JP6115731B2 - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control device including a vehicle door handle for opening and closing a vehicle door.

  A smart entry system composed of a portable device possessed by a vehicle user has been put into practical use. This smart entry system can control door locking / unlocking and engine start permission, etc., without the need to operate with mechanical keys, if verification by wireless communication is established between the in-vehicle device and the portable device. Can be executed.

  In addition, in the smart entry system, a technology is disclosed in which a light emitting member is built in a door handle and a user is notified by light of the light emitting member that the door can be unlocked via wireless communication (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 3901034

  In Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 3 of the embodiment of the invention, between the ECU (on-vehicle device) and the illumination driver (circuit for causing the light emitting member to shine) in the door handle to make the light emitting member shine with the door handle. A harness (control line) and an illumination output control program executed in the ECU are required. In other words, in order to realize the light emission function of the door in the existing vehicle, it is necessary to perform the work of replacing the ECU (or rewriting the program) in addition to the replacement of the door handle and the addition of the harness. Cost is required.

  Against the background of the above problems, the present invention provides a vehicle control device that can illuminate a light emitting member with a door handle according to the state of the vehicle at a lower cost and can be applied to an existing vehicle. Objective.

  A vehicle control apparatus for solving the above-described problems obtains a control signal configured separately from a function operation unit and a function operation unit that perform a predetermined function operation based on a control signal from the outside. Based on the signal acquisition unit, the detection unit for detecting the cycle of the acquired control signal, the light emitting member attached to the vehicle door handle for opening and closing the vehicle door, and the light emitting member based on the cycle of the control signal A lighting control unit including a signal output unit that outputs a command signal for turning on or off.

  With the above configuration, only the replacement of the door handle (or the addition of a light emitting member to the door handle), the addition of a harness, and the addition of a lighting control unit in the door panel, for example, the replacement of the ECU and the illumination output control No additional program is required. Therefore, since it is not necessary to design a new ECU or illumination output control program, the cost can be reduced.

The system block diagram at the time of applying the control apparatus for vehicles of this invention to a smart entry system. The figure which shows the electrical structure of a 1st transmission antenna and a 1st oscillator. The cross-sectional schematic of a door handle. The figure which shows the detail of an illuminations driver. The figure which shows the state of each terminal of the illumination driver of FIG. The figure which shows another example of the detail of an illumination driver. The figure which shows the state of each terminal of the illumination driver of FIG.

  FIG. 1 is a system block diagram in which the vehicle control device of the present invention is applied to a smart entry system 1 for a vehicle. In addition, only the outline is described about the thing similar to patent document 1 among the structures of this invention. The smart entry system 1 includes a first oscillator 30 (functional operation unit of the present invention, a request signal output unit) attached to the door panel 10, a light emitting member 24 attached to the door handle 20, an in-vehicle device 40 attached to the vehicle, It includes a portable device 60 possessed by the user.

  The door panel 10 has a door lock mechanism 11 for unlocking / locking the door of the vehicle, a door ECU 12 for controlling the operation of the door lock mechanism 11, and a first transmission antenna 21 that is attached to the outside of the door panel and communicates with the outside of the vehicle. And a first oscillator 30 connected to the first transmitting antenna 21 of the door handle 20 are provided.

  In addition to the first transmission antenna 21, the door handle 20 includes a door unlocking detection sensor electrode 22, a door locking detection sensor electrode 23, and a light emitting member 24 (see FIG. 3).

  The in-vehicle device 40 includes an ECU 44 (a collation unit of the present invention, an operation permission unit), a second transmission antenna 41 connected to the ECU 44 for communication in the vehicle, and a second oscillator 42 connected to the second transmission antenna 41. A reception tuner 43 (reception unit of the present invention), and a memory 45. The second transmission antenna 41 is provided at a place where radio waves can be emitted into the vehicle, such as the center console of the passenger compartment, and the ECU 44 is connected to the second oscillator 42 and the reception tuner 43. The reception tuner 43 is attached to, for example, an inner mirror (not shown) in the vehicle.

  The memory 45 uses a non-volatile storage medium such as a flash memory, and stores codes such as a code for unlocking / locking the door, a code for starting an engine (not shown), and a master code for ID code verification. To do.

  The ECU 44 is connected to an operation detection unit 51 that detects a switch operation such as an ignition, a door opening / closing detection unit 52 that detects opening / closing of a door, and a sensor group 53 that detects opening / closing of a vehicle speed and a window by various sensors. In the present embodiment, the ECU 44 that controls the entire system and the door ECU 12 that controls the operation of the door lock mechanism 11 are provided separately, but the ECUs 44 and 12 may be integrated.

  Furthermore, an engine ECU 54, a steering lock ECU 55, and an immobilizer ECU 56 are connected to the ECU 44. The steering lock ECU 55 mechanically controls permission / prohibition of the steering operation based on an instruction from the ECU 44. The immobilizer ECU 56 outputs a control signal for instructing the engine 54 ECU to prohibit fuel supply or starting when the portable device 60 is not correctly verified.

  The ECU 44 instructs the first oscillator 30 and the second oscillator 42 to transmit request signals (external request signal, in-vehicle request signal, control signal of the present invention). And the 1st oscillator 30 and the 2nd oscillator 42 transmit a request signal with respect to the portable device 60 from the 1st transmission antenna 21 and the 2nd transmission antenna 41, respectively, based on the instruction | indication. In this embodiment, the request signal frequency is 134 kHz (LF band).

  In response to the request signal, the response signal output from the portable device 60 is received by the reception tuner 43. In this embodiment, the frequency of the response signal is 315 MHz (RF band). The ID code is demodulated by the receiving tuner 43 and input to the ECU 44.

  The portable device 60 includes a transmission antenna 62 and a reception antenna 64. The transmission antenna 62 transmits a response signal including an ID code to the vehicle. The receiving antenna 64 receives a request signal from the vehicle. The transmission antenna 62 and the reception antenna 64 are connected to a transmission / reception circuit 66 connected to the controller 68.

  A request signal (external request signal) received by the receiving antenna 64 is demodulated by the transmission / reception circuit 66 and input to the controller 68. The controller 68 transmits the ID code stored in the memory 70 to the transmission / reception circuit 66. The transmission / reception circuit 66 modulates the ID code and transmits it as a response signal from the transmission antenna 62 to the reception tuner 43 of the vehicle.

  The above-described configuration is as follows: “The functional operation unit includes an in-vehicle device provided in a vehicle and a portable device possessed by a user, and the in-vehicle device outputs a request signal to the portable device; A receiving unit that receives a response signal transmitted from the portable device based on reception of the request signal, a matching unit that collates an ID code included in the received response signal and a master code stored in advance, and A request signal output unit of a smart entry system including an operation permission unit that permits a predetermined operation based on the control signal, and the control signal is an output instruction signal for outputting a request signal from the request signal output unit. '' Is.

  With this configuration, in the smart entry system, for example, if the transmission cycle of the normal request signal and the transmission cycle of the request signal of the collation result of the portable device are different, the light emitting member only when the collation result of the portable device is correct Can be lit.

  FIG. 2 shows an electrical configuration of the first transmitting antenna 21 and the first oscillator 30. FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the door handle 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the door handle 20 is a grip-type handle that allows the door to be opened by holding the center grip portion GP with a hand and operating the grip portion GP. A model other than the grip handle (for example, a pull handle that can be used with a reverse hand) may be used.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the first oscillator 30 includes a transmission amplifier 31, a sensor driver 32, and an illumination driver 33 (lighting control unit of the present invention, details will be described later).

  The request signal outside the vehicle output from the ECU 44 is input to the CLG terminal, modulated and amplified by the transmission amplifier 31, and sent to the first transmission antenna 21 connected to the ANT1 terminal and the ANT2 terminal.

  A signal for starting / stopping the sensor driver 32 from the ECU 44 is input to the SEL terminal. For example, when an activation signal (which may be a power on / off signal) is input, the sensor driver 32 transitions from the sleep mode, which consumes less power than the normal mode, to the normal mode. When a stop signal is input, the normal mode is changed to the sleep mode. The sensor driver 32 detects the door locking sensor electrode 23 via the SGT1 terminal, and detects the door unlocking sensor electrode 22 via the SGT2 terminal.

  The first transmitting antenna 21 includes a rectangular parallelepiped ferrite core 21A and a coil 21B wound perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the ferrite core 21A.

  The door unlocking sensor electrode 22 and the door locking sensor electrode 23 are well-known capacitive sensor electrodes. The door unlocking sensor electrode 22 is built in the back side of the door handle 20 (the lower side in FIG. 3), and detects the operation of the door handle 20 (contact with the door handle 20) when the user opens the door. The door locking sensor electrode 23 is built in on the front side (upper side in FIG. 3) of the door handle 20, and detects the operation of the door handle 20 (contact with the door handle 20) when the user closes the door. Instead of the sensor electrodes 22 and 23, an operation switch that detects an ON operation by the user may be used.

  A signal from the door unlocking sensor electrode 22 is input to the SGT2 terminal, and a signal from the door locking sensor electrode 23 is input to the SGT1 terminal. When the sensor driver 32 detects a change in the signal from the SGT1 terminal or the SGT2 terminal, the sensor driver 32 outputs a corresponding signal from the SENS terminal to the ECU 44.

  In addition, each terminal of the 1st transmission antenna 21, both the sensor electrodes 22 and 23, and the light emission member 24 and the corresponding terminal of the 1st oscillator 30 are electrically connected by the signal wire | line.

  The light emitting member 24 includes, for example, a light emitting diode D0, which is a high brightness LED, and a current limiting resistor Rd. As shown in FIG. 3, the light emitting member 24 is covered with a case-like light diffusing resin 25 and further accommodated in an accommodating portion 20 </ b> A formed at the end of the door handle 20 together with a transparent acrylic 26 covering the light diffusing resin 25. The The light diffusing resin 25 is a resin that diffuses light. By covering the light emitting diode D0 with the light diffusing resin 25, the light emitting diode D0, which is a point light source, becomes a uniform surface light source and is easy for the user to visually recognize.

  Since operations other than the lighting control of the light emitting member 24 of the smart entry system 1 are the same as those in Patent Document 1, description thereof is omitted here.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the illumination driver 33 includes a SEL1 terminal, a CLG1 terminal, and an ILM1 terminal, and is connected to the SEL terminal, the CLG terminal, and the ILM2 terminal of the first oscillator 30, respectively.

  In the illumination driver 33, the SEL1 terminal is connected to a negative power supply terminal Vss of a comparator CMP (signal output unit of the present invention) configured by, for example, a known operational amplifier via a resistor R3. The SEL1 terminal is connected to the non-inverting input terminal IN (+) of the comparator CMP via the variable resistor R2 (the adjustment unit of the present invention).

  The above-described configuration is “the lighting control unit includes an adjustment unit for adjusting the reference voltage according to the acquisition state of the control signal”. With this configuration, one hardware can be used regardless of the control signal, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the product number management can be saved.

  A voltage obtained by dividing the input voltage from the SEL1 terminal by the variable resistor R2 is applied as a reference voltage Vref to the non-inverting input terminal IN (+) of the comparator CMP. The positive power supply terminal Vdd of the comparator CMP is connected to the ground.

  The above-described configuration is that “the reference voltage is generated from a power source supplied to the signal output unit from the outside”. With this configuration, the lighting control unit does not need to have a unique power supply circuit, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  The CLG1 terminal is connected to the inverting input terminal (−) of the comparator CMP via a backflow prevention diode D1. Between the backflow prevention diode D1 and the inverting input terminal IN (−), a capacitor C1 and a resistor R1 (signal acquisition unit and detection unit of the present invention) are connected in parallel with the ground. These capacitor C1 and resistor R1 constitute a high frequency filter.

  The above-described configuration is “the signal acquisition unit includes a capacitor that accumulates electric charge according to the acquisition state of the control signal, and the detection unit detects the cycle of the control signal based on the voltage generated by the capacitor”. With this configuration, the cycle of the control signal can be detected with a simple configuration using only hardware (that is, no illumination output control program is required).

  When an out-of-vehicle request signal is input to the CLG1 terminal, electric charge is accumulated in the capacitor C1 according to the voltage of the out-of-vehicle request signal, and when no out-of-vehicle request signal is input, discharging occurs, and the discharged current flows through the resistor R1. The voltage Vin across the resistor R1 at this time is applied to the inverting input terminal IN (−), and is compared with the reference voltage Vref in the comparator CMP.

  The ILM1 terminal is connected to the output terminal OUT of the comparator CMP.

The output terminal OUT of the comparator CMP outputs the comparison result (command signal of the present invention) as follows.
・ When Vin <Vref, H level (ON) is output. At this time, the light emitting member 24 is lit.
-When Vin> Vref, L level (OFF) is output. At this time, the light emitting member 24 is turned off.

  The above-described configuration is “the signal output unit outputs a command signal based on a comparison between a voltage generated by the capacitor and a predetermined reference voltage”. With this configuration, a command signal can be output with a simple configuration using only hardware.

  FIG. 5 shows the state of each terminal of the illumination driver 33 in the configuration of FIG. The configuration of FIG. 5 indicates that “the request signal is output at a predetermined first cycle when polling the portable device, and at a second cycle longer than the first cycle when a response signal from the portable device is received. The signal output unit outputs a lighting command signal to the light emitting member when the request signal is output in the second period. With this configuration, since the light emitting member is lit only when the collation with the portable device is normally performed, the user can know that the collation of the ID code has been performed correctly.

  When the sensor driver 32 is activated at time T1, power is supplied to the illumination driver 33 (or activation signal), and the SEL1 terminal is turned on. Thereafter, at time T2, a request signal A outside the vehicle is input to the CLG1 terminal with a period Ta. The request signal A outside the vehicle is configured as, for example, a communication frame including a plurality of bit strings, and one frame or a plurality of frames are input per cycle.

  When the request signal A outside the vehicle is input, the capacitor C1 is charged, and Vin gradually increases from time T3 that is delayed for a predetermined time (determined by the circuit configuration) from time T2. On the other hand, when the request signal outside the vehicle is no longer input, discharging starts and Vin gradually decreases. However, before the complete discharge, the next outside request signal A is input, so Vin rises in a substantially step shape.

  Immediately after the SEL1 terminal is turned on (period shown by times T1 to T4), Vin <Vref, the ILM1 terminal (that is, the DOUT terminal) outputs the H level, and the light emitting member 24 is turned on. However, since the sensor driver 32 and the illumination driver 33 are always energized regardless of the state of the vehicle, such a situation occurs immediately after the door handle 20 is connected to a power source (for example, a battery) (for example, at the time of factory shipment). Or when the door handle is replaced at a dealer, etc.). Therefore, the probability of occurrence in a situation where the user actually uses is extremely low, and it is considered that the user's convenience is not hindered.

  When a request signal A outside the vehicle is input to some extent and Vin> Vref is satisfied at time T4, the ILM1 terminal (that is, the DOUT terminal) outputs the L level, and the light emitting member 24 is turned off.

  At time T5, when the portable device 60 transmits a response signal C including an ID code in response to the request signal outside the vehicle, detailed communication related to ID code verification and the like is performed between the portable device 60 and the in-vehicle device 40. Done. At this time, the total time Tb1 of the outside request signal B input to the CLG1 terminal is longer than the total time Ta1 of the outside request signal A.

  When the collation result of the ID code is correct, the outside request signal A inputted thereafter is inputted at a period Tb longer than the period Ta. Here, the capacitor is in a discharging state until the next outside-vehicle request signal A is received, and the light emitting member 24 is in a lighting state at a time point when Vin falls below Vref (time T6).

  Thereafter, when the portable device 60 transmits the response signal C in response to the request signal A outside the vehicle, detailed communication as described above is performed, and Vin increases. However, since Vin does not exceed Vref (the state at time T7), the light emitting member 24 maintains the lighting state.

  Thereafter, when the response from the portable device 60 is interrupted (after time T8), the outside-vehicle request signal A is input at the cycle Ta. At this time, as described above, after time T9, when Vin increases and exceeds Vref (after time T10), the light emitting member 24 is turned off.

  The capacitance of the capacitor C1, the value of the resistor R1, and Vref (that is, the value of the variable resistor R2) are such that when the vehicle exterior request signal A is input with the cycle Ta, Vin> Vref is quickly satisfied and the cycle Tb Is set so that Vin does not exceed Vref.

  As described above, in the circuit configuration of FIG. 4, immediately after the SEL1 terminal is turned on (period shown by times T1 to T4), Vin <Vref, and the light emitting member 24 is turned on. FIG. 6 shows a configuration for avoiding lighting of the light emitting member 24 during this period. A difference from the configuration of FIG. 4 is that a well-known delay circuit 33a (the delay unit of the present invention) is provided between a connection point of the signal line from the SEL1 terminal to the resistor R3 to the variable resistor R2 and the resistor R3. Is a point.

  The above-described configuration is “the lighting control unit includes a delay unit that delays the supply of power to the signal output unit by a predetermined time”. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the light emitting member from being turned on when the signal output unit cannot output an appropriate command signal, such as a period from the start of power supply until the operation of the signal output unit is stabilized. .

  FIG. 7 shows the state of each terminal of the illumination driver 33 in the configuration of FIG. The difference from FIG. 5 is that the output of the delay circuit 33a (delay output DOUT) is added. The sensor driver 32 is activated, the SEL1 terminal is turned on at time T1, and the vehicle exterior request signal A is input to the CLG1 terminal with a period Ta at time T2. Thereby, Vin rises gradually from time T3. Vref is also input to the non-inverting input terminal IN (+). However, since the output from DOUT is 0 during the time T1 to T4 (that is, the delay time), the comparator CMP does not operate, and the output terminal OUT (that is, the ILM1 terminal) becomes the L level, and the light emitting member 24 is not lit.

  When the supply of power to the comparator CMP is started at time T4, Vin = Vref or Vin> Vref, so that the light emitting member 24 maintains the extinguished state. The state after time T5 is the same as in FIG.

  The delay time (that is, the time until Vin exceeds Vref) depends on the transmission mode of the request signal A outside the vehicle (cycle Ta and total time Ta1), or the capacitance of the capacitor C1, the value of the resistor R1, and the variable resistor R2. Is set.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and the knowledge of those skilled in the art can be used without departing from the spirit of the claims. Various modifications based on this are possible.

1 Smart entry system 10 Door panel (door)
20 door handle 24 light emitting member 30 first oscillator (functional operation unit, request signal output unit)
33 Illumination driver (lighting control unit)
33a Delay circuit (delay unit)
CMP comparator (signal output unit)
C1 capacitor (signal acquisition unit, detection unit)
R1 resistance (signal acquisition unit, detection unit)
R2 variable resistance (adjustment unit)
40 On-vehicle device 43 Receiver tuner (receiver)
44 ECU (collation unit, operation permission unit)
60 Mobile devices

Claims (7)

A functional operation unit for performing a predetermined functional operation based on an external control signal;
Configured separately from the functional operation unit,
A signal acquisition unit for acquiring the control signal;
A detection unit for detecting the period of the acquired control signal;
A light emitting member attached to a vehicle door handle for opening and closing a vehicle door;
Based on the cycle of the control signal, a signal output unit that outputs a command signal for turning on or off the light emitting member,
Including a lighting control unit,
A vehicle control device comprising: The signal acquisition unit includes a capacitor that accumulates electric charge according to the acquisition state of the control signal,
The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects a cycle of the control signal based on a voltage generated by the capacitor.   The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the signal output unit outputs the command signal based on a comparison between a voltage generated by the capacitor and a predetermined reference voltage.   The vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein the reference voltage is generated from a power source supplied to the signal output unit from outside.   The said lighting control part is a control apparatus for vehicles of Claim 3 or Claim 4 provided with the adjustment part for adjusting the said reference voltage according to the acquisition state of the said control signal.   The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the lighting control unit includes a delay unit that delays supply of power to the signal output unit by a predetermined time. The functional operation unit is
An in-vehicle device provided in the vehicle; and a portable device possessed by a user. The in-vehicle device outputs a request signal to the portable device, and the portable device based on reception of the request signal. A receiving unit that receives a response signal transmitted from the machine, a matching unit that collates an ID code included in the received response signal with a master code stored in advance, and a predetermined operation based on the matching result An operation permission unit to permit, the request signal output unit of the smart entry system comprising,
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the control signal is the request signal.

Images