JP2001065211A - Theft preventive system for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To unlock the door equipped with a safety measure against a vehicle theft by using a fingerprint recognizing device and a keyless entry system, and enhance the security performance and its convenience. SOLUTION: An on-board computer 5 enables the receipt of a remote operation signal by a vehicle-side receiver 2 in a prescribed time and keyless entry system, when a door can not be unlocked the fingerprint recognition in a fingerprint recognizing device 11. Further, a portable transmitter 4 is started by adding a vibration or pressure, so that a remote operation signal is transmitted from the portable transmitter 4 to the vehicle-side receiver 2. The on-board computer 5 judges whether or not this remote operation signal coincides with the identification code in the transmission or receiving and when the identification code is coincident, a driving mechanism 3 is controlled to unlock the door.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle theft prevention system that unlocks a door by unlocking the door by remote control in a keyless entry system, together with unlocking the door by fingerprint recognition.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various keyless entry systems have been known in which a portable transmitter is operated in close proximity to transmit a personal identification code to lock and unlock a vehicle door without using a door key. I have. As this keyless entry system, a technology for unlocking the door of a vehicle by fingerprint identification has been proposed (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-539).
No. 72, "Unlocking method of car door by fingerprint identification", JP-A-61-64977, "Solid-state identification door opening / closing device", JP-A-62-101777, "Electronic key device" .

In this type of door lock unlocking by fingerprint identification, the fingerprint identification ability is a problem. For example, since the fingerprint recognition device is provided on a door or the like outside a vehicle, fingerprint reading ability is deteriorated due to contamination of the reading optical system, adhesion of water, and the like, and damage or contamination of a finger of a person who performs fingerprint recognition. It is also known that fingerprint recognition requires a great deal of time to perform complicated pattern recognition processing, and that the shorter the identification time, the higher the probability of erroneous recognition.

[0004]

As described above, in the door lock unlocking system based on fingerprint identification, improvement of the fingerprint identification capability has been a problem. In addition, vandalism or theft of the vehicle (approx. It is desired to further improve the safety of the system.

[0005] The present invention is to solve such a problem in the prior art, and when a door lock cannot be unlocked by fingerprint recognition, a remote control signal is transmitted by a portable transmitter in a keyless entry system. When the password matches, the door lock can be unlocked, and the door lock with security against theft of the vehicle can be implemented, and the vehicle theft that can improve its security performance and convenience The purpose is to provide a prevention system.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle antitheft system according to the present invention comprises: a fingerprint recognizing means for recognizing a human fingerprint; and fingerprint data obtained by the fingerprint recognizing means, which is registered in advance. Fingerprint identification means for identifying the fingerprint data by collating the fingerprint data, a portable transmitter for transmitting a remote control signal for unlocking a door of a vehicle when receiving an activation instruction by an external force, and the fingerprint identification means When the fingerprint data is matched by the collation in the above, the door lock is unlocked, and when the identification result of the fingerprint data by the fingerprint identification means is abnormal, the remote control signal from the portable transmitter can be received. And a door lock unlock control means for unlocking the door lock when the password of the received remote operation signal is correct.

[0007] The portable transmitter has a starting means including a switch which is turned on by at least one of vibration and pressure by an external force as the start instruction.

Further, the fingerprint recognizing means has an optical reading device for optically reading a fingerprint of a person, and a detecting portion of the optical reading device is disposed outside a vehicle door or in the vicinity of the door. It has become.

In such a vehicle antitheft system of the present invention, when the door lock cannot be unlocked by fingerprint recognition, the portable transmitter in the keyless entry system is activated by applying vibration or pressure. Thereafter, the remote control signal is transmitted to and received from the vehicle-side receiver to unlock the door. In this case, the door lock is unlocked when the passwords match. In addition, the portable transmitter is configured to be activated by applying vibration, pressure, or the like to transmit a remote control signal, so that the user can easily release the door lock without manually operating the portable transmitter. Locking becomes possible. As a result, the door lock with security against theft of the vehicle is unlocked, and the security performance and convenience are improved.

[0010]

Next, an embodiment of a vehicle anti-theft system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle anti-theft system of the present invention in a vehicle, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the main configuration of a fingerprint identification device.

Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle theft prevention system according to this embodiment includes a vehicle 1 having a vehicle-side receiver 2 for receiving a remote control signal including a password for door lock / unlock, and a door lock mechanism. A drive mechanism 3 for driving an electromagnetic coil or the like to perform a door lock / unlock operation, a portable transmitter 4 carried by a person to remotely control a door lock of a vehicle, and a vehicle anti-theft system. A vehicle-mounted computer 5 serving as a fingerprint identification unit and a door unlocking control unit for performing control and control relating to operation of each unit of the vehicle, and a vehicle 1 which is disposed at a door (outside the vehicle) of the vehicle 1 and the like.
And a fingerprint recognition device 11 as fingerprint recognition means for taking in fingerprint data of a passenger's finger placed when the user gets on the vehicle and transferring it to the in-vehicle computer 5.

An activation section 4 for activating the portable transmitter 4 and transmitting a remote control signal when the whole apparatus is vibrated or when pressure is applied by a human finger or the like.
a is provided. The starting unit 4a is configured using a conventional switch unit that is operated by an external pressure, such as a mercury switch that is turned on / off by vibration or a mechanical displacement switch that is turned on by pressure.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, an approach sensor for detecting the approach of a person to the vehicle and activating the fingerprint identification device 11 or the like may be further provided.

The drive mechanism 3 is provided in each door unit 7 such as a driver's door unit, a passenger's seat door unit, and left and right rear door units. In some cases, the unit 7 includes individual devices including an antenna, a vehicle-side receiver, and a control unit.

The portable transmitter 4 may be of a type capable of transmitting and receiving data in addition to a device capable of performing only transmission, and various types such as those having an alarm function, a passive type, and an active type may be used. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the remote control type as shown in the figure, but may be a type in which a transmitter is integrally incorporated in a key holding portion or the like, or a key holder type. The transmission and reception of the remote control signal is not limited to the one using a radio wave, but may be any other method such as the one transmitting and receiving an infrared ray.

The on-board computer 5 is connected to electronic circuits, an ignition circuit, a relay box, etc. of various parts in the vehicle 1, and updates and transmits / receives a security code of a remote operation signal, and operates a door lock mechanism such as an operation of a door lock mechanism. The operation control relating to the unlocking is performed, and the operation control relating to the operation such as the operation control of each part of the vehicle such as the light and the power window of the vehicle and the air-fuel ratio control is performed. These control programs are stored in a memory such as an EEPROM connected to the CPU of the vehicle-mounted computer 5. The operation program of a portion that does not directly affect the operation of the vehicle in the control program may be configured to be changeable.

The fingerprint recognition device 11 shown in FIG. 2 is provided so that the detection unit is exposed at a door (outside the vehicle) on the driver's seat side or in the vicinity thereof. The fingerprint recognition device 11 includes a transparent base 11 a on which a finger is placed to unlock a door when a person gets into the vehicle 1, and a mechanical type that sends a detection signal of a fingerprint of the placed finger to the on-vehicle computer 5. Or an optical switch 11b and an image sensor 1 such as a CCD for sending fingerprint data obtained by photographing a finger to the on-vehicle computer 5.
1c to form a detection unit. In addition, the image sensor 1
The drive circuit 1c, a number of condenser lenses disposed on the light receiving surface, and an objective lens disposed between the image sensor 11c and the transparent base 11a are not shown.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the operation of the embodiment. First, the fingerprint recognition device 11 operates to perform the door unlock operation. When a person approaches the vehicle 1, the fingerprint recognition device 11 is activated by detection of an unillustrated proximity sensor. A passenger's finger is placed on the transparent table 11a for unlocking the door. The switch 11b mechanically or optically detects the state where the finger is placed, and sends this detection signal to the vehicle-mounted computer 5. The in-vehicle computer 5 receiving the detection signal drives the image sensor 11c, optically reads the fingerprint of the occupant's finger on the transparent base 11a, and captures the photoelectrically converted fingerprint data by the in-vehicle computer 5 (FIG. 3). Step S1). Then, collation with the fingerprint data registered in advance is performed (step S
2).

In the collation of the captured fingerprint data, when it is recognized that the fingerprint data matches the registered fingerprint data of the authorized user, the vehicle-mounted computer 5 controls the drive mechanism 3 to unlock the door lock. Perform (Step S
3, S4). When the fingerprint recognition device 11 is provided for each of the driver's seat side door, the passenger's seat side door, and the left and right rear doors, the door lock unlocking operation is performed in the door units of each part.

Here, since the fingerprint recognition device 11 is provided outside the vehicle, its reading optical system (the transparent table 11a, the light receiving surface of the image pickup device 11c, etc.) has dirt, water or the like,
Fingerprint recognition capability may be degraded due to damage or dirt on the finger of the person performing fingerprint recognition. In this case, the fingerprint data registered in advance in the in-vehicle computer 5 cannot be correctly collated, resulting in a mismatch, and the door lock may not be unlocked (step S3: No). At this time, for example,
When an alarm sound is issued under the control of the vehicle-mounted computer 5, the door lock cannot be unlocked easily.

If the door lock cannot be unlocked by the fingerprint recognition in this way, the process proceeds to step S5 and thereafter, and the door lock is unlocked by the keyless entry system. First, the timer of the in-vehicle computer 5 is turned on (step S5), and then the receiver (vehicle side receiver 2) is turned on to receive the remote control signal in order to perform the time counting preset in the in-vehicle computer 5. The state is set (step S6). This timer setting is provided, for example, so as not to limit the assignment of control of the CPU in the vehicle-mounted computer 5, that is, other control operations. Alternatively, the keyless entry system can unlock the door only during a predetermined period after a fingerprint recognition error by terminating the capture of the password for unlocking the door from the portable transmitter 4 within a fixed period (timeout period). It is provided in order to make. As a result, the effect of giving up the operation of transmitting the personal identification code from the portable transmitter 4 or the like of the person who is going to steal is obtained, which is an effective means for theft countermeasures.

Thereafter, the count time of the timer is checked (timer check, step S7), and it is determined whether or not the timer has counted up and timed out (step S8). In the case of a timeout, the in-vehicle computer 5 controls the receiver (vehicle-side receiver 2) to be turned off (step S9).

Here, the user applies a shock to the portable transmitter 4 placed in a pocket, a bag, or the like, causing the portable transmitter 4 to vibrate,
When pressure is applied by pressing the activation unit 4a with a human finger or the like,
The portable transmitter 4 is activated by an activation signal from the activation unit 4a. In particular, when the activation unit 4a is a switch of a passive element, it is not necessary to energize this switch when it is not operated, and it is possible to set a CPU or the like to a complete sleep state, thereby saving power. Become. Portable transmitter 4
Is activated upon receiving an activation operation on the activation unit 4a,
The remote control signal including the password is transmitted to the vehicle-side receiver 2. In addition, the portable transmitter 4 and the vehicle-side receiver 2 may be configured to have a transmission / reception function, and may transmit a response signal or the like to transmit a personal identification code.

If the timeout has not occurred in step S8, it is determined whether or not a remote control signal has been received by the vehicle-side receiver 2 (step S10), and if not, the process returns to the timer check in step S7. Step S1
When the remote control signal is received at time 0 before the time-out, the in-vehicle computer 5 controls the receiver (vehicle-side receiver 2) to be turned off (step S11). And
The in-vehicle computer 5 collates the personal identification code of the received remote operation signal with a previously registered personal identification code (step S12), determines whether or not they match, and performs authentication (step S13). If the authentication is successful, the unlock signal is sent to the drive mechanism 3 to drive the electromagnetic coil of the door lock mechanism to unlock the door (step S14).

The unlocking operation of the door by the security code is performed by authenticating the security code in the vehicle-side receiver 2 and outputting an authentication signal to the in-vehicle computer 5 to unlock the door lock or to unlock the door. An unlock signal may be output from the receiver 2 to the drive mechanism 3 to unlock the door lock.

As described above, in the vehicle theft prevention system of the present embodiment, when the door lock cannot be unlocked by fingerprint recognition by the fingerprint recognition device 11, the portable transmitter 4 in the keyless entry system is activated by vibration or pressure. To send a remote control signal. Then, when the passwords match, the door lock is unlocked. Also, even when the user's finger is dirty and fingerprint recognition cannot be performed normally, a password can be transmitted by applying a shock or the like, and the door lock can be easily opened without removing the portable transmitter 4 from a pocket or the like. Can lock. As a result, it is possible to easily unlock the door lock with safety against theft of the vehicle, and its security performance and convenience are improved.

[0027]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the vehicle antitheft system of the present invention, when the door lock cannot be unlocked by the fingerprint recognition, the remote control signal is transmitted by the portable transmitter in the keyless entry system. When the passwords match, the door can be unlocked. As a result, the door can be unlocked with security against vehicle theft, and its security performance and convenience are improved. The effect that becomes possible is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle anti-theft system according to an embodiment of the present invention in a vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a main part of the fingerprint recognition device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of an operation according to the exemplary embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 2 Vehicle side receiver 3 Drive mechanism 4 Portable transmitter 4a Starter 5 In-vehicle computer 11 Fingerprint recognition device 11a Transparent table 11b Switch 11c Image sensor

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A fingerprint recognizing means for recognizing a human fingerprint, a fingerprint recognizing means for recognizing fingerprint data obtained by the fingerprint recognizing means against fingerprint data registered in advance, and a start instruction by external force And a portable transmitter for transmitting a remote control signal for unlocking the door of the vehicle when receiving the fingerprint data. If the identification result of the fingerprint data by the identification means is abnormal, the door for unlocking the door lock if the password code of the received remote operation signal is correct so that the remote operation signal from the portable transmitter can be received. A vehicle anti-theft system comprising: a lock unlock control means. 2. The vehicle theft according to claim 1, wherein the portable transmitter has a starting unit including a switch that is turned on by at least one of vibration and pressure by an external force as the starting instruction. Prevention system. 3. The fingerprint recognizing means includes an optical reading device for optically reading a fingerprint of a person, and a detection unit of the optical reading device is disposed outside a vehicle door or in the vicinity thereof. The vehicle anti-theft system according to claim 1, wherein: