JP7697396B2 - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle control device that can execute vehicle control when it receives a command signal to execute vehicle control via wireless communication from a mobile terminal outside the vehicle.

Conventionally, there are known technologies that allow a user to lock or unlock the doors from outside the vehicle by operating a specific operation part of the key through wireless communication between the vehicle and the vehicle key (so-called keyless entry), or to lock or unlock the doors by moving away from or approaching the vehicle while holding the key, or by touching the outer door handle (so-called smart entry). For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technology that can reduce the effort required of a user (typically the driver) when locking the vehicle doors in a vehicle control device that can realize keyless entry and smart entry.

JP 2020-111948 A

Recently, there has been research and development of vehicle control devices that allow a user to remotely operate a vehicle using a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or tablet. Specifically, the vehicle control device is configured to execute vehicle control when it receives an execution instruction signal including an instruction to execute a specific vehicle control from a mobile terminal based on the operation of the mobile terminal by a user located outside the vehicle.

Depending on the type of vehicle control, the vehicle control device executes door lock control to automatically lock the vehicle doors in conjunction with the vehicle control. For example, if the type of vehicle control is automatic parking control (vehicle control that automatically parks the vehicle in a specified parking space), the vehicle control device executes door lock control at a specified timing (typically, the timing at which the control starts or ends) during the period in which the control is being executed. This eliminates the need for the user to perform an operation (or action) to lock the doors after the automatic parking control ends, improving convenience.

However, if door lock control is configured to be executed by a mobile terminal, which is a device separate from the key, door lock control may be executed while the key is still inside the vehicle (inside the vehicle cabin), which may result in the key being locked inside the vehicle.

The present invention has been made to address the above-mentioned problems. That is, one of the objectives of the present invention is to provide technology that can significantly reduce the possibility of a situation occurring in which the key is locked inside the vehicle in a vehicle control device that can execute vehicle control when it receives a command signal to execute vehicle control via wireless communication from a mobile terminal outside the vehicle.

The driving assistance device according to the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the "device of the present invention") comprises:
Mounted on the vehicle,
a control unit (10) capable of wireless communication with a mobile terminal (3) associated in advance with the vehicle, the control unit being configured to execute the remote parking control when an execution instruction signal including an instruction to execute remote parking control is received from the mobile terminal (3) based on an operation of the mobile terminal (3) by a user located outside the vehicle, and to execute door lock control to automatically lock the doors of the vehicle at a predetermined timing during a period in which the remote parking control is being executed;
The control unit (10)
The vehicle door locking and unlocking device is capable of wireless communication with a vehicle key (2),
When the predetermined timing arrives during the execution of the remote parking control (step 410: Yes), prior to the execution of the door lock control, it is determined by wireless communication with the key (2) whether or not a specific condition that is established when the key (2) is present inside the vehicle is established (step 420);
When it is determined that the specific condition is not satisfied (step 420: No), the remote parking control and the door lock control are executed (step 440).
When it is determined that the specific condition is satisfied (step 420: Yes), the remote parking control is stopped, the door lock control is suspended, and a warning signal is sent to the mobile terminal to warn the user that the key is present in the vehicle (step 430), and after the warning signal is sent to the mobile terminal, it is determined whether the specific condition is satisfied .
It is structured as follows.

When a predetermined timing (timing for executing door lock control) arrives during remote parking control, the device of the present invention judges whether a specific condition (a condition that is satisfied when the key is present in the vehicle interior) is satisfied before executing door lock control. If it is judged that the specific condition is not satisfied (the key is not present in the vehicle interior), the device executes remote parking control and door lock control, whereas if it is judged that the specific condition is satisfied (the key is present in the vehicle interior), the device stops remote parking control and door lock control, and transmits a warning signal to the mobile terminal. According to this configuration, the door lock control is suspended when the key is present in the vehicle interior, so that the possibility of the key being locked in the vehicle interior can be significantly reduced. In addition, since the warning signal is transmitted to the mobile terminal, the user can recognize that the key is still in the vehicle interior, and can return to the vehicle and remove the key from the vehicle. At this time, the remote parking control is stopped, so the user can safely remove the key.

In the above explanation, to aid in understanding the invention, the symbols used in the embodiments are enclosed in parentheses with respect to the constituent elements of the invention corresponding to the embodiments, but each constituent element of the invention is not limited to the embodiment defined by the symbols.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle control system including a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating examples of operation images displayed on a display screen of a mobile terminal when remote parking control is executed. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a warning image that is displayed on the display screen of the mobile terminal when it is determined that the electronic key is present inside the vehicle. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a routine executed by a CPU of a vehicle control ECU included in the vehicle control device.

(Embodiment)
A vehicle control system including a vehicle control device according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle control system includes a vehicle control device 1, an electronic key 2, and a mobile terminal 3. The vehicle control device 1 is mounted on a vehicle and includes a vehicle control ECU 10, a first communication unit 11, a second communication unit 12, a drive unit 13, a braking unit 14, a steering unit 15, a shift switching unit 16, and a door lock unit 17, which are connected to the vehicle control ECU 10. The vehicle control ECU 10 includes a microcomputer as a main part. ECU stands for Electronic Control Unit. The microcomputer includes a CPU, a storage device such as a ROM and a RAM, and an interface (I/F), and the CPU realizes various functions by executing instructions (programs) stored in the ROM. Some of these functions may be executed by another ECU (not shown).

The vehicle control ECU 10 is configured to perform wireless communication with the electronic key 2 via the first communication unit 11 and to control the door lock device 17 based on a signal received from the electronic key 2. The vehicle control ECU 10 is also configured to perform wireless communication with the mobile terminal 3 via the second communication unit 12 and to control the devices 13 to 17 based on a signal received from the mobile terminal. Below, the elements of the vehicle control system that are involved in these wireless communications (i.e., the first communication unit 11, the electronic key 2, the second communication unit 12, and the mobile terminal 3) will be described first, followed by the remaining elements (i.e., the devices 13 to 17), and then the operation of the vehicle control ECU 10. Note that below, the vehicle control ECU 10 will also be simply referred to as "ECU 10".

The first communication unit 11 includes an LF transmitter and a UHF receiver, not shown. The LF transmitter transmits radio waves (long waves) in the LF (Low Frequency) band as LF signals to a predetermined transmission area. The transmission area includes all areas inside the vehicle cabin and predetermined areas outside the vehicle (for example, the area near the driver's door, the area near the passenger door, and the area near the rear gate) (hereinafter, "inside the vehicle cabin" and "outside the vehicle" are also referred to as "inside the vehicle" and "outside the vehicle", respectively). The LF transmitter can switch the area from which the LF signal is transmitted between inside the vehicle and outside the vehicle. The UHF receiver receives radio waves (ultra high frequency) in the UHF band as UHF signals.

The electronic key 2 is a device for locking and unlocking the vehicle doors, and may be carried by the user. The electronic key 2 includes an ECU (not shown), an LF receiver for receiving LF signals, and a UHF transmitter for transmitting UHF signals. In this embodiment, the electronic key 2 is a type of electronic key that realizes smart entry via wireless communication with the vehicle control device 1, but the type of electronic key is not limited to this, and may be a type of electronic key that realizes keyless entry.

The second communication unit 12 is a communication module for performing short-range wireless communication with the mobile terminal 3. In this embodiment, short-range wireless communication is performed using Bluetooth (registered trademark). The second communication unit 12 transmits radio waves in the 2.4 GHz band as Bluetooth (registered trademark) signals to a specified transmission area. The transmission area is, for example, a circular area with a radius of about 10 m centered on the vehicle. The second communication unit 12 also receives radio waves in the same frequency band as Bluetooth (registered trademark) signals.

The mobile terminal 3 is a device used by a user to remotely operate a vehicle, and is carried by the user. In this embodiment, the mobile terminal 3 is a smartphone, but is not limited to this as long as it is a terminal capable of installing an application described later, and may be, for example, a tablet terminal. The mobile terminal 3 includes an ECU (not shown) and a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving Bluetooth (registered trademark) signals. In order to use the mobile terminal 3 as a device for remotely operating a vehicle, the following operations are performed in advance. Specifically, first, an application for performing automatic parking control (described later) is installed in the mobile terminal 3 (hereinafter, the application is also referred to as a "remote parking application"). Next, the mobile terminal 3 and the vehicle control device 1 are paired (authenticated connection between devices compatible with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard). Next, the vehicle to be operated is registered in the remote parking application. As a result, the mobile terminal 3 is associated with the second communication unit 12 as a terminal capable of wireless communication.

The drive unit 13 is a device for applying a driving force to the drive wheels to run the vehicle. The ECU 10 controls the driving force applied to the drive wheels by performing drive control that controls the operation of the drive unit 13. The type of vehicle is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, an engine vehicle, a hybrid vehicle (HEV: Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV: Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a fuel cell vehicle (FCEV: Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle), an electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle), etc.

The brake device 14 is a device for applying a braking force to the wheels of the vehicle to brake the vehicle. The ECU 10 controls the braking force applied to the wheels by performing braking control that controls the operation of the brake device 14.

The steering device 15 is a device for applying a steering torque to a steering mechanism (not shown) to steer the vehicle's steered wheels. The ECU 10 performs steering control to control the operation of the steering device 15, thereby controlling the steering torque applied to the steering mechanism (and thus the steering angle of the steered wheels).

The shift switching device 16 is a device for operating the vehicle's transmission and/or drive direction switching mechanism according to the position (typically "D", "R", "P", etc.) of a shift lever (not shown). The ECU 10 performs shift switching control that controls the operation of the shift switching device 16, thereby automatically switching the position of the shift lever to control the transmission and/or drive direction switching mechanism.

The ECU 10 performs drive control, braking control, steering control, and shift switching control to execute automatic parking control that automatically parks the vehicle in a specified parking space. Hereinafter, the automatic parking control that is performed while the user is out of the vehicle is specifically referred to as "remote parking control."

The door lock device 17 is a device equipped with a door lock actuator that locks or unlocks the vehicle doors. The ECU 10 controls the operation of the door lock device 17 to execute door lock control that automatically locks the vehicle doors and door unlock control that automatically unlocks the vehicle doors.

Next, the operation of the ECU 10 will be described. First, the wireless communication between the first communication unit 11 of the vehicle control device 1 and the electronic key 2 (LF receiver and UHF transmitter) will be described. When a user touches the outer door handle on the driver's side or passenger's side while holding the electronic key 2, a touch sensor built into the outer door handle detects a change in capacitance and transmits a detection signal to the ECU 10 of the vehicle control device 1. The ECU 10 then transmits an LF signal via the LF transmitter of the first communication unit 11. When the LF receiver of the electronic key 2 receives the LF signal, the ECU of the electronic key 2 transmits a UHF signal including a unique identifier pre-stored in its own ROM via the UHF transmitter. In other words, the LF signal transmitted by the ECU 10 can also be considered a request signal that requests the electronic key 2 to transmit an identifier. When the UHF receiver of the first communication unit 11 receives the UHF signal, the ECU 10 performs an authentication determination to determine whether the identifier of the electronic key 2 corresponds to the vehicle identifier pre-stored in its ROM, and if it does, it determines that the authentication is successful, and if it does not, it determines that the authentication is unsuccessful.

When the door is unlocked (but closed), if the user touches the outer door handle while holding the electronic key 2 and the ECU 10 determines that authentication has been successful, the ECU 10 controls the operation of the door lock device 17 to execute door lock control. On the other hand, when the door is locked, if the user touches the outer door handle while holding the electronic key 2 and the ECU 10 determines that authentication has been successful, the ECU 10 controls the operation of the door lock device 17 to execute door unlock control. This achieves smart entry.

The user may also directly operate a lock button or unlock button (not shown) on the electronic key 2 (in other words, the electronic key 2 may be used as an electronic key that realizes keyless entry). In this case, when the user operates any of the above buttons on the electronic key 2, the ECU of the electronic key 2 transmits a UHF signal including its own identifier via the UHF transmitter. Subsequent processing is as described above.

Next, wireless communication between the second communication unit 12 of the vehicle control device 1 and the mobile terminal 3 (communication unit) will be described. When operating a vehicle remotely, the user first stops the vehicle near the desired parking space, sets the target parking position on a display screen (not shown) inside the vehicle (typically a touch panel used in a navigation system), and gets out of the vehicle. Next, while located within a predetermined distance range (e.g., within a radius of 3 m) from the vehicle, the user operates the mobile terminal 3 to start a remote parking application. This establishes wireless communication between the second communication unit 12 and the mobile terminal 3.

When the remote parking application is launched, an image (not shown) requesting approval (confirmation) of the parking plan is displayed on the display screen 3a (see FIG. 2) of the mobile device 3. The parking plan refers to the type of parking (rear-facing parallel parking, forward-facing parallel parking, parallel parking, etc.) that is to be performed by the remote parking control. When the user approves the parking plan, an operation image is displayed on the display screen 3a as shown in FIG. 2. This operation image includes a message M1 that informs the user of the operation content in text, an arrow A that visually indicates the operation content, and an end button B1.

In this embodiment, the message M1 displays the text "Please draw a circle to start assistance." When the user moves his/her finger in a circular motion along the arrow A while touching the display screen 3a, the ECU of the mobile terminal 3 transmits an execution instruction signal including an execution instruction for remote parking control and a parking plan to the second communication unit 12 via the communication unit. When the ECU 10 receives the execution instruction signal via the second communication unit 12, the ECU 10 controls the operation of the drive device 13, the brake device 14, the steering device 15, and the shift switching device 16 to perform drive control, brake control, steering control, and shift switching control, thereby executing remote parking control. The ECU of the mobile terminal 3 transmits the execution instruction signal only while the user continues to move his/her finger on the display screen 3a. The ECU 10 executes the remote parking control only while the execution instruction signal is being received. Therefore, if the user stops moving his/her finger midway, the transmission of the execution instruction signal is stopped, and the remote parking control is stopped.

The end button B1 is a button that is operated (touched) by the user when terminating (interrupting) the remote parking control midway. When the end button B1 is touched by the user between the start and end of the remote parking control, the ECU of the mobile terminal 3 transmits an interruption instruction signal including an instruction to interrupt the remote parking control to the second communication unit 12 via the communication unit. When the ECU 10 receives the interruption instruction signal via the second communication unit 12, the ECU 10 interrupts the remote parking control and stops the vehicle, and transmits a control interruption signal including the fact that the control has been interrupted to the communication unit of the mobile terminal 3 via the second communication unit 12. When the ECU of the mobile terminal 3 receives the control interruption signal via the communication unit, it displays a message indicating that the remote parking control has been interrupted and an end button on the display screen 3a (not shown). When the user touches the end button, the remote parking application is terminated.

On the other hand, if the remote parking control is ended by the user continuing to move his/her finger on the display screen 3a, the ECU 10 transmits a control end signal including the end of the control to the communication unit of the mobile terminal 3 via the second communication unit 12. When the ECU of the mobile terminal 3 receives the control end signal via the communication unit, the ECU displays a message indicating that the remote parking control has ended and an end button on the display screen 3a (not shown). When the user touches the end button, the remote parking application is ended.

Here, conventional remote parking control is configured to uniformly execute door lock control at a predetermined timing (hereinafter also referred to as "door lock timing") while remote parking control is being executed. In this case, the user does not need to perform an operation (or action) to lock the door after the remote parking control ends, improving convenience. However, with this configuration, door lock control may be executed while the electronic key 2 remains inside the vehicle, which may result in the electronic key 2 being locked inside the vehicle (hereinafter also simply referred to as "electronic key 2 locked inside the vehicle"). The door lock timing is typically the timing to start or end the remote parking control.

Therefore, when the door lock timing arrives while remote parking control is being executed, the ECU 10 is configured to determine whether or not a specific condition (a condition that is met when the electronic key 2 is present inside the vehicle) is met prior to executing the door lock control. Specifically, when the door lock timing arrives while remote parking control is being executed, the ECU 10 transmits an LF signal (in other words, a request signal requesting the identifier of the electronic key 2) via the LF transmitter of the first communication unit 11. At this time, the ECU 10 controls the LF transmitter so that the transmission area of the LF signal is the entire area inside the vehicle. As a result, the LF transmitter transmits the LF signal to all areas inside the vehicle, but does not transmit the LF signal to the area outside the vehicle.

When the electronic key 2 is present in the vehicle, the ECU of the electronic key 2 receives the LF signal via the LF receiver and transmits a UHF signal including its own identifier via the UHF transmitter. When the UHF receiver of the first communication unit 11 receives the UHF signal, the ECU 10 performs an authentication determination, and if the identifier of the electronic key 2 corresponds to the identifier of the vehicle, it determines that the electronic key 2 is present in the vehicle, i.e., the specific condition is met. On the other hand, if the identifier of the electronic key does not correspond to the identifier of the vehicle, the ECU 10 determines that although the electronic key is present in the vehicle, the electronic key is not the electronic key for this vehicle, i.e., the specific condition is not met.

In contrast, if the electronic key 2 is not present in the vehicle, for example because the user has left the vehicle while still holding the electronic key 2, the ECU 10 will not receive a UHF signal even if it transmits an LF signal as a request signal. In this case, the ECU 10 determines that the electronic key 2 is not present in the vehicle, i.e., that the specific condition is not met. In more detail, the ECU 10 determines that the specific condition is met if it receives a UHF signal including the identifier of the electronic key 2 within a predetermined time after transmitting the LF signal, and otherwise determines that the specific condition is not met.

If it is determined that the specific condition is met, the ECU 10 stops the remote parking control and cancels the door lock control. In addition, the ECU 10 transmits a warning display signal to the communication unit of the mobile terminal 3 via the second communication unit 12 to warn the user that the electronic key 2 is inside the vehicle. When the ECU of the mobile terminal 3 receives the warning display signal via the communication unit, the ECU displays a warning image on the display screen 3a as shown in FIG. 3. This warning image includes a message M2 that informs the user of the warning content in text, a warning mark Ma that visually indicates the warning content, a message M3 that informs the user of the instructions in text, and an end button B2.

In this embodiment, the text "Keys are in the vehicle" is displayed as message M2, and the text "Please take the keys and exit the vehicle" is displayed as message M3. The end button B2 is a button that is touched by the user when terminating (interrupting) the remote parking control. The process when the end button B2 is touched is substantially the same as the process when the end button B1 (see FIG. 2) is touched, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. The warning display signal corresponds to an example of a "warning signal". Furthermore, the means of warning the user is not limited to the above, and may be, for example, a voice warning (such as a voice saying "You have left your keys in the vehicle").

According to this configuration, the door lock control is suspended if the electronic key 2 remains inside the vehicle, so the possibility of the electronic key 2 being locked inside the vehicle can be significantly reduced.
The warning image notifies the user that the electronic key 2 is still inside the vehicle, and the user can return to the vehicle and remove the electronic key 2. At this time, the remote parking control is stopped (i.e., the vehicle is stopped), so the user can safely remove the electronic key 2.

When the user removes the electronic key 2 from the vehicle and the specific condition is no longer met, the remote parking control can be resumed and the door lock control is executed. Therefore, even if a configuration is introduced in which "when the electronic key 2 remains in the vehicle, the remote parking control is stopped and the door lock control is cancelled", it is possible to prevent a decrease in convenience due to the configuration (convenience can be ensured). Here, "remote parking control can be resumed" means that the user returns to a state in which he or she can remotely operate the vehicle. In other words, when the user removes the electronic key 2 from the vehicle and the specific condition is no longer met, the operation image (see FIG. 2) is displayed again on the display screen 3a of the mobile terminal 3. When the user starts to move his or her finger on the display screen 3a, an execution instruction signal is sent from the mobile terminal 3 (the communication unit of the mobile terminal 3) to the second communication unit 12 of the ECU 10, and the ECU 10 resumes the remote parking control.

In contrast, if it is determined that the specific condition is not met, the ECU 10 executes remote parking control and door lock control. With this configuration, if the electronic key 2 is not left in the vehicle, remote parking control can be performed appropriately. Furthermore, door lock control can be performed appropriately in conjunction with the remote parking control.

(Specific operation)
Next, a specific operation of the ECU 10 will be described. The CPU of the ECU 10 is configured to execute a routine shown in the flowchart of Fig. 4 during the period when the remote parking control is being executed. It is assumed that, when an operation image is displayed on the display screen 3a of the mobile terminal 3, the user continues to move his/her finger on the display screen 3a.

When the specified timing arrives, the CPU advances the process from step 400 to step 410 and determines whether the door lock timing has arrived. If it determines that the door lock timing has not arrived yet (step 410: No), the CPU returns the process to step 410 and determines again whether the door lock timing has arrived. If it determines that the door lock timing has arrived during this process (step 410: Yes), the CPU advances the process to step 420.

In step 420, the CPU determines whether the electronic key 2 is present (remains) in the vehicle by wirelessly communicating with the electronic key 2 via the first communication unit 11 (specific condition). If it is determined that the electronic key 2 is present in the vehicle (i.e., the specific condition is met) (step 420: Yes), the CPU proceeds to step 430.

In step 430, the CPU stops the remote parking control and suspends the door lock control. In addition, it transmits a warning display signal to the mobile terminal 3 via the second communication unit 12. This causes a warning image (see FIG. 3) to be displayed on the display screen 3a of the mobile terminal 3. The CPU then returns to step 420 and determines again whether the electronic key 2 is present inside the vehicle. If the user removes the electronic key 2 from the vehicle during this process, the CPU determines that the electronic key 2 is not present inside the vehicle (i.e., the specific condition is not met) (step 420: No) and proceeds to step 440.

Alternatively, if the user has left the vehicle while still holding the electronic key 2 before remote parking control is executed, the CPU will determine that the electronic key 2 is not present in the vehicle (i.e., the specific condition is not met) (step 420: No) and proceed to step 440.

In step 440, the CPU executes remote parking control (or resumes it if it has passed through step 430) and executes door lock control. The CPU then proceeds to step 495 and ends this routine.

The vehicle control device according to the embodiment has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the purpose of the present invention.

For example, if door lock control is not yet being executed when remote parking control is interrupted (in other words, the door lock timing has not arrived before the interruption), ECU 10 may be configured to execute door lock control at the time of interruption. However, even in this case, ECU 10 is configured to determine whether a specific condition is satisfied prior to execution of door lock control, and to stop vehicle control and door lock control when it is determined that the specific condition is satisfied, and to send a warning display signal to mobile terminal 3. This allows the same effect as in the embodiment to be achieved even when remote parking control is interrupted.

In addition, in the embodiment, automatic parking control (remote parking control) is exemplified as the vehicle control, but the type of vehicle control is not important as long as the door lock control can be executed incidentally.

Furthermore, the vehicle control itself may be door lock control.

1: vehicle control device, 2: electronic key, 3: mobile terminal, 3a: display screen, 10: vehicle control ECU, 11: first communication unit, 12: second communication unit, 13: drive device, 14: braking device, 15: steering device, 16: shift switching device, 17: door lock device

Claims (1)

Mounted on the vehicle,
a control unit capable of wireless communication with a mobile terminal associated with the vehicle in advance, the control unit being configured to execute the remote parking control when an execution instruction signal including an instruction to execute remote parking control is received from the mobile terminal based on an operation of the mobile terminal by a user located outside the vehicle, and to execute door lock control to automatically lock a door of the vehicle at a predetermined timing during a period in which the remote parking control is being executed;
The control unit
The vehicle door locking and unlocking device is capable of wireless communication with a vehicle key,
When the predetermined timing arrives during execution of the remote parking control, a determination is made, prior to execution of the door lock control, by wireless communication with the key, as to whether or not a specific condition that is established when the key is present inside the vehicle is established;
When it is determined that the specific condition is not satisfied, the remote parking control and the door lock control are executed.
When it is determined that the specific condition is satisfied, the remote parking control is stopped, the door lock control is suspended, and a warning signal for warning the user that the key is present in the vehicle is transmitted to the mobile terminal , and after the warning signal is transmitted to the mobile terminal, it is determined whether or not the specific condition is satisfied .
It was configured as follows:
Vehicle control device.

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