JP2011231567A - Electronic key system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic key system that prevents a situation that a third party unlawfully uses a vehicle with a communication terminal even when the communication terminal with a key function is left in the vehicle.SOLUTION: When a door lock is unlocked or an accessory is on, a vehicle 1 starts a bluetooth communication with a cellular phone 20, and the bluetooth communication continues even after an ignition is off. When the door lock is locked by a user leaving a vehicle, the vehicle 1 monitors a connection state of the bluetooth communication with the cellular phone 20. When a bluetooth wave is not cut off within a fixed time, it is assumed that the cellular phone 20 is left in the vehicle, thus the vehicle 1 disables a key function of the cellular phone 20.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic key system in which a communication terminal having a key function can be used as a vehicle key in addition to a normal electronic key.

  Conventionally, as an electronic key system for a vehicle, a key operation-free system in which an ID signal is returned from an electronic key in response to a request signal transmitted from the vehicle, and ID verification of the electronic key is executed using an ID code included in the ID signal has been widely used Have been doing. In this key operation free system, a request signal communication area is formed outside the vehicle with an outside transmitter, a request signal communication area is formed inside the vehicle with an inside transmitter, and an electronic key and ID verification are performed outside and inside the vehicle, respectively. To do. When the vehicle outside verification is established, door locking / unlocking is permitted or executed, and when the vehicle interior verification is established, the engine start operation is permitted.

  In this kind of key operation free system, a key misplacement prevention function is provided so that the door lock is not locked while the electronic key is misplaced in the vehicle. In this case, for example, when the lock button for locking the door lock provided on the door handle knob on the outside of the vehicle is pushed and the operation shifts to the lock operation of the door lock, transmission of the request signal from the in-vehicle transmitter is started, and the in-vehicle verification is performed. Whether or not the electronic key has been left in the vehicle is confirmed by checking whether or not is established. If there is no electronic key in the vehicle, the door lock is locked as it is, and if the electronic key exists in the vehicle, the user is notified that the key has been left behind, and the door lock does not shift to locking.

  Further, as another type of electronic key system, a mobile phone key system (see Patent Document 1, etc.) that registers a vehicle ID code in a mobile phone and uses the mobile phone as a vehicle key has been devised. For this system, for example, short-range wireless communication technology (communication distance of about 10 cm) such as Felica (registered trademark) is applied. Then, the mobile phone is held over a reader / writer installed in the vehicle, an ID code is acquired from the mobile phone, and the ID code is passed over the ID code for verification. Then, if the cover collation is established, door locking / unlocking and engine starting operation are permitted or executed.

  In the case of a cellular phone key system, an outside reader / writer is installed instead of the outside transmitter, and an inside reader / writer is installed instead of the inside transmitter. For example, if ID verification is established by holding the mobile phone from the outside of the vehicle through the door glass to the reader / writer outside the vehicle, door locking / unlocking is executed, and if ID verification is established by holding the mobile phone over the in-vehicle reader / writer. Engine start operation is permitted. When only one mobile phone is carried, a mobile phone is always required for the door lock operation, so that the mobile phone is not forgotten.

JP 2007-132085 A

  By the way, it is assumed that both the above-described key operation free system and the mobile phone key system are mounted on one vehicle. In this case, if you leave the mobile phone with the key function in the car and only get the electronic key and get off and move to the door lock operation, the electronic key taken out of the car will be verified and the electronic key will be in the car. Therefore, it is determined that there is no misplacement, so that the door lock is shifted to lock while the mobile phone remains in the vehicle. That is, the door lock is locked while leaving a kind of vehicle key called a mobile phone in the car.

  In this way, if you leave a mobile phone in the car, for example, if a door glass is cracked by a third party and it is illegally invaded, the engine will be started by the mobile phone that you have left in the car. It will be carried away by a third party. Therefore, there is a problem that security against vehicle theft when both the key operation free system and the mobile phone key system are mounted on the vehicle cannot be secured. Note that this problem is the same when a plurality of mobile phones are held when only the mobile phone key system is mounted on the vehicle, and one of them is left in the vehicle.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic key system that makes it difficult to cause a situation in which a vehicle is illegally used by a third party or the like even if a communication terminal having a key function is left in the vehicle. Is to provide.

  In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, ID verification via short-range wireless communication is possible by a communication terminal having a key function, and if the ID verification is established, operation of the in-vehicle device is permitted or In the electronic key system to be executed, a monitoring unit that monitors a communication state with the communication terminal via a communication system different from the ID verification, and a monitoring result of the monitoring unit when the door lock of the vehicle is locked Determining means for determining whether or not the communication terminal is left misplaced in the vehicle, and invalidating means for invalidating at least the key function of the communication terminal if the communication terminal remains misplaced in the vehicle. The summary is provided.

  According to this configuration, when the vehicle door lock operation is performed, the communication terminal with the key function is misplaced in the vehicle via communication different from the communication used when performing ID verification with the communication terminal. It is confirmed whether there is any. Then, when communication is established with the communication terminal with the key function that has been left behind in the vehicle, and it is confirmed that the communication terminal with the key function has been left behind in the vehicle, the key function of the communication terminal is invalidated. Therefore, even if a communication terminal misplaced in the vehicle is stolen by a third party, the vehicle cannot be operated with this communication terminal, so that it is possible to ensure security against unauthorized use of the vehicle or vehicle theft.

  Moreover, in this structure, the misplacement of the key in a vehicle is confirmed via the radio network of a different system from ID collation. For this reason, even if the ID verification wireless network is subject to communication interference due to noise or the like, if a communication network with high noise tolerance is used as the wireless network for the key misplacement determination as in this configuration, for example, Even under such a noise situation, it is possible to more reliably execute the key misplacement determination.

  In the present invention, ID verification is possible through narrow-range wireless communication using an electronic key, and if the ID verification is established at least one of the electronic key and the communication terminal, the operation of the in-vehicle device is permitted or executed. This is the gist.

  According to this configuration, in the electronic key key system, when the door is locked from the outside of the vehicle, it is possible to determine whether the electronic key has been left in the vehicle by checking whether or not the ID collation is established with the electronic key located in the vehicle. . However, if you leave the communication terminal with the key function in the car and only get the electronic key from the car and get off and lock the door lock, the electronic key will be left in the car because the in-vehicle verification will be established. If not, the door lock will be locked without problems. For this reason, since the communication terminal with a key function is left in the vehicle, it cannot be denied that the communication terminal is illegally taken and this may lead to vehicle theft.

  However, in this configuration, when the door lock is locked, it is confirmed whether the communication terminal with the key function is left in the vehicle by communication different from ID verification, and the communication terminal is left behind. The key function of the communication terminal is invalidated. That is, the communication terminal enters a key function invalidation state that cannot be used as a key. Therefore, even if a communication terminal with a key function that has been misplaced in the vehicle is illegally taken by a third party, the vehicle cannot be operated by this communication terminal, so that the vehicle is not illegally used.

The gist of the present invention is that, when the door lock is operated by the communication terminal, the monitoring means does not perform monitoring for leaving the communication terminal in the vehicle.
According to this configuration, when the door lock is operated by the communication terminal, the communication terminal is never left in the vehicle. Therefore, in this situation, if the misplacement monitoring is not performed, useless monitoring is performed. The operation can be made unnecessary.

The gist of the present invention is that the monitoring means monitors whether or not the communication terminal has been left in the vehicle by monitoring changes in the received electric field strength of radio waves of a different system from the ID verification.
According to this configuration, since it is determined whether the communication terminal has been left in the vehicle based on a change in the received electric field strength of radio waves of a different system from the ID verification, it is possible to more accurately confirm that the communication terminal has been left in the vehicle.

  In the present invention, when the condition for entering the invalidation is satisfied, the communication terminal is not immediately shifted to the invalidation state but given a certain time, and if there is a certain operation within this time, the communication terminal is invalidated. The gist of the present invention is to provide invalidation forcible stop means that does not shift to the activation.

  According to this configuration, when switching the key function of the communication terminal with the key function to invalidation, a certain time is allowed before the key function is invalidated. Therefore, when the user notices that the communication terminal has been left in the car when the door lock is locked, the user can immediately unlock the door lock and leave the car in the car to perform the release operation. There is no need to switch the communication terminal to the invalidation state.

  In the present invention, after the communication terminal enters the invalidation state, if there is a release operation for canceling the invalidation, the invalidation release means for releasing the invalidation state and returning the key function of the communication terminal. The main point is that

According to this configuration, even if the key function of the communication terminal is disabled, the communication terminal that has entered the disabled state can be returned to the original state in which the key function is enabled.
The gist of the present invention is that the invalidation release means restores the key function of the communication terminal when it is confirmed that the locked door lock is unlocked by the electronic key including the communication terminal. .

  According to this configuration, when the vehicle door lock is unlocked by the communication terminal or other electronic key, the communication terminal is released from the invalid state. It becomes possible to cancel the invalidation of the communication terminal by the operation of.

  According to the present invention, even if a communication terminal having a key function is left in the vehicle, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the vehicle is illegally used by a third party or the like with the communication terminal left behind.

The block diagram which shows schematic structure of the key function invalidation apparatus in one Embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows the range image of the external communication area and in-vehicle communication area of a key operation free system. The schematic diagram which shows the installation place of a reader / writer outside a vehicle and a reader / writer inside a vehicle. Explanatory drawing which shows the example boarded with both an electronic key and a mobile telephone. Explanatory drawing which shows the example which got both the electronic key and the mobile phone, and got off. The wave form diagram which shows the intensity | strength change of the Bluetooth radio wave in FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the example which left the mobile phone in the car and got off. The wave form diagram which shows the intensity | strength change of the Bluetooth radio wave in FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an electronic key system embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 is provided with a key operation free system 3 that automatically executes ID (Identification) verification when the electronic key 2 approaches the vehicle 1. This key operation free system 3 includes a smart entry system in which a door lock is unlocked and unlocked in a series of door opening and closing operations without actually performing a key operation, and a push type engine installed in the vehicle. There is a one-push engine start system that can start the engine only by pressing the switch 4. The key operation free system 3 constitutes an electronic key system.

  In this case, the vehicle 1 includes a verification ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 5 that performs key verification (ID verification) with the electronic key 2, a main body ECU 6 that manages the operation of an on-vehicle motor, a relay, and the like, and an engine ( An engine ECU 7 is provided for managing the operation (not shown). The verification ECU 5 and the main body ECU 6 are connected via a LIN (Local Interconnect Network) 8, and the main body ECU 6 and the engine ECU 7 are connected via a CAN (Controller Area Network) 9. In the memory (not shown) of the verification ECU 5, the ID code of the electronic key 2 that forms a pair with the vehicle 1 is registered. The engine switch 4 is connected to both the verification ECU 5 and the main body ECU 6.

  The verification ECU 5 receives an out-of-vehicle transmitter 10 that transmits radio waves in the LF band outside the vehicle, an in-vehicle transmitter 11 that transmits radio waves in the LF band inside the vehicle, and radio waves in the UHF (Ultra High Frequency) band. The vehicle tuner 12 is connected. The vehicle transmitter 10 and the vehicle transmitter 11 transmit a request signal Srq as an ID transmission request to the electronic key 2 by LF band radio waves, and try to establish so-called smart communication.

  A door lock motor 13 is connected to the main body ECU 6 as a drive source for performing door lock locking / unlocking. Also connected to the main body ECU 6 are an ACC (Accessory) relay 14 connected to an in-vehicle accessory, an IG (Ignition) relay 15 connected to various electrical components of the traveling system, and a starter relay 16 connected to an engine starter (not shown). Has been.

  On the other hand, the electronic key 2 is provided with a key control unit 17 that performs overall control of the operation of the electronic key 2. An ID code is registered in the memory (not shown) of the key control unit 17 as an ID unique to the key. The key control unit 17 is connected to an LF receiver 18 capable of receiving LF band radio waves and a UHF transmitter 19 capable of transmitting UHF band radio waves.

  When the electronic key 2 is outside the vehicle, as shown in FIG. 2, the request signal Srq is intermittently transmitted from the outside transmitter 10 to the outside of the vehicle. At this time, when the electronic key 2 enters the outside communication area of the request signal Srq, the electronic key 2 responds to the request signal Srq and returns an ID signal Sid with a radio wave in the UHF band. The ID signal Sid includes the ID code of the electronic key 2. When the vehicle tuner 12 receives the ID signal Sid and establishes smart communication outside the vehicle (external communication), the verification ECU 5 executes external verification as ID verification (smart verification). And if this outside vehicle collation is materialized, door lock locking / unlocking by main body ECU6 will be permitted or performed.

  Further, when it is detected by a courtesy switch (not shown) that the driver has boarded, for example, the in-vehicle transmitter 11 starts transmitting the request signal Srq in this vehicle instead of the out-of-vehicle transmitter 10. At this time, when smart communication (in-vehicle communication) is established by entering the in-vehicle communication area of the in-vehicle transmitter 11, the verification ECU 5 executes in-vehicle verification as ID verification (smart verification). And if this in-vehicle collation is materialized, the power supply transition operation and engine starting operation by engine switch 4 (engine ECU7) will be permitted.

  This smart entry system is provided with a function for preventing the electronic key 2 from being left behind in the vehicle for checking whether the electronic key 2 has been left behind in the vehicle. In this case, for example, when the lock button of the outside door handle knob is pushed to lock the door lock, transmission of the request signal Srq is started from the in-vehicle transmitter 11, and it is determined whether or not in-vehicle verification is established. When the in-vehicle verification is established, the user is notified that the electronic key 2 has been misplaced in the vehicle, for example, by sounding a buzzer or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 is provided with a mobile phone key system 21 that registers the ID code of the vehicle 1 in the mobile phone 20 and can use the mobile phone 20 as a vehicle key. Therefore, in the vehicle 1 of this example, if ID verification can be established at least one of the two systems of the key operation free system 3 and the mobile phone key system 21, the operation of the vehicle 1, that is, the operation of various in-vehicle devices. Is possible. The mobile phone 20 corresponds to a communication terminal, and the mobile phone key system 21 constitutes an electronic key system.

  The cellular phone key system 21 employs a short-range wireless communication system in which the cellular phone 20 is held over the vehicle 1 to the closest proximity position to perform ID verification (holding verification). In short-distance wireless communication, for example, when the mobile phone 20 is held over the vehicle 1, the mobile phone 20 is activated from the power-off (power-on) by the driving radio wave Sv transmitted from the vehicle 1, and returns an ID signal Sid to the vehicle 1. This is a communication format for causing the vehicle 1 to perform ID verification using the ID code included in the ID signal Sid. In addition, as a type of RFID (Radio Frequency identification), for example, FeliCa (registered trademark) or the like is used in a near field communication (NFC) communication method. For example, HF (High Frequency) is used as the frequency of short-range wireless communication.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, an outside reader / writer 22 capable of short-range wireless communication with the mobile phone 20 located outside the vehicle is provided near the door of the vehicle 1. In the vehicle, for example, a center console or the like is provided with an in-car reader / writer 23 capable of short-range wireless communication with the mobile phone 20 brought into the car. These reader / writers 22 and 23 are capable of both transmission of the drive radio wave Sv and reception of various radio waves transmitted from the mobile phone 20, that is, mutual communication.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 is provided with a reader / writer control ECU 24 that controls the operations of the reader / writers 22 and 23. The reader / writer control ECU 24 intermittently transmits the drive radio wave Sv from the outside reader / writer 22 when the vehicle 1 is parked or stopped. Then, the reader / writer control ECU 24 compares the mobile phone 20 with the mobile phone 20 via the in-vehicle reader / writer 22 and compares the mobile phone 20 with the mobile phone 20 through the in-vehicle reader / writer 23.

  In addition, the mobile phone 20 is provided with a terminal control unit 25 that controls various operations of the mobile phone 20. In the terminal control unit 25, the ID code of the vehicle 1 is registered in order to operate the mobile phone 20 as a vehicle key. The mobile phone 20 is provided with a short-range wireless communication unit 26 that performs short-range wireless communication with the reader / writers 22 and 23. The terminal control unit 25 is activated when the short-range wireless communication unit 26 receives the driving radio wave Sv from the reader / writers 22 and 23, and the ID code registered in the terminal control unit 25 is transmitted to the reader / writer 22, 22 via the short-range wireless communication unit 26. Reply to 23.

  The outside reader / writer 22 intermittently transmits the drive radio wave Sv when the user is outside the vehicle. When the mobile phone 20 is held over the outside reader / writer 22 from outside the vehicle, the terminal control unit 25 is activated by the drive radio wave Sv and starts collation with the outside reader / writer 22 over the vehicle. When the reader / writer control ECU 24 acquires the ID code from the mobile phone 20 outside the vehicle, the reader / writer control ECU 24 transfers the ID code to the verification ECU 5. When the verification ECU 5 confirms that the verification is established with this ID code, the verification ECU 5 recognizes that the verification is achieved by holding the vehicle outside, and switches between locking and unlocking the door lock.

  When the driver gets on the vehicle, the in-vehicle reader / writer 23 starts transmitting the driving radio wave Sv instead of the in-vehicle reader / writer 22. When the rider holds the mobile phone 20 over the in-car reader / writer 23, the mobile phone 20 is activated by the driving electric wave Sv and starts collating with the in-car reader / writer 23. At this time, the verification ECU 5 permits the power switch operation by the engine switch 4 when it is confirmed that the verification is established with the ID code of the mobile phone 20 obtained by the in-vehicle reader / writer 23.

  The vehicle 1 is provided with a Bluetooth wireless system 27 capable of wireless communication with the mobile phone 20 and Bluetooth (registered trademark). Bluetooth is a kind of short-range wireless communication technology used for connection between devices of about several meters, for example. Bluetooth has an advantage that, for example, radio waves in the 2.45 GHz band are used, and communication can be established if there is an obstacle between devices as long as the distance is about 10 m. Further, there is an advantage that power consumption can be reduced as compared with infrared communication such as IrDA (Infrared Data Association).

  In this case, the vehicle 1 is provided with a Bluetooth communication device 28 that performs Bluetooth communication with the mobile phone 20 in the vehicle. The Bluetooth communication device 28 is connected to the main body ECU 6. On the other hand, the mobile phone 20 is provided with a Bluetooth communication unit 29 that performs Bluetooth communication with the vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 shares various information with the mobile phone 20 via Bluetooth communication.

  The vehicle 1 is provided with a key function disabling device 30 that disables the key function of the mobile phone 20 if the mobile phone 20 is left in the vehicle when the door lock is locked from outside the vehicle. The key function disabling device 30 of this example uses Bluetooth communication to check whether or not the mobile phone 20 has been left in the car, and if Bluetooth communication is established, the mobile phone 20 has been left in the car. The key function of the mobile phone 20 is invalidated.

  In this case, the verification ECU 5 is provided with a communication state monitoring unit 31 that monitors a radio wave connection state with the mobile phone 20 via Bluetooth communication. For example, when the door lock of the vehicle 1 is unlocked or the power supply state (ignition switch) of the vehicle 1 is turned on, the communication state monitoring unit 31 sends a Bluetooth communication execution request from the Bluetooth communication device 28 to the mobile phone 20. Send Sst. And the Bluetooth communication (misplacement confirmation communication) which confirms whether the mobile telephone 20 is misplaced in the vehicle is performed. The communication state monitoring unit 31 constitutes a monitoring unit.

  The terminal control unit 25 is provided with a Bluetooth radio wave output unit 32 that executes misplacement confirmation communication with the vehicle 1 and Bluetooth. The Bluetooth radio wave output unit 32 returns the Bluetooth response radio wave Sra from the Bluetooth communication unit 29 while receiving the Bluetooth communication execution request Sst from the vehicle 1. The communication state monitoring unit 31 monitors the Bluetooth response radio wave Sra returned from the mobile phone 20 as a response to the Bluetooth communication execution request Sst. The Bluetooth radio wave output unit 32 constitutes monitoring means.

  The verification ECU 5 is provided with a misplacement determination unit 33 for confirming whether or not the mobile phone 20 having a key function is left in the vehicle when the vehicle 1 is door-locked from outside the vehicle. The misplacement determination unit 33 of this example monitors the connection state of the Bluetooth response radio wave Sra acquired by the communication state monitoring unit 31 when it is confirmed that the door lock operation has been performed by the electronic key 2 or another mobile phone 20. If the Bluetooth response radio wave Sra falls below the determination line Vr (see FIGS. 5 and 7) within a predetermined time, the misplacement determination unit 33 determines that the mobile phone 20 is not misplaced in the vehicle. On the other hand, the misplacement determination unit 33 determines that the mobile phone 20 has been misplaced in the vehicle if the intensity of the Bluetooth response radio wave Sra remains at a value higher than the determination line Vr for a certain period of time. The misplacement determination unit 33 corresponds to a determination unit.

  The verification ECU 5 is provided with an invalidation command unit 34 that causes the mobile phone 20 to execute a key function invalidation operation when the misplacement determination unit 33 recognizes that the mobile phone 20 is misplaced. When the invalidation command unit 34 receives a misplacement notification from the misplacement determination unit 33, the invalidation command unit 34 transmits an invalidation execution request Sac for starting the key function invalidation operation to the mobile phone 20 via Bluetooth communication. The invalidation command unit 34 constitutes invalidation means.

  The terminal control unit 25 is provided with an invalidation execution unit 35 that executes a key function invalidation operation when receiving the invalidation execution request Sac from the vehicle 1. When the key function of the mobile phone 20 is disabled, transmission of the ID code is prohibited, and the mobile phone 20 cannot be used as a vehicle key, and only the telephone function can be used. The invalidation execution unit 35 constitutes invalidation means.

  The terminal control unit 25 is provided with an invalidation forced stop unit 36 that gives a certain time before the mobile phone 20 enters the invalidation state when the invalidation execution request Sac is received from the vehicle 1. Yes. The invalidation forced stop unit 36 sets a timer when receiving the invalidation execution request Sac from the vehicle 1 and monitors whether or not the invalidation canceling operation has been executed before the timer expires. The invalidation canceling operation is, for example, an operation of pressing the numeric keypad of the mobile phone 20 in a predetermined number and order. When the invalidation forced stop unit 36 detects the invalidation release operation within the grace period, the key function of the mobile phone 20 is not invalidated and remains valid. On the other hand, if the invalidation forced stop unit 36 cannot detect the invalidation release operation within the grace period, the invalidation execution unit 35 permits the invalidation operation and invalidates the key function of the mobile phone 20. The invalidation forced stop unit 36 constitutes invalidation forced stop means.

  The verification ECU 5 is provided with an invalidation cancellation command unit 37 that cancels the invalidation state of the mobile phone 20. When the invalidation cancellation command unit 37 confirms that the door lock is normally unlocked with a regular key such as the electronic key 2, the invalidation cancellation request is issued to cancel the invalidation of the mobile phone 20 via Bluetooth communication. Scr is transmitted to the mobile phone 20. The invalidation cancellation command unit 37 constitutes an invalidation cancellation unit.

  The terminal control unit 25 is provided with an invalidation cancellation execution unit 38 that executes an invalidation cancellation operation when receiving the invalidation cancellation request Scr from the vehicle 1. The invalidation cancellation execution unit 38 of this example constantly monitors the presence / absence of a Bluetooth radio wave when the key function of the mobile phone 20 is disabled, and receives an invalidation cancellation request Scr, which is a single radio wave of Bluetooth. Recognizing that the disabled state may be released, the disabled state of the mobile phone 20 is released. The invalidation cancellation execution unit 38 constitutes an invalidation cancellation unit.

Next, the operation of the key function disabling device 30 of this example will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that the user has both the electronic key 2 and the mobile phone 20 and gets on the vehicle. At this time, assuming that one of the electronic key 2 and the mobile phone 20 is verified outside the vehicle and the door lock is unlocked, the communication state monitoring unit 31 transmits a Bluetooth communication execution request Sst and starts Bluetooth communication. In the case of this example, the communication presence / absence of the mobile phone 20 is continuously confirmed by Bluetooth until the next door lock locking operation is performed after the door lock is released.

  In this case, since both the electronic key 2 and the mobile phone 20 are carried, the Bluetooth communication is established between the vehicle 1 and the mobile phone 20, and the communication state monitoring unit 31 receives the Bluetooth response radio wave Sra. Continue state. Subsequently, the user who gets on the vehicle presses the engine switch 4 to start the engine and drives the vehicle 1. At this time, the communication state monitoring unit 31 continues the Bluetooth communication with the mobile phone 20 even when the power state of the vehicle 1 is turned on. In addition, after driving, even if the engine is stopped and the power state of the vehicle 1 is turned off, the communication state monitoring unit 31 continues the Bluetooth communication with the mobile phone 20.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the user gets both the electronic key 2 and the mobile phone 20 and gets off the vehicle, for example, the door lock of the vehicle 1 is locked with the electronic key 2. When the misplacement determination unit 33 confirms that the door lock is locked, the misplacement determination unit 33 monitors the connection state of the Bluetooth response radio wave Sra monitored by the communication state monitoring unit 31. Here, an example in which the mobile phone 20 is also taken out of the vehicle is described. Therefore, the misplacement determination unit 33 confirms that the Bluetooth response radio wave Sra falls below the determination line Vr within a certain time, as shown in FIG. Accordingly, the misplacement determination unit 33 recognizes that the mobile phone 20 is not misplaced in the vehicle, and prevents the invalidation command unit 34 from performing the key function invalidation operation.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, it is assumed that the user has locked the door 1 of the vehicle 1 from the outside with the electronic key 2 while leaving the mobile phone 20 in the vehicle. Also at this time, the misplacement determination unit 33 monitors the connection state of the Bluetooth response radio wave Sra monitored by the communication state monitoring unit 31. If the mobile phone 20 is left behind in the vehicle, the Bluetooth communication is continued between the Bluetooth communication device 28 and the mobile phone 20. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 8, the misplacement determination unit 33 confirms that the Bluetooth response radio wave Sra does not fall below the determination line Vr within a predetermined time, and thus recognizes that the mobile phone 20 is misplaced in the vehicle.

  When the misplacement determination unit 33 recognizes that the mobile phone 20 is left behind in the vehicle, the invalidation command unit 34 transmits an invalidation execution request Sac by Bluetooth communication so that the mobile phone 20 performs the key function invalidation operation. This invalidation execution request Sac is transmitted, for example, a plurality of times in order to reliably reach the mobile phone 20.

  When the cellular phone 20 receives the invalidation execution request Sac, first, the invalidation forced stop unit 36 operates. That is, the invalidation forced stop unit 36 does not immediately shift the mobile phone 20 to the invalidation state, but waits for a certain period of time before the invalidation state transition. Then, when the invalidation forcible stop unit 36 detects the invalidation release operation with the mobile phone 20 within the grace period, the invalidation execution request Sac is discarded and the key function is kept valid. The invalidation forced stop unit 36 may notify the vehicle 1 of the invalidation state forced termination by Bluetooth communication.

  On the other hand, if the invalidation forced stop unit 36 does not detect the invalidation release operation within the grace period, the invalidation execution unit 35 performs the key function invalidation operation. The invalidation execution unit 35 invalidates the key function of the mobile phone 20 by preventing the activation state even when the driving radio wave Sv is received from the reader / writers 22 and 23, for example. Moreover, although it may transfer to a starting state, a key function may be invalidated by not returning an ID code.

  Assume that the door lock is unlocked with the electronic key 2 after the door lock of the vehicle 1 is locked. At this time, the invalidation cancellation command unit 37 transmits an invalidation cancellation request Scr to the mobile phone 20 by Bluetooth communication. When the Bluetooth communication unit 29 receives the invalidation cancellation request Scr, the invalidation cancellation execution unit 38 cancels the invalidation state of the key function being executed. As a result, the cellular phone 20 that has entered the invalidated state returns to a key function valid state that can be used again as a vehicle key. Note that the vehicle 1 may be notified to the vehicle 1 by Bluetooth communication that the mobile phone 20 has returned to the key function enabled state.

  By the way, when the mobile phone 20 has a key function, the mobile phone 20 can obtain the advantage that the vehicle 1 can be operated. On the other hand, the electronic key 2 locks the door lock while the mobile phone 20 is forgotten in the vehicle. Therefore, it is assumed that the mobile phone 20 is left in the vehicle 1. In this case, for example, a third party or the like breaks the door lagas and illegally enters the vehicle, the engine is started by the cellular phone 20 that is misplaced, and the vehicle 1 is stolen.

  However, in this example, if the door lock is locked from the outside of the vehicle while the mobile phone 20 is left in the vehicle, the key function of the mobile phone 20 is invalidated. Even if the telephone 20 is taken, the mobile phone 20 cannot operate the vehicle 1. Therefore, the security against unauthorized use of the vehicle 1 is improved, and the risk of leaving the in-vehicle key can be reduced. This is also true when two mobile phones 20 having key functions are held and one is left in the vehicle.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) When the door lock is locked from outside the vehicle, the radio wave condition of the Bluetooth communication with the mobile phone 20 having the key function is monitored, and if the Bluetooth radio wave is not interrupted within a certain time, the mobile phone Assuming that 20 is misplaced, the key function of the mobile phone 20 is invalidated. Therefore, even if the mobile phone 20 misplaced in the vehicle is stolen by a third party, the vehicle 1 cannot be operated with the mobile phone 20, so security against unauthorized use of the vehicle 1 or vehicle theft is ensured. be able to.

  (2) Since it is confirmed by Bluetooth communication that the mobile phone 20 has been left in the vehicle, it is possible to check whether the mobile phone 20 has been left in the vehicle by communication with high noise resistance such as Bluetooth communication.

  (3) When both the key operation free system 3 and the cellular phone key system 21 are mounted on the vehicle 1, the cellular phone 20 has a key function by unlocking the electronic key 2 door lock while leaving the cellular phone 20 in the vehicle. There is a high possibility that 20 will be left in the car. Therefore, it can be said that the effect is very high in terms of preventing the vehicle theft more times.

  (4) Many recent mobile phones 20 tend to have a Bluetooth communication function as a standard feature in many mobile phones. Therefore, when determining whether or not the mobile phone 20 is left behind in the vehicle, if the presence or absence of the mobile phone 20 is determined by Bluetooth communication, it can be determined whether or not the mobile phone 20 is left behind in the vehicle using the communication device originally provided in the mobile phone 20.

  (5) When switching the mobile phone 20 to the invalidation state, a certain grace period is given, and if there is no operation even after the grace time has elapsed, the mobile phone 20 is switched to the invalidation state. Therefore, since the mobile phone 20 is switched to the invalidation state with a grace period, if the mobile phone 20 is immediately forgotten to be left in the vehicle when the door lock is locked, for example, the mobile phone 20 is activated as a key function. The state can be maintained.

  (6) After the mobile phone 20 enters the invalidation state, if there is an operation with a high possibility of an authorized user, for example, the door lock is unlocked, the mobile phone 20 is returned to the original key function activation state. It is. Therefore, even if the cellular phone 20 is left in the vehicle and the cellular phone 20 is set to the invalidation state, the cellular phone 20 can be returned to the original function valid state. Further, since the invalidation cancellation condition is the door lock unlocking by the electronic key 2 or the mobile phone 20, the invalidation can be canceled in a series of operation steps taken by the user when getting on. Therefore, invalidation can be canceled without imposing a troublesome operation on the user.

Note that the embodiment is not limited to the configuration described so far, and may be modified as follows.
The vehicle 1 is not limited to being provided with both the key operation free system 3 and the mobile phone key system 21 in parallel. For example, when only the mobile phone key system 21 is installed in the vehicle 1 and the two mobile phones 20 are carried, when one mobile phone 20 is left in the vehicle and the door lock is locked by the other mobile phone 20, The present invention may be applied to an example in which the key function of the mobile phone 20 that is left in the vehicle is invalidated.

  -When the door lock is correctly locked by the electronic key 2 or the mobile phone 20, the misplacement monitoring by Bluetooth communication may not be executed. In this case, it is not necessary to perform useless monitoring, so that the vehicle-mounted battery can save power.

  -Forgetting to place the mobile phone 20 in the vehicle may be performed, for example, by monitoring changes in the received electric field strength of the Bluetooth response radio wave Sra. In this case, it is not determined by simply looking at one point of the received intensity, but by checking the received electric field intensity continuously to check for misplacement, the presence or absence of misplacement can be determined more accurately.

  The communication state monitoring unit 31 is not limited to monitoring the connection state after the mobile phone 20 is brought into the vehicle, but for example, when the door lock is locked, the communication state monitoring unit 31 checks the connection state for the first time. But you can.

The invalidation state is not limited to a state in which only the key function of the mobile phone 20 is invalidated. For example, another function or an operation of the mobile phone 20 itself may be invalidated.
The communication for checking the misplacement of the mobile phone 20 is not limited to Bluetooth, and other short-range wireless communication such as a wireless LAN may be adopted as long as the communication distance is several meters.

The operation for canceling the invalidation state is not limited to unlocking the door lock, and may be performed on the condition that the engine is started by the electronic key 2, for example.
-The function for giving a grace to switching to the invalidation state and the function for canceling the invalidation state are not necessarily required, and these may be omitted.

-The two-way communication of the key operation free system 3 is not limited to different frequencies in the forward communication and the backward communication, and may be the same frequency.
-The smart entry system of the key operation free system 3 is not limited to switching the locking / unlocking of the door lock by operating the door handle outside the vehicle. For example, the door lock may be automatically unlocked when approaching the vehicle 1, and the door lock may be automatically locked when leaving the vehicle 1.

  -An electronic key system is not limited to the key operation free system 3, It is good also as an immobilizer system which collates with a tag by RFID. Further, the vehicle 1 may be equipped with a wireless key system for remotely operating the vehicle 1 with a button provided on the electronic key 2.

The electronic key system is not limited to the one that the electronic key 2 moves by its own power source, and may be battery-less using, for example, a driving radio wave transmitted from the vehicle 1 as a power source for the electronic key 2.
The key function disabling device 30 is not limited to being applied to the vehicle 1 and may be applied to other devices and apparatuses.

  The in-vehicle device that can be used with the electronic key system is not limited to a door lock or an engine, and may be a car navigation system, an audio system, an air conditioner system, or the like.

Short-range wireless communication is not limited to RFID, and any type of communication may be employed as long as the communication distance is about several tens of centimeters.
The narrow area wireless communication is not limited to the communication conforming to the key operation free system 3, and various other communication can be applied.

-A communication terminal is not limited to the mobile telephone 20, You may use another terminal.
Next, technical ideas that can be grasped from the above-described embodiment and other examples will be described below together with their effects.

  (A) In any one of claims 1 to 7, the monitoring means performs confirmation by Bluetooth connection triggered by unlocking the door lock or turning on the power state of the vehicle, and continues the Bluetooth communication even after the power state is turned off. When the door lock is locked, the presence / absence of the communication terminal in the vehicle is confirmed by monitoring the Bluetooth radio wave connection state of the mobile phone having a key function. According to this configuration, since the connection state is constantly monitored after bringing the communication terminal into the vehicle, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not the communication terminal exists in the vehicle.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle, 2 ... Electronic key, 3 ... Key operation free system which comprises an electronic key system, 20 ... Mobile phone as a communication terminal, 21 ... Mobile phone key system which comprises an electronic key system, 30 ... Key function invalidation 31: Communication state monitoring unit constituting monitoring means, 32: Bluetooth radio wave output part constituting monitoring means, 33 ... Misplaced judgment part as judgment means, 34 ... Invalidation command part constituting invalidation means, 35 ... invalidation execution unit constituting invalidation means, 36 ... invalidation forced stop part as invalidation forced stop means, 37 ... invalidation cancellation command part constituting invalidation cancellation means, 38 ... invalidation cancellation means The invalidation cancellation execution part to be performed.

Claims (7)

In an electronic key system in which ID verification via short-range wireless communication is possible by a communication terminal having a key function, and operation of the in-vehicle device is permitted or executed if the ID verification is established,
Monitoring means for monitoring a communication state with the communication terminal via communication of a different system from the ID verification;
Determining means for determining whether or not the communication terminal is left in the vehicle based on the monitoring result of the monitoring means when the door lock of the vehicle is locked;
An electronic key system comprising: an invalidating means for invalidating at least a key function of the communication terminal if the communication terminal is left in the vehicle. It is possible to perform ID collation through narrow-area wireless communication with an electronic key, and if the ID collation is established with at least one of the electronic key and the communication terminal, the operation of the in-vehicle device is permitted or executed. The electronic key system according to claim 1. 3. The electronic key system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring unit does not perform monitoring of forgetting to place the communication terminal in a vehicle when the door lock is operated by the communication terminal. The monitoring unit monitors whether or not the communication terminal is left in the vehicle by monitoring a change in received electric field strength of a radio wave of a system different from the ID verification. The electronic key system according to one item. When the condition for entering the invalidation is satisfied, the communication terminal is not shifted to invalidation if there is a certain period of time instead of immediately shifting to the invalidation state and if there is a certain operation within this delay time. The electronic key system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising invalidation forced stop means. After the communication terminal enters the invalidation state, if there is a release operation for canceling the invalidation, the invalidation release means for canceling the invalidation state and returning the key function of the communication terminal is provided. The electronic key system according to claim 1, wherein: The said invalidation cancellation | release means returns the key function of the said communication terminal, if it confirms that the said door lock of the locked state was unlocked by the electronic key containing the said communication terminal. Electronic key system as described.

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