JP2013212003A - On-vehicle system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an on-vehicle system that can restrain battery consumption of an electronic key in a vehicle equipped with an electronic key system and a non-contact charging system.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle system comprises: an on-vehicle device 1 for starting an engine 3 through radio communication with an electronic key 2; and a charger 4 for charging a battery 50 of an electronic device 5 without contact by transmitting a charging radio wave Wc. The electronic key 2 is activated on the basis of reception of a wake-up signal Swk transmitted by the on-vehicle device 1, and starts radio communication with the on-vehicle device 1. Here, when the electronic key 2 is activated on the basis of reception of noise, it transmits an error activation signal Smw indicating that by radio. Then, when the error activation signal Smw has been transmitted by the electronic key 2, the output level of the charging radio wave of the charger 4 is lowered.

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle system that performs vehicle control through wireless communication with an electronic key, and an in-vehicle system that includes a charger that charges a battery of a device to be charged in a non-contact manner by transmitting a charging radio wave.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a so-called electronic key system is known in which an engine is started when a user having an electronic key presses an engine switch of a vehicle. As this type of electronic key system, there is a system described in Patent Document 1. In this electronic key system, an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle transmits a wake signal to a communication area in a vehicle compartment at a predetermined cycle. When the user who has the electronic key gets on the board, the electronic key receives the wake signal. The electronic key is normally in a sleep state (power saving state) and is activated based on reception of a wake signal. Specifically, when the electronic key receives some radio wave close to the frequency of the wake signal, the electronic key switches from the sleep state to the activated state. The activated electronic key determines whether the received radio wave is a wake signal. When the received radio wave is a wake signal, the electronic key transmits an ACK signal indicating activation to the in-vehicle device. When receiving the ACK signal, the in-vehicle device continues wireless communication with the portable device and performs electronic authentication of the portable device. When the authentication of the portable device is established, the vehicle-mounted device starts the engine on the condition that a pressing operation of the engine switch is detected. According to such an electronic key system, since the electronic key is normally in a sleep state, consumption of the battery of the electronic key can be suppressed.

  In recent years, a so-called non-contact charging system that performs non-contact charging on a battery built in an electronic device such as a portable terminal or a digital camera is known. As this type of non-contact charging system, there is a system described in Patent Document 2. In this non-contact charging system, a primary coil is provided in the charger, and a secondary coil is provided in the electronic device on the charged side. The charger emits radio waves (electromagnetic waves) by exciting the primary coil. When an electronic device is placed on this charger, a voltage is induced in the secondary coil of the electronic device by electromagnetic induction. The electronic device uses the voltage induced in the secondary coil to charge the battery. According to such a non-contact charging system, since the battery is charged only by placing the electronic device on the charger, the convenience is greatly improved.

JP 2012-7437 A JP 2008-5573 A

  By the way, in the electronic key system, the frequency of the wake signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device is generally set to an LF (Low frequency) band. Specifically, it is set to “125 kHz” or “134 kHz”. On the other hand, in the non-contact charging system, the frequency of the charging radio wave is specified in the range of 100 kHz to 200 kHz according to the WPC (Wireless Power Consortium) standard. Therefore, the frequency of the wake signal and the frequency of the charging radio wave overlap. For this reason, when a charger is mounted on a vehicle, radio wave interference may occur between the non-contact charging system and the electronic key system. That is, when the electronic key is positioned around the charger, the charging radio wave from the charger is received by the electronic key. At this time, the electronic key is erroneously activated because it receives a radio wave close to the frequency of the wake signal. In addition, the electronic key remains in a state of being erroneously activated while the charging radio wave is continuously received. For this reason, the battery of the electronic key is easily consumed, and the battery life of the electronic key is shortened. As a result, the battery replacement frequency increases, and there is a risk that the user's effort will increase.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an in-vehicle system capable of suppressing battery consumption of the electronic key in a vehicle equipped with the electronic key system and the non-contact charging system. There is.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention described in claim 1 is a non-contact charging to a battery of a device to be charged by an on-vehicle device that performs vehicle control through wireless communication with an electronic key, and a charging radio wave. The electronic key is activated based on reception of a wireless signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device, and in the in-vehicle system that starts wireless communication with the in-vehicle device, the electronic key is configured to receive noise. A wireless signal is transmitted when the electronic key is activated, and it is determined whether the electronic key is erroneously activated based on transmission of the wireless signal from the electronic key, and it is determined that the electronic key is erroneously activated. In this case, the charger executes an operation for adjusting a transmission mode of the charging radio wave so that the electronic key is difficult to receive the charging radio wave.

  The charging radio wave transmitted from the charger is noise for the electronic key. Therefore, according to the above system, when the electronic key is erroneously activated by the charging radio wave, the electronic key transmits a radio signal. At this time, the charger performs an operation for adjusting the transmission mode of the charging radio wave so that the electronic key is difficult to receive the charging radio wave. Thereby, since it becomes difficult for an electronic key to receive a charged radio wave, erroneous activation of the electronic key is suppressed. Therefore, battery consumption of the electronic key can be suppressed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the in-vehicle system according to the first aspect, the electronic key receives a radio signal from the in-vehicle device as a radio signal transmitted when activated based on reception of the noise. It is intended to transmit a false activation signal different from a wireless signal to be transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device, and when the electronic key transmits the erroneous activation signal, it is determined that the electronic key has been erroneously activated. To do.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the in-vehicle system according to the first or second aspect, the in-vehicle device transmits a wake signal as a radio signal for activating the electronic key. When the key receives the wake signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device, the key transmits an ACK signal indicating the fact to the in-vehicle device, although the wake signal is not transmitted from the in-vehicle device. The gist of the invention is that when the in-vehicle device receives the wake signal, it is determined that the electronic key has been erroneously activated.

According to these systems, it is possible to easily determine whether or not the electronic key is erroneously activated.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the in-vehicle system according to any one of the first to third aspects, the charger outputs the charging radio wave as an operation for adjusting a transmission mode of the charging radio wave. The gist is to perform an operation to lower the level.

  When the distance between the charger and the electronic key is constant, the electronic key becomes easier to receive the charging radio wave as the output level of the charger is larger. For this reason, the range in which the electronic key is erroneously activated by the charging radio wave differs depending on the output level of the charger. Therefore, in order to suppress erroneous activation of the electronic key, it is effective to adjust the output level of the charging radio wave as in the above system.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the in-vehicle system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the charger operates the frequency of the charging radio wave as an operation for adjusting the transmission mode of the charging radio wave. The gist of the invention is to perform the operation of moving the distance away from the resonance frequency of the receiving antenna of the electronic key.

  When the distance between the charger and the electronic key is constant, the electronic key becomes easier to receive the charging radio wave as the frequency of the charging radio wave is closer to the resonance frequency of the receiving antenna of the electronic key. For this reason, whether or not the electronic key is erroneously activated by the charging radio wave depends on the frequency of the charging radio wave. Therefore, in order to suppress erroneous activation of the electronic key, it is effective to adjust the frequency of the charging radio wave as in the above system.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the in-vehicle system according to the second aspect, the charger performs an operation of lowering an output level of the charging radio wave as an operation for adjusting a transmission mode of the charging radio wave. And the operation for lowering the output level of the charger once sets the output level of the charger to the minimum output level that can ensure the transmission of the charging radio wave, and then While searching for the maximum output level at which the erroneous activation signal is not transmitted from the electronic key while gradually increasing the output level, the output level of the charger is set to the transmission of the erroneous activation signal from the electronic key. The gist is that it is performed by setting the maximum output level that is not performed.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the in-vehicle system according to claim 2, wherein the charger performs an operation of lowering an output level of the charging radio wave as an operation for adjusting a transmission mode of the charging radio wave. The operation for lowering the output level of the charger is to search for the maximum output level at which the erroneous activation signal is not transmitted from the electronic key while gradually reducing the output level of the charger. Then, the gist is that the output level of the charger is set to a maximum output level at which the erroneous activation signal is not transmitted from the electronic key.

  According to these systems, the output level of the charger can be set to the maximum output level at which the electronic key is not erroneously activated. Therefore, the charging speed can be ensured while suppressing battery consumption of the electronic key.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the in-vehicle system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein when the electronic key receives a radio wave, the received radio wave is a radio signal from the in-vehicle device. The gist is to determine whether or not there is a noise based on the signal pattern and to determine whether or not noise is received based on the determination result.

  The invention according to claim 9 is the in-vehicle system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein when the electronic key receives a radio wave, the intensity of the received radio wave is equal to or greater than a threshold value. If the received radio wave is not a radio signal from the in-vehicle device, the automatic gain for increasing the threshold is determined based on the signal pattern. The gist is to execute control, and to judge that noise is received when the threshold value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

  According to these systems, it is possible to easily determine whether or not the received radio wave is noise.

  According to the in-vehicle system of the present invention, battery consumption of the electronic key can be suppressed in a vehicle equipped with the electronic key system and the non-contact charging system.

The block diagram which shows the system configuration | structure about one Embodiment of the vehicle-mounted system of this invention. The figure which shows typically the reception range of the charge wave of the electronic key according to the output level of a charger in the vehicle-mounted system of the embodiment. The flowchart which shows the setting procedure of the output level of the charger by the vehicle-mounted system of the embodiment. The figure which shows the operation example of the vehicle-mounted system of the embodiment typically. (A), (b) is a timing chart which shows the operation example of the vehicle-mounted system of the embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which an in-vehicle system of the present invention is embodied will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, this in-vehicle system includes an in-vehicle device 1 mounted on a vehicle and an electronic key 2 carried by the user. The in-vehicle device 1 starts the vehicle engine 3 through wireless communication with the electronic key 2. The in-vehicle system includes a charger 4 mounted on the vehicle. The charger 4 charges a battery 50 built in an electronic device (charged device) 5 such as a portable terminal or a digital camera in a non-contact manner.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the charger 4 is fixed near the center of the dashboard of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the charger 4 includes a power transmission unit 41 that transmits a charging radio wave Wc from the primary coil L <b> 1 and a charge control unit 42 that controls driving of the power transmission unit 41.

  The charging control unit 42 excites the primary coil L1 by supplying an alternating current to the primary coil L1 via the power transmission unit 41. The excited primary coil L1 transmits a radio wave (electromagnetic wave) Wc for charging. The frequency of the charging radio wave Wc is set to 100 kHz to 200 kHz based on the WPC standard. The charge control unit 42 sets the output level of the charging radio wave Wc to any one of a minimum low level, an intermediate middle level, and a maximum high level by adjusting the amount of power supplied to the primary coil L1.

  The charging control unit 42 is connected to the in-vehicle device 1 via an in-vehicle network 6 such as a CAN (Controller Area Network). The charging control unit 42 sets the output level of the charging radio wave Wc as shown in the following (a1) to (a3) based on a command from the in-vehicle device 1.

(A1) When a low level setting command is notified from the in-vehicle device 1. In this case, the output level of the charging radio wave Wc is set to a low level.
(A2) When an output level up command is notified from the in-vehicle device 1. In this case, the output level of the charging radio wave Wc is set to one level higher than the current level.

(A3) When an output level down command is notified from the in-vehicle device 1. In this case, the output level of the charging radio wave Wc is set to one level lower than the current level.
When the electronic device 5 is placed, the charger 4 charges the battery 50 of the electronic device 5 at a charging speed corresponding to the output level each time.

  The electronic device 5 includes a secondary coil L2 in which an alternating voltage is induced when the charging radio wave Wc is interlinked when placed on the charger 4. In addition, the electronic device 5 includes a power receiving unit 51 that converts an AC voltage induced in the secondary coil L2 into a DC voltage. Power reception unit 51 outputs the converted DC voltage to converter 52. The converter 52 steps down or boosts the DC voltage from the power receiving unit 51 and supplies it to the battery 50. Thereby, the battery 50 is charged.

  The electronic key 2 includes a receiving unit 20 that receives a radio signal in the LF band transmitted from the in-vehicle device 1 and a transmission unit 21 that transmits a radio signal in the UHF (Ultra High Frequency) band to the in-vehicle device 1. The electronic key 2 includes an electronic key control unit 22 that processes a radio signal received via the receiving unit 20 and controls transmission of a radio signal from the transmission unit 21. The electronic key 2 uses a battery (not shown) as an operating power source.

  When receiving the wake signal Swk and the request signal Srq via the receiving antenna 20a as LF band radio signals, the receiving unit 20 demodulates them and outputs them to the electronic key control unit 22. Note that the frequencies of the wake signal Swk and the request signal Srq are set to the LF band. Specifically, it is set to “125 kHz” or “134 kHz”.

  The electronic key control unit 22 normally sets the electronic key 2 to a sleep state (power saving state). When the electronic key control unit 22 receives any radio wave in the LF band via the receiving unit 20, the electronic key control unit 22 switches the electronic key 2 from the sleep state to the semi-activated state. The semi-activated state indicates a state where only the minimum electronic components necessary for determining the signal pattern of the received radio wave are activated in the electronic key 2. When the electronic key control unit 22 switches the electronic key 2 to the semi-activated state, the electronic key control unit 22 determines whether the received radio wave is the wake signal Swk based on the signal pattern. When the received radio wave is the wake signal Swk, the electronic key control unit 22 switches the electronic key 2 to the activated state. The activated state indicates a state where all the functions of the electronic key 2 are valid. When the electronic key control unit 22 switches the electronic key 2 to the activated state, the electronic key control unit 22 generates an ACK signal Sak and outputs it to the transmission unit 21. On the other hand, if the received radio wave is not the wake signal Swk, the electronic key control unit 22 determines that noise has been received. When the electronic key control unit 22 continuously receives noise a plurality of times, the electronic key control unit 22 generates a false activation signal Smw to notify the vehicle-mounted device 1 that the erroneous activation has occurred based on the reception of the noise, and outputs this to the transmission unit 21. . When the ACK signal Sak or the erroneous activation signal Smw is input from the electronic key control unit 22, the transmission unit 21 modulates them and transmits them from the transmission antenna 21a as a UHF band radio signal.

  Further, when the electronic key control unit 22 receives the request signal Srq via the receiving unit 20 after transmitting the ACK signal Sak, the electronic key control unit 22 generates a response signal Srs including its own identification code (ID code), and transmits this response signal Srs. Output to. When the response signal Srs is input from the electronic key control unit 22, the transmission unit 21 modulates the response signal Srs and transmits the modulated signal as a UHF band radio signal from the transmission antenna 21a.

  The in-vehicle device 1 includes a transmission unit 10 that transmits an LF band radio signal to a communication area in a vehicle interior, and a reception unit 11 that receives a UHF band radio signal transmitted from the electronic key 2. The in-vehicle device 1 includes an in-vehicle control unit 12 that controls transmission of a radio signal from the transmission unit 10 and processes a radio signal received via the reception unit 11.

When receiving the ACK signal Sak and the response signal Srs as the UHF band radio signals via the receiving antenna 11a, the receiving unit 11 demodulates them and transmits them to the in-vehicle control unit 12.
Moreover, the vehicle equipment 1 is provided with the brake switch 13 and the engine switch 14 as a sensor which detects a driver | operator's vehicle operation. The brake switch 13 detects the depression operation of the brake pedal of the vehicle, and outputs the detection result to the in-vehicle control unit 12. The engine switch 14 is pressed when the engine 3 is started by the user. When the engine switch 14 is pressed, the engine switch 14 outputs an operation signal to that effect to the in-vehicle control unit 12.

  When the in-vehicle control unit 12 detects the depression operation of the brake pedal based on the output of the brake switch 13, the in-vehicle control unit 12 generates a wake signal Swk and outputs it to the transmission unit 10. When the wake signal Swk is input from the in-vehicle control unit 12, the transmission unit 10 modulates the wake signal Swk and transmits it from the transmission antenna 10a as an LF band radio signal. Thereby, the wake signal Swk is transmitted to the communication area in the passenger compartment. Therefore, when the electronic key 2 is located in the vehicle interior, the ACK signal Sak is transmitted from the electronic key 2.

  Further, when the in-vehicle control unit 12 receives the ACK signal Sak via the receiving unit 11 after transmitting the wake signal Swk, this time, the in-vehicle control unit 12 generates a request signal Srq and outputs it to the transmitting unit 10. When the request signal Srq is input from the in-vehicle control unit 12, the transmission unit 10 modulates the request signal Srq and transmits it from the transmission antenna 10a as an LF band radio signal. Thereby, the request signal Srq is transmitted to the communication area in the passenger compartment. Therefore, when the electronic key 2 is located in the vehicle interior, the response signal Srs is transmitted from the electronic key 2.

  Furthermore, when receiving the response signal Srs via the receiving unit 11 after transmitting the request signal Srq, the in-vehicle control unit 12 authenticates the electronic key 2 based on the ID code included in the response signal Srs. Specifically, the in-vehicle control unit 12 includes a nonvolatile memory 12a in which the ID code of the electronic key 2 is stored in advance. And the vehicle-mounted control part 12 collates with the ID code contained in the response signal Srs, and the ID code memorize | stored in the memory 12a. The in-vehicle control unit 12 determines that the authentication of the electronic key 2 has been established when the mutual ID codes match. When the authentication of the electronic key 2 is established, the in-vehicle control unit 12 sets the engine start permission flag to the on state.

  Moreover, the vehicle-mounted control part 12 will judge whether the engine start permission flag is an ON state, if the pressing operation of the switch 14 is detected based on the output of the engine switch 14. FIG. The in-vehicle controller 12 starts the engine when the engine start permission flag is on.

  By the way, when the distance between the charger 4 and the electronic key 2 is constant, the electronic key 2 becomes easier to receive the charging radio wave Wc as the output level of the charger 4 increases. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, when the output level of the charger 4 is low, when the electronic key 2 is located in the area C1 indicated by the broken line, the electronic key 2 can easily receive the charging radio wave Wc. Become. Further, when the output level of the charger 4 is the middle level, when the electronic key 2 is located in the area C2 indicated by the alternate long and short dash line that is larger than the area C1, the electronic key 2 can easily receive the charging radio wave Wc. Further, when the output level of the charger 4 is high, when the electronic key 2 is located in an area C3 indicated by a two-dot chain line larger than the area C2, the electronic key 2 can easily receive the charging radio wave Wc. . For this reason, for example, when the electronic key 2 is located at the position P in the figure, if the output level of the charger 4 is set to a high level, the electronic key 2 is switched from the sleep state to the half-activated state. There is a possibility of erroneous start. However, in this case, if the output level of the charger 4 is lowered to the middle level, the electronic key 2 becomes difficult to receive the charging radio wave Wc. Therefore, erroneous activation of the electronic key 2 can be eliminated.

  On the other hand, the charging radio wave Wc transmitted from the charger 4 is noise for the electronic key 2. Therefore, when the electronic key 2 is erroneously activated based on the reception of the charging radio wave Wc, the electronic key 2 transmits an erroneous activation signal Smw. Therefore, the vehicle-mounted control unit 12 can detect the erroneous activation of the electronic key 2 based on the reception of the erroneous activation signal Smw.

  Therefore, when the in-vehicle control unit 12 of the present embodiment receives the erroneous activation signal Smw from the electronic key 2, it instructs the charger 4 to lower the output level, thereby causing the electronic key 2 to be erroneously activated. Eliminate.

  Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 3, the procedure of such a process performed through the vehicle-mounted control part 12 is demonstrated with the effect | action. The in-vehicle control unit 12 repeatedly executes the process shown in FIG. 3 at a predetermined calculation cycle.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in this process, the vehicle-mounted control unit 12 first determines whether or not it has received a false activation signal Smw from the electronic key 2 (step S1). When the in-vehicle control unit 12 receives the erroneous activation signal Smw (step S1: YES), the in-vehicle control unit 12 notifies the charge control unit 42 of a low level setting command (step S2). Thereby, the output level of the charger 4 is set to a low level. Next, the vehicle-mounted control unit 12 determines whether or not the erroneous activation signal Smw has been received before the predetermined time Δt has elapsed since the notification of the low level setting command (step S3). If the in-vehicle control unit 12 cannot receive the erroneous activation signal Smw until the predetermined time Δt has elapsed (step S3: NO), the in-vehicle control unit 12 notifies the charge control unit 42 of an output level up command (step S5). . Thereby, the output level of the charger 4 is set to a level larger by one than the current level. Thereafter, the in-vehicle controller 12 determines again whether or not the erroneous activation signal Smw has been received before the predetermined time Δt has elapsed since the notification of the output level up command (step S3). If the erroneous activation signal Smw cannot be received (step S3: NO), the charge control unit 42 is notified again of the output level up command (step S5).

  On the other hand, when the in-vehicle control unit 12 can receive the erroneous activation signal Smw from when the low level setting command or the output level up command is notified until the predetermined time Δt has elapsed (step S3: YES), the charging control is performed. The output level down command is notified to the unit 42 (step S4). Thereby, the output level of the charger 4 is set to a level smaller by one than the current level.

Next, with reference to FIG.4 and FIG.5, the operation example of the vehicle-mounted system of this embodiment is demonstrated.
As shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that when the output level of the charger 4 is set to a high level, the electronic key 2 is erroneously activated because the electronic key 2 is positioned at the position P in the area C3. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, at time t0 when the output level of the charger 4 is set to a high level, the electronic key 2 transmits a false activation signal Smw. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5, when the in-vehicle control unit 12 executes the process shown in FIG. 3 at time t <b> 1, the in-vehicle control unit 12 notifies the charger 4 of a low level setting command based on the reception of the erroneous activation signal Smw. . Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5A, the output level of the charger 4 is set to a low level at this time. As a result, since it becomes difficult for the electronic key 2 to receive the charging radio wave Wc at time t1, erroneous activation of the electronic key 2 is eliminated. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5B, the electronic key 2 does not transmit the erroneous activation signal Smw.

  Further, when the in-vehicle controller 12 determines that the erroneous activation signal Smw cannot be received at time t2 when the predetermined time Δt has elapsed from time t1, it notifies the charger 4 of an output level up command. Thereby, as shown to Fig.5 (a), the output level of the charger 4 is set to a middle level. Even at this time, the electronic key 2 is difficult to receive the charging radio wave Wc, so that the electronic key 2 will not be erroneously activated. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5B, the electronic key 2 does not transmit the erroneous activation signal Smw.

  Further, when the in-vehicle control unit 12 determines that the erroneous activation signal Smw cannot be received even at the time t3 when the predetermined time Δt has elapsed from the time t2, the in-vehicle control unit 12 notifies the charger 4 of an output level up command. Thereby, as shown to Fig.5 (a), the output level of the charger 4 is set to a high level. At this time, since the electronic key 2 can easily receive the charging radio wave Wc, the electronic key 2 is erroneously activated. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5B, after time t3, the electronic key 2 transmits a false activation signal Smw.

  Thereafter, when the in-vehicle controller 12 determines that the erroneous activation signal Smw has been received at time t4 when the predetermined time Δt has elapsed from time t3, the in-vehicle controller 12 notifies the charger 4 of an output level down command. Thereby, as shown to Fig.5 (a), the output level of the charger 4 is set to a middle level. And the vehicle-mounted control part 12 completes the setting of the output level of the charger 4 at this time. As a result, the area where the electronic key 2 can easily receive the charging radio wave Wc is finally reduced to the area C2, as shown in FIG. Therefore, since it becomes difficult for the electronic key 2 to receive the charging radio wave Wc, the erroneous activation of the electronic key 2 is solved again.

  As described above, when the erroneous activation signal Smw is transmitted from the electronic key 2, the in-vehicle system of the present embodiment sets the output level of the charger 4 to the maximum output level at which the electronic key 2 is unlikely to be erroneously activated. Thereby, the charging speed can be secured while suppressing battery consumption of the electronic key 2.

As described above, according to the in-vehicle system of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) When the electronic key 2 is erroneously activated due to reception of noise, an erroneous activation signal Smw indicating that fact is wirelessly transmitted. Moreover, in the vehicle equipment 1, when the erroneous activation signal Smw is received, a command is given to the charger 4 to lower the output level. Thereby, since the erroneous start of the electronic key 2 is suppressed, battery consumption of the electronic key 2 can be suppressed.

  (2) In the in-vehicle device 1, when the output level of the charger 4 is lowered, a low level setting command is notified to the charger 4, and the output level of the charger 4 is temporarily lowered to the low level. Thereafter, the maximum output level at which the erroneous activation signal Smw from the electronic key 2 is not transmitted is searched for while gradually increasing the output level of the charger 4. Then, the output level of the charger 4 is set to the maximum output level at which the erroneous activation signal Smw from the electronic key 2 is not transmitted. Thereby, the charging speed can be secured while suppressing battery consumption of the electronic key 2.

  (3) When the electronic key 2 receives a radio wave, the electronic key 2 determines whether the received radio wave is the wake signal Swk based on the signal pattern, and whether noise is received based on the determination result. It was decided to judge. Thereby, it can be easily determined whether or not the received radio wave is noise.

In addition, the said embodiment can also be implemented with the following forms which changed this suitably.
Some electronic keys 2 execute automatic gain control (AGC). The configuration of this electronic key 2 is as follows. First, the electronic key 2 includes an RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) circuit that detects the strength of a radio signal received via the receiving unit 20. When the electronic key control unit 22 receives a radio wave in the LF band via the receiving unit 20, the electronic key control unit 22 detects the intensity of the received radio wave through the RSSI circuit. The electronic key control unit 22 determines whether the received radio wave is the wake signal Swk based on the signal pattern on the condition that the intensity of the received radio wave is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (AGC value). Further, every time it is determined that the received radio wave is not the wake signal Swk, the electronic key control unit 22 increases the AGC value by a certain value. When the electronic key 2 that executes such automatic gain control is placed in an environment where noise exists, the AGC value gradually increases and is set to a value larger than the noise intensity. For this reason, since it can suppress that the electronic key control part 22 performs the determination process of a signal pattern based on reception of noise, the battery consumption of the electronic key 2 can be suppressed. In the electronic key 2 that executes such automatic gain control, it can be determined that noise is received when the AGC value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Therefore, when the AGC value is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the electronic key control unit 22 may determine that the electronic key control unit 22 has been erroneously activated due to reception of noise and may transmit the erroneous activation signal Smw. Even with such a configuration, it is possible to easily determine whether or not the received radio wave is noise.

  As a method for determining whether or not the received radio wave is the wake signal Swk in the electronic key 2, both a determination method based on a signal pattern and a determination method based on an AGC value may be used. Moreover, you may use methods different from them.

  When the erroneous activation signal Smw is transmitted from the electronic key 2, even if the electronic key 2 searches for the maximum output level that does not transmit the erroneous activation signal Smw by gradually lowering the output level of the charger 4. Good. Specifically, the in-vehicle control unit 12 notifies the charger 4 of an output level down command when receiving the erroneous activation signal Smw. And the vehicle-mounted control part 12 notifies an output level down command to the charger 4 again, when the erroneous starting signal Smw is received before the predetermined time passes from the time of notification of an output level down command. On the other hand, the vehicle-mounted control part 12 complete | finishes the setting of the output level of the charger 4, when a false starting signal cannot be received before the predetermined time passes from the time of notification of an output level down command. Even with such a configuration, the output level of the charger 4 can be set to the maximum output level at which the erroneous activation signal Smw from the electronic key 2 is not transmitted. Therefore, it is possible to ensure the charging speed while suppressing battery consumption of the electronic key 2.

  In a situation where the electronic key 2 is receiving the charging radio wave Wc, the electronic key 2 may be activated by misjudging the charging radio wave Wc as the wake signal Swk, and may transmit the ACK signal Sak. Using this, when the in-vehicle control unit 12 receives the ACK signal Sak even though it does not transmit the wake signal Swk, it may be determined that the electronic key 2 has been erroneously activated. With such a method, it is not necessary to transmit an erroneous activation signal from the electronic key 2, so that it is not necessary to modify the electronic key 2. However, although the software of the vehicle-mounted control part 12 needs to be changed, this change is easy. Therefore, the in-vehicle system of the present invention can be realized more easily.

The electronic key 2 may be one that directly switches from the sleep state to the activated state without entering the semi-activated state when receiving some radio waves in the LF band.
In the above embodiment, when the in-vehicle control unit 12 detects the erroneous activation of the electronic key 2, the in-vehicle control unit 12 notifies the charger 4 to reduce the output level. Instead, a notification unit is provided in the charger 4. This notification means is for urging the user to perform an operation for lowering the output level or to urge the user to move the electronic key 2 away from the charger 4. As the notification means, it is possible to employ a light emitting diode that performs notification by lighting, a speaker that performs notification by emitting sound, or the like. And the vehicle-mounted control part 12 notifies the charger 4 so that it may alert | report by an alerting | reporting means, when the erroneous starting of the electronic key 2 is detected. According to such a configuration, if the user manually lowers the level of the charger 4 or moves the electronic key 2 away from the charger 4 based on the notification from the notification means, erroneous activation of the electronic key 2 is suppressed. . Therefore, battery consumption of the electronic key 2 can be suppressed.

-The charger 4 can be arrange | positioned in the arbitrary positions of a vehicle.
-The adjustment method of the output level of the charger 4 is arbitrary. For example, the output level of the charger 4 may be adjusted in two steps, or may be adjusted in four steps.

The frequency of various radio signals exchanged between the in-vehicle device 1 and the electronic key 2 can be changed as appropriate. Further, the frequency of the charging radio wave Wc can be changed as appropriate.
When the frequencies of the wake signal Swk and the request signal Srq are set to “125 kHz” or “134 kHz”, the electronic key 2 is set to have the highest reception sensitivity for those frequencies. That is, the resonance frequency of the receiving antenna 20a of the electronic key 2 is set to “125 kHz” or “134 kHz”. Therefore, when the distance between the charger 4 and the electronic key 2 is constant, the electronic key 2 becomes easier to receive the charging radio wave Wc as the frequency of the charging radio wave Wc is closer to the resonance frequency of the receiving antenna 20a. For this reason, whether or not the electronic key 2 is erroneously activated by the charging radio wave Wc differs depending on the frequency of the charging radio wave Wc. Therefore, instead of the method of adjusting the output level of the charger 4 as in the above embodiment, the frequency of the charging radio wave Wc may be adjusted. Specifically, when it is desired to eliminate erroneous activation of the electronic key 2, the in-vehicle control unit 12 notifies the charging control unit 42 so that the frequency of the charging radio wave Wc is kept away from the resonance frequency of the receiving antenna 20 a of the electronic key 2. Thereby, an effect equivalent to lowering the output level of the charger 4 can be obtained. Further, when it is desired to increase the charging speed, the in-vehicle control unit 12 notifies the charging control unit 42 so that the frequency of the charging radio wave Wc is close to the resonance frequency of the secondary coil L <b> 2 of the electronic device 5. Thereby, an effect equivalent to raising the output level of the charger 4 can be obtained. Even with such a configuration, it is possible to obtain an effect equivalent to that of the above embodiment or an effect equivalent thereto. The charger 4 may simultaneously adjust both the output level and the frequency of the charging radio wave Wc.

  -The vehicle-mounted system of this invention is applicable to the vehicle-mounted system which controls various vehicles, such as locking and unlocking of a vehicle door, through the wireless communication between the vehicle equipment 1 and the electronic key 2. FIG.

  Smw: false start signal, Sak ... ACK signal, Swk ... wake signal, Wc ... charging radio wave, 1 ... in-vehicle device, 2 ... electronic key, 4 ... charger, 5 ... electronic device (charged device), 50 ... battery.

Claims (9)

An in-vehicle device that performs vehicle control through wireless communication with an electronic key; and a charger that charges a battery of a device to be charged in a contactless manner by transmitting a charging radio wave, and the electronic key is transmitted from the in-vehicle device. In an in-vehicle system that starts based on reception of a wireless signal and starts wireless communication with the in-vehicle device,
The electronic key transmits a radio signal when activated based on reception of noise,
Based on the transmission of the wireless signal from the electronic key, it is determined whether or not the electronic key has been erroneously activated. When it is determined that the electronic key has been erroneously activated, the charger is An in-vehicle system, wherein an operation for adjusting a transmission mode of the charging radio wave so as to make it difficult to receive the radio wave is performed. The electronic key transmits a false activation signal different from the wireless signal transmitted to the in-vehicle device based on reception of the wireless signal from the in-vehicle device as a wireless signal transmitted when activated based on the reception of the noise. Is,
The in-vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein when the electronic key transmits the erroneous activation signal, it is determined that the electronic key has erroneously activated. The in-vehicle device transmits a wake signal as a radio signal for activating the electronic key,
When the electronic key receives the wake signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device, the electronic key transmits an ACK signal indicating the fact to the in-vehicle device,
The in-vehicle system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the in-vehicle device receives the wake signal even though the wake signal is not transmitted from the in-vehicle device, the electronic key is erroneously activated. The in-vehicle system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the charger performs an operation of lowering an output level of the charging radio wave as an operation for adjusting a transmission mode of the charging radio wave. The said charger performs the operation | movement which keeps the frequency of the said charging radio wave away from the resonant frequency of the receiving antenna of the said electronic key as operation | movement for adjusting the transmission mode of the said charging radio wave. The in-vehicle system described. The charger performs an operation of lowering the output level of the charging radio wave as an operation for adjusting the transmission mode of the charging radio wave,
The operation for lowering the output level of the charger temporarily sets the output level of the charger to a minimum output level that can ensure transmission of the charging radio wave, and then sets the output level of the charger. The maximum output level that does not transmit the erroneous activation signal from the electronic key is searched while gradually increasing, and the output level of the charger is not transmitted from the electronic key. The in-vehicle system according to claim 2, wherein the in-vehicle system is performed by setting to a maximum output level. The charger performs an operation of lowering the output level of the charging radio wave as an operation for adjusting the transmission mode of the charging radio wave,
The operation for lowering the output level of the charger searches for the maximum output level at which the erroneous activation signal is not transmitted from the electronic key while gradually reducing the output level of the charger. The in-vehicle system according to claim 2, wherein the output level is set to a maximum output level at which the erroneous activation signal is not transmitted from the electronic key. Whether the electronic key receives a radio wave, determines whether the received radio wave is a radio signal from the in-vehicle device based on the signal pattern, and receives noise based on the determination result The in-vehicle system according to any one of claims 1 to 7. When receiving the radio wave, the electronic key determines whether or not the received radio wave is a radio signal from the in-vehicle device on the condition that the intensity of the received radio wave is equal to or greater than a threshold value. When the received radio wave is not a radio signal from the in-vehicle device, automatic gain control for increasing the threshold is executed, and when the threshold is a predetermined value or more, it is determined that noise is received. The vehicle-mounted system as described in any one of claim | item 1 -7.