Communication device

The communication device on the vehicle automatically sets the remote immobilizer based on predefined conditions, addressing inefficiencies in traditional methods and enhancing vehicle security while reducing user effort.

JP2025050439APending Publication Date: 2025-04-04TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2023159235
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2023-09-22
Publication Date
2025-04-04

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Traditional methods for setting up remote immobilizers are inefficient, requiring users to frequently unset the remote immobilizer even when the vehicle is only temporarily not in use, leading to increased user effort and potential security vulnerabilities.

Method used

A communication device mounted on a vehicle that receives setting conditions for a remote immobilizer from a user's terminal device, allowing the remote immobilizer to be set based on predefined conditions such as ignition state, vehicle location, and time periods, thereby automating the setting process.

Benefits of technology

The solution ensures enhanced security against vehicle theft by automatically setting the remote immobilizer based on predefined conditions, while reducing user effort and eliminating the need for frequent unsetting.

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Abstract

To improve a remote immobilizer setting method.SOLUTION: A communication device 31 includes a communication unit 32 and a control unit 34. The control unit 34 receives a setting condition of a remote immobilizer from a terminal device 20 of a user of a vehicle 30 by the communication unit 32. A control unit 34 controls the remote immobilizer to be set in the vehicle 30 based on the setting conditions of the remote immobilizer. The setting condition of the remote immobilizer includes a first condition, a second condition or a third condition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communication device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a remote immobilizer for preventing vehicle theft and the like has been known (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-253818 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional methods for setting remote immobilizers leave room for improvement.

[0005] In view of the above, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an improved method for setting a remote immobilizer. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a communication device mounted on a vehicle, and includes a communication unit and a control unit that receives a setting condition of a remote immobilizer from a terminal device of a user of the vehicle by the communication unit. The control unit controls the remote immobilizer to be set in the vehicle based on the setting condition of the remote immobilizer. The setting condition of the remote immobilizer includes a first condition, a second condition, or a third condition. The first condition is a condition that the remote immobilizer is set in the vehicle when the ignition of the vehicle is maintained in an off state and the time during which the communication bus of the vehicle is maintained in a sleep state exceeds a predetermined time. The second condition is a condition that the remote immobilizer is set in the vehicle when the position of the vehicle when the ignition of the vehicle is turned off is within a first distance from the user's home, and the remote immobilizer is not set in the vehicle when the position of the vehicle when the ignition of the vehicle is turned off is within a second distance from the position of a predetermined facility. The third condition is a condition that a remote immobilizer is set in the vehicle when the ignition of the vehicle is in an off state during a set time period. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of setting a remote immobilizer can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a setting system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 2 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the setting system shown in FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] 1, a setting system 1 according to this embodiment includes a server device 10, a terminal device 20, and a vehicle 30. The server device 10, the terminal device 20, and the vehicle 30 are capable of communicating with each other via a network 2. The network 2 may be any network including a mobile communication network, the Internet, and the like.

[0011] The server device 10 relays communication between the terminal device 20 and the vehicle 30. The server device 10 is, for example, a dedicated computer configured to function as a server, a general-purpose personal computer, or a cloud computing system.

[0012] The terminal device 20 is used by a user of the vehicle 30. The user of the vehicle 30 is, for example, the owner of the vehicle 30. The terminal device 20 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer (PC), or the like.

[0013] The vehicle 30 includes a communication device 31, a car navigation device 35, and a plurality of electronic control units 36. The communication device 31, the car navigation device 35, and the electronic control units 36 are capable of communicating with each other via an in-vehicle network such as a Controller Area Network (CAN).

[0014] The vehicle 30 has an auto-alarm function. The auto-alarm function is a function that warns the vehicle 30 by at least one of sound and light when an intrusion into the vehicle 30 is detected.

[0015] A remote immobilizer can be set in the vehicle 30 when the vehicle 30 is not in use. The remote immobilizer is a function that, when the remote immobilizer is set, if the auto alarm function of the vehicle 30 is activated due to an intrusion into the vehicle, restarting the engine of the vehicle 30 or unlocking the steering lock is prohibited. This function can prevent the vehicle 30 from being stolen when the user is not using the vehicle 30. However, in order to unlock the remote immobilizer setting, the user must input an input for canceling the setting of the remote immobilizer into the car navigation device 35. The input for canceling the setting is, for example, a PIN code transmitted to the terminal device 20.

[0016] Here, consider a case where the remote immobilizer is set in the vehicle 30 when the ignition of the vehicle 30 is turned off. In this case, after the ignition of the vehicle 30 is turned off, the user must input an input for canceling the setting of the remote immobilizer into the car navigation device 35 every time the vehicle 30 is used. Therefore, even if the time during which the vehicle 30 is not used is short, the user must input an input for canceling the setting of the remote immobilizer into the car navigation device 35. For example, when the user stops at a facility such as a convenience store with the vehicle 30, the time during which the user stays at the facility such as the convenience store is short, so the time during which the vehicle 30 is not used is short. Even in such a case, the user must input an input for canceling the setting of the remote immobilizer into the car navigation device 35. Therefore, the user's work is increased. In addition, some users may frequently stop at facilities such as convenience stores with the vehicle 30 in their daily lives. In such a case, the user's work is increased in their daily lives.

[0017] Therefore, in the vehicle 30 according to this embodiment, the remote immobilizer is set based on the setting conditions of the remote immobilizer described below. With this configuration, it is possible to ensure security to prevent theft of the vehicle 30 while saving the user time and effort.

[0018] The communication device 31 is, for example, a communication device dedicated to a vehicle. The communication device 31 includes a communication unit 32, a storage unit 33, and a control unit .

[0019] The communication unit 32 is configured to include at least one communication module connectable to the network 2. The communication module is, for example, a communication module compatible with mobile communication standards such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), or 5G (5th Generation).

[0020] The storage unit 33 includes at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or a combination of at least two of these. The storage unit 33 stores data used in the operation of the communication device 31 and data obtained by the operation of the communication device 31.

[0021] The control unit 34 includes at least one processor, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination of these. The control unit 34 executes processes related to the operation of the communication device 31 while controlling each part of the communication device 31.

[0022] The car navigation device 35 includes a receiving module compatible with a Global Positioning System (GPS) capable of acquiring position information of the vehicle 30. The car navigation device 35 includes a storage unit having the same or similar configuration as the storage unit 33, and a control unit having the same or similar configuration as the control unit 34. The car navigation device 35 may include map information, etc.

[0023] The electronic control unit 36 ​​is, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) of the vehicle 30. The electronic control unit 36 ​​controls devices mounted on the vehicle 30. The multiple electronic control units 36 provided in the vehicle 30 include, for example, an electronic control unit 36 ​​that controls an ignition and an electronic control unit 36 ​​that sets a remote immobilizer. The electronic control unit 36 ​​that sets the remote immobilizer is referred to as a "verification ECU 36A."

[0024] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the setting system 1 shown in FIG.

[0025] In S1, the user inputs the setting conditions of the remote immobilizer and a setting request of the remote immobilizer. The setting conditions of the remote immobilizer include, for example, a first condition, a second condition, or a third condition. However, the setting conditions of the remote immobilizer may be a combination of at least two of the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition.

[0026] The first condition is a condition that the remote immobilizer is set in the vehicle 30 when the ignition of the vehicle 30 is maintained in an off state and the time during which the communication bus of the vehicle 30 is maintained in a sleep state exceeds a predetermined time. When the user is not using the vehicle 30, the ignition of the vehicle 30 is in an off state. In addition, when the user is not using the vehicle 30, the communication via the in-vehicle network is stopped in the vehicle 30, so that the communication bus of the vehicle 30 is in a sleep state. The predetermined time may be set by the user. For example, when the user stops by a facility such as a convenience store with the vehicle 30, the user may set the predetermined time assuming the time spent at the facility. The predetermined time is, for example, 10 minutes. By such a first condition, it is possible to prevent the remote immobilizer from being set when the time during which the vehicle 30 is not used is short.

[0027] The second condition is a condition that the remote immobilizer is set in the vehicle 30 when the position of the vehicle 30 when the ignition of the vehicle 30 is turned off is within a first distance from the user's home. The second condition is a condition that the remote immobilizer is not set in the vehicle 30 when the position of the vehicle 30 when the ignition of the vehicle 30 is turned off is within a second distance from the position of a predetermined facility. The first distance may be set by the user, or may be set in advance taking into consideration the parking space at the user's home, etc. The first distance is, for example, 100 [m]. The predetermined facility may be set by the user. The user may set a facility where the user will stay for a short time as the predetermined facility. The predetermined facility is, for example, a convenience store, a commercial facility, or a restaurant. The second distance may be set by the user, or may be set in advance taking into consideration the parking space at the predetermined facility, etc. The second distance is, for example, 100 [m]. By such a second condition, the remote immobilizer can be set in the vehicle 30 when the user stays at home. In addition, such a second condition can prevent the remote immobilizer from being set in the vehicle 30 while the user is using a specified facility. This can therefore ensure security to prevent theft of the vehicle 30 while eliminating the need to deactivate the remote immobilizer setting.

[0028] The third condition is a condition that the remote immobilizer is set in the vehicle 30 when the ignition of the vehicle 30 is in an off state during the set time period. The set time period may be a time period during which theft of the vehicle 30 frequently occurs, or may be set by the user. The set time period is, for example, a time period from 22:00 to 7:00. In the third condition, even if the time when the ignition of the vehicle 30 is turned off is not included in the set time period, the remote immobilizer is set if the ignition of the vehicle 30 is in an off state at the time when the time is included in the set time period. By using such a third condition, the remote immobilizer can be set during a time period during which theft of the vehicle 30 frequently occurs. In addition, by using such a third condition, the remote immobilizer can be prevented from being set during a time period other than the time period during which theft of the vehicle 30 frequently occurs. Therefore, security for preventing theft of the vehicle 30 can be ensured while eliminating the trouble of unlocking the remote immobilizer setting.

[0029] In S1, the terminal device 20 transmits the remote immobilizer setting conditions and the remote immobilizer setting request input by the user to the server device 10 via the network 2. Upon receiving the remote immobilizer setting conditions and the remote immobilizer setting request from the terminal device 20, the server device 10 transmits the received remote immobilizer setting conditions and the remote immobilizer setting request to the communication device 31.

[0030] In S2, the control unit 34 of the communication device 31 receives the setting conditions of the remote immobilizer and a setting request for the remote immobilizer from the terminal device 20 via the network 2 and the server device 10 through the communication unit 32. The control unit 34 stores the received setting conditions of the remote immobilizer and the like in the memory unit 33.

[0031] Hereinafter, the setting condition for the remote immobilizer will be assumed to be the third condition.

[0032] In S3, the control unit 34 of the communication device 31 detects that the ignition of the vehicle 30 has been turned off by communicating with the electronic control unit 36 ​​that controls the ignition.

[0033] In S4, the control unit 34 determines whether the current time is included in the set time period. If the control unit 34 determines that the current time is included in the set time period (S4: YES), the control unit 34 proceeds to the process of S5. On the other hand, if the control unit 34 determines that the current time is not included in the set time period (S4: NO), the control unit 34 repeatedly executes the process of S4.

[0034] In the process of S5, the control unit 34 controls the vehicle 30 to set a remote immobilizer. In this embodiment, the control unit 34 transmits a setting instruction for the remote immobilizer to the verification ECU 36A. Upon receiving this instruction, the verification ECU 36A sets the remote immobilizer (S6).

[0035] In the process of S7, the verification ECU 36A detects that the ignition of the vehicle 30 has been turned on by communicating with the electronic control unit 36 ​​that controls the ignition. The verification ECU 36A causes the car navigation device 35 to display a cancellation screen for canceling the setting of the remote immobilizer (S8). After the process of S8, the user inputs an input for canceling the setting of the remote immobilizer to the car navigation device 35. When the input for canceling the setting is accepted by the car navigation device 35 (S9), the verification ECU 36A cancels the setting of the remote immobilizer (S10).

[0036] Here, if the auto alarm function of the vehicle 30 is activated due to an intrusion into the vehicle while the process of S4 is being repeatedly executed, the verification ECU 36A may activate the remote immobilizer and prohibit restarting the engine of the vehicle 30 or unlocking the steering lock. If the control unit 34 receives a setting instruction for the remote immobilizer from the server device 10 via the network 2 by the communication unit 32 while the process of S4 is being repeatedly executed, the setting system 1 may proceed to the process of S5. If the control unit 34 detects that the ignition of the vehicle 30 is turned on while the process of S4 is being repeatedly executed, the setting system 1 may end the process as shown in FIG. 2.

[0037] Also, when the setting condition of the remote immobilizer is the first condition, in the process of S4, the control unit 34 may determine whether or not the time during which the ignition of the vehicle 30 is maintained in the off state and the communication bus of the vehicle 30 is maintained in the sleep state exceeds a predetermined time. When the control unit 34 determines that the time during which the ignition of the vehicle 30 is maintained in the off state and the communication bus of the vehicle 30 is maintained in the sleep state exceeds a predetermined time (S4: YES), the control unit 34 may proceed to the process of S5. When the control unit 34 does not determine that the time during which the ignition of the vehicle 30 is maintained in the off state and the communication bus of the vehicle 30 is maintained in the sleep state exceeds a predetermined time (S4: NO), the setting system 1 may end the process as shown in FIG.

[0038] Also, when the setting condition of the remote immobilizer is the second condition, in the process of S4, the car navigation device 35 may acquire the position information of the vehicle 30 when the ignition of the vehicle 30 is turned off by the above-mentioned receiving module. Also, the car navigation device 35 may acquire the position information of the predetermined facility and the position information of the user's home by map information or the like. The car navigation device 35 may transmit to the communication device 31 the distance from the position of the vehicle 30 to the position of the predetermined facility when the ignition of the vehicle 30 is turned off, and the distance from the position of the vehicle 30 to the user's home when the ignition of the vehicle 30 is turned off. The control unit 34 of the communication device 31 may determine whether the second condition is satisfied or not based on these pieces of information received from the car navigation device 35. That is, the control unit 34 may first determine whether the position of the vehicle 30 when the ignition of the vehicle 30 is turned off is within a first distance from the user's home. When the control unit 34 determines that the position of the vehicle 30 when the ignition of the vehicle 30 is turned off is within the first distance from the user's home (S4: YES), the control unit 34 may proceed to the process of S5. On the other hand, when the control unit 34 determines that the position of the vehicle 30 when the ignition of the vehicle 30 is turned off is not within the first distance from the user's home, the control unit 34 may determine whether or not the position of the vehicle 30 when the ignition of the vehicle 30 is turned off exceeds a second distance from the position of the predetermined facility. When the control unit 34 determines that the position of the vehicle 30 when the ignition of the vehicle 30 is turned off exceeds the second distance from the position of the predetermined facility (S4: YES), the control unit 34 may proceed to the process of S5. On the other hand, when the control unit 34 determines that the position of the vehicle 30 when the ignition of the vehicle 30 is turned off is within the second distance from the position of the predetermined facility (S4: NO), the setting system 1 may end the process as shown in FIG. 2. In other words, the control unit 34 does not need to set the remote immobilizer if the location of the vehicle 30 when the ignition of the vehicle 30 is turned off is not within a first distance from the user's home and the location of the vehicle 30 when the ignition of the vehicle 30 is turned off is within a second distance from the location of a specified facility.

[0039] After the process shown in Fig. 2 is completed, the setting system 1 may execute the process shown in Fig. 2 again. In this case, the setting system 1 may execute the process from S3 again.

[0040] In this manner, in the vehicle 30 according to this embodiment, when the setting conditions for the remote immobilizer are satisfied, the remote immobilizer is set. With this configuration, it is possible to ensure security to prevent theft of the vehicle 30 while saving the user's trouble. In addition, the user can set the setting conditions for the remote immobilizer according to his / her own preferences. This improves user convenience. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to improve the setting method for the remote immobilizer.

[0041] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component or step can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple components or steps can be combined or divided into one. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1: setting system, 2: network, 10: server device, 20: terminal device, 30: vehicle, 31: communication device, 32: communication unit, 33: storage unit, 34: control unit, 35: car navigation device, 36: electronic control unit, 36A: verification ECU

Claims

[Claim 1] A communication device mounted on a vehicle, The Communications Department and a control unit that receives setting conditions of the remote immobilizer from a terminal device of a user of the vehicle by the communication unit, the control unit controls a remote immobilizer in the vehicle based on a setting condition of the remote immobilizer, the setting condition of the remote immobilizer including a first condition, a second condition, or a third condition; the first condition is a condition that a remote immobilizer is set in the vehicle when a time during which an ignition of the vehicle is maintained in an off state and a communication bus of the vehicle is maintained in a sleep state exceeds a predetermined time; the second condition is a condition that a remote immobilizer is set in the vehicle when the location of the vehicle when the ignition of the vehicle is turned off is within a first distance from the user's home, and a remote immobilizer is not set in the vehicle when the location of the vehicle when the ignition of the vehicle is turned off is within a second distance from a location of a predetermined facility; The third condition is a condition that a remote immobilizer is set in the vehicle when an ignition of the vehicle is in an off state during a set time period.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Vehicular security device and vehicular security system

    JP2007253818A