JP2008308037A - Drunk driving preventive device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drunk driving preventive device capable of certainly detecting alcohol about a driver of a vehicle, and preventing driving under the influence of alcohol or drunk driving. <P>SOLUTION: A start switch 5 starting an engine of the vehicle is provided with an infrared light source 13 irradiating an infrared ray of wavelength which is absorbed in reduced hemoglobin of blood, and an image pick-up element 12 receiving the infrared ray and picking up an image, thereby carrying out individual authentication by a blood vessel pattern. The start switch 5 is provided with an alcohol sensor 14 to detect alcohol ingredient. The infrared ray is irradiated to fingers 101 of the driver, so that perspiration is promoted, and the alcohol ingredient included in vaporized sweat can be accurately detected. The individual authentication and alcohol detection are simultaneously carried out to the fingers 101 of the driver operating the start switch 5, and the engine of the vehicle is started only when the individual authentication is succeeded and alcohol is not detected. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a drunk driving prevention apparatus capable of detecting a driver's alcohol intake and preventing drunk driving or drunk driving when a driver operates a switch for starting an engine of a vehicle.

  Driving drunk or drunk driving vehicles is extremely dangerous and prohibited by law. However, even in recent years, accidents associated with drunk driving or drunk driving are constantly becoming a social problem. For this reason, it is required to use a device for measuring the influence of the alcohol of the driver, and to install a function for prohibiting the vehicle from running when the alcohol is detected by the driver. For example, a vehicle equipped with a drunk driving prevention device that detects alcohol contained in a driver's breath and prohibits the vehicle from running has already been put into practical use.

  In Patent Document 1, a sensor element that changes physical characteristics by an alcohol component is disposed in a driving operation unit such as a steering wheel or a shift lever of a vehicle, and the blood alcohol concentration of the subject is measured based on the output of the sensor element. Drunk driving check devices have been proposed. This check device can directly measure the blood alcohol concentration contained in the sweat of the driver while driving, so that it can reliably detect drunk driving and realize prevention or suppression of drunk driving it can.

  On the other hand, in recent vehicles, various devices are mounted for the purpose of improving the convenience of the driver. For example, in a conventional vehicle, the driver has a key for opening and closing the door and starting the engine, and the door is locked and locked by inserting the key into the keyhole of the door. The engine was started by inserting a key into the keyhole and turning it. In recent vehicles, a system in which a user holding a card key can unlock and lock the door only by pressing or touching a switch provided on the vehicle door, a so-called smart entry system is installed. There is a system that can start the engine by simply depressing a start switch disposed near the driver's seat without plugging in the engine.

In recent years, in order to prevent the vehicle from being stolen, it has been attracting attention that a vehicle is equipped with a security system using biometric information of the driver for personal authentication. As such a security system, for example, biological information such as a fingerprint of a driver's finger, an iris of an eye, or a blood vessel pattern of a finger can be used. In particular, personal authentication using the blood vessel pattern of the finger has the advantage that the driver's psychological resistance is low because no light is irradiated to the eyes as in the case of using the iris, and the fingerprint is used. There is an advantage that it cannot be easily counterfeited because the internal features of the living body are read instead of reading the features of the surface of the living body as in the case.
JP 2005-224319 A

  As described above, in the conventional drunk driving prevention device mounted on a vehicle, in order to detect alcohol from the driver's breath, the driver needs to inject the breath with the cylindrical air inlet added to the mouth. However, in addition to the operation being always added every time the operation is started, since it is not easy to perform cleaning as a device permanently installed in the vehicle, there is a problem in terms of hygiene. In addition, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the driver blows his / her breath without detecting the cylindrical inlet to the mouth, but since the amount of exhalation is not accurate, the accuracy of alcohol detection decreases. There is a problem.

  Moreover, in the case of the conventional drunk driving prevention apparatus, there exists a problem that detection of alcohol can be avoided when others other than a driver inhale. Since the drunk driving check device described in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which a sensor element is disposed in a driving operation unit such as a handle or a shift lever, the driver can be surely checked. However, it is difficult to provide the sensor element on the entire handle or shift lever, and the check by the check device can be avoided by operating the handle or shift lever so that the driver does not touch the sensor element. There is a problem. In addition, there is a problem that it is difficult to detect alcohol accurately because there are individual differences in the amount of sweating, and there are also differences depending on the ambient temperature depending on the season. In addition, since the alcohol is detected from the sweat of the driver who operates the handle or the shift lever, it is highly possible that the vehicle is already running when alcohol is detected, and a warning to the driver is not issued. However, there is a problem that the running of the vehicle itself cannot be stopped or prohibited.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to irradiate the finger of a driver who operates a switch related to traveling of a vehicle with infrared rays and to include it in the air around the switch. By detecting the alcohol component to be detected and controlling whether or not the vehicle can travel according to the detection result, when the driver performs a switch operation for traveling the vehicle, the driver's finger is transmitted with infrared rays. It is an object of the present invention to provide a drunk driving prevention device that can promote sweating and reliably detect a vaporized alcohol component.

  Another object of the present invention is to detect the alcohol component before starting the vehicle engine by detecting the alcohol component by using the engine start switch as a switch for detecting the alcohol component. An object of the present invention is to provide a drunk driving prevention device capable of prohibiting the running of a vehicle.

  Another object of the present invention is that when an alcohol component is detected from a driver's finger, the engine, steering, or shift lever of the vehicle is locked so that the vehicle can be drunk or drunk. An object of the present invention is to provide a drunk driving prevention device that can reliably prevent driving.

  Another object of the present invention is to perform personal authentication based on the biometric information of the finger of the driver who operates the switch, and determine whether the vehicle can travel according to the alcohol component detection result and the personal authentication result. An object of the present invention is to provide a drunk driving prevention device capable of reliably detecting the intake of alcohol for the driver himself and preventing drunk driving or drunk driving by adopting the control configuration.

  Another object of the present invention is to perform imaging by irradiating a driver's finger with infrared light having a wavelength absorbed by the reduced hemoglobin component of blood and comparing it with a previously stored blood vessel pattern. Providing a drunk driving prevention device capable of performing personal authentication reliably based on information inside the living body and capable of performing personal authentication using infrared rays for promoting sweating. It is in.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a means for irradiating infrared rays on the side of the recess when the switch has a pressing part that immerses into the recess by a pressing operation, and alcohol on the side or bottom of the recess. By providing a means for detecting the component and providing an imaging means for personal authentication at the bottom of the recess, the driver's finger that presses the switch is surely irradiated with infrared rays to promote sweating, and the alcohol component It is an object of the present invention to provide a drunk driving prevention apparatus capable of reliably detecting the above and capable of performing personal authentication by reliably imaging a driver's finger pressing the switch.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a warning to the driver by lighting the lamp, displaying a character, displaying an image, or outputting a voice when the driver's alcohol intake is detected. It is an object of the present invention to provide a drunk driving prevention device that allows a person to reliably recognize that alcohol intake has been detected.

  A drunk driving prevention apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is mounted on a vehicle and receives a switch for receiving an operation related to the traveling of the vehicle, an irradiating means for irradiating a finger of a driver who operates the switch with infrared rays, and a periphery of the switch And a control means for controlling whether or not the vehicle is allowed to travel according to a detection result of the detection means.

  In the present invention, infrared rays are applied to a finger of a driver who operates a switch related to traveling of a vehicle. Thereby, sweating of a driver | operator's finger | toe can be accelerated | stimulated and the alcohol component contained in the vaporized sweat can be detected reliably. When the driver operates the switch by allowing the vehicle to travel only when no alcohol component is detected according to the detection result of the alcohol component, and prohibiting the vehicle from traveling when the alcohol component is detected. In addition, the alcohol component can be detected to prevent drunk driving.

  In the drunk driving prevention apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, the switch is a switch that receives a start operation of the engine of the vehicle.

  In the present invention, the alcohol component is detected when the driver operates the start switch of the vehicle engine. Thereby, the alcohol component can be detected before the vehicle engine is started, and the traveling can be prohibited according to the detection result before the vehicle starts to travel.

  In the drunk driving prevention apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, when the control means detects an alcohol component by the detection means, it locks the start of the vehicle engine, the steering lock, or the shift lever lock. It is made to perform.

  In the present invention, when an alcohol component is detected when the driver performs a switch operation, the vehicle engine, steering, or shift lever is locked. Thereby, a vehicle can be made into a state which cannot run, and drunk driving can be prevented.

  The drunk driving prevention apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention comprises authentication means for performing personal authentication based on biometric information related to a finger of a driver who operates the switch, and the control means includes a detection result of the detection means and Whether or not the vehicle is allowed to travel is controlled in accordance with an authentication result of the authentication means.

  In the present invention, when the alcohol component is detected, biometric information related to the driver's finger is acquired and personal authentication is performed. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the alcohol from being detected instead of the driver by another person who has not ingested the alcohol.

  In the drunk driving prevention apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the invention, the irradiating means irradiates infrared light having a wavelength that is absorbed by the reduced hemoglobin component of blood, and images the finger of the driver who operates the switch. An imaging unit; and a storage unit that stores a blood vessel pattern of a driver's finger. The authentication unit includes an image of the driver's finger acquired by the imaging unit and a blood vessel stored in the storage unit. Personal authentication is performed by comparison with a pattern.

  In the present invention, driving with infrared rays using an imaging means capable of irradiating a driver's finger with infrared rays having a wavelength absorbed by the reduced hemoglobin component of blood and receiving the infrared rays for imaging. The person's finger is imaged. Thereby, the blood vessel pattern of the driver's finger can be acquired, and personal authentication can be performed by comparing the image acquired by imaging with the blood vessel pattern stored in advance. Since personal authentication is performed based on the internal characteristics of the living body, there is an advantage that it cannot be easily counterfeited. In addition, since the infrared irradiation means for promoting sweating and the irradiation means for personal authentication can be shared, the drunk driving prevention apparatus having the alcohol component detection function can be equipped with a personal authentication function at low cost.

  Further, in the drunk driving prevention apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the invention, the switch has a pressing part that immerses into the concave part by a pressing operation, and the irradiation means is provided on a side part of the concave part. Infrared rays are emitted, the detection means is provided on the side or bottom of the recess, and the imaging means is provided on the bottom of the recess.

  In the present invention, when the switch has a push-down portion that is inserted into the recess by a pressing operation, infrared irradiation means is provided on the side of the recess, and infrared is irradiated into the recess from the side of the recess. Thereby, it is possible to irradiate infrared rays to the driver's finger that has pressed down the pressing portion to promote sweating. Further, means for detecting an alcohol component is provided on the side or bottom of the recess. As a result, it is possible to reliably detect the alcohol component vaporized in the recess from the driver's finger sweat. An imaging means for personal authentication is provided at the bottom of the recess. Thereby, it is possible to reliably capture an image of the driver's finger that has pressed the pressing portion.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a drunk driving prevention apparatus comprising warning means for giving a warning when an alcohol component is detected by the detection means.

  In the present invention, when an alcohol component is detected, a warning is given to the driver. The warning can be performed by, for example, lighting a warning lamp provided on the instrument panel, displaying a warning message or warning image on the display, or outputting a warning message by voice. Thereby, it is possible to make the driver recognize that the alcohol component has been detected, and to prevent drunk driving or drunk driving.

  In the case of the first invention, infrared rays are emitted to the finger of the driver who operates the switch, the alcohol component contained in the air around the switch is detected, and the driver operates with infrared rays when the driver operates the switch. Since the sweating of the finger can be promoted and the vaporized alcohol component can be detected, the alcohol component can be detected with high accuracy. Further, by allowing the vehicle to travel only when the alcohol component is not detected and prohibiting the vehicle from traveling when the alcohol component is detected, it is possible to reliably prevent drunk driving or drunk driving. Therefore, the reliability of the drunk driving prevention device can be improved, and the occurrence of accidents associated with drunk driving or drunk driving can be prevented, thereby contributing to traffic safety.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, the alcohol component can be detected before the vehicle engine is started by adopting a configuration in which the alcohol component is detected when the driver operates the start switch of the vehicle engine. . Therefore, when an alcohol component is detected, the vehicle can be prohibited from running before the vehicle starts to travel, so that it is possible to reliably prevent accidents associated with drunk driving or drunk driving. it can.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the alcohol component is detected from the driver's finger, the vehicle is reliably prohibited from traveling by locking the vehicle engine, steering, or shift lever. be able to. Therefore, drunk driving or drunk driving can be reliably prevented, and the occurrence of accidents associated with drunk driving or drunk driving can be more reliably prevented.

  According to the fourth aspect of the invention, when detecting the alcohol component, personal authentication is performed based on the biometric information of the driver's finger, and the engine is started according to the detection result and the authentication result. Thus, it is possible to reliably perform personal authentication together with alcohol detection during switch operation. Thereby, it can prevent that the alcohol detection is performed on behalf of a driver | operator by the other person who is not ingesting alcohol, and can detect an alcohol component about a driver | operator himself / herself. Therefore, since the driver's drunk driving or drunk driving can be prevented more reliably, the occurrence of an accident associated with the drunk driving or drunk driving can be more reliably prevented.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the driver's finger is irradiated with infrared light having a wavelength that is absorbed by the reduced hemoglobin component of the blood, and the personal authentication is performed by comparing with the blood vessel pattern stored in advance. As a result, personal authentication can be reliably performed, so that the driver's drunk driving or drunk driving can be more reliably prevented. Infrared irradiation means for promoting sweating and irradiation means for personal authentication can be shared, and the drunk driving prevention device with alcohol component detection function is equipped with a personal authentication function at low cost Therefore, the drunk driving prevention device having the function of preventing drunk driving can be provided at a low price and can be more widely spread.

  Further, in the case of the sixth invention, the infrared irradiation means is provided on the side of the recess, the infrared is irradiated from the side of the recess into the recess, and the alcohol component is detected on the side or bottom of the recess. An alcohol component vaporized in the recess is detected, and an imaging means is provided at the bottom of the recess to capture an image of the driver's finger pressing the pressing unit. As a result, it is possible to reliably irradiate infrared rays on the finger of the driver who performs the switch operation to promote perspiration, to reliably detect the vaporized alcohol component, and to ensure the finger of the driver who performs the switch operation. Personal authentication can be performed by taking an image. Therefore, the reliability of the drunk driving prevention function of the starter can be improved.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when alcohol consumption by the driver is detected, the alcohol consumption is prevented by providing a warning to the driver by lamp lighting, character display, image display, audio output, or the like. Since the driver can recognize that it has been detected, drunk driving or drunk driving can be prevented, and the occurrence of accidents associated with drunk driving or drunk driving can be prevented.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings showing embodiments thereof. FIG. 1 is an overall view showing a configuration of a drunk driving prevention apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the drunk driving prevention apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the drunk driving prevention apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a synthetic resin instrument panel provided on the front side of a driver's seat of a vehicle. The vehicle illustrated in FIG. 1 is a so-called right-hand drive vehicle in which a driver's seat is provided on the right side of the vehicle, and the engine is started within a range where the left hand of the driver 100 who gets on the driver's seat can reach the instrument panel 1. A start switch 5 is provided.

  The start switch 5 is a push-type switch that can perform an engine start operation when pressed by the driver 100. The start switch 5 is a substantially circular depression that is supported in a depression 7 provided in the instrument panel 1 and is pressable in the depression 7 and is urged in a direction against the depression by an elastic member such as a spring (not shown). Part 6. The pressing unit 6 is designed to be immersed in the recess 7 in accordance with the pressing operation, and has a size suitable for the driver 100 to perform the pressing operation with one finger 101. In FIG. 2, (a) illustrates a state where the pressing unit 6 is not pressed, and (b) illustrates a state where the pressing unit 6 is pressed.

  In addition, on the side of the recess 7, an infrared light source 13 that irradiates infrared light of a specific wavelength into the recess 7 (that is, to the finger 101 that pressed the pressing unit 6), and an alcohol component (for example, ethanol) contained in the air And an alcohol sensor 14 for detecting a component). The pressing unit 6 is formed of a material that transmits at least light emitted from the infrared light source 13, and the light transmitted through the pressing unit 6 is collected below the pressing unit 6 (that is, the bottom portion of the recess 7). An imaging unit 10 having a lens 11 and an imaging element 12 that performs imaging with the condensed light is provided. The infrared light source 13, the alcohol sensor 14, and the image sensor 12 are electrically connected to a circuit board 17 disposed in the instrument panel 1, and the circuit board 17 further has a light source drive for driving the infrared light source 13. A pressing detection unit 16 that detects pressing of the unit 15 and the pressing unit 6 is mounted.

  The infrared light source 13 emits infrared light having a wavelength that is absorbed by the reduced hemoglobin component contained in human blood. Further, the image sensor 12 receives an infrared ray having a wavelength that is absorbed by the reduced hemoglobin component and performs imaging. This can be realized, for example, by using an image sensor that is sensitive only to infrared rays having a specific wavelength. It can also be realized by using an image sensor that is sensitive to light including at least infrared rays having a specific wavelength and an optical filter that transmits only infrared rays having the specific wavelength.

  As the alcohol sensor 14, for example, a semiconductor type gas sensor using tin oxide can be used. In clean air, oxygen is adsorbed on the surface of tin oxide, and the oxygen on the surface captures free electrons in the tin oxide, so that the current does not flow easily, that is, the resistance value increases. When the alcohol component is contained in the air, oxygen adsorbed on the surface of tin oxide reacts with the alcohol component, so that the amount of oxygen adsorbed decreases and the resistance value of tin oxide decreases. The alcohol sensor 14 detects an alcohol component by detecting a change in the resistance value of tin oxide.

  In addition, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 30 that performs various processes such as a personal authentication process and an alcohol detection process based on data or signals given from the start switch 5 is mounted at an appropriate position of the vehicle. The ECU 30 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 32, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 33, an authentication storage unit 34, a connection unit 35, a communication unit 36, and a control unit 31 that controls these operations.

  Specifically, the control unit 31 is configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or the like, and by reading and executing a program and data stored in advance in the ROM 32, various control processes are performed. In addition, arithmetic processing and the like are performed. The ROM 32 is configured by a nonvolatile memory element such as a mask ROM, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), or a flash memory, and various software programs necessary for the operation of the ECU 30 are stored in advance. The RAM 33 stores temporary data generated when the control unit 31 performs control processing or arithmetic processing, and is configured by a rewritable memory element such as SRAM (Static RAM) or DRAM (Dynamic RAM). It is. The RAM 33 can also store an image captured by the imaging unit 10.

  The circuit board 17 of the start switch 5 and the ECU 30 are connected by one or a plurality of connection cables, and the ECU 30 is provided with a connection portion 35 for connecting the connection cables. Thereby, the control part 31 of ECU30 can give a drive command to the light source drive part 15, and can control turning on / off of the infrared light source 13. FIG. In addition, the control unit 31 can acquire an image captured by the imaging unit 10 via a connection cable and temporarily store it in the RAM 33. Based on the information provided from the pressing detection unit 16, it can be determined whether or not the pressing unit 6 of the start switch 5 has been pressed. Moreover, the detection result of the alcohol sensor 14 can be acquired and it can be determined whether the driver | operator 100 is a drinking state.

  Further, the authentication storage unit 34 stores the blood vessel pattern of the finger 101 as image data for one or a plurality of drivers 100 permitted to drive the vehicle. The authentication storage unit 34 is configured by a non-volatile rewritable memory element such as an EEPROM or a flash memory so that a vehicle manufacturer or the like can store a blood vessel pattern of the driver 100 in advance. It is.

  The communication unit 36 of the ECU 30 is a CAN (Controller Area Network) or the like to which other devices such as a steering control unit 51, an engine control unit 53, a shift lever control unit 55, and a warning unit 57 mounted on the vehicle are connected. This is for connecting to the network NW. The communication unit 36 transmits / receives data or messages to / from other devices via the network NW. The control unit 31 of the ECU 30 can control operations of these units by transmitting a control message to the steering control unit 51, the engine control unit 53, the shift lever control unit 55, the warning unit 57, and the like by the communication unit 36. It is like that.

  The steering control unit 51 controls the steering device of the vehicle. When the lock request message is received from the ECU 30, the steering control unit 51 is locked so that the driver 100 cannot perform the steering operation. . Similarly, the engine control unit 53 controls the engine of the vehicle. When the engine start request message is received from the ECU 30, the engine is started, and when the lock request message is received from the ECU 30, The vehicle engine is locked so that it cannot be started. The shift lever control unit 55 controls the shift lever of the vehicle. When the lock request message is received from the ECU 30, the driver 100 cannot change the shift lever to “D (drive)”. So that they lock.

  The warning unit 57 is a warning lamp provided on the instrument panel 1, for example, and is disposed in the vicinity of the start switch 5 of the instrument panel 1. The ECU 30 transmits a warning lamp lighting request message from the communication unit 36 to the warning unit 55, so that the warning lamp can be turned on to give a warning to the driver 100. If the vehicle is equipped with a display device such as a liquid crystal display, it may be configured to display a character or image on the display device to give a warning, and the vehicle is equipped with a sound output device such as a speaker. In such a case, a warning sound or a warning message may be output by a voice output device to give a warning.

  In the drunk driving prevention apparatus according to the present invention, when the driver 100 presses the pressing portion 6 of the start switch 5 in order to start the engine of the vehicle, the infrared light source 13 is driven to enter the depression 7, that is, the pressing portion. The finger 101 of the driver 100 who pressed 6 is irradiated with infrared rays. As described above, since the infrared light emitted from the infrared light source 13 is light absorbed by the reduced hemoglobin of blood, the infrared light applied to the finger 101 is absorbed by the blood vessel portion. When imaging by the imaging unit 10 is performed in this state, an image in which only the blood vessel portion is dark and the other portion is bright can be acquired by imaging, and this image becomes a blood vessel pattern for personal authentication.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method of personal authentication by the drunk driving prevention apparatus according to the present invention. (A) shows an example of an image picked up by the image pickup unit 10, and (b1) and (b2) show an example of a blood vessel pattern stored in the authentication storage unit 34. When the imaging unit 10 captures an image of the finger 101 irradiated with infrared rays from the infrared light source 13, the image that can be acquired by imaging is an image in which the blood vessel pattern 105 of the finger 101 is darkly captured. Further, the ECU 3 of the drunk driving prevention device stores one or a plurality of blood vessel patterns in advance in the authentication storage unit 34 (in FIG. 4, two blood vessel patterns 106 and 107 are respectively shown in (b1) and (b2). The blood vessel pattern 105 acquired by the imaging unit 10 is compared with the blood vessel patterns 106 and 107 stored in the authentication storage unit 34, respectively. As a result of the comparison, when the blood vessel pattern 105 acquired by the imaging unit 10 matches one of the blood vessel patterns 106 or 107 stored in the authentication storage unit 34 (however, it does not have to be a complete match and is sufficiently the same) The ECU 3 authenticates the imaged finger 101 as a legitimate driver 100 finger, as long as it can be determined as a blood vessel pattern.

  When the personal authentication is successful, the drunk driving prevention device determines whether or not the driver 100 is in a drunk state by detecting an alcohol component in the air. As described above, the drunk driving prevention apparatus according to the present invention emits infrared rays from the infrared light source 13 when performing personal authentication. When infrared light is applied to the finger 101 of the driver 100, the finger 101 is warmed by the infrared light, so that sweating can be promoted. When the driver 100 takes alcohol, the sweat of the driver 100 includes an alcohol component. Further, since sweat generated from the finger 101 is vaporized, it is determined whether or not the driver 100 is in a drinking state by detecting the alcohol component contained in the air around the finger 101 with the alcohol sensor 14. can do.

  When the alcohol component is not detected by the alcohol sensor 14, the ECU 3 of the drunk driving prevention device gives an instruction to start the engine to the engine control unit 53 so as to start the engine of the vehicle. When the alcohol component is detected, the ECU 3 does not start the engine but gives a lock command to the steering control unit 51 and the shift lever control unit 55 to lock the steering and shift lever of the vehicle in an inoperable state. . As a result, the driver 100 cannot start driving the vehicle in a drunk state.

  FIG.5 and FIG.6 is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the process which the drunk driving prevention apparatus based on this invention performs. First, the control unit 31 of the ECU 30 of the drunk driving prevention device checks whether or not the pressing unit 6 of the start switch 5 has been pressed by the pressing detection unit 16 (step S1), and if the pressing unit 6 has not been pressed, (S1: NO), wait until it is pressed. When the pressing unit 6 is pressed (S1: YES), the control unit 31 gives a drive command to the light source driving unit 15 to turn on the infrared light source 13 (step S2). Next, the control unit 31 performs imaging with the imaging unit 10 (step S3), and compares the image acquired by imaging with the blood vessel pattern stored in the authentication storage unit 34 (step S4). As a result of the comparison, the control unit 31 checks whether or not the blood vessel pattern of the captured image matches the blood vessel pattern stored in the authentication storage unit 34 (step S5).

  When the blood vessel pattern of the image captured by the imaging unit 10 matches the blood vessel pattern stored in the authentication storage unit 34 (S5: YES), the control unit 31 counts time with a timer (not shown) provided therein. It is checked whether or not a predetermined time has passed (step S6). When the predetermined time has not elapsed (S6: NO), the control unit 31 waits until the predetermined time elapses. At this time, the infrared light source 13 continues to irradiate infrared rays, and the predetermined time that the control unit 31 measures is set in advance to a time sufficient for the finger 101 of the driver 100 to sweat. When the predetermined time has elapsed (S6: YES), the control unit 31 acquires the output value of the alcohol sensor 14 (step S7), and checks whether an alcohol component is detected (step S8).

  When the alcohol component is not detected (S8: NO), the control unit 31 releases the lock of the steering of the vehicle by giving an unlock command to the steering control unit 51 (step S9), and an unlock command to the shift lever control unit 55 To unlock the shift lever of the vehicle (step S10), start the vehicle engine by giving a start command to the engine control unit 53 (step S11), and proceed to step S16.

  When the blood vessel patterns do not match (S5: NO), or when an alcohol component is detected (S8: YES), the control unit 31 gives a warning output command to the warning unit 57 to turn on a warning lamp or a warning message. (Step S12), the steering control unit 51 is given a lock command to lock the vehicle steering (step S13), and the shift lever control unit 55 is given a lock command to shift the vehicle. The lever is locked (step S14), and a start command is given to the engine control unit 53 to lock the engine of the vehicle (step S15), so that the vehicle cannot travel, and the process proceeds to step S16. After starting the engine or locking the engine, the control unit 31 gives a drive stop command to the light source driving unit 15 to turn off the infrared light source 13 (step S16), and the process is ended.

  In the drunk driving prevention apparatus having the above configuration, when the driver 100 operates the start switch 5 for starting the vehicle engine, the driver 100 ingests the alcohol by performing personal authentication and alcohol detection. It can be reliably detected before the engine is started. In addition, since personal authentication and alcohol detection are performed simultaneously, it is possible to prevent other people who have not ingested alcohol from starting the engine. Therefore, drunk driving or drunk driving can be surely prevented, contributing to traffic safety. In addition, since the infrared light source 13 for personal authentication irradiates the finger 101 of the driver 100 with infrared light, sweating of the finger 101 can be promoted, so that the alcohol component 14 can be detected with higher accuracy. .

  In this embodiment, the personal authentication is performed based on the blood vessel pattern of the finger 101 of the driver 100. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the personal authentication is performed based on the fingerprint of the finger 101. Also good. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which performs only the detection of whether the alcohol component is ingested and does not perform personal authentication. In addition, when an alcohol component is detected, the vehicle engine, steering, and shift lever are all locked. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and at least one of the engine, steering, or shift lever is locked. Any other device may be used as long as the vehicle can be made in an inoperable state. Moreover, the structure which performs only the warning by the warning part 57, without locking may be sufficient. In addition, the drunk driving prevention apparatus according to the present embodiment is configured to detect the alcohol component by the start switch 5 for starting the engine of the vehicle, but is not limited to this, and is not limited to this. A similar configuration may be applied to the switch to detect the alcohol component.

(Modification)
The above-described drunk driving prevention device has a configuration in which the alcohol sensor 14 is disposed on the side portion of the recess 7 of the start switch 5 (see FIG. 2), but the alcohol sensor 14 may be disposed in another location. . FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the drunk driving prevention apparatus according to the modification of the present invention. In the drunk driving prevention apparatus according to the modified example, the alcohol sensor 14 is disposed at the bottom of the depression 206 or the recess 207 of the start switch 205. For this reason, the shape of the pressing part 206 and the recessed part 207 of the start switch 205 is not circular in a plan view, but is sized and shaped so that the lens 11 and the alcohol sensor 14 can be arranged side by side. As described above, the arrangement position of the alcohol sensor 14 is not limited as long as the alcohol component included in the sweat emitted from the finger 101 of the driver 100 can be detected. Although not shown, the same applies to the position where the infrared light source 13 is disposed.

It is a general view which shows the structure of the drunk driving prevention apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the drunk driving prevention apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the drunk driving prevention apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the method of the personal authentication by the drunk driving prevention apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the process which the drunk driving prevention apparatus which concerns on this invention performs. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the process which the drunk driving prevention apparatus which concerns on this invention performs. It is a typical top view which shows the structure of the drunk driving prevention apparatus which concerns on the modification of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Instrument panel 5 Start switch (switch)
6 Pressing part 7 Concave part 10 Imaging part (imaging means)
11 Lens 12 Image sensor 13 Infrared light source (irradiation means)
14 Alcohol sensor (detection means)
15 Light source drive unit 16 Press detection unit 30 ECU (control means, authentication means)
31 Control unit 32 ROM
33 RAM
34. Storage unit for authentication (storage means)
35 Connection Unit 36 Communication Unit 51 Steering Control Unit 53 Engine Control Unit 55 Shift Lever Control Unit 57 Warning Unit (Warning Unit)
100 driver 101 finger 105, 107 blood vessel pattern

Claims (7)

Mounted on the vehicle,
A switch for accepting an operation related to traveling of the vehicle;
Irradiation means for irradiating infrared rays to the finger of the driver who operates the switch;
Detecting means for detecting an alcohol component contained in the air around the switch;
A drunk driving prevention apparatus comprising: control means for controlling whether or not the vehicle can travel according to a detection result of the detection means. The drunk driving prevention apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switch is a switch that receives a start operation of an engine of the vehicle. 2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein when the alcohol component is detected by the detection device, the vehicle engine start lock, steering lock, or shift lever lock is performed. Or the drunk driving prevention apparatus of Claim 2. Comprising authentication means for performing personal authentication based on biometric information relating to a finger of a driver who operates the switch;
4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls whether or not the vehicle can travel according to a detection result of the detection unit and an authentication result of the authentication unit. 5. The drunk driving prevention device according to 1. The irradiation means is configured to irradiate infrared light having a wavelength absorbed by the reduced hemoglobin component of blood,
Imaging means for imaging a driver's finger operating the switch;
Storage means for storing the blood vessel pattern of the driver's finger,
The authentication unit is configured to perform personal authentication by comparing an image of a driver's finger captured by the imaging unit and a blood vessel pattern stored in the storage unit. 4. The drunk driving prevention device according to 4. The switch has a pressing part that immerses in the recess by a pressing operation,
The irradiation means is provided on a side portion of the recess, and is configured to irradiate infrared rays into the recess.
The detection means is provided on the side or bottom of the recess,
The drunk driving prevention apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the imaging unit is disposed at a bottom of the recess. The drunk driving prevention apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a warning unit that issues a warning when an alcohol component is detected by the detection unit.

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