Terminal Key System

Abstract

To provide a terminal key system capable of suppressing dark current. [Solution] The terminal key system 100 enables wireless communication between the vehicle 1 and a terminal 2 carried by the user of the vehicle 1. If the terminal 2 is authenticated, it authorizes the operation of the equipment 11 of the vehicle 1. The terminal key system 100 includes a terminal temperature detection unit 26 provided on the terminal 2 that detects the ambient temperature of the terminal 2, and a terminal control unit 20 that determines whether or not to start wireless communication between the vehicle 1 and the terminal 2 based on the temperature change, which is the change in ambient temperature of the terminal detected by the terminal temperature detection unit 26.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal key system.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a terminal key system that uses a mobile terminal such as a smartphone as a vehicle key to operate the vehicle. In this system, when the terminal approaches the vehicle, short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) starts between the terminal and the in-vehicle control device. If the terminal is authenticated, unlocking the door and starting the engine are permitted.

[0003] When a regular terminal is left near the vehicle, short-range wireless communication may automatically start or continue even though the owner of the terminal has no intention of operating the vehicle, which may cause a lot of standby current in the vehicle's electrical system. Also, since short-range wireless communication continues in the terminal, there is a risk of standby current generation. Therefore, in the above system, the control unit of the terminal monitors whether the terminal is in use based on the detection value of the acceleration sensor provided in the terminal, and stops the short-range wireless communication between the vehicle and the terminal if the terminal is not in use.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the above system, for example, when the user is moving while holding the terminal indoors, the system may erroneously detect that the terminal is in use even when the user has no intention of operating the vehicle. Based on such an erroneous detection, wireless communication may start or continue, and thereby there is still a risk of standby current generation.

[0006] The object of this invention is to provide a terminal key system capable of suppressing dark current. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention provides a terminal key system that enables wireless communication between a vehicle and a terminal carried by the user of the vehicle, and permits the operation of the vehicle's equipment once the terminal is authenticated, comprising: a terminal temperature detection unit provided on the terminal for detecting the ambient temperature of the terminal, which is the temperature around the terminal; and a terminal control unit that determines whether or not to initiate wireless communication between the vehicle and the terminal based on the temperature change, which is the change in the ambient temperature of the terminal detected by the terminal temperature detection unit.

[0008] According to the above configuration, the decision to initiate wireless communication between the vehicle and the terminal is made based on temperature changes around the terminal. This reduces the opportunities for unnecessary wireless communication and suppresses the consumption of dark current.

[0009] The terminal key system may further include a storage unit that stores temperature change information indicating whether or not there is a temperature change, and the terminal control unit may decide whether or not to initiate the wireless communication between the vehicle and the terminal based on the temperature change information stored in the storage unit.

[0010] With the above configuration, it becomes possible to store information regarding the presence or absence of temperature changes in situations where temperature changes may occur, such as when disembarking from a vehicle. In subsequent processing, the temperature change information stored in the memory unit can be referenced to appropriately determine whether or not to initiate wireless communication.

[0011] The terminal control unit may, when it determines that there is a temperature change based on the temperature change information, decide whether or not to initiate the wireless communication between the vehicle and the terminal based on the ambient temperature of the terminal detected by the terminal temperature detection unit.

[0012] With the above configuration, if there is a temperature change, it is possible to determine whether the terminal is outdoors or indoors by referring to the ambient temperature around the terminal. Based on this ambient temperature, it is determined whether or not to initiate wireless communication between the vehicle and the terminal. This reduces the opportunities for unnecessary wireless communication and suppresses the consumption of dark current.

[0013] The terminal key system may further include a motion detection unit provided on the terminal for detecting the movement of the terminal, and the terminal control unit may decide whether or not to initiate the wireless communication between the vehicle and the terminal based on the movement of the terminal detected by the motion detection unit.

[0014] With the above configuration, by referring not only to temperature but also to the terminal's movement, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not the user intends to operate the vehicle. Based on this terminal movement, it is possible to appropriately decide whether or not to initiate wireless communication between the vehicle and the terminal. This reduces the opportunities for unnecessary wireless communication and suppresses the consumption of dark current.

[0015] The terminal key system further comprises a vehicle control unit provided in the vehicle, and the vehicle control unit or the terminal control unit may stop the wireless communication between the vehicle and the terminal if a state in which wireless communication is possible between the vehicle and the terminal continues for a certain period of time.

[0016] According to the above configuration, wireless communication stops after a certain period of time has elapsed since initiating it. This reduces the period of unnecessary wireless communication and suppresses the consumption of dark current. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, a terminal key system capable of suppressing dark current can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] [Figure 1] A conceptual diagram showing the configuration of the terminal key system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] A block diagram showing the configuration of the terminal key system shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] The flowchart showing the processing executed during the wireless communication connection between the vehicle and the terminal by the terminal key system shown in FIG. 2, particularly by the terminal control unit. [Figure 4] The flowchart showing the processing executed during the suspension of wireless communication by the terminal key system shown in FIG. 2, particularly by the terminal control unit. [Figure 5] The flowchart showing a modification example of FIG. 3. [Figure 6] The block diagram showing the configuration of the terminal key system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] The flowchart showing the processing executed during the wireless communication connection between the vehicle and the terminal by the terminal key system shown in FIG. 6, particularly by the terminal control unit. [Figure 8A] The flowchart showing the processing executed during the suspension of wireless communication by the terminal key system shown in FIG. 6, particularly by the terminal control unit. [Figure 8B] The flowchart following FIG. 8A.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings, and redundant detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0020] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the terminal key system 100 according to the first embodiment causes wireless communication to be performed between the vehicle 1 and the terminal 2 carried by the user of the vehicle 1, and if the terminal 2 is authenticated, the operation of the device 11 of the vehicle 1 is permitted.

[0021] Vehicle 1 includes, as an example of equipment 11, a drive source 11a and a locking device 11b. The drive source 11a is an engine, an electric motor, or a combination thereof, and generates the driving force to move Vehicle 1. The locking device 11b includes a door lock mechanism that locks or unlocks the doors of Vehicle 1, and the door lock mechanism switches the user's door opening and closing operation on / off. The locking device 11b may also include other on-board devices besides the door lock mechanism that are configured to switch the user's operation on / off. An example of such a device is the steering lock device of a motorcycle.

[0022] Vehicle 1 includes a vehicle control unit 10 connected to the device 11 and the ignition switch 12. The vehicle control unit 10 controls the operation of the device 11 and also controls wireless communication with terminal 2. When terminal 2 is authenticated, the user is permitted to activate the locking device 11b and unlock the doors. The user is also permitted to turn on the ignition switch 12 inside the vehicle. Turning it on supplies power to the onboard electrical components. In response to the turn-on operation, the vehicle control unit 10 controls the drive source 11a so that the drive source 11a starts.

[0023] Terminal 2 includes a terminal control unit 20 that controls the operation of hardware devices mounted on Terminal 2, including the touch panel display 21, and controls wireless communication with Vehicle 1. The touch panel display 21 has both an input unit 21a that accepts touch operations from the user and a display unit 21b that displays image information or text information to the user. The device 11 on Terminal 2 may be operated by touch operations on the touch panel display 21.

[0024] Vehicle 1 includes a communication module 13 connected to a vehicle control unit 10. Terminal 2 includes a communication module 23 connected to a terminal control unit. Communication modules 13 and 23 are hardware devices for short-range wireless communication according to a predetermined wireless communication standard, such as Bluetooth®, and include antennas for transmitting and receiving signals. The communication module 13 of vehicle 1 transmits signals in a frequency band specified by the wireless communication standard used (e.g., 2.4 GHz band) and at an output power set by the vehicle control unit 10. The communication module 23 of terminal 2 operates similarly.

[0025] In addition, terminal 2 is equipped with a network communication unit 22 that communicates with the outside world via network communication, separate from the communication module 23 mentioned above. The network communication unit 22 can use wireless LAN (Local Area Network) such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or mobile communication systems for network communication.

[0026] The vehicle control unit 10 and the terminal control unit 20 include, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or MPU (Micro Processing Unit) that works in cooperation with software to realize predetermined functions. The vehicle control unit 10 and the terminal control unit 20 may be composed of hardware circuits such as dedicated electronic circuits or reconfigurable electronic circuits designed to realize predetermined functions, or they may be composed of various semiconductor integrated circuits. Examples of various semiconductor integrated circuits include, in addition to the CPU and MPU, microcomputers, DSPs (Digital Signal Processors), FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), and ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits). The vehicle control unit 10 and the terminal control unit 20 include memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). The memory stores programs necessary for the operation of the terminal key system 100. The application 50 installed on terminal 2 contains such programs. The memory permanently or temporarily stores information used to execute the programs.

[0027] The terminal control unit 20 is connected to the touch panel display 21 and the communication module 23, as well as the terminal temperature detection unit 26 and the motion detection unit 27. These detection units are provided in the terminal 2.

[0028] The terminal temperature detection unit 26 is configured, for example, by a thermistor, and detects the ambient temperature of the terminal, which is the temperature around the terminal. The ambient temperature of the terminal is the temperature outside the terminal 2, the ambient temperature in which the terminal 2 is placed, rather than the temperature of the circuit board on which the terminal control unit 20 built into the terminal is mounted.

[0029] The motion detection unit 27 detects the movement of terminal 2. The motion detection unit 27 is composed of, for example, an accelerometer. The accelerometer detects the acceleration of terminal 2 in the orthogonal three axis directions. The motion detection unit 27 may also include a gyroscope that detects the angular velocity of terminal 2 around the orthogonal three axes. The motion detection unit 27 may also detect the horizontal displacement of terminal 2 relative to the ground based on position information obtained from the Global Positioning System (GPS).

[0030] The terminal control unit 20 includes a terminal device control unit 41, a start processing unit 42, a stop processing unit 43, a timer 48, and a storage unit 49. The terminal device control unit 41, the start processing unit 42, and the stop processing unit 43 are implemented by the CPU or MPU mentioned above. The timer 48 measures time. The terminal control unit 20 can also acquire calendar information indicating the year, month, and day, and time information indicating the time, either through settings within the terminal 2 or through reception by the network communication unit 22.

[0031] The memory unit 49 is implemented by the memory described above. The memory unit 49 stores the installed applications 50. The memory unit 49 stores the key information 51 of vehicle 1. The key information 51 is information unique to vehicle 1 and is used in the authentication process. Furthermore, the memory unit 49 stores temperature change information 52. The temperature change information 52 will be described later.

[0032] The terminal device control unit 41 controls the operation of the hardware devices mounted on the terminal 2. The start processing unit 42 and the stop processing unit 43 perform processing related to wireless communication with the vehicle 1.

[0033] The start processing unit 42 determines whether or not to initiate wireless communication between vehicle 1 and terminal 2 when wireless communication between vehicle 1 and terminal 2 is not currently taking place. In making this determination, the start processing unit 42 refers to the ambient temperature around the terminal detected by the terminal temperature detection unit 26 and the presence or absence of movement of terminal 2 detected by the motion detection unit 27. This processing by the start processing unit 42 minimizes situations in which wireless communication is initiated unnecessarily when it is deemed unnecessary, thereby suppressing dark current.

[0034] The stop processing unit 43 determines whether or not to stop wireless communication between vehicle 1 and terminal 2 while wireless communication is in progress. When predetermined conditions are met, the stop processing unit 43 forcibly stops wireless communication between vehicle 1 and terminal 2. This minimizes situations where wireless communication continues unnecessarily and suppresses dark current.

[0035] The vehicle control unit 10 includes a communication control unit 31. The communication control unit 31 is implemented by the CPU or MPU mentioned above. The communication control unit 31 includes an authentication unit 31a. The communication control unit 31 may also include a stop processing unit 31b, similar to the terminal control unit 20.

[0036] When vehicle 1 receives a connection request from terminal 2 and a communication connection with terminal 2 is established, the authentication unit 31a waits for key information 51 to be transmitted from terminal 2. When key information 51 is received, the authentication unit 31a performs necessary processing, such as determining whether the key information 51 matches the key unique to vehicle 1, and thereby determines whether the key information 51 and terminal 2 that transmitted it can be authenticated. If the authentication unit 31a authenticates the key information 51 and terminal 2, terminal 2 is permitted to operate vehicle 1.

[0037] Referring to Figure 1, let us assume, for example, that the house 90 in which the user enters and exits, such as a home, is located near a parking lot 95 for parking the user's vehicle 1. "House" is a general term for houses and buildings, including residences, shops, factories, warehouses, and other buildings. Let us also assume that the communication range R of the vehicle 1 is relatively wide, for example, set to about 10m, and that communication with the terminal 2 is possible when the terminal 2 is located inside 91. According to the terminal key system 100 of this embodiment, even in such assumed cases, unnecessary wireless communication between the vehicle 1 and the terminal 2 is minimized, thereby suppressing the consumption of dark current.

[0038] First, let's consider a scenario where the user parks vehicle 1 in parking lot 95, stops the drive source 11a, gets out of vehicle 1, grabs terminal 2, and enters house 90. While the drive source 11a is operating, vehicle 1 and terminal 2 are connected wirelessly.

[0039] Figure 3 shows the process typically executed by the stop processing unit 43 of terminal 2 when vehicle 1 and terminal 2 are wirelessly connected, and when the vehicle is disembarking.

[0040] Referring to Figure 3, the storage unit 49 stores the detected value of the ambient temperature around the terminal output from the terminal temperature detection unit 26 (step S101). The stop processing unit 43 sequentially acquires the detected value related to the movement of the terminal 2 output from the motion detection unit 27 (step S102), and detects whether or not the terminal 2 is moving based on the acquired detected value (step S103). The terminal temperature detection unit 26 and the motion detection unit 27 sequentially output the detected value to the terminal control unit 20 at a predetermined sampling period.

[0041] For example, if the motion detection unit 27 is an acceleration sensor, the stop processing unit 43 acquires the three-axis components of acceleration as detected values. The stop processing unit 43 may compare the absolute value of the combined result of the current values ​​of the three-axis components with a predetermined value, and detect that there is movement in terminal 2 if the absolute value is greater than or equal to the predetermined value. Alternatively, the storage unit 49 may store one or more past values ​​of the detected value from the motion detection unit 27, and the stop processing unit 43 may detect whether or not there is movement in terminal 2 based on one or more past values ​​read from the storage unit 49 and the current value acquired from the motion detection unit 27.

[0042] The "movement" to be detected in step S103 is, to put it another way, more specifically, the movement of terminal 2 accompanying the user's movement from parking lot 95 to room 91. For example, movement such as tilting terminal 2 while the user is standing still in parking lot 95 is not necessarily desired as the target of detection in step S103. In order to detect the movement of terminal 2 more accurately, the stop processing unit 43 may refer to location information obtained from GPS to detect whether or not terminal 2 is moving.

[0043] The stop processing unit 43 determines whether or not terminal 2 is moving (step S104). The stop processing unit 43 continues to detect whether or not terminal 2 is moving, while the ambient temperature around terminal 2 is sequentially stored, until terminal 2 comes to a complete stop (S104: NO → S101~S103).

[0044] When the stop processing unit 43 determines that terminal 2 has switched from a state of activity to a state of inactivity (S104:YES), it obtains the current value of the detected ambient temperature of the terminal from the terminal temperature detection unit 26 (step S105) and detects whether or not there is a temperature change, which is a change in the ambient temperature of the terminal (step S106). If there is a temperature change (S107:YES), the stop processing unit 43 rewrites the temperature change information 52 stored in the memory unit 49 with data indicating that there was a temperature change (for example, "1") (step S108). If there is no temperature change (S107:NO), the stop processing unit 43 rewrites the temperature change information 52 stored in the memory unit 49 with data indicating that there was no temperature change (for example, "0") (step S109). After the temperature change information 52 is stored in this way, the stop processing unit 43 stops the wireless communication between vehicle 1 and terminal 2 (step S110).

[0045] The "temperature change" that is the target of detection in step S106 can be more specifically described as the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the house 90. The sampling period of the terminal temperature detection unit 26 can be an extremely short time of a few milliseconds to tens of milliseconds, but temperature changes over such minute timeframes are not necessarily desired as the target of detection in step S106.

[0046] The room 91 may not be air-conditioned when a user enters. The air conditioning unit 92 may be off when the user enters, and the user may turn on the air conditioning unit 92 after entering. In other words, it is possible that after terminal 2 has been stationary in the room 91, the temperature of the room 91 may deviate from the outside temperature due to the action of the air conditioning unit 92 after a certain amount of time has passed.

[0047] "Temperature changes," that is, temperature differences between the inside and outside of the house 90 due to the operation of the air conditioning equipment 92, occur in summer or winter. For example, in summer, the outside temperature may exceed 30°C, while the indoor temperature 91 is air-conditioned to be around 25°C. In winter, the outside temperature may fall below 10°C, while the indoor temperature 91 is air-conditioned to be around 25°C. Thus, in summer or winter, temperature changes of approximately 5°C or more can occur. On the other hand, in spring or autumn, the air conditioning equipment 92 is not operating, and therefore, temperature differences between the outside and inside, i.e., "temperature changes," are less likely to occur.

[0048] In light of the above, for example, the stop processing unit 43 may compare the detected value of the ambient temperature around the terminal 2 at the time the terminal 2 came to a standstill with a past value of the ambient temperature around the terminal acquired during a period when it is highly probable that the terminal 2 was outdoors, assuming that the terminal 2 came to a standstill in the room 91. The difference between the current value and the past value is then compared with a predetermined value to detect whether or not there has been a temperature change. The past value is stored in the storage unit 49 in step S101. "A period when it is highly probable that the terminal 2 was outdoors, assuming that the terminal 2 came to a standstill in the room 91" means a time in the past from the moment the terminal 2 came to a standstill, by the time it takes for the user to enter the room and place the terminal 2 down from being outdoors (for example, 3 minutes).

[0049] Alternatively, the stop processing unit 43 may set a time window (for example, 3 minutes) ending at the time when terminal 2 comes to a standstill, analyze the time-series data of the ambient temperature around the terminal acquired sequentially within the time window, and detect whether or not there is a temperature change. For example, the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​in the time-series data may be compared with a predetermined value to detect whether or not there is a temperature change. For example, the rate of change of ambient temperature around the terminal may be calculated sequentially from the difference between two time-adjacent data points in the time-series data, and the presence or absence of a temperature change may be detected based on whether or not there is a rate of change of more than or equal to a predetermined value among the multiple calculated rates of change of ambient temperature.

[0050] If the air conditioning unit 92 is already running and the room 91 is air-conditioned when the user enters the room, the above example process can detect the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the house 90, i.e., whether or not there is a temperature change. Even if the above example process detects that there is no temperature change, the user themselves may still start the air conditioning unit 92 after entering the room.

[0051] Therefore, if it is detected that there is no temperature change when terminal 2 is stationary, the terminal's ambient temperature may be continuously monitored from that point until the time that normally takes for the room 91 to be air-conditioned by the normal air conditioning equipment 92 (for example, 5 minutes) has elapsed. If the ambient temperature of the terminal changes by more than a predetermined value during this monitoring period, the stop processing unit 43 may detect that there has been a temperature change.

[0052] Figure 4 shows the process typically performed by the start processing unit 42 of terminal 2 before boarding, when wireless communication between vehicle 1 and terminal 2 is stopped.

[0053] Referring to Figure 4, the start processing unit 42 sequentially acquires detection values ​​related to the movement of terminal 2 output from the motion detection unit 27 (step S131), and detects whether or not terminal 2 is moving based on the acquired detection values ​​(step S132). The processing in step S132 is performed in the same way as the processing in step S103 described above. The start processing unit 42 determines whether or not terminal 2 is moving (step S133). If terminal 2 is not moving, the start processing unit 42 maintains the stopped state of wireless communication and continues to detect whether or not terminal 2 is moving (S133: NO → S131~S132).

[0054] When the start processing unit 42 determines that terminal 2 has switched from a state of inactivity to a state of activity (S133: YES), it reads temperature change information 52 from the storage unit 49 and determines whether or not there was a temperature change during the previous wireless communication stop process (step S134). If there was no temperature change (S134: NO), the start processing unit 42 decides to start wireless communication between vehicle 1 and terminal 2 (step S138).

[0055] If a temperature change occurs (S134: YES), the current value of the detected terminal ambient temperature output from the terminal temperature detection unit 26 is stored, and the start processing unit 42 acquires this current value (step S135). The start processing unit 42 detects whether or not there is a temperature change (step S136). The temperature change here is also the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the house 90. In summer, contrary to the stop process, the terminal ambient temperature rises. In winter, contrary to the stop process, the terminal ambient temperature falls. Detecting a temperature change requires the current value of the terminal ambient temperature and one or more past values. In order to enable referencing past values ​​in the processing in step S136, the detected values ​​are sequentially stored in the storage unit 49 in step S135.

[0056] If there was a temperature change during the previous shutdown process, and no further temperature change occurs (S137:NO), it is assumed that there is activity at terminal 2 but the user is still in room 91. The wireless communication is kept stopped, and monitoring for temperature changes continues (S137:NO → S135~S136).

[0057] If there was a temperature change during the previous stop process, and another temperature change occurs (S137: YES), the start processing unit 42 determines that the user has gone outside and decides to start wireless communication between the vehicle 1 and the terminal 2 (step S138).

[0058] As described above, the terminal key system 100 according to this embodiment is a terminal key system 100 that enables wireless communication between a vehicle 1 and a terminal 2 carried by the user of the vehicle 1, and permits the operation of the equipment 11 of the vehicle 1 once the terminal 2 is authenticated. The terminal key system 100 according to this embodiment includes a terminal temperature detection unit 26 provided on the terminal 2 that detects the ambient temperature of the terminal 2, and a terminal control unit 20 that determines whether or not to start wireless communication between the vehicle 1 and the terminal 2 based on the temperature change, which is the change in ambient temperature of the terminal detected by the terminal temperature detection unit 26.

[0059] According to the above configuration, the decision to initiate wireless communication between vehicle 1 and terminal 2 is made based on temperature changes around terminal 2. This reduces the opportunities for unnecessary wireless communication and suppresses the consumption of dark current.

[0060] The terminal key system 100 further includes a storage unit 49 that stores temperature change information 52 indicating whether or not there is a temperature change. The terminal control unit 20 determines whether or not to initiate wireless communication between the vehicle 1 and the terminal 2 based on the temperature change information stored in the storage unit 49. This makes it possible to store information regarding the presence or absence of temperature changes in situations where temperature changes may occur, such as when getting out of a vehicle. In subsequent processing, the temperature change information 52 stored in the storage unit 49 can be referred to to appropriately determine whether or not to initiate wireless communication.

[0061] If the terminal control unit 20 determines that there is a temperature change based on the temperature change information 52, it decides whether to initiate wireless communication between the vehicle 1 and terminal 2 based on the terminal ambient temperature detected by the terminal temperature detection unit 26. If there is a temperature change, it is possible to determine whether terminal 2 is outdoors or indoors by referring to the terminal ambient temperature. Based on this terminal ambient temperature, it is decided whether to initiate wireless communication between the vehicle 1 and terminal 2. This reduces the opportunities for unnecessary wireless communication and suppresses the consumption of dark current.

[0062] The terminal key system 100 is provided on terminal 2 and further includes a motion detection unit 27 that detects the movement of terminal 2. The terminal control unit 20 determines whether or not to initiate wireless communication between vehicle 1 and terminal 2 based on the movement of terminal 2 detected by the motion detection unit 27. This makes it possible to more accurately determine whether or not the user intends to operate vehicle 1 by referring not only to temperature but also to the movement of terminal 2. Based on this movement of terminal 2, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not to initiate wireless communication between vehicle 1 and terminal 2. This reduces the opportunities for unnecessary wireless communication and suppresses the consumption of dark current.

[0063] The vehicle control unit 10 or the terminal control unit 20 may stop wireless communication between the vehicle 1 and the terminal 2 if the vehicle control unit 10 or the terminal control unit 20 maintains a state where wireless communication is possible between the vehicle 1 and the terminal 2 for a certain period of time. More specifically, after a certain period of time has passed, the wireless communication may be stopped after the presence or absence of a temperature change has been detected. This shortens the period of unnecessary wireless communication and suppresses the consumption of dark current.

[0064] Figure 5 shows a modified version of the process shown in Figure 3. As shown in Figure 5, the terminal control unit 20 may obtain disembarkation information from the vehicle control unit 10 indicating that the user has disembarked from the vehicle 1 (step S151). Since the process shown in Figure 5 is executed while the vehicle 1 and the terminal 2 are connected wirelessly, the terminal control unit 20 can obtain information from the vehicle 1 side. The disembarkation information may be, for example, information indicating that the driving power source 11a has stopped due to the off operation of the ignition switch 12. The disembarkation information may also be information indicating that the locking device 11b has switched from the unlocked state to the locked state.

[0065] After obtaining the disembarkation information, the detected value of the ambient temperature around the terminal is stored, similar to step S101 of the above embodiment (step S152). The stop processing unit 43 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since obtaining the disembarkation information (step S153). This predetermined time is sufficient time (for example, 5 minutes) for the user to enter the house 90 after disembarking.

[0066] The detected value of the ambient temperature around the terminal is stored until a predetermined time has elapsed (S153: NO → S152). Once the predetermined time has elapsed (S153: YES), the processes in steps S105 to S110 are executed, as in the above embodiment. In step S106 of this modified example, the past value stored in step S152 is referenced.

[0067] Furthermore, the vehicle control unit 10 may also have a stop processing unit 31b (see Figure 2), similar to the terminal control unit 20, and the stop processing unit 31b may execute the processes of steps S151 to S153 instead of the stop processing unit 43.

[0068] In this modified example, as in the above embodiment, the period of unnecessary wireless communication is shortened, and the consumption of dark current can be suppressed.

[0069] The process for acquiring disembarking information may be added to the flow of the above embodiment. In that case, the stationary state of terminal 2 after disembarking can be detected more accurately.

[0070] Next, with reference to Figures 6 to 8A and 8B, the terminal key system 100 according to the second embodiment will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0071] Comparing Figure 2 and Figure 6, in this embodiment, the storage unit 49 does not necessarily have to store the temperature change information 52. Instead, the terminal control unit 20 has a weather information acquisition unit 47. The weather information acquisition unit 47 acquires weather information that can be received from an external information source (not shown) via the network communication unit 22.

[0072] Weather information is information indicating the weather in the area surrounding the location where vehicle 1 is located. Since the location where vehicle 1 is located and the location where terminal 2 is located are considered to belong to the same area, the weather information acquisition unit 47 may refer to the location information of terminal 2 when selecting the area. Weather information includes temperature information indicating the temperature of the area. Weather information may also include weather information other than temperature, such as weather information indicating sunny, rainy, snowy, etc., and humidity information indicating the humidity of the area.

[0073] Furthermore, the vehicle 1 is equipped with a vehicle temperature detection unit 16 that detects the ambient temperature, which is the temperature around the vehicle 1. The vehicle temperature detection unit 16 is composed of, for example, a thermistor and outputs the detected value to the vehicle control unit 10.

[0074] Referring to Figure 7, in this embodiment, when the vehicle 1 and the terminal 2 are wirelessly connected (typically when disembarking), the terminal control unit 20 acquires disembarking information from the vehicle control unit 10 (step S201), and the stop processing unit 43 promptly stops wireless communication between the vehicle 1 and the terminal 2 (step S210). The processes in steps S201 and S210 may be performed by the stop processing unit 31b of the vehicle control unit 10 instead of the stop processing unit 43 of the terminal control unit 20.

[0075] Referring to Figure 8A, in this embodiment, when the vehicle 1 and terminal 2 have stopped wireless communication (typically before boarding), the start processing unit 42 performs the same processing as steps S131 to S133 of the first embodiment. That is, the start processing unit 42 sequentially acquires detection values ​​related to the movement of terminal 2 output from the motion detection unit 27 (step S231), detects whether or not terminal 2 is moving based on the acquired detection values ​​(step S232), and determines whether or not terminal 2 is moving (step S233). If there is no movement of terminal 2, the start processing unit 42 maintains the stopped state of wireless communication and continues to detect whether or not terminal 2 is moving (S233: NO → S231 to S232).

[0076] When it is determined that terminal 2 has switched from a state of inactivity to a state of activity (S233: YES), the weather information acquisition unit 47 acquires weather information, particularly temperature information (step S234). The start processing unit 42 determines whether the temperature indicated by the acquired weather information (temperature information) is within a predetermined temperature range (step S235). The predetermined temperature range is appropriately set to a temperature range in which there is a high probability that the air conditioning equipment 92 will not be operated. For example, the lower limit of the temperature range is set to 15°C or less, and the upper limit of the temperature range is set to 30°C or more.

[0077] If the temperature is within a predetermined temperature range (S235: YES), typically in spring or autumn, the start processing unit 42 decides to start wireless communication between the vehicle 1 and the terminal 2 (step S236).

[0078] Referring to Figure 8B, if the ambient temperature is outside the predetermined temperature range (S235:NO), typically in summer or winter, the start processing unit 42 obtains the current value of the detected ambient temperature output from the terminal temperature detection unit 26 (step S241). The start processing unit 42 compares the ambient temperature with the ambient temperature and compares the temperature difference with a predetermined value (step S242). If the ambient temperature is outside the predetermined temperature range and the temperature difference is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, there is a high probability that the user is in an air-conditioned room 91. In such cases, it is assumed that the user has no intention of operating the vehicle 1, and the detected ambient temperature value is re-obtained, and monitoring of the temperature difference with the ambient temperature is continued (S242:NO→S241).

[0079] If the ambient temperature is outside the predetermined temperature range and the temperature difference between the ambient temperature and the terminal's ambient temperature is less than a predetermined value, there is a high probability that the user is outdoors. In such cases (S242: YES), the start processing unit 42 decides to start wireless communication between the vehicle 1 and the terminal 2 (step S243). Next, the terminal control unit 20 obtains the detected value of the ambient temperature of the vehicle output from the vehicle temperature detection unit 16 via wireless communication with the vehicle control unit 10 (step S244). The stop processing unit 43 compares the ambient temperature of the vehicle and the ambient temperature of the terminal and compares the temperature difference with a predetermined value (step S245). If the user intends to operate the vehicle 1, the user should be very close to the vehicle 1, and the temperature difference between the ambient temperature of the vehicle and the ambient temperature of the terminal will be almost negligible. The predetermined value used in the determination process in step S245 is a relatively small value, for example, about 1 to 3°C.

[0080] If the temperature difference between the ambient temperature of the vehicle and the ambient temperature of the terminal is less than a predetermined value (S245: YES), the stop processing unit 43 continues wireless communication between the vehicle 1 and the terminal 2. If the temperature difference between the ambient temperature of the vehicle and the ambient temperature of the terminal is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (S245: NO), the stop processing unit 43 (or stop processing unit 31b) assumes that the user is not near the vehicle 1 and stops wireless communication between the vehicle 1 and the terminal 2 (step S246), and the start processing unit 42 repeats the acquisition of the ambient temperature of the terminal and the comparison between the ambient temperature and the ambient temperature of the terminal (S246 → S241~S242).

[0081] The processes in steps S244 to S246 may be performed by the stop processing unit 31b of the vehicle control unit 10 instead of the stop processing unit 43 of the terminal control unit 20. In that case, the vehicle control unit 10 acquires the detected value of the terminal ambient temperature output from the terminal temperature detection unit 26 via wireless communication with the terminal control unit 20 for the purpose of comparing the vehicle ambient temperature with the terminal ambient temperature.

[0082] As described above, the terminal key system 100 according to this embodiment is a terminal key system 100 that allows wireless communication between a vehicle 1 and a terminal 2 carried by the user of the vehicle 1, and permits the operation of the equipment 11 of the vehicle 1 once the terminal 2 is authenticated. The terminal key system 100 includes a terminal temperature detection unit 26 provided on the terminal 2 that detects the ambient temperature of the terminal 2, a weather information acquisition unit 47 provided on the terminal 2 that acquires weather information including temperature information indicating the ambient temperature of the vehicle 1, and a terminal control unit 20 that determines whether or not to start wireless communication between the vehicle 1 and the terminal 2 based on the ambient temperature of the terminal detected by the terminal temperature detection unit 26 and the temperature information acquired by the weather information acquisition unit 47.

[0083] According to the above configuration, the decision to initiate wireless communication between vehicle 1 and terminal 2 is made based on the ambient temperature around the terminal and the ambient temperature around the vehicle. This reduces the opportunities for unnecessary wireless communication and suppresses the consumption of dark current.

[0084] The terminal control unit 20 refers to temperature information to determine whether the temperature around vehicle 1 is within a predetermined temperature range, and based on this determination, decides whether or not to initiate wireless communication between vehicle 1 and terminal 2. In this way, the terminal control unit 20 determines whether the temperature around vehicle 1 is within a predetermined temperature range, above the predetermined temperature range, or below the predetermined temperature range. Based on this determination, it can appropriately decide whether or not to initiate wireless communication between vehicle 1 and terminal 2. This reduces the opportunities for unnecessary wireless communication and suppresses the consumption of dark current.

[0085] The terminal control unit 20 determines whether the temperature difference between the ambient temperature and the ambient temperature is greater than or equal to a predetermined value when the ambient temperature is outside a predetermined temperature range, and decides whether to initiate wireless communication between the vehicle 1 and the terminal 2 based on the result of this determination. When the ambient temperature around the vehicle 1 is above or below a predetermined temperature range, it is possible to determine whether the terminal 2 is outdoors or indoors by referring to the temperature difference between the ambient temperature and the ambient temperature. Based on this temperature difference, it is possible to appropriately decide whether to initiate wireless communication between the vehicle 1 and the terminal 2. This reduces the opportunities for unnecessary wireless communication and suppresses the consumption of dark current.

[0086] The terminal key system 100 is provided on terminal 2 and further includes a motion detection unit 27 that detects the movement of terminal 2. The terminal control unit 20 determines whether or not to initiate the wireless communication between vehicle 1 and terminal 2 based on the movement of terminal 2 detected by the motion detection unit 27. By referring not only to temperature but also to the movement of terminal 2, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not the user intends to operate vehicle 1. Based on this movement of terminal 2, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not to initiate the wireless communication between vehicle 1 and terminal 2. This reduces the opportunities for unnecessary wireless communication and suppresses the consumption of dark current.

[0087] The terminal key system 100 further comprises a vehicle temperature detection unit 16 installed in the vehicle 1 for detecting the ambient temperature of the vehicle 1, and a vehicle control unit 10 installed in the vehicle 1. After wireless communication between the vehicle 1 and the terminal 2 begins, the vehicle control unit 10 or the terminal control unit 20 compares the ambient temperature of the vehicle detected by the vehicle temperature detection unit 16 with the ambient temperature of the terminal detected by the terminal temperature detection unit 26, and decides whether to continue wireless communication between the vehicle 1 and the terminal 2 based on the comparison result. By referring to the actual temperature around the vehicle in conjunction with the ambient temperature of the terminal, it is possible to more accurately determine whether the terminal 2 is outdoors or indoors. Based on this comparison result between the ambient temperature of the vehicle and the ambient temperature of the terminal, it is possible to appropriately decide whether to continue wireless communication between the vehicle 1 and the terminal 2. Opportunities for unnecessary wireless communication are reduced, and the consumption of dark current can be suppressed.

[0088] The configuration of the embodiment described above is merely an example and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0089] 1 vehicle 2 terminals 10 Vehicle Control Unit 11 Equipment 11a Drive source 11b Locking device 12 Ignition Switch 13. Communication Module 16. Vehicle temperature detection unit 20 Terminal Control Unit 21 Touch panel display 21a Input section 21b Display section 22 Network Communications Department 23 Communication Module 26 Terminal temperature detection unit 27 Motion detection unit 31 Communication Control Unit 31a Authentication Department 31b Stop Processing Unit 41 Terminal Equipment Control Unit 42 Start Processing Unit 43 Stop Processing Unit 47 Weather information acquisition department 48 timers 49 Memory section 50 Applications 51 Key Information 52 Temperature change information 90 Houses 91 Indoor 92 Air conditioning equipment 95 Parking 100 Terminal Key System R Communication range

Claims

1. In a terminal key system that enables wireless communication between a vehicle and a terminal carried by the vehicle's user, and authorizes the operation of the vehicle's equipment once the terminal is authenticated, The terminal is provided with a terminal temperature detection unit that detects the ambient temperature of the terminal, which is the temperature around the terminal. A terminal control unit that determines whether or not to initiate wireless communication between the vehicle and the terminal based on the temperature change, which is a change in the ambient temperature of the terminal detected by the terminal temperature detection unit, A terminal key system equipped with the following features.

2. The system further includes a storage unit that stores temperature change information indicating whether or not the aforementioned temperature change has occurred, The terminal control unit determines whether or not to initiate the wireless communication between the vehicle and the terminal based on the temperature change information stored in the storage unit. The terminal key system according to claim 1.

3. When the terminal control unit determines that there is a temperature change based on the temperature change information, it determines whether or not to initiate the wireless communication between the vehicle and the terminal based on the ambient temperature of the terminal detected by the terminal temperature detection unit. The terminal key system according to claim 2.

4. The terminal is further provided with a motion detection unit that detects the movement of the terminal, The terminal control unit determines whether or not to initiate the wireless communication between the vehicle and the terminal based on the movement of the terminal detected by the motion detection unit. The terminal key system according to claim 3.

5. The vehicle further comprises a vehicle control unit provided in the aforementioned vehicle, The vehicle control unit or the terminal control unit shall stop the wireless communication between the vehicle and the terminal if the state in which wireless communication is possible between the vehicle and the terminal continues for a certain period of time. The terminal key system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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