Door controller and door control program

Abstract

To inform a user of a result of locking / unlocking a vehicle door using an electronic key installed inside a vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle 1 has a signal line for signals (state information) indicating a door's locked state and a door's open / closed state. A vehicle signal line 36 electrically branched from the signal line, is connected to a control monitoring unit 30. The control monitoring unit 30 monitors and determines the door locked / unlocked state and the door open / closed state (door state) from the signal on the branched vehicle signal line, and notifies its determination result (locking successful, failed, etc.). By monitoring the door state and notifying its determination result, a user can be informed of the door state, such as the locking state, after operating a door. Since its determination result such as a state where the door is open and not locked is notified, the user can recognize the unlocked state and take actions such as closing the door and locking it again. As a result, safety can be ensured such as preventing theft.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a door control device and a door control program, and more particularly to a door control device that uses an electronic key to lock / unlock vehicle doors in a service in which multiple users share a vehicle, such as a car sharing service. [Background technology]

[0002] Electronic keys that automatically lock and unlock vehicle doors are widely used. Meanwhile, car sharing, where registered members share vehicles, is also becoming popular. In this car sharing system, since it is not possible for all registered users to have their own individual electronic keys, technology has been proposed that allows the vehicle doors to be locked / unlocked while the electronic key is left in the vehicle (Patent Documents 1 and 2). The technology described in Patent Document 1 proposes a technology in which user authentication is performed using a user terminal, and if the user is authenticated, the vehicle doors are locked / unlocked via a device connected to an in-vehicle network. Furthermore, the technology described in Patent Document 2 proposes a technology in which an electronic vehicle key is placed inside the vehicle and a button on the electronic key is pressed to lock / unlock the vehicle.

[0003] However, with conventional technologies, although the locking and unlocking of the vehicle can be controlled by operating an electronic key placed inside the vehicle, the user cannot know whether the vehicle has actually been locked / unlocked successfully. This is particularly problematic when it is not possible to know if the door has been locked. That is, even if a command to lock is given while the door is still open, the door is not actually locked because it is not closed, and the unlocked state cannot be confirmed by the user, nor by the operator or system providing the shared vehicle service. This increases the risk of theft if the vehicle door is left unlocked because it was left unclosed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-206813 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 7012178 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An object of the present invention is to know the result of locking / unlocking a vehicle door using an electronic key installed in the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention provides a door control device that is arranged inside a vehicle together with an electronic key equipped with a door opening / closing button that commands the opening and closing of a vehicle door, and is characterized by comprising: a signal acquisition means that acquires a state indicating signal output by the vehicle that indicates the door state; a door state acquisition means that acquires the door state of the vehicle from the acquired state indicating signal; and an alarm means that notifies the acquired door state. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The vehicle door status is obtained and reported from a status indicating signal output by the vehicle, which indicates the door status, so that the result of locking / unlocking the vehicle door using the electronic key installed in the vehicle can be known. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the functional configuration of an entire door control system including a door control device; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing programs and parameters stored in a storage unit. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a control monitor unit. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the door control device for opening / closing control and status monitoring processing. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the functional configuration of the entire door control system including the door control device according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of the door control device of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. (1) Overview of the embodiment In the door control device 10 of this embodiment, an electronic key 22, a key control unit 20 having an actuator 21 that presses the lock button and unlock button of the electronic key 22, and a control monitoring unit 30 are arranged inside a car sharing vehicle. When a command to press a button corresponding to locking / unlocking the door is issued, the control monitor unit 30 causes the actuator 21 to physically press a button on the electronic key 22, and the vehicle-side device 60 locks / unlocks the door.

[0010] The vehicle 1 has a signal line for signals (status information) indicating the locked and opened / closed states of the doors. This signal line is electrically branched to form a vehicle signal line 36, which is connected to the control monitoring unit 30. The control monitoring unit 30 monitors and determines the locked / unlocked state of the doors and the opened / closed state of the doors (hereinafter referred to as the door state) from the signals of the branched vehicle signal line 36, and notifies the user of the determination result (locking success, failure, etc.). The signals (state information) indicating the door lock state and the door open / close state function as state indicating signals. By monitoring the door status from the signal (status information) on the vehicle signal line and notifying the user of the determination result, the user can know the door status, such as the locked status, after operating the door. As the determination result indicates that the door is open and cannot be locked, for example, the user will recognize that the door is unlocked and can take action such as closing the door and locking it again, which will result in theft prevention and other safety improvements. In addition, by notifying the operator of the vehicle shared use service and the system (reservation server 80, etc.) about the door status, even if the user does not notice the unlocked state or notices it but forgets to take action such as relocking, the system can remotely control the door, notify the user that the door is unlocked, or have maintenance workers dispatched for emergency maintenance to lock the door, thereby further reducing the risk of theft.

[0011] The definitions of signals indicating door lock and door open / close (for example, which V signal indicates which state, how the signal is output, etc.) differ depending on the vehicle model. Specifically, there are vehicle models in which the signal is simply defined as a low signal (hereinafter referred to as L signal) when the door is locked and a high signal (hereinafter referred to as H signal) when the door is unlocked, and there are also vehicle models in which the signal levels (H, L) are reversed. There are also some vehicle models that output a pulsed H signal with a fixed duty for a fixed period of time when the door is locked, and an L signal when the door is unlocked. Therefore, the control monitoring unit 30 stores signals that define the door state, which differs depending on the vehicle model, as parameters for door state analysis, and by setting the vehicle model in advance, it is possible to determine the vehicle state from the signal (state information) of the branched vehicle signal line. In addition to, or instead of, determining the vehicle state from the signals (High, Low, Duty, etc.) on the vehicle signal line, the control monitoring unit 30 can also obtain the vehicle state from signals of CAN communication (communication using a standardized communication method between each controller).

[0012] (2) Details of the embodiment FIG. 1 shows the functional configuration of the entire door control system including a door control device 10 to which this embodiment is applied. The door control system of this embodiment is a system for a vehicle 1 that is a target of car sharing, in which a plurality of registered users share the vehicle 1. The door control system includes the door control device 10 of this embodiment, a vehicle-side device 60, an external device 50, a mobile terminal 70, and a reservation server 80. 1, of the components of the door control system, the door control device 10, the vehicle-side device 60, and the external device 50 are arranged inside the vehicle 1. That is, the door control device 10, the vehicle-side device 60, and the external device 50 are arranged inside each vehicle 1 that is a target of car sharing. The door control device 10 and the external device 50 are arranged inside or below the dashboard, in the glove box, under the passenger seat, etc., and the vehicle-side device 60 is arranged in a predetermined position as equipment provided in the vehicle 1. On the other hand, the mobile terminal 70 is used inside or outside the vehicle 1, and the reservation server 80 is located outside the vehicle 1.

[0013] The door control device 10 is equipped with a key control unit 20 and a control monitoring unit 30, and controls locking and unlocking by the vehicle-side device 60, monitors the door status by the vehicle-side device 60, and notifies the judgment result (locking success, failure, etc.). The key control unit 20 has an actuator 21 that physically presses the lock button and unlock button (not shown) of the electronic key 22, a fixing unit (not shown) that fixes the buttons of the electronic key 22 facing toward the actuator 21, and a container (not shown) that houses these fixing units and the actuator 21 inside. The control monitor unit 30 and the key control unit 20 of the door control device 10 may be housed in the same container, and their control systems may be formed on the same board.

[0014] The electronic key 22 is equipped with an unlock button to unlock the doors of the vehicle 1 and a lock button to lock them, and when either button is pressed, a lock signal or unlock signal corresponding to the pressed button is sent to the vehicle-side device 60. Additionally, the electronic key 22 transmits and receives various signals to and from the vehicle-side device 60, such as an authentication key for authentication processing, when a user in the vehicle 1 starts the engine.

[0015] The actuator 21 has a pressing mechanism that presses the unlock button and lock button at positions corresponding to the unlock button and lock button of the electronic key 22. The pressing mechanism is realized by a motor, a solenoid, or the like (not shown). The actuator 21 presses the unlock button or the lock button of the electronic key 22 in response to a button press instruction issued from the control monitor unit 30 .

[0016] The control monitor unit 30 includes a switching control unit 301, a state monitor unit 302, and a storage unit 40. The opening / closing control unit 301 receives a locking / unlocking instruction from the external device 50, and supplies an instruction to the actuator 21 to press the lock button or the unlock button according to the instruction. When the opening / closing control unit 301 supplies a button pressing instruction to the actuator 21, it notifies the state monitoring unit 302 that the instruction has been issued.

[0017] The status monitoring unit 302 monitors the signal from the vehicle signal line 36 branched off from and connected to the vehicle-side device 60, and determines the door status of the vehicle 1 by comparing it with parameters corresponding to the vehicle model of the vehicle 1 stored in the memory unit 40, and notifies (externally notifies) the external device 50 of the determination result, such as success or failure of locking / unlocking. The status monitoring unit 302 reduces power consumption by continuing monitoring for a predetermined time t seconds after receiving a notification that the button has been pressed from the opening / closing control unit 301. In this embodiment, since a retry process (S15, etc.) is performed a predetermined number n of times as will be described later, the predetermined time t seconds is set to 10 seconds, but it is also possible to set it to a longer or shorter time such as 30 seconds or 60 seconds, and it is also possible to make t seconds variable.

[0018] The memory unit 40 is a storage medium that stores programs for the control monitoring unit 30 to perform the opening and closing processes associated with the opening and closing of the doors and the door status monitoring processes, as well as status information as parameters for monitoring signals (status information) from the vehicle signal line 36 and determining the door status. The programs and parameters stored in the storage unit 40 will be described in detail later.

[0019] The vehicle-side device 60 is a device provided in the vehicle 1 in correspondence with the various functions of the electronic key 22 , and includes a communication unit 61 for communicating with the electronic key, a vehicle door control mechanism 62 , and a status display unit 63 . The electronic key communication unit 61 receives lock and unlock signals transmitted from the electronic key 22 and supplies them to a vehicle door control mechanism 62 .

[0020] The vehicle door control mechanism 62 is an operating mechanism that locks and unlocks the doors of the vehicle 1, and is equipped with a locking / unlocking actuator such as a motor or a solenoid. The vehicle door control mechanism 62 is connected to the status display unit 63 by a vehicle signal line, and supplies the result of operating the locking / unlocking actuator to the status display unit 63 as status information indicating door information (locked / unlocked state of the door, open / closed state of the door). The status display unit 63 displays the door status using a status icon 631 such as a door ajar warning light in accordance with the status information supplied from the vehicle door control mechanism 62. In FIG. 1, a door ajar warning light or the like is displayed as an example of the status icon 631. In this embodiment, the meter panel of the vehicle 1 is also used as the status display unit 63.

[0021] The external device 50 includes a processing function unit 51, which is connected to a mobile terminal 70 via short-range wireless communication and is connected to a reservation server 80 via a network such as the Internet. The external device 50 receives a key operation signal for the electronic key 22 from the mobile terminal 70, and also receives authentication information required for authentication processing. Based on the received authentication information, the external device 50 performs authentication processing as a prerequisite for accepting key operation by comparing the information with the reservation information for vehicle 1 registered in the reservation server 80 to determine whether the reservation for use of vehicle 1 has been completed, whether the operation is within the reserved time, whether the user is authenticated, etc., and accepts the key operation if all conditions are met. When the external device 50 is notified of the door state, that is, the determination result such as success or failure of locking / unlocking, from the state monitoring unit 302 of the control monitoring unit 30, the external device 50 transmits the determination result to the mobile terminal . In addition to the above method, the external device 50 may authenticate the mobile terminal 70 on the condition that communication using a common key encryption method has been established between the external device 50 and the mobile terminal 70.

[0022] It should be noted that all of the functions and processes of the external device 50 described above may be provided in the control monitor unit 30 of the door control device 10. In this case, the external device 50 is not installed inside the vehicle 1, and the control monitor unit 30 is connected to the mobile terminal 70 via short-range wireless communication, and is also connected to the reservation server 80 via a network such as the Internet.

[0023] The mobile terminal 70 is a portable terminal owned by a user who uses the vehicle 1 that is the subject of car sharing. In this embodiment, a smartphone is used as the mobile terminal 70, but other devices such as a mobile phone, a personal computer, a tablet computer, or a wearable computer can also be used. The mobile terminal 70 communicates with the external device 50 in the vehicle 1 by short-range wireless communication, and is also connectable to the reservation server 80 via various networks such as the Internet. The user of the mobile terminal 70 registers an account for car sharing in advance with the reservation server 80, and, if necessary, makes a reservation for use of the vehicle 1 from a reservation screen provided by the reservation server 80. After issuing an instruction to the external device 50 to lock or unlock the door, the mobile terminal 70 is notified by the external device 50 of the result of the determination as to whether the operation based on the instruction was successful or not, and the mobile terminal 70 displays the result on the screen. This allows the user of the mobile terminal 70 to know the door status.

[0024] The reservation server 80 stores information on all vehicles 1 that are eligible for car sharing, information on registered users, reservation information for each vehicle 1 by registered users, and the like. The reservation server 80 of this embodiment is configured to provide reservation information for each vehicle 1 in response to a request from the external device 50, but after a reservation operation from the mobile terminal 70 is completed, the reservation information may be transmitted to the external device 50 installed in the target vehicle 1 or to the external devices 50 of all vehicles 1. In this case, each external device 50 stores the reservation information in a storage means and performs authentication processing for the mobile terminal 70 based on the stored reservation information. Furthermore, the reservation server 80 provides the mobile terminal with various screens necessary for reservation processing, allowing the user to input necessary information (user ID, date and time of use, location, etc.) from the mobile terminal .

[0025] Next, the contents of the storage unit 40 included in the control monitor unit 30 will be described. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the programs and parameters stored in the storage unit 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the storage unit 40 stores a program 41, door state analysis parameters 42, and a corresponding PM (parameter) number 43. The program 41 stores an opening / closing control PG (program) 411 for opening / closing processing that opens and closes the door, and a status monitoring PG 412 for processing that monitors the door status based on the door opening / closing processing.

[0026] The door state analysis parameters 42 store parameters for monitoring the vehicle signal (state information) from the vehicle signal line 36 branched from the vehicle-side device 60 to determine the door state. As shown in FIG. 2(b), the door state analysis parameters 42 store a parameter set of locking signal voltage level information 422, locking signal timing information 423, door signal voltage level information 424, door signal timing information 425, and locking / unlocking success conditions 426, all managed by parameter number 421. The locking signal voltage level information 422 to the locking / unlocking success condition 426 may or may not be specified for each vehicle model.

[0027] The locking signal voltage level information 422 stores the voltage level of the locking signal that indicates the locked and unlocked states, which is defined for each vehicle model. For example, the information stored indicates that an H signal is output when the vehicle is locked and an L signal is output when the vehicle is unlocked. The locking signal timing information 423 specifies how a signal is to be output at the timing when a locking signal is output from the vehicle door control mechanism 62 to the status display unit 63 (see FIG. 1). For example, it specifies that a pulsed H signal is output with a certain duty for a certain period of time when the doors are locked, and that an L signal is output when the doors are unlocked. As another example, the locking signal timing information 423 specifies the period of the pulsed H signal when the doors are unlocked, the number of pulsed H signals to be output, etc.

[0028] The door signal voltage level information 424 stores the voltage levels of the door signal in the door open and door closed states, which are defined for each vehicle model. For example, the information stored indicates that an L signal is output when the door is open (including a half-open state), and an H signal is output when the door is closed. The door signal timing information 425 specifies how a signal is to be output at the timing when a door signal is output from the vehicle door control mechanism 62 to the status display unit 63 (see FIG. 1). For example, it specifies that an L signal is output when the door is open (including when the door is half-open), and a pulsed H signal is output for a fixed period of time with a fixed duty when the door is closed.

[0029] The locking / unlocking success condition 426 defines the voltage level at which it is determined that locking is successful / unsuccessful after a locking operation, and the voltage level at which it is determined that unlocking is successful / unsuccessful after an unlocking operation. Examples of the locking / unlocking success condition 426 include an L signal after a locking operation indicating successful locking, an H signal indicating unsuccessful locking, an L signal after an unlocking operation indicating unsuccessful unlocking, and an H signal indicating successful unlocking. As another example, the locking / unlocking success condition 426 is specified as follows: locking fails when an L signal is received after a locking operation; locking is successful when a pulsed H signal with a constant duty cycle is received; unlocking is successful when an L signal is received after an unlocking operation; unlocking fails when a pulsed H signal with a constant duty cycle is received; etc.

[0030] The relevant PM number 43 stores the parameter number of the set of door state analysis parameters 42 used in the vehicle 1. The parameter number of the corresponding PM number 43 is saved when the door control device 10 is installed in the vehicle 1, for example, after the vehicle 1 to be installed has been decided. The parameter number of this PM number 43 can be changed later in accordance with changes in the vehicle to be actually installed or the vehicle to be set. The parameter number stored in the corresponding PM number 43 is stored by an installer such as a company that owns the vehicle 1 for car sharing or a company that installs the door control device 10. In this way, the number of the parameter set used in vehicle 1 is stored in parameter number 43. For example, if vehicle X of company A and vehicle Y of company B operate using the same parameters, the same parameter number is stored.

[0031] Next, the configuration of the control monitor unit 30 will be described. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the control monitor unit 30, and external devices connected to the control monitor unit 30 are shown in dotted line frames. As shown in FIG. 3, the control monitor unit 30 includes a CPU 31, a ROM 32, a RAM 33, a communication control unit , an IF unit , and a storage unit . The CPU 31 is a central processing unit that executes the opening / closing control PG 411 and the status monitoring PG 412 stored in the memory unit 40 to perform opening / closing control processing for locking / unlocking the doors of the vehicle 1, and status monitoring processing for monitoring the door status due to the opening / closing control processing and notifying the results. The CPU 31 functions as the switching control unit 301 in FIG. 1 together with the communication control unit 34 by executing the switching control PG 411, and functions as the status monitoring unit 302 in FIG. 1 together with the communication control unit 34 by executing the status monitoring PG 412.

[0032] The ROM 32 is a read-only memory that stores basic programs and parameters for the CPU 31 to operate. The RAM 33 is a readable and writable memory that functions as a working memory when the CPU 31 executes various processes, and temporarily stores the number of retries and the like in the door monitoring process in this embodiment.

[0033] The communication control unit 34 transmits a button press instruction signal to the key control unit 20, and receives lock / unlock instructions from the external device 50 and notifies the external device 50 of the door status. The communication control unit 34 of this embodiment transmits and receives data to and from the key control unit 20 and the external device 50 via short-range wireless communication, but it is also possible to connect to either one or both of them via a wired connection.

[0034] The IF unit 35 is connected to the vehicle-side device 60 via a vehicle signal line 36. The vehicle signal line 36 is an electrically branched signal line provided in the vehicle-side device 60 of the vehicle 1 and connected to the IF unit 35. The IF unit 35 is an interface for inputting a signal (status information) supplied from the vehicle-side device 60 via the vehicle signal line 36.

[0035] As explained in FIG. 2, the storage unit 40 stores a program 41, door state analysis parameters 42, and a corresponding PM number 43. The storage medium used in the storage unit 40 is mainly a semiconductor storage medium such as an SSD (Solid State Drive), a memory chip, an IC card, and various other storage media such as a hard disk. In this embodiment, the program 41 and parameters 42 are stored in the storage unit 40, but it is also possible to store all or part of them in the ROM 32. When the above-mentioned corresponding PM number 43, which is one of the items stored in the storage unit 40, is stored in the ROM 32, a writable PROM (Programmable ROM) such as a flash memory is used.

[0036] Next, the operation of the door control system including the door control device 10 of the embodiment configured as above will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the door control device 10 for opening / closing control and status monitoring processing. The opening / closing control and status monitoring processes shown in FIG. 4 are executed by the CPU 31 in accordance with the opening / closing control PG 411 and status monitoring PG 412 stored in the memory unit 40, but here they will be described as the operations of the opening / closing control unit 301 and status monitoring unit 302 in accordance with FIG. 1, which shows the functional configuration.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 4, opening / closing control section 301 monitors whether or not a locking / unlocking instruction has been issued from external device 50 via short-range wireless communication (step 10). Here, the process of the external device 50 that issues the locking / unlocking instruction will be described. That is, the external device 50 receives the key operation and authentication information for the electronic key 22 from the mobile terminal 70. Based on the authentication information, the external device 50 determines that the reservation for use of the vehicle 1 has been completed, that the operation was performed within the reserved time, and that the user is authenticated, by comparing the information with the reservation information for the vehicle 1 registered in the reservation server 80. If all the conditions are met, the external device 50 issues a lock / unlock instruction corresponding to the key operation received from the mobile terminal 70 to the opening / closing control unit 301.

[0038] If no locking / unlocking instruction has been issued (step 10; N), opening / closing control section 301 continues monitoring. On the other hand, if a locking / unlocking instruction is given (step 10; Y), the opening / closing control unit 301 outputs a button pressing instruction for the locking button / unlocking button corresponding to the locking / unlocking instruction to the key control unit 20 (step 11).

[0039] Upon receiving the button pressing instruction, the key control unit 20 drives the actuator 21 to press the lock button / unlock button of the electronic key 22. As a result, the electronic key 22 transmits a lock signal / unlock signal to the vehicle-side device 60. When a locking / unlocking signal is received from the key control unit 20, the vehicle door control mechanism 62 of the vehicle-side device 60 locks / unlocks the door and outputs a signal (status information) indicating the locked status and open / closed status of the door, and a status icon 631 is displayed on the status display unit 63.

[0040] When the vehicle-side device 60 (vehicle door control mechanism 62) outputs status information, the status information is supplied to the status monitoring unit 302 via the branched vehicle signal line . The status monitoring unit 302 monitors the contents of the status information supplied via the vehicle signal line 36 (step 12) and determines whether the locking / unlocking operation corresponding to the button pressing instruction issued from the opening / closing control unit 301 was successful. That is, the status monitoring unit 302 reads out the parameter set (locking signal voltage level information 422 - locking / unlocking success conditions) corresponding to the parameter number stored in the corresponding PM number 32 in the memory unit 40, and compares it with the status information supplied from the vehicle signal line 36 to determine whether the locking / unlocking operation was successful (step 13).

[0041] For example, if the parameter number specified by the corresponding PM number 43 of vehicle 1 is "003," as shown in FIG. 2(b), the locking / unlocking success conditions 426 of the door state analysis parameters 42 are stipulated as follows: after a locking operation, an L signal indicates successful locking; an H signal indicates unsuccessful locking; after an unlocking operation, an L signal indicates unsuccessful unlocking; and an H signal indicates successful unlocking. In this case, the state monitoring unit 302 determines that the locking operation is successful if the state information (signal) from the vehicle signal line 36 is an L signal, and determines that the locking is unsuccessful if the state information is an H signal. Furthermore, with respect to an unlocking operation, the state monitoring unit 302 determines that the locking is unsuccessful if the state information is an L signal, and determines that the unlocking is successful if the state information is an H signal. Furthermore, if the locking signal voltage level information 422 specifies an H signal for the locked state and an L signal for the unlocked state as the parameter for parameter number XYZ stored in the corresponding PM number 43, the status monitoring unit 302 determines that the locking was successful if the status information for the locking operation is an H signal, and that the unlocking was unsuccessful if the status information for the unlocking operation is an L signal.

[0042] If the state monitoring unit 302 determines that the locking / unlocking operation has been successful (step 13; Y), it notifies the external device 50 of the success of the determination result (step 14), and ends the process. When the external device 50 is notified by the status monitoring unit 302 of the determination result of whether the locking / unlocking was successful, the external device 50 transmits the determination result to the mobile terminal 70, and the result (success) of the locking / unlocking process is displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal 70. This allows the car sharing user of the vehicle 1 (user of the mobile terminal 70) to confirm that the locking / unlocking operation performed on the mobile terminal 70 was successful.

[0043] In this embodiment, the external device 50 notifies the portable terminal 70 of the determination result via short-range wireless communication. That is, the external device 50 transmits a predefined success or failure signal to the mobile terminal 70 via short-range wireless communication, and the mobile terminal 70 displays on the screen whether the locking or unlocking was successful or failed in response to the received success or failure signal. The external device 50 may notify the determination result by any of various other known methods. For example, the external device 50 may include the email address of the mobile terminal 70 in the authentication information received when authenticating the mobile terminal 70, and the external device 50 may notify the determination result by sending it to the mobile terminal 70 using this email address.

[0044] On the other hand, if it is determined in step 13 that the locking / unlocking operation has failed (step 13; N), the status monitoring unit 302 reads the number of retries from the RAM 33 and determines whether the number of retries is equal to n (step 15). In this embodiment, the maximum number of retries n is specified as n=2 in the status monitoring PG 412, but the number of retries n may be stored in the storage unit 40. The number of retries n may also be set to another number, for example, 1, 3, 5, etc., and the value of the number of retries n may be changeable when stored in the storage unit 40.

[0045] When the number of retries < n (step 15; N), the state monitoring unit 302 increments the number of retries in the RAM 33 by 1 for counting up (step 17), and returns to step 11. As a result, the locking control process based on the button press instruction (step 11) of the opening / closing control unit 301 is executed again.

[0046] When multiple retries are repeated and the number of retries stored in the RAM 33 reaches n (step 15; Y), the state monitoring unit 302 finally determines that the locking / unlocking operation has failed, notifies the external device 50 of the determination result of failure (step 16), and ends the process.

[0047] When the external device 50 is notified of the determination result of locking / unlocking failure from the state monitoring unit 302, it transmits the determination result to the mobile terminal 70, so that the result (failure) of the locking / unlocking process is displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal 70. Note that the method of notifying the result (failure) of the locking / unlocking process to the mobile terminal 70 by the external device 50 is the same as in the case of success. Thereby, the user (user of the mobile terminal 70) using the car sharing of the vehicle 1 can confirm that the locking / unlocking operation performed on the mobile terminal 70 has been successful. In particular, in the case of a locking failure, since the door state may have been open including the half-door state and thus the locking could not be performed, the user can return to the vehicle 1 and check the door state, etc. Thereby, the possibility that the vehicle 1 may be stolen or the like while remaining in the unlocked state can be reduced.

[0048] Also, as other cases where the locking / unlocking fails, it is conceivable that the position of the electronic key 22 is displaced and the actuator 21 cannot normally press the locking / unlocking button of the electronic key 22, or the electronic key 22 does not operate due to battery depletion. In this way, in the event of a locking / unlocking failure due to a cause on the door control device 10 side, the external device 50 notifies the result (failure) of the locking / unlocking process not only to the mobile terminal 70 but also to the system side such as the reservation server 80 and the operator providing the shared vehicle use service, thereby allowing maintenance workers or the like to be dispatched to the vehicle 1 to perform maintenance, thereby further reducing the risk of theft.

[0049] Next, a second embodiment of the door control device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment described in FIG. 1, the status information indicating the locking status, etc. output to the status display unit 63 of the vehicle 1 is taken in from the branched vehicle signal line 36 and compared with the door status analysis parameters 42 to determine whether the locking or unlocking command was successful or unsuccessful, and the mobile terminal 70 (user) is notified via the external device 50. In contrast to this, in the second embodiment, an image of a status icon 631 that indicates the status of the door, such as a door ajar warning light, is captured on the status display unit 63 based on the status information, and the captured image is compared with the icon image stored in the parameters to determine whether locking or unlocking was successful or unsuccessful, and a notification is sent to an external device 50 or the like.

[0050] FIG. 5 shows the functional configuration of the entire door control system including the door control device according to the second embodiment. In the door control system of the second embodiment, the same parts as those of the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. The vehicle signal line 36, which branches off the signal line for status information supplied from the vehicle door control mechanism 62 to the status display unit 63 and connects to the status monitoring unit 302 (IF unit 35 in Figure 3), does not exist in the second embodiment. Instead, an imaging device 90 for photographing the status display unit 63 to monitor the door status is disposed facing the status display unit 63. Since the status display unit 63 is disposed on the meter panel of the vehicle 1, the imaging device 90 of this embodiment is disposed in a position where it can photograph the status display unit 63, such as above the driver's seat side door, the rearview mirror, the ceiling, or above the steering column.

[0051] When the opening / closing control unit 301 issues a button pressing instruction to the key control unit 20, it also notifies the imaging device 90 that the button pressing instruction has been issued. Imaging device 90 continues capturing images from the time when opening / closing control unit 301 issues a button press instruction to key control unit 20 until status monitoring unit 302 issues a success / failure determination result. To this end, imaging device 90 is supplied with a signal indicating that a button press instruction has been issued from opening / closing control unit 301 and a signal indicating that a determination result has been issued from status monitoring unit 302. In practice, these signals are supplied to imaging device 90 by CPU 31 via IF unit 35.

[0052] In the storage unit 40 of this embodiment, icon information and icon display position information are stored as door state analysis parameters 42, similarly to the first embodiment. The icon information includes an icon image for recognizing the status icon 631 displayed on the status display unit 63, and judgment information for determining whether locking / unlocking is successful or unsuccessful based on each icon image. The icon information is defined and saved for each vehicle model, as in the first embodiment. For example, the icon information stores an icon image of a door ajar warning light, which is the status icon 631 shown in FIG. 5, and determination information indicating that locking has failed when this icon image is displayed during a locking operation. As another example, the icon information stores a security lamp icon that indicates whether the vehicle is locked with a key or whether the anti-theft device is activated, and judgment information that indicates locking failure when this lamp is lit during a locking operation.

[0053] Just as the icon display position information differs for each vehicle model, the display position of the status icon 631 corresponding to the icon image in the status display section 63 also differs for each vehicle model. Therefore, the display position (area) of the status icon 631 corresponding to the icon image displayed on the status display section 63 is saved as the icon display position information.

[0054] The opening / closing control and state monitoring process according to the second embodiment are the same as those in FIG. However, with regard to step 12 for monitoring the door status and steps 13 and 15 for determining whether the operation was successful or unsuccessful, the status monitoring unit 302 recognizes an icon image from the image supplied from the imaging device 90 at a position (area) corresponding to the icon display position information specified for the vehicle model of the vehicle 1, and determines whether the locking / unlocking was successful or unsuccessful from the recognized icon image. The notification of the result (success / failure) of the locking / unlocking process by the state monitoring unit 302 (steps 14 and 16) is the same as in the first embodiment. The same is true for the retry process (steps 15 and 17).

[0055] In the above, in the door control system including the door control device 10 of the second embodiment, the case where the success or failure of locking / unlocking is determined from the image captured by the imaging device 90 and parameters has been described. In contrast to this, instead of or in addition to taking a photograph using the imaging device 90, the success or failure of locking / unlocking may be determined using at least one of the sound when the door closes, the appearance (appearance) of the door key, and the open / closed state of the window. In this case, when determining based on the sound of the door closing, the door control device 10 is provided with a microphone for picking up the sound, and the level of the sound when the door closes, etc. is stored as a parameter. In addition, with regard to the appearance (appearance) of the door key, an imaging device is arranged, and images of the door key in the open state, images of the door key in the closed state, and position information of the door key, etc. are saved as parameters.

[0056] Regarding information on whether a window is open or closed, an imaging device is provided, but no particular parameters are used, and whether the window is open or closed is determined based on whether the upper edge of the window is visible within the window frame in the image. Furthermore, by determining whether the window is open or not, it is possible to prevent theft through an open window even if the door has been successfully locked.

[0057] The above describes various embodiments and modifications of the door control device 10 of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the described contents, and various modifications can be made within the scope described in each claim. For example, in the embodiment described above, the state monitoring unit 302 notifies the external device 50 of the determination results in steps 14 and 16 . In response to this, the control monitor unit 30 may notify the mobile terminal 70. In the case where the external device 50 is not provided and the control monitor unit 30 realizes the functions of the external device 50 as described above, the status monitor unit 302 notifies the mobile terminal 70. Furthermore, an external device 50 may be provided in the same manner as in the embodiment described above, and the state monitoring unit 302 may notify both the external device 50 and the mobile terminal 70 .

[0058] Furthermore, it is also possible to provide an external device 50 as in the embodiment described above, and have the status monitoring unit 302 notify only the mobile terminal 70 . In this case, the external device 50 performs authentication processing on the mobile terminal 70 and issues a locking / unlocking instruction to the opening / closing control unit 301, but the locking / unlocking determination result by the status monitoring unit 302 is notified to the mobile terminal 70, not the external device 50.

[0059] When the status monitoring unit 302 notifies the mobile terminal 70 of the result, the control monitoring unit 30 acquires the email address of the mobile terminal 70 via the external device 50 (or, if there is no external device 50, via the control monitoring unit 30 that realizes the function of the external device 50), temporarily stores it in the RAM 33, and notifies the email address of the lock / unlock determination result. The email address of the mobile terminal 70 is acquired from the authentication information when authenticating the mobile terminal 70. The mobile terminal 70 may be notified of the determination result from the external device 50 or from the reservation server 80 that has received the determination result from the external device 50 using a push notification function of the app.

[0060] The door control device 10 in the embodiment described above includes the key control unit 20, but the door control device 10 may also include the control monitoring unit 30. In this case, the key control unit 20 is disposed inside the vehicle 1 as an external device of the door control device 10, but the configurations, connections between components, signal transmission and reception, etc. are the same as those in the embodiment described above.

[0061] In the embodiment and the modified example, the case has been described where the external device 50 transmits the determination result of success / failure to the mobile terminal 70 when the status monitoring unit 302 notifies the external device 50 of the determination result. In response to this, the external device 50 may transmit the determination result not only to the mobile terminal 70 but also to the reservation server 80.

[0062] As described above, the door control device 10 of this embodiment notifies the user of the success or failure of locking / unlocking the door, allowing the user to know if the locking has failed, thereby ensuring safety by preventing theft, etc.

[0063] From the above-described embodiments and modifications, the door control device can be configured as follows. (Configuration 1) A door control device disposed in a vehicle together with an electronic key having a door opening / closing button for instructing the opening and closing of a vehicle door, a signal acquiring means for acquiring a state indicating signal outputted by the vehicle and indicating a door state; a door state acquiring means for acquiring a door state of the vehicle from the acquired state indicating signal; a notification means for notifying the acquired door state; A door control device comprising: (Configuration 2) An electronic key placement means for placing the electronic key in the vehicle; a button operating means for operating the door lock button and the door unlock button of the electronic key; a push instruction means for instructing the button operation means to push a lock button or an unlock button; 2. The door control device according to claim 1, comprising: (Configuration 3) The door state acquisition means acquires at least one of a result of locking / unlocking the door and an open / closed state of the door as the door state. 3. The door control device according to configuration 1 or 2. (Configuration 4) The signal acquisition means acquires the state indicating signal from a signal line indicating locking and unlocking of a door in the vehicle and a signal line indicating opening and closing of a door. 4. The door control device according to claim 1, 2, or 3, (Configuration 5) A status information storage means for storing status information indicating the locked state, unlocked state, and open / closed state of the doors, which is output for each vehicle model; a vehicle type acquisition means for acquiring a vehicle type; The door status acquisition means acquires the door status of the vehicle from the status information for the vehicle type acquired by the vehicle type acquisition means and the status indicating signal acquired by the signal acquisition means. 5. The door control device according to configuration 4. (Configuration 6) The vehicle includes an imaging means for capturing an image of the door state displayed on a display device of the vehicle, the signal acquisition means acquires an image captured by the imaging means as the state indicating signal. 2. The door control device according to configuration 1, (Configuration 7) A door control program for implementing a door control device disposed in a vehicle together with an electronic key having a door opening / closing button for instructing the opening and closing of a vehicle door, by a computer, comprising: a signal acquisition function for acquiring a state indicating signal output by the vehicle, the state indicating signal indicating a door state; a door state acquisition function for acquiring a door state of the vehicle from the acquired state indicating signal; a notification function for notifying the acquired door state; A door control program comprising: [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1 vehicle 10 Door control device 20 Key control section 21 Actuator 22 Electronic Key 30 Control and monitoring unit 301 Opening and closing control section 302 Status Monitoring Unit 34 Communication control section 35 IF Section 36 Vehicle signal line 40 Storage section 41 Programs 411 Opening and closing control PG 412 Condition Monitoring PG 42 Door status analysis parameters 421 Applicable PM number 422 Lock signal voltage level information 423 Locking signal timing information 424 Door signal voltage level information 425 Door Signal Timing Information 426 Locking / Unlocking Success Conditions 50 External device 60 Vehicle side device 61 Communications Department 62 Vehicle door control mechanism 63 Status display section 631 Status Icon 70 Mobile Devices 80 Reservation Server 90 Imaging Device

Claims

1. A door control device that is disposed in a vehicle together with an electronic key having a door opening / closing button that commands the opening and closing of a vehicle door, a signal acquiring means for acquiring a state indicating signal outputted by the vehicle and indicating a door state; a door state acquiring means for acquiring a door state of the vehicle from the acquired state indicating signal; a notification means for notifying the acquired door state; A door control device comprising:

2. an electronic key placement means for placing the electronic key in the vehicle; a button operating means for operating the door lock button and the door unlock button of the electronic key; a push instruction means for instructing the button operation means to push a lock button or an unlock button; 2. The door control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. The door state acquisition means acquires at least one of a result of locking / unlocking the door and an open / closed state of the door as the door state. The door control device according to claim 1 .

4. the signal acquiring means acquires the state indicating signals from a signal line indicating locking and unlocking of doors in the vehicle and a signal line indicating opening and closing of doors; The door control device according to claim 1 .

5. a state information storage means for storing state information indicating the locked state, unlocked state, and open / closed state of the doors, which is output for each vehicle model; a vehicle type acquisition means for acquiring a vehicle type; The door status acquisition means acquires the door status of the vehicle from the status information for the vehicle type acquired by the vehicle type acquisition means and the status indicating signal acquired by the signal acquisition means.

5. The door control device according to claim 4.

6. an imaging means for capturing an image of the door state displayed on a display device provided in the vehicle; the signal acquisition means acquires an image captured by the imaging means as the state indicating signal. The door control device according to claim 1 .

7. A door control program for implementing, on a computer, a door control device disposed in a vehicle together with an electronic key having a door opening / closing button for instructing the opening and closing of a vehicle door, comprising: a signal acquisition function for acquiring a state indicating signal output by the vehicle, the state indicating signal indicating a door state; a door state acquisition function for acquiring a door state of the vehicle from the acquired state indicating signal; a notification function for notifying the acquired door state; A door control program comprising:

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