JP2008174095A - Start control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve usability by starting without carrying a portable apparatus while ensuring anti-theft performance. <P>SOLUTION: This start control device has a control unit 4 authenticating a user to be a legal user to permit start by a starting device 3 when coincidence is determined by either one of fingerprint collation of comparing a fingerprint read by a fingerprint sensor 5, with a registered fingerprint registered beforehand in a RAM 43 to determine whether both are coincident, and signal collation of comparing an ID signal received by a transmitting-receiving part 7, with a registered signal registered beforehand in the RAM 43 to determine whether both are coincident. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a start control device that starts a drive source such as an engine of a vehicle, and more particularly to a device that authenticates whether or not a user is a valid user when starting a drive source such as an engine.

In recent years, in automobiles, in order to prevent theft and for convenience, a portable device that outputs a wireless signal such as a portable key is used to authenticate whether or not it is a valid driver, and this authentication is approved. There is known a start control device that permits engine start (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2006-96302 A

  However, the technology using such a wireless portable device is inconvenient because the engine cannot be started when the battery of the portable device has run out or when the driver does not have the portable device. It was.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above-mentioned conventional problems, and aims to improve usability by enabling start-up even if the portable device is not possessed while ensuring antitheft performance. It is.

The present invention has been made to achieve the above-described object, and includes a start switch for instructing start of a drive source, start means for starting the drive source, a fingerprint sensor for reading a fingerprint, and a wireless portable device. A receiver for receiving a unique signal unique to the portable device, and a control means for executing a starting process for controlling the operation of the starting means based on an input from the fingerprint sensor, the receiver, and the start switch. A start control device provided, wherein the control means stores the fingerprint read by the fingerprint sensor and the control means before executing the start by the start means when the start is commanded by the start switch. Compare fingerprints pre-registered in the unit and determine whether the two match or not, and the unique signal received by the receiver and the pre-registered in the storage unit A signal verification that compares the recorded signal to determine whether or not they match, and if a match is determined by either verification, the user is authenticated as a valid user, and It is characterized in that starting by the starting means is permitted.
In the start control device according to claim 1, in the start control device according to claim 1, in the start control, the control unit first executes fingerprint verification, and when the match is determined by fingerprint verification, A start operation is executed, and when the mismatch is determined by the fingerprint verification, the signal verification is executed, and when the signal verification is the signal verification, the startup operation is executed.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the start control device according to the first or second aspect, the start switch is a push button type switch, and the fingerprint sensor is connected to a pressing portion of the start switch. And the control means reads the fingerprint detected by the fingerprint sensor when the start switch is pressed.

  In the present invention, when authenticating whether or not a user is a valid user, fingerprint verification for determining whether a fingerprint read by a fingerprint sensor matches a registered fingerprint registered in advance, and from a portable device The user is authenticated as a valid user and permitted to be started by either one of the signal verification for determining whether the transmitted unique signal matches the registered signal registered in advance.

  Therefore, if the user has registered a fingerprint in advance, even if the portable device does not have a portable device or the portable device cannot send a unique signal because the battery has run out, etc., it is easy to start and easy to use. Since it is collated with fingerprints, high anti-theft performance can be secured.

In addition, your fingertip may be injured, your gloves may be worn in winter, your fingertip may be dry and your fingerprint may not be read, or the fingerprint sensor reading area may be dirty, making it impossible to read your fingerprint correctly with the fingerprint sensor. However, it is possible to start by signal verification using a portable device, and in this case as well, it is easy to use and secures anti-theft performance. In addition, even a user who has not registered his / her fingerprint can be started if he / she has a portable device, which is excellent in usability.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, in performing the fingerprint verification and the signal verification, the fingerprint verification is executed first, and if the fingerprint detected by the fingerprint sensor matches the registered fingerprint, the portable device is used. Since the engine start is permitted without executing the signal verification, the power consumption of the portable device can be suppressed as compared with the signal verification performed first.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the user presses the start switch, the fingerprint of the finger pressing the pressing portion is detected by the fingerprint sensor, and the fingerprint verification is performed.
Therefore, the driver only needs to perform the starting operation once, and the driver's starting operation can be reduced as compared with the case where the fingerprint sensor and the start switch are separately installed.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The start control device of this embodiment includes a start switch (2) for instructing start of a drive source, start means (3) for starting the drive source, a fingerprint sensor (5) for reading a fingerprint, and a wireless portable A receiver (7) that receives a unique signal unique to the portable device sent from the device (8), and the starting means (based on inputs from the fingerprint sensor (5), the receiver, and the start switch (2)). And a control means (4) for executing a start process for controlling the operation of 3), wherein the control means (4) is instructed to start by the start switch (2). In addition, before executing the starting by the starting means (3), the fingerprint read by the fingerprint sensor (5) is compared with the registered fingerprint registered in advance in the storage unit (43) of the control means (4). Fingerprint illumination to determine if they match And signal verification for comparing the unique signal received by the receiver (7) with the registered signal registered in advance in the storage unit (43) to determine whether or not they match. When the coincidence determination is made in the verification, the start control device is characterized in that the user is authenticated as a valid user and the start by the start means (3) is permitted.

  Below, based on FIGS. 1-3, the starting control apparatus A of Example 1 of the best embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.

  The start control device A of the first embodiment is a start means for starting an engine outside the figure in conjunction with the driver pressing a starter switch 2 as a start switch provided on the instrument panel 1 shown in FIG. Is a vehicle-mounted device that starts the starting device 3 (see FIG. 1), and performs user authentication using fingerprint verification and signal verification at the time of the starting operation, As shown in FIG. 1, a control unit (control means) 4, a fingerprint sensor 5, an antenna 6, and a transmission / reception unit (receiver) 7 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the starter switch 2 is a push button type switch installed on the right side of the steering 10 in the instrument panel 1, and is normally in an OFF state and provided on the head. The switch is switched to an ON state when the pressing surface 2a as a pressing portion is pressed, and returns to an OFF state when the pressing force is removed.

  The control unit 4 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 41 for executing a program stored in advance, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 42 for storing the program, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) as a storage unit for reading and writing data. ) 43, an input unit 44 as an input interface, and an output unit 45 as an output interface.

  The fingerprint sensor 5 is provided on the pressing surface 2a of the starter switch 2 shown in FIG. 3 and reads the fingerprint of the finger F pressing the pressing surface 2a. The capacitance type, electric field detection type, optical type, and thermal type. Any known sensor such as a pressure-sensitive type can be used. In the first embodiment, an optical sensor for imaging a fingerprint is used.

  The transmission / reception unit 7 communicates with a wireless portable key (portable device) 8 owned by the user via the antenna 6. In the first embodiment, when the starter switch 2 is pressed, the transmission / reception unit 7 performs control. Based on the control of the unit 4, the request signal req is output, and the ID signal id, which is a unique signal set unique to the portable key 8 and transmitted from the portable key 8, is received.

  The portable key 8 includes an antenna 81, a transmission / reception unit 82, a control unit 83, and a battery 84, and outputs an ID signal id given in advance when the request signal req is received.

Next, the starting process by the control unit 4 will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.
It is assumed that execution of this start process is started when a boarding determination is made from a state in which the passenger gets off. Further, the boarding determination is made based on the output of the door sensor not shown, the output of the seat sensor provided on the seat not shown, or the boarding determination process based on the output of the ID signal id from the portable key 8. Can do.

  First, in step S1, it is determined whether or not the starter switch 2 is turned on, and if it is turned on, the process proceeds to the next step S2, and if it remains off, the determination in step S1 is repeated. .

  In step S2, the fingerprint of the finger F in contact with the fingerprint sensor 5 provided on the pressing surface 2a of the starter switch 2 is read. In the next step S3, a fingerprint indicating whether or not the read fingerprint matches the registered fingerprint. A collation determination is performed, and if fingerprint collation is obtained, the process proceeds to step S4. That is, in the first embodiment, the fingerprint of a legitimate user who is permitted to use the vehicle equipped with the start control device A is read in advance as a registered fingerprint by the fingerprint sensor 5 and stored in the RAM 43. Fingerprint collation is performed to determine whether the fingerprint read in step S2 matches this registered fingerprint.

  If the read fingerprint matches the registered fingerprint, that is, if YES is determined in step S3, the user is authenticated as a valid user, and the process proceeds to step S4 to start. The start by the apparatus 3 is permitted to execute the start operation, and the engine (not shown) is started.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the read fingerprint does not match the registered fingerprint and is not a valid user, that is, if NO is determined in step S3, the process proceeds to step S5, and the transmission / reception unit 7 outputs the request signal req. .
In subsequent step S6, it is determined whether or not the ID signal id is received. If the ID signal id is received within a preset time, the process proceeds to step S7, and the ID signal id is set in advance. A signal verification is performed to determine whether or not it matches the registered ID stored in the RAM 43.
If it matches the registration ID, the user is determined to be a valid user, and the process proceeds to step S4 to start the engine.

  On the other hand, if there is no input of the ID signal id within the set time in step S6 (in the case of YES determination in step S8), and if the input ID signal id does not match the registered ID (in the case of NO determination in step S7). ), It is determined that the user does not have the portable key 8, that is, the user is not a valid user, and the process proceeds to step S8 to execute the engine start prohibition process and prohibit the start operation of the starter 3 . When this engine start prohibition process is executed, for example, the fact that the engine start prohibition process has been performed may be output to the user's mobile key 8 or a mobile phone registered in advance.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described for each case.
(When a registered user has the mobile key 8 and starts the engine)
The registered user presses the starter switch 2 with his / her finger after boarding when starting the engine. At this time, the control unit 4 reads the fingerprint read by the fingerprint sensor 5. If the fingerprint is normally read, the fingerprint matches the registered fingerprint, and the engine is started (steps S1, S2, S3). (Depending on the process flow of S4).

  On the other hand, if the registered user cannot inspect the fingerprint normally because his / her finger is injured, wearing a glove, or the fingerprint sensor 5 is dirty, the fingerprint does not match the registered fingerprint in the fingerprint verification. Based on the processing of S3 → S5, the control unit 4 outputs a request signal req and executes ID authentication. In the case of this example, since the registered user possesses the portable key 8, the processing flow of steps S5 → S6 → S7 → S4 is performed, ID authentication is performed, and the engine is started.

In this way, when the registered user starts with the portable key 8, the fingerprint collation is executed simply by pressing the starter switch 2, the engine is started, and it is determined that the fingerprint collation does not match due to some inconvenience. In this case, the engine is started by ID authentication using the portable key 8.
In this way, the engine can be started with one operation of pressing the starter switch 2, and the usability is excellent.

(When a registered user starts the engine without carrying the mobile key 8)
In this case, when the registered user presses the starter switch 2, fingerprint collation in steps S 1 → S 2 → S 3 is performed, and when the fingerprint sensor 5 reads the fingerprint normally, user authentication is performed and the engine is started. be able to.

  If it is not determined that the fingerprint read by the fingerprint sensor 5 matches the registered fingerprint for some reason, it is determined NO in step S6 because the portable key 8 is not held, and the engine start prohibition process in step S8 is executed. The engine cannot be started.

(When an unregistered user has the mobile key 8 and starts the engine)
In this case, when a non-registered user presses the starter switch 2, NO is determined by fingerprint collation, so that signal collation in steps S <b> 5 to S <b> 7 is performed. In this signal verification, since the portable key 8 is possessed, the processes of steps S5 → S6 → S7 → S4 are executed in order, user authentication is performed, and the engine is started.

  As described above, even if the user is not registered, if he / she has the portable key 8, he / she can be authenticated as a valid user, can start the engine, and is excellent in usability.

(When an unregistered user starts the engine without possessing the mobile key 8)
When the unregistered user presses the starter switch 2 without possessing the portable key 8, it is determined as NO in the fingerprint collation in steps S1 to S3, and the signal collation after step S5 is executed. Since the portable key 8 is not possessed, it is determined as NO in the signal verification in steps S5 to S7, and the engine start prohibiting process in step S8 is executed without being authenticated as a legitimate user. Start is prohibited.

  Therefore, even when a non-registered user tries to start the engine without possessing the portable key 8 at the time of theft, the engine start is prohibited.

As described above, in the first embodiment, when the registered user starts the engine, the engine is started simply by pressing the starter switch 2, and the operation is simple and excellent in operability.
Moreover, since the operability is excellent as described above, the fingerprint sensor 5 provided on the starter switch 2 reads the fingerprint and performs fingerprint collation to determine whether or not it is a registered fingerprint. It can prevent and secure high anti-theft performance.
In addition, if you have a portable key 8, you will be authenticated as a legitimate user by signal verification and the engine will be allowed to start, so if you injure your finger or get dry, or wear gloves during the winter Even if the user is a legitimate user and the fingerprint collation does not match, such as when the fingerprint sensor 5 is dirty and the fingerprint cannot be read normally, the engine is started. Can do. Therefore, while ensuring the anti-theft property by signal verification, it is excellent in usability by not making fingerprint verification an absolute condition.
In addition, if the portable key 8 is possessed, it is possible to start other than registered users, and it is easy to use.
In other words, when fingerprint authentication is an absolute condition, there is a possibility that the engine cannot be started when the fingerprint authentication happens to be impossible as described above, and it is difficult to drive other than registered users. When driving, it is inconvenient in an emergency. On the other hand, in the case of the first embodiment, even when fingerprint collation is impossible, it is possible to start by signal collation using the portable key 8, and it is easy to use while ensuring the anti-theft performance.

Furthermore, in Example 1, when performing fingerprint collation and signal collation, fingerprint collation is performed first. When collation is obtained, signal collation using the portable key 8 is not performed. Since the engine start is permitted, the power consumption of the portable key 8 can be suppressed as compared with the signal verification performed by the portable key 8 first.
In the first embodiment, when the driver presses the starter switch 2, the fingerprint of the finger F that presses the pressing surface 2a is detected by the fingerprint sensor 5, and the fingerprint collation is performed. Can be done only once, and compared with the case where the fingerprint sensor 5 is installed separately from the starter switch 2, it is possible to reduce the operation of the driver at the time of starting.

  Next, a start control device according to Embodiment 2 of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Since the second embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment, only the difference will be described, and the description of the same configuration and operational effects as the first embodiment will be omitted.

  In the second embodiment, the control flow in the control unit 4 is different from that in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, first, signal verification is performed, and then fingerprint verification is performed when signal verification cannot be obtained. I am doing so.

In step S21, boarding determination is performed, and when boarding is determined, the process proceeds to step S22.
In step S22, a request signal is output, and in the next step S23, it is determined whether or not an ID signal id has been received. If the ID signal id is received within a predetermined time, the ID signal id in step S24 matches the registered ID. Check whether or not to perform signal verification.
If the ID signal id matches the registered ID, the process proceeds to step S25 to start the engine.

  On the other hand, if signal verification is not obtained in step S24, and if the set time has elapsed in step S26, the process proceeds to step S27, where the fingerprint detected by the fingerprint sensor 5 is read, and in step S28, the fingerprint is detected. Fingerprint verification is performed to determine whether or not it matches the registered fingerprint. If the registered fingerprint matches the registered fingerprint, the process proceeds to step S25 to start the engine. If the registered fingerprint does not match, the process proceeds to step S29 to execute an engine start prohibition process.

  Therefore, in the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, when the registered user starts the engine, the engine is started simply by pressing the starter switch 2, and the operation is simple and easy to operate. The effect of superiority, the effect of ensuring high anti-theft performance by signal verification and fingerprint verification, the effect of superior usability compared to the case where either signal verification or fingerprint verification is an absolute condition, and the driver's starting operation is 1 Compared with the case where the fingerprint sensor 5 is installed separately from the starter switch 2, it is possible to reduce the number of operations at the start of the driver.

  As described above, the embodiment of the present invention and Examples 1 and 2 have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment and Examples 1 and 2, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Design changes that do not depart from the gist are included in the present invention.

  For example, in the first and second embodiments, the engine is shown as the drive source, but other motors and the like may be used as the drive source.

  In the first and second embodiments, the push button type switch is shown as the start switch. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other types of switches such as a toggle switch, a lever switch, a rotary switch, or a switch on the display. May be used. In particular, when the start switch and the fingerprint sensor are provided separately, the start switch does not require a pressing surface, and the switch options increase.

  Moreover, in Example 1, 2, although the example which provided the start switch in the instrument panel 1 was shown, you may provide in glove boxes etc. other than the instrument panel 1 in a vehicle, or other than a vehicle. You may provide in a portable device.

  Further, when the signal verification is performed before the fingerprint verification as in the second embodiment, the signal verification may be performed before the start switch is operated. In this case, it is possible to increase the responsiveness by reducing the processing to be executed after the start switch is operated.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the starting control apparatus A of Example 1 of the best embodiment of this invention. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a start process of the start control device A according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a front view showing the installation position of the starter switch 2 in the start control device A of the first embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the starting process of the starting control apparatus of Example 2.

Explanation of symbols

2 Starter switch (start switch)
2a Pressing surface (pressing part)
3 Starter (Starter)
4 Control unit (control means)
5 Fingerprint sensor 7 Transmitter / receiver (receiver)
8 Mobile key (portable device)
43 RAM (storage unit)
A start control device

Claims (3)

A start switch for commanding start of the drive source;
Starting means for starting the drive source;
A fingerprint sensor for reading fingerprints;
A receiver for receiving a unique signal unique to the portable device sent from the wireless portable device;
Control means for executing a starting process for controlling the operation of the starting means based on an input from the fingerprint sensor, the receiver, and the starting switch;
A start control device comprising:
When the start is instructed by the start switch, the control means includes the fingerprint read by the fingerprint sensor and the registered fingerprint registered in advance in the storage section of the control section before executing the start by the start means. Compare the fingerprint collation to determine whether or not they match, and compare the unique signal received by the receiver with the registration signal registered in advance in the storage unit to determine whether or not they match. When the coincidence determination is made by either one of the signal collation and the collation to be determined, the user is authenticated as a valid user, and the starting control device is allowed to start by the starting means .   In the start-up control, the control means first performs fingerprint collation, and when a match determination is made by fingerprint collation, a start operation is performed, and in the case of a mismatch determination by fingerprint collation, the signal collation is executed, 2. The start control device according to claim 1, wherein a start operation is executed when the signals match in the signal collation. The start switch is a push button type switch,
The fingerprint sensor is provided in the pressing portion of the start switch,
The start control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit reads a fingerprint detected by the fingerprint sensor when the start switch is pressed.

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