JPH11321471A - Vehicular communication device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure a stable communication area, regardless of the state of an outer mirror, in a device providing an antenna in an outer mirror. SOLUTION: In this device, two antenna coils 5, 6 are provided in the housing 25a of an outer mirror 25 while pointing in the front/rear direction and right/left direction. The controller of a vehicular side outputs a magnetic communication signal intermittently and alternately from antenna coils 5, 6 and when a hand holder 2 receives the magnetic communication signal, a control signal is outputted and the controller compares its ID code and controls a door lock mechanism. Even if the outer mirror 25 is stored, as a second antenna coil 6 points in a front/rear direction and the first antenna coil 5 points in right/left direction, a communication area can do without changing. Based on the signal of a storage detection switch, the first antenna coil 5 is made to a preferred antenna when the outer mirror 25 is in use and the second antenna coil 6 is made to the a preferred antenna when it is in storage.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication device for a vehicle applied to a so-called keyless entry system or the like in which a user carrying a portable device releases a door lock only by approaching the vehicle.

[0002]

In recent years, in a car or the like, a user (driver) automatically locks and unlocks a door of a vehicle simply by having a card-type portable device, for example. A keyless entry system has been considered. In this system, for example, a signal (request signal) by a magnetic field is output around the door of the vehicle by an antenna coil, and when the portable device enters the magnetic field having a receivable strength and receives the request signal,
An ID code signal is output by radio waves.

When the controller on the vehicle receives the ID code signal from the portable device, it checks whether or not the ID code matches the registered ID code, and controls the door lock mechanism. Thus, when the user carrying the portable device approaches the door, the door is automatically unlocked, and when the user carrying the portable device leaves the door after getting off, the door is automatically opened. It is locked.

By the way, in this type of system,
It has been considered to provide an antenna coil for outputting a request signal in a housing of an outer mirror (door mirror). However, the outer mirror is generally of a retractable type, and its position is manually or electrically changed between a used state and a retracted state, whereas the antenna coil has directivity. Or storage state), the occurrence of a problem that the communication area (distance) changes is predicted.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an antenna in a housing of an outer mirror, and to secure a stable communication area by the antenna regardless of the state of the outer mirror. It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication device for a vehicle that can be used.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicular communication apparatus in which an antenna for performing communication with a portable device is provided in a housing of an outer mirror in different directions. And a plurality of antenna coils, and a configuration in which the antenna coil for communication can be switched. According to this, an angle diversity antenna capable of communicating on different polarization planes from a plurality of antenna coils is configured, and by switching the antenna coil to communicate, the communicable area is substantially reduced. Will increase. At this time, if the state of the outer mirror fluctuates, the directivity direction of each antenna coil will fluctuate. However, by using these antenna coils properly, the communication area as a whole can be kept from fluctuating.

[0007] In this case, a configuration may be adopted in which a priority antenna for performing communication with priority among a plurality of antenna coils can be set. According to this, by setting an antenna coil having a communication area in a direction in which communication is easy to perform as a priority antenna, it is possible to perform quicker and more efficient communication.

Further, the priority antenna can be set according to the use or storage state of the outer mirror (the invention of claim 3). According to this, it is possible to automatically set an antenna coil having a communication area in a direction in which communication is easy as a priority antenna according to the state of the outer mirror.

Further, the antenna coil for communication may be switched according to the use or storage state of the outer mirror (the invention of claim 4). According to this, according to the state of the outer mirror, communication can be performed using the antenna coil having the communication area in the direction in which communication is easy.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle communication device comprising: an antenna provided in a housing of an outer mirror for performing communication with a portable device; The feature is that an angle changing means for changing the direction is provided. According to this, the directivity direction of the antenna coil can be changed by the angle changing means, so that even when the state of the outer mirror changes, the communication area by the antenna coil can always be set in a direction that facilitates communication. .

At this time, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the directivity of the antenna coil is changed by the angle changing means in accordance with the use or storage state of the outer mirror (the invention of claim 6). According to this, according to the state of the outer mirror, the communication area by the antenna coil can be automatically set in a direction in which communication is easy.

When the outer mirror is an electric retractable mirror that is rotated and displaced by a mirror storing rotation mechanism, the angle changing means is configured to operate in conjunction with the mirror storing rotation mechanism. (Claim 7
Invention). According to this, the antenna coil can be operated in conjunction with the operation of the outer mirror, the directional direction of the antenna coil, and thus the communication area can be kept constant, and the driving mechanism is related to the operation of the outer mirror. And a separate drive mechanism is not required.

According to a vehicle communication device of the present invention, an antenna provided in a housing of an outer mirror for performing communication with a portable device comprises an antenna coil, and the antenna coil comprises: It is characterized in that it is attached to the fixed shaft of the housing of the outer mirror.
According to this, since the position of the antenna coil with respect to the vehicle is fixed, the directional direction of the antenna coil and, consequently, the communication area can be kept constant regardless of the state of the outer mirror.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, an antenna provided in a housing of an outer mirror for performing communication with a portable device comprises a bar antenna, and the bar antenna is vertically mounted. It has a characteristic in that it is provided in a state. According to this, since the bar antenna is provided in a non-directional manner in the horizontal direction, that is, in a state in which the communication area is evenly provided around the bar antenna, the communication area can always be kept constant regardless of the state of the outer mirror.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Some embodiments in which the present invention is applied to a so-called keyless entry system of a vehicle will be described below with reference to the drawings. (1) First Embodiment First, a first embodiment (corresponding to claims 1 to 3) of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

A keyless entry system as a vehicle communication device according to this embodiment includes a controller 1 (see FIG. 3) provided on the vehicle side and a portable device 2 carried by a user (driver of the vehicle). And is provided. FIG.
1 schematically shows an electrical configuration of the keyless entry system. First, an outline of the entire system will be described.

The controller 1 mainly comprises a control circuit 3 including a microcomputer.
Is connected to a plurality of antenna coils as antennas via a transmission drive circuit 4. In this embodiment, two first antenna coils 5 and second antenna coils 6 are provided. The control circuit 3 has a receiving antenna 8 via a high-frequency receiving circuit 7.
Is connected. Further, a drive circuit 10 for driving a door lock mechanism 9 is connected to the control circuit 3, and a drive circuit 1 for driving a steering lock mechanism 11 is connected to the control circuit 3.
2 are connected.

As will be described in detail later, the antenna coils 5 and 6 are provided in a housing of an outer mirror (door mirror) of a vehicle with different directing directions. And these antenna coils 5 and 6
Are controlled to be switchable by the control circuit 3 via the transmission drive circuit 4, and output a magnetic communication signal (request signal) intermittently and alternately to the periphery of the outer mirror. In addition, this magnetic communication signal is designed such that one signal is output intermittently with a length of, for example, several ms to several tens ms, for example, several tens kHz to several tens MHz.
Frequency.

The receiving antenna 8 receives a control signal containing an ID code output from the portable device 2, and the control circuit 3 sends the control signal
The door lock mechanism 9 and the steering lock mechanism 11 are controlled via the drive circuit 10 and the drive circuit 12, respectively, based on collation of the D code with an ID code stored in advance. At this time, the steering lock mechanism 11 is linked with an ignition switch (not shown), and the ignition switch is activated (operable) when the steering lock is released.

On the other hand, the portable device 2 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in the figure, for example, it is configured in a card form that is easy to carry,
As shown in FIG. 3, the receiving circuit 13 and the high-frequency transmitting circuit 1
4. A control circuit 15 including a microcomputer is incorporated. The receiving circuit 13 includes the antenna coil 1
6 is configured as a resonance circuit in which a capacitor 17 is connected in parallel, and receives a request signal in a communication area (receivable range) of a magnetic communication signal output from the antenna coils 5 and 6. ing.

The request reception signal from the reception circuit 13 is input to the control circuit 15 via the rectification circuit 18 and the transistor 19. And
When the request reception signal is input, the control circuit 15
A control signal including a unique ID code stored in advance is output as a radio signal from the transmitting antenna 20 via the high-frequency transmitting circuit 14.

The portable device 2 is provided with two operation keys 21 and 22 for operating the door lock mechanism 9 and the steering lock mechanism 11, and the control circuit 15 has these operation keys. Operation signals 21 and 22 are input via the input circuit 23. The control circuit 15 outputs a control signal from the transmitting antenna 20 also based on the signals of the operation keys 21 and 22. Note that a battery (not shown) serving as a power supply is incorporated in the portable device 2.

According to the above configuration, when the portable device 2 (owner of the portable device 2) enters (or exists in) the receivable range of the magnetic communication signal near the vehicle (outer mirror), the portable device 2 ( The control circuit 15) receives the request signal and outputs a control signal including an ID code from the transmitting antenna 20. When the control signal from the portable device 2 is received by the receiving antenna 8, the controller 1 (control circuit 3) on the vehicle side checks the registered signal with the registered ID code,
If they match, the door lock mechanism 9 is controlled to release the door lock, and the steering lock mechanism 11 is controlled to release the steering lock. Furthermore, when the owner of the portable device 2 gets out of the door after getting off, for example, after stopping the engine, the door lock and the steering lock are automatically performed.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an outer mirror (door mirror) 25 provided on a body (door frame) 24 on the driver's seat side of the vehicle. This outer mirror 2
5 is a housing 25 having a rounded and substantially rectangular box shape.
a has a mirror main body 25b in the front opening,
The housing 25a is provided with an angle adjusting mechanism (not shown) for adjusting the angle of the mirror main body 25b. In this embodiment, the outer mirror 25
Is an electric retractable mirror.

That is, the outer mirror 25 (housing 25a) is attached to the body 24 via a fixed shaft 26 so as to be rotatable around a substantially vertical axis, and a well-known mirror storage rotating mechanism ( (Not shown)
Usage state protruding laterally from body 24 (see FIG. 1)
And about 90 from the use state along the body 24.
It is configured to be pivotally displaced between a retracted state (see FIG. 2) tilted forward. Further, the mirror storage rotation mechanism includes a storage detection switch 27 (see FIG. 3) for detecting that the outer mirror 25 is in the storage state, and a signal of the mirror storage switch 27 is controlled by the controller 1. It is also input to the circuit 3.

The antenna coils 5 and 6 are arranged in a housing 25a of the outer mirror 25. Each of the antenna coils 5 and 6 is formed by winding a coil wire in a circular shape, and is formed into a rectangular plate by being molded with an insulating resin. At this time, the first antenna coil 5 is provided in the back part of the center in the housing 25a so as to be parallel to the mirror surface,
The antenna coil 6 is provided at an end of the housing 25a at an angle of about 90 degrees with the first antenna coil 5 and at a distance from the first antenna coil 5 to some extent so as to avoid magnetic field interference as much as possible.

However, the antenna coils 5 and 6 have directivity, and the magnetic field strength in the axial direction is strong (the communication area is wide), while the magnetic field strength in the circumferential direction is weak (the communication area is narrow). ) Has become. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, in the use state of the outer mirror 25, the first antenna coil 5 facing in the front-back direction is effective (has good sensitivity) with respect to the portable device 2 (A) approaching from the front-back direction, The second antenna coil 6 facing in the lateral direction is effective (high in sensitivity) for the portable device 2 (B) approaching from the side.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2, even if the outer mirror 25 is in the retracted state, this time, the second antenna coil 6 faces in the front-back direction and the first antenna coil 5 faces in the left-right direction. Therefore, regardless of the state of the outer mirror 25, the antenna coils 5, 6
Communication area can be kept almost unchanged.

Here, considering the use situation of a general vehicle, there is a situation where a user often approaches the vehicle (outer mirror 25) from the front and rear direction when getting in the vehicle in a parking lot or the like. . As described above, the control circuit 3 of the controller 1 performs control such that the magnetic communication signals (request signals) are alternately output from both the antenna coils 5 and 6, but in the present embodiment, priority is given to this. Is automatically set to a priority antenna for communication.

That is, FIG. 4 shows a switching pattern of the antenna coils 5 and 6 when the outer mirror 25 is in use. In this case, the first antenna coil 5 is set as a priority antenna, and the first antenna coil The second antenna coil 6 outputs one magnetic communication signal in response to two magnetic communication signals output from 5.
The priority antenna is switched according to the state of the outer mirror 25. As shown in FIG. 5, when the storage signal of the outer mirror 25 is input from the storage detection switch 27, the second antenna coil 6 is given priority this time. It is an antenna.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. As described above, for example, in a vehicle parked in a parking lot, the antenna coil 5 built in the outer mirror 25 is used.
6, the magnetic communication signal is output intermittently. When the user carries the portable device 2 and enters the communication area (receivable range) of the antenna coils 5 and 6, the portable device 2
Communication is performed between the controller and the controller 1 on the vehicle side. The controller 1 automatically controls the door lock mechanism 9 and the steering lock mechanism 11 so that the user can enter and exit the vehicle without performing troublesome key operations. When the portable device 2 receives the request signal and transmits the control signal, the output of the request signal from the antenna coils 5 and 6 is temporarily stopped to avoid magnetic field interference.

At this time, it is conceivable that the user (portable device 2) approaches the vehicle (outer mirror 25) from the front-rear direction or from the side. Here, when the outer mirror 25 is in the use state shown in FIG. 1, when the user approaches from the front-back direction, the portable device 2 receives the magnetic communication signal from the first antenna coil 5 and the user On the other hand, when approaching from the side, the portable device 2 receives the magnetic communication signal from the second antenna coil 6 so that communication with high sensitivity can be performed in any case. Further, in this embodiment, the first antenna coil 5 is set as the priority antenna in this state, so that when the portable device 2 considered to be more frequent approaches from the front and rear direction, efficient communication is performed. As a result, the door lock mechanism 9 and the like are promptly controlled.

On the other hand, the user may have the outer mirror 25 in the retracted state, for example, at the time of the last getting off, but when the outer mirror 25 is in the retracted state shown in FIG.
When the user approaches from the front-back direction, the portable device 2 receives the magnetic communication signal from the second antenna coil 6, and when the user approaches the vehicle from the side, the portable device 2 receives the magnetic communication signal from the first antenna coil 5. When the portable device 2 receives the magnetic communication signal, the communication with high sensitivity can be performed in any case. In addition, when the outer mirror 25 is in the retracted state, the second antenna coil 6 is set as the priority antenna by the detection signal of the storage detection switch 27, and communication when the portable device 2 approaches from the front and rear direction is also promptly performed. It is done efficiently.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the two antenna coils 5 and 6 are provided in the housing 25a of the outer mirror 25 with different directing directions.
The communicable area can be substantially increased. In contrast to the conventional case in which the communication area fluctuates when the state of the outer mirror 25 fluctuates, regardless of whether the outer mirror 25 is in use or stored, the antenna coil 5,
6 can be equalized, and an excellent effect that a stable communication area can be secured can be obtained.

In the present embodiment, in particular, the antenna coils 5 and 6 having the communication area in the direction in which communication is more easily performed are set as priority antennas, so that quicker and more efficient communication can be performed. . Furthermore, in this embodiment, in particular, based on the signal of the storage detection switch 27,
Since the priority antenna is automatically switched in accordance with the use or storage state of the outer mirror 25, it is possible to make it even easier to use.

(2) Second and Third Embodiment FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment (corresponding to claim 4) of the present invention. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that magnetic communication signals (request signals) are not alternately output from the two antenna coils 5 and 6 but are output by one of the antenna coils 5 and 6. The communication (output of the magnetic communication signal) is performed, and the antenna coils 5 and 6 to be used are completely switched based on the detection signal of the storage detection switch 27.

That is, as described above, when the user gets into the vehicle, the user often approaches the outer mirror 25 from the front-rear direction, so that the outer mirror 25 is in the use state in order to increase the communication area in the front-rear direction. Sometimes,
The first antenna coil 5 is enabled, and the outer mirror 25 is
Is in the retracted state, the second antenna coil 6 is made effective. According to such a configuration, communication can be performed using the antenna coils 5 and 6 having communication areas in directions that facilitate communication according to the state of the outer mirror 25, and a stable communication area can be secured. It is.

FIG. 7 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the magnetic communication signal (request signal) is alternately output from the two antenna coils 5 and 6 regardless of whether the outer mirror 25 is in the use state or the storage state. According to this, the communicable area can be substantially increased by the two antenna coils 5, 6, and the communication area by the antenna coils 5, 6 can be increased regardless of whether the outer mirror 25 is used or stored. It is possible to secure the same and secure a stable communication area. In this case, the storage detection switch 27 and the like are not required, and the present invention can be applied to a type in which the user manually switches the state of the outer mirror 25.

In the first to third embodiments, two antenna coils 5 and 6 are provided. However, three or more antenna coils may be provided with different directivity directions. Also, when setting a priority antenna as in the first embodiment, a configuration may be adopted in which a priority antenna setting switch is provided to allow a user to manually set.

(3) Fourth Embodiment Next, a fourth embodiment (corresponding to claims 5 and 6) of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following embodiments, the basic configuration of the keyless entry system and the like are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same parts as those of the first embodiment are newly illustrated and detailed. The description will be omitted and the reference numerals will be used in common. Hereinafter, different points will be described.

In this embodiment, the outer mirror 25
Inside the housing 25a, one antenna coil 31
Is provided. The antenna coil 31 is formed by winding a coil wire in a circular shape, is molded with an insulating resin and has a rectangular plate shape, and is rotatable around an axis extending in a substantially vertical direction in the housing 25a ( The pointing direction can be changed).

The housing 2 of the outer mirror 25
A rotation mechanism 32 as an angle changing means is provided in 5a. The rotation mechanism 32 includes a motor 33 and the motor 33.
And a gear mechanism 34 that transmits the rotational force of the antenna coil 31 to the antenna coil 31. The driving direction of the motor 33 rotates the antenna coil 31 with respect to the outer mirror 25 to change the direction of the antenna coil 31. Although not shown, the motor 33 is controlled by the controller 1 (control circuit 3) via a drive mechanism.

In this embodiment, the controller 1 controls the rotation mechanism 32 (motor 33) based on the detection signal of the storage detection switch 27 of the outer mirror 25. At this time, the storage detection switch 27 is turned off. That is, when the outer mirror 25 is in use, as shown in FIG. 8, the antenna coil 31 is stopped at a position substantially parallel to the surface of the mirror main body 25b, that is, in a position facing the front-back direction of the vehicle body. On the other hand, when the storage detection switch 27 is turned on, that is, when the outer mirror 25 is turned in the direction of arrow C in FIG.
Is rotated about 90 degrees in the opposite direction (the direction of arrow D in FIG. 8), and as shown in FIG. 9, the vehicle is stopped at a position facing the front-rear direction of the vehicle body.

According to such a configuration, even if the position of the outer mirror 25 is changed between the use state and the storage state, the antenna coil 31 is always oriented in the front-rear direction to facilitate communication and the communication area is changed. Therefore, a stable communication area by the antenna coil 31 can be ensured regardless of the state of the outer mirror 25. Further, since only one antenna coil 31 is provided in the outer mirror 25, the configuration is simpler than in the case where a plurality of antenna coils are provided, space saving and cost reduction can be achieved, and problems such as magnetic field interference between the antennas. Does not occur.

(4) Fifth Embodiment FIG. 10 shows a fifth embodiment (corresponding to claim 7) of the present invention. Outer mirror 2 consisting of an electric retractable mirror
5 in one housing 25a.
Is provided so as to be rotatable (changeable in the directivity direction) via a rotation shaft 42 extending in a substantially vertical direction. A mirror storage rotation mechanism 43 is provided in the housing 25a. The mirror storing rotation mechanism 43 is operated by operating a switch (not shown) provided in the vehicle.

The mirror storing rotation mechanism 43 is mounted on the fixed shaft 26 for attaching the outer mirror 25 to the body 24.
The fixed gear 44 is positioned at the center of rotation of the outer mirror 25.
Is fixedly (non-rotating state), and a drive gear 46 attached to an output shaft 45a of a motor 45 fixed to the housing 25a side, which is located on the right side in the figure, meshes with the fixed gear 44. It is provided and configured.
As a result, when the drive gear 46 is rotated by the motor 45, the drive gear 46 and, consequently, the motor 45 rotate about the fixed gear 44 by about 90 degrees, whereby the outer mirror 25 is rotated between the use state and the storage state. Because

At this time, in the present embodiment, the driven gear 47 provided on the rotating shaft 42 is located on the right side of the drive gear 46 in the drawing, The gears are engaged at opposite positions, and thus constitute angle changing means that operates in conjunction with the mirror storage rotation mechanism 43. In this case, the axis of the fixed gear 44 (the center of rotation of the outer mirror 25) and the output shaft 45 of the motor 45
a, the rotating shafts 42 are aligned in a straight line (lateral direction in the figure), and the fixed gear 44, the driving gear 46, and the driven gear 47 all have the same number of teeth.

Thus, when the outer mirror 25 is in use, the antenna coil 41 is mounted so as to be oriented in the front-rear direction with respect to the rotating shaft 42 as shown in the figure. Then, from this state, as described above, the outer mirror 2
5 is rotated to the retracted state, the driven gear 47 rotates while rotating with respect to the drive gear 46, and the antenna coil 4 rotates.
The vehicle turns about 90 degrees while maintaining the directivity direction of 1. Therefore, even in the retracted state of the outer mirror 25, the antenna coil 41 also faces in the front-back direction. When the outer mirror 25 rotates from the retracted state to the used state, the reverse operation is performed, and the directional direction of the antenna coil 41 is also kept as it is.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, as in the fourth embodiment, even if the position of the outer mirror 25 is changed between the use state and the storage state, the antenna coil 41 always faces in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the communication area is not fluctuated and the communication area is not changed, so that a stable communication area by the antenna coil 41 can be secured regardless of the state of the outer mirror 25. And in addition to this,
The drive mechanism for the antenna coil 41 can be partially used as the mirror storage / leisure transfer mechanism 43 for rotating the outer mirror 25, so that a separate drive source (motor) becomes unnecessary.
The structure can be simplified.

(5) Sixth Embodiment FIGS. 11 and 12 show a sixth embodiment of the present invention.
). In this embodiment, one antenna coil 51 provided in the housing 25a of the outer mirror 25 is attached to the front end of the fixed shaft 26 so as to face the front-back direction.

According to this, the position of the antenna coil 51 with respect to the vehicle is fixed both when the outer mirror 25 is in the use position (see FIG. 11) and when it is in the storage position (see FIG. 12). Irrespective of this, the directional direction of the antenna coil 51 and thus the communication area can always be kept constant. In addition, since a driving mechanism and the like are not required, a very simple configuration can be achieved. Further, the present invention can be applied to a type in which the state of the outer mirror 25 is manually switched by a user.

(6) Seventh Embodiment Finally, FIGS. 13 and 14 show a seventh embodiment (corresponding to claim 9) of the present invention. In this embodiment, an antenna provided in the outer mirror 25 is replaced with an antenna using an antenna coil as in each of the above embodiments,
The ferrite bar antenna 61 is adopted. The ferrite bar antenna 61 is provided substantially vertically.

According to this, the ferrite bar antenna 6
1 is provided in a state in which the communication area is omnidirectional in the horizontal direction, that is, the communication area is uniformly provided around the periphery, so that the communication area can always be kept constant regardless of the state of the outer mirror 25. Also. In addition to the simple structure, the ferrite bar antenna 61 has an advantage that it can be arranged in a relatively narrow portion of the outer mirror 25. Of course, the present invention can be applied to a type in which the state of the outer mirror 25 is manually switched by the user.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, the direction of the antenna coil is not limited to the front-back direction, and may be configured to direct in the direction in which communication is most easily performed. The configuration of the controller 1 and the portable device 2 can be variously changed. For example, the configuration can be appropriately changed and implemented without departing from the gist.

[0055]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the vehicle communication apparatus of the present invention, the antenna is provided in the housing of the outer mirror, and the communication area is set regardless of the state of the outer mirror. This has an excellent effect that it can be kept constant and a stable communication area by the antenna can be secured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the present invention and is a see-through view of an antenna coil when an outer mirror is in a use state.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where the outer mirror is in a retracted state.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing an electrical configuration of a keyless entry system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an output pattern of a magnetic communication signal.

FIG. 5 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4, showing how a priority antenna is switched.

FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 5, showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4, showing a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention and is a perspective view showing an antenna coil and a rotation mechanism when an outer mirror is in use;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state when the outer mirror is in a retracted state.

FIG. 10 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view showing in perspective the antenna coil and the mirror storing rotation mechanism when the outer mirror is in use.

FIG. 11 shows the sixth embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view showing the antenna coil when the outer mirror is in use in a see-through state.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a state when the outer mirror is in a retracted state.

FIG. 13 shows the seventh embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view showing the ferrite bar antenna when the outer mirror is in use in a see-through state.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a state when the outer mirror is in a retracted state.

[Explanation of symbols]

In the drawings, 1 is a controller, 2 is a portable device, 3 is a control circuit, 5, 6, 31, 41, 51 are antenna coils, 9 is a door lock mechanism, 11 is a steering lock mechanism, 24
Is a body, 25 is an outer mirror, 25a is a housing,
26 is a fixed shaft, 27 is a storage detection switch, 32 is a rotation mechanism (angle changing means), 43 is a mirror storage rotation mechanism, 6
Reference numeral 1 denotes a ferrite bar antenna.

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Toru Maeda 1 Noda, Toyota, Oguchi-machi, Oguchi-machi, Niwa-gun, Aichi Prefecture Inside Tokai Rika Electric Works, Ltd.

Claims (9)

[Claims] In a housing of an outer mirror of a vehicle,
What is claimed is: 1. A vehicle communication device having an antenna for performing communication with a portable device, wherein the antenna includes a plurality of antenna coils provided in the housing with different directivity directions. A communication device for a vehicle, wherein a communication antenna coil can be switched. 2. The vehicular communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a priority antenna for performing communication with priority among the plurality of antenna coils can be set. 3. The vehicle communication device according to claim 2, wherein a priority antenna is set according to a use or storage state of the outer mirror. 4. The vehicle communication device according to claim 1, wherein an antenna coil with which communication is performed is switched according to a use or storage state of the outer mirror. 5. In a housing of an outer mirror of a vehicle,
A vehicle communication device provided with an antenna for performing communication with a portable device, wherein the antenna comprises an antenna coil,
A vehicle communication device comprising an angle changing means for changing the direction of the antenna coil. 6. The directional direction of the antenna coil is changed by the angle changing means according to the use or storage state of the outer mirror.
The communication device for a vehicle according to claim 1. 7. The outer mirror comprises an electrically retractable mirror which is rotated and displaced by a mirror storing rotation mechanism,
7. The vehicle communication device according to claim 5, wherein the angle changing unit operates in conjunction with the mirror storing rotation mechanism. 8. In a housing of an outer mirror of a vehicle,
A vehicle communication device provided with an antenna for performing communication with a portable device, wherein the antenna comprises an antenna coil,
A communication device for a vehicle, wherein the antenna coil is mounted on a fixed shaft of a housing of the outer mirror. 9. In a housing of an outer mirror of a vehicle,
A vehicle communication device provided with an antenna for performing communication with a portable device, wherein the antenna is formed of a bar antenna, and the bar antenna is provided in a vertical state. Communication device for vehicles.