Vehicle

Abstract

To provide a user-friendly system that allows a user of a vehicle to specify desired processing items in a variety of ways when controlling the vehicle from a communication terminal.SOLUTION: A vehicle control system comprises an electronic key capable of communicating wirelessly with a vehicle 1, and a communication terminal 3 capable of communicating wirelessly with the electronic key. The communication terminal 3 comprises a specification input unit that accepts a specification input of a processing item indicating the contents of the processing to be performed, in order to cause the vehicle 1 to perform a specific processing, and an instruction transmission unit that transmits a processing instruction indicating the processing item inputted by the specification input unit to the electronic key. The electronic key comprises a command transmitting unit that, upon receiving a processing instruction from the communication terminal 3, transmits a processing command indicating the processing item corresponding to the processing instruction to the vehicle 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1A-1B

Description

Cross - reference to related applications

[0001] This international application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2014 - 102321 filed with the Japan Patent Office on May 16, 2014, and incorporates the entire contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2014 - 102321 by reference into this international application.

Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to a vehicle control system capable of remotely controlling a vehicle.

Background Art

[0003] An electronic key system that enables a user to lock / unlock a door and start / stop an engine without touching the key through wireless communication between an electronic key carried by the user and a vehicle has been widely spread (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] It is convenient that more diverse functions can be realized by directly or indirectly using wireless communication between an electronic key and a vehicle. In one aspect of the present invention, it is desirable to provide a highly convenient vehicle control system using an electronic key.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A vehicle control system according to one aspect of the present invention includes an electronic key capable of wireless communication with a vehicle, and a communication terminal capable of wireless communication with the electronic key. The communication terminal includes a designated input unit and a command transmission unit. The designated input unit receives a designated input of a processing item indicating the content of the processing to be executed on the vehicle for executing a specific process on the vehicle. The command transmission unit transmits a processing command indicating the processing item input by the designated input unit to the electronic key. The electronic key includes a command transmission unit that transmits a processing command corresponding to the processing item to the vehicle when receiving the processing command from the communication terminal.

[0007] According to such a configuration, the user of the vehicle can remotely control the vehicle by operating the communication terminal and relaying the electronic key. Note that the electronic key is at least a portable wireless communication device capable of performing wireless communication with the vehicle and transmitting various data to the vehicle by wireless communication. When various data is transmitted from the electronic key to the vehicle, collation data required for collation between the electronic key and the vehicle is also transmitted. When the vehicle receives various data from the electronic key, it refers to the collation data included therein and, when confirming that it is collation data from a legitimate electronic key, validates the various data received from the electronic key and executes various processes based on the various data.

[0008] Further, the designated input unit is a means for receiving a designation of a processing item (that is, the content of the processing to be executed on the vehicle) by the user. By this designated input unit, the processing item to be executed on the vehicle is received. Also, the command transmission unit is a means for wirelessly transmitting a processing command indicating the processing item to the electronic key. The processing item received by the designated input unit is wirelessly transmitted to the electronic key by the command transmission unit. Thereby, the electronic key can recognize the processing item designated by the user in the communication terminal. More specified processing items.

[0009] Also, in the above configuration, the communication terminal may include a terminal-side storage unit storing predetermined terminal-side unique information, and when the command transmission unit transmits a processing command to the electronic key, it may transmit the terminal-side unique information stored in the terminal-side storage unit. In that case, the electronic key may include a key-side storage unit and a unique information determination unit. The key-side storage unit stores predetermined key-side unique information. The unique information determination unit determines whether the received terminal-side unique information has a specific relationship with the key-side unique information stored in the key-side storage unit when receiving a processing command and the terminal-side unique information from the communication terminal. Then, the command transmission unit may transmit the processing command when it is determined by the unique information determination unit that there is the above specific relationship.

[0010] Note that the terminal-side unique information stored in the communication terminal is information used to determine whether the processing command can be validated (i.e., whether it can be relayed and transmitted to the vehicle as a processing command) when the electronic key receives the processing command from the communication terminal (hereinafter simply referred to as "authentication").

[0011] On the other hand, the key-side unique information stored in the electronic key is information for comparison with the above terminal-side unique information for performing the above authentication. The terminal-side unique information may be, for example, the above verification data (data used by the vehicle for verifying the electronic key).

[0012] Also, the unique information determination unit of the electronic key is a means for performing the above authentication when receiving a processing command from the communication terminal. That is, when receiving a processing command from the communication terminal, the unique information determination unit compares the terminal-side unique information received together with the processing command with the key-side unique information stored in the electronic key. Then, when the two have a specific relationship (for example, they match), the processing command from the communication terminal is validated, and a processing command corresponding to the processing example is transmitted to the vehicle.

[0013] According to such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the vehicle from being illegally operated and improve the security performance of the system. Further, in the above configuration, the communication terminal may include at least one of an imaging unit capable of capturing a video and an audio input unit capable of inputting audio. And the designated input unit may be capable of receiving a designated input of a processing item based on at least one of the user's gesture captured by the imaging unit and the user's voice input to the audio input unit.

[0014] According to such a configuration, when the user of the vehicle controls the vehicle from the communication terminal, the user can specify a desired processing item in various ways. That is, it becomes possible to provide a user-friendly system for the user.

[0015] In addition to the vehicle control system described above, the present invention can be realized in various forms such as various devices (communication terminal, electronic key) included in the vehicle control system, the vehicle, a program for causing a computer to function as each part constituting these various devices, and a vehicle control method.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

Figure 1A-1B

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Explanation of Signs

[0017] 1... Vehicle, 2, 80... Electronic key, 3... Smartphone, 4... Outdoor vehicle transmitter, 5... Indoor vehicle transmitter, 6... Receiver, 7, 35, 55... First communication unit, 8, 57... Second communication unit, 9, 37... GPS receiver, 10, 31, 51, 81... Control unit, 11... Engine unit, 12... Brake unit, 13... Steering unit, 14... Air conditioner, 15... Door, 16... Luggage door, 17... Window, 18... Door mirror, 19... Wiper, 20... Headlight, 21... Blinker, 25, 32, 52, 82... Memory, 33, 85... Display unit, 34... Touch panel, 34a... Fingerprint detection unit, 36, 56... BT communication unit, 39... USB receptacle, 40, 59... Battery, 41, 60... Regulator, 42, 61... Non-contact power supply and reception unit, 43... Camera, 44... Image processing unit, 45, 83... Microphone, 46, 84... Audio processing unit, 48... Operation menu screen, 53... Transmitter, 54... Receiver, 58, 86... Operation input unit, 62... Power input jack, 70... Charging cable, 400... Outdoor vehicle detection area, 500... Indoor vehicle detection area.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. [First Embodiment] (1) Overall Configuration of Vehicle Control System As shown in Fig. 1A, the vehicle control system of this embodiment has a vehicle 1, an electronic key 2, and a smartphone 3, and is a system capable of controlling the vehicle 1 by relaying the electronic key 2 from the smartphone 3.

[0019] The electronic key 2 is a key with a wireless communication function used to unlock / lock the doors of the vehicle 1 and start the driving power source (engine in this embodiment) of the vehicle 1 without directly inserting a mechanical key into the vehicle 1. As will be described later, a request signal is periodically transmitted from the vehicle 1. When the electronic key 2 enters an area where it can receive the request signal, the electronic key 2 receives the request signal. When the electronic key 2 receives a request signal from the vehicle 1, it transmits a response signal and a user ID to the vehicle 1. When the vehicle 1 receives the response signal and the user ID from the electronic key 2, it collates them with its own user ID. If they match, it becomes an operable state where operations such as unlocking / locking the doors and starting the driving power source are possible. During the operable state, when the user touches, for example, the touch sensor of the door handle, the door is unlocked. Also, when the user presses a specific start button inside the vehicle cabin, the engine starts.

[0020] Therefore, the user of the vehicle 1 can approach the vehicle 1 while holding the electronic key 2 in a pocket or a bag, etc., and can unlock / lock the vehicle 1 and start the engine without using a mechanical key as in the past.

[0021] The functions described above are basic functions that can be realized using the electronic key 2, and are functions that are already generally known and in practical use. In this embodiment, in addition to the above basic functions, as will be described later, it also has a relay function for relaying communication between the smartphone 3 and the vehicle 1. With this relay function, an advanced control system that can remotely operate the vehicle 1 from the smartphone 3 is realized.

[0022] FIG. 1A shows a state where a user 4 carrying the electronic key 2 in the pocket of an upper garment is operating the smartphone 3 beside the vehicle 1. By operating the smartphone 3, the user 4 can operate each part of the vehicle 1, move the vehicle 1, or acquire information from the vehicle 1.

[0023] Figure 1B is a view looking down on vehicle 1 from above. Vehicle 1 includes a total of four doors 15 on the front, rear, left, and right, a luggage door 16, a total of two door mirrors 18 on the left and right, a wiper 19, two headlights 20 provided on both sides of the front end of the vehicle, and four winkers 21 provided at the four corners. Each door 15 is provided with a window 17.

[0024] In addition, inside the vehicle compartment of vehicle 1, a fixing part 22 and an in-vehicle camera 24 are provided. The fixing part 22 is provided on the rear ceiling inside the vehicle compartment. The fixing part 22 is configured to be able to fix various communication terminals including the smartphone 3. A USB plug 23 is provided on the fixing part 22.

[0025] The in-vehicle camera 24 is provided on the front ceiling inside the vehicle compartment. The in-vehicle camera 24 is provided so as to be able to photograph almost the entire interior of the vehicle compartment from the front side inside the vehicle compartment. In addition, in vehicle 1, a detection area is formed in which vehicle 1 can detect the presence of the electronic key 2. Specifically, an out-of-vehicle detection area 400 is formed outside vehicle 1, and an in-vehicle detection area 500 is formed inside vehicle 1. Each of these detection areas 400 and 500 is formed by an out-of-vehicle transmitter 4 and an in-vehicle transmitter 5 (both not shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B; see FIG. 6) described later.

[0026] The in-vehicle detection area 500 is an area in which the electronic key 2 can receive a request signal transmitted from the in-vehicle transmitter 5 provided inside vehicle 1. The out-of-vehicle detection area 400 is an area outside vehicle 1 in which the electronic key 2 can receive a request signal transmitted from the out-of-vehicle transmitter 4 provided on the side surface of vehicle 1.

[0027] Note that the ranges of the areas 400 and 500 shown in FIG. 1B are merely examples. The specific ranges of the out-of-vehicle detection area and the in-vehicle detection area can be appropriately set by adjusting the installation positions and the number of installations of the transmitters 4 and 5, or by appropriately selecting transmitters having desired radio wave radiation characteristics as the transmitters 4 and 5.

[0028] (2) Explanation of the smartphone 3 The specific configuration of the smartphone 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The smartphone 3 is a multifunctional portable information terminal having a plurality of types of communication functions including a voice call function via a mobile phone network. The smartphone 3 has at least two types of wireless communication functions as wireless communication functions, namely, wireless communication by a first communication method (hereinafter abbreviated as "first communication") and wireless communication by Bluetooth (registered trademark; the same shall apply hereinafter) (hereinafter abbreviated as "BT communication").

[0029] The first communication is a communication method capable of wireless communication over a long distance, and in this embodiment, it is a wireless communication method using, for example, a mobile phone line network. Therefore, as long as the smartphone 3 is within the communication range of a mobile phone, the user of the smartphone 3 can make a voice call or perform data communication by the first communication. The BT communication is a well-known short-range wireless communication method using radio waves in the 2.4 GHz band.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 2, the smartphone 3 includes a control unit 31, a memory 32, a display unit 33, a touch panel 34, a first communication unit 35, a BT communication unit 36, a GPS reception unit 37, a USB interface (hereinafter abbreviated as "USBI / F") 38, a USB receptacle 39, a battery 40, a regulator 41, a non-contact power supply / receiving unit 42, a camera 43, an image processing unit 44, a microphone 45, an audio processing unit 46, and a tag reader / writer 47.

[0031] The control unit 31 includes a microcomputer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an I / O, etc. (not shown). The control unit 31 controls various circuits and functional blocks in the smartphone 3 including each unit connected to the control unit 31. Various programs including a vehicle operation application 32a described later are executed by the CPU of the control unit 31.

[0032] The memory 32 is a non-volatile memory whose stored content can be electrically rewritten, and in this embodiment, it is a flash memory. Various programs and data are stored in the memory 32. The programs and data stored in the memory 32 include a vehicle operation application 32a, vehicle operation menu data 32b, voice patterns 32c, gesture patterns 32d, ID information 32e, and authentication information 32f.

[0033] The display unit 33 is a display device (such as a liquid crystal display) capable of displaying various images and information. The touch panel 34 is a well-known input device capable of performing an input operation by contacting it with an indicator such as a fingertip or a dedicated pen. The touch panel 34 is arranged to overlap almost the entire image display area in the display unit 33. Further, the touch panel 34 includes a fingerprint detection unit 34a. The fingerprint detection unit 34a detects the fingerprint of the contacted part when a human finger contacts the touch panel 34. The fingerprint data detected by the fingerprint detection unit 34a is input to the control unit 31. Note that other methods may be used to detect fingerprints. Also, although not shown in the figure, in addition to the touch panel 34, the smartphone 3 includes at least one switch that is pushed by the user as an input device. is provided.

[0034] The first communication unit 35 is a wireless communication interface for transmitting and receiving the radio waves of the first communication. The BT communication unit 36 is a wireless communication interface for realizing BT communication. The GPS reception unit 37 receives radio waves from a plurality of GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites and outputs the information contained in those received radio waves to the control unit 31. The control unit 31 can detect the current position (for example, latitude and longitude) of the smartphone 3 based on the information received by the GPS reception unit 37.

[0035] USBI / F38 is an interface for serial communication according to the USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard. The USB receptacle 39 can insert a USB plug. Note that instead of USB, a data communication interface of another standard may be provided, or in addition to USB, a data communication interface of another standard may be provided.

[0036] The battery 40 is a rechargeable secondary battery. However, the battery 40 may be other power storage means (for example, a primary battery, a fuel cell, etc.) other than the secondary battery. The same applies to the battery 59 (see FIG. 4) of the electronic key 2 described later. The regulator 41 is a power supply circuit for converting the voltage of the battery 40 into a constant voltage of a predetermined voltage value and supplying it to the control unit 31 and other circuits.

[0037] The non-contact power supply / reception unit 42 can supply power to the outside or receive power from the outside by a non-contact power supply method. When supplying power to the outside, the non-contact power supply / reception unit 42 discharges the DC power of the battery 40 to the outside, for example, by an electromagnetic induction method. When receiving power from the outside, the non-contact power supply / reception unit 42 converts the power received from the outside into DC and outputs it to at least one of the battery 40 and the regulator 41. The operation of the non-contact power supply / reception unit 42 is controlled by the control unit 31.

[0038] The camera 43 is an imaging device capable of taking still images and moving images. The image processing unit 44 processes (for example, generates still image and moving image data) the still images and moving images taken by the camera 43 and inputs the processing results to the control unit 31. The control unit 31 can recognize the content of the still images and moving images taken by the camera 43 based on the data input from the image processing unit 44.

[0039] The microphone 45 converts external sound into an electrical signal. The audio processing unit 46 processes the audio signal collected by the microphone 45 and converted into an electrical signal into digital audio data and outputs it to the control unit 31. The control unit 31 can recognize the content of the sound collected by the microphone 45 based on the audio data input from the audio processing unit 46.

[0040] The tag reader / writer 47 is a communication module for performing non-contact data communication with an external RF tag of the smartphone 3. By holding the smartphone 3 over the external RF tag, the tag reader / writer 47 can be put into a state where it can communicate with the RF tag, and data can be read from or written to the RF tag.

[0041] In this embodiment, as will be described later, an RF tag 63 is built into the electronic key 2. Therefore, by holding the smartphone 3 over the electronic key 2, the tag reader / writer 47 of the smartphone 3 can communicate with the RF tag 63 of the electronic key 2.

[0042] The vehicle operation application 32a stored in the memory 32 is application software for controlling the vehicle 1 by relaying the electronic key 2 from the smartphone 3. The vehicle operation application 32a can be provided, for example, from the manufacturer or dealer of the vehicle 1 via a medium or a telecommunication line and installed on the smartphone 3.

[0043] The vehicle operation menu data 32b stored in the memory 32 is a database used when the vehicle operation application 32a is executed. It is provided together with the vehicle operation application 32a and stored in the memory 32 when the vehicle operation application 32a is installed. However, it can also be installed or updated separately from the vehicle operation application 32a. The vehicle operation menu data 32b includes various data for causing the operation menu screen 48 shown in FIG. 3 to be displayed on the display unit 33.

[0044] The operation menu screen 48 shown in FIG. 3 is a screen in which icons of items of operation contents that can operate the vehicle 1 from the smartphone 3 are listed. The icons displayed on the operation menu screen 48 include a "light blinking" icon indicating an operation item for blinking the headlight 20 for a certain period of time, a "turn signal blinking" icon indicating an operation item for blinking the turn signal 21 for a certain period of time, an "air conditioner on" icon indicating an operation item for turning on (starting) the air conditioner, an "air conditioner off" icon indicating an operation item for turning off (stopping) the air conditioner, an "engine start" icon indicating an operation item for starting the engine, an "engine stop" icon indicating an operation item for stopping the engine, a "door mirror close" icon indicating an operation item for closing the door mirror 18, a "door mirror open" icon indicating an operation item for opening the door mirror 18, a "steering left" icon indicating an operation item for rotating the steering wheel in the left direction by a certain angle (that is, steering the steering wheel in the left direction by a certain amount), a "steering right" icon indicating an operation item for rotating the steering wheel in the right direction by a certain angle (that is, steering the steering wheel in the right direction by a certain amount), a "steering neutral" icon indicating an operation item for returning the steering wheel to the neutral state, a "low speed forward" icon indicating an operation item for driving the vehicle forward a small distance (for example, 30 cm) at a low speed (for example, 3 km / h), a "low speed reverse" icon indicating an operation item for driving the vehicle backward a small distance (for example, 20 cm) at a low speed (for example, 2 km / h), a "travel distance" icon indicating an operation item for acquiring the cumulative travel distance of the vehicle, an "electronic key control" icon indicating an operation item for controlling the function of the electronic key 2, a "door lock open / close" icon indicating an operation item for opening and closing the lock of each door 15 of the vehicle, a "maintenance information" icon indicating an operation item for acquiring the maintenance information of the vehicle (for example, remaining oil amount, remaining battery amount, etc.), a "diagnostic information" icon indicating an operation item for acquiring the diagnostic information of the vehicle, an "interior temperature" icon indicating an operation item for acquiring the interior temperature of the vehicle, an "interior image information" icon indicating an operation item for acquiring the interior image information of the vehicle, and icons corresponding to various operation items such as these.

[0045] Note that the number of icons that can be simultaneously displayed on the display unit 33 is limited. Icons not displayed on the display unit 33 can be displayed by performing a vertical swipe operation or a flick operation on the touch panel 34 to scroll the display content vertically.

[0046] On the operation menu screen 48, when the user selects (for example, taps) an icon for closing the door mirror, as will be described later, the selection information is transmitted to the vehicle 1 via the electronic key 2, and the door mirror 18 of the vehicle 1 automatically performs a closing operation.

[0047] Also, for example, when the user selects the "door lock open / close" icon, as illustrated in FIG. 3, a plurality of icons are displayed to allow the user to select which door lock is the operation target and whether to open or close the lock of the operation target door. When the user selects an icon corresponding to the desired operation content from among the plurality of icons, the selection information is transmitted to the vehicle 1 via the electronic key 2, and the door lock is opened or closed according to the selected operation content. Therefore, the user can, for example, open or close the locks of all the doors 15 or selectively open or close only the locks of specific doors 15.

[0048] Also, for example, when the user selects the "electronic key control" icon, the selection information (specifically an electronic key control command to be described later) is transmitted to the electronic key 2. When the electronic key 2 receives the electronic key control command from the smartphone 3, it executes a command corresponding process (S124 in FIG. 10 to be described later) corresponding to the electronic key control command.

[0049] For example, when the user selects the "In-vehicle image information" icon, the selection information is transmitted to the vehicle 1 via the electronic key 2. That is, an operation command indicating a request to acquire an in-vehicle image is transmitted to the vehicle 1. When the vehicle 1 receives the operation command, it operates the in-vehicle camera 24 to acquire a still image or a moving image inside the vehicle. Then, the acquired still image or moving image is transmitted to the smartphone 3 via, for example, the first communication. When the smartphone 3 receives the shooting data of the in-vehicle camera 24 from the vehicle 1, it causes the display unit 33 to display the shooting data.

[0050] In this way, in the present embodiment, the user can selectively execute a plurality of operation items set as vehicle operation menu data 32b for the vehicle 1 by using the vehicle operation app 32a installed in the smartphone 3.

[0051] When controlling the vehicle 1 from the smartphone 3 using the vehicle operation app 32a, in addition to the selection operation for the operation menu screen 48 shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, it is also possible by voice or gesture. In the memory 32, voice data corresponding to each operation item is stored as a voice pattern 32c. Therefore, when the user utters a word (any of the voices stored as the voice pattern 32c) indicating a specific operation item toward the microphone 45, the control unit 31 determines that a request to execute the operation item has been made and executes the processing necessary to execute the operation item. For example, when the user says "Close the door mirror", the control unit 31 recognizes that an operation to close the door mirror 18 has been requested and causes the door mirror 18 to perform a closing operation. That is, in this example, the same result can be obtained as when tapping the door mirror closing icon on the operation menu screen 48 shown in FIG. 3.

[0052] In addition, in the memory 32, gestures corresponding to each operation item are stored as gesture patterns 32d. Therefore, when the user makes a gesture (any one of the gestures stored as the gesture pattern 32d) indicating a specific operation item toward the camera 43, the control unit 31 determines that an execution request for that operation item has been made, and executes the processes necessary to execute that operation item.

[0053] The ID information 32e stored in the memory 32 includes the terminal ID unique to the smartphone 3. In addition, the ID information 32e includes the user ID unique to the vehicle 1 necessary for remotely operating the vehicle 1 from the smartphone 3. This user ID is also stored in the electronic key 2 and the vehicle 1. The storage of the user ID in the vehicle 1 and the electronic key 2 is performed by, for example, the vehicle manufacturer or the dealer at the time of shipment of the vehicle 1. The storage of the user ID in the smartphone 3 is notified, for example, through a predetermined procedure from the manufacturer or dealer of the vehicle 1, and is performed by the user inputting it into the smartphone 3. Note that the storage of the user ID in the smartphone 3 may be realized by various other methods and timings. For example, the user can bring the electronic key 2 and the smartphone 3 to the dealer of the vehicle 1 and have the dealer store them.

[0054] The authentication information 32f stored in the memory 32 includes at least one piece of authentication data for authenticating whether the user of the smartphone 3 is a legitimate user. Specifically, the authentication information 32f includes at least one of the following as the authentication data: fingerprint data (registered fingerprint data) of a legitimate user, face image data (registered face data) of a legitimate user, and voice data (registered voice data) of a legitimate user. Each of these registered data can be arbitrarily registered (stored) by the user. It can be arbitrarily registered (stored).

[0055] (3) Explanation of the electronic key 2 The specific configuration of the electronic key 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. The electronic key 2 is a lightweight and compact portable communication terminal that can be easily carried by the user. As a wireless communication function, the electronic key 2, like the smartphone 3, has the first communication and BT communication. In addition, as a wireless communication function, the electronic key 2 has wireless communication by the second communication method (hereinafter abbreviated as "second communication"). Similar to the first communication, the second communication is a communication method capable of wireless communication over a long distance. The second communication may be, for example, wireless LAN or other wireless communication methods. Further, like a conventional electronic key, the electronic key 2 also has a wireless communication function (hereinafter referred to as "smart communication") that returns a response signal and a user ID in response to a request signal received from the vehicle 1.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 4, the electronic key 2 includes a control unit 51, a memory 52, a transmission unit 53, a reception unit 54, a first communication unit 55, a BT communication unit 56, a second communication unit 57, an operation input unit 58, a battery 59, a regulator 60, a non-contact power supply and reception unit 61, and a power input jack 62.

[0057] The control unit 51 includes a microcomputer having a CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O, etc. (not shown). The control unit 51 controls various circuits and functional blocks in the electronic key 2, including each unit connected to the control unit 51.

[0058] The memory 52 is a non-volatile memory whose stored content can be electrically rewritten, and is a flash memory in this embodiment. Various programs and data are stored in the memory 52. The data stored in the memory 52 includes ID information 52a and BT pairing information 52b.

[0059] The ID information 52a includes a user ID unique to the vehicle 1. This user ID is the same as the user ID stored as one of the ID information 32e in the memory 32 of the smartphone 3 and is also stored in the vehicle 1 as described above. The BT pairing information 52b includes information necessary to connect the two via BT communication, such as unique information (e.g., link key) generated when BT communication is paired between the electronic key 2 and another communication device. Also, when pairing is performed and unique information is generated, the generated unique information is stored in association with the user information of the pairing partner for each other communication device of the pairing partner (that is, for each other user capable of BT communication). Therefore, when starting BT communication with another communication device, the electronic key 2 can identify the user of the communication partner by performing authentication based on the unique information of the communication partner.

[0060] The receiving unit 54 receives a request signal transmitted from the vehicle 1 by radio waves in a predetermined frequency band, demodulates it, and outputs it to the control unit 51. When a request signal is input from the receiving unit 54, the control unit 51 generates response data and outputs it to the transmitting unit 53. The response data includes a predetermined response signal and the user ID stored in the memory 52 as the ID information 52a. The transmitting unit 53 modulates the response data input from the control unit 51 into radio waves in a predetermined frequency band and transmits it to the vehicle 1.

[0061] As illustrated in FIG. 1B, in the present embodiment, each detection area 400, 500 capable of receiving a request signal is set. Therefore, when the electronic key 2 is not in any of the detection areas 400, 500, the request signal is not received. On the other hand, when the electronic key 2 enters any of the detection areas 400, 500, the electronic key 2 can receive the request signal from the vehicle 1. The request signal from the vehicle 1 is repeatedly transmitted at a constant period, as will be described later. Therefore, while the electronic key 2 is in any of the detection areas 400, 500, the request signal is periodically received by the electronic key 2. Each time the electronic key 2 receives a request signal, the electronic key 2 transmits a response signal to the request signal.

[0062] The first communication unit 55 is a wireless communication interface for transmitting and receiving radio waves of the first communication. The BT communication unit 56 is a wireless communication interface for realizing BT communication. The second communication unit 57 is a wireless communication interface for transmitting and receiving radio waves of the second communication. The operation input unit 58 is an input device capable of receiving an input operation by the user. As a specific configuration of the operation input unit 58, for example, a push-button type switch can be mentioned. The operation input unit 58 may be provided with a touch panel.

[0063] The battery 59 is a secondary battery that can be repeatedly charged in this embodiment. The regulator 60 is a power supply circuit for converting the voltage of the battery 59 into a constant voltage of a predetermined voltage value and supplying it to the control unit 51 and other circuits. The non-contact power supply and reception unit 61 has the same configuration as the non-contact power supply and reception unit 42 of the smartphone 3, and is a module capable of supplying power to the outside or receiving power from the outside by a non-contact power supply method. The operation of the non-contact power supply and reception unit 61 is controlled by the control unit 51. The power input jack 62 is a jack into which the plug of an external charging adapter is inserted. Through the power input jack 62, it is possible to input DC power from the outside to charge the battery 59, or conversely, supply the DC power of the battery 59 to the outside.

[0064] Therefore, when the remaining amount of the battery 59 of the electronic key 2 decreases and the electronic key 2 cannot operate normally, it is possible to normally operate the electronic key 2 and charge the battery 59 by taking in DC power from the power input jack 62 or receiving power from the outside by the non-contact power supply and reception unit 61.

[0065] When it is desired to charge the battery 59 of the electronic key 2 using the smartphone 3, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, charging is possible by using a charging cable 70. The charging cable 70 includes a USB plug 71, a USB-side cable 72, a power supply adapter 73, a pin-side cable 74, and a power supply plug 75. When the USB plug 71 is connected to the USB receptacle 39 of the smartphone 3 and the power supply plug 75 is inserted into the power input jack 62 of the electronic key 2, the DC power of the battery 40 of the smartphone 3 is supplied to the electronic key 2 via the power supply adapter 73.

[0066] Also, both the smartphone 3 and the electronic key 2 are provided with non-contact power supply and reception units. Therefore, when the non-contact power supply and reception units 42 and 61 of both are opposed within a predetermined distance, power supply from one to the other becomes possible.

[0067] Therefore, even when the battery 59 of the electronic key 2 has insufficient capacity, power can be received from another device such as the smartphone 3 either non-contactlessly or using a cable to charge the battery 59 or to operate the regulator 60 to normally operate each part within the electronic key 2.

[0068] Also, an RF tag 63 is built into the electronic key 2. A user ID is stored in the RF tag 63. When the smartphone 3 is held over the RF tag 63 and data communication with the tag reader / writer 47 of the smartphone 3 is started, the RF tag 63 acquires the user ID from the smartphone 3. Then, it compares the acquired user ID with its own user ID, and if they match, it transmits its own user ID and an app startup request to the smartphone 3.

[0069] (4) Description of the vehicle 1 The specific configuration of the vehicle 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The vehicle 1 of the present embodiment is an engine A vehicle having an internal combustion engine (IC engine) as a driving source for running. As shown in FIG. 6, the vehicle 1 includes a control unit 10. The control unit 10 includes a microcomputer having a CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O, etc. (not shown). The control unit 10 controls various circuits and functional blocks in the vehicle 1, including each part connected to the control unit 10.

[0070] In this embodiment, as various circuits and functional blocks controlled by the control unit 10, there are at least an engine unit 11, a brake unit 12, a steering unit 13, an air conditioner 14, a door 15, a luggage door 16, a window 17, a door mirror 18, a wiper 19, a headlight 20, a blinker 21, an in-vehicle camera 24, a display unit 26, and a USB I / F 27. Note that actually, as shown in FIG. 1B, a plurality of the door 15, the window 17, the door mirror 18, the wiper 19, the headlight 20, and the blinker 21 are provided.

[0071] The engine unit 11 includes an engine and an engine control unit that controls the engine. The control unit 10 can control the operation of the engine via the engine control unit in the engine unit 11. The brake unit 12 includes a brake mechanism provided in the vehicle 1 and a brake control unit that controls the brake mechanism. The steering unit 13 includes a steering mechanism that steers the wheels of the vehicle 1 and a steering control unit that controls the steering mechanism. The steering system of this embodiment is a so-called steer-by-wire type electric steering system. That is, the steering wheel operated by the driver and the steering shaft are not mechanically directly connected, and the steering shaft is driven by a motor according to the operation content of the steering wheel by the driver. Therefore, the control unit 10 can freely move the steering wheels by controlling the steering unit 13.

[0072] The control unit 10 executes various functions based on various programs and data stored in the memory 25. The memory 25 is a non-volatile memory whose stored content can be electrically rewritten, and is a flash memory in this embodiment. The data stored in the memory 25 includes ID information 25a and function restriction information 25b.

[0073] The ID information 25a includes a user ID unique to the vehicle 1. This user ID is the same as the user ID stored in the memory 32 of the smartphone 3 and the memory 52 of the electronic key 2. The function restriction information 25b is information for restricting the functions of the vehicle 1 according to the positional relationship among the vehicle 1, the smartphone 3, and the electronic key 2. Whether to restrict the functions of the vehicle 1 according to whether the electronic key 2 is located in the in-vehicle detection area 500, the out-of-vehicle detection area 400, or outside the detection area of the vehicle 1, and where the smartphone 3 is located (for example, inside or outside the vehicle 1), etc., and if so, specifically which functions to restrict and how to restrict them, etc. are stored as the function restriction information 25b. Some of this function restriction information 25b is stored by default in advance when the vehicle 1 is shipped, but it can also be customized by the user of the vehicle 1.

[0074] By appropriately customizing the function restriction information 25b, for example, when a child is inside the vehicle 1 with the smartphone 3 but the parent is outside the vehicle 1 with the electronic key 2, it is possible to restrict specific functions. Also, for example, when the electronic key 2 is within the detection area of the vehicle 1 but the smartphone 3 is located at a long distance from the vehicle 1 (that is, when the smartphone 3 and the electronic key 2 are far apart), it is also possible to restrict specific functions.

[0075] As a wireless communication function, the vehicle 1 is equipped with first communication and second communication. The first communication unit 7 is a wireless communication interface for transmitting and receiving the radio waves of the first communication, and the second communication unit 8 is a wireless communication interface for transmitting and receiving the radio waves of the second communication.

[0076] The GPS receiver 9 receives radio waves from a plurality of GPS satellites and outputs the information contained in the received radio waves to the control unit 10. The control unit 10 can detect the current position (for example, latitude and longitude) of the vehicle 1 based on the information received by the GPS receiver 9.

[0077] Furthermore, the vehicle 1 also has a function of wireless communication (smart communication) that periodically transmits a request signal to the electronic key 2 and receives a response signal and a user ID from the electronic key 2 in response to the request signal. The vehicle exterior transmitter 4, the vehicle interior transmitter 5, and the receiver 6 are provided to realize this smart communication.

[0078] The vehicle exterior transmitter 4 and the vehicle interior transmitter 5 periodically transmit a request signal based on a command from the control unit 10. In practice, a plurality of vehicle exterior transmitters 4 and a plurality of vehicle interior transmitters 5 are respectively provided. That is, a plurality of vehicle interior transmitters 5 form a vehicle interior detection area 500 (an area where a request signal from any one of the vehicle interior transmitters 5 can be received) shown in FIG. 1B. Also, a plurality of vehicle exterior transmitters 4 form a vehicle exterior detection area 400 (an area where a request signal from any one of the vehicle exterior transmitters 4 can be received) shown in FIG. 1B.

[0079] The receiver 6 can receive various signals transmitted from the electronic key 2. The signals received by the receiver 6 from the electronic key 2 include response signals to the request signals transmitted from the transmitters 4 and 5. The request signal includes identification information indicating the transmitter that is the source of the request signal. When the electronic key 2 receives a request signal, it transmits a response signal to the request signal with the identification information contained in the request signal added thereto. Therefore, when a response signal is received by the receiver 6, the control unit 10 of the vehicle 1 can determine at least whether the electronic key 2 is present inside or outside the vehicle 1 based on the identification information added to the response signal.

[0080] The display unit 26 is a display device (for example, a liquid crystal display) that can display various images and information. USBI / F27 is an interface for serial communication according to the USB standard. The USB plug 23 can connect to a USB receptacle.

[0081] When the smartphone 3 is attached to the fixing part 22 (see Fig. 1B) of the vehicle 1, the smartphone 3 is fixed in a state where the rear of the vehicle 1 can be photographed by the camera 43. That is, it is fixed in a state where the lens of the camera 43 faces the rear of the vehicle. Also, when the smartphone 3 is attached to the fixing part 22 of the vehicle 1, the USB receptacle 39 of the smartphone 3 and the USB plug 23 (see Fig. 6) of the vehicle 1 are connected, and data communication via USB becomes possible between the smartphone 3 and the vehicle 1.

[0082] While data communication between the control unit 10 of the vehicle 1 and the smartphone 3 via USB is enabled, the control unit 10 can acquire various information from the smartphone 3. One of the information that the control unit 10 can acquire from the smartphone 3 is a still image or a moving image photographed by the camera 43 of the smartphone 3. [[ID=Eleven]]

[0083] The control unit 10 of the vehicle 1 can acquire the shooting data of the camera 43 of the smartphone 3 in real time and display it on the display unit 26 according to a predetermined timing (for example, when the gear is set to reverse), or in response to a user operation. That is, by fixing the smartphone 3 to the fixing part 22 of the vehicle 1, the user of the vehicle 1 can display an image of the rear of the vehicle 1 on the display unit 26 as needed and check the situation behind the vehicle 1.

[0084] Note that the communication interface for the control unit 10 of the vehicle 1 to acquire shooting data from the smartphone 3 is not limited to USB. It may be possible to acquire shooting data using other communication interfaces other than USB. For example, it may be possible to acquire shooting data from the smartphone 3 by wireless communication such as the first communication. interface is not limited to USB. It may be possible to acquire shooting data using other communication interfaces other than USB. For example, it may be possible to acquire shooting data from the smartphone 3 by wireless communication such as the first communication.

[0085] The vehicle 1 of this embodiment can exhibit functions equivalent to those of a conventional electronic key system through smart communication with the electronic key 2. That is, when a user with the electronic key 2 enters each detection area 400, 500 of the vehicle 1, the user can lock / unlock each door 15 and start / stop the engine without touching the key. However, in this case, unlocking each door 15 is realized when the user touches the touch sensor of the door handle. Also, locking each door 15 is realized when the user presses the door lock switch of the door handle. Further, starting / stopping the engine is realized when the user presses the push switch provided near the driver's seat.

[0086] In addition to having such basic functions of an electronic key system, in this embodiment, a remote control function using the smartphone 3 is further provided, which enables the vehicle 1 to be remotely controlled by relaying the electronic key 2 from the smartphone 3 without the user directly touching the vehicle 1.

[0087] Hereinafter, various processes executed in the smartphone 3, the electronic key 2, and the vehicle 1 to realize this remote control function will be sequentially described. (5) Explanation of the vehicle operation app in the smartphone 3 First, the processing content of the vehicle operation app 32a installed in the smartphone 3 to realize the remote control function will be described with reference to FIG. 7. When a user performs a predetermined application startup process, the control unit 31 (specifically, the CPU in the control unit 31) of the smartphone 3 reads the program of the vehicle operation app 32a from the memory 32 and executes it.

[0088] When the control unit 31 of the smartphone 3 starts the execution of the vehicle operation app 32a, in S10, it performs app user authentication. App user authentication is a process of determining whether the user who executes the vehicle operation app 32a is a user (authorized user) who has been permitted to execute it. App user authentication is performed using at least one of the user's fingerprint, voice, and face image.

[0089] As described above, in the memory 32 of the smartphone 3, registered fingerprint data, registered face data, and registered voice data are stored as authentication information 32f. Therefore, for example, by having the user input a fingerprint and determining whether the input fingerprint matches the registered fingerprint data, or by taking a face image of the user with the camera 43 and determining whether the face image matches the registered face data, or by having the user utter a voice and determining whether the uttered voice matches the registered voice data, app user authentication can be performed.

[0090] In S12, based on the result of the app user authentication in S10, it is determined whether the user who executes the vehicle operation app 32a is an authorized user. If the user who executes the vehicle operation app 32a is not an authorized user (S12: NO), in S20, predetermined user authentication error processing is executed to end the processing of the vehicle operation app 32a.

[0091] If the user who executes the vehicle operation app 32a is an authorized user (S12: YES), in S14, an authentication request signal is transmitted to the electronic key 2 by the first communication. This authentication request signal includes the user ID stored in the smartphone 3. In response to this authentication request signal, in the electronic key 2, as will be described later, user ID authentication is performed, and it is determined whether it matches the user ID stored in the electronic key 2. If they match, an operation permission signal is transmitted from the electronic key 2 and if they do not match, an operation rejection signal is transmitted from the electronic key 2.

[0092] In S16, it is determined which of the operation permission signal and the operation rejection signal is received from the electronic key 2 in response to the authentication request signal transmitted in S14. If the operation rejection signal is received (S16: NO), the process proceeds to S20 to perform user authentication error processing. If the operation permission signal is received (S16: YES), the process proceeds to S18 to execute vehicle operation processing.

[0093] The details of the vehicle operation process of S18 are as shown in FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 8, when proceeding to the vehicle operation process, at S22, the selection of the vehicle operation method by the user is received. In this embodiment, the user can specify the operation content for the smartphone 3 using any of three types of instruction methods. One of the three types of instruction methods is, as described with reference to FIG. 3, a method of displaying the operation menu screen 48 on the display unit 33 and tapping the icon of the desired operation item (operation content) from among them for selection. The other two of the three types of instruction methods are the methods using the aforementioned voice or gesture. The user can select which method among tapping operation, voice, and gesture to use to specify the operation content.

[0094] At S24, the selection result of the vehicle operation method received at S22 is judged. If the tap operation is selected, the process proceeds to S26. If the gesture is selected, the process proceeds to S32. If the voice is selected, the process proceeds to S40. At S26, which is entered when the tap operation is selected as the vehicle operation method, the operation menu screen 48 (see FIG. 3) is displayed on the display unit 33. At S28, any one selection is received from the list of operation items displayed on the operation menu screen 48. At S30, an operation command corresponding to the operation item selected at S28 is generated. For example, when "very slow forward" is selected as the operation item, an operation command corresponding to very slow forward for causing the vehicle 1 to move forward a minute distance is generated. After S30, the process proceeds to S48.

[0095] At S32, which is entered when the gesture is selected as the vehicle operation method, the camera 43 is activated and the shooting of the user's moving image is started. At S34, based on the moving image captured by the camera 43, it is judged whether the user has shown a gesture corresponding to a specified gesture pattern. This judgment is made by judging whether the gesture shown by the user matches any of the specified gestures stored in the memory 32 as the gesture pattern 32d. And when the user shows a gesture that matches the specified gesture pattern, that gesture is recognized.

[0096] In S36, the operation content corresponding to the specified gesture pattern recognized in S34 is displayed on the display unit 33. Thereby, the user can confirm whether the gesture shown by the user is correctly recognized. In S38, an operation command corresponding to the specified gesture pattern recognized in S34 is generated. For example, when the user shows a gesture indicating "turn on the air conditioner" (a gesture stored as gesture pattern 32d) and it is correctly recognized, an operation command corresponding to turning on the air conditioner is generated to operate the air conditioner of the vehicle 1. After S38, the process proceeds to S48.

[0097] In S40, which is entered when voice is selected as the vehicle operation method, the voice input by the microphone 45 is set to the standby state. That is, the state is set to enable voice input and recognition. In S42, based on the voice of the user input to the microphone 45, it is determined whether the user has spoken a word corresponding to the specified voice pattern. This determination is made by determining whether the word spoken by the user matches any of the words stored as voice pattern 32c in the memory 32. And when the user has spoken a word corresponding to the specified voice pattern, that voice pattern is recognized.

[0098] In S44, the operation content corresponding to the specified voice pattern recognized in S42 is displayed on the display unit 33. Thereby, the user can confirm whether the word spoken by the user is correctly recognized. In S46, an operation command corresponding to the specified voice pattern recognized in S42 is generated. For example, when the user has spoken a word indicating "close the door mirror" (a word stored as voice pattern 32c) and it is correctly recognized, an operation command corresponding to closing the door mirror of the vehicle 1 is generated. After S46, the process proceeds to S48.

[0099] In S48, the operation command generated in S30, S38, or S46, the user ID, the terminal ID, and the position information of the smartphone 3 are transmitted to the electronic key 2 via the first communication. The position information of the smartphone 3 is position information (GPS information) detected based on the information received by the GPS receiver 37. In addition to the GPS information, when information indicating the current position of the smartphone 3 can be acquired, that information may be transmitted as the position information.

[0100] In S50, it is determined whether an error notification is received from the electronic key 2 via the first communication. As will be described later, the error notifications that the smartphone 3 may receive from the electronic key 2 include a first error notification (see S120 in FIG. 10), a second error notification (see S136 in the same figure), a third error notification (see S140 in the same figure), and a fourth error notification (see S144 in the same figure).

[0101] If no error notification is received from the electronic key 2 (S50: NO), the process proceeds to S54. If any error notification is received from the electronic key 2 (S50: YES), in S52, a predetermined error display is performed on the display unit 33, and the process proceeds to S58. The error display to be displayed in S52 may have common display contents, or may have different display contents for each of the four types of error notifications.

[0102] In S54, it is determined whether a relay completion signal is received from the electronic key 2. This relay completion signal is a signal transmitted from the electronic key 2 in S146 of FIG. 10 described later. If a relay completion signal is received from the electronic key 2 (S54: YES), the process proceeds to S58. If a relay completion signal is not received from the electronic key 2 (S54: NO), in S56, communication abnormality information is displayed on the display unit 33.

[0103] The fact that neither an error notification nor a relay completion signal is received from the electronic key 2 for the transmission process in S48 may indicate that the smartphone 3 and the electronic key 2 are in a state where they cannot communicate normally. Therefore, the communication abnormality information in S56 is information for notifying the user that the smartphone 3 and the electronic key 2 are in a state where they cannot communicate normally.

[0104] As another example, for instance, using BT communication, it is determined whether the smartphone 3 and the electronic key 2 are in a close distance to each other (that is, whether BT communication is possible between them). Once it is determined that they are in a close distance, if they are no longer in a close distance, the fact (that is, the fact that the smartphone 3 and the electronic key 2 are separated) may be notified to the user by an image or voice.

[0105] In S58, it is determined whether a predetermined end operation for ending the vehicle operation app 32a has been performed by the user. If the end operation has not been performed (S58: NO), the process returns to S22. If the end operation has been performed (S58: YES), the vehicle operation app 32a is ended.

[0106] (6) Explanation of the electronic key control process in the electronic key 2 Next, the electronic key control process executed by the electronic key 2 to realize the remote control function will be described with reference to FIG. 9. The program of the electronic key control process is stored in the memory 52 of the electronic key 2. The control unit 51 of the electronic key 2 (specifically) repeatedly executes the electronic key control process shown in FIG. 9 at a predetermined control cycle.

[0107] When the control unit 51 of the electronic key 2 starts the electronic key control process, in S102, it is determined whether a request signal transmitted by smart communication from the vehicle 1 has been received. If the request signal from the vehicle 1 has not been received (S102: NO), the process proceeds to S106. If the request signal from the vehicle 1 has been received (S102: YES), in S104, a response process is executed and the process proceeds to S106. The response process in S104 is a process of transmitting a response signal and a user ID to the vehicle 1 by smart communication (that is, from the transmission unit 53).

[0108] In S106, it is determined whether an authentication request signal is received from the smartphone 3 via the first communication. If the authentication request signal has not been received (S106: NO), the process proceeds to S114. If the authentication request signal has been received (S106: YES), in S108, it is determined whether the user ID included in the authentication request signal matches the user ID stored in the electronic key 2 (i.e., user ID verification).

[0109] As a result of the user ID verification, if it is determined that the two user IDs do not match (S108: NO), the process proceeds to S112. In S112, an operation rejection signal is transmitted to the smartphone 3 via the first communication. After the process of S112, the process proceeds to S114. As a result of the user ID verification, if the two user IDs match (S108: YES), the process proceeds to S110. In S110, an operation permission signal is transmitted to the smartphone 3 via the first communication. After the process of S110, the process proceeds to S114.

[0110] In S114, it is determined whether data is received from the smartphone 3 via the first communication. Here, the data means the operation command, user ID, terminal ID, and the location information of the smartphone 3 transmitted in S48 of FIG. 7. If data has not been received from the smartphone 3 via the first communication (S114: NO), the electronic key control process ends. If data has been received from the smartphone 3 via the first communication (S114: YES), the process proceeds to the relay process of S116.

[0111] The details of the relay process in S116 are as shown in FIG. 10. As shown in FIG. 10, when the process proceeds to the relay process, in S118, it is determined whether the user ID included in the data received from the smartphone 3 matches the user ID stored in the electronic key 2 (i.e., user ID verification). As a result of the user ID verification, if it is determined that the two user IDs do not match (S118: NO), in S120, a first error notification is transmitted to the smartphone 3 via the first communication, and the electronic key control process ends. As a result of the user ID verification, if it is determined that the two user IDs match (S118: YES), the process proceeds to S122.

[0112] In S122, it is determined whether the operation command in the received data is an electronic key control command. As described above, the electronic key control command is an operation command transmitted when the "electronic key control" icon is selected on the operation menu screen 48 (see FIG. 3). If the operation command is not an electronic key control command (S122: NO), the process proceeds to S126. If the operation command is an electronic key control command (S122: YES), in S124, command corresponding processing is executed.

[0113] The specific content of the command corresponding processing can be determined as appropriate. For example, a part of the function of the electronic key 2 (for example, response processing to a request signal from the vehicle 1) can be stopped, or all of the functions of the electronic key 2 can be stopped. Also, for example, it is possible to cause the electronic key 2 to transmit the operating state of the electronic key 2. Specifically, it is possible to transmit the remaining amount of the battery 59 of the electronic key 2 (hereinafter also referred to as "remaining battery level"), or information on whether the electronic key 2 is present within the detection area of the vehicle 1.

[0114] In S126, an operation command corresponding to the operation command included in the data received from the smartphone 3 is generated. For example, when an operation command indicating closing of the door mirror is received, an operation command indicating closing of the door mirror is generated.

[0115] In S128, it is determined whether the electronic key 2 is present within the detection area of the vehicle 1. Specifically, based on whether a request signal from the vehicle 1 is received by the receiving unit 54, if it is not received, it is determined that it is present outside the detection area, and if it is received, it is determined that it is present within the detection area.

[0116] If the electronic key 2 is present within the detection area of the vehicle 1 (S128: YES), the process proceeds to S130. In S130, the operation command generated in S126, the user ID, terminal ID, and location information of the smartphone 3 included in the received data from the smartphone 3 are transmitted to the vehicle 1 by smart communication. After the transmission, the process proceeds to S138.

[0117] When the electronic key 2 is not present within the detection area of the vehicle 1 (S128: NO), at S132, it is determined whether remote operation of the vehicle 1 by the smartphone 3 is permitted. Whether remote operation is permitted or not is determined based on the remote operation permission information stored in the memory 52 of the electronic key 2. Whether to permit remote operation can be arbitrarily determined by the user of the vehicle 1. For example, a user who does not desire (or does not use) remote operation can have the dealer store remote operation permission information indicating non - permission of remote operation in the electronic key 2 at the time of purchasing the vehicle 1. However, the remote operation permission information stored in the electronic key 2 can be arbitrarily changed from the smartphone 3 having the same user ID as the user ID stored in the electronic key 2.

[0118] Note that the remote operation permission information does not necessarily have to be possessed by the electronic key 2. It can be made to be possessed by the smartphone 3 and sent from the smartphone 3. Also, when the smartphone 3 has the remote operation permission information and that remote operation permission information indicates non - permission of remote operation, the smartphone 3 may be configured not to send an operation command.

[0119] At S132, when remote operation is not permitted (S132: NO), at S136, a second error notification is sent to the smartphone 3 by the first communication, and the electronic key control process is terminated. At S132, when remote operation is permitted (S132: YES), at S134, the operation command generated at S126, the user ID, terminal ID, and the position information of the smartphone 3 included in the received data from the smartphone 3 are sent to the vehicle 1 by the second communication. After that transmission, the process proceeds to S138.

[0120] At S138, it is determined whether an ID mismatch notification has been received from the vehicle 1. The ID mismatch notification is sent from the vehicle 1 by smart communication or the second communication when the user ID sent to the vehicle 1 at S130 or S134 does not match the user ID of the vehicle 1.

[0121] At S138, when an ID mismatch notification is received from vehicle 1 (S138: YES), at S140, a third error notification is transmitted to smartphone 3 via the first communication, and the electronic key control process ends. At S138, when an ID mismatch notification has not been received from vehicle 1 (S138: NO), the process proceeds to S142.

[0122] At S142, it is determined whether a non - permission notification has been received from vehicle 1. The non - permission notification is transmitted from vehicle 1 via smart communication or the second communication when it is determined that the function of the operation item corresponding to the operation command transmitted to vehicle 1 at S130 or S134 cannot be executed in vehicle 1. will be sent.

[0123] At S142, when a non - permission notification is received from vehicle 1 (S142: YES), at S144, a fourth error notification is transmitted to smartphone 3 via the first communication, and the electronic key control process ends. At S142, when a non - permission notification has not been received from vehicle 1 (S142: NO), at S146, a relay completion signal is transmitted to smartphone 3 via the first communication.

[0124] (7) Explanation of the remote control process in vehicle 1 Next, the remote control process executed in vehicle 1 to realize the remote control function will be explained with reference to FIG. 11. The program of the remote control process is stored in the memory 25 of vehicle 1. The control unit 10 of vehicle 1 (specifically, the CPU in the control unit 10) reads the remote control process program shown in FIG. 11 from the memory 25 after startup and repeatedly executes it at a certain control cycle.

[0125] When the control unit 10 of the vehicle 1 starts the remote control process, at S152, it transmits a request signal from each of the transmitters 4 and 5 by smart communication. As described above, each detection area 400 and 500 is formed by the transmission of this request signal. At S154, it is determined whether data has been received from the electronic key 2. Here, the data means the operation command, user ID, terminal ID, and position information of the smartphone 3 transmitted at S130 or S134 in FIG. 9, or the response signal and user ID transmitted by smart communication in response to the request signal. If data has not been received from the electronic key 2 by smart communication or the second communication (S154: NO), the remote control process ends. If data has been received from the electronic key 2 by smart communication or the second communication (S154: YES), the process proceeds to S156.

[0126] At S156, it is determined whether the user ID included in the data received from the electronic key 2 matches the user ID stored in the memory 25 of the vehicle 1 (user ID verification). As a result of the user ID verification, if it is determined that the two user IDs do not match (S156: NO), at S158, an ID mismatch notification is transmitted to the electronic key 2, and the remote control process ends. At S158, if the user ID of the electronic key 2 determined to be mismatched at S156 is received by smart communication, an ID mismatch notification is transmitted by smart communication. Also, at S158, if the user ID of the electronic key 2 determined to be mismatched at S156 is received by the second communication, an ID mismatch notification is transmitted by the second communication.

[0127] If it is determined at S156 that the two user IDs match (S156: YES), the process proceeds to S160. At S160, it is determined whether the data (information) received from the electronic key 2 is an operation command or a response signal to the request signal.

[0128] When the information received from the electronic key 2 includes a response signal to the request signal, in S162, a predetermined electronic key corresponding process is executed to end the remote control process. The electronic key corresponding process in S162 is a basic process performed in a conventional electronic key system, such as unlocking each door 15 when the user touches the touch sensor of the door handle.

[0129] In S160, when the information received from the electronic key 2 includes an operation command, in S164, based on the received operation command, the operation items to be executed are grasped. In S166, a function limit confirmation process is executed. The details of the function limit confirmation process in S166 are as shown in FIG. 12.

[0130] As shown in FIG. 12, when shifting to the function limit confirmation process, in S202, it is determined whether the data from the electronic key 2 (the received data that is the basis for the affirmative determination in S154 of FIG. 11) is received by smart communication. If it is not received by smart communication (that is, if it is received by the second communication) (S202: NO), the process proceeds to S206. The fact that it is not received by smart communication means that the electronic key 2 exists outside the respective detection areas 400 and 500 of the vehicle 1. When the data from the electronic key 2 is received by smart communication (S202: YES), in S204, the location of the electronic key 2 (inside or outside the vehicle 1) is confirmed. This confirmation can be performed based on the above-mentioned identification signal added to the response signal.

[0131] In S206, the position information of the smartphone 3 is acquired. Since the position information of the smartphone 3 is received from the electronic key 2 together with the operation command, it can be acquired from the received data. In S208, the vehicle's own position information (the position information of the vehicle 1 itself) is acquired. Specifically, it is detected based on the information received by the GPS receiver 9.

[0132]

[0133] ​In S210, the terminal ID of the smartphone 3 is acquired. In S212, based on the position of the own vehicle based on the own vehicle position information acquired in S208, the position of the smartphone 3 based on the position information acquired in S206, the terminal ID acquired in S210, and the position of the electronic key 2 determined in the processes of S202 to S204, it is determined whether there is a restriction on the function of the operation item specified by the operation command (that is, the operation content requested from the smartphone 3). That is, with respect to the positional relationship among the vehicle 1, the smartphone 3, and the electronic key 2, it is determined whether the function of the specified operation item can be executed, is restricted (prohibited), or is partially restricted. This determination can be made based on the function restriction information 25b stored in the memory 25. After the process of S212, the process proceeds to S168 (FIG. 11).

[0134] In addition to the positional relationship among the three, based on the terminal ID, it may be determined whether the function of the specified operation item can be executed, is restricted (prohibited), or is partially restricted. For example, for a certain function, it may be executed only when specified from the smartphone 3 owned by a certain user, and not when specified from other smartphones 3. Regarding what restrictions to impose (or no restrictions) on which terminal ID, it may also be stored in advance in the memory 25 as the function restriction information 25b.

[0135] In S168, based on the result of the function restriction confirmation process in S166, it is determined whether the execution of the function of the specified operation item is permitted. If the execution of the function of the specified operation item is permitted (S168: YES), in S170, the function of the specified operation item is executed. In addition, if a part of the function is restricted although it is permitted, the function is executed within the restricted range.

[0136] In S170, when the specified operation item is a request for acquiring information of the vehicle 1, the requested information is transmitted to the smartphone 3 by the first communication. As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, various information such as the running distance, maintenance information, diagnostic information, in-vehicle temperature, and in-vehicle image information of the vehicle 1 can be requested from the smartphone 3 to the vehicle 1 via the electronic key 2. The vehicle 1 transmits various information of the vehicle 1 to the smartphone 3 by the first communication in response to the request from the smartphone 3.

[0137] When the execution of the function of the specified operation item is not permitted, that is, when the execution of the function is restricted (prohibited) (S168: NO), the process proceeds to S172. In S172, a non-permission notification is transmitted to the electronic key 2, and the remote control process is terminated. In S172, when the operation command is received by the smart communication, a non-permission notification is transmitted by the smart communication, and when the operation command is received by the second communication, a non-permission notification is transmitted by the second communication.

[0138] Here, a supplementary explanation will be given about the method of starting the vehicle operation application 32a in the smartphone 3. The vehicle operation application 32a of the smartphone 3 can be started by the user himself / herself performing a predetermined start operation on the smartphone 3, and can also be started by holding the smartphone 3 near the electronic key 2.

[0139] That is, a tag-corresponding program is stored in the smartphone 3 as a part of the vehicle operation application 32a or as another program that operates in cooperation with the vehicle operation application 32a. Then, the control unit 31 of the smartphone 3 repeatedly executes the tag-corresponding program at a predetermined cycle.

[0140] The tag correspondence process executed by the tag correspondence program is shown in FIG. 13. When the control unit 31 of the smartphone 3 starts the tag correspondence process in FIG. 13, at S252, it determines whether or not the RF tag 63 of the electronic key 2 has been detected. That is, it determines whether or not the user ID and the app startup request have been received from the RF tag 63 of the electronic key 2 by the tag reader / writer 47. As described above, when the data communication between the tag reader / writer 47 and the electronic key 2 is started and the user ID verification in the electronic key 2 matches, the user ID of the electronic key 2 and the app startup request are transmitted from the RF tag 63 of the electronic key 2. Detecting the RF tag 63 in the process of S252 means, in other words, receiving the user ID and the app startup request transmitted from the RF tag 63 of the electronic key 2.

[0141] If the RF tag 63 of the electronic key 2 has not been detected (S252: NO), that is, if the user ID and the app startup request from the RF tag 63 have not been received by the tag reader / writer 47, the process proceeds to S256.

[0142] If the RF tag 63 of the electronic key 2 has been detected (S252: YES), that is, if the user ID and the app startup request from the RF tag 63 have been received by the tag reader / writer 47, user ID verification is performed at S254. Specifically, user ID verification is performed to determine whether or not the received user ID matches the user ID stored in the smartphone 3 itself.

[0143] At S256, the result of the user ID verification in S254 is determined. If it is determined that the user IDs match as a result of the user ID verification (S256: YES), app startup processing is executed at S258. Specifically, the vehicle operation app 32a is substantially started. Substantially starting means starting the process from S10 shown in FIG. 7. As a result, from the user's perspective, the vehicle operation app 32a is automatically started just by holding the smartphone 3 over the electronic key 2. If it is determined that the user IDs do not match as a result of the user ID verification (S256: NO), the tag correspondence process ends.

[0144] (8) Effects of the First Embodiment According to the vehicle control system of the first embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained. (a) The user can control the vehicle 1 by relaying the electronic key 2 by operating the smartphone 3.

[0145] (b) Specifically, as described with reference to FIG. 3, various operations can be performed on the vehicle 1 from the smartphone 3, and various information can be acquired from the vehicle 1. (c) The user can input the operation items for the vehicle 1 into the smartphone 3 in various ways. Specifically, the operation menu screen 48 can be displayed on the display unit 33, and the operation items can be specified by tapping on it. Alternatively, the desired operation item can be specified by showing a gesture corresponding to the desired operation item in front of the camera 43. Also, the desired operation item can be specified by speaking the word corresponding to the desired operation item toward the microphone 45.

[0146] Therefore, the user can move the vehicle 1 or operate each part of the vehicle 1 while speaking to the smartphone 3. Also, the user can move the vehicle 1 or operate each part of the vehicle 1 while showing a gesture toward the camera 43 of the smartphone 3.

[0147] (d) The user can check the operation of each part of the vehicle 1 without getting into the vehicle 1. For example, it is possible to easily check from the outside of the vehicle 1 whether the headlight 20 is lit normally. Also, for example, when it is desired to move the position of the vehicle 1 after getting out of the vehicle 1, it is possible to move it without getting back into the vehicle 1. For example, when it is desired to move the vehicle 1 backward a little (several tens of cm), the vehicle 1 can be controlled to move backward (slow reverse) while looking at the vehicle 1 from the outside of the vehicle 1. Also, for example, the interior temperature of the vehicle 1 can be acquired from a location away from the vehicle 1, and if the interior temperature is high, the window 17 can be opened or the air conditioner 14 can be operated.

[0148] (e) When remotely controlling the vehicle 1 from the smartphone 3, user authentication is performed based on fingerprint, voice, or face image, and only authorized users can remotely control the vehicle 1 (S10 to S12 in Fig. 7). Therefore, unauthorized remote control can be prevented.

[0149] (f) When the electronic key 2 receives an operation command from the smartphone 3, if the user ID received together with the operation command does not match the user ID of the electronic key 2, the electronic key 2 does not send an operation command to the vehicle 1 and notifies the smartphone 3 of an error. Further, in the vehicle 1, when an operation command is received from the electronic key 2, the received user ID is compared with the user ID of the vehicle 1. That is, when the user IDs of the smartphone 3, the electronic key 2, and the vehicle 1 all match, the vehicle 1 can be remotely operated from the smartphone 3. Therefore, the security of remote control by the smartphone 3 can be enhanced.

[0150] (g) Depending on the positions of the vehicle 1, the electronic key 2, and the smartphone 3, the function of the operation content requested from the smartphone 3 is prohibited or restricted. For how to handle in different cases of the positional relationship among the three (permit, restrict, or prohibit), and specifically what to restrict in the case of restriction, etc., can be arbitrarily set in advance for each operation item. Therefore, the security performance can be further enhanced.

[0151] (h) As a wireless communication method, the electronic key 2 is equipped with various communication methods such as first communication, second communication, and BT communication, in addition to the smart communication provided by the conventional electronic key system. Therefore, even when the electronic key 2 is outside the respective detection areas 400, 500 of the vehicle 1, communication with the vehicle 1 can be performed by the second communication. That is, even if a user with the electronic key 2 and the smartphone 3 is outside the respective detection areas 400, 500 of the vehicle 1, the vehicle 1 can be remotely controlled from outside.

[0152] (j) When the battery 59 of the electronic key 2 is depleted, it can receive power from the smartphone 3 in a contactless manner to charge the battery 59 or operate the electronic key 2. Further, the electronic key 2 is provided with a power input jack 62, and power can also be received from this power input jack 62 (see Fig. 5). Note that the electronic key 2 of the present embodiment can be operated by receiving power supply from the outside by various means even when the battery 59 is depleted. Therefore, the mechanical key provided in a conventional general electronic key is not provided in the electronic key 2 of the present embodiment. However, of course, a mechanical key may be incorporated in the electronic key 2. As described above, even when the battery 59 is depleted, the electronic key 2 can be operated by receiving power supply from the outside by various means. Therefore, the electronic key 2 of the present embodiment does not include the mechanical key provided in a conventional general electronic key. However, of course, a mechanical key may be incorporated in the electronic key 2.

[0153] Note that the smartphone 3 corresponds to an example of the communication terminal of the present invention. The processes that can be selected on the operation menu screen 48 illustrated in Fig. 3, that is, the processes that can request the electronic key 2 to be relayed to the vehicle 1, correspond to an example of the specific processes of the present invention. The touch panel 34, camera 43, and microphone 45 of the smartphone 3 correspond to an example of the designated input unit of the present invention. The first communication unit 35 of the smartphone 3 corresponds to an example of the command transmission unit of the present invention. The memory 32 of the smartphone 3 corresponds to an example of the terminal-side storage unit of the present invention, and the user ID stored in the memory 32 corresponds to an example of the terminal-side unique information of the present invention. The operation command transmitted from the smartphone 3 to the electronic key 2 corresponds to an example of the processing command of the present invention, and the operation command transmitted from the electronic key 2 to the vehicle 1 corresponds to an example of the processing command of the present invention. In Fig. 8, the processes of S28, S34, and S42 correspond to an example of the processing of the designated input unit of the present invention, and the process of S48 corresponds to an example of the processing of the command transmission unit of the present invention.

[0154] Further, the memory 52 of the electronic key 2 corresponds to an example of the key-side storage unit of the present invention, and the user ID stored in the memory 52 corresponds to an example of the key-side unique information of the present invention. In Fig. 10, the process of S118 corresponds to an example of the processing of the unique information determination unit of the present invention, and the processes of S130 and S134 correspond to an example of the processing of the command transmission unit of the present invention.

[0155] In addition, in the present embodiment, as an example of the designated input unit of the present invention, the touch panel 34, the camera 43, and the microphone 45 are exemplified, but these are merely examples. As long as the user can specify the processing to be executed by the vehicle 1 to the smartphone 3 (and by extension, the smartphone 3 can transmit the operation command indicating the input processing to the electronic key 2), it can be appropriately determined how to specify it specifically and what input interface to use.

[0156] [Second Embodiment] The vehicle control system of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. The vehicle control system of the present second embodiment is a system that can directly control the vehicle 1 (FIG. 6) from the electronic key.

[0157] That is, in the present second embodiment, when remotely controlling the vehicle 1, other communication devices other than the electronic key are not required. On the other hand, in the present second embodiment, in order to remotely operate the vehicle 1 from the electronic key, the configuration of the electronic key is different from that of the electronic key 2 of the first embodiment.

[0158] The configuration of the electronic key 2 of the present second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 14. As shown in FIG. 14, the electronic key 80 of the present second embodiment includes a control unit 81, a memory 82, a microphone 83, an audio processing unit 84, a display unit 85, an operation input unit 86, a transmission unit 53, a reception unit 54, a battery 59, a regulator 60, a non-contact power supply and reception unit 61, and a power input jack 62. Among these, since the transmission unit 53, the reception unit 54, the battery 59, the regulator 60, the non-contact power supply and reception unit 61, and the power input jack 62 are the same as those of the electronic key 2 of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0159] The microphone 83 and the audio processing unit 84 were mounted on the smartphone 3 in the first embodiment, and are mounted on the electronic key 80 in the present second embodiment. The microphone 83 converts external sound into an electrical signal. The audio processing unit 84 processes the sound signal collected by the microphone 83 and converted into an electrical signal into digital audio data and outputs it to the control unit 81. The control unit 8 1 can recognize the content of the sound collected by the microphone 83 based on the voice data input from the voice processing unit 84.

[0160] The display unit 85 is a display device (for example, a liquid crystal display) capable of displaying various images and information. The operation input unit 86 is an input device capable of receiving an input operation by the user. As a specific configuration of the operation input unit 86, for example, a push button type switch can be mentioned. The operation input unit 86 may be provided with a touch panel.

[0161] The control unit 81 includes a microcomputer having a CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O, etc. (not shown). The control unit 81 controls various circuits and functional blocks in the electronic key 80, including each unit connected to the control unit 81. The electronic key control process (see FIG. 15) described later is executed by the CPU of the control unit 81.

[0162] The memory 82 is a non-volatile memory capable of electrically rewriting the stored content, and is a flash memory in the present embodiment. Various programs and data are stored in the memory 82. The data stored in the memory 82 includes vehicle operation menu data 82a, voice pattern 82b, and ID information 82c.

[0163] The ID information 82c is the same as the ID information 52a in the electronic key 2 of the first embodiment. The vehicle operation menu data 82a is the same as the vehicle operation menu data 32b in the smartphone 3 of the first embodiment. Therefore, in the present second embodiment, icons for each operation item are displayed on the display unit 85 of the electronic key 80 in the same manner as the operation menu screen 48 described in FIG. 3, and the user can select a desired operation item from them. The voice pattern 82b is the same as the voice pattern 32c in the smartphone 3 of the first embodiment.

[0164] Note that the display unit 85 of the electronic key 80 in this embodiment has a smaller display area than the display unit 33 of the smartphone 3 in the first embodiment. Therefore, the number of icons that can be simultaneously displayed on the display unit 85 is smaller than the number of icons on the operation menu screen 48 shown in FIG. 3. Also, the information to be displayed on the display unit 85 (image information for each operation item for selecting an operation item) does not necessarily have to be an icon, and may be, for example, text indicating the operation item. As long as the user can select a desired operation item, what image information is displayed on the display unit 85 can be determined as appropriate.

[0165] As described above, the electronic key 80 of this second embodiment can perform wireless communication (i.e., smart communication) with the vehicle 1 by the transmission unit 53 and the reception unit 54, but does not have other wireless communication functions. Therefore, in this second embodiment, the vehicle 1 can be remotely operated from the electronic key 80 when the electronic key 80 and the vehicle 1 can perform data communication by smart communication, that is, when the electronic key 80 is within each detection area 400, 500 of the vehicle 1.

[0166] Regarding the electronic key control process executed by the control unit 81 in the thus configured electronic key 80, it will be described with reference to FIG. 15. The control unit 81 of the electronic key 80 repeatedly executes the electronic key control process shown in FIG. 15 at a predetermined control cycle.

[0167] When starting the electronic key control process, the control unit 81 of the electronic key 80 determines in S302 whether a request signal has been received from the vehicle 1. If the request signal has not been received (S302: NO), the electronic key control process ends.

[0168] When a request signal is received from the vehicle 1 (S302: YES), in S304, the vehicle operation standby display is performed on the display unit 85. That is, a display indicating that the vehicle 1 can be controlled from the electronic key 80 is performed. In S306, it is determined whether a voice input request operation has been performed by the user. When the user remotely operates the vehicle 1 from the electronic key 80, the user can select whether to specify (select) the operation content by operating the operation input unit 86 or to specify it by voice. When it is desired to specify the operation content by voice, a predetermined voice input request operation can be performed via the operation input unit 86 so that the operation content can be specified by voice.

[0169] In S306, if a voice input request operation has not been performed (S306: NO), the process proceeds to S308. In S308, an operation menu list is displayed on the display unit 85. The operation menu list is a list of information images (for example, icons or texts) indicating operation items.

[0170] In S310, it is determined whether a selection input of a specific operation item has been made from among the operation items listed in S308. If a selection input of an operation item has not been made (S310: NO), the process returns to S306. If a selection input of an operation item has been made (S310: YES), the process proceeds to S312. In S312, an operation command corresponding to the selected operation item is generated, and the process proceeds to S314.

[0171] In S306, if a voice input request operation has been performed (S306: YES), the process proceeds to S316. In S316, the voice input by the microphone 83 is set to the standby state. That is, the state is made such that voice input and recognition can be executed. In S318, it is determined whether voice has been input from the microphone 83. If voice has not been input (S318: NO), in S320, it is determined whether a certain period of time has elapsed since the voice input was set to the standby state in S316. If the certain period of time has not elapsed, the process returns to S318, and if the certain period of time has elapsed, the process returns to S302.

[0172] In S318, when voice is input (S318: YES), in S322, based on the voice of the user input to the microphone 83, it is determined whether the user has spoken words corresponding to a specified voice pattern. This determination is made by determining whether the words spoken by the user match any of the words stored as the voice pattern 82b in the memory 82. And when the user has spoken words corresponding to the specified voice pattern, the voice pattern is recognized.

[0173] In S324, the operation content corresponding to the specified voice pattern recognized in S322 is displayed on the display unit 85. In S326, an operation command corresponding to the specified voice pattern recognized in S322 is generated. After S326, the process proceeds to S314. In S314, the operation command generated in S312 or S326 and the user ID are transmitted to the vehicle 1 via smart communication.

[0174] On the other hand, in the vehicle 1, also in this second embodiment, the remote control process shown in FIG. 11 is executed. Therefore, when the operation command and the user ID transmitted from the electronic key 80 are received by the vehicle 1, in the vehicle 1, the process is executed according to the remote control process shown in FIG. 11, and the operation content specified by the operation command is executed. However, similar to the first embodiment, when the user ID verification does not match, the specified operation is not executed. Also, similar to the first embodiment, when the specified operation is prohibited or restricted in the function limit confirmation process (S166 in FIG. 11), the specified operation is not executed or is executed within the restricted range. Note that in the function limit confirmation process in this second embodiment, the function of the operation content requested from the electronic key 80 is prohibited or restricted according to the positional relationship between the electronic key 80 and the vehicle 1.

[0175] According to the vehicle control system of this second embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained. (a) The user can remotely control the vehicle 1 from the electronic key 80 by operating the electronic key 80. Thereby, the user can check the operations of each part of the vehicle 1 without getting into the vehicle 1.

[0176] (b) The user can input the operation items for the vehicle 1 into the electronic key 80 in various ways. Specifically, an operation menu list can be displayed on the display unit 85, and the operation items can be specified from among them. Also, the desired operation item can be specified by speaking the word corresponding to the desired operation item toward the microphone 83. Therefore, the user can move the vehicle 1 or operate each part of the vehicle 1 while speaking to the electronic key 80. Note that a camera may be mounted on the electronic key 80 so that the operation items can be specified by gestures as in the first embodiment.

[0177] [Other Embodiments] (1) In the first embodiment, a vehicle control system in which the vehicle 1 can be operated from the smartphone 3 via the electronic key 2 was shown, but the vehicle 1 may be directly operated without relaying through the electronic key 2 from the smartphone 3.

[0178] Specifically, in the flowchart of the vehicle operation application 32a of the smartphone 3 shown in FIG. 7, in S14, an authentication request signal may be transmitted to the vehicle 1 instead of the electronic key 2, and in S16, it may be determined whether an operation permission signal is received from the vehicle 1. Then, when it is determined in S16 that an operation permission signal is received from the vehicle 1, the smartphone 3 may execute the processing after S304 in FIG. 15. In that case, in S314, the operation command and the user ID may be transmitted to the vehicle 1 by, for example, the first communication or another communication method instead of smart communication.

[0179] And in the vehicle 1, when the operation command and the user ID transmitted from the smartphone 3 are received, first, user authentication based on the user ID may be performed. Then, when it is determined as an operation command from a legitimate user as a result of the user authentication, the operation item indicated by the operation command may be executed. Also, when the user authentication fails, an operation rejection signal may be transmitted to the smartphone 3 to notify that remote operation from the smartphone 3 cannot be accepted.

[0180] As a configuration example that enables direct operation of the vehicle 1 without relaying the electronic key from the smartphone, for example, a configuration may be adopted in which a part or all of the configuration and functions of the electronic key 80 of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 14 are provided in the smartphone.

[0181] (2) In the second embodiment, the electronic key 80 had a configuration equipped with only the same smart communication function as a conventional electronic key as a wireless communication function, but it may be configured to enable wireless communication by other methods than smart communication. For example, in addition to smart communication, it may be provided with at least one communication function such as the first communication, the second communication, or BT communication, or wireless communication by other communication methods described in the first embodiment.

[0182] And by providing a wireless communication function of a communication method other than smart communication, even if the electronic key 80 is outside the detection area of the vehicle 1, the vehicle 1 may be remotely operated from the electronic key 80.

[0183] (3) In the second embodiment, when remotely controlling the vehicle 1 from the electronic key 80, similar to the smartphone 3 of the first embodiment, user authentication may be performed based on fingerprint, voice, or face image.

[0184] (4) The content of the vehicle operation menu data 32b, that is, the content that can be remotely controlled for the vehicle 1, the plurality of operation items shown in FIG. 3 are merely examples. The content of the operation items that can be remotely controlled can be determined as appropriate.

[0185] (5) The wireless communication methods that can be executed in each of the smartphone 3, the electronic key 2, and the vehicle 1 can be determined as appropriate. Also, regarding which communication method to use for the communication between the smartphone 3 and the electronic key 2 and the communication between the electronic key 2 and the vehicle 1, it can be determined as appropriate.

[0186] (6) In the first embodiment, the vehicle 1 may be able to recognize the user of the smartphone 3 by using the pairing information in the BT communication between the electronic key 2 and the smartphone 3. That is, when an operation command is received from the smartphone 3 by the electronic key 2, the electronic key 2 attempts BT communication with the smartphone 3. If BT communication is possible, the user information of the smartphone 3 is acquired based on the pairing information between the two. Then, when the electronic key 2 transmits an operation command to the vehicle 1, the acquired user information is also added and transmitted.

[0187] As a result, the vehicle 1 can recognize from which user a remote operation request has been made, and it becomes possible to execute different controls for each user. For example, function restrictions can be imposed according to the user, or conversely, functions can be extended according to the user. Also, even for the same function, the detailed content can be made different for each user.

[0188] (7) A camera or a microphone may be mounted on the vehicle so that the user can indicate a gesture to the in-vehicle camera or talk to the in-vehicle microphone from outside the vehicle to instruct an operation on the vehicle.

[0189] At that time, first, the user operates the smartphone 3 to transmit remote operation start information indicating that the vehicle is to be remotely operated from outside the vehicle to the vehicle 1 directly or via the electronic key 2 as a relay. When the vehicle 1 receives the remote operation start information, it may activate the in-vehicle camera or the in-vehicle microphone to accept the remote operation. Alternatively, the remote operation start information may be transmitted from the electronic key 2 to the vehicle 1 by operating the electronic key 2 without intervening the smartphone 3.

[0190] The electronic key 2 may transmit the remote operation start information to the vehicle 1 only when wireless communication is possible in the smart communication with the vehicle 1, or may transmit the remote operation start information to the vehicle 1 by the second communication when the smart communication with the vehicle 1 is not possible.

[0191] Vehicle 1 may be configured to register in advance gestures and voices corresponding to acceptable operation items in a memory, and when a gesture or voice input by an in-vehicle camera or an in-vehicle microphone is stored in the memory, execute processing corresponding to the gesture or voice.

[0192] With such a configuration, after the user of Vehicle 1 finishes driving Vehicle 1 and gets out of Vehicle 1, for example, if the user wants to move Vehicle 1 a little further backward (or forward), the user can move Vehicle 1 without getting back into Vehicle 1 by showing a gesture indicating "slow reverse" (or "slow forward") or uttering a voice to Vehicle 1. Moreover, since it can be remotely operated from outside the vehicle, Vehicle 1 can be appropriately moved while checking the relative positional relationship between Vehicle 1 and its surroundings.

[0193] Furthermore, a function for detecting in real time the relative positional relationship between the electronic key 2 and Vehicle 1 may be provided so that Vehicle 1 can move following the electronic key 2. For example, when the electronic key 2 is carried in front of Vehicle 1 and a command to move Vehicle 1 forward slowly is issued, Vehicle 1 automatically starts running toward the electronic key 2. Then, when the distance from the electronic key 2 becomes within a predetermined distance it automatically stops. After that, when the user separates the electronic key 2 from Vehicle 1, Vehicle 1 starts running toward the electronic key 2 again. The same applies to the case of reverse.

[0194] Also in this configuration, authentication may be performed between the electronic key 2 and Vehicle 1, and when the authentication is successful, Vehicle 1 may be remotely operated. Alternatively, authentication may be performed among the smartphone 3, the electronic key 2, and Vehicle 1, and when the authentication is successful, Vehicle 1 may be remotely operated.

[0195] While the user is driving in vehicle 1, various information during the driving may be collected as learning information, and when the user gets off the vehicle, the learning information may be transferred to the user's smartphone 3. Then, when the user gets on vehicle 1 again or gets on another vehicle other than vehicle 1, the learning information stored in the smartphone 3 may be transmitted to the vehicle on which the user has boarded to reflect the learning information.

[0196] Examples of the learning information include, for example, the seat position, steering position, angle of the rearview mirror, angle of the door mirror, and operation content of the audio device adjusted by the user.

[0197] Such a function is convenient to apply, for example, to a so-called car-sharing service in which one vehicle is shared by a large number of users. The user can capture various information when driving as learning information into the smartphone 3, and when driving again, deploy the learning information to the vehicle, so that settings according to the user's preferences can be realized automatically and quickly. That is, even though it is a vehicle shared by other users, the vehicle can be felt and handled as if it were only used by oneself.

[0198] (9) When the smartphone 3 and the vehicle 1 can communicate directly, the vehicle 1 may appropriately transmit information to the smartphone 3. For example, when the electronic key 2 leaves the detection areas 400, 500 of the vehicle 1, if the door of the vehicle 1 is open, all doors are not locked, a specific electrical component (for example, headlights, interior lights, etc.) is operating, or an abnormal behavior is detected, the vehicle 1 may notify the smartphone 3 to that effect. Also, for example, if the vehicle 1 is a vehicle equipped with a motor as a driving source for traveling and the battery for driving the motor can be charged from the outside, when the charging is completed, the vehicle 1 may notify the smartphone 3 to that effect.

[0199] A more specific example of information transmission from the vehicle 1 to the smartphone 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17. The examples shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 are examples in which the position information of the vehicle 1 can be notified to the smartphone 3, or in which, when an abnormality is detected in the vehicle 1, the fact can be notified to the smartphone 3.

[0200] The control unit 10 of the vehicle 1 repeatedly executes the vehicle information notification process of FIG. 16 at a predetermined cycle. Also, the control unit 31 of the smartphone 3 repeatedly executes the vehicle information display process of FIG. 17 at a predetermined cycle.

[0201] First, the vehicle information notification process of FIG. 16 will be described. As a premise, as in the above-described embodiments, request signals are periodically transmitted from the respective transmitters 4 and 5 of the vehicle 1 by smart communication.

[0202] When the control unit 10 of the vehicle 1 starts the vehicle information notification process of FIG. 16, at S404, it determines whether or not a response signal from the electronic key 2 to the request signal has been received. If the response signal has not been received (S404: NO), the process proceeds to S416. If the response signal has been received (S 404: YES), the process proceeds to S406.

[0203] At S406, it is determined whether or not an opening / closing operation of the door lock has been performed by operating the electronic key 2 or by an operation command from the smartphone 3 via the electronic key 2. If the opening / closing operation of the door lock has not been performed (S406: NO), the process returns to S404. If the opening / closing operation of the door lock has been performed (S406: YES), the process proceeds to S408.

[0204] At S408, as in S404, it is determined whether or not a response signal from the electronic key 2 to the request signal has been received. This determination is repeated while the response signal is being received. When the response signal is no longer received (S408: NO), the process proceeds to S410.

[0205] In S410, it is determined whether the door locks are fully closed, that is, whether the door locks of all the doors 15 are closed. If the door locks are not fully closed (S410: NO), the process proceeds to S416. If the door locks are fully closed (S410: YES), the process proceeds to S412. The fact that it is determined in S410 that the door locks are fully closed means that, once the electronic key 2 has entered the detection area of the vehicle 1 and the opening and closing operation of the door lock has been performed via the electronic key 2, and then the electronic key 2 has left the detection area of the vehicle 1 with the door locks fully closed. Such a situation can occur, for example, when the user of the vehicle 1 parks the vehicle 1 in a parking lot and leaves the vehicle 1.

[0206] In S412, vehicle position information (information indicating the current position of the vehicle 1) is acquired based on the information received by the GPS receiver 9. In S414, the vehicle position information acquired in S412 is transmitted to the smartphone 3 by the first communication. Thereby, the user of the smartphone 3 can easily know where the vehicle 1 is parked based on the vehicle position information transmitted from the vehicle 1 even if, for example, the vehicle 1 is parked in a parking lot and the user has left the vehicle 1.

[0207] In S416, it is determined whether an abnormality has been detected in the vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 is equipped with functions for detecting various abnormalities. For example, the vehicle 1 is equipped with sensors such as an acceleration sensor or a vibration sensor that can detect an external impact on the vehicle 1. The control unit 10 of the vehicle 1 detects the presence or absence of an external impact on the vehicle 1 based on the detection signal from the sensor, and when an impact is detected, it determines that there may have been an illegal act such as vandalism or theft on the vehicle 1 and detects the occurrence of an abnormality. Also, when the in-vehicle camera 24 is periodically operated and its captured image is analyzed, for example, when an intruder in the vehicle interior is detected or a suspicious person around the vehicle (for example, a person peeking into the vehicle interior) is detected, it may also be determined that an abnormality has occurred. In addition, for example, it may be possible to detect functional abnormalities of the vehicle 1 such as a voltage drop of the in-vehicle battery or an oil leak.

[0208] In S416, if no abnormality of vehicle 1 is detected (S416: NO), the vehicle information notification process ends. If an abnormality of vehicle 1 is detected (S416: YES), the process proceeds to S418. In S418, abnormality information indicating that an abnormality has been detected in vehicle 1 and the content of the detected abnormality is transmitted to smartphone 3 via the first communication.

[0209] Next, the vehicle information display process in FIG. 17 will be described. When the control unit 31 of smartphone 3 starts the vehicle information display process in FIG. 17, in S452, it is determined whether data has been received from vehicle 1 via the first communication. If data has not been received from vehicle 1 (S452: NO), in S464, it is determined whether a predetermined user operation for displaying the vehicle position information has been performed. If a predetermined user operation for displaying the vehicle position information has not been performed (S464: NO), the vehicle information display process ends. If a predetermined user operation for displaying the vehicle position information has been performed (S464: YES), the process proceeds to S466.

[0210] In S466, the vehicle position information stored in memory 32 is displayed on display unit 26. Thereby, the user can confirm the position of vehicle 1. In S452, if data has been received from vehicle 1 (S452: YES), in S454, it is determined whether vehicle position information has been received (that is, whether the received data includes vehicle position information). If vehicle position information has been received (S454: YES), in S456, the received vehicle position information is stored in memory 32.

[0211] If the received data from vehicle 1 does not include vehicle position information (S454: NO), in S458, it is determined whether abnormality information has been received (that is, whether the received data includes abnormality information). If abnormality information has been received (S458: YES), in S460, the received abnormality information is displayed on display unit 26. Thereby, the user can know that an abnormality has been detected in vehicle 1 and the content of the abnormality.

[0212] When the data received from the vehicle 1 does not contain abnormal information (S458: NO), in S462, predetermined reception response processing based on the received data is performed. (10) The types of various information that can be provided from the vehicle 1 to the smartphone 3 are not limited to the information described with reference to FIG. 3. In addition to the information described with reference to FIG. 3, for example, various information such as the total mileage of the vehicle 1, the remaining battery level, the remaining fuel level, the date when the engine oil and other various oils were replaced, and the total mileage of the vehicle 1 at the time of the oil change can also be provided to the smartphone 3 as vehicle information.

[0213] And the vehicle information may be provided from the vehicle 1 directly or via the electronic key 2 to the smartphone 3 at a specific timing. When the vehicle information can be provided via the electronic key 2, not only the vehicle information but also the information of the electronic key 2 (for example, the remaining battery level of the electronic key 2) may be provided to the smartphone 3.

[0214] A more specific example of the function of providing various information to the smartphone 3 described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 and 9. The control unit 51 of the electronic key 2 repeatedly executes the system information transmission process of FIG. 18 at a predetermined cycle. In addition, the control unit 31 of the smartphone 3 repeatedly executes the system state notification process of FIG. 19 at a predetermined cycle.

[0215] First, the system information transmission process of FIG. 18 will be described. Note that the vehicle 1 is configured to be able to transmit the above-described vehicle information in the vehicle 1 to the electronic key 2 in response to a vehicle information request from the electronic key 2.

[0216] When the control unit 51 of the electronic key 2 starts the system information transmission process in Fig. 18, at S552, it determines whether a request signal has been received from the vehicle 1. If a request signal has been received (S552: YES), at S560, it determines whether the information notification flag is set. The information notification flag is a flag used to transmit system information (details will be described later) to the smartphone 3 only once during the period when the request signal is continuously received. It is set at S568 and cleared at S558.

[0217] At S560, if the information notification flag has already been set (S560: YES), the system information transmission process ends. If the information notification flag is not set (S560: NO), at S562, it requests vehicle information from the vehicle 1 by the first communication or the second communication, and acquires the vehicle information from the vehicle 1 in response to the request by the first communication or the second communication.

[0218] At S564, the remaining battery level of the electronic key 2 is detected. The electronic key 2 is configured to periodically monitor the voltage of the battery 40 and the charge and discharge history from the battery 40, and detect the remaining battery level based on these monitoring results.

[0219] At S566, the information including the vehicle information acquired at S562 and the remaining battery level detected at S564 is transmitted to the smartphone 3 by the first communication as system information indicating the states of the vehicle 1 and the electronic key 2. Then, the information notification flag is set at S568, and the system information transmission process ends.

[0220] At S552, if a request signal has not been received from the vehicle 1 (S552: NO), at S554, it determines whether the information notification flag is cleared. If the information notification flag is cleared (S554: YES), the system information transmission process ends. If the information notification flag is set (S554: NO), it proceeds to S556.

[0221] In S556, it is determined whether or not a request signal has not been continuously received from the vehicle 1 for a certain period or longer. If the request signal has not been received for less than a certain period since it stopped being received (S556: NO), the system information transmission process ends. If the request signal has not been received for a certain period or longer since it stopped being received (S556: YES), in S558, the information notification flag is cleared and the system information transmission process ends.

[0222] Next, the system state notification process in FIG. 19 will be described. When the control unit 31 of the smartphone 3 starts the system state notification process in FIG. 19, in S502, it is determined whether or not system information has been received from the electronic key 2 by the first communication. If the system information has not been received (S502: NO), the process proceeds to S512. If the system information has been received (S502: YES), in S504, the received system information is stored in the memory 32.

[0223] In S506, the user is notified that system information has been received from the electronic key 2. This notification can be made, for example, by voice or by displaying predetermined received information on the display unit 33. If the smartphone 3 has a so-called vibration function, the vibration function may be used (that is, the smartphone 3 itself is caused to vibrate) to notify the user.

[0224] In S508, it is determined whether or not a predetermined display request operation for displaying system information has been performed by the user. If the display request operation has not been performed (S508: NO), the process proceeds to S512. If the display request operation has been performed (S508: YES), the process proceeds to S510. In S510, the system information stored in the memory 32 in S504 is displayed on the display unit 33. Thereby, the user can confirm the latest system information.

[0225] In S512, it is determined whether maintenance is necessary based on the system information stored in the memory 32. For example, if a certain number of days or more have passed since the last oil change, the vehicle has traveled a certain distance or more since the last oil change, the remaining fuel amount is less than a predetermined amount, or the remaining battery level of the electronic key 2 is less than a predetermined amount, it is determined that maintenance is necessary.

[0226] In S514, based on the determination result of S512, it is determined whether there are any items that require maintenance. If it is determined in S512 that maintenance is not necessary, it is determined that there are no items that require maintenance (S514: NO), and the system state notification process ends. If it is determined in S512 that maintenance is necessary, it is determined that there are items that require maintenance (S514: YES), and the process proceeds to S516.

[0227] In S516, the maintenance information is displayed on the display unit 33. The maintenance information to be displayed here is information regarding the items that require maintenance. For example, in S512, if it is determined that the vehicle has traveled a certain distance or more since the last oil change, the item that requires maintenance is an oil change. Therefore, in that case, as the maintenance information, information indicating that an oil change should be performed is displayed on the display unit 33. At that time, the basis for performing the coil change (the cumulative mileage since the previous oil change has exceeded a certain distance) may also be displayed.

[0228] In S518, it is determined whether the user has performed an operation to request the display of guidance on the maintenance method. If the operation to request the display of guidance has not been performed (S518: NO), the system state notification process ends. If the operation to request the display of guidance has been performed (S518: YES), in S520, the guidance process is performed. The guidance process is a predetermined process for providing the user with a specific maintenance method for the items that require maintenance.

[0229] Note that the transmission timing of system information from the electronic key 2 to the smartphone 3 is not limited to the timing shown in FIG. 18 and can be determined as appropriate. For example, the smartphone 3 may be configured to request system information from the electronic key 2 at an arbitrary timing, and each time the electronic key 2 receives the request from the smartphone 3, it may acquire the latest system information and transmit it to the smartphone 3. Further, in the smartphone 3, the system information stored in the memory 32 may be displayed on the display unit 33 at an arbitrary timing.

[0230] (11) It may also have a function that can operate the vehicle 1 or acquire information from the vehicle 1 via the electronic key 2 from the smartphone 3 as in the first embodiment, and a function that can directly operate the vehicle 1 or acquire information from the vehicle 1 from the electronic key 2 as in the second embodiment.

[0231] In that case, the functions that can be operated from the smartphone 3 and the functions that can be directly operated from the electronic key 2 do not necessarily have to exactly match. For example, the types of functions that can be operated from the smartphone 3 may be fewer than the types of functions that can be directly operated from the electronic key 2. Also, for example, for specific types of functions (functions with relatively high importance, such as unlocking the door or moving the vehicle 1), the operation from the smartphone 3 may be disabled and only possible from the electronic key 2. Also, for example, the smartphone 3 may periodically receive notification from the electronic key 2 as to whether the electronic key 2 is within the detection area of the vehicle 1, and depending on the content (i.e., the distance relationship between the electronic key 2 and the vehicle 1), the content that can be operated via the electronic key 2 from the smartphone 3 may be changed.

[0232] (12) The smartphone 3 shown in the above embodiment is merely an example of a communication terminal capable of wireless communication with the electronic key 2. In addition to the smartphone 3, for example, any type of communication terminal capable of wireless communication, such as a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer, can be used.

[0233] (13) The smartphone and the vehicle may be configured to be directly data - communicable. In that case, various services may be provided to the user by utilizing the data communication between the two.

[0234] For example, it may be possible to provide an information - providing service that acquires weather forecasts, road traffic information, and other various types of information using the smartphone, and appropriately transmits some or all of the acquired information to the vehicle to notify the driver of the vehicle.

[0235] Also, for example, it may be possible to provide a vehicle - surrounding monitoring service that acquires information around the vehicle in the vehicle and appropriately transmits the acquired information to the smartphone. Yes.

[0236] Also, for example, it may be possible to provide a vehicle - position notification service that acquires the position information of the vehicle from the vehicle in the smartphone and notifies the user of the smartphone of information regarding the position of the vehicle based on the acquired position information.

[0237] Also, for example, in the vehicle, the driver's face is photographed, and information corresponding to the content of the photographed face image (that is, the driver's expression, and by extension, the emotion (such as joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness) that the driver is holding) may be passed to the SNS (Social Networking Service) app of the smartphone, and it may be possible to provide an SNS - linking service.

[0238] Also, for example, it may be possible to provide a driving - permission determination service that directly or indirectly grasps the driver's physical condition from various angles and permits or prohibits the driving of the vehicle by the driver according to the grasped content (that is, according to the driver's physical condition).

[0239] Hereinafter, the above - mentioned various services will be described more specifically. (13 - 1) Configuration of the smartphone First, the configuration of the smartphone 110 capable of realizing the various services described above will be described with reference to FIG. 20. The smartphone 110 shown in FIG. 20 includes a motion sensor group 50 in addition to the hardware configuration of the smartphone 3 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2. Further, the control unit 31 incorporates an RTC (Real Time Clock) 31a. The control unit 31 can acquire information such as the current time and date based on the RTC 31a. Note that this RTC 31a is also incorporated in the smartphone 3 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2.

[0240] The motion sensor group 50 includes at least one of various sensors capable of detecting the movement and orientation of an object. Examples of these various sensors include a geomagnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a gyro sensor. Here, it will be described assuming that the motion sensor group 50 includes at least a geomagnetic sensor and an acceleration sensor.

[0241] The geomagnetic sensor is a sensor also called a so-called electronic compass, and is a sensor capable of detecting the orientation. The control unit 31 of the smartphone 110 can detect the orientation in a specific direction centered on the smartphone 110 based on the detection signal from the geomagnetic sensor. The specific direction can be determined as appropriate. The smartphone 110 has a substantially rectangular thin plate shape. Therefore, here, as an example, an axis that is parallel to the rectangular plate surface of the smartphone 110 and parallel to the long side direction and passes through a specific position inside the housing of the smartphone 110 is defined as a specific axis, and one axial direction of the specific axis viewed from the specific position is defined as the specific direction.

[0242] The acceleration sensor can detect at least three-axis acceleration. The control unit 31 of the smartphone 110 can detect the movement (movement in three-dimensional space) of the smartphone 110 based on the detection signal from the acceleration sensor. Further, the control unit 31 can detect the number of steps of the holder of the smartphone 110 based on the detection signal from the acceleration sensor.

[0243] In addition to the stored content in the first embodiment (see FIG. 2), the memory 32 of the smartphone 110 further stores each of the information providing application 32g, the surrounding information notification application 32h, the vehicle position notification application 32j, the SNS application 32k, and the physical condition management application 32m. Note that when the surrounding information notification application is executed, the front video data 32n and the stolen vehicle data 32p are stored in the memory 32.

[0244] (13-2) Configuration of the vehicle Next, the configuration of the vehicle 120 capable of realizing the various services described above will be described with reference to FIG. 21. The vehicle 120 shown in FIG. 21 includes, in addition to the hardware configuration of the vehicle 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6, an HUD (Head-Up Display) 27, a front camera 28, and a BT communication unit 30.

[0245] The front camera 28 is a camera capable of photographing the front of the vehicle 120. The front camera 28 is attached to a specific position (for example, the front end of the ceiling inside the vehicle compartment) in the vehicle 120 where the front can be photographed. The front camera 28 operates and takes a photograph when a preset photographing condition is satisfied. Here, it is assumed that the front camera 28 always takes a moving image while the vehicle 120 is running. The data of the moving image (front video data 25h) photographed by the front camera 28 is stored in the memory 25. The front video data 25h stored in the memory 25 is the data of the moving image for the latest several hours. Note that the period and timing (i.e., the photographing condition) of the photographing by the front camera 28 can be determined as appropriate. Also, it can be determined as appropriate how long the data of the moving image photographed in the past is stored in the memory 25 (i.e., stored as the front video data 25h).

[0246] In addition to the stored content in the first embodiment (see FIG. 6), the memory 25 of the vehicle 120 further stores programs such as a smartphone information notification program 25d, a surrounding monitoring program 25e, an SNS cooperation program 25f, and a physical condition information corresponding program 25g. Note that when the surrounding monitoring program 25e is executed, forward video data 25h is stored in the memory 25.

[0247] (13-3) Information providing service Next, among the various services described above, the information providing service will be described with reference to FIGS. 22 and 23. The information providing service is basically realized by executing an information providing application 32g on the smartphone 110 and executing a smartphone information notification program 25d on the vehicle 120. As a usage form of the information providing service, mainly, a form in which a user having the smartphone 110 rides in the vehicle 120 (that is, a form in which the smartphone 110 exists inside the vehicle 120) is assumed.

[0248] After activation, the control unit 31 of the smartphone 110 reads the information providing application 32g from the memory 32 and repeatedly executes information providing processing, which is processing according to the information providing application 32g, at a predetermined period. The information providing processing is processing for acquiring various information from various servers (for example, various websites, etc.) and transmitting a part or all of the information to the vehicle as necessary. FIG. 22 shows an example of the information providing processing.

[0249] When starting the information providing processing in FIG. 22, the control unit 31 of the smartphone 110 detects the current position of the smartphone 110 based on the received information by the GPS receiving unit 37 in S602.

[0250] In S604, access is made to a weather information providing site through the first communication, and current position information indicating the current position of the smartphone 110 is transmitted to the weather information providing site to request weather information around the current position. Then, the weather information around the current position transmitted from the weather information providing site in response to the request is acquired.

[0251] In S606, access the traffic information providing site through the first communication, and send the current location information indicating the current location of the smartphone 110 to the traffic information providing site, thereby requesting traffic information around the current location. Then, acquire the traffic information around the current location transmitted from the traffic information providing site in response to the request. Note that the traffic information that can be acquired includes, for example, various types of information such as accident information, traffic jam information, and traffic regulation information around the current location.

[0252] In S608, access the alert information providing site through the first communication, and send predetermined search conditions to the alert information providing site, thereby requesting various types of information corresponding to the search conditions. Then, acquire the various types of information transmitted from the alert information providing site in response to the request. Note that the search conditions include various conditions such as the current location of the smartphone 110, the current location of the vehicle 120, the current time, information related to the driver (for example, the driver's preferences, schedule, etc.), and information related to the vehicle 120 (for example, vehicle type). When at least one of these various conditions is sent to the alert information providing site as a search condition, the information corresponding to the search condition is searched and transmitted to the smartphone 110. Examples of the information corresponding to the search condition include various types of information such as facility information and event information around the current location, information on various events to be held within a certain time from now, and information on facilities that arouse the driver's interest.

[0253] In S610, determine whether there is information updated from the information acquired until the previous time among the information acquired in S604, S606, and S608. Specifically, based on the information stored in the memory 32, determine whether each piece of information acquired in S604, S606, and S608 has already been acquired and stored in the previous information providing process. If the information acquired this time has already been stored, end the information providing process. On the other hand, if the information acquired this time includes information not stored in the memory 32 (that is, updated information), in S612, transmit the updated information to the vehicle 120 via BT communication.

[0254] On the one hand, after startup, the control unit 10 of the vehicle 120 reads the smartphone information notification program 25d from the memory 25, and repeatedly executes at a predetermined period the smartphone information notification process, which is a process according to the smartphone information notification program 25d. The smartphone information notification process is a process of notifying the driver of various information received from the smartphone 110. FIG. 23 is an example of the smartphone information notification process.

[0255] When the control unit 10 of the vehicle 120 starts the smartphone information notification process in FIG. 23, at S652, it determines whether it has received update information (the information transmitted at S612 in FIG. 22) from the smartphone 110 via BT communication. If it has not received the update information, the smartphone information notification process ends. If it has received the update information, at S654, it notifies the driver of the received update information. Specifically, for example, the update information may be output as voice from a speaker (not shown), may be displayed on the display unit 26, or may be displayed on the HUD 27.

[0256] Note that in the information providing process of FIG. 22, it is not essential to transmit the updated information among the various information obtained from each site to the vehicle, and part or all of the various information obtained from each site may be transmitted to the vehicle as appropriate. When transmitting part of the various information, specifically which information should be transmitted can be determined as appropriate.

[0257] Also, the data communication method between the smartphone 110 and the vehicle 120 being BT communication is merely an example, and data communication may be performed using other communication methods. (13 - 4) Vehicle Surrounding Monitoring Service Next, among the various services described above, the vehicle surrounding monitoring service will be described with reference to FIGS. 24 and 25. The vehicle surrounding monitoring service is basically realized by the execution of the surrounding information notification application 32h on the smartphone 110 and the execution of the surrounding monitoring program 25e on the vehicle 120. The usage form of the vehicle surrounding monitoring service also assumes, similar to the above information providing service, mainly the form in which the user having the smartphone 110 is riding in the vehicle 120.

[0258] After activation, the control unit 10 of the vehicle 120 reads the surrounding monitoring program 25e from the memory 25 and repeatedly executes the surrounding monitoring process, which is a process according to the surrounding monitoring program 25e, at a predetermined cycle. The surrounding monitoring process includes a function of transmitting the number information of the surrounding vehicle to the smartphone 110 when the number of the surrounding vehicle is recognized from the image (still image) captured by the front camera 28, a function of transmitting the front video data 32n to the smartphone 110, and a function of notifying the presence of a stolen vehicle based on a notification from the smartphone 110. FIG. 24 shows an example of the surrounding monitoring process.

[0259] When starting the surrounding monitoring process in FIG. 24, the control unit 10 of the vehicle 120 acquires, at S702, the image (still image) captured by the front camera 28. At S704, recognition processing of the images of the surrounding vehicles is performed on the still image acquired at S702. At S706, it is determined whether or not the number of the surrounding image has been recognized from the still image. If the number has not been recognized, the process proceeds to S710. If the number has been recognized, at S708, the number information indicating the recognized number is transmitted to the smartphone 110 via BT communication.

[0260] At S710, the front video data 32n is transmitted to the smartphone 110 via BT communication. The front video data 32n transmitted here is the updated part from the front video data 32n transmitted in the previous S710 process, that is, the part newly stored after the previous S710 process and until the execution of the current S710 process. However, it is not essential to transmit only the updated part in this way.

[0261] In S712, it is determined whether theft vehicle discovery information is received from the smartphone 110 via BT communication. If the theft vehicle discovery information has not been received, the surrounding monitoring process is terminated. If the theft vehicle discovery information has been received, in S714, the presence of the theft vehicle is notified to the driver. The theft vehicle discovery information transmitted from the smartphone 110 includes a number that may be the theft vehicle among the number information transmitted in S708, and that number is included. Therefore, in S714, at least, it is notified to the driver that a vehicle that may be a theft vehicle is traveling in front of the own vehicle, and that number. Various specific notification methods can be considered. For example, as described in S654 of FIG. 23, it may be a voice notification or a notification by the display unit 26 or the HUD 27.

[0262] On the other hand, after activation, the control unit 31 of the smartphone 110 reads the surrounding information notification application 32h from the memory 32, and repeatedly executes the surrounding information notification process, which is a process according to the surrounding information notification application 32h, at a predetermined cycle. The surrounding information notification process is a process for realizing a function of determining the presence or absence of a theft vehicle based on the number information transmitted from the vehicle and transmitting the determination result to the vehicle, and a function of storing the front video data 32n transmitted from the vehicle. FIG. 25 is an example of the surrounding information notification process.

[0263] When the control unit 31 of the smartphone 110 starts the surrounding information notification process in FIG. 25, in S752, it accesses a specific website where information on theft vehicles is accumulated via the first communication, acquires theft vehicle data 32p, which is the number data of the theft vehicle, and stores it in the memory 32. If it is already stored, the stored data is updated based on the newly acquired data.

[0264] In S754, it is determined whether number information is received from the vehicle 120 via BT communication. If the number information has not been received, the process proceeds to S760. If the number information has been received, in S756, with reference to the stolen vehicle data 32p, it is determined whether the received number information contains a number corresponding to a stolen vehicle. If the received number information does not contain a number corresponding to a stolen vehicle, the process proceeds to S760. If the received number information contains a number corresponding to a stolen vehicle, in S758, information indicating the discovery of a stolen vehicle is transmitted to the vehicle 120 via BT communication.

[0265] In S760, it is determined whether front video data is received from the vehicle 120 via BT communication. If the front video data has been received, in S762, the front video data 32n stored in the memory 32 is updated based on the received front video data. The front video data 32n stored in the memory 32 can be played back on the display unit 33 by performing a predetermined video playback operation.

[0266] Note that the acquisition of stolen vehicle data (S752) and the determination of whether there is a number corresponding to a stolen vehicle (S756) performed on the smartphone 110 may be carried out by the vehicle 120 itself. In that case, information indicating the discovery of a stolen vehicle may be transmitted from the vehicle 120 to the smartphone 110 so that the smartphone 110 stores the information or notifies the user of the information on the smartphone 110.

[0267] (13-5) Vehicle Position Notification Service Next, among the various services described above, the vehicle position notification service will be described with reference to FIG. 26. The vehicle position notification service is basically realized by executing the vehicle position notification application 32j on the smartphone 110. As a usage form of the vehicle position notification service, mainly, a form in which the user having the smartphone 110 is away from the vehicle 120 is assumed.

[0268] After startup, the control unit 31 of the smartphone 110 reads the vehicle position notification application 32j from the memory 32 and repeatedly executes vehicle position notification processing, which is processing according to the vehicle position notification application 32j, at a predetermined cycle. The vehicle position notification processing is processing for realizing a function of notifying the user of the smartphone 110 of the current position of the vehicle 120 and various information related to the current position. FIG. 26 shows an example of the vehicle position notification processing.

[0269] When the control unit 31 of the smartphone 110 starts the vehicle position notification processing in FIG. 26, at S552, it acquires the position information (vehicle current position) of the vehicle 120 from the vehicle 120 by first communication. Specifically, when requesting the vehicle 120 for position information by first communication, the information on the current position detected in the vehicle 120 is transmitted from the vehicle 120. At S552, it is a process of acquiring the vehicle current position by receiving the information on the current position transmitted from the vehicle 120.

[0270] At S554, the current position of the smartphone 110 (smartphone current position) is detected based on the reception information by the GPS reception unit 37. At S556, a map image of a predetermined range including the vehicle current position acquired at S552 and the smartphone current position acquired at S554 is displayed on the display unit 33. At S558, a vehicle mark indicating the vehicle 120 is displayed at a position corresponding to the vehicle current position in the map image, and a smartphone mark indicating the smartphone 110 is displayed at a position corresponding to the smartphone current position. Thereby, the user of the smartphone 110 can grasp not only his / her own position (i.e., the position of the smartphone 110) but also the position of the vehicle 120.

[0271] In S560, based on the current vehicle position and the current smartphone position, vehicle position-related information is calculated and displayed on the display unit 33. The vehicle position-related information is information that directly or indirectly indicates the relative position of the vehicle 120 with respect to the current smartphone position. Examples of the vehicle position-related information include the straight-line distance from the current smartphone position to the current vehicle position, the distance on a predetermined route from the current smartphone position to the current vehicle position, the number of steps required to walk along a predetermined route from the current smartphone position to the current vehicle position, the orientation of the current vehicle position as seen from the current smartphone position, and the like.

[0272] In S562, based on the detection signal from the motion sensor group 50, the orientation of the smartphone 1 10 (specifically, the orientation of the aforementioned specific direction) is detected. In S564, it is determined whether the orientation of the smartphone 110 detected in S562 substantially matches the direction of the vehicle 120 (i.e., the orientation of the current vehicle position as seen from the current smartphone position). For example, if the difference in the directions (orientations) of the two is within a predetermined angle, it is determined that they substantially match.

[0273] When the orientation of the smartphone 110 substantially matches the direction of the vehicle 120, in S566, the user of the smartphone 110 is notified that the smartphone 110 is facing the direction of the vehicle 120. This notification may be made, for example, by voice, or by operating a vibration mechanism (not shown) to mechanically vibrate the smartphone 110, or by displaying predetermined information on the display unit 33.

[0274] Through this vehicle position notification process, the user of the smartphone 110 can obtain various information regarding the position of the vehicle 120. In particular, through the processes of S546 and S566, the user of the smartphone 110 can search for the direction of the vehicle 120 while changing the orientation of the smartphone 110 in various ways.

[0275] (13-6) SNS Linkage Service Next, among the various services described above, the SNS linkage service will be described with reference to FIGS. 27 and 28. The SNS linkage service is basically realized by the execution of the SNS application 32k on the smartphone 110 and the execution of the SNS linkage program 25f on the vehicle 120. As a usage form of the SNS linkage service, it mainly assumes a form in which a user who owns the smartphone 110 is driving the vehicle 120 (in other words, a form in which the driver's smartphone 110 exists inside the vehicle 120).

[0276] After startup, the control unit 10 of the vehicle 120 reads the SNS linkage program 25f from the memory 25 and repeatedly executes SNS linkage processing, which is processing according to the SNS linkage program 25f, at a predetermined cycle. The SNS linkage processing is processing for determining the driver's mood from an image of the driver's face and transmitting the determination result to the smartphone 110. FIG. 27 is an example of the SNS linkage processing.

[0277] When starting the SNS linkage processing in FIG. 27, the control unit 10 of the vehicle 120 acquires a captured image (still image) of the front camera 28 at S802. At S804, a captured image (still image) of the in-vehicle camera 24 is acquired.

[0278] At S806, processing for recognizing an image of the driver's face is performed from the still image acquired at S804. At S808, based on the image of the driver's face recognized at S806, the driver's mood (for example, emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure) is determined. At S810, mood information indicating the determination result (the driver's mood) of S808 is transmitted to the smartphone 110 by BT communication.

[0279] On the one hand, after startup, the control unit 31 of the smartphone 110 reads the SNS app 32k from the memory 32 and repeatedly executes SNS processing, which is processing according to the SNS app 32k, at a predetermined cycle. The SNS app 32k is an app that can realize functions equivalent to those of known apps that can enjoy SNS such as LINE (registered trademark) and TWITTER (registered trademark). In particular, in addition to the functions of known similar apps, the SNS app 32k also has a function of automatically transmitting various images and messages according to the mood information transmitted from the vehicle 120. FIG. 28 is an example of SNS processing.

[0280] When the control unit 31 of the smartphone 110 starts the SNS processing in FIG. 28, at S852, it determines whether mood information has been received from the vehicle 120. If mood information has not been received, at S854, other specified processing is executed. The specified processing is, for example, processing equivalent to various processes executed in known SNS apps, such as message reception from an external terminal or server and message transmission to an external terminal or server. When mood information is received from the vehicle 120 at S852, at S856, a notification image indicating the mood of the user of the smartphone 110 (i.e., the driver of the vehicle 120) is determined. The notification image can be any image as long as it shows the content of the driver's mood. For example, when the driver is angry, a text such as "I'm so angry!" can be generated and determined as the notification image, or an illustration image of an angry expression can be extracted from the pre-stored face illustration images and determined as the notification image. Also, for example, when the driver is surprised or touched, a text such as "I saw something amazing!" can be generated and determined as the notification image, or an illustration image of a surprised expression can be extracted from the pre-stored face illustration images and determined as the notification image.

[0281]

[0282] ​In S858, the notification image determined in S856 is transmitted to a specific external terminal or server through the first communication. As a result, for example, the notification image is transmitted to the terminals of other users registered as transmission targets, and the notification image is displayed on the terminals of other users. Other users can know the current situation (such as mood) of the driver by looking at the displayed notification image. When transmitting the notification image, an image around the vehicle 120 (the captured image of the front camera 28) or an image of the driver (the captured image of the in-vehicle camera 24) may be transmitted.

[0283] Note that the data of the notification image may be transmitted to the vehicle 120 and the notification image may be displayed on the vehicle 120 in a predetermined manner. For example, a device for irradiating the window glass with laser light may be provided, and by operating the device to display the notification image on the window glass with the laser light, a person outside the vehicle 120 can know the mood of the driver of the vehicle 120. At that time, a phosphorescent material capable of storing light of the wavelength of the laser light for a certain period may be arranged on the window glass so that the notification image can be visually recognized from the outside for a certain period.

[0284] (13-7) Driving feasibility determination service Next, among the various services described above, the driving feasibility determination service will be described with reference to FIGS. 29 and 30. The driving feasibility determination service is basically realized by the physical condition management application 32m being executed on the smartphone 110 and the physical condition information corresponding program 25g being executed on the vehicle 120. As a usage form of the driving feasibility determination service, mainly, a form in which a user who has the smartphone 110 is driving the vehicle 120 is assumed.

[0285] After startup, the control unit 31 of the smartphone 110 reads the physical condition management application 32m from the memory 32 and repeatedly executes a physical condition management process, which is a process according to the physical condition management application 32m, at a predetermined cycle. The physical condition management process is a process of acquiring information related to the physical condition of the user of the smartphone 110 and transmitting it to the vehicle 120. FIG. 29 is an example of the physical condition management process.

[0286] When the control unit 31 of the smartphone 110 starts the physical condition management process shown in FIG. 29, at S902, it determines whether a request for physical condition-related information has been received from the vehicle 120. The physical condition-related information is various types of information directly or indirectly related to the physical condition of the user of the smartphone 110. For example, it includes the number of steps per specific period (e.g., per day), pulse rate, heart rate, body temperature, etc.

[0287] At S902, if the physical condition-related information is not requested, the physical condition management process ends. If the physical condition-related information is requested, at S904, the physical condition-related information is acquired. For example, regarding the number of steps, as described above, it can be acquired based on the detection signal from the motion sensor group 50. Also, for example, regarding the pulse rate, heart rate, etc., sensors capable of detecting these can be provided on the smartphone 110 itself, and they can be acquired based on the detection signal from the sensors. Alternatively, they may be acquired through data communication from another terminal (e.g., a wristwatch-type information processing terminal) equipped with a function to detect these.

[0288] At S906, the physical condition-related information acquired at S904 is transmitted to the vehicle 120 via BT communication. On the other hand, after the vehicle 120 is started, when a specific start operation is performed by the driver, the control unit 10 of the vehicle 120 reads the physical condition information corresponding program 25g from the memory 25, and repeatedly executes at a predetermined cycle the physical condition information corresponding process, which is the process according to the physical condition information corresponding program 25g. Examples of the start operation include an operation to turn on the ignition switch. Also, in an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, an operation to turn on the so-called power switch to standby the vehicle in a drivable state is included.

[0289] The physical condition information corresponding process is a process of acquiring the physical condition-related information of the user (i.e., the driver) of the smartphone 110 from the smartphone 110, and permitting or prohibiting the driving of the vehicle 120 by the driver according to the physical condition-related information. FIG. 30 is an example of the physical condition information corresponding process.

[0290] When the control unit 10 of the vehicle 120 starts the physical condition information corresponding process in FIG. 30, at S952, it requests physical condition related information from the smartphone 110 via BT communication. Then, it obtains the physical condition related information by receiving the physical condition related information transmitted from the smartphone 110 via BT communication in response to the request.

[0291] At S954, based on the physical condition related information obtained at S952 (i.e., information related to the driver's physical condition), it determines whether the driver can drive the vehicle 120. For example, if the driver's pulse and heart rate are outside the normal range, it determines that driving is not possible. Also, for example, if the total number of steps taken yesterday is below a predetermined lower limit value, it determines that driving is not possible as a lack of exercise, and recommends a means of movement other than the vehicle 120 (such as walking or cycling). Conversely, if both the pulse and heart rate are within the normal range, or if the total number of steps taken yesterday exceeds the lower limit value, and there are no special circumstances that would make the driver hesitate to drive the vehicle 120, it determines that driving is possible.

[0292] At S956, based on the determination result at S954, it determines whether the driver can drive the vehicle 120 (whether it is determined that driving is possible). If it is determined that driving is possible, at S958, it shifts the operating state of the vehicle 120 to the driving standby state. In the driving standby state, the driver can drive the vehicle 120. If it is not determined that driving is possible at S956 (i.e., if it is determined that driving is not possible at S954), at S960, it executes a driving prohibition process. Specifically, even if the driver steps on the accelerator pedal, it invalidates it and prevents the vehicle 120 from being forced to drive.

[0293] (14) A portable communication terminal (e.g., a wristwatch-type terminal) with a built-in motion sensor may be worn on the arm of a traffic attendant deployed in a parking lot, or on the arm of a traffic attendant or police officer directing traffic. The arm movement (i.e., hand gestures) may be detected, and the meaning of the hand gesture (the instruction given by the traffic attendant, etc.) may be recognized. The hand gesture recognition may be performed by the portable communication terminal worn on the arm, or the detection signal of the motion sensor may be transmitted to another communication terminal (e.g., the aforementioned smartphone) or a vehicle, and the signal may be transmitted to the destination. Examples of recognizable hand gestures include a stop instruction, a no-entry instruction, and a go-away instruction. The recognition result may then be notified to the user via a smartphone, or to the driver of the vehicle.

[0294] For example, a smartphone receives a detection signal from a motion sensor on a portable communication terminal worn by a guide, recognizes hand gestures on the smartphone, and displays the recognition results on the smartphone. The notification may be made by smartphone or transmitted to a vehicle and made in the vehicle.

[0295] (15) The vehicle to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to the vehicle 1 of the above embodiment that uses an engine as a driving source for running, but may also be a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, or any other vehicle with a variety of drive systems. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to passenger cars, but can also be applied to commercial vehicles, trucks, buses, railroad cars, and any other type of vehicle.

[0296] (16) In addition, the present invention is not limited to the specific means, structures, etc. shown in the above embodiments, and can take various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the functions of one component in the above embodiments may be distributed among a plurality of components, or the functions of a plurality of components may be integrated into one component. Further, at least a part of the configuration of the above embodiments may be replaced with a known configuration having a similar function. Also, a part of the configuration of the above embodiments may be omitted as long as the problem can be solved. Further, at least a part of the configuration of the above embodiments may be added to, replaced with, etc. the configuration of other above embodiments. Note that all aspects included in the technical idea specified from the language described in the claims are embodiments of the present invention.

[0297] [Technical idea grasped from the embodiment] At least the following technical ideas are grasped from the various embodiments described in detail above. (A) An electronic key capable of wireless communication with a vehicle by two different types of wireless communication methods, A communication terminal capable of wireless communication with the electronic key, Comprising, Of the two types of wireless communication methods, one wireless communication method has a shorter communication distance than the other wireless communication method, The communication terminal is, A designated input unit that receives a designated input of a processing item indicating the content of the processing to be executed for causing the vehicle to execute a specific process, A command transmission unit that transmits a processing command indicating the processing item input by the designated input unit to the electronic key, Comprising, The electronic key is, When receiving the processing command from the communication terminal, a processing command generation unit that generates a processing command indicating the processing item corresponding to the processing command, A communication method determination unit that determines whether wireless communication is possible with the vehicle by the one wireless communication method, When it is determined by the communication method determination unit that wireless communication is possible using the one wireless communication method, the processing command is transmitted to the vehicle using the one wireless communication method. When it is determined by the communication method determination unit that wireless communication using the one wireless communication method is not possible, a command transmission unit that transmits the processing command to the vehicle using the other wireless communication method. A vehicle control system characterized by comprising

[0298] According to such a configuration, wireless communication between the electronic key and the vehicle is performed by an appropriate method according to the relative distance between the two. Therefore, wireless communication between the electronic key and the vehicle can be performed efficiently.

[0299] (B) In the above (A), The electronic key When it is determined by the communication method determination unit that wireless communication using the one wireless communication method is not possible, it includes a permission determination unit that determines whether transmission of the processing command by the other wireless communication method is permitted. When it is determined by the communication method determination unit that wireless communication using the one wireless communication method is not possible, and when it is determined by the permission determination unit that transmission of the processing command by the other wireless communication method is permitted, the command transmission unit transmits the processing command to the vehicle using the other wireless communication method. A vehicle control system characterized by

[0300] According to such a configuration, when the electronic key cannot perform wireless communication with the vehicle using one wireless communication method (for example, when the electronic key is far away from the vehicle), it is possible to arbitrarily determine whether to transmit a processing command to the vehicle using the other wireless communication method. If transmission using the other wireless communication method is permitted, the vehicle can be remotely controlled even when the electronic key is away from the vehicle. Conversely, if transmission using the other wireless communication method is not permitted, the vehicle cannot be remotely operated when the electronic key is at a distance (a distance at which wireless communication using one wireless communication method is possible) from the vehicle, so the security performance can be enhanced. (C) An electronic key capable of wireless communication with a vehicle, A communication terminal capable of wireless communication with the electronic key, and is provided with The communication terminal includes a display unit, a display control unit that causes the display unit to display a process item image that is an image showing a process item that can be executed on the vehicle, a designation input unit that receives a designation input for designating at least one from among the process item images displayed on the display unit by the display control unit, and a command transmission unit that transmits a process command corresponding to the process item indicated by the process item image designated by the designation input unit to the electronic key. and is provided with The electronic key includes a command transmission unit that, when receiving the process command from the communication terminal, transmits a process command indicating the process item corresponding to the process command to the vehicle. A vehicle control system characterized by the above.

[0301] According to such a configuration, the user can easily search for and designate a desired process item image (a process item image corresponding to a process to be executed on the vehicle) from among the process item images displayed on the communication terminal. Note that each icon illustrated in FIG. 3 corresponds to an example of the above process item image. (D) An electronic key capable of wireless communication with a vehicle, A communication terminal capable of wireless communication with the electronic key, and is provided with The communication terminal includes at least one of an imaging unit capable of shooting a video and a voice input unit capable of inputting a voice, and a process reception unit that receives at least one of the user's gesture shot by the imaging unit and the user's voice input by the voice input unit as process designation information. and a transmission unit that transmits the process designation information to the electronic key. and is provided with The electronic key When receiving the process designation information from the communication terminal, a command transmission unit that transmits a process command corresponding to the process item indicated by the received process designation information to the vehicle among the process items that can be executed on the vehicle is provided. A vehicle control system characterized by this.

[0302] According to such a configuration, the communication terminal only needs to have a function of transmitting process designation information indicating a user's gesture or voice to the electronic key, and it is not necessary to recognize what the process designation information input by the user means. The process of recognizing what the process designation information input by the user means is performed by the electronic key. Therefore, the processing load of the communication terminal can be reduced.

[0303] Note that the processes of S34 to S38 and S42 to S46 in FIG. 8 correspond to an example of the processes of the above process reception unit. Also, the gesture pattern recognized at S34 or the operation content corresponding thereto, and the voice pattern recognized at S42 or the operation content corresponding thereto correspond to an example of the above process designation information.

[0304] (E) A vehicle, An electronic key capable of wireless communication with the vehicle, A communication terminal capable of wireless communication with the electronic key, is provided, The communication terminal, at least one of an imaging unit capable of shooting a video and a voice input unit capable of inputting a voice, and a process reception unit that receives at least one of a user's gesture photographed by the imaging unit and a user's voice input to the voice input unit as process designation information, a terminal-side transmission unit that transmits the process designation information to the electronic key, is provided, The electronic key includes a relay transmission unit that relays and transmits the received process designation information to the vehicle when receiving the process designation information transmitted from the communication terminal. The vehicle, A processing execution unit that executes a processing item indicated by the processing designation information when the processing designation information is received from the electronic key. A vehicle control system characterized by the above.

[0305] According to such a configuration, both the communication terminal and the electronic key only need to have a function of transmitting processing designation information indicating a user's gesture or voice, and it is not necessary to recognize what the processing designation information input by the user means. The processing of recognizing what the processing designation information input by the user means is performed by the vehicle. Therefore, the processing loads of the communication terminal and the electronic key can be reduced.

[0306] (F) An electronic key capable of wireless communication with a vehicle, A designation input unit that receives a designation input of a processing item indicating the content of the processing to be executed for causing the vehicle to execute a specific processing, A command transmission unit that transmits a processing command indicating the processing item input by the designation input unit to the vehicle, An electronic key characterized by comprising the above.

Claims

1. A vehicle configured to be capable of wireless communication with a communication terminal and an electronic key, comprising: acquiring the position of the vehicle, the position of the electronic key, and the position of the communication terminal; receiving a command transmitted from the communication terminal; when the command is received and the acquired position of the vehicle, the position of the electronic key, and the position of the communication terminal satisfy a predetermined condition, executing the function indicated by the received command; the communication terminal receiving a designation of the function to be executed by the vehicle and wirelessly transmitting a command indicating the designated function; the function including (A) a function of rotating the steering wheel by a certain angle in the left direction, a function of rotating the steering wheel by a certain angle in the right direction, or a function of returning the steering wheel to a neutral state, and (B) a function of causing the vehicle to travel forward a small distance at a low speed or a function of causing the vehicle to travel backward a small distance at a low speed; a detection area in which the vehicle can detect the presence of the electronic key includes an outdoor detection area outside the vehicle and an indoor detection area inside the vehicle; a vehicle.

2. The vehicle according to Claim 1, wherein the electronic key restricts the function according to whether it is located in the outdoor detection area, the indoor detection area, or outside the detection area. a vehicle.

3. A vehicle configured to be capable of wireless communication with a communication terminal and an electronic key, comprising: acquiring the position of the vehicle, the position of the electronic key, and the position of the communication terminal; receiving a command transmitted from the communication terminal; when the command is received and the acquired position of the vehicle, the position of the electronic key, and the position of the communication terminal satisfy a predetermined condition, executing the function indicated by the received command; the communication terminal receiving a designation of the function to be executed by the vehicle and wirelessly transmitting a command indicating the designated function; the function including (A) a function of rotating the steering wheel by a certain angle in the left direction, a function of rotating the steering wheel by a certain angle in the right direction, or a function of returning the steering wheel to a neutral state, and (B) a function of causing the vehicle to travel forward a small distance at a low speed or a function of causing the vehicle to travel backward a small distance at a low speed; the function is restricted according to the location of the communication terminal; a vehicle. **Claim 4**: A vehicle configured to be capable of wireless communication with a communication terminal and an electronic key, acquiring the position of the vehicle, the position of the electronic key, and the position of the communication terminal, receiving a command transmitted from the communication terminal, when the command is received and the acquired position of the vehicle, the position of the electronic key, and the position of the communication terminal satisfy a predetermined condition, executing the function indicated by the received command, the communication terminal receiving a designation of the function to be executed by the vehicle and wirelessly transmitting a command indicating the designated function, the function including (A) a function of rotating the steering wheel by a certain angle in the left direction, a function of rotating the steering wheel by a certain angle in the right direction, or a function of returning the steering wheel to the neutral state, and (B) a function of causing the vehicle to travel forward a small distance at a low speed or a function of causing the vehicle to travel backward a small distance at a low speed, restricting a specific one of the functions when the electronic key is inside the vehicle and the communication terminal is outside the vehicle, a vehicle. **Claim 5**: A vehicle configured to be capable of wireless communication with a communication terminal and an electronic key, acquiring the position of the vehicle, the position of the electronic key, and the position of the communication terminal, receiving a command transmitted from the communication terminal, when the command is received and the acquired position of the vehicle, the position of the electronic key, and the position of the communication terminal satisfy a predetermined condition, executing the function indicated by the received command, the communication terminal receiving a designation of the function to be executed by the vehicle and wirelessly transmitting a command indicating the designated function, the function including (A) a function of rotating the steering wheel by a certain angle in the left direction, a function of rotating the steering wheel by a certain angle in the right direction, or a function of returning the steering wheel to the neutral state, and (B) a function of causing the vehicle to travel forward a small distance at a low speed or a function of causing the vehicle to travel backward a small distance at a low speed, restricting a specific one of the functions when the communication terminal and the electronic key are far apart from each other, a vehicle. **Claim 6**: A vehicle configured to be capable of wireless communication with a communication terminal and an electronic key, acquiring the position of the vehicle, the position of the electronic key, and the position of the communication terminal, receiving a command transmitted from the communication terminal, When the command is received and the acquired positions of the vehicle, the electronic key, and the communication terminal satisfy a predetermined condition, the function indicated by the received command is executed. The communication terminal receives a designation of the function to be executed by the vehicle, and wirelessly transmits a command indicating the designated function. The function includes (A) a function of rotating the steering wheel in a left direction by a certain angle, a function of rotating the steering wheel in a right direction by a certain angle, or a function of returning the steering wheel to a neutral state, and (B) a function of causing the vehicle to travel forward a small distance at a low speed or a function of causing the vehicle to travel backward a small distance at a low speed. The communication terminal receives the designation of the function by a tap operation, voice, or gesture. Vehicle.

7. A vehicle configured to be capable of wireless communication with a communication terminal and an electronic key, acquiring the position of the vehicle, the position of the electronic key, and the position of the communication terminal, receiving a command transmitted from the communication terminal, When the command is received and the acquired positions of the vehicle, the electronic key, and the communication terminal satisfy a predetermined condition, the function indicated by the received command is executed. The communication terminal receives a designation of the function to be executed by the vehicle, and wirelessly transmits a command indicating the designated function. The function includes (A) a function of rotating the steering wheel in a left direction by a certain angle, a function of rotating the steering wheel in a right direction by a certain angle, or a function of returning the steering wheel to a neutral state, and (B) a function of causing the vehicle to travel forward a small distance at a low speed or a function of causing the vehicle to travel backward a small distance at a low speed. When the communication terminal and the electronic key are separated, it gives a notification. Vehicle.

8. A vehicle configured to be capable of wireless communication with a communication terminal and an electronic key, acquiring the position of the vehicle, the position of the electronic key, and the position of the communication terminal, receiving a command transmitted from the communication terminal, When the command is received and the acquired positions of the vehicle, the electronic key, and the communication terminal satisfy a predetermined condition, the function indicated by the received command is executed. The communication terminal receives a designation of the function to be executed by the vehicle, and wirelessly transmits a command indicating the designated function. The functions include (A) a function of rotating the steering wheel by a certain angle in the left direction, a function of rotating the steering wheel by a certain angle in the right direction, or a function of returning the steering wheel to the neutral state, and (B) a function of driving the vehicle forward a small distance at a low speed or a function of driving the vehicle backward a small distance at a low speed. The function of (B) is indicated by the command transmitted from the communication terminal outside the vehicle. Vehicle.

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