JP2009024339A - In-vehicle wireless communication device - Google Patents

Abstract

When a radio signal is received from a communication device owned by a user to lock / unlock and open / close a door of a vehicle, the anti-theft and crime prevention are highly reliable, and the opening control is performed. Provided is a highly safe in-vehicle wireless communication device in which there is no possibility that the door will contact or collide with a nearby person or other vehicle.
An in-vehicle wireless communication device 3 switches a receiving range by adjusting a direction of a receiving antenna 37 by an orientation adjusting unit 36. The position estimation unit 39 estimates the position of the communication device 1 based on whether or not the wireless signal can be received from the communication device 1 in each reception range and the strength of the received wireless signal. The control unit 31 operates the door mechanism 50 by the door lock control unit 34 and the door opening / closing control unit 35 according to the estimation result, and locks / unlocks and opens / closes the door of the vehicle.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention provides an in-vehicle wireless communication device capable of receiving a wireless signal from a portable communication device possessed by a user and controlling locking / unlocking of a vehicle door.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a so-called keyless entry system in which a user can remotely control locking / unlocking of a vehicle door by transmitting a radio signal from a communication device such as a key holder type possessed by a user to the vehicle has become widespread. In recent years, not only locking / unlocking of vehicle doors but also systems that can automatically open / close vehicle doors by remote operation of a communication device have been put into practical use. In this system, the user does not have to perform a locking / unlocking operation by inserting a mechanical key into the keyhole.

  However, in the above-described system, the user can unlock the door at a position away from the vehicle. Therefore, when the user mistakenly operates the communication device and the vehicle door is unlocked, the user can unlock the door. There is a risk of not being aware. In this system, all doors provided on the vehicle are often unlocked by operating the communication device. Therefore, these systems have a problem of low reliability for theft prevention and crime prevention. Also, in a system that automatically opens and closes a door by operating a communicator, for example, when the door at the rear of the vehicle is automatically opened due to an erroneous operation of the communicator, the door is open to a person near the door or another vehicle behind the door. There was a risk of contact or collision, and there was a problem in safety.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-133867 proposes a remote operation vehicle-mounted device that can switch a control operation in accordance with the distance between a user who has a remote operation transmitter and a vehicle. This in-vehicle device for remote operation automatically locks and unlocks the door and opens the back door according to the command signal transmitted wirelessly from the transmitter, but the signal strength of the command signal received by the receiver Is detected using an RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) circuit, and when the signal strength is large and the user is in the vicinity of the vehicle, the door locking / unlocking control result is notified by a buzzer. When the signal strength is low and the user is away from the vehicle, the control result of the door locking / unlocking is notified by blinking the hazard lamp. Further, the door opening drive is permitted only when the signal strength of the command signal is large and the user is in the vicinity of the vehicle.
JP 2002-129794 A

  The remote-control vehicle-mounted device described in Patent Document 1 switches the door locking / unlocking notification method according to the distance between the user who owns the remote-control transmitter and the vehicle. Even when the door is unlocked due to an erroneous operation of the machine, the user is more likely to notice the erroneous operation, and the reliability against theft prevention and crime prevention can be enhanced. Further, since the back door is prevented from being accidentally opened, safety can be improved.

  However, the in-vehicle device for remote operation described in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which the control operation is switched only by the distance between the user and the vehicle, and even when the user is away from the vehicle, the door Therefore, it has been insufficient to improve the reliability of theft prevention and crime prevention. Further, even when there is a user in front of the vehicle, if the user is in the vicinity of the vehicle, the back door is driven to open, and thus the safety is not sufficient.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to switch the reception range of a reception unit that receives a radio signal from a communication device possessed by a user, By estimating the position of the communicator according to the reception result and controlling the operation of the in-vehicle device according to the estimation result, the reliability due to the malfunction of the in-vehicle device performed along with the erroneous operation of the communicator by the user and An object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle wireless communication device that can reduce a decrease in safety.

  Another object of the present invention is to change the reception range of the radio signal by adjusting the orientation or position of the antenna that receives the radio signal to change the reception range of the radio signal. It is providing the vehicle-mounted radio | wireless communication apparatus which can be performed to this.

  Another object of the present invention is that when a plurality of antennas for receiving radio signals are provided in a vehicle, a plurality of antennas are switched and used to receive radio signals. An object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle wireless communication device that can easily switch the reception range of a receiving means.

  Another object of the present invention is to switch the radio signal reception range, and to determine whether or not the radio signal can be received from the communication device in each reception range and / or the strength of the received radio signal. It is providing the vehicle-mounted radio | wireless communication apparatus which can estimate the position of a communication apparatus accurately by setting it as the structure which estimates the position of the communication apparatus with respect to.

  Another object of the present invention is to estimate the position of the communicator with respect to the vehicle and to control the locking / unlocking of the vehicle door or the opening / closing of the door according to the estimated position. Another object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle wireless communication apparatus capable of controlling a door suitable for the position of a communication device, that is, the position of a user.

  An in-vehicle wireless communication apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is mounted on a vehicle and is mounted on the vehicle in accordance with a radio signal received by the receiving means and a receiving means that receives a radio signal transmitted from a portable communication device. In the in-vehicle wireless communication device comprising the control means for controlling the operation of the device, the receiving means that can receive the radio signal can be switched from a plurality of receiving ranges, and the switching means can be switched by the switching means. And a position estimating means for estimating the position of the communicator with respect to the vehicle according to the reception result in each receiving range, and the control means according to the position of the communicator estimated by the position estimating means. The operation of the device is controlled.

  In the present invention, a receiving means for receiving a wireless signal of a communication device possessed by a user is provided, and various devices mounted on the vehicle are controlled according to the wireless signal received by the in-vehicle wireless communication device. In this case, the in-vehicle wireless communication device switches a range in which the receiving unit can receive a radio signal to a plurality of receiving ranges. The position of the communication device can be estimated by switching to a different reception range and checking in which reception range the communication device exists based on reception results such as whether or not a radio signal can be received in each reception range. . Thereby, the vehicle-mounted wireless communication apparatus can control the equipment of the vehicle according to the position of the communication device, that is, the position of the user who possesses the communication device.

  In the in-vehicle wireless communication device according to the second aspect of the invention, the receiving unit includes an antenna that receives a radio signal, and the switching unit switches a reception range by adjusting a direction or a position of the antenna. It is characterized by that.

  In the present invention, the receiving range of the receiving means is switched by adjusting the direction or position of the antenna that receives the radio signal. Even if the in-vehicle wireless communication apparatus has one antenna, the position of the communication device can be estimated by changing the reception range.

  In the in-vehicle wireless communication apparatus according to the third aspect of the invention, the receiving unit includes a plurality of antennas for receiving radio signals, and the switching unit switches a reception range by switching an antenna used for reception. It is characterized by being.

  In the present invention, a plurality of antennas for receiving radio signals are mounted on a vehicle, and the reception range of the receiving means is switched by switching the antennas used for receiving radio signals. The in-vehicle wireless communication device can reliably estimate the position of the communication device with easy processing.

  In the in-vehicle wireless communication device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the position estimation unit may determine whether the reception unit can receive a radio signal and / or receive a radio signal in each reception range switched by the switching unit. The position of the communicator with respect to the vehicle is estimated according to the strength.

  In the present invention, the reception range of the receiving means is switched, and whether or not a radio signal can be received from the communication device in each reception range and / or the strength of the received radio signal is checked. Depending on which of the different reception ranges the radio signal is received in, it can be determined in which reception range the communication device is located. Further, the distance from the receiving means to the communication device can be calculated by examining the strength of the received radio signal. From these reception results, the position of the communication device can be estimated with high accuracy.

  In the in-vehicle wireless communication device according to the fifth aspect of the invention, the control means controls locking / unlocking of the vehicle door or opening / closing of the door according to the position of the communication device estimated by the position estimation means. It is characterized by the above.

  In the present invention, the locking / unlocking of the vehicle door or the opening / closing of the door is controlled according to the estimated position of the communication device. Since the estimated position of the communicator is considered to be the position of the user, the door may be controlled according to the position of the user, for example, locking / unlocking the door closest to the user's position or opening / closing the door. it can.

  In the case of the first invention, the reception range of the receiving means for receiving the radio signal from the communication device is switched, the position of the communication device is estimated according to the reception result in each reception range, and the in-vehicle device is determined according to the estimation result. By adopting a configuration for controlling the operation, it is possible to control the vehicle equipment in accordance with the position of the communication device, that is, the position of the user who owns the communication device. Therefore, the convenience of the in-vehicle wireless communication device can be improved. Further, for example, when locking / unlocking or opening / closing a vehicle door as a control, the door can be unlocked / locked or opened / closed according to the user's position. It is possible to realize an improvement in reliability and an improvement in safety.

  Further, according to the second aspect of the invention, the in-vehicle wireless communication apparatus has one antenna by adjusting the direction or position of the antenna that receives the radio signal and switching the radio signal reception range. However, since the reception range can be changed reliably, the position of the communication device can be reliably estimated.

  In the case of the third invention, a plurality of antennas for receiving radio signals are mounted on the vehicle, and the receiving range of the receiving means is switched by switching the antennas used for receiving the radio signals, so that it is easy and reliable. Since the reception range can be changed, the position of the communication device can be estimated easily and reliably.

  In the case of the fourth invention, the communication range for the vehicle is switched according to the reception range of the radio signal from the communication unit in each reception range and / or the strength of the received radio signal by switching the reception range of the radio signal. Since the position of the communication device is estimated, it can be determined in which reception range the communication device is located, and the distance from the receiving means to the communication device can be calculated. Can be accurately estimated. Therefore, the convenience, reliability, safety, and the like of the in-vehicle wireless communication device can be reliably improved.

  Further, in the case of the fifth invention, the door control is controlled according to the position of the user by controlling the locking / unlocking of the vehicle door or the opening / closing of the door according to the estimated position of the communication device. It can be performed. Therefore, since it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation such as the door being unlocked without being noticed when the user is away from the vehicle, the reliability of theft prevention and crime prevention can be improved. Further, when the user is in front of the vehicle, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation such as opening the back door, and it is possible to prevent the door from contacting or colliding with a person near the door or the vehicle. Can be improved.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings showing embodiments thereof. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle wireless communication apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 3 denotes an in-vehicle wireless communication device, which is mounted at an appropriate position of a vehicle 60 (shown in FIG. 2). The in-vehicle wireless communication device 3 receives a door unlocking / locking request or a door opening / closing request transmitted by a wireless signal from the communication device 1 possessed by the user, and the door mechanism 50 of the door mechanism 50 according to the received content. Control is performed.

  The communicator 1 is built in, for example, a key of the vehicle 60 or a key holder attached to the key, and the user operates the operation unit 11 including one or a plurality of switches. Wireless communication is performed with the communication device 3, and the door is locked / unlocked or the door is opened / closed from a place away from the vehicle 60. The communication device 1 includes an operation unit 11, a control unit 12, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 13, a transmission unit 14, a transmission antenna 15, and the like.

  As described above, the operation unit 11 includes switches such as a door locking switch, an unlocking switch, and a door opening / closing switch of the vehicle 60, for example. The operation unit 11 detects user operations on these switches, and when a user operation is performed, outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the operated switch to the control unit 12 as a detection result. The switch provided in the operation unit 11 of the communication device 1 is not limited to the above.

  The control unit 12 is configured by a small CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like, and controls the operation of the transmission unit 14 according to the detection result of the switch operation given from the operation unit 11 to transmit a radio signal. Sending is done. The control unit 12 encrypts a transmission command by encrypting a control command corresponding to the operation content of the user with respect to the operation unit 11 and an ID (IDentifier) attached to the communication device 1 based on predetermined encryption key information. It is prepared and given to the transmission unit 14. Note that the ID, encryption key information, and the like are stored in the ROM 13 in advance. The ROM 13 is configured by, for example, a mask ROM or an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM).

  The transmission unit 14 performs processing for transmitting the transmission data provided from the control unit 12 from the transmission antenna 15 as a radio signal having a predetermined frequency (for example, about 300 MHz). Although not shown, the transmission unit 14 includes a modulation circuit that modulates transmission data into a signal having a predetermined frequency, and an output amplifier that amplifies the modulated signal and outputs the amplified signal from the transmission antenna 15. Note that when the user operates the operation unit 11, the control unit 12 repeatedly transmits transmission data from the transmission unit 14 over a certain period.

  The in-vehicle wireless communication device 3 mounted on the vehicle 60 includes a control unit 31, a ROM 32, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 33, a door lock control unit 34, a door opening / closing control unit 35, a direction adjustment unit 36, a reception antenna 37, and a reception unit. 38, a position estimation unit 39, and the like. The control unit 31 controls the operation of each unit of the in-vehicle wireless communication device 3. Specifically, the control unit 31 is configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or the like, and by reading and executing a program and data stored in advance in the ROM 32, various control processes are performed. In addition, arithmetic processing and the like are performed.

  The ROM 32 is configured by a rewritable nonvolatile memory element such as an EEPROM or a flash memory, and stores various software programs necessary for the operation of the in-vehicle wireless communication device 3 in advance. An ID or encryption key information necessary for communication is stored in advance. The RAM 33 stores temporary data generated when the control unit 31 performs control processing or arithmetic processing. The RAM 33 is a rewritable large capacity such as SRAM (Static RAM) or DRAM (Dynamic RAM). It is comprised by the memory element of.

  Further, the vehicle 60 is provided with a door mechanism 50 that locks / unlocks the door, opens and closes (may be only opened), and the like. The door mechanism 50 includes an actuator or gear mechanism (not shown) and also has a function of communicating with the in-vehicle wireless communication device 3 through a communication line or the like. A gear mechanism or the like is operated to lock / unlock and open / close the door.

  The control unit 31 locks / unlocks the door of the vehicle 60 by giving a door locking / unlocking command to the door mechanism 50 via the communication line by the door lock control unit 34. Similarly, the control unit 31 opens / closes the door of the vehicle 60 by giving a door opening / closing command to the door mechanism 50 via the communication line by the door opening / closing control unit 35. The in-vehicle wireless communication device 3 may include a door lock control unit 34 and no door opening / closing control unit 35. In this case, the user only locks / unlocks the vehicle 60 using the communication device 1. be able to.

  The receiving antenna 37 is installed, for example, near the ceiling in the vicinity of the driver's seat of the vehicle 60 and receives a radio signal transmitted from the communication device 1. Although details will be described later, the reception range in which the reception antenna 37 can receive a radio signal from the communication device 1 is set in a limited range in advance. The in-vehicle wireless communication device 3 includes a direction adjustment unit 36 that adjusts the direction of the reception antenna 37, and the reception range of the reception antenna 37 is changed by the direction adjustment unit 36 adjusting the direction of the reception antenna 37. You can do that. The direction adjustment unit 36 is configured by an actuator, a gear mechanism, or the like, and operates the actuator, the gear mechanism, or the like according to the control of the control unit 31. The radio signal received by the receiving antenna 37 is given to the receiving unit 38. In the present embodiment, the receiving antenna 37 is installed in the vicinity of the ceiling of the vehicle 60. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the inside of the instrument panel of the vehicle 60, a room mirror, a pillar, or the like is used. It is good also as a structure which mounts the receiving antenna 37 in a position.

  The receiving unit 38 includes an amplifying circuit that amplifies a signal of a predetermined frequency received by the receiving antenna 37, a demodulating circuit that demodulates the amplified signal and acquires transmission data from the communication device 1, and the like. The demodulated data is given to the control unit 31. The receiving unit 38 gives each reception result when the reception range of the receiving antenna 37 is changed to the position estimating unit 39, detects the signal strength of the received radio signal, and displays the detection result as an RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator). ) As a signal to the position estimation unit 39.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a position estimation method of the communication device 1 by the position estimation unit 39 of the in-vehicle wireless communication device 3 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 2, the upper side of the figure is the front of the vehicle 60 and the lower side is the rear. FIG. 3 is a chart for explaining a method for estimating the position of the communication device 1 by the position estimating unit 39 of the in-vehicle wireless communication apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, from the receiving unit 38 to the position estimating unit 39. A given reception result (reception availability in each reception range and RSSI value), an estimation result of the position of the communication device 1, and a control content related to the door of the vehicle 60 based on the estimation result are described in association with each other. is there. In the present embodiment, the communication device 1 allows the user to lock / unlock the door of the vehicle 60 and open the door, and does not perform the door closing operation. It is good also as a structure which can perform the closing operation | movement of a door by operation of the communication apparatus 1 without being restricted to.

  The receiving antenna 37 of the in-vehicle wireless communication device 3 is mounted on the ceiling portion of the vehicle 60 near the right front seat (driver's seat). The reception antenna 37 has a limited reception range as described above, and the direction adjustment unit 36 can change the reception range by adjusting the direction. In the illustrated in-vehicle wireless communication device 3, the reception range of the reception antenna 37 can be switched to two ranges of a reception range A indicated by a broken line and a reception range B indicated by a one-dot chain line. The reception range A is a range that covers the front, rear, left and right of the vehicle 60, but covers the left side of the vehicle 60 widely and covers the right side slightly narrowly. The reception range B is a range that widely covers only the right side of the vehicle 60. The reception range A and the reception range B are set so that one range does not include all of the other range, but partially overlaps or does not overlap at all.

  The direction adjustment unit 36 periodically adjusts the direction of the reception antenna 37 to switch the radio signal reception range. When the reception unit 38 receives a radio signal in one of the reception range A and the reception range B, the reception unit 38 further performs a radio signal in the other range, and receives in each of the reception range A and the reception range B. And the RSSI signal related to the received radio signal is given to the position estimation unit 39.

  The position estimation unit 39 estimates where the communication device 1 is located around the vehicle 60 based on the reception result in the case of the reception range A and the reception result in the case of the reception range B given from the reception unit 38. The estimation result is given to the control unit 31. First, the position estimation unit 39 determines whether the communicator 1 is located in the vicinity of the right side of the vehicle 60 or in the far side of the right side based on the availability of reception in the reception range A and the availability of reception in the reception range B. Alternatively, it is estimated whether the vehicle 60 is located on the front, left, or rear side.

  When the reception antenna 37 receives a radio signal from the communication device 1 in the reception range A and receives a radio signal from the communication device 1 in the reception range B, the position estimation unit 39 determines that the communication device 1 is connected to the vehicle 60. It can be estimated that it is located near the right side. When the radio signal from the communication device 1 is received in the reception range A, but the radio signal from the communication device 1 is not received in the reception range B, the position estimation unit 39 causes the communication device 1 to move to the front, left, and rear sides of the vehicle 60. It can be estimated that it is located. If the radio signal from the communication device 1 is received in the reception range B but the radio signal from the communication device 1 is not received in the reception range A, the position estimation unit 39 estimates that the communication device 1 is located far from the vehicle 60 on the right side. can do. The position estimation unit 39 gives an estimation result to the control unit 31, and the control unit 31 controls the door of the vehicle 60 according to the given estimation result.

  Further, the position estimation unit 39 estimates a more detailed position of the communication device 1 based on the value of the RSSI signal given from the reception unit 38. The position estimation unit 39 stores in advance a table in which the signal strength (RSSI signal value) of the received radio signal is associated with the distance from the reception antenna 37 to the communication device 1, and is given from the reception unit 38. The distance from the receiving antenna 37 to the communication device 1 is obtained by referring to this table from the RSSI signal value obtained. The position estimation unit 39 uses different tables for the case where the reception antenna 37 receives the reception range A and the case where the reception antenna 37 receives the reception range B.

  For example, the position estimation unit 39 of the in-vehicle wireless communication device of the present embodiment determines that the communication device 1 is positioned on the front, left, and rear sides of the vehicle 60 based on whether or not the line signal can be received in the reception range A and the reception range B. Then, when it is estimated, the distance based on the RSSI signal is acquired, the predetermined threshold value is compared with the distance to the communication device, and the comparison result is given to the control unit 31. . Based on the given comparison result, the control unit 31 determines whether the communication device 1 is located at a short distance within a predetermined distance from the receiving antenna 37 or when it is located at a long distance exceeding the predetermined distance. Different controls are performed on the door.

  For example, in the unlocking control of the door of the vehicle 60, when a radio signal is received in the reception range A and no radio signal is received in the reception range B, and when the distance by the RSSI signal is a short distance, That is, when it is estimated that the communication device 1 is located near the front, left, and rear sides of the vehicle 60, the control unit 31 unlocks the left door and the rear door of the vehicle 60. When a radio signal is received in the reception range A and no radio signal is received in the reception range B, and when the distance by the RSSI signal is a long distance, that is, the communication device 1 is in front of the vehicle 60 When it is estimated that the vehicle is located far away on the rear side, the control unit 31 unlocks the door on the left side of the vehicle 60. When a radio signal is not received in the reception range A and a radio signal is received in the reception range B, that is, when it is estimated that the communication device 1 is located far to the right of the vehicle 60, the control unit 31 Unlock the right door. When radio signals are received in the reception range A and the reception range B, that is, when it is estimated that the communication device 1 is located near the right side of the vehicle 60, the control unit 31 unlocks all the doors of the vehicle 60. I do.

  In the lock control of the door of the vehicle 60, when a radio signal is received in either the reception range A or the reception range B, that is, when it is estimated that the communication device 1 is located within the range of the reception range A or the reception range B. The control unit 31 is configured to lock all the doors of the vehicle 60. Further, in the door opening control of the vehicle 60, when the communication device 1 is estimated to be located near the front, left, and rear sides of the vehicle 60, or when the communication device 1 is estimated to be located near the right side of the vehicle 60. The controller 31 controls the opening of the rear door of the vehicle 32.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of transmission processing performed by the communication device 1. First, the control unit 12 of the communication device 1 checks whether or not a user operation has been performed on the operation unit 11 (step S1). When the operation unit 11 is not operated (S1: NO), the control unit 12 waits until the operation is performed. When an operation is performed on the operation unit 11 (S1: YES), the control unit 12 creates transmission data including a control command corresponding to the operation content on the operation unit 11 and an ID stored in the ROM 13 (step S2). The generated transmission data is encrypted based on the encryption key information stored in the ROM 13 (step S3).

  Next, the control unit 12 modulates the encrypted transmission data by giving it to the transmission unit 14 (step S4), and wirelessly transmits it from the transmission antenna 15 (step S5). After completing the transmission, the control unit 12 checks whether or not the transmission data has been wirelessly transmitted a predetermined number of times (step S6). If the transmission data has not been transmitted a predetermined number of times (S6: NO), after waiting for a predetermined time (step S7). ), Returning to step S5, the wireless transmission is repeated. When the wireless transmission is performed a predetermined number of times (S6: YES), the control unit 12 ends the transmission process. Note that the processing in the illustrated flowchart is always repeated while power is supplied to the communication device 1, and actually the control unit 12 returns to step S1 after the transmission processing is completed and repeats the above processing. It is like that.

  5 to 7 are flowcharts showing a procedure of reception processing performed by the in-vehicle wireless communication device 3 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In this flowchart, only the case where the in-vehicle wireless communication device 3 performs the unlocking process of the door of the vehicle 60 is illustrated, and the door locking process and the opening process are the same processes, and thus the illustration is omitted. . First, the control unit 31 of the in-vehicle wireless communication device 3 adjusts the direction of the reception antenna 37 by the direction adjustment unit 36 and switches the reception range to the reception range A shown in FIG. 2 (step S21). Next, the control unit 31 checks whether or not a radio signal is received from the communication device 1 within the reception range A (step S22). If no radio signal is received (S22: NO), further reception is performed. It is checked whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since switching to the range A (step S23). If the predetermined time has not elapsed (S23: NO), the process returns to step S22 and the reception by the reception range A is repeated.

  When a predetermined time has elapsed since switching to the reception range A (S23: YES), the control unit 31 adjusts the direction of the reception antenna 37 by the direction adjustment unit 36 and switches the reception range to the reception range B (step S24). . Next, the control unit 31 checks whether or not a radio signal is received from the communication device 1 in the reception range B (step S25). If no radio signal is received (S25: NO), further reception is performed. It is checked whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since switching to the range B (step S26). If the predetermined time has not elapsed (S26: NO), the process returns to step S25 and the reception by the reception range B is repeated. When a predetermined time has elapsed since switching to the reception range B (S26: YES), the control unit 31 returns to step S21 and repeats the above-described processing until a radio signal is received.

  When the wireless signal from the communication device 1 is received in the reception range A in step S22 (S22: YES), the control unit 31 adjusts the direction of the reception antenna 37 by the direction adjustment unit 36 to set the reception range to the reception range. It switches to B (step S31), and it is investigated whether the radio signal from the communication apparatus 1 was received in the reception range B (step S32). When the wireless signal is not received (S32: NO), the control unit 31 checks whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since switching to the reception range B (step S33). When the predetermined time has not elapsed (S33: NO), the control unit 31 returns to step S32 and repeats reception by the reception range B. When a radio signal is received from the communication device 1 in the reception range B (S32: YES), the position estimation unit 39 estimates the position of the communication device 1 near the right side of the vehicle 60 (step S34). The unit 31 unlocks all the doors of the vehicle 60 (step S35) and ends the reception process.

  When a predetermined time has elapsed since switching to the reception range B (S33: YES), the control unit 31 sends the signal strength (RSSI signal) of the radio signal received in the reception range A from the reception unit 38 to the position estimation unit 39. The distance from the receiving antenna 37 to the communication device 1 is acquired by obtaining (step S36) and referring to the table in the position estimating unit 39 (step S37).

  Next, the control unit 31 compares the distance to the communication device 1 with a predetermined threshold value in the position estimation unit 39 to check whether or not the distance to the communication device 1 is equal to or less than the threshold value (step S38). ). If the distance to the communication device 1 is equal to or less than the threshold (S38: YES), the position estimation unit 39 estimates the position of the communication device 1 near the front, left, and rear sides of the vehicle 60 (step S39). The unit 31 unlocks the left door and the rear door of the vehicle 60 (step S40), and ends the reception process. When the distance to the communication device 1 exceeds the threshold value (S38: NO), the position estimation unit 39 estimates the position of the communication device 1 as far away from the front, left, and rear side of the vehicle 60 (step S41). The unit 31 unlocks the left door of the vehicle 60 (step S42) and ends the transmission process.

  When the wireless signal from the communication device 1 is received in the reception range B in step S25 (S25: YES), the control unit 31 adjusts the direction of the reception antenna 37 by the direction adjustment unit 36 to set the reception range to the reception range. A is switched to A (step S51), and it is checked whether or not a radio signal from the communication device 1 is received in the reception range A (step S52). When the wireless signal is not received (S52: NO), the control unit 31 checks whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since switching to the reception range A (step S53). If the predetermined time has not elapsed (S53: NO), the control unit 31 returns to step S52 and repeats reception by the reception range A.

  When a radio signal is received from the communication device 1 in the reception range A (S52: YES), the position estimation unit 39 estimates the position of the communication device 1 near the right side of the vehicle 60 (step S54). The unit 31 unlocks all the doors of the vehicle 60 (step S55) and ends the reception process. When a predetermined time has elapsed after switching to the reception range A (S53: YES), the position estimation unit 39 estimates the position of the communication device 1 to be far to the right of the vehicle 60 (step S56). The door on the right side of the vehicle 60 is unlocked (step S57), and the reception process is terminated. Note that the processing of the illustrated flowchart is always repeated while power is supplied to the in-vehicle wireless communication device 3, and actually the control unit 31 returns to step S21 after the reception processing is completed, and performs the above processing. Repeatedly.

  In the in-vehicle wireless communication device 3 configured as described above, the orientation of the reception antenna 37 is adjusted by the orientation adjustment unit 36, and the reception range of the wireless signal is switched, so that the position of the communication device 1 can be determined based on whether reception is possible in each reception range. That is, the position of the user can be estimated. Further, by acquiring the distance from the receiving antenna 37 to the communication device 1 based on the intensity of the received radio signal, the position of the communication device 1 can be estimated with higher accuracy.

  Further, the in-vehicle wireless communication device 3 controls locking / unlocking and opening / closing of the door of the vehicle 60 according to the estimated position, so that the door can be controlled according to the position of the user. For example, when the user is away from the vehicle 60, it is possible to prevent malfunctions such as erroneously operating the communication device 1 to unlock the door of the vehicle 60. Can be improved. Further, for example, when the user is in front of the vehicle 60, it is possible to prevent a malfunction such as opening the rear door of the vehicle, and the door contacts or collides with a person near the door or another vehicle. Since this can be prevented, safety can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the in-vehicle wireless communication device 3 is configured to switch the reception range by adjusting the direction of the reception antenna 37. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the reception antenna in the vehicle 60 It is good also as a structure which switches a receiving range by other methods, such as moving the position of 37. Moreover, although the vehicle-mounted radio | wireless communication apparatus 3 was set as the structure which estimates the position of the communication apparatus 1 based on two types of reception results, the reception propriety in each reception range, and the intensity | strength of the received radio signal, it is restricted to this. It is good also as a structure which estimates the position of the communication apparatus 1 based only on either one of the reception availability in each receiving range, or the intensity | strength of a radio signal. In addition, the in-vehicle wireless communication device 3 is configured to switch to two reception ranges of the reception range A and the reception range B, but is not limited thereto, and may be configured to switch to three or more reception ranges. Good. Also, the reception range A and the reception range B shown in FIG. 2 are examples, and the present invention is not limited to this. Further, the correspondence between the reception result, the estimation result, and the door control content shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this.

(Embodiment 2)
The in-vehicle wireless communication device 3 according to the first embodiment has a configuration in which the reception range of one reception antenna 37 is switched, but is not limited thereto, and may be configured to perform reception by switching a plurality of reception antennas. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of in-vehicle wireless communication apparatus 103 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In FIG. 8, the communication device 1 possessed by the user has the same configuration as that shown in FIG. The in-vehicle wireless communication apparatus 103 according to Embodiment 2 has two antennas, a first reception antenna 141 and a second reception antenna 142, and the first reception antenna 141 and the second reception antenna 142 are connected to the switching unit 143. It is. The switching unit 143 switches either the first reception antenna 141 or the second reception antenna 142 and connects to the reception unit 38 according to the control of the control unit 31. The first receiving antenna 141 and the second receiving antenna 142 are installed in different places of the vehicle 60, and the respective receiving ranges are different.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a reception range of in-vehicle wireless communication apparatus 103 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The first receiving antenna 141 of the in-vehicle wireless communication device 3 is mounted on the ceiling portion near the right front seat of the vehicle 60, and the second receiving antenna 142 is mounted on the ceiling portion near the left rear seat. The receiving range C of the first receiving antenna 141 is a range that covers the front and the right side of the vehicle 60 widely, and the receiving range D of the second receiving antenna 142 is a range that covers the left side and the rear of the vehicle 60 widely. is there.

  FIG. 10 is a chart showing the control content of the door of the vehicle 60 by the in-vehicle wireless communication device 103 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The reception result (from each receiving range in each receiving range) given to the position estimating unit 39 is shown. And the RSSI value), the estimation result of the position of the communication device 1, and the control content related to the door of the vehicle 60 based on the estimation result are described in association with each other.

  For example, in the unlocking control of the door of the vehicle 60, when a radio signal is received in the reception range C and the distance by the RSSI signal is a short distance, the communication device 1 is located near the front / right side of the vehicle 60 in the position estimation unit 39. The controller 31 unlocks all the doors of the vehicle 60. When a radio signal is received in the reception range C and the distance by the RSSI signal is a long distance, the position estimation unit 39 estimates that the communication device 1 is located in front of the vehicle 60 and far from the right side, and the control unit 31 Unlock the right door.

  Further, when a radio signal is received in the reception range D and the distance by the RSSI signal is a short distance, the position estimation unit 39 estimates that the communication device 1 is located in the vicinity of the left / rear side of the vehicle 60, and the control unit 31. Unlocks the left door and the rear door of the vehicle 60. When a radio signal is received in the reception range D and the distance by the RSSI signal is a long distance, the position estimation unit 39 estimates that the communication device 1 is located far left and rear of the vehicle 60, and the control unit 31 Unlock 60 left door.

  In the locking control of the door of the vehicle 60, a radio signal is received in either the reception range C or the reception range D, and the position estimation unit 39 estimates that the communication device 1 is located within the range of the reception range C or the reception range D. In such a case, the control unit 31 locks all the doors of the vehicle 60. Further, in the opening control of the door of the vehicle 60, when it is estimated that the communication device 1 is located in the vicinity of the left / rear side of the vehicle 60, the control unit 31 performs the opening control of the rear door of the vehicle 60. is there.

  The in-vehicle wireless communication apparatus 103 according to the second embodiment having the above-described configuration includes a plurality of reception antennas, and can perform reception in a plurality of reception ranges without adjusting the orientation of the reception antennas. The position of the device 1 can be estimated. In the present embodiment, the in-vehicle wireless communication device 103 is configured to switch the first receiving antenna 141 and the second receiving antenna 142 with the switching unit 143. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Two reception units are installed, two reception antennas are connected to different reception units, and the two estimation units are used by switching between the two reception units, so that reception and position estimation in two reception ranges can be performed. It is good also as a structure to perform.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle-mounted radio | wireless communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the position estimation method of the communication apparatus by the position estimation part of the vehicle-mounted radio | wireless communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a graph for demonstrating the position estimation method of the communication apparatus by the position estimation part of the vehicle-mounted radio | wireless communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the transmission process which a communication apparatus performs. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the reception process which the vehicle-mounted radio | wireless communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention performs. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the reception process which the vehicle-mounted radio | wireless communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention performs. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the reception process which the vehicle-mounted radio | wireless communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention performs. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle-mounted radio | wireless communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the receiving range of the vehicle-mounted radio | wireless communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a table | surface which shows the control content of the door of the vehicle by the vehicle-mounted radio | wireless communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Communication device 3 Car-mounted radio | wireless communication apparatus 11 Operation part 12 Control part 14 Transmission part 15 Transmitting antenna 31 Control part (control means)
34 Door lock control part 35 Door opening / closing control part 36 Direction adjustment part (switching means)
37 Receiving antenna (antenna)
38 Receiver (Receiving means)
39 Position estimation unit (position estimation means)
50 door mechanism 60 vehicle 103 in-vehicle wireless communication device 141 first receiving antenna (antenna)
142 Second receiving antenna (antenna)
143 switching unit (switching means)
A to D Receiving range

Claims (5)

Receiving means for receiving a radio signal transmitted from a portable communication device mounted on a vehicle, and control means for controlling the operation of the equipment mounted on the vehicle according to the radio signal received by the receiving means; In-vehicle wireless communication device comprising:
Switching means for switching a receiving range in which the receiving means can receive a radio signal from a plurality of receiving ranges;
Position estimation means for estimating the position of the communicator with respect to the vehicle according to the reception result in each reception range switched by the switching means, and
The in-vehicle wireless communication device, wherein the control means controls the operation of the device according to the position of the communication device estimated by the position estimation means. The receiving means has an antenna for receiving a radio signal,
The in-vehicle wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switching unit is configured to switch a reception range by adjusting a direction or a position of the antenna. The receiving means has a plurality of antennas for receiving radio signals,
The in-vehicle wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the switching unit is configured to switch a reception range by switching an antenna used for reception. The position estimation unit is configured to determine the position of the communicator with respect to the vehicle in each reception range switched by the switching unit, depending on whether the reception unit can receive a radio signal and / or the strength of the received radio signal. The in-vehicle wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the in-vehicle wireless communication device is estimated. The control unit is configured to control locking / unlocking of the vehicle door or opening / closing of the door according to the position of the communication device estimated by the position estimation unit. The in-vehicle wireless communication device according to claim 1.

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