Transmission control device, portable device, vehicle system, transmission control method, control method, and control program product

A portable device carried by a user, the portable device comprising:

• a portable device reception unit driven by a transmission control device mounted on a vehicle and receiving signals, which are transmitted from a plurality of antennas arranged at respective positions of the vehicle to have different transmission ranges from one another, via a wireless communication with use of a carrier wave within the transmission ranges of the plurality of antennas;
• a portable device transmission control unit configured to transmit a response signal that includes information enabling a detection of a position of the portable device relative to the vehicle in response to the portable device reception unit receiving a genuine code that activates the portable device;
• and
• a portable device determination unit configured to determine (i) whether the genuine code and a noise determination purpose burst signal following the genuine code, which are transmitted from a genuine transmission antenna, are received, and (ii) whether the noise determination purpose burst signal, which is transmitted from each antenna of a remaining antenna group, is received at a transmission time point, which is set different from one another and shifted from a transmission time point of the noise determination purpose burst signal transmitted from the genuine transmission antenna,
• wherein
• the genuine transmission antenna is one of the plurality of antennas and the remaining antenna group includes remaining antennas of the plurality of antennas except the genuine transmission antenna,
• the transmission ranges of the plurality of antennas including the genuine transmission antenna are set to not have a common area,
• the noise determination purpose burst signal is used to determine a noise in the portable device,
• the portable device determination unit controls the portable device transmission control unit to transmit the response signal in response to the portable device reception unit receiving the genuine code in a case where the noise determination purpose burst signals transmitted from partial of the plurality of antennas are received, and
• the portable device determination unit forbids a transmission of the response signal although the portable device reception unit has received the genuine code in a case where the noise determination purpose burst signals transmitted from all of the plurality of antennas are received.

A vehicle system comprising:

• a portable device carried by a user;
• and
• a transmission control device, which is mounted on a vehicle and drives a plurality of antennas to detect a position of the portable device relative to the vehicle using a wireless communication between the portable device and the plurality of antennas, the plurality of antennas being arranged at respective positions of the vehicle to have different transmission ranges from one another,
• wherein
• the transmission control device includes:
• a first transmission control unit configured to control a genuine transmission antenna to transmit, with use of a carrier wave, a genuine code that activates the portable device and a noise determination purpose burst signal following the genuine code, and the genuine transmission antenna being one of the plurality of antennas and the portable device using the noise determination purpose burst signal to determine a noise;
• and
• a second transmission control unit configured to control each antenna of a remaining antenna group, which includes remaining antennas of the plurality of antennas except the genuine transmission antenna, to transmit the noise determination purpose burst signal at a transmission time point, which is set different from one another and shifted from a transmission time point of the noise determination purpose burst signal from the genuine transmission antenna, and the transmission ranges of the plurality of antennas which include the genuine transmission antenna being set to not have a common area,
• the portable device includes:
• a portable device reception unit configured to receive signals transmitted from the plurality of antennas, via the wireless communication with use of the carrier wave, within the transmission ranges of the plurality of antennas;
• a portable device transmission control unit configured to transmit a response signal that includes information enabling a detection of the position of the portable device relative to the vehicle in response to the portable device reception unit receiving the genuine code;
• and
• a portable device determination unit configured to determine (i) whether the genuine code and the noise determination purpose burst signal following the genuine code, which are transmitted from the genuine transmission antenna, are received, and (ii) whether the noise determination purpose burst signal, which is transmitted from each antenna of the remaining antenna group, is received at the transmission time point, which is set different from one another and shifted from the transmission time point of the noise determination purpose burst signal transmitted from the genuine transmission antenna,
• the portable device determination unit controls the portable device transmission control unit to transmit the response signal in response to the portable device reception unit receiving the genuine code in a case where the noise determination purpose burst signals transmitted from partial of the plurality of antennas are received, and
• the portable device determination unit forbids a transmission of the response signal although the portable device reception unit has received the genuine code in a case where the noise determination purpose burst signals transmitted from all of the plurality of antennas are received.

A transmission control method executed by a transmission control device, which is mounted on a vehicle and drives a plurality of antennas to detect a position of a portable device relative to the vehicle using a wireless communication between the portable device and the plurality of antennas, the plurality of antennas being arranged at respective positions of the vehicle to have different transmission ranges from one another, and the portable device being carried by a user,

• the transmission control method comprising:
• controlling a genuine transmission antenna to transmit, with use of a carrier wave, a genuine code that activates the portable device and a noise determination purpose burst signal following the genuine code, and the genuine transmission antenna being one of the plurality of antennas and the portable device using the noise determination purpose burst signal to determine a noise;
• and
• controlling each antenna of a remaining antenna group, which includes remaining antennas of the plurality of antennas except the genuine transmission antenna, to transmit the noise determination purpose burst signal at a transmission time point, which is set different from one another and shifted from a transmission time point of the noise determination purpose burst signal from the genuine transmission antenna, and the transmission ranges of the plurality of antennas which include the genuine transmission antenna being set to not have a common area.

A control method executed by a portable device carried by a user, the control method comprising:

• determining (i) whether a genuine code and a noise determination purpose burst signal following the genuine code, which are transmitted from a genuine transmission antenna, are received, and (ii) whether the noise determination purpose burst signal, which is transmitted from each antenna of a remaining antenna group, is received at a transmission time point, which is set different from one another and shifted from a transmission time point of the noise determination purpose burst signal transmitted from the genuine transmission antenna, the genuine transmission antenna being one of a plurality of antennas arranged at respective positions of a vehicle, the plurality of antennas being driven by a transmission control device mounted on the vehicle to have transmission ranges different from one another, the remaining antenna group including remaining antennas of the plurality of antennas except the genuine transmission antenna, the transmission ranges of the plurality of antennas which include the genuine transmission antenna being set to not have a common area, and the genuine code being used to activate the portable device and the noise determination purpose burst signal being used to determine a noise in the portable device;
• transmitting a response signal that includes information enabling a detection of a position of the portable device relative to the vehicle in response to a reception of the genuine code in a case where the noise determination purpose burst signals transmitted from partial of the plurality of antennas are received;
• and
• forbidding a transmission of the response signal although the portable device has received the genuine code in a case where the noise determination purpose burst signals transmitted from all of the plurality of antennas are received.

A control program product controlling a computer to be implemented as a transmission control device, the transmission control device being mounted on a vehicle and driving a plurality of antennas to detect a position of a portable device relative to the vehicle using a wireless communication between the portable device and the plurality of antennas, the plurality of antennas being arranged at respective positions of the vehicle to have different transmission ranges from one another, and the portable device being carried by a user,

• the control program product comprising instructions that control the transmission control device to function as:
• a first transmission control unit configured to control a genuine transmission antenna to transmit, with use of a carrier wave, a genuine code that activates the portable device and a noise determination purpose burst signal following the genuine code, and the genuine transmission antenna being one of the plurality of antennas and the portable device using the noise determination purpose burst signal to determine a noise;
• and
• a second transmission control unit configured to control each antenna of a remaining antenna group, which includes remaining antennas of the plurality of antennas except the genuine transmission antenna, to transmit the noise determination purpose burst signal at a transmission time point, which is set different from one another and shifted from a transmission time point of the noise determination purpose burst signal from the genuine transmission antenna, and the transmission ranges of the plurality of antennas which include the genuine transmission antenna being set to not have a common area.

A control program product comprising instructions that control a computer to be implemented as:

• a portable device determination unit of a portable device, the portable device determination unit determining (i) whether a genuine code and a noise determination purpose burst signal following the genuine code, which are transmitted from a genuine transmission antenna, are received, and (ii) whether the noise determination purpose burst signal, which is transmitted from each antenna of a remaining antenna group, is received at a transmission time point, which is set different from one another and shifted from a transmission time point of the noise determination purpose burst signal transmitted from the genuine transmission antenna, the genuine transmission antenna being one of a plurality of antennas arranged at respective positions of a vehicle, the plurality of antennas being driven by a transmission control device mounted on the vehicle to have different transmission ranges from one another, the remaining antenna group including remaining antennas of the plurality of antennas except the genuine transmission antenna, the transmission ranges of the plurality of antennas which include the genuine transmission antenna being set to not have a common area, and the genuine code being used to activate the portable device and the noise determination purpose burst signal being used to determine a noise in the portable device;
• and
• a portable device transmission control unit of the portable device, the portable device transmission control unit being configured to transmit a response signal that includes information enabling a detection of a position of the portable device relative to the vehicle in response to a reception of the genuine code in a case where the noise determination purpose burst signals transmitted from partial of the plurality of antennas are received, and the portable device transmission control unit further being configured to forbid a transmission of the response signal although the portable device has received the genuine code in a case where the noise determination purpose burst signals transmitted from all of the plurality of antennas are received.