TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a field of communication, and more particularly, to a near field communication (NFC) control system and a control method for a motor vehicle and a motor vehicle.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Near field communication (NFC) is an emerging technology. Devices using the NFC technology (e.g., mobile phones) may exchange data when they approach each other.

[0003] At present, an NFC card key produced by using the NFC technology is widely used in the automobile industry. As a new type of car key which replaces the traditional car key, it is simple and fast to acquire information of a NFC tag corresponding to the NFC card key, and perform identity matching, through a NFC controller configured for the car. At present, there is already Passive Entry Passive Start (“PEPS”). PEPS executes functions of unlocking a car door and starting a vehicle without a key.

[0004] The NFC controller (e.g., the NFC card reader) on which the NFC card key is based generates an electromagnetic field (e.g., an RF magnetic field) at an NFC antenna by applying a driving signal to the connected NFC antenna. When there is an NFC device within a predetermined range of the NFC antenna, the electromagnetic field may provide energy to the NFC device so that the NFC controller may read data of the NFC device, thereby implementing transmission of energy, signals and data. In addition, the NFC device per se may also generate an electromagnetic field, and the NFC controller may also implement bidirectional data communication with the NFC device.

[0005] Applying the NFC technology to motor vehicles for vehicle function control is a direction that will continue to develop, so how to reduce costs is worth considering.

SUMMARY [0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a near field communication (NFC) control system for a motor vehicle, including: a plurality of NFC antennas; and a single NFC controller, switchably connected with each NFC antenna of the plurality of NFC antennas, and configured to provide a driving signal to one NFC antenna currently connected with the single NFC controller, and when a distance between the one NFC antenna currently connected the single NFC controller and an NFC device is within a predetermined distance, to generate a vehicle control signal based on data communication with the NFC device via the one NFC antenna currently connected; wherein the vehicle control signal is provided to a vehicle control unit, so that the vehicle control unit controls operations of the motor vehicle based on the vehicle control signal.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is further provided a control method for the near field communication (NFC) control system as described above, the control method including: connecting the single NFC controller with each of the plurality of NFC antennas in a time-sharing manner at a predetermined cycle, so that the single NFC controller determines whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined distance at one NFC antenna currently connected with the single NFC controller.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is further provided a control method for the near field communication (NFC) control system as described above, the control method including: connecting the single NFC controller with each of the plurality of NFC antennas in a time-sharing manner based on the power-on state of the motor vehicle and the door state of the motor vehicle, so that the single NFC controller determines whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined distance at one NFC antenna currently connected with the single NFC controller, wherein, the vehicle power-on state includes power-on state and non-power-on state, and the door state includes a locking state and an unlocking state.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is further provided a motor vehicle, including: a near field communication (NFC) control system for a motor vehicle as described above; and a vehicle control unit for acquiring a vehicle control signal from the NFC control system and controlling operations of the motor vehicle based on the vehicle control signal. [0010] According to the solutions proposed by the embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of NFC antennas may be driven by one NFC controller in a time-sharing manner, and only one NFC controller is adopted while data communication via the NFC antennas for controlling a plurality of functions may be performed based on the NFC technology, which may save costs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG. 1 shows a structural block diagram of a near field communication (NFC) control system for a motor vehicle according to a first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 2 shows a structural block diagram of a near field communication (NFC) control system for a motor vehicle according to a second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 3 A to FIG. 3B show an exemplary structure of the switching apparatus.

[0014] FIG. 4 shows a structural block diagram of a near field communication (NFC) control system for a motor vehicle according to a third aspect of the present disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 5 to FIG. 8 respectively show exemplary applications of the NFC control system in the motor vehicle according to respective aspects of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 9 to FIG. 12 respectively show diagrams of switch control logics for the switching apparatus respectively corresponding to the exemplary applications of the NFC control system shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 8.

[0017] FIG. 13 shows a structural block diagram of a motor vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In order to make objectives, technical details and advantages of the present disclosure apparent, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is obvious that the described embodiments are just a part but not all of the embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the present disclosure will not be limited by the exemplary embodiments described here.

[0019] In the specification and the drawings, steps and elements that are basically the same or similar are represented by the same or similar reference signs, and repeated description of these steps and elements will be omitted. Meanwhile, in the description of the present disclosure, the terms “first”, “second” and the like are only used for distinguishing description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or ranking.

[0020] With respect to the current NFC controller (e.g., the NFC card reader), due to limitation of design and driving capacity, it may only drive one NFC antenna to perform data communication with the NFC device (e.g., read data information at the NFC device) through an electromagnetic field of sufficient strength generated around the NFC antenna. On the other hand, with respect to a motor vehicle, in order to use the NFC technology to implement functions of unlocking car doors, the trunk door and starting the vehicle, as well as other vehicle-related functions (e.g., app-based car payment functions, entertainment video and audio functions, etc.), a plurality of NFC controllers need to be arranged to respectively drive the plurality of NFC antennas independently. In such case, costs are relatively high.

[0021] Therefore, the embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a solution based on driving the NFC antennas in a time-sharing manner, that is, a plurality of NFC antennas may be driven through one NFC controller in a time-sharing manner, and only one NFC controller is adopted while data communication via the plurality of NFC antennas for controlling the plurality of functions are performed based on the NFC technology, which may save costs.

[0022] The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0023] FIG. 1 shows a structural block diagram of a near field communication (NFC) control system for a motor vehicle according to a first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1, the control system 100 may include a plurality of NFC antennas 110-1 to 110-N and a single NFC controller 120.

[0025] The NFC technology based on the plurality of NFC antennas 110-1 to 110-N may be used for controlling different functions of the motor vehicle. The plurality of NFC antennas 110-1 to 110-N may be arranged inside and outside of the motor vehicle, for example, positions such as respective car doors, the trunk door, a central console, etc. [0026] Of course, positions arranged may be arbitrary. For example, in order to improve convenience, an NFC antenna is usually arranged close to a component targeted by a corresponding function thereof. For example, an NFC antenna is arranged at the central console to generate, by the NFC 120, a vehicle control signal that controls start of the vehicle based on data communication between the NFC antenna and a NFC device; and an NFC antenna is arranged at the trunk door to generate, by the NFC 120, a vehicle control signal for unlocking or locking the trunk door based on data communication between the NFC antenna and the NFC device. However, this is only exemplary, and these NFC antennas may also be arranged in other positions.

[0027] The single NFC controller 120 is switchably connected with each NFC antenna in the plurality of NFC antennas 110-1 to 110-N, and is configured to provide a driving signal to one NFC antenna currently connected with the single NFC controller; and when a distance between the currently connected one NFC antenna and the NFC device is within a predetermined distance, to generate a vehicle control signal based on data communication with the NFC device via the currently connected one NFC antenna.

[0028] For example, each NFC antenna includes a coupling coil. When supplying an electrical signal to the coupling coil, an electromagnetic field may be generated around the coil for data communication with the NFC device within a predetermined distance (e.g., reading data at the NFC device). In this way, the NFC controller 120 may detect presence of the NFC device near the NFC antenna. Optionally, the data communication using the NFC is based on a radio frequency of 13.56 MHz.

[0029] The NFC device may include an NFC card, or a mobile terminal, a wearable device, etc. For example, the NFC tag (which contains electronic elements inside and has data information recorded) may be integrated into the NFC device such as the NFC card or the mobile terminal or the wearable device, etc. When the NFC device is within the predetermined distance of the NFC antenna, the data information recorded in the NFC tag may be read by the NFC controller connected with the NFC antenna, and at this time, an operation mode at the NFC tag (the NFC device) is a passive mode. In other cases, an electromagnetic field may also be generated at the NFC device so as to implement bidirectional data communication with the NFC controller, that is, the operation mode is an active mode. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation mode of the NFC device will not be limited, as long as the NFC device and the NFC controller may perform data communication with each other.

[0030] Due to limitation of design and driving capacity, the single NFC controller 120 may only be connected with one NFC antenna at a time to provide a driving signal of sufficient energy to the one connected NFC antenna, so as to provide the electromagnetic field strength in accordance with the NFC communication standard.

[0031] When NFC controller 120 acquires data from the NFC device by using the NFC antenna, it may generate a vehicle control signal based on the data. For example, after acquiring the data information recorded in the NFC device, the data may be identified and authenticated. After confirming that the NFC device has a corresponding authority, the vehicle control signal may be generated for doors, or start, etc. of the motor vehicle.

[0032] Optionally, the vehicle control signal output from the NFC controller 120 may be provided to the vehicle control unit, for the vehicle control unit to control operations of the motor vehicle based on the vehicle control signal.

[0033] Optionally, the vehicle control unit may be other control module such as a Body Control Module (BCM), an Electronic Control Unit (ECU), etc., which may control operations of the motor vehicle. Based on the vehicle control signal acquired from the NFC controller 120, the vehicle control unit controls operations of the vehicle, such as start of the vehicle, unlocking/locking the car door, unlocking/locking the trunk door, playing music, etc., depending on the vehicle function targeted by the currently connected NFC antenna. For example, the vehicle control unit may acquire the vehicle control signal and the information of the currently connected NFC antenna from the NFC controller 120, so that it may determine that the NFC controller 120 is currently connected with the NFC antenna for controlling the car door, so it may control the operation of the car door.

[0034] According to the second aspect of the present disclosure, more details of the control system shown in FIG. 1 are further provided.

[0035] FIG. 2 shows a structural block diagram of a near field communication (NFC) control system for a motor vehicle according to the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 2, the NFC controller 120 may include an NFC control chip 120-1 and a switching apparatus 120-2. Of course, in order to implement desired functions, the NFC controller 120 may further include other components.

[0037] The NFC control chip 120-1 is used for providing a driving signal to one NFC antenna currently connected with the NFC controller 120, performing data communication with the NFC device, and generating the vehicle control signal based on the data communication.

[0038] Similar to the above, the NFC control chip 120-1 mainly executes logic operations and other functions in the NFC controller; when a distance between the one currently connected NFC antenna and the NFC device is within a predetermined distance, unidirectional or bidirectional data communication may be performed with the NFC device via the NFC antenna. For example, the data information at the NFC device may be read and a vehicle control signal may be generated based on the data information.

[0039] The switching apparatus 120-2 is connected between the control chip 120-1 of the NFC controller 120 and the plurality of NFC antennas 110-1 to 110-N, and is used for switching connection between the single NFC controller and each NFC antenna of the plurality of NFC antennas 110-1 to 110-N. The switching apparatus 120-2 may acquire a switch control signal from the control chip 120-1 of the NFC controller 120 or acquire a switch control signal from other control units in the vehicle to perform switching.

[0040] Optionally, as shown in FIG. 3 A, the switching apparatus 120-2 includes a plurality of switches, wherein, the plurality of switches are in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of NFC antennas, and a first end of each switch is connected with the control chip 120-1 of the NFC controller 120, and a second end is connected with one NFC antenna corresponding thereto.

[0041] Optionally, as shown in FIG. 3B, the switching apparatus 120-2 includes a switch, a first end of the switch is connected with the control chip 120-1 of the NFC controller 120, and a second end has a plurality of contact points. The plurality of contact points are in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of NFC antennas, and each contact point is connected with one corresponding NFC antenna. For example, the switch is a radio frequency (RF) switch (single-pole multi-throw), which may minimize signal loss and reflection through impedance matching. Common RF switches may include electronic switches, PIN tube switches, etc., and may be integrated into one chip.

[0042] In addition, optionally, each switch in FIG. 3A or one contact point of the switch in FIG. 3B is connected with one NFC antenna corresponding thereto through a coaxial cable.

[0043] In some cases, the driving signal provided by the NFC controller 120 is a two-ended driving signal. For example, the provided alternating-current signal is output through the two output ports of the control chip 120-1 of the NFC controller 120, and at this time, the control system 100 may additionally include a two-ended-to-single-ended apparatus. [0044] FIG. 4 shows a structural block diagram of a near field communication (NFC) control system for a motor vehicle according to a third aspect of the present disclosure.

[0045] As compared with the control system in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the control system shown in FIG. 4 includes a two-ended-to-single-ended apparatus 130, which is connected between the control chip 120-1 of the NFC controller 120 and the switching apparatus 120-2, which may be taken as a portion of the NFC controller 120, and is used for converting the two-ended driving signal (e.g., a differential signal) output by the two output ports of the control chip 120-1 of the NFC controller 120 into a single-ended driving signal, wherein, the single-ended driving signal is provided, via the switching apparatus, to one NFC antenna currently connected with the NFC controller 120.

[0046] Optionally, the two-ended-to-single-ended apparatus 130 may be a balance-unbalance converter or also referred to as an impedance transformer (using Balun), which may be used for connection with one input port of the switching apparatus.

[0047] Based on the near field communication (NFC) control system for a motor vehicle as described with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, by using a switching apparatus to connect one NFC controller with a plurality of NFC antennas in a time- sharing manner, only one NFC controller is adopted while data communication via the NFC antennas for controlling a plurality of functions may be performed based on the NFC technology, which may save costs.

[0048] Hereinafter, several exemplary applications of the NFC control system in the motor vehicle will be described with reference to FIG. 5 to FIG. 8. It should be understood that the vehicle functions controlled by the NFC antennas and arrangement positions in the exemplary applications shown in the diagrams (arranged near these components according to the components corresponding to the controlled functions) are only exemplary. The plurality of NFC antennas may be arranged outside or inside other different positions of the motor vehicle according to actual needs, and a same one NFC controller may be used for connection with these NFC antennas in a time-sharing manner, to perform data communication with the NFC device.

[0049] For example, a first NFC antenna of the plurality of NFC antennas 110-1 to 110-N may be arranged inside the motor vehicle and used for controlling start of the motor vehicle, so that when the NFC controller 120 is coupled to the first NFC antenna, the vehicle control signal for start of the vehicle is generated based on data communication via the first NFC antenna. For example, when the NFC controller 120 is coupled to the first NFC antenna, and a user’s mobile terminal approaches the first NFC antenna, data communication between the NFC controller 120 and the user’s mobile terminal will be performed via the first NFC antenna, so the NFC controller may generate a vehicle control signal, which may be for controlling start of the vehicle.

[0050] For another example, at least one second NFC antenna of the plurality of NFC antennas 110-1 to 110-N is arranged outside the motor vehicle and is used for controlling the car door, so that when the NFC controller is coupled to one of the second NFC antennas, the NFC controller 120 generates a vehicle control signal for unlocking the car door based on the data communication via the connected one second NFC antenna. For example, when the NFC controller 120 is coupled to the second NFC antenna, and the user’s mobile terminal approaches the second NFC antenna, data communication between the NFC controller 120 and the user’s mobile terminal will be performed via the second NFC antenna, so the NFC controller may generate a vehicle control signal to control to unlock the car door of the vehicle. Optionally, there may be only one second NFC antennas, for example, only for controlling unlocking and locking of the (upper left) driver’s door; and of course, there may also be multiple second NFC antennas, for example, for respectively controlling unlocking and locking of four car doors.

[0051] For another example, a third NFC antenna of the plurality of NFC antennas 110-1 to 110-N may be arranged outside the motor vehicle and used for controlling the trunk door, and/or the third NFC antenna may be arranged inside the motor vehicle for controlling other vehicle functions (e.g., video functions, app-based car payment functions, etc.).

[0052] As shown in FIG. 5, a case of two NFC antennas included is shown, one of which is used for controlling start of the motor vehicle, and is shown to be arranged at the central console inside the motor vehicle, and the other is used for controlling unlocking and locking of the driver’s door, and is shown to be arranged at the driver’s door outside the motor vehicle. The NFC controller 120 is connected with an NFC antenna ANT01 through a coaxial cable Cl, and is connected with an NFC antenna ANT02 through a coaxial cable C2. The switching apparatus in the NFC controller 120 will connect the NFC controller 120 with only one of the NFC antenna ANT01 and the NFC antenna ANT02 at each moment according to the switch control logic, and generate a vehicle control signal based on determination that there is data communication via one connected NFC antenna, so as to send the same to the vehicle control unit (not shown).

[0053] As shown in FIG. 6, a case of three NFC antennas included is shown. One NFC antenna ANT01 is used for controlling start of the motor vehicle and is shown to be arranged at the central console inside the motor vehicle, and the other two NFC antennas ANT02 and ANT03 are respectively used for controlling unlocking and locking of the driver’s door and the passenger’s door, and are shown to be arranged at the driver’s door and the passenger’s door outside the motor vehicle. Wherein, the NFC controller 120 is respectively connected with the NFC antennas ANT01, ANT02 and ANT03 through coaxial cables Cl, C2 and C3. The switching apparatus in the NFC controller 120 will connect the NFC controller 120 with only one of the NFC antennas ANT01, ANT02 and ANT03 at each moment according to the switch control logic, and generate a vehicle control signal based on determination that there is data communication via one NFC antenna connected, so as to send the same to the vehicle control unit (not shown).

[0054] As shown in FIG. 7, a case of four NFC antennas included is shown. As compared with that shown in FIG. 6, an NFC antenna ANT04 for controlling the trunk door and a corresponding coaxial cable C4 are added, and are shown to be arranged at the trunk door outside the motor vehicle. The switching apparatus in the NFC controller 120 will connect the NFC controller 120 with only one of the NFC antennas ANT01, ANT02, ANT03 and ANT04 at each moment according to the switch control logic, and generate a vehicle control signal based on determination that there is data communication via one NFC antenna connected, so as to send the same to the vehicle control unit (not shown).

[0055] As shown in FIG. 8, a case of four NFC antennas included is shown. As compared with that shown in FIG. 6, an NFC antenna ANT05 for controlling another function of the vehicle (e.g., the video playback function, or the app-based car payment function, etc.) and a corresponding coaxial cable C5 are added, and are shown to be arranged at a rear seat inside the motor vehicle. The switching apparatus in the NFC controller 120 will connect the NFC controller 120 with only one of the NFC antennas ANT01, ANT02, ANT03, ANT04 and ANT05 at each moment according to the switch control logic, and generate a vehicle control signal based on determination that there is data communication via one NFC antenna connected, so as to send the same to the vehicle control unit (not shown).

[0056] It should be understood that the above-described exemplary applications of the NFC control system as described in conjunction with FIG. 5 to FIG. 8 does not include all possible application scenarios. According to actual needs, more NFC antennas may be provided, for example, an NFC antenna for controlling a skylight may also be included, and these NFC antennas may be arranged in other positions of the motor vehicle that are different from the positions shown, which will not be limited in the present disclosure.

[0057] In addition, as mentioned above, the switching apparatus will connect the NFC controller 120 with only one NFC antenna of the plurality of NFC antennas at each moment according to the switch control logic. Therefore, another aspect of the present disclosure further discloses a control method for the NFC control system as described above with reference to FIG. 5 to FIG. 8.

[0058] In some embodiments, the control method may include checking in turn at a predetermined cycle, that is, the NFC controller 120 is connected with each of the plurality of NFC antennas in a time- sharing manner at a predetermined cycle, so that the NFC controller 120 determines whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined distance from the currently connected one NFC antenna.

[0059] That is to say, the NFC antenna is sequentially connected with each of the plurality of NFC antennas for checking in turn, so as to determine whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined distance from a corresponding NFC antenna (e.g., based on whether there is data communication).

[0060] For example, taking the NFC control system arranged in a mode shown in FIG. 8 as an example, by connecting the NFC controller 120 with the NFC antenna ANT01 in a 1 t time period, the NFC controller 120 may provide a driving signal to the NFC antenna ANT01, and when a distance between the currently connected NFC antenna ANT01 and the NFC device is within a predetermined distance, the NFC controller 120 may determine that there is an NFC device based on data communication with the NFC device via the NFC antenna ANT01, and generate a vehicle control signal based on the data communication. Thereafter, by connecting the NFC controller 120 with the NFC antenna ANT02 in a 2nd time period, connecting the NFC controller 120 with the NFC antenna ANT03 in a 3rd time period, connecting the NFC controller 120 with the NFC antenna ANT04 in a 4th time period, connecting the NFC controller 120 with the NFC antenna ANT05 in a 5 th time period, and then connecting the NFC controller 120 with the NFC antenna ANT01 again in a 6th time period, the process is repeated and the NFC controller 120 executes the same process. Other application scenarios are also similar.

[0061] In other embodiments, the control method may include: connecting the single NFC controller with each of the plurality of NFC antennas in a time-sharing manner based on a power-on state of the motor vehicle and a door state of the motor vehicle, so that the NFC controller 120 determines whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined distance at the currently connected one NFC antenna.

[0062] Such a control method may be more personalized and more secure than the control method of checking in turn at a predetermined cycle. For example, the vehicle power-on state may include a power-on state and a non-power-on state, wherein, in the power-on state, other functions in the vehicle, for example, lighting, and radio, etc., may be used, but the vehicle does not start; and in the non-power-on state, none of the electronic functions in the vehicle can be used. In addition, the door state may include all-vehicle locking (also referred to as “locking”, all doors locked) and all-vehicle unlocking (also referred to as “unlocking”, which is the case as long as one door is unlocked); and the all-car locking may be further divided into locking based on central console lock and locking based on non-central console lock.

[0063] Different switch control logics may be obtained based on different conditions of the vehicle power-on state and different conditions of the door state. FIG. 9 to FIG. 12 show the diagrams of the switch control logics used in the switching apparatus (e.g., the RF switch) respectively corresponding to the exemplary applications of the NFC control system shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 8.

[0064] For example, as shown in FIG. 9, for the NFC control system as described with reference to FIG. 5, the switching apparatus may be controlled in the manner below, so that the NFC controller 120 is connected with only one NFC antenna at each moment.

[0065] As for condition 1, the vehicle power-on state is the non-power-on state, and the door state is locking based on non-central console lock. It indicates that there is no person inside the vehicle at this time, so there is no need to detect whether to start the vehicle, and thus there is no need to detect whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined range from the NFC antenna ANT01 for controlling start of the vehicle. The switching apparatus may be controlled to connect the NFC controller 120 with the NFC antenna ANT02 used in the driver’s door, so that the NFC 120 sends a driving signal to the ANT02, to determine whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined range from the NFC antenna ANT02, and determine whether to generate a vehicle control signal for unlocking the driver’s door based on data communication between the two.

[0066] As for condition 2, the vehicle power-on state is a non-power-on state, and the door state is locking based on central console lock. Because the locking based on central console lock may indicate that there is a person inside the vehicle, it is necessary to detect whether to start the vehicle, that is, it is necessary to detect whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined range from the NFC antenna ANT01 for controlling start of the vehicle, and the person inside the vehicle may not be a driver (e.g., may be a child), so it may be necessary to unlock the car door from the outside, and it is further necessary to detect whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined range from the NFC antenna for controlling the driver’s door. Therefore, the switching apparatus may be controlled to respectively connect the NFC controller 120 with the ANT01 and the ANT02 in turn at a first cycle, so that the NFC 120 may send a driving signal to one of the ANT01 and the ANT02 in each cycle to determine whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined range from the NFC antenna ANT01 or ANT02, so as to determine whether to generate a vehicle control signal for starting the vehicle or a vehicle control signal for unlocking the driver’s door (performing checking in turn on the ANT01 and the ANT02), based on data communication between the two.

[0067] As for condition 3, the vehicle power-on state is a non-power-on state, and the door state is an unlocking state. In this case, there may or may not be a person inside the vehicle, so it is necessary to detect whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined range from the NFC antenna ANT01 for controlling start of the vehicle, and meanwhile, it is also necessary to detect whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined range from the NFC antenna for controlling the driver’s door. Therefore, similar to the processing mode in condition 2, the switching apparatus may also be controlled to respectively connect the NFC controller 120 with the ANT01 and the ANT02 in turn at the first cycle (performing checking in turn on the ANT01 and the ANT02).

[0068] As for condition 4, the vehicle power-on state is a power-on state, and the door state is an all-vehicle locking state (including locking based on central console lock and locking based on non-central console lock). Because the vehicle power-on state may be a power-on state usually indicating that there is a person inside the vehicle, it is necessary to detect whether to start the vehicle, that is, it is necessary to detect whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined range from the NFC antenna ANT01 for controlling start of the vehicle, and the person inside the vehicle may not be a driver (e.g., may be a child), so it may be necessary to unlock the door from the outside, so that it is also necessary to detect whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined range from the NFC antenna for controlling the driver’s door. Therefore, similar to the processing mode in condition 2, the switching apparatus may also be controlled to respectively connect the NFC controller 120 with the ANT01 and the ANT02 in turn at the first cycle (performing checking in turn on the ANT01 and the ANT02).

[0069] As for condition 5: the vehicle power-on state is a power-on state, and the door state is an all-vehicle unlocking state. Because the vehicle power-on state being a power-on state usually indicates that there is a person inside the vehicle, and in such case, it is usually not allowed to lock (lock up) the door from the outside, it is not necessary to detect whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined range from the NFC antenna for controlling the driver’s door, and it is only necessary to detect whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined range from the NFC antenna ANT01 for controlling start of the vehicle; and therefore, the switching apparatus may be controlled to connect the NFC controller 120 with the NFC antenna ANT01 for controlling start of the vehicle, so that the NFC 120 sends a driving signal to the ANT01, to determine whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined range from the NFC antenna ANT01, so as to determine whether to generate a vehicle control signal for starting the vehicle based on data communication between the two. [0070] For another example, as shown in FIG. 10, similarly, for the NFC control system as described with reference to FIG. 6, the switching apparatus may be controlled in a mode below, so that the NFC controller 120 is connected with only one NFC antenna at each moment.

[0071] Since in the NFC control system as described with reference to FIG. 6, only an NFC antenna ANT03 for controlling the passenger’s door is added relative to FIG. 5, a connection mode of the ANT03 is similar to that of the ANT02, as described below.

[0072] As for condition 1, the vehicle power-on state is a non-power-on state, and the door state is locking based on non-central console lock. It indicates that there is no person inside the vehicle at this time, so there is no need to detect whether to start the vehicle, and thus there is no need to detect whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined range from the NFC antenna ANT01 for controlling start of the vehicle. The switching apparatus may be controlled to connect the NFC controller 120 with the NFC antenna ANT02/ANT03 used for the driver’s/passenger’s door in a time-sharing manner (e.g., at a second cycle), so that the NFC 120 may send the driving signal to the ANT02 and the ANT03 in a time-sharing manner (e.g., at the second cycle), to respectively determine whether there is an NFC device within the predetermined range from the NFC antennas ANT02 and ANT03, to respectively determine whether to generate a vehicle control signal for unlocking the driver’s or passenger’s door based on data communication.

[0073] As for condition 2, the vehicle power-on state is a non-power-on state, and the door state is locking based on central console lock. Because the locking based on central console lock may indicate that there is a person inside the vehicle, it is necessary to detect whether to start the vehicle, that is, it is necessary to detect whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined range from the NFC antenna ANT01 for controlling start of the vehicle, and the person inside the vehicle may not be a driver (e.g., may be a child), so it is also necessary to detect whether there is an NFC device within the predetermined range from the NFC antenna for controlling the driver’s/passenger’s door at a same time. Therefore, the switching apparatus may be controlled to respectively connect the NFC controller 120 with the ANT01, the ANT02 and the ANT03 in turn at a third cycle, so that the NFC 120 may send a driving signal to one of the ANT01, the ANT02 and the ANT03 in each cycle, to determine whether there is an NFC device within the predetermined range from the NFC antenna ANT01, ANT02 or ANT03, so as to determine whether to generate a vehicle control signal for starting the vehicle or a vehicle control signal for unlocking the driver’s/passenger’s door (performing checking in turn on the ANT01, the ANT02 and the ANT03) based on data communication.

[0074] As for condition 3, the vehicle power-on state is a non-power-on state, and the door state is an unlocking state. In this case, there may or may not be a person inside the vehicle, so it is necessary to detect whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined range from the NFC antenna ANT01 for controlling start of the vehicle, and meanwhile, it is also necessary to detect whether there is an NFC device within the predetermined range at the NFC antenna for controlling the driver’s/passenger’s door. Therefore, similar to the processing mode in condition 2, the switching apparatus may also be controlled to respectively connect the NFC controller 120 with the ANT01, the ANT02 and the ANT03 in turn at the first cycle (performing checking in turn on the ANT01 and the ANT02 and the ANT03).

[0075] As for condition 4, the vehicle power-on state is a power-on state, and the door state is an all-vehicle locking state (including locking based on central console lock and locking based on non-central console lock). Because the vehicle power-on state may be a power-on state usually indicating that there is a person inside the vehicle, that is, it is necessary to detect whether to start the vehicle, that is, it is necessary to detect whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined range from the NFC antenna ANT01 for controlling start of the vehicle, and the person inside the vehicle may not be a driver (e.g., may be a child), so it is also necessary to detect whether there is an NFC device within the predetermined range from the NFC antenna for controlling the driver’s/passenger’s door at a same time. Therefore, similar to the processing mode in condition 2, the switching apparatus may also be controlled to respectively connect the NFC controller 120 with the ANT01 and the ANT02 and the ANT03 in turn at the first cycle (performing checking in turn on the ANT01 and the ANT02 and the ANT03).

[0076] As for condition 5, the vehicle power-on state is a power-on state, and the door state is an all-vehicle unlocking state. Because the vehicle power-on state being a power-on state usually indicate that there is a person inside the vehicle, and in such case, it is usually not allowed to lock (lock up) the door from the outside, it is not necessary to detect whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined range from the NFC antenna for controlling the driver’s door, and it is only necessary to detect whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined range from the NFC antenna ANT01 for controlling start of the vehicle; and therefore, the switching apparatus may be controlled to connect the NFC controller 120 with the NFC antenna ANT01 for controlling start of the vehicle, so that the NFC 120 sends a driving signal to the ANT01, to determine whether there is an NFC device within a predetermined range from the NFC antenna ANT01, so as to determine whether to generate a vehicle control signal for starting the vehicle based on data communication between the two.

[0077] The switch control logic in the diagrams shown in FIG. 11 to FIG. 12 is similar to that shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, except that the NFC antenna for controlling the trunk door and the NFC antenna for other vehicle functions are also considered additionally. As shown in the diagram in FIG. 11, the NFC device within the predetermined distance from the NFC antenna for controlling the trunk door may not be detected only under the last condition (control of door locking and trunk door locking from the outside is not allowed in a case where there is a person inside the vehicle in an all-vehicle unlock state). However, as shown in the diagram of FIG. 12, in a first case, the NFC device within the predetermined distance from the NFC antenna for controlling other functions inside the vehicle may not be detected (because there is no person in the vehicle), and in the last case, the NFC device within the predetermined distance from the NFC antenna for controlling other functions inside the vehicle may also be detected (locking of the vehicle from the outside is not allowed, but the vehicle functions may be controlled inside).

[0078] It may be seen that in the control method based on the above-described switch control logic, different combinations of the vehicle power-on state and the door state are corresponding to modes of controlling the switching apparatus that should be adopted based on specific scenarios. Those skilled in the art should understand that the above-described switch control logic may be modified if a perspective of consideration is different. By setting the control logic in this way, security of the vehicle’s NFC control system and personalization of control may be improved, and a detection process thereof is omitted for some NFC antennas that do not need to be used. Therefore, the switching apparatus may reduce a switching frequency, thereby saving power consumption to a certain extent.

[0079] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is further disclosed a motor vehicle.

[0080] FIG. 13 shows a schematic structural block diagram of a motor vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 13, the motor vehicle 1300 may include an NFC control system 1310 and a vehicle control unit 1320, wherein, the NFC control system 1310 may be the NFC control system 100 as described above with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 8, and the vehicle control unit 1320 is used for acquiring a vehicle control signal from the NFC control system 1310, and controlling an operation of the motor vehicle based on the vehicle control signal.

[0082] Optionally, the NFC control system may be controlled by using the control method as described with reference to FIG. 9 to FIG. 12.

[0083] In this way, since the motor vehicle includes the NFC control system as described above, only one NFC controller is adopted while data communication via the NFC antennas for controlling a plurality of functions may be performed based on the NFC technology, by using the switching apparatus in the NFC control system to connect the one NFC controller with a plurality of NFC antennas in a time-sharing manner, which may save costs.

[0084] Although the subject matter has been described in detail for various specific exemplary embodiments of the subject matter, yet each example is provided by explaining rather than limiting the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art may easily make modifications, changes and equivalents of such embodiments after understanding the above contents. Therefore, the present disclosure does not exclude such modifications, changes and/or additions to the subject matter that will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used together with another embodiment to produce yet another embodiment. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure covers such modifications, changes and equivalents.

[0085] It should be noted that the flow charts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate possible architectures, functions and operations of systems, methods and functional modules according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flow charts or block diagrams may represent a module, a program segment, or a portion of the code, and the module, the program segment, or the portion of the code contains at least one executable instruction for implementing specified logic functions. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the block may also occur in a different order from those marked in the diagrams. For example, two consecutive blocks may actually be executed in parallel, and sometimes they may also be executed in a reverse order, depending on the function involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagrams and/or flow charts, as well as combinations of the blocks in the block diagrams and/or flow charts, may be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system that executes specified functions or operations, or by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0086] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure as described above in detail are only illustrative, not limitative. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications and combinations may be made to these embodiments or features thereof without departing from the principles and spirit of the present disclosure, and such modifications should fall within the scope of the present disclosure.