Location estimation system and location estimation method

Abstract

To provide a position estimation system capable of suppressing interference between a millimeter wave radar and a communication device, and to provide a vehicular communication device.SOLUTION: A position estimation system includes a plurality of communication devices capable of executing short-distance communication with a portable terminal, and a smart ECU 11. The plurality of communication devices includes at least one radar neighborhood device arranged in the neighborhood of a millimeter wave radar. In addition to a position estimation part F6 for estimating a terminal position based on a reception state of a signal from a portable terminal in each communication device, the smart ECU 11 includes a scene determination part F31 and a communication control part F3. The scene determination part F31 determines whether it is a simultaneous operation scene in which both the millimeter wave radar and the radar neighborhood device can operate simultaneously, and the communication control part F3 controls the operation of the communication device. The communication control part F3 executes the adjustment of the communication timing between the communication device and the portable terminal based on the fact that the scene determination part F31 has determined that it is a simultaneous operation scene.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a position estimation system that estimates a position of a mobile terminal carried by a user of a vehicle by performing wireless communication with the mobile terminal; and Location estimation method By law Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a system (hereinafter, a position estimation system) that estimates the position of a mobile terminal relative to the vehicle by wirelessly communicating between an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle and a mobile terminal carried by a user of the vehicle. Specifically, the in-vehicle device disclosed in Patent Document 1 sequentially transmits request signals from one communication device provided near the driver's seat inside the vehicle, and when the mobile terminal receives a request signal requesting return of a response signal from the in-vehicle device, it returns a response signal including a received signal strength indication (RSSI) of the request signal. When the in-vehicle device receives a response signal returned from the mobile terminal, it determines whether or not the mobile terminal is present inside the vehicle based on the RSSI included in the response signal.

[0003] The above-mentioned mobile terminal is a communication terminal equipped with a communication function using Bluetooth (registered trademark), and in Patent Document 1, a smartphone, a mobile phone, or the like is assumed as the mobile terminal. Accordingly, the vehicle-mounted device performs wireless communication conforming to Bluetooth (registered trademark). For convenience, hereinafter, communication conforming to a predetermined wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth, whose communication area is, for example, at most several tens of meters, is referred to as short-range communication.

[0004] Furthermore, as described in Patent Documents 2-6, in order to estimate the position of a mobile terminal with high accuracy, position estimation systems are also being considered in which communication devices are installed in multiple locations on a vehicle and the position of the vehicle relative to the mobile terminal is detected from the communication conditions (reception strength and signal flight time) between each communication device and the mobile terminal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-214316 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2020-26996 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2020-26998 A [Patent Document 4] JP 2019-158765 A [Patent Document 5] JP 2019-73960 A [Patent Document 6] JP 2018-141771 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In a position estimation system that estimates the position of a mobile terminal using communication devices installed in multiple locations in a vehicle, there is a demand to install the communication devices in locations where it is easy to receive radio waves from outside the vehicle cabin, such as in the bumper area.

[0007] However, millimeter-wave radars are sometimes installed in locations with good radio wave environments, such as bumpers. Given that the space in locations with good radio wave environments is limited, it is expected that millimeter-wave radars and communication devices will be installed in close proximity to each other. In particular, there is a tendency for the number of millimeter-wave radars and communication devices installed in a vehicle to increase, and there are concerns that the number of cases in which millimeter-wave radars and communication devices are installed in close proximity to each other will increase, and that the degree of proximity between the two will also increase.

[0008] When a communication device is placed in the vicinity of a millimeter-wave radar, for example, the radio waves transmitted by the communication device may become noise for the millimeter-wave radar, causing distance measurement errors. The radio waves transmitted by the millimeter-wave radar may also become noise for the communication device, adversely affecting the accuracy of position estimation of a mobile terminal. Note that "nearby" here refers to the range in which the millimeter-wave radar and the BLE communication device may interfere with each other. For example, a range within 10 cm of the millimeter-wave radar can be considered to be in the vicinity of the millimeter-wave radar.

[0009] The present disclosure has been made based on the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a position estimation system capable of suppressing interference between a millimeter wave radar and a communication device, and Location estimation method Law The purpose is to provide. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] A first position estimation system for achieving the object is a position estimation system that estimates a relative position of a portable terminal with respect to the vehicle by performing wireless communication with a portable terminal carried by a user via a plurality of communication devices mounted on the vehicle, the plurality of communication devices including at least one radar nearby device (17a to 17d) that is a communication device arranged in a vicinity area of ​​a millimeter wave radar (17), and the system includes a position estimation unit (F6) that estimates a position of the portable terminal based on a reception state of a signal from the portable terminal at the plurality of communication devices, a scene determination unit (F31) that determines whether or not it is a simultaneous operation scene in which both the millimeter wave radar and the radar nearby device can operate simultaneously based on information from a sensor mounted on the vehicle, a communication control unit (F3) that controls the operation of the plurality of communication devices including the radar nearby device, and changes an operation mode of the communication device based on the fact that the scene determination unit has determined that it is a simultaneous operation scene, and a radar E that controls the operation of the millimeter wave radar itself or the millimeter wave radar. The device is equipped with a radar drive state determination unit (F2) that acquires radar operation information indicating the operating state of the millimeter wave radar from the CU (16) and determines whether the millimeter wave radar is operating or not, and a position estimation necessity determination unit (F4) that determines whether or not it is a predetermined position estimation scene in which the position of the portable terminal should be estimated based on the communication status between the communication device and the portable terminal, wherein the scene determination unit is configured to determine that it is a simultaneous operation scene when the position estimation necessity determination unit has determined that it is a position estimation scene and the radar drive state determination unit has determined that the millimeter wave radar is operating, and the millimeter wave radar is configured to be able to change the transmission direction of the exploration wave, and when the scene determination unit has determined that it is a simultaneous operation scene, the communication control unit is configured to cause the communication device to communicate with the portable terminal using a period during which the transmission direction of the exploration wave by the millimeter wave radar is set to a predetermined direction that has the least effect on devices near the radar among the directions that the millimeter wave radar can set. A second position estimation system included in the present disclosure is a position estimation system that estimates a relative position of a portable terminal with respect to a vehicle by performing wireless communication with a portable terminal carried by a user via multiple communication devices mounted on the vehicle, the multiple communication devices including at least one radar nearby device (17a-17d) that is a communication device arranged in a vicinity of a millimeter-wave radar (17), and the system includes a position estimation unit (F6) that estimates the position of the portable terminal based on a reception state of a signal from the portable terminal at the multiple communication devices, a scene determination unit (F31) that determines whether or not it is a simultaneous operation scene in which both the millimeter-wave radar and the radar nearby device can operate simultaneously based on information from a sensor mounted on the vehicle, a communication control unit (F3) that controls the operation of the multiple communication devices including the radar nearby device, and changes the operation mode of the communication devices based on the fact that the scene determination unit has determined that it is a simultaneous operation scene, and and a radar drive state determination unit (F2) that acquires radar operation information indicating an operation state of the millimeter wave radar from a radar ECU (16) that controls the above and determines whether the millimeter wave radar is operating or not, and a position estimation necessity determination unit (F4) that determines whether a predetermined position estimation scene in which the position of the portable terminal should be estimated is present, based on a communication state between the communication device and the portable terminal. The scene determination unit determines that a simultaneous operation scene is present when the position estimation necessity determination unit has determined that a position estimation scene is present and the radar drive state determination unit has determined that the millimeter wave radar is operating, and the communication control unit changes the operation mode of the communication device based on the determination by the scene determination unit that a simultaneous operation scene is present. The radar nearby device is configured to be able to change directivity among a plurality of patterns, and the communication control unit sets the directivity of the radar nearby device to a predetermined pattern among the plurality of patterns that has the least interference with the millimeter wave radar while the millimeter wave radar is operating. 。 According to the above configuration, it is possible to operate at least one of the millimeter wave radar, the communication device, and the position estimation unit in a different manner depending on whether the scene corresponds to a simultaneous operation scene or not. For example, it is possible to set the operation mode of the communication device in a simultaneous operation scene to a mode different from that in a non-simultaneous operation scene (in other words, normal operation). By making the communication device behave differently from normal operation, it is also possible to suppress interference between the millimeter wave radar and the communication device. The same applies to a configuration in which the operation mode of the millimeter wave radar or the position estimation unit is changed instead of the communication device.

[0011] Further, a first position estimation method for achieving the above object is a position estimation method executed by a processor, which estimates a relative position of a portable terminal with respect to the vehicle by performing wireless communication with a portable terminal carried by a user via a plurality of communication devices mounted on the vehicle, the plurality of communication devices including at least one radar nearby device (17a to 17d) which is a communication device arranged in a vicinity of a millimeter wave radar (17) configured to be able to change a transmission direction of a search wave, and includes a position estimation step of estimating a position of the portable terminal based on a reception state of a signal from the portable terminal at the plurality of communication devices; and a position estimation step of acquiring radar operation information indicating an operation state of the millimeter wave radar from the millimeter wave radar itself or a radar ECU (16) which controls the operation of the millimeter wave radar, and the step of determining whether the millimeter-wave radar is operating; the step of determining whether the scene is a predetermined position estimation scene in which the position of the mobile terminal should be estimated based on the communication status between the communication device and the mobile terminal; a scene determination step of determining, if it is determined that the scene is a position estimation scene and that the millimeter-wave radar is operating, that the scene is a simultaneous operation scene in which both the millimeter-wave radar and a radar-proximate device can operate simultaneously; and, based on the determination in the scene determination step that the scene is a simultaneous operation scene, a step of adjusting the communication timing of the communication device so that the communication device communicates with the mobile terminal using a period during which the direction of transmission of the search wave by the millimeter-wave radar is set to a predetermined direction that has the least effect on the radar-proximate device among the directions that the millimeter-wave radar can set. A second position estimation method included in the present disclosure is a position estimation method executed by a processor, which estimates a relative position of a portable terminal with respect to the vehicle by performing wireless communication with a portable terminal carried by a user via a plurality of communication devices mounted on the vehicle, the plurality of communication devices including at least one radar neighboring device (17a to 17d) that is disposed in a vicinity area of ​​a millimeter wave radar (17) and is configured to be able to change directivity in a plurality of patterns, and includes a position estimation step of estimating a position of the portable terminal based on a reception state of a signal from the portable terminal at the plurality of communication devices, and a position estimation step of receiving an indication of an operation state of the millimeter wave radar from the millimeter wave radar itself or a radar ECU (16) that controls the operation of the millimeter wave radar. and determining whether the millimeter-wave radar is operating; determining whether the scene is a predetermined position estimation scene in which the position of the mobile terminal should be estimated based on the communication status between the communication device and the mobile terminal; determining, when it is determined that the scene is a position estimation scene and that the millimeter-wave radar is operating, that the scene is a simultaneous operation scene in which both the millimeter-wave radar and the radar nearby device may operate simultaneously; changing the operation mode of the communication device based on the determination that the scene is a simultaneous operation scene; and, while the millimeter-wave radar is operating, setting the directivity of the radar nearby device to a predetermined pattern among a plurality of patterns that has the least interference with the millimeter-wave radar. 。 A method including processing steps corresponding to the position estimation system, which makes it possible to suppress interference between a millimeter wave radar and a communication device by using an action similar to that of the position estimation system.

[0014] In addition, the symbols in parentheses in the claims indicate a correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described below as one aspect, and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle system 1. FIG. [Diagram 2]1 is a diagram showing an example of mounting positions of a BLE communication device 12 and a millimeter wave radar 17 in a vehicle Hv. [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram showing an operation mode of a millimeter wave radar 17. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a BLE communication device 12. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a smart ECU 11. [Figure 6] 10 is a diagram for explaining a method for estimating the position of a mobile terminal 3. FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the smart ECU 11. [Figure 8] 13 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a result of adjustment of communication timing by an adjustment unit F32. FIG. [Figure 9] 13 is a diagram for explaining a scene in which the adjustment unit F32 operates. FIG. [Figure 10] 13 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a result of adjustment of communication timing by an adjustment unit F32. FIG. [Figure 11] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a communication packet received by a BLE communication device 12. FIG. [Figure 12] 13 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a result of adjustment of communication timing by an adjustment unit F32. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an operation mode of a millimeter wave radar 17. [Figure 14] 13 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a result of adjustment of communication timing by an adjustment unit F32. FIG. [Figure 15] 10 is a diagram for explaining a method for estimating the position of a mobile terminal 3. FIG. [Figure 16] 10 is a diagram for explaining a method for estimating the position of a mobile terminal 3. FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration using a UWB communication device 22 in combination. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an aspect in which interference is suppressed by changing the directivity of the BLE communication device 12. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a plurality of operation modes that the millimeter wave radar 17 can have. [Figure 20] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration in which a radar ECU 16 has a function for suppressing interference. FIG. [Figure 21] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a BLE communication device 12 including a shield portion 127. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] An example of an embodiment of a position estimation system according to the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle electronic key system to which the position estimation system according to the present disclosure is applied. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle electronic key system includes an in-vehicle system 1 mounted on a vehicle Hv, and a mobile terminal 3, which is a communication terminal carried by a user of the vehicle Hv.

[0017] The vehicle Hv is, for example, a vehicle owned by an individual. However, the vehicle Hv may be a vehicle provided for a rental service (a so-called rental car) or a vehicle provided for a car sharing service (a so-called shared car). The vehicle Hv may be a robot taxi. When the vehicle Hv is a vehicle provided for the above services (hereinafter, a service vehicle), a person who has a contract for use of those services and has the authority to temporarily use the vehicle Hv based on a reservation for use of the service, etc., may be a user.

[0018] In the following description, the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions are defined based on the vehicle Hv. The front-rear direction corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle Hv. The left-right direction corresponds to the width direction of the vehicle Hv. The up-down direction corresponds to the height direction of the vehicle Hv. From another perspective, the up-down direction corresponds to the direction perpendicular to a plane parallel to each of the front-rear and left-right directions.

[0019] <Overview> The in-vehicle system 1 and the mobile terminal 3 are each configured to be capable of communication (hereinafter, referred to as short-distance communication) conforming to a predetermined short-distance wireless communication standard with a communication distance of, for example, about 10 meters to 100 meters. As the short-distance communication standard, for example, Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth is a registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), etc. can be adopted. As the short-distance communication method, UWB-IR (Ultra Wide Band - Impulse Radio) can also be adopted. The in-vehicle system 1 and the mobile terminal 3 may be configured to be capable of short-distance communication using, for example, a plurality of types of methods.

[0020] Here, the operation of each part will be described by taking as an example a case where the in-vehicle system 1 and the mobile terminal 3 perform wireless communication (hereinafter, BLE communication) in compliance with the Bluetooth Low Energy standard. Also, here, a case will be described where a specific communication device (BLE communication device 12x described later) mounted on the vehicle Hv is set to act as a master in the BLE communication, and the mobile terminal 3 is set to act as a slave. In BLE communication, a slave is a device that transmits advertising signals intermittently and transmits and receives data based on a request from the master. A slave is also called a peripheral. A master is a device that controls the communication connection state and communication timing with the slave. A master is also called a central. The mobile terminal 3 may be set to operate as the master, and the communication device mounted on the vehicle Hv may be set to operate as the slave.

[0021] <About mobile device 3> The mobile terminal 3 is a device associated with the in-vehicle system 1 and functions as an electronic key for the vehicle Hv. The mobile terminal 3 may be any device that is equipped with the above-mentioned short-range communication function and that can be carried by the user. For example, a smartphone may be used as the mobile terminal 3. Of course, the mobile terminal 3 may be a tablet terminal, a wearable device, a portable music player, a portable game machine, or the like. The signal transmitted by the mobile terminal 3 as short-range communication includes destination information and sender information. The sender information is, for example, unique identification information (hereinafter, referred to as a terminal ID) assigned to the mobile terminal 3. The terminal ID functions as information for identifying the mobile terminal 3 from other communication terminals.

[0022] The mobile terminal 3 as a slave notifies surrounding communication terminals equipped with a short-range communication function of its own presence by wirelessly transmitting an advertising signal at a predetermined transmission interval. The advertising signal is a predetermined communication packet including transmission source information. The in-vehicle system 1 detects that the mobile terminal 3 is within a range in which short-range communication with the in-vehicle system 1 is possible by receiving a signal (e.g., an advertising signal) transmitted from the mobile terminal 3 by the above-mentioned short-range communication function. The mobile terminal 3 also detects that the in-vehicle system 1 is within the communication range of the mobile terminal 3 by receiving the advertising signal transmitted from the in-vehicle system 1. Hereinafter, the range in which the in-vehicle system 1 can mutually communicate data with the mobile terminal 3 by the short-range communication function is also referred to as a communication area.

[0023] <Configuration of in-vehicle system 1> Here, we will describe the configuration and operation of the in-vehicle system 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the in-vehicle system 1 includes a smart ECU 11, a BLE communication device 12, a door button 14, a start button 15, a radar ECU 16, a millimeter wave radar 17, an engine ECU 18, a body ECU 19, an autonomous driving ECU 20, and an air conditioner ECU 21. Note that ECU in the names of the components is an abbreviation for Electronic Control Unit, which means an electronic control device. BLE is an abbreviation for Bluetooth Low Energy.

[0024] The various ECUs included in the in-vehicle system 1 are connected as nodes to a communication network Nw constructed in the vehicle. These nodes connected to the communication network Nw can communicate with each other. Note that specific nodes may be configured to be able to communicate directly with each other without going through the communication network Nw. For example, the smart ECU 11 and the engine ECU 18 may be directly electrically connected by a dedicated line. Also, in FIG. 1, the communication network Nw is configured as a bus type, but is not limited to this. The network topology may be a mesh type, a star type, a ring type, or the like. The network shape can be changed as appropriate. As the standard of the communication network Nw, various standards can be adopted, such as Controller Area Network (hereinafter, CAN: registered trademark), Ethernet (Ethernet is a registered trademark), and FlexRay (registered trademark).

[0025] The smart ECU 11 estimates the position of the mobile terminal 3 (hereinafter also referred to as the terminal position) by cooperating (in other words, working together) with the BLE communication device 12 and the like. The smart ECU 11 also realizes vehicle control according to the estimation result of the position of the mobile terminal 3 by working together with other ECUs. The smart ECU 11 is realized using a computer. That is, the smart ECU 11 includes a processor 111, a RAM 112, a storage 113, an I / O 114, and a bus line connecting these components. The smart ECU 11 of this embodiment also includes a BLE communication device 12 built in.

[0026] The processor 111 is hardware (in other words, a calculation core) for arithmetic processing coupled with the RAM 112. The processor 111 is, for example, a CPU. The processor 111 executes various processes for realizing the functions of each functional unit described below by accessing the RAM 112. The RAM 112 is a volatile storage medium. The storage 113 includes a non-volatile storage medium such as a flash memory. The storage 113 stores a program (for example, a position estimation program) executed by the processor 111. The execution of the position estimation program by the processor 111 corresponds to the execution of a method (corresponding to a position estimation method) corresponding to the position estimation program. The I / O 114 is a circuit module for communicating with other devices. The I / O 114 is realized using analog circuit elements, ICs, etc.

[0027] The storage 113 registers a terminal ID assigned to the mobile terminal 3 owned by the user. The storage 113 also stores data (hereinafter, mounting position data) indicating the mounting position and attitude of each BLE communicator 12 in the vehicle Hv. The mounting position of each BLE communicator 12 may be expressed as a point on a two-dimensional coordinate system (hereinafter, vehicle two-dimensional coordinate system) centered on an arbitrary position of the vehicle Hv and parallel to both the width direction and the front-rear direction of the vehicle Hv. The X axis forming the vehicle two-dimensional coordinate system may be parallel to the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and the Y axis may be parallel to the vehicle width direction. The center of the two-dimensional coordinate system may be, for example, the center of the rear wheel axle. In this embodiment, as a more preferable aspect, each BLE communicator 12 is set with a unique communicator number. The communicator number functions as information for identifying multiple BLE communicators 12. The storage 113 stores the installation position of each BLE communicator 12 in association with the communicator number as mounting position data. The function details of the smart ECU 11 will be described later separately.

[0028] The BLE communicator 12 is a communication module for performing wireless communication with the mobile terminal 3 in accordance with the BLE standard. At least one BLE communicator 12 is provided in the vehicle. In the present embodiment, as an example, one BLE communicator 12 is built into the smart ECU 11. In addition, a plurality of BLE communicators 12 are also provided outside the smart ECU 11 at a plurality of locations in the vehicle. In the present embodiment, as an example, BLE communicators 12a to 12i and a BLE communicator 12x are provided as shown in FIG. 2.

[0029] The BLE communicator 12a is provided at the right corner of the front bumper. The BLE communicator 12b is provided at the left corner of the front bumper. The BLE communicator 12c is provided at the right corner of the rear bumper. The BLE communicator 12d is provided at the left corner of the rear bumper. The BLE communicator 12e is disposed at the center of the rear bumper in the left-right direction. The mounting position of the BLE communicator 12e may be near the rear license plate, near the rear window, near the door handle for the trunk, or the like. In the description of the mounting position of the BLE communicator 12, the "near" a certain member refers to a range within 30 cm from the member. For example, the near the license plate refers to a range within 30 cm from the license plate. The near the door handle also includes the inside of the door handle.

[0030] The BLE communication device 12f is provided in a door for the front seats on the right side (hereinafter, the front right door). For example, the BLE communication device 12f is provided near the outer door handle of the front right door. In addition, as another embodiment, the BLE communication device 12f may be provided near the right front wheel. The BLE communication device 12f may also be provided in a locker part under the front right door, a right B pillar, a part where the upper end part of the front right door contacts the roof part of the vehicle Hv, or the like. The locker part also includes the inner part of the side sill cover. Furthermore, the BLE communication device 12f may be provided in an outer door handle for the rear seats on the right side or a right C pillar. The BLE communication device 12g is provided in the same position as the BLE communication device 12f (in other words, symmetrical) on the left side surface. For example, the BLE communication device 12g is provided in a door for the front seats on the left side (hereinafter, the front left door).

[0031] The BLE communication device 12h is disposed, for example, in a center console. The BLE communication device 12h may be disposed, for example, at the feet of the driver's seat or on the side of the driver's door on the interior side of the vehicle. The BLE communication device 12h is preferably provided in a position where the outside of the vehicle is out of sight. The BLE communication device 12h may be disposed in a position where the outside of the vehicle is visible through a window, such as on the ceiling of the vehicle interior or on an overhead console. The BLE communication device 12i is disposed in the center of the floor of the luggage compartment.

[0032] Note that, the non-line-of-sight for a certain BLE communicator 12 is an area where a signal transmitted from the BLE communicator 12 does not reach directly. Since the propagation path of a wireless signal is reversible, the non-line-of-sight for a certain BLE communicator 12 corresponds to an area where the BLE communicator 12 cannot directly receive a signal transmitted from a mobile terminal 3. Note that the signal transmitted from the BLE communicator 12 can reach a non-line-of-sight area by being reflected by various structures. In other words, even if the mobile terminal 3 is located outside the line-of-sight of the BLE communicator 12, the two can perform wireless communication due to reflection or diffraction by structures.

[0033] The BLE communicators 12a to 12d correspond to the BLE communicators 12 provided inside the front / rear bumpers. The BLE communicators 12a to 12g correspond to exterior communicators that are the BLE communicators 12 provided on the outer surface of the vehicle. The BLE communicators 12h to 12i correspond to interior communicators that are the BLE communicators 12 provided inside the vehicle.

[0034] The BLE communication device 12x is built in the smart ECU 11. The smart ECU 11 is housed, for example, inside an instrument panel. The smart ECU 11 may be housed inside the upper surface of the instrument panel or inside a center garnish. The smart ECU 11 may be disposed so that the BLE communication device 12x can communicate with the mobile terminal 3 located near the vehicle outside the vehicle cabin and inside the vehicle cabin. The BLE communication device 12x may also be included in the in-vehicle communication device.

[0035] The BLE communication device 12x is a BLE communication device 12 that has already executed a key exchange protocol (so-called pairing) with the mobile terminal 3 based on an operation by a user or the like. Information about the mobile terminal 3 acquired through pairing (hereinafter, terminal information) is stored in a non-volatile memory provided in the communication microcomputer 125. The terminal information is, for example, a key exchanged through pairing and a terminal ID. When the vehicle Hv is shared by multiple users, the terminal information of the mobile terminal 3 owned by each user is stored. When the vehicle Hv is a service car, the terminal information may be distributed from a server and temporarily stored.

[0036] When the BLE communicator 12x receives an advertising signal from the mobile terminal 3, it automatically establishes a communication connection with the mobile terminal 3 by using the stored terminal information. Then, the smart ECU 11 performs encrypted data communication with the mobile terminal 3. Note that when the BLE communicator 12x establishes a communication connection with the mobile terminal 3, it provides the smart ECU 11 with the terminal ID of the mobile terminal 3 with which it is connected for communication.

[0037] The installation positions of the BLE communicators 12 can be changed as appropriate. The number of BLE communicators 12 included in the in-vehicle system 1 may be nine or less, such as three or five, or may be ten or more, such as twelve. The in-vehicle system 1 may include a BLE communicator 12 disposed inside the front grille (for example, behind the front emblem). The BLE communicator 12 may be disposed on the rooftop, etc.

[0038] Each BLE communicator 12 provided outside the smart ECU 11 is connected to the smart ECU 11 via a dedicated communication line or a communication network Nw so as to be capable of communicating with the smart ECU 11. A specific configuration of the BLE communicator 12 will be described later.

[0039] The door button 14 is a button for the user to unlock and lock the doors of the vehicle Hv. It may be provided on an outer door handle of the vehicle Hv or in its vicinity. When pressed by a user, the door button 14 outputs an electric signal indicating this to the smart ECU 11. The door button 14 corresponds to a configuration for the smart ECU 11 to receive an unlock instruction and a lock instruction from the user. Note that a touch sensor may be used as a configuration for receiving at least one of the user's unlock instruction and lock instruction. The touch sensor is a device that detects that the user is touching the door handle.

[0040] The start button 15 is a push switch for the user to start a drive source (for example, an engine). When the user pushes the start button 15, it outputs an electric signal indicating that to the smart ECU 11. Note that, as an example here, the vehicle Hv is a vehicle equipped with an engine as a power source, but is not limited to this. The vehicle Hv may be an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. If the vehicle Hv is a vehicle equipped with a motor as a drive source, the start button 15 corresponds to a switch for setting a system main relay on and starting a motor for running. The start button 15 corresponds to an operating member for the user to switch on / off (hereinafter also referred to as power on / off) of a power source for running, such as an ignition power source or a system main relay.

[0041] The radar ECU 16 is an ECU that controls the operation of the millimeter wave radar 17. The radar ECU 16 is mainly composed of a microcomputer (hereinafter, microcomputer 161). The radar ECU 16 operates the millimeter wave radar 17, for example, based on the fact that the ignition power is on. For example, the radar ECU 16 operates the millimeter wave radar 17 when the vehicle Hv is traveling or temporarily stopped. When the vehicle Hv is traveling, this also includes automatic parking and automatic leaving the parking lot.

[0042] In this embodiment, the radar ECU 16 is configured to operate the millimeter wave radar 17 while the ignition power is on in order to simplify control. Therefore, the millimeter wave radar 17 is also operated when the air conditioner ECU 21 executes a pre-air conditioning operation described later. As another configuration, the radar ECU 16 may be configured to have a scene in which the millimeter wave radar 17 is not operated even when the ignition power is on. The radar ECU 16 can change the operation settings of the millimeter wave radar 17, and provides the smart ECU 11 and the like with radar operation information indicating the detailed operation state of each millimeter wave radar 17. The radar operation information includes information such as a transmission interval, a transmission timing, and a pause period. The radar ECU 16 also outputs the detection result of the millimeter wave radar 17 to the automatic driving ECU 20 and the like.

[0043] The millimeter wave radar 17 is a device that detects the relative position and relative speed of an object with respect to the vehicle Hv by transmitting millimeter waves or quasi-millimeter waves as a search wave in a predetermined direction and analyzing the received data of the reflected wave that is returned after the transmitted wave is reflected by the object. For example, the 24 GHz band (21.65-26.65 GHz), 60 GHz band (60-61 GHz), 76 GHz band (76-77 GHz), and 79 GHz band (77-81 GHz) can be used as the frequency band of the search wave. In addition, millimeter waves of 94.7-95 GHz (94 GHz band), 136-148.5 GHz, and 139-140 (140 GHz band) can also be used as the search wave. Quasi-millimeter waves refer to electromagnetic waves with a wavelength in the air of about 10 mm to 15 mm.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 3, each millimeter wave radar 17 repeats a transmission / reception period in which the search wave is transmitted and a pause period in which the transmission of the search wave is stopped at a predetermined cycle during operation. During the transmission / reception period, the reflected wave is also received. The receiving circuit may continue to operate during the pause period. The length T1 of the transmission / reception period is set to, for example, 20 milliseconds, and the length T2 of the pause period is set to, for example, 30 milliseconds. T1 may be 10 milliseconds or 30 milliseconds. T2 may also be 20 milliseconds or 10 milliseconds. T1 and T2 may be changed according to the driving scene. The sum of the transmission / reception period and the pause period (in other words, their cycles) corresponds to the transmission interval. The millimeter wave radar 17 generates, as a detection result, data indicating, for example, the detection direction and reception strength and relative speed for each distance, or data indicating the relative position and reception strength of the detected object.

[0045] The millimeter wave radar 17 is disposed at a plurality of locations on the vehicle Hv. Here, as an example, the in-vehicle system 1 includes millimeter wave radars 17a to 17e. The millimeter wave radar 17a is disposed at the right corner of the front bumper. The millimeter wave radar 17b is disposed at the left corner of the front bumper. The millimeter wave radar 17c is disposed at the right corner of the rear bumper. The millimeter wave radar 17d is disposed at the left corner of the rear bumper. The millimeter wave radar 17e is disposed inside the front grill, for example, behind the emblem. The millimeter wave radar 17e corresponds to the millimeter wave radar 17 disposed at the center in the left-right direction of the front end of the vehicle. The millimeter wave radar 17e may be disposed at the center of the front bumper.

[0046] The above-mentioned BLE communicator 12a is disposed near the millimeter wave radar 17a, and the BLE communicator 12b is disposed near the millimeter wave radar 17b. The BLE communicator 12c is disposed near the millimeter wave radar 17c, and the BLE communicator 12d is disposed near the millimeter wave radar 17d.

[0047] The vicinity of the millimeter wave radar 17 refers to a range in which the millimeter wave radar 17 and the BLE communication device 12 may interfere with each other. Specifically, it corresponds to a range in which spurious components of one of the millimeter wave radar 17 and the BLE communication device 12 may affect the operation of the other. For example, an area within 10 cm from the millimeter wave radar 17a can be considered to be the vicinity of the millimeter wave radar 17a. The length defining the vicinity area of ​​the millimeter wave radar 17 is not limited to 10 cm, but may be 5 cm, 15 cm, or 20 cm. The length defining the vicinity area can be set in consideration of the transmission power of the radio waves of the millimeter wave radar 17 and the BLE communication device 12, the required receiving sensitivity, and the directivity. Hereinafter, the BLE communication devices 12 arranged in the vicinity of the millimeter wave radar 17, such as the BLE communication devices 12a to 12d, are also referred to as radar vicinity devices. The radar-proximate device here is a concept that refers to a communication device for short-range communication that is located in the vicinity of the millimeter wave radar 17, and includes not only the BLE communication device 12 but also the UWB communication device 22 described later.

[0048] The number and mounting positions of the millimeter wave radars 17 provided in the in-vehicle system 1 can be changed as appropriate. For example, the millimeter wave radar 17 may be attached to the interior side of the upper end of the windshield. Alternatively, the millimeter wave radar 17 may be attached to a side sill or a side mirror. The millimeter wave radar 17 may be disposed on the rooftop or the like. In order to perform object detection by transmitting and receiving search waves with high accuracy, the millimeter wave radar 17 is mounted in a location with a good radio wave environment, such as the front bumper or rear bumper.

[0049] The engine ECU 18 is an ECU that controls the operation of an engine mounted in the vehicle Hv. For example, when the engine ECU 18 receives a start instruction signal from another ECU (for example, the smart ECU 11 or the body ECU 19) that instructs the engine to start, the engine ECU 18 starts the engine.

[0050] The body ECU 19 is an ECU that controls body actuators 191 based on requests from the smart ECU 11 and the user. The body ECU 19 is communicably connected to various body actuators 191 and various body sensors 192. The body actuators 191 here include, for example, door lock motors that constitute the locking mechanisms of the doors and actuators for adjusting the seat positions (hereinafter, referred to as seat actuators). The body sensors 192 include courtesy switches arranged for each door. The courtesy switches are sensors that detect the opening and closing of the doors. The body ECU 19 locks and unlocks each door by outputting a predetermined control signal to a door lock motor provided in each door of the vehicle Hv based on, for example, a request from the smart ECU 11.

[0051] The autonomous driving ECU 20 is an ECU that autonomously drives the vehicle Hv based on the detection results of a perimeter monitoring sensor that detects objects present around the vehicle. The perimeter monitoring sensor includes a millimeter wave radar 17, a sonar, a camera, a LiDAR, and the like. Autonomous driving refers to automatically performing all driving operations such as steering, acceleration / deceleration, and gear shifting. The autonomous driving ECU 20 performs an automatic parking control that autonomously drives and parks the vehicle Hv toward a parking space detected by a perimeter monitoring sensor or a parking position specified by a user, for example. In addition, the autonomous driving ECU 20 performs an automatic leaving control that, triggered by a predetermined user operation, powers on the vehicle Hv in a parked state and autonomously drives it to a position specified by the user or near the user. The autonomous driving ECU 20 is configured to be able to perform an automatic parking control or an automatic leaving control on the condition that, for example, the user is within a predetermined distance from the vehicle Hv.

[0052] The air conditioner ECU 21 is an ECU that controls the air conditioning device mounted on the vehicle Hv. The air conditioner ECU 21 includes a microcomputer as a hardware element. The in-vehicle air conditioning device is a device that provides a cooling function and a heating function. The air conditioner ECU 21 is configured to be able to perform a pre-air conditioning operation (hereinafter referred to as a pre-air operation) that is performed before the occupant gets in the vehicle. The air conditioner ECU 21 operates the in-vehicle air conditioning device based on an air conditioning schedule set in advance by the user as the pre-air operation. For example, when the air conditioner ECU 21 receives a request signal for the pre-air operation transmitted from an external device such as the mobile terminal 3 via the wide area communication device, it performs an operation according to a predetermined program and executes the pre-air operation. The operation mode (heating / cooling), target temperature, air volume, etc. in the pre-air operation are determined based on the request signal and the preset content. The request signal for the pre-air operation can be transmitted when the user operates the mobile terminal 3 on which a predetermined application software for instructing the pre-air operation is installed. With the above configuration, the user can operate the air conditioner for cooling / heating, for example, 10 minutes before the scheduled boarding time. In order to suppress the battery depletion, the air conditioner ECU 21 of the present embodiment turns on the ignition power in cooperation with the engine ECU 18 during the pre-air operation.

[0053] <Details of the Configuration of the BLE Communication Device 12> FIG. 4 schematically shows the electrical configuration of the BLE communication device 12. As shown in FIG. 4, the BLE communication device 12 includes a substrate 121, an antenna 122, a transceiver unit 123, a communication microcomputer 125, and a housing 126. The substrate 121 is, for example, a printed circuit board. Electronic components constituting the BLE communication device 12, such as the antenna 122, are provided on the substrate 121.

[0054] Antenna 122 is an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves in a frequency band (e.g., 2.4 GHz band) used for short-range communication (BLE communication in this case). In this embodiment, antenna 122 is an omnidirectional antenna as an example. In another aspect, antenna 122 may be directional. Antenna 122 is electrically connected to transmitting / receiving unit 123. Antenna 122 may be configured as an array antenna in which multiple antenna elements are arranged. Substrate 121 corresponds to a circuit board.

[0055] The transmission / reception unit 123 demodulates the signal received by the antenna 122 and provides it to the communication microcomputer 125. In addition, the transmission / reception unit 123 modulates a signal input from the smart ECU 11 via the communication microcomputer 125, outputs it to the antenna 122, and causes it to be emitted as a radio wave. The transmission / reception unit 123 is connected to the communication microcomputer 125 so as to be able to communicate with each other. The transmission / reception unit 123 includes a reception intensity detection unit 124 that sequentially detects the intensity of the signal received by the antenna 122. The reception intensity detected by the reception intensity detection unit 124 is associated with the terminal ID included in the received data and is sequentially provided to the communication microcomputer 125.

[0056] The communication microcomputer 125 is a microcomputer that controls the exchange of data with the smart ECU 11. The communication microcomputer 125 is realized using an MPU, RAM, ROM, etc. The communication microcomputer 125 provides the received data input from the transmitting / receiving unit 123 to the smart ECU 11 sequentially or based on a request from the smart ECU 11. The communication microcomputer 125 also has a function of authenticating the terminal ID of the mobile terminal 3 and performing encrypted communication with the mobile terminal 3 based on a request from the smart ECU 11. As an encryption method, various methods such as a method specified by Bluetooth can be used. As an ID authentication method, various methods such as a method specified by Bluetooth can also be used.

[0057] In addition, when the communication microcomputer 125 acquires reception intensity data from the reception intensity detection unit 124, it accumulates the data in a RAM (not shown). The reception intensity data acquired successively may be sorted in chronological order, for example, so that the reception intensity of the most recent received data is at the top, and then saved in the RAM. Data that has been saved for a certain period of time is discarded in succession. The reception intensity data is held in the RAM for a certain period of time. The communication microcomputer 125 provides the reception intensity data accumulated in the RAM based on a request from the smart ECU 11. The reception intensity data may be provided to the smart ECU 11 successively, regardless of whether or not there is a request from the smart ECU 11.

[0058] <Functions of Smart ECU11> Here, the functions and operations of the smart ECU 11 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The smart ECU 11 provides functions corresponding to various functional blocks shown in Fig. 5 by executing a program stored in the storage 113. That is, the smart ECU 11 includes, as functional blocks, a vehicle information acquisition unit F1, a position estimation necessity determination unit F4, a driving status determination unit F2, a communication control unit F3, an authentication processing unit F5, a position estimation unit F6, and a cooperation control unit F7. The communication control unit F3 includes a scene determination unit F31 and an adjustment unit F32.

[0059] The vehicle information acquisition unit F1 acquires various information (hereinafter, vehicle information) indicating the state of the vehicle Hv from sensors, ECUs (e.g., engine ECU 18, body ECU 19), switches, etc. mounted on the vehicle Hv. Examples of the vehicle information include the state of the vehicle power supply, the open / closed state of each door, the locked / unlocked state of each door, whether the door button 14 has been pressed, whether the start button 15 has been pressed, and the shift position. The state of the vehicle power supply includes whether the ignition power supply is on or not. In addition, the vehicle information acquisition unit F1 acquires the operation mode of the automatic driving ECU 20 (e.g., whether automatic parking / leaving is in progress, etc.). Furthermore, the vehicle information acquisition unit F1 acquires information regarding the pre-air conditioning operation, such as whether the pre-air conditioning operation is being performed, from the air conditioner ECU 21.

[0060] The vehicle information acquisition unit F1 identifies the current state of the vehicle Hv based on the various information described above. For example, the vehicle information acquisition unit F1 determines that the vehicle Hv is parked when the engine is off and all the doors are locked. The conditions for determining that the vehicle Hv is parked may be appropriately designed, and various determination conditions can be applied. Note that acquiring information indicating the locked / unlocked state of each door corresponds to determining the locked / unlocked state of each door and detecting the locking / unlocking operation of the door by the user. Also, acquiring an electric signal from the door button 14 or the start button 15 corresponds to detecting the user's operation on these buttons. That is, the vehicle information acquisition unit F1 corresponds to a configuration that detects the user's operation on the vehicle Hv, such as opening and closing the door, pressing the door button 14, pressing the start button 15, etc. The vehicle information can also include the user's operation on the vehicle Hv. In addition, the types of information included in the vehicle information are not limited to those described above. The vehicle information also includes the shift position detected by a shift position sensor (not shown), the detection result of a brake sensor that detects whether the brake pedal is depressed, etc. The operating state of the parking brake can also be included in the vehicle information.

[0061] The driving situation determination unit F2 determines whether or not the situation corresponds to a situation in which the millimeter wave radar 17 operates (hereinafter, millimeter wave operation scene) based on the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit F1. For example, when the ignition power is on, it is determined that the situation corresponds to a millimeter wave operation scene. The driving situation determination unit F2 may also determine that the situation corresponds to a millimeter wave operation scene when the automatic driving ECU 20 is executing automatic parking control / automatic leaving control. The driving situation determination unit F2 may also determine that the situation corresponds to a millimeter wave operation scene when the air conditioner ECU 21 is executing a pre-air conditioning operation. The driving situation determination unit F2 may communicate with the radar ECU 16 and determine whether or not the millimeter wave radar 17 is operating by acquiring information indicating the operation state of the millimeter wave radar 17 from the radar ECU 16. Determining whether or not the situation corresponds to a millimeter wave operation scene includes determining whether or not the millimeter wave radar 17 is operating.

[0062] The smart ECU 11 including the driving status determination unit F2 is configured to be able to acquire detailed information on the operation status of each millimeter wave radar 17 as radar operation information from the radar ECU 16. The radar operation information does not have to be acquired from the radar ECU 16. For example, it may be acquired from a perimeter monitoring ECU or an automatic driving ECU 20. If the automatic driving ECU 20 is connected to the millimeter wave radar 17, the radar operation information may be acquired from the automatic driving ECU 20. The smart ECU 11 may also acquire a signal indicating the operation status from the millimeter wave radar 17. The driving status determination unit F2 corresponds to a radar driving status determination unit.

[0063] The communication control unit F3 is configured to control the operation of the BLE communicator 12. The communication control unit F3 performs data communication with the mobile terminal 3 using any BLE communicator 12 (here, the BLE communicator 12x). For example, the communication control unit F3 generates data addressed to the mobile terminal 3 and outputs it to the BLE communicator 12x. This causes a signal corresponding to the desired data to be transmitted as radio waves. The communication control unit F3 also receives data from the mobile terminal 3 received by the BLE communicator 12x. In this embodiment, as a more preferred aspect, the wireless communication between the smart ECU 11 and the mobile terminal 3 is configured to be performed in an encrypted form. As an encryption method, various methods can be used, such as a method specified by Bluetooth.

[0064] The communication control unit F3 recognizes that a user is present in the vicinity of the vehicle Hv based on the establishment of a communication connection with the mobile terminal 3. The communication control unit F3 also acquires, from the BLE communicator 12x, the terminal ID of the mobile terminal 3 to which the BLE communicator 13 is communicatively connected. With this configuration, even if the vehicle Hv is shared by multiple users, the smart ECU 11 can identify the user present in the vicinity of the vehicle Hv based on the terminal ID of the mobile terminal 3 to which the BLE communicator 12 is communicatively connected.

[0065] In addition, the communication control unit F3 acquires data indicating the reception status of the signal from the mobile terminal 3 from each BLE communication device 12. For example, the communication control unit F3 acquires data indicating the reception strength of the terminal signal as the reception status of the signal from the mobile terminal 3. Note that, as the information indicating the reception status of the signal of the mobile terminal 3, reception direction data indicating the arrival direction of the signal, the flight time of the signal transmitted by the mobile terminal 3, the round trip time from transmitting the response request signal to receiving the response signal, etc. can be adopted. The arrival direction can be estimated by configuring the antenna 122 as an array antenna and applying various arrival direction analysis processes such as the MUSIC method to the reception result at the antenna 122. The communication control unit F3 also provides the communication status between each BLE communication device 12 and the mobile terminal 3 to other function / circuit modules such as the position estimation necessity determination unit F4 and the position estimation unit F6.

[0066] The scene determination unit F31 determines whether or not the scene is a simultaneous operation scene in which both the millimeter wave radar 17 and the radar nearby device can operate simultaneously, based on the determination result of the position estimation necessity determination unit F4. Note that the position estimation necessity determination unit F4 uses various information from sensors mounted on the vehicle Hv. Therefore, the scene determination unit F31 corresponds to a configuration that determines whether or not the scene is a simultaneous operation scene based on various information from sensors mounted on the vehicle Hv. The operation of the scene determination unit F31 will be described separately later.

[0067] The adjustment unit F32 changes the operation mode of the BLE communication device 12 so as to suppress interference between the millimeter wave radar 17 and the BLE communication device 12. The communication control unit F3 including the adjustment unit F32 and the processor 111 as the communication control unit F3 correspond to an example of an operation mode change unit. The operation of the adjustment unit F32 will be described separately later.

[0068] The position estimation necessity determination unit F4 determines whether or not it is a scene where the position of the mobile terminal 3 should be estimated (hereinafter, position estimation scene) based on the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit F1 and the communication status between the BLE communication device 12 and the mobile terminal 3 provided by the communication control unit F3. Determining whether or not it is a position estimation scene corresponds to determining whether or not it is necessary to estimate the position of the mobile terminal 3.

[0069] For example, the position estimation necessity determination unit F4 determines that the scene is a position estimation scene when a communication connection is established between the mobile terminal 3 and the BLE communication device 12x in the parked state. After the communication connection, the determination that the scene is a position estimation scene may be maintained for a predetermined period from that point in time or until the power is turned on. Note that the position estimation necessity determination unit F4 may determine that the scene is a position estimation scene when an advertising signal is received from the mobile terminal 3. The position estimation necessity determination unit F4 may determine that the scene is a position estimation scene when opening or closing of a door is detected while the ignition power is on.

[0070] The position estimation necessity determination unit F4 may determine that the scene is a position estimation scene when the autonomous driving ECU 20 is executing automatic parking control / automatic leaving control. Once it is determined that the scene is a position estimation scene, the determination result may be maintained for a predetermined time (for example, one minute) from the time of the determination. The position estimation necessity determination unit F4 may continue to determine that the scene is a position estimation scene while the communication connection between the mobile terminal 3 and the BLE communication device 12x is established. The position estimation necessity determination unit F4 may determine that the scene is a position estimation scene when the vehicle Hv is stopped or traveling at a low speed, while determining that the scene is not a position estimation scene when the vehicle Hv is traveling normally. Traveling at a low speed refers to a state in which the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than a predetermined first speed (for example, 30 km / h), and traveling at a normal speed refers to a state in which the vehicle speed exceeds the first speed. Traveling at a low speed includes traveling by automatic parking control or automatic leaving control. Traveling at a low speed also includes reverse driving, traveling for parking space detection, and parking assistance. Even during normal driving, the position estimation necessity determining unit F4 may determine that a position estimation scene occurs at predetermined time intervals or each time authentication of the portable terminal 3 expires.

[0071] The authentication processing unit F5 cooperates with the BLE communication device 13 to perform a process of confirming that the communication partner is the user's mobile terminal 3 (in other words, authentication). The communication for authentication is encrypted and performed via the BLE communication device 13. That is, the authentication process is performed by encrypted communication. The authentication process itself may be performed using various methods such as a challenge-response method. A detailed description thereof will be omitted here. It is assumed that data required for the authentication process (e.g., encryption key) is stored in each of the mobile terminal 3 and the smart ECU 11. The timing when the authentication processing unit F5 performs the authentication process may be, for example, the timing when a communication connection between the BLE communication device 13 and the mobile terminal 3 is established. The authentication processing unit F5 may be configured to perform the authentication process at a predetermined cycle while the BLE communication device 13 and the mobile terminal 3 are connected for communication. Also, the encrypted communication for the authentication process may be performed using a predetermined user operation on the vehicle Hv, such as when the user presses the start button 15 or when the door is opened or closed.

[0072] In the Bluetooth standard, the establishment of a communication connection between the BLE communicator 13 and the portable terminal 3 means that the communication partner of the BLE communicator 13 is the preregistered portable terminal 3. Therefore, the smart ECU 11 may be configured to determine that authentication of the portable terminal 3 has been successful based on the establishment of a communication connection between the BLE communicator 13 and the portable terminal 3.

[0073] The position estimation unit F6 is configured to execute a process of estimating the position of the mobile terminal 3 (hereinafter, terminal position estimation process) based on the determination by the position estimation necessity determination unit F4 that it is a position estimation scene. The position estimation unit F6 sequentially executes the terminal position estimation process at a predetermined estimation interval, for example, while it is determined that it is a position estimation scene. The estimation interval can be, for example, 100 milliseconds. The estimation interval may be 200 milliseconds or 150 milliseconds. Estimating the position of the mobile terminal 3 corresponds to estimating the position of the user. The position estimation process by the position estimation unit F6 will be described separately later.

[0074] The cooperation control unit F7 is configured to cooperate with the body ECU 19 and the like to execute vehicle control according to the position of the portable terminal 3 (in other words, the user) and the state of the vehicle Hv, on the condition that the authentication processing unit F5 has successfully authenticated the portable terminal 3. The state of the vehicle Hv is determined by the vehicle information acquisition unit F1. The position of the portable terminal 3 is determined by the position estimation unit F6.

[0075] For example, when the vehicle Hv is parked, the mobile terminal 3 is outside the vehicle cabin, and the door button 14 is pressed by the user, the cooperation control unit F7 cooperates with the body ECU 19 to unlock the door lock mechanism. Also, when the position estimation unit F6 determines that the mobile terminal 3 is inside the vehicle cabin and detects that the start button 15 has been pressed by the user, the cooperation control unit F7 cooperates with the engine ECU 18 to start the engine.

[0076] In addition, the cooperation control unit F7 sequentially provides the automatic driving ECU 20 with the terminal position estimated by the position estimation unit F6 while the automatic driving ECU 20 is executing the automatic parking control. When the automatic driving ECU 20 determines that the user is not present within a predetermined control permission area based on the estimation result of the position estimation unit F6, the automatic driving ECU 20 and the automatic parking are interrupted or temporarily stopped. In this way, the cooperation control unit F7 is basically configured to execute vehicle control according to the user's position and the state of the vehicle Hv, triggered by a user operation on the vehicle Hv. However, some of the vehicle controls that the cooperation control unit F7 can execute may be executed automatically according to the user's position without requiring a user operation on the vehicle Hv.

[0077] <Location estimation method> Here, a method for estimating the position of the mobile terminal 3 will be described. Various methods can be adopted as the position estimation method. In this embodiment, an example of a configuration for identifying the position of the mobile terminal 3 using a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) method that uses the received signal strength strength of a signal from the mobile terminal 3 will be described. The RSSI method is a method that estimates the distance from each BLE communicator 12 to the mobile terminal 3 by utilizing the characteristic that the electric field strength of a wireless signal attenuates according to the propagation distance, and estimates the terminal position based on the distance from each BLE communicator 12.

[0078] The position estimation unit F6 converts the reception strength information of the signal from the mobile terminal 3 observed by each BLE communicator 12 into distance information, and generates distance information from each BLE communicator 12 to the mobile terminal 3. Then, the position estimation unit F6 calculates the position of the mobile terminal 3 by integrating the distance information from each BLE communicator 12 to the mobile terminal 3. For example, the position estimation unit F6 specifies the position of the mobile terminal 3 relative to a reference point of the vehicle Hv by the principle of triangulation or triangulation based on the distances calculated from the reception strengths observed by three or more BLE communicators 12 and the mounting positions of these BLE communicators 12. The conversion from reception strength to distance information can be realized by using a model formula in which the reception strength attenuates inversely proportional to the cube or square of the distance. The position of the mobile terminal 3 relative to the vehicle Hv can be expressed as a point in the vehicle two-dimensional coordinate system.

[0079] In addition, when performing the position estimation by the above-mentioned RSSI method, all of the BLE communicators 12 do not need to perform two-way communication with the mobile terminal 3. As shown in FIG. 6, the BLE communicators 12 other than the BLE communicators 12x may be configured to perform only observation of the reception strength. For convenience, in a system configuration in which the communicators performing two-way communication with the mobile terminal 3 are limited to one among the multiple BLE communicators 12, the BLE communicator 12 that plays a role in performing two-way communication with the mobile terminal 3 is referred to as a gateway communicator. In this embodiment, the BLE communicator 12x corresponds to the gateway communicator. In FIG. 6, a configuration in which the BLE communicator 12x as a gateway communicator is arranged outside the smart ECU 11 is shown, but as described above, the BLE communicator 12x is built into the smart ECU 11. The gateway communicator may be the BLE communicator 12 arranged outside the smart ECU 11. The BLE communicator 12 serving as the gateway communicator may be fixed or may be dynamically changed by the smart ECU 11.

[0080] In addition, when a communication connection with the mobile terminal 3 is established, the BLE communication device 12 transmits and receives data to and from the mobile terminal 3 while successively changing the 37 channels. At that time, the gateway communication device (here, the BLE communication device 12x) successively provides the communication control unit F3 with information indicating the channel to be used for communication with the mobile terminal 3 (hereinafter, channel information). The channel information may be a specific channel number, or may be a parameter indicating a transition rule of the channel to be used (so-called hopIncrement). The hopIncrement is a number between 5 and 16 that is randomly determined when a communication connection is established. The channel information preferably includes the current channel number and the hopIncrement.

[0081] The smart ECU 11 as the communication control unit F3 distributes the channel information and the terminal ID acquired from the gateway communication device as reference information to the BLE communication device 12 (hereinafter, also referred to as an observation device or an eavesdropping device) other than the gateway communication device. Each observation device can recognize which channel among the many channels provided by the Bluetooth standard can be received to receive a signal from the mobile terminal 3, based on the channel information indicated in the reference information. As a result, it becomes possible to detect and report the reception strength of the signal from the mobile terminal 3. In addition, even if the observation device receives signals from multiple devices, it can specify which device's signal reception strength should be reported to the smart ECU 11, based on the terminal ID indicated in the reference information. In a configuration in which the role of a gateway communication device or an observation device is set to each BLE communication device 12, each observation device may report to the smart ECU 11 the reception strength of a signal including the terminal ID indicated in the reference information, among the signals received on the channel indicated in the channel information. In another embodiment, the position estimation unit F6 may specify the position of the mobile terminal 3 relative to the vehicle Hv using an AoA (Angle of Arrival) method that uses the angle of arrival of radio waves. Also, the position estimation unit F6 may specify the position of the mobile terminal 3 relative to the vehicle Hv using a ToF (Time of Flight) method that performs localization using the flight time of radio waves. Alternatively, the position estimation unit F6 may specify the position of the mobile terminal 3 relative to the vehicle Hv using a TDOA (Time Difference of Arrival) method that performs localization using the arrival time difference of radio waves. A signal round trip time (so-called TOA: Time Of Arrival or RTT: Round-Trip Time) method, which is the time from transmitting a response request signal to receiving a response signal, may also be used.

[0082] <About adjustment unit F32> When the scene determination unit F31 determines that the scene is a simultaneous operation scene, the adjustment unit F32 adjusts the communication timing with the mobile terminal 3 so as to suppress interference between the millimeter wave radar 17 and a device near the radar. Fig. 7 shows a flow of operations of the smart ECU 11 related to the operation of the adjustment unit F32, and includes steps S1 to S5. The flowchart shown in Fig. 7 is executed sequentially (e.g., every 100 milliseconds) while at least one of the multiple BLE communicators 12 is receiving a signal from the mobile terminal 3, for example.

[0083] In step S1, the vehicle information acquisition unit F1 acquires various vehicle information including the state of the vehicle power supply. Also in step S1, the communication control unit F3 acquires the communication status with the mobile terminal 3. The communication status with the mobile terminal 3 includes (a) whether or not a communication connection with the mobile terminal 3 has been established, (b) the communication device number of the BLE communication device 12 that is receiving a signal from the mobile terminal 3, and (c) the reception strength of the signal from the mobile terminal 3 at each BLE communication device 12. When step S1 is completed, the process proceeds to step S2.

[0084] In step S2, the location estimation necessity determination unit F4 determines whether or not the current situation corresponds to a location estimation scene based on the vehicle information acquired in step S1 and the communication status with the mobile terminal 3. An example of the criteria for determining whether or not the current situation corresponds to a location estimation scene is as described above. If the location estimation necessity determination unit F4 determines in step S2 that the current situation corresponds to a location estimation scene, step S3 is executed. On the other hand, if it determines in step S2 that the current situation does not correspond to a location estimation scene, this flow ends.

[0085] In step S3, the scene determination unit F31 determines whether the current situation is a simultaneous operation scene. For example, the scene determination unit F31 determines that the current situation is a simultaneous operation scene when the position estimation necessity determination unit F4 determines that the current situation is a position estimation scene and the driving status determination unit F2 determines that the current situation is a radar operation scene. Since whether the current situation is a position estimation scene has already been determined in step S2, in effect, in step S3, the current situation is determined to be a simultaneous operation scene when the driving status determination unit F2 determines that the millimeter wave radar is operating.

[0086] Also, the scene determination unit F31 may determine whether or not it is a simultaneous operation scene directly from the sensor information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit F1. For example, the scene determination unit F31 may determine that it is a simultaneous operation scene when it detects the opening and closing of the doors while the ignition power is on. Also, the scene determination unit F31 may determine that it is a simultaneous operation scene when the BLE communication device 12 receives a signal from the mobile terminal 3 while the air conditioner ECU 21 is performing a pre-air conditioning operation based on a user reservation. The scene determination unit F31 may determine that it is a simultaneous operation scene when automatic parking control or automatic leaving control is being performed. Step S3 corresponds to a scene determination step.

[0087] If the scene determination unit F31 determines in step S3 that the current situation corresponds to a simultaneous operation scene, it executes step S4. On the other hand, if the scene determination unit F31 determines in step S3 that the current situation does not correspond to a radar operation scene, it proceeds to step S5.

[0088] In step S4, the adjustment unit F32 specifies a timing (i.e., a time period corresponding to a pause period) when the millimeter wave radar 17 does not transmit millimeter waves based on the transmission interval and past transmission timing (in other words, transmission time) of the millimeter wave radar 17 acquired from the radar ECU 16. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the adjustment unit F32 controls the operation of the BLE communication device 12 so that the BLE communication device 12 and the mobile terminal 3 communicate with each other during the pause period of the millimeter wave radar 17. For example, the adjustment unit F32 causes the BLE communication device 12x to transmit a response request signal immediately after the transmission / reception period of the millimeter wave radar 17 ends (for example, 5 milliseconds). Tx in FIG. 8 indicates a time period for transmitting an exploration wave / signal, and Rx indicates a time period for receiving an exploration wave / signal. The horizontal axis in FIG. 8 indicates time, and T01 to T02, T03 to T04, and T05 to T06 indicate the transmission / reception period of the millimeter wave radar 17. Step S4 corresponds to an operation mode change step.

[0089] In addition, the length of a communication packet in BLE is specified as 80 to 376 bits (= 10 to 47 octets), so considering that the bit rate is 1 Mbps, the length of one packet falls within the range of 80 to 376 microseconds in terms of time. In other words, one packet is sufficiently shorter than 1 millisecond. In addition, it is assumed that the idle period of the millimeter wave radar 17 is secured to be 10 milliseconds or more (30 milliseconds in this case). Therefore, the two-way communication between the mobile terminal 3 and the BLE communication device 12 can fall within the idle period of the millimeter wave radar 17.

[0090] 8 illustrates an example in which the vehicle-side communication device (i.e., the BLE communication device 12x) behaves as a master in BLE communication, and the mobile terminal 3 behaves as a slave. Specifically, the BLE communication device 12x transmits a response request signal, and the mobile terminal 3 returns a response signal in response to the response request signal. The response request signal may be any signal that requests a specific communication device to return a response signal, and the content of the response request signal (in other words, a signal sequence) may be changed as appropriate. It is preferable that the response request signal and the response signal include information indicating the sender and destination.

[0091] When the BLE communicator 12x is the master, the BLE communicator 12x can adjust the communication timing. The mobile terminal 3 may be the master, and the BLE communicator 12x may be the slave. When the mobile terminal 3 is the master, the BLE communicator 12x transmits predetermined adjustment data to the mobile terminal 3, and the mobile terminal 3 adjusts the communication timing based on the adjustment data. The adjustment data may be data indicating the transmission timing or pause period of the millimeter wave radar 17, for example. The adjustment data may also be data indicating a time period during which communication is possible. The adjustment data may include information for synchronizing the mobile terminal 3 and the BLE communicator 12. A wireless signal corresponding to the adjustment data corresponds to a timing adjustment signal.

[0092] When each BLE communicator 12 receives a signal from the mobile terminal 3, as described with reference to Fig. 6, the reception strength information of each BLE communicator 12 is collected in the smart ECU 11. In step S5, the position estimation unit F6 estimates the position of the mobile terminal 3 based on the reception strength of each BLE communicator 12 and the mounting position of each BLE communicator 12. Note that if a negative judgment is made in step S3 and step S4 is omitted, the BLE communicator 12x can communicate with the mobile terminal 3 at any timing. Step S5 corresponds to a position estimation step.

[0093] In this way, the communication control unit F3 of this embodiment adjusts the communication timing depending on whether it is determined to be a simultaneous operation scene. Specifically, if it is not a simultaneous operation scene, it does not arbitrate the communication timing, whereas if it is a simultaneous operation scene, it adjusts the communication timing. Adjusting the communication timing corresponds to changing the operation mode of the communication device. Note that transmitting adjustment data when the mobile terminal 3 is the master also corresponds to a specific means for adjusting the communication timing. Therefore, transmitting adjustment data also corresponds to changing the operation mode of the communication device.

[0094] <Effects of the above configuration> In a configuration in which the millimeter wave radar and the BLE communication device 12 are placed close to each other, spurious waves from one device (the communication frequency band of the other device) may become noise for the other device, which may deteriorate communication quality or cause errors in the estimation results of distance and direction. In particular, in a technology that estimates a position based on the reception strength, signal propagation time, arrival direction, etc., noise has a large effect on the estimation accuracy.

[0095] In response to such a problem, according to the above configuration, the millimeter wave radar 17 and the BLE communication device 12 do not both operate at the same time, so that it is possible to reduce the influence of mutual interference. For example, when the millimeter wave radar 17 is transmitting and receiving a search wave, the possibility that the BLE communication device 12 receives a signal from the mobile terminal 3 is reduced. As a result, the risk that the spurious components of the search wave transmitted by the millimeter wave radar 17 will act as noise for the BLE communication device 12 and degrade the estimation accuracy of the position of the mobile terminal 3 can be reduced. Even if the radar-proximate device is configured to transmit a signal to the mobile terminal 3, the possibility that the radar-proximate device will transmit a signal is reduced when the millimeter wave radar 17 is transmitting and receiving a search wave. As a result, the risk that the spurious components of the wireless signal transmitted by the BLE communication device 12 as the radar-proximate device will act as noise for the millimeter wave radar 17 and degrade the object detection and recognition accuracy can be reduced.

[0096] In addition, according to the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 9, it is possible to arbitrate the communication timing between the BLE communication device 12 and the mobile terminal 3 not only while the user is aboard, but also when the millimeter wave radar 17 is operating due to the pre-air conditioning operation. Specifically, the arbitration of the communication timing is also performed when the approach of the user is detected during the pre-air conditioning operation. In this way, by including the pre-air conditioning operation as one of the scenes in which interference between the millimeter wave radar 17 and the BLE communication device 12 may occur, it is possible to reduce the risk of the position estimation accuracy deteriorating when the user approaches. In addition, by including the automatic parking / leaving time as a scene in which interference between the millimeter wave radar 17 and the BLE communication device 12 may occur, it is possible to reduce the risk of the user's position estimation accuracy deteriorating when the user is remotely operating the vehicle near the vehicle.

[0097] In addition, in the technical field of estimating a user's position, there has been no consideration in the past about a configuration in which the BLE communication device 12 and the millimeter wave radar 17 are arranged in close proximity to each other, and about mutual interference between the BLE communication device 12 and the millimeter wave radar 17. The configuration disclosed herein has been created with a focus on the possibility that in the future, a BLE communication device and a millimeter wave radar will be arranged in close proximity to each other.

[0098] Although the embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modified examples described below are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, in addition to the following, various modifications can be implemented within the scope of the gist. For example, the following various modified examples can be implemented in appropriate combinations within the scope of no technical contradiction. Note that the same reference numerals are used for components having the same functions as those described in the above-mentioned embodiment, and their description is omitted. In addition, when only a part of the configuration is mentioned, the configuration of the embodiment described above can be applied to the other parts.

[0099] <Additional information on timing adjustment method> Although Fig. 7 shows a mode in which the timing is controlled so as not to completely overlap, the method of adjusting the communication timing is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Fig. 10, the transmission timing of the response request signal may overlap with the transmission and reception period of the millimeter wave radar 17. Even with such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the risk of deterioration in the estimation accuracy of the terminal position. Note that the horizontal axis of Fig. 10 represents time, and T11 to T12, T13 to T14, and T15 to T16 represent the transmission and reception period of the millimeter wave radar 17. Also, Fig. 10 discloses a mode in which the in-vehicle BLE communication device 12 acts as the master, but the mobile terminal 3 may be the master.

[0100] Furthermore, when the response signal has a ranging signal sequence Sg at the end of the data signal sequence as shown in Fig. 11, the timing of communication with the mobile terminal 3 may be adjusted so that the ranging signal sequence Sg does not overlap with the transmission and reception period of the millimeter wave radar 17 as shown in Fig. 12. In Figs. 11 and 12, the hatched portion conceptually represents the ranging signal sequence Sg. The ranging signal sequence Sg refers to a portion used to determine the reception strength, the direction of arrival, and the like. Note that the numbers in parentheses in Fig. 11 represent the length of the bit string in octets. For example, this indicates that the preamble has a length of one octet.

[0101] The millimeter wave radar 17 may be configured to swing the transmission direction (in other words, directivity) of the search wave in the horizontal direction to form a wide detection range as a whole. As shown in FIG. 13, the millimeter wave radar 17a may be configured to transmit and receive the search wave by switching the main beam of the transmission antenna in the order of a first direction A1, a second direction A2, and a third direction A3. The first direction A1 corresponds to a direction in which an object existing in a first range R1, which is a part of the overall detection range R0, can be detected. The first direction A1 corresponds to a direction in which an object existing in a second range R2, which is a part of the detection range R0, can be detected. The third direction A3 corresponds to a direction in which an object existing in a third range R3, which is a part of the detection range R0, can be detected.

[0102] In the example shown in FIG. 13, the state in which the first range R1 is the detection range is a state in which the directivity of the millimeter wave radar 17a is most oriented in the direction in which the BLE communication device 12a, which is a device adjacent to the radar, is present. In other words, among a plurality of directivity patterns that the millimeter wave radar 17 can switch to, this corresponds to a pattern in which the millimeter wave radar 17a and the BLE communication device 12a are most likely to interfere with each other. The state in which the second range R2 and the third range R3 are the detection range is a state in which the directivity of the millimeter wave radar 17a is relatively oriented in a direction in which the BLE communication device 12a is not present. In other words, among a plurality of directivity patterns that the millimeter wave radar 17 can switch to, this corresponds to a pattern in which the millimeter wave radar 17a and the BLE communication device 12a are relatively unlikely to interfere with each other. In particular, the third direction A3 corresponds to a direction furthest away (with the largest angle difference) from the direction in which the BLE communication device 12a is present.

[0103] In such a configuration, the adjustment unit F32 may adjust the communication timing so as to communicate with the mobile terminal 3 using a period in which directivity is oriented in a direction other than the first direction A1, in addition to the pause period, as shown in Fig. 14. Such a configuration also produces the above-mentioned effects. In addition, since the time period during which communication with the mobile terminal 3 is possible is relatively increased, the position estimation process can be performed frequently.

[0104] The horizontal axis of FIG. 14 represents time, and the periods from time T31 to T32 and from time T35 to T36 represent periods during which a search wave is transmitted in the first direction A1. The periods from time T32 to T33 and from time T36 to T37 represent periods during which a search wave is transmitted in the second direction A2. The periods from time T33 to T34 and from time T37 to T38 represent periods during which a search wave is transmitted in the third direction A3. The period from time T34 to T35 represents a pause period. The transmission direction can be switched, for example, every 10 milliseconds. The pause period can also be set to 10 milliseconds. Although the millimeter wave radar 17a has been described above, the other millimeter wave radars 17 can be configured in the same manner.

[0105] In addition, the smart ECU 11 does not necessarily need to arbitrate the communication timing. For example, the position estimation unit F6 may be configured to estimate the terminal position using only the observation data acquired during the pause period, without using the observation data of each BLE communication device 12 during the period when the millimeter wave radar 17 was transmitting the search wave. Specifically, the position estimation unit F6 may be configured to discard the observation data of each BLE communication device 12 during the period when the millimeter wave radar 17 was transmitting the search wave. The change in the operation mode of the position estimation unit F6 may be performed as an internal process of the position estimation unit F6. The observation data here refers to data for estimating the terminal position (in other words, data for position estimation), such as reception strength, flight time, and arrival direction. According to such a configuration, the terminal position is estimated without using the reception strength or ToF influenced by the spurious components from the millimeter wave radar 17. As a result, it is possible to suppress the error of the terminal position. Such a configuration also corresponds to a configuration in which the operation mode of the position estimation unit F6 is changed based on the determination that the scene is a simultaneous operation scene.

[0106] <Additional information on the method for estimating the location of the mobile terminal 3> The position estimation unit F6 may estimate the terminal position by combining a plurality of position estimation methods. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the smart ECU 11 may estimate the terminal position by combining the RSSI method and the AoA method. For example, the BLE communicators 12a to 12d provided at the corners of the vehicle may be configured to calculate the arrival angle (in other words, the arrival direction) of a signal from the mobile terminal 3, while the other BLE communicators 12e to 12h and 12x may be configured to calculate the reception strength. In this case, the position estimation unit F6 can estimate the terminal position by combining the arrival direction observed by at least one of the BLE communicators 12a to 12d and the reception strength observed by at least one of the BLE communicators 12e to 12h and 12x. Note that the BLE communicator 12 that estimates the arrival direction may be configured to include an array antenna. The BLE communicator 12 equipped with an array antenna may be configured to calculate the arrival direction by analyzing the reception results at the plurality of antennas 122 and report the arrival direction to the smart ECU 11. In such a configuration, the BLE communicators 12 other than the gateway communicator may have at least a receiving function. Each BLE communicator 12 may provide the smart ECU 11 with reception result data indicating the reception strength and phase of each antenna, and the smart ECU 11 may calculate the arrival direction of each BLE communicator 12.

[0107] Also, the smart ECU 11 may estimate the terminal position by the ToF method as shown in FIG. 16. The communication microcomputer 125 of each BLE communicator 12 may be configured to calculate the flight time (i.e., ToF) from when the mobile terminal 3 transmits a signal until the BLE communicator 12 receives the signal, and provide the calculated time to the smart ECU 11. The communication microcomputer 125 of the BLE communicator 12 detects the phase of the received signal, and is capable of calculating the flight time (i.e., ToF) corresponding to the distance to the mobile terminal 3 from the phase difference when the frequency is changed. Note that, when calculating the flight time / phase difference, the reception result of the signal from the BLE communicator 12 as a gateway communicator may be used. Each BLE communicator 12 may be configured to specify both the flight time and the reception strength and report them to the smart ECU 11. Also, the smart ECU 11 may calculate the flight time based on the reception result of each BLE communicator 12.

[0108] The smart ECU 11 may also calculate the ToF using the round trip time. In this case, the BLE communication device 12x as the gateway communication device measures the round trip time from transmitting a response request signal to receiving a response signal from the mobile terminal 3, and reports it to the smart ECU 11. The BLE communication device 12 other than the gateway communication device, which is an eavesdropping device, measures the reception interval from receiving a response request signal issued by the gateway communication device to receiving a response signal issued by the mobile terminal 3, and reports it to the smart ECU 11. The smart ECU 11 specifies a first propagation time, which is a signal propagation time between the mobile terminal and the gateway communication device, based on the round trip time. The smart ECU 11 also specifies a second propagation time, which is a signal propagation time between the mobile terminal and the eavesdropping device, based on the reception interval at each eavesdropping device and the first propagation time. The first propagation time and the second propagation time each correspond to the ToF. Note that the method described in Patent Document 2 can be used as a calculation method of the ToF using the round trip time.

[0109] In addition, each of the multiple BLE communicators 12 may be configured to calculate at least one of the reception strength, the direction of arrival, and the flight time by individually transmitting and receiving wireless signals with the mobile terminal 3. In a mode in which each BLE communicator 12 individually communicates with the mobile terminal 3, the above-mentioned adjustment of the communication timing may be performed only when a radar-proximate device communicates with the mobile terminal 3. Also, in a mode in which each BLE communicator 12 individually communicates with the mobile terminal 3, the adjustment of the communication timing may be performed for each radar-proximate device.

[0110] <Communication methods available for estimating the location of the mobile terminal 3> In the above embodiment, the radio waves used for wireless communication by establishing a communication connection between the in-vehicle system 1 and the portable terminal 3 and the radio waves used for identifying the terminal position are radio waves used in the same communication technology, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the radio waves used for wireless communication by establishing a communication connection between the in-vehicle system 1 and the portable terminal 3 and the radio waves used for identifying the terminal position may be radio waves used in different communication technologies.

[0111] For example, wireless communication between the in-vehicle system 1 and the mobile terminal 3 by establishing a communication connection may be BLE-compliant, while UWB-IR (Ultra Wide Band - Impulse Radio) communication (hereinafter, UWB communication) may be used to identify the terminal position. Hereinafter, a system configuration that uses UWB communication to estimate the terminal position is referred to as a UWB combined configuration.

[0112] In the UWB combined configuration, the mobile terminal 3 includes a circuit module for transmitting and receiving impulse-shaped radio waves (hereinafter, impulse signals) used in UWB communication. The in-vehicle system 1 also includes a communication module (hereinafter, UWB communication device) for receiving impulse signals used in UWB communication, as shown in FIG. 17. The impulse signal used in UWB communication is a signal with an extremely short pulse width, for example, 2 nanoseconds. UWB communication is also called ultra-wideband communication. Frequency bands available for UWB communication include, for example, 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz, 3.4 GHz to 4.8 GHz, 7.25 GHz to 10.6 GHz, and 22 GHz to 29 GHz.

[0113] The communication control unit F3 with UWB combined configuration acquires data from the mobile terminal 3 received by the UWB communication device. In addition, the communication control unit F3 generates data addressed to the mobile terminal 3 and outputs it to the UWB communication device 22. This causes a pulse sequence signal corresponding to the desired data to be wirelessly transmitted. The pulse sequence signal here means a signal sequence in which a plurality of impulse signals are arranged at a predetermined time interval, which is generated by modulating the transmission data using an on-off modulation method. Furthermore, the communication control unit F3 causes an impulse signal to be transmitted from any UWB communication device 22 based on an instruction from the position estimation unit F6. The UWB communication device 22 that transmits the impulse signal is selected by the position estimation unit F6.

[0114] The position estimation unit F6 estimates the distance from each UWB communicator 22 to the mobile terminal 3 by causing each of the multiple UWB communicators 22 to transmit and receive impulse signals to and from the mobile terminal 3 in a predetermined order. The distance estimation can be performed using a ToF method or the like. Then, the position of the mobile terminal 3 is estimated based on distance information from each UWB communicator 22 to the mobile terminal 3 and mounting position data of each UWB communicator 22. In this way, even if the UWB communicator 22 is used instead of the BLE communicator 12, the terminal position can be estimated. That is, the BLE communicator 12 in this specification can be replaced with the UWB communicator 22.

[0115] <Additional information on estimated intervals> The interval at which the position of the mobile terminal 3 is estimated (i.e., the estimation interval) may be dynamically changed depending on the situation. The estimation interval while the vehicle is moving with the user present in the vehicle may be set to be larger (in other words, sparser) than the estimation interval while the vehicle is stopped. With this configuration, the frequency of execution of the terminal position estimation process while the vehicle is moving is reduced, and the risk of interference between the millimeter wave radar 17 and the BLE communication device 12 can be further reduced.

[0116] In addition, the estimated interval during automatic parking / leaving control may be shorter than the estimated interval when the user is in the vehicle. Laws and regulations stipulate that automatic parking and automatic leaving can be used on the condition that the user is within a control permission area that is within a predetermined distance from the vehicle Hv. With this configuration, it is possible to quickly detect when the user has left the control permission area and take measures such as stopping the vehicle.

[0117] Furthermore, the estimated interval in a scene where the user approaches the parked vehicle Hv may be set closer than the estimated interval when the user is already in the vehicle. With such a configuration, the approach of the user can be detected quickly and the approach trajectory of the user can be generated with high accuracy. As a result, it is possible to provide services according to the manner of the user's approach. The services here include preparation for opening and closing the trunk door, automatic adjustment of the seat position according to the expected seating position of the user, lighting of welcome illumination, etc.

[0118] <Additional information on the granularity of device location determination> In the above, the position estimation unit F6 estimates the relative position coordinates with respect to the vehicle Hv, but this is not limiting. The position estimation unit F6 may determine whether the mobile terminal 3 is present inside the vehicle cabin. The position estimation unit F6 may be configured to determine the position of the mobile terminal 3 in three stages: inside the vehicle cabin, within a control permitted area outside the vehicle cabin, and farther away than the control permitted area. In other words, the granularity of the position estimation (in other words, fineness) may be two stages, three stages, etc.

[0119] The control permission area here refers to an area outside the vehicle cabin where automatic vehicle control according to the user's position is permitted. For example, the control permission area may be within 1 m from the vehicle Hv. The control permission area may be within 6 m from the vehicle Hv. The control permission area may be changed depending on the control content. For example, the control permission area for locking and unlocking may be set to a vehicle vicinity area such as within 1 m from the vehicle Hv, while the control permission area for automatic parking / leaving may be set to a quasi-proximal area such as within 6 m from the vehicle Hv. The quasi-proximal area refers to a range wider than the vicinity area. The vicinity area or quasi-proximal area may be further divided into the right side, left side, rear, front, etc. of the vehicle Hv. Note that the methods described in Patent Documents 3 to 6 can be used as a method for determining whether the mobile terminal 3 is present in the vehicle cabin.

[0120] In relation to the above, the position estimation unit F6 may switch the granularity of the estimation of the terminal position depending on the scene. For example, when the vehicle Hv is in a parked state or during automatic parking / leaving, the position estimation unit F6 may be configured to estimate the relative position coordinates of the mobile terminal 3, while determining only whether the mobile terminal 3 is present in the vehicle interior from the time it is determined that the mobile terminal 3 is present in the vehicle interior until the door is opened. Also, during normal driving, the position estimation unit F6 may be configured to determine the terminal position at the granularity of whether the mobile terminal 3 is present in the vehicle interior.

[0121] In addition, the position estimation unit F6 may change the combination of BLE communicators 12 used to estimate the terminal position depending on the granularity of the determination of the terminal position. For example, when estimating the position coordinates of the mobile terminal 3 outside the vehicle cabin, all BLE communicators 12 may be used, while whether or not the mobile terminal 3 is present inside the vehicle cabin may be determined without using a radar nearby device. For example, the position estimation unit F6 may perform a confirmation determination of whether the mobile terminal 3 is present inside the vehicle cabin based on the reception strength of the BLE communicators 12e to 12i from once determining that the mobile terminal 3 is present inside the vehicle cabin until the door is opened.

[0122] Once it is determined that the user is present inside the vehicle cabin, there is a high possibility that the millimeter wave radar 17 is operating as the vehicle Hv travels. In addition, arbitration of the communication timing with the mobile terminal 3 only needs to be performed when the radar nearby device performs at least one of transmission and reception. If the radar nearby device is not operating, the arbitration process can be omitted. In view of such circumstances, if a configuration is used to determine whether or not the user is present inside the vehicle cabin without using a radar nearby device, the frequency of performing arbitration process to suppress interference with the millimeter wave radar 17 can be reduced. In other words, the load on the processor 111 and the communication microcomputer 125 can be reduced.

[0123] <Supplementary information on interference suppression methods> Although the above discloses a mode in which the degree of interference is suppressed by changing the communication timing, the present invention is not limited thereto. When the BLE communication device 12 as a radar-proximate device is configured to have variable directivity, the communication control unit F3 may suppress interference with the millimeter-wave radar 17 by changing the directivity of the radar-proximate device. For example, as shown in FIG. 18, when a radar operation scene is determined, the directivity of the BLE communication device 12 as a radar-proximate device may be narrowed compared to when the radar operation scene is not determined. More specifically, when the radar operation scene is not determined, the directivity is set to the maximum angle range that can be set, whereas when the radar operation scene is determined, the communication range is limited to the vicinity of the door. This configuration also makes it possible to suppress the degree of interference. The change in the directivity of the antenna 122 may be realized by software or mechanically by using an actuator such as a motor. Changing the directivity of the radar-proximate device also corresponds to an example of changing the operation mode of the communication device.

[0124] The communication control unit F3 may also change the combination of BLE communicators 12 used to estimate the terminal position depending on whether or not it is determined that the scene is a simultaneous operation scene. In other words, the communication control unit F3 may change the combination of BLE communicators 12 to be operated depending on whether or not it is determined that the scene is a simultaneous operation scene. For example, when it is not determined that the scene is a simultaneous operation scene, the terminal position may be estimated using all BLE communicators 12, whereas when it is determined that the scene is a simultaneous operation scene, the terminal position may be estimated without using some or all of the radar nearby devices. Such control content also corresponds to changing the operation mode of the communicators depending on whether or not it is a simultaneous operation scene.

[0125] Alternatively, the radar-proximate device may be mounted in a location near the millimeter-wave radar 17 and not in the direction of the directivity of the millimeter-wave radar 17, for example, on the rear side of the millimeter-wave radar 17. Such a configuration can also suppress mutual interference.

[0126] <Additional information on millimeter wave radar operation> The radar ECU 16 may operate the millimeter wave radar 17 in such a manner that the transmission interval of the search wave is sparser during stopping than during driving. Also, during low-speed driving, the transmission interval of the millimeter wave radar 17 may be sparser than during normal driving. The millimeter wave radar 17 and the radar ECU 16 may be configured to be variable in the transmission interval of the search wave and the length of the transmission and reception period. Each millimeter wave radar 17 may be configured to be able to change the detection range according to the driving scene / the application being executed. For example, as shown in FIG. 19, the detection range may be changed during normal driving (A in the figure), during low-speed driving (B in the figure), and during backing up (C in the figure). In addition, a detection range for leaving the garage may be provided. The arrow in FIG. 19 indicates the traveling direction, and the length of the arrow conceptually indicates the magnitude of the moving speed. The detection range of the millimeter wave radar 17 is determined by the transmission direction of the search wave, the transmission power, the reception sensitivity for each direction, and the like. For example, the detection range can be changed by changing the directivity of the array antenna constituting the millimeter wave radar 17 by software or mechanically by using a motor or the like. In addition, when a plurality of array antennas are provided, the detection range may be changed by selectively switching the combination of the array antennas to be used. Although Fig. 19 illustrates an example of switching the detection range of the millimeter wave radar 17 provided at the rear corner of the vehicle Hv, the millimeter wave radar 17 provided at other locations such as the front corner may also be configured to be able to switch between a plurality of operation modes with different directivity patterns.

[0127] In the above, the smart ECU 11 has been disclosed as suppressing interference between the millimeter wave radar 17 and the BLE communication device 12 by changing the communication timing between the BLE communication device 12 and the mobile terminal 3, but the present invention is not limited to this. The radar ECU 16 may suppress interference by changing the operation of the millimeter wave radar 17 depending on whether or not the simultaneous operation scene is determined. The radar ECU 16 may be provided with the operation mode change unit.

[0128] For example, the radar ECU 16 may increase the transmission interval of the search wave when it is determined that the scene is a simultaneous operation scene, compared to when it is not determined that the scene is a simultaneous operation scene. Also, when it is determined that the scene is a simultaneous operation scene, the transmission and reception period may be shortened compared to when it is not determined that the scene is a simultaneous operation scene. With such a configuration, the time period during which the millimeter wave radar 17 operates in the simultaneous operation scene is reduced, so that the risk that the search wave of the millimeter wave radar 17 will be an error factor in the distance / direction estimation in the BLE communication device 12 can be reduced. Note that a simultaneous operation scene is basically when the vehicle Hv is stopped or traveling at a low speed. In such a scene, the movement amount of the vehicle Hv per unit time is small, so even if the transmission interval of the millimeter wave radar 17 is lengthened or the transmission and reception period is shortened, it is expected that the degree of influence on the vehicle control based on the object recognition will be within an acceptable range.

[0129] Furthermore, when it is determined that the scene is a simultaneous operation scene, the radar ECU 16 may reduce the detection range of the millimeter wave radar 17 arranged in close proximity to the BLE communication device 12 to a narrower angle range than when it is not determined that the scene is a simultaneous operation scene. When it is determined that the scene is a simultaneous operation scene, the radar ECU 16 may orient the center of directivity of the millimeter wave radar 17 arranged in close proximity to the BLE communication device 12 toward a direction in which the BLE communication device 12 is not present than when it is not determined that the scene is a simultaneous operation scene. With such a configuration, interference between the millimeter wave radar 17 and the BLE communication device 12 can also be suppressed.

[0130] The microcomputer 161 may determine whether or not the scene is a simultaneous operation scene. In other words, the microcomputer 161 may include the scene determination unit F31. The transmission interval, the length of the transmission / reception period, and the directivity of the millimeter-wave radar 17 may be changed by the microcomputer 161 included in the radar ECU 16. FIG. 20 shows an example of a functional configuration of the radar ECU 16 based on the above technical idea. As shown in FIG. 20, the radar ECU 16 may include a vehicle information acquisition unit F1, a communication device operation state determination unit G2, a radar control unit G3, and a scene determination unit F31 as functional blocks. The communication device operation state determination unit G2 is configured to obtain communication device operation information indicating the operation state of the radar nearby device from the radar nearby device itself or the smart ECU 11, and determine whether or not the radar nearby device is operating. The radar control unit G3 is configured to adjust the transmission interval, the length of the transmission / reception period, and the directivity of the millimeter-wave radar 17 based on the determination result of the scene determination unit F31. The microcomputer 161 serving as the radar control unit G3 also corresponds to an example of an operation mode change unit.

[0131] <Communication device configuration> In the housing 126 of the BLE communication device 12, a shielding section 127 that reflects or absorbs electromagnetic waves may be provided on the side portion where the millimeter wave radar 17 is expected to be mounted, as shown in FIG. 21. In FIG. 21, the portion hatched with a dot pattern conceptually represents the shielding section 127. The shielding section 127 may be a commercially available sheet as an electromagnetic wave absorbing sheet or an electromagnetic wave prevention sheet. The shielding section 127 is formed by mixing powder / particles of soft magnetic material such as iron, nickel, copper, or ferrite with synthetic resin such as silicone resin and processing it into a sheet. The shielding section 127 may be a sheet with a honeycomb mesh structure in which nylon fibers are coated with metal such as silver, nickel, or copper. In addition, the shielding section 127 may be a meta-surface structure. The meta-surface structure is a structure in which artificial structures called unit cells are repeatedly arranged. The unit cells may have various structures, such as a mushroom-type EBG structure. The shielding section 127 may be realized by using a structure or material capable of attenuating the propagation of electromagnetic waves to a predetermined level or more. The shielding section 127 may be plate-shaped (in other words, panel-shaped) or sheet-shaped. The sheet-shaped shielding section 127 may be attached to a predetermined position of the housing with an adhesive or a pressure-sensitive adhesive. The shielding section 127 may be formed by paint mixed with a magnetic material. The shielding section 127 may be provided on the outer surface of the housing 126 or on the inside of the housing 126.

[0132] In addition, the BLE communication device 12 as a radar nearby device may be provided inside the millimeter wave radar 17. In other words, the BLE communication device 12 as a radar nearby device may be configured integrally with the millimeter wave radar 17. For example, the antenna 122 for short-range communication may be formed on the surface of a board on which an array antenna for transmitting and receiving search waves is formed in the millimeter wave radar 17. The communication microcomputer 125 and the like may be disposed on the back side of the surface of the board on which the antenna 122 is formed. With a configuration in which the BLE communication device 12 is built into the millimeter wave radar 17, the number of parts to be assembled in the vehicle manufacturing process can be reduced. As a result, the manufacturing cost can be reduced. The BLE communication device 12 having the above configuration corresponds to a vehicle communication device.

[0133] <Additional remarks (1)> The control unit and the method described in the present disclosure may be realized by a dedicated computer that configures a processor programmed to execute one or more functions embodied by a computer program. The device and the method described in the present disclosure may be realized by a dedicated hardware logic circuit. The device and the method described in the present disclosure may be realized by one or more dedicated computers configured by a combination of a processor that executes a computer program and one or more hardware logic circuits. The computer program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transient tangible recording medium as instructions executed by a computer. The means and / or functions provided by the smart ECU 11 and the radar ECU 16 can be provided by software recorded in a substantial memory device and a computer that executes the software, software only, hardware only, or a combination thereof. Some or all of the functions provided by the smart ECU 11 and the radar ECU 16 may be realized as hardware. A form in which a certain function is realized as hardware includes a form in which it is realized using one or more ICs, etc. Each ECU may be realized using an MPU or a GPU. Each ECU may be realized by combining multiple types of arithmetic processing devices such as a CPU, an MPU, a GPU, etc. Furthermore, the ECU may be realized using an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit).

[0134] The program for operating a computer as the smart ECU 11 or the radar ECU 16 may be stored in a non-transitive tangible storage medium. As the storage medium for the program, various storage media such as a hard-disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), a flash memory, a USB memory, and a secure digital (SD) memory card can be used. Execution of a program by a CPU corresponds to execution of a method corresponding to the program.

[0135] <Additional remarks (2)> The present disclosure also includes the following configurations.

[0136] [Configuration (1)] A position estimation system that estimates a relative position of a mobile terminal with respect to a vehicle by performing wireless communication with the mobile terminal carried by a user via a plurality of communication devices mounted on the vehicle, The plurality of communication devices includes at least one radar neighboring device (17a to 17d) which is a communication device arranged in a vicinity area of ​​the millimeter wave radar (17); The radar neighboring device is disposed on the rear side of the millimeter wave radar that is closest to the radar neighboring device.

[0137] [Configuration (1a)] A position estimation system according to claim 1, The millimeter wave radar is disposed in a rear bumper, The radar-proximate device is a communication device arranged behind the millimeter-wave radar inside the rear bumper.

[0138] [Configuration (1b)] A position estimation system according to the configuration (1) or (1a), The millimeter wave radar is disposed in a front bumper, The radar-proximate device is a communication device arranged behind the millimeter-wave radar inside the front bumper.

[0139] [Configuration (1c)] A position estimation system according to any one of the configurations (1), (1a) and (1b), A position estimation system that defines the vicinity of a millimeter-wave radar as within 0.2 m of the radar.

[0140] [Configuration (2)] A short-range communication device for a vehicle that is arranged in a vicinity of a millimeter wave radar and that directly communicates wirelessly with a portable terminal carried by a user in accordance with a predetermined short-range wireless communication standard, an antenna (122) for receiving a signal from a mobile terminal; a circuit board (121) on which electronic components for processing signals received by the antenna are mounted; a housing (126) for housing the antenna and the circuit board; The vehicle communication device has a housing provided with a shield portion (127) for blocking radio waves from a millimeter wave radar.

[0141] [Configuration (2a)] The vehicle communication device according to the configuration (2), The shielding portion is provided on one of the side portions of the housing where the millimeter wave radar is planned to be disposed, in the vehicle communication device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0142] 1 In-vehicle system, 11 Smart ECU, 12·12a to 12i BLE communication device (communication device), 16 Radar ECU, 17·17a to 17e Millimeter wave radar, 18 Engine ECU, 19 Body ECU, 20 Autonomous driving ECU, 21 Air conditioner ECU, 111 Processor (operation mode change unit), 121 Board (circuit board), 126 Housing, 127 Shield unit, 161 Microcomputer (operation mode change unit), F1 Vehicle information acquisition unit, F2 Driving status determination unit, F3 Communication control unit, F4 Position estimation necessity determination unit, F5 Authentication processing unit, F6 Position estimation unit, F7 Cooperation control unit, F31 Scene determination unit, F32 Adjustment unit, G2 Communication device driving state determination unit, G3 Radar control unit, S3 Scene determination step, S4 Operation mode change step, S5 Position estimation step

Claims

1. A position estimation system that estimates a relative position of a mobile terminal carried by a user with respect to a vehicle by performing wireless communication with the mobile terminal via a plurality of communication devices mounted on the vehicle, The plurality of communication devices include at least one radar nearby device (17a to 17d) which is a communication device arranged in a vicinity area of ​​a millimeter wave radar (17); a location estimation unit (F6) that estimates a location of the mobile terminal based on reception conditions of signals from the mobile terminal at a plurality of the communication devices; a scene determination unit (F31) that determines whether or not a simultaneous operation scene is occurring in which both the millimeter wave radar and the radar nearby device can operate simultaneously, based on information from a sensor mounted on the vehicle; a communication control unit (F3) configured to control the operation of a plurality of communication devices including the radar neighboring devices, and changing an operation mode of the communication devices based on the fact that the scene determination unit has determined that the simultaneous operation scene exists; a radar drive state determination unit (F2) that acquires radar operation information indicating an operation state of the millimeter wave radar from the millimeter wave radar itself or a radar ECU (16) that controls the operation of the millimeter wave radar, and determines whether the millimeter wave radar is operating; a position estimation necessity determination unit (F4) that determines whether or not a predetermined position estimation scene is occurring in which a position of the mobile terminal should be estimated based on a communication state between the communication device and the mobile terminal, the scene determination unit is configured to determine that the scene is the simultaneous operation scene when the position estimation necessity determination unit has determined that the scene is the position estimation scene and the radar drive state determination unit has determined that the millimeter wave radar is operating, The millimeter wave radar is configured to be able to change the transmission direction of the search wave, A position estimation system configured such that, when the scene determination unit determines that the scene is a simultaneous operation scene, the communication control unit causes the communication device to communicate with the mobile terminal using a period during which the direction of transmission of the search wave by the millimeter wave radar is set to a specified direction that has the least effect on devices near the radar among the directions that the millimeter wave radar can set.

2. 2. The position estimation system of claim 1, A position estimation system in which the communication control unit, based on the scene determination unit's determination that the scene is a simultaneous operation scene, causes the communication device to communicate with the mobile terminal using a pause period, which is a time period when the millimeter wave radar does not transmit exploration waves.

3. 3. A position estimation system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mobile terminal is configured to act as a communication master and the communication device is configured to act as a slave, A position estimation system in which the communication control unit causes the communication device to transmit a timing adjustment signal indicating the timing at which a signal should be transmitted to the communication device to the mobile terminal based on the scene determination unit determining that the scene is a simultaneous action scene.

4. A position estimation system that estimates a relative position of a mobile terminal carried by a user with respect to a vehicle by performing wireless communication with the mobile terminal via a plurality of communication devices mounted on the vehicle, The plurality of communication devices include at least one radar nearby device (17a to 17d) which is a communication device arranged in a vicinity area of ​​a millimeter wave radar (17); a location estimation unit (F6) that estimates a location of the mobile terminal based on reception conditions of signals from the mobile terminal at a plurality of the communication devices; a scene determination unit (F31) that determines whether or not a simultaneous operation scene is occurring in which both the millimeter wave radar and the radar nearby device can operate simultaneously, based on information from a sensor mounted on the vehicle; a communication control unit (F3) configured to control the operation of a plurality of communication devices including the radar neighboring devices, and changing an operation mode of the communication devices based on the fact that the scene determination unit has determined that the simultaneous operation scene exists; a radar drive state determination unit (F2) that acquires radar operation information indicating an operation state of the millimeter wave radar from the millimeter wave radar itself or a radar ECU (16) that controls the operation of the millimeter wave radar, and determines whether the millimeter wave radar is operating; a position estimation necessity determination unit (F4) that determines whether or not a predetermined position estimation scene is occurring in which a position of the mobile terminal should be estimated based on a communication state between the communication device and the mobile terminal, the scene determination unit determines that the scene is the simultaneous operation scene when the position estimation necessity determination unit determines that the scene is the position estimation scene and the radar drive state determination unit determines that the millimeter wave radar is operating, the communication control unit changes an operation mode of the communication device based on the fact that the scene determination unit has determined that the scene is the simultaneous operation scene; The radar nearby device is configured to be able to change its directivity in a plurality of patterns, A position estimation system in which the communication control unit sets the directivity of the radar-proximate device to a predetermined pattern among the multiple patterns that causes the least interference with the millimeter wave radar while the millimeter wave radar is operating.

5. A position estimation system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The scene determination unit is configured to determine that the simultaneous operation scene is occurring in at least any of the following cases: when the opening and closing of a door is detected while the driving power source is on, when the communication device receives a signal from the mobile terminal while pre-boarding air conditioning operation is being performed based on the user's reservation, when automatic parking control is being performed, and when automatic leaving control is being performed.

6. 1. A position estimation method executed by a processor, which estimates a relative position of a mobile terminal carried by a user with respect to a vehicle by performing wireless communication with the mobile terminal via a plurality of communication devices mounted on the vehicle, The plurality of communication devices include at least one radar neighboring device (17a to 17d) which is a communication device arranged in a vicinity of a millimeter wave radar (17) configured to be able to change the transmission direction of the exploration wave; a position estimating step of estimating a position of the mobile terminal based on reception conditions of signals from the mobile terminal at the plurality of communication devices; acquiring radar operation information indicating an operation state of the millimeter wave radar from the millimeter wave radar itself or a radar ECU (16) that controls the operation of the millimeter wave radar, and determining whether the millimeter wave radar is operating; determining whether or not a predetermined position estimation scene is present in which a position of the mobile terminal should be estimated based on a communication status between the communication device and the mobile terminal; a scene determination step of determining, when it is determined that the scene is the position estimation scene and that the millimeter wave radar is operating, that the scene is a simultaneous operation scene in which both the millimeter wave radar and the radar nearby device may operate simultaneously; a step of adjusting a communication timing of the communication device so that the communication device communicates with the mobile terminal using a period during which the transmission direction of a search wave by the millimeter wave radar is set to a specified direction that has the least effect on devices near the radar among directions that the millimeter wave radar can set, based on the fact that the simultaneous operation scene is determined in the scene determination step.

7. 1. A position estimation method executed by a processor, which estimates a relative position of a mobile terminal carried by a user with respect to a vehicle by performing wireless communication with the mobile terminal via a plurality of communication devices mounted on the vehicle, The plurality of communication devices include at least one radar neighboring device (17a to 17d) that is disposed in a vicinity area of ​​the millimeter wave radar (17) and is configured to be able to change directivity in a plurality of patterns; a position estimating step of estimating a position of the mobile terminal based on reception conditions of signals from the mobile terminal at the plurality of communication devices; acquiring radar operation information indicating an operation state of the millimeter wave radar from the millimeter wave radar itself or a radar ECU (16) that controls the operation of the millimeter wave radar, and determining whether the millimeter wave radar is operating; determining whether or not a predetermined position estimation scene is present in which a position of the mobile terminal should be estimated based on a communication status between the communication device and the mobile terminal; a scene determination step of determining, when it is determined that the scene is the position estimation scene and that the millimeter wave radar is operating, that the scene is a simultaneous operation scene in which both the millimeter wave radar and the radar nearby device may operate simultaneously; changing an operation mode of the communication device based on the determination that the simultaneous operation scene occurs; and while the millimeter wave radar is operating, setting the directivity of the radar-proximate device to a predetermined pattern among the plurality of patterns that causes the least interference with the millimeter wave radar.

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