JP5107820B2 - Position teaching function use restriction system, position teaching function use restriction method, and portable terminal with position teaching restriction function - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a position teaching function for teaching the position of an article with a mobile terminal to a user who has lost sight of the position of the article (object), for example, and more specifically, a position teaching function use restriction system capable of restricting its use, The present invention relates to a position teaching function use restriction method and a portable terminal with a position teaching restriction function.

  In recent years, many suburban large-scale shopping facilities have been built in various places, and many of these suburban large-scale shopping facilities are equipped with parking lots with a very large site area because many customers visit. . Therefore, some customers who visit this shopping facility by vehicle forget the position of the vehicle parked in the parking lot when they finish their shopping and go home. Therefore, in order to easily find a vehicle even in such a situation, a car finder system has been developed today as a system for assisting in finding the position of a parked vehicle. An example of this car finder system is disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example.

In a general car finder system disclosed in these documents, a vehicle key, a mobile phone, or the like is used as a mobile terminal possessed by a user. When an operation for operating the car finder system is performed on the mobile terminal, an operation signal corresponding to the operation is wirelessly transmitted from the mobile terminal to the vehicle, and when the vehicle receives the operation signal, the operation is performed between the vehicle and the mobile terminal. And the parking position of the vehicle is displayed on the portable terminal. Therefore, since the user can confirm the parking position of the vehicle by looking at the display position of the mobile terminal, even if the position of the own vehicle is not known in a parking lot with a large site area, It will be possible to discover.
JP 2006-347291 A JP 2007-241472 A

  However, it may be assumed that the user drops the mobile terminal having the car finder function without being aware of it, and the dropped mobile terminal is picked up by a third party. At this time, if the third party who picked up the mobile terminal uses the car finder function, it is possible to easily determine which vehicle the picked-up mobile terminal belongs to. Therefore, a third party who picks up the mobile terminal searches for the vehicle, and this third party cannot deny the possibility of the vehicle being stolen. Therefore, this kind of car finder system is installed between the vehicle and the vehicle key. However, there has been a demand for technology development with high security against vehicle theft.

  An object of the present invention is to make it difficult to cause a situation where an article position is arbitrarily determined by a third party by a third party and the article is illegally used even if the position teaching function is installed in the portable terminal. A position teaching function use restriction system, a position teaching function use restriction method, and a portable terminal with a position teaching restriction function are provided.

  In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, when a request operation for requesting position teaching of an article is executed on the portable terminal, the positional relationship between the portable terminal and the article is determined, and In the position teaching function use restriction system having a position teaching function for teaching a user the position of an article, impact detecting means for detecting an impact applied to the mobile terminal, and dropping of the mobile terminal is detected by the impact detecting means The gist of the invention is that it includes a limiting means for limiting the use of the position teaching function.

  According to this configuration, when the user forgets the arrangement position of the article, the user performs a request operation for executing the position teaching function in order to confirm the article position by the position teaching function provided in the portable terminal. Do it on a mobile device. At this time, the portable terminal starts wireless communication with the article, and in the course of this communication, the portable terminal determines the positional relationship with the article and notifies the arrangement position of the article on the portable terminal. As a result, the user can confirm the position of the article by using the portable terminal, so that the user can know the position of the article by using the position teaching function even if the user forgets the arrangement position of the article. It becomes.

  By the way, it may be assumed that the user unexpectedly drops his / her portable terminal somewhere due to some impetus. At this time, the dropped mobile terminal is picked up by a third party, and the third party who picks up the mobile terminal uses the position teaching function of the mobile terminal to search for the article, harm the article, or steal the article It is undeniable that situations such as working will occur. Therefore, when the position teaching function is installed in the portable terminal, it is possible to provide a user with the convenience of teaching the position of the article, but when the portable terminal is inadvertently dropped, There is a drawback in that an article position is easily determined by a third party who has picked up and an illegal act is applied to the article.

  However, in this configuration, the impact applied to the mobile terminal is monitored by the impact detection means, and when the impact is detected by the impact detection means, the mobile terminal falls, that is, the user drops the mobile terminal. Recognizing and limiting the use of the position teaching function by the limiting means. Therefore, even if the mobile terminal dropped by the user is picked up by a third party and this third party tries to check the position of the article with the position teaching function of the mobile terminal, the position teaching function does not work at this time, A third party cannot know the position of the article. For this reason, even if the position teaching function is installed in the portable terminal, it is possible to make it difficult to cause a situation in which the article position is arbitrarily determined by the position teaching function by a third party and the article is illegally used.

  In the present invention, the portable terminal includes a time measuring unit that measures an elapsed time after the portable terminal falls and stops moving, and the limiting unit is configured to prevent the dropped portable terminal from being picked up without moving for a certain period of time. The gist is to limit the use of the position teaching function after confirmation by the time measuring means.

  According to this configuration, when the impact detection unit detects an impact applied to the mobile terminal, it is determined that the user has dropped the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal does not move for a certain period of time since the impact was detected. To do. Therefore, when the user notices this when dropping the mobile terminal and picks it up immediately, the impact applied to the mobile terminal at this time is detected by the impact detection means detecting the shaking that occurs when the terminal is picked up. Not recognized as a mobile device falling. For this reason, it becomes possible to determine more accurately whether the user has dropped the mobile terminal without noticing it.

The gist of the present invention is that it includes a restriction releasing means for releasing the restriction state of the position teaching function applied by the restriction means.
According to this configuration, for example, even if the user accidentally causes the position teaching function to enter the restricted state, the original state can be restored by the restriction releasing means.

  In the present invention, the restriction means restricts the use of the position teaching function by preventing the position teaching function from operating in the portable terminal when the impact detection means detects the fall of the portable terminal. The gist is to apply.

  According to this configuration, since the use restriction is imposed on the position teaching function on the portable terminal side, when the use restriction function of the position teaching function is incorporated into the article and the portable terminal, only the design change on the portable terminal side is sufficient. For this reason, when the use restriction function of the position teaching function is incorporated into the article and the portable terminal, the labor involved in the change can be reduced, and the structure is not complicated.

  In the present invention, the limiting means causes the mobile terminal to transmit an operation restriction request not to operate the position teaching function to the article by wireless communication when the impact detection means detects a fall of the mobile terminal, and the operation The gist is to restrict the use of the position teaching function by causing the article to receive a restriction request and preventing the position teaching function from working on the article.

  According to this configuration, use restriction is imposed on the position teaching function on the vehicle side. For example, even if an execution request for the position teaching function is transmitted from an unauthorized portable terminal, the article responds to this by receiving position information, etc. Do not take action to send back various information. Therefore, it is possible to accurately perform the use restriction on the position teaching function.

  In the present invention, when a request operation for requesting position teaching for an article is executed on a portable terminal, the positional relationship between the portable terminal and the article is determined, and the position on which the article position is taught to the user on the portable terminal In the position teaching function use restriction method used in the teaching function, the impact applied to the mobile terminal is monitored by an impact detection means, and when the impact detection means detects the fall of the mobile terminal, the position is restricted by the restriction means. The gist is to limit the use of the teaching function.

  In the present invention, when a request operation for requesting position teaching for an article is executed on a portable terminal, the positional relationship between the portable terminal and the article is determined, and the position on which the article position is taught to the user on the portable terminal In a portable terminal with a position teaching restriction function having a teaching function, an impact detecting means for detecting an impact applied to the portable terminal, and when the impact detecting means detects a fall of the portable terminal, the position teaching function The gist of the invention is that it includes a restriction means for restricting use.

  According to the present invention, even if the position teaching function is installed in the mobile terminal, it is possible to make it difficult to cause a situation in which the article position is arbitrarily determined by the position teaching function by a third party and the article is illegally used. .

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of a position teaching function use restriction system, a position teaching function use restriction method, and a portable terminal with a position teaching restriction function that embodies the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 includes an electronic key system 3 that performs key verification with an electronic key 2 that is used as a vehicle key, and a door lock for a vehicle door (including a seat door and a luggage door). A door lock system 4 for locking and unlocking and an engine system 5 for managing the operating state of the engine are provided. The electronic key 2 is capable of narrow-range wireless communication with the vehicle 1, and transmits an ID code inherent to the electronic key 2 to the vehicle 1 by wireless communication to cause the vehicle 1 to perform key verification. Key. The vehicle 1 corresponds to an article, and the electronic key 2 corresponds to a mobile terminal (a mobile terminal with a position teaching restriction function).

  The electronic key system 3 includes a key operation free system 6 that does not require individual key operations when the electronic key 2 transmits an ID code. The key operation free system 6 includes a smart entry system as a function that does not require a key operation at the time of door lock locking / unlocking operation. In this smart entry system, the vehicle 1 is provided with a verification ECU 7 that performs key verification (ID verification) with the electronic key 2. The verification ECU 7 includes an out-of-vehicle LF transmitter 8 that transmits a signal in the LF band (about 130 KHz) outside the vehicle, an in-vehicle LF transmitter 9 that transmits a signal in the same LF band in the vehicle, and a low RF band (about 312 MHz). An RF receiver 10 capable of receiving signals is connected. The verification ECU 7 is connected to the door lock system 4 and the engine system 5 via an in-vehicle LAN 11 that is one in-vehicle network.

  The electronic key 2 is provided with a communication control unit 12 that performs overall control of various operations of the electronic key 2. The communication control unit 12 has various devices such as a CPU 13 and a memory 14, and an ID code is registered in the memory 14 as a unique key code of the electronic key 2. The communication control unit 12 is connected to an LF receiver 15 capable of receiving an LF band radio signal and an RF transmitter 16 capable of transmitting a low RF band (about 312 MHz) radio signal. The communication control unit 12 sequentially monitors which type of radio signal is received by the LF receiver 15 and manages the operation of signal transmission from the RF transmitter 16.

  When the vehicle 1 is in a parked state, the verification ECU 7 intermittently transmits the LF band request signal Srq from the vehicle LF transmitter 8 to form the vehicle communication area of the request signal Srq around the vehicle, and the narrow area wireless communication (Hereinafter referred to as smart communication). When the electronic key 2 enters the outside communication area and receives the request signal Srq, the electronic key 2 responds to the request signal Srq, and the ID signal Sid carrying the ID code registered in its own memory 14 is set to low RF. Reply with a band signal. When smart communication is established by receiving the ID signal Sid by the RF receiver 10, the verification ECU 7 compares the ID code registered in its own memory 17 with the ID code of the electronic key 2, so-called smart verification. (External vehicle verification) is performed. The verification ECU 7 permits or executes the door lock locking / unlocking operation by the door lock system 4 when confirming that this external verification is established.

  In addition, the key operation free system 6 has a function that can start and stop an engine (not shown) by a simple switch operation without requiring an actual vehicle key operation at the time of engine start and stop operation. There is a push engine start system. In this one-push engine start system, for example, when the driver enters the vehicle by a courtesy switch (not shown), the verification ECU 7 does not start from the previous LF transmitter 8, but this time the in-vehicle LF transmitter. A request signal Sr q is transmitted from 9 to form an in-vehicle communication area throughout the vehicle. When the ID signal Sid returned by the electronic key 2 entering the in-vehicle communication area is received by the RF receiver 10, the verification ECU 7 compares the ID code registered in the electronic key 2 with the ID code of the electronic key 2. Verification, so-called smart verification (in-vehicle verification) is performed. When the verification ECU 7 confirms that the in-vehicle verification has been established, the verification ECU 7 permits the engine start operation by the engine system 5.

  The electronic key system 3 includes a wireless key system 18 that performs door lock locking / unlocking by operating the buttons of the electronic key 2. In this wireless key system 18, when a lock button 19 or an unlock button 20 provided on the electronic key 2 is operated, a wireless signal Swl having a signal content corresponding to each operation button is transmitted in a narrow area wireless communication (wireless communication). Thus, the signal is transmitted from the RF transmitter 16 toward the vehicle 1 as a low RF band signal. The wireless signal Swl includes an ID code that is a key code of the electronic key 2 and a function code that indicates whether the request to the vehicle 1 is locking or unlocking the door lock.

  When the unlock button 20 is operated with the electronic key 2, an unlocking request is transmitted from the electronic key 2 as a wireless signal Swl as a low RF band signal. When the verification ECU 7 receives this unlocking request by the RF receiver 10, if the ID code in the unlocking request is correct, the verification ECU 7 instructs the door lock system 4 according to the function code instructing the unlocking included in the same unlocking request. Unlock the door lock. When the lock button 19 is operated with the electronic key 2, a lock request is transmitted from the electronic key 2 as a wireless signal Swl as a low RF band signal. When the verification ECU 7 receives this locking request by the RF receiver 10, if the ID code in the locking request is correct, the verification ECU 7 locks the door lock to the door lock system 4 according to the function code instructing the locking included in the same locking request. Let

  The vehicle 1 is provided with a car finder system 21 as a system for teaching a vehicle user having the electronic key 2 about the position (parking position) of the vehicle 1. In this car finder system 21, the vehicle 1 is provided with a car finder ECU 22 as a control unit of the car finder system 21. The car finder ECU 22 is connected to other ECUs such as the verification ECU 7 via the in-vehicle LAN 11 and can exchange data with these ECUs. The car finder ECU 22 is connected to an RF receiver 23 capable of receiving a high RF band (about several GHz) signal and an RF transmitter 24 capable of transmitting a high RF band (about several GHz) signal. ing. A vehicle compass 25 that determines the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is mounted on the vehicle 1. The vehicle compass 25 outputs compass information to the car finder ECU 22 as information related to the direction that the vehicle 1 takes each time.

  On the other hand, the electronic key 2 is provided with a car finder button 26 that is operated when the car finder function of the car finder system 21 is operated. The car finder button 26 is a push momentary button, and is connected to the communication control unit 12 via an electrical wiring. The electronic key 2 is provided with an RF transmitter / receiver 27 capable of transmitting and receiving a signal in a high RF band (approximately several GHz) connected to the communication control unit 12. The electronic key 2 is equipped with a key compass 28 that detects the orientation of the electronic key 2. The key compass 28 outputs information related to the orientation taken by the electronic key 2 each time to the communication control unit 12 as compass information. The electronic key 2 is provided with a display unit 29 as a display system for notifying the user of the position of the vehicle 1. The display unit 29 manages the display by the communication control unit 12 and displays the position (direction and distance) of the vehicle 1 viewed from the electronic key 2 on the screen. The car finder function corresponds to the position teaching function, the execution of the car finder function corresponds to the position teaching, and the operation of the car finder button 26 corresponds to the request operation.

  When the communication control unit 12 detects that the car finder button 26 has been operated, the car finder function trigger radio wave Scf is transmitted from the RF transceiver 27 as a notification to the vehicle 1 that the car finder button 26 has been operated. Send with the signal. The RF transceiver 27 includes both a high frequency radio wave transmission circuit capable of transmitting high RF radio waves for the car finder system 21 and a high frequency radio wave reception circuit capable of receiving high RF radio waves for the car finder system 21. Is incorporated, and one operation of transmission / reception can be selectively performed according to a command from the communication control unit 12. As shown in FIG. 2, the car finder function trigger radio wave Scf includes an ID code of the electronic key 2 and a car finder function execution request as a function code for requesting the car finder function to be executed. The position estimation signal used when estimating the position of the key 2 is included. Note that the position estimation signal does not have a specific data content, but is a radio wave used when the vehicle 1 estimates the position of the electronic key 2. The communication area of the wireless communication network between the vehicle 1 and the electronic key 2 used for the car finder function is narrow area communication of, for example, several tens of meters, which is wider than smart communication or wireless communication.

  In the vehicle 1, since the receiver of the car finder function trigger radio wave Scf is the RF receiver 23 of the car finder ECU 22, the car finder function trigger radio wave Scf is received by the RF receiver 23. When the car finder ECU 22 receives the car finder function trigger radio wave Scf by the RF receiver 23, the car finder ECU 22 first transfers the ID code included in the trigger radio wave Scf to the verification ECU 7 via the in-vehicle LAN 11. When the verification ECU 7 receives the ID code from the car finder ECU 22, the verification ECU 7 performs ID verification on the ID code. When the ID verification is confirmed, the verification result of the ID verification is confirmed via the in-vehicle LAN 11. Output to.

  When the car finder ECU 22 receives the confirmation result of the ID collation establishment from the collation ECU 7, the car finder function 22 starts executing the car finder function using the car finder function execution request included in the same position estimation request as a command. At this time, the car finder ECU 22 enters a position estimation signal capturing operation in the trigger radio wave Scf received by the RF receiver 23 and starts key position calculation for determining the position of the electronic key 2 viewed from the vehicle 1.

  For this key position calculation, first, the car finder ECU 22 is associated with the direction of arrival of the car finder function trigger radio wave Scf, that is, the east, west, north and south as viewed from the vehicle 1 based on the position estimation signal received by the RF receiver 23. The direction (relative direction) of the electronic key 2 that is not present is calculated. The absolute position direction calculation employs a method (adaptive array antenna method) in which an adaptive array antenna is used as the RF receiver 23 which is a radio wave receiver of the car finder system 21. The adaptive array antenna system is a system that uses an array antenna in which a plurality of antenna elements are arranged, and determines the arrival direction of the received radio wave based on the difference between the amplitude and phase of the received radio wave received by each antenna element. Examples of this calculation include a beamformer method, a Capon method, a linear prediction method, a minimum norm method, a MUSIC method, and an ESPRIT method.

  When the car finder ECU 22 determines the relative direction of the electronic key 2 in this way, the east, west, south, and north as viewed from the vehicle 1 are determined based on the relative direction information of the electronic key 2 and the direction information acquired from the vehicle compass 25. The direction (absolute direction) of the associated electronic key 2 is calculated. Further, the car finder ECU 22 also calculates the distance between the vehicle 1 and the electronic key 2 based on the position estimation signal received by the RF receiver 23. This distance calculation employs a calculation method in which a received radio wave received by an adaptive array antenna is calculated by inverse Fourier transform. In this way, the car finder ECU 22 calculates the absolute direction of the electronic key 2 and the distance between the vehicle 1 and the electronic key 2 as the previous key position calculation.

  When the car finder ECU 22 determines the absolute direction of the electronic key 2 and the distance between the vehicle 1 and the electronic key 2 in this way, the estimation result notification Sps is transmitted as RF to notify the electronic key 2 of the absolute direction and distance. A transmission is made from the transmitter 24 toward the vehicle 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the estimation result notification Sps includes an ID code corresponding to the electronic key 2 registered in the vehicle 1 and key position related information as information related to the absolute direction and distance. This estimation result notification Sps is transmitted from the RF transmitter 24 toward the electronic key 2 by a signal in a high RF band of about several GHz, for example. The key position related information includes absolute direction information as information related to the absolute direction and distance information as information related to the distance.

  When the RF control unit 27 receives the estimation result notification Sps transmitted from the RF transmitter 24, the communication control unit 12 first performs ID verification on the ID code included in the estimation result notification Sps. When the communication control unit 12 recognizes that the ID collation is established, the communication control unit 12 subsequently proceeds to reading the key position related information included in the estimation result notification Sps. At this time, the communication control unit 12 determines the direction (relative direction) of the vehicle 1 associated with east, west, south, and north as viewed from the electronic key 2 based on the absolute direction information included in the key position related information of the estimation result notification Sps. calculate. The direction of the vehicle 1 viewed from the electronic key 2 is calculated as a value that is 180 degrees opposite to the absolute direction of the electronic key 2 viewed from the vehicle 1.

  When the communication control unit 12 calculates the relative direction of the vehicle 1 as viewed from the electronic key 2, the communication control unit 12 displays the relative direction on the display unit 29 with an arrow. Further, when reading the key position related information, the communication control unit 12 confirms the distance between the vehicle 1 and the electronic key 2 based on the distance information included in the key position related information of the estimation result notification Sps. The distance is also displayed as a number on the display unit 29. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 1, the direction of the vehicle 1 as viewed from the electronic key 2 and the distance between the vehicle 1 and the electronic key 2 are displayed on the display unit 29. Even if the position of the vehicle is lost, the owner vehicle 1 can be easily found by the guidance of the display unit 29.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the car finder system 21 includes a drop detection type car finder function use restriction system (car finder) that restricts the use of the car finder function when the fall of the electronic key 2 is detected. (Usage restriction function) 30 is provided. In this case, the electronic key 2 is provided with an impact sensor 31 that detects an impact applied to the electronic key 2, that is, a drop of the electronic key 2. In addition, the communication control unit 12 of the electronic key 2 is provided with a car finder use restriction setting unit 32 that manages whether or not the car finder function can be used. Furthermore, the communication control unit 12 is provided with a timer 33 that measures the elapsed time after the impact sensor 31 detects the fall. The impact sensor 31 corresponds to the impact detection means, the car finder use restriction setting unit 32 constitutes the restriction means, and the timer 33 corresponds to the time measuring means.

  The car finder use restriction setting unit 32 sequentially monitors the detection signal output from the impact sensor 31. For example, when the detection signal exceeds the threshold value and the electronic key 2 is confirmed to be dropped, the elapsed time from that point is indicated to the timer 33. Let the clock. At this time, the car finder use restriction setting unit 32 recognizes that the dropped electronic key 2 has not been picked up immediately by the user unless the shock sensor 31 detects the key shake again before the timer 33 expires. When the car finder use restriction setting unit 32 detects the drop of the electronic key 2 in this manner, the car finder use restriction setting unit 32 stops the car finder system 21 and restricts the use of the car finder function. The car finder use restriction setting unit 32 restricts the use of the car finder function by prohibiting the transmission of the car finder function trigger radio wave Scf even when the car finder button 26 is operated.

Next, the operation of the drop detection type car finder function use restriction system 30 of this example will be described.
For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the user is walking with the electronic key 2 in a pocket of clothes or the like, the electronic key 2 falls from the pocket due to some bounce, and the user notices that the electronic key 2 has dropped. You may walk away. At this time, when the car finder use restriction setting unit 32 confirms that the detection signal (voltage value) of the impact sensor 31 has exceeded the threshold value, it recognizes that the electronic key 2 has fallen and collided with the ground. When the car finder use restriction setting unit 32 recognizes the drop of the electronic key 2 as described above, the car finder use restriction setting unit 32 starts an operation of measuring the elapsed time from the detection of the drop of the electronic key 2 by the timer 33.

  Here, for example, if the user notices that the electronic key 2 has been dropped, the dropped electronic key 2 should be picked up immediately, and the shock sensor 31 can detect the shaking of the electronic key 2 that occurs during the picking process. is there. However, on the contrary, if the user does not notice that the electronic key 2 has been dropped, the dropped electronic key 2 is left as it is, so that the electronic key 2 is within the time limit of the timer 33. The shock sensor 31 cannot detect the shaking generated in the electronic key 2 when picking up immediately. Accordingly, if the car finder use restriction setting unit 32 can detect the key shake again with the impact sensor 31 within the time limit of the timer 33, the car finder use restriction setting unit 32 recognizes that the dropped electronic key 2 has been picked up by the user and performs the key shake within the time limit. If not detected, it is recognized that the dropped electronic key 2 is left as it is.

  When the car finder use restriction setting unit 32 recognizes that the dropped electronic key 2 is left as it is, the car finder use restriction setting unit 32 sets a restriction execution flag in the memory 14 so that the operation state of the car finder system 21 is the same on the key 2 side. A use restriction state in which the use of the system 21 is prohibited is entered. The car finder system 21 of this example does not respond to the operation of the car finder button 26 of the electronic key 2, and does not respond to the operation, and the car finder function trigger radio wave Scf is not transmitted from the electronic key 2. Take a state. That is, even when the car finder button 26 of the electronic key 2 is operated, the car finder function trigger radio wave Scf is not transmitted from the electronic key 2, and the vehicle position cannot be determined using the car finder function.

  By the way, when an electronic key 2 that has been dropped without the user's knowledge is picked up by an unknown third party, the third party who picks up the electronic key 2 uses the car finder function of the electronic key 2 for the purpose of vehicle theft. There is no denying the possibility of trying to locate the vehicle 1 by using and steal the vehicle 1. However, in the case of this example, when the fall of the electronic key 2 is detected, the car finder system 21 enters the use restricted state, so that the third party who picks up the electronic key 2 does not have to use the car finder function. . For this reason, even if the electronic key 2 provided with the car finder function is inadvertently dropped, a situation in which the vehicle 1 is specified by the car finder function does not occur for a third party who has picked up the electronic key 2. The possibility of the vehicle 1 being stolen can be kept low.

  In addition, the fall detection type car finder function use restriction system 30 has a normal state return function (restriction state release function) for returning the car finder system 21 that has entered the use restriction state to the original normal state that is not restricted. Is provided. As an example of this return function, there is a smart communication establishment formula on condition that smart communication is established, as shown in FIG. In the case of this smart communication establishment formula, when the smart communication is established, the verification ECU 7 transmits a smart communication establishment notification (including an ID code) Sa from the LF transmitters 8 and 9 to the electronic key 2 using a signal in the LF band. When the electronic key 2 receives the smart communication establishment notification Sa by the LF receiver 15, the electronic key 2 clears the restriction setting flag raised in the memory 14 and cancels the use restriction state.

  As another example of the normal state restoration function, there is a biometric authentication establishment formula on condition that biometric authentication (for example, fingerprint, voiceprint, etc.) is established, as shown in FIG. For example, when biometric authentication is performed using the electronic key 2, a biometric information detection sensor 34 such as a fingerprint sensor is provided on the electronic key 2. And if the communication control part 12 confirms that the biometric information acquired with the biometric information detection sensor 34 is correct, the communication control part 12 will clear the restriction | limiting setting flag started in the memory 14, and will cancel | release a use restriction state. This biometric authentication function may be provided, for example, in the vehicle 1 (for example, a vehicle door or the inside of the vehicle). When biometric authentication is established on the vehicle 1 side, a return request (including an ID code) is received from the LF transmitters 8 and 9 of the vehicle 1. ) Is transmitted to the electronic key 2, and the use restriction state of the electronic key 2 is released.

  Furthermore, as another example of the normal state return function, there is a mechanical key operation type that is conditional on door unlocking operation and engine starting operation by the mechanical key 35 as shown in FIG. In this case, when the vehicle 1 confirms that the door unlocking operation or the engine starting operation is performed by inserting the mechanical key 35 into the key cylinder 36 and turning it, the mechanical key operation notification (including the ID code) Sb is performed. Is transmitted from the LF transmitters 8 and 9 to the electronic key 2 with an LF band signal. When the electronic key 2 receives this mechanical key operation notification by the LF receiver 15, the electronic key 2 clears the restriction setting flag raised in the memory 14, and releases the use restriction state.

  As another example of the normal state return function, there is a button operation formula for operating various buttons 19, 20, and 26 of the electronic key 2 in accordance with a regular procedure, as shown in FIG. In this case, for example, the lock button 19 and the unlock button 20 are pressed at the same time to cause the electronic key 2 (communication control unit 12) to enter the restriction release mode. In this state, the various control buttons 19, 20, and 26 are operated in a predetermined order and number of times, and when it is confirmed that the order of operation and the number of times of operation are in accordance with the regular procedure, the communication control unit 12 starts up in the memory 14. The setting flag is cleared, and the use restriction state of the electronic key 2 is released. Note that this normal state recovery function corresponds to the restriction release means.

  Therefore, in the case of this example, since the fall detection type car finder function use restriction system 30 is provided with the normal state return function, the user can execute the normal return function after setting the car finder system 21 to the restricted state. The restriction state can be released freely. For this reason, for example, the electronic key 2 (car finder system 21) is in a restricted state against the user's will, for example, when the user plays sports and moves the body violently with the electronic key 2 in the pocket of clothes. Even if it enters, it is possible to immediately return to the original normal state by the normal state return function.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) When the impact sensor 31 is mounted on the electronic key 2 and the impact sensor 31 detects an impact, it is determined that the electronic key 2 has dropped, that is, the user has dropped the electronic key 2 without noticing it. The car finder system 21 is restricted in use so that the car finder function trigger radio wave Scf cannot be transmitted from the electronic key 2. Therefore, when the electronic key 2 dropped by the user is picked up by an unknown third party, even if the third party tries to find the position of the vehicle 1 by the car finder function of the electronic key 2, Since the car finder function does not work, a third party cannot specify the position of the vehicle 1. For this reason, even if the car finder function is mounted on the electronic key 2, there is no situation in which the vehicle position is specified by the car finder function of the key 2 by a third party who picks up the dropped electronic key 2. It is possible to prevent a situation in which the vehicle 1 is harmed or stolen by the three parties.

  (2) When the impact sensor 31 detects an impact applied to the electronic key 2, the user does not notice the electronic key 2 when the electronic key 2 does not move for a certain period from the time when the impact is detected. It is determined that it has been dropped. Therefore, when the user drops the electronic key 2 and immediately picks it up, the shock sensor 31 detects the vibration generated when the key is picked up, and the shock detected by the shock sensor 31 at this time is detected. The electronic key 2 is not recognized as being dropped. For this reason, it can be determined more accurately whether the user has dropped the electronic key 2 without noticing.

  (3) Since the fall detection type car finder function use restriction system 30 is provided with a normal state return function, even if the user accidentally enters the car finder system 21 into the restricted state, there is no problem in the original normal state. Can be restored.

  (4) The car finder function enters the use restricted state by taking a state in which the car finder function trigger radio wave Scf is not transmitted from the electronic key 2. Therefore, in the case of this example, the use restriction is imposed on the car finder function on the electronic key 2 side. Therefore, when incorporating this kind of use restriction function into the car finder system 21, only the design change on the electronic key 2 side is sufficient. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the time and effort involved in changing the system, and the structure is not complicated.

  (5) The car finder function uses the adaptive array antenna type RF receiver 23, the vehicle compass 25, and the key compass 28, and based on various information acquired from these components, the vehicle 1 viewed from the electronic key 2 This is a method for determining the direction and distance. By the way, it is possible to calculate the position of the vehicle 1 or the electronic key 2 using, for example, GPS (Global Positioning System), but GPS has a drawback that it is easily affected by a large building such as a building. There is a problem that fine position calculation accuracy cannot be secured. However, if an indexing method such as this example is used, this type of compass formula has a higher position calculation accuracy than the GPS formula, so the direction and distance of the vehicle 1 viewed from the electronic key 2 can be accurately determined. Can be calculated.

  (6) Since the car finder function trigger radio wave Scf and the estimation result notification Sps are transmitted by signals of the same frequency of about several GHz, for example, although the vehicle 1 has been able to perform position estimation, the estimation result is sent to the electronic key 2 It is possible to make it difficult to create a situation where it cannot be communicated to.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in how to use the car finder function by the fall detection type car finder function use restriction system 30, and the other basic configuration is the same as the first embodiment. It is the same. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, detailed description thereof is omitted, and only different parts will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the drop detection type car finder function use restriction system 30 of this example is a request for restricting the use of the car finder function when the electronic key 2 detects the drop of the electronic key 2 with the impact sensor 31. The key drop detection notification Sot is transmitted to the vehicle 1 to cause the vehicle 1 to take a state in which the use of the car finder function is restricted, thereby restricting the use of the car finder function. In addition, the communication control unit 12 includes a drop presence / absence monitoring unit 41 that monitors whether or not the electronic key 2 is dropped based on a detection signal acquired from the impact sensor 31, and the drop presence / absence monitoring unit 41 detects the drop of the electronic key 2. A notification transmitter 42 that transmits the previous key drop detection notification Sot to the vehicle 1 by wireless communication when it is confirmed is provided. The key drop detection notification Sot corresponds to an operation restriction request.

  On the other hand, the car finder ECU 22 is provided with a vehicle side restriction setting unit 43 that sets on the vehicle 1 side whether or not the car finder function can be used based on the key drop detection notification Sot received from the electronic key 2. In addition, the car finder ECU 22 is provided with a memory 44 as a write destination of a restriction execution flag that is set when the car finder system 21 is placed in a use restriction state. When the vehicle side restriction setting unit 43 receives the key drop detection notification Sot by the RF receiver 23 of the car finder ECU 22, the vehicle side restriction setting unit 43 uses the car finder system 21 by operating according to the notification Sot and setting a restriction execution flag in the memory 44. Set to restricted state. In addition, the fall presence / absence monitoring unit 41, the notification transmission unit 42, and the vehicle side restriction setting unit 43 constitute a restriction unit.

  Now, it is assumed that the user drops the electronic key 2 and the electronic key 2 collides with the ground. At this time, when the fall presence / absence monitoring unit 41 confirms that the detection signal (voltage value) of the impact sensor 31 exceeds the threshold value, it recognizes that the electronic key 2 has dropped and collided with the ground, and sends a notification to that effect. Notify the unit 42. When the notification transmitter 42 receives a notification of the presence of a key drop from the drop presence monitor 41, the notification transmitter 42 transmits a key drop detection notification Sot from the high RF transceiver 27 as a high RF band signal. This key drop detection notification Sot includes an ID code of the electronic key 2, a car finder function execution request as a function code for requesting execution of the car finder function, and a drop detection flag which is a notification of key drop. It is. That is, the key drop detection notification Sot is a notification having a drop detection flag instead of the estimated position signal in the previous car finder function trigger radio wave Scf.

  The vehicle 1 receives this key drop detection notification Sot with the RF receiver 23 of the car finder ECU 22. When the car finder ECU 22 receives the key drop detection notification Sot with the RF receiver 23, the car finder ECU 22 first transfers the ID code included in the trigger radio wave Scf to the verification ECU 7 via the in-vehicle LAN 11. When the verification ECU 7 receives the ID code from the car finder ECU 22, the verification ECU 7 performs ID verification on the ID code. When the ID verification is confirmed, the verification result of the ID verification is confirmed via the in-vehicle LAN 11. Output to.

  When the car finder ECU 22 receives the confirmation result of the ID collation establishment from the collation ECU 7, the car finder ECU 22 shifts to an activated state based on the car finder function execution request included in the key drop detection notification Sot received by the RF receiver 23, and is once in the operating state. to go into. That is, with the car finder function execution request as a trigger, the car finder ECU 22 transitions from the standby state until then to the activated state, and shifts to an operation of reading the remaining data group included in the key drop detection notification Sot. At this time, in the car finder ECU 22, the vehicle side restriction setting unit 43 is started up by the drop detection flag included in the key drop detection notification Sot. That is, the car finder ECU 22 generates the vehicle-side restriction setting unit 43 by reading and operating the drop detection flag included in the key drop detection notification Sot.

  The vehicle side restriction setting unit 43 that has started up in this way sets a restriction execution flag in the memory 44, and causes the operation state of the car finder system 21 to enter a use restriction state in which use of the system 21 is prohibited. Even if the vehicle 1 receives the car finder function trigger radio wave Scf from the electronic key 2, the car finder system 21 of this example takes a use restricted state by maintaining a state where it stops without responding to it. As a result, even if the electronic key 2 provided with the car finder function is inadvertently dropped, a situation in which the vehicle 1 is specified by the car finder function does not occur for a third party who has picked up the electronic key 2. The possibility of the vehicle 1 being stolen can be kept low.

Therefore, according to 2nd Embodiment, in addition to the effect as described in (1)-(3), (5), (6) of 1st Embodiment, the effect as described below can also be acquired.
(7) The car finder function enters the use-restricted state when the vehicle 1 is not responding to the car finder function trigger radio wave Scf, that is, when the vehicle 1 is in a stop state in which the car finder function is not executed. Therefore, for example, even if the car finder function trigger radio wave Scf transmitted from the unauthorized electronic key is received, the vehicle 1 may take an operation of returning the estimation result notification Sps to the unauthorized electronic key in response thereto. Absent. Therefore, it is possible to accurately perform the use restriction on the car finder function.

Note that the embodiment is not limited to the configuration described so far, and may be modified as follows.
-The use restriction of the car finder function is not necessarily limited to the use prohibition that restricts the use of all functions of the car finder function. That is, the usage restriction may be any as long as at least a part of the car finder function cannot be used.

  The use restriction of the car finder function is not limited to software restriction such as setting a restriction execution flag in the memory 14 to cause the system 30 to enter the use prohibition state. For example, the use restriction may be applied mechanically by causing a shutter that prohibits the connection of these contacts to protrude between the switch movable contact and the fixed contact of the car finder button 26.

-As the impact sensor 31, various sensors, such as an acceleration sensor and a vibration sensor, are employable, for example.
The key drop detection is not limited to being performed by checking whether the detection signal of the impact sensor 31 exceeds the threshold value. For example, when the electronic key 2 is dropped on the ground, the electronic key 2 takes a movement that bounces several times against the ground.

  The car finder function uses an adaptive array antenna type RF receiver 23, a vehicle compass 25, and a key compass 28, and based on various information acquired from these components, the direction of the vehicle 1 viewed from the electronic key 2 and It is not limited to the method for determining the distance. For example, if the vehicle 1 is equipped with a GPS, the positional relationship between the vehicle 1 and the electronic key 2 may be determined based on vehicle position information acquired from the GPS.

  In the case of the vehicle finder function using the vehicle GPS, for example, the vehicle GPS information (vehicle position information) is registered in the electronic key 2 when getting off (for example, when the engine is off), and the position teaching request operation is performed with the key 2. In this case, a method of displaying this information on the key may be used.

  -The position display of the vehicle 1 of the electronic key 2 is not necessarily limited to the arrow. For example, the vehicle 1 calculates the position (direction and distance) of the electronic key 2 and creates map data representing the positional relationship between the vehicle 1 and the electronic key 2 while calculating the current position of the vehicle 1 from an in-vehicle GPS or the like. To do. The vehicle 1 may transmit the map data to the electronic key 2 and a map based on the map data may be displayed on the display unit 29 of the electronic key 2.

The electronic key 2 may be of a type that sends key position information to the vehicle 1 and notifies the vehicle 1 of the key position if, for example, a GPS is mounted.
The RF receiver 10 of the electronic key system 3 and the RF receiver 23 of the car finder system 21 may be integrated into one.

  The communication area between the electronic key system 3 and the car finder system 21 is not limited to being different from each other, and they may take the same area. Needless to say, various signal frequencies can be used.

The car finder system 21 is not limited to having one function belonging to the electronic key system 3, and may be a system independent of the electronic key system 3, for example.
The position estimation (position calculation according to the adaptive array antenna system) is not necessarily performed on the vehicle 1 side, and may be performed on the electronic key 2 side. That is, an adaptive array antenna may be incorporated in the electronic key 2, the position of the vehicle 1 may be estimated based on radio waves received from the vehicle 1, and the estimation result may be taught to the user with an arrow or the like.

The position estimation is not necessarily performed using a position estimation signal, and may be performed using an ID code or a function code radio wave.
The portable terminal is not limited to the electronic key 2 (essentially key parts), and for example, a mobile phone or a portable personal computer may be used.

-The teaching form of the vehicle position is not necessarily limited to an arrow, but may be a vehicle position displayed on a map screen, for example.
The vehicle position display (arrow and distance display) on the display unit 29 may be automatically deleted after being displayed for a certain time, for example, or may be a predetermined operation such as pressing the car finder button 26, for example. It may be deleted when the operation is performed.

  -Position teaching does not necessarily display both the direction and the distance, but only one of them needs to be displayed. Further, the position teaching is not necessarily limited to the screen display, and for example, voice notification may be employed.

The car finder system 21 is not necessarily applied to the vehicle 1 but can be applied to various devices and apparatuses that require verification during use.
Next, technical ideas that can be grasped from the above-described embodiment and other examples will be described below together with their effects.

  (1) In any one of Claims 1-5, the said portable terminal is a terminal of key positioning with respect to articles | goods. According to this configuration, since it is not necessary to prepare separate parts for the key required when using the article and the terminal for the position teaching function, the number of parts can be reduced.

  (2) In any one of claims 1 to 5 and the technical idea (1), the position teaching function is a high-frequency signal (a radio wave or data received by one of the article and the mobile terminal from the other). The positional relationship of each other is determined by estimating the other position using According to this configuration, since a high-frequency signal is used as a radio signal used for position estimation, a large amount of data can be transmitted.

  (3) In any one of claims 1 to 5 and the technical ideas (1) and (2), the position teaching function may include a plurality of antenna elements as a receiver on the signal receiving side of the article and the portable terminal. When the high-frequency radio waves transmitted from the mobile terminal are received by the plurality of antenna elements, the position of the mobile terminal is estimated based on reception parameters of each of the high-frequency radio waves received by the antenna elements. Estimate and determine the position.

  (4) In any one of claims 1 to 5 and the technical ideas (1) to (3), the position teaching function is based on a radio signal received from the portable terminal by the article. Estimating the position of the mobile terminal that has been viewed, sending the estimation result to the mobile terminal, and the mobile terminal obtaining the position of the article viewed from the mobile terminal based on the estimation result, Determine the positional relationship between.

The block diagram which shows schematic structure of the car finder system in 1st Embodiment. The data conceptual diagram which shows the data structure of a car finder function trigger electric wave. The data conceptual diagram which shows the data structure of an estimation result notification. The block diagram which shows schematic structure of the electronic key with a car finder function. The block diagram which shows the electronic key when a car finder function enters into a use restriction state. The conceptual diagram of a use restriction system which shows an example of a normal state return function. The block diagram of the electronic key which shows the other example of a normal state return function. The conceptual diagram of the use restriction system which shows the other example of a normal state return function. The conceptual diagram of the operation state of the electronic key which shows the other example of a normal state return function. The block diagram which shows schematic structure of the car finder system in 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle as goods, 2 ... Electronic key as portable terminal (portable terminal with a position teaching restriction | limiting function), 31 ... Impact sensor as an impact detection means, 32 ... Car finder use resource setting part which comprises a limitation means, 33 A timer as a time measuring means, 41 a drop presence / absence monitoring part constituting a restricting means, 42 a notification sending part constituting a restricting means, 43 a vehicle side restriction setting part constituting a restricting means, a Sot as an operation restriction request Car finder function trigger radio wave as key drop detection notification, Scf ... position teaching request.

Claims (7)

When a request operation for requesting position teaching for an article is executed on a portable terminal, the position relationship between the portable terminal and the article is determined, and a position teaching function for teaching the article position to the user on the portable terminal is provided. In the position teaching function use restriction system,
An impact detection means for detecting an impact applied to the mobile terminal;
A position teaching function use restriction system comprising: restriction means for restricting use of the position teaching function when the impact detection means detects a fall of the portable terminal. Comprising time measuring means for measuring the elapsed time since the mobile terminal fell and stopped moving,
The restriction means restricts the use of the position teaching function after the time keeping means confirms that the dropped portable terminal is not picked up without moving for a certain time. Position teaching function use restriction system described in 1.   The position teaching function use restriction system according to claim 1, further comprising restriction release means for releasing the restriction state of the position teaching function applied by the restriction means.   The restricting means restricts the use of the position teaching function by preventing the position teaching function from operating in the portable terminal when the impact detection means detects the fall of the portable terminal. The position teaching function use restriction system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   When the impact detection means detects the fall of the portable terminal, the restriction means causes an operation restriction request not to operate the position teaching function to be transmitted from the portable terminal to the article by wireless communication, and the operation restriction request is transmitted to the article. The use of the position teaching function is limited by causing the article to receive and preventing the position teaching function from working on the article. Position teaching function use restriction system. When a request operation for requesting position teaching for an article is executed on a portable terminal, the positional relationship between the portable terminal and the article is determined, and the position teaching function for teaching the user the article position on the portable terminal is used. In the position teaching function use restriction method,
An impact applied to the mobile terminal is monitored by an impact detection means, and when the impact detection means detects a fall of the mobile terminal, the use of the position teaching function is restricted by a restriction means. Teaching function usage restriction method. When a request operation for requesting position teaching for an article is executed on a portable terminal, the position relationship between the portable terminal and the article is determined, and a position teaching function for teaching the article position to the user on the portable terminal is provided. In a portable terminal with a position teaching restriction function,
An impact detection means for detecting an impact applied to the mobile terminal;
A portable terminal with a position teaching restriction function, comprising: restriction means for restricting the use of the position teaching function when the impact detection means detects a drop of the portable terminal.

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