Smart key system

Abstract

Reduce the time lag between pressing the start switch and the power source starting up. [Solution] In the smart key system (1), a vehicle-side communication device (12) installed in the vehicle (2) and a smart key (11) that can be carried by the driver (3) are wirelessly connected. The smart key system is provided with a main switch (13) that accepts activation of the vehicle-side communication device, a start switch (14) that accepts activation of the vehicle's engine (16), and a controller (15) that authenticates the response signal from the smart key. When the main switch is turned ON, the authentication process is started, and after the initial authentication is performed, authentication is performed periodically. If the start switch is turned ON within a certain period after successful authentication, the engine is started, and if the start switch remains OFF after a certain period has elapsed since successful authentication, the successful authentication state is reset.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a vehicle equipped with a smart key system that starts an engine without inserting a mechanical key (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the smart key system described in Patent Document 1, radio waves are radiated from an antenna of a vehicle-side communication device, and when a driver having a smart key operates a request switch provided on the vehicle (the start switch and the main switch in Patent Document 1 correspond), communication is started between the vehicle-side communication device and the smart key. Then, an ID is sent from the smart key to the vehicle-side communication device, and the vehicle-specific ID and the smart key ID are collated by a control device to release various locks.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, if the vehicle is left unattended with the main switch ON after smart authentication, there is a risk of the vehicle being stolen. For this reason, in the smart key systems of some saddle-riding type vehicles, a specification is also adopted in which smart authentication is performed by pressing a start switch so that a power source such as an engine or a motor does not start unless a smart key is held. However, since smart authentication takes time, there is a time lag from when the start switch is pressed until the power source starts in models adopting the above specification.

[0005] This invention has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide a smart key system that can reduce the time lag between pressing the start switch and starting the power source. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A smart key system according to one aspect of the present invention is a smart key system comprising a vehicle-side communication device installed in a vehicle and a smart key that can be carried by the driver, wherein the vehicle-side communication device and the smart key are wirelessly connected, and the smart key system comprises a main switch that accepts activation of the vehicle-side communication device, a start switch that accepts activation of the vehicle's engine, and a controller that authenticates a response signal from the smart key, wherein when the main switch is turned ON, the controller starts an authentication process, authentication is performed periodically after the initial authentication, if the start switch is turned ON within a certain period after successful authentication, the controller starts the engine, and if the start switch remains OFF after a certain period has elapsed since successful authentication, the controller resets the successful authentication state, thereby solving the above problem. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one embodiment of the smart key system of the present invention, authentication is completed before the start switch is turned ON, so the engine starts at the moment the start switch is turned ON. The time lag between turning the start switch ON and the engine starting is minimized. Even if the driver leaves the vehicle after the main switch is turned ON, the authentication success status is reset after a certain period of time, so even if a third party presses the start switch, the engine will not start and the vehicle will not be stolen. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a conceptual diagram of the smart key system in this embodiment. [Figure 2]This is a time chart for smart authentication in a comparative example. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram of the smart key system in this embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a timeline of smart authentication in this embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a timeline of smart authentication in this embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart of the smart authentication process in this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle-side communication device is installed in the vehicle, a smart key is held by the driver, and the vehicle-side communication device and the smart key are wirelessly connected. The main switch accepts activation of the vehicle-side communication device, and the start switch accepts engine start. The controller authenticates the response signal from the smart key. When the main switch is turned ON, the controller starts the authentication process, and after the initial authentication, authentication is performed periodically. If the start switch is turned ON within a certain period after successful authentication, the controller starts the engine. If the start switch remains OFF after a certain period has elapsed since successful authentication, the controller resets the authentication success status. Since authentication is completed before the start switch is turned ON, the engine starts when the start switch is turned ON. The time lag between turning the start switch ON and the engine starting is minimized. Even if the driver leaves the vehicle after the main switch is turned ON, the authentication success status is reset after a certain period, so even if a third party presses the start switch, the engine will not start and the vehicle will not be stolen. [Examples]

[0010] The smart key system of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram of the smart key system of this embodiment. Figure 2 is a time chart of smart authentication for a comparative example.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, in the smart key system 1, smart authentication is performed via wireless communication between the saddle-type vehicle 2 and the smart key 11 held by the driver 3. In this case, the driver first presses a request switch (not shown) provided on the vehicle, causing a weak radio wave to be emitted from the vehicle-side communication device 12 (see Figure 3) to search for the smart key 11. When the driver 3, who is holding the smart key 11, is near the saddle-type vehicle 2, a response signal is sent from the smart key 11 to the vehicle-side communication device 12. The saddle-type vehicle 2 has a unique ID registered, and the ID of the saddle-type vehicle 2 is compared with the ID included in the response signal. If authentication is successful, the engine 16 (see Figure 3) can be started, etc. Note that the operation of the vehicle-side communication device 12 does not require the operation of the request switch; the response signal may be sent from the smart key 11 to the vehicle-side communication device 12 simply by the driver 3, who is holding the smart key 11, approaching the saddle-type vehicle 2.

[0012] Incidentally, in typical smart key systems, if smart authentication is performed when the main switch is turned ON, there is a risk of theft if the driver temporarily leaves the saddle-type vehicle after successful authentication. For this reason, it is desirable that smart authentication be performed not when the main switch is turned ON, but after the main switch is turned ON, and then when the start switch is turned ON. However, as shown in Figure 2, the engine does not start during the period from when the start switch is turned ON until smart authentication is completed, and the time required for this authentication process becomes a time lag before the engine starts.

[0013] Therefore, in the smart key system 1 of this embodiment, smart authentication is performed when the main switch is turned ON, while the successful smart authentication state is reset if a certain period of time elapses after successful authentication without the start switch being turned ON. Since smart authentication is completed before the start switch is turned ON, the engine starts immediately after the start switch is turned ON, minimizing the time lag. Furthermore, even if the driver temporarily leaves the saddle-type vehicle after successful authentication, the successful authentication state is reset after a certain period of time, preventing theft of the saddle-type vehicle by a third party.

[0014] The details of the smart key system will be described below with reference to Figures 3 to 5. Figure 3 is a block diagram of the smart key system in this embodiment. Figures 4 and 5 are time charts of smart authentication in this embodiment.

[0015] As shown in Figure 3, in the smart key system 1, driver 3 (see Figure 1) possesses the smart key 11, and the saddle-type vehicle 2 is equipped with a vehicle-side communication device 12, a main switch 13, a start switch 14, and a controller 15. The smart key 11 has a built-in transceiver, which receives radio waves from the vehicle-side communication device 12 and sends back a response signal including an ID. The vehicle-side communication device 12 also has a built-in transceiver, which transmits radio waves to the smart key 11 and receives the response signal. In this way, the smart key 11 and the vehicle-side communication device 12 are wirelessly connected.

[0016] The main switch 13 is accepting the startup of the vehicle-side communication device 12. When the main switch 13 is turned ON by the driver 3, power is supplied from the battery (not shown) to each part of the vehicle, radio waves are radiated from the vehicle-side communication device 12, and wireless communication is started with the smart key 11. The start switch 14 is accepting the startup of the engine 16. When the start switch 14 is turned ON by the driver 3, an operation signal is sent from the controller 15 to the starter motor (not shown), and the crankshaft (not shown) is rotated by the starter motor to start the engine 16.

[0017] The controller 15 is authenticating the response signal from the smart key 11. In this case, when the main switch 13 is turned ON, wireless communication is started between the vehicle-side communication device 12 and the smart key 11, and the response signal of the smart key 11 is acquired by the controller 15 via the vehicle-side communication device 12. Then, the ID of the saddle-type vehicle 2 is compared with the ID included in the response signal of the smart key 11. If the ID of the saddle-type vehicle 2 and the ID of the smart key 11 match, it is determined that the authentication is successful. If the ID of the saddle-type vehicle 2 and the ID of the smart key 11 do not match, it is determined that the authentication fails.

[0018] Note that in the controller 15, when the main switch 13 is turned ON, the authentication process is started, and authentication is periodically performed after the first authentication. When the start switch 14 is turned ON within a certain period after successful authentication, the engine 16 is started by the controller 15. If the start switch 14 is OFF even after a certain period has elapsed after successful authentication, the successful authentication state is reset by the controller 15. Furthermore, when the start switch 14 is turned ON after authentication fails, re-authentication is immediately performed without waiting for periodic authentication, and the engine 16 is started by the controller 15 after successful authentication.

[0019] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4(A), when the main switch 13 is turned ON at time t1, the smart authentication is started by the controller 15. When the initial authentication is successful in the controller 15, the status of the successful state is maintained at time t2 after the initial authentication. At this time, the controller 15 incorporates a timer (not shown), and the elapsed time from time t2 at the time of successful authentication is measured by the timer. When the start switch 14 is pressed at time t3 before a certain period (status valid period) Δt1 elapses, an operation signal is immediately output from the controller 15 to the starter motor, and the engine 16 is started without a time lag. In this embodiment, the certain period Δt1 is set to the period from the completion of the first smart authentication to the completion of the second smart authentication (about 10 seconds in the system of the embodiment).

[0020] As shown in FIG. 4(B), when the main switch 13 is turned ON at time t1 and the initial authentication is successful in the controller 15, the status of the successful state is maintained at time t2 after the initial authentication. The elapsed time from time t2 at the time of successful authentication is measured by the timer. When the driver 3 leaves the saddle-type vehicle 2 before a certain period Δt1 elapses, the communication between the smart key 11 and the vehicle-side communication device 12 is lost, and the smart authentication fails at time t4 (= time t2 + Δt1) when a certain period Δt1 has elapsed from time t2. Therefore, the status of the successful state is reset by the controller 15. Thereby, the engine 16 is not started by a third party, and vehicle theft is prevented.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 5(A), when the main switch 13 is turned ON at time t1 and the initial authentication is successful in the controller 15, the status of the successful state is maintained at time t2 after the initial authentication. When the subsequent periodic authentication fails, the status of the successful state is reset at time t5 after the periodic authentication. The elapsed time from time t5 at the time of authentication failure is measured by the timer. When the start switch 14 is pressed at time t6 when the status is not in the successful state until a certain period (status valid period) Δt2 elapses from the authentication failure, re-authentication is performed by the controller 15.

[0022] Then, if re-authentication is successful with controller 15, at time t7 after re-authentication, controller 15 outputs an activation signal to the starter motor and the engine 16 is started. As a result, even if smart authentication fails, for example, because the driver 3 has left the saddle-type vehicle 2, the start switch 14 is turned ON before a certain period Δt2 has elapsed, and re-authentication is performed without waiting for periodic authentication. Therefore, even if authentication fails, the engine 16 can be started with minimal time lag. Periodic authentication by controller 15 resumes after a certain period Δt2 has elapsed since the authentication failure.

[0023] Specifically, as shown in Figure 5(B), when the main switch 13 is turned ON at time t1 and the controller 15 successfully performs the initial authentication, the success status is maintained at time t2 after the initial authentication. If subsequent periodic authentication fails, the success status is reset at time t5 after the periodic authentication (up to this point, it is the same as in Figure 5(A)). Subsequently, the controller 15 performs re-authentication so that it is completed at time t8, after a certain period (status validity period) Δt2 has elapsed from time t5. If the controller 15 successfully performs re-authentication, the success status is maintained at time t8 after the re-authentication. At this time, the elapsed time from time t8 when authentication was successful is measured by a timer built into the controller 15. When the start switch 14 is pressed at time t9, before the certain period Δt1 has elapsed, the controller 15 immediately outputs an operation signal to the starter motor, and the engine 16 is started without any time lag. In this embodiment, the certain period Δt2 is set to the period from the completion of the first smart authentication to the completion of the second smart authentication, similar to the certain period Δt1. Note that the lengths of the fixed period Δt1 and the fixed period Δt2 may be set to be different as appropriate.

[0024] The processing of each part of the smart key system 1 may be implemented by software using a processor, or by logic circuits (hardware) formed on an integrated circuit, etc. When a processor is used, various processes are performed by the processor reading and executing a program stored in memory. For example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) is used as the processor. The memory is composed of one or more storage media such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory), depending on the application.

[0025] Next, we will explain the authentication process flow of smart authentication. Figure 6 is a flowchart of smart authentication in this embodiment.

[0026] As shown in Figure 6, when the main switch 13 is turned ON (step S01), wireless communication is initiated between the smart key 11 and the vehicle-side communication device 12, and smart authentication is performed by the controller 15 (step S02). If smart authentication is successful (Yes in step S02), the success status is maintained and timing is started by the timer (step S03). If the start switch 14 remains OFF until a certain period Δt1 has elapsed (Yes in step S04, No in step S05), the success status is reset by the controller 15 and the next authentication is performed (step S06).

[0027] If the start switch 14 is turned ON before a certain period Δt1 has elapsed (No in step S04, Yes in step S05), the controller 15 starts the engine 16 (step S07). On the other hand, if smart authentication fails (No in step S02), the timer starts counting (step S08). If the start switch 14 remains OFF until a certain period Δt2 has elapsed (Yes in step S09, No in step S10), the controller 15 performs the next authentication.

[0028] If the start switch 14 is turned ON before a certain period Δt2 has elapsed (No in step S09, Yes in step S10), wireless communication is initiated between the smart key 11 and the vehicle-side communication device 12, and smart authentication is performed by the controller 15 (step S11). If smart authentication fails (No in step S11), it is monitored whether the start switch 14 was turned ON during a certain period Δt2 (steps S09, S10). If smart authentication is successful (Yes in step S11), the engine 16 is started by the controller 15 (step S07).

[0029] As described above, with the smart key system 1 of this embodiment, authentication is completed before the start switch 14 is turned ON, so the engine 16 starts at the moment the start switch 14 is turned ON. The time lag between turning the start switch 14 ON and the engine 16 starting is minimized. Even if the driver 3 leaves the saddle-type vehicle 2 after the main switch 13 is turned ON, the authentication success status is reset after a certain period of time, so even if a third party turns the start switch 14 ON, the engine 16 will not start and the saddle-type vehicle 2 will not be stolen.

[0030] In this embodiment, an engine is used as an example of a prime mover, but any prime mover that converts energy into power will suffice; for example, a motor may also be used.

[0031] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the controller is provided separately from the vehicle-side communication device, but the controller may also be provided integrally with the vehicle-side communication device.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if smart authentication fails, periodic authentication is performed again after a certain period (status validity period) has elapsed. Alternatively, as a modification, if smart authentication fails, periodic authentication may be performed a predetermined number of times before being stopped. As yet another modification, if smart authentication fails, authentication may remain stopped until the start switch is turned ON.

[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, authentication processing and engine start control are performed by a single controller, but authentication processing and engine start processing may be performed by different controllers.

[0034] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an authentication function for the smart key system may be added by installing a program on the saddle-type vehicle. This program is stored in a storage medium. The storage medium is not particularly limited, but may be a non-transient storage medium such as an optical disc, magneto-optical disc, or flash memory.

[0035] Furthermore, the smart key system of this embodiment may be applied not only to the saddle-type vehicle described above, but also to other vehicles such as four-wheeled vehicles. It should be noted that the term "saddle-type vehicle" is not limited to all vehicles in which the driver sits straddling a seat, but also includes scooter-type vehicles in which the driver does not straddle a seat.

[0036] As described above, the first embodiment is a smart key system (1) that includes a vehicle-side communication device (12) installed in a vehicle (saddle-type vehicle 2) and a smart key (11) that can be carried by the driver (3), and the vehicle-side communication device and the smart key are wirelessly connected, and the smart key system (1) includes a main switch (13) that accepts activation of the vehicle-side communication device, a start switch (14) that accepts activation of the vehicle's engine (engine 16), and a controller (15) that authenticates the response signal from the smart key, and when the main switch is turned ON, the controller starts the authentication process, and after the initial authentication is performed, authentication is performed periodically, and if the start switch is turned ON within a certain period after successful authentication, the controller starts the engine, and if the start switch remains OFF after a certain period has elapsed after successful authentication, the controller resets the successful authentication state. With this configuration, since authentication is completed before the start switch is turned ON, the engine starts at the moment the start switch is turned ON. The time lag between turning the start switch ON and the engine starting is minimized. Even if the driver leaves the vehicle after the main switch is turned ON, the authentication success status is reset after a certain period of time. Therefore, even if a third party presses the start switch, the engine will not start, and the vehicle will not be stolen.

[0037] In the second embodiment, if the start switch is turned ON after authentication failure in the first embodiment, re-authentication is performed immediately without waiting for periodic authentication, and the engine is started by the controller after successful authentication. With this configuration, even if smart authentication fails because the driver has temporarily left the vehicle, re-authentication is performed by turning the start switch ON without waiting for periodic authentication when the driver approaches the vehicle again. Therefore, the engine can be started with minimal time lag. Furthermore, by minimizing the time lag from turning the start switch ON, the vehicle's unresponsive period is shortened, and control is implemented in accordance with the driver's intentions.

[0038] Although this embodiment has been described, other embodiments may include combinations of the above embodiment and its modifications, either entirely or partially.

[0039] Furthermore, the technology of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and may be modified, substituted, or transformed in various ways without departing from the spirit of the technical idea. Moreover, if the technical idea can be realized in a different way by advances in the technology or by other derived technologies, it may be implemented by that method. Accordingly, the claims cover all embodiments that may fall within the scope of the technical idea. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1: Smart Key System 2: Saddle-type vehicle 3: Driver 11: Smart Key 12: Vehicle-side communication device 13: Main switch 14: Start switch 15: Controller 16: Engine (prime mover)

Claims

1. A smart key system comprising a vehicle-side communication device installed in the vehicle and a smart key that can be carried by the driver, wherein the vehicle-side communication device and the smart key are wirelessly connected, A main switch that accepts activation of the vehicle-side communication device, A start switch that accepts the start of the engine of the aforementioned vehicle, The system includes a controller that authenticates the response signal from the smart key, When the main switch is turned ON, the controller starts the authentication process, and after the initial authentication is performed, periodic authentication is performed. A smart key system characterized in that, if the start switch is turned ON within a certain period after successful authentication, the controller starts the prime mover, and if the start switch remains OFF after a certain period has elapsed since successful authentication, the controller resets the successful authentication state.

2. The smart key system according to claim 1, characterized in that if the start switch is turned ON after authentication failure, re-authentication is performed immediately without waiting for periodic authentication, and the motor is started by the controller after successful authentication.

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