation circuit. The vehicular communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the transmitter ID that is held is transmitted.   The vehicular communication apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the ID transmitter is installed in an interior of the vehicle.   The vehicle communication device according to claim 6, wherein the ID transmitter is attached to a surface of an interior of the vehicle.   The vehicle communication device according to claim 6, wherein the ID transmitter is embedded in an interior of the vehicle.   The ID transmitter includes a plurality of ID transmitters, and at least one of the plurality of ID transmitters is installed in an interior of each door of the vehicle. The vehicle communication device according to any one of the above.   The ID transmitter includes a plurality of ID transmitters, and at least one of the plurality of ID transmitters is installed in the vicinity of a driver's seat of the vehicle. The vehicle communication device according to claim 1. Comprising a display installed in the vehicle;
The on-vehicle device identifies the position of the portable device based on the transmitter ID received from the portable device, and displays the position of the portable device on the display. The vehicle communication device according to any one of 10 to 10. The portable device is
Receiving means for receiving a communication signal from the vehicle-mounted device;
The vehicle communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising alarm means for generating an alarm sound in response to reception of the communication signal.

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