Controller, program, and control system

Abstract

To improve the estimation accuracy while reducing the memory usage amount of an ECU.SOLUTION: There is provided a controller having a control unit for performing correction processing of correcting the electric wave intensity of a signal sent or received between a control target and a portable apparatus, on the correction information stored in the portable apparatus. Whether a control target device equipped in the control target is to execute a prescribed operation is determined on the basis of the electric wave intensity on which the correction processing was performed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device, a program, and a control system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, a technology has been developed that estimates the distance to a portable device based on the received radio wave strength of a signal received from the portable device. However, the output radio wave strength of a portable device may differ depending on the model, etc. Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that improves the estimation accuracy by leveling the received radio wave strength of a signal received from a portable device based on correction information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-32169 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, the calculation and storage of the correction information is performed by an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) mounted on a moving object. Therefore, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, the amount of correction information increases as the number of portable devices (users) increases, which puts a strain on the memory of the ECU.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to improve estimation accuracy while reducing the memory usage of an ECU. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, a control device is provided, which includes a control unit that performs a correction process to correct the radio wave strength of a signal transmitted and received between a control object and a portable device based on correction information stored in the portable device, and determines whether or not to cause a controlled device mounted on the control object to perform a specified operation based on the radio wave strength after the correction process.

[0007] In addition, in order to solve the above problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, a program is provided that causes a computer to realize a control function that performs a correction process to correct the radio wave strength of a signal transmitted and received between a control object and a portable device based on correction information stored in the portable device, and determines whether or not to cause a controlled device mounted on the control object to perform a specified operation based on the radio wave strength after the correction process.

[0008] In addition, in order to solve the above problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, a control system is provided which includes a program that causes a computer to realize a control function of performing a correction process to correct the radio wave strength of a signal transmitted and received between a control object and a portable device based on correction information stored in the portable device, and a determination device that determines whether or not to cause a controlled device mounted on the control object to perform a specified operation based on the radio wave strength after the correction process. Effect of the Invention

[0009] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve estimation accuracy while reducing the memory usage of the ECU. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a flow of calculation and storage of correction information by the control system 1 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 3]11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a flow of RSSI correction by the control application 220 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a flow of RSSI correction by the control device 120 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 5] 11 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a correction process based on correction information included in a measurement signal according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 11 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a correction process for controlling the output radio field intensity of a signal based on correction information according to the embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0012] <1. Embodiment> <<1.1. Example of functional configuration>> First, an example of the functional configuration of a control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] A control system 1 according to this embodiment includes a moving object 10 and a portable device 20, as shown in FIG.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, a mobile object 10 according to this embodiment is equipped with a communication device 110, a control device 120, and a controlled device 130.

[0016] Moreover, the portable device 20 according to this embodiment is equipped with a communication device 210 and has a control application 220 installed therein.

[0017] (Mobile 10) The moving body 10 according to this embodiment may be, for example, a vehicle such as a car, an aircraft, or a ship.

[0018] The moving object 10 according to the present embodiment is an example of a controlled object that transmits and receives signals to and from the portable device 20.

[0019] However, the controlled object according to the present invention is not limited to the moving object 10. The controlled object may be, for example, a building or the like that is provided with a controlled device 130 such as a door.

[0020] (Communication device 110) The communication device 110 according to this embodiment performs wireless communication with a communication device 210 mounted on the portable device 20 in accordance with a prescribed communication standard.

[0021] The prescribed communication standard may be, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy (BLE).

[0022] However, the prescribed communication standard is not limited to the above example, and may be set arbitrarily.

[0023] (Control device 120) The control device 120 according to this embodiment controls the above-mentioned wireless communication by the communication device 110.

[0024] In addition, the control device 120 according to this embodiment functions as a determination device that determines whether or not to cause the controlled device 130 to execute a specified operation based on the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the signal received by the communication device 110 from the communication device 210.

[0025] The control device 120 according to this embodiment may, for example, determine that the portable device 20 is within a predetermined distance from the moving body 10 when the RSSI of the signal received by the communication device 110 from the communication device 210 exceeds a threshold, and cause the controlled device 130 to execute a specified operation.

[0026] In addition to the determination based on the RSSI as described above, the control device 120 may authenticate the portable device 20 based on various information received by the communication device 110 from the communication device 210, and may further determine whether or not to perform a specified operation based on the result of the authentication.

[0027] In this case, when the RSSI exceeds a threshold and the authenticity of the portable device 20 is recognized in the authentication, the control device 120 causes the controlled device 130 to execute a prescribed operation.

[0028] In addition, the control device 120 according to this embodiment may perform a correction process to correct the radio wave intensity of a signal transmitted and received between the moving body 10 and the portable device 20 based on correction information stored in the portable device 20, as described below.

[0029] The control device 120 according to this embodiment is realized by various ECUs.

[0030] (Controlled device 130) The controlled device 130 according to this embodiment may be any of various devices that execute a specified operation under the control of the control device 120.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 1, when the controlled device 130 is mounted on the moving body 10, the controlled device 130 may be, for example, a locking / unlocking device that locks / unlocks a door provided on the moving body 10 as the above-mentioned specified operation.

[0032] However, controlled device 130 and the prescribed operation are not limited to the above example.

[0033] For example, controlled device 130 may be an engine, in which case the prescribed action may be to allow or restrict engine starting.

[0034] Also, for example, controlled device 130 may be a lighting device. In this case, the specified action may be to turn on or off the light.

[0035] (Portable Devices 20) The portable device 20 according to this embodiment is carried by a user of the moving object 10 (for example, the owner of the moving object 10, or a person authorized by the owner to use the moving object 10, etc.).

[0036] The portable device 20 according to this embodiment may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet, a wearable device, or the like.

[0037] (Communication device 210) The communication device 210 according to this embodiment performs wireless communication with the communication device 110 mounted on the mobile object 10 in accordance with a prescribed communication standard.

[0038] (Control Application 220) The control application 220 according to this embodiment has at least a program for performing a correction process for correcting the radio field intensity of a signal transmitted and received between the moving object 10 and the portable device 20 based on correction information stored in the portable device 20.

[0039] Furthermore, the control application 220 according to this embodiment may have a function of calculating and storing the above correction information.

[0040] The functions of the control application 220 according to this embodiment will be described in detail later.

[0041] An example of the functional configuration of the control system 1 according to the present embodiment has been described above. Note that the functional configuration described above with reference to Fig. 1 is merely an example, and the functional configuration of the control system 1 according to the present embodiment is not limited to this example.

[0042] The functional configuration of the control system 1 according to this embodiment can be flexibly modified according to the specifications, operation, and the like.

[0043] <<1.2. Calculation and storage of correction information>> As described above, a technology has been developed in which a moving body estimates the distance to a portable device based on the received radio wave intensity of a signal received from the portable device, and controls the operation of a controlled device based on the result of the estimation.

[0044] However, the output radio wave strength of a portable device generally differs depending on the model, etc.

[0045] For this reason, even if a portable device of model X and a portable device of model Y are located at the same distance from the mobile body, there may be a difference between the RSSI of the signal received by the mobile body from the portable device of model X and the RSSI of the signal received by the mobile body from the portable device of model Y.

[0046] Furthermore, the above differences may result in a situation where a certain model of portable device is estimated to be outside the specified range of the moving body even though it is located within the specified range, and a situation where a certain model of portable device is estimated to be within the specified range of the moving body even though it is located outside the specified range.

[0047] In order to prevent the above-mentioned situation, it is conceivable that the estimation accuracy can be improved by leveling out the received radio wave intensity of the signal received from the portable device based on correction information, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example.

[0048] However, when the calculation and storage of the correction information is performed by an ECU, the amount of correction information increases as the number of portable devices (users) increases, which puts a strain on the memory of the ECU.

[0049] In recent years, there are cases where a large number of users share a vehicle in car sharing or the like, but there is a possibility that the number of users must be limited due to ECU memory constraints.

[0050] The technical concept of the present invention has been conceived in light of the above-mentioned points, and aims to improve estimation accuracy while reducing the memory usage of the ECU.

[0051] In order to achieve the above, one of the features of the control system 1 according to this embodiment is that the control application 220 installed in the portable device 20 is responsible for calculating and storing the correction information.

[0052] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of calculation and storage of correction information by the control system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0053] In the example shown in FIG. 2, first, the control application 220 installed in the portable device 20 outputs an instruction to transmit a measurement signal (a signal for calculating RSSI) to the communication device 210 based on a user operation or the like (S101).

[0054] The communication device 210 transmits the measurement signal based on the measurement signal transmission instruction input in step S101 (S102).

[0055] The communication device 110 that has received the measurement signal in step S102 calculates the RSSI of the measurement signal (S103).

[0056] The communication device 110 outputs the RSSI of the measurement signal calculated in step S103 to the control device 120 (S104).

[0057] Next, the control device 120 outputs a return instruction to the communication device 110 to cause the communication device 210 to return the RSSI calculated in step S103 (S105).

[0058] Based on the return instruction input in step S105, the communication device 110 transmits the RSSI calculated in step S103 to the communication device 210 (S106).

[0059] The communication device 210 that received the RSSI in step 106 relays the RSSI to the control application (S107).

[0060] Next, the control application 220 calculates correction information appropriate for the portable device 20 based on the RSSI input in step S107, and stores the correction information (S108).

[0061] The control application 220 may calculate the correction information by, for example, comparing the RSSI input in step S107 with a reference value stored in advance.

[0062] The reference value may be, for example, an average value of the RSSIs of signals received from multiple models of portable devices 20 at the same distance.

[0063] The control application 220 may, for example, obtain a variable that makes the RSSI input in step S107 equal to a reference value, and store the variable as correction information.

[0064] An example of the flow of calculation and storage of correction information according to this embodiment has been described above.

[0065] As described above, by calculating and storing the correction information on the portable device 20 side, it is possible to effectively reduce the memory of the ECU mounted on the moving object 10.

[0066] It should be noted that the flow of calculation and storage of the correction information described with reference to FIG. 2 is merely an example, and the flow of calculation and storage of the correction information by the control system 1 according to this embodiment can be flexibly modified.

[0067] For example, although FIG. 2 shows a case where the communication device 110 calculates the RSSI, the control device 120 may calculate the RSSI.

[0068] <<1.3. Correction process>> Next, the flow of the correction process according to this embodiment will be described with a specific example.

[0069] First, a flow in which the control application 220 installed in the portable device 20 performs a correction process based on the correction information will be described.

[0070] FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a flow of RSSI correction by the control application 220 according to this embodiment.

[0071] First, the control system 1 executes steps S201 to S205, which are the same processes as steps S101 to S105 shown in FIG. 2 (not shown in FIG. 3).

[0072] Next, the communication device 110 transmits the RSSI calculated in step S203 to the communication device 210 (S206).

[0073] The communication device 210 that received the RSSI in step S206 relays the RSSI to the control application 220 (S207).

[0074] The control application 220 executes a correction process to correct the RSSI input in step S207 based on the correction information calculated and stored in step S108 shown in FIG. 2 (S208).

[0075] Next, the control application 220 outputs an instruction to transmit the corrected RSSI obtained by the correction process in step S208 to the communication device 210 (S209).

[0076] The communication device 210 transmits the corrected RSSI to the communication device 110 based on the transmission instruction input in step S209 (S210).

[0077] The communication device 110 relays the corrected RSSI received in step S210 to the control device 120 (S211).

[0078] The control device 120 determines whether or not to cause the controlled device 130 to execute a prescribed operation based on the corrected RSSI input in step S211, that is, the radio wave intensity after the correction process (S212).

[0079] As described above, the control application 220 according to this embodiment may perform control to correct the received radio wave strength of a signal received from the mobile body 10 and received by the mobile body 10 from the portable device 20 based on the correction information, and transmit the corrected received radio wave strength to the mobile body 10.

[0080] According to the above-described series of processes, it is possible to improve the estimation accuracy while reducing the memory usage of the ECU.

[0081] Next, a flow in which the control device 120 according to this embodiment performs correction processing based on correction information will be described.

[0082] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a flow of RSSI correction by the control device 120 according to this embodiment.

[0083] First, the control system 1 executes steps S301 to S304, which are the same processes as steps S101 to S104 shown in FIG. 2 (not shown in FIG. 4).

[0084] Next, the control device 120 outputs a transmission instruction for a correction information request, which is a signal requesting transmission of correction information, to the communication device 110 (S305).

[0085] The communication device 110 transmits a correction information request to the communication device 210 based on the transmission instruction input in step S305 (S306).

[0086] The communication device 210 that received the correction information request in step S306 relays the correction information request to the control application 220 (S307).

[0087] The control application 220 outputs to the communication device 210 (S308) an instruction to transmit the correction information calculated and stored in step S108 shown in FIG. 2 based on the correction information request input in step S307.

[0088] The communication device 210 transmits the correction information to the communication device 110 based on the transmission instruction input in step S308 (S309).

[0089] The communication device 110 relays the correction information received in step S309 to the control device 120 (S310).

[0090] The control device 120 executes a correction process to correct the RSSI input in step S304 based on the correction information input in step S310 (S311).

[0091] Next, the control device 120 determines whether or not to cause the controlled device 130 to execute a prescribed operation based on the corrected RSSI obtained in step S311 (S312).

[0092] As described above, the control device 120 according to this embodiment may correct the received radio wave intensity of the signal received from the portable device 20 based on the correction information received from the portable device 20.

[0093] In this case, the control device 120 only needs to temporarily hold the correction information, and does not need to store the correction information for a long period of time, making it possible to reduce the amount of memory used.

[0094] Although FIG. 4 illustrates a case in which the portable device 20 transmits correction information to the moving object 10 based on a correction information request received from the moving object 10, the flow of transmission and reception of correction information is not limited to this example.

[0095] For example, the correction information according to this embodiment may be included in the measurement signal.

[0096] FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a correction process based on correction information included in a measurement signal according to this embodiment.

[0097] In the example shown in FIG. 5, first, the control application 220 outputs an instruction to transmit a measurement signal including the correction information calculated and stored in step S108 shown in FIG. 2 to the communication device 210 (S401).

[0098] Based on the transmission instruction input in step S401, the communication device 210 transmits a measurement signal including correction information to the communication device 110 (S402).

[0099] The communication device 110 calculates the RSSI of the measurement signal including the correction information received in step S402 (S403).

[0100] Next, the communication device 110 outputs the RSSI calculated in step S403 and the correction information extracted from the measurement signal to the control device 120 (S404).

[0101] The control device 120 executes a correction process to correct the RSSI input in step S404 based on the correction information input in step S404 (S405).

[0102] Next, the control device 120 determines whether or not to cause the controlled device 130 to execute a prescribed operation based on the corrected RSSI obtained in step S405 (S406).

[0103] As described above, the control device 120 according to this embodiment may correct the received radio wave intensity of a signal received from the portable device 20 based on the correction information included in the signal.

[0104] This makes it possible to further simplify communications and improve processing efficiency.

[0105] The above has described a case where the correction process according to the present embodiment is a process in which the moving object 10 corrects the received radio wave intensity of a signal received from the portable device 20 based on correction information.

[0106] On the other hand, the correction process according to the present embodiment may be a process of controlling the output radio field intensity of a signal transmitted by the portable device 20 based on the correction information.

[0107] FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a correction process for controlling the output radio field intensity of a signal based on correction information according to this embodiment.

[0108] In the example shown in FIG. 6, first, the control application 220 outputs an instruction to transmit a measurement signal with specified output intensity to the communication device 210 based on the correction information calculated and stored in step S108 shown in FIG. 2 (S501).

[0109] Based on the transmission instruction input in step S501, the communication device 210 transmits a measurement signal with the specified output intensity to the communication device 110 (S502).

[0110] The communication device 110 calculates the RSSI of the measurement signal received in step S502 (S503).

[0111] Next, the communication device 110 outputs the RSSI calculated in step S503 to the control device 120 (S504).

[0112] The control device 120 determines whether or not to cause the controlled device 130 to execute a prescribed operation based on the RSSI input in step S504 (S505).

[0113] The flow of the correction process for controlling the output radio field intensity of a signal based on correction information according to this embodiment has been described above.

[0114] According to the above-described correction process, it is possible to improve the estimation accuracy while reducing the memory usage of the ECU.

[0115] <2. Supplementary Information> Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such an example. It is clear that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can conceive of various modified or altered examples within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

[0116] For example, in the above embodiment, the correction information is stored in the portable device 20, but the correction information may be stored in, for example, a server. In this case, the control application 220 or the control device 120 can perform the correction process by acquiring the correction information from the server.

[0117] In addition, in the above embodiment, the model of portable device 20 is cited as the main factor causing differences in the output strength of the signal transmitted by portable device 20, but differences in the output strength of the signal can also be caused by a cover or case attached to portable device 20, deterioration of the battery installed in portable device 20, etc.

[0118] Therefore, when the user replaces a cover, case, etc., and there is concern about battery deterioration, the user may instruct the control application 220 to recalculate the correction information. Furthermore, when replacement of a cover, case, etc., or battery deterioration can be automatically detected, the control application 220 may automatically recalculate the correction information.

[0119] Furthermore, a series of processes performed by each device described in this specification may be realized by a program stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. Each program is, for example, loaded into a RAM when executed by a computer, and executed by a processor such as a CPU. The storage medium is, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a flash memory, etc. Furthermore, the program may be distributed, for example, via a network, without using a storage medium. [Explanation of symbols]

[0120] 1: control system, 10: mobile object, 110: communication device, 120: control device, 130: controlled device, 20: portable device, 210: communication device, 220: control application

Claims

1. a control unit that performs a correction process to correct the radio wave intensity of a signal transmitted and received between the controlled object and the portable device based on correction information stored in the portable device; Equipped with determining whether or not to cause the controlled device mounted on the control target to execute a prescribed operation based on the radio wave intensity after the correction process; Control device.

2. The control unit corrects, as the correction process, a received radio wave intensity of a signal received from the portable device based on the correction information. The control device according to claim 1 .

3. The portable device is equipped with The control unit corrects the received radio wave intensity of the signal received from the control target and received by the control target from the portable device based on the correction information, and transmits the corrected received radio wave intensity to the control target. The control device according to claim 2.

4. Mounted on the control target, The control unit corrects a received radio wave intensity of a signal received from the portable device based on the correction information received from the portable device. The control device according to claim 2.

5. the control unit corrects the received radio wave intensity of the signal received from the portable device based on the correction information included in the signal. The control device according to claim 4.

6. It is installed in portable devices, the control unit controls, as the correction process, an output radio field intensity of a signal transmitted by the portable device based on the correction information. The control device according to claim 1 .

7. the control unit calculates the correction information based on a comparison between a received radio wave intensity of a signal received by the control target from the portable device and a pre-stored reference value. The control device according to claim 1 .

8. The specified operation includes locking or unlocking a door mounted on the controlled object. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. On the computer, a control function for executing a correction process for correcting the radio field intensity of a signal transmitted and received between a control target and a portable device based on correction information stored in the portable device; Realize this, determining whether or not to cause the controlled device mounted on the control target to execute a prescribed operation based on the radio wave intensity after the correction process; program.

10. On the computer, a control function for executing a correction process for correcting the radio field intensity of a signal transmitted and received between a control target and a portable device based on correction information stored in the portable device; A program to achieve this, a determination device that determines whether or not to cause a controlled device mounted on the controlled object to execute a specified operation based on the radio wave intensity that has been subjected to the correction process; Equipped with Control system.

Images